Shape Databases

For each material, there are several databases of common structural shapes such as Hot Rolled Steel Wide Flanges, Cold Formed Shapes, Wood, Concrete Tees, etc. You may also choose from shapes created in RISASection. You may type in the names directly, select shapes from these databases or add your own shapes.

What do you want to do?

Select a shape from a RISASection file
Trouble shoot the importing of a RISASection shape

What do you want to know?

Database Shape Types

There are different types of shapes for each material type including General shapes. Names for each shape type follow a syntax so that they can be typed directly into the Shape box on the Section Sets spreadsheet or on the Primary tab of the Members spreadsheet. Alternately you may click the button to look up a shape and select it.

Hot Rolled Shapes

AISC, Canadian, Trade Arbed and custom Hot Rolled shapes are accessed by clicking the Shape Database icon from the Advanced ribbon and then clicking the Hot Rolled tab from the Shape Database Editor window.

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The hot rolled shapes and databases are more fully described in the Hot Rolled Steel Design section. See Hot Rolled Steel Databases for more information.

Virtual Joists and Virtual Joist Girders

The Steel Joist Institute (SJI) has put together Virtual Joist and Virtual Joist Girder tables which convert common joist and joist girder sizes into equivalent wide flange beams. These shapes are available by selecting Virtual Joist Girder or Virtual Joist from the Database menu. For additional advice on this topic, please see the RISA Tips & Tricks webpage at risa.com/post/support. Type in Search keywords: Virtual Joist Girders

Cold Formed Shapes

Manufacturer and custom cold formed shapes are accessed by clicking the Shape Database icon from the Advanced ribbon and then clicking the Cold Formed tab from the Shape Database Editor window.

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The cold formed shapes and database are more fully described in the Cold Formed Design section. See Cold Formed Steel Databases for more information

Concrete Shapes

Concrete shapes do not have a predefined database like hot rolled and cold formed steel. Instead, they are defined using a parametric shape code that may be assigned any depth or width. There are two types of shapes currently supported: Rectangular and Round. See Concrete Database for more information.

Wood Shapes

The available wood shapes are based on the dimension lumber and post and timber shapes given in the NDS or CSA O86, depending on what code you have chosen as your Wood design code. You may also design for multiple plies of these shapes. Note that the NDS dimension lumber shapes are all nominal sizes. CSA O86 shapes are actual sizes.

Allowable stress values for each shape are based on the species and grade information given in the selected design code. See Wood Database for more information.

Aluminum Shapes

US, Canadian and custom Aluminum shapes are accessed by clicking the Shape Database icon from the Advanced ribbon and then clicking the Aluminum tab from the Shape Database Editor window.

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The aluminum shapes and databases are more fully described in the Aluminum - Databases section.

General Shapes

Arbitrary Shapes

Arbitrary Shapes are a special, catch-all shape. This arbitrary shape type is provided so that any shape can be added to the shape database.

AISC code checks are not calculated for arbitrary shapes since their place in the specification is unknown. Everything else will be calculated for them (forces, deflections, stresses). The max thickness (Max thick) value for the cross section is used to determine the pure torsional shear stress for the shape. "J" is the torsional constant. The "d" values (the distances to the extreme fibers) allow the program to calculate stresses at the extreme fibers.

Note:

These shapes will generally be rendered using a greenish cruciform shape. The center of the cruciform will reflect the centroid of the section with the tips of the cruciform representing the distances from the neutral axis to the extreme fiber.
Refer to Member Shear Deformations and Member Shear Stresses for more information on the shear area factors (As-zz Def, As-yy Def, .As-zz Stress, & As-yy Stress) shown in the figure below.

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To Add an Arbitrary Shape to the Database

To enter an arbitrary shape in the database, click the Shape Database icon from the Advanced ribbon and then clicking the General tab from the Shape Database Editor window. Set the shape type to Arbitrary, click Add and then enter the shape name and properties.

RISASection Files

You can create simple or complex sections in RISASection and then import those sections for use in your model. Sections that exist in RISASection (files located in the "RISASection" file specified in File - Application Settings - File Locations) will be available for use in the model. Each section must have a unique name for it to be available.

The shapes that are designated as General Material, Arbitrary Shape Type in RISASection will show up in the General tab under the "RISASection" Database.

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The shapes that are designated as Hot Rolled Steel Material in RISASection will show up in the Hot Rolled tab under the appropriate Shape Type (Channel, Wide Flange, etc.) when "RISASection" is selected as the Database.

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Note: Currently, RISASection can only import General and Hot Rolled Steel shapes. More material choices will be available in a future version.

