• How do I change the display colors?

Go to the Options > Colors command and select new colors.

• Can I change the units used at any time?

You may change the units at any time, either by clicking on the drop-down list in the lower right-hand corner, or on individual forms where it is an option. In addition, no matter which units you are working with, you can use ‘(foot symbol) or “(inches symbol) to indicate feet and inches when working in architectural units, and the software will automatically convert this input. Also, you can utilize other designations such as PLF (pounds per lineal foot), PSI (pounds per square inch), in (inches), N (Newtons), etc. and the program automatically accepts and converts those units. Please note that the file will always be saved in the units shown when the model is started.

• How do I control which buttons are displayed on the toolbars?

Click on an arrow pointing down along the top toolbar, or on an arrow pointing to the left on the side toolbar, to change, add or delete the buttons shown.

• Can I move the buttons on the toolbar?

Sure – simply grab a group of buttons by their handle (denoted by the double lines) and drag them to a different toolbar location, or off the toolbar completely.

• How do I display the property names on the model?

Go to the View > Set Object Options command and mark the Properties checkbox.

• How do I set the display so that only one view is shown?

Go to the Options > Windows > One command. The program can display anywhere from one to four views.

• I have a large model with both line and area objects — can I create a view with the area objects hidden?

Sure – simply go to the View > Set Object Options command and on the form check the Hide box in the Area Objects section.

• I clicked on the Draw Area Objects button by accident — how do I leave the draw mode?

Easy – click on the Select Object button or press the Esc key on your keyboard..

• How do I draw an opening in a slab?

Go to the Draw > Draw Area Objects command and on the Properties of Object form select Slab from the Type of Area drop-down list and Opening from the Property drop-down list.

• What is the difference between an object and an element?

Objects are what the user draws in the SAFE interface, and are intended to represent physical areas and members. Each object will consist of one or more elements. At analysis time, the program automatically converts (meshes) the object-based model into an finite element-based model, and when the analysis is complete, converts the results back for display at the object level.

• Is there a way to obtain the square area of a slab object?

Right click on the area object in question, and on the Area Object Information form the Slab Area is reported in the Identification and Location section

• I accidentally selected the wrong object — how do I unselect it?

Simply click on the same object once again, or hit the ‘clr’ (clear selection) button to unselect all.

• Can more than one object be selected at a time?

Sure – you may simultaneously select every object in the model, if so desired. After selecting, SAFE displays the number of points, lines and areas selected in the bottom left corner of the screen.

• I have a rectangular slab that I need to “grow” 6 inches around the perimeter — is there any easy way to do this?

All you need to do is right click on the slab object you wish to modify and, in the Rectangular Area Object Information form, edit the min and max quantities found under the Identification and Location section.

• Is there an easy way to revise the grid?

Sure – go to the Edit > Edit Grid command. On the Define Grid form, you may change the coordinates of the grids as well as delete and add grids. Also, in plan view double click grid lines in X or Y direction to view or edit grids.

• How do I move the corner point of a slab object?

Right click on the point at the corner of the object you wish to change, and in the Point Object Information form edit the coordinates – all objects connected to this point will remain connected when it moves.

• I am modeling an existing slab with extensive cracking in one direction and I would like to input one slab thickness for the X direction and a different thickness in the Y direction — is this possible?

Sure – when defining the slab properties, check the Orthotropic checkbox on the Slab Property Data form. This will allow you to specify effective thicknesses in both the X and Y directions, as well as an effective thickness for twisting moments.

• Whenever I select a draw command, crosshairs appear at the cursor — is there a way to shut off the crosshairs?

You may toggle the crosshairs on and off by going to the Options > Show Crosshairs command.

• How can I bring over my slab geometry, loading and column/wall distortions from ETABS?

In ETABS, you can model a slab element including strip footings, mat foundations, columns, etc. Next, you can export this file and save it as an .f2k file. You have the option to export floor loads plus column and wall distortions. Import the same .f2k file into SAFE. The loads and moments applied to the foundation in ETABS will be exported to SAFE. Make any further changes to the model in SAFE and run the analysis. After the analysis is completed, run the design portion of the program under Design menu. Optionally, you can then use CSIDetailer in SAFE, which is a completely integrated add-on package for producing drawings of reinforcing details, rebar schedules and other tables for slabs that have been analyzed and designed using SAFE.

• How can I import my AutoCAD drawings into SAFE?

All layers can be imported into SAFE except Layer 0 using File > Import > DXF/DWG. You need to separate the various SAFE element types (shown below) into separate layers in AutoCAD for importing into SAFE. Once you have imported your geometry, you will need to assign slab and section properties to it.

SAFE Objects	Corresponding DXF Elements
Special Joints	Points
Line objects	Lines
Area objects	3D faces and 3- or 4-sided closed polylines
X-Strips & Y-Strips	4-sided 3D faces and 4-sided closed polylines (X and Y strips must be rectangular)

• I am modeling a foundation mat — can I include shear deformation?

Yes – simply check the Thick Plate option on the Slab Property Data form.

• How can I utilize grids?

When snap tools (buttons on bottom left) are activated, grids make it faster and easier to draw slabs, beams, walls, column locations, design strips and other objects and assignments, snapping to the grids for faster model creation. SAFE does permit you to draw objects and make assignments off the grids, automatically meshing to account for these off-grid objects.

