RAM Structural System CONNECT Edition Version 17.04 SES Release Notes - Updated July 18, 2022

Release Date: July 18, 2022

This document contains important information regarding changes to the RAM Structural System. It is important that all users are aware of these changes. Please distribute these Release Notes and make them available to all users of the RAM Structural System.

Installation Instructions:

If you have enabled the CONNECTION Client, you will automatically be notified of the newest version and will be able to update through that service by simply selecting the update command. Otherwise, this version can be found on the Bentley Software Fulfilment web page by logging into CONNECT Center and selecting the Software Downloads icon. Search for “RAM Structural System” and select the latest version.

Important Notices:

This version automatically converts databases created in previous versions to the new database format. Note that a backup file is created automatically when a database is converted; the name of the database is the same, with “Orig” and the version number appended to the name. The file has an extension of “.zip” and is located in the same directory as the original database.

The previous steel tables and load combination templates supplied with the program will be replaced with new tables and templates of the same name. If you have customized any Master or Design tables or load combination templates supplied with the program without changing the file names, those file names should be renamed from the original RAM table names prior to installation to prevent your changes from being lost.

Tutorial:

Except for minor corrections, the Tutorial Manual has not been updated but is still valid. The appearance of some parts of the program in this version may differ from that shown in the Tutorial.

Bentley CONNECT and Product Licensing FAQ:

Appendix A at the end of these Notes contains important information on the features and capabilities provided to you through Bentley CONNECT, and for important information on configuring Bentley CONNECT Licensing. These were first implemented in RAM Structural System v16.00. If you have not already done so, you are urged to configure your licensing thresholds so that warnings are given if you are attempting to launch the program that would result in an overuse.

Appendix B at the end of these Notes contains a description of features available in the RAM Structural System to help prevent inadvertent use of unlicensed modules. Refer to that document for more information. Note that with CONNECT Licensing, warning messages are given in the event there is no license available, so it generally isn’t necessary now to block modules using that feature. Note: At some point in the future this feature will be removed since it is redundant. To provide protection against inadvertent overuse of licenses, license threshold limits should be set as explained in Appendix A.

Beginning with RAM Structural System V17.00 the licensing was changed; the licenses on the individual modules (e.g., RAM Steel, RAM Concrete, RAM Frame, RAM Foundation) were consolidated into a single package, RAM Structural System. See Appendix C at the end of these Notes for more information on this license consolidation.

Security Risk Advisory:

Not applicable to this release. Every effort is made to ensure that there are no security risks in the software. There are no known security issues, no issues were addressed in this version.

New Features and Enhancements:

For details on these new features and enhancements, refer to the manual .pdf files available from the Help menu in each module or from the RAM Structural System Manuals directory.

Canada S16-19 Design of Steel Structures

The steel design requirements for Canada CAN/CSA S16-19 have been implemented for gravity and frame beams, columns, and braces.

AS/NZS 1170.2:2021 Wind Loads

The wind load generator based on the requirements of AS/NZS 1170.2:2021 has been implemented. The generated loads include windward and leeward pressures, frictional drag forces on side walls, and crosswind forces (where applicable).

Frame Column Base Plate Design with Hilti PROFIS

In cooperation with Hilti, the ability to export Frame column base geometry, materials, loads, and load combinations to the Hilti PROFIS Engineering program has been implemented for the design of Frame column base plates. The Hilti PROFIS Engineering program is launched using the Process – Export to PROFIS Engineering – Connect and Export command in the Foundation module. Base plate and anchor designs can be performed per AISC, Eurocode, Canadian, Australian, and Indian codes. Generally, a paid license is required to run PROFIS Engineering, but Hilti is providing RAM Structural System users the use of a limited free license; only registration and creation of a free Hilti account is required. The limited license gives all of the base plate design capabilities of the PROFIS Engineering program except that the number of load combinations in a given run is limited to 10 combinations. The full paid version allows an essentially unlimited number of combinations. The full version can be obtained by contacting Hilti.

