SCIA AutoConverter

User Guide
Version 1.0.6

SCIA
February 15, 2023
Contents
1 Introduction 2

2 Basic Overview of AutoConverter Interface 3

3 IFC input recommendation 10

3.1 Best Practices for IFC Creation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

4 Structural to Analysis workflow 12

4.1 Select Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
4.2 Clean the Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
4.3 Recognizer Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
4.4 Recognizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
4.5 Alignment Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
4.6 Align Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
4.7 Saving and Downloading the Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

5 Update of Analysis Model based on changes in Structural Model 40

5.1 Uploading of the revision of the Structural model . . . . . . . 41
5.2 Compare Structural Model Revisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
5.3 Review and Select . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
5.4 Recognize, Align and Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

6 Compare revisions of Analysis model 49

6.1 Compare Revision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
6.2 Review and Create Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
6.3 Tasks on Bimplus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

7 Team management on Bimplus and support 57

8 Import and export of the SAF file 62

9 Summary 64

10 Annexes 66
10.1 Parallel Member Detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
10.2 System Line Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

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 Figure 1: SCIA AutoConverter

1 Introduction
Welcome to SCIA AutoConverter user guide! This technical document will help
you to understand the SCIA AutoConverter purpose, workflow and settings.
SCIA Autoconverter is a web application designed for the conversion of
structural models to analysis models, ready to import to various analysis
software. The conversion is fully in the hands of structural analysis engineers
and SCIA AutoConverter provides varied options for model creating settings.
Model creation is an automated process that saves a lot of time for engineers.
The application runs with connection to the Bimplus, a CDE platform provided
by Allplan. SCIA AutoConverter also provides update workflows in both ways.
Structural engineers can communicate selected changes done in the analysis
model back to colleagues structural modellers, drawsmens or architects
with the system of Tasks, tracked on Bimplus or also update the analysis
model with selected changes done in the structural model in one of the
revisions. Update of analysis model is done effectively and with the emphasis
on reducing the remodelling necessary time to zero. Update is affecting only
selected objects with changes, all additional data like loads or supports are
kept. The update workflows are recommended in cooperation with the latest
SCIA Engineer analytical software available.

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2 Basic Overview of AutoConverter Interface
After your first login to SCIA AutoConverter you will see the application inter-
face (Figure 2). Let’s take a look at what you can find here. General overview
of AutoConverter user interface consists of the following components:

1. Top bar

2. Workflow selection bar

3. Workflow specific tab

4. 3D scene

5. View settings

6. Property tab

Figure 2: SCIA AutoConverter user interface

1. Top Bar Top bar content is not changing based on the selected workflow
and always stays the same. The top bar is used for general navigation in team
and project, language settings and notifications. Let’s look at the components
one by one. (Figure 3)

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 Figure 3: Top Bar description

Figure 4: Expanded hamburger drop down menu

(a) Hamburger menu

When hamburger drop down menu is expanded there are multiple op-
tions to go. (Figure 4)
Product page - link to SCIA Engineer website
How to start video - embedded video about quick start with SCIA Auto-
Converter
Learning zone - link to SCIA Engineer learning zone
Tutorial videos - when expanded, there are numerous embedded tutorial
videos with specific features in SCIA AutoConverter (all videos can be
found also on SCIA Engineer YouTube channel)
SAF documentation - SCIA AutoConverter is supporting export to SAF
format and this link leads to official SAF format documentation
Bimplus - link to Bimplus portal
SAF converter tool - link to SAF converter webpage (tool converting SAF
files to Dlubal RFEM 5 excel input and in native Autodesk Robot files)
Support - when expanded, offers the option for reporting an issue, link
to FAQ and contact information of SCIA Engineer

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 Release notes - provides up-to-date overview of released improvements
(UserStory) and fixes (Bug)

(b) Team selection

Here you can select the Bimplus team you want to work in.

(c) Project selection

Here you can select the specific project you want to work in.

(d) Project creation

By clicking on the Project creation icon, you can create a brand-new
project. The project is then automatically created on Bimplus.

(e) Notification bell

When the notification bell is in an active state (coloured circle with
number inside), it means you have unread messages. By clicking on
the notification bell, new messages will be shown. Messages can be
marked as read with the orange tick button on the right bottom of the
message. In case you have more unread messages, the latest message
is at the bottom. Notification bell has two types of messages: (Figure
5)

Figure 5: Expanded notification bell

New release of SCIA AutoConverter - with every new release, a notifi-

cation with release notes will be shown, by clicking on "View release
note", complete release notes will be shown
General message - general message, usually informing about newly
available functionality, the "View detailed info" contains a link to a tutorial
video or to a dedicated webpage to the message.

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 (f) Language selection
Following languages are supported by SCIA AutoConverter: English GB,
Czech, German, France, Portuguese

(g) Log out button

2. Workflow specific tab Workflow selection offers available workflows

based on your licence. All available workflows are shown on Figure 6. From
top to bottom there are:

Figure 6: Workflow selection bar

• View Models: Model viewer which allows both analysis and structural
models in the 3D scene. Models can viewed and inspected in this
regime.

• Convert Structural to Analysis: Shortly "S2A" is a process that guides

you from the structural model (IFC on import) at the beginning to the
analysis model at the end.

• Update Analysis with Structural: Workflow that guides you through

the process of updating of the analysis model. The analysis model is
updated with selected changes in the structural model between revision.

• Compare Analysis Model Revisions: SCIA AutoConverter will compare

changes between analysis model revisions. Selected changes can be
communicated via issues (tasks) with other stakeholders of the current
project.

• Reporting: Reporting provides you with option for exporting a table

with mapping between analysis objects and structural objects (relation
table).

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 • Import/Export of the SAF file: Here you can export an analysis model
stored in SCIA AutoConverter to SAF file (.xlsx) or upload your own SAF
file to the project.

3. 3D scene For navigation in 3D scene, commonly used functions are

available.
• For zooming use the middle mouse wheel.
• For moving the view hold the right mouse button + move
• For rotation of view hold the left mouse button + move
• For selection/deselection use point and click of the left mouse button.
• For multiple selection/deselection hold ctrl and left mouse click on
multiple entities in the scene.
• For window selection/deselection drag with holding ctrl + left mouse
button. (Both directions represent selection type "all inside the boundary
rectangle")
4. View settings View settings at the bottom of the 3D scene are there for
the general manipulation of 3D scene and selections and for displaying addi-
tional data. Features available you will find useful in all SCIA AutoConverter
workflows. (Figure 7)

Figure 7: View settings of the 3D scene

1. Toggle 3D volumetric render of analysis model: When you have an

analysis model (recognized or aligned) you can toggle ON and OFF
volumetric render. Volumetric model is a 3D representation of an active
(visible) analysis model in the 3D scene.
2. Additional settings for volumetric model render, scene light settings
and colours of analysis entities: By clicking on 3 dots you can expand
the additional settings. There is a setting for scene camera light, toggle
for volumetric model transparency, colour of volumetric render of the
analysis model and colour selection for analysis entities.

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3. Label settings: By clicking on the "A" icon you can expand the label
settings. In the label settings, you can set the visibility of various labels
and their colour used in the 3D scene. Labels available are: Node labels,
1D member labels, 2D member labels, Load case labels, Result labels,
LCS labels.

4. Reset scene: Reset scene will reset the view to "Side view", will turn all
available models visibility ON and show all hidden elements.

5. Change camera orientation: Here you can select from predefined cam-
era positions.

6. Hide objects (toggle): Hide object toggle turns ON and OFF "hide ob-
jects" mode. When the "hide objects" mode is active, all objects you click
on in the 3D scene will be hidden and disappear from the scene. This
feature is useful in inspecting the structural model, recognized model,
aligned model and their relations. Hidden elements can be restored by
clicking on the "Reset the scene" button (4) or toggling model’s visibility
OFF and ON.

7. Isolate objects (toggle): Isolate objects will isolate the active selection
in the 3D scene. Isolated elements will still be highlighted in the 3D
scene and all other active objects in the scene will become transparent.

8. Result setting: Here you can expand the setting available for result
drawing. You can set various settings for drawing of available internal
forces in the analysis model. (Result settings are valid only in cases
when you have uploaded the analysis model with results.)

9. Invert selections: Invert selection icon is active only when you have a
selection in the 3D scene. When you click on the "Invert selection" action
button, all unselected elements will be selected and the previously
selected elements will be deselected. This function is useful in "Clean
model" in the workflow "Convert Structural model to Analysis model".

