RISAFoundation

Tutorial – Version 16

RISA Tech, Inc.

27442 Portola Parkway, Suite 200
Foothill Ranch, California 92610
Phone: (949) 951-5815
Email: [email protected]
risa.com
Copyright © 2024, RISA Tech, Inc. All Rights Reserved. RISA is part of the Nemetschek Group.
RISA, the RISA logo and RISAFoundation are registered trademarks of RISA Tech, Inc. All other
trademarks mentioned in this publication are the property of their respective owners.
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior
written permission of RISA Tech, Inc.
Every effort has been made to make this publication as complete and accurate as possible, but
no warranty of fitness is implied. The concepts, methods, and examples presented in this
publication are for illustrative and educational purposes only and are not intended to be
exhaustive or to apply to any particular engineering problem or design. The advice and
strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a
professional where appropriate. RISA Tech, Inc. assumes no liability or responsibility to any
person or company for direct or indirect damages resulting from the use of any information
contained herein.
 Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Table of Contents................................................................................................................ i
Online Help ....................................................................................................................... 4
Technical Support .............................................................................................................. 4
Online Resources ............................................................................................................ 5
First Look at RISAFoundation .............................................................................................. 5
Keyboard Shortcuts & Hot Keys.......................................................................................11
Before You Start ............................................................................................................13
Part A: Tutorial 1 - Building a Model from Scratch ................................................................14
Creating the Model ........................................................................................................14
Model Settings...............................................................................................................14
Units.............................................................................................................................17
Drawing Slabs ...............................................................................................................20
Pedestals ......................................................................................................................22
Footings........................................................................................................................23
Grade Beams.................................................................................................................26
Soil Regions ..................................................................................................................28
Part A: Tutorial 2 - Modifying .............................................................................................31
Overview ......................................................................................................................31
Getting Started ..............................................................................................................31
Model Manipulation ........................................................................................................32
Modifying the Model.......................................................................................................36
Design Rules .................................................................................................................41
Circular Slabs ................................................................................................................42
Part A: Tutorial 3 - Loading ................................................................................................47
Overview ......................................................................................................................47
Getting Started ..............................................................................................................47
Adding Loads ................................................................................................................48
Load Combinations ........................................................................................................54
Loads Display ................................................................................................................56

Page | i
`Part A: Tutorial 4 – Solving & Results ................................................................................58
Overview ......................................................................................................................58
Getting Started ..............................................................................................................58
Solve the Model .............................................................................................................59
Slab Results ..................................................................................................................59
Reports .........................................................................................................................65
DXF Export....................................................................................................................69
Part B: Tutorial 1 – RISA-3D Integration .............................................................................71
Introduction ..................................................................................................................71
Overview ......................................................................................................................71
Opening a RISA-3D File ..................................................................................................72
Assign Loads to Load Categories .....................................................................................72
Part B: Tutorial 2 – Modeling..............................................................................................75
Overview ......................................................................................................................75
Getting Started ..............................................................................................................75
Model Settings...............................................................................................................76
Modify the Drawing Grid .................................................................................................77
Drawing Slabs ...............................................................................................................78
Drawing Pedestals .........................................................................................................82
Drawing Footings ...........................................................................................................86
Drawing Grade Beams ....................................................................................................87
Soil Regions ..................................................................................................................89
Part B: Tutorial 3 – Modifying.............................................................................................94
Overview ......................................................................................................................94
Getting Started ..............................................................................................................94
Modifying the Model.......................................................................................................95
Selection Tools ..............................................................................................................99
Part B: Tutorial 4 – Loading ............................................................................................. 106
Overview .................................................................................................................... 106
Getting Started ............................................................................................................ 106
Apply Loads ................................................................................................................ 107
Part B: Tutorial 5 – Solving & Results................................................................................ 116

Page | ii
 Overview .................................................................................................................... 116
Getting Started ............................................................................................................ 116
Solve the Model ........................................................................................................... 117
Slab Results ................................................................................................................ 117
Reports ....................................................................................................................... 123
DXF Export.................................................................................................................. 133
Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 134

Page | iii
 Online Help

Online Help

Whether you need help on general topics, specific features, the interface or licensing, the
RISAFoundation online Help system has the answers you are looking for. The Help menu was designed
to enable you to pinpoint the information you need quickly, by offering various ways for you to access
and locate the Help topics you are interested in.

If you are interested in Help on General Topics, click the RISA Help button found in the top right
corner of the Quick Access toolbar. When working inside the software, this is the fastest way to get
help on General Topics as well as specific features. It is also possible to go to File > Help where the
RISAFoundation Tutorials, General Reference Guide and Licensing Guide can be found.

When you enter the online help system, you will notice two tabs on the left: Contents and Index.
From here you can explore the general help topics by selecting specific sections or by selecting Index
and searching the list of indexed terms. Additionally, the Search bar in the top right corner of the
window allows for a keyword search of the entire online help database for easy access to more specific
topics.

Technical Support

Technical support is an integral part of the software packages offered by RISA and is available to all
customers with an active maintenance agreement or subscription license at no additional charge. Our
knowledgeable support team, comprised of registered engineers, is ready to answer your most
challenging questions.

Page | 4
 First Look at RISAFoundation

Before contacting technical support, you may want to take a few minutes to do the following:

 Search the Online Help and all user documentation available for the product.
 Search the Support and Learn articles posted on our website by visiting RISA Support Articles

When you are ready to make a support request, please be prepared to send us your model, and
include the following information:

 Your name, company name, and phone number

 Product name and serial number or Key ID
 A detailed description of your problem
 Your model (filename.fnd) as an e-mail attachment. If your model contains multiple members,
plates, or load combinations, please specify which ones we should look at.

When you are ready, you can reach out to Technical Support using the following contact methods:

 E-mail: [email protected]
E-mail is usually the best way to communicate with us when sending a model. When doing so,
please include all the information listed above.

 Phone: (800) 332-RISA (7472)

Technical support personnel are available from 6:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Pacific Standard Time,
Monday through Friday.

Online Resources

Additional information is available 24/7 by visiting our website, risa.com. There you will find:

 Answers to FAQ’s and technical support articles

 Downloads of general reference guides, tutorials and verification problems
 Videos and upcoming live webinars
 Information on upcoming training classes and events
 Product specific case studies
 Software updates – Any known problems are posted on the website, along with possible
workaround procedures and/or service releases to update your software.

First Look at RISAFoundation

This section includes a quick look at the user interface of RISAFoundation and its various components.
If you are new to RISAFoundation, review this section before beginning the tutorial to ensure that you
are able to navigate all aspects of the user interface. If you are already familiar with the user interface,
proceed to the Modeling section of the tutorial on page 14.

Page | 5
 First Look at RISAFoundation

The user interface of RISAFoundation is set up to provide a streamlined workflow, allowing engineers
to get the most out of the software. Additionally, each area of the interface serves a specific function
which allows engineers to work more efficiently when modeling, analyzing or documenting their
projects. Let’s take a look at the various areas of the interface in order to better understand their
function.

Quick Access Toolbar ①

The Quick Access Toolbar provides easy access to the following features:

 New, Open & Save Project

 Print Report or Graphic
 Undo & Redo
 Solve
 Detailed Report
 Camera Snapshot
 Help/Info

Ribbon Toolbar ②

Page | 6
 First Look at RISAFoundation

The ribbon toolbar is the hub for all features and functions within RISAFoundation. With a logical left-
to-right, tab-based approach, the ribbon makes it effortless to progress through a model from its
conception to its final optimization by simply following the icon sequencing. Within the toolbar, the
following tabs are included:

Home

Modify

View

Drawing Tools

Spreadsheets

Advanced

Page | 7
 First Look at RISAFoundation

Results

Properties Panel ③

The Properties Panel allows you to quickly view

every property associated with a given element.
Additionally, the modification of properties associated
with a given node, boundary condition, member or load
can be completed within the same interface.

Page | 8
 First Look at RISAFoundation

Explorer Panel ④

The Explorer Panel is the easiest way to access

the data entry and results spreadsheets. These
toolbars are used to access input spreadsheets
such as Design Rules, Pile Definitions, and Basic
Loads Cases, as well as results spreadsheets
such as Node Reactions, Beam Forces and
Spread Footing Design.

3D View Window ⑤

The 3D View window is where the model will be created. When starting a new project, the workspace
is blank and includes a default Drawing Grid. Additional 3D view windows and spreadsheets can be
added or enabled and docked within the interface in order to provide better model visibility.

Page | 9
 First Look at RISAFoundation

The 3D View window also includes the following toolbars:

Selection Toolbar ⑥

The selection toolbar is located on the left side of the 3D View window and provides model selection
tools to help you work with and make changes to smaller portions of the model.

Design Results Toolbar ⑦

The design results toolbar is available when a solution is present. Tools such as detailed
report, filtering and internal force summation fine tune the presentation of results.

View Toolbar ⑧

The view toolbar provides preset view options (ISO, PLN) as well as the ability to enable
and toggle the visibility of loads, results and deflections.

Quick View ⑨

The quick view section of the Home tab allows users to easily change the model view properties of the
3D View Window. View properties for inputs (boundary conditions, members, etc.) exists as well as
view properties specifically used to change the way a specific result (slab contours, slabs, spread
footing forces, etc.) are viewed. If greater control of the view properties is required, open either the
Model or Results view settings found on the View tab.

Page | 10
 First Look at RISAFoundation

Keyboard Shortcuts & Hot Keys

Shortcut Keys and Hot Keys allow you to use the keyboard to quickly access features. The
difference between the two is simply that the shortcut keys are related to a specific window and will
only work in that window while the hot keys will perform in any situation.

General Hot Keys

Key Combination Function

F1 Help on the active window
F5 Activates the Dynamic Distance Tool
Ctrl-F1 Main Help topics
Ctrl-F2 Creates a new view
Ctrl-F7 Solve the Model
Ctrl-C Copy to the clipboard
Ctrl-V Paste from clipboard
Ctrl-N Start a new file
Ctrl-O Open an existing file
Ctrl-S Save the current file
Ctrl-P Print
Ctrl-Z Undo
Ctrl-Y Redo

Shortcut Keys available for Specific Windows

Key Combination Model View Window Spreadsheet

Open last graphic editing
Ctrl-D dialog (opens in Properties Delete Marked Lines
panel)
Ctrl-A Select All Select All
Ctrl-U Unselect All Unselect All
Ctrl-F - Block Fill
Ctrl-M - Block Math
Ctrl-I Invert Selection -
Ctrl-L Toggle Lock unselected Unmark Lines
F2 Open Model View Settings Start/Stop Cell Edit
F3 - Insert line
F4 - Delete Line
F5 Initiates the “Distance” tool Find
F8 - Repeat Current Line
+ Zoom in -
F8 Zoom out -
PgUp PgDn Scrolling Scrolling
Page | 11
 First Look at RISAFoundation

Shortcut Hot Keys that open Spreadsheets

Key Combination Unsolved Model Solved Model

Ctrl-Alt-C Node Coordinates Corner Forces
Ctrl-Alt-D Distributed Load Node Deflections
Ctrl-Alt-G Model Settings
Ctrl-Alt-P Nodal Loads
Ctrl-Alt-R Design Rules Reactions

Page | 12
 First Look at RISAFoundation

Before You Start

This tutorial is designed to help guide you through the process of modeling, loading, analyzing,
designing and documenting foundation elements in RISAFoundation. The intent is to provide a
straightforward workflow that simulates the “real world” design process and allows you to seamlessly
make changes to the model, as would be required in any real project. In the sections that follow, the
model shown below will be created:

As you work through the sections of the tutorial pay attention to the provided steps and images which
aim to explain how to perform a given task, specifically the bold text highlights features or interface
items that are important to the overall design process.

The model being created consists of a wide range of element types (slabs, pedestals, footings, etc.) as
well as a variety of materials and the majority of the elements will be created within the graphical
interface using the drawing tools provided. However, it is also possible to create many of the same
elements using the corresponding spreadsheet. Overall, this tutorial should take only a few hours and
should help users get up to speed in the software.

Page | 13
 Part A: Tutorial 1 - Building a Model from Scratch

Part A: Tutorial 1 - Building a Model from Scratch

Creating the Model

This first part of this Tutorial (Part 1) will focus on building RISAFoundation models from scratch. With
the guidance of the following four tutorials, you will build, solve, and modify a typical industrial
foundation system comprised of several different types of foundations.

The tutorials build upon themselves from start to finish. You have the option of performing them all at
one time or performing each one separately. To make this possible, RISA provides model files for you
to load at the beginning of each tutorial. These starter files are located in My Documents in the
RISA\Model Files folder under Tutorials, and are named Tutorial A2 starter.fnd, Tutorial A3
starter.fnd, etc.

When you finish all four tutorials, the final product will look like this:

Model Settings

If you haven’t already, launch RISAFoundation by clicking on the shortcut icon on your desktop
or by accessing the software from the Windows Start Menu.

