ETABS: your first 30 minutes

Model a 3-storey RCC building in your first 30 minutes

1. Set up. New model → units kN-m (or kip-ft), code ACI 318-19. Grid: spacing from your architectural plan; storey heights 3.35 m (11 ft).
2. Materials & sections. Define → Materials: concrete 21 MPa (3000 psi), rebar Grade 60. Frame sections: beams 230 × 450, columns 230 × 380; slab 150 mm shell-thin.
3. Draw. Draw columns at grid intersections (all storeys), beams on grid lines, slabs with the rectangle tool. Assign fixed supports at the base.
4. Loads. Load patterns: Dead (self-weight 1), Super-dead 1.5 kPa floor finish, Live 2 kPa, walls as line loads (9″ brick ≈ 5.2 kN/m per m height), EQ by code.
5. Run & check. Assign diaphragms, mesh slabs, run. Check deflected shape, storey drift, column P-M ratios and beam design (Design → Concrete Frame).
6. Next steps. Export the base reactions to SAFE for footing design, and the slab to SAFE for slab design.

Values are typical teaching values — always use the loads, materials and codes of your actual project.

More quick-start guides

ETABS · SAFE · AutoCAD · Primavera P6 · Revit