www.graitec.

com
Advance Steel
Our users
Engineering and Design Offces
Solutions for design, optimization of structures, structural analysis, creation of reports and drawings
Detailers, Erectors, Fabricators
Automatic construction and fabrication drawing creation
Architects
From architectural structural concept to fnal drawing creation
Schools and Universities
Educational version for students, teachers and universities
Construction rst
For almost 25 years, GRAITEC has provided to over 30,000
worldwide users high performance CAD and engineering
software for structural building construction with a
continued commitment to exceed the industrys creative
design and quality requirements.
GRAITEC is a global organization that directly develops,
distributes, supports and customizes a suite of integrated
software for structural building engineering and design.
This unique single vendor solution dramatically increases
design to drawing productivity and reduces fabrication
and construction errors.
This complete suite of products is a result of over 1000
man-years of cutting edge engineering and software
R&D from 260 feld experienced GRAITEC offcers and
staff.
GRAITEC currently operates through 12 wholly owned
companies (France, Germany, Spain, Czech Republic,
Romania, Russia, United Kingdom, Canada and USA)
and a growing network of over 30 partners, with the
benefts of a local service and the strength of a global
organization.
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Content
General presentation .................................................................... 2/3
User benefts ................................................................................. 4/5
Multi-user collaboration .................................................................. 6
3D modeling ...................................................................................... 7
AutoCAD Platform advantages ...................................................... 8
Automatic joints ............................................................................... 9
Sheet and plate metal work .......................................................... 10
Cladding automatisms .................................................................... 11
Stairs and Railings automatic macros .......................................... 12
Miscellaneous steel work .............................................................. 13
Workshop drawings ........................................................................ 14
General arrangement drawings .................................................... 15
Automatic update of all documents ............................................. 16
Drawings output user confguration ............................................. 17
BOMs ................................................................................................ 18
NC-DSTV fles ................................................................................... 19
Joint design and link to analysis programs ................................. 20
Links to other CAD-related systems ............................................. 21
Case studies ............................................................................... 22/23
Packages ......................................................................................... 24
Advance Steel

is specifcally designed for steel detailers

and draftsmen who require an unsurpassed professional,
easy-to-use structural steel modeling platform ready to
take on their simplest to toughest projects. Perfectly
integrated into AutoCAD

, Advance Steel

is an intuitive
3D modeling system (single or multi-user mode). It
includes automatic joints and macros for stairs and
railings, automatic drawing creation (GA to workshop
standard), automatic material lists and output to all major
industry formats (DWG, IFC, CIS/2, SDNF, PSS, etc.).
Advance Steel

is part of the GRAITEC structural BIM

solution, automating the entire structural design process,
from engineering design to detailing and fabrication.
Roof of Zlote Tarasy atrium (Golden Terraces) in Poland Waagner-Biro GmbH, Austria,
winner of the European Award for steel construction 2007
Complete
international
catalogs
Beams, bolts,
materials
DIN, BS, AISC, JS, .
Grating and cladding
profles
100% AutoCAD
DWG fles
Easy to learn and use
Layers management
Multi-user or single-user mode
Productivity gains
Secure solution
Automatic connections
Huge library of parametric connections
Easy-to-use and store in library
Joint Design (AISC, EC3, CM66)
Quick-connections functionality
Advanced shapes
Folded and twisted
plates
Curved members
Integration of
mechanical parts
Stairs and Railings
automatisms
Straight and spiral
stairs
Railings, cage ladder
macros
With the Document Manager, have full control
on all documents derived from the 3D model!
Preview, sort and print easily
Integrated revision control
From the Advance Steel 3D model
2
Advance Steel

is the indispensable 3D structural modeling platform

for automating steel detailing and fabrication
Multi-user or single-user mode
Productivity gains
Secure solution
Automatic Drawings Creation
Workshop drawings
General arrangement drawings
Automatic update of any model changes
Automatic BOM Creation
Beam list, saw cut list,
Exportable to PDF, XLS
Automatic update of any model changes
to workshop drawings, general arrangement drawings, lists and NC fles!
3
Advance Steel

is the indispensable 3D structural modeling platform

for automating steel detailing and fabrication
NC-DSTV and DXF fles
NC-DSTV fles automatic creation
NC-DXF fles
Automatic update of any model changes
Synchronize your CAD model with your favorite
Analysis program !
Part of Graitec structural BIM solution
Import/export SDNF, CIS/2 fles
IFC compliant
Increase productivity, cost-efectiveness and security
9 good reasons to use Advance Steel
#1. Complete projects quicker
Easy modeling
Automatically place joints in the structure (Quick Connection

technology)
Automatic drawing / BOM / NC fles creation
Easily modify and update your drawings and NC fles
Organize your workfow to enable staff to work together on the
same project using our Model Share

technology
#2. Design projects more effciently
Using our Analysis software through the Graitec BIM link, to better
optimize profles
Includes Joint Design engines (European EC3 / North American
AISC / CISC standards) to optimize joints
#3. Integrate your company standards
User defnable preferences
Store any values or settings in the library
Integrate your standard parts for use in other projects
Use your existing AutoCAD

