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End User License Agreement
By purchasing and using any StructurePlus Software you understand and agree to the following terms and conditions. If you do not agree to all the terms and conditions of this Agreement or if you do not have the authority to agree to all the terms and conditions of this Agreement on behalf of the licensee then you must not use the software.
1. Results from any engineering software should always be double-checked when applied in real-life applications. As a StructurePlus user it is your responsibility to verify and validate the output of the software with some other independent means.
2. StructurePlus accounts are not to be shared without our consent or redistributed as the work of another party. The software and calculators are all the intellectual property of StructurePlus. Any violations of this will be considered an infringement of Copyright laws.
3. StructurePlus accounts are designed for a SINGLE USER only. You will experience lockouts or suspensions if the account is used simultaneously in two or more locations or on more than a pre-determined number of devices per month. This is to protect unlawful use of StructurePlus products and software.
4. All sales are final and there are no refunds unless under exceptional circumstances (e.g. you never received the account or you find a genuine fault with it). Please read the detailed features list of each product so you know exactly what you are purchasing before you agree to pay. We do not offer refunds or trials to prevent people using the software for their benefit (possibly to complete assignments and homework) and then asking for a refund once they have no use for it anymore.
5. StructurePlus offers a 30-day grace period for refunds of annual recurring payments. Likewise a 4-day grace period is available for refunds of monthly recurring payments. The grace period begins at the time of the recurring charge. This is to protect users who have forgotten about their subscription and are charged the subscription fee when they no longer use the service. For this refund to be granted, the user must not have used the product during the grace period and must contact StructurePlus Support before the grace period ends.
6. StructurePlus has the right to make any changes to the accessibility limits on Free Accounts and free software at any time, without notice.
7. Payments will be charged on a pre-pay basis on the day you sign up for a Paid Account and will cover the use of that service for a monthly or annual subscription period as indicated. Unless you notify StructurePlus before the end of the applicable subscription period that you want to cancel the subscription, your subscription will automatically renew and you authorize us to collect the then-applicable annual or monthly subscription fee using any credit card or other payment mechanism we have on record for you. If you wish to stop your subscription then simply deactivate the auto-billing which is done within the Account Settings of the software. There is no lock-in contract and you are free to cancel your subscription at any time. There are no cancellation fees. However, as point #4 states, there are no refunds. Once the grace period has ended (see point #5) and you have paid for the current period then the payment is final and your account will remain for the duration of your paid term.
8. As a registered user, you agree to have your information collected. This information can be used or distributed by StructurePlus as long as it is within the legal bounds.
9. As a user of StructurePlus software, particularly professional engineers, you agree to use sufficient duty of care when using StructurePlus's products. This includes not designing or constructing anything outside of your abilities and knowledge as an engineer. As with all engineering software, one should always question the results and perform sufficient checks that the results are logical and correct. StructurePlus and its individual creators take no responsibility for any damages, liabilities or consequences resulting from any use of our software.
10. A party shall not be liable for any failure of or delay in the performance of this Agreement for the period that such failure or delay is due to causes beyond its reasonable control, including but not limited to acts of God, war, strikes or labor disputes, embargoes, government orders or any other force majeure event.
11. The forces, materials and results are all based on theoretical input and solutions. With any structure or design, a wide variety of other factors can directly impact the actual results and behaviour of said structures. Some examples include other loads (e.g. wind), actual material properties, self-weight, age of structure etc. As a user you understand that such variables can strongly alter the results of StructurePlus products from reality and should be considered in your design and calculations.
12. There are literally millions of possible combinations of supports, fixities, loads, members, materials and sections. This makes it impossible to test and ensure accuracy in every single possible scenario. As with any software there may be bugs or errors that cause it to function incorrectly. As a user you understand that although StructurePlus Software has been tested with 100% accuracy, the risk of deviated solutions due to software failure is still possible.
