Release Notes

Release Notes - Version 26.0.7a

Improvements

Post Offset Correction for Older Models
Corrected an issue where models created in older versions of LAVA could import with a 2 ft post offset instead of 0 ft, shortening the effective hold-down calculation and potentially causing hold-down failures. LAVA now correctly reads the post offset as 0 ft when no offset existed in the original model. Post offsets can still be manually adjusted as needed.

Long Shear Line Printing Correction
Corrected an issue where exceptionally long shear lines could cause an error when printing the calculation report.

Release Notes - Version 26.0.7

🎥 Video: LAVA's Latest Update: New Features based on your Feedback

New Features

Multiple Materials for Beams, Bearing Walls, Shear Walls & Posts
LAVA now supports multiple wood materials within the same project. You can specify different material species and grades for Beams, Bearing Walls, Shear Walls, and Posts, giving you more flexibility to match project requirements and material availability.

🎥 Video: Multiple Wood Species in One LAVA Project

Enhancements

Bearing Walls Sizes added to the Graphics display
Bearing Wall sizes are now displayed directly in the model graphics, making it easier to review your design without opening each wall individually.

DXF Color Enhancements
Added the ability to change the display color of imported DXF backgrounds. You can assign different colors to multiple DXF backgrounds or simply adjust the color to improve visibility against your LAVA model.

Shear Wall Materials Display
The Shear Wall dialog now provides more information about the selected wall after solution. The material description for the designed Shear Wall is displayed directly below the selected Shear Wall mark, making it easier to identify the material being used.

Shear Line Resize
Improved the ability to resize and adjust Shear Lines within the model.

Improvements

Multi-Ply for DXF
Corrected an issue where the number of plies for multi-ply Posts and Beams was not properly identified in the DXF output.

Wall Heights Updated
Corrected an issue where the wall heights were not updating properly when you toggled the Manual Adjust override.  

Release Notes - Version 26.0.6

New Features

Tie-Rod Systems

LAVA now includes integrated support for continuous tie-rod systems used with wood shear walls. The new tie-rod workflow automatically designs and selects the complete restraint system using manufacturer data from:

Simpson Strong-Tie
Earthbound
MiTek
AutoTight

New capabilities include:

• Automatic selection of rod size based on required tension capacity

• Automatic selection of compatible take-up devices (TUDs), bearing plates, and couplers

• Integrated strength and stiffness analysis of the complete tie-rod assembly

• Consideration of rod elongation, TUD deformation, seating, and bearing plate compression in shear wall deflection calculations

• New tie-rod information throughout the Schedule, Reports, and Calculation Log, including rod runs, component selections, cumulative forces, and deformation results
  Release Notes - Version 26.0.6

New Features

Tie-Rod Systems

LAVA now includes integrated support for continuous tie-rod systems used with wood shear walls. The new tie-rod workflow automatically designs and selects the complete restraint system using manufacturer data from:

Simpson Strong-Tie
Earthbound
MiTek
AutoTight

New capabilities include:

• Automatic selection of rod size based on required tension capacity

• Automatic selection of compatible take-up devices (TUDs), bearing plates, and couplers

• Integrated strength and stiffness analysis of the complete tie-rod assembly

• Consideration of rod elongation, TUD deformation, seating, and bearing plate compression in shear wall deflection calculations

• New tie-rod information throughout the Schedule, Reports, and Calculation Log, including rod runs, component selections, cumulative forces, and deformation results

• Automatic checking of strength, drift, travel, and compatibility requirements for the selected tie-rod system

LAVA evaluates both strength and serviceability to select a complete tie-rod system while helping ensure drift and deformation limits are satisfied.

🎥 Video: Design Continuous Tie-Rod Systems Directly in LAVA

Enhancements/Improvements

Dark Mode for Better Accessibility
Added a Dark Mode interface with a color palette designed to improve visibility and distinguish structural elements, imported DXF geometry, and reference objects while reducing eye strain during extended use.

Improved diaphragm modeling.
Diaphragms can now be copied and pasted as a different element type, reducing repetitive modeling.  This also allows you to get the exact same sized diaphragms in each direction.

          🎥 Video: Copy and Paste Diaphragms Across Directions in LAVA

Added Plate Group Edit
Plates can now be selected and edited as a group which makes it quicker for changes on multiple plates.

         🎥 Video: Mass Edit Plates in Seconds

Global Adjustment Factors Editable
Adjustment factors are now managed globally and can be updated after a model is created. Users can quickly push updated adjustment factors to beams, shear walls, or both without manually editing individual elements.

