Before You Begin

Welcome to the RISA-3D Help File. Please read this topic and pay particular attention to the License Agreement. If you are a first time user of RISA-3D you should turn your attention to the Tutorials (a separate document) which are designed to get you up and running as fast as possible while still exposing you to the important features of the software.

The Tutorials are designed to be read in two ways. If you are already familiar with structural modeling in general you can skip the supporting text and read only the underlined action items to quickly move through the tutorial. If you want more thorough explanations of the modeling process you may read all or some of the supporting text as you see fit.

After you have gone through the Tutorials, use this Help File for detailed information on any topic. The topics are arranged in alphabetical order and are thoroughly indexed.

Overview

RISA-3D is a general-purpose -dimensional analysis and design program. This program has been developed to make the definition, solution and modification of structural models as fast and easy as possible. Analysis, up to and including calculation of maximum deflections and stresses, may be done on structures constructed of any material or combination of materials. Complete steel and wood design are also included in the program.

RISA-3D has full graphical modeling capability. You can draw your model on the screen and also perform extensive graphical editing simultaneously in multiple views. To modify your model data directly, RISA-3D employs a powerful, proprietary spreadsheet. All this combined with flexible data generation algorithms makes modeling very easy. Graphic display of the model along with applied loads, boundary conditions and much more, is always available. The model can be rapidly edited, solved, viewed, modified, re-solved, etc. The truly interactive nature of RISA-3D is its primary strength. RISA-3D is also able to perform elaborate error checking as you define the model, and offers context sensitive help every step of the way.

RISA-3D is an interactive program as opposed to a batch mode program. With a batch mode program, you would edit a text file in one program (typically called a pre-processor), and then solve it with another program, and then view the solution results in yet another program (typically called a post-processor). With RISA-3D, all model editing, model solution, and results browsing is accomplished through the same interface and with the same program. The interactive approach offers several unique advantages over batch mode which include; the ability to do real time error checking of your model data, the ability to do rapid model editing, solution, editing, and re-solution without jumping from one program to another, and the need for the user to learn only one program interface.

You may access the features in RISA-3D by using the menu system, or the toolbars. The best way to learn RISA-3D is to go through the Tutorials. The advantage to this is that you are exposed to the tools RISA-3D provides and the ways that you can take advantage of them.

Minimum System Requirements

One of the following operating systems is required:

• Microsoft Windows 10 (64 bit only)
• Microsoft Windows 8.1 (64 bit only)

Internet (Subscription License Only)

An internet connection is required to launch the program. The internet connection must be maintained as long as the program is open, although brief internet outages (a few minutes) do not affect the user's ability to keep the program open.

Hardware

The following hardware is required:

• 1 GHz or faster processor (x86-64)
• 1024x768 or higher monitor resolution
• 2 (or more) button mouse, mouse wheel recommended
• Participating in survey, special events, and promotions;
• 8 GB of RAM
• 4 GB of hard disk space

License Agreement

For the full license agreement, please visit: risa.com/eula

Maintenance (Perpetual License Only)

Program maintenance provides all upgrades to RISA-3D. When your maintenance expires, you will be given the opportunity to continue program maintenance on an annual basis. You are under no obligation to continue program maintenance, of course, but if you decide to discontinue maintenance you will no longer receive RISA-3D program upgrades and technical support. In the event maintenance is discontinued, reinstatement of maintenance will require payment of an "upgrade" fee.

Complete program support is available to registered owners of RISA-3D and is included in the purchase price. This support is provided for the life of the program. See Technical Support for a list of your support options.

The “life of the program” is defined as the time period for which that version of the program is the current version. In other words, whenever a new version of RISA-3D is released, the life of the previous version is considered to be ended.

RISA Tech, Inc. will provide technical support only for the current version of RISA-3D.