Civil Engineering Association

Dear Fellow CivilEAns,
I am not able to give my own load combination names in ETABS,say for example 1.4DL + 1.6 LL just as is the case with SAP2000. I have to do with the defaults say UDCON...and the rest. Is there a way out? Reading and tracing my results is getting time consuming because i always have to refer back. Any Suggestions are welcome.

Regards

hi,

The automatic combinations in ETABS (and SAP, and SAFE) are the code combination for doing the design of the components. If you get DL and three variables loads (live, wind and snow) and the seismic one, that can give more than a hundred combinations and it is very easy to make the CSI program to do itself the combination. It is just in "define conbination" form.

Best regard

Zipatt

Thanks zipatton foir the prompt reply.
The problem is not what you have spelled out above. All that is clear and understood by me. The issue is under the "Load combination name" input, instead of UNCON1, UDCON2,UDCON3..........I would like to enter my own load combination description other than the defaulted one, say i type 1.4DL+1.6LL as is the case with SAP2000, this will help me to easily refer back.
The problem is if i use UDCON1....... I always have to go back and check what the combination name involves whether only dead load, live load+dead load,etc. But if i use my own name description, voila!!!!!!

dear hmwere
the ETABS can not imput on label the for example 1.4DL+1.7 LL ,you can not define characters +-*/,. label inside the box, you can define for example combo1 within this combination should be included 1.4dl +1.7 ll
recalls that the famous "DCOUN" will be available in the analysis and design, thereafter I will show you how to eliminate in the design
Greetings

Hi Hmwere,

I think I understand your problem now. if you want to define your combinations, just click on "define", then "load combination" and then "add new", so you can give any name you want to your own combination (with + or * sign) and combine all load cases you want with your own coefficients. I do it for all my projects and there is no problem for that. It is the same way with SAP, and SAFE.

Is that helpfull for you dear Hmwere?

Best regards

Zipatt

For a short while i was comfortable with my version(9.7.1) following pana2's explanation but now that your's (zipatton) has come in, i am beginning to doubt my version(hope it aint a bug in my version). Please read through my posts carefully. U may be referring to the combination itself but i am referring to the combination names. I want to edit combination names(not combinations) using +,*,/....

Regards to all

I think you can not use + or - or any other characters.

I name my combos as follows:
ETABS NAME RENAMED TO Load Combo
DCON1 = 14D =>1.4 D
DCON2 = 12D16L =>1.2 D +1.6L
DCON... = 12DLPEX => 1.2D + 1.0L + EQX
DCON... = 12DLNEX => 1.2D + 1.0L - EQX

and so on....... you can give your own symbols :JC_cheers:

Hi Hmwere,

Yes you are right.
For the NAME of the combination, ETABS doesn't allow the same as SAP or SAFE (I really don't understand why CSI did that restriction in ETABS and not in the two others...).
In ETABS, you must write something like 14DL15LL for "1.4*DL+1.5*LL". I use to give this kind of names for my combinations :

135G15Q (1.35G+1.5Q)
GQ1.1W (G+Q+1.1W)
and so on.

Best regards

Zipatt

dear zipatton
I agree in some cases
to be clear
9.7.1 version of ETABS only accepts letters and numbers to label
if you are unsure then try
I have tried to edit the file. $ ET but had no results.
Greetings

Dear Pana2,
You are right. I work with ETABS 9.7.1 and, for the name of the combination it doesn't allow other characters than letter s and numbers. What i say is that SAP and SAFE allows all characters.

Best regards

Zipatt