Upon entering this dialog for the first time, the engineer must select a building code or "Combo Code" that will be used to provide the basic rules for generating combinations.

• The Combo Codes available for concrete are:
• ACI318-95
• UBC 97
• SBC 99
• BOCA 96/99
• The Combo Codes available for soil are:
• UBC 97
• SBC 99
• BOCA 96/99

As each Combo Code comes with its own set of rules for generating combinations, each Combo Code also has its own set of parameters that are used to modify the load cases with in the generated combinations. When a Combo Code is selected, the dialog box will display the appropriate parameters and provide the engineer with means to enter data for those parameters.

In addition to selecting the Combo Code and entering the associated parameters, giving the engineer the ability to select and de-select the load cases that will be used in combination provides additional control over the generated combinations. To select a load case to be used in combination, place a check in the checkbox that appears beside the load case. To de-select it, remove the check.

Combinations are generated by clicking the Apply button. Once combinations have been generated, the Apply button will become unavailable indicating that the load combinations reflect the data in the dialog. If changes are made to the selected load cases, the parameters or the selected Combo Code, the Apply button will again become active, indicating that the combinations are our of synch with the data in the dialog and need to be re-generated.

Once generated, the combinations will appear in the grid at the bottom of the dialog. Because these are code generated combinations, they may not be edited or deleted. They can, however, be selected and de-selected using the check box beside each combination. Like the load cases, a check mark in the box indicates that the load combination is selected for use. Removing the check mark means that the combination will not be used.

If the engineer would like to edit a code generated combination, it must first be copied to the Custom Load Combination dialog . The copy tool bar button above the combination grid can be used for this purpose. Highlight the combinations to copy and click the copy button. Exit the dialog and open the custom combination dialog. Once there, click in the grid and click the past button from the toolbar located above the combination grid.

Exit the dialog by clicking OK or Cancel. If OK is clicked and the combination data is not current, a message will be given to the user asking if the changes should be abandoned or applied. If Cancel is selected, any changes since the last time the user clicked Apply will be abandoned automatically without warning.