This study compares three structural engineering software tools (ETABS, SAP2000, and SAFE) for analyzing high-rise buildings. High-rises present unique challenges in structural design, requiring careful optimization for safety and efficiency. Each software tool has distinct features, and this study evaluates their effectiveness and accuracy for high-rise design. Factors like structural stability, load distribution, and design efficiency are considered. By identifying the strengths and limitations of each tool, engineers can enhance building safety and optimize construction costs.

1. Comparative Study of High-rise Building
Using ETABS, SAFE and SAP2000
Supervisor: Mr. Twana Ali
Prepared by
1-Paywand Shakir
2-Ziyad Asaad
3-Ismail Mukhlis
4-Ahmed Karim
5- Mohammed Jalal
6-Rasan Nuradin
Prepared by: 1-Paywand Shakr 2-Ziyad Asaad 3-Ismail Mukhlis 4-Ahmed Karim 5- Mohammed Jalal
1

2. Outline
2
1.Introduction
3-Loading
2. Detailed Parameters of the Building
4.Modelling Of The Structure
5- Procedure of Modeling the Slab (SAFE)
6- Procedure of Modeling the structure (Sap2000)
7-Procedure of Modeling the Slab (SAFE)
8- Result and Discussion

3. 1.Introduction
1.1 About the Structure
The building we're talking about here is going to have ten floors
and will be used for people to live in. It's going to be built in
Erbil. The kind of structure it is called an RCC-Framed
structure, which means it's made of reinforced concrete. This
type of structure is strong and sturdy, which is important for
buildings that have many floors like this one. We need to make
sure it's designed and analyzed properly to make sure it's safe
for people to live in.
1.2 Analysis Procedure
The structure has been modeled, analyzed, and designed using
computer software such as "ETABS v21.0.0," "SAFE v21.2.0,"
and "SAP2000 v25.1.0." These software programs boast
excellent analysis and design capabilities, which have been
confirmed through verification problems included in their
packages. They operate based on the Finite Element Method
(FEM) and require the structure to be modeled using finite
elements
3

4. 2. Detailed Parameters of the Building
2.1 General Parameters
Building Type: Residential Building
Location: Erbil
Site plan area: 445 m2
No of Storey: 10
Floor Height: 3.5 m (center-to-center)
Core wall thickness: 250 mm
Total Height: 35 m
2.2 Structural Parameters
Foundation Type: Mat
Columns: Rectangular (400 x 500) mm
Beams: (400 x 600) mm
Slabs: Two-way, 180 mm
Structural System: RCC Special Moment Resisting Frame (SMRF)
2.3 Material Properties
Cement: Ordinary Portland cement (OPC)
Concrete Grade: M35 for all beams, columns and slab…
Steel Grade (for reinforcement): Fe420 (Grade 60)
2.4 Design Basis
The building is designed following the standard codes and
norms. The different codes used for the structural design are
i. ACI318-19.
ii. ASCE07-16.
iii. Iraqi Seismic Code (ISC-2017
4

5. 3. LOADING
3.1 Dead Loads (DL)
1) Self-weight of the structure
i. RCC (beams and columns): 25 kN/m3
ii. RCC (slab): 25 kN/m3
iii. Steel: 78.5 kN/m3
2) Wall-loads
i. Wall load: 8kN/m for all beams storey 1 to 9
ii. Parapet wall Load: 2.5 kN/m for edge beam storey 10
3) Finishing on floors
Floor finished (SIDL): 2 kN/m2 for all slabs
3.2 Live Loads (LL)
Live Load: 3 kN/m2 for all floors and roof
3.3 Earthquake Loads (EL)
Earthquake load has been calculated based on ISC-2017.
Basically, horizontal seismic forces shall be considered for the
structures that depend on different parameters. Different
parameters for generating earthquake loads are:
i. Seismic zone: Z
ii. Spectral acceleration parameter at short periods (Ss): 0.6
iii. Spectral acceleration parameter at a period of 1 sec (S1): 0.2
iv. Importance Factor: 1 (for residential building)
v. Reduction Factor (R): 5 (for SMRF)
vi. Soil type: Medium
vii. Deflection Amplification Factor: 4.5
viii.Overstrength Factor: 2.5
ix. Site Class: C (Soft Rock and Very Stiff / Very Dense Soil)
x. Long period ground motion (LPGM): 8
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6. 6
4.MODELLING OF THE STRUCTURE
To model the building structure, we start by using software tools like ETABS, SAP2000, and SAFE.
4.1 Procedure of Modeling the structure (ETABS)
-Initialization Options
Display Units: Metric SI
Concrete Design Code: ACI318-19 OK