When launching RISAFoundation, the program will open the Starting a Model dialog which allows
users to choose to start a new project, open a previous project or select a project from the recent
projects list.
Page | 14
 Part A: Tutorial 1 - Building a Model from Scratch

In this tutorial, we will choose the New model option which will open a blank workspace as well as the
Project Information dialog box.

Before creating any model information, it is important to review the Model Settings of the project
which include the applicable material design codes. To access the dialog, click the Settings button
located on the Home tab.

The first tab within the model settings shows various setup options for the solution including
approximate mesh size, number of reported sections and Processor Core Utilization, which allows
users to select how the multiple cores of their computer will be utilized during the solution. RISA
recommends using Balanced as this will allow load combinations to be solved in parallel while still
reserving processing power for other applications on your computer.

Modify the Solution parameters to match the image below:

 In the Number of Reported Sections option, type 7, (or you may use the +/- buttons to
increase/decrease the value. In the Number of Internal Sections box, select 100.
 In the Mesh Size box type 36.

Page | 15
 Part A: Tutorial 1 - Building a Model from Scratch

We can now enter the Codes tab and choose the design codes that are going to be used for the
model. In this tutorial, we will utilize the ASD codes for every material except for concrete, where LRFD
(strength based) design is required.

In the Concrete Tab, change the Compression Stress Block dropdown to Rectangular Stress
Block.

Click Apply to exit the Model Settings dialog.

Page | 16
 Part A: Tutorial 1 - Building a Model from Scratch

Units

RISAFoundation allows users to work in

Imperial units (kips, inches, etc.), Metric
units (kN, meters, etc.) or a combination
of both. To access the current units setup,
click the button found in the
Model section of the Home tab. The
Units dialog not only allows for the
definition of units for specific
measurements but also gives users the
ability to change between the Standard
Imperial setup and the Standard
Metric.

Finally, it is also possible to Save the Current Settings as Default so that your specific units
settings are remembered each time you start a new project.

Every time you start a new model, RISAFoundation automatically opens a 30x30 drawing grid.
Although you can use this grid for your model, it is preferable to define a Project Grid. The benefit of
using a Project Grid is that this grid will actually be linked to your model. For example, if you have a
row of footings on a gridline, and decide to move that gridline, the footings move right along with it.

Toggle off the display of the drawing grid by clicking on the Drawing Tools tab in the ribbon toolbar.
In the section labeled, Drawing Grid, slick the button on the left to turn off the display of the drawing
grid.

Now, draw the Project Grid.

The foundation you will be modeling is shown below. You will use the dimensions from this drawing to
create your Project Grid.

Page | 17
 Part A: Tutorial 1 - Building a Model from Scratch

Open the Project Grid Lines spreadsheet by selecting Project Grids under Data Entry and then
select Generate Project Grid Lines.

To define the gridlines for each axis, you will type all the values at once under the Rectangular Grid
Parameters section:

 In the Z Axis Increments box, type 3,2@25,3,22,2@25,3,12 (separated by commas).

 In the X Axis Increments box, type 3,20,17,3,3@20,3 (separated by commas).

For Z Direction/Radial Line Labeling:

 In the Start Label box, type I (capital “i”).

 For the Label Order, click Z to A.

For X Direction/Radial Line Labeling:

 In the Start Label box, type 1.

Page | 18
 Part A: Tutorial 1 - Building a Model from Scratch

 For the Label Order, click A to Z.

Your Project Grid Lines dialog box should look like this:

 Click Apply.

The spreadsheet should look similar to below:

Click Close to close the spreadsheet.

Note: The green highlighted cell is the active cell. You can change the active cell by clicking
in a new cell or use the TAB key or arrow keys to move around in the spreadsheet.

You may use the keyboard or the numeric keypad for typing numbers.

To view all 19 rows, you may need to lengthen your spreadsheet. Click and drag the right
corner of the spreadsheet in a downward motion.
Click on the View tab in the ribbon toolbar. In the section labeled, Zoom, click Zoom Extents.

Page | 19
 Part A: Tutorial 1 - Building a Model from Scratch

Your Project Grid will now be displayed in light blue, as shown below.

Drawing Slabs

This first tutorial will introduce the various drawing features that RISAFoundation has to offer. Now
that you have modeled the project grid, you will model a slab, several footings and grade beams, and
explore the Model Settings.

 Click on the Home tab in the ribbon toolbar. In the section labeled, Slab Elements, select
Slabs.

When the draw members tool is activated the Properties Panel allows the user to select all of the
properties of the member.

Use one of the materials and define a 30 inch, 4 ksi NW slab. Make the following modifications in the
Properties Panel.

 In the Thickness box, type 30.

 In the Material box, click Conc4000NW.

Page | 20
 Part A: Tutorial 1 - Building a Model from Scratch

Use the grid intersections you created (above) as pick points to draw the slab.

 Click the following grid intersections (in this order): A1, A9, F9, F5, I5, I1, then click A1 a
second time to close the polygon.

Note: Once you close the polygon, by clicking the first grid intersection a second time (in
this case A1), the slab will appear.

If you make any mistakes as you draw, use the Undo and Redo buttons to undo or redo your last step
(they are located in the RISA toolbar).

Your model should now look like this:

Note: The slab edge is displayed as a thick blue line.

Page | 21
 Part A: Tutorial 1 - Building a Model from Scratch

Pedestals

The Pedestal feature in RISAFoundation allows you to draw rectangular or circular pedestals anywhere
on a slab. For your foundation, you will use both types of pedestals. You will start with circular
pedestals, and then later modify a few of those to rectangular (in Tutorial 2).

 Click on the Home tab in the ribbon toolbar. In the section labeled, Slab Elements, select
Pedestals/Posts.

Make the following modifications in the Properties Panel.

 In the Shape box, click on the ellipsis button to

open the Set Pedestal Size dialog.

The next dialog allows you to set the pedestal size and shape.
Select Circular and change the Diameter to 24 in. Click Ok.

 Set the Material to Conc4000NW in the

dropdown.
 In the Height box type 12.

The Properties of the Pedestal should match those

shown below.

Click on the grid intersection points starting at E2 and working up to B2 (E2, D2, C2, and B2).
Continue for grid line 3 and 4 (E3, D3, C3, B3, E4, D4, C4, and B4). You will see 12 pedestals drawn
onto your slab.

Page | 22
 Part A: Tutorial 1 - Building a Model from Scratch

Continue clicking on grid intersection points until a pedestal has been added at the following grid
locations: G2, H2, G3, H3, G4, H4, E6, D6, C6, B6, E7, D7, C7, B7, E8, D8, C8 and B8.

When finished, your model should look like this:

Footings

Next, you will draw the six footings. Start by defining a footing layout and then apply that layout to the
project grid.

To do this, click on the Spread Footing Definitions spreadsheet in the Data Entry section of the
Explorer Panel.

This opens a spreadsheet that contains all the design parameters for spread footing design. To create
footing designs, simply add as many additional rows to this spreadsheet as you like.

Page | 23
 Part A: Tutorial 1 - Building a Model from Scratch

Browse through the various tabs in the spreadsheet to explore the contents. You will use the default
entries so, when finished reviewing, close the spreadsheet.

Note: If you need help while in a spreadsheet, simply hit the F1 key. The Help will open to a
description of that spreadsheet.

Now that you have defined your footing, you may apply it to your model.

 Click on the Home tab in the ribbon toolbar. In the section labeled, Draw Elements, select
Spread Footings.

In the Definition box, select Footing 1 (this is the one you just reviewed in the Spread Footings
Definition spreadsheet). (Notice that you can also apply a Support Angle to your footing. But in this
case, you will use the default of 0 degrees).

In the next few steps, you will be defining six footings for your model. Only two of the six footings fall
on grid intersections (B10 and C10). Begin by drawing those two footings:

 Click grid intersections B10 and C10.

Because four of the footings are not on grid intersections, you must use coordinates and snap options
to define their exact location.

 Click on the Drawing Tools tab in the ribbon toolbar. In the section labeled, Universal Snap
Points, check the box labeled Active:

Page | 24
 Part A: Tutorial 1 - Building a Model from Scratch

As you move your cursor around your model, notice a red dot will appear at every 1 ft increment. To
see it more clearly, you may need to zoom in on the model by rolling the mouse wheel forward (away
from you).

Note: The cursor provides information regarding the cursor coordinates. As you move your
cursor around on your screen, a box adjacent to your cursor will appear and populate with
the coordinates of the cursor.

Assign the final four footings by defining their coordinate locations, as shown below.

 Click on the following coordinate locations:

(13, 88) (13, 108) (-7, 88) (-7, 108)
 Right-click the mouse or press ESC to exit the drawing mode.

When finished, your model should look like this:

Page | 25
 Part A: Tutorial 1 - Building a Model from Scratch

Grade Beams

Note: RISAFoundation treats beams as physical members. This means that the beams will
provide fixity to all nodes that occur along the span of the member. Therefore, to be able to
later connect the beams to intermediate elements, it is not necessary to break them into
individual members.

To give additional stability to the footings at grid intersection B10 and C10, you will draw some grade
beams.

 Turn off the snap points by unchecking the Active box in the Universal Snap Points section
of the Drawing Tools tab.
 In the View tab of the ribbon toolbar, click Zoom In (or roll the mouse wheel forward). Use
the scroll bars to reposition the model so that grid points B8 and B10 are in clear view.

Next, you will define the material to be used for the beams:

 In the Home tab of the ribbon toolbar, click Beams in the Draw Elements section.

 In the Properties Panel, select Conc4000NW.

 In the Shape box, click on the ellipsis button to open the Shape Selection: Concrete
dialog.

The next dialog allows you to set

Depth and Width of the beam.
Change the Depth to 24 and the
Width to 18. Click Ok.

Page | 26
 Part A: Tutorial 1 - Building a Model from Scratch

Now, draw the first beam:

Click grid intersection B8 then B10. Notice the cursor remains linked to the node at B10, allowing you
to continue drawing a second beam without interruption (which you will do in the next step).

Note: After drawing a beam, your cursor remains linked until you either draw another beam
or terminate drawing. To terminate drawing beams right click the mouse or press ESC. To
exit the drawing mode completely, right-click the mouse or press ESC a second time.

Continue drawing the remaining beams.

 Click grid intersection C10 to create the second beam; and finally, C8 to create the third beam.
 Now that you are finished drawing your beams, right-click the mouse or press ESC two times to
terminate drawing and exit the drawing mode.

Now that you have completed drawing your foundation elements, render the view:

 In the View tab of the ribbon toolbar, click Zoom Extents to resize the model within the
window.

Page | 27
 Part A: Tutorial 1 - Building a Model from Scratch

 In the Quick View section of the Home tab, click on the rendering button twice to
show the rendered view of the model.

Soil Regions

Soil regions may be applied to your model in individual areas if you want them to vary from the default
soil properties by accessing the Soil Definition Spreadsheet. For your model, you will use this
spreadsheet to apply different soil regions under different parts of your model. Start by setting a
default Subgrade Modulus.

 On the Data Entry toolbar, click Soil Definitions to open the Soil Definitions spreadsheet.
 In the Label column click the first cell to highlight the label. Click a second time on the ellipsis.
 In the Label box, type Soil 1.
 In the Subgrade Modulus box, type 120.
 In the Allowable Bearing box, type 5.
 Click Apply.

Page | 28
 Part A: Tutorial 1 - Building a Model from Scratch

Now, this will be the default subgrade modulus for the model, and it will be used to establish the
elastic stiffness of the soil for the entire model. Because you want to establish an area with a different
Subgrade Modulus and Allowable Bearing Pressure, you will do so directly in the Soil Definitions
Spreadsheet.

 Type Enter in the Soil Definitions spreadsheet.

 Type Soil 2 in the Label column.
 In the Subgrade Modulus column, type 100.
 In the Allowable Bearing Pressure column, type 4.

Now that you have defined your soils, you will draw a soil region where the soil differs from the
default.

 Click on the Home tab in the ribbon toolbar. In the section labeled, Draw Elements, select
Soil Regions.
 In the Properties Panel, select Soil 2 as your Soil Definition.

To draw the soil region over the four footings you created earlier (at the bottom of the model), you will
need to turn Universal Snap Points back on and draw your soil regions as follows:

 Turn on the snap points by checking the Active box in the Universal Snap Points section of
the Drawing Tools tab.

Page | 29
 Part A: Tutorial 1 - Building a Model from Scratch

 Click grid intersections G6, G8, then coordinates (-16, 128), (-16, 78), and finally click grid
intersection G6 a second time to close the polygon.

Note: If you had drawn your soil region under just a portion of a footing, the footing would
be designed for the soil type under the defining footing node. They will not be designed for
half one soil region, half another.

This completes your initial foundation design. You may now change to rendered, isometric view and
review your model for accuracy:

 In the Quick View section of the Home tab, click the Render button twice to show the
rendered view of the model.

