Modeling complex panels/shells geometry - RC buildings

Anonymous — Sat, 01 Apr 2017 14:35:16 GMT

I need an advice on how to model complex panels, shells to avoid meshing issues.

What is the best way to apply it in Structural Engineering regarding buildings. I need to model complex shape flat slab floors which are not typical. This means I usually have many types of floors and at the end I end up with meshing issues, incoherent edges, kinematic constraints, cladding panels which may have some flattening issues etc.

I need a practical approach and advice from someone who has similar experience.

I tried to draw on the architectural layout a contour of the panel in AutoCAD and import its coordinates to Robot using Excel spreadsheet and coordinates given by Autocad. It seems to work but what kind of accuracy and precision I need to work to? Two decimal places after dot or seven decimal places. When the panel has an edge, which runs along with an angle, and has some notches, precision really matters since the line may be picked by Robot as not the straight one as we rely on decimal system.

So dear all professional users. What is the recipe for a proper import of the architectural layout?

Some practical RSA operators round coordinates of the panels, other round all nodes coordinates using spreadsheets and macros available on this forum. Please bear in mind that coordinate of the panel with the edge which runs along at an angle to the global coordinate, and has many notches and every tip of the notch has obviously different inherent coordinate may end up as not alighted since some coordinates may be rounded up and others down and at the end the panel with notches is not alighted with a straight line. The problem appears when this panel is neighbouring with the other which has to be modeled separately due to the different thickness.

Some Robot users advice not to round any coordinates and use as many decimal places as Robot and AutoCAD allow.

Others draw panels, graphically pointing its coordinates directly in Robot, and pinpoint coordinates on the stripped out architectural layout as background and then use spreadsheets to round panels coordinates.

I heard so many ideas and still don’t know which one is the best to avoid meshing issues, incoherent edges, kinematic constraints. It would be possibly easier if Robot allows to input vertical and horizontal grid lines with the other set of grid lines which is inclined/tilted to the first one, and then I could use detailed correction to the plane of a grid line. It would be still laborious since most projects and panels and their shells have many lines which are not only parallel and run along with different angles.

I’d like to address this question to our Robot wizards from Autodesk, Artur and Rafal. I would greatly appreciate if you could make a video tutorial. Robot is a very good tool to design reinforced concrete buildings but the irregularity of their shape is inherent.

Re: Modeling complex panels/shells geometry - RC buildings

Artur.Kosakowski — Mon, 03 Apr 2017 08:13:04 GMT

Hi Jerry,

Have you watched the recordings of the two first Robot webinars? If not I'd strongly recommend to look at them. You can access the webinars from here.

If you find your post answered press the Accept as Solution button please. This will help other users to find solutions much faster. Thank you.

topic Re: Modeling complex panels/shells geometry - RC buildings in Robot Structural Analysis Forum

Modeling complex panels/shells geometry - RC buildings

Re: Modeling complex panels/shells geometry - RC buildings