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You are reading the online version of the LimitState:GEO manual, which is also available as a pdf.
Wizards
Introduction
LimitState:GEO provides a number of Wizards which allow the user to rapidly create models of commonly encountered problems. Variants on these geometries are easily generated by modifying the basic geometry created by the Wizard (see Modifying geometry). To use a Wizard, select Create a new project in the Welcome to LimitState:GEO dialog and click OK. The New Project dialog (Figure ) will then start. A number of different project types are available, all of which initiate a Wizard.
Select the required Project Wizard and click OK. If the Wizard has been run before and the previously entered values should be used as defaults, ensure the Use previously entered values as defaults box is checked. Otherwise the system defaults will be used.
For further information on starting with a empty project see Starting with an Empty Project.
Using a New Project Wizard
Introduction
The Wizards in LimitState:GEO are designed to help the user quickly generate a model of their problem.
Each Wizard guides the user through the process of defining the Project description, the problem Geometry, the problem Materials, Loads, and Partial Factors.
It should be noted that, at any point whilst running a Wizard, it is possible to click Finish. LimitState:GEO will automatically fill in any information that has not been explicitly supplied (by using default values together with information already provided by the user up until that point).
In most cases, information is entered in a sequential manner, the user clicking Next after each step. However, it is possible to move backwards through the various steps by using the Back button. The left-hand pane of the Wizard dialog serves as a reference point, with the current section being highlighted in blue as shown for the Project description stage in the figure below.
All parameters with dimensions should be entered in either Metric or Imperial units depending on the
program preferences set by the user. When a data entry box is selected, data entry via a
calculator is also available by clicking on the calculator button 
. The calculator also
incorporates a unit converter for many commonly used units, including Metric and Imperial
units.
Step 1 - General Project settings
This dialog allows entry of the Project name, Reference number, Location, Map reference, Engineer name, Organization, and general Comments. This information may be included in the Report output.
Step 2 - Geometry
The next stage is to describe the geometry in the selected Wizard. The figure in the dialog clearly indicates the meaning of the parameters to be entered as shown below.
On some Geometry dialogs, it is possible to select Model as symmetrical half space. This option is available for problems that have a natural plane of symmetry. Modelling only half the problem increases computational efficiency. However the option to model the full problem is available to a user who may wish to subsequently add asymmetrical loading or make the geometry asymmetrical.
The geometry data entry is normally designed to prevent unrealistic/impossible geometries being entered. However this is not feasible in all cases. If a combination of parameters is entered that would result in an unrealistic geometry being generated, a warning message will be displayed on pressing Finish and the software will adjust the geometry to produce a feasible result. The user may then either edit the final geometry directly (see Modifying geometry), or, alternatively re-run the wizard and adjust the initial settings appropriately. To ensure the data entered previously is retained, ensure the Use previously entered values as defaults box is checked in the New Project dialog (see New Project for further details)
Step 3 - Materials
Each tab in this dialog allows the user to specify the basic properties of the materials used in the problem or to select a material from a predefined list as shown below.
For materials such as soils, the shear strength parameters 
, 
, 
, and the dry and saturated unit
weights (
) may be entered as well as the material drainage behaviour. For materials
representing engineered structural elements such as footings or walls, generally only the cohesion
and unit weight will be requested, together with multipliers that define the soil/structure
interface properties. These multipliers are applied to any adjacent soils to define a Derived
material.
In order to keep the Wizards straightforward to use, only basic material properties are entered, and default values are used for the other properties. To edit other available properties it is necessary to use the Property Editor (see Setting Material Properties) once the Wizard has been exited.
Step 4 - Loads
Specify the required loads here as shown in Figure . Loads specified as Variable will by default have a margin of safety or Adequacy factor computed for them. For such loads, you may either enter the actual applied load and a margin of safety will be computed. Alternatively a value of 1.0 may be entered and the Adequacy factor will equal the collapse load. For further discussion of the Adequacy factor see Loads.
Line loads (in kN/m) are typically specified for loading on structural elements (such as a footing or
pipeline) while surface surcharge pressures (in kN/m
) are specified for distributed surface loads.
Note that LimitState:GEO internally represents loads on Boundary objects as stresses. Line
loads will thus automatically be converted to stresses acting over the width of the relevant
boundary and will be displayed in the Property Editor as both a stress and a line load (see
Loads).
Step 5 - Scenarios
This stage displays the Scenario Manager as shown below. For a description of the full functionality of the Scenario Manager and for guidance on defining Partial Factors, see Scenario manager and Partial Factors manager. By default a Single scenario is active and the required partial factor set can be defined manually, or a set of pre-defined factors can be selected using the drop down box.