Updated UK Steel Design Tables

The UK Master Steel Tables and Design Tables have been updated, based on the Interactive Blue Book. The RAMUK and RAMUK_CF tables are identical except for the HS shapes; the RAMUK tables include the hot finished HS shapes, the RAMUK_CF tables include the cold finished HS shapes.

Note that existing models will continue to use the old tables unless you specifically invoke the commands to update the tables used in those models. This is done by opening the model and then invoking the Criteria – Master Steel Table command and the Criteria – Design Steel Tables command, where a message will be given indicating that the tables in the model (the old tables) are different than the table in the Tables directory (the new tables), and prompting to have the model tables updated.

Assign Studs

The ability to assign studs has been implemented in the Steel Beam module. Although the program automatically determines the number of studs required for composite beams, in some cases it is desired to modify the number and/or configuration of studs. This can be done using the Assign – Studs command, providing a fast and productive alternative to changing the stud assignments on individual beams using the Process –View/Update command. A segmented or uniform stud configuration can be selected and applied to a single beam or to a group of beams using the Single, Line Intersect, or Fence options.

Connection Check

Previously it was possible to use a Connection Check table based on Factored capacities (LRFD) with a model designed with Unfactored reactions (ASD), which was unconservative. The program now gives an error in this case and prevents the Connection Check from being executed.

The Connection Check report now displays the load combinations, providing an additional indication that the load factors in the selected connection table are consistent with the Code selected for the check.

Combine Loads

The listing of uniform loads on beams in the Steel Beam Design report in the Steel Beam module and the Loads on Gravity Beams report and Gravity Loads on Lateral Members report in RAM Manager has been refined. The option to Combine Beam Loads in the Criteria – Member Loads command in RAM Manager works more extensively, in some cases better streamlining the listing of uniform loads, shortening the length of the reports.

Wall Section Cuts at Mid-Height for Tilt-up Walls

The automatic wall section cut generator using the Assign – Section Cuts – Add Automatic command has been modified to include section cuts at wall mid-height and at wall opening mid-height. This is useful for tilt-up walls where the pressures on the wall faces create large out-of-plane moments.

RAM Frame Performance Enhancements

Two performance enhancements have been implemented in RAM Frame. For large models, meshing of diaphragms and walls is significantly faster, as much as five times faster. For very large models, the model now opens more quickly when RAM Frame is invoked, as much as three times faster; previously there was a significant lag time waiting for the program to open for very large models.

DuraFuse Frames Moment Frame Connection Enhancements

Previously for the DuraFuse Frames moment frame connection it was required that minor axis restraint be made for the joint at the elevation of both the top and the bottom flange of the frame beam. For example, if the member framing into the minor axis is a beam, it is assumed to provide both top and bottom restraint to the joint, but if the member framing into the minor axis is a steel joist, it is assumed to provide only top restraint to the joint, so previously that check would fail. At the request of DuraFuse Frames, this has been modified. Their testing has shown that the minor axis restraint is only necessary at the elevation of the top flange; minor axis restraint at the elevation of the bottom flange of the frame beam is not necessary. The check for bottom joint restraint is no longer performed.

Yield-Link Moment Frame Connection Enhancement

At the request of Simpson Strong-Tie, the Standard Provisions Joint Code Check Report has been updated to include a Bolt Slip check for the Simpson Strong-Tie Yield-Link moment connection.

Error Corrections:

Some program errors have been corrected for this version. Corrections made to graphics, reports, Modeler functions, program crashes, etc., that were considered minor are generally not listed here. The noteworthy error corrections are listed here in order to notify you that they have been corrected or to assist you in determining the impact of those errors on previous designs. These errors were generally obscure and uncommon, affecting only a very small percentage of models, or had no impact on the results. The errors, when they occurred, were generally quite obvious. However, if there is any question, it may be advisable to reanalyze previous models to determine the impact, if any. In each case the error only occurred for the precise conditions indicated. Those errors that may have resulted in un-conservative designs are shown with an asterisk. We know these errors are disruptive, we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

DXF

CRASH DURING DXF FILE CREATION: If an attempt was made to create a DXF file using the same name as an existing DXF file that was currently opened in a CAD program, the program crashed.

