National Masonry Design Programs is proud to announce the official release of Masonry Analysis Structural Systems (MASS^TM) Version 3.0.

Major Changes in MASS Version 3.0

The major changes are listed below while the full list of changes can be found on the MASS website here as well as in Section 1.6 of the MASS help files.

Design Codes and Standards

As mentioned above, Version 3.0 adapts all masonry design procedures from Version 2.2 to using current design standards. Two papers outlining these changes were published and presented by Dr. Drysdale, Dr. Banting, and David Stubbs at the recent 13^th Canadian Masonry Symposium hosted by the Canada Masonry Design Centre (CMDC) and Dalhousie University. These papers can be found here (Part 1: Non-Seismic Changes) and here (Part 2: Seismic Changes). With the exception of seismic minimum reinforcement requirements, all of the changes within the current scope of MASS are considered non-seismic. The next release of MASS which is already in development will increase this scope to include higher levels of ductility performance, as well as the rest of the newly added CSA S304-14 Chapter 16: Special Provisions for Seismic Design.

New Project File Format

In an effort to reduce confusion around which projects have been designed in accordance with which codes and standards, the project file format “.masonry14” was created which designs exclusively to the current standards. MASS Version 3.0 can still open old projects, however upon opening them, you will be prompted to “Save As” a “.masonry14” project as the design results may be affected. An article explaining the difference and compatibility can be found online here.

Additional Bug Fixes

As software issues are discovered, they are posted on our “Known Bugs” page which is linked from the MASS website homepage and kept up to date. There was one bug recently discovered internally at the CMDC what was also present in Version 2.2 which was re-compiled at MASS Version 2.2.1 and included in the Version 3.0 download. An explanation of the bug can be found here and a Version 2.2.1 explanation can be found here.

How to upgrade

Step 1: Open the Notification email and follow the link to the MASS Upgrades page:

Didn’t receive the email? Check with your admin staff or local IT professional who may be in charge of software licensing for your company. Only MASS website account holders or manually assigned users will have been sent the notification email. In the event that you require access to the download but someone else in your office was sent the email, simply using a forwarded copy with the credentials included is enough to access the download (Note that this does not require the account password or other more sensitive information such as address. We do not save or even have access to payment information)

Step 2: On the MASS upgrades page, select the option to download MASS Version 3.0.

Step 3: Copy and Paste your email address and corresponding serial number and clock “DOWNLOAD” to begin the download:

Note: Even a change of one typed character is the difference between the download working and not being found in the database. Please double check your entries or copy and paste from the email notification which has been pulled form the same database.

Step 4: File will begin downloading:

For most web browsers, the keyboard shortcut CTRL + J can be used to open the list of downloaded files.

Step 5: While the package is downloading, it is highly recommended that all existing versions of MASS be uninstalled prior to installing MASS Version 3.0. For assistance on how to uninstall programs, click here.

Step 6: Once the file has finished downloading, the directory can be extracted and opened to show the following files:

After uninstalling all prior versions of MASS (including Version 2.2), run the “setup.exe” file to install MASS Version 3.0.

There is also a video available on the downloads page outlining the same process for MASS Version 2.0 which is essentially unchanged. For assistance, please do not hesitate to contact the authorized MASS technical support provider, Canada Masonry Design Centre.

Back in April of 2016, the release of MASS Version 2.2 marked what was thought at the time to be the final version of MASS which designed using the old 2004 versions of the CSA Standards. In the early development stages of Version 3, before any technical changes were implemented, some user interface items (ie. MASS Welcome Screen) and other common headaches (ie. Printing, activating) were also added to help ease the transition of switching to a new design code in MASS.

The discovery of a new bug prior to the release of MASS Version 3.0 is included on our Known Bugs page as well as having a full explanation available here.

While the bug was investigated and a fix was found and tested, the decision was made to add the fix to Version 2.2 as well in an effort to make it age a little better. While old versions are not supported and there are no plans to release updates to old versions, an exception was made for two reasons.

1. The bug discovery and fix occurred shortly ahead of the Version 3.0 release
2. Version 2.2 is the last version that will design using the old 2004 CSA Standards as well as open the old “.masonry” project files (click here to read more on the new MASS project file format)

What is different in Version 2.2.1?

MASS Version 2.2.1 is identical to Version 2.2 with the exception of a fix to the bug explained here.

How to upgrade Version 2.2 to Version 2.2.1

1. To upgrade Version 2.2 to Version 2.2.1, first uninstall MASS Version 2.2. For assistance on how to do this, click here.
2. Once Version 2.2 is successfully uninstalled, go to the Version 3.0 installation folder and run the file named “MASS221.msi”

The version can be checked within MASS by clicking “Help” on the top toolbar and then select “About MASS“.

Please do not hesitate to call or email with any questions. Click here for a full outline of the various services offered by CMDC (the authorized technical support provider for MASS)

What’s the difference? How can old projects be opened/converted? Which format should you be using? Continue reading for quick answers to all of your questions.

What is the difference?

While from a software perspective, they are nearly identical, there are some key differences between “.masonry” and “.masonry14” projects which can be summarized in the image below:

The old “.masonry” projects are saved and used in Versions 2.2 and older, designing in accordance with the 2004 CSA standards.

