Forte Getting Started Guide

18884538358
Forte® Getting Started Guide for Windows
Forte® is a trademark of Weyerhaeuser Company, Federal Way, WA. ©2012
Weyerhaeuser NR Company. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.
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Forte® Software Getting Started Guide | 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Forte® Software Overview .................................................................................................................... 3
Getting Started .......................................................................................................................................... 3
Program Settings ......................................................................................................................................4
A Tour of the User Interface ................................................................................................................. 5
Project Workflow ...................................................................................................................................... 7
1.
Enter job-specific information. ..................................................................................................... 7
2. Define level properties. .................................................................................................................... 9
3. Add a member to the job tree. ................................................................................................... 10
4. Define member properties. ........................................................................................................... 11
5. Enter dimension and support information. ............................................................................ 12
a. For horizontal members – Spans and Supports tab
b. For vertical members – Height and Supports tab
6. Enter loads. ........................................................................................................................................ 14
a. For horizontal members
b. For vertical members
7. Specify the Weyerhaeuser products to design.................................................................... 16
8. Compare Solutions and decide on a final product. ............................................................ 17
9. View and print a member report. .............................................................................................. 18
10. For each new member add, repeat steps 3 through 9. .................................................... 18
Optional Tasks .......................................................................................................................................... 19
Designing for Floor Performance ........................................................................................ 19
Adding Holes to Joists ............................................................................................................ 20
Entering Location Analysis Points...................................................................................... 20
Printing Job Information ........................................................................................................ 22
System Requirements .......................................................................................................................... 23
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Forte® Software Getting Started Guide | 3 Forte® Software Overview
Forte® software is a flexible and versatile tool that allows architects, engineers, and
dealers to quickly size a single member for use in floor, wall, and roof systems. Using
Weyerhaeuser’s proprietary design methods, Forte® software selects the most
economical material for joists, beams, headers, free standing posts, embedded
columns, and wall studs. In addition, the software also provides optimum on-center
spacing for joists, and includes information about appropriate accessories and
hangers. Using Forte® software, you can:
• Have confidence that you are specifying with Weyerhaeuser’s latest line of
engineered wood products, and designing with the most up-to-date
engineering values and methodologies
• Design members for use in residential and commercial structures
• Design using Weyerhaeuser products, and/or solid sawn lumber (US only)
• Size and design a variety of connectors from leading manufacturers Simpson
Strong-Tie and USP Structural Connectors
• Print a variety of reports including solution reports, member reports, and
entire job calculation packages
Getting Started
This guide is meant to provide an overview of the features and functionality of Forte®
software. For detailed, step-by-step documentation on how to use the software, refer
to the Online Help.
For a list of hardware and operating system requirements, see the System
Requirements section at the end of this document.
Startup
Use one of the following methods to start Forte® software:
• On your computer's desktop,
double-click the Weyerhaeuser
Forte® icon
• Double-click the icon for a Forte®
file
• Double-click the Forte® file name
in Windows Explorer; the default
path is C:\Program
Files\Modus\Forte\Forte.exe
• Click the Windows Start button,
and then select Programs >Modus
by Weyerhaeuser > Forte
FGSG40072412 Forte® Software Getting Started Guide | 4 Program Settings
Program Settings allow you to set or change settings that will impact the design.
Some settings can be changed at any time during the project; some can only be
changed at the beginning. Your selections can be applied to the system and used for
all future jobs or kept within the current job only.
The first time you launch Forte® software, you will be required to establish your
General Settings. Any changes you make here are saved for the current and all new
files. For more information see the Online Help.
Save Program Settings: Select this button to save these Program Settings after
making any changes.
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Forte® Software Getting Started Guide | 5 A Tour of the User Interface
When you first start the software Forte® will default to the Job Settings tab. Here you
can adjust General Settings, Support Settings and Load Duration Factor. Load
Duration Factor is applied to the capacity or resistance of the member. Then you
may add items to the Job Tree.
When you select a level in the job tree, the Level tab becomes active. Here you can
rename, or change the Building Class (Residential or Commercial) for the level
selected in the job tree..
Adding members to the job tree is the major activity in Forte® software: adding
members, specifying their property information on the tabs, and designing them.
Basic file commands and Program Settings The Add Members ribbon allows you to add members to the job tree. To hide the ribbon, simply double‐click on the Add Member tab. Use the Job Tree to navigate between members, levels, and job settings and summary. Use the Job Tree to manage multiple members within a single file. The Job Tree allows you to add and define levels within a job that contains multiple members. Use the Job Tree to duplicate members, as well as delete members and levels. This panel can be dragged and docked to the other side of the interface, hidden, or floated above the application window. Main Navigation and Input
Use these tabs to input information for the member selected in the job tree. These tabs may look differently depending on the particular member type you ha ve selected. You can navigate between these tabs by using the right and left arrow keys or these function keys: F2 Member F3 Spans and Supports (Height and Supports for vertical members) F4 Loads F5 Holes (available for joists only) F6 Location Analysis (available for horizontal members only) F7 Floor Performance (available for floor joists only) F10 Products F11 Solutions F12 Report You can cycle through the bottom tabs by pressing CTRL+TAB on the keyboard. CTRL+SHIFT+TAB will reverse the direction of the cycle.
