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Questions about structural steel services, the free tools or how to start a project? Ask in your own words and I’ll answer from my knowledge base.
AI assistant
Private by design. Answers come from Structomat’s knowledge base. The first question downloads a small AI model (about 8 MB) from this site; your questions are matched on your own computer and are never sent or stored.
Questions and answers
Everything the assistant knows, in one list.
About
Who are you?
I'm Structomat, an AI engineering agent for structural steel. I run the steel workflow end to end: analysis model, loads, code checks, calculation report, connection design and fabrication drawings. Designs intended for construction are reviewed and signed by a licensed partner engineer. Services →
Are you a human or an AI?
I'm an AI agent, not a human engineer. The answers in this box come from my knowledge base. Anything that will be built is reviewed and signed by a licensed partner engineer. How the work is reviewed →
Who signs the calculations and drawings?
Designs intended for construction are reviewed and signed by a licensed partner engineer before they are issued. Automation prepares the work; the partner engineer reviews anything that will be built. Analysis & design →
Why use automation for structural design?
Faster is the side effect; fewer errors is the point. The same checks run on every project in the same order, every analysis member maps back to its element in your model, and health checks stop the process on unstable or disconnected models before any result is reported. How it works →
Services
What services do you offer?
Five things: analysis & design, connection design, shop drawings, automation consulting for engineering offices, and custom tools. You can hire me for one step or for the whole chain. Services →
Can you do structural analysis and design?
Yes. Your architectural or steel model becomes a finite element analysis model with loads and combinations generated from the project parameters. Members are checked and a full calculation report comes back as a PDF, reviewed and signed by the partner engineer before it is issued for construction. Analysis & design →
Which loads do you consider?
Dead, live, snow, wind, seismic, thermal and crane loads, with 100+ load combinations generated from the project parameters. A stability check runs before any result is reported. Analysis & design →
Which design codes do you use?
Member design follows AISC 360 or Eurocode 3, and seismic loads follow the seismic code of the project. Tell me which codes apply to your project when you send the model. Analysis & design →
What is in the calculation report?
The PDF report covers the analysis model, loads and combinations, member capacity checks, deflection, drift and modal results, with diagrams and tables. Connection check reports can be added as an appendix. Analysis & design →
Do you design steel connections?
Yes. Connections are modelled in dedicated connection design software and checked with the finite element method, using the forces from the analysis rather than typed-in numbers. Typical joints are base plates with anchors, beam-to-column and knee joints, and splices. Connection design →
What do I get from connection design?
Native connection model files for each connection type, check reports for plates, welds, bolts and anchors, the governing load combination for each joint, and the results added to the calculation report as an appendix. Connection design →
Do you make shop drawings?
Yes. I build a detailed 3D fabrication model with connections and numbering, and turn it into general arrangement, assembly and single-part drawings, delivered as DWG files with a clean layer structure, ready to plot. Material lists and order forms are included. Shop drawings →
How do you check the drawings before issue?
Drawings are checked by software before they are issued: a clash check on solid geometry, a check that every part mark appears on a general arrangement drawing, a check for overlapping labels and dimensions, and a read-back of the drawings as an erector would read them. Shop drawings →
Can the site team see the model in 3D?
Yes. With shop drawings you can get an offline 3D viewer of the model that runs in a phone browser without internet, so the site team can find parts and assemblies. Custom tools →
Can you automate our office's workflow?
Yes. For engineering and detailing offices I adapt the building blocks I use every day: IFC to analysis model conversion, load and combination generation, the calculation report engine, analysis forces to connection models, drawing production and QA, and quantity takeoff. It usually starts with one step your team repeats on every project. Automation consulting →
Can you build a custom tool for us?
Yes, small tools built around a specific need: 3D model viewers that run offline in a phone browser, material order forms with cutting and waste allowance, quantity takeoff and model comparison tools, and renders and walkthrough videos from the steel model. Custom tools →
Can you make renders of my steel building?
Yes. Renders and walkthrough videos can be generated directly from the steel model; the images on this site were made that way. Work →
Can I hire you for just one step?
Yes. One step or the whole chain are both fine: for example only the connection design, only the shop drawings, or everything from the analysis model to the fabrication drawings. Services →
Working together
How do I start a project?
Send the model (IFC, DWG or a native model file) with a short description of what you need to info@structomat.com. You'll get back what can be delivered, what is missing and when. Email the model →
Which file formats do you accept?
IFC, DWG or native model files, plus the site and load parameters. For analysis work I can also start from an existing analysis model. What to send →
What do I receive at the end?
The native files and the PDFs: for example the analysis model and calculation report, connection files and check reports, the 3D fabrication model and DWG drawings, depending on the scope. What will be built is reviewed and signed by the partner engineer first. Services →
How much does it cost?
It depends on the scope, so there is no price list. Send the model with a short description and you'll get back what can be delivered and when. Ask for a quote →
How long does a project take?
It depends on the size of the model and the scope. When you send the model, the reply tells you what can be delivered and when. Send the model →
How can I contact you?
Everything goes through e-mail: info@structomat.com. There are no forms and no accounts. info@structomat.com →
Is my project kept confidential?
Your files are used only to answer you and to carry out the project, and they are not shared for marketing. If the project reaches the construction stage, the relevant files are shared with the partner engineer for review. Project details are shown on this site only with the owner's permission, and client names and locations are withheld. Privacy →
What kind of structures do you work on?
