GENERATION 10
Introduction
We are pleased to present Generation 10 of our programs. It adds many new functions, implements customer requests and incorporates changes to the standards. Entirely new developments include a 3D viewer with rendering for the CEDRUS shell model, Python-scripted model generation in STATIK, and fire analysis for timber cross-sections in FAGUS.
SIA 262:2025
The code basis and design methods have been adapted to the revised SIA 262:2025. The main changes include updated material properties for concrete and reinforcing steel, adjusted limit strains of concrete in bending and extensions to shear design, in particular to account for plastic deformations of the chords.
Reliable work in everyday use and with large models
In addition to the visible new features, the technical foundation of the Cubus programs has been comprehensively revised. Program start-up, shutdown and many processes shared across the programs now run more robustly and reliably. This particularly benefits long working sessions and workflows involving many files or repeated switching between programs. Situations in which an operation cannot be carried out or is cancelled are handled in a controlled manner, and the model remains in a consistent state. Ongoing work is thus better protected.
For working with large, memory-intensive models, the greatest importance was placed on ensuring stable operation for very large projects and optimising speed. Extensive models can be reliably calculated, designed and evaluated.
New features across all applications
All our applications also benefit from significant improvements in the presentation of results: one-click Excel export of output tables with their formatting retained, flexible report design and modernised printing functions. In addition, the CubusExplorer has been optimised for secure project operations and for extensive, deeply nested project folders.
CEDRUS
The Cubus shell model: the unified storeys model
The modelling options in the unified storeys model have been extended. Orthotropic material zones, zones without twisting stiffness, fixed columns and the element support model are now supported. The handling of small geometric inaccuracies, arising for example from 2D input, has been further improved.
The coupling of horizontal strains between floor slabs and walls has a significant influence on the structural behaviour. The shear forces occurring in the connection joints can therefore now be output. In addition, the utilisation factor with respect to the shear resistance of the connection joint is available for assessing the verification situation. This composite action between walls and the slabs connecting from above or below can be defined in the CEDRUS slab and then represented and checked in the building model.
The reinforcement design in the unified storeys model uses routines developed specifically for shell design that consider bending moments and normal forces (M+N) together. Extended display options allow the design results to be evaluated as isolines and tables, among other formats. For detailed cross-section checks, the internal forces can be transferred to FAGUS.
Influence of the additional normal forces from the composite action of wall and slab on the required reinforcement.
Displacements and internal forces are transferred faster from the unified storeys model to the floor slabs. A structured progress indicator shows the processing steps of the building model.
Extended wall design
The design of wall reinforcement with FAGUS has been extended with additional design cases. This allows special load and connection situations at the top and base of the wall to be examined more specifically. In particular, stress situations at the top of the wall are captured and assessed in a more differentiated way.
3D viewer in render mode
EdViG (Editor-Viewer-Graphics) is a visualisation tool developed entirely from scratch and linked to the CEDRUS building model. The full power of the visualisation filters by various criteria (storeys, building elements, names, etc.), already valued in CEDRUS, has been supplemented by new tools such as exploded storey views and clipping planes.
EdViG responds instantly to user input, even for the most impressive buildings. A new interaction mode called “On-Hover” lets users see the effect of a filter immediately, simply by moving the mouse pointer over the corresponding button. This is made possible by the efficient use of established hardware acceleration methods employed in today’s standard graphics cards (GPUs).
The analysis model created from the 3D model can be displayed clearly and comprehensibly. EdViG shows the entire building along the axes used for the finite element analysis.
Finally, EdViG offers unique tools for understanding and interpreting the structural behaviour. To draw high-precision isolines for the results, entirely new interpolation algorithms have been developed that take into account the zone of influence and not just the results of the directly adjacent elements. A dynamic isoline displays in real time all results that correspond to the result point selected with the mouse. These contour lines are shown either on the undeformed or on the deformed structure with hidden surfaces, also with “On-Hover”.
Cracked deflection - base module
The cracked state that governs the stiffness may result from a different combination of actions than the one for which the deflection is verified. The combination of actions that determines cracking and the combination for the deflection verification can therefore now be specified separately – for example, the rare combination to determine the cracked state and the frequent or quasi-permanent combination to calculate the deflection. This allows a more realistic determination of the deflection.
