Installation

User Interface

Geometry

Elements

Loads

Analysis

Modelling

Documentation

Installation

I.1. Steps of Installation

After downloading, install the software to a directory of your choice.

After the installation please fill in the registration form and send it to us in e-mail. The licence file required to run the program will be sent to you in a reply to your e-mail address.

Please copy the attached licence file (key.lic) to the directory you have already installed the software.

Installation under Vista and Windows 7 Operating System  

• You need the latest Sentinel driver. Downloading Sentinel driver

• Click on the program icon with the Mouse right button after the installation of AxisVM program

• Choose the Properties menu item from the Quick Menu.

• Select the Compatibility tab on the appearing dialog and turn on the Run as administrator checkbox..

If you are unable to start the software after installation:

• Make sure that the licence file (key.lic) is located in the installation directory of the software

• If your computer is protected by Panda Antivirus solution please turn it off when starting the software.

• If these measures do not solve the problem, please contact us.  Contact

I.2. How much memory does AxisVM need?

It is recommended to have at least 512K physical RAM. Big models run much faster if you have the appropriate physical memory. If the operation system needs more memory than the physical RAM it begins to use the hard disk to store/retrieve data and (this process is called paging). As it requires more time to access hard drives instead of physical memory this process considerably slows down computing. If you have 1024K of physical RAM you may run a calculation requiring 500K entirely in physical memory (it also depends on the memory requirements of the operation system and on the running tasks).

I.3. How do I know what version of AxisVM I am using, and what add-on modules are included?

When starting the program in a startup window is displayed the version number and the release number, and the codes of the modules that are included in your copy. You can invoke this window anytime from the Help menu, selecting About AxisVM... command.

I.4. I want to expand the version I have with an add-on module. What should I do?

You should contact your software provider (dealer) or MAD Software, and order the modules you want. He can immediately provide you with a series of codes that will enable the modules you ordered, after you copy the new license key into the AxisVM installation folder. You can do the ordering and obtain the required codes by email, phone or fax.

user interface

U.1. Can I use SI units for some variables and Imperial units for others? Can I change the units any time?

Yes, and you can use the predefined units schemes included with the software, or can create your own units settings that can be saved for later use.

U.2. How can I set the grid and cursor step? What Ctrl x means?

Use the Options icon or Option command from the Settings menu. You can set the grid and cursor step for each axes independently. "Ctrl x" means, that the cursor will move at a time the value entered here times the cursor step size, therefore you can move the cursor very accurately.Its default value is 0.1, i.e. if mouse position snaps to a 10 cm grid, pressing the Ctrl key makes the mouse snap to a 1 cm grid.

U.3. Can I print reports in English or  in a different language?

If your copy includes the add-on module Documentation in "language", you can set the language of the reports and post-processing tabulated result displays in the Settings menu,/Preferences.../Language command.

U.4.  How can I set the design code I would apply?

It is recommended to set the design code when you start to build your model. However, you can change the applied design code at any time in the Settings menu, Design Codes... window, that displays the available design codes included in your current AxisVM configuration. After changing design code seismic parameters, seismic load cases, load group parameters will be deleted (except safety factors).As certain material and reinforcement parameters may be defined in the design code it is recommended to check them after code change.

U.5. How can I enter cross-sections and materials of my local suppliers?

You can create you own libraries of materials and cross-sections calling the respective library from the File menu. You can assign a name and file name to your library. Once the library has been created, you can use it in any model you will build.

U.6. Do AxisVM provide a report of the weight of each cross-section and materials used in the model?

Yes. You can obtain a material and cross-section weight report using the Weight Report icon located under the redo icon under the main menu.

U.7. Can I display different result components in different windows?

Yes. AxisVM has a multi-window graphical user interface. Each window can display different view of the model, and different result components. Therefore, you display a moment diagram in one and a shear force diagram in an other, while the displacements in a other. In addition, each window can display different parts, that allows more customized display

U.8. How to define a new part within an existing part? I select this part to be the only displayed one. But when I am to select the elements AxisVM switches back to display the entire model. The Parts icon on the left toolbar is disabled so I cannot turn on the display of the active part. What can I do?

In Settings/Display/Switches dialog (Ctrl+D) check the Display/Parts option. It turns on the latest active parts. If the above part was selected beforehand its elements will be displayed only.