• How do I input piles for my basemat?

You will need to input springs at pile locations using stiffness values equivalent to that of the pile. In order to draw a spring, you will first need to use ‘Draw Point Object’ and click at pile locations. You can draw the points by snapping to grids, or by drawing the points, then right clicking each of them to modify XY coordinates. After drawing your ‘pile’ points, select them by clicking them or windowing around them, then Assign > Column Supports > Add New Property, and checkbox Spring Constants Option to input spring values for the piles.

• How do I model grade beams on soil?

Use Define > Beam Properties to first define the properties of the beams. Use ‘Draw Line Objects’ or ‘Quick Draw Lines’, modify the property in the floating properties of object box to the desired beam section by clicking it, then draw them. To assign soil supports on the grade beams, select them, then Assign > Wall Supports > Add New Property and checkbox Spring Constants to input lineal spring constants per unit length on the beams, based on subgrade modulus of the soil and section properties of the beam.

• Can I modify design strip geometry?

Sure – design strips are simply area objects, and may be modified by right clicking on the object and editing the values in the Design Strip form.

• How do I change a beam section property?

First, select the member by clicking on it with the Select button active. Next, go to the Assign > Beam Properties command and select the new section property.

• Can I mistakenly assign a beam property to a slab object?

No. For example, if only a slab object is selected, the Assign > Beam Properties command will not be available.

• I noticed in a model created with the flat slab template that under the Define > Slab Properties command on the Slab Properties form, COL for column is listed. I thought columns were defined using the Define > Column Supports command?

The property shown in the Slab Properties form is used to define the physical geometry of the column. By assigning the “COL” property to an area object with the plan dimensions of the column, the slab will span between the column faces, and not from column centerlines. The “COL” property has an arbitrary depth typically five times larger than the surrounding slab so that very little bending deformation occurs in this region. The Define > Column Supports command is used to define the actual vertical and rotational stiffnesses (springs) used to model the column support, and is assigned to a point.

• How can I review the loads on a specific point?

Right click on the point in question, and on the Point Object Information form look under the Applied Loads and Displacements section.

• I am going to have SAFE perform design using the ACI 318-02 code — do I need to specify load combinations?

No – the program will automatically generate design combinations based on your static load case definitions. However, you should review these combinations by going to the Design > Select Design Combos command, selecting each design combo and clicking on the Show button.

• How do I model variable soil properties and surface area loads in different locations of my basemat after it’s been drawn?

If an area of any type has already been drawn in SAFE, you can go back and use one of the Draw area tools to draw on top of the existing area using the same section property, or a different property if the section properties changed in that area. Once you have drawn these smaller areas on top of your existing basemat or slab, you then select them by clicking them, then assign different surface area loads, different soil support properties, etc. SAFE will automatically use the properties of the smaller area instead of the properties of the larger area. However, please note that when load and soil support assignments are made to areas with property ‘NONE’, those assignments are additive to existing assignments. No matter how the area mesh may change, SAFE will automatically perform the bookkeeping to keep track of all assignments. Under Analyze > Set Options you can specify ‘Iterative for Uplift’, which converts the linear soil support springs into nonlinear compression only springs to account for possible redistribution of loads due to uplift.

• How do I view the mesh generated by the program?

Go to the View > Set Object Options command and on the Set Objects form check the Show Mesh box under the Options section.

• Is there a way I can alter the size of the mesh?

Easy – go to the Analyze > Set Options command and specify the Maximum Mesh Dimension under the Mesh Parameters section.

SAFE equation solutions are performed in double precision arithmetic, which allows for 15 significant figures. If you have global or local instability (e.g., a node that is not restrained), the solution will suffer a loss of accuracy. The program issues a warning if the loss is estimated to be above 6 digits, and will cease processing if the detected loss is above 11 digits.

• When displaying slab force contours, SAFE displays a Min and Max value with X and Y coordinates of where the Min and Max values are located. But when I place my mouse on the location of the Min or Max, why are the values displayed significantly different?

This is a result of averaging the contour displays. If you go to Display > Show Slab Forces and checkbox ‘None’ under Contour Averaging, your display will show these peak values.

• How do I tell the program which concrete design code to use?

Go to the Options > Preferences command and on the Preferences form click on the Design tab and select your code preference from the Concrete Design Code drop-down list.

• How do I view the geometry of the design strips?

Go to the View menu and click on either the Set X-Strip Layer or Set Y-Strip Layer command.

• How do I draw a design strip?

Make sure that the active view is a plan view, and go to the View > Set X-Strip Layer or View > Set Y-Strip Layer command to display a strip layer plan view. Next, go to the Draw > Draw Rectangular Area Objects command, and draw a new design strip in the same manner as any other rectangular area object.

• After I run the design, only the reinforcing in the X-direction is displayed — how do I see the reinforcing in the Y-direction?

Simply click on the Design menu and go to the Display Slab Design Info command. On the Slab Reinforcing form, select the Y Direction Strip option under the Choose Strip Direction section.

• Is there a way to convert rebar design output from total number of bars to "number of bars at so many inches on center"?

After analysis and design, go to Design > Display Slab Design info. and checkbox the option for ‘Show Rebar Above Typical Value’ to obtain design results in this type of format. In addition, this feature can be used to highlight and report only the areas where additional reinforcement is required above some minimum user specified amount for temperature.