| Applies To | |||
| Product(s): | STAAD.Pro | ||
| Version(s): | ALL | ||
| Environment: | ALL | ||
| Area: | Analysis Solutions | ||
| Subarea: | Miscellaneous Analysis Solutions | ||
| Original Author: | Sye Chakraborty, Bentley Technical Support Group | ||
What is SET NL and why is it required
OR
PRIMARY LOAD CASE CAN ONLY BE ADDED IF SET NL COMMAND IS USED
OR
" **ERROR- Number of Primary Cases exceeds value entered in SET NL Command …"
OR
*** ERROR: TOTAL NUMBER OF LOAD CASES EXCEEDED THE RELATIVE CAPACITY ASSIGNED FOR
PROCESSING PLATE RESULTS. USE "SET NL" TO INCREASE THE MEMORY CAPACITY.
IF ALREADY DEFINED THEN CONSIDER INCREASING "SET NL" TO XXX
SET NL command is required, in a file with multiple analysis commands, to let the software know how many primary load cases it would need to process so that the software can allocate the right amount of memory for the analysis and for storing the input/output data. A typical example of a file with multiple analysis commands is shown below
Load case 1
…
Load case 2
…
Load case 100
…
PERFORM ANALYSIS
CHANGE
Load case 200
…
Load case 201
…
Load case 300
…
PERFORM ANALYSIS
CHANGE
If such a file has 300 primary load cases ( REPEAT LOADs are counted as PRIMARY loads too ) you would add the SET NL command as show next
STAAD SPACE
START JOB INFORMATION
…
END JOB INFORMATION
SET NL 325
INPUT WIDTH 79
UNIT FEET KIP
JOINT COORDINATES
…
The number of primary load cases mentioned after the SET NL should be equal or little more than the actual, in case more load cases need to be added later. In the above example the number has been defined as 325 although the actual number of primary cases is 300. The value should not be too high ( say NL specified as1000 for only 300 primary load cases ) as in that case the software would reserve unnecessary amount of memory.
This command should be provided before any joint, member or load specifications.
The Set NL Command can be added through the STAAD.Pro Graphical User Interface, as seen in the following video:
Please note, if plates are present and you are getting an error similar to what is described in the fourth scenario mentioned above (the fourth question at the top of this post, indicated in bold), the SET NL value should be equal to the total number of primary loads AND load combinations in the model.