How to Use

Earthquake-Resistant Structures in 3D

A six-story building is shaken so you can compare four ways of building. The moment frame carries the earthquake on columns and beams alone, braces stiffen that frame, dampers turn the energy into heat, and base isolation lets the building glide on rubber bearings. Pick a system on the left and the 3D model shows exactly its members.

The same ground motion always runs through all four systems, so the Response panel keeps sway at the top, story drift, and top-floor acceleration side by side. The Ground motion panel switches between near-fault and long-period shaking, sets the intensity, and exaggerates the deformation. Stiffness, damping, story count, and story height live in the parameters beside the Structure panel.

Drag with the mouse to turn the view, hold Shift while dragging to pan, and use the wheel to zoom. Double-click a panel title to switch how the panels are laid out: in the movable layout you drag them wherever you like and keep several open, and in the fixed layout a single panel sits in the top right.