FGSG40072412 Forte® Software Getting Started Guide | 6 Use the top toolbar for basic functions such as creating a new file, opening an
existing file, saving, adjusting program settings, and getting help. Use the Program Settings menu to change your General Settings. Use the Help
menu to access the help file and version information.
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Forte® Software Getting Started Guide | 7 Project Workflow
A typical project workflow for a Forte® file resembles the following:
1. Enter job-specific information.
When you first launch the software, Forte® starts a new job with a blank level in the
job tree, and opens to the Job Settings tab. Here, you may adjust General Settings,
Support Settings and Load Duration Factor. Load Duration Factor is applied to the
capacity or resistance of the member. The properties affect every level and every
member in the job. Clicking the Job Summary tab allows you to enter job notes,
print a job summary, and design all the members. Job notes cascade and will be
displayed on every member report in the job file.
FGSG40072412 Forte® Software Getting Started Guide | 8 The Wind Loading tab enables you to set structure and region specific settings that
will cascade to any member that allow for lateral wind loads (currently studs and
columns). If you find that you are mostly likely to reuse the same settings for every
job, simply click the Save as Default button in the lower right corner of the window
and Forte® will keep these settings for every job moving forward. If you are not
designing wind loaded studs or columns, you can skip this step.
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Forte® Software Getting Started Guide | 9 2. Define level properties.
When you select a level in the job tree, the level tab becomes active. Here you can
rename, or change the Building Class (Residential or Commercial) for the level
selected in the job tree.
If you are using IBC as your building code, you will notice that there’s an area for
Lateral Wind Load Design Settings. This setting works in conjunction with the Wind
Settings located at the Job level. However, these may be different per level, allowing
for wall design with different finish, exposures, or roof heights.
FGSG40072412 Forte® Software Getting Started Guide | 10 3. Add a member to the job tree.
From the Add Members ribbon, you can click on the picture of a member to add it to
your project. The available member types depend upon the structural system into
which the member is being framed.
Floor
•
•
•
systems have the following member type options:
Joist
Flush Beam
Drop Beam
Wall systems have the following member type options:
• Header
• Stud
• Embedded Column
Roof
•
•
•
•
systems have the following member type options:
Roof joist
Flush beam
Drop beam
Ridge beam
Also, you will see Post located on the far right, as it is independent from floor, wall,
and roof systems.
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Forte® Software Getting Started Guide | 11 4. Define member properties.
Changes in the Member Name are reflected in the Job Tree The Member tab is available when you click on a member in the job tree. Any
properties set here affect only the member selected. Rename the member, assign it
to a different level in the job tree, or enter member specific notes which will appear
on the output for that member only. The Deflection Criteria section enables you to
change the deflection criteria setting for an individual member.
For roof members, you will also enter the Member Pitch on this tab.
FGSG40072412 Forte® Software Getting Started Guide | 12 5. Enter dimension and support information.
For horizontal members – Spans and Supports tab
For horizontal members, the next step is entering spans and supports. On the Spans
and Supports tab you can specify:
•
•
•
Dimension information for spans as they appear on the architectural plans
Dimension and material information about the supports
Accessories such as rim board, blocking panels and connector properties
As you enter spans, Forte® will dynamically update the graphic and the grid, allowing
for more spans to be entered. Use the Right OH and Left OH cells to enter cantilever
spans.
Use the dimension templates to set dimension locations on the outside or inside faces of end supports. This makes it quick and easy to enter spans as they appear on the architectural plans. FGSG40072412
Forte® Software Getting Started Guide | 13 Enter your Bearing Length and Forte® will automatically calculate your available
bearing after considering accessories.
For vertical members – Height and Supports tab
For vertical members, the next step is entering the wall height and supports. On the
Height and Supports tab you can specify:
•
•
•
•
Wall Height
Plate Size and Material
Lateral Connectors
Unbraced Length
Forte® will automatically update the member height, subtracting the support size
from the wall height.
FGSG40072412 Forte® Software Getting Started Guide | 14 6. Enter loads.
Use the Loads tab to enter the loads being placed on the member being designed.
For horizontal members
f Note: Forte® software only sizes the member being designed with the assumption
that all loads placed on the member are supported by the member. Accessories such
as rim board and blocking are not sized by this application.