Effect: Program crash.

Data Extractor

WALL DATA EXPORT: The column titled "Fpc_E" listed Fpc if the wall was Concrete and E if the wall was Other. E for a concrete wall was not exported.

Effect: Missing data.

WALL DATA EXPORT: Values for Concrete Aggregate Type, self-weight, Fy Distributed, Fy Boundary, and Fy Ties were exported as "NA" or "0.0".

Effect: Data was missing or misleading.

STEEL BEAM RESULTS NOT EXPORTED: If a model included horizontal braces, the steel beam design results were not exported.

Effect: Steel beam design results could not be exported if a model included horizontal braces.

DUPLICATE UNITS TABLES: A duplicate SBeamUnits tab was created for every table that was exported.

Effect: Unnecessary duplicate tables.

Tables

RAMS.BMS TABLE ERROR: The Master Table RAMAISC.TAB correctly listed S6x17.25, but the Design Steel Table RAMS.BMS listed it as S6x17.2.

Effect: No beam designs were performed using the table of AISC S-shapes because the RAMS.BMS table was incompatible with the RAMAISC.TAB table.

Modeler

DATACHECK: In some cases when a Frame column was supported below by a Frame Beam, the Datacheck gave an erroneous message stating that the Frame column was supported by a Gravity beam.

Effect: An erroneous Datacheck warning was given even when the framing condition was correct.

ALIGN MEMBERS: The Align Members dialog in the Integrity – Align commands did not allow negative values to be input into the X-Coord and Y-Coord edit boxes.

Effect: The user could not specify that columns and wall ends be aligned to a negative coordinate location if those members were currently at a positive coordinate location.

Steel Beam

BEAM DESIGNS WITH 0.0” SLAB EDGE: When a Slab Edge distance of 0.0” had been used to define the slab/deck polygon, there may have been discrepancies in the design sizes shown in View/Update, in the Gravity Beam Design report, and with the View – Show Designs command. This was caused by tolerances (or lack thereof) used in the determination of unbraced length; sometimes the deck was determined to provide the lateral support, sometimes the beam was erroneously determined to be unbraced by any deck.

Effect: Discrepancies in beam sizes reported or displayed, due to incorrect (conservative) unbraced lengths used in design. This error did not occur if the Slab Edge distance was something greater than 0.0”. Note that Slab Edge distances greater than 0.0” on steel floor framing supporting one-way deck are generally recommended, since that is how the floor is likely to actually be constructed.

ASD 9TH USER-SPECIFIED DEMAND CAPACITY RATIO*: The controlling bending stress to allowable stress ratio for beams designed according to ASD 9th was not limited to the user-specified demand capacity ratio limit.

Effect: Although beams designed according to the ASD 9th Edition specification were correctly designed to the Code-based limits, a user-assigned demand capacity ratio limit other than 1.0 was not correctly enforced while checking the controlling bending stress to allowable stress ratio. Beam sizes that should have failed based on a user-specified DCR may have passed because the DCR was less than 1.0.

VIEW/UPDATE DEFLECTION DCR DISPLAY: The demand capacity ratio for deflection displayed in the View Update dialog box was incorrect if the deflection was governed by post composite live load for composite beams and live load for non-composite beams.

Effect: Although beam design reports showed correct demand capacity ratios for deflection, the View/Update dialog box failed to show the correct deflection ratio if it was governed by post composite live load in the case of composite beams and live load in the case of non-composite beams. Beam designs were correct.

INCORRECT LOADS EXPORTED TO SBEAM*: When exporting data from Steel Beam to the RAM SBeam program using the Process – Export to SBeam command, occasionally random incorrect loads were exported along with the correct loads. These could be either positive or negative loads.

Effect: Incorrect loading in RAM SBeam which would lead to incorrect results there.

Steel Column

STEEL COLUMN CRASH: Some common causes of program crashes were corrected.