Shear Wall Compression Forces in Calculation Log
Added compression forces at both ends of each shear wall to the Calculation Log. This makes it easier to review, export, and share complete shear wall design information from a single spreadsheet.

Improved Live Load Reduction Settings
The Live Load Reduction preference now fully controls whether reductions are applied in design calculations. Users working in jurisdictions that prohibit live load reductions can disable this feature and design using unreduced live loads.

Improved reporting of Deflection and Drift
The Report and Calculation Log shows a detailed calculation of the shear wall and hardware deflections.

🔖 SW Drift in LAVA

Fixes & Corrections

Updated Southern Pine Database
Corrected Southern Pine database for Stud and Construction grades Fb, E, Ft, and Fcc values.

Post Reaction Reporting
Fixed an issue where post reactions in the report could display inconsistent positive and negative signs. Reactions are now shown using a consistent sign convention for compression design.

New Features

Model Import via Text File (API-Enabled)
Added support for importing models from a structured text file, providing an API-driven workflow for model creation.
This enables data-driven modeling from spreadsheets, external tools, or automated processes.

🎥 Video: Data-Driven Model Creation in LAVA

Enhancements

ASCE 7 Hazard Tool Integration
Automated direct linking to the ASCE 7 Hazard Tool for Multi-Period Design Response Spectrum parameters, simplifying seismic input.

🎥 Video: Automatically pull ASCE7 Hazard Data into LAVA

Parallam® PSL Post Option
Added support for Weyerhaeuser Parallam® PSL as a post material for beams and shear walls.

Multi-Ply Post Design (Up to 8-Ply)
Increased post design capability to support up to 8 plies for both beams and shear walls, allowing greater flexibility in high-load conditions.

Element-Level Database Reset
Databases can now be reset by element type.
This allows updates to system schedules while preserving custom configurations such as user-defined shear wall schedules.

Simpson Strong-Tie HDUE Hold-Downs (HF)
Expanded support to include HDUE hold-downs for Hem-Fir species.

HDUE Support for Raised Floors & Decks
HDUE hold-downs are now available for raised wood floor and deck design.

Improvements

Shear Wall with Openings – Calculation Clarity
Removed adjustment factor display for shear walls with windows.
Calculations remain unchanged, but results are now presented more clearly to reduce confusion.

Fixes & Corrections

LVL Shape Labeling
Corrected a display issue where 5-1/2" and 8-1/2" LVL sizes were reversed. No impact to calculations.

Geographic & Seismic Parameters
Fixed an issue where Latitude, Longitude, and Ke values were not being saved in the model file.

Snow Load Report Display
Corrected a graphical issue in the report where snow loads on bearing walls could incorrectly appear as being multiplied by zero.

Release Notes - Version 26.0.4

New Features & Enhancements

New Simpson Strong-Tie HDUE Hold-Downs Added

Support has been added for Simpson Strong-Tie HDUE hold-downs for DF, a next-generation replacement for the widely used HDU series. These hold-downs feature improved load transfer and optimized fastener patterns for wood shear wall applications.

🎥 Video: Simpson Strong-Tie HDUE Hold-Downs Added to LAVA

🎥 Video: Using HDUE Hold-Downs in Existing LAVA model

Faster Database Editing
Managing your databases just got easier. You can now apply filters and mass-edit tools to quickly update multiple records at once, saving time when working with larger datasets.

🎥 Video: Faster Database Editing in LAVA

Direct Usage Editing
The Usage field can now be edited directly within the database, giving you more flexibility to adjust and manage design data without additional steps.

Smarter Hold-Down Selection
The Shear Wall dialog now includes hold-down filters, allowing you to quickly narrow down options and select the right hardware without scrolling through the full list.

Targeted Hold-Down Database Reset
Need a clean slate? You can now reset only the Hold-Down database, leaving the rest of your database configurations untouched.

Fixes & Performance Improvements

Seismic Calculation Correction
Fixed an issue where Sa in the Y-direction could display as “-1”, which affected the Cs base shear calculation.

Database Display
Resolved a graphical issue that could occur when sorting database columns.

More Accurate Shear Wall Stiffness Modeling
Shear wall stiffness and deflection calculations have been updated to properly reflect the designed post size, improving analysis accuracy.

Hold-Down Reporting Fix
Corrected an issue where HDQ8 hold-downs were sized and calculated correctly but incorrectly shown as “not required.”