details and blocks

Drawing outputs are customizable to ft your standards
#4. Avoid mistakes at site
All structural building information in one model
Correct lengths, weights and quantities
Automatic collision and tool spacing detection
Clear 3D views on drawings for erectors
4
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Increase productivity, cost-efectiveness and security
9 good reasons to use Advance Steel
#5. Automatic drawing creation
Automatic numbering of the structure
Single click automatic creation of all fabrication drawings
Get your drawings on a sheet ready to plot
#6. Drawings fully interactive with the model
From a single model to multiple drawings
Model and drawing consistency whenever you make changes
Document Manager to control and keep all documents updated
Integrated revision control
#7. Start the fabrication immediately
NC-DSTV fles automatically created from the model
Specifc presentations (unwrap, unfold, etc.) automatically obtained
CAM data for cold rolled profles
Material list to order beams and plates, saw cut list with pictures, etc.
#8. Improve collaboration with partners
Advance Steel fle format is DWG
Export your model to a 3D DWF or 3D PDF fle
Exchange your data using CIS/2, IFC, SDNF fle formats
#9. Deploy the solution easily
Easy to learn and use due to AutoCAD

look and feel

Easy to recruit draftsmen with a knowledge of AutoCAD

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Multi-user collaboration
Specifc tools for multi-user mode
A specifc Multi-user toolbar with all available multi-user tools
can be displayed from the Advance Steel toolbar.
Users can work remotely
Several users can work on the same project when they are away
from the offce or otherwise unable to access the central fle.
When back at the offce, users just have to save back their changes
to the central fle.
Creating a central fle
One user must create a DWG central fle which can contain some
common elements like the grid.
The other users connect to this central fle, add objects or check
out various elements, work locally and then save changes back to
the central model for the other users to see their work.
Only one user can edit the central fle at a time.
Checking out elements
Any user connected to the central Master model can check out
elements to work with at any time. This Check out action can
be done either by selected elements (by picking them or by a
window selection), or by using the integrated Search tool (based
on user criteria). Once the elements are checked out by one of the
users, for security reasons nobody else can modify these elements
(delete or stretch them, add cuts or holes, etc.).
Partial checking out
If several users need to check out the same element (e.g. to use
an automatic joint between this element and another one), they
can partially check out elements; this allows just a partial loading
of the element properties (in order to visualize them, but not to
modify its section for security purpose), and then a connection can
be created by selecting this element.
Sharing work
Users can check in their changes to the central fle, so that all
users connected to the Master model can see the progress in the
modeling. Each user gets a warning message in real time at the
bottom-right corner of the screen.
Multi-user mode also for detailing
Multi-user is also available for detailing work and drawing
adjustments.
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Multi-user collaboration with the Advance Steel Model
Share technology
Model Share technology
With the new Model Share technology, users can work in a multi-
user mode to speed up projects.
Several users can connect to the same DWG master model, and
work simultaneously.
This technology allows for the handling of big projects which need
to be achieved in the shortest time.
Mitsubishi Garage, exhibit hall & offce / SARL Bouchet (France)
3D Modeling
Model your structure in 3D
Advance Steel provides you complete international catalogs for
beams, bolts, shear studs and gratings.
You can create a beam like you would create an AutoCAD line,
or even convert lines, arcs, polylines, splines to beams, curved
beams, polybeams, folded plates or even polygonal plates.
Curved and welded beams
Advance Steel has easy to use tools to model curved beams and
apply automatic joints to them. In addition, Advance Steel provides
the user with sophisticated creation tools for welded beams where
you can defne each component, add offsets, set rotation angles,
etc.
Apply any cut to your elements
Advance Steel provides easy tools to graphically shorten, cope,
drill or weld all your beams and plates.
Features like shrink, weld preparations and galvanizing holes are
also possible on Advance Steel objects.
All these commands have an effect on drawings if they are already
created and Advance Steel will automatically update them.
Beam modifcations by grips
All Advance Steel elements have grip points so editing your model
is fast and easy. For example, a vertical column can become a
sloped element just by selecting and moving its upper grip point.
Openings and cuts
You can create any variety of openings (e.g. windows, doors,
etc.), and each cladding profle is automatically shortened, cut or
adjusted as required. Moving openings will immediately re-cut the
cladding profles in the correct place.
Integration of mechanical parts
Any part from a third-party modeling software can be imported
in your 3D Advance Steel model. You can then run clash detection
on these parts with other Advance Steel elements, and they are
visible on drawings and BOMs.
Automatic connections
A complete library of parametric connections is available to
automatically connect beams to each other. Depending on the
users preferences, the macro creates endplate, bolts, welds and
shortens or extends the attached beam to the main one. All values
can be stored in a library for an automatic intelligent reuse by
Advance Steel.
Powerful clash detection
The clash detection tool can be run at any time on the whole
structure or on part of it. Advance Steel will inform the user of
collisions between beams, plates, bolts, etc. Each detected collision
can be visualized graphically to easily make any adjustments.
Advance Steel also reports if bolt and hole distances do not meet
default standards. Tolerances for construction tool accessibility
can also be checked.
Structures created in 3D with speed and accuracy
7
AutoCAD

