Nemetschek Scia to introduce new Open Design Technology at the 2014 Structures Congress

Nemetschek Scia, the world’s premier developer of structural engineering and fabrication software that supports the BIM process, will introduce Scia Design Forms, a new Open Design technology that allows Structural and Civil Engineers to centralize their engineering design tasks into one integrated workflow, at Structures Congress 2014 in Boston, Mass., which will take place April 2-4.

Scia Design Forms allows civil and structural engineers to easily write their own checks and engineering calculations, which can then be linked to Scia Engineer, the company’s FEA (finite element analysis) software.

With Scia Design Forms, engineering firms can:

• Centralize design tasks into one integrated workflow, so there are fewer disparate analysis models that need to be manually coordinated
• See exactly what formulas and methods are being used for a check, so designs are completely transparent, eliminating the “black box” aspect of current engineering design software
• Easily modify code checks. Checks written with Scia Design Forms are open and can be easily edited
• Remove the dependency on any one software vendor. With Scia Design Forms, engineers can easily extend their FEA software by adding their own design checks

“Giving engineers the ability to write their own checks in their FEA software is a real game changer for some firms,” says Dan Monaghan, U.S. Managing Director, Nemetschek Scia. “Now engineers can pull together their external checks into one workflow, as well as customize their FEA software to support all the checks a firm may need.”

01 – Scia Design Forms software by Nemetschek Scia.

Calculations created in Scia Design Forms can be run as stand-alone or linked to Scia Engineer, Nemetschek’s flagship 3D Structural Analysis program. When linked, the input values (geometry, loads, etc.) for a given calculation can be pulled directly from the analysis model. Results are displayed graphically on the 3D model and the detailed calculation output can be integrated in the Scia Engineering report.

Unlike general purpose mathematical programs, such as Excel, MathCAD or MATLAB, Scia Design Forms is designed specifically for creating structural engineering calculations. Design Forms ships with pre-configured databases of engineering elements such as material and cross section libraries that make creating structural checks fast and efficient.

The output is flexible and transparent, making it easy to create professional engineering reports. Results can be shown as simple summaries or as detailed reports that show all the formulas used in a calculation, complete with dynamic illustrations.

And, Design Forms can import Excel sheets so engineers can migrate easily from current workflows to Scia Design Forms.

To learn more, please visit the Nemetschek Scia booth, #300, at Structures Congress 2014 or visit www.nemetschek-scia.com/designforms.