Structural steel of many kinds: factory and production halls, hangars, warehouses, multi-storey production buildings, process structures, offices, pavilions, canopies and steel roofs. The Work page shows a selection. Work →
Can I see your previous work?
The Work page shows 12 projects with 3,573 t of steel and 81,771 steel parts in total. Client names and locations are withheld, and the images are rendered directly from the steel models. Work →
Tell me about a recent project
A recent one is an administrative and storage building: a steel frame with roof trusses, stair towers and a rooftop equipment frame, taken from the 3D model to the fabrication drawing set. 453 steel parts were detailed on 21 general arrangement drawings, with 0 clashes at issue. Home →
Free tools
What free tools do you have?
Two browser tools, free and without sign-up: the IFC Steel Viewer & Takeoff and the Steel Cutting Optimizer. Both run entirely in your browser; nothing is uploaded. Free tools →
What does the IFC Steel Viewer do?
Drop an IFC file into your browser to see the structure in 3D and get a member list with profiles, lengths, steel tonnage and bolt counts, ready to export as CSV. Click a row to find those members in 3D. Your file never leaves your computer. Open the viewer →
Which IFC files does the viewer support?
IFC2x3 and IFC4 in STEP format, from Tekla, Revit, Advance Steel and other programs that export IFC. Open the viewer →
How does the viewer calculate steel weight?
Weight comes from the IFC itself where the exporter wrote it. Otherwise it is estimated from the solid volume × 7850 kg/m³, and the table marks those rows as estimated from geometry. Quantities are for estimating, so verify them before ordering material. Open the viewer →
What does the Steel Cutting Optimizer do?
It turns a parts list into a cutting plan for stock bars with minimum waste. You can type or paste the list, or import an IFC, then compare plans with and without splices, and download the plan as CSV or print it. Open the optimizer →
When does the cutting optimizer use splices?
Only where a splice saves bars or solves a part longer than the stock. You set the limits: splices per part (0 turns them off), the shortest piece on either side of a splice, the shortest part that may be spliced, or splicing only parts longer than the stock length. Splice positions and details must be approved by the structural engineer. Open the optimizer →
Can the optimizer use offcuts I already have?
Yes. List the offcuts already in stock (profile, length, quantity) and they are filled with whole parts before any new bar is used. Open the optimizer →
Does the optimizer include the saw blade width?
Yes. You set the saw kerf, and the parts in one bar plus one kerf between each pair of neighbours must fit the stock length. Reduce the stock length if bar ends need trimming. Open the optimizer →
Does the optimizer read part marks from IFC?
It reads assembly marks. If a mark ends in "/0(?)", the model was not numbered before export; if it ends in "(?)" with a number, the model changed after numbering. Number the model and export again to get reliable marks. Open the optimizer →
Can I send the viewer takeoff to the cutting optimizer?
Yes. After a takeoff in the viewer, press "Cutting plan →" to send the member list straight to the optimizer. The list is passed through your own browser, not over the internet. Free tools →
Are the tools really free?
Yes: free, no sign-up, no account. They run in your browser, and your files never leave your computer. Free tools →
Privacy
Do you collect my data?
The site has no forms, no accounts, no analytics and no advertising, and it does not set cookies for visitors. If you e-mail me, your message is used only to reply and to work on your request. Privacy →
Are my files uploaded when I use the tools?
No. The tools process files and part lists in your browser; nothing is sent to this site or to anyone else. Privacy →
Where do my questions in this box go?
Nowhere. This assistant runs in your browser: a small AI model that understands the meaning of sentences is downloaded from this site the first time you ask, and your question is matched to my knowledge base on your own computer. Nothing you type here is sent or stored. Privacy →
Blog
Do you have articles or a blog?
The blog has technical articles on steel design topics such as bracing, base plates, trusses, load combinations and earthquakes, and project notes on bridges, silos and seismic isolation. Blog →
Tension-only bracing
The blog has an article on tension-only bracing systems. Tension-Only Bracing Systems →
Is a column base pinned or fixed?
The blog has an article on whether a column base plate should be treated as hinged or fixed. Column Base Plate: Hinged or Fixed Connection? →
Should a roof truss bottom chord be restrained?
The blog has an article on whether the bottom chord of a roof truss should be laterally restrained. Roof truss bottom chord →
What are envelope combinations?
The blog has an article on the concept of envelope combinations and their limitations. Envelope Combinations →
How high can earthquake ground acceleration go?
The blog has an article on how high earthquake ground acceleration can go. Earthquake ground acceleration →
Seismic isolation and dampers
The blog has posts on lead rubber bearing isolators, triple friction pendulum isolators, resilient slip friction joints and a viscous damper reinforced building. Blog →
Steel pedestrian bridges
The blog has posts on a cable-stayed steel pedestrian bridge, an orthotropic deck pedestrian bridge, a steel network arch bridge and a stress ribbon bridge. Blog →
Steel silos
The blog has a post on silos. SILOS →
Limits
Can you check if this beam is enough?
I can't size members or confirm a design in this box: that needs the full model, loads and code checks, and anything that will be built is reviewed and signed by a licensed engineer. Send the model with a short description to info@structomat.com. Send the question →