Platform Advantages
AutoCAD

-based application
Advance Steel is an AutoCAD

based application and is compliant

with the latest AutoCAD

releases.
Layers management
Your 3D model can be split in AutoCAD

layers in order to let you

use the power and the fexibility of layers. You can add, delete and
rename layers, change their properties, set property overrides for
layout viewports, and/or add layer descriptions and apply changes
in real time.
Advance Steel Online help
There is an Online help for Advance Steel with a clear description
of each command.
DWG fle format extension
The Advance Steel fle format is DWG, which is the native AutoCAD

fle format. The DWG format is probably the most widely used
format for CAD drawings.
Rendering
You can apply specifc materials (e.g. chrome) to the different
elements of your model and get excellent visuals within minutes
in rendering software like 3ds Max

.
DWF viewer
A 3D version of the Autodesk DWF publishing format (3D DWF) can
be directly created from a 3D Advance Steel model.
3D DWF fles can be viewed in the free Autodesk DWF Viewer.
Advance Steel object properties can be viewed in this application.
Graphical user interface
With Advance Steel, you create a beam like you create a line.
The mouse cursor automatically recognizes all the snap points
enabled by the user (endpoint, midpoint, intersection, etc.).
If you need to move or copy an element, you just have to select it
and use the AutoCAD

commands, and if you need to extend your

model, you can just use the AutoCAD

stretch command.
Most dialog boxes include pictures for ease of understanding.
Customizable interface
The graphical user interface provides foating and customizable
toolbars. The AutoCAD

Customize User Interface Editor enables

you to create your own toolbars and/or menus where you can
store commands that you frequently use.
If you make a mistake, you can see it immediately and graphically:
the undo and redo commands allow you to correct these mistakes
and to try different possibilities.
Navigation tools
The AutoCAD

platform provides Navigation tools

such as the SteeringWheels application which gives
you access to 2D and 3D navigation tools from a
single interface, or the ViewCube to help you adjust
the viewpoint of a model.
Use the benefts of the AutoCAD

