Webinar Autodesk Robot Structural Analysis Professional

23/03/2016
Advance Steel – Robot
interoperability
Artur Kosakowski
Rafał Gawęda

© 2013 Autodesk
Webinar summary

In this webinar we will focus on the interoperability

between Autodesk structural design and steel fabrication
programs.

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Topics covered in this “Webinar” and what we plan for the
next one:
 This Webinar :
 How to exchange and update an analytical and fabrication
model of a steel structure
 How to link RSA steel model with AS connection design
module
 How to enhance RSA project documentation with
calculation notes or drawings generated in AS
 Tips and common errors
 Next Webinar : Vibration of floors and footfall
analysis
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Introduction
The Advance Steel - Robot Integration allows for bidirectional structural data
exchange between Autodesk® Advance Steel® 2016 and Autodesk® Robot™
Structural Analysis Professional 2016

The link allows to:

 Exchange structural framing elements, material, and geometry
 Export internal forces calculated in Robot to AS
in order to:
− Import Robot structural models to Advance Steel to detail steel elements,
automatically generate fabrication drawings and verify connection types not
available in RSA
− Import Advance Steel models (elements, sections and materials) to Robot to
perform structural analysis and code checking for elements of a structure as
well as verify steel connections
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Introduction

Advance Steel Overview

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Introduction
Advance Steel – Robot link can be downloaded from App Store site:

Robot-AdvanceSteel Link 2016

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Conceptual assumptions

 Each program is responsible for its own model type to avoid a situation when
modification in either of the program “destroys” a model in another one

 Transfer of analytical lines from AS to Robot with preserved information of the

system line position defined in AS

 Keeping the attributes and loads defined in RSA during transfer to AS

What it means is:

 Change of analytical model of imported AS model in RSA cannot influence a fabrication model in AS after
update
 Change of sections in AS for a structure updated from RSA cannot destroy already corrected calculation
model in RSA during subsequent synchronization
 All attributes such as releases, supports, member types, loads, load combinations have to be preserved

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Functional assumptions
The link supports AS 2016 and RSA 2016. There is no support of older versions of
these programs.

 No changes in Advance Steel

 All necessary features already available in Advance 2016
 Link developed in RSA
 After installation new option available in RSA Add-in menu
 Advance to RSA transfer direction:
 Linear (bar) elements only
 Gratings transferred as claddings
 RSA to Advance transfer direction:
 Linear (bar) elements only
 Elements position changes not transferred
 Internal forces
 Supports, Releases

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Solution Architecture

Advance .smlx format is used as a proxy file for structural data exchange

Development assumptions

 Advance - .smlx file and

associated component
(import/export/synchronize/
mapping)
 RSA - .smx and associated
components
(import/export/synchronize/
mapping)
 REX technology

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How to start the link
 From AS by switching to Export & Import
part of the Ribbon and selection of
Advance export / import /
synchronization buttons or the ones from
the Revit group

 From RSA by selecting Add-Ins >

Integration > Autodesk Advance Steel
commands followed by Export / Import /
Synchronize from Advance options

 For transfer of models from Plant 3D to

RSA or AS use Advance Steel XML
Export button
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What is transferred and how (mapping)

The conversions of materials and profiles from RSA to AS are based on the internal
AS mechanism developed for its synchronization with Revit. For import from AS to
RSA, Robot REX mapping tool developed for RSA link with Revit is used.

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What is transferred and how: Advance Steel features

 Export
 Import
 Synchronization
 After you select this option the
Synchronisation dialog displays a list
of all modifications made to your model
during the recent transfer from RSA. You
can select modifications to synchronize.
It will update your model with only these
modifications.
 List of changes to be made can be
saved before executing synchronization
as doc file

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What is transferred and how: Advance Steel Mapping

 Automatic matching materials and sections from RSA to materials and sections
existing in Advance
 Manual matching for these not possible to match automatically

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What is transferred and how: RSA features

 Export

 Import

 Synchronization
 After you select this option the
Synchronisation dialog displays a list
of all modifications made to your model
during the recent transfer from Advance
Steel. You can select modifications to
synchronize. It will update your model
with only these modifications.

