Building Model Advantages in RFEM 6
A practical walkthrough of the Building Model add-on in RFEM 6, demonstrated on a four-story reinforced concrete structure built from scratch. The session covers how a model is organized into building stories so elements can be placed across every level at once, how shear walls and deep beams are defined around large openings, and what each diaphragm type does to the stiffness RFEM uses in its global and local calculations. It closes on the story-level results the add-on produces — center of rigidity, story shear, interstory drift, and shear wall forces — all from a single ASCE 7-22 model.
Presented by
Webinar language
English (US)Recommended skill level
Skills you will gain
- Organize a multi-story model into building stories and place elements across every level at once
- Choose the right diaphragm type — rigid, semi-rigid, flexible, or none — for a given floor system
- Predict the stiffness RFEM applies in the global 3D and local 2D calculations
- Define shear walls and deep beams with surface cells so results stay valid around large openings
- Read story-level results: center of rigidity, story shear, interstory drift, and shear wall forces
This webinar includes
Webinar content
Amy Heilig introduces the session and the Building Model add-on: story-based organization, automated load distribution and diaphragm stiffness, and building-specific results. Includes a candid breakdown of where the add-on applies — multi-story buildings of any material — and where it does not, such as tanks, towers, and geometry without clear story definition.
Building the four-story example from an empty model: Base Data with the add-on active and ASCE 7-22 combination generation, a DXF background layer, and 4,000 psi concrete. The story-specific tools place columns, beams, 8-inch slabs, floor openings, and 12-inch shear walls across all four stories at once, followed by supports and four load cases — dead, live, and two wind.
Defining shear walls as result beams that integrate surface stresses into axial force, shear, and bending moment. Where an opening is too large for a direct surface definition, surface cells split the wall into piers on either side and a spandrel above, so deep beams can be defined on each.
The core of the webinar. Which diaphragm suits which floor system — rigid, semi-rigid, flexible, or none — and exactly what RFEM does with the stiffness in each case. Rigid and semi-rigid trigger two runs: a global 3D calculation for the walls, and a local 2D calculation in which each floor is extracted, supported at columns and walls, and analyzed for gravity with its true stiffness.
The Results by Stories tables — centers of mass and rigidity, story actions, interstory drifts, and member forces in shear walls — with one-click Excel export. Graphically, switching between the global 3D and local 2D results shows why out-of-plane moments read zero in one and real in the other, and vertical result lines plot story shear and deflection up an elevation of the building.
Gravity and lateral analysis in one model, automated diaphragm behavior, full control over diaphragm meshing, and collector beams that still pick up axial force because RFEM stays FEA-based throughout. Closes with result sections for transfer slabs and how to build sloped diaphragms outside the add-on.
Who this webinar is for
- Structural engineers analyzing multi-story buildings — concrete, steel, or mass timber — to US standards
- RFEM 6 users who still split gravity and lateral analysis across two models or two programs
- Engineers arriving from building-specific software who need story shear, drift, and center of rigidity from an FEA model
Application areas:
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Webinars review
I would like to thank you for the webinar on "Torsional Warping (7 DOF)". It was one of the best webinars I have ever seen. Thanks to your clear explanations and illustrative examples, I finally understood several things that I had not fully understood before.
Ing. Aleš Kupča
Statika KUPAL s.r.o.
I really enjoyed the coaching course on dynamic analysis. … It was a good introduction to the seismic design. A particularly positive feature is the option to use the various tools used in the training by downloading a demo version during the training—that was a really good addition.
Karen L.
TÜV NORD Ensys GmbH & Co. KG
I am a student at the Technical University in Nuremberg and am currently working on my master's thesis using Dlubal Software (RSTAB). The coaching course on dynamics (EC 8) was very helpful for me. The course was conducted in an extremely professional manner.
Gleb Chernyshev
Germany
The Concrete Structures EC2 with RFEM 6 course content was very satisfactory and well-structured, making it easy to follow. … In short, the course is interesting and introductory—a perfect introduction to the topic.
M.Sc. V. Zinkevych
Obermeyer Holding GmbH
I would like to thank you for the opportunity to try out RFEM 6. … I would like to mention that I'm excited about how much information and webinars you share.