 In the Window Toolbar, click the Isometric button to snap to an isometric view.

This is the end of Tutorial A1.

You can save your model to be used as the starting point for the next tutorial or begin the next tutorial
using the .fnd starter file in the RISAFoundation Tutorials folder. To save the model:

 Select Save As from the File menu. Enter in a file name and click Save.

Page | 30
 Part A: Tutorial 2 - Modifying

Part A: Tutorial 2 - Modifying

Overview

Now that you have laid out your RISAFoundation model, it is inevitable that modifications or changes
will need to be made. One of the most powerful features of RISA software is the ability to quickly and
effectively make changes to an existing model without having to recreate the model—this tutorial will
demonstrate how.

Getting Started

This tutorial continues where the previous tutorial ended, if you are continuing from the previous
tutorial:

 Skip ahead to the next section titled Model Manipulation.

-OR- If you are starting here from scratch, follow the steps below to load the starter file provided by
RISA:

 Double-click the RISAFoundation icon to start the program.

 Click Open Existing File from the Starting a Model dialog box.
Double-click the Model Files folder then the Tutorials folder, select Tutorial A2 Starter.fnd.

The first part of this tutorial will guide you through some of the basic graphical functions of
RISAFoundation. As you build larger, more complex models, the view manipulation features (such as
zooming, panning, and rotating) will help you ensure model building precision during every step of the
process.

The Window toolbar provides these view manipulation features:

Page | 31
 Part A: Tutorial 2 - Modifying

The View tab of the Ribbon Toolbar also provides manipulation features.

Model Manipulation

Rotating

There are multiple ways to rotate your model. Hold Shift on your keyboard and hold the Mouse
Wheel to rotate your model.

The Rotate buttons are used to rotate the model with respect to the global
axes of the model. Display the model as rendered while you explore these options.

 In the Quick View section of the Home tab, click the Render button twice to show the
rendered view of the model.

The model will now display in rendered view.

Experiment using some of these manipulation buttons:

 Click the Rotate buttons a few times. Watch the global axes icon to
see the effect of each.

Page | 32
 Part A: Tutorial 2 - Modifying

 Click the Isometric button to snap the model into isometric view.
 Now that you are in isometric view, click the Rotate buttons once
again to see how the model rotates in 3D.

 When you are finished, click the Isometric button to bring your model back into isometric
view.

Your model should now look like this in isometric view.

 Return to wireframe view by clicking the Render button once.

Zooming

In addition, the Zoom buttons are located in the View tab in the Ribbon Toolbar.

 Try clicking on these buttons to experiment with them.

The Zoom Box button allows you to use your cursor to draw a box around the area you
would like to zoom in on. Try this by adjusting your model view, then zoom in on the four footings in
the lower portion of the model:

 In the View tab, click Zoom Extents to redraw the model in full model view.

Page | 33
 Part A: Tutorial 2 - Modifying

 Then, click Plan in the Window Toolbar to snap back to a XZ planar view.
 In the View tab, click the Zoom Box button and then draw a box around the
lower four footings by clicking and dragging your mouse. When you release the mouse, the
boxed area will zoom in to the full size of the window.

If your mouse has a wheel, you will also be able to zoom using the mouse wheel:

 Roll the mouse wheel forward and backward a few times to see the zooming effect.

 In the View tab, click Zoom Extents to redraw the model within your window, or double
click on the mouse wheel.

Panning

With the mouse wheel, you will also be able to use RISAFoundation’s panning feature:

 Simply press down on the mouse wheel anywhere on your model, then hold and drag to the
desired location. This will draw your model to the new location.

When you are finished, return to the original, full model view:

 Click Plan in the Window Toolbar, then click Zoom Extents .

Page | 34
 Part A: Tutorial 2 - Modifying

Your window should now look like this:

Multiple Views

RISAFoundation provides the ability to display multiple views of your model. The Open 3D Views tool
allows you to open a new 3D window or choose from a list of any other 3D View window that is open.
This tool allows you to keep your original 3D View intact in one view, then create additional views to
display different views of the model.

 In the View tab of the Ribbon Toolbar, click Open 3D Views to create a new 3D window.

This will open an identical 3D view called 3D View 1.

 In 3D View 1, click the Isometric button in the Window Toolbar. You can now view your model
in Plan view and Isometric view as shown below.

Page | 35
 Part A: Tutorial 2 - Modifying

You may want to use this tool to isolate specific parts of your model to see how those parts are
affected by your modifications, or if you do not want to change your existing view but need to view a
different side of the model, simply open a new window to view the other side.

Note: Each 3D View is independent and can be rotated, zoomed, selected, etc. without
affecting the other 3D Views. However, any modeling changes you make in any view will be
automatically updated in the other views.

Modifying the Model

Selection Tools

In this section, you will explore how to combine the viewing options you just learned about with the
selection tools to make those inevitable model design changes in RISAFoundation. The selection tools
are located in the Selection Toolbar on the left side of the 3D View Window. You may graphically
select items in order to view or modify parts of the model, and when used with the graphic editing
features, this allows you to quickly make modifications to your model.

Next, you will modify your model to look like this:

Page | 36
 Part A: Tutorial 2 - Modifying

Note: When you select elements, they will display in blue.

You will use the Criteria Selection tool to select the pedestals to modify.

 On the Selection Toolbar, click the Criteria Selection button . Click the Coordinates
tab.

Enter the following information for the Coordinate Range, as shown below:

 In the X row, type 0 in the minimum box, and type 23 in the maximum box.
 In the Z row, type 3 in the minimum box, and type 53 in the maximum box.
 In the Pedestals dropdown, change the dropdown to Select/Unselect.
 Click Select, then close.

Note: Check the box for Overwrite previous selection to overwrite any elements that
were previously selected.

Page | 37
 Part A: Tutorial 2 - Modifying

Only the lower six pedestals will be selected, as shown below.

Now that you have selected the pedestals to be modified, use the Properties Panel to quickly update
your model.

 In the Shape box, click on the

ellipsis button to open the Set Pedestal
Size dialog.

The next dialog allows you to modify the

pedestal size and shape.

 Select Rectangular and change the

Depth to 24 and the Width to 30. Click
Ok.

Page | 38
 Part A: Tutorial 2 - Modifying

Using the Selection Criteria and Properties Panel allows you to make mass modifications to
multiple pedestals at one time.

Now use the Criteria Selection tool to select the remaining Pedestals.

 On the Selection Toolbar, click the Criteria Selection button . Click the Slabs tab.

Enter the following information for the Coordinate Range, as shown below:

 Select Pedestal/Post and change the dropdown to Pedestal.

 Click Select, then close.

Note: When the Overwrite previous selection box is unchecked, the selected items will
be added to the current selection state.

Now, all your slab pedestals are selected, as shown below. Note that the lower six pedestals have been
modified to be rectangular.

Page | 39
 Part A: Tutorial 2 - Modifying

Before you unselect the pedestals, save this selection state so that you may access it for later modeling
and/or modifications:

 On the Selection Toolbar, click the Saved Selections

button . Click the Save Current tab.

 In the Description, type Slab Pedestals. Click Save

Now you have saved this selection state and may retrieve it any
time by coming back to this tool (on the Selection Toolbar
select Saved Selections, then click the Retrieve button).

Return the model view and unselect everything in the model.

 On the Selection Toolbar, click the Unselect All button.

Now the entire model is unselected, as shown in the image below.

Page | 40
 Part A: Tutorial 2 - Modifying

Design Rules

The Design Rules spreadsheet allows you to define or change the parameters for your solution as you
will do next:

 On the Data Entry toolbar, click Design Rules to open the Design Rules Spreadsheet.

Review the various tabs, starting with the Beam parameters.

Modify the Slab parameters:

 Click the Mat Slab tab. Modify the parameters so that your spreadsheet matches the image
below.

Modify the Footing parameters:

 Click the Footing tab. Modify the parameters so that your spreadsheet matches the image
below.

Page | 41
 Part A: Tutorial 2 - Modifying

Modify the Pedestal parameters:

 Click the Pedestal tab. Modify the parameters so that your spreadsheet matches the image
below.

When finished, close the spreadsheet.

Circular Slabs

Now that all the existing elements have been modified, add the circular slab in the lower right-hand
corner using the Circular Slab Generator.

Note: This generator can be a very useful tool. Besides generating the slab, it will also add
loads to the slab, and add the design strips within the slab. Loads and design strips will be
explained in more detail in later tutorials.

 Click on the Home tab in the ribbon toolbar. In the section labeled, Slab Elements, select
Circular Slabs.

 Complete the dialog box so that it matches the image below for the Circular Slab Geometry
tab.

Page | 42
 Part A: Tutorial 2 - Modifying

 Complete the dialog box so that it matches the image below for the Line and Area Loads tab.

 Click Apply.

Notice the slab is now drawn on your model.

Page | 43
 Part A: Tutorial 2 - Modifying

Notice that the circular slab overlaps the soil region you drew earlier. Next, you will modify the soil
region to extend completely under the new slab. The best way to do this is to simply change the
coordinates of the four nodes that define the corners of the soil region.

First, zoom in for better viewing of this region:

 Zoom in on the lower right corner of your model using zooming and panning techniques.

Page | 44
 Part A: Tutorial 2 - Modifying

Note: Zoom in by rolling the mouse wheel forward. To move the model around in the
window, press the mouse wheel down, hold and drag in any direction.

Get information on the node that defines the upper right corner of the soil region:

 Double click the upper right corner node N44 (at coordinates 23,128) of the soil region.

This opens the node properties in the Properties Panel.

Change the coordinates to extend beneath the new slab:

 Under Coordinates, in the X box, type 40. In the Z box, type 165.

Now, extend the node that defines the lower right corner of the soil region:

 Double click node N45 (at coordinates, -16, 128).

 Under Coordinates, in the X box, type -35. In the Z box, type 165.

Double click the mouse wheel to view the entire model again.

Your soil region has now expanded beyond and lies beneath the new circular slab. You can also view
your model in isometric, rendered view.

 In the Quick View section of the Home tab, click the Render button twice to show the
rendered view of the model.

 In the Window Toolbar, click the Isometric button to snap to an isometric view.

Page | 45
 Part A: Tutorial 2 - Modifying

This is the end of Tutorial A2.

You can save your model to be used as the starting point for the next tutorial or begin the next tutorial
using the .fnd starter file in the RISAFoundation Tutorials folder. To save the model:

 Select Save As from the File menu. Enter in a file name and click Save.

Page | 46
 Part A: Tutorial 3 - Loading

Part A: Tutorial 3 - Loading

Overview

With the model layout complete, you can now explore the many ways to apply loading in
RISAFoundation. In this previous tutorial, you applied both a line load and an area load to your circular
slab with the circular slab load generator. In this tutorial, you will be expanding on this by adding some
additional line loads and nodal loads.

Getting Started

This tutorial continues where the previous tutorial ended, if you are continuing from the previous
tutorial:

 Skip ahead to the next section titled Adding Loads.

-OR- If you are starting here from scratch, follow the steps below to load the starter file provided by
RISA:

 Double-click the RISAFoundation icon to start the program.

 Click Open Existing File from the Starting a Model dialog box.
Double-click the Model Files folder then the Tutorials folder, select Tutorial A3 Starter.fnd.

The model should look like this:

Page | 47
 Part A: Tutorial 3 - Loading

Adding Loads

You will find that whenever you define a load in RISAFoundation, you will also immediately assign it to
a load category. The load categories are then used to combine the loads into load combinations (along
with multiplier factors) for solution.

Line Loads
Line loads in RISAFoundation are applied with positive magnitudes signifying a downward force. You
can use line loads to model the equipment bearing on the foundation.

 Click on the Home tab in the ribbon toolbar. In the section labeled, Draw Loads, select
Distributed to draw line loads.

In the Properties Panel, update the following information:

 In the Load Category list, click LL-Live Load.

 In the Start Magnitude and End Magnitude boxes, type 20.
 Click the Click to Apply button.

The Distributed Load drawing tool is now active. To ensure accurate grid selections, turn on the snap
points and zoom in on your model view.

 Click on the Drawing Tools tab in the ribbon toolbar. In the section labeled Universal Snap
Points, check the box labeled Active.
 Roll the mouse wheel forward to enlarge your model.

Note: Once you zoom in, you may need to move your model around on the screen to
reposition the model. Use the panning technique described earlier (press the mouse wheel
down, hold, then drag the model view in any direction).

Now, make your grid selections by defining their coordinate locations, as shown below.

 Click the coordinate location (75, 3), then (75, 53). Right click (or press ESC) to release the
mouse.
 Click the coordinate location (71,3), then (71, 53). Right click (or press ESC) two times to
release the mouse and exit the drawing mode.

Now that you have made your grid selections, zoom back out to full model view.

