Generating Reports
Advance Design offers the capability to produce detailed calculation reports, incorporating a variety of data and results through diverse outputs such as tables, text, images, and graphical post-processing. You have the flexibility to create reports in multiple formats, including DOC, DOCX, RTF, TXT, XLS, XLSX, and PDF, all of which can be further refined and customized using a corresponding application.
Navigate directly to your section of interest:
- How to generate a new report
- How to configure the document's properties
- How to add a report cover sheet
- How to define the document's structure
- How to add text to your report
- How to add images to your report
- How to add and configure tables
- Defining and using custom tables
- How to access previously created reports
- How to insert external documents in a calculation report
In this section you will find useful informations about how you can generate detailed structure reports during the modeling phase and result tables post-calculation. The report content is configured based on selected elements and current settings. The report generator allows for extensive customization, including layout, text, images, and table content. You can also create custom data tables and incorporate external documents. With Result Memory technology, report content updates automatically with each calculation iteration, eliminating manual updates. Moreover, any saved images within Advance Design can be included in reports, and results can be filtered and compared according to project-defined rules.
How to Access the Command
Here’s how you can initiate report generation across different interfaces within Advance Design:
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From the Analysis - F.E. Results toolbar: Click on the relevant icon
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From the Ribbon: Navigate to the Results tab within the Reports panel, and select Generate a New Report.
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From the Project Browser: While in the Document mode, right-click and select New Report from the context menu.
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Keyboard shortcut: Alternatively, you can press <Ctrl> + <Shift> + <r> for quick access.
How to Generate a New Report
To create a new report you have to access the command as previously mentioned and the Report generator dialog box will open:
Report Generator
General configuration
To access and display general properties, you have two options:
- Click the Report Properties button.
- Within the left panel, under the Document main mode, right-click and select Properties from the context menu.
To choose the specific analyses and results for your calculation reports, follow this step:
- Click the Case/Combinations button to open the Load cases / Combinations dialog box.
Load cases / Combinations dialog
For each result type (Displacements, Forces and Stresses) there is a tab which contains the table of available load cases / combinations.
Load cases / combinations table
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The first column of the table allows the selection of the corresponding case to add to the report.
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No.: displays the case identifier.
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Load case / combination name: displays all the available cases.
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Code: displays the case code.
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Details: allows the selection of a analysis subset (for seism, non linear or time history analysis).
Selection options
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Type: selects the cases according to the selected criterion (i.e., combination, envelope Actions that can be applied on structure elements. They are grouped in load cases, which correspond to certain case families, buckling Instability characterized by sudden failure of a structural member subjected to increase of an existing load., etc.).
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Codes or identifiers: selects the cases by their codes and / or identifiers. The codes can be selected from the drop-down list or manually entered in the field. The identifiers are entered in the field.
Tips
To select non consecutive items, separate the identifiers with a space: 1 5 10.
To select a range of consecutive items, use the dash: 1-10.
The selection methods described above can be combined: by entering 1 2 102-104, the selected cases are 1, 2, 102, 103 and 104.
- All: selects all the available cases.
- None: cancels the current selection.
Check the boxes corresponding to the desired analyses cases for each type the result you want to view. Change the tabs to access the result types (Displacements, Forces, Stresses).
You can also select the desired analyses typing their ID in the Codes or identifiers field or filter them by type, using the Type drop-down list.
Click All to select all the load cases from the list, or None to deselect all.
Click OK to apply and close.
By default all the analyses and results are selected. If you leave unchanged the default settings in Case / Combinations dialog box, the report will concern all available results.
Click Generate to create the report.
- During generation, the left panel displays the process status. When the document creation is done, the viewer application starts and opens automatically the report.
- If you want to view the generation details after the creation of the report, in the Report generator dialog box click Display details. The list of events is displayed in the left panel of the window.
- If you want to cancel the generation of the report, click Cancel.
- To clear the report list, simply click the Clear List button.
Define the report’s content
- To add selected items to the report's elements in the left panel, you can either click the designated button
or double-click the items in the right panel. - To remove items from the report's content, select them and click the designated button
. - To display report properties, use the Properties button or right-click on the item in the left panel and select Properties from the context menu.
- If you want to rename the report, you can use the Rename button.
If you wish to keep some items in the report's structure for future use without generating them, you can:
- Double-click them; they will appear grayed in the report generator's list.
- Select them, right-click, and choose Do not generate from the context menu.
- Or use the Enable/Disable button.
Organizing the report’s content
- To arrange the position of the selected items from the report's content, use the arrow buttons.
- Alternatively, right-click on the selected items and choose Move from the context menu to specify their position: To the left/To right/Upward/Downward.
If you wish to delete a report, select it and click the Delete button.
