A 3 story braced frame was modeled at a skew with X/Y nodal loads applied under a separate load case in the Modeler. Ram Frame ran fine without any errors, however, when launching the integrated Ram Connection module, only 7 of the 53 generated load combinations from Ram Frame imported into the module with an error report appearing to reference a load combination containing the XY load case from the nodal loads. It is unverified whether the correct loads were pulled in as a result of this. Changing the skewed lateral members to gravity and removing the nodal loads caused Ram Connections to run as expected. My question is three fold:
1) Is it accurate that for X & Y nodal loads applied to a skewed frame, the resultant of the forces is what is applied to the frame?
2) Why will Ram Connections not import load combinations containing load cases containing both X & Y nodal loads when said load combinations are generated in Ram Frame?
3) Slightly unrelated, however Ram Connections appears to generate load cases which Ram Frame does not. Why?
1) Yes, I think that nodal load vectors in the plane of the frame are best.
2) Ram Connection cannot handle some load ID abbreviations, they need to be 1-10 characters long and starting with a letter in the current version. Don't use symbols in the load case IDs either. Edit the load case names in the dialog you showed above to proceed.
3) I don't understand this question. The loads and combinations typically come from Ram Frame directly. You can change them in Ram Connection, and Ram Connection can generate load combinations if you prefer, but that's not the typical workflow.
Thank you Seth! Adjusting the nomenclature for the nodal load cases to match that which was autogenerated in Ram solved the importing of load combinations.
To clarify my third question: it appears that load cases are present in the ram connections module that are not otherwise present in the ram frame module. The scalars for those load cases in the combinations are all zero and so I am not sure why or where they are coming from.
The negative Live Load cases? I believe these cases come over to Ram Connection because they may or may not existing in Ram Steel or Ram Frame. They occur when there are upward acting live loads or beams with cantilevers causing upward back-span reactions. Those should be fine, if they are empty then we would just be adding zeros. If they are causing some problem with load combinations then I would need to see the file to investigate.