Concise Beam V4 News Archive, Page 1

A new strength reduction (resistance) factor has been added to the custom design code dialogs for cast-in-place concrete. This factor is required by the CSA code and for any custom code based on CSA.
A correction has been made to the use of custom alpha and beta factors.
Corrected a problem with the conformance notes for the shear table.
Rearranged the concrete dialog to make it more obvious that a value was required for the concrete density before proceeding.

March 15, 2004 - Concise Beam version 4.20 is now available for download

Version 4.20 includes the following changes;

A new file format has been created for the problem files to accommodate additional data used by the program. It still uses the *.con extension but cannot be read by versions of Concise Beam prior to version 4.20. Version 4.20 will read files created by Concise Beam versions 3.x, 4.0x & 4.1x. Files will now be saved in the new file format.
Additional options have been added for the definition of shear stirrups and ties between the beam and the topping. The users now has three options. The first option is to specify only the grade of steel for the stirrups as in previous versions of the program. With this option the program will calculate the amount of shear and torsion steel required per unit length of beam as well as the maximum allowable spacing. The second option is to specify the steel grade, bar size, and number of legs. The program can then determine the stirrup spacing required for the given stirrup size. The third option is to define the steel grade and size, number of legs, and the spacing of the stirrups. This allows the program to flag any points along the beam where the stirrup spacing is inadequate and to calculate the total shear resistance/strength. This provides a design check of the specified stirrups.
The shear tables and graph have been rearranged to accommodate this new input data and now include the total shear resistance/strength.
The horizontal shear table in the Summary report has been adjusted to include the interface shear capacity available without any ties. A bug was also corrected that affected some beams with very short overhangs.
The concrete material (*.lcm) library files have been eliminated. You now simply specify the concrete density and class (strength) in the Concrete Material dialog. Default values will be provided and any changes will automatically be remembered for future use. The ratio of fci to fc for the beam is also now shown explicitly so that the user can modify this value instead of fci directly. The value of this ratio is also set for future use.
A new edit mode has been added to the section editor that allows the user to mirror any polygon in place using the left mouse button. Used in conjunction with the existing move and rotate modes the user now has full control over the position and orientation of polygons.
An option has been added to the topping dialog which allows the user to specify that the beam be shored for the weight of the beam itself in addition to the weight of SDL applied before the topping and the topping weight until the topping has reached full strength.

The number of changes is too large to fully list here. Please see the Revision History file distributed with Concise Beam for the full list of changes.

December 11, 2003 - Concise Beam version 4.19d is now available for download

Version 4.19d includes the following changes;

Adjusted the concrete dialog to ensure that the values for Ec & Eci are updated when needed.
Corrected the explanation of the Flexure option in the Calculations Options dialog.
Corrected a bug in the beam dialog that could crash the program when adding beam segments.
Added a missing footnote to the horizontal shear table.

December 2, 2003 - Concise Beam version 4.19c is now available for download

Version 4.19c includes the following changes;

Updated the security certificates to prevent a reported license abuse problem.
A few internal corrections related to the summary report. These should not be visible to the user.

December 1, 2003 - Concise Beam version 4.19b is now available for download

Version 4.19b includes the following changes;

Corrected a problem selecting adding new items to a library.
Corrected a problem importing prestressing or rebar materials from the current problem file into the currently open library file.

November 29, 2003 - Concise Beam version 4.19a is now available for download

Version 4.19a includes the following changes;

Corrected a problem selecting new sections in the beam dialog and the graphic in the topping dialog.

