In STAAD Foundation Advanced (SFA) v24, the required workflow for designing combined or isolated footings depends on exporting the structural model from STAAD.Pro, including both load reactions and load combinations. Unlike mat foundations, which can be modeled directly within SFA, combined and isolated footings must originate from prior structural analysis in STAAD.Pro.
Due to this integration, any inconsistency in load classification or assigned load factors during the structural analysis stage can carry over into the foundation model. In these cases, the user currently has no tools within SFA v24 to modify the imported load factors that affect self-weight calculations, since the program does not allow editing these values either via the interface or through Excel files—a capability that was available in SFA v9. This restricts post-import correction and, in certain scenarios, forces the user to restart the workflow in STAAD.Pro, resulting in loss of all foundation work done in SFA.
When a load combination imported from STAAD.Pro includes multiple DEAD load components with different factors (e.g., 0.9 and 1.0), SFA automatically assigns the highest of these values as the multiplier applied to self-weight, soil weight, and foundation weight, in combination with the reactions imported from the structural model.
Although Bentley has confirmed that a warning message will be implemented in these situations, it has been clarified that this feature currently exists only for models imported from SFA v9. Since the primary workflow for combined and isolated foundations comes from STAAD.Pro, and SFA v9 is scheduled for discontinuation in December of this year, it would be highly recommended to extend this warning functionality to models exported from STAAD.Pro, which represent the vast majority of real-world use cases.
Display an automatic warning message when multiple DEAD load components with different factors are detected in the same combination, for example:
“There are more than one DL components in the load comb XX and the max load factor will be used for further self-weight, DL and/or Gravity load calculations.”
Reintroduce the ability to export and import load combinations via Excel, allowing users to review and correct load factors without having to completely rebuild the model in STAAD.Pro.
Enable internal editing of load factors within SFA v24 after import, at least within the load combination editor, with built-in consistency checks when modifications are made.
These enhancements would reduce the risk of unintended errors, improve design traceability, and eliminate unnecessary rework—particularly in industrial projects, where the number of load combinations can be high due to multiple operating modes, limit states, and client- or code-specific conditions.