How to configure the document's properties
1. Access the command and the Report Generator dialog box appears.
Report Generator - Document tab
2. In the left panel, select Document.
3. Click on Report Properties.
4. The Document properties dialog box will be displayed.
Document properties
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Report name: displays the default name of the document. You can input here the desired name.
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Customized margins: you can change the default size of the document's margins, typing the desired values in the corresponding fields.
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Paper size: the default paper size is A4. Access the drop-down list to select another type. If you select Custom size, you may define the width and the height of the paper in the corresponding fields placed below the drop-down list.
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Template file: displays the path of the template file used for the report generation. To specify another template, click
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Viewer: displays the path of the viewer application used for the report visualisation. To specify another application, click
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Save as: check the option corresponding to the format in which you want to save the report document:
- RTF Document: the default format for report documents.
- Document Word: the document is saved in DOC or DOCX format.
- Text File: the document is saved as a TXT.
- Excel Document: the document is saved in XLS or XLSX format and is automatically opened with Excel application.
- PDF Document: the document is automatically converted and saved in PDF format.
- Active Reports: the document is saved in RDLX format.
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Click OK to apply and close.
How to add a report cover sheet
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Access the command. The Report Generator dialog box appears.
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In Document tab select Cover sheet and add it to the report's content.
Report - Cover sheet
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Select Cover sheet in the left panel.
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Click Table properties. The Cover Sheet dialog box appears:
Cover sheet properties
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Document type: allows the user to insert a document description and an ID number to be displayed on the report cover sheet.
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Image: inserts an image in the cover sheet title block. Click
to browse for the image file on the disk (JPG, BMP, GIF, etc.), or type the image path in the field. -
Index: allows the user to control the revision lines inserted in the report. The drop-down list displays the current revision line. To add revision lines click
. To delete the current revision line click 
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Date: the current date.
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Modification: allows the user to insert a description text regarding the modification done for the current revision.
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Author: the author's name.
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Verifier: the verifier's name.
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Display date and time in the title block: when enabled, the editing date and time are displayed in the title block of the cover sheet.
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Enter the necessary information and click OK.
Tip
To edit the information displayed in the cover sheet and in the headers and footers of all reports generated from the current project: access the Project Settings command.
How to define the document's structure
The report generator allows you to insert and define elements of document editing (i.e., table of contents, page and section breaks, chapters) and organize them as you desire.
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Access the command. The Report Generator dialog box appears.
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Access Document tab:
Document structure
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Add the following items to the report's content:
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Table of contents: inserts the Table of contents automatic field in the document.
Tip
To update the table of contents, open the report in Word application.
In WordView: select File > Open for Editing from the menu to open the report in Word.
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Chapter: you can organize the report's content in chapters. Select the inserted chapter and click Table properties. The Chapter properties dialog box appears.
Table properties - Chapters
- Input the chapter's name in the Description field.
- To insert a page break before the chapter, select Insert a page break.
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Page break: place the page break before the desired item.
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Section break: place the section break before the desired item.
Tip
Before adding an item, select in the left panel the "parent" item to which it will subordinate. Use the arrow buttons 
to define the position of each item in the report's structure.
How to add text to your report
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Access the command. The Report Generator dialog box appears.
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In Document tab select Text and add it to the report's content.
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Select Text in the left panel.
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Click Table properties.
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The Text Properties dialog box appears:
Table properties - Adding text
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Text description: you can add a short description for the text you want to insert in the document. This description will appear only in the report generator window.
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Text source: allows selecting the text insertion method.
- Check File if you want to insert the content from a document (.rtf, .txt or .doc). In this case, the File Source field is active. Click to browse to the location of the text file on the disk. The content of the text file is inserted in the document structure as an updateable field.
The report file must be saved as .doc or .docx so the update can take effect.
- Check Keyboard to input the desired text. In this case, the Input text field is active, allowing you to input the desired text.
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Click OK to apply and close.
How to add images to your report
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Access the command. The Report Generator dialog box appears.
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In the Document tab select Image and add it to the report's content.
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Select Image in the left panel.
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Click Table Properties.
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The Image Properties dialog box appears:
Table properties - Adding images
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Image title: input a title which will be displayed in the document with the image.
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Image path: click
to specify the path of the desired image. -
Scale: define the image size choosing the horizontal and vertical scale.
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Distances: define the image size and position choosing the values for width, height, left and upward position.
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Mode: enable for Portrait mode. It rotates the image by 90°, counterclockwise
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Click OK to apply and close.
How to add and configure tables
The report generator provides a large set of data and result tables you may add to your report. You can find all the available tables in the Table tab of the Report generator window.
How to add tables to your report
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Access the command. The Report Generator dialog box appears.
