IES VisualFoundation User's Guide
Training Videos
You will find the following videos below, showcasing several features available in VisualFoundation.
VisualFoundation is a powerful finite element analysis tool to help engineers quickly and accurately model foundation systems, such as, mat footings, pile caps, grade beam systems, and combined footing systems. VisualFoundation performs design checks per the ACI 318 and CSA A23.3 specifications.
In VisualFoundation, standard circular, rectangular, and polygon boundaries be created, or custom arbitrary boundaries can be drawn. Boundaries can be modified or designated to be a hole. When boundaries overlap each other, the thickness of the overlapping part can be designated.
The design rebar patterns dialog box has been updated in VisualFoundation Version 10.0, making it easier than ever to manage the rebar patterns used for the optimize design approach.
VisualFoundation supports two different design approaches: the optimize approach and the specify approach. The optimize approach lets the program search for the best reinforcement pattern while the specify approach let you input a specific reinforcement pattern for the program to check.
In VisualFoundation, tools are available that make it easy to create piers, piles, grade beams, and walls. The size, shape, material, and position of these features can be modified as needed in your model.
In VisualFoundation, loads can be applied to the piers, walls, and grade beams in the model. Also, uniform and linearly varying pressures can be applied to the slab. You can draw rectangular, circular, tubular, or ring loads onto the boundaries in the model or select the boundary and apply a load to the entire area. Apply service level loads and view the results from standard Load Combinations or create your own Custom Load Combinations.
VisualFoundation provides stability calculations for overturning, slinging, and uplift. Stability checks can be performed at the service load level or the strength load level. The bearing pressure, friction coefficient, passive pressure, and pile resistance can be adjusted by the user.
Graphic filters are used to show or hide numerous features of the model, analysis results, and design results, allowing you to customize exactly what is displayed as you work and control what is shown in the graphics of the report.
This video discusses both the plate result diagrams and the plate design diagrams in VisualFoundation.
The finite element method is approximate, and the accuracy of the solution depends on how fine the mesh is in the model. It is important to refine the mesh until the model converges to ensure result of interests are accurate. In VisualFoundation version 11, the mesh can be refined at column piers and pile supports to obtain more accurate models with fewer plate elements and shorter analysis times than was possible in previous version of the program.
Punching shear design checks are performed at locations where concentrated loads are introduced into the foundation slab, such as at piles, column piers, and walls. VisualFoundation can perform unreinforced punching shear checks for individual objects, as discussed in this training video.
In VisualFoundation, punching shear checks are performed at locations where concentrated loads are applied to the foundation slab, such as piles, column piers, and walls. When these elements are spaced closer than the slab thickness, VisualFoundation combines them into a punching shear group. The punching shear design may be governed by either the main group or a subgroup, as explained in this video.
In VisualFoundation Punching Shear Reinforcement can be specified at both column piers and pile supports according to the ACI 318 or the CSA A23.3 design specifications. When punching shear reinforcement is specified, capacity is checked at both the critical section through the slab shear reinforcement and the critical section outside the slab shear reinforcement.
This video provides an overview of how to design environmental concrete structures according to the ACI 350 design specification in VisualFoundation.
VisualFoundation checks soil bearing pressure at the service level loads or the strength level loads based on the loads applied. Also, the punching shear for the slab is checked for the individual piles and piers and for groups of piles and piers.
VisualFoundation can design the flexural steel in the slab according to the ACI 318 or the CSA A23.3 design specification. The steel required for each finite element plate can be displayed, or VisualFoundation can suggest which rebar pattern should be used for different portions of the slab.
VisualFoundation checks the design capacity of piers with the ACI 318 concrete specification. Steel, concrete, and wood piles are designed according to the AISC 360 or CSA S16 steel specification, the ACI 318 or CSA A23.3 concrete specification, and the NDS wood specification, respectively.
Grade Beams can be designed according to the ACI 318 or the CSA A23.3 specifications in VisualFoundation. Simply specify the longitudinal, shear, and torsional reinforcement let the program check the capacity automatically. In addition to checking flexure, shear, and torsion, VisualFoundation ensures that the minimum flexural steel area, minimum transverse steel area, and the minimum transverse steel spacing requirements are satisfied according to the chosen design specification.
The script feature in VisualFoundation is a powerful tool that uses a command line interface to create model objects, generate service cases, apply loads, extract results, generate reports, and more. The basics of using the command line are discussed in this video.
In addition to using the command line directly, more complex scripts can be generated in any text file in the C# Programming Language and read into VisualFoundation. This allows models with complex geometry to be created, parametric studies to be performed, finite element meshes to be automatically refined, and much more as discussed in this video.
VisualFoundation 13 includes various new script commands, discussed and demonstrated in this training video. A complete list of available script commands is found in help file. For more advanced programming, use external scripts, read into program as explained in external scripts training video.
A variety of new features have been added to VisualFoundation in Version 9.0, including, structural design of piers and piles, design of concrete using the CSA A23.3 specification, the ability to specify the pile sliding resistance, and upgrades to the reports, to name just a few.
A variety of new features have been added to VisualFoundation Version 10.0 which are discussed in this video.
Several new features have been added to VisualFoundation Version 11.0 which are discussed in this video.
A variety of new features have been added to VisualFoundation 12 including a command line, the ability to import external scripts, and plate design diagrams as discussed in this video.
VisualFoundation 13 introduces a variety of new features, including enhanced punching shear design and updates to bearing pressure calculations. Additionally, new design specifications, load combinations, and scripting commands have been implemented, as explained in this video.