DXF Export Cantilever Column Placement
Corrected an issue where columns associated with cantilevered beams were exported to the DXF at incorrect locations. Columns are now placed correctly in the exported DXF geometry.

Release Notes - Version 26.0.3

Below are the detailed enhancements/corrections available in this release:

• Improved the Report- Seismic- Mass Distribution chart to displays both X and Y directions.

• Added manual override for seismic mass Snow calculations within the Diaphragm dialog, Snow tab.  

• Corrected a rounding issue in the Report- Seismic section displaying Mass Distribution.  

• Corrected an issue for custom shear wall heights that are different than overall elevation, individual calculations displayed incorrect heights.  This would occur after running the local analysis button.  

• Corrected an issue that caused the Seismic Height Roof entry to be used in the Hold-Down (Tension) calculations when the manual heights were over-written manually.  

• Corrected an issue that caused the Custom Wall Weights in the Walls tab to not save after closing/re-opening the file.

Release Notes - Version 26.0.2

Below are the detailed enhancements/corrections available in this release:

• Added the Edit Group- Bearing Walls which allows to change the Length, Location, Print in Report and Sizing.

• Improved the Edit Group- Shear Walls to include changing the Length, Location, and Print in Report.

• Added Copy option in the Client tab to copy the data to Designer, Engineer and Owner tabs.

• Corrected an issue where the shear wall was not receiving loads properly due to the Level and Plate height being different.  

• Updated a typo in the Load Combinations that showed Ev instead of Eh for IBC 24.

• Corrected an issue where both Timber and Glulam are selected in the beams for comparison and the wrong Cf factor was applied to the Glulam capacity.  

• Updated the Co equation per the SPDWS-21 4.3.5.6 to meet the IBC 24 requirements.

• Removed the file path from the bottom of the Report.

Release Notes - Version 26.0.1

Below are the detailed enhancements/corrections available in this release:

• Updated the Snow variable, Ct to correlate with the ASCE7-22 values allowing users to enter the site specific value.

• Updated the Irregular buildings checkbox to properly increase the drag forces by 25% along the shearline.  

• Corrected a typo in the Bearing Wall dialog that displayed Shear Wall inaccurately.

• Corrected an error with shear wall hold-downs not being read in when opening old models.

• Updated the unbraced length to adjust after resizing the beam.

• Corrected an issue with the Summary Report displaying one column skewed.  

Release Notes - Version 26

Below are the detailed enhancements/corrections available in this release:

• Added new design codes

  - IBC 2024 ASD with Deflection and Seismic Effects checks.

  - CBC 2022 ASD with Deflection and Seismic Effects checks.

• Enhanced the Wind input to show the detailed calculations behind the wind loads.

• Added Multi-Period Design Response Spectrum, Method 1 ASCE7-22 Sec 12.8.1.1

• Enhanced the Seismic loads to more easily show the calculations of the Seismic Response Coefficient, Cs and Seismic Load Effects.  

• Added Vertical Distribution of Seismic Force Resisting System (SFRS) Strength Verification

• Added Demand/Capacity utilization checks for each design check of the Shear Walls (Shear, Uplift, Posts).  

• Corrected an issue that prevented the Adjustment factors from being saved on individual elements.  

• Corrected the tributary height in the Wind Procedure building graphic.  

Release Notes - Version 25.2.2

Below are the detailed enhancements/corrections available in this release:

• Corrected a printing error due to a space in the custom shear wall name.  

• Corrected a printing error in users’ model as shear lines would not print.

• Corrected an issue during Mass Edit tool for Glulam beams.

Release Notes - Version 25.2.1

Below are the detailed enhancements/corrections available in this release:

• Corrected an error where the Allowable Adjustment Factor (AAF) was set to zero by default.  

• Corrected the Rigid Diaphragm Summary which had a column missing causing the headers to shift.

• Corrected the date format handling for international Windows settings that use the day/month/year format.

Release Notes - Version 25.2

Below are the detailed enhancements/corrections available in this release:

• Added the ability to change multiple beam and shear walls properties at the same time.  

  • Check out video of Mass Changes in LAVA.

• Enabled a feature to allow printing of isolated shear wall design without associated diaphragms and shear lines.

• Enabled a feature to maintain span direction when a plate is being resized.

• Enabled a feature allowing users to define the Allowable Adjustment Factor (AAF) for shear wall sizing and hold-downs in Preferences.  

• Updated model space to reflect 'N/A' for post selection.

