We often get requests for Software Support where the user will ask "How do you use your software to analyze a {Widget}?" The widget could be any number of things, a 20 ft mailbox, balcony, Custom Parapet, Octagonal Shaped Barn, etc.. These are not software questions and do not fall under the category of "Software Support". They are questions about how you would analyze these unique situations using the ASCE 7 or FBC code. We have Engineers on staff, but we do not have the resources to field these types of questions. For starters, we are not building designers and so we simply don't encounter the wide variety of situations that are requested. These types of requests require an Engineer to be involved, and the risk and cost associated with answering these questions is immense. We would have to get a building Engineer on staff that does nothing but field these questions, and the cost of the software would increase significantly. It's just not feasible.
When this situation occurs, we recommend you open the code (ASCE 7, FBC, etc..) and determine which section of the code most closely approximates your situation. Then use that approach using the software.