Page | 48
 Part A: Tutorial 3 - Loading

 Click on the View tab in the ribbon toolbar. In the section labeled, Zoom, click Zoom Extents

When you are finished, your model should look like this:

Nodal Loads
Nodal loads direction is the same as for line loads; a positive force signifies a downward force. You can
use these to model loads to the pedestals, or apply them anywhere on the slab.

Use the Criteria Selection tool to select the nodes where the Pedestals are modeled.

 On the Selection Toolbar, click the Criteria Selection button . Click the Nodes tab.

Check the Node Label box and enter the following range, as shown below:

 Type N7 in the first box and type N36 in the second box.
 Check the box to Overwrite previous selection.
 Click Select, then close.

Page | 49
 Part A: Tutorial 3 - Loading

Now the nodes associated with the pedestals are selected. You can now assign nodal loads.

 Click on the Home tab in the ribbon toolbar. In the section labeled, Draw Loads, select Nodal
to draw nodal loads.

In the Properties Panel, update the following information:

 In the Load Category list, click DL-Dead Load.

 In the Magnitude box, type 20.
 Click the Apply to Selected button.

Note: Nodal loads may be applied at node locations only. If a nodal load is being added to
any member span location, a new node must be added to that location prior to applying
nodal load.

Notice the loads have been added, and your model should now look like this:

Page | 50
 Part A: Tutorial 3 - Loading

Next apply the live loads:

 Click on the Home tab in the ribbon toolbar. In the section labeled, Draw Loads, select Nodal
to draw nodal loads.

In the Properties Panel, update the following information:

 In the Load Category list, click LL-Dead Load.

 In the Magnitude box, type 15.
 Click the Apply to Selected button.

Page | 51
 Part A: Tutorial 3 - Loading

Note: As soon as you apply this load, notice the Window toolbar loads display button
switches to display only the LL – Live Load category (this will be explained in more detail

later in this tutorial).

Lastly, apply loading to all your footings.

Use the Criteria Selection tool to select the nodes where the Footings are modeled.

 On the Selection Toolbar, click the Criteria Selection button . Click the Nodes tab.

Check the Node Label box and enter the following range, as shown below:

 Type N37 in the first box and type N42 in the second box.
 Check the box to Overwrite previous selection.
 Click Select, then close.

Page | 52
 Part A: Tutorial 3 - Loading

Now the nodes associated with the footings are selected. You can now assign nodal loads.

 Click on the Home tab in the ribbon toolbar. In the section labeled, Draw Loads, select Nodal
to draw nodal loads.

In the Properties Panel, update the following information:

 In the Load Category list, click DL-Dead Load.

 In the Magnitude box, type 15.
 Click the Apply to Selected button.

Verify that the load was properly applied on your footings and finish adding your loads.

In the Properties Panel, update the following information:

 In the Load Category list, click LL-Live Load.

 In the Magnitude box, type 10.
 Click the Apply to Selected button.

Now that you have finished applying your loads, you can verify their accuracy by viewing them in the
spreadsheets.

Open the Load Categories spreadsheet by selecting Load Categories under Data Entry.

Page | 53
 Part A: Tutorial 3 - Loading

This spreadsheet displays the total number of each type of load you have applied to each load
category. This may be used as a quick check to make sure your loads are assigned to the appropriate
categories.

Close the spreadsheet and return to the model view.

Load Combinations

Now that you have applied all your loads, you can combine them with multiplying factors to create load
combinations. RISAFoundation offers two ways to do this: you can either enter your load combinations
manually into the spreadsheets, or you can use the Load Combination Generator to generate your
load combinations automatically.

For this tutorial, you will generate your load combinations automatically using the Load Combination
Generator.

 On the Data Entry toolbar, click Load Combinations.

The Load Combination spreadsheet will display:

This spreadsheet contains two default load combinations. To accurately generate all the appropriate
combinations per the design code, you must first delete any load combinations currently in the
spreadsheet:

 In the Spreadsheets tab of the Home tab, click Delete Row two times to delete both rows.

Now, generate load combinations:

 Click the LC Generator button at the top left corner of the Load Combinations
spreadsheet.
 In the Region list, click United States. In the Code list, click 2021 IBC Strength.
 Under Wind Load Options, select None.
 Under Seismic Load Options, select None.

Page | 54
 Part A: Tutorial 3 - Loading

Verify the dialog box settings, then click Generate.

The spreadsheet contains 7 load combinations and looks like this:

Generate additional load combinations, this time specifying a different code:

 Click the LC Generator button at the top left corner of the Load Combinations
spreadsheet.
 In the Region list, click United States. In the Code list, click 2021 IBC ASD.
 Click Generate.

The new load combinations will be appended to the 7 previously generated. Now, your Load
Combinations spreadsheet contains 15 combinations, as shown below.

Page | 55
 Part A: Tutorial 3 - Loading

Close the spreadsheet and return to the model view.

Loads Display

Until this point, you have been able to view your loads graphically, but you have only seen them
displayed by load category. RISAFoundation also allows you to view your loads by load combination.
This option allows you to view your loads as magnified or reduced per your multiplying factors.

This Display Loads button helps view the load categories and combinations, as shown below:

 Experiment by changing the Load Category dropdown to Load Combinations.

 In the Loads List, click the dropdown to toggle between different Load Combinations.

 Scroll down to Load Combination 13.

Page | 56
 Part A: Tutorial 3 - Loading

Your model view will show the display loads, as multiplied by the load combination factors in the model
view.

This is the end of Tutorial A3.

You can save your model to be used as the starting point for the next tutorial or begin the next tutorial
using the .fnd starter file in the RISAFoundation Tutorials folder. To save the model:

 Select Save As from the File menu. Enter in a file name and click Save.

Page | 57
 `Part A: Tutorial 4 – Solving & Results

`Part A: Tutorial 4 – Solving & Results

Overview

With the model layout complete, you can now explore the many ways to apply loading in
RISAFoundation. In this previous tutorial, you applied both a line load and an area load to your circular
slab with the circular slab load generator. In this tutorial, you will be expanding on this by adding some
additional line loads and nodal loads.

Getting Started

This tutorial continues where the previous tutorial ended, if you are continuing from the previous
tutorial:

 Skip ahead to the next section titled Adding Loads.

-OR- If you are starting here from scratch, follow the steps below to load the starter file provided by
RISA:

 Double-click the RISAFoundation icon to start the program.

 Click Open Existing File from the Starting a Model dialog box.
Double-click the Model Files folder then the Tutorials folder, select Tutorial A4 Starter.fnd.

The model should look like this:

Page | 58
 `Part A: Tutorial 4 – Solving & Results

Solve the Model

Start by solving the model.

 Click Solve in the Home tab of the Ribbon Toolbar.

When the solution is complete, two new items will display: the Node Reactions spreadsheet and the
Warning Log spreadsheet.

The Warning Log spreadsheet reports the various warnings related to your solution. The warning
associated with this model is in reference to a limitation in the pedestal design.
These can be ignored because, while they limit the design checks performed by
the program, they do not cause erroneous results in the design checks that
were completed.

 Click Close to close the Warning Log spreadsheet.

The Node Reactions spreadsheet provides the reactions at each node.

 Click Close to close the Node Reactions spreadsheet.

The Results spreadsheets will also become available in the Explorer tab.

Slab Results

When your model is solved, slab elements are automatically submeshed into
plate elements. Therefore, RISAFoundation displays two plate result

Page | 59
 `Part A: Tutorial 4 – Solving & Results

spreadsheets: Plate Forces and Plate Corner Forces. Review the data in both spreadsheets to get
specific force data for each submeshed plate.

 Under Results, click Plate Forces.

 Under Results, click Plate Corner Forces.

Notice that both spreadsheets are organized by Load Combination and then by Plate Label.

 Right click in the spreadsheet and navigate to Results Presentation.

 Select Batch Results Listed by Item.

If this parameter is selected, the spreadsheet will list the results by ITEM. All other spreadsheets will
reflect the change (it is not necessary to perform another solution).

Briefly review several of the other results spreadsheets.

 Under Results, click Node Reactions.

 Under Results, click Node Deflections.

When you are finished reviewing the spreadsheets, close the spreadsheets and return to the original
model view.

Design Strips
Design strips are used to create design regions within a slab. Each design strip will contain
automatically defined design cuts which will control the reinforcement design for that design strip. The
results for the entire design strip will be determined by the maximum moment demand of the
governing design cut within that design strip. Because one governing design cut controls the entire
design strip, it is critical that good engineering judgment is used to determine an appropriate width for
the design strip.
Page | 60
 `Part A: Tutorial 4 – Solving & Results

You will draw design strips under your two line loads, as this is the most likely place for maximum
moment. Because the design strip designs reinforcement in only one direction, you must add at least
two strips: one in each direction.

Start by drawing your Design Strip.

 Click on the Home tab in the ribbon toolbar. In the section labeled, Slab Elements, select
Design Strips.

Note: When you modify your model, RISAFoundation will display a message notifying you
that the results will be cleared (this alleviates the possibility of you having results data that
does not match the input data).

 Click Ok to clear your results.

Update this section once design strips are able to be viewed and confirm orientation.

First, draw the strip to design the horizontal (Z axis direction) reinforcement. The information in the
Properties Panel should match the information shown below:

 Click grid intersections D1, D9, C9, and C1, then close the strip by clicking D1 again.

Note: To close off the strip perimeter, you must make your last click the same as your first
(D1); or, you can double click the last point in the strip (C1).

The strip will display with the reinforcement design as the labeling.

Next, draw the second strip in the perpendicular direction:

 Click on the Home tab in the ribbon toolbar. In the section labeled, Slab Elements, select
Design Strips.
 In the Rebar Angle from Plan Horizontal box, type 90.

Page | 61
 `Part A: Tutorial 4 – Solving & Results

The information in the Properties Panel should match the information shown below:

 Click grid intersections A2, I2, I4, and A4, then close the strip by clicking A2 again.

The design strips will be displayed as shown below:

 Re-solve the model by clicking Solve in the Home tab.

Now you can review the design data contained in the spreadsheets for the design strips.

 Under Results, click Strip/Cut Results to open the Strip Reinforcing spreadsheet.

The Strip Reinforcing spreadsheet will display:

Page | 62
 `Part A: Tutorial 4 – Solving & Results

Note: Images and numbers shown are for reference only. It is possible that you will see
different results even if you only slightly used a different modeling procedure; therefore, the
results screenshots shown in this Tutorial are only meant to be an example for exploring the
results features.

Also, review the detail reports:

 In the Selection Toolbar, click on the Detail Report button.

 Click Design Strip DS3 in the 3D View to open the Detail Report.

This opens the Detail Report where you can view the envelope force diagrams and the code check
information.

Before closing the Detailed Report, let’s add it to our full report. To do this, check the Add to Full
Report checkbox at the bottom of the Detailed Report.

Note: Use the arrow buttons to quickly advance through different design strips.

Page | 63
 `Part A: Tutorial 4 – Solving & Results

The Design Strip Detail Report also illustrates which Design Cut the governing design forces came
from.

 Select the Cut button to view the detail report for the governing Design Cut.

By selecting the Cut button, the governing Design Cut detailed report opens. This is the cut that
governs the Design Strip’s design.

 Click Close to close the Detail Report dialog.

Page | 64
 `Part A: Tutorial 4 – Solving & Results

Reports

When the analysis and design for a project is complete, a report can be assembled in order to
document the design. This report can include all input and output data as well as additional items such
as images of the model. Before creating a report, let’s create an image of the model to include in our
report.

 Click on the Reset View button found on the Quick View toolbar to reset the 3D view.

 In the Quick View section of the Home tab, click on the rendering button twice to
show the rendered view of the model.
 On the Quick Access Toolbar, click the Camera Snapshot button.

The Snapshot Preview window will open and show a dynamic preview of the model. This preview
allows you to position the model exactly as you want while also enabling/disabling various visibility
items including loads, results, model rendering, labels, etc.

 Double click on the mouse wheel to reposition the model in the Snapshot Preview window.

Additionally, the options for the snapshot can also be set including the orientation, paper size, scaling
and image file type. For this tutorial, let’s create an image with the following properties:

 Input an Image File Name of 3D Model View

 Set the Image File Type to PNG
 Set the Orientation to Portrait
 Set the Text Scale to 1, the Symbols,
Diagrams Scale to 1 and the
Navigation Panel Scale to 5
 Click on the Snapshot button in the
top left corner of the Properties Panel
to save the snapshot shown in the
image below.

The snapshot preview should now close, and

your snapshot should be saved either in the
default directory or in the same location as the
project file.

With the snapshot created, let’s create a

Report. To do this, click the Print
Report/Graphic button on the Quick Access
Toolbar and select Print Reports.

The Report Printing interface will open, and

the user can either select a pre-generated

Page | 65
 `Part A: Tutorial 4 – Solving & Results

report from the list of Report Templates or build a report from scratch. For this tutorial, let’s build a
report from scratch.

The Report Printing interface has three main sections: the list of Available Sections for Report,
the Current Sections in Report and the Report Preview.