7. 7
2-Grid Dimensions (Plan) & Story Dimensions
-Story Dimensions
Number of Stories: 10
Typical Story Height: 3.5m
Bottom Story Height: 3.5m
-Grid Dimensions (Plan)
Custom Grid Spacing ⨀ OK
3- Grid System Data
-Rectangular Grids
Display Grid Data as Spacing ⨀ (Input the Grid data) OK then OK

8. 8
4- Define the Materials
-Define
Material Properties > Add a New Material Property > Ok > Modify/Show
Material Property Design Data
(Repeat for all material that you have!)

9. 9
Concrete
Steel

10. 10
-Beam

11. 11
-Column

12. 12
-Slab

13. 13
6- Load Patterns.

14. 14
Same for seismic loading (other direction)
7- Mass Source.

15. 15
8- Load Combinations.

16. 16
9- Drawing model

17. 17
10- Shear wall

18. 18

19. 19
11- Draw slab
12- Make opening
13- Assign Loads.

20. 20

21. 21

22. 22
14- Replicate storey

23. 23

24. 24
15- Assign base joint
-
Delete the load from the frame
in 10 storey and make new load

25. 25
16- Diaphragms

26. 26
17- Automatic mesh of slab

27. 27
18- Automatic mesh of wall
19- Add design strips for (X,Y)

28. 28
-Select strips

29. 29
20- Replicate stripe
21- Check of the model

30. 30
22- RUN
23- Display

31. 31
-Displacement Live load
-Displacement QX load Max resalt

32. 32
-Displacement wind load Max resalt

33. 33
24- Design the frame, review performance

34. 34
-Select Deign Groups

35. 35
25- Start Design
26- Verify All Member Passed

36. 36
27- Display Design Beam

37. 37
28- Display Design Info

38. 38
29- Verify Analysis Vs Design Section
30- Design Slab

39. 39
-VIEWS revise performance
31- Select Design Combination

40. 40
32- Select Stories for Design

41. 41
33- Start Design
34- Select Story One

42. 42
34- Show Selected
35- Display Rebar

43. 43
36- Display Punching Check

44. 44
37- Display Crack Widths
The End

45. 45
4.2 Procedure of Modeling the Slab (SAFE)
To make sure the slab is strong and well-designed, we'll start by moving the slab plan from ETABS to SAFE software.
This lets us thoroughly check and design the slab, making sure it's strong enough and meets all the safety requirements
1- Export file from ETABS to SAFE
2- Add Story

46. 46
3- Save File
4- Import ETABS to SAFE
5- Choose File SAFE

47. 47
6- Import The File
7- Define Material

48. 48
Define Material is same for all types

49. 49

50. 50
8- Delete Col.Stiff the Slab

51. 51
9- Check Define Frame

52. 52
10- Add Strips
11- Mesh Floors

53. 53
12- Define Mass Source

54. 54
13- Analyze
14- VIEWS revise performance

55. 55
15- Select Design Combination
16- Start Design
17- Show Slab Designs
The End

56. 56
4.3 Procedure of Modeling the structure (Sap2000)
Modeling structures in ETABS follows the same steps as in SAP2000 because both software programs work similarly.
This makes it easy to switch between them and ensures that your structural designs stay consistent.
1- Define The New Model.

57. 57
2- Define the Materials.

58. 58
3- Section Properties.

59. 59
-Beam

60. 60
-Column

61. 61
-Slab

62. 62
-Shear Wall

63. 63
- Core
4- Load Patterns

64. 64

65. 65
5- Mass Source.
6- Load Combinations.

66. 66

67. 67
7- Drawing model

68. 68

69. 69

70. 70

71. 71
8- Assign Loads.