U.9. Can a model be shared with others so that several engineers can work on a large project concurrently? (Similar to AutoCAD 14)?

No, however, AxisVM offers a model file merge method that will combine the different parts together into a complete model...if the X/Y/Z coordinates are shared by all models. .

geometry

G.1.  How to enter a node numerically?

1. Set the Geometry page and click the Node icon. Pressing the key X, Y or Z you get to the coordinate window. Specify the desired coordinate values. Tab moves around the edit boxes. The d button (delta switch) turns relative coordinates on or off. Press Enter to enter node.

2. Select table of nodes in Table Browser (F12). Click the New Row icon on the toolbar or press Ctrl+Ins to insert a new row. Enter global X, Y, Z coordinates of the node and its degrees of freedom.

G.2. How to import nodal coordinates from Excel via Clipboard?

Select an area of three columns and any number of rows in Excel containing nodal coordinates. Cut (Ctrl+X) or copy (Ctrl+C) these cells to Clipboard. Enter the Table Browser in AxisVM (F12). Paste (Ctrl+V) coordinates to the table of Nodes. Nodes will be created with the default degrees freedom.

G.3. How to create copies of an object to form a spiral stair?

In Rotate dialog one can set a pitch per copy (h). It makes the copies shift along the rotation axis.

G.4. How can we rotate in perspective view?

Rotation center point, arc start point and arc endpoint can be specified only if the point is identified by the cursor as an existing node or point on an existing line. Only X and Y coordinates are considered and the rotation axis is always the Z axis.

G.5. How can I draw two intersecting trusses without creating a node at the point of intersection?

Switch off automatic intersection (Options/Editing/Auto/Intersection) before drawing the second truss. After drawing it you can switch it on again.

G.6. How many nodes, lines, or surfaces I can use in my model?

Depends on the version of AxisVM you have. The Small Business version allows for a limited number of entities, while the Professional version do not have any limitation in this regard. However, the size of you hard disk (and, indirectly the speed of your computer) may limit the size of a model you can analyze successfully.

G.7. How many nodes, lines, or surfaces I can use in my model?

The Working on Parts feature of AxisVM allows an extremely easy handling of very sophisticated models you may build. You can define parts as a set of entities of your model that you want to display at a time. Usually these belong to a well defined structural element in your structure. You can assign a lengthy name to each of your parts, and then enable or disable of the display of your parts, according to your needs..

elements

E.1. How can I select only those beams of the model which have a given material and/or cross-section?

Method 1. Turn on Property Editor (Window / Property Editor), select a beam with the given material or cross-section, click the line of material or cross-section then click the Filter icon. Selection will be extended to all beams with the same property.

Method 2. Click the Filter icon on the Selection toolbar. Select Beam from the selection tree and set all other elements unchecked. It ensures that only beams will be selectable. Click the button Property Filtering. Select the desired material and cross-section only and check if no length and reference filtering is on. Close Property Filtering and Filter dialogs. The next selection operation will only include elements matching the filtering criteria.

E.2. Is the rib element on a surface edge automatically independent of the surface if the eccentricity is large enough?

The rib element on an edge is never independent of the surface. It is always assumed that the rib and the surface edge has the same deformed shape. If you want to create an independent rib which does not follow the edge deformation use a beam attached to two surface corners by rigid elements.

E.3. Why I do need to use "references" to define finite elements?

References are dedicated to allow you to orient the finite elements in the three dimensional space. Please read carefully the corresponding section of the User's Manual.

E.4. How can I change the cross section or the material of a group of finite elements?

Click on the row of the tabulated display of you cross-sections or materials that contain the one you want to replace. Click the Library icon, and select the new material or cross-section. Select the Replace radio-button at the bottom of the window, and click OK.

loads

L.1. How to move a load or a copy of it to another load case?

Choose the Loads tab, drag the load with the mouse. Before clicking select another load case from the dropdown list beside the Load cases and load groups icon.After clicking at the load position the load will be transferred to the selected load case.

Loads can be copied using a geometry transformation available on the Icon bar on the left. Before clicking at the final position select the target load case from the dropdown list beside the Load cases and load groups icon. After clicking at the final position copies of the selected loads will be placed into the selected load group. Entire load cases can be copied using the Load cases and load groups dialog.

