Autodesk Robot Structural Analysis, what's it good for?

[francis_intano]

Nothing much to this really, I've just come across a subscription for Autodesk and I'm thinking it may not be bad to learn about RSA. To those who had used it and currently using it, would you mind telling what it's good for and what it can't do?

 

[Lomarandil]

It can do a lot of general finite element analysis. It's not going to be the best solution for any problem, or the easiest user interface. But if you already have RSA as part of an Autodesk subscription, and are tight on funds to be able to purchase another software, it can suffice.

 

[Klitor]

...absolutely nothing for

 

[driftLimiter]

I'm told it is a pretty cable structural system, I know of at least one engineer in my area who uses it for mixed material custom homes and commercial projects. He swears by it.
I have attempted to dive in and get it working for some practical problems, and some more complex problems. With varying degrees of success.

My biggest complaint is that the software is structured in such an unfamiliar way. It is very difficult to understand how the UI works. It is kind of set up like ram structural system, where you modify your model geometry, sections, loading, and supports via different modules. It feels like each of these modules were created by different folks and it isn't always clear which module you should be in.

I have found that for what seems like a relatively simple task, Robot consumes alot of time just navigating the UI and figuring out what tool to use.

Setting up things like design section sets, design rules is possible, but fraught with difficulty.

Getting seemingly simple results from your analysis is also very complex.

Lastly, I have found it to be somewhat unstable. It crashes more than other programs I use, often with no error message or recovery.

But if you can get over the hump of learning the structure of the UI and get some nice templates setup I think it could be really useful and for the value you really couldn't beat it if you have Revit already.

Last time I used it was to do a rigid diaphragm analysis on a slab with significant torsional irregularity. I could have probably done it in Risa3d in 1/3rd the time.

 

[IDS]

I suppose for people who need to have a high priced CAD package installed it makes sense to use a free FEA package that comes with it.

Personally, I use my FEA package to do my CAD work, which works for me.


Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services

http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/

 

[Tomfh]

I suppose for people who need to have a high priced CAD package installed it makes sense to use a free FEA package that comes with it.

Yes that’s the trap many of us fell into, until we realised it simply wasn’t worth it.

 

[Celt83]

If you have a very strong understanding of matrix and finite element analysis of structures Robot can be a useful analysis tool.

The User Interface is a bit all over the place and seems the programmers couldn’t decide if data entry should be graphical or tabular as such both options are half baked. It really feels as though 20+ developers were given task with no overarching design philosophy.

The manual is complete garbage so several items rely on you having knowledge of FEM and even then may take several verification problems to sort out.

Member designs may be correct but the level of detail in the design reports is severely lacking for everything other that steel members which makes validation extremely difficult.

The link with Revit was one of its primary strengths but the new system for analytical models in Revit 2023 is abysmal and it’s clear the product teams are not talking to each other.

All of that said once you figure out a work flow it is a pretty good analysis tool that includes things like cable and dynamic analysis which you’d typically need to purchase a higher tier of software to gain access to.

 

[wth]

One good thing about Robot is the community forums. A lot of tools beeing shared for accessing the API and improving the workflow.
Exporting result tables for further design is very easy also.
And it's "free" when you're using the AEC collection from Autodesk.

The UI is all over the place, but I actually like it. You're not forced to switch environment between geometry, results and design.
But the UI is also the reason I no longer use Robot for anything but quick checks, I don't have any colleagues capable controlling my work..

The development is all over the place, and dependent on the codes and country you need. RC walls for instance is only supported for the French national annex, and that's how it's been for years.