Cantilever beam below a story level?

Question

Can I model a cantilever beam coming off the face of a column below a story level? I found where to slope the cantilever, but I want the cantilever to be located 4.83' below the story. I tried adding a story for these beams and just didn't have a diaphragm for that story. The columns were all made into fully fixed connections at that level, but it caused some failures in columns that were previously working. Oddly enough, the columns that are now failing are frame columns on the interior of the building. 
 Is there some way I can model these cantilevers at the level I want and not have a new story just for the beams? Or can you explain why the new level is causing problems with columns that previously worked? The building is 4-story, has moment frames throughout, and the cantilever beams added have minimal loads (840lbs acting 5' away from the face of the column). I even removed the loads to see what would happen to the model and the same interior columns are failing. Something about breaking the columns without having a diaphragm at that level is throwing things off. 
 Thanks! 
 Lance

Seth Guthrie · Answer

Regarding the dropped cantilever beam. If there are other beams framing into the same column at a higher elevation, and the cantilever is framed into the column at a lower elevation, then 2 stories are required . If the cantilever was the only beam framing into the column then the column elevation could just be lowered. 
 Our modeling article discusses this point in a bit more detail: 
 https://communities.bentley.com/products/structural/structural_analysis___design/w/structural_analysis_and_design__wiki/3432.ramss-modeling-faq.aspx 
 It's worth noting that beam offsets which are fairly new in RAM SS are only for in-plan offsets, not vertical offsets. The only elements that can frame into a column between stories are knee braces (mdoeled with the layout - brace - add standard tool). 
 When you introduce a new story for some framing, the new story does not need a diaphragm or slab edge. It can be a level with just columns, and select beams. 
 Instability might arise if the columns were pinned before the new story was introduced. Having a pin in the column between stories will almost always cause problems. Introducing a new story also changes the vertical bracing incidence so remodeling the braces (using layout - brace - add special) is required. 
 The other effect that the new story can have is on the P-Delta analysis. This article discusses how P-Delta analysis is performed in Ram Frame, but having extra, partial levels can cause large P-Delta effects: 
 https://communities.bentley.com/products/structural/structural_analysis___design/w/structural_analysis_and_design__wiki/6524.ram-frame-p-delta-tn.aspx 
 Turn P-Delta off (using RAM Frame - Criteria - general) to isolate that aspect of the analysis and diagnose the problem better.