13. StructurePlus results are not to be used for design purposes unless signed off by a professional and competent structural engineer.
14. You, at your sole expense, will defend, indemnify and hold StructurePlus harmless from and with respect to any loss or damage (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs) incurred in connection with, any suit or proceeding brought by a third party against StructurePlus insofar as such suit or proceeding shall be based upon (i) any claim arising out of or relating to your use of the Product except where such claim alleges that the Software infringes or constitutes wrongful use of any copyright, trade secret, patent or trade mark of any third party; or (ii) any claim arising out of or relating to any act or omission by you. You will pay any damages and costs assessed against StructurePlus (or paid or payable by StructurePlus pursuant to a settlement agreement) in connection with such a suit or proceeding.
15. StructurePlus reserves the right to use your structures and files as marketing material in the form of screenshots and visual mediums only. To opt out of this, please contact us. StructurePlus will never release your designs or files to a third party or any other subscriber without your permission.
16. You agree to accept communication in the form of personal and marketing emails. You can opt out of these at anytime by clicking 'Unsubscribe' at the bottom of the email or by contacting us.
17. StructurePlus may change the product automatically over time without notice and shall not be under any obligation to provide you with any notification of such change.
18. StructurePlus offers a 30 Day Guarantee on some products. If advertised the user can request a refund if they have found the product was not delivered as advertised or if there were any severe issues with the software which is at the discretion of the StructurePlus support staff.
19. You may not rent, lease, sub-license, lend or transfer the Product to another person or legal entity without the prior written consent of StructurePlus.
20. We may make changes to this End User License Agreement from time to time. To ensure that you are always aware of how we use your personal data we will update this End User License Agreement from time to time to reflect any changes to our use of your personal data. We may also make changes as required to comply with changes in applicable law or regulatory requirements. Where it is practicable, we will notify you by email of any significant changes. However, we encourage you to review this End User License Agreement periodically to be informed of how we use your personal data.
Are there any terms or conditions applicable to the use of this website?
Yes, these FAQs inform you of any terms or conditions that apply to your use of this website. By using this website, you accept all these terms and conditions in full. You must not use this website if you have any objections to these terms or conditions. This website is not for use of any minors (those who are not at least 18 years old) and you must not use this website if you are a minor.
What do I need to use this website?
You need a computer model of your structure. The models supported by this website are limited to those from CSI ETABS, CSI SAFE, or SAP2000. You also need to provide certain parameters using the forms on our website to customize our process according to your needs or to better process your models.
Which versions of CSI ETABS, CSI SAFE, and SAP2000 do you support?
Currently, our service supports CSI ETABS version 18.1.0 (or older), CSI SAFE version 12.3.2 (or older), SAP2000 version 20 (or older). Our service uses the latest versions mentioned above and if your model is of a lower version, the model is converted to the newer version mentioned above. This service is not responsible for any changes to the model due to this upgrade. For example, if you have a CSI ETABS version 9.7.4, our service will convert it to version 18.1.0 and any changes in the analysis or design stage of the new model are not the responsibility of this website.
What are the results I can receive from this website?
For detail drawings, you will receive your drawings in DXF or DWG format. These drawings can be opened with AutoCAD 2010 or newer. You will also receive material schedules in XLSX format.
Does this service make any changes to my model?
All assignments and loads in the model, for example, loads on frames, joints, areas, links and etc. if included in the model will not be changed by this service.
Does this service make any changes in my analysis configurations?
The analysis configuration specified in the user-supplied model will not change, including run or not running for load cases and secondary analysis assumptions.
What if my model gives an error or warning during analysis or design?
The assumption is that there is no warning or error in the model. The results will not be guaranteed if they exist.
What may be an issue in certain drawings?
Due to the wide range of dimensions of elements in certain drawings, there may be instances in crowded drawings where parts of drawings (e.g. texts or dimensions) overlap. We have carefully designed our process to avoid this issue as much as possible.
