For AISC 360 LRFD or ASD design specifications, it is the engineer’s responsibility to ensure that the selection of options for P-delta, B1, B2, fraction of gravity loads for Notional Loads, Stiffness Reduction and τb used in the stiffness reduction are all consistent and correct as required by the Direct Analysis Method.

To aid the engineer, this report is provided when AISC 360-10 or AISC 360-05 has been selected as the design code. The report examines the selection of options for P-delta, B₁, B₂, Notional Loads, Stiffness Reduction and τ _b , along with analysis results, and reports on the validity of each criteria selection. If the analysis is deemed invalid, it is reported. It is then the responsibility of the engineer to make the necessary corrections to those criteria selections, or in some cases to modify the structure so that limitations are satisfied. If criteria options are not selected that are required, a warning is printed in red (which must be rectified in order for the analysis to be valid); if criteria options are selected that are not required, a warning is printed in blue (which need not be rectified as they are conservative).

The Process – Member Code Check command must be performed before the report is available.

The report is composed of four sections. In the following paragraphs, these sections are explained.