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Access Table tab:
Report - Adding tables
Tables are organized by table categories; to view all the tables for each category, expand the corresponding list:
Finite elements Analysis
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Geometrical data: tables of data concerning the structure configuration. The following categories of geometrical data tables are available:
- Main model characteristics
- Systems description
- Coordinate systems description
- Geometrical points description
- Structure's bill of quantities
- Linear elements description
- Planar elements description
- Supports description
- Cross sections description
- Materials description
- Nodes description
Example of structure description tables:
Structure description tables
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Loading data: tables of data concerning the loads description. The following categories of loading data tables are available:
- Description of climatic loads
- Description of global actions
- Seismic analysis assumptions
- Description of load cases and families
- Description of loads
- Description of combinations
- Comments on loading elements
Example of loading data tables:
Loading data tables
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Results: tables containing the available results. The following categories of results tables are available:
- Modal analysis Analysis used for the study of vibration modes of a structure and for obtaining the responses of a structure exposed to dynamic actions.
- Seismic results by mode
- Generalized buckling
- Displacements
- Forces
- Stresses
Example of result tables:
Result tables
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Envelopes: tables containing envelopes of results on displacements, forces and stresses for each type of element. The following categories of envelopes tables are available:
- Envelopes of envelopes
- Global envelopes by elements
- Global envelopes by load cases
- Absolute concomitant envelopes
- Signed concomitant envelopes
Example of envelopes tables:
Envelopes tables
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Rules Tables: tables containing results which are filtered and compared according to the rules defined in the current project. The following categories of rules tables are available:
- Rules description
- Max. rules values
Example of rules tables:
Rules tables
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User tables: custom tables defined by the user, with the help of Report Generator commands.
Example of user tables:
User defined tables
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Connections Tables: tables containing connections description and results:
- List of connections
- Synthetic table by type of connection
Example of connections tables:
Connections tables
Steel Analysis
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Data
- Calculation as
- Load cases
- Stored shapes
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Results
- Deflections verification
- Buckling and lateral-torsional buckling lengths
- Ka-Kb coefficient details by node
- Ka-Kb coefficient details by element
- Envelopes and shapes optimization
- Shape sheets
Example of steel results tables:
Steel results tables
Concrete Analysis
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Data
- Calculation assumptions
- Load cases
- Linear elements characteristics
- Planar elements characteristics
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Results
- Reinforcement sections linear elements
- Reinforcement sections planar elements
- Sizing torsor planar elements
- Concrete stress planar elements
- Reinforcement ratio linear elements
- Reinforcement ratio planar elements
- Oblique bending verification
Example of concrete results tables:
Concrete results tables
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Click
to add the selected items to the left panel, which contains the current report's elements. You can also double click the items of the right panel to add them to the report's contents.
Tip
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You can view the selected table's header row displayed on the field from the bottom side of the report generator window:
Header row
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Before adding a table, select in the left panel the "parent" item to which it will subordinate. Use the arrow buttons
to define the position of each table in the report's structure.
How to configure the tables properties
For certain tables there is available a configuration window which allows you to define the table's content and display properties. Thus, you can select the load cases or the systems on which you want to generate data tables, you can configure the rows content and display, etc.
You can configure the following types of tables, as described below:
Tables concerning the seismic results
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In Table tab select the Modal masses and seismic accelerations table from the Seismic results by mode category and add it to the report's content.
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Select in the left panel.
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Click Table properties. The Seismic load cases dialog box appears.
Configuring seismic results tables
The first column of the table allows the selection of the corresponding case to add to the report.
No.: displays the case identifier.
Load case / combination name: displays all the available cases.
Code: displays the code of the corresponding case / combination.
Select all: selects all the available cases.
Deselect all: unselects all cases.
The report generator contains only tables with available data. If certain components have not been generated or calculated in the current model, they will not be available in the report generator.
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Select the analysis cases for which to view results.
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Click OK to apply and close.
Modal vectors table
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In Table tab select Results / Modal Analysis / Modal Vectors.
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Add this table to the report's content and select it in the left panel.
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Click Table properties. The Modal Vectors dialog box appears.
Configuring modal vectors tables
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Input a selection of modes: allows the user to define the range of modes on which to obtain results.
Tip
The convention for selecting elements by ID input (where an input field is available): the space character adds items (1 3 9 means 1 and 3 and 9) and the dash character defines items ranges (1-9 means from 1 to 9). The selection methods described above can be combined: by entering 1 2 5-7, the selected cases are 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7.
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Click OK to apply and close.
Tables concerning structure elements (linear, planar, supports)
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Description tables (description of linear elements, description on planar elements, description of supports)
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Result tables (of displacements, forces, stresses) on linear elements, planar elements, supports and nodes
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Envelopes tables
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In Table tab select the desired tables and add them to the report's content.
