Research on the Integration of Steel Structure Design and Fabrication Based on MBSE

INTEGRATING ETABS WITH BUILDING INFORMATION MODELLING (BIM) FOR INTELLIGENT STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING

Because it allows for integrated workflows between architectural modeling platforms and finite element analysis (FEA) software, Building Information Modeling (BIM) has greatly altered structural engineering practice. The disparities in data representation, analytical model generation, and information communication standards make it very difficult for BIM authoring tools and structural analysis environments to reliably share structural information. This research examines the reliability of BIM-to-FEM transfer procedures using Autodesk Revit and CSI ETABS by systematically evaluating native API-mediated and IFC-based approaches. Through the use of elementbased accuracy measures that took into account columns, beams, slabs, analytical alignments, and nodes, we assessed the structural information exchange in a five-story reinforced concrete residential structure that served as a case study. Although the analytical axes, node connectivity, and slab section characteristics had to be corrected by hand, the native Revit-ETABS process managed to achieve full transfer reliability for main structural members, with 100% accurate interpretation of beams and columns. While the IFC-based process was more dependable when it came to transferring geometric information, it was less accurate when it came to assigning member properties and interpreting slabs. Instead of a totally automated conversion technique, the findings show that BIMto-FEM interoperability is still a somewhat automated process that needs rigorous verification. To lessen the burden of human correction and increase dependability, we offer an integration process based on checkpoints that uses controlled modeling methods, validates models after transfer, and coordinates federated models. The results add to our knowledge of the constraints on BIM and FEM platform compatibility and provide useful recommendations for structural engineering firms using Revit-ETABS-based BIM processes.

AI ELECTRICAL CIVIL AND MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Integrated Digital Workflow for Structural Design, Fabrication Documentation, and Quantity Estimation of an Industrial Steel Warehouse

Accurate fabrication documentation and material quantity estimation are critical for the successful execution of industrial steel building projects. Conventional quantity estimation methods based on two-dimensional drawings and manual calculations frequently underestimate secondary structural members, connection components, and fabrication accessories, resulting in discrepancies between design and actual construction requirements. This study evaluates an integrated digital engineering workflow for structural design, fabrication documentation, and quantity estimation of an industrial steel warehouse by integrating structural analysis with Tekla Structures-based detailing and fabrication modeling. A pre-engineered industrial warehouse measuring 23.4 m × 9.4 m with an eave height of 5.5 m was selected as the case study. Structural analysis and member design were performed using STAAD.Pro CONNECT Edition under dead, live, wind, and seismic loading in accordance with IS 875 (Parts 1-3): 2015, IS 1893 (Part 1): 2016, and AISC 360-16 (Allowable Strength Design). The finalized structural members were subsequently developed into a detailed three-dimensional fabrication model using Tekla Structures 2024, incorporating primary and secondary framing members, bracing systems, connection assemblies, bolts, and other fabrication components. Fabrication drawings, erection drawings, assembly drawings, and material quantity reports were generated directly from the coordinated BIM model and compared with conventional manual quantity estimation. The integrated workflow produced a total estimated steel quantity of 12,960.92 kg, whereas conventional estimation yielded 11,930 kg. This represents an increase of 1,030.92 kg (8.64%) compared with conventional manual estimation due to the inclusion of secondary framing members, connection plates, foundation bolts, fasteners, cladding accessories, and other components that are commonly omitted or simplified in manual quantity take-offs. The integrated workflow also improved consistency between structural analysis, detailing, and fabrication documentation by reducing manual data transfer and minimizing coordination errors. These findings demonstrate that the integration of structural analysis with Tekla Structures-based detailing provides more comprehensive quantity estimation, enhances fabrication documentation, and improves coordination throughout the design-to-fabrication process. Although the investigation is based on a single industrial warehouse case study, the proposed workflow provides a practical and reproducible framework for improving documentation quality and material estimation in industrial steel construction projects.