Effect: Some causes of program crashes have been eliminated.

Note: These crashes were found and corrected through the information provided by the Crash Analyzer. Please continue to provide information and submit the Crash Analyzer forms when they appear so that we can better eliminate the causes of program crashes.

Concrete Analysis

CONCRETE ANALYSIS CHANGED RIGID END ZONES IN RAMFRAME*: This defect occurred in models having gravity beams framing into lateral concrete columns if the options to consider Rigid End Zone had been selected. Analyzing the model in Concrete Analysis after it had been analyzed in RAM Frame resulted in the rigid end zones that had been calculated by RAM Frame to be overwritten. Because Concrete Analysis considers gravity framing in its analysis and RAM Frame does not, the values changed.

Effect: Analysis results, impacted by Rigid End Zones, in RAM Frame changed after Concrete Analysis had been performed.

Concrete Beam

CRITERIA – BEAM DESIGN DIALOG: The Design Checks/Forces tab could not be selected. An error message would be displayed: "Attempted an unsupported operation".

Effect: The criteria options on the Design Checks/Forces tab could not be accessed, selected, or modified.

Concrete Column

INCONSISTENT NUMBER OF SEGMENTS: When the trial transverse reinforcement failed such that an increased shear reinforcement area was needed in the top or bottom segments of the column, the segment info may not have been saved properly.

Effect: Inconsistent number of segments or segment info in the reports. 

ACI 318-14 REQUIRED SHEAR REINFORCEMENT: The required shear reinforcement per ACI 318-14 18.7.5.4 and earlier codes was calculated considering the maximum required shear reinforcement density in either direction and then comparing with the minimum provided shear reinforcement density in either direction, rather than investigating each axis individually.

Effect:  The program may have erroneously indicated that the shear design failed..

TRANSVERSE REINFORCEMENT*: When determining Vc according to clause 21.6.5.2 of ACI318-11 (or earlier), the maximum value of the axial load on the column considering all load combinations, rather than the currently investigated combination, was used against the prescribed limits. This may have led to either Vc being set to 0.0 when it was not required, or Vc not being set to 0.0 when it was required by the code.

Effect: Potentially incorrect value of Vc used in transverse reinforcement design.

INCORRECT CODE REFERENCE FOR REINFORCEMENT: When the transverse reinforcement failed to meet the maximum spacing requirements of ACI 318-19 10.7.6.5.2 or 25.7.2.1, or the reinforcement area requirements of Section 10.6.2, an error was given but the code references were incorrect.

Effect: The design correctly failed, but in the warning message the reference as to why the design failed was incorrect.

INCORRECT CODE REFERENCE FOR MAXIMUM SPIRAL REINFORCEMENT SPACING: When the maximum spacing of spiral reinforcement was greater than that required per ACI 318-14 or ACI 318-19 Sec. 18.7.5.4, the warning message incorrectly referenced Sec 10.9.3.

Effect: An incorrect Code reference was shown in the concrete column reports and the View/Update dialog.

MAXIMUM SPACING OF SHEAR REINFORCEMENT ON SMF COLUMNS*: The maximum spacing of stirrups resulting from the shear reinforcement required per ACI 318-14 Sec. 18.7.5.4 was checked only when the ultimate shear exceeded the shear capacity. 

Effect: No warning was given if the spacing of the shear reinforcement exceeded the maximum allowed per ACI-14 Sec 18.7.5.4 if the shear was less than the shear capacity. 

MAXIMUM SPACING OF SHEAR REINFORCEMENT IN MIDDLE SEGMENTS OF SMF COLUMNS: The limits for maximum spacing of stirrups  per ACI 318-19 18.7.5.4 were applied to the middle segments of columns of Special Moment Frame columns instead of just the top and bottom segments.

Effect: The maximum spacing by ACI 318-19 Section 18.7.5.4 (and earlier codes ) was incorrectly applied to the middle section of the column, and an incorrect design warning was given.

