Announcing the Release of PLAXIS 3D 2016 – Now Available

Users will find some major improvements and new functionality in the latest Plaxis 3D 2016 release, including reduced modelling time for tunnelling and rock mechanics applications.

This latest release contains functionality improving the user friendliness and reducing the modelling time for tunnelling and rock mechanics applications, plus some general modelling enhancements.
Some of the new features include:

• Polar array tool
• Improved import of CAD data
• Rockbolts in the Tunnel Designer
• Define excavation sequence in the Tunnel Designer

Polar Array (VIP)

The polar array allows users to effortlessly copy objects in circular patterns, for example to easily create vertical shafts modelled by secant piles or to model forepoling in tunnelling projects. The user can input the number of copies, the centre of rotation and the angle of rotation for the to-be-arrayed object.

Improved Import (VIP)

In PLAXIS 3D 2016 the CAD import functionality has been improved, supporting *.DXF, *.STEP and *.brep formats. NURBS surfaces, solids, splines can now be imported easily. Native Autocad solids can be imported without the need of discretising them into triangulated objects first. This not only saves you time in Autocad, it also has benefits for PLAXIS. Because of the absence of triangulation, the PLAXIS 3D mesher can more easily create better meshes with less elements for both simple and complex projects, by using the mathematical representations of the imported objects.

Easy definition of rockbolts (VIP)

In the Tunnel Designer, it is now possible to add rockbolts to tunnel segments. Users can assign multiple rockbolt configurations to the same segment or assign the configuration across multiple segments. An offset, length, as well as the number of bolts and their spacing along the tunnel perimeter and along the trajectory, can be given to each configuration.

Define excavation sequence in the Tunnel Designer (VIP)

After defining the tunnel cross-section properties, users can from now on proceed with defining the tunnel excavation sequence from within the Tunnel Designer. This includes deactivating side-wall drifts, benches or inverts, and (de)activating temporary or permanent support like rockbolts, jack forces, grout pressure and liner segments. The excavation sequence needs to be defined only once, and will be used later on in Staged Construction mode to generate the full excavation along the tunnel’s trajectory.

Other new features

• Python integration in Expert Menu: Interpreter, Editor, Command prompt and run scripts (VIP)
• Remote scripting: display and save plot types (VIP)
• Use the Output command line to display plots, or save plots with user defined resolution
• Convert imported Borehole top & bottom surface to NURBS Surface (VIP)
• All-Nodes Fixity in separate x, y and z directions (Dynamics)
• Cuboid and (Truncated) Cone commands (VIP)
• New Embedded beam behaviour type: Grout Body
• New Soiltest type: Cyclic direct shear test
• Trim and Extend functionality
• More control over visualization of local axes
• Select number of significant digits displayed
• More control on timestepping for Dynamics calculations (Dynamics)
• Reduce required project disk space by changing the saved step interval
• PLAXIS 3D 2016 Viewer included in the release

Find more information on all these new features, including video clips, here.

For further information, or to arrange an upgrade to PLAXIS 3D 2016, please contact us.