M. Parametric Models
STAAD.Pro allows you to model surfaces by automatically generating a mesh from a set of parameters. You can preview the final meshed state of the wall, slab, or panel before deploying the meshed entity into the remainder of the model. This way you can visually examine several trials or prototypes to find the most suitable alternative.
Tip: In past versions of STAAD.Pro, facilities for mesh generation have been available through the Geometry menu of the main program window and through the Structure Wizard utility which too is accessible through the Geometry menu. While these facilities continue to be available, an enhanced mesh generation tool has been added to the Geometry page.
This method offers some advantages over other methods of mesh generation in STAAD.Pro:
- It enables you to preview the final meshed state of the wall, slab or panel before deploying the meshed entity into the remainder of the model. Several trials or prototypes can visually examined before committing to the most suitable one. This greatly minimizes the inconvenience of ending up with an undesirable meshed panel.
- During the process of meshing, the program will automatically take into consideration existing nodes that lie within the boundary of the panel, but are not chosen as corner nodes of the panel. You simply have to define the panel boundary. The remainder of the nodes will be automatically considered by the program as "control points" which is to say that elements will be created in such a manner that some of those elements will have these nodes in their incidence list. Control points might be panel points of a truss which supports a multi-span slab, or a foundation slab that supports several columns.
- It allows for the definition of lines on the surface along which nodes should be created. Thus, if for a continuous slab over a wall, a line only needs to be drawn to define the intersection. Nodes will then be created along that line, and they will automatically become control points for the wall when it is meshed later. The problem of correctly modeling the monolithic connection between the 2 panels is now easier to handle as a result of this feature.