platform to speed up your

modeling using layers, navigation and rendering tools
8
Automatic joints
Automatic Joints
A complete ready-to-use library of automatic and parametric
connections is available as standard. The library includes all typical
joints from simple to more complex connections.
Easy modifcations
Changing a value or a setting in the joint properties dialog box
is applied instantly and is immediately visible on the screen.
Changing one of the supporting beams (e.g. section size) updates
the joint accordingly.
Merge and split beam tools keep the joint intelligence so, there is
no need to break a joint in order to modify its parts.
Comprehensive library of automatic joints
Advance Steel offers hundreds of different automatic joints,
classifed in a specifc toolbar, so that end-users can easily fnd
and use the appropriate joint to connect their beams.
Specifc joints for cold rolled profles
A specifc toolbar offers automatic joints for cold rolled profles.
Connections like single and double purlin joints or single and purlin
hip joints are available.
Advance Steel also contains a set of automatic joints and macros
for UK manufacturers like Metsec, HiSpan, Ayrshire, Tegral and
Structural Sections.
User-friendly joints dialog boxes
All joints dialog boxes include clear and concise graphical
illustrations; these pictures are dynamic and change depending
on the context and the parameter selection.
Works on straight and curved beams
A large variety of joints work on curved beams, welded and tapered
beams (in addition to working on straight beams). Compound
beams like double angles (e.g. in a truss) are also automatic.
Store values in a library to re-use later
All joint values can be stored in a library for re-use in the same
project and on any future projects. Advance Steel makes it possible
to automatically select the best values based on the profles
previously saved by the user.
Integrated Joint Design
Advance Steel checks most common joints in real-time if the
joint passes (or fails) according to the forces applied to the node
connection based on local and international standards. A detailed
report is also generated automatically, which can be saved or
printed.
Quick connections
The Quick connection commands speed up modeling by creating
the right joint at the right place with the right settings (including
Joint Design according to AISC codes).
Steelwork connections through the use of automatic and
parametric tools
9
Sheet and plate metal work
Flexibility in plate creation
A complete toolbar for plate creation is available.
Users can create rectangular or circular plates either by picking
points or by selecting an AutoCAD entity. In addition, folded and
twisted plates can be modeled very easily.
Easily modify plates by grips
Creating plates has never been so easy! With one central point, two
points, three points or even from an AutoCAD polyline! All plates
have grips which allow for easy modifcation of their shape.
Basic folded plate
Users just have to pick points and/or an AutoCAD entity like a
polyline, and the length in order to get a basic folded plate like a
gutter or a connection between sloped beams. The radius for each
corner can be set or adjusted within the dialog box.
Weld preparations
Weld preparations are frequently required for heavy plate
fabrication. With Advance Steel, any chamfer (square or circular)
of any size can be added to the plate edge for weld preparation
in the workshop.
Extended folded plates
Automatic tools are available to create any shape of folded plate.
Users just have to pick plates and give folding values to get the
required result.
Any operation like a cut, a hole or a polygonal cut can be applied
on any of the faces including on the folding line of the folded
plate.
Automatic workshop drawings
Advance Steel automatically creates workshop drawings of all
plates, including the unfolded representation of folded plates with
the right dimensions and folding radius on various views, taking
into consideration the bend allowance.
Sheet metal
Shapes like square-to-circular can be created either from AutoCAD
entities (e.g., a rectangle and a circle), or between Advance Steel
beams (e.g., a square tube and a pipe).
Advance Steel is extremely versatile so users can create a wide
variety of irregular shapes (concentric, sloped, etc.), confdent in the
knowledge that accurate drawings will be created automatically.
Sheet metal and plate work tools
10
Cladding Systems
Catalog providers
Catalogs from worldwide suppliers are directly available in the
cladding profles libraries: ARVAL, FISCHER, CANAM
Partnership with ARCELOR-MITTAL
The complete ARVAL (cladding and roof profles provider company,
which is part of the ARCELORMITTAL group) catalog is available in
Advance Steel.
Customized cladding sections
You can import a 2D dwg fle from your local provider and include
it in your Advance Steel library all in a few seconds! Advance
Steel provides tools to create any customized section from a basic
2D profle.
Cladding macro
Advance Steel provides a macro, which automatically creates
cladding profles on a selected area.
Users can decide to create vertical or horizontal cladding profles,
and can defne the quantity of required connectors.
The overlapping value can also be defned within the macro.
Openings and cuts
You can create any variety of openings (e.g. windows, doors,
etc.), and each cladding profle is automatically shortened, cut or
adjusted as required. Moving openings will immediately re-cut the
cladding profles in the correct place.
Cladding list
Advance Steel creates a specifc cladding list with all cladding
profles sorted by length.
This list can be exported to a PDF or an XLS fle.
Advance Steel will automatically update the list if any cladding
quantities are changed within the model.
Cladding drawings
Overview drawings showing cladding profles on elevation and
top view can be automatically created from the 3D model. Any
information (e.g., length, quantity, color) can be added to the
cladding elements.
Advance Steel provides dedicated tools for cladding in
your 3D model, on all your drawings and BOMs
11
Stairs and Railings macros
Stairs and railings toolbar
A specifc toolbar is available to create straight stairs, spiral stairs,
cage ladder, railings and also to set the typical connection types
for stairs and railings.
Complete range of macros
Advance Steel contains a complete range of automatic macros for
straight stairs, spiral stairs, railings and cage ladders. Dialog boxes
are user-friendly and include clear and concise pictures.
Create your own stairs
In case the automatic macro does not cover your specifc
requirements, Advance Steel provides all the tools you will need
to create your own stairs. There is a set of commands to create all
the components from your structure including twisted spirals.
Fully confgurable
Stringer type, stair pan, railing, elbows at the end, mid rails /
vertical pickets and the various types of connections to the stringer
among other properties can all be user-defned and quickly saved
to your library for re-use in future projects.
Automatic drawings
Advance Steel automatically creates your workshop and GA
drawings with labels and dimensions from the 3D model. You can
design your own drawing presentation styles or use those already
confgured within the software.
Visualization
Assign specifc materials to your stringers and treads, add a
background picture and run a rendering on your project to produce
a realistic visualization within seconds a great tool when showing
your clients the model, for marketing and winning new projects.
Advance Steel has a full set of dedicated tools to model
stairs, railings, cage ladder, etc
12
Miscellaneous steel work
Custom Stairs and Railings
The fexibility of Advance Steel allows users to create any type of
miscellaneous steel structure, including different types of stairs,
ladders, handrails and balustrades.
Railings flled with glass panels
Specifc materials can be assigned to panels, treads, railings and
stringers to get a realistic representation of glass, timber, stainless
steel or other specialized material in the model. The rendered
model can also be saved and shared easily as a dwf fle.
Create your own architectural stairs
Advance Steel provides tools to create your own specific
components including twisted spirals to meet project
requirements.
Customer examples
The examples below give you an idea of the power and fexibility
that Advance Steel gives you to create any type of stairs, railings
and pedestrian bridges.
All workshop and overview drawings have been created
automatically, so that fabrication and erection on site is right the
frst time.
Specifc steel structure
Users can create complex structures made of curved beams or
with a roof with hips and valleys.
Advance Steel provides tools to create any type of
miscellaneous steel work
13
Pedestrian bridge - Oberhausen
(Germany)
Cathedral dome in
Vilnius (Lithuania)
Stairs and railings
Tate engineering (UK)
Bus station in Lyon (France)
Fire escape Lardinois (France)
Workshop drawings
Automatic creation from the 3D model
The workshop drawings are created for each steel element of the
3D model, including single part drawings and assembly drawings.
A specifc process automates the drawing creation and defnes
the correct scale with the best format. It shows the necessary
main views and a clipping area if nothing special needs to be
represented, for example, along a beam.
A bill of materials can also be added in the drawing creation.
BOM within workshop drawings
A bill of materials can be automatically created during the
workshop drawing creation phase. For single part drawings, this
BOM refects on which assemblies the single part will be shop
bolted or welded, while for assembly drawings, the BOM lists all
the secondary parts of the described assembly.
Gusset plates at scale 1:1
Ready-to-use presentations are available to get all gusset plates
at scale 1:1 on a large format like A0 (or ANSI-E).
Multiple drawings
Advance Steel provides automatic tools to create multiple
drawings, enabling several single part or assembly drawings
within one large drawing format.
Unwrapped tube and unfolded curved beam
Advance Steel automatically creates the unwrapped representation
for tubes and the unfolded representation for curved beams.
Different settings allow you to choose the requested unwrap
method.
User modifcations
Users can modify anything within the drawings: element color,
system line or reference line display, add labels or dimensions,
etc.
Advance Steel is powerful enough to keep all user modifcations
during an update of the drawing (if something has been changed
in the model).
Specifc drawing presentations
Users can automatically get specifc workshop presentations like
unfolded plates for folded plates, unwrap tube for circular pipes,
particular drawings for stairs and railings and specifc drawings for
curved beams, etc.
Advance Steel has a full set of dedicated tools to
automatically create workshop drawings from the 3D model
14
General Arrangement drawings
Overview drawings
The overview drawings are created from the 3D model. Users
can get anchor views, elevation views but also 2D or 3D nodes or
views of the entire structure.
Labels or dimensions can be added automatically or added
subsequently by users.
Anchor plan
From the 3D model, Advance Steel creates Anchor plan views
where main and secondary columns are displayed with their
corresponding base plate and grid axis are automatically
dimensioned.
Document Manager
The Document Manager is the central tool used to display all
documents (including overview drawings) created from the 3D
model and automatically updates with revisions if changes are
made to the model.
Level symbols and slope triangles
Level symbols and sloped triangles can be added to overview
drawings, and their representation properties (units and precision
for level symbols, reference side and angle value for slope
triangles) can be easily adjusted.
User modifcations
Users can modify anything within the drawings: element color,
display of system line or reference line, add labels or dimensions,
change the scale of several views, etc.
Advance Steel is powerful enough to keep all user modifcations
during an update of overview drawings (if something has been
changed in the model).
Drawing style confguration
Specifc drawing styles can be set to obtain the required result on
overview drawings: labels, automatic dimensioning of all beam
axis, specifc color for visible lines, etc.
Explode your drawings to AutoCAD entities
In case you need to provide your Advance Steel drawings to
someone who wants to open them in AutoCAD