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 Figure 8: Property tab in the SCIA AutoConverter

5. Property tab Property tab (Figure 8) is shown when the structural or

analytical object is selected in the 3D scene. The property tab can be resized
by clicking and dragging on the edge approximately in the centre when active.
In the property bar, you can inspect attributes and properties of selected ob-
jects in 3D scene. Properties are divided into categories based IFC property
sets (for example property set WallCommon, SlabCommon etc. for structural
objects, property sets for analysis elements are based on SAF format, more
you can find on saf.guide).

When object is selected you can inspect properties through categories,

you can also use attribute selection by clicking on specific attribute in the
property tab. All objects with the selected attribute and value will be selected
in 3D scene. This is very useful for cleaning the structure in S2A workflow
(step 2). When multiple objects are selected, you can use toggle at the top of
the property tab "Show common properties" to see only attributes and values
they have in common, the result is shown in one category "Shared properties".
When toggle is turned OFF, properties for the last selected object are shown
in the property tab.

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3 IFC input recommendation
Models, that are being converter to analysis ones in SCIA AutoConverter
are models stored on Bimplus - CDE platform by Allplan. The input for the
AutoConverter is an IFC file. IFC is a file format defined and developed by
Building SMART (see: Building SMART). IFC format provides various options
for storing and transferring a lot of data (geometry data and attributes) defined
in the authoring model application (Allplan, ArchiCAD, Revit, Tekla, Advance
Steel and others). IFC model uploaded and processed on Bimplus is an input
for SCIA AutoConverter. The resultant quality of the analysis model is tightly
connected to the quality of an IFC model uploaded to SCIA AutoConverter
(Bimplus). This chapter is therefore crucial for the best possible result.

3.1 Best Practices for IFC Creation

In this chapter, let’s take look on IFC attributes and geometry precision. It is
common that all modelling software are offering export to IFC files. In every
single software, there are usually provided predefined settings for IFC export
and possibilities to adjust the export rules manually (define new exporting
template). SCIA AutoConverter can process IFC2x3 and IFC4.

Focus on the correctness of the following attributes during the export of

the IFC. Check the steel cross-section profiles (IPE200, HEA240, L100x100x6
... ), material types (concrete, steel, aluminium, timber ... ) and load-bearing
ability of specific elements when possible. When these attributes are set
correctly, it will speed up your workflow at the maximum level in the SCIA
AutoConverter.

According to geometry precision, it is good to pay attention to following:

• Overlap of elements - Unwanted overlap of elements could lead to

unwanted subregion creation in SCIA AutoConverter.

• Inaccuracy in modelling - slight change of slab thickness along the

length could possibly lead to the recognition of multiple analysis ele-
ments instead of only one. The recognition algorithm can’t manage
variable thickness of 2D objects at the moment.

• Export of notches (and other detailed adjustments) - Consider the cre-

ation of notches during export. They are often automatically exported
to IFC, but it is better to have less notches in 2D elements (walls, slabs
etc.) for best outcome from the SCIA AutoConverter. The detail level

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 of exported IFC can be usually adjusted in the export setting in BIM
authoring aplication.

Consider also the intent for receiving the IFC from your partner. For exam-
ple in case there you know that full BIM workflow won’t be used in the project
you are working on, there is no need to work with the full IFC model (which
is often really huge and even difficult to transfer) - in this case, it is the best
way to ask only for load-bearing elements exported in IFC and upload this
submodel for your need to SCIA AutoConverter.

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4 Structural to Analysis workflow
Spatial workflow in SCIA AutoConverter. The goal is to create the analytical
model which can be imported in your analysis software (SCIA Engineer etc.).
The process is divided into 6 steps, set in reasonable order. In every step,
SCIA AutoConverter user has the possibility to affect the final outcome - the
analysis model - in various ways. For going through the S2A workflow we
need to have uploaded the IFC model in SCIA AutoConverter first. For starting
the workflow, please select "Convert Structural to Analysis".

4.1 Select Model

The general objective of the step: Select a model you want to convert to an
analysis model. Model selection is done simply by making the model active
in the scene. Activate the model by clicking on the "eye" icon in the left tab -
part "Models".

Best practices:
Activate only one model at the time. Currently, working with multiple structural
models at once is not supported. Already existing/stored analysis models in
the AutoConverter can’t be used in this workflow again. Often model structure
contains multiple disciplines, activate only relevant disciplines (building, steel
etc.) for streamlining the workflow (filtering to the load-bearing structure
will be easier in the next step). IFC models often contain information about
storeys (IfcBuildingStorey), use Building Structure for fast pre-selection of
specific storeys. (Figure 9)

Figure 9: Building Structure

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4.2 Clean the Model
The general objective of the step: Keep in the scene only the objects you
want to convert to analysis elements. The clean step is crucial for all further
steps. In most cases, we want to convert only the load-bearing structure or
part of the load-bearing structure loaded (visible) in the SCIA AutoConverter
3D scene. To achieve that, you can use filtering options that are available.
Filtering divides elements into the active and removed state. Toggle for
switching between views (active and removed) you can find right above the
View settings in 3D scene (Figure 10).

Figure 10: Filtering: Selected trees are ready to be removed

IFC types:
Together with disciplines from the previous step. IFC types (Figure 11) offers
also a raw filtering approach. IFC types are available on the left, workflow-
specific bar. Click on the "trash" icon on specific IFC type row for removing it
from the scene. You can also click before removing complete IFC type out of
the scene only on the IFC type to make a group selection. Group selection
will be highlighted in the scene and you can check, if all the objects are really
candidates for deletion.

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 Figure 11: IFC types in left workflow bar

Filtering in 3D scene:
Filtering in 3D scene (Figure 10) can be easily done by selecting an object
in the SCIA AutoConverter 3D scene. The selected element can be deleted
by clicking on the "Trash" icon right above the scene settings component.
You can extend selection using multiple selection by holding "CTRL" key + left
click on more objects in 3D scene. Another option for selection is holding
"CTRL" key + left click + drag and drawing a window inside the 3D scene.
Every object with a centroid inside the selection window will be selected. The
most effective way is to use attribute selection for filtering. Select an object
in 3D scene and take a look at the Property panel on the right-hand side of
the screen. By clicking on the selected property you will achieve a property
selection. All objects with selected property and value will be selected in the
3D scene and highlighted.

Active/Removed views:
Everything you remove from the scene with the methods mentioned above
can be seen in 3D scene when you switch between an active and removed
view. Default one is active, switching is done by toggle above View settings,
next to the thrash icon. Removed view will show in scene all removed element.
It means you can check if all the elements that suppose to be removed are
removed and in case, some element is considered load-bearing, you can
easily move it back to active with "Keep selected for recognition" button (in
active state "Remove selected from recognition") (Figure 12).

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Figure 12: Active view with "remove" action and Removed view with "keep"
action

Saving the filter:

The current state of your 3D scene - meaning the state of objects (Active or
Removed) can be stored as a saved filter. Filter can be saved using the "save
filters" icon as can be seen on Figure 13, left. You will be asked for naming
the filter and the filter is saved. Once is filter saved, you can recall the filter
from memory every time you will get back to the model. One model can have
multiple filters stored. Filters can be recalled from memory, updated and
saved again. Other actions available are "Reset filters" which will activate all
removed objects and put the structure in a default state with no active filter.
The next action is "Delete currently selected filter", this action will permanently
delete the active filter. Be careful with deleting filters that might be useful.
Filters are also used in other workflows, therefore it is wise to save them.

Figure 13: Creating, saving and recalling the filter

Best practices:
Before you start with cleaning take a look at available properties in the right
property tab. Look for properties that will help you with the filtering. Examples
of useful attributes for filtering: LoadBearing = YES, NO . With the LoadBearing
attribute correctly set you can easily select all non-loadbearing elements and
remove them. Material = MineralWool, EPS, etc. with the materials properly
defined you can easily identify non-load bearing elements based on material
and remove them.
Also, keep in mind that you can use inverted selection in case you need to
select exactly opposite objects that you are allowed with the attribute selec-
tion. Use the BuildingStructure in case it is defined in your IFC file - Going
throughout the building storey by storey makes all non-loadbearing elements
easy to be removed from the scene.
During the filtering process, you can use also functions available in the "View

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settings" of the 3D scene, especially the "Hide" and "Invert Selection" func-
tions.