November 28, 2003 - Concise Beam version 4.19 is now available for download

Version 4.19 includes the following changes;

You can now print and print preview the 3D image of the beam. The print-out will reflect the image on the screen. So if you zoom or rotate the image that will be shown in the print-out. At this point the print-out is unadorned with a header or footer indicating the problem name, etc. We'll try to add that later. I have limited ability to test the print quality on a variety of printers so please let me know if your results are not satisfactory.
The undo feature in the section editor will now undo all past edits, not just the last one.
Added the unfactored total and sustained moments to the analysis results table in the summary report. These values are useful for calculations such as fire rating. To allow room for this I have combined the max. and min. columns for the factored results. The absolute maximum (positive or negative) is now shown. The detailed analysis reports can be viewed for greater detail.
An option has been added to the Calculation Option dialog allowing you to force the program to only check the minimum resistance/strength of the beam (i.e. Mr > 1.2Mcr or ØMn < 1.2Mcr) at points of maximum and minimum moment. CSA requires a check of all sections, but ACI is silent on how often this checks needs to be done (PCA recommends every section). It's the convention of many engineers to only perform this check at the points of maximum and minimum moment. By default the program will check every section along the beam. Use this new option to restrict the check to the points of maximum and minimum moment. The setting for this option will be remembered for future use.
The maximum number of divisions along the beam used for analysis (see the Load Analysis Parameters dialog) has been increased from 150 to 200. Some users found that setting this number had no effect. This has been corrected.
"Go To Next ..." dialog link buttons have been added to the self-weight dialog. The topping dialog now also includes a link to the self-weight dialog.
All of the internal calculations made by Concise Beam have been upgraded from normal precision to double precision. This won't have a significant impact on the results (you may see changes to the flexural results) but will help to improve the integrity and maintainability of the program.
Corrected the edit mode buttons in the section editor. The mode didn't always switch properly.
Adjusted the column spacing for the nodes in the cross-section printout.
Corrected a problem with the horizontal shear lengths for very large moments.
The conformance notes were occasionally duplicated needlessly in the shear results tables. This has been corrected.
Corrected a problem that could the program to crash under Windows 95, 98 or ME when print previewing a text report.
A lot of internal rewriting to improve the ability to extend the program.

November 5, 2003 - Concise Beam version 4.18a is now available for download

Version 4.18a includes the following changes;

Corrected a problem with the minimum shear steel for prestressed beams under ACI318-99 & 02.

October 21, 2003 - Concise Beam version 4.18 is now available for download

Version 4.18 includes the following changes;

The reporting of horizontal interface shear between the beam and topping has been expanded in the shear section of the summary report. Prior to 4.18 only the maximum moment was considered with a shear length, lv, equal to half the span. The average tie requirements over the shear length Av/s was also report. This ignored the presence of negative moments over the supports and the need to properly distribute any required ties in proportion to the shear stirrups (which they are usually an extension of). The report now shows each shear length - both positive and negative bending (peak moment to adjacent point of zero moment) and the total area of ties required. The user will be required to distribute this total properly. The level of shear force transferred is based on the applied moment and not on the ultimate moment resistance. This is particularly important where a small negative moment exists over a bearing with a small shear length, lv. If the ultimate moment resistance needed to be resisted the shear transfer length, lv would be far too short. [In the future we will be adding the ability to define the stirrup/tie size so that the program can determine the appropriate spacing.]
The calculation of fr has been changed to allow linear interpretation of the lambda (concrete density) factor as per the code. It had previously used a step function that could over-estimate the lambda for less that normal density concrete.
The above change also included a correction to the strength reduction factor used for horizontal interface shear under ACI 318-02.
When entering loads the tab order for inputting linear loads has been changed.
Changed the term Mr to phiMu in the conformance notes of the flexural check in the summary code if ACI is selected.
Corrected an occasional problem that caused the flexural results to be wrong the first time a report of graph is generated. If the beam was reanalysed the problem would disappear.
Corrected a problem that would cause mouse editing of a cross-section in the section editor to be disrupted by clicking on a button outside of the image window. While editing the section with the mouse all of the other buttons except Cancel are disabled.
Corrected a problem that would crash the program when printing sections under Windows NT 4.0.

September 4, 2003 - Concise Beam version 4.17a is now available for download

Version 4.17a includes the following changes;

This a maintenance release that doesn't include any new features.
Added some additional license certificates for users that will be licensed beyond September 2004.
Fixed a problem with unit conversion when selecting concrete material items from library files that are in different units from the current user input units.
Fixed a bug where the X and Y snap settings were reversed.