, an automatic tool
is available to turn the selected drawings into customized layers
with specifc name and color.
Advance Steel has a full set of dedicated tools to create
general arrangement drawings from the 3D model
15
Automatic update of all documents
Intelligent links between model and documents
All derived documents are created from the 3D model and can be
issued or printed separately. The documents are directly derived
as DWG fles (for the drawings) and Advance Steel keeps an
intelligent link between them and the model. When you change
the model, all your documents are updated automatically to match
the modifed steel structure.
Revision control
Advance Steel controls all revisions through a user-friendly dialog
box that allows the user to record revision number, name and
description, which will appear both in the drawing fle name and
on the drawing. You can ask for a backup of the drawing before its
updated, in order to keep a log of all changes/updates made.
List of updated drawings
A list of updated drawings can be obtained automatically.
This list contains all drawings issued from the model including
updated drawings with the revision date.
In addition, lists can easily be exported to industry standard fle
formats such as PDF, XLS, etc.
The Document Manager
The Document Manager is key and controls all derived drawings,
but also all the BOMs and NC-DSTV, which are automatically created
from the 3D model. This is the ideal tool to classify, preview and
print your project documents.
In addition, the Document Manager gives users real-time
information if documents need to be updated after a modifcation
in the model. Only drawings, BOMs or NC-DSTV fles, which require
an update will be fagged and thus updated.
A single click operation on the Update button and all the
necessary documents are updated within a few seconds.
Keep what was previously edited
During an update, all user modifcations (deleted or moved
dimension, beam color modifed, new dimensions added
interactively, changed view scale, etc.) are kept and not overwritten
by the automatic update process, thus allowing for a signifcant
increase in productivity and accuracy.
Automatic update for BOMs and NC-DSTV fles
In addition to the automatic update of workshop and general
arrangement drawings, Advance Steel automatically detects the
status of BOMs and NC-DSTV fles in order to keep them updated
according to the changes in the 3D model.
After a modifcation to the 3D model, Advance Steel
automatically updates all related documents
16
Drawing output user confguration
Drawing styles
When creating a drawing from the 3D model, Advance Steel uses
a specifc drawing style. This defnes how the view on the drawing
must look: elements to be displayed, what dimensions, labels,
scale, automatic calculation of necessary views, and so on.
Several drawing styles are delivered by default with Advance
Steel, and you can also create your own drawing style with your
preferred settings.
Process
Advance Steel lets you assign the drawing style that you wish to
use for specifc objects; for instance you can defne that all columns
in your 3D model use a specifc drawing style to display columns
vertically (like they would on site) on workshop drawings. Also
processes are used to defne the different scales and different
formats to be automatically used to get the best workshop
drawing.
Customization of drawing styles
Using the powerful Drawing Styles Manager users can quickly and
easily create their own new drawing styles or simply adjust an
existing style to ft their requirements.
The dialog box contains a variety of settings and graphical
illustrations to facilitate user customization.
Best scale in best format
For companies that produce one workshop drawing for each part,
Advance Steel has predefned icons that automatically choose the
best scale in the best format.
Automatic dimensioning confguration
Advance Steel uses a variety of rules that can be tweaked to
get the desired automatic dimensioning, both on workshop and
overview drawings.
Object representation and labeling
A drawing style allows users to defne exactly how they want to
see objects on their drawings (visible lines, hidden lines, median
line, system line , etc.) and automatic labels.
Default settings
End-users can defne general settings which will be used for all
drawings to control parameters such as color, line type, label
representation, etc. These settings can also be saved and reused
as needed.
Specifc toolbar to use your customization
A specifc Individual drawing styles toolbar is available by default
in Advance Steel to help users link their customized drawing styles
and process to icons for everyday use.
Advance Steel provides tools to customize your drawing
presentation to meet your company standards
17
BOMs
Easy creation
The creation of BOMs is an automatic function included in Advance
Steel. From the 3D model, users can create any BOM immediately,
simply by clicking the icon of the appropriate BOM on the toolbar
to get the result displayed on screen.
BOMs can be produced at any time whilst creating the model and
can be generated by phase or for the whole model.
Saw cut list with pictures
Advance Steel automatically creates a saw cut list with
detailed pictures making it easy for users to understand exact
requirements.
This BOM is very useful for ordering beams with saw cuts.
Wide variety of BOM templates
Advance Steel has several default BOM types such as beam list,
bolt list, cladding list, part list, material summary list, grating list
and can even schedule AutoCAD