To begin creating a report, click on the Spreadsheets button in the Available Sections for Report
with expandable lists for both input and results available. Let’s first add our Input spreadsheets as
shown in the image below:

When each spreadsheet

is added, the
corresponding item will
be added in the
Current Sections in
Report section. Next,
collapse the Input
spreadsheets and
expand the Results
spreadsheets to be
added as shown in the
image on the right:

In addition to each
spreadsheet being
added to the Current Sections in Report section, the Report
Preview also expands to include the added spreadsheets. This
allows users to review the data in each spreadsheet prior to
printing to ensure that the correct spreadsheet and
corresponding data is included.

Next, let’s add detailed reports to the overall report. Before

adding new detailed reports, let’s move the detailed report that
we added earlier so that it is after all the Input and Results
spreadsheet.

 Click and hold on the only detailed report item Design Strip-Label-DS1 found in Current
Sections in Report.
 Drag the item to the end of the report (it is possible to drop the item anywhere in the report)

Now, to add new detailed reports, click on the Detailed Reports tab. In the Detailed Reports tab,
there are various options for how the reports that are available will be grouped or what level of detail
will be shown in each report. These options are as follows:

Page | 66
 `Part A: Tutorial 4 – Solving & Results

 Element Type: Select the element type or All.

 Result Type: Select Load Combination
 Detailed Report Type: Select Summary or Custom (for Custom, the specific sections you wish
to include in your report can be managed by clicking the ellipsis button.

For this tutorial, let’s first add the first Design Strip detailed report.

 Set the Element Type to Design Strip

 Choose Design Strip-Label-DS1

Following the above steps should add the following report to the active report:

Page | 67
 `Part A: Tutorial 4 – Solving & Results

With the detailed reports for the design strips added, we can now add other items found in the
Advanced section. Let’s add the Snapshot image that we created previously:

 Click the arrow next to Images to expand the list.

 Select the image labeled Images-3D Model View.
 Click and hold on the Images - 3D Model View and drag the item to the beginning of the
report.

When you are finished adding the images, your Current Sections in Report list should look like this:

Note: It is possible that the member labels shown above are different from the ones found in a
specific user’s model. This is most likely due to the order in which the model was created.

With all the required items now added to the report, the
report can now be printed (or saved).

 On the far-left hand side of the Report Printing

interface, the Print section gives the user the option
to modify the page layout settings (orientation, paper
type and pixel density) as well as whether to include
the header.

Additional Advanced Settings exist which allow for the use

of a Custom Logo and the modification of the margins.

 At this point, utilize your default PDF printer to print

the custom report as a PDF by clicking the Print
button.

Page | 68
 `Part A: Tutorial 4 – Solving & Results

DXF Export

Another useful tool that RISAFoundation provides is the ability to export a drawing of your foundation
plan, footing/pedestal/pile details, or slab reinforcing to a DXF file. This can then be opened in any
standard drafting software for drafting purposes.

Now that your model is solved, utilize this export functionality to create some detailed drawings:

 On the File menu, click DXF Export, then click Foundation Plot Plan.
 In the File Name box, type: Tutorial A4.dxf. Click Save.

This Export DXF File dialog box displays. Here you can specify DXF options and naming conventions for
the DXF layers.

Accept the default settings and names:

 Click Apply.

Page | 69
 `Part A: Tutorial 4 – Solving & Results

This will create a DXF of the foundation plot plan similar to the image below.

This completes Part A: Building a Model from Scratch.

Page | 70
 Part B: Tutorial 1 – RISA-3D Integration

Part B: Tutorial 1 – RISA-3D Integration

Introduction

This first part of this Tutorial (Part 1) will focus on building RISAFoundation models from scratch. With
the guidance of the following four tutorials, you will build, solve, and modify a typical industrial
foundation system comprised of several different types of foundations.

The tutorials build upon themselves from start to finish. You have the option of performing them all at
one time or performing each one separately. To make this possible, RISA provides model files for you
to load at the beginning of each tutorial. These starter files are located in My Documents in the
RISA\Model Files folder under Tutorials, and are named Tutorial B2 starter.fnd, Tutorial B3
starter.fnd, etc.

When you finish all four tutorials, the final product will look like this:

Overview

This first tutorial demonstrates how to import loads into RISAFoundation from an existing RISA-3D
model. A basic knowledge of RISA-3D is helpful when performing the RISAFoundation tutorials. So, if
you would like more information on RISA-3D operation, please refer to the RISA-3D General Reference.
This document is available for download on the RISA website: http://www.risa.com, click Support,
then click Product Documentation.

Page | 71
 Part B: Tutorial 1 – RISA-3D Integration

Opening a RISA-3D File

Because you want to import your loads from an existing RISA-3D model (rather than enter them
manually), start by opening the model in RISA-3D and reviewing the superstructure before importing
into RISAFoundation:

 Double click the RISA-3D icon to start the program.

 Click the Open Existing button from the Starting a Model dialog
box. Double click the Model Files folder then the Tutorial folder, select Tutorial B1
Starter.r3d and click Open.

Your screen should now look like this:

Assign Loads to Load Categories

You have now opened a complete structural model in RISA-3D. In order to export the reaction forces
from the model into RISAFoundation for foundation design, you will need to assign the loads to Load
Categories and then solve at least one Load Combination.

Start by assigning the Load Cases to Load Categories.

 Click on the Basic Load Cases spreadsheet in the Data Entry section of the Explorer Panel.
Page | 72
 Part B: Tutorial 1 – RISA-3D Integration

This will open the Basic Load Cases spreadsheet, as shown below:

Notice that the dead, live, wind, and seismic load cases have been assigned to load categories
(indicated by DL, LL, WLX, WLZ, etc., in the Category column). All loads must have a load category
assigned to them rather than None, or they will not transfer into RISAFoundation during the import
process.

Note: Assigning basic load cases to load categories is not required for the RISA-3D solution;
however, they must be assigned in order for the loads to be transferred into
RISAFoundation.

 Close the Basic Load Cases spreadsheet.

Next, you must solve at least one load combination in order to calculate the reaction loads:

 Click Solve in the Home tab of the Ribbon Toolbar.

The Solution Choices dialog box will display:

Indicate the type of solution you want to perform:

 Click Single Combination and select LC 1: IBC 21/ASCE Strength 1 from the list.
 Click Solve.

Page | 73
 Part B: Tutorial 1 – RISA-3D Integration

After RISA-3D completes the analysis, it automatically presents you with the Node Reactions
spreadsheet. Feel free to browse through these results and any others before moving into
RISAFoundation.

You are now ready to export the model into RISAFoundation. Use the Director tool to export the
model into RISAFoundation.

 On the Director menu (upper right corner of the Main menu), click RISAFoundation.

You will be prompted to save.

 Click Yes to save your file.

Your model will automatically be exported from RISA-3D into RISAFoundation.

 Click Close (or Cancel) to close the Project Information dialog box.

Note: Once in RISAFoundation, notice that the file name still has the .r3d extension. This is
because, when you use the Director tool to transfer your model between RISA-3D and
RISAFoundation, the exported file remains in the original RISA-3D format and the original
filename is maintained – even after a number of changes have been made in
RISAFoundation. Because of this, every time you want to reopen the file, you will need to
perform the same steps you did in this tutorial: open it in RISA-3D, run a single solution,
and then use the Director tool to export the model into RISAFoundation.
This is the end of Tutorial B1.

You can continue on to the next tutorial, or exit RISAFoundation now, and resume Tutorial B2 later. If
you would like to save the changes you made to the model:

 On the File menu, click Save As. Enter a unique file name and click Save.

Page | 74
 Part B: Tutorial 2 – Modeling

Part B: Tutorial 2 – Modeling

Overview

This tutorial will focus on drawing the foundation elements around the nodes (and nodal loads) brought
into RISAFoundation from your RISA-3D file. This tutorial will demonstrate how to model slabs,
pedestals, footings, grade beams, and soil regions in RISAFoundation.

Getting Started

This tutorial continues where the previous tutorial ended. If you are continuing from the previous
tutorial:

 Skip ahead to the next section titled Modeling.

-OR- If you are starting here from scratch, follow the steps below to load the starter file provided by
RISA.

Note: Remember that because the files were originally created within RISA-3D, they have
an .r3d file name extension and must first be opened in RISA-3D, solved, and brought in to
RISAFoundation using the Director tool.

 Double-click the RISA-3D icon to start the program.

 Click Open Existing File from the Starting a Model dialog box.
Double-click the Model Files folder then the Tutorials folder, select Tutorial B2 Starter.fnd.
 Click Solve in the Home tab of the Ribbon Toolbar.

Indicate the type of solution you want to perform in the Solution Choices dialog box:

 Click Single Combination and select LC 1: IBC 21/ASCE Strength 1 from the list.
 Click Solve.

Now, import the RISA-3D model into RISAFoundation:

 On the Director menu, click RISAFoundation.

 Click Yes to save your model.

Your model will automatically be exported from RISA-3D into RISAFoundation. Your model should now
look like this:

Page | 75
 Part B: Tutorial 2 – Modeling

Model Settings

Start by reviewing the Model Settings of the project which include the applicable material design
codes. To access the dialog, click the Settings button located on the Home tab.

Modify the Solution parameters to match the image below:

 In the Number of Reported Sections option, type 7, (or you may use the +/- buttons to
increase/decrease the value. In the Number of Internal Sections box, select 100.
 In the Mesh Size box type 12.

We can now enter the Codes tab and choose the design codes that are going to be used for the
model. In this tutorial, we will utilize the ASD codes for every material except for concrete, where LRFD
(strength based) design is required.

Page | 76
 Part B: Tutorial 2 – Modeling

 In the Codes Tab, set the Concrete code to ACI 318-19.

 In the Concrete tab, set the Compression Stress Block dropdown to Parabolic Stress
Block.

Click Apply to exit the Model Settings dialog.

Modify the Drawing Grid

Before you begin drawing your foundation elements, you will need to generate a drawing grid to assist
you in your modeling. The drawing grid is different from your project grid (which was imported from
RISA-3D, and displayed in blue). The drawing grid is independent of your model.

Toggle on the display of the drawing grid by clicking on the Drawing Tools tab in the ribbon toolbar.

 In the section labeled, Drawing Grid, click the button on the left to turn on the display of the
drawing grid.

Note: The default settings (30@1 in the Z and X directions) will create a 30’x30’ grid divided
into 1’ increments. For this tutorial, you will redefine the drawing grid to facilitate the
drawing of the slabs in the next step.

Modify the drawing grid as follows:

 In the X Increments box, delete any current data and type 2@20.
 In the Z Increments box, delete any current data and type 3@20.

Notice the drawing grid now appears on the lower portion of your model. If you are having trouble
seeing the gray outline of the drawing grid, toggle off the display of the project grid by clicking the
View tab in the ribbon toolbar and clicking the Project Grid button on the left to turn off the display
of the Project Grid.

Page | 77
 Part B: Tutorial 2 – Modeling

 Turn the display of the Project Grid back on.

Now that you have your drawing grid in place, you are ready to draw your slab.

Drawing Slabs

You may draw a slab as one large polygon, or you may define smaller portions of the slab by drawing
multiple polygons. If the border of your slab region aligns with an existing slab, the two slabs will be
fully connected as if they were a single slab.

Using the drawing grid you just created, draw a single slab:

 Click on the Home tab in the ribbon toolbar. In the section labeled, Slab Elements, select
Slabs.

Page | 78
 Part B: Tutorial 2 – Modeling

When the draw members tool is activated the Properties Panel allows the user to select all of the
properties of the member. Make the following modifications in the Properties Panel.

 In the Thickness box, type 30.

 In the Material box, click Conc4000NW.

Draw the polygon for the slab:

 Click the following coordinate to draw the polygon: (0,0), (40,0), (40,60), (0,60), and (0,0)

When you are done, your model will look like this:

Next, create the slabs representing your combined footings over gridlines PB, PC, and PD. Rather than
manually enter the drawing grid to create new slab points for drawing, you will import a DXF drawing
grid.

Page | 79
 Part B: Tutorial 2 – Modeling

 In the Drawing Tools tab in the ribbon toolbar, in the dropdown labeled Type, select DXF
Underlay.
 Select Import .dxf grid to import a DXF file to be used for a Drawing Grid.

 Browse to C:\RISA User Data\<username>\Model Files (or the location RISA was
installed) and select Footing Slab.dxf
 Click Open.

Import all layers:

 In the Select Layers for Drawing Grid dialog, select Use All Layers and then click Ok.

Draw in the footing slabs using the new drawing grid:

 Right-click and select Recall Last Dialog/Tool

 Update the Properties to match those below:

Page | 80
 Part B: Tutorial 2 – Modeling

Verify that the properties in the Properties Panel are still the same as shown above, then draw the
three combined footing slabs:

 Use the new drawing grid outline snap points, draw in the three new slabs along gridlines PB,
PC, and PD, as shown in the next image.
 Right-click your mouse or press ESC to exit the drawing mode.

