The first noticeable feature is the new interface – it’s friendlier, familiar and much easier to use and navigate. IT Managers within structural engineering practices will also like the fact that FBEAM 2006® is fully networkable. Alternatively, FBEAM 2006® may be installed on a stand alone basis on a PC or laptop. Updates to FBEAM 2006® will be downloadable from the Fabsec website.

FBEAM 2006 incorporates an all new set of file options. One of these new options is the Fabsec project solution and this allows a user to create a design solution that incorporates multiple beam designs and provides powerful new facilities to use within the project.

The features available with the Fabsec Project solution are:

• Ability to have multiple beam designs organised under the umbrella of a single project
• Beam grouping and organisation allowing groups to be created for floors or revisions.
• Enhanced replication of beams including an automatic beam / group copy
• Project analysis with visibility of the analysis state of each beam from the project navigator
• Project optimisation including design rationalisation and new fire optimisation features
• Autodesk dxf file generation to allow easy export to drawing packages
• Export of a project schedule to a universal comma separated variable (.csv) spreadsheet for opening into excel or other programs
• Generation of a compressed project pack that contains all the design and report elements as required and adds them to a compressed zip file for easy distribution to other parties.

Seamlessly link complete projects from RAM at the click of a button. So, how does the link work? Engineers initially model Fabsec beams within the 3D RAM design model. Through the data exchange, the RAM Structural System seamlessly links all pertinent information from the design model into FBEAM 2006. The intelligent information, such as beam length, loaded width, loads – full / partial varying distributed loads, position of secondary beams, etc., is all automatically linked from the 3D model to the FBEAM 2006. Once in FBEAM 2006, the process of designing Fabsec beams is virtually at a click of a button. A process which may have previously have taken up to 15 minutes, can now be accomplished literally in seconds.

FBEAM 2006® software now includes the unique Beam Wizard™ – a fast and highly efficient ‘one-pass’ optimiser for beam designs. Key benefits include:

• Removes the need for iteration and determines the optimum solution in seconds
• Optimises Fabsec® beams in the normal condition
• Beams can be cellular or with bespoke openings (circular, rectangular or obround)
• Automatically determines least mass or lowest cost solution
• Optimiser operates within user-specified dimensional limits
• Permits symmetric and asymmetric beams
• Permits composite and non-composite solutions
• Optimises a complete project with ease

FBEAM 2006®’s toolbar for cell generation and editing now makes an often complex and time-consuming task as simple as possible. The toolbar is versatile, flexible and sophisticated, but remarkably easy to use. For example, users can edit or select beam openings directly on the schematic, and change the shape, position or spacing in a few simple mouse clicks. Users can also save their design as a PDF for attachment to an email.

The unique ‘Microsoft® Windows®’ style toolbar for cell generation and editing has the following powerful and unrivalled functionality:

• Openings generator form for user to specify individual or multiple openings
• Automatic cellular beam generation
• Change selected opening shape to circular, rectangular or elongated
• Delete selected or all openings from the beam
• Select all openings
• Equally space or centre openings within the beam
• Make selected openings same as first selected opening
• Move selected openings
• Adjust opening parameters through the openings data table
• Edit/select any beam opening directly on the beam schematic (by right mouse click)