• Updated ASCE7 equation reference of design forces on Shear Line report page to be consistent with ASCE7-16.

• Added the Undo Icon to the upper right corner.  

• Corrected the business name text in the Report so that it prints more than one word.  

• Resolved an inconsistency of the Hotkey display for Shear Line for hover help.  

• Resolved an inconsistency that D, L, Lr loads are not always considered in local analysis with individual member design dialog.  

• Resolved an issue where the DXF export showed the beam position rather than Beam Size.

Release Notes - Version 25.1

Below are the detailed enhancements/corrections available in this release:

• Added live load reduction factor to calculation report for improved clarity.

• Added an option for multi-ply beam analysis, where user can choose whether to use the combined beam dimension to calculate CL (beam stability factor) value.

• Added the ability to add additional dead area load to the diaphragm.  

• Added warning for beam and post design failure when slender ratio (Le/d) is over 50.  

• Added the ability to override the Seismic Coefficients under Project Definition- Criteria- Seismic.  

• Added highlights to titles on the tabs to make it easier to read when selected under Project Definitions.  

• Changed the default settings of ASD Special Seismic load groups to exclude shear wall end posts.  

• Resolved an inconsistency where take up devices are absent in ATS tie-down design.  

• Enabled a feature for users to edit applicability of existing load combinations under Database tab.

• Enabled a feature that allows Allowable Adjust Factor (AAF) in steel beam design.

• Increased file size limit of logo and site map images for improved compatibility.

• Corrected an error when adding sloped loads to the Load Assemblies.  

• Resolved a graphical inconsistency in Beam Design dialog where moment calculation result is absent for certain load combinations.

• Resolved a visual inconsistency when new load groups are added under Database tab.

• Resolved an inconsistency in bearing wall design report where effect of Allowable Adjustment Factor (AAF) is absent although considered in analysis.

• Resolved an inconsistency in total load value when new load definitions are added in the Database tab.

• Corrected the Fc and Cf values for post analysis.

• Corrected the Emin values for DFL#1 Beam and Stringers in post analysis.

• Corrected an issue with Emin value when calculating stability factor CL in beam design.

Release Notes - Version 25.0

Below are the detailed enhancements/corrections available in this release:

• Featuring an updated, easy-to-use floating license for greater flexibility and convenience.

• Updated the link to the ASCE Hazard Tool to quickly find seismic values for your project location.

• Corrected an issue with the Wind Loads Key Plans text overlapping.

• Corrected an issue that overlapped the display of the Beam name in the Report.

• Added the Uplift value to the Sizing tab in the Beams dialog. This allows you to review the total uplift for any LC selected.

• Corrected an issue that caused Cv factor not to be applied to Glulam beams.  

• Updated the load application to beams to ensure the vertical component of seismic loads is not applied when seismic loads are absent.

• Updated the automated load combinations to remove Roof Live Load (LLR) from Seismic combinations.  

Release Notes - Version 24.3

Below are the detailed enhancements/corrections available in this release:

• Added Export Reactions to allow users to have all the base reactions for beams, shear walls and bearing walls in a csv file format.  

• Added a color-coded warning if the diaphragm is not supported.  The Links to Elements will turn orange if there is a missing support.

• Added a color highlighting the tab selected making it easier to use the dialogs.

• Removed 4x6 and 4x8 Flat from the Posts/Supports for beams.

• Added the ability to limit the incising factor to the bottom floor only.  

• Added the ability to only apply shear within the Shear Line box.

• Enhanced the DXF export to show the beam name instead of the beam number.

• Adjusted the Shear walls so that they do not have self-weight by default because the bearing walls will account for the vertical loads.  The self weight can be added back manually if needed.

• Updated the repetitive member factor, Cr to be editable.  

• Corrected an error that did not allow the model to display the Report.  This error was limited to a few models.  

• Corrected an issue with the graphical display of the Shear line force diagram going off the page.  

• Corrected an issue that allowed a diaphragm to connect directly to the Shear Wall.  Shear Lines are needed to connect the diaphragm to shear walls.

• Corrected an issue that caused the Report to display names of walls overlapping.

• Corrected an issue that prevented the program from saving all three beam selections.  

• Corrected the reset Reports function to reset the report back to the default settings.

• Corrected an issue with the DXF export only showing posts as 4×4.  

• Corrected the graphical display of the link margin for beams with cantilevered supports.

• Corrected an issue that prevented diaphragms to be manually attached to the shear lines.  

