100% dedicated to steel construction

Perfectly embedded in AutoCAD®, Advance Steel accelerates the design phase (single or multi-user mode) by offering an extensive library of smart objects, automatic joints and specific tools for creating standard structures, stairs, railing and miscellaneous steelwork. .

Advance Steel automatically generates all workshop and general arrangement drawings using intelligent tools to automatically control dimensions and labels as well as all required.

Advance Steel is part of the GRAITEC structural BIM solution, automating the entire structural design process, from engineering design to detailing and fabrication.

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Structural Modeling

Rio Tinto Stadium,
Advance Steel Design, Inc., Utah (USA)

All the tools are provided for fast and efficient modeling. Creating a precise model is important since Advance Steel will subsequently create all project documents (drawings, lists, NC files) from this model.

In the first step, Advance Steel provides the user with a large library of structural elements and design functions such as:

• Common Industry Frames, Bracings, etc.
• Common Profiles
• Common Roofs
• Steelwork (stairs, railings, ladders, etc., including joints)
• Complex folded plates (e.g., conical or twisted)
• Welded, tapered and curved beams
• Plates management tools

Model courtesy from Ets J-C FASSLER (France)

Advance Steel works in 2D or 3D depending on the user's preference and the type of structure being modeled. Advance Steel supports all basic AutoCAD® concepts and functions (snap points, grip points, copy, etc.).

In the second step, Advance Steel has libraries of customizable automatic joints (more than 300 joints).
Advance Steel offers the possibility to create specific joints using a wide range of tools:

• Polygonal cuts on plate and beam (cope, along centerline, polygonal, on the UCS, with an angle)
• Placement of bolts, holes and shear studs
• Welded connections

The new Connection Vault has the following features:

• All connections in one place
• See connection previews with various possibilities
• Choose a connection and use it directly from the connection vault!

Advance Steel assigns automatic part marks. Through dialog boxes, the user can define the numbering prefix, method, starting number and increment. Advance Steel will then proceed to final checking: element collisions, tool access (buildability), and consistency of element marks (fabrication, delivery and assembly).

Knowledge Engineering: Advance Steel integrates a new adaptive technology that automates and significantly accelerates joint creation. When creating a joint, Advance Steel analyses its environment and recognizes if a similar situation has occurred in the past. The software then suggests the optimal joint in the desired category while taking into account its structural integrity. (*Only available for certain types of joints and standards.)

New Joint Design Engine

Advance Steel can now automatically design common joints within the user interface. To create a joint the user specifies the efforts (kip) and Advance Steel quickly designs the joint. The correct type and quantity of bolts, plate thickness, etc., are automatically inserted in the model and a full design report is created!

Learn more about connection design according to Eurocodes 3 in Advance Steel...

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Sheet and plate metal work

Advance Steel is the only CAD software for steel structures that easily models sheet metal work. It only takes two clicks to create an element, for example, a conical shape from two AutoCAD entities (circle, square, etc.) or between two profiles with different diameters.

The drawings for these shapes are automatically obtained along with their unfolded representation.

Model courtesy from Planungsbüro Heuer (Germany)

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Multi-user collaboration

With the “Model Share” technology, Advance Steel users can work in a real multi-user mode to accelerate projects.

Advance Steel offers unrivalled, flexible and secure multi-user functionality offering:

• Speed improvements to model a big project (multiple users working on the same DWG file)
• Display performances (tools to display only selected elements)
• Flexibility (joints can be created between elements modeled by different users)
• Security (an element being used by one person cannot be modified by another)
• Information (real-time information of model changes)

The multi-user functionality is part of the Advance Steel Premium package.

Automated drawing creation

New "Quick documents"

Once the design is completed, Advance Steel offers a wide range of automated functions to create all the fabrication and general arrangement drawings. A large range of formats (e.g. A4 to A0) and different page layout templates are available. Each detailed drawing is created as an individual DWG file. The details are automatically labeled and dimensioned. The drawing layout may be customized with specific requirements using the Drawing Style Manager.

Model courtesy from CEYF (France)

 

General Arrangement drawings

• Automated creation of an isometric view from the project, with many different label possibilities.
• 2D drawings, such as elevation, anchor or roof plans are automatically labeled and dimensioned.
• Function for automated view creation on the drawing for special situations such as a complex detail or a base point with the foundation.
• Flexibility in the choice of the presentation rules for the details.

Model courtesy from Konstruktoriu cechas (Lithuania)	Model courtesy from Marshall Stairs (UK)
Model courtesy from Heurtey Petrochem (Romania)	Automatic unfold of a spiral stairs tread

Fabrication drawings

• Creation of individual fabrication drawings for single and assembly parts
• Automated drawing creation by processes
• All parts are automatically dimensioned and labeled with the required information
• Dimension lines can be presented as Relative, Running or Ordinate
• Function for part unfolding and tube templates
• Required cuts from the main view will be created automatically

The Final Touch

• Automated creation of a view when adding a cut line or other detail
• Ability to change scale, clipping and presentation of the details within the drawing
• Additional dimension lines (e.g. Arc, Angle….) can be created and modified
• Quick additional label insertion by selecting the desired information directly from the model

Document management

 

Once the drawings are completed, bills of material (BOM), lists and NC files can be created. The user can select from different predefined or custom formats: content definition, insertion of logos, customizable sorting, etc.

Advance Steel Document Manager is a user-friendly centralized time saving tool to check drawings, sort out details and print bills of materials.

Advance Steel automatically creates revision clouds in drawings for modifications compared to the previous status of the drawing. This considerably helps users have better control on changed elements after an automatic update of the drawings with a revision number.

Manufacturing / Fabrication

GRAITEC is an active member of the DSTV standard association and our software creates NC code that is 100% compatible with most North American (and worldwide) machinery manufacturers. The following manufacturers have confirmed their full compliance to the DSTV standard and are cooperating with us to further streamline the design to fabrication process.

Furthermore Advance Steel uses the KISS format (“Keep It Simple, Steel”) to transfer data from the model and the bill of material to fabrication management software. Among other supported solutions, Advance Steel is certified by FABTROL.

Since the 7.1 version, Advance Steel is certified as Microsoft Client and MS Office compliant. The testing defined by the Microsoft Platform Test for ISV Software Solutions was conducted by VeriTest, a testing service of Lionbridge Technologies.

100% AutoCAD® ! Advance Steel uses Object ARX to its fullest potential. This advanced Autodesk technology provides users with professional objects such as beams, columns, bars perfectly integrated into AutoCAD® on which most standard functions can be applied (copy, paste, extend, trim, stretch, etc.). The native file format of Advance suites is a 100% Autodesk compliant DWG file that may be used on any AutoCAD® station.
GRAITEC is an ADN (Autodesk Application Developer) since 1997 and a UAR (Unique Application Reseller) since 2001.

BIM technology : GRAITEC software interoperability and integration

All Graitec programs can now easily communicate with the new BIM format, that allows the exchange of models between applications and also the models synchronization, with no data loss and no need to re-input data!

 

 

Discover how Advance Steel is compatible with Autodesk Revit Structure.

Products carrying this logo are not necessarily Autodesk products and as such are not warranted by Autodesk. Autodesk, the Autodesk logo, AutoCAD and Autodesk Architectural Desktop are registered trademarks of Autodesk, Inc.

Advance Steel Related Technical Articles

Read more about different functionalities of Advance Steel in the following articles :

• Steel structures detailing
• Stairs and Railings
• Keep track of changes during the project revision stage
• CIS/2 Compatibility
• Connection Design according to Eurocodes 3
• Exchange Formats Overview
• Available standards