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Select in the left panel one or several tables of the types specified above (thus you can configure several tables at the same time).
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Click Table properties. The Table properties dialog box appears.
Configuring structure elements tables
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Title: you can view / change the table's title.
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Page setup
- Highlighted lines: highlights the table rows in gray alternating with not-colored rows, for an enhanced perception.
- Display conventions: displays conventions used in the table.
- Two columns: the table is displayed by two columns per page.
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Results options
- Extremes on footer: check the extreme type you want to view in the table's footer.
- Results on: choose the part of the element on which you want to view the results.
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Coordinate systems: select the coordinate system in which the results are expressed (global, local axes, user system).
Click Advanced options to extend the dialog box with more options:
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Specific selection
- Define a specific selection of loads cases \ combinations: check this option to enable the choice of analyses on which you want to view the results. In this case, the list of analyses is enabled and you can check the desired analyses. When unchanged, you obtain the results on all available analyses. For an easier selection of load cases, use the analyses selection fields placed on the bottom side of the window (Analysis type combo-box and Code field).
- Define a specific selection of systems: check this option to enable the choice of systems on which you want to view the results. In this case, the list of systems is enabled and you can check the desired systems. When unchanged, you obtain the results on all available systems of elements.
The report generator contains only tables with available data. If certain components have not been generated or calculated in the current model, they will not be available in the report generator.
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Click OK to apply and close.
Shape sheets tables (steel design)
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In the Table tab select Steel Analysis / Results / Shape sheets.
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Add this table to the report's content and select it in the left panel.
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Click Table properties button. The Shape sheets properties dialog box appears.
Configuring shape sheets tables
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Define the table name and the creation type (information grouping criterion: by elements, by mesh, by design template, by name, by system or by selection).
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Define a specific selection of systems: enable this option to define the grouping criterion by a selection of systems (the By System option must be enabled). The shape sheets are created only for the elements of the selected systems.
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Click OK.
The report generator contains only tables with available data. If certain components have not been generated or calculated in the current model, they will not be available in the report generator.
Defining and using custom tables
Advance Design allows you to define custom tables with a wide range of configuration options. You can either define new custom tables with various settings or derive them from existing tables. These custom tables can be saved as XML files for future use in different projects.
All user-defined tables are placed under "User table" category in the Table tab. You can recognize user-defined tables from the default tables by their distinctive red icon.
Custom table
How to create custom tables starting from existing ones
Follow these steps to generate custom tables from existing tables:
- Access the command. The Report Generator dialog box will open.
- Switch to the Table tab and click on the Create tables button.
- The Create table dialog box will appear, containing the settings from the selected table. You can modify all the settings as needed.
- Customize the content of the table.
- Click Save.
- A new table with the same name as the original one will be created in the User table category.
How to save custom tables as XML files
The custom tables you create can be saved as XML files:
- After customizing the table, click Save As in the Create table dialog box. The Save As dialog box appears.
- In the File name field, enter the name of the XML file and click Save.
The XML file is created and can be imported in other projects.
How to load a custom table
The custom tables that were saved in other projects as XML files can be imported in the current project.
To load an XML file containing a custom table:
- In the Create table dialog box, click Load. The Open dialog box appears.
- Select the XML file corresponding to the saved table and click Open.
The contents of the selected table are loaded in the Create table dialog box.
How to delete a custom table
To remove a custom table, follow these steps:
- Go to the Table tab in the Report Generator under the User table category.
- Select the custom table you wish to delete.
- Click the Remove Table button.
How to access previously created reports
You can find all Advance Design output documents in the Project Browser Tree-structure project navigator which displays different content in each working step of the project, enabling access to various Advance Design commands:
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Access the Document mode (click
):
Project Browser - Document mode
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To open a previously created report: click the desired document to open it with the default viewer application.
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To edit the settings of an existing report: right click it in the Project Browser and select Edit from context menu. The Report generator dialog box appears, containing the settings of the selected report.
You can also access all output documents of Advance Design in the "document" folder of the current project.
How to insert external documents in a calculation report
Documents created outside the project can be inserted in a calculation report. Types of files that can be inserted: DOC, DOCX, RTF.
- Save / copy the files in the "document" folder of the current project.
- From the main menu, select Documents > Generate a new report.
- Access the Other Documents tab. It displays the external files that were added in the "document" folder.
- Select the files to add to the calculation report.
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To select non-consecutive items, keep the <Ctrl> key pressed while clicking each item to select.
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To select a range of consecutive items, keep the <Shift> key pressed while clicking the first and the last element of the range.
- Click to add the selected item(s) in the report document structure.