Release Notes - Version 24.2

Below are the detailed enhancements/corrections available in this release:

• Added a feature that allows you to exclude beams and shear walls from the Report. In the double-click dialog, you can uncheck the "Print in Report" to exclude the item.

• Added a feature that highlights graphically the tab in use.  This makes it very easy to understand where you are in the dialogs and interface.  

• Enhanced the drawing of the diaphragm to default to X direction if nothing is selected.

• Added the ability to apply adjustment factors to interior and exterior walls separately.

• Corrected an issue that caused the Report to display names of walls and beams overlapping.

• Corrected an error when you had two of the same type of load assemblies preventing the report to be previewed.

• Corrected an issue that prevented saving custom deflection checks from saving in the file.

• Corrected an issue that prevented the factor TL to be displayed on the Report- Seismic Analysis section.

• Removed 1.5" and 2.5" studs from the Shear walls and Bearing walls databases.

• Corrected the wall self-weight options for Internal, External and Custom. This applies to shear walls and bearing walls.

• Corrected a graphical issue in the report that showed a sloped roof instead of a flat roof.

• Corrected a graphical issue that showed Ci in the calculation of LSL beams. The calculations were not affected.

• Corrected the beam graphics to show the links in the Model View.

• Corrected an issue that did not allow more than 24 shear lines. There is no current limit on the number of shear lines.

• Corrected an erroneous issue that showed the Collector connection failing when it was not required.  

Release Notes - Version 24.1

Below are the detailed enhancements/corrections available in this release:

• Added Apply All to the Shear Line dialog.

• Added the ability to Reset the Schedules from the Schedules tab.

• Added expanded Adjustment factors for Beams, Bearing Walls and Shear Walls.

• The elevation screen was increased to show up to 3 stories at one time.

• The flat shapes 2x4 and 2x6 were added to the Lumber database.

• Corrected the text in the Report that displayed the shear lines overlapping. the

• Corrected an issue that would not allow you to change building codes.

• Corrected an issue where the overlay was not hiding the display of plates.

• An error was corrected that allows you to remove the Site Area photo.

Release Notes - Version 24.0

This version includes a comprehensive set of features to streamline your design process and ensure precision and efficiency. Below are the detailed features available in this release:

Key Features

User-Friendly CAD Drawing Tools

- Easy-to-use interface with copy, snap, and move functionalities.

- Customizable drawing grids to fit your preferences.

DXF File Support

- Import DXF files for seamless integration with other tools.

Enhanced Object Management

- Quick selections of objects with a property grid.

Robust Editing Capabilities

- Undo/redo functionality to easily correct mistakes.

Design Codes

- CBC 2022 ASD with Deflection and Special Seismic checks.

- IBC 2021 ASD with Deflection and Special Seismic checks.

- IBC 2018 ASD with Deflection and Special Seismic checks.

Material Design Codes

- Wood Design Codes: AWC NDS-18/15: ASD.

- Steel Design Codes: AISC 360-16 ASD.

Wind and Seismic Codes

- Automatic generation of wind loads as per ASCE 7-16.

- Directional All-Heights Procedure.

- Seismic loads generated using ASCE 7-16.

- Equivalent Lateral Force Analysis.

- Diaphragm Theory: Flexible Diaphragm using Tributary Area, Rigid Diaphragm with Relative Stiffness, Envelope the Flexible & Rigid Diaphragm with user-defined contributions.

- Shear loads distributed by stiffness or capacity.

Automated Loads

- IBC 2021 predefined Load Combinations, with options to customize.

- Predefined and customizable roof and floor load assemblies for regions including CA, CO, AZ, and NV.

- Live Load Reduction capabilities.

Advanced Design Features

Structural Design and Optimization

- Designs and optimizes beams, walls, hold-downs, and straps.

- Beam designs based on capacity and deflection, with optimization options.

- Complete wood wall design for bearing & shear walls: Transfer Around Openings design methods and Perforated.

- Strap and Hold Down design for Wood Shear Walls.

Comprehensive Database

- Extensive material and hardware database including:

- Simpson Strong-Tie ™

- Mitek Hardy

- Shapes included in the database:

- Complete NDS species/grade and Glulam database.

- Manufactured wood including LVL, LSL, PVL.

- Steel wide flange.

Calculation Package

- Generate detailed calculations in an organized report ready for plan check with a single click.

- Automatically regenerate reports as changes are made.

- Customize reports to include specific sheets, company logos, job descriptions, locations, and engineering details.

- Graphical representation of loads, moments, shear, and deflection.