L.2. I can place several loads to the same beam (even loads of different types). How can I modify or delete just one of them?

Use Fast Modify: Choose the Loads tab and click the beam. It allows you to modify the load nearest to the clicked position:
- concentrated beam loads: click the load position on the beam;
- distributed beam loads: click the start point, endpoint or center point of the distributed load.

It may happen that two distributed loads have the same start and endpointon the beam. In this case (and in all other cases as well) we can change load values or delete loads one by one using Table Browser (F12) after selecting the beam. In this case Fast Modify lets us modify only one of the loads.

analysis

A.1. Calculation aborts due to lack of memory. What should I do?

If the size of the system of equations exceeds 32 GB the complexity of the model should be reduced.

Windows 95/98: Check the Settings/Control Panel/System/Performance/Virtual Memory dialog window.

a. If Windows manages the virtual memory it means that the operation system changes the paging file size according to the actual memory requirements. However it is limited by the amount of free disk space. If it is less than the memory required an error message appears. Free the necessary disk space and try again.

b. If you specified your own virtual memory settings check if the maximum is less than the memory required. If so set an appropriate value (It is usually recommended to set twice the physical RAM).

Windows NT4: Each drive can have its own page file. Check Settings/Control Panel/System/Performance/Virtual Memory/Change dialog. Set Paging File Size for Selected Drive according to Clause b above.

Windows 2000: Each drive can have its own page file. Check Settings/Control Panel/System/Advanced/Performance Options/Virtual Memory/Change dialog. Set Paging File Size for Selected Drive according to Clause b above.

A.2. What is the difference between the nonlinear and second order analysis?

AxisVM is able to perform geometrically linear/nonlinear analysis (1^st /2^nd or 3^rd order analysis) on models with finite elements having linear/nonlinear force-displacement characteristics. The order of analysis is an entirely independent question from the elements’ force-displacement behavior. Any source of nonlinearity will lead to a nonlinear analysis performed in an incremental/iterative process.

2nd order Analysis:
It takes into account the fact that the displacements of the structure slightly change the load effects (usually create extra moments). 2nd order analysis assumes that the rotation of elements is small (cos alpha = 1, sin alpha = alpha).

3rd order Analysis:
It is the same as 2nd order analysis but does not assume that the displacements are small. It can follow extreme displacements.

 

A.3. How should I know, that the solution of equilibrium equations (the calculated displacements) is not affected by the round-off errors?

AxisVM evaluates the condition of the system of equilibrium equations each time you run an analysis. A special technique is used to estimate the error in the results (displacements) due to the round-offs that is present in computer based calculation. The expected error magnitude is displayed in the Info window as E(Eq). If the expected error is less than 10^-6, usually the result is considered accurate in "engineering" terms.

A.4. How can I study the post-buckling behavior of a structure using non-linear static analysis?

To pass the peak of a load-displacement characteristics (of a degree of freedom of your model) you need to use the displacement control technique when applying a geometric non-linear analysis.

modelling

M.1. I modeled a plate supported on its boundaries, and the deflections do not match the ones I calculated based on analytical formulas by about 3%. Why?

The finite element method is an approximate method. Its accuracy depends on the mesh refinement and type and geometry of finite elements used. In some cases for the regular beam or truss element the results may be the exact ones due to the degree of the displacement shape function adopted in the formulation of the element. For surface elements, the results are always approximate, and you can evaluate the precision of the results only by comparing them to ones obtained on a model with a more refined mesh, or based on modeling experience.

M.2. What type of finite element to use to model a reinforced concrete water tank embedded into the ground?

Usually the use of shell elements is required. The embedment can be modeled using surface supports with appropriate stiffness (determined based on soil tests).

M.3. How can I model semi-rigid connections within a steel structure?
You can use spring elements. The stiffness characteristics should be assigned according to the connection models available in the design code or determined experimentally.

documentation

D.1. How to print tables to TXT files?

Choose the Save into TXT file... item from the File menu of Table Browser.

D.2. How can I correlate the drawing of the model and the tabulated information?

You need to print or display a drawing with the numbering of the entities you want to document in tabulated form. You can enable or disable the display of the numberings corresponding to various entities or other labels by using the Display Options icon or command from Settings menu, and select the Label section of the dialogue window.