New “.masonry14” projects are saved and used in Versions 3.0 and newer, designing in accordance with the 2014 CSA Standards.

That’s it! They are structurally the same file but with different Windows File Explorer associations, meaning if you double click either type of project, it will be opened with the corresponding version of MASS. The icon has also been slightly redesigned but more on that further below. A more important item of concern is MASS Version compatibility.

What about compatibility? Can old .masonry projects be opened using newer versions of MASS?

Yes! When opening an existing project, only the .masonry14 projects are shown by default. This can be changed by changing the file type displayed in the bottom right corner of the “Open” display window and changing the selection to “S304.1-04 MASS Project (*.masonry)“

Making this change will allow older, existing .masonry projects to be displayed and selected for opening. Once a project is selected, the following warning is displayed:

Upon clicking yes, the existing file can be “Saved As” a .masonry14″ project with the same assemblage inputs. The project will then be opened and run using the new “.masonry14” file type.

Note: The same action can be performed when it comes to opening “.masonry14” projects with MASS Version 2.2. Simply change the selection from showing S304.1-04 projects to S304-14 Projects and then, when prompted, “Save As” a .masonry project to continue working on it.

How to tell the different file types apart

The easiest way to tell if a project is saved using the newer or older format is by the file extension. If these are not displayed, the file type can be found by right clicking on a project and selecting “Properties”. There are also slight differences in the icons so that different project types can be identified if several of each are contained in the same folder, pictured below.

Above are the old and new icons side by side. While it is not a huge difference, the change was meant to add a subtle cue to help differentiate old vs. new projects.

As always, feel free to contact us if you have any questions at all. CMDC is the authorized service provider for the MASS software which is a joint effort of between CCMPA and CMDC.

MASS Version 3.0 introduces a new set of 2014 masonry standards which are used for calculations and designs previously done using the 2004 versions. It has been in development over the past half year and is just about ready for release. While all of the individual changes have been tested in great detail, CMDC also uses new release candidates in-house for all masonry design work for a period of time to ensure there are no unintended consequences when it comes to making changes to the code. This post outlines the changes to MASS that are new to Version 3.0 and lets you know how you can get an “insider preview” before the official release.

What is new in Version 3.0?

MASS Version 3.0 is the first version of the software to design using the updated CSA S304-14 masonry design standard. All calculations as well as equations, code references, and bitmap symbols have been updated to bring MASS functionality from older versions to now design with this new standard. The biggest change is found in shear calculations for beams, which has been overhauled within the standard to more closely follow the process used for reinforced concrete. The scope of MASS Version 3 has not been changed from Version 2.2. Below is an overview of other changes made to MASS Version 3.0 which can be expanded upon by left-clicking the header.

The biggest technical changes that affect MASS in its current scope include:

1. For reinforced masonry, a 0.6 factor has been implemented to more accurately reflect the non-linear behavior of masonry in compression. Previous version of MASS used a factor of 0.5 which was not part of the S304.1-04 standard but instead implemented by the judgement of CMDC as “phi,linear”
2. No. 30 bars have been removed from all MASS modules in accordance with the changes to S304-14: 12.1.2
3. Minimum steel areas and ratios were reduced
4. Maximum bond beam spacing when bond beams are used to resist in-plane shear now takes wall dimensions into account.
5. Intermediate steel placement for beams has been changed
6. Deep shear span conditions have been changed and beams no longer automatically fail shear design without further analysis
7. The masonry component of beam shear resistance is no longer divided by 2 for beams without stirrups
8. Maximum stirrup spacing is no longer limited by d/2. Much more has been written on this topic here
9. Factored shear is now designed at distance dv rather than d away from the face of the support

Note that the addition of Chapter 16 of S304-14 falls outside the scope of MASS however it is the next order of business to add seismic design (including the ductility verification).

If you have more specific questions regarding changes to the masonry design standards, please do not hesitate to contact CMDC. Below is the FAQ which will be updated as more questions roll in:

Do I need to upgrade from Version 2.2?

No. This release is optional, only intended for those looking to start designing using the 2014 CSA standards. Once you have transitioned to designing using the more recent building codes, you will want to no longer be designing using the older standards.

Does signing up to use Version 3.0 mean no longer using the version installed now?

No. in fact, unlike other MASS releases, Version 3.0 has been designed specifically to be run alongside your current Version (2.2 is the newest release designing in accordance with 2004 standards). Even the file structure has been changed so that you do not have to worry about designing a project using one version and accidentally switching CSA standards by opening it using the other version. Read more on the new “.masonry14” file type here.

If I am interested, how do I get a copy of Version 3.0?

To start using Version 3.0, contact CMDC to request a copy today to be sent a download link with instructions.

What is next for MASS?

Chapter 16 of the 2014 CSA S304 Standard introduces new steps that can be taken to obtain higher seismic force resisting system ductility performance. An Rd value of 3.0 for non0squat shear walls with a detailed plastic hinge can now be obtained compared to 2 which was the highest achievable value in the 2004 edition. Multi-storey shear wall design is also being worked on which will be incorporated in a new module. If you would like to request a new feature, please do not hesitate to let us know!