September 2, 2003 - Concise Beam version 4.17 is now available for download

Version 4.17 includes the following changes;

A new button, labeled "Print", has been added to the Edit Concrete Sections Library dialog. This button will print a one page description of the currently selected item including section properties and polygon list and node coordinates. The print-out will only include data that has been saved to the currently selected item. Therefore any changes you have made to a section item will not be included unless you have "Added" or "Modified" the current item with those changes.
In order to streamline the data input we have added a number of buttons in a section of many dialogs labelled "Go To Next ...". These buttons will provide short-cuts to the next logical dialog, or choice of dialogs, in defining the beam. This works similar to the old "Auto-Design" feature of version 3 but gives you more choice.

July 30, 2003 - Concise Beam version 4.16 is now available for download

Version 4.16 includes the following changes;

You now have an option to customize the summary report. That report consists of a series of summary tables of the input, analysis results, and design check results. Using the Customize Summary Report button in the reports dialog you can select which tables are included in the Summary Report.
We have finally eliminated the blank page that prints at the end of a text report. Let us know if you still experience this problem. The printing dialog now shows the number of pages in the report so that you can easily select which pages to print, if not all of them.
We have reduced the size of the font in the header and footer of the printed text reports in order to free up a bit more page space.
Fixed a problem with loss calculations when rebar isn't full length.
Fixed the titles in the deflection reports.

July 21, 2003 - Concise Beam version 4.15 is now available for download

Version 4.15 includes the following changes;

When adding nodes to a section in the section editor the new nodes will be snapped to the nearest crossing snap line, if the snap setting is on. Snap settings will be ignored when adding nodes to diagonal lines or if a snap line doesn't occur between the two adjacent nodes.
In the prestressing loss parameters dialog, the slump can now be zero.
In the trial design dialog, prestressing is now assumed by default as the primary steel reinforcement.
The large markers on all of the lines in the graphs have been turned off by default when viewing a graph on screen to remove clutter. They will still show up in printed output, and the print preview screen, since most output is black and white. If you would like to see the markers on-screen then you can select a new option in the View->Preferences dialog which will turn them back on. This setting will be remembered the next time you run Concise Beam.
Fixed an incompatibility with Windows NT 4.0 that would cause the program to crash when selecting section sizes in the beam dialog.
Corrected a unit conversion problem for the output of shear forces in the case where input force units are different from output shear units.

July 10, 2003 - Concise Beam version 4.14 is now available for download

Version 4.14 includes the following changes;

The transformed area of any embedded rebar and strand are now more consistently included in the beam's section properties. Before this release the steel had only been included in the properties used for prestress loss. The summary report still shows the section properties of a segment without steel since the properties would vary along the length of the beam, and within the segment. An additional text report has been created detailing the transformed section properties along the beam at a user defined reporting frequency. With this change you will notice that stresses, cracking, and deflections are a bit lower.
We've added the ability to extract library items, such as concrete cross- sections and rebar materials, from existing problem files and have them added to a library file currently opened for editing. While editing a library file of any type you can click on the "Import" button to import unique folders and items from either the currently open problem file or from another library file on your system or network.
We've given up trying to protect the current library files shipped with Concise Beam. Up to now we have required that you save any changes to these files to a new file name. This was supposed to allow us to change the content of these files at some future date. When installed these files were supposed to be write-protected to prevent them being altered by the user. These files would also be over-written each time Concise Beam was reinstalled (i.e. for a new version). We've found that the installation program we were using was not write-protecting these files on a lot of systems. This allowed a lot of users to alter these files. We will no longer try to protect these files and will not automatically over-write any existing files when installing Concise Beam. If we change the content of the standard files in the future we will issue them under a different name.
When editing items in the library files you will be asked to confirm whether you want to discard changes to an item before switching items, if not already modified or added.
We've made a few additions to the concrete section editor. You can now rotate a polygon or the whole section. This can be useful in determining the minor axis section properties, or defining sections that have a tilted major bending axis (i.e. stadia seating). The second addition is the ability to undo your last edit.
We've corrected a problem that would occasionally cause a program crash when trying to select a library item (section or material). It was related to keeping track of the last item selected from any particular library so that it is automatically selected the next time you choose an item from the same library in the future. The program was getting confused if items were deleted from the library or if the library file was over-written by a prior version that didn't contain the item (i.e. on re-installation of the program).
We have cleaned up the code that initializes a problem. This has corrected a crashing problem that some Windows 98 users have had trying to load a second problem file.
Corrected the negative moment capacity within the development length of a strand.
In the prestressing dialog we changed the colour of the prestressing strands that are not selected to grey to easily distinguish them from the currently selected strand.
The Library dialog now show file names in long format under Windows 9x.
The help file has been brought up-to-date and edited for typos. Let us know if anything doesn't agree with the program.
The tutorials are now complete. We're always looking for the need for further or improved tutorials. Your suggestions would be appreciated.
Still a lot of cleanup of the original program code (pre version 4) to make it easier to maintain and upgrade. This month's target was the unit conversion code. These changes shouldn't be noticeable by the user. It also corrected a problem in the trial design facility.