4.3 Recognizer Settings

General objective of the step:
In this step, you can define how the active objects in the scene should be
handled by the recognizer. Recognize is a function responsible for converting
the structural object into analysis objects. You can define and change the
conversion groups - recognize as 1D, 2D or solid. You can assign cross-
sections in case of steel manufactured profiles (or aluminium) are used.
You can assign materials from the material library and define layers where
possible. This step is also very important for the final model quality - correctly
set dimensions, material and profiles will increase model quality and save
you a lot of time. (Figure 14)

Figure 14: Recognizer Settings

Members:
In the member groups, you can decide how each object group will be rec-
ognized and converter to an analysis object. By default, several groups are
created based on IFCBuildElement entity - typically Beam, Slab, Column etc.
The groups are editable and elements can be moved to the newly defined
groups and between already existing groups. This provides you with flexibility
in case the IFC data are not according to structural reality. The group compo-
nent is divided into 3 columns - Groups, Recognize as and Type. Each row
represents a separate group. Every object in the 3D scene has to be assigned
to only one group (Figure 15).

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 Figure 15: Member groups component with actions buttons

Columns meaning in member groups:

1. Create new group: New group can be created empty or with the selection
of elements.

2. Add elements to an existing group: When you have a selection of ele-

ments you can reassign them to another existing group.

3. Delete group: Existing group will be deleted and a new "Not assigned"
group will be created - all elements have to be in the recognition group.

4. Restore defaults: It will reset the grouping to a default IFC structure-

based state.

Member groups component: Member groups component and actions are

visible in the Figure 15.

• Group: In Group column, there is the name of each group together

with the number of entities assigned to the specific group. Group can
be easily renamed by double left click on the name. After renaming,
confirm the action by hitting "Enter" key.

• Recognized as: Recognized as determines, to which type (1D mem-

ber, 2D member, solid) will be structural entity assigned in the group
converted. In the drop down, there are four options.

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 – Unknown - means that the algorithm will determine whether an
object is 1D, 2D or solid.
– 1D - The recognizer will convert elements assigned in 1D groups
to analysis elements represent by centre lines (typically columns,
beams, girders, purlins, rafters etc.).
– 2D - Recognizer will convert elements assigned in 2D groups to
analysis elements represent by centre plane (typically walls, slab,
shear walls etc.).
– Solids- The Recognizer will not convert elements assigned to this
group. The original structural object will be kept and passed to
the analysis software as a 3D solid. This can be useful for objects
that are not loadbearing but could be of interest for e.g. defining
loads. Or if you have complex objects like double-curved elements
that can’t be recognized to pass them at to your analysis software
and use them as a reference for modelling them in your analysis
software.

• Type: Offer various options for further specification of elements. The

selected type is stored and will be transferred to your structural analysis
application. Types can also affect the direction of recognition in cases
where is not clear which direction is dominant. For example in case you
have an element which you would like to have recognized as 1D, but it has
no dominant dimension (in meaning l»a>b). Type then can be decisive
in centre line placement. Column - centre line is primarily vertical. Beam
- the centre line is primarily horizontal (in case of dimensions are not
geometrically clear).

Cross-section:
Cross-sections are dedicated to 1D elements and their profiles (cross-sections).
SCIA AutoConverter is capable of recognizing general cross-section de-
scribed by polygons, parametric cross-sections (rectangle and circle) and
provides also the option for mapping structural profiles to analysis profile li-
brary (HEA, HEM, HEB, IPE, UPE etc.). SCIA AutoConverter can also recognize
several compound cross-sections (double-I, double channel, double angle
etc.) and compound general cross-sections as well (see Recognizer chapter).

For setting cross-sections properly before the recognition (conversion

of elements from structural to analysis ones). Follow the steps described
below. First of all, you need to decide if this setting is relevant to your current
project. In case you have no manufactured profile available in your project

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(your project is purely from concrete elements or timber, you can skip this
step and go directly to "Materials"). All elements are by default recognized as
"Parametric" where possible and as "General" in all other cases.

In case you have manufactured profiles (Figure 16):

Figure 16: Cross-sections: Mapping process and overview

1. Find the attribute that is containing the cross section name like e.g.
HE200A: Inspect elements is your structural model a find a property
that contains data about cross-sections. (Figure 17)

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 Figure 17: Finding right attribute for CSS mapping

2. Open a property dialogue and select the property that you have identified
as the right one for cross-section mapping.

3. Property will appear in the property list. Selected can be one of more
properties - In some cases, there might be more suitable attributes for
mapping. In case more attributes are selected the order is important.
The second (and every next attribute) are showing in the mapping table
only rows for elements that have no value for the hierarchically higher
attributes. This eliminates the issue with "double" mapping, but still
provides you flexibility in profile mapping.

4. When the attribute is selected, the mapping table is shown. The table
has two columns and one action. Column "Original CSS" represents the
value from the structural model, "Analysis CSS" column represents the
value from the steel profile library (default value is "General"), the action
button is shown when the row is selected. The action button is used for
the mapping to the steel profile library available in SCIA AutoConverter.

5. Other action buttons: There is an option for excel mapping. Import is

for loading the mapping table inside SCIA AutoConverter, export is for
exporting a mapping table from SCIA AutoConverter to an excel sheet.
Excel mapping can save you time during the mapping. You can export
the excel and manually do the mapping in excel, save it and import the
excel into the SCIA AutoConverter. Or you can export the mapping table
and import it in another project. With that you can use the mapping
table accross different projects. In case you work with regular partners
you can reuse your mapping table across multiple projects in SCIA
AutoConverter.

6. Smart mapping toggle: Smart mapping toggle helps you make the
mapping process faster. When toggled ON, it tries to find a logic in
mapping you provided with the mapping dialogue. In case you map

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 "IPE_200" to "IPE200" profile from the library, Smart mapping will map
automatically map all others "IPE_***" to "IPE***".

Mapping dialogue:
Mapping dialogue can be opened by clicking on the action icon in the selected
row in the mapping table (Figure 16). In mapping dialogue, first select a type.
Type "General" - the algorithm will recognize a shape and will create a general
or parametric cross-section where possible. Type "Manufacture - rolled",
"Manufactured - welded" and "Manufactured - cold formed" will guide you
through the library tree to the final cross-section that is defined in the SCIA
AutoConverter steel profile library. For example: "Manufactured - rolled" as
Type, "I-section" as a Category, "HEB" as a Cross-section group and "HEB140"
as the final library profile.

The special Type in the mapping dialogue is "Manufactured - user defined".

This type of CSS provides you with the ability to be not limited only by the
library available in the SCIA AutoConverter. Thanks to "Manufactured - user
defined cross-section" you can define your own manufactured type of cross-
section. This newly created cross-section is meant to be familiar to your
analysis software. The result is your specified profile, with your defined
name, formcode and the "Type" set to Manufactured (Steel checks might be
applicable on the members with this cross-section afterwards).

How to define a "Manufactured user - defined cross-section? (Figure 18):

1. Specify a name. This should be a name known in your analysis software

cross section library.

2. Set the dominant dimension. Usually, it is a height. This is necessary

for the correct positioning of the profile and local coordinate system in
relation with the bounding box of cross-section.

3. Set the type of profile you are now defining.

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 Figure 18: Manufactured user - defined cross-section

4. Select formcode when necessary. More about formcode can be found

in the saf.guide - formcodes. Formcodes are important in the way,
how the certain profile is defined in cross-section library in relation to
the member’s local coordinate system. For profiles with two axes of
symmetry, formcodes are irrelevant. For profiles with one axis of sym-
metry there are two formcode options (typically asymmetric I sections -
they can be placed with wider flange in local Z positive or local Z nega-
tive). Profiles with no axis of symmetry have typically four formcodes
(L-sections for example).

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 Materials:
Mapping of the materials is in principle same as the mapping of the cross-
section. The goal is to assign correct materials to members based on attribute
mapping. When no action is taken in this step, all members are assigned
with default material "MAT1" - this material is not suitable for analysis and
manual change is necessary in your analysis software. It is recommended to
map material where possible and thus save yourself time spend with manual
reassignment.

How to map materials?

1. Select a property useful for mapping.

2. Property is shown in "Selected properties list". Same as for cross-

section that might be more properties selected with the same rules.

3. Map the structural attribute to the material library using the action
button that shows up after the selection.

For more detailed description of action buttons see chapter cross-section,

functionality is the same.

Layers:
Layer are in principle same as material mapping and cross-section mapping.
The core is in selecting useful property and mapping it to the desired value.
Only difference with Layers is that there is no library and you can set the
value as you wish. in case layers are not defined, a basic layer set is created
based on the type of object available in SAF (saf.guide). For example
StructuralCurveMember layer for all 1D elements, StructuralSuraceMember
for all 2D elements etc.

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 How to define layers? (Figure 19)

Figure 19: Layers definition

1. Select a property useful for mapping.

2. Property is shown in "Selected properties list". Same as for cross-

section and materials there might be more properties selected with
same rules.