INCORRECT REFERENCE FOR MAXIMUM SPACING LIMIT FOR SMF COLUMNS: When ACI 318-14 or ACI 318-19 was selected and the transverse reinforcement spacing exceeded the limit of Section 18.7.5.3, the corresponding warning message referenced Section 21.6.4.3 instead of Section 18.7.5.3.

Effect: An incorrect ACI section code reference was displayed.

INCORRECT MOMENT MAGNIFICATION FACTOR WARNING MESSAGE: When the code selection was ACI 318-14 or earlier, the warning ¨Magnification factor, delta, exceeds 1.4 - ACI 318-14, 6.2.6" was sometimes erroneously displayed even if the option for that analysis was not selected. 

Effect: A failure message may have been given even when the associated Analysis criteria option was not selected. 

Concrete Wall

INCORRECT CODE REFERENCE FOR MINIMUM REINFORCEMENT: When the reinforcement exceeded the minimum required by ACI 318-19 Sections 11.6.1 and 11.6.2, the warning message incorrectly referenced an older ACI 318 code.

Effect: The minimum reinforcement ratio was correctly calculated according to the specified design code but an incorrect code reference was shown when an error occurred.

CONCRETE WALL CRASH DURING DESIGN: The program often crashed while designing concrete walls.

Effect: Not able to design concrete walls.

Note: This crash was found and corrected through the information provided by the Crash Analyzer. Please continue to provide information and submit the Crash Analyzer forms when they appear so that we can better eliminate the causes of program crashes.

SECTION CUT LABELS: If a section cut label was modified by the user, the previous label would sometimes continue to be displayed on-screen or listed in reports.

Effect: Incorrect label was sometimes shown.

Frame - Analysis

CONSTRUCTION STAGE ANALYSIS STRESSES AND FORCES*: The program reported and displayed incorrect stresses and internal forces for walls and diaphragms when shrinkage effects were included in construction stage analysis. Analysis results (displacements and member forces) were correct; the displayed stresses/internal forces were incorrect.

Effect: Wall and diaphragm stresses were incorrect.

WALL OPENINGS AT LEVEL WITH MODIFIED FOOTING ELEVATION*: The wall mesh was incorrect at openings in walls supported by footings for which the elevation of the footing had been either raised or lowered.

Effect: Incorrectly located opening and the corresponding mesh.

ASCE 7 STABILITY COEFFICIENTS REPORT: In the Reports – ASCE 7 Stability Coefficients command, the dialog did not allow an Importance factor to be specified when ASCE 7-05 was selected.

Effect: For ASCE 7-05 the Importance Factor could not be specified, so the reported Stability Coefficient values were always calculated using Importance Factor = 1.0. Note that the Importance Factor is not used for ASCE 7-10/16, so it was correctly grayed out for that selection.

INCORRECT CHANGE IN FRAME SHEAR VALUES*: With the option to display Change in Frame Shears in the Process – Results – Frame Story Shears command, incorrect frame shear change values were displayed for a frame if the frame included a brace spanning over multiple stories. 

Effect: This was a display error only. The report showing frame shears was not impacted by this error.

RAM FRAME AND CONCRETE ANALYSIS CRASH: In rare cases, models with walls with no wall bar pattern templates defined, RAM Frame would unexpectedly crash when opening and Concrete Analysis would crash during analyze.

Effect: Neither module could be used for that model.

Frame – Steel Seismic Provisions

CHEVRON REPORT ERROR: The design report for beams with an Inverted-V brace configuration erroneously reported no brace configuration associated with the beam.

Effect: Although beams supporting an Inverted-V brace configuration were correctly designed, the design report erroneously noted that no braces framed into the beam. This was a report related error only. 

YIELD-LINK OMF AND IMF FRAMES: Joint code checks for connections with Yield-Link showed no design results when the frames were assigned to be OMF and IMF frames.

Effect: While joint code checks for OMF (R = 3) and IMF (R = 4.5) with Yield-Link moment connections were correctly performed, the report did now show the detailed results of the design except the status of each limit state check made. 