May 27, 2003 - Concise Beam version 4.13 is now available for download

Version 4.13 includes the following changes;

With the introduction of wind loads that may reverse in direction we have found that some load combinations may show net effects counter to dead load. To accommodate this we have expanded the load analysis table and graphs to show both maximum and minimum load effect envelopes. The moment design table and graph will also now show both positive and negative strengths at each point where the factored moment may reverse.
We rearranged the dialog for resistance/strength reduction factors for the custom code. You will now only see the relevant factors for the base code of your custom code. We've also removed the reference to the ACI318-99 code being equivalent to ACI318-02 Appendix B & C. One substantial difference between them is that the strength reduction factor for flexure of ACI318-99 is based on type of load (axial load or not) while ACI318-02 Appendix C bases the strength reduction factor for flexure on maximum extreme steel strain (unified design provisions). We have elected not to support ACI318-02 Appendix C.
We have improved the flexure and shear tables by including a column labelled "Conformance Notes". Any non-conformities such as not meeting minimum strength requirements will be shown in this column with a note reference number. A description of the non-conformity will be shown at the bottom of the table identified by the reference number.
With the addition of the "Conformance Notes" column we have removed the "Minimum Resistance Applicable" column from the moment table. The program now does this check for you.
Some cross-sections that included points very close together or coincident couldn't be displayed in the 3D window and caused the program to shut down. We have corrected this problem by performing an additional analysis on the section to rearrange these points. This additional analysis will slow down the responsiveness of the 3D display for these types of sections. We recommend that your sections not include coincident or closely situated points in order to avoid this slow-down.
Corrected a problem that could affect Vc under ACI. You may see a slight increase in Vc near the supports.
We have made an improvement to the determination of effective depth, d, and shear depth, dv, when both prestressed and non-prestressed reinforcement act together.
Corrected a problem setting the "High live loading" option in the loading dialog.

We are continuing a lot of internal changes aimed at making the program more flexible for future improvements. Most of these would not be noticeable to the user. The last three tutorials are almost done and will be included in the next release in June. If there is anything you are having trouble understanding please contact us and we will provide you with detailed instructions or explanations.

April 21, 2003 - Concise Beam version 4.12a is now available for download

Version 4.12a is a maintenance release that fixes a bug in the shear steel design under CSA and flexural design with negative bending.

April 18, 2003 - Concise Beam version 4.12 is now available for download

Version 4.12 includes the following changes;

The deflection table in the summary report has been expanded to separate the instantaneous deflections from the deflections at transfer. This has always been confusing. Another column showing deflections at the completion of construction has also been added to illustrate the basis for the long-term DL growth to the final deflection. The completion deflections are taken to be the same as the erection deflections with no interim growth.
Changed the shear steel tables so that they now report the total amount of additional longitudinal steel required for torsion for the entire section. The allowable reduction in this additional steel in the compression zone is report separately. In previous versions we had divided the additional steel required between the top and bottom of the beam and applied the reduction to which ever half was in compression. This was rather crude and confusing. The new tables now read better with the code provisions.
Corrected the minimum amount of longitudinal rebar required for torsion under ACI.
Corrected some of the labelling in the moment resistance table for the ACI codes.
Corrected the inclusion of sustained live load in the reactions.
Corrected a bug that could cause a crash when Modifying a rebar group when there are no existing rebar group. The program will now Add the new rebar group instead of modifying a nonexistent one.

