Unity Check 4

[civeng1994]

Hi,

I'm hoping someone can help me with this.
So, at my job, it's my boss, coworker, and I that use RISA 3D. For some reason, with some RISA files, when I run it on my computer, I get lower values in the unity check compared to when my boss and coworker run the same RISA file in their computers.
So for example, I model a structure in my computer and when I run the program, let's say I get 0.05 for a member, but in my boss's and coworker's computer they get 0.43 for that same member in the same file.
However, this only happens in some RISA files. There are other RISA files where I get the same unity check values on my computer as my boss and coworker.
I'd like to also add that when I get different unity check values however, the forces and moments in the output are still the same as the data in other computers.
I haven't been able to figure out why some RISA files in my computer don't give the same unity check ratio when it calculates the forces correctly.

I would really appreciate it if someone can help me on this.

Thanks

 

[jayrod12]

Your member database may have some issues. Have you pinpointed whether it's a certain type of member or not?

 

[JoshPlumSE]

I would check the version number. This can be checked by going to the Main Menu toolbar and selecting Help - About RISA-3D.

Let's say you're running version 13 and they're running version 13.0.1. I would then check the release notes in the help file for their version. If there is a bug that caused this different, then it would be described in the release notes. Or, if there was a new feature added it would also be described there. I'm thinking of one release where we added bending checks for single angles, whereas prior to that we only looked at the axial portion of the code check for single angles. Or, another time when we added "torque length" as an input field....

Also, there will often be something in the detail report that should clue you in on where the difference is coming from.

 

[civeng1994]

Hi jayrod12, it doesn't seem like it's a certain type of member, the ratio is off for all the members in the model.

And JoshPlum, looking into your suggestion I found out I have a much earlier version of RISA 3D than the one my boss and coworker have. I looked at the release notes and it seems RISA has quite the history of bugs, including some that alter results by factors of as much as 12.

For now, I'm going to install the newer version and see if that helps.

 

[JoshPlumSE]

Well, I wouldn't say that RISA is any buggier than other programs. I'd say that most of the significant bugs that we find are related to newly released features. If you're using a feature that's been in the program for years and years then you're not likely to find much of significance.

However, we do have a policy of publishing most changes in our release notes. Whereas some other program will tend not to because they don't want competitors using documented bug lists against them. Our thinking, however, is that we want that transparency so that user can see exactly what's changed from version to version.

Also, having these changes makes it is easier for us (in technical support) to look up information about what changed for which release. Really helps us in tech support when users have questions about older versions.

 

[ATSE]

I second JoshPlum's comment about RISA transparency vs the competition. All software has bugs in every version. Rarely are software companies honest and upfront about listing them.