Is this website assume any responsibility for the drawings?
The results that are shown in the detail drawings are only suggestions and no responsibility is assumed for their accuracy.
What elements are included in the detail drawings?
Building frames and shear walls. Floors, foundation and etc. are not included.
What happens if my model includes special types of concrete or non-concrete material?
If any special type of concrete or materials other than reinforced concrete is used in the model, especially if it is also specified for design, it may negatively affect the accuracy of the results.
What types of analyses are supported by this service?
This service not only supports linear and static analyses but also supports modal, spectral and P-Δ analyses. In other types of analyses, there may be no issues, but there is no guarantee of accuracy.
Which code are the analysis and design based on?
Designs are based on ACI318 14 regulations and there is no obligation to control the criteria of other regulations.
Which types of frames are supported by this service?
Intermediate moment frames and special moment frames are supported by this service. There is also limited support for shear walls, which includes typical shear walls. Other systems such as coupling walls, spandrels, and etc. are not supported by this service.
What types of reinforcement for shear walls are supported by this service?
“General Reinforcing” and “Uniform Reinforcing” reinforcement methods for shear walls are supported. If “Simplified C and T design” reinforcement is used, the details are not drawn.
How long does it take for my model to be processed and the results to be available?
There is no guarantee of the speed of operation of this service, and its speed is highly dependent on model size and speed of analysis and design. But the speed of this service, from the last step of choosing the settings for your drawing up to before downloading files, will not exceed 4 times the total analysis and design time of the model.
Are the drawings scaled?
The user can choose the scale of drawings in the forms on our website. The dimensions in the drawings are scaled and the scales are included at the bottom of the drawings.
Can the user edit the drawings they receive from this website?
The drawing files of this service have open layers and are ready for further editing.
Are there any limitations on the walls in my model?
This service can only draw walls that are parallel to the X or Y direction in the model and simply intersect in L, T, U, and H shapes.
What sections can I have in my model?
Sections accepted for drawing in this service are rectangular and circular columns in check and design mode and rectangular beams in design mode.
How are diagonal elements treated as?
Diagonal members whose z coordinates are different at the beginning and end and have a rectangular section are considered as beams.
How are the elements included in the final drawing?
All drawings are based on the results of the design or the definition of the sections in the CSI ETABS software, and if the element is not responsive to the stresses inflicted, no change will be made to the sections assigned to the element.
Does this service support pin connections in a reinforced concrete model?
The default connection for concrete sections is a rigid connection and this service does not provide any specific details on the pinned joint connections performance in frame members.
Are collector rebars covered by this service?
Calculating and drawing the rebars that are used to properly connect the slab to the lateral load resisting system (collector rebars, etc.) are not part of this service.
Does this service support variable-section elements?
No, this service does not process variable cross-section concrete elements.
Does this service support prestressed components?
No, the features of this service do not include pre-tensioned or post-tensioned concrete members.
Are there any limitations on the directions of rebar used?
The ties are designed horizontally and vertically, and ties that are not horizontal or vertical will not be considered. Transverse rebars will be considered for design.
Does the stability of the structure affect the reinforcement?
The stability of any component or the whole structure is not taken into account in the calculation of reinforcement by this service.
How is minimum spacing controlled for reinforcement?
The minimum spacing of longitudinal reinforcement shall not be controlled if the column design is set to the design mode. Also for columns and beams, the minimum spacing of ties shall not be controlled.
What are the assumptions about the stages of concrete pour?
Concrete pouring is assumed for each floor separately and all column reinforcements will be spliced in one place
How do end rebars develop their development length?
The development length for the end of rebar is assumed to be developed in a bend.
How are the ties are sized for shear walls?
In the shear wall detail, the diameter of ties and transverse bars that are used for the shear wall and its adjacent columns will be the same.
What if I have two different diameters of rebars in my columns?
This service cannot correctly draw columns that have two or more different diameters of longitudinal reinforcement in one section.
