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Multiframe FAQ list
Many Multiframe users ask us how we know that Multiframe
produces the correct results. This following explains how FORMSYS has verified that Multiframe
gives accurate results and what steps we take to make sure that each version of
the software we ship is as reliable as possible. Quality Principles While it is impossible to ensure that any software product
is completely free of bugs, we follow a series of engineering and testing
principles and procedures to ensure that Multiframe will produce results which
are consistent with the level of accuracy and thoroughness a professional
engineer applies to design work. To this
end we follow a development and testing path which includes use of structured programming
techniques, verification of the underlying algorithms, testing of the computer
implementation of those algorithms, testing of real world problems in-house and
beta testing in the field at Multiframe user sites. Structured
Programming The best defence against bugs in software is to use
structured programming techniques that have been proven to improve software
reliability. Without going into the
technical details of our software development methodology, we summarize by
saying that we utilize structured code, object oriented design, data hiding and
encapsulation and fault tolerant programming practices to enhance our
software's reliability. Multiframe is a
complex software system of over 400,000 lines of code and we believe our
history of reliability reflects the effort we have put into using reliable
coding practices. Verification of
Algorithms When new design or analysis algorithms are introduced into
Multiframe, we first carry out testing on the algorithms on proven test cases
with known analytical solutions. These
generally come from engineering texts such as Refs 1 to 3. These test cases will include samples which
independently examine the various degrees of freedom (Mx bending, My bending,
Axial tension etc. ) followed by examples which superimpose the effects of
multiple degrees of freedom. These
simple test cases are performed for structures aligned with the principal axes
as well as those rotated to arbitrary angles. Testing of
Implementation Once the basic algorithms have been proven correct,
testing is then carried out on more complex sample problems to which a solution
has already been established using a proven analysis program. These results may either come from structural
engineering texts such as Refs 1 to 3 as well as from other results carried out
by Formation Design Systems or other engineers using other software products
such as SAP, Nastran etc. Testing of Upgrades As each new version of Multiframe is released we perform a
series of tests to ensure it functions correctly. Among these tests is an analysis of a frame
which exercises every different feature of Multiframe i.e. every possible
member release, section type and orientation,
load type, combination etc. At
each release the results from this frame are compared with the results from the
previous release to ensure conformance with answers which have been established
as being correct. Beta Testing Immediately prior to the release of each new version of
Multiframe, we conduct a beta test of the software. This involves sending the software to
practicing engineers and having them use it on design work in progress to
determine its reliability for actual design use. These beta testers provide us with feedback
on the reliability and accuracy of the program as well as its useability and
suitability for everyday work. Once the
beta test program is completed and all testers are happy with the program, we
begin shipping the commercial version. Version Control Each new version of Multiframe displays a version number
indicating the version and the date the software was first shipped. If the version is a development, alpha test
or beta test release, the version number may also include a letter and number
suffix indicating the type and number of the release. A development version is usually only for
internal use and is a very early demonstration of a possible new product or
feature. It is highly experimental and
not reliable. An alpha release is a first public release of a program for
initial testing and comment, it is not reliable. A beta release is a final test version of the
program released for field testing prior to commercial release. It is mostly
reliable but may contain some bugs. A
commercial release is a completed, debugged program reliable and ready for
professional use. But we're not
Perfect We make every effort to ensure that our software will meet
our users' needs and perform accurately.
However, as with all complex software systems, it is possible for errors
to occur. If you suspect a problem with
Multiframe, please contact our technical support staff by email at
support@formsys.com and explain what you believe the problem to be. In the unlikely event of a problem being
found, we will correct it as soon as practicable, and send you a new corrected
version of the program. To get accurate results from Multiframe, it is necessary
for you to model the problem correctly and to correctly interpret the results
produced. This requires structural
engineering experience combined with an understanding of matrix structural
analysis. It is the users'
responsibility to correctly model the structure and assume responsibility for
the results. Multiframe is a highly efficient program and does not require state of the art computers to run smoothly. Basically any computer that can run Windows XP or Vista can run Multiframe. That said, the larger the designs you are working with, the more computationally intensive the analyses - so if you're dealing with large models then you need to scale accordingly. Generally though, RAM is more important than CPU speed - so it's better to have larger amounts of memory than a faster processor. We'd recommend at least 1GB of RAM for most users, and 4GB or more if possible. We are progressively adding more multi-processor capabilities to Multiframe, multi-core machiens will give faster postprocessing of results. Installing all of the Multiframe applications and documents requires a maximum of 200 Mb of disk space. As with any design program - the use of a large monitor is recommended and to increase rendering speed for larger models we also suggest a dedicated video card that supports Open GL 1.2 ( recommended - not required). We've typically found ATI or nVidia cards are ideal as they generally have excellent driver support and are readily available. You do not need ot buy an expensive card however, even the low end (approx $200) cards work well. When installing Multiframe 11 On XP\2000 systems you must copy LoadLibrary.llb and SectionsLibrary.slb from c:\program files\multiframe10\ to c:\program files\multiframe11\. On Vista systems you must copy LoadLibrary.llb and SectionsLibrary.slb from c:\Users\Public\Documents\Multiframe\Multiframe10 to c:\Users\Public\Documents\Multiframe\Multiframe11 If you updated an earlier version of Mulitframe to version 10.04 using a patch, the uninstall button may be missing from add/remove programs, when multiframe 10 is selected. This problem is caused by a change in our installer program. To uninstall the following must be run from the command line. MsiExec.exe /uninstall {AA3A4386-9F99-45D8-B109-2D3F7B40BC5D} This will remove Multifame 10 from your system. Currently there is a problem when installing on Windows Server 2003 machines. You may get an "Error 131. There is a problem with this Windows Inst...." message towards the end of the installation process. To get around this problem you must install the InstallShield update manager. Then install Multiframe again.
