The Wood Products Council’s WoodWorks initiative and RISA Technologies have released Phase II of RISA’s building-design software. The new release incorporates a full range of wood-design features.

The updated software can be used to design all-wood buildings or hybrid structures of wood and steel, concrete or masonry says Bruce Bates, president of RISA Technologies. Bates also says the new software can allow complete buildings to be designed with one software package.

Developed with WoodWorks, the update covers analysis and design of wood structures for both gravity and lateral forces, including shear wall and diaphragm modeling, analysis and design. It also integrates current codes—such as the National Design Specification for Wood Construction, International Building Code 2006, and California Building Code 2007.

RISA license holders will receive the update automatically. Support is available in the three regions covered by the WoodWorks program: the North-Central U.S. (Minnesota, Illinois and Wisconsin), California, and the Southeast (Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina). For more information, visit www.risa.com or www.woodworks.org.