Applies To
	Product(s):	STAAD.Pro
	Version(s):	All
	Environment:	N/A
	Area:	Modeling Solutions
	Subarea:	Specifications
	Original Author:	Bentley Technical Support Group

How to assign offsets to the plate elements?

The plates can be moved by the offset distance and connectivity with other plates (beams) should be retained through the use of extremely rigid "link" members. These members are specified with a material having very high modulus of elasticity and low density which ensures the members transfer load, but do not contribute any weight to the structure. 

In more recent versions of STAAD.Pro CONNECT Edition (version 22 update 6 and up), the plate offset can be directly modeled through the Specifications - Whole Structure dialog box, as shown next