We are glad to let you know that Consteel 14 is out!
What’s new in Consteel 14?
Overall Imperfection Method
Stability design based on imperfections is becoming more prevalent as modern architecture poses an increasing challenge to structural designers with its unusual, innovative, and non-conventional solutions. Global buckling shapes of the structure can be used as starting data to geometric imperfections. However, in addition to imperfection shapes, it is also necessary to determine their amplitudes, but the design standards do not provide much help for this, as it yields a solution for only simple column buckling problems. In the case of real, complex structures, the value of the imperfection amplitude cannot be calculated in this way. The new method we have developed, the Overall Imperfection Method, provides a solution to this.
We introduced a new sensitivity test called the Imperfection Sensitivity test. Using the results from this new test, we also automatically obtain the value of the required amplitude multiplier for the application of the buckling shapes as imperfection. Thus, the imperfection based stability design can already be performed automatically and quickly in Consteel as the design based on strength reduction factors in the general method.
Smart Link
A new type of link element has been implemented into Consteel, the smart beam-beam link element, which greatly simplifies the modeling of the eccentric connection of two bypassing members. Typically, this is the case with the connection between the main beam and purlins. With this new object, we can place link elements at specific points in the main beam, and we can easily connect other beams to their other end point, based on the predefined parameters of the eccentricity. In the case of any change in geometry or profile, the link element follows the modification of the main beam, together with the purlin attached to it. The link elements can be placed individually or in groups with a predetermined arrangement along the main beam.
Linearly variable distributed surface load
The available types of surface loads have been expanded with a linearly variable type of distributed load. From now on, the definition of snow accumulation loads will be much easier than before. In this case also, the load can be applied over the entire surface or only on a delimited part of it. The desired load pattern of a roof can be assembled with several surface loads of different intensities linked to a single load-transfer surface spanning over the entire roof.
Critical temperature
In response to the request of our users, we have implemented the calculation of the critical temperature, which is an important parameter of the design in fire situation. The critical temperature is the temperature at which, due to that heating, the material properties are reduced to such an extent that the load-bearing capacity of the element is exhausted at a given load. It means that the value of utilization is just 100%. If fire protection is to be achieved with fire-protection intumescent painting, this value is the basis for specifying the appropriate material and layer thickness.
The critical temperature must be calculated differently for the strength and stability analysis. Consteel can perform both calculations and the result will be the lower of the two calculations, i.e. the design value.
Pangolin plugin for Grasshopper
In the intuitive and revolutionary parametric geometric modeling environment of Grasshopper, it has already been possible to create any spatial model that can be described by mathematical functions. The new plugin we have developed for this environment allows us to develop the geometric model directly into the Consteel model right in the Grasshopper, endowing it with gauges, supports, loads, and all the elements and features available in the Consteel. This model can then be uploaded directly to Consteel. The model thus adopted only needs to be run in Consteel, because the modeling can be carried out in a parametric way in Grasshopper. If you need to change somewhere in the geometry or loads, you can do so by changing a few parameters, and then passing the model that has changed in this way to Consteel, you can run the analysis again immediately. The live connection between Grasshopper and Consteel also makes it possible to supplement the model built in Consteel with additional elements and loads in Grasshopper, of course also in a parametric way.
Online user account and licence system
Along with the release of Consteel 14, we are also launching our new website which will offer a continuously growing personal space for registered users so there will be an opportunity to track your licenses, to send error messages to our support team and even upload your own csPI codes. We provide a continuously expanding set of materials, including different tutorials and learning materials, some of which will be available for registered users exclusively. Our aim is to create a centralized user experience. It is important to note that uploading csPI codes will only be available later in time.
Regarding our self-developed online license management system, the main advantage in this development is that from now on there is no need to differentiate between a local and a network license, as the user can use the purchased license on any computer where an internet connection is available. For larger companies where multiple licenses are used, a user with administrative rights can control the allocation of licenses to each engineer. This will make the use of licenses much more flexible within the company.
It is important to note that this option will only be available to students and trial users for the time being. However, in addition to continuous improvement, we will gradually make it available to other users in the future. The hardware keys used so far remain usable. It is up to the user to decide whether they want to switch to the new licensing mode and return their dongle or stay with the previous protection system.
We hope you like our new developments and features!
Is Consteel new to you? 
Get started with one of our easy and quick tutorials on our YouTube channel!
