CASA Space Frame 3D 24.01

The CASA SF-3D application serves as a comprehensive tool for the static and dynamic elastic analysis of general 3D space-frames in structural and civil engineering. It enables engineers to construct detailed 3D models of complex frameworks and obtain both numerical data and visual representations of parameters such as deflections, internal forces, natural frequencies, and mode shapes.

The software emphasizes efficiency and precision in modeling through intuitive graphical interactions. Results are presented in an interactive graphical interface, allowing users to slide along members to read precise numerical outputs at any point, facilitating thorough analysis and interpretation.

Additional information is accessible via its integrated help system and on the official website. The application features "Replay Demonstrations" that illustrate its capabilities and usage procedures in a practical manner.

This application offers a range of analysis options including linear static, P-Delta non-linear static, natural mode dynamic, footfall dynamic analyses, sway-case evaluations, and support for geometry grouping—enabling inclusion or exclusion from analyses, with the possibility of combining groups into supergroups. It allows rapid generation of repetitive geometry through multi-copy functions, as well as geometric transformations such as rotation and reflection.

Visualization features include solid rendering of members with scaled cross-sections, color-coded by groups, alongside viewpoint memory functions for efficient navigation. Members can be oriented toward a third node, supporting complex configurations. The application supports gravity loading, factored load-case combinations, and large-area selections via rubber-band box selection.

Technical features comprise automatic analysis routines and an extensive integrated section library covering multiple standards (British, European, American, Canadian, Australian, South African, Japanese, Russian). It also includes a section generator capable of creating common shapes—such as I/H beams, channels, Zed sections, angles, tees, ovals, rectangles—and computes properties like area, inertia, torsional constants, elastic moduli, and mass.

The material library encompasses steel, aluminum, concrete, timber, and glass models with options for user-defined materials. Members can be set with either rigid or pinned ends. Load applications include points, couples, and trapezoids across multiple load cases. The software's output includes reactions, deflections, bending moments, shear forces, stress distributions along members, and points of interest.

Dynamic analyses incorporate self-weight plus additional mass cases; results provide resonant frequencies and undamped mode shapes. Footfall simulations deliver response factors and critical frequencies for both impulsive and resonant responses.

The user interface is designed for broad compatibility (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad) with support for metric and imperial units. It features four core interactive screens dedicated to geometry, loading procedures, results review, and utilities with functionalities such as tap-and-edit modeling tools—moving or copying geometry; sliding nodes; changing spans; splitting members; replicating loads—and gesture-based controls for rotating viewports or adjusting objects.

Numerical data entry is facilitated through double-tap interactions complemented by an integrated calculator. The section library allows easy selection from predefined shapes with visual diagrams; custom shapes are editable via dimension modification with axes rotatable in 90-degree increments. Report generation tools enable configurable layout options with on-screen previews; outputs can be exported as PDFs via email or AirPrint or as CSV files for numerical data analysis.

Additional utilities support model documentation with titles, unit system choice (UK/EU Metric or US Imperial), online help resources, and options to load/save/export models seamlessly.