April 3, 2003 - Concise Beam version 4.11a is now available for download

Version 4.11a is a maintenance release that fixes the labeling of some of the loads (live load and net deflection) in the deflection tables, including the summary report.

April 2, 2003 - Concise Beam version 4.11 is now available for download

Version 4.11 is a maintenance release that fixes a few problems and includes some internal changes to enhance the ability to upgrade the program.

corrects a problem with beams that have partial length prestressing (i.e. dapped ends),
corrects a rare problem with modifying segments of a beam,

March 19, 2003 - Concise Beam version 4.10b is now available for download

Version 4.10b fixes a few old bugs that have just been reported,

library file names had been limited to 16 characters. This has now been increased to 256 characters,
cracking in a beam that is in negative bending over it full length would cause a crash when displaying the Summary Report,
and a bug that was unfortunately introduced at the last minute before yesterday's release,
the maximum moment of long span beams would not always be maximized near midspan. The same bug also caused the shear diagram, Vc, to look ragged in some spots under CSA A23.3.

March 18, 2003 - Concise Beam version 4.10 is now available for download

Version 4.10 now fully supports ACI318-02. This major upgrade will allow you to take advantage of the potential savings in flexural steel or prestressing (up to approximately 10%) resulting from reduced load factors for some load combinations.

**NOTE** Due to substantial changes related to support for ACI318-02 a new file format has been created for the problem files. It still uses the *.con extension but cannot be read by versions of Concise Beam prior to version 4.10. Version 4.10 will read files created by Concise Beam versions 3.x & 4.00x. Files will now be saved in the new files format.

All of your custom code parameters are now saved when you select "Save Current Settings". These values will always be your custom factors unless you explicitly revert to a base code (i.e. ACI318-99) and save the options. The "Custom Code" dialog also allows you to reset any changes made to the custom code parameters to these saved values.

There are three new load cases - roof loads (live load, rain, snow) wind (vertical component) and fluid weight. A fourth load case, strain, has also been added but is not yet available for use. These load cases were required to support ACI 318-02 but can be used with any of the design codes.

There a number of new load combinations added to the program to accommodate the service and strength loading states. The two service load combinations are for the total sustained load, and total load (including unsustained loaded (i.e. live load, rain, etc). These have always existed but are more explicit and include the new load cases. There are also ten strength (ultimate limit state) load combinations that allow for the variety of load case combinations required by each code. By default not all ten load combinations are used under each code. You can create your own combinations under the custom code. This will be extended to the standard codes in the future. The load factors for each load case/combination are reported to the user and can be edited if you select the custom code option. An additional strength load combination is also included that represents the maximum envelope of the ten individual load combinations for each load effect. This is the governing load combination used for all strength checks.

All tables that report results along the beam now include the support locations and midspan in addition to the evenly spaced sections.

The flexural design reports have been updated.

Maximum flexural steel spacing to control cracking is now shown for the ACI codes.

You can now import a library file into another library file being edited. This will allow you to consolidate a number of separate files.

The debonded portion of a strand can now lie outside of the beam.

The debonded portion of the strand is now shown dashed in the prestressing dialog.

The 3D view window has been adjusted to show the beam better when the window is narrow or tall.

Added an option to the Calculation Options dialog under the Options menu to force the Summary Report to report deflections at midspan and at the end of cantilevers regardless of where the maximum and minimum deflection are.

Increased the size of the markers on the graph lines for clarity.

A few adjustments and small bug fixes.

February 4, 2003 - Concise Beam version 4.008c is now available for download

Version 4.008c is a maintenance release that fixes a problem with viewing cross-sections in the "Edit Concrete Section" dialog, as well as a unit conversion problem with the default shear steel material.

January 22, 2003 - Concise Beam version 4.008b is now available for download

Version 4.008b fixes a problem that prevents the viewing of reports and graphs before reinforcing is defined for the beam. There a number of other minor changes.