Extended data export – base module
Information on the finite element mesh can be exported directly to Excel. This lets you map data from other output tables to the corresponding mesh nodes and elements and cross-reference the different outputs.
Central changes to all floor slabs – module G
Due to high demand, selected material zones, mesh zones, downstand beams, columns and walls can now be edited together across several storeys. This makes it possible, for example, to change the support conditions of all columns in the building, or to adjust the thickness of all floor slabs, in a single step.
Storey table – module G
Several rows can be selected at once and their properties changed in a single step. Individual storeys can be detached from their master storey and linked to it again. This makes it easier to edit the unified storeys model as well as the stacked-slab model with building stiffness activated.
Horizontal load table – module H
The horizontal load table supports copying and pasting multiple cells and rows, including to and from Excel.
Space frame table – module H
A sound analysis relies on considering several models. This can quickly become confusing. The space frame table therefore offers a new comparison function. It shows which parameters were used to generate the existing models and how they differ.
Extended IFC export - reinforcement module
Reinforcement from the CEDRUS reinforcement module can now be exported in IFC format. The export function was developed in collaboration with Allplan.
STATIK
Links for dual nodes
A link connects the first and second nodes of a dual node using zero-length springs. Links can be used in steel and timber structures, among other applications, to model special connection types, such as scissor joints.
The link (spring) forces are available both graphically and numerically in the analysis results, allowing users to verify the transfer of forces between the connected parts of the structure. Links are also considered in long-term analyses.
Extended wall design
The design of wall reinforcement with FAGUS has been extended with additional design cases. This allows special load and connection situations at the top and base of the wall to be examined more specifically. In particular, stress situations at the top of the wall are captured and assessed in a more differentiated way.
Automatic calculation and report output
A prepared report specifies which calculations and outputs are to be performed. STATIK can be started from the command line, update this report automatically and then close.
Combined with script-controlled model generation, several model variants can thus be calculated and documented according to the same specification. The resulting report outputs are available for subsequent comparison and evaluation with your own scripts.
Script-controlled model generation
A new workflow in STATIK lets you generate projects by script. The core of this extension is a Python module that provides access to the full power of this language. The module can be used with your existing Python installation and in your preferred working environment. A complete analysis project is generated, and the STATIK application can be called from the script.
Linking to a report makes it possible to add result processing to the pipeline, e.g. using your own Python script, to obtain a complete processing chain.
A variant of the Python module provides special tools for creating bridge models. The modelling environment combines text input and scripts with a graphical preview.
LARIX
Line supports and lines of symmetry for soil nail walls
A line support is now available in the Soil Nail Wall module and can be inserted in the elevation view. This allows, for example, laterally connected soil nail walls to be taken into account. The line support is considered exclusively for the wall design and can also be modelled as elastic.
For symmetrical wall sections, lines of symmetry can be specified as boundary conditions for the wall design.
New "Design" tab in the Slope Stability module
As in the Soil Nail Wall module, a “Design” tab has been added to the Slope Stability module. It allows the influence of various parameters of anchors, soil nails and adhesion elements, such as length, force and spacing, on slope stability to be analysed. For easy assessment of these parameters, the design analyses are displayed in a diagram. This makes it possible to examine the effectiveness of the measures and to optimise the dimensioning.
Display of isolines
In the Soil Nail Wall and Slope Stability modules, isolines with clearly defined and adjustable colours make it easier to interpret the stability results.
Additional results for stability analyses
In the Soil Nail Wall and Slope Stability modules, additional results for the method of slices are available both graphically and numerically:
The force distribution along all resisting elements – soil nails, anchors, adhesion elements and shear resistances – can be displayed graphically.
At the intersection of a slip line with a resisting element, the design force considered for stability and its influence on the safety are displayed.
For each slip line, the slices used can be displayed graphically. This makes it considerably easier to assess the quality of the results and to optimise the number of slices required. The key parameters of the slices are available in the numerical results.
