Robot Structural Analysis in Autodesk AEC Collection

Structural engineers are using BIM to improve their design workflows and enhance collaboration with other stakeholders on projects. However, when it comes to performing analysis and design, structural engineers often face the following challenges:

• Little time to explore the best design option due to the use of fragmented analysis and design methods
• Insufficient coordination between engineers conducting analysis and designers/drafters modifying design models in Revit
• Lack of integration between analysis and design models can contribute to inconsistencies in construction documentation

We also heard from our structural engineering customers that BIM-based visualization, structural analysis and fabrication capabilities have become “must haves” for their BIM workflows and for them to stay competitive.

To help address these challenges, we have added Robot Structural Analysis software to the AEC Collection. Now you can access a powerful set of tools for design, analysis, detailing and fabrication in one easy subscription.

The integration between Revit software and Robot Structural Analysis Professional facilitates the coordination of design information and construction documentation. The integration supports multiple workflows stemming from choices regarding initial modeling software and the use of multiple analytical models to split the workload. Additionally, Revit offers many tools and modeling practices to prepare a model for a smoother interoperability with Robot Structural Analysis Professional and other widely used structural analysis software applications.

The result of this interoperability is a more streamlined and productive design process, the opportunity to perform more analysis to help find the best structural design option, and a better understanding of design intent yielding less errors and omissions.

Watch the following video to learn more about this workflow:

Key Business Benefits of Robot Structural Analysis Professional in AEC Collection

Robot Structural Analysis Professional software provides structural engineers with advanced structural analysis capabilities, including for large and complex structures. Analyze models with powerful finite element auto-meshing, nonlinear algorithms, and a comprehensive library of country-specific design codes. Autodesk Robot Structural Analysis Professional is fast and flexible, enabling faster and easier structural analysis. Complementing BIM workflows, Robot Structural Analysis Professional can help customers:

• Explore more design options that are analytically modeled and checked and linked to design models
• Improve collaboration across BIM-enabled design teams by analyzing and incorporating changes more seamlessly to all members of the structural team
• Design a range of structure types more efficiently with country-specific design codes and support for multiple languages and units

Using a combination of Revit and Robot Structural Analysis software, the Buro Happold team has been able to take existing design models created in architectural modeling software and develop, analyze, and optimize the structural frame of the stadium. Learn more about this story.

Image courtesy of Buro Happold

We have thousands of customers worldwide using Robot Structural Analysis today. Here are a few examples of their projects:

Concrete Structure Design: Balt Building Engineering (Belgium) Project: Belgian Football Federation Mission: Use of Robot Structural Analysis for the design of a concrete structure
Steel bridge with custom sections Design: IB Kwant Ingenieursbureau (The Netherlands) Project: Lateraal kanaal, Almelo (Netherlands) Mission: Finite element analysis of mixed wood & steel bridge, including pile foundation design.
Royal Theatre Ireland Design: GGP Consult (United Kingdom) Project: Royal Theatre, Ireland Mission: Finite element analysis of complex public building in mixed steel and concrete structure.
Scissor Structures Design: V.U.B. University, Brussels (Belgium) PhD of Lara Alegria Mira Project:  PhD Research: “Nonlinear Analysis of Deployable Structures Comprised of Optimized Universal Scissor Components” Mission: Develop an optimized geometry using Rhino, Grasshopper and Robot Structural Analysis for advanced non-linear analysis.
Wood – Steel bridge Design: IB Kwant Ingenieursbureau (The Netherlands) Project: Steel bridge, Landgraaf (Netherlands) Mission: Finite element analysis of mixed wood & steel bridge, including pile foundation design

Also you can see what customers are doing looking at other great examples of their work by visiting the Robot forum to explore a fantastic gallery of customers’ projects.

We continue to make updates to the Robot Structural Analysis software and have recently published a hotfix for our customers.  To learn more please go here 2018.0.1 Hot Fix.