Ing. Ida Grünwaldová
Czech Republic
Was an excellent Webinar | 2018 NDS CLT Design in RFEM 6! Thank you.
Juan Alberto Tello Fuente
CUMBRA INGENIERIA
Due to your webinars and test versions, I started a new job as structural engineer on January 1, 2023. For this, I would like to thank you and your team.
Dipl.-Ing. Ayman Al Shouha
Germany
Unfortunately, I didn't have the opportunity to follow the live webinar, but due to your recording, which I've watched, I am very excited about the current possibilities of RFEM 6. … I was particularly impressed by the speaker!
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Henning Lungershausen
University of Applied Sciences, Trier
Thank you, the webinar "The Most Common User Errors with RFEM and RSTAB" was very informative!
Dipl.-Ing. Adam Balogh
ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions AG
I would like to thank you again for the very good webinar "Stability Analysis in Steel Structures with RFEM and RSTAB". In some points, I was able to get clarity and it helped me a lot. I will probably use this more often in the future.
Dipl.-Ing. Johann Mair
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The "Soil-Structure Interaction in RFEM" webinar presentation was excellent and the topic was very interesting.
Prof. Lazaros Vasiliadis
Democritus Univestity of Thrace (DUTH)
The webinar "Design Cold-Formed Steel Sections According to EC3" was great. It was my first webinar and I would like to follow more in the future. Especially for new users/students like me and if too fast, it is very good that it is recorded and you can watch it again.
Veronika Klöck
Germany
Thank you for the webinar "Design Cold-Formed Steel Sections According to Eurocode 3." I really liked it. The webinar recordings are a real plus point. Continue to do so!
Bernd Jäckel
Gesellschaft für Planung und Vermessung mbH
I really enjoy watching the webinars you showcase on YouTube. They helped me to convince my client to recently purchase RFEM. They provide a wealth of information.
William Lefort, P.Eng.
Danwill Canada
I have watched the webinar recording "Design of Cross-Laminated Timber Panels (CLT) According to Eurocode 5" on YouTube, and I am impressed by the program and the very good presentation.
Dipl.-Ing. Lothar Reichle
Ingenieurbüro für Statik und Baukonstruktion
The webinar about RWIND Simulation was very successful! From now on, it is possible to analyze wind forces on geometries of objects that are not regulated in the standard. The wind force assumption according to the standard was often a more or less good estimate.
DI Dr. techn. Wolfgang Billensteiner
Civil Engineering Office DI Dr. Tech. Wolfgang Billensteiner
Your webinar on RWIND Simulation was very impressive. Like the speakers at the info days, the speaker confidently described the performance of the new program.
Ing. Johann Tauß
Austria
RSTAB is a software program that I recently discovered and which is very helpful for the calculation of steel structures. With the webinars available on the Dlubal website, I have familiarized myself with the various functions of the program.
Daisy Amila
Algeria
I watched the webinar "Dlubal Information Day Online 2014 – Part 2: RFEM 5 – Structural Analysis with Finite Elements for Concrete and Steel Structures" from 2014. It is a good and powerful video!
Dipl.-Ing. Thomas Steinkühler
Bojda Planungsgruppe
I've attended the webinar on glass design. Excellent explanation. I don't design glass structures; however, it was very interesting to explore the potential of the software.
Ing. Simone Luca Tanghetti
Studio Tanghetti
I've been using Dlubal's programs for most of my university studies. In the beginning, RFEM was far from being a mainstream software, so I didn't have many colleagues to advise me, but thanks to the well-designed controls and webinars, I quickly learned how to work with it.
Ing. Martin Závacký
Brno University of Technology
The webinar Timber Connection Design in RFEM and RSTAB was very successful! I am particularly pleased that you explained how to select the SFS intec dowel system WS-T. Thank you very much!
Caroline Göttlein
SFS intec
Instructors
Amy Heilig, PE
CEO – USA Subsidiary
Amy is the CEO of the U.S. subsidiary and is responsible for sales and continued program development for the North American market.
Alex Bacon, EIT
Support Engineer
Alex handles customer training and technical support for the North American market and works on continued program development.
Cisca Tjoa, PE
Senior Support Engineer
Cisca is the senior support engineer for the North American market, covering customer training, technical support, and program development.
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