With PLAXIS Output program a load-displacement curve can be generated by selecting post-calc nodes at the location of the load, for both the load value and the results of the soil. Then, provided that the calculation has enough steps stored, the curve can be created using the Curves manager.

However, this is also possible with the help of the ΣMstage - displacement curve. Let’s assume we have a distributed load q in the Plaxis model. To calculate the active load q_active in any calculation step, we use this:
q_active = q_phase,start + ΣMstage ( q_phase,end - q_{phase_start})

in which q_phase,start is the load value at the start of the phase (or actually the load value at the end of the previous phase) and q_phase,end is the desired load value at the end of the current phase, i.e. the defined value in the Staged Construction settings.

If the load has just been activated in this phase, q_{phase_start} = 0, so then this becomes just:
q_active = ΣMstage * q_phase,end

Now to construct the actual load-displacement curve:

1. generate the ΣMstage - displacement curve in the Output program
2. copy the data from the curve to a spreadsheet program
3. for each calculation step, make sure to determine the correct q_phase,start and q_phase,end
4. then apply the formula to calculate q_active:
   q_active = q_phase,start + ΣMstage ( q_phase,end - q_{phase_start})
5. and create a chart in which the displacement versus load is plotted