Tower

For network users, new installation feature added - for more details, click here. New features:

• Optimized drawing of arrows in surface and linear loads.
• Change in algorithm for multiple selection of slab releases.
• Modified calculation of extreme stress in beams for combinations and anvelope load-cases.
• Modified algorithm for load integration for beams calculated with 'Offset' option enabled.
• Changed tolerance range and default value for nonlinear analysis.
• Concrete design: modification of conditions for determination of imperfection (buckling) and enabled input of concrete reduction factor (SNIP)

New features:

• Concrete design acc. SNIP codes - changed algorithm for calculation of stirrups.
• Concrete design - in textual report added information about number of stirrup cuttings.
• Steel design acc. EC and SIA codes - changed algorithm for calculation of shearing area for I and [ sections; algorithm for stress control improved.
• TXT report - solved some minor problems with node numbering in reports for envelope load-cases.
• Finite elements mesh generation algorithm optimised and made less sensitive to tolerance problems.

New features:

• Calculation of reinforcement in seismic walls, export of project documentation into RTF file format, wizard for automatic conversion of surface loads into linear or concentrated loads over arbitrary selected grid of beams, calculation of resultant force for selected group of loads, calculation of thick plates with a new finite element. Number of allowable combination of load-cases is increased from 100 to 1024. Fixed problem with "AltGr" key.
• Currently, we are working on timber design module and addition for concrete design module - serviceability limit state, flections and cracking analysis.

New features:

• Nonlinear Analysis - Tension capable only and Pressure capable only truss elements.
• Report for cumulative mass participation factors used in seismic analysis.
• Concrete fissure calculation - SIA codes added.
• Concrete fissure calculation - defining Quasi - permanent loading scheme acc. EUROCODE.
• Report for complete loading scheme used for concrete design.
• Concrete design - Bulgarian localization of EUROCODE added.
• Steel design - SIA 263 code added.

New DEMO version of program Tower 5 is released. The DEMO program has the same functionality as professional version - structural analysis (theory I and II), stability analysis, modal analysis and seismic analysis - but it is limited to 300 node models. Concrete design, steel design and timber design are not available.

New features:

• Design of timber girders.
• Fissures and Flexions analysis (concrete design).
• Analysis according to second order Theory and calculation of critical load - Stability Analysis.
• Creation of tabelar reports for numerical results (text reports).
• Implemented algorithm for design of concrete plates considering "Mxy moment effect" recomended by Eurocode.
• Added Swiss code for multimodal seismic analysis.
• For users convenience, decreasing of diagrams and layouts of loads is now possible using key (SHIFT) besides ALT (for example ALT+F9 is the same as SHIFT+F9)
• IMPORTANT NOTICE:
• For some time, it is possible to get the illegal copies or cracks of our programs Tower 4, Planet and PanelPro. Those programs have protection system JUST PARTIALY removed so they "work" without presence of original dongle (hard-lock) but results of analysis are UNRELIABLE and INCORRECT and DIFFER from results obtained with original programs.
• We warn about risk of using those cracked programs.

New features:

• Improvement in presentation of axes in exported graphical blocks.
• Control of adopted reinforcement in seismic walls - more precise calculation.
• Smarter handling of intersected, unequal-typed releases in plates.
• Solved problems with deformations in thick plate elements.
• Changed condition for determination of beam joints suitable for joint offsets.
• In concrete design - changed algorithm for calculation of additional eccentricity for columns (for moveable structure type).

This version contains solutions for several problems or requests reported from our users:

• Corrected size of exported graphical symbols in landscape mode.
• Releases in plates and multistage models - change of release type through stages.
• Steel design for unsymmetric I profiles.
• Marks for reactions of linear supports - with small letters (to make them different from point support marks)
• Creation of envelope loadcases from combinations of moving and static loads.
• Proper order for node numbering in single linear element diagram display dialog and export.

New features:

• Another dynamic zoom implemented - zoom on mouse wheel.
• Subcommand "Offset" added to polyline input command.
• Export of levels from space model to separate file - as 2D plane model. (In Data Input module, in the "Levels" menu added option "Export")
• Easier rotation of multi-segmented cross section (In Data Input module, "Beams"->"Cross-section"->"Alignment")
• New layout for beams. Option "Description" in "Visibility" for beams, displays short description of cross section (dimensions, section type etc.) instead of simple set number.
• Wizard for automatic creation of releases in orthotropic plates. (in Data Input module, command "Releases" option "Orthotropic plates")
• Solved problem with modal analysis and models with releases in plates. In some cases, modal analysis was unable to retrieve correct frequencies.
• Added option for obtaining results in plates aligned to global axes suitable for models with curved surfaces. (Post-Processing module, plate influences, check box "Globally")
• Added Legend for Set Control command. (Post-Processing module, Set Control command)
• Added automatic generation of graphic blocks in Set Control command - creates one picture for every set (Post-Processing module, Set Control command, option "Report")
• Improved system of diagram marking for axial influences in beams. (Post-Processing module, Beam influences)
• Radial reinforcement in plates (design and choosing) (Post-Processing module, Concrete design->Plates->Choosing reinforcement)
• Implemented Hungarian codes for concrete design.
• Option for disregarding bending influences for multi-segmented girders (Steel Design).
• Wizard for automatic creation of representative pictures for construction and loading for whole model. (Edit paper module, "Structure"->"Generate" and "Loading"->"Generate")
• Creation of text blocks with arbitrary content. (Edit paper module, command "Insert block")
• Adjustable report start page number. (Edit paper module, command "Paper size", "Text" tab)
• Allowed usage of larger fonts in text reports. (Edit paper module)
• RTF file generated with RTF export command, contains in its header, data about program version and resolution.

This version has no new functionality but contains several minor bug fixes and a number of optimizations and internal improvements.