If you are interested in exporting your analytical data to an analysis package, you will want to place loads in your model. The load functionality in Structural discipline has two parts that work together: loads placed in the model, and load combinations. The hinge that connects the two parts is the load case. Load cases must be assigned to the loads you place in the model using the Add Member Load or Add Nodal Load tool, and load cases are used to build load combinations in the Load Combination Manager that are sent to the analysis software with the model.

Do the following to create load data:

• Create the load cases using the Load Case Editor and Load Case Manager . Remember that all loads you want to add to your model (live load, dead load, snow load, earthquake load, and so forth) must be associated with a load case.
• Create the load combinations using the Load Combination Manager. You can create as many load combinations as you need, using the same load cases in different combinations or at different factors to meet all of your requirements. For example, you could have a load combination for an office building that combines a live load of people and a snow load, and then you could have another load combination for the office building that combines a live load of people and a rain load. Each load combination would be analyzed separately.
• Add all applicable loads to the members or nodes. The data for the loads you add will be sent to the analysis software and will be used in the analysis of each load combination.