I have a network installation. When I update my software from 9.53 to version 10, do I also need to update the server? Yes, with the version 10 release all the dongle drivers and license manager software has been updated in order to support our software on Windows Vista. This means that - even if you are not using Vista - you have to run the installer on the server also. See Installation Guide for more information. Formation Design Systems fully supports
Windows Vista, including both 32-bit and 64-bit versions from Maxsurf
version 13 onwards, and Multiframe version 10 onwards. Click here to find out the current shipping version for Multiframe.
I have not updated Multiframe for a while, do I need to install all the patches or just the last one? Our patches include the fixes and enhancements from the previous patch as
well, so you can simply install the latest patch to update your
software. You do have to make sure that the update patch can be applied to the version you have currently installed; i.e. the major version number needs to be the same. Yes, as of Maxsurf version 13, and
Multiframe version 10, our software will now install and run correctly
on 64-bit versions of Windows, including Windows XP 64-bit and Windows
Vista 64-bit. Versions of our software prior to those listed above do not support 64-bit Windows. FormSys no longer develops or supports software running under the Macintosh OS or OS X however Multiframe runs well under BootCamp or under Parallels. BootCamp is a tool provided by Apple which allows you to start up Windows on your Mac and to install and run Windows applications. While it doesn't provide the live switching between the two that Parallels does, (it requires a reboot to switch) it does give you very fast Windows performance on the same machine you use from day to day. More details on BootCamp can be found on Apple's web site. Parallels is a great utility that offers live switching between OSX and Windows apps without re-starting. Info on Parallels and how to purchase it can be found at www.parallels.com If you would like to cross-grade your old Mac versions of Multiframe to Windows, please contact us for a quotation.
I want to model a cable as a tension only member. How come I get Shear forces and Bending Moments in these tension only members? After you have defined a member as tension only, you have to look at the joint restraints of those members and make them pinned rather than fixed or rigid. That way bending moments or shear forces can not be transferred into the member. The default behavior of Multiframe in regards to pinned
and fixed joints and members is that all members and all
joints are initially fully rigid. This means that there is
complete moment transfer across each joint. If you wish to make a joint pinned for a truss situation, then you can use the Joint Type command to do so. This releases the moments and torsion at
the ends of all the members attached to that joint. It also
sets the rotations of that joint to zero. If however you only wish to
release the moments at the ends of some of the members connected to a joint, then you should use the Member
Type command. In the Member Type dialogue you have an
option of which moments and torsion to release. In general you will
want to use a pinned joint when analyzing a truss structure
and you will want to use the releases at the end of a member
when you want to have a frame where a part of the
frame is pinned and the remainder is rigid. This is common when you have a continuous top and bottom chord in a truss, and you just wish to apply member releases to the bracing members between the chords. You should not pin a
joint and also pin the end of a member attached to that
joint. Multiframe automatically looks for a file named
"Sections Library" in the same folder as the program. If it
finds a file with this name, this library will be used. If
you want Multiframe to use a different library (like the
wood library), you need to rename the standard Section
Library to say "Steel Library". Then, when the program
starts up, it will not find a library with the standard name
("Sections Library") and it will prompt you to locate the
library you wish to use. Note that you can also use this
technique to have a number of sections libraries (for
example one per project) available for use. Multiframe,
Section Maker and Steel Designer are set up to use the same
utilities disk you received with your original order, and
thus the same sections libraries. See also the Training manual for tips on Section Library management. |
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you may see the following message. This is caused by an issue when patching to 10.04.