72. 72

73. 73

74. 74
9- Replicate storey

75. 75

76. 76
10- Assign Base Joint
11- Automatic Mesh of Slab and Shear Wall

77. 77
12- Diaphragms

78. 78
13- RUN

79. 79
14- Display
-Displacement Live Load

80. 80

81. 81

82. 82

83. 83

84. 84
15- Design The Frame, VIEWS revise performance
use your code
16- Select Deign Compos

85. 85
17- Start Design

86. 86

87. 87
18- Verify All Member Passed

88. 88
19- Display Design Beam

89. 89
20-View preference
21- Use design code

90. 90
22- Display design info
23- Design results

91. 91
4.4 Procedure of Modeling the Slab (SAFE)
1- Export File from SAP2000 to SAFE 2- Add Elevation
3- Save File

92. 92
4- Import SAP2000 to SAFE
We have discussed about SAFE and
we have been input the methods and
now will be repeating……..
We skip the steps!

93. 93
16- Show Slab Designs

94. 94
5. Result and Discussion
5.1 Result
We used three different computer programs ETABS, SAFE, and SAP2000 for our analysis and design work. It's interesting
because each program gave us different answers, showing that they work in different ways. In our presentation, we'll show
you the results from each program and compare them carefully. This will help us understand which program is better for
different engineering tasks.
 Comparing the sample of model for the structural analysis
1- Bending Moment Diagram (Live Load)
SAP2000

95. 95

96. 96

97. 97
ETABS

98. 98

99. 99
SAFE

100. 100

101. 101

102. 102
2- Shear Force Diagram (Live Load)
ETABS

103. 103

104. 104

105. 105
SAP2000

106. 106

107. 107
SAFE

108. 108

109. 109

110. 110
5.2 Checking Punching
 Check Punching in ETABS

111. 111
 Check Punching in SAFE

112. 112
5.3 Design Details
We finished designing using three different software programs. Now, we'll move the files to Revit for more work. In Revit,
we'll get detailed reinforcement info to finish our project. When we've gathered all the needed data and analyzed the
reinforcement, our work will be done. Using these different software together helps us work accurately and quickly,
making sure we deliver good results on time.
 ETABS

113. 113

114. 114
-Column

115. 115

116. 116
-Beam

117. 117

118. 118
- Slab

119. 119

120. 120

121. 121

122. 122
5.4 Discussion
ETABS is really good at figuring out how tall buildings handle strong forces like earthquakes and wind.
SAFE is focused on analyzing and designing concrete slabs and foundations, which are really important parts of tall
buildings.
SAP2000 is a flexible and versatile software that helps engineers analyze high-rise buildings. It offers many different
ways to study how the building behaves under different conditions
o The bending moment results for live load (LL) obtained from three different software tools for slab design vary due
to differences in their analysis methods and features:
SAP2000 (in component M11) Mmax=-3.6 kN.m/m
ETABS (in component M11) Mmax=-3.2 kN.m/m
SAFE (in component M11) Mmax=-3.6 kN.m/m from SAP2000
SAFE (in component M11) Mmax=-4 kN.m/m from ETABS
o The results for the axial force (LL) in the base column vary across three different software design tools.
SAP2000 Pa=-151.2 kN
ETABS Pa= -156 kN
SAFE Pa= -155.5 kN

123. 123
There are some questions about these three software design tools
1- Which software program is better for design high-rise building?
ETABS is mostly used for analysis and design of building, whereas different structures (i.g. bridges, tower etc) can
be modeled in SAP2000 while the application of this software is more for structural analysis than structural design.
Also, SAFE is a specialist software for analyzing and designing slabs and foundations.
2- Why should I use different software program for design accurate building?
Using different software for building design offers a complete approach, using each tool's strengths. For example,
ETABS is great at studying movement, SAFE focuses on floor design, and SAP2000 is flexible. Using more than one
program makes designs more accurate by looking at different parts of how buildings work, making sure they're
strong and dependable.
3- In Iraq which software program most using?
In Iraq, when it comes to designing and analyzing buildings, the top choice is ETABS, followed by SAFE, and then
SAP2000. People tend to think that if something is expensive, it's better quality. So, considering the cost of each
software program, these are the ones most commonly used for building design in Iraq [5].
ETABS 5500$
SAFE 4400$
SAP2000 2200