3. Layers names are set as default to the same value as selected property
has. You can change it to your own specified name by clicking on the
action button a typing the new name in.

When you are satisfied with the step "Recognizer settings" you can proceed
to the next step, the recognition.

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4.4 Recognizer
The recognizer is the step where the conversion takes place from structural
objects to analysis objects. Tasks related to object grouping and mapping
are done thanks to the previous step and last thing we need to do is defining
the general recognize settings (conversion to analysis objects) itselfs and
steering the algorithm settings. General recognizer settings you can find
under the gear wheel icon. General recognizer (Figure 20) settings consists
of:
• "Recognition of 1D members" - algorithm rules for 1D conversion
• "Recognition of 2D members" - algorithm rules for 2D conversion
• "Use prefix" - rule for the naming of the nodes
• "Support for large models" - algorithm approach towards the recognition
process based on model size and complexity

General recognize settings: (Figure 20)

Figure 20: General recognizer settings

1. Enable parallel member detection (toggle) - When turned ON, parallel

members are detected and the algorithm creates compound cross
sections out of them or general compound cross sections. Higher
priority has the compound cross-section type (for example double I
section, angle back to back etc.) than general compound cross section
type. See Annexes for the list of supported compound sections, rules
and further information about the general compound type.

25
2. Minimal 1D size - Set a rule for minimal 1D length size. All 1D members
with lengths smaller than the set value will be placed in a special group
after recognition called "Small 1D Members". You can then decide if you
want to keep them in your analysis model or remove them. This setting
is mainly useful for making sure that the cleaning of the structure was
done properly and that there are no forgotten bolts, screws etc. in your
analysis model.

3. Minimal 2D member size - All 2D elements with smaller are than set
area will be placed in a special group called "Small 2D Members". After
recognition, you can decide which elements you want to keep a which to
delete. This might be useful in case you want to be sure all connection
plates in steel connections are gone or you have complex 2D elements
geometry. In some cases where 2D elements have inclined edges, they
have areas with different thicknesses (recesses) or in another way not
straightforward geometry they might be recognizer as more than one
analysis element. With Minimal 2D member size, you can easily identify
them.

4. Minimal 2D opening size: All openings with smaller area than defined
will be placed in the separate group "Small 2D Openings" after recognizer.
Thanks to that, you can easily get rid of all the small openings in your 2D
analysis elements that are irrelevant to the current structural analysis.

5. Minimal 2D thickness - All 2D elements with smaller thickness than

defined will be placed in the separate group called "Insufficient thick-
ness". After recognizer, you can decide which elements to keep in the
model and which to remove. This setting might be useful in making
sure, that all connection plates, and e.g plasterboards are filtered out
of the model.

6. Use prefix (toggle) - When turned ON, the naming of the nodes will have
a prefix "N" (for example N101, N102, N103 etc.). When turned OFF
nodes will be named only with numbers without the "N" prefix. Check
out what is the right format for your structural analysis application. (For
SCIA Engineer is recommended to have toggle turned ON.)

7. Enable "long duration" support mode (toggle) - This applies special order
of processing of structural elements that is effective for huge models
only. This processing is not performing well for small or medium size
models. In case this needs to be activated, you will be asked for that
after first recognizer run timeout. The timeout of the regular recognizer
is 2 minutes.

26
 8. Restore defaults - recognizer settings is stored in SCIA AutoConverter
and it is loaded every time you get back to the model. In case you want
to get back the default settings, just click on the "Restore defaults"
button.¨

9. Done - All settings are confirmed by clicking on the "Done" button.

Grouping of elements that do not satisfy conditions set above: (Figure 21)
In case some of the recognized objects do not satisfy the recognizer settings,
then it is placed in separate groups. The above-mentioned groups for specific
conditions are "Add to analysis model" (1) and "To be deleted" (2) group.
Below the two main groups, there is one group for each condition in settings -
Small 1D Members, Small 2D Members, Small 2D Openings and Insufficient
Thickness.

Figure 21: Post-recognition grouping

Elements can be moved between the main groups using the action buttons
(3) and (4) that are available when the whole group is selected or one or more
elements from a specific group is selected. That means you can move all
elements at once between groups or you can use selection in the 3D scene for
moving only selected objects (openings for "Small 2D Openings", 1D members
for "Small 1D Members" etc.). When you are done with the regrouping between

27
"Add to analysis model" and "To be deleted" group press the "Delete" button
(5). The delete button will remove all elements that are placed under "To be
deleted" and all objects under "Add to analysis model" will be kept. In normal
case, you delete all the "To be deleted" objects as they have passed your
threshold.

Note: Recognizer can be run also with a selection of elements. Selection

can be done the usual way - object selection, window selection and attribute-
based selection. If you decide to recognizer only a selection you are defining
the selection also for further steps (Alignment setting, Align elements).

4.5 Alignment Settings

Now you have successfully converted your active objects in the scene. In the
model view settings, you can see now two models: The structural model (1)
and the Recognized model (2). Besides the already known toggle buttons for
visibility (3) and transparency (4), you can see also the new "Delete recognized
model" (5) and "Save recognized model" (6) on the Figure 22.

Figure 22: Recognized and Structural model

The general purpose of alignment settings is to prepare everything for the

alignment process. The alignment process will connect elements together
and before it happens there is a possibility to adjust the centre lines and
centre planes positions for analytical elements and set if and which analysis
eccentricities you would like to take into account. Also, in the tab "Element
behavior" you can enforce the master planes and prevent elements from
movement in the alignment process.

System lines:
System lines component works very similar as "Members" in the "Recognizer
setting" in therm of creating groups and moving elements between groups.
In addition, there are rules that 1D analysis elements can be reassigned only
to 1D group, 2D element to 2D group. Solids are excluded from grouping and
there are kept a strictly geometrical representation. Every row in System lines

28
groups represents one group, groups are based on "Recognizer settings"
groups defined by "Recognized as" and "Type".

Columns in System lines component: (Figure 23)

Figure 23: System lines component

1. Group: Name of a group. Group can be renamed the same as a Member

group in "Recognizer settings".

2. Dimension: Unchangeable field, indicates analysis representation of

the group. Typically 1D or 2D.

3. System line: Drop down selection field. Provides you with the option
with changing the system line position. List of system line positions is
presented in Annex.

4. Eccentricity: Drop down selection field. In case you want to take into
account eccentricities in your structural analysis, select the direction
from the drop down. Available values are shown in the Annex.

5. Create a group: Action button which creates a new group with selected
entities. In case, you have in selection both 1D and 2D elements, two
groups will be created.

6. Add to group: When selection is done SCIA AutoConverter offers you

groups where the object can be reassigned.

7. Delete group (hover state): On hover, you can delete the group. All
objects will be moved to either new or existing group "*D unassigned".

8. Restore defaults: In case you want to get back to the original state, click
on the restore defaults.

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 Element behavior:
Element behavior component is empty by default. The component is used
to freeze elements (both 2D and 1D) along the specific axes. 2D elements
can be frozen along the local Z axis and 1D elements can be frozen along
the Z, Y or both. Freezing the elements will prevent them from moving in the
alignment algorithm and all other elements will tend to be connected to them.
They will define so-called master planes.

Element behavior component: (Figure 24)

Figure 24: Element behavior component

1. Create a group: Select elements and click on the action button to create
a group. Groups will be created based on the type of analysis entity (1D
or 2D).
2. Group column: Name of the group is shown. Groups can have custom
names.
3. Dimension column: Unchangeable value, show the analysis type of
entities in the group.
4. Freeze: Drop down allows you to choose in which direction should be
element frozen - movement in alignment will be prevented. See Annex
for available values for freeze.
5. Add to another group: By clicking the action button, you can move
entities along the existing group from one to another. Also, objects
selected in the scene can be moved this way under existing groups.
6. Delete group: Group will be deleted and entities won’t be frozen any-
more.

30
 Best practices:
When you want to change the system line of one beam only, the right approach
is to select analysis objects in the 3D scene, create a new group and set the
correct system line position. The same approach is working for eccentricities.

In element behavior, we are usually working with only few elements that
we are choosing for freezing. Freezing means that these elements will not
move in the defined direction. It will create a so-called masterplane and all
elements in relation with this frozen element will move to that masterplane.
Typical situation for using this freeze option:

• A slab is moved to the plane of a subregion as this subregion has a

much bigger thickness. Then you freeze that slab and you will see that
the subregions are moved to the plane of this slab.
• There are different levels for slabs on one floor and you want to keep
this difference in height. Then you freeze these slabs.
• There are beams moved to the level of other beams close to them. Then
you freeze one member in each plane to keep them both.