January 16, 2003 - Concise Beam version 4.008 is now available for download

Version 4.008 includes a number of adjustments and corrections. For a detailed list of the changes see the latest Revision History file.

A few highlights;

The load analysis is now performed automatically in the background,
User-defined flange dimensions are no longer required for concrete sections,
Live load deflections have been improved.

Work is continuing on support for ACI 318-02. This release includes a number of changes required to accommodate 318-02. The next release should include the full support for ACI318-02. In the meantime you can use the new load and resistance factors by using the custom design code facility in Concise Beam (base the custom code on ACI 318-99).

December 17, 2002 - Concise Beam version 4.007 is now available for download

Version 4.007 includes a number of adjustments and corrections. For a detailed list of the changes see the latest Revision History file.

We have been working on a lot of internal changes to accommodate the support for ACI 318-02. The next release, due out in January, should include the full support for ACI318-02. In the meantime you can usethe new load and resistance factors by using the custom design code facility in Concise Beam (base the custom code on ACI 318-99).

We're also planning improvements in the concrete section editor including a "Section Designer" which will allow you to create a section from a list of standard shapes with adjustable dimensions. For instance you will be able to select a hollowcore section and give the plank dimensions, void size, number and spacing, and Concise Beam will then generate the section for you. You can then edit the generated section in the section editor if it needs tweaking. These improvements should be available in February or March. This will allow us to complete the tutorials which rely on the section editor. In the meantime we will complete the tutorials in draft form, covering the current section editor, for the next release.

November 7, 2002 - Concise Beam version 4.006 is now available for download

Version 4.006 includes a number of adjustments and correction. For a detailed list of the changes see the latest Revision History file.

We still working on incorporating the ACI 318-02 code into the program. In the meantime you can use the new load and resistance factors by using the custom design code facility in Concise Beam (base the custom code on ACI 318-99).

October 25, 2002 - Concise Beam version 4.005 is now available for download

Version 4.005 adds a few enhancements and a number of bug fixes including,

The program now remembers the last selection you made from a library file.
There is now an option in the Preferences dialog of the View menu to have all open reports and graphs close automatically when they become non-current.
The prestressing dialog has changed to allow you to enter the height of the strand in a single field in the main dialog without having to edit the profile (in a separate dialog).
We have started a review of the deflections. As a first step we have rearranged the reporting of span/deflection ratios in the Summary report to make them more useful. Work is on-going. Your suggestions are welcome.
The 3D display no longer shows the topping with the option "Do Not Include Topping".
Fixed a bug that caused a crash when creating a new concrete section library.
Fixed a bug that caused a crash when Modifying a non-existent beam segment.
Fixed a bug that sometimes caused the program to hang when displaying analysis reports with all of the sections selected.
Made a few adjustments and corrections to the Concrete Section Library dialog and section editor.

For a detailed list of the changes see the latest Revision History file.

We are currently working on incorporating the ACI 318-02 code into the program. In the meantime you can use the new load and resistance factors by using the custom design code facility in Concise Beam (base the custom code on ACI 318-99).

October 16, 2002 - Concise Beam invoices can now be paid by credit card

Black Mint Software is now accepting payment of invoices for the purchase of Concise Beam by Visa, MasterCard, Discover and Firepay credit cards. Invoices shipped from this date on will contain information about this payment option. With the new invoice you will have the option to pay on-line through a secure web site, or by faxing or phoning us with your credit card details. If you have an outstanding invoice that doesn't contain information about paying by credit card then please contact use to arrange payment by this option. We can issue a new invoice if you would like to pay on-line.

October 7, 2002 - Concise Beam version 4.004 is now available for download

Version 4.004 now includes the first two tutorials in the user manual. Tutorial #2 is the most comprehensive introduction to Concise Beam. There are three more tutorials in the works. For now, some useful links are provided in the incomplete tutorials. The Getting Started Guide and user manual are more obvious now with icons for them being placed on the Desktop.

