Ever since I can remember STAAD has had the requirement that the number of joint directions that are free to move (DOF or "releases") before the CHANGE must be greater than or equal to the number of "releases" after the CHANGE. I design modules that are often built on their side, then transported, then uprighted, then put in service so you have many different support configurations. It's always been a pain to figure out what order to model the various configurations in. Sometimes I just throw my hands up and copy the .std file to make whatever case I need to investigate, say sitting on a transport with a whole bunch of supports. This of course has its own problem because now you have two or more files that have to be maintained.
I was hoping with all he gee wizary that's going on with STAAD these days that this limitation would be overcome. Being able to specify any support condition I want, in any order I want without having to be sure you don't break the rule I cited, would me much more useful than a new command ribbon. I just assumed with all this talk of a new analysis engine that a limitation that has been around since the 80's would be overcome by now.
Why is this rule in place and can it be overcome?
