The columns are now ready to be designed. The Process – Design All menu item may be selected to perform the design of all columns or the View/Update menu item may be selected to look at one particular column line.

• Select Process > Design All.

Once complete, the view will automatically shift to showing the interaction colors. A dialog box labeled Color Scale opens.

• Click [Show Values] to see the interaction values on screen.

Notice that all of the columns are checked, even the lateral columns. It is important to note that the design of the lateral columns is not complete. So far, the columns have been checked for gravity loads only (and those loads are based on simple, tributary areas). The effect of moment connections, braces, and lateral loads is only examined in RAM Frame.

When a column spans multiple levels, each segment of the column will be checked independently, but each will use the overall, multi-story unbraced length in the design. To review the results for a particular member:

• Select Process > View/Update.
• Click any part of the Sloping Column at Grid R-2.

The interactive View/Update dialog box that opens has many important functions. In the upper left corner is the final design, the sizes selected by the program for each level. If there are more than 8 stories, the slider on the right side will allow you to scroll down. Information about the splicing, bracing and yield stress of the columns as well as the current interaction ratio also appear in the upper left area.

If a sloping column is selected you will notice a series of colors indicating dependencies of that column. For more information on column dependencies see the steel column manual by clicking Help-Manual.

In the upper right area are the results for the three trial groups (assuming three were used). The program will select the lightest working design from the three trial groups. In this case, there were no HSS6x6 columns sufficient to support the loads with no intermediate bracing so the Trial Group 1 indicates "None Worked". Either HSS10x10 or HSS 12x12 will work, but the 10x10 sections are lighter, so they were selected by default.

When the View/Update dialog opens for a particular column line, the top column of the column line will be highlighted in white between splices. In this case, that is the 3rd level only.

• In the Size drop down combo box, change the section size to HSS9x9x3/8 (SHS200x200x8.0).
• Click [Analyze].
• The interaction value listed on the Story - Analyze tab is adjusted for the new size.

• Click [Select] to move that size up to the final design section for that level. The interaction values above will then be adjusted. If the design should fail, the interaction value will be written in red. A design warning will also appear in the Design Warnings list box.

  Notice that the weight of the column is also updated to reflect the change in size.

• Click [Update Database] to return to the graphics screen.

  Update Database results in the new size being saved as a user assigned or "Frozen" size. The column line will now be drawn in Dark Blue if the design passed.

Now we will investigate the design of another column line.

• Click on the column line at B-1.

  Initially the Roof column of the column line is highlighted.

• Click on the Story cell labeled 4th.
  Note: If a View/Update is done on a column line containing floors with unspliced levels, highlighting one of the floors (4^th for example) causes the program to highlight the continuous levels together.
• Change the Size to W10x39
• Click [Analyze].

The result of the controlling column segment (in this case the 4^th floor controls) will be indicated on the Story - Analyze tab.

Do NOT click the Select button to choose this new size as part of the final design.

• Click in the Roof cell under Story to select the Roof level.
• Press [Select T.G. 2]. Notice that all levels are changed to the selected size.
• Click [Analyze].

To review the results for the selected column:

• Click [View Results].

The design report starts with the top level. Click page down to proceed to the other levels. Notice that the columns are being designed for axial loads and moments using the full unbraced length. The moments are a result of the eccentricity of the beam connections. The column eccentricity may be set in the Modeler using Layout – Columns – Assign Eccentricity. The program considers all possible patterns of live load when evaluating the column design and the governing combination of patterns used at the top and bottom of the column determines the design data that is reported here. To turn off the skip loading altogether, go to Criteria – Design Defaults. Refer to the technical notes in the RAM Steel Column documentation for an explanation of the design methods and results.

• Click to exit the report.
• This time exit the View/Update dialog using the [Close] button.

  Notice that the column line is drawn in green rather than dark blue. By closing the dialog without doing an Update Database, this column line will continue to be optimized as the model changes.

In the graphics mode, the column now appears with the modified interaction colors. Feel free to View/Update other columns in the model.

The Story - Optimize and Column Line tabs provide other options for investigation. Using the Story - Optimize tab for example, you can see what size "HSS" section would work for the column at B-1 even though it was initially modeled as an I section.