Introduction

Welcome to VisualAnalysis 10.0. The engineers at IES have worked hard to implement many customer-suggestions for improving and extending the software. We attempt to do this without disrupting the normal work flow for long-time customers and without over complicating the product. Most new features are optional and fairly isolated items or are just natural extensions to help you work more quickly and easily.

Major Added Features

Ice + Wind Loading on Members (Design level)

Benefit: Allows you to design “open” (e.g. lattice tower, bridges) structures more easily.
How: Apply either of two new load types to member elements. VisualAnalysis automatically calculates ice weight given a thickness, and wind pressures on the surface area of member (or member + ice) as a function of height (per ASCE 7).  New load sources Di, Wi are available for these types of loads and are included in load combinations.

AASHTO Load Sources

Benefit: More straightforward application of AASHTO for load combinations and results.
How: There is a preference setting to select types of load sources to generate in your projects. Apply loads in newly named load cases, and create or import custom load combinations according to AASHTO requirements. (Load combinations for AASHTO are not really automated in this release.)

Stress Checks (Generic) (Advanced level)

Benefit: Quick member stress-limit checks for any shapes or materials or for design codes and specifications not provided in VisualAnalysis.  Allows you more code-flexibility.
How: There is a project setting to group members for stress checks in the design criteria. In the design view you may have or create design groups for member elements. You specify stress limits (tension/compression) and software checks all the results for you.

Copy Multiple Loads from Member to Member

Benefit: Easier ways to generate your loads on members.
How: Select all the loads on a member, copy & paste to another member or group.

Integrated Steel Connection Design (Design level, through IES VAConnect)

Benefit: Huge time saving feature and sophisticated calculation for column base plates (with ACI Appendix D anchorage calculations) and shear-tab connections for beams.  VisualAnalysis assembles and exports all the connection data to VAConnect utilities (installed and purchased separately).
How: Possible connections are shown in the Design View, grouped automatically. You can manually adjust connection-grouping and then select a group to export your geometry and results to either the Base Plate or Shear Tab tool for design.  A report is saved and available in VisualAnalysis for review and status indicators in the graphics help you keep track of which connections you have designed already.

Import Loads into Multiple Load Cases

Benefit: More flexibility for very complex loading situations.
How: Use the Home | Clipboard to import loads into specific cases.

Engineering Features

• Override K-factors for steel design when using AISC Direct Analysis method
• Top of Steel feature integrates better with manual member centerline offsets
• Wood Cc (curved glulam) override setting allows smarter design
• Deflection limit preferences save you time
• Rigid Link results are available in Result View (optionally)
• Beam Deflections report table (post-processed analysis displacements for beams)
• Tapered Member stress checks (via generic stress check)
• Design Group table reports controlling load combination (report and Find Tool)
• Metric rebar option is now a project-setting (Modify tab for Project Settings), there is also a preference setting.
• Cable elements show initial Sag in Modify tab

Functionality and User-Interface Features

• Improved graphics
• Highlight Report viewing mode (selected items shown 'normally' others are 'ghosted')
• Editing in Project Manager is much improved (far fewer clicks required!)
• Undo/Redo for design groups is friendly for accidental changes
• New color preference settings gives you more control over graphics
• Member result colors are much cleaner in picture view mode
• Area Sides report (and Find Tool) table
• Member Graph customization is easier to access
• Warning to prevent very long reports (customizable limit)

Advanced Level Features

• Autodesk Revit 2013 support (see the Supplementary downloads page at the web site)

Minor Fixes

• Performance improvements and robustness for scissor nodes
• Member connection forces report truncation of data was fixed
• Rotation menu & toolbar tips are correct
• Wood CF fixes
• Bill of materials reporting of glulam board-feet improved
• Exit application is allowed when Report View is active
• Wood design deflections are improved (scaled with E)
• Improved unit-conversion factors for obscure units
• Math expressions in edit controls work properly with a leading negative value
• Fixed repeated error messages when importing from STAAD files
• Unity checks would report failure for 0.3% over 1.0, adjusted default limit.
• When unity checks are suppressed, there is a watermark in the Design View
• When unity checks are disabled for a group, the report and help-pane indicates this
• Clipboard exchange export list of load cases no longer shows empty cases. 

Features Removed

• The base-plate design report wizard was obsolete and has been replaced by IES VAConnect integration.