objects in a special part list

(AutoCAD

objects).
BOM exports to common formats
The BOMs can be viewed, printed and also exported in various fle
formats such as PDF, XLS and many others.
Automatic update of BOMs
All these fles are listed in the Document Manager (which also
lists drawings and NC fles), so that end-users can preview and
print them.
In case of any modifcation in the 3D model, Advance Steel
automatically fags the BOMs, which need an update, so that users
can control which BOM will be updated automatically.
BOM template customization
Advance Steel offers a user-friendly BOM editor to customize the
BOM templates. Adaptations like the use of company logos and/
or the order of the columns can be easily changed by the user.
Also creating flters such as only beams which have holes can be
applied to get exact results.
Advance Steel automatically creates all required BOMs for
workshop and site purposes directly from the 3D model
18
NC-DSTV fles
DSTV Standard
GRAITEC is an active member of the DSTV standard association
and Advance Steel creates NC-fles which are a 100% compatible
with the DSTV standard.
NC-DSTV and NC-DXF fle confguration
All NC fles created by Advance Steel are easily confgurable.
The fle name can be customized within a user-friendly dialog box,
and the content of the NC-DSTV fle can be controlled with various
settings available, in order to achieve the required result.
Automatic creation of NC-DSTV fles
Once your model has been numbered, Advance
Steel then creates NC-DSTV fles from your 3D
model so that you can immediately start the
fabrication without having to print any paper. The
DSTV fle format has become the international
standard for communicating with beam lines, drill
lines, coping machines as well as angle lines, but
also plate burn cuts and plate folding machines.
Punch marks in NC fles
With Advance Steel the user can control the creation of punch
marks directly in the 3D model, even from the joint properties
dialog box. These punch marks are automatically included in the
NC-DSTV fles to enable machines to create marks on beams and
plates in the workshop.
Automatic creation of NC-DXF fles
You can create NC-DXF fles for any part of the model. This can be
extremely benefcial if you have machines which can only read
DXF fles. These NC-DXF fles can be fully confgured by end-users,
and the AutoCAD