When finished, your model should look like this:

Enlarging the Slab

Our last step is to enlarge the bottom (large) slab so the edges of the slab are expanded 3 feet out in
each direction. We can easily do this using the Offset Distance tool.

In the Modify tab, select the Offset Distance tool in the section labeled Slabs.

Page | 81
 Part B: Tutorial 2 – Modeling

 In the Properties Panel, enter a distance of 3 in the Distance, ft box, as shown below.
 Select Click to Apply.
 Click on the bottom slab.

You should now see that the edges of the slab have been moved out 3 feet along each side:

Drawing Pedestals

Your next step is to draw pedestals on the slabs.

 In the Home tab under Slab Elements, select Pedestals/Posts.

 In the Shape box in the Properties Panel, click on the ellipsis button to open the Set
Pedestal Size dialog.
 Select Rectangular and change the Depth to 24 in and the Width to 20 in.
Page | 82
 Part B: Tutorial 2 – Modeling

 Set the Material to Conc4000NW in the dropdown.

 In the Height box type 12.

The properties should match those shown below:

Click on the nodes enclosed inside the bottom slab (grid intersection points VA1, VA2, VA3, VA4,
VB1, VB2, VB3, VB4, VC1, VC2, VC3, and VC4). You will see 12 pedestals drawn onto your slab.

 Right-click or press Esc to exit the drawing mode.

When finished, your model should look like this:

Page | 83
 Part B: Tutorial 2 – Modeling

Next, save a selection state for the Slab Pedestals so you can access it later.

 Use the Box Select tool to draw a box around the Slab Pedestals to select.

After you release the mouse, your Slab Pedestals will be selected.

 Click the Saved Selections tool to save your selection state.

 Click Save Current, type Slab Pedestals in the Description, then click Save.
 Click Close to close the Selection States dialog box.

Next, draw the remaining pedestals:

 In the Home tab under Slab Elements, select Pedestals/Posts.

Page | 84
 Part B: Tutorial 2 – Modeling

 In the Shape box in the Properties Panel, click on the ellipsis button to open the Set
Pedestal Size dialog.
 Select Rectangular and change the Depth to 20 in and the Width to 20 in.
 Set the Material to Conc4000NW in the dropdown.
 In the Height box type 12.

The properties should match those shown below:

Click on the nodes enclosed inside the top three slabs (grid intersection points PB1.1, PB1.9, PC1.1,
PC1.9, PD1.1, and PD1.9). You will see 6 pedestals drawn onto your slabs.

 Right-click or press Esc to exit the drawing mode.

When finished, your model should look like this:

Page | 85
 Part B: Tutorial 2 – Modeling

Drawing Footings

Next, you will draw your footings. First, enter the footing parameters and then apply that footing to a
point (similar to how you would apply a boundary condition).

 Click on the Spread Footing Definitions spreadsheet in the Data Entry section of the
Explorer Panel.

This opens a spreadsheet that contains all the design parameters for spread footing design. To create
footing designs, simply add as many additional rows to this spreadsheet as you like.

Browse through the various tabs in the spreadsheet to explore the contents. You will use the default
entries so, when finished reviewing, close the spreadsheet.

Note: If you need help while in a spreadsheet, simply hit the F1 key. The Help will open to a
description of that spreadsheet.

Now that you have defined your footing, apply it to your model.

 Click on the Home tab in the ribbon toolbar. In the section labeled, Draw Elements, select
Spread Footings.

In the Definition box, select Footing 1 (this is the one you just reviewed in the Spread Footings
Definition spreadsheet). (Notice that you can also apply a Support Angle to your footing. But in this
case, you will use the default of 0 degrees).

Page | 86
 Part B: Tutorial 2 – Modeling

Begin by drawing the footings:

 Click the following grid locations to draw the first two footings:
PA-1.1 PA-1.9
 Click the following grid locations to draw the next footings:
PE-1.1 PE-1.9
 Finally, click the nodes at the following locations to draw the remaining footings:
(53, 40) (53, 60)
 Right-click or press Esc to exit the drawing mode.

For a better view of your footings, render your model:

 In the Quick View section of the Home tab, click on the rendering button twice to
show the rendered view of the model.

The rendered model will look like this:

Drawing Grade Beams

To complete the strap footings, add in grade beams. In RISAFoundation, beams are treated as physical
members, in that the beams will provide fixity to all nodes that occur along the span of the member.
Therefore, it is not necessary to break up your beams into individual members to be able to connect
them to intermediate elements.

Start by drawing a beam:

Page | 87
 Part B: Tutorial 2 – Modeling

 In the Home tab of the ribbon toolbar, click Beams in the Draw Elements section.

 In the Properties Panel, select Conc4000NW.

 In the Shape box, click on the ellipsis button to open the Shape Selection: Concrete
dialog.

The next dialog allows you to set Depth and Width of the beam. Change the Depth to 24 and the
Width to 18. Click Ok.

Zoom in to the top of your model. Now, draw the first beam:

 Click grid intersection PA-1.1 then PA-1.9. Notice the cursor remains linked to the node at
PA-1.9, right-click the mouse or press ESC once to terminate drawing.

Page | 88
 Part B: Tutorial 2 – Modeling

Continue drawing the remaining beams.

 Click grid intersection PE-1.1 and PE-1.9 to create the second beam.
 Now that you are finished drawing your beams, right-click the mouse or press ESC two times to
terminate drawing and exit the drawing mode.

Note: After drawing a beam, your cursor remains linked until you either draw another beam
or terminate drawing. To terminate drawing beams right click the mouse or press ESC. To
exit the drawing mode completely, right-click the mouse or press ESC a second time.

 In the View tab, click Zoom Extents to redraw the model in full model view.

Your model should now look like this:

Soil Regions

Soil definitions are provided in the Soil Definition Editor tool which can be accessed through the Soil
Definitions spreadsheet. This spreadsheet always contains at least one soil definition which acts as
the default value. The default value is considered to support the whole model unless you manually
model differing soil regions.

 On the Data Entry toolbar, click Soil Definitions to open the Soil Definitions spreadsheet.

The soil definition parameters are described below:

Page | 89
 Part B: Tutorial 2 – Modeling

Subgrade Modulus defines the global Subgrade Modulus magnitude to apply to the entire model. This
can be overridden with a local soil region with a different Subgrade Modulus if you require varying soil
types in your model.

Allowable Bearing defines the global Allowable Bearing Pressure magnitude to apply to the entire
model. This can be overridden with a local soil region with a different Allowable Bearing Pressure if you
require varying soil types in your model.

The Layers column defines the soil depth properties used for static pile design of concrete, hot rolled,
and wood piles. Clicking the ellipsis in the cell in this column will allow you to open the Soil Layer
Profile for Piles spreadsheet for that soil definition.

The Default column defines which soil definition is to be the default for the whole model.

 Close the spreadsheet and return to the model view.

Modifying Soil Regions

Next, you will model a soil region. Because you want to establish an area with different soil properties
than those set as the default Soil Definitions (subgrade modulus and allowable bearing pressure),
you will do so with the Draw Soil Regions tool:

 In the Home tab under Draw Elements, select Soil Regions.

 In the Properties Panel, click the ellipsis in the Soil Definition box to open the Soil Definition
Editor. Select Create New.

Page | 90
 Part B: Tutorial 2 – Modeling

In the Soil Definition Editor, update the following properties:

 In the Label box, type Soil 2.

 In the Subgrade Modulus box, type 140.
 In the Allowable Bearing box, type 5.
 Click Apply.

Page | 91
 Part B: Tutorial 2 – Modeling

Verify that the settings in the Properties Panel match those shown below:

First turn on the Node Labels.

 Clicking the Show Node Labels button.

Draw the soil region under the slab:

 Click the corner nodes of the bottom (large) slab: N37, N38, N39, N40, and N37 again.

Note: If you had drawn your soil region under just a portion of a footing, the footing would
be designed for the soil type under the defining footing node. They will not be designed for
half one soil region, half another.

This completes your initial foundation design. You may now review the rendered, isometric view of
your model to ensure that everything looks correct.

 In the Quick View section of the Home tab, click the Render button twice to show the
rendered view of the model.

 In the Window Toolbar, click the Isometric button to snap to an isometric view.

 In the View tab, click Zoom Extents to redraw the model in full model view.

Page | 92
 Part B: Tutorial 2 – Modeling

This is the end of Tutorial B2.

You can save your model to be used as the starting point for the next tutorial or begin the next tutorial
using the .fnd starter file in the RISAFoundation Tutorials folder. To save the model:

Select Save As from the File menu. Enter in a file name and click Save.

Page | 93
 Part B: Tutorial 3 – Modifying

Part B: Tutorial 3 – Modifying

Overview

This tutorial will focus on drawing the foundation elements around the nodes (and nodal loads) brought
into RISAFoundation from your RISA-3D file. This tutorial will demonstrate how to model slabs,
pedestals, footings, grade beams, and soil regions in RISAFoundation.

Getting Started

This tutorial continues where the previous tutorial ended. If you are continuing from the previous
tutorial:

 Skip ahead to the next section titled Modifying the Model.

-OR- If you are starting here from scratch, follow the steps below to load the starter file provided by
RISA.

Note: Remember that because the files were originally created within RISA-3D, they have
an .r3d file name extension and must first be opened in RISA-3D, solved, and brought in to
RISAFoundation using the Director tool.

 Double-click the RISA-3D icon to start the program.

 Click Open Existing File from the Starting a Model dialog box.
Double-click the Model Files folder then the Tutorials folder, select Tutorial B3 Starter.fnd.
 Click Solve in the Home tab of the Ribbon Toolbar.

Indicate the type of solution you want to perform in the Solution Choices dialog box:

 Click Single Combination and select LC 1: IBC 21/ASCE Strength 1 from the list.
 Click Solve.

Now, import the RISA-3D model into RISAFoundation:

 On the Director menu, click RISAFoundation.

 Click Yes to save your model.

Your model will automatically be exported from RISA-3D into RISAFoundation. Your model should now
look like this:

Page | 94
 Part B: Tutorial 3 – Modifying

Modifying the Model

The first part of this tutorial will guide you through some of the basic graphical functions of the
program. As you move towards building larger and more detailed models, it becomes necessary to
manipulate the view of your model to ensure that it is modeled properly. This is made possible through
RISAFoundation’s Window toolbar.

Rotating

There are multiple ways to rotate your model. Hold Shift on your keyboard and hold the Mouse
Wheel to rotate your model.

The Rotate buttons are used to rotate the model with respect to the global
axes of the model. Be sure the global axes icon is visible in order to view model rotation in reference to
these axes. The global axes icon should be visible in the upper left corner of your model.

Page | 95
 Part B: Tutorial 3 – Modifying

Experiment using some of these manipulation buttons:

 Click the Rotate buttons a few times. Watch the global axes icon to
see the effect of each.

 Click the Isometric button to snap the model into isometric view.
 Now that you are in isometric view, click the Rotate buttons once
again to see how the model rotates in 3D.

 When you are finished, click the Isometric button to bring your model back into isometric
view.

Zooming

In addition, the Zoom buttons are located in the View tab in the Ribbon Toolbar.

 Try clicking on these buttons to experiment with them.

The Zoom Box button allows you to use your cursor to draw a box around the area you
would like to zoom in on. Try this by adjusting your model view, then zoom in on the four footings in
the lower portion of the model:

 In the View tab, click Zoom Extents to redraw the model in full model view.
Page | 96
 Part B: Tutorial 3 – Modifying

 Then, click Plan in the Window Toolbar to snap back to a XZ planar view.
 In the View tab, click the Zoom Box button and then draw a box around the
upper two footings by clicking and dragging your mouse.
 When you release the mouse, the boxed area will zoom in to the full size of the window.

If your mouse has a wheel, you will also be able to zoom using the mouse wheel:

 Roll the mouse wheel forward and backward a few times to see the zooming effect.

 In the View tab, click Zoom Extents to redraw the model within your window, or double
click on the mouse wheel.

Panning

With the mouse wheel, you will also be able to use RISAFoundation’s panning feature:

 Simply press down on the mouse wheel anywhere on your model, then hold and drag to the
desired location. This will draw your model to the new location.

When you are finished, return to the original, full model view:

 Click Plan in the Window Toolbar, then click Zoom Extents .

Your window should now look like this:

Page | 97
 Part B: Tutorial 3 – Modifying

Multiple Views

RISAFoundation provides the ability to display multiple views of your model. The Open 3D Views tool
allows you to open a new 3D window or choose from a list of any other 3D View window that is open.
This tool allows you to keep your original 3D View intact in one view, then create additional views to
display different views of the model.

 In the View tab of the Ribbon Toolbar, click Open 3D Views to create a new 3D window.

This will open an identical 3D view called 3D View 1.