There have been a few bugs fixes and a number of changes to the user-interface to make it easier to understand. Some of the bug fixes had been causing crashes particularly if you were mixing metric units with the ACI code. It should now be easier to add nodes to a section in the Section Editor. For a full list of the changes see the latest Revision History file.

The setup file for Concise Beam is now much smaller meaning a faster download for dial-up connections.

September 24, 2002 - Concise Beam version 4.003 is now available for download

Version 4.003 the license key is now shown hidden in the Problem Title and License dialog. The actual key is shown as a series of asterisks. If you're inputting a new license key you can just over-write the asterisks. When the key is installed you'll just see the asterisks again. This is meant to prevent an unauthorized user from copying the license key.

It also fixes a problem a few users have had entering the first segment into a new beam in the Beam dialog.

September 16, 2002 - Concise Beam Version 4.002 is Now Available

Version 4.002 corrects a problem that some users have had with the highlighting of items in a list such as the list of beam segments in the Beam dialog, or the list of strand groups in the Prestressing dialog.

September 3, 2002 - Concise Beam Version 4.001 is Now Available

Version 4.001 corrects an error that may cause Concise Beam version 3 to stop working, if installed. The error occurs in the version 4.0 which overwrites the customer user name when the user selects "Save Company and Engineer's Name as Default" in the "Problem Title and License" dialog. If that name is different from that used to register version 3, as you should be able to do, then version 3 will trash it's license. Unfortunately version 3 doesn't give you a way to recover from this.

If this has happened to you, you will have to reinstall version 3 from the CD provided by CPCI in order to re-input the license information. You can then reinstall the version 3.5a upgrade available from the web site. Please note that the user and company names are tied to the license serial number. You must use the user, company, and serial number sent to you by CPCI (it is case sensitive). We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused those effected users.

August 16, 2002 - Concise Beam Version 4 Is Now Available

Following Black Mint Software's acquisition of Concise Beam from CPCI, Black Mint is now proud to make the new version 4 upgrade available to the engineering and construction community. Concise Beam version 4 results from two years of effort to bring the program up to current standards and to build in much greater flexibility to allow it to grow in response to the needs of it's users. This release follows a 10 month beta test period which helped to refine the program in response to our users requests.

The release of version 4 is only the start of an aggressive and continuous development program. Licensed users will receive regular updates to the program. User's input will be strongly encouraged and will always be welcome. This input will provide direction to the program's development. As part of this release Black Mint hopes to soon provide an online user's forum to discuss all aspects of Concise Beam, precast concrete, or any relevant topic, with Black Mint staff and other users.

Concise Beam version 4 is available for free trial by download from this web site. You will be able to evaluate Concise Beam free for 30 days. A license will be required to use the program beyond the evaluation period. Black Mint is also happy to provide complimentary license keys to accredited educational institutions for use by professors or instructors, as well as the students.

For information about how to obtain Concise Beam 4 please go to the Concise Beam home page.

August 13, 2002 - Black Mint Software Acquires Concise Beam

Black Mint Software, Inc. has signed an agreement with the Canadian Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (CPCI) today to acquire all rights to Concise Beam. Concise Beam was developed by CPCI in the early 1990's to promote the use of precast concrete and to aid the productivity of it's members. In 2000 CPCI hired Black Mint Software to develop version 4 of Concise Beam, the first significant upgrade since 1997. Black Mint has provided technical support to all Concise Beam users since that time. After succeeding in their goal, and with the development of commercial alternatives, CPCI no longer felt the need to be in the software development business and decided to sell their rights in Concise Beam to Black Mint Software Inc. for the release of version 4.

Black Mint Software has gladly committed to support all previous versions of Concise Beam until the end of 2002. Black Mint will also offer significant discounts to existing users of Concise Beam version 3 on the upgrade cost for version 4.

Black Mint will also be able to provide more resources and greater responsiveness to the users of Concise Beam and to the continual enhancement of the program.

Concise Beam version 4 results from two years of effort to bring the program up to current standards and to build in much greater flexibility to allow it to grow in response to the needs of it's users. For more information about Concise Beam 4 please go to the Concise Beam home page.

See the Revision History file for changes prior to the release of Concise Beam version 4.0.

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