Etabs Guidelines

Step 1
- Group all the similar floors. Try and make least number of groups. Small
variations in the slab edge plan should be ignorned while forming such groups.
- Take one autocad file per group. Using polyline command, make closed surfaces
for slab edge, columns, walls and openings. Mark the beams as lines. Please
ensure to have all these elements (slab, openings, etc) in separate groups.
- Purge the auto cad file and delete all the layers which are not used. Export the
DWG file as a DXF file.
Step 2
- Create a new Etabs file with the blank template and use ‘Build-in Settings’.
Ensure to use the latest code while creating the file.
- Enter all the floor heights. Make sure to have the top of basement wall as your
lowest floor. In case the height of the basement wall varies, please take the worst
case. Try and name the floors the same as contract docs.
Step 3
- Define material properties with all the properties used in the project.
- Define section properties, especially the slab section and the wall section.
- Ensure to assign the stiffness modifier (for ass the f’s and m’s) and generate two
models for strength and serviceability. For the PT slabs, use 0.5 modifier for
strength and 0.715 for the serviceability.
- Defile the diaphragms. Ensure to define separate diaphragms for the plan with C
shape, S shape or any other irregular shape. This helps us to get more correct
results.
- Define the Pier Labels for shear walls. It is preferred to define the same number if
the wall is C shaped or E shaped.
Step 4
- Import the DXF file.
- Auto generate the columns, beams, slabs, openings and wall elements. Ensure
to generate the periphery beams as null section to assign the façade loads.
- Replicate the generated floor to complete the model.
Step 5
- Assign the joints with the diaphragm. Also go to Assign>Joints>Joint Floor
Meshing Option and then check the option and press OK.
 - Assign the material overwrites to the frame section similar to the Column
schedule or narrative. Ensure to assign the section properties to the frames with
different column or beam sizes as marked on the plan.
- Assign the material overwrites to the wall section as per the contract documents.
Ensure to assign the pier labels to the shear walls.
- Assign the material overwrites and the section properties to the slab sections.

Step 6
- Define load patterns. Ensure to define two live load patters. One for the loads
which are reducible and other for non-reducible loads.
- Define the wind load pattern with auto generate wind loads from the latest code.
Use service wind loads (As per the commentary of the appendix) for calculating
the displacements due to wind. Use the formula D+0.5L+W (See the commentary
of the appendix for ASCE).
- Define the seismic load pattern. For the serviceability condition, use Seismic
(drift) load case. If the displacements are more, response spectrum analysis can
be used. While using the RSA, please ensure to have the minimum base shear
as per the ASCE code.
- Please use the ordinary moment frame R, omega and Cd values even if we are
having shear walls to be on a safer side.
- Use the chapter 12, ASSCE to calculate the gap b/x the property line and the
edge of the structure. Additionally, chapter 12 also gives us the formula for
separation b/s two buildings or separation b/w two parts of the same building.