 In 3D View 1, click the Isometric button in the Window Toolbar. You can now view your model
in Plan view and Isometric view as shown below.

Page | 98
 Part B: Tutorial 3 – Modifying

You may want to use this tool to isolate specific parts of your model to see how those parts are
affected by your modifications, or if you do not want to change your existing view but need to view a
different side of the model, simply open a new window to view the other side.

Note: Each 3D View is independent and can be rotated, zoomed, selected, etc. without
affecting the other 3D Views. However, any modeling changes you make in any view will be
automatically updated in the other views.

Selection Tools

Model modifications are inevitable with every design. Now that you have experimented with several of
the viewing options in RISAFoundation, you can now explore how those viewing options can be
combined with the selection tools to help you make those model modifications quickly and easily.

In the previous tutorial, you used the Criteria Selection feature to save a selection state. Now,
retrieve the saved state you created in the previous tutorial to modify your slab pedestals.

 On the Selection toolbar, click Saved Selections

This dialog box will appear:

Page | 99
 Part B: Tutorial 3 – Modifying

Any selection states you have saved will be displayed:

 Select Slab Pedestals.

 Then, click Retrieve.

Now only the slab pedestals and corresponding nodes will be selected:

Next, modify the properties of the pedestals:

 In the Properties Panel, change the dropdown so Pedestals/Posts (12) is selected.

Page | 100
 Part B: Tutorial 3 – Modifying

Note: Click the dropdown to access properties by type. All Selected Elements consists of 24
elements, 12 nodes and 12 Pedestals/Posts that were selected. The dropdown allows you to
toggle between elements that are selected and make changes to the properties when
multiple element types are selected.

Change the pedestals from 24”x20” rectangular to 24” diameter circular pedestals.

 In the Shape box, click on the ellipsis button to open the Set Pedestal Size dialog.

The next dialog allows you to modify the pedestal size and shape.

 Select Circular and change the Diameter to 24 in. Click Ok.

Verify that the 12 pedestals have been modified. Your model should look like this:

Page | 101
 Part B: Tutorial 3 – Modifying

Design Rules

Next, use the selection tools to modify the Footing Definitions and Design Rules and apply these
to the various pedestals.

Create a new Footing Definition.

 On the Data Entry toolbar, click Spread Footing Definition.

This spreadsheet will open:

While the first entry, Footing 1, is appropriate for the two footings below grid point PE, you will enter
a second row to limit the size of those on grid points PA and PE.

 Press Enter to add a new row to the spreadsheet. This new row will be automatically labeled
FT2.
 In row 2, labeled FT2, in the Design Rules column, click the ellipsis to open the Review or
Change Design Rule dialog box.

Page | 102
 Part B: Tutorial 3 – Modifying

 Click Create New.

Edit the spreadsheet by changing the label for line 2:

 Type Combined Footings in the label box.

 In the Top Bar dropdown, select #5 from the list.
 In the Bottom Bar dropdown, select #5 from the list.

Your Design Rule Editor should look like this:

 Click Apply.
Page | 103
 Part B: Tutorial 3 – Modifying

The Spread Footing Definition spreadsheet should look like this:

Next, modify the geometric properties:

 Click the Geometry tab to review the options for limiting the size optimization of the footings.
 In row 2, labeled FT2, in the Max Thickness column, type 30.
 Lastly, select the Force Square checkbox for line 2 (FT2).

Close the spreadsheet:

 Click Close.

Now that you have finished creating your new Design Rules and Footing Definitions, you can now apply
these to some of your footings.

 Use the Box Select tool to select the footings at PA-1.1, PA-1.9, PE-1.1, and PA-1.9.

When you’re finished, your model should look like this:

Page | 104
 Part B: Tutorial 3 – Modifying

 Next, in the Properties Panel, select Spread Footings (4) as shown below:

Now the properties for the select Spread Footings can be modified.

 In the Properties Panel, change the Definition dropdown to FT2.

The footing designation and design rule have been applied to the four footings that are selected.

This is the end of Tutorial B3.

You can save your model to be used as the starting point for the next tutorial or begin the next tutorial
using the .fnd starter file in the RISAFoundation Tutorials folder. To save the model:

Select Save As from the File menu. Enter in a file name and click Save.

Page | 105
 Part B: Tutorial 4 – Loading

Part B: Tutorial 4 – Loading

Overview

Although your RISA-3D importation already brought over a number of loads, this tutorial will explore
the other ways to apply loads to your RISAFoundation model. You will then learn how to combine these
loads in load combinations which will be used later (in Tutorial B5) for solution.

Getting Started

You may continue with the model created in the previous tutorial, or with the starter file located in the
RISAFoundation Tutorials folder.

If you are continuing from the previous tutorial:

 Skip ahead to the next section titled Apply Loads.

-OR- If you are starting here from scratch, follow the steps below to load the starter file provided by
RISA.

Note: Remember that because the files were originally created within RISA-3D, they have
an .r3d file name extension and must first be opened in RISA-3D, solved, and brought in to
RISAFoundation using the Director tool.

 Double-click the RISA-3D icon to start the program.

 Click Open Existing File from the Starting a Model dialog box.
Double-click the Model Files folder then the Tutorials folder, select Tutorial B4 Starter.fnd.
 Click Solve in the Home tab of the Ribbon Toolbar.

Indicate the type of solution you want to perform in the Solution Choices dialog box:

 Click Single Combination and select LC 1: IBC 21/ASCE Strength 1 from the list.
 Click Solve.

Now, import the RISA-3D model into RISAFoundation:

 On the Director menu, click RISAFoundation.

 Click Yes to save your model.

Your model will automatically be exported from RISA-3D into RISAFoundation. Your model should now
look like this:

Page | 106
 Part B: Tutorial 4 – Loading

Apply Loads

Load Categories

To verify that your loads imported properly from RISA-3D, review the Load Categories spreadsheet.
In RISAFoundation, all applied loads must be assigned a load category. These are then listed in the
Load Categories spreadsheet.

 On the Data Entry menu, click Load Categories.

Note: This spreadsheet displays the number of each type of load that was imported from
RISA-3D. This may be used to verify that all loads were imported, and that they are
assigned to the appropriate categories.

Page | 107
 Part B: Tutorial 4 – Loading

Although this spreadsheet only lists the number of each load type applied to each category, you can
click an item to open a more detailed load spreadsheet. There you can review the specific location,
direction, and magnitude of your loads.

Try clicking the WLX entry to open the Nodal Loads and Moments spreadsheet:

 In row 3, labeled WLX, in the Node Loads column, click 53.

This automatically opens the Nodal Loads and Moments – WLX – Wind Load X spreadsheet.

Note: All loads from RISA-3D import into RISAFoundation as unfactored nodal loads. In
other words, the load magnitudes are independent of the load combination(s) run in RISA-
3D, and they are sorted only by category. When solving in RISAFoundation, this allows you
to apply the full load magnitude when running your foundation-specific load combinations.

Review the Nodal Loads and Moments – WLX – Wind Load X spreadsheet, then close both
spreadsheets:

 Scroll down to review the nodal load Label, load Direction and load Magnitude.
 Click Close to close the Nodal Loads and Moments spreadsheet.
 Click Close to close the Load Categories spreadsheet.

Area Loads
In addition to the nodal loads that were imported, draw additional area loads over the slab.

 Click on the Home tab in the ribbon toolbar. In the section labeled, Draw Loads, select Area
to draw area loads.
Note: When the drawing tool is active, the display of the loads will be turned on as well.

Page | 108
 Part B: Tutorial 4 – Loading

Update the Properties:

 Set the Load Category to DL – Dead Load.

 Set the Load Distribution to Uniform.
 Enter 0.1 for the Base Magnitude.

The Properties Panel should match below:

Note: Unlike RISA-3D, the positive vertical direction in RISAFoundation is assumed to be

downward. Therefore, to apply a downward force, simply enter a positive magnitude.

Draw the area load:

 Zoom into the lower half of the model.

 In the Quick View section of the Home tab, click the Show Node Labels button to turn on
the node labels.
 Click the following nodes: N37, N38, N39, then double-click N40.
 Right-click the mouse or press ESC to exit the drawing mode.
 Zoom out to view your entire model.
 Click the Show Node Labels button twice to turn off the node labels and turn on the display
of the nodes only.

The 3D View of the model will now show a green rectangle over the slab indicating the area load. If
this does not show, you may need to click Display Loads in the Window Toolbar.

Page | 109
 Part B: Tutorial 4 – Loading

You can also review the Load Categories spreadsheet once more to ensure the area load was
applied properly to the DL – Dead Load category.

The 1 in the Area Loads column indicates that you have now successfully added 1 Area Load to your
DL Category.

Once you have verified the load was properly applied, close the spreadsheet.

Load Combinations
Now that you have completed reviewing and applying your loads, you can combine them with
multiplying factors to create load combinations. You can create these load combinations by either
typing them into spreadsheets manually or generating them automatically using the load combination
generator.

For this tutorial, you will generate your load combinations automatically using the Load Combination
Generator.

 On the Data Entry toolbar, click Load Combinations.

Page | 110
 Part B: Tutorial 4 – Loading

The Load Combination spreadsheet will display:

This spreadsheet contains two default load combinations. To accurately generate all the appropriate
combinations per the design code, you must first delete any load combinations currently in the
spreadsheet:

 In the Spreadsheets tab of the Home tab, click Delete Row two times to delete both rows.

Now, generate load combinations:

 Click the LC Generator button at the top left corner of the Load Combinations
spreadsheet.
 In the Region list, click United States. In the Code list, click 2021 IBC Strength.
 Under Wind Load Options, select X and Z.
 Under Seismic Load Options, select None.
 Under Overstrength LC Options, select None.

The Load Combination Generator dialog box should now look like this:

Page | 111
 Part B: Tutorial 4 – Loading

Verify the settings and generate:

 Click Generate.
 Click Close.

Notice that this creates 23 load combinations. However, many of these can be deleted since snow
loads, rain loads, hydrostatic loads, and roof live loads do not apply to this model. Delete the load
combinations that do not apply:

 Click the first cell of row 3, labeled IBC 21/ASCE Strength 2 (b).

Now active, this cell should be highlighted in green.

Delete this row and the one underneath it:

 Press the F4 key two times to delete rows 3 and 4, labeled IBC 21/ASCE Strength 2 (b) and
IBC 21/ASCE Strength 2 (c).

After you delete these two rows, notice that the remaining rows move up and are automatically
renumbered.

Next you will delete rows 6 through 11. Instead of using the F4 key to delete them one by one, try this
method to delete them all at once. First, select the rows to be deleted:

 Select rows 6 – 11 labeled IBC 21/ASCE Strength 3 (c) and IBC 21/ASCE Strength 3 (f)
(a). Select the rows by clicking directly on row 10 (the row label

Once the rows are selected (and highlighted in gray), delete the rows:

 In the Row Operations section of the Spreadsheets tab, click Delete Selected Rows.
 Repeat this procedure to delete rows 8 – 11 labeled IBC 21/ASCE Strength 4 (b) (a) and
IBC 21/ASCE Strength 4 (c) (f).
 Repeat this procedure to delete rows 10 – 11 labeled IBC 21/ASCE Strength 5 (b) (a) and
IBC 21/ASCE Strength 5 (b) (a).

Page | 112
 Part B: Tutorial 4 – Loading

When finished, you should have 9 load combinations remaining, as shown below:

Finally, use the LC Generator again to generate your service level load combinations:

 Click the LC Generator button at the top left corner of the Load Combinations
spreadsheet.
 In the Region list, click United States. In the Code list, click 2021 IBC ASD.
 Under Wind Load Options, select X and Z.
 Under Seismic Load Options, select None.
 Under Overstrength LC Options, select None.
 Click Generate.
 Click Close.

Once the spreadsheet opens with the generated load combinations:

 Repeat the highlight and delete procedure for rows 12 – 14, labeled IBC 21/ASCE 3 (a)
through IBC 21/ASCE 3 (c).
 Then delete the following load combinations:

Rows 19 – 22 IBC 21/ASCE 6 (b) (a) through IBC 21/ASCE 6 (c) (a)

Rows 21 – 22 IBC 21/ASCE 7 (b) (a) through IBC 21/ASCE 7 (b) (a)

When finished, your spreadsheet should contain 20 load combinations:

 Close the spreadsheet.

Page | 113
 Part B: Tutorial 4 – Loading

Displaying Loads Graphically

This Display Loads button helps view the load categories and combinations, as shown below:

 Experiment by changing the Load Category dropdown to Load Combinations.

 In the Loads List, click the dropdown to toggle between different Load Combinations.

 Scroll down to Load Combination 10.

Page | 114
 Part B: Tutorial 4 – Loading

Using these tools, you will be able to view the displayed loads graphically, as multiplied by the load
factors.

This is the end of Tutorial B4.

You can save your model to be used as the starting point for the next tutorial or begin the next tutorial
using the .fnd starter file in the RISAFoundation Tutorials folder. To save the model:

 Select Save As from the File menu. Enter in a file name and click Save.

