Step-by-step tutorial for steel member buckling analysis using the BIM link between ETABS and IDEA StatiCa. Structural engineering design software.

SteelMember designTutorialsBIM linkETABS

ETABS BIM link for steel member buckling analysis (AISC)

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This tutorial guides you to activate the BIM link between ETABS and IDEA StatiCa Member and shows how to import a beam from ETABS. Then the beam with its joints is designed and analyzed using the CBFEM method.

1 How to activate the link

$Download and install (as administrator) the latest version of IDEA StatiCa$
$Make sure that you are using the supported version of ETABS$

After installation of both programs, start ETABS and Click Tools > Add/Show Plugins to open the Plugin Manager dialog. This option lets you install and add add-ins (programs) to the appropriate places in the ETABS menu.

Browse for

Select the reference connection (underlined in the tree) that drives the group's design, then open it.

(for older versions of IDEA Statica C:\Program Files\IDEA StatiCa\StatiCa 23.0\IdeaETABSv1PluginWrapper.dll

or C:\Program Files\IDEA StatiCa\StatiCa 22.1\ETABSv18PlugIn_IDEAStatiCa.dll).

You can edit the plugin's name displayed in your dropdown menu as IDEA StatiCa Checkbot, then click Add.

BIM Link - ETABS

Remark

In case the window with the IDEA StatiCa Checkbot doesn't appear, please go to  C:\Program Files\Computers and Structures\ETABS 22 and run as Administrator the file RegisterETABS.exe.

2 How to use the link

Open the attached project in ETABS and run the analysis.

Go to the menu item Tools and run the export command you have just defined.

The Checkbot opens, and first, you need to choose the code .

Then you can select the two beams (using Ctrl key) shown in the picture below in the ETABS project for export. The joints connected to the beams will be automatically exported as well.

If the beams are selected, you can click on the Member button in the Checkbot. With this, all the selected beams and their joints from ETABS will be imported into the Checkbot .

This tutorial works with imperial units. If you use metric units, you can switch them to imperial by clicking in the upper ribbon on Project and then Preferences - Load imperial defaults in the left menu or check out this article .

Since the columns in this example are continuous, we have to merge the lower and upper parts. Select the upper part of one of the columns and then click on the Merge button . Do it for all 3 columns.

3 Connections - Arrangement and Group creation

Since we have two similar joints, IDEA StatiCa has already grouped them into a single Arrangement. To design and get both joints checked in one stem, we have to group them. Select both, right-click, and click on Create group .

Select the reference connection (underlined in the tree) that drives the group's design, then open it.

4 Design

The materially non-linear analysis based on CBFEM is started by the icon Calculate from the top ribbon. The analysis model is automatically generated, the calculation is performed, and we can check the results.

Choose the column and in the new window select the T endplate uniform template.

A conversion table appears - select appropriate values.

Now click on Explode to be able to apply changes in the template.

Apply the same template for member M31 .

The following operation also added Stiffeners to the joint on both sides. You have to change it only to the Front location.

Click on the Save button and close the window.

For the middle joint, please apply the operation Clip angle as shown in the following picture.

The member is now ready to be opened in IDEA StatiCa Member for the CBFEM analysis.

Right-click on member M1,M2, select Open . automatic data transfer is started, and IDEA StatiCa Member with a generated project is launched. All members and load effects were added automatically.

To complete our member, we must add openings to the web along both beams. We click on item M1 under Operations and select New operation and then Openings . We set the numbers as in the picture.

We do the same for member M2 .

4 Check

The materially non-linear analysis based on CBFEM is started by the icon Calculate from the top ribbon. The analysis model is automatically generated, the calculation is performed, and we can check the results.

If you want the LBA - Linear buckling analysis, you must select Check in the upper ribbon and click on LBA .

As you can see, the result of this analysis is greater than 15, so it is not necessary to continue with the GMNIA (geometrically and materially nonlinear analysis). For more information, please see the article about imperfections or the Theoretical background .

5 Report

At last, we go to the tab Report. IDEA StatiCa offers a fully customizable report to print out or save in an editable format.

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Attached Downloads

IdeaStatiCa-ETABS project member.zip (ZIP, 2.5 MB)