version of the saved DXF fle can also be

confgured.
Compliance with workshop machines
Advance Steel produces NC code that is 100% compatible with
most worldwide machinery manufacturers.
KISS compliancy
Advance Steel users can use KISS (Keep It Simple, Steel) fles
to transfer data from the model or the bill of material between
Advance Steel and fabrication management software applications
like FABTROL. Advance Steel has been certifed by FABTROL for its
ability to exchange data using the KISS fle format.
Advance Steel automatically creates all NC-DSTV and
NC-DXF fles for workshop CN machines from the 3D
model guaranteeing accuracy and quality
19
Building Information Modeling (BIM)
GRAITEC Advance is a BIM system
GRAITEC Advance is a Building Information Modeling (BIM)
system automating the entire structural design process from the
engineering design to structural analysis, member optimization,
detailing and fabrication.
GRAITEC Advance consists of:
- Advance Design: FEM Structural analysis and design
- Advance Concrete: Reinforced concrete structures modeling and
detailing
- Advance Steel: Steel structures modeling and detailing
Cost savings with to BIM
BIM accelerates the design process by signifcantly reducing data
duplication as well as by automatically propagating modifcations
to all actors of the design and construction process. BIM also
reduces the risk of mistakes and unplanned costs by avoiding
inconsistencies between models.
For instance, when an engineer optimizes the section of a set of
columns, the draftsmen will be automatically notifed and will
have the ability to update automatically the required construction
drawings.
GTC fle format, GRAITEC BIM solution
GTC (Graitec Transfer Center), is the name given to the Graitec
Object Model. All Graitec software share this Object Model and
therefore are able to exchange and synchronize data in a smart
way. With Advance Steel you can easily export, import and
synchronize GTC fles.
Link to Advance Design
A model started in Advance Steel can be exported to Advance
Design in order to get the structure verifed and/or optimized
according to European and North American codes.
Advance Steel and Advance Design share the same profle catalog
as well as many advanced steel concepts (compound beams, etc.),
the quality of the interoperability between both software is frst
class.
IFC compliancy
Advance Steel supports IFC 2x3. The IFC (Industry Foundation
Classes) is an open specifcation for Building Information Modeling
and are used to share and exchange BIM in a neutral format among
various software applications.
Synchronize with Advance Design
In case of changes (e.g. due to an optimization of the structure),
Advance Steel allows you to synchronize modifcations (modifed
elements, added or deleted elements) with Advance Design. It will
also synchronize FEM results in order to proceed to Joint Design
directly in Advance Steel.
Link to other analysis programs
Advance Steel can import and export 3D models to analysis
software like STAAD Pro (with a specifc interface able to read and
write a .std fle) or any analysis program being able to read SDNF,
CIS/2 or IFC fles.
20
Advance Steel is part of the GRAITEC structural BIM solution
Links to other CAD-related systems
Mapping tables
In case some profle names are different between the software,
Advance Steel contains conversion tables so that the correct name,
if used in order, may be well imported in other 3D CAD-systems.
CIS/2
Advance Steel is CIS/2 compliant. It has been certifed for its ability
to exchange data using the CIS/2 fle format (CIS/2 is the second
generation release of the CIMsteel Integration Standards).
Advance Steel is able to import and export Fabrication and Analysis
model types.
SDNF
Advance Steel supports SDNF version 2.0 and version 3.0.
The SDNF (Steel Detailing Neutral File) fle format allows you
to transfer beams (straight and curved), plates and cuts on
elements.
Bi-directional link with PDMS
End-users can beneft from a bi-directional link between Advance
Steel and PDMS (from AVEVA); this is made possible through an
interface application called InterSteel

