General Modeling Guide

Activity

Menus

Set up units.

Settings and Tools > Units & Precisions

Define materials, sections, and thicknesses

Create > Member Properties > Materials (or Sections),

Create > Shell Properties > Materials (or Thicknesses)

Construct geometry.  Start with generating commands whenever possible; draw individual nodes and elements whenever necessary

Create > Templates > 2D Truss/Frame, Rectangular Frames, etc.; Create > Nodes, Members, Shells

Select nodes or elements

Create > Window/Point Select, Line Select, Select by Properties, Invert Selection, etc.

Hide or Show

View > Hide Selected, Show All, etc.

Assign materials, sections, and thicknesses

Create (or Modify) > Member Properties > Materials (or Sections),

Create (or Modify) > Shell Properties > Materials (or Thicknesses)

Define boundary conditions

Create > Boundary Conditions > Supports, Springs, etc.

Define load cases and load combinations

Create > Load Cases, Load Combinations

Assign loads

Create > Draw Loads > Nodal Loads, Point Loads, Line Loads, Surface Loads, etc.

Assign masses

Create > Generate Loads > Additional Masses

Modify input data

Modify or Tables

Define response spectra

Tables > Response Spectra Library

Review Input

View > Display Options, Load Diagram, Quick Render

Set analysis options

Analysis > Analysis Options

Perform analysis

Analysis > Static Analysis, Frequency Analysis, Response Spectrum Analysis

Review analysis results

Analysis Results > Shear & Moment Diagram, Contour Diagram, Deflection Diagram, Mode Shape

View or print reports

Reporting > Print Options, Print Text Report, Print Current View, etc.