Live Loads¶

The Live Load module is a library of ASCE 7 Table 4.3-1 (Table 4-1 in ASCE 7-10), Minimum Uniformly Distributed Live Loads and Minimum Concentrated Live Loads. Instead of typing values, you pick the occupancies and uses in the structure. Each one brings its uniform load and its concentrated load from the table of the edition your project uses, along with whether live load reduction is permitted.

Key Features¶

• The complete occupancy list of the live load table, grouped by category
• Uniform and concentrated loads as the code gives them
• Live load reduction and multistory reduction permissions tracked for every use
• Search that filters the table as you type
• Add a single use or a whole category at once
• A module report listing every selected load

Adding the Module¶

1. Click the three-dot menu (⋮) next to the structure name in the sidebar
2. Select Live Load

The module opens straight into the editor, with the full occupancy table on the left and an empty Live Loads Used list on the right.

The Editor¶

A use that is already in Live Loads Used disappears from the table until it is removed again.

Adding Live Loads¶

1. Type part of a use in the search box, or scroll the table
2. Click + on the use. It moves to Live Loads Used
3. Repeat for every occupancy in the structure
4. Click Save Used Loads

Adding a Whole Category¶

Clear the search box, scroll to a category heading such as Office Buildings, and click its + to add every use in it: the offices, the lobbies and first-floor corridors, and the corridors above the first floor, each with its own values. Remove the ones that do not apply. With a search active, the heading's + adds only the uses that match the search.

Removing Live Loads¶

1. Click Edit Live Loads Used on the module summary
2. Click the remove button at the end of a row in Live Loads Used
3. Click Save Used Loads

Summary View¶

The module summary lists the selected uses under their categories. Each row shows:

• Use: the occupancy or use as named in the live load table
• Uniform: the uniformly distributed load in psf
• LL Reduction Permitted: whether ASCE 7 permits reducing the load (Section 4.7 for floors, Section 4.8 for roofs, and Section 4.11 for helipads in ASCE 7-16 and 7-22)
• Multistory LL Reduction Permitted: whether the reduction for members supporting two or more floors applies
• Concentrated: the concentrated load in pounds, where the table gives one

Edit Live Loads Used at the top right reopens the editor.

Live Load Reduction¶

The two permission columns record what ASCE 7 Sections 4.7, 4.8, and 4.11 permit for each use, so the reduction decision is documented beside the load it applies to. ASCE 7-16 and 7-22 list these permissions as columns of Table 4.3-1. ASCE 7-10 Table 4-1 has no reduction columns; there the limits come from Section 4.7 and the table's footnotes, and Prose fills in the columns from them.

Where reduction is permitted, a floor member still qualifies only where KLL AT is 400 sq ft or more, with KLL from Table 4.7-1 (Table 4-2 in ASCE 7-10), and the reduced load may not be less than 0.50 Lo for members supporting one floor or 0.40 Lo for members supporting two or more floors (Section 4.7.2).

PDF Export¶

1. Click the Export PDF tab on the module page
2. Review the report in the viewer
3. Click the Save button in the viewer toolbar to save the PDF

The report carries the project header, your company information, and the selected loads grouped by category with their reduction permissions. The same pages appear in the project report.

Deleting the Module¶

1. Hover the Live Load entry under the structure in the sidebar and click its three-dot menu (⋮)
2. Select Delete Module
3. Confirm with Delete Live Load

Best Practices¶

• Pick every occupancy that occurs in the structure, including the roof, so the report is complete
• For mixed-use buildings, add each use rather than the heaviest alone, so each floor's load is documented
• Check the reduction columns before reducing any load in your design
• Note local amendments to the live load table in the structure notes

Code Reference¶