What’s New with SteelSmart System 7.7

Jan 28, 2019 | CFS Software, Training & Education, TSN News

Today we are releasing the newest version of our Cold Formed Steel (CFS) software.

For the better part of the last 20 years, we’ve had a team working every day to develop SteelSmart System (SSS) and make it better. We get feedback from the market on a weekly basis, and in 2017 we even hit the road to present SSS to engineers all over the East Coast and get more feedback on what engineers and contractors need from software like this, and how they use it.

We’re a little biased (obviously), but at this point we really do consider it the best Cold Formed Steel (CFS) software on the market.

The purpose of the software is the same as it’s always been, to provide structural engineers (and anyone else) with a structural design software tool engineered for optimal design and detailing of light steel framing studs, joists, shear walls, and connectors.

What’s New with SteelSmart System 7.7?

Here’s the nitty gritty. There were several updates to 7.7, but two of the most significant are below:

  1. Automatic Optimization: Once you’ve created your design, you have the option to check for additional optimizations that you can implement. This will help you avoid using a higher gauge stud than you need to, or using the wrong type of stud.
  2. Ability to Design Multiple Floors at Once: This means the program will take into account the loads from the upper floors of the building when it specifies which gauge of stud you need and how many clips are required to handle a certain load. Before, this had to be done 1 floor at a time and required more manual entry of loading criteria.

 

Complete CFS Design Suite

Available as a complete suite, SteelSmart software will streamline light steel framing design and shop drawing production through the design and detailing members, connectors, and fasteners.

The following design software modules are available:

 

SSF Basic Features

With SteelSmart System Basic, you will be able to design with the following design modules, plus take advantage of the section properties calculator, clip selector, screw connection design, and CUFSM design modules.

  • Curtain Wall: Wind-bearing wall studs, window/door openings, & spandrel framing for multiple levels
  • Load Bearing Wall: Gravity/wind-bearing wall studs, load bearing window/ door openings, posts, & custom bearing walls up to 15 stories
  • X-Brace Shear Walls: TSN’s innovative StiffWall shear wall system, single stack & twin stack, multiple floor levels
  • Moment-Resisting Short Wall: Interior half walls, strip window framing & parapet framing
  • Roof Framing: 5 standard rafters with single & multiple spans or custom roof layouts
  • Roof Trusses: 9 standard, custom roof truss layouts, or import truss layout from CAD file
  • Floor Framing: 8 standard or custom joist & beam layouts

 

SSS Advanced Features

SSS Advanced includes all design modules included with SSS Basic (Curtain Wall, Loadbearing Wall, X-Brace Shear Wall, Floor Framing, Roof Framing, Roof Truss, and Moment-Resisting Short Wall), plus the added benefits of the Layout and Connection Details Generator and the Lateral Load Generator/Distributor to complete the design process!

  • Layout & Details Generator – Simplify drawing creation by exporting designed layouts and connection details for your design into CAD / DXF format
  • Lateral Load Generator/Distributor – Automatically generate lateral wind, seismic, and snow load calculations based on zip code and transfer results to the X-Brace Shear Wall Module

Connectivity to SteelSmart Framer

Connectivity to SteelSmart® Framer (SSF) Plug-in for Autodesk® Revit®: Added Export feature for all SteelSmart® System (SSS) wall modules so structural designs completed in SSS can be imported into SSF Styles for use in creating 3-D BIM models in Revit®.