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What is transferred and how: RSA Mapping

 Automatic matching materials and

sections from Advance to materials
and sections existing in RSA

 Manual matching for these not

possible to match automatically
using Content Generator

 RSA sections labels available for

manual mapping

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List of transferred object types and sections:

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List of transferred object types and sections:
Mapping of user defined I sections in Robot to welded I sections in AS with
search of component plates is done only when both programs are installed on
the same computer

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Mapping Robot Structural Analysis – additional
options for export
 Export with calculation results

 Export current selection

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Mapping Robot Structural Analysis – additional
options for import
 Structural  Create Advance
elements only Steel model as
backgrounds

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Analytical vs. fabrication model. Solid shape vs. line
representation of profiles

Main display
mode

Auxiliary
display
mode

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Analytical vs. fabrication model. Solid shape vs.
line representation of profiles
Main display
mode

Auxiliary
display
mode which
represents
analitycal
model in
RSA

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Analytical vs. fabrication model. How exact they
should be.

 Positions of beams with respect to their

system lines as defined in AS cannot be
simply modeled in RSA as offsets.
 The geometry of a model as defined in
AS may need refinement to avoid very
short calculation elements or lack of
connections among bars of a structure.
 The exact geometry defined AS in many
cases should be “simplified” for static
analysis (calculations) of a model to
avoid unwanted secondary effects in
RSA.
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How to „correct” fabrication model

 Detailed correction

 Moving nodes by translation

 Rigid links definition

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How to determine the correct section sizes for
model exported to Robot using Steel Design module

RSA webinar on steel design:

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How to use the link

 Plant 3D > RSA > AS > Plant 3D (Xref

or Object Enabler)

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How to use the link

 AS > RSA > AS

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How to use the link

 RSA > AS

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Steel Connection Design in RSA

 Design of connection in RSA is based on selection of elements of a model

and forces in these elements obtained from static analysis of a structure

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Steel Connection Design in AS

 After exporting an RSA model exported with final section sizes and results
you can design connections in AS against forces imported from Robot

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Steel Connection Design in AS

 Calculation note

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Steel Connection Design in RSA

 Calculation note from AS in RSA

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Generation of drawings in AS

 Use Camera views to generate drawings of connections

 Use Camera views for generation of anchor plan, column or beam arrangement

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Useful tips :

 If you exported selected objects to an .smlx file and modified them in

Robot, select these objects in the Advance Steel model before you load the
modified .smlx file. Otherwise, objects not included in the exported
selection will be deleted during the subsequent synchronization with AS

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Useful tips :
 Mind that when you move a bar element imported from AS in RSA it
doesn’t change its position in AS during the synchronization. To have this
change done follow these steps:
 Delete imported AS element in Robot
 Create a new bar element in its new location

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Useful tips :
 By default synchronization of changes in positions made in AS is disabled in
order to keep already corrected analytical model in Robot intact. You may use
the generated background to decide if such changes should be applied to an
analytical model as well.

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Useful tips:

 Separate connections vs. groups of connections

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Useful tips :

 Be careful while mapping sections in AS for this information is stored on-line in

the database

c:\ProgramData\Autodesk\Advance\Data\GTCMapping2016.mdb

Make copy of this database in case you need to restore to defaults after making
mistake in mapping

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http://knowledge.autodesk.com

Troubleshooting Articles – this is a new page focused around your most common
troubleshooting problems:
http://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/robot-structural-analysis-
products/troubleshooting#?sort=score

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Questions ?

Please feel free to ask questions using « GoToMeeting » Questions tab now
We may not be able to answer all questions during the webinar. Please post them on the
Robot forum after the presentation.
 Next webinar session on 20/04/2015 for the following topic :

Vibration of floors and footfall analysis

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