Design-to-Manufacturing Integration for Prefabricated Timber Construction in Australia: A Systematic Review and Conceptual Framework Linking BIM, CAD/CAM and CNC Workflows

The growing adoption of prefabricated timber construction in Australia has highlighted persistent difficulties in integrating digital workflows between architectural design, structural engineering, and manufacturing. Although Building Information Modelling (BIM), Computer-Aided Design and Manufacturing (CAD/CAM), and Computer Numerical Control (CNC) technologies are increasingly used, fragmented software environments, inconsistent data exchange, and limited early manufacturer involvement continue to cause information loss, manual rework, and design-to-manufacturing workflow gaps. This study provides a PRISMA-informed structured review of design-to-manufacturing integration in prefabricated timber construction, focusing on workflow stages, software ecosystems, interoperability issues, and manufacturer-ready data requirements. Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, 588 records from ScienceDirect and Web of Science were screened, resulting in 60 peer-reviewed studies. These were supplemented by 32 practice-based technical sources, including industry reports, software manuals, user guides, CNC/machinery manuals, and interface documents. The review maps current workflows for timber frames, trusses, and mass timber components, identifying recurring challenges such as fragmented responsibilities, insufficient data detail, incompatible software, repeated remodelling, and weak design-production continuity. Based on these findings, the paper proposes a conceptual digital integration framework emphasising early collaboration, shared parametric logic, and clearer manufacturer-ready data to support more reliable, resource-efficient, and sustainable design-to-manufacturing workflows in Australian prefabricated timber construction.

Engineering-integrated robotic timber diagrids: co-located analysis-to-fabrication workflow and rapid assembly

Advanced design, engineering, and manufacturing tools linked through a common digital workflow are enabling a new approach to timber construction based on parametric, component-based systems that preserve data coherence across disciplines. This is especially important for bespoke timber structures, where fragmented exchange-file workflows often separate geometric design, structural verification, fabrication, and assembly. This paper presents a new structural system as a double-curved box-beam diagrid timber wall assembled through a robotically fabricated, self-locating wood-to-wood cross-lap grammar that can be mapped onto complex curved surfaces. Assembly intent is encoded directly into the parts through embedded positional constraints, enabling measurement-free erection and reducing tolerance stacking. A co-located computer-aided design, engineering, and manufacturing workflow is implemented to reduce drift between analyzed, fabricated, and assembled states. Validation through a 1:1 prototype includes 116 structural web elements, 624 cross-lap joints, and 200 non-structural flanges assembled in 4 hours using nominal zero-gap joints. Fabrication results show 78% average sheet utilization from 2.0 m × 4.0 m stock, with joint openings within ±0.5 to 1.0 mm of nominal. The study demonstrates a reproducible pathway for engineering-integrated design for manufacture and assembly of complex timber structures.

Material-Aware BIM-FEA Integration for Performance-Based Assessment of Advanced Construction Materials

Although emerging cementitious and fiber-reinforced composite materials offer enhanced strength and durability, their nonlinear, rate-dependent, and heterogeneous behavior is not consistently transferred into analysis-ready representations in conventional building information modeling–finite-element analysis (BIM-FEA) workflows. This study introduces a material-informed framework that integrates BIM geometry with a Python-assisted (version 3.11) automated building information modeling-finite-element analysis integration engine (ABFIE) coupled to nonlinear ANSYS (version 2025 R1) simulation, enabling direct incorporation of experimentally calibrated constitutive data into finite-element models. Within the validation cases considered here, ABFIE reproduces stiffness degradation, neutral-axis migration, and crack-initiation loads with prediction errors of 5%–9% relative to reported experimental benchmarks while reducing model-preparation time by more than 60% for the benchmark workflow and showing reduced operator-to-operator variation under the tested preprocessing settings. Supplementary ANSYS checks indicate stable mesh behavior across the 50–25-mm benchmark range, with peak-load variation below 3% once the critical-region element size reaches approximately 20–25 mm. These results suggest that a material-aware BIM-FEA workflow can improve predictive consistency and modeling efficiency for performance-based assessment of advanced construction materials within the tested validation scope.