Following is a typical steel frame design process that might occur for a new building. Note that the sequence of steps in any particular design may vary but the basic process will probably be essentially the same.
Use the Design menu > Steel Frame Design > View/Revise Preferences command to choose the steel frame design code and to review other steel frame design preferences and revise them if necessary. Note that default values are provided for all steel frame design preferences so it is not actually necessary to define any preferences. However, review the preferences, and if necessary change them, to ensure they are acceptable.
Create the building model. See Modeling Process for more information.
Run the building analysis using the Analyze menu > Run Analysis command. If desired, animate the deformed shapes and mode shapes in 3D perspective by clicking the Start Animation button in the status bar at the bottom of the screen. Animate shell structures displaying stress contours with the corresponding deformed shapes in full 3D perspective. While displaying mode shapes or deformed shapes, the vector being displayed can be instantaneously changed with the '+/-' buttons that will appear at the bottom of the screen. Use the Options menu > Sound command to turn the sound associated with the animation off or on.
If needed, assign steel frame overwrites using the Design menu > Steel Frame Design > View/Revise Overwrites command. Note that frame elements must be selected before using this command. Also note that default values are provided for all steel frame design overwrites so it is not actually necessary to define any overwrites. However, review them and if necessary change them to ensure they are acceptable.
Designate design groups, if desired, using the Design menu > Steel Frame Design > Select Design Groups command. Note that groups must have already been created by selecting objects and clicking the Assign menu > Assign to Groups command.
To use any design load combinations other than the defaults created by SAP2000 for the steel frame design, click the Design menu > Steel Frame Design > Select Design Combos command. Note that user-specified design combos must have already been created by clicking the Define menu > Load Combinations command.
Designate lateral displacement targets for various load patterns using the Design menu > Steel Frame Design > Set Lateral Displacement Targets command.
Click the Design menu > Steel Frame Design > Start Design/Check of Structure command to run the steel frame design.
Review the steel frame design results using one of the following methods:
Click the Design menu > Steel Frame Design > Display Design Info command to display design information on the model.
Right click on a frame element while the design results are displayed on it to enter the interactive design mode and interactively design the frame element. Note that while you are in this mode, you can revise overwrites and immediately see the results of the new design.
If design results are not currently displaying, click the Design menu > Steel Frame Design > Interactive Steel Frame Design command and then right click a frame element to enter the interactive design mode for that element.
Use the File menu > Print Tables command to print steel frame design data. If a few frame elements are selected before using this command, data is printed for only the selected elements.
Use the Design menu > Steel Frame Design > Change Design Section command to change the design section properties for selected frame elements.
Click the Design menu > Steel Frame Design > Start Design/Check of Structure command to rerun the steel frame design with the new section properties. Review the results using the procedures described above.
Rerun the building analysis using the Analyze menu > Run Analysis command. Note that the section properties used for the analysis are the last specified design section properties.
Click the Design menu > Steel Frame Design > Start Design/Check of Structure command to rerun the steel frame design with the new analysis results and new section properties. Review the results using the procedures described above.
Again use the Design menu > Steel Frame Design > Change Design Section command to change the design section properties for selected frame elements, if necessary.
Repeat the process in steps 12, 13, 14 and 15 as many times as necessary.
Select all frame elements and click the Design menu > Steel Frame Design > Make Auto Select Section Null command. This removes any auto select section assignments from the selected frame elements (if they have the Steel Frame design procedure).
Rerun the building analysis using the Analyze menu > Run Analysis command. Note that the section properties used for the analysis are the last specified design section properties.
Verify that the lateral displacements are within acceptable limits.
Click the Design menu > Steel Frame Design > Start Design/Check of Structure command to rerun the steel frame design with the new section properties. Review the results using the procedures described above.
Click the Design menu > Steel Frame Design > Verify Analysis vs Design Section command to verify that all of the final design sections are the same as the last used analysis sections.
Use the File menu > Print Tables > Design Results command to print selected steel frame design results if desired. In addition, view time history displacements in real time video using the SAP2000 video creation options.
Note: Design is an iterative process. The sections used to run the original analysis are not typically the same sections that are used at the end of the design process. Always run a building analysis using the final frame section sizes and then run a design check based on the forces obtained from that analysis. The Design menu > Steel Frame Design > Verify Analysis vs Design Section command is useful for making sure that the design sections are the same as the analysis sections.