Head plates in the wall results
In the wall results of the Soil Nail Wall module, the head plates of soil nails and anchors are displayed according to the selected support model. This shows directly where and over which area the nail and anchor forces are introduced into the wall.
Automatic compilation of a report
For calculations in the LARIX modules Soil Nail Wall, Slope Stability, Retaining Wall and Excavation, a report containing all input data and the key results can now be generated. A dialog lets you choose what the report should contain. The generated print entries can then be edited as required. Further entries can be added and individual ones deleted.
Additional layout outputs are available for the Retaining Wall and Excavation modules. The numerical table output has also been improved. In addition, there are the extensions to report design described under “General features”.
FAGUS
Fire analysis
Thermal and mechanical analysis at elevated temperatures is now available for timber cross-sections.
For the mechanical cross-section analysis at elevated temperatures, a new path-following algorithm has been implemented. This improves the stability and efficiency of the nonlinear calculation.
In addition, the input of user-defined temperature–time curves has been extended and improved.
Shear and torsion modelling
The selection of the shear and torsion model has been made clearer and takes into account both the cross-section type and the existing shear wall elements. For compact cross-sections, torsion can also be applied via the base cross-section or within the individual shear wall elements. The available options are displayed to match the cross-section entered.
Shear verification
The shear verification has been adapted to SIA 262:2025. This has been implemented both for slabs without shear reinforcement and for members with shear reinforcement.
MURUS
Base module
The main window can now be resized. Together with the new keyboard shortcuts, this provides a smoother and more efficient workflow.
MURUS Pushover
Pushover analyses can now be stopped automatically when a user-defined target compliance factor is reached. This is particularly helpful when the assessment or retrofitting of a building is to be carried out for a compliance factor of less than 1.0.
The seismic base shear can now be explicitly specified by the user. This extends the applicability of the program to buildings that do not meet the criteria for applying the equivalent lateral force method.
Thanks to a more robust algorithm, pushover analyses of complex structures can now be performed faster. The capacity curves are now also available in numerical form, along with more detailed analysis results. Additional options have also been introduced for handling walls that already fail under the quasi-permanent load combination.
Direct Excel export of output tables
The export of table data has been significantly improved. Every Cubus application can export all of its output tables to Excel spreadsheets with high-quality formatting. The labels and explanations of the fields are exported as such.
Flexible report design and modernised print output
Reports can be built individually from a title page, numbered chapter headings, an automatic table of contents, your own formatted texts and the existing print entries of the calculations. As soon as a chapter is defined, the subsequent tables are numbered as subsections of that chapter.
The contents can be inserted at the desired position, arranged and subsequently edited. The table of contents can also be positioned freely.
Your own texts can be edited directly in the report and are retained when the calculation entries are updated. Report compilations can be saved and shared together with the associated text and image files. The print output has also been modernised.
CubusExplorer
Project management in the CubusExplorer, as well as navigation and working with extensive project structures, have been further improved. Projects and calculations are detected more reliably and displayed more clearly with preview, status and modification time.
Project navigation has been restructured and focused on the folders relevant to project work. The default storage location for Cubus projects is now shown as a separate entry at the top level, making it immediately recognisable and directly accessible.
Creating, renaming, copying, moving, archiving and deleting projects has been standardised and safeguarded. Progress indicators make extensive copy, move and delete operations easy to follow.
Software-based licensing with Sentinel SoftLock
With Sentinel SoftLock, a software-based alternative to the physical USB dongle is now available. The licence is securely bound to a specific physical or virtual computer. This makes it particularly suitable for virtualised corporate and server environments, without the need for a USB port, USB forwarding or an external dongle server. As the licence is delivered electronically, it is also easier to install and manage.
Older Hardlock® protection dongles are no longer supported. Generation 10 programs can only be operated with a Sentinel protection system.
Improvements across all applications
In addition to the major new features, numerous existing workflows and program interfaces have been optimised:
- Improved start previews and navigation
- Improved display and readability of output tables
- Revised language texts in several programs
- Improved stability when opening and closing extensive projects
- Improved scaling and window display
- Numerous quality and stability improvements