Why ETABS "Mass Summary by Story" is Superior for Seismic Design
Better Practice: Create a Mass Source that references load patterns (DEAD, SUPER_DEAD, LIVE_REDUCED). Never use the "From Self & Specified Mass" option unless you fully understand the lumped mass elements you've added. A clean mass source leads to a clean summary. etabs mass summary by story better
| Story | UTotal (ton-s²/m) | RTotal (ton-s²-m) | Verification Check | |-------|------------------|-------------------|--------------------| | Roof | 125.4 | 8,420 | ✅ Cladding + roof live 20% | | 5 | 210.2 | 12,150 | ✅ Partition added | | 4 | 210.5 | 12,140 | ✅ Uniform | | 3 | 210.3 | 12,160 | ✅ Uniform | | 2 | 211.0 | 12,170 | ✅ Slight increase from stair infill | | Base | 0.0 | 0.0 | ✅ No mass at fixity | Why ETABS "Mass Summary by Story" is Superior
As a structural engineer, you know that the soul of a seismic analysis lies in how you define your building's mass. While ETABS offers various ways to view your model's weight, the Mass Summary by Story report is often the gold standard for high-accuracy design. etabs mass summary by story better