Page | 115
 Part B: Tutorial 5 – Solving & Results

Part B: Tutorial 5 – Solving & Results

Overview

The last step is to solve the model and review the results. RISAFoundation presents results in several
ways. You may view the data in the spreadsheets, view a member detail report, or view the results
graphically. You will explore all of these options in this final tutorial.

Getting Started

You may continue with the model created in the previous tutorial, or with the starter file located in the
RISAFoundation Tutorials folder.

If you are continuing from the previous tutorial:

 Skip ahead to the next section titled Solve the Model.

-OR- If you are starting here from scratch, follow the steps below to load the starter file provided by
RISA.

Note: Remember that because the files were originally created within RISA-3D, they have
an .r3d file name extension and must first be opened in RISA-3D, solved, and brought in to
RISAFoundation using the Director tool.

 Double-click the RISA-3D icon to start the program.

 Click Open Existing File from the Starting a Model dialog box.
Double-click the Model Files folder then the Tutorials folder, select Tutorial B5 Starter.fnd.
 Click Solve in the Home tab of the Ribbon Toolbar.

Indicate the type of solution you want to perform in the Solution Choices dialog box:

 Click Single Combination and select LC 1: IBC 21/ASCE Strength 1 from the list.
 Click Solve.

Now, import the RISA-3D model into RISAFoundation:

 On the Director menu, click RISAFoundation.

 Click Yes to save your model.

Your model will automatically be exported from RISA-3D into RISAFoundation. Your model should now
look like this:

Page | 116
 Part B: Tutorial 5 – Solving & Results

Solve the Model

Start by solving the model in RISAFoundation:

 Click Solve in the Home tab of the Ribbon Toolbar.

Upon solution, you will be presented with the Node Reactions spreadsheet. In addition, the Results
section in the Explorer tab is available. This provides quick access to each of the results spreadsheets.

 Close the Node Reactions spreadsheet.

Slab Results

When your model is solved, slab elements are automatically submeshed into plate elements.
RISAFoundation then displays two plate results spreadsheets: Plate Forces and Plate Corner
Forces. You can review the data in each of these to obtain specific force data for each submeshed
plate.

 Under Results, click Plate Forces.

 Under Results, click Plate Corner Forces.

Notice that both spreadsheets are organized by Load Combination and then by Plate Label.

 Right click in the spreadsheet and navigate to Results Presentation.

Page | 117
 Part B: Tutorial 5 – Solving & Results

 Select Batch Results Listed by Item.

If this parameter is selected, the spreadsheet will list the results by ITEM. All other spreadsheets will
reflect the change (it is not necessary to perform another solution).

Briefly review several of the other results spreadsheets.

 Under Results, click Node Reactions.

 Under Results, click Node Deflections.

When you are finished reviewing the spreadsheets, close the spreadsheets and return to the original
model view.

Design Strips
Design strips are used to create design regions within a slab. Each design strip will contain
automatically defined design cuts that will control the reinforcement design for that design strip. The
results for the entire design strip will be determined by the maximum moment demand of the
governing design cut within that design strip. Because one governing design cut controls the entire
design strip, it is critical that good engineering judgment is used to determine an appropriate width for
the design strip.

Because the design strip designs reinforcement in only one direction, you must enter at least two
strips--one in each direction.

Start by drawing your Design Strip.

 Click on the Home tab in the ribbon toolbar. In the section labeled, Slab Elements, select
Design Strips.

Page | 118
 Part B: Tutorial 5 – Solving & Results

Note: When you modify your model, RISAFoundation will display a message notifying you
that the results will be cleared (this alleviates the possibility of you having results data that
does not match the input data).

 Click Ok to clear your results.

First, draw the strip to design the horizontal (Z axis direction) reinforcement. The information in the
Properties Panel should match the information shown below:

 Click grid intersections VC-1.0, VA-1.0, VA-4.0, and VC-4.0, then close the strip by clicking
VC-1.0 again.

Note: To close off the strip perimeter, you must make your last click the same as your first
(VC-1.0); or you can double click the last point in the strip (VC-4.0).

Next, draw the second strip in the perpendicular direction:

 Click on the Home tab in the ribbon toolbar. In the section labeled, Slab Elements, select
Design Strips.
 In the Rebar Angle from Plan Horizontal box, type 90.

The information in the Properties Panel should match the information shown below:

Page | 119
 Part B: Tutorial 5 – Solving & Results

 Click grid intersections VC-1.0, VA-1.0, VA-4.0, and VC-4.0, then close the strip by clicking
VC-1.0 again.
 Zoom into the lower portion of your model.

The design strips will be displayed as shown below:

 Re-solve the model by clicking Solve in the Home tab.

Now you can review the design data contained in the spreadsheets for the design strips.

 Under Results, click Design Strip/Cut Results to open the Strip Reinforcing spreadsheet.

The Strip Reinforcing spreadsheet will display:

Note: Images and numbers shown are for reference only. It is possible that you will see
different results even if you only slightly used a different modeling procedure; therefore, the
results screenshots shown in this Tutorial are only meant to be an example for exploring the
results features.

Also, review the detail reports:

Page | 120
 Part B: Tutorial 5 – Solving & Results

 In the Selection Toolbar, click on the Detail Report button.

 Click Design Strip DS1 in the 3D View to open the Detail Report.

This opens the Detail Report where you can view the envelope force diagrams and the code check
information.

Before closing the Detailed Report for the member, let’s add it to our full report.

 To do this, check the Add to Full Report checkbox at the bottom of the Detailed Report.

Note: Use the arrow buttons to quickly advance through different design strips.

The Design Strip Detail Report also illustrates which Design Cut the governing design forces came
from.
Page | 121
 Part B: Tutorial 5 – Solving & Results

 Select the Cut button to view the detail report for the governing Design Cut.

 Click Close to close the Detail Report dialog.

Page | 122
 Part B: Tutorial 5 – Solving & Results

Reports

When the analysis and design for a project is complete, a report can be assembled in order to
document the design. This report can include all input and output data as well as additional items such
as images of the model. Before creating a report, let’s create an image of the model to include in our
report.

Graphics Printing
Because RISAFoundation offers a variety of ways to view your results graphically, it can be beneficial to
print those views along with your spreadsheet results. Start by exploring some of the ways to quickly
review your results on your model:

 In the View tab, under View Settings, click Model.

This displays the Model View Settings dialog box which gives you access to all the viewing option is
RISAFoundation:

Page | 123
 Part B: Tutorial 5 – Solving & Results

Explore the options in each of the different tabs.

Render the slabs:

 Click the Slabs tab.

 Check the box labeled Rendered.
 Click Apply.

Note: You can also use the buttons in the Quick View section of the Home tab to change
the Graphical view of your model.

Next, display the deflected shape and modify the Magnification of the deflection.

 Click the Deflection button twice in the Window Toolbar to display the deflected
shape of your model without the undeflected shadow.

Increase the magnification of the deflected shape.

Page | 124
 Part B: Tutorial 5 – Solving & Results

 In the View tab, under View Settings, click Results.

This displays the Results View Settings dialog box which gives you access to all the viewing
option for your results is RISAFoundation:

Explore the options in each of the different tabs.

 Click the Deflections tab.

 In the Input Value box type 1000.
 Change the dropdown for Display Results for Load Combination to LC 8: IBC 21/ASCE
Strength 5 (a) (a).
 Click Apply.

Page | 125
 Part B: Tutorial 5 – Solving & Results

View the model in isometric view:

 In the Window Toolbar, click the Isometric button to snap to an isometric view.

 In the View tab, click Zoom Extents to redraw the model in full model view.

Your model should now look like this:

Now that you have your model in the correct view, you can print an image of this display to include
with your report.

Page | 126
 Part B: Tutorial 5 – Solving & Results

 Click the Camera button in the Quick Access Toolbar to capture and save an image of the
current graphical view.

The Snapshot Preview window will open and show a dynamic preview of the model. This preview
allows you to position the model exactly as you want while also enabling/disabling various visibility
items including loads, results, model rendering, labels, etc.

 Double click on the mouse wheel to reposition the model in the Snapshot Preview window.

Additionally, the options for the snapshot can also be set including the orientation, paper size, scaling
and image file type. For this tutorial, let’s create an image with the following properties:

 Input an Image File Name of Deflected Shape

 Set the Image File Type to PNG
 Set the Orientation to Portrait
 Set the Text Scale to 1, the Symbols, Diagrams Scale to 1 and the Navigation Panel
Scale to 5
 Click on the Snapshot button in the top left corner of the Properties Panel to save the
snapshot shown in the image below.

The snapshot preview should now close, and your snapshot should be saved either in the default
directory or in the same location as the project file.

Page | 127
 Part B: Tutorial 5 – Solving & Results

Next, let’s create a Report.

 To do this, click the Print Report/Graphic button on the Quick Access Toolbar and select
Print Reports.

The Report Printing interface will open. Let’s build a report from scratch.

The Report Printing interface has three main sections: the list of Available Sections for Report,
the Current Sections in Report, and the Report Preview.

 Click on the Spreadsheets button in the Available Sections for Report with expandable
lists for both input and results available.

Let’s first add our Input spreadsheets as shown in the image below:

When each spreadsheet is added, the corresponding item will be added in the Current Sections in
Report section.

 Next, collapse the Input spreadsheets and expand the Results spreadsheets to be added as
shown in the image below:

Page | 128
 Part B: Tutorial 5 – Solving & Results

In addition to each spreadsheet being added to the Current Sections in Report section, the Report
Preview also expands to include the added spreadsheets. This allows users to review the data in each
spreadsheet prior to printing to ensure that the correct spreadsheet and corresponding data is
included.

Page | 129
 Part B: Tutorial 5 – Solving & Results

Next, let’s add detailed reports to the overall report. Before adding new detailed reports, let’s move the
detailed report that we added earlier so that it is after all the Input and Results spreadsheet.

 Click and hold on the only detailed report item Design Strip-Label-DS1 found in Current
Sections in Report.
 Drag the item to the end of the report (it is possible to drop the item anywhere in the report)

Now, to add new detailed reports, click on the Detailed Reports tab. In the Detailed Reports tab,
there are various options for how the reports that are available will be grouped or what level of detail
will be shown in each report. These options are as follows:

 Element Type: Select the element type or All.

 Result Type: Select Load Combination
 Report Type: Select Summary or Custom (for Custom, the specific sections you wish to
include in your report can be managed by clicking the ellipsis button.

For this tutorial, let’s first add the second Design Strip detailed report.

 Set the Element Type to Design Strip

 Choose Design Strip-Label-DS2

Following the above steps should add the following report to the active report:

Page | 130
 Part B: Tutorial 5 – Solving & Results

With the detailed reports for the design strips added, we can now add other items found in the
Advanced section. Let’s add the Snapshot image that we created previously:

 Click the arrow next to Images to expand the list.

Page | 131
 Part B: Tutorial 5 – Solving & Results

 Select the image labeled Images-Deflected Shape.

 Click and hold on Images-Deflected Shape and drag the item to the beginning of the report.

When you are finished adding the images, your Current Sections in Report list should look like this:

Note: It is possible that the member labels shown above are different from the ones found in a
specific user’s model. This is most likely due to the order in which the model was created.

With all the required items now added to the report, the report can now be printed (or saved). On the
far-left hand side of the Report Printing interface, the Print section gives the user the option to
modify the page layout settings (orientation, paper type and pixel density) as well as whether to
include the header.

Additional Advanced Settings exist which allow for the use of

a Custom Logo and the modification of the margins.

 At this point, utilize your default PDF printer to print the

custom report as a PDF by clicking the Print button.

Page | 132
 Part B: Tutorial 5 – Solving & Results

DXF Export

Another useful tool that RISAFoundation provides is the ability to export a drawing of your foundation
plan, footing/pedestal/pile details, or slab reinforcing to a DXF file. This can then be opened in any
standard drafting software for drafting purposes.

Now that your model is solved, utilize this export functionality to create some detailed drawings:

 On the File menu, click DXF Export, then click Foundation Plot Plan.
 In the File Name box, type: Tutorial B5.dxf. Click Save.

This Export DXF File dialog box displays. Here you can specify DXF options and naming conventions for
the DXF layers.

Accept the default settings and names:

 Click Apply.

Page | 133
 Conclusion

This will create a DXF of the foundation plot plan similar to the image below.

This completes Part B: RISA-3D Integration.

Conclusion
Congratulations on completing the RISAFoundation tutorial. We appreciate your desire to take the time
to learn the software and are confident that the knowledge gained during this tutorial will help increase
your productivity and allow you to complete future projects more efficiently.

Finally, while the tutorial is an in-depth look at how to model, analyze, design, and document some
foundation elements, we understand that there may be topics that were not covered. For any feature
specific or technical software questions please reach out to our support team ([email protected])
directly.
Page | 134