YIELD-LINK DOUBLER PLATE DISPLAY IN DXF: Yield-Link joint code check designs requiring doubler plates to fit between continuity plates instead displayed the extended plate in the frame elevation DXF output.

Effect: Although joint code checks for Yield-Link connections were correctly performed, the DXF frame elevation output showed extended doubler plates when the option to use doubler plates fitting between continuity plates was required.

RAM Foundation

FOUNDATION CRASH WHEN OPENING: If a model included one or more columns of "Other" material type sitting on a continuous foundation, the model would crash when entering the Foundation module.

Effect: No foundations could be designed.

USER-SPECIFIED REINFORCEMENT RATIO LIMITS: If the option to limit the Maximum or Minimum Reinforcement Ratio in the Criteria – Design command was set to Use (rather than Code), with user-specified limits, the program may have frozen or crashed during the design of spread footings.

Effect: Footing design could not be obtained.

Appendix A

Bentley CONNECT Licensing – Subscription Entitlement Service

Bentley CONNECT Licensing has now been renamed Subscription Entitlement Service. CONNECT Licensing was first implemented in the RAM Structural in v16.00. This licensing monitors current usage and, if an attempt is made to use a program or module for which there is no available license, the program will give a warning. Important information is given in the v16.00 Release Notes.

More information on CONNECT Licensing / Subscription Entitlement Service can be found at:

https://www.bentley.com/en/subscription-services-portal/subscription-entitlement-service

User and Administrator instructions can be found here:

https://bentleysystems.service-now.com/community?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0018907

and a short guide has been posted here:

https://communities.bentley.com/products/ram-staad/m/structural_analysis_and_design_gallery/273502

CONNECT License / Subscription Entitlement Service requires all users to sign-in in order to use any Bentley programs. If you do not already have a Bentley ID, go to http://www.bentley.com/profile and select the Sign Up Now link.

NOTE: If you haven’t done so already, before using any version 16.0 or newer, the person at your company that has the role of Administrator for the Bentley products must configure the license so that it gives the overuse warnings. Otherwise, by default no warnings will be given. Instructions can be found here:

https://bentleysystems.service-now.com/community?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0019813

Review all of the information, but in particular, note the section on Entitlement Management, and in that document note the instructions on License Alerting. Generally, for License Alerting you will want to Enable Alerts, and then input the number of licenses that you own for the particular product.

CONNECT Licensing / Subscription Entitlement Service is revolutionary. It warns you against incidental overuse of the program, but when you have a temporary heavier work load it allows you to intentionally use more licenses than you own, at a fraction of the cost of purchasing an additional copy. Subscription Entitlement Service gives you the information you need to control usage and make those decisions.

Bentley CONNECT

In addition to providing the overuse warning described above, Bentley CONNECT offers several benefits. Listed here are two key features:

CONNECT Center

When you sign in to your Bentley account you now have easy access to CONNECT Center. This personalized portal gives you access to Usage reports, site configuration information, downloads, and Learning information on webinars, seminars and events, and includes a transcript listing the Bentley courses that you have completed. Your personal portal also lists your recent projects with a portal into analytics on that project. CONNECT Center can be accessed by selecting the Bentley Cloud Services – CONNECT Center command or by selecting the Sign In command in the upper right corner of the RAM Manager screen.

CONNECTED Projects

All of Bentley’s CONNECT Edition programs, including RAM Structural System, allow models to be associated with a project. Multiple models, from any of the Bentley products, can be associated with a given project. This simplifies the process of keeping track of work done for a project, and will enable analytics to be performed and reported for the project.

A ProjectWise Projects portal enables you and your project teams to see project details required to evaluate team activity and understand project performance.

• View project activity by site, application and user
• Gain insights into the users who are working on your projects and their effort
• Register and manage your CONNECTED Projects
• Access ProjectWise Connection Services including ProjectWise Project Sharing, ProjectWise Project Performance Dashboards and ProjectWise Issue Resolution Administration

When a model is Saved in this version the program will ask for a Project to which the file is to be associated. Projects can be registered (created) from your Personal Portal, or from the Assign Project dialog by selecting the + Register Project command.