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Forte® Software Getting Started Guide | 15 For vertical members
Eccentricity is the distance from the column centerline to the location of the applied
load. To ensure structural integrity is not compromised, Weyerhaeuser recommends
that all columns be designed with a minimum amount of eccentricity. To turn off
eccentric loading, simply uncheck the Apply Recommended Minimum checkbox.
Using the tributary width, (or o.c. spacing for studs) job wind settings, and the lateral
wind load settings from the level tab, Forte® automatically calculates your lateral
wind load in pounds per square feet and applies it along the full height of the
member.
FGSG40072412 Forte® Software Getting Started Guide | 16 7. Specify the Weyerhaeuser products to design.
Use the Product Series Filter to add products to the Product list. You can right-click
in the Product Series Filter area and select/unselect all.
You can select multiple products, depths, plies, and spacings by holding down the
Ctrl key or the Shift key and clicking additional products. Alternatively, you can
select <ALL> to view all the available depths, plies, and spacings.
Once you have completed your product selections for a member, the Solutions and
Report tabs (previously dimmed), become active in order to view the design results.
You can also design all members in a job by clicking the Design All button on the Job
tab (note that Design All will only work if a member has been previously designed).
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Forte® Software Getting Started Guide | 17 8. Compare Solutions and decide on a final product.
Once you have made all your product selections for a member the Solutions and
Reports tabs become active. You may go there to view the design results and
choose from the offered solutions.
•
•
•
Current Solution – This displays the solution for the product that is currently
selected.
All Product Solutions – This displays the solution for the list of products
designed. You can choose to show the TJ-Pro™ Rating or one of three
comparison value options. Click any product in the graph to update the
current solution grid.
Connector – This displays the currently selected connectors and enables you
to select an alternate connector. It also provides a link to information that you
can use to manually select a connector.
FGSG40072412 Forte® Software Getting Started Guide | 18 9. View and print a member report.
The member report, available via the Report tab (bottom), displays in detail how the
member was sized and the details on why the member passed or failed.
10.
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For each new member you add, repeat steps 3 through 9.
Forte® Software Getting Started Guide | 19 Optional Tasks
Designing for Floor Performance
The TJ-Pro™ Rating system is designed to take into account varying perceptions as
to how a floor should feel when walked on, identifing the products and other
components that will contribute to your floor design. The TJ-Pro™ Rating system
evaluates factors that contribute to floor performance – materials, installation
methods, even customer expectations – and develops relative performance ratings.
Varying the components and developing a relative performance rating gives you
options for enhancing the floor's performance. You can also compare the cost
efficiency of various flooring options.
Using the TJ-Pro™ Rating system, you can select various floor assembly components
and options to produce a relative rating number (Performance Value) for the floor
assembly. Usually, the preferred Performance Value is between 25 and 60. When
applied to floor performance, the TJ-Pro™ Rating system considers many different
criteria such as floor vibration and sheathing.
FGSG40072412 Forte® Software Getting Started Guide | 20 Adding Holes to Joists
You add holes in members typically for HVAC, plumbing, and electrical purposes.
You can add circular, rectangular, or square holes (to create a square hole, add a
rectangular hole of equal height and width).
You can only enter a hole in a joist member. If you are sizing a member that is not a
joist, the Holes tab is disabled. If you select rectangular products as a joist, the holes
will be ignored and not used in the design. A message on the report will state if the
holes have been ignored.
Entering Location Analysis Points
Forte® software allows you to choose points, or locations, along the span of
horizontal members. This information is included on the report for critical shear and
moment, as well as live and total load deflections for each defined location on the
member.
Location analysis does not influence the pass/fail status of any product. Location
analysis results are provided as optional and additional information only.
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Forte® Software Getting Started Guide | 21 FGSG40072412 Forte® Software Getting Started Guide | 22 Printing Job Information
You can print all the members within a job, or you can print job summary
information. These options become available from the Reporting ribbon when you
are on the Job Summary page. The Job Summary report prints only the information
included on this screen:
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Forte® Software Getting Started Guide | 23 System Requirements
•
•
•
•
•
•
Pentium® 4 1.4 or equivalent AMD® processor
2x or faster CD-ROM/DVD-ROM drive
1 GB RAM
75 MB available hard drive space (minimum)
200 MB available hard drive space for installation
1024 x 768 monitor with suggested high-color minimum display resolution
Forte® software requires Microsoft .Net Framework 3.5, which can take up to 500 MB
of available space if you do not have it already installed.
Supported Operating Systems
• Microsoft® Windows® 7 32-bit and 64-bit
• Microsoft Windows Vista® 32-bit and 64-bit
• Microsoft Windows XP 32-bit
Forte® is a trademark of Weyerhaeuser Company, Federal Way, WA. ©2012
Weyerhaeuser NR Company. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.
FGSG40072412