Tips & Tricks

December 29, 2025

What’s New for IBC 2024 in RISA: A Closer Look

With RISA’s latest release of RISA-3D v23.0.1, we’re continuing to expand support for IBC 2024, helping engineers stay aligned with the latest building code requirements as adoption accelerates across the U.S.—including federally funded projects. This release builds on v23.0.0 ASCE 7-22 enhancements and adds key material design updates that move RISA further into full IBC 2024 compliance. New Material Design Updates Supporting IBC 2024 The upcoming release introduces several important design code updates referenced by IBC 2024, including: Steel Seismic design per AISC 341-22 Prequalified connections per AISC 358-22 Continued support for AISC 360-22 (16th Edition) steel design Ongoing updates to the hot-rolled shape database, including compatibility with both 15th and 16th Edition steel manuals These updates support modern seismic detailing requirements and ensure consistency with current steel industry standards. Masonry Masonry design per TMS 402-22, aligning with the latest strength and serviceability provisions adopted by IBC 2024. Key updates include: Revisions to shear design equations, including clarified definitions of shear area as outlined in Table 4.4.5, improving consistency and transparency in shear capacity calculations. Updated strength reduction factors for flexure and combined flexure + axial. Unlike previous editions that used a fixed ϕ-factor of 0.9, TMS 402-22 introduces tension-controlled,…

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What’s New for IBC 2024 in RISA: A Closer Look
December 29, 2025

What’s New for IBC 2024 in RISA: A Closer Look

With RISA’s latest release of RISA-3D v23.0.1, we’re continuing to expand support for IBC 2024, helping engineers stay aligned with the latest building code requirements as adoption accelerates across the U.S.—including federally funded projects. This release builds on v23.0.0 ASCE 7-22...

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🎃 Trick or Treat… It’s RISA-Jeopardy! 👻
October 30, 2025

🎃 Trick or Treat… It’s RISA-Jeopardy! 👻

Halloween isn’t just for candy and costumes—it’s the perfect time to test your spooky engineering skills! We’ve brewed up a Halloween-themed RISA Jeopardy game, packed with fun, easy questions about our software. Tip for readers: Try to answer before revealing the “treat” below each question!

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How to Use Multi-Period Response Spectrum Data for Seismic Load Generation?
September 9, 2025

How to Use Multi-Period Response Spectrum Data for Seismic Load Generation?

With the adoption of ASCE 7-22, the concept of a multi-period response spectrum has been added to seismic design requirements. While this provides more accurate hazard representation, it also means engineers need to generate and input additional site-specific data. This quick workflow shows how to...

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Understanding Sign Conventions for Wall Panels & Plates in RISA
September 4, 2025

Understanding Sign Conventions for Wall Panels & Plates in RISA

While members (beams and columns) follow conventions tied to their local axes, interpreting results for wall panels, plate elements, and design strips requires a slightly different perspective. These elements deal with both in-plane and out-of-plane behavior, and the sign conventions can change...

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Understanding Sign Conventions for Members Across RISA Software
September 4, 2025

Understanding Sign Conventions for Members Across RISA Software

RISA software products use different sign conventions depending on the product’s purpose and typical use case. While the conventions are logical within each program, they may appear inconsistent when moving between tools like RISA-3D, RISAFloor, RISAFoundation, and RISAConnection. This article...

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What Happens During a RISA Software Tour?
August 13, 2025

What Happens During a RISA Software Tour?

Exploring a new structural design software purchase? If you’ve ever wondered how RISA’s software could fit into your structural design workflow, a RISA Software Tour is the fastest way to find out—no guesswork, no canned presentations. In this free, 1-hour session, you’ll meet 1-on-1 with a RISA...

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Designing Light-Framed Structures: Tips for Wood & CFS
July 22, 2025

Designing Light-Framed Structures: Tips for Wood & CFS

Light-framed construction has become increasingly prevalent in mid-rise and modular development, driven by its cost-efficiency, speed of construction, and adaptability. But with flexibility comes complexity. Engineers designing with wood and cold-formed steel (CFS) must navigate a unique set of...

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How RISA-3D Handles Wall Surface Loads at Openings
July 17, 2025

How RISA-3D Handles Wall Surface Loads at Openings

When designing shear walls in RISA-3D, it’s common to add surface loads—whether to simulate lateral wind or seismic pressures, or even out-of-plane loads. But what happens when those loads intersect with openings in your wall panels? Let’s walk through exactly how RISA-3D handles this scenario...

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RISAConnection in Practice
July 15, 2025

RISAConnection in Practice

Steel buildings are rarely simple—and the connections that tie them together often present some of the biggest design and coordination challenges. For engineers in the field, tools like RISAConnection aren’t just software—they’re essential to streamlining design, verifying code compliance, and...

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