Appendix B

Product Licensing FAQ – RAM Structural System: Blocking Use of Modules and Programs

VERSIONS 17.00 AND NEWER

The RAM Structural System contains links to three related Bentley products, RAM SBeam, RAM Concept and RAM Connection, providing design interoperability. Each of those programs have their own licenses. It is possible for a client to have licenses for some programs but not for the others. Because of the ease with which these programs can be invoked, a method of restricting the use of each has been incorporated in order to prevent unwanted or inadvertent usage by an unsuspecting user from being logged against the licenses that the company actually owns.

Note that if you have installed CONNECT versions of these programs and have correctly set up the warnings on entitlements you will receive a warning if overuse is about to occur; you may find it advantageous to rely on these warnings rather than blocking their use entirely as described below.

RAM SBeam is invoked using the Process – Export to SBeam command in the Steel Beam module. RAM Concept and RAM Connection are invoked using the tool bar buttons on the left of the RAM Manager screen:

or by using the Model or Design menu items:

If RAM SBeam, RAM Concept, or RAM Connection are not installed, they will not be available to be selected.

In RAM Manager, the Tools – Manage License Restrictions command opens the following dialog:

This provides a mechanism for the user to prevent a program from being inadvertently executed. When the RAM Structural System is first installed all of these options are selected. It is important therefore to execute this command and deselect any links for which the user wants to restrict access.

To prevent a program link from being executed, deselect that item.

If a link is deselected here and that link is subsequently invoked, the following dialog appears:

If Allow is selected the program will open, and usage will be logged. If Cancel is selected the program will not open and no usage will be logged. Settings opens the previous command, allowing the user to modify the selections of the allowed programs.

Note that there is also a link to Bentley’s ProjectWise for project management. It is available through the File – ProjectWise command. Its use is not restricted through the Tools – Manage License Restrictions command described above. It should only be invoked if you have a license for it.

VERSIONS 14.07 Through 16.01

The RAM Structural System is composed of several modules, each of which has their own license. The program also contains links to two related Bentley products, RAM Concept and RAM Connection, providing design interoperability, as well as a link to Bentley’s ProjectWise for project management. Each of those programs also have their own licenses. It is possible to have several licenses of one or more modules, and few or no licenses of other modules. Because of the ease with which these various modules and programs can be invoked, a method of restricting the use of each has been incorporated in order to prevent unwanted or inadvertent usage by an unsuspecting user from being logged against the licenses that the company actually owns.

These modules are invoked using the tool bar buttons on the left of the RAM Manager screen:

 

or by using the Model or Design menu items:

If RAM Concept or RAM Connection are not installed, they will not be available to be selected.

There is no license associated with RAM Manager, so no usage data is logged against it, but usage data is logged against each of the other modules as soon as they are invoked.

In RAM Manager, the Tools – Manage License Restrictions command opens the following dialog:

This provides a mechanism for the user to prevent a module from being inadvertently executed. When the program is first installed all of these options are selected. It is important therefore to execute this command and deselect any modules or links for which the user wants to restrict access.

To prevent a module or program link from being executed, deselect that item.

If a module is deselected here and that module or link is subsequently invoked, the following dialog appears:

If Allow is selected the module will open, and usage will be logged. If Cancel is selected the module will not open and no usage will be logged. Settings opens the previous command, allowing the user to modify the selections of the allowed modules.

Note that there is also a link to Bentley’s ProjectWise for project management. It is available through the File – ProjectWise command. Its use is not restricted through the Tools – Manage License Restrictions command described above. It should only be invoked if you have a license for it.

VERSIONS 14.06 AND EARLIER

Versions prior to V14.07 lacked the ability to manage these license restrictions, restrictions could only be achieved by deleting the module from the installation Prog directory. If you are using an earlier version and want to prevent use of a module, delete the file(s) listed here for the module to be prevented: