Options

The Options menu provides some additional options to control the behaviour of the design briefs. It also provides controls over the output formats, as well as providing options to control the design.

The Options menu layout is as shown below.

Bending Shear and Deflection - opens the MasterFrame graphical results area. Allows the analysis results to be displayed for the model.

Copy and Append Current Design Check - creates a copy of the brief applied to the currently selected member. In effect, this adds a second brief to the same member with the same settings. This allows the engineer to test the effects of changing various settings and then comparing results.

Display MasterKey Menu - switches between the newer and older Steel Module menus.

Check to Point of Contraflexure - for use with the Appendix BB/Appendix G design check. The check will be performed up to the point of contraflexure.

Check Super Members for Alignment - where super members have been created, this option checks that the analytic member alignment is correct. Where members are out of alignment, large bending moments can be inadvertently created at the nodes.

Reverse Bending Moments - reverses the display of the bending moments diagram, such that the bending moment is shown on the compression side rather than the tension side. This option is to account for regions where the practice is not the same as the UK practice of showing the bending moments on the tension side of a member.

Deflection Limits - access the deflection limits table.

AutoChange Beam Check to C&M when more critical - when the combined axial and bending check is more critical, this options allows the software to automatically switch to the Axial with Moments brief

Check Torsion - a Global switch, turns off the Torsion checks for an entire model.

Use Column Nominal Moments as minimum in Axial with Moment - a Global setting. Will calculate the nominal moments on a column and use these as the minimum applied moments. Where the nominal moments are used, the design brief will notify the user in the output.

New Plastic Analysis - re-runs the analysis of the model as a plastic analysis, such that plastic hinges may be allowed to be formed in the model.

Braced Frame (SANS 10162-1 cl 13.8.2) - for use in the design to the SANS code.

Ignore Slenderness limits - global setting, ignores all slenderness limits set in the design briefs. The use of slenderness limits was used in the British Standards, but has been retained in the software.