(VIRO Engineering) which

transfers the whole model in both directions.
Example of using Advance Steel with PDMS
This project was done by VIRO Engineering, one of our customers
in Hengelo, The Netherlands. The name of the project is Revamp
of cat cracker, and it is located in Venezuela and was ordered by
the company SHELL.
It consists of 240 Tons of steel structure.
Advance Steel ofers intelligent bi-directional links to
transfer models to and from other 3D modeling systems
21
Standard fle formats export/import
Advance Steel provides excellent interoperability with other
software, in the sense that end-users are able to import and
export data to and from other software products, which eliminates
duplication of work.
Advance Steel supports different standard fle formats such as
CIS/2, SDNF, IFC2x2, PSS, etc. which allows communications with
any other 3D system supporting these fle formats.
IFC2x3
Advance Steel supports IFC2x3. Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) is
an object oriented fle format that facilitates exchange of electronic
information and makes it possible to achieve interoperability in
the building and construction industry.
PSS
Advance Steel supports the STP fle set up by the German Steel
Building Association (DStV) to communicate between different
detailing and analysis software solutions
Advance Steel
22
Ski jump stadium in Garmisch-Partenkirchen / Germany
Sheremetyevo International Airport, Moscow / Russia
Modernization of the Norwich Theatre Royal / Great Britain
Football stadium for EURO 2008 in Klagenfurt / Austria
The construction of the new jump was completed by the
Austrian company Bitschnau GmbH in December 2007 and it was
inaugurated during the 2007/2008 winter season.
Advance Steel was used to produce a full-size 3D model including
the complex plate girders specifcally designed for this project.
This accurate model was used to produce 100% of the data to
control the CNC machinery used in the projects fabrication.
This project was handled by Heinrich Lamparter Stahlbau GmbH
& Co. KG. As the project was designed in Germany and erected in
Russia, the customer wanted to avoid any risk of mistakes on the
construction site. With Advance Steel, they quickly produced an
accurate model and they were able to detect clashes and solve
any diffcult situations before fabricating complex assemblies.
In addition, the fact that Advance Steel includes several languages
was very important for this project ; the designers were using
Advance Steel in German, but they were able to get all the
drawings with annotations in Russian for correct erection at site
by a Russian company.
The use of Advance Steels detailing system saved considerable
time, effort and cost for TSI Structures Ltd for their recent project
of modernizing the Norwich Theatre Royal.
The modifcations made by TSI Structures Ltd included the
extension of the auditorium circle by 3 meters and strengthening
of the existing structure and entrance faade in order to allow the
installation of a continuous steel balcony with back lit advertising
boards and canopy.
Three football matches from UEFA Euro 2008 (organized in
Switzerland and Austria) took place in the new Wrthersee stadium
in Klagenfurt, Austria. NCA Container- und Anlagenbau GmbH was
chosen as the steelwork contractor for this new stadium which
has a combined weight of 4000 tons of steel. The pressure to
meet the deadlines was extremely high for this project and the
customer was looking for a high level of automation.
Using Advance Steel, all drawings were automatically created
accurately for both fabrication and seamless erection.
Advance Steel
23
Commercial building / Canada
Reconstruction of Prunerov II Power Plant / Czech Republic
Xin Feng Train station / Taiwan
Olympic bobsleigh track in La Plagne / France
The Fiducie Adoncour offce building was erected in the city of
Longueuil next to Montreal. It was detailed with Advance Steel by
the fabricator Lamerain and the total weight exceeds 178 tons.
The structure was optimized in Advance Design America according
to CISC, and then sent to Advance Steel. Using Advance Steel was
a big advantage as the automatic creation of reports and NC-DSTV
fles for the workshop saved Lamerain a lot of time.
The model of the existing steel structure was designed for the
reconstruction of the Prunerov II power plant.
The Noving s.r.o company was in charge of this project which
contained 31 000 steel elements. This project had several levels
with all the necessary bracings and columns made of welded
sections.
The Xin Feng Train Station located in the city of Xin Zhu in Taiwan
was done by Mingjidesignpty Ltd, in Taiwan.
The entire main structure and the different stairs to access the
platforms were modeled in 3D using Advance Steel and all workshop
drawings were obtained automatically for local fabrication.
The Olympic bobsleigh track was initially erected for the 1992
Winter Olympic games which took place in Albertville, France.
The current project done by Somer was the construction of a roof
over the track.
Each element was modeled in 3D in Advance Steel, starting from
a fle containing all the characteristic level points recorded by a
geometry expert at site. Each tubular portal is different when it
is part of a turn and for all the portals assembly drawings were
automatically issued with high precision, as the challenge was
that each part ftted exactly to the existing structure at site.
Case studies
Available Advance Steel packages
Common to all packages:
3D modeling of the structure
Complete international profles and bolt catalogs
Tools to shorten, cope, split, merge beams and plates
Folded plates and sheet metal creation
Welded beams, curved beams, aluminum profles
Huge library of automatic joints
Automatic macros for stairs and railings
Model checking tools (clash check, bolts distances)
Model numbering
Automatic creation of workshop drawings
Specifc drawing presentations available (unwrap,
unfold, etc.)
Automatic creation of general arrangement drawings
Automatic creation of lists
NC-DSTV and NC-DXF fles
File format exchanges (SDNF, CIS/2, IFC, PSS, etc.)
Advance Steel is available in 3 diferent packages:
Standard, Professional and Premium
24
The availability of the mentioned functionalities depends on the commercial package.
Standard package:
Limited to 10 Tons per model
Professional package:
Unlimited model size
Premium package:
Unlimited size of model
Multi-user mode
Import/export/synchronization with Advance Design
Integrated Joint Design
Advance Steel - Professional
Advance Steel - Premium
Advance Steel - Standard
Advance Steel is part of the GRAITEC Advance Suite
GRAITEC Advance, the global CAD/Design software suite for construction professionals
Advance Steel
Advance Steel is a major extension of AutoCAD

that accelerates
structural steel modeling and automatically creates the general
arrangement drawings, fabrication drawings, material lists and NC
fles. Advance Steel is specially developed for the steel industry to
increase design productivity and production quality.
Advance Design
Advance Design conducts static and dynamic analysis of 2D and 3D
structures based on the fnite element calculation method. Advance
Design is your in-house steel/concrete construction expert that
features a 3D Climatic generator, non-linear calculation, support for
large displacement phenomenon, structural optimization, etc.
Advance Concrete
Advance Concrete is a major AutoCAD

extension that accelerates

modeling and drawing creation for concrete reinforcement and
formwork drawings. Advance Concrete dramatically increases
productivity while maintaining or increasing drawing quality.
THE GLOBAL STRUCTURAL BIM SOLUTION
FOR CONSTRUCTION PROFESSIONALS
Brochure published by GRAITEC SA Communications Division.
Graitec Advance are registered trademarks of GRAITEC SA.
Autodesk and AutoCAD are registered trademarks of Autodesk Inc.
Other brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners.
Reproducing part or all of this publication is prohibited. Contact Communications Corporate division of GRAITEC SA for any use.
GRAITEC SA September 2009 - Non contractual document
HEADQUARTERS
GRAITEC SA
12 Burospace
91572 Bivres
France
Tel.: +33 (0)1 69 85 56 22
www.graitec.com
Grenoble Stadium, France
Architecture offce: Atelier darchitecture Chaix & Morel et associs, Paris
Design offce (metallic roof): ETI, Grenoble Jacques Mossot
Roof of Zlote Tarasy atrium (Golden Terraces) in Poland Waagner-Biro GmbH, Austria,
winner of the European Award for steel construction 2007