Reading results
Reading a result is where a wrong number is easiest to produce and hardest to notice, so this page is mostly about being specific.
Always name the load case
A result request without a load case can return values across every calculated loading at once. The number that comes back is then a maximum over cases you may not have meant to combine, and it looks exactly like the answer you wanted.
Say which one:
Give me the maximum bending moment in member 3 for load case 2 only.
For load case 1, list the support reactions at every support, and say which support carries the largest vertical force.
Ask for the location, not just the value
A moment without a position is hard to check against a hand calculation. Ask for both:
Maximum moment in the rafter with the x-position where it occurs, load case 2.
Cross-check one value by hand
The habit worth keeping: pick one result you can verify with a formula and check it before you trust the rest.
Example: a single span of 6 m under a uniform 12 kN/m should give roughly qL²/8 = 54 kNm at midspan. If RFEM says 54, the model is behaving. If it says 27 or 108, the load or the system is not what you think it is.
Check completion and provenance
A successful model build or status response does not supply internal forces. Wait for calculation to finish, then read the requested results from that exact model and load case. If the permitted tool does not support the required result type, the answer must state that limit. A hand calculation is a separate comparison, not a value read from RFEM.
Review strength and serviceability for every affected component in the summary. A passing bending check does not compensate for excessive deflection. Missing checks and checks not performed also belong in the summary. An enabled design add-on alone does not prove that a design run was completed. CALC does not grant approval for construction.
Sign conventions
Signs follow the axis orientation the model runs with, and the assistant states that orientation after it creates or changes geometry. If a reaction comes back with an unexpected sign, check that line before you go looking for a modeling error: Working with RFEM covers it.
For new analytical calculations of straight beams in CALC, the local z-axis points downward. The positive reference fiber is below the beam, and downward deflection is positive. CALC support diagrams label upward reactions as negative Fz values. Deformations read from RFEM retain their actual member axis orientation. Previously stored curves are not reinterpreted; run a new analytical calculation to apply the new convention.
Where to go next
- Reports to turn the results into a document.
- RFEM troubleshooting when a value cannot be read at all.