STAAD Foundation Advanced 20xx is the next generation software to the current STAAD Foundation Advanced V9 and represents a significant advancement in the software offerings from Bentley Systems, Inc. for the modeling and design of reinforced concrete foundations and their components. These releases of STAAD Foundation Advanced look significantly different from V9 and earlier releases. It has been developed with the intent of easing the modeling process, improving visualization and output, allowing greater control in the rebar design and detailing, and providing an overall, more productive experience for structural engineers.

This scope of 2023 release is limited to mat and raft foundations. Other types of foundations including spread footings, piles and vessel foundations are not included in this version. This release offers the following functionality:

• Creation of a physical-based substructure model from scratch.
• Import data such as support reactions, column sizes and positions, etc. from a STAAD.Pro model and STAAD Foundation Advanced V9 model.
• Import of DXF drawing templates for creating complex model geometries.
• Multiple ways for creating one or more mats beneath the imported STAAD.Pro model or as standalone entities.
• Add pedestals, thickened/sunken regions, openings, etc., to the mat foundation.
• Tools to modify, copy and/or replicate mat foundations within the model.
• Facilities for annotating levels of foundation and superstructure.
• Import / Creation of load cases.
• Create various types of loads on the mats using the program’s facilities or using DXF drawing templates.
• Import from STAAD model or manually create/generate (code-based - ACI, ASCE) load combinations.
• Assignment of soil and/or pile supports.
• Generation of finite element meshing from physical geometry. Column reactions will be auto converted to equivalent plate loads on the mesh.
• Automatic generation of soil springs for finite element model of a mat
• Command file-based model generation, analysis run and design operation.
• Analysis using the STAAD engine.
• Parallel generation of finite element meshing for multiple mat objects.
• Parallel analysis runs for multiple mat objects and for simultaneously analyzing a mat foundation object with SLS and ULS soil properties.
• Display of analysis results such as node displacements, bending moments, shear stresses, soil pressures, etc. in graphical and tabular form
• View results for section cuts drawn through the mat.
• Stability checks – soil pressures, sliding and overturning, soil settlements, pile capacities etc.
• Import mat foundations modelled & analyzed in STAAD.Pro. Perform flexure design of the imported mat with facilities to view results such as base pressures, plate stresses, moments, node displacements, design contours etc.
• Design for flexure per ACI 318 2014 and 2019 using the strip and design station method (Singly and doubly reinforced). Display of results include reinforcement provided, moment capacities with detailed bar layout based on cutoff locations and calculated development lengths.
• Facilities to provide different bar arrangements for top and bottom surfaces of the mat and/or regions within the mat.
• Punching shear calculations per ACI 318 2014 and 2019 with visual aids to verify the punching boundary. Detailed calculation reports included.
• One-way shear calculations per ACI 318 2014 and 2019 with visual aids to verify the one-way shear lines. Summary reports of the design.
• Design of pedestals to ACI 318 2014 and 2019 as columns with visual aids to verify the interaction ratio, area of steel provided, steel percentage and the detailing of the provided reinforcements.
• Strip stresses plots of bending moments and shear forces at design station points for each design strip.
• Reinforcement rationalization – tools to minimize the number of separate bar arrangements over the top and bottom surfaces of the mat for the two principal directions.
• Facility to create multiple design options for a given mat foundation and compare the results.
• Calculations for Bill of quantities for mat foundations with tools to compare BOQ results from various design options. Estimated cost of project based on BOQs and user defined rates.
• Drawing generation - General arrangement and sections, Plan drawing of reinforcement layout.
• Presentation of the entire model data in an easy-to-navigate project explorer tree.
• Export the physical model to an iModel to enable ITwin based workflows (this is a tech preview item).
• Availability of programmable APIs facilitating user created tools that can be consumed by the application.

A series of videos are available to teach the basics of this application and can be accessed here. Please direct any questions or input you have on this release to Ideas.