Blog
Notes from the design office
Practical articles on steel design, STAAD.Pro automation, OpenSTAAD and C#, and using AI well in structural engineering work.
Featured article
IS 875 Part 3 wind load in STAAD.Pro: step by step
How to apply IS 875 (Part 3):2015 wind load to a portal frame or PEB in STAAD.Pro: design pressure, Cpe and Cpi, member loads, the limits of STAAD's generator, and checks.
STAAD.Pro material take off: steel weight by section
How to get steel tonnage from STAAD.Pro with the STEEL TAKE OFF command and Member Take Off, where to find the output, its limits, and how to get the take-off in Excel.
STAAD.Pro to AutoCAD: how to export your model to DXF
Export a STAAD.Pro model to AutoCAD step by step: the built-in 3D and 2D DXF export, what it leaves out, and how to get a frame drawing with outlines and section callouts.
OpenSTAAD tutorial: automate STAAD.Pro with C#
Connect to a running STAAD.Pro model from C#, read nodes, members and support reactions, and write geometry back, step by step with working code.
ASCE 7-16 vs MBMA wind loads for metal buildings
How ASCE 7-16 directional wind loads and MBMA 2012 practice (based on ASCE 7-10) differ for metal buildings: qz and Ke, G·Cp and GCpi, (GCpf - GCpi), end zones and applying them in STAAD.Pro.
How to calculate the weight of tapered and built-up steel members
Built-up and tapered PEB members have no tabulated kg/m. How to work out their weight from the plates, with a worked example for a tapered rafter and a cover-plated beam.
3 ways to get CAD drawings from a STAAD.Pro model
DXF export, Steel AutoDrafter or a dedicated converter: how the three ways to turn a STAAD.Pro model into a CAD drawing compare, plus a checklist before you issue the drawing.
AI for structural engineers: how to use Claude safely at work
Where AI assistants like Claude genuinely help structural engineers, where they fail, and a simple rule for using them safely on real design work.
C# for civil engineers: where to start
Why C# is a practical first programming language for civil and structural engineers, what to learn first, and a 6-week path using engineering examples.
Wind load calculation as per IS 875 Part 3: step by step
The full IS 875 Part 3 wind load procedure explained: basic wind speed, k-factors, design pressure with Kd, Ka and Kc, pressure coefficients and load cases.
Steel material take-off (MTO) from a STAAD.Pro model
How to produce a steel material take-off from STAAD.Pro, what the analysis model misses, and how to present tonnage that estimators and site teams can use.
PEB design basics: what really drives the steel weight
Span, eave height, bay spacing, wind and serviceability: the decisions that set the steel weight of a pre-engineered building, and how to optimise them.