To edit self-weight and self-mass criteria

To modify or review the self-weight and self-mass criteria, use the following procedure.

The RAM Structural System offers the automatic calculation of self-weight and self-mass for beams, columns, walls and slabs.

Note: The system administrator defines the default option selections at the time of installation.

Note: When a database created in a version previous to V7.2 is converted to the recent version, the self-weight options for Columns and Walls is selected, but the self-weight option for Beams is not. This is to maintain consistency of the analysis with previous versions, but may be modified.

Either:

select the Self-Weight tool

or
select Criteria > Self Weight

The Self-Weight dialog opens.
To modify the self-weight calculations, check the structural object types to include in the Member Dead Loads group.
For wall, you can select if the dead loads are applied at the top of the walls or distributed evenly along the mesh.
To modify the self-mass calculations:
1. Check the structural objects to include in the story mass within the Story Mass group.
2. For Columns and Walls, indicate if the mass of these objects should be splite at the story or included from objects below only.
Click OK. You will be prompted with a warning dialog informing you that changing the self-weight criteria will cause the building to be reframed and members are required to be redesigned.
Click OK.