Which STAAD files do I need to transfer to another computer to see the analysis results without a need to reanalyze the model?
During the analysis STAAD creates many additional files which are required to access various analysis and design results. These files are usually located in the same folder where the main STAAD.Pro file (.std) is located and have different extensions. In general, if one wants to transfer STAAD.Pro model into another machine with all analysis and design data, then all these files have to be archived and transferred to another machine.
There is a feature in STAAD.Pro to create a single file (archive) which would have all these additional files in one location. To create a new archive of any STAAD.Pro model, these steps should be taken:
1) Select the Archive tab on the Start page.2) Select Create.3) Select the File Name of the STAAD input file you want to archive. Click Browse to navigate to the file using a Windows open dialog.4) Type the File Name of the archive file.5) Select a Location where you want the archive file created. The default location is the same folder containing the STAAD input file.6) Select the files associated with the input file you want included in the archive. All files are selected by default.7) Click Create.
NOTE: You cannot create an archive when a STAAD input file is opened in the program.
An archive with an extension .stz is created in the selected folder. This single file can then be transferred into another machine and it will contain all the analysis and design data.
To open an archive file in STAAD.Pro, use the following procedure:
1) Select the Open tab on the Start page.2) Select the Archive tab as the source type.3) Select the File Name of the archive file (file extension .stz) you want to open.4) Select the Location where you want to store the extracted project files.5) Click Open.
You can also extract the files of this archive into a selected location by following this procedure:
1) Select the Archive tab on the Start page.2) Select Extract.3) Select the File Name of the archive file you want to extract. Click Browse to navigate to the file using a Windows open dialog.4) Select a Location to where you want the files within the archive extracted. 5) Select the files in the archive you want to extract. 6) Click Extract.