Tutorial 1

The best way to learn how to use the program is to go through these tutorials. The general procedual and most of the features are explained below.

DESIGN DESCRIPTION
Fig 1 shows a panel's shape, dimension and panel thickness.

STEP 1 Start TiltMAX.
Click on window Start button. Select Program and then TiltMAX. Reply the dialog box, use imperial system.
View program interface.

STEP 2 Modify outline shape of the panel.
Change Panel width to 13'-4". Panel thickness to 7", Left height to 33'-4", Right height to 32'-6", when you change the data in the textbox, the picture on the right showing the changes of panel geometry accordingly.
View program interface.

STEP 3 Cut holes in the panel.
Select Edit from the main menu, select Add Primitives (or click the button in the toolbar), in the dialogbox select Block in the Primitives Style, type in the bottom left coordinate; the width and the height of the hole, X=3'-4", Y=0", W=6'-8", H=8'-4", then click OK. A hole in white color appears on the picture, a text string "Block, 3'-4", 0", 6'-8", 8'-4" shows in the Primitivesl listbox. The panel's weight, center of the panel will change instantly.
View program interface.

Fig 1.

STEP 4 Configure the rigging.
In the Horizontal frame, check 2Wide option. In the Vertical frame, check 4High option. Accept the horizontal location and vertical location, use them as initial locations to do the optimization.

STEP 5 Set insert location constrain.
Apparently, you do not want to put the insert location lower than the top of the hole. So, you set the first row insert location constrain Lbound to 10'-0". Click left-hand side check box, the text box in the Lbound box turn red, set the textbox to 10'-0".

STEP 6 Check design data.
Select Analyze/Check from the main menu. The design data could not be saved until the check finished.

STEP 7 Optimization. (If you don't want to do the optimization, you may go straight to Step 8.)
You can get the bending moment envelope curve either by using the default location or doing optimization to get the optimization location. Let's try the optimization first. Select Analyze/Optimization /Bendingmoment Optimization from main menu or from menu bar

. The optimization result will appear on the screen in seconds. View the program interface. Click on View/Geometry menu. You can changeover either way from the panel Geometry Window to Result window using menu bar

. In the BendingMement Envelop result window, press F2 to switch to Shear Envelop window; In the Shear Envelop result window, press F1 to switch to BendingMement Envelop window;

STEP 8 Tilt-up analyze.
Select Analyse/Tilt-upanlyse. Two charts appear showing the loading diagram and the bending moment diagram (the envelope of panel lifting from horizontal position to vertical position).
View the program interface.

STEP 9 Query Result.
Click the bending moment envelope curve, a prompt form appears showing the top, bottom bending moment at the click point and its change during panel tilt-up.
View the program interface.
Click on View/Geometry, you can click on the panel directly to find the section bending moment.
View the program interface.

STEP 10 Save the design data.
Click File/Saveas menu, type in the file name in the dialog box.

You can go on with this exercise and try different design parameters. In this way, you will quickly become acquainted with the possibility which TiltMAX gives you.
As you have seen, TiltMAX is quite straightforward. Hope you enjoy using it.