Maximum model size in STAAD.

Pro

Applies To

Product(s): STAAD.Pro

Version(s): ALL

Environment: ALL

Area: General

Subarea:

Original Sye Chakraborty, Bentley Technical Support

Author: Group

What is the maximum model size that STAAD.Pro can handle ?

The limits are as described below. The details are provided in technical reference manual section 5.2
titled Problem Initiation and Model Title

1.Joint number 1 to 999999

2.Number of joints: 200000
3.Member/Element numbers: 1 to 999999
4.Number of Members, Plates, and Solids: 225000
5.Load Case numbers: 1 to 99999
6.Number of primary and combination cases: 10101
7.Number of modes and frequencies: 2700
8.Number of load cases that may be combined by a Repeat Load or Load Combination command: 550

The above numbers should be considered as upper limits built into the software for those quantities on
an individual basis. In practice, the actual maximums the program can handle are determined by the
hardware resources as well as the limits imposed by the operating system on file and memory usage
by applications. For example, it is highly improbable that a single model with 999,999 members and
99,999 load cases can be solved.
The memory demand of the program is determined by the combined effect of two or more of these
terms. For example, when a steel design is performed, the memory required depends on the product of
the members being designed (NMD) as well as the number of load cases being designed for (NL). That
is, NMD ×NL. So the smaller the NMD, the larger the NL capacity and vice versa.

So for all practical purposes, one should try to keep models within 20,000 members/plates. Bigger
models with a large number of load cases not only take a long time to analyze but working with such
models can be inconvenient too as simple operations like navigating between the pages that requires
refreshing the model view, can be slow.