StructureWorks, LLC and MathSoft are working together to bring equation-based analysis to 3D design for precast components. An integration between StructureWorks and Mathcad will ship with the release of StructureWorks Precast 2006 in January.
According to the two companies, the integration will allow results of Mathcad-based calculations to automate the creation of 3D design models in StructureWorks. Designers will also be able to analyze their work against engineering calculations created in Mathcad. For example, project engineers working in StructureWorks can invoke a Mathcad “pass/fail” calculation worksheet to determine if a concrete plate design will support the applied loads. They could invoke another worksheet to design a structure from a given capacity, again without leaving the StructureWorks interface.
“Designing the building and engineering the structure are the same process conceptually,” said Jason Lien, president of StructureWorks. “Mathsoft and StructureWorks are collaborating to make them a single process in our software.”
StructureWorks Precast is created to run as an application in SolidWorks, the popular 3D design software that is finding growing acceptance in niche AEC design environments. StructureWorks accelerates development of building projects by automating the production of drawings, generating real time bills of materials, and vaulting the data for subsequent use in Microsoft’s SQL server database. StructureWorks is intended for use by all manufacturers of engineered structural, architectural, utility, and site cast precast and prestressed products.
Mathcad is a popular engineering tool for the exploration and documentation of mathematical formulas and calculations for design. Engineers can combine formulas, text and interactive graphics in a single electronic worksheet via an intuitive “whiteboard” interface.
--RSN