You can experience a decrease in the quality of the aligned model when
there are too many elements in the freeze state. In that case, it is useful to
reset freeze to defaults and start over again and freeze less elements.

4.6 Align Elements

The main purpose of this step is to connect elements to each other and obtain
a valid structural analysis model. Connection is done based on alignment
settings and can be done in 3 modes - Align all at once, Partial alignment
based on selection and most advance Alignment per groups. As input is
taken the recognized model you have created in the workflow so far. General
settings (Figure 25 ) steer the algorithm and understanding the settings is
crucial for the alignment result.

General Alignment Settings:

General alignment settings are a set of values, toggles and options that will
adjust the alignment algorithm rules and have the direct impact on alignment
outcome - which members will be connected and which members won’t and
if the post-processing objects will be created or not (for example intersection
objects, subregions, ribs, etc.). The complete alignment settings you can see
in Figure 25. Alignments settings consist of several parts, two main ones are
General alignment settings and Align connection settings.

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 Figure 25: Alignment general settings - expanded

Description of setting values and options: (Figure 25)

1. Maximal node movement: Sets the maximum value for the movement
of nodes during the alignment procedure. This value is superior to all
other settings and values.

2. Extension of 1D and 2D elements: This part of settings determines

behaviour of 1D and 2D objects and their extension during the align-
ment. Values focus mostly on the structural gap between boundary
boxes of 1D elements and faces of 2D elements. Structural objects with
overlapping or touching boundary boxes (1D elements) and touching of
overlapping masses (2D elements) will be connected automatically -
there is no structural gap between them.

3. Automatic extension (toggle): Defines how the maximal bridged gap

should be calculated - either as relative value to the length of each 1D
element and relative to the thickness of each 2D element (4) or as hard
set values in meters (5)

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 4. Maximal relative extension gap distance: Sets maximal relative gap
between recognized member boundary surfaces to be bridged by ex-
tension relatively in percentage. This value applies to both ends of the
member and the original length of each member is used as its own
reference.

5. Maximal extension gap distance: Sets maximal absolute gap between

recognized member surfaces to be bridged by extension. This value
applies to both ends of the member.

6. Generate rigid links (toggle): Turn ON or OFF rigid link creation in the
alignment process.

7. Minimal link length: Field is active only when Rigid link creation is
toggled ON. When the length of the extension in the alignment of 1D
elements is equal or bigger than set value, the rigid link is created
instead of the element extension.

8. Moving nodes to master planes: Settings in this category affect other

movements than an extension of the centre line for 1D and edge exten-
sion for 2D.

9. Intelligent search for the shared plane (Toggle): This toggle defines
the position of the plane of analysis elements, typically rafters and
purlins. When toggled ON master plane is shifted towards the contact
plane between rafters and purlins. When turned OFF, master plane is
defined by rafters usually (members with the dominant dimension of
cross-section boundary box)

10. Global column alignment (toggle): When turned ON, physically separate
structures will share the vertical master planes.

11. Maximal transition gap distance: Set value that should be bridged during
alignment in the movement of 1D elements into common master planes.
Value is in meters.

12. Angle for general elements: Set value in degrees (up to 10°). Value
helps you neglect small discrepancies in structural models and helps
you align elements in straight segments.

13. Angle for vertical elements: Set value in degrees (up to 10°). Value
helps you neglect small discrepancies in structural models and helps
you align vertical elements in straight segments.

33
 14. Alignment connection settings: This part of settings is used for post-
processing of the aligned model. These settings do not affect the
overall model geometry.

15. Connect 1D members as ribs (toggle): When toggled ON ribs (Structural-

CurveMemberRib in SAF) are automatically created. Ribs are separate
objects linked to the parent slab. Some structural analysis software
allows the creation of ribs afterwards directly when using them, in that
case, you can keep the toggle turned OFF and create ribs there.

16. Create subregions from overlapping 2D members (toggle): Usually used

for mushroom heads above columns or for local stiffening of foundation
slabs. When toggled ON, subregions (StructuralSurfaceMemberRegion
in SAF) are automatically created from overlapping elements. Subre-
gions are separate analysis objects linked to the parent slab.

17. Generate intersections (toggle): When turned ON, internal edges (Struc-
turalCurveEdge in SAF) are created in logical places on 2D analysis
elements. Some structural analysis software allows the creation of
internal edges afterwards directly when using them, in that case, you
can keep the toggle turned OFF.

18. Generate internal nodes (toggle): When turned ON, nodes logically
moved to centre lines and planes of different analysis elements during
the alignment process are listed there as internal nodes. This toggle is
not related to new object creation, it only stores the reference. Some
structural analysis software allows the creation of internal nodes to be
referenced afterwards directly when using them, in that case, you can
keep the toggle turned OFF.

19. Support for large models: This setting should be used only in cases
when large and geometrically complex models can’t be aligned and the
alignment ends with timeout.

20. Enable "long duration" support model (toggle): Adjusts the alignment
data processing. Usually, you won’t need to use this toggle. In case
you have huge models, you will be asked by SCIA AutoConverter to
turn it ON after the timeout of the first alignment attempt (timeout is in
approximately 2 minutes).

Partial alignment
Now we have finished the settings we can press the alignment button and
the whole model will be aligned. There are situations that you want to align
step by step. This is possible by selecting recognized objects in the 3D

34
scene. You will see that the button Align is changed in a Button with Partial
Alignment. Once done you can change the settings and select another group
of recognized objects. Etc. If you make a mistake you have to start all over
again and also if you changed the settings inbetween you have to redo them.
There is a more advanced way of doing this by using the Alignment per groups,
see next chapter.

Figure 26: Alignment per groups setup

Alignment per groups (Figure 26)

Alignment per groups is an alignment procedure where recognized elements
are grouped in groups and aligned in sequence one group after another.
You can activate the feature by toggling ON Alignment per groups toggle
(1). The grouping component is activated (2), and each group has its own
alignment settings (3), which allows you to steer the alignment procedure in
a very detailed way and you can take into consideration the specific needs
of individual parts of your structure. Work with the groups is consistent
with other components as well - you can create and delete groups (4), move
elements between groups (5), create new groups (6) and reset all to default
with the reset button (7). The order of the groups plays a significant role in this
step, order can be changed simply by "drag and drop" of the group to desired
position. When you are satisfied with the distribution of recognized analysis
elements in the groups, the order of groups and the Alignment settings for
every group you can hit the alignment button.

35
 Alignment is done in the hierarchical order of groups - 1 to n group, one
after another. You can also align only selected groups, click on group to select
it (or use "ctrl + left mouse click" to create a multiple group selection). For the
best result order groups in a way that the 1st group has the highest maximal
node movement and this setting is descending group by group. It means
that the highest movement is set to the 1st group and the lowest to the last
group used. Alignment per groups can significantly improve the quality of
the analysis model. Typically examples are: Aligning Beams and Columns
in one group and Braces in the next group, Aligning the subsection of the
model based on needs for different settings for maximal node movement
(case shown on Figure 26) or Aligning fist walls + slabs and 1D elements in
one or more separate groups.

Best practices:
Pay attention always to the maximal node movement value. Correctly set
value reduces significantly the number of unwanted connections.
Check the tooltips in the alignment settings, with visual examples in there
you will be able to understand each value properly. (Check the tooltips also
in other parts of SCIA AutoConverter)
When dealing with precast structures focus on the Extension of 1D (and 2D
members) and on Generate rigid link settings.
When dealing with steel structures, focus on the Extension of 1D (and 2D
members) and add on the Maximal transition gap distance.
If you are not satisfied with the outcome of alignment, try to set Angle for
general elements" to circa 3° and check the result again.
When you have a model with subregions, you might need to freeze the main
slab in cases when slab aligned as subregions has a bigger thickness.
When you have an unwanted overlap of objects in the structural model and
subregions are turned ON in settings, you can use them for the detection of
such places and delete them in your structural analysis software in case the
overlap is unwanted.
When you want to create subregions in Alignment per groups, please put
elements meant for subregions to the last group of alignment, otherwise,
they won’t proceed to the final aligned model.

Notes:
In case you have beams, and you intend to connect them as ribs. For beams
with width as the dominant dimension of cross-section, check the position of
ribs in your analysis software. Ribs do not have their own local coordinate
systems, they are inheriting LCS from the slabs to which they belong and
therefore they might be rotated!

36
4.7 Saving and Downloading the Model
When the model is successfully aligned, it is time to save the model and
import it into your analysis software. For saving the model click on the cloud
(Figure 27) icon in the model section on the left. After clicking on the cloud
icon, the saving dialogue will appear. In saving dialogue you can choose
between two options for how to save the model, use either save to Bimplus
option or save to .xlsx file in SAF format.

