← GSD IDEASteel connection design

WORKFLOW / STEEL

Steel connection design

Verify connections that ordinary member design cannot resolve.

01

Model any geometry

Build the joint in 2D or 3D from more than 250 parametric templates, or model non-standard geometry directly — cast-in plates, column pedestals, base plates with unusual anchoring.

02

Understand component behaviour

CBFEM (Component-Based Finite Element Method) and GMNA analysis model how the joint actually behaves under load, including stiffness, openings and stiffeners — not simplified textbook assumptions.

03

Check bolts, welds and plates

Verify every bolt, weld and plate individually, plus shear transfer through anchors, lugs and friction, with plate thickness and layout optimised.

04

Evaluate stiffness and buckling

Check all relevant buckling modes including torsion effects, using realistic boundary conditions and actual load locations instead of idealised supports.

05

Report for approval

Export a full calculation report against Eurocode, AISC or the applicable design standard, ready for third-party checking and approval.

OFFICIAL PRODUCT VIDEO

Watch the workflow in context.