What types of steel sections are supported by this service?
In this service, all types of steel sections available in ETABS are supported.
What is meant by a “brace” in this service? How about other
A brace element is defined as an inclined element that is considered to carry lateral forces. So wherever the word “brace” is referred to in inputs, it means an element that is a part of a lateral resisting system. There is no option in this service for drawing the details of inclined elements other than braces for now
When is a section considered hot-rolled and when is it considered built-up?
If a section has a fillet radius or if it is imported from an XML library, it is considered a hot rolled section, otherwise, it is considered a built-up section. The difference between the hot rolled and built-up section is important in forming material schedule tables and some other sections.
How is the section length calculated in the material schedule table?
The material schedule table is calculated based on the maximum plate and profile length and the splice position rather than the section below.
Which code are the analysis and design based on?
Designs are based on AISC360-05 and AISC341-05 regulations and there is no obligation to control the criteria of other regulations.
How is the connection of column to base plate modeled?
In base plate design it is assumed that column to base plate connection is rigid.
Does a gusset plate affect the design of the base plate?
Gusset plates' effects on base plates aren’t considered in this service.
What are base plate internal efforts’ calculations based on?
In base plate design all of the internal efforts are based on the aforementioned design codes and they are extracted from the uploaded model.
Where does the amplification in base plate calculations come from?
To control base plates with amplified loads, amplification factor (Ω) is extracted from the ploaded model.
Are there any assumptions on the size and shape of the footing of the structure?
It is assumed that an area equal to 4 times of base plate’s area and similar to base plate’s shape is available in the foundation.
How is the number of stiffeners calculated?
The number of stiffeners is calculated based on the maximum thickness of the base plate which is a user option
What happens if I choose not to use perimeter stiffeners?
If the user chooses not to use perimeter stiffeners, it is possible that the service shows impractical thickness for base plate because of the severity of moments in perimeter meshes.
How many anchor bolts are used in each mesh?
One anchor bolt is used in each mesh.
Does the anchor bolt have bearing-type action?
It is assumed that anchor bolts have bearing-type action and the shear plane is placed in threaded section of the anchor.
What is the minimum distance of the stiffeners?
Stiffeners distance is at least 10 cm.
How many rows of anchor would there be in my drawing?
The maximum number of anchor rows in every direction is 2 and if the formation can not provide the needed moment, the base plate’s dimensions will be increased.
What elements are included in a drawing?
This drawing service is based only on the strips defined by the user in CSI SAFE or CSI ETABS. All final drawings will show only these strips, the outline of footing elements, outline of wall or column slabs (stiff slabs), openings (that are drawn as openings), the dimensions of the above elements, and rebar schedules. Currently, the drawing of details of beams or columns is not included in this service.
Which code are the analysis and design based on?
Designs are based on ACI318 08 regulations and there is no obligation to control the criteria of other regulations.
Where are the hooks drawn?
If chosen by the user, the hooks will be drawn where the rebar passes the end of the strip defined by the user minus the concrete cover.
How does the user name the strips?
The user is free to choose the name of the strips as they wish. A good rule of thumb is for example to name a strip parallel to the X direction as “CSA2” (which includes the string “SA”) and “CSB3” (which includes the string “SB”) for a strip parallel to the Y direction.
Is there a limitation to the inclination of the strips?
No, the user can specify strips with any inclination in the 2D plane.
Can the user draw strips with multiple segments?
No, currently the service only supports strips with one segment.
What are the types of slabs supported by this service?
The slab types supported in CSI SAFE are “Slab”, “Drop”, “Waffle”, “Ribbed”, “Mat”, “Footing”.
How do I include the outline of columns or walls in my drawing?
By drawing a slab with column or wall section dimensions defined with type “Stiff”.
How do I properly model openings in my model for the drawing to be correct?
Draw a slab with “Type of Object” as “Opening” in place of the opening.