MasterSeries Blog

One of the standout features of MasterSeries 2024 is the implementation of the SCIPHYR Wind Analysis Toolkit, which replaces the legacy BREVe wind analysis tool. This transition to SCIPHYR marks a major leap forward in the accuracy, efficiency, and ease of use for wind site analysis within MasterSeries.

What is SCIPHYR?

SCIPHYR (pronounced "Zephyr") is a web-based API that serves as the behind-the-scenes analysis engine for wind site assessments, similar to how BREVe functioned in previous versions of MasterSeries. By using a web API, SCIPHYR allows for automatic updates of site data and terrain information, ensuring that your wind analysis remains current without requiring any manual updates on your part.

Read more on the SCI's Official Website here: Steel Construction Institute: SCIPHYR Wind Analysis Toolkit

This is a key advantage over the older system, as the data you work with is always the latest available, improving the precision and reliability of wind assessments for your designs.

Enhanced Wind Analysis with SCIPHYR

The transition to SCIPHYR brings several important upgrades to wind site analysis:

• Real-time access to updated data: SCIPHYR pulls from online map resources, providing up-to-date terrain and environmental information.
• Improved terrain analysis: Distances to towns, seas, and countryside are now more accurately calculated, offering better insights into the wind conditions at your site.
• New location search options: You can now search for sites using postcodes, National Grid references, latitude/longitude coordinates, and, for Irish users, EirCodes. This flexibility in location selection makes it easier to pinpoint and analyze the exact site you’re working with.
  

MasterKey Wind Analysis Tool: New Interface

In addition to integrating SCIPHYR, the wind analysis functionality in MasterSeries has undergone a root-and-branch rewrite. This means a brand new interface, designed to streamline the process and provide a much clearer, more intuitive experience.

Key updates include:

• Google Maps integration: Users can now view both road and satellite maps to better locate and visualize their sites. This not only helps in finding the correct location but also provides an intuitive way to interact with the site selection process.
• Refined terrain analysis: The new interface displays distance calculations to important terrain features such as nearby towns, sea, and countryside.
• Decluttered interface: The user interface has been re-organised, with unnecessary elements removed and essential controls grouped into more logical and accessible areas, improving clarity and reducing complexity.

Terrain Data: Finer Resolution for Sites

The introduction of the SCIPHYR wind analysis tool brings significant advancements in terrain data resolution. One of the key improvements is the shift from the previous BREve tool's 1km grid resolution to a much finer 500m grid resolution in SCIPHYR. This enhanced precision allows for a more accurate analysis of wind pressures by capturing terrain variations in greater detail, particularly important in complex or hilly landscapes.

With the improved resolution, SCIPHYR provides engineers with more reliable wind pressure data, leading to better-informed design decisions and more efficient structural performance. This advancement ensures that site-specific factors are more accurately represented, giving users confidence in the robustness of their wind analysis results.

The Wind Site Selection in Action

You have different options for selecting your site in MasterSeries 2024:

1. Site selection via postcode: By entering a postcode, the tool quickly retrieves the site data via the SCIPHYR API. The calculation is performed swiftly, and you can immediately view the wind site analysis results.
   
   
   
2. Map-based site selection: Alternatively, you can use the integrated Google Maps view to visually select a site. By clicking on a location, the tool updates the wind site analysis for that chosen spot.

This dynamic and interactive approach speeds up the process, giving you more control over your wind analysis and allowing you to quickly compare different locations.

Migrating to SCIPHYR: What You Need to Know

For existing users, as soon as you open a project from an earlier version of MasterSeries, your data will automatically migrate to the new SCIPHYR wind site analysis. The software will notify you of this change and ask you to check for any variations in wind pressures that may arise due to the updated data from SCIPHYR.

To help you with this transition, a backup of your original file will be maintained, allowing you to compare the wind analysis results between MasterSeries 2023 and 2024, ensuring you have full control over your project data.

Conclusion

The integration of SCIPHYR into MasterSeries 2024 is a major upgrade, bringing more accurate, real-time data into your wind site analysis process. Coupled with a sleek, updated interface and flexible site selection options, SCIPHYR makes wind assessments faster, easier, and more reliable than ever before.

With this new toolkit, MasterSeries users can be confident that their wind analysis is based on the most current data available, giving them a powerful edge in structural design.

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Find Out More

Read more on our Blog Post: Introducing the MasterSeries 2024

What’s New in MasterSeries 2024?

We are excited to invite you to our upcoming 3D Steel Building Design webinar, where we will showcase how MasterSeries 2024 redefines the steel structure design process, focusing on delivering streamlined workflows and powerful design tools that can enhance your projects. 

Date: Thu, 26th September 2024
Time: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM BST