Figure 27: Save icon in the model section

Saving to Bimplus:
The saving to Bimplus option will save the analysis model on Bimplus servers.
After saving, model will instantly be accessible in the SCIA AutoConverter
and in the Bimplus. The model can be downloaded to your analysis software
via import dialogue dedicated to Bimplus. This approach is recommended to
SCIA Engineer users and it brings benefits related to revision handling and
update workflows described in chapters 5 and 6.

How to save the model to Bimplus? (Figure 28)

1. National code: Select the national code you intend to use in your anal-
ysis software. National code can be usually changed in your analysis
software afterwards (SCIA Engineer).
2. Export destination: In the drop down select "Bimplus".
3. Team: Select the team in which you want to save the model. Usually, the
same team where you have the structural model you have just converted
into the analysis one.
4. Project: Select the project in which you want to save the model. Usually,
the same project where you have the structural model you have just
converted into the analysis one.

37
5. Create model: Check the box if you want to save the model as a new one.
Usually used after the first conversion from structural to the analysis
model.

6. Analysis model name: Give analysis model the name. Name can be
changed on Bimplus afterwards.

7. Click on the Save button.

Figure 28: Save on Bimplus

How to save a revision on Bimplus? (Figure 29)

1. Create a revision: Check the box for saving a model as a revision of an

already existing analysis model. Usually used in workflow in chapter 5
(Update of an analysis model).

2. Analysis model name: Select the right analysis model from the drop
down.

3. Revision name: Give a name to a revision you are about to create.

("Name" does not need to include the number, revisions are numbered
automatically in the SCIA AutoConverter)

4. Revision description: You can list known changes or any other general
text in this field.

38
 Figure 29: Save model as a revision on Bimplus

5. Click on the Save button.

Saving to the SAF (.xlsx) file: (Figure 30)
Saving to the SAF file provides you with the option of saving to the SAF file
(.xlsx) on your local drive. SAF file is an open format dedicated to the transfer
of structural analysis models. More about SAF you can find here. SAF can
be imported into your analysis software, list of analysis software supporting
SAF is presented here. SAF file can be viewed and edited by Microsoft Excel
or any other software capable of opening the .xlsx files.

How to save a model as a SAF file? (Figure 30)

1. National code: Select the national code you intend to use in your anal-
ysis software. National code can be usually changed in your analysis
software afterwards (SCIA Engineer).
2. Export destination: In the drop down select "SAF".
3. LCS of cross-section: In drop down, select the LCS of cross-section
used in your analysis software. The LCS of cross-section is related
to the way how are cross-section stored in local libraries of analysis
software. For more info open the tooltip in SCIA AutoConverter (SCIA
Engineer uses "1.ZYX").
4. Version: Select the SAF version you want to export to. Check first which
SAF version is supported in your analysis software.
5. File name: Give the file the name.
6. Click on the Save button.

39
 Figure 30: Save model to SAF file

5 Update of Analysis Model based on changes in

Structural Model
Update of Analysis Model based on changes in Structural Model provides you
with an option on how to handle changes that are occurring along the design
process of the structure. This workflow is designed for situations when you
receive a changed model at the time when you are already in structural design
process inside the SCIA Engineer. We guarantee this workflow in combination
with SCIA Engineer, for other structural analysis software we can’t guarantee
as it heavily depends on their implementation of the SAF format which we
can’t control.

This workflow gives you the option for comparing two selected revisions
of structural model, reviewing changes and selecting specific changes you
want to use for an update of your analysis model. The update process is done
with your specifically selected (accepted) changes and all other relevant data

40
are untouched. For example, when there is a new opening on the floor slab,
you can update your model with this new opening and all the loads applied on
the slabs will be updated and kept according to the change. Main purpose is
to keep the process of making changes transparent and reduce the amount
of manual work needed for handling the changes in the analysis model.

5.1 Uploading of the revision of the Structural model

The revisions of the structural model (*.ifc files) can be uploaded in the
"Models" by clicking on three dots at the end of the line with the model you
want to upload a new revision. After clicking three dots, select the option
"Update model" and select an IFC file on your local hard drive. The model will
be uploaded and processed in the SCIA AutoConverter. When the model is
uploaded and processed you will see a "Clock" icon in the model row. Use
the clock icon to activate specific revision in the 3D scene. Revisions of
only structural models can be created this way. Make sure you are always
uploading a revision to the correct parent model. (Figure 31)

Figure 31: Update structural model revision

41
5.2 Compare Structural Model Revisions
The workflow icon can be found on the left workflow bar, third from the top (1
- Figure 32), right below the Convert Structural to Analysis workflow. Compare
Structural Model Revisions is the first step of the workflow dedicated to the
model selection and determining what should be compared between which
revisions. The purpose of this step is to set correct comparison conditions
and proceed to comparison.

Figure 32: Compare Structural Model Revisions

How to set the model and comparison details? (Figure 32)

1. Select the "Update existing Analysis model from Structural model" work-
flow

2. Select the structural model with at least two revisions. Models without
at least two revisions are not offered in the drop down.

3. Select the active revision in the scene. Usually, it s the last revision
uploaded.

4. By clicking on the action arrow, you can expand the disciplines of the
model available. Set the activity of disciplines as you wish for the
comparison. Usually, same discipline activity is set as in "Structural to
Analysis workflow"

42
5. Select the filter (drop down): Select the filter you want to use for revison
comparison. Usually, it is the same filter as was used in converting the
model from structural to analysis one.

6. Select the second revision you want to compare. (First revision for
comparison was selected in step (3))

7. Property filter: Property filters, in general, provide you with the option to
determine which attribute will be compared. Filters are explained below
in detail.

8. When everything is set, you can click on the Compare button and pro-
ceed to the next step.

How to set and store property filters? (Figure 33)

Figure 33: Setting the property filter

1. Pencil icon: Click on the pencil icon for opening the attribute selection
window (Figure 34). Select specific attribute(s) you would like to com-
pare exclusively. You can add one property or more (1), when you are
done, click on Done button (2).

Figure 34: Selecting specific attributes for comparison

43
 2. Filter (drop down): Select the already existing and saved filter in the
drop down selection.

3. Clone icon: Click on the clone icon for creating a copy of the existing
property filter. Existing filters can be copied, adjusted and saved as new
with the clone command.

4. Rename the filer: Clicking on the "A" icon you can activate the renaming
regime. When activated, rename the filter in row (2) a click on the
"Diskette" icon for confirming the action after renaming.

5. Thrash bin icon: Clicking on the thrash bin icon will delete the currently
selected property filter.

6. List of selected attributes: In the list, you can see selected attributes
from step (1). By clicking on the cross icon you can remove specific
attributes from the filter. This action is automatically saved.

Best practice:
In case the workflow icon is in the disabled state, check your subscription
level.
Nothing to select in part "A. Select the model"? Check if you have a structural
model with at least two revisions uploaded.
When you are about to update the already existing structural model, make
sure you are uploading the model as a revision to the correct parent model,
team and project.
Use the same activity of disciplines for revision comparison as you used for
conversion from structural to analysis.

5.3 Review and Select

After hitting the Compare button, SCIA AutoConverter will process the revision
compare according to your settings. The comparison result is represented in
the left workflow toolbar in a list, visually highlighted in the SCIA AutoCon-
verter 3D scene and also available in the table overview. In orange colour
are presented the Modified properties, light green is for Deleted objects, dark
green is for New objects and blue is for Modified objects. The main purpose
of this step is to review the result of the comparison, select relevant changes
for you as a structural engineer and proceed with selected changes to the
next steps of the update. (Figure 35)

44
 • Orange - Modified properties. Example: Changed the thickness of the
slab and its volume.
• Light green - Deleted objects. Example: Removed column.
• Dark green - New objects. Example: Newly added column.
• Blue - Modified objects. Example: Newly added opening in the slab.

Figure 35: Review and select changes

Review and select overview:

1. Changes review part: Here you can see all the changes after the revision
comparison. Changes are logically filtered in this view, for example,
new opening in a slab is represented in Modified objects (Blue) and not
presented as a changed property of a slab (Volume). For a full overview
open (5) Table Overview.
2. Each part can be expanded. With that, you can see specific changes
one after another.
3. Toggle the transparency of the structural model for a better overview
of where are changed, deleted and new objects located.
4. Select changes by clicking on the selection box. Selected changes will
be used for the update of the selected analysis model (6). Changes
can be selected in the 3D scene and also in Table Overview. When no
change is selected, everything is used for an update.

45
 5. Table Overview: Click to open the table overview (Figure 36).

6. Analysis model selection (drop down): Select the analysis model you
want to have updated.

7. Select the revision of the selected analysis model: Select which revision
you would like to use for the update. Usually, the last revision is updated
with the latest changes.

8. Visibility of analysis model (toggle): Toggle ON and OFF visibility of

analysis model.

9. Use selection and move to next step: Once you selected changes for
update and the right analysis model you can proceed to the next step.

Table Overview:
The Table Overview will provide you with all details about what was changed.
Selection done in Table Overview works the same was as a selection in
Review and in the 3D scene. The Table Overview consists of the following
components you can use. (Figure 36)

Figure 36: Table Overview

1. Progress bar: Once is Table Overview opened, please wait until the table
is fully processed.

2. Table headers:

• Name - entity name

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 • Member type - slab, column etc.
• Type of change - New, Deleted, Modified object or property (based
on grouping mentioned above)
• Attribute - what attribute was changed (if any, not relevant for New
and Deleted objects)
• Previous attribute value - the value of an attribute in lower revision
• New attribute value - new attribute value in the higher selected
revision

3. Select all check boxes: It will mark all the check boxes, use when you
want to proceed with all changes or most of them.

4. Select specific change: It will mark only specific changes as changes

you want to use for the update of your analysis model.

5. Filter: Write down keywords in the Filter field to reduce the number of
rows based on keywords. Every row where the keyword is present will
be shown, for example, "NetVolume" if you are interested in volumetric
changes. (Attributes names are IFC specific and "NetVolume" might not
be presented in your IFC, check the Structural model attribute structure
first.)

6. Export to excel (.xlsx): You can download the complete table on your
hard drive in .xlsx format. Filter (5) used is not taken into account and
the complete table is always downloaded.

Once you have selected specific changes and analysis model you would
like to have updated, you can click on "Use selection and move to next".

Notes:
In case compare button is in the inactive state, check if you have selected
two revisions (Figure 32, bullet (6)).

5.4 Recognize, Align and Update

The following steps, including saving the model are the same as for Structural
to Analysis model conversion described in chapter 4. For saving is recom-
mended to save the model as a revision on the Bimplus, look at chapter 4.7.
Settings are taken over from the Structural to Analysis workflow run, so in
step 3, you should only check if settings fit and in case you have new objects,
changed materials or cross-section check the Members, Cross-section and

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Materials in step "3. Recognizer settings" and adjust them or map them if
necessary.

The recognition and alignment, in this case, work the way that newly
recognized are only selected changes, the rest of the structure is kept from
the aligned model and in the alignment process are newly recognized objects
connected to the already existing structure. All secondary objects like loads
and supports are kept even for changed and modified objects and you do not
need to model them again in SCIA Engineer.

In alignment, you can use all alignment modes (align model, partial align-
ment and alignment per groups) as mentioned in chapter 4.6.

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6 Compare revisions of Analysis model
Compare revisions of analysis model workflow is comparing selected revision
of analysis model. Thanks to this workflow you can easily track changes done
in your model and create tasks for your colleagues and partners (Bimplus
task) or export tasks in excel or BCF files in case you want to go beyond the
Bimplus CDE cooperation.

6.1 Compare Revision

The first step is to select the model, revisions, general comparison scope and
click the compare button. (Figure 37)

Figure 37: Compare revision

1. Select the model: Select the analysis model you want to use in the
analysis model comparison. Only models with at least two revisions
can be selected for model comparison.

2. Select the revision of analysis which you would like to use in the revision
comparison.

3. Model transparency (toggle): Turn ON and OFF transparency of the

selected model (revision) in the 3D scene.

4. Change revision: Select the second revision used in the revision com-
parison. The order of selected revisions does not play a role, revisions

49
 are always compared the way the newer revision selected is compared
to the older revision selected. (Same as in Chapter 5)

5. Property filter: Property filter provides you with an option to select only
specific attributes to be compared in the comparison process. The
property filters work the same way as described in Chapter 5.2.

6. Compare for update button: Click on the "Compare for update button" to
run the revision comparison. This comparison is designed for tracking
the changes and creating tasks.

7. Arrow, Full compare: Click on the "Full compare button" for running the
full comparison. Full compare compares the whole SAF files, changes
like newly created internal edges, modified lists of internal nodes of
members, changed structural eccentricities etc. are included in this
comparison. The result of this comparison is available in Table Overview
only. Complete SAF files behind analysis models are being compared.
This comparison you can use in case you are interested in tracking very
detailed changes in the analysis model.

Notes: When you have no available models in model selection (1), please
check if you have in the project analysis model with at least two revisions.

6.2 Review and Create Tasks

Once you Compared for update, the results are shown in the 3D scene. The
result is presented based on what was changed, newly added or deleted, for
example, "Modified cross-section", "Area" or "Lenght" of 1D member. Changes
are also differentiated by colour. (Figure 38)

• Orange - Modified properties. Example: Changed cross-section (HEA300

-> HEA400)

• Light green - Deleted objects. Example: Removed column (analysis

element).

• Dark green - New objects. Example: Newly added opening in slab or

wall.

• Blue - Modified objects (geometrically). Example: Extended beam

(change in Lenght) or cut slab (change in Area)

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 Figure 38: Review changes

Review of changes:

1. Result of revision comparison: The result of the revision comparison is

presented in the left workflow bar.

2. Result displayed in 3D scene: The result of the comparison is available

also in the 3D scene (including colours indicating the type of change).

3. Expand changes: You can expand each type of change to a deeper

and more specific description of each change. Expansion can be done
on multiple levels deep, where in the last level are shown names of all
analysis objects affected by the specific change.

4. Select change box: Click on the selection box for selecting changes
you want to be used for task creation. For example, when you click on
a change related to the change of dimension of the parametric cross-
section (4), all members affected by a change are selected automatically
(B20, B14 and B18). In case you want to communicate a change related
only to B14, selected only B14 in the last level of the change tree.

5. Table Overview: Click on "Table Overview" for opening a new window

with a detailed overview of all changes. (Figure 39)

6. Create task: For creating a task click on the button. Window with task
specification will appear. (Figure 40)

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 7. Analysis model visibility (toggle): Toggle visibility of the selected anal-
ysis model in the scene. When the model is set to visible, it is always
transparent.

Table Overview: (Figure 39)

Figure 39: Table Overview

1. Table headers:

• Type of change - indication for what was changed

• Attribute - attribute affected by a change
• Previous attribute value - attribute value for an older revision in
comparison
• New attribute value - attribute value in newer selected revision
• Affected objects - list of analysis objects names affected by a
change

2. Selection check box: You can select changes also here, in Table Overview,
for task creation.

3. Create a task: Click on create a task button for opening a task creation
window. All selected changes by (2) will be presented in a task.

Task creation: (Figure 40)

Task creation provides you with an option for how to communicate specific
changes to your colleagues and partners. Each task has its own description,

52
priority, responsible person and date until it should be resolved. All tasks are
available on Bimplus immediately once created in the SCIA AutoConverter.
Further work with the task is handled on Bimplus only (editing a task, changing
a state, adding notes and views etc.) A task can be exported to excel or a
BCF file from Bimplus for further distribution.

Figure 40: Task creation

1. Task name: Task name is predefined based on the type of change. Click
in the text field for editing the name.

2. Responsible person (Drop down): Select a responsible person for a

task. List of people in the drop down is based on people with access to
the project.

3. Task description: Task description is predefined based on the type of

change. Click in text field for editing the task description.

4. Add people to CC: You can type in an email of a person who should be
informed about a task.

5. Remove people from CC: Remove an email address from a CC by clicking

on the cross button.

6. Time frame (Calendar selection): Set a date until when the task should
be resolved.

7. Task priority (Drop down): Set the right priority for a created task - High,
Medium, Low. Setting the right Priority will help your colleagues in
prioritizing the urgent tasks first.

53
 8. Save button: Click on "Save" for creating a new task.

Note: Once a task is created, the screenshot of the current view on the
analysis model is taken and it is part of a task that is visible in the Bimplus
viewer. The persons that are mentioned in the task (the responsible and
the people in the cc) will automatically receive an email that a task has
been created for them. There is a link in the mail that directly launches
Bimplus viewer and loads the right project and model. Here you can use the
Taskmanager to see all tasks appointed to you and you can process them.
See the next chapter for more details.

6.3 Tasks on Bimplus

Tasks created in the SCIA AutoConverter can be viewed, further edited and
exported to BCF or excel files using the Bimplus. For viewing the tasks on
Bimplus portal, follow the steps below.

1. After logging into the Bimplus portal, using the same credentials as for
SCIA AutoConverter. Open the project menu. (Figure 41)

Figure 41: Open project on Bimplus

2. In the project menu, select the right team and project you want to work
in. (Project, where is stored model with the created issue). (Figure 42)

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 Figure 42: Open right team and project on Bimplus

3. Then click on the model icon to see available models in the project.
(Figure 42)

4. Double-click on the structural model which is the issue related to open-

ing the model in Bimplus viewer. (Figure 43)

Figure 43: Open the model on Bimplus

5. Once in the viewer, click on the Issue manager icon in the right tab.
(Figure 44)

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 Figure 44: Bimplus viewer with opened issue

6. Select the issue from the issue list. (Figure 44)

7. On the top there are listed activated issue, with possibility to export
issue to BCF and XLS format. (Figure 44)

8. In the right issue property bar you see your previously inputted data like
description, priority etc. These fields can be edited here as well. (Figure
44)

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7 Team management on Bimplus and support
In this chapter are described basic operations related to SCIA AutoConverter
on the Bimplus portal. For more detailed information about Bimplus features
see Bimplus website.

Assignment of license and adding your colleagues to the team:

Team management and assignment of SCIA AutoConverter licenses is

done on Bimplus. From SCIA AutoConverter you can go to Bimplus using the
link in the hamburger menu (see chapter Introduction) or through the direct
link here Bimplus portal. When you are logged in, make sure that you have
activated your team. Active team and project you can see at the top bar, next
to the Bimplus logo. To change the active team, see Figure 42.

1. On the Bimplus dashboard, click on the "Team members" in the left tab
and "Subscription and users" page should be opened in a new tab of
your browser. (In case the option is missing, double-check that you
have the right team active.) (Figure 45)

Figure 45: Bimplus dashboard - Team members

2. In the "Subscription and users" page you can manage the licenses of
products and their assignment and people’s access to the team as well.
On top, you can browse the teams you are a member. (Figure 46)

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 Figure 46: Team management

3. You can invite people to your team. In case these people do not have
an Allplan account, they will be automatically asked to create one in the
invitation email. (Figure 46)
4. In the list of collaborators in the team, you can manage rights. Click on
the plus icon to add colleagues from your organisation to the team, or
the pencil icon to edit rights. (Figure 46)
5. In the left tab, you can see your active subscriptions, click on the specific
SCIA AutoConverter subscription for the assignment. (Figure 46)
6. Here you can see your selected product for assignment. (Figure 47)

Figure 47: License assignment

7. Use the check-boxes for licenses assignment for a specific member of

the team. Figure 47

Notes: In case you have a possibility to create a company alias (email),

you can add this alias to your team, assign the SCIA AutoConverter license

58
to it and share it with your colleagues.
Colleagues with Admin rights have access to all projects in the team auto-
matically.
In case you run out of space in the team, consider either a team extension or
removal of someone from the list in "Team members".
It is not necessary to own a Bimplus team for being a team member in a team
owned by someone else.

Assignment of your colleagues to the specific project:

Adding your colleagues to a specific project can be done on the project

level as well. Collaborators added to a specific project will be seen in "Team
members" with the status "Project member" and they will have access to
selected projects only.

1. On the Bimplus Dashboard click on "Open project". (Figure 48)

Figure 48: Open project

2. On the left, select the right team and project where you want to add
your colleague in. (Figure 49)

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 Figure 49: Select the right team, project and open "Administration"

3. Click on the "Administration of project members" icon. (Figure 49)

4. Click on "Invite member" for adding a new collegue to the project. (Figure
50)

Figure 50: Click on "Invite member"

5. Fill in the email, set the member role and click on the "Invite" button.
(Figure 51)

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Figure 51: Fill in the member email, rights and click on invite

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8 Import and export of the SAF file
Import, and export of the SAF file you can use when you want to upload an
existing SAF file from your local hard drive to the SCIA AutoConverter or
when you want to export an already stored analysis model from the SCIA
AutoConverter to a SAF file (.xlsx file).

Import of a SAF file: (Figure 52)

Figure 52: Import of a SAF file

1. Import/Export of SAF file: The position of the Import/Export of SAF file

in the left workflow bar.

2. Open file: Click on the "Open file" button for selecting a SAF file from
your drive you want to visualise and save to the SCIA AutoConverter.

3. SAF name and version: Here you can see the name of SAF file active in
the 3D scene and the version of the loaded SAF file.

4. Validation: Click on the "Exclamation mark" for expanding the validation

window. In the validation window, you can track down the possible
issues in the SAF file.

5. Save to Bimplus: Click on the cloud icon for saving the model in the
SCIA AutoConverter. Model can be saved as a new one or a revision of
the already existing model.

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Export of a SAF file: (Figure 53)

1. Select an analysis model already saved in the SCIA AutoConverter.

2. Click on the "Save to SAF file" for opening a SAF export dialogue.

Figure 53: Export of a SAF file

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9 Summary
SCIA AutoConverter is an online tool for structural engineers, providing them
with possibilities to automate the analysis model creation process. The
conversion from structural to analysis allows SCIA AutoConverter users to
effectively remove non-loadbearing elements from the structure, redefine
the role of elements in the model (beam, girder, slab, wall, solids etc.) if
necessary and map steel profiles and materials to structural analysis profile
and material libraries (SCIA Engineer).

Selected elements are automatically converter to analysis objects during

recognition according to the set recognizer settings. Analysis elements not
fulfilling the set recognizer conditions can be removed or kept, the decision
is up to the structural engineer. Alignment settings allow SCIA AutoConverter
users to make all necessary preparation (system line positioning, eccentrici-
ties setting, creating master planes in element behaviour etc.) for the best
possible alignment result. Alignment can be done in various ways, everything
at once with one settings, partial alignment based on selection or alignment
per groups where every group can have its own settings for the best alignment
result for complex structures.

The final model can be saved to the SCIA AutoConverter or saved to SAF
file (.xlsx). SAF is now a widely used format for the transfer of analysis models
between various stakeholders and software, therefore it is the right format for
SCIA AutoConverter. See Who supports SAF?. Automatic conversion saves
structural engineers time spend by remodelling the model from scratch.

Available for SCIA AutoConverter users are also update workflows. First
mentioned in the SCIA AutoConverter user guide is the workflow "Update
Analysis model based on changes in Structural Model". This workflow allows
users to compare the structural model revisions, selected relevant changes
for the structural engineering domain and update with them the already used
analysis model. During the update process, additional model data like loads
and supports are kept. This saves a significant amount of time with endless
manual adjustments of the model.

The second update workflow is heading the other way around, in case
SCIA AutoConverter users are making necessary changes in the analysis
model, revisions of analysis models can be compared as well, and selected
changes can be communicated back to the author of the BIM model via
Bimplus task (BCF files, .xlsx files etc.). All changes done are trackable and
have clear statuses which provides structural engineers with a better overview

64
and control of the whole process.

All the main workflows are heavily supported with SAF import/export
options, SAF viewer, tutorial videos, release notes and a lot of self-explaining
tooltips for the best possible outcome structural engineers can get.

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10 Annexes
In annexes, you can find more information about specific parts of SCIA Auto-
Converter application. This information is outside the user guide scope, but
still very important and will help you to understand the processing behind the
SCIA AutoConverter functions.

10.1 Parallel Member Detection

Parallel member detection general condition:

• Distance between centre lines of elements is smaller than 25 centime-

tres.

• Overlap in the length of elements merged together in at least 80%.

Diagram of processing: (Figure 54)

Figure 54: Parallel member detection diagram

• Compound cross-section - when possible, compound cross-section

is created with priority. Members have to fulfil the general condition
mentioned above, steel profiles have to be mapped to library profiles
and compound type has to be supported. Supported compound types
are mentioned below.

• General cross-section - when profiles are not mapped or compound type

is not supported, then a general compound cross-section is created.

• Welded compound - general compound cross-section consisting of

multiple mapped steel profiles

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 • Composite compound - general compound consisting of more shapes
or profiles and more than one material

Supported compound cross-section types:

• Double I

• Double channel

• Starred angle

• Double angle

• Double pipe

All available compound cross-sections in SAF: SAF compound sections

10.2 System Line Positions

List of system line positions 1D:

• Centre

• Top

• Bottom

• Left

• Right

• Top left

• Top right

• Bottom left

• Bottom right

List of system lines positions 2D:

• Top

• Centre

• Bottom

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List of eccentricities for 1D :

• None

• Y

• Z

• YZ

List of eccentricities for 2D:

• None

• Z

68