For additional advice on this topic, please see the RISA Tips & Tricks webpage at risa.com/post/support. Type in Search keywords: RISASection Integration.

Troubleshooting RISASection / RISA- Interaction

There are a few common issues that arise when attempting to access RISASection files from within RISA-.

When RISA-3D launches, it will only import RISASection files that exist in the directory specified in File - Application Settings - File Locations.
RISA-3D only reads in database files when it is first launched. Therefore, if a RISASection file is created or modified, then RISA-3D must be closed and re-started before it will recognize the new or modified section.

There are some common mistakes that are made from within the RISASection program that may cause an issue when trying to read that shape from within RISA-3D.

The name of the RISASection "File" is actually different from the name of the section itself. Both names will appear in the RISA-3D database, but it is important to give your sections unique names in order to properly tell them apart. Note: each RISASection file can contain many different sections. Hence the need to name each individual section.
Unless specifically identified as a Hot Rolled Material type and shape (from within RISASection), the shapes will be imported as Arbitrary shapes with a General Material type
RISASection can save files with a new *.nmsx file type (for RISASection 2.0 or higher), or an old *.nms (for RISASection version 1.1 or older). If saved as the old file type, the sections will only come in as Arbitrary members with a General material type.
If the file is saved with a *.nmsx extension it will not be read into older versions of the RISA programs (prior to RISA-3D version 9.1.1.

Structural Desktop (SDT) Shapes

The SDT database is provided by the Structural Desktop software in a file called SDT.FIL. Structural Desktop automates drawing production of RISA models. The SDT database is provided for shapes that are not directly supported in RISA models (such as bar joists) but are available in Structural Desktop. For more information on Structural Desktop see www.structuraldesktop.com.

On-Line Shapes

On-Line shapes are shapes whose dimensions are defined directly in the syntax of the shape name. On-line shapes are not stored in the shape database because there is enough information from the label syntax to calculate all the shape properties. A pipe, for example, can be fully defined by specifying the thickness and diameter.

These shapes are treated just like database shapes for stress calculations. Currently, Pipes, Solid Rectangular and Solid Circular shapes are defined on-line as discussed below in Pipe Database Shapes, Solid Rectangular Shapes, and Solid Circular Shapes.

Pipe Database Shapes

Pipe shapes, which are hollow circular shapes, are entered as on-line shapes. The syntax for these shapes is "PIdiaXthick", where "dia" is the pipe outside diameter and "thick" is the pipe thickness (in inches or centimeters). For example (assuming US Standard units), PI10X.5 would be a 10" diameter pipe with a wall thickness of 1/2".

Solid Rectangular Shapes

These shapes can be defined as on-line shapes. The syntax is "REhtXbase", where "ht" is the rectangle height and "base" is the rectangle base (in inches or cm). For example, RE10X4 would be a 10" deep, 4" width rectangular shape (assuming US Standard units). These shapes can also be defined in the Shape Editor. When defined in the Shape Editor the depth of the solid rectangular section must always be greater than or equal to the width.

Solid Circular Shapes

These shapes are defined as on-line shapes. The syntax is "BARdia", where "dia" is the circle diameter. For example (assuming metric units), BAR2 would be a circular bar with a diameter of 2 cm.

Database Files

The shape databases are stored in the database files (*.FIL). These files may only be edited through the program. The path to these files is set in the File Locations tab of Application Settings, which is found in the File menu.

After adding a new shape in your model, you will be prompted with this Changes to Shape Database dialog Click 'Yes' if you want to add the shape to your Shape Database to be available for all future models. Click 'No' if you do not want the new shape to be available for other models, this will not save the shape to your Shape Database.

You can also make edits to the geometric and section properties of the shapes in your Shape Database. If you modify geometric properties, you can also use the Re-Calc button for the program to automatically calculate the corresponding section properties.

After editing the geometric or section properties for a shape in your model, you will be prompted with this Changes to Shape Database dialog. Click 'Yes' if you want to add the shape modifications to your Shape Database to be available for all future models. Click 'No' if you do not want the changes to apply to other models, this will not save the changes in the Shape Database for other models.

Note:

Alterations to the shape databases are not permanent unless you agree to save them. Changes that are not saved only remain valid for the current session and will not be present the next time you start RISA.
New shapes are always added to the bottom of the database in blue text.
To delete a shape specify the database and shape type you wish to delete and then click the Delete button.
To edit a shape click the Edit button and edit the shape properties. Only shapes that are not part of the default database are able to be edited. If the shape you would like to edit is a default database shape, the program will ask if you would like to make a copy of the shape. Geometric values can be edited here, and will allow you to recalculate the section properties if edits have been made.