These days everyone is getting prepared for something: the children are waiting for the summer break, university students are preparing for their last exams, the rest is waiting for re-openings. We at Consteel, we are busy with preparing Consteel 14, along with Pangolin (Consteel’s new Grasshopper plugin) while still working from our homes.
We did a small interview with a few of our colleagues on the getting-ready phase.
How do you feel about Consteel 14 on a scale of 1-14, where 1= Meh 14= I can’t wait for the users to see it! ?
The team’s answers average is 11, which means we are pretty close to the finish!
Let’s see what our colleagues, working in different areas said.
Software Engineer
What are you responsible for, regarding the new version?
- Pangolin, and the new Managed API underpinning it.
Pick something that you did (and is related to Consteel 14) and are especially proud of?
- The Managed API, which will make programming ConSteel models from the outside possible in the ubiquitous .Net framework.
What are you working on right now?
- Refinements of Pangolin.
Can you remember the hardest part during the development of something for Consteel 14 (if you want to / can name such)?
- Solving various conflicts between Consteel’s and Grasshopper’s design philosophy in a non-confusing way.
Can you remember the greatest moment during the development of something for Consteel 14 (if you can/would like to, you can explain it a bit)?
- Calculating the first 100% Pangolin created model.
How far away in time does the launch feel like?
- Minutes.
How do your workdays look like? (Are you getting busier and busier each day or is it constantly easy/hard)?
- Busier and busier as every change affects more and more.
Recommendation for the users to check out first after downloading Consteel 14?
- Pangolin.
Anything else, that you would like to share about getting prepared for the new version launch?
- Pangolin is immense but unrefined. The sooner and more you use it, the more suggestions and bug reports you to give us, the faster will it get better.
Development Engineer
What are you responsible for, regarding the new version?
- Engineering background and functional planning for critical temperature calculation and linearly distributed surface load. coordination of the development of the new features I have tested the new features of ConSteel and created verification examples related to the new functionalities.
Pick something that you did (and is related to Consteel 14) and are especially proud of?
- I think the intumescent paint design function is pretty thorough. It is unique that we calculate critical temperatures for every finite element. Also, I think it’s quite reassuring that we automatically check back the critical temperature with the design utilization. It was a team effort, so I can’t take all the credit, but I think it turned out great.
What are you working on right now?
- Testing of design calculation improvements.
How far away in time does the launch feel like?
- Feels like it’s right around the corner compared to the months of development.
How do your workdays look like? (Are you getting busier and busier each day or is it constantly easy/hard)?
- Constantly busy.
Software Engineer
What are you responsible for, regarding the new version?
- Coordination of the development of the new features I have tested the new features of ConSteel and created verification examples related to the new functionalities.
Pick something that you did (and is related to Consteel 14) and are especially proud of?
- Load distribution of the linear surface load, calculation of the critical temperature.
What are you working on right now?
- On lots of bugfixes.
Can you remember the hardest part during the development of something for Consteel 14 (if you want to / can name such)?
- Correcting the wrong codes of someone else.
How far away in time does the launch feel like?
- Tomorrow.
Recommendation for the users to check out first after downloading Consteel 14?
- Surface load.
Development Engineer
What are you responsible for, regarding the new version?
- I have tested the new features of ConSteel and created verification examples related to the new functionalities.
Pick something that you did (and is related to Consteel 14) and are especially proud of?
- I have written the system design document of the Beam – Beam Link Element.
What are you working on right now?
- I am working on the verification of the effective section properties of the cold-formed sections.
How do your workdays look like? (Are you getting busier and busier each day or is it constantly easy/hard)?
- Sometimes it is very easy, but there are days when I am very busy.
Software Engineer
What are you responsible for, regarding the new version?
- Developing the smart link / beam-beam link feature, testing other new features, writing descript code.
Pick something that you did (and is related to Consteel 14) and are especially proud of?
- Smart link / beam-beam link.
What are you working on right now?
- Fixes and testing.
Can you remember the greatest moment during the development of something for Consteel 14 (if you can/would like to, you can explain it a bit)?
- When the engineering team is vocally satisfied.
How far away in time does the launch feel like?
- Too close 🙂
How do your workdays look like? (Are you getting busier and busier each day or is it constantly easy/hard)?
- It’s definitely getting busier
Recommendation for the users to check out first after downloading Consteel 14?
- Smart link / beam-beam link 🙂
UX/UI designer
What are you responsible for, regarding the new version?
- New website’s design and some other design related material.
Pick something that you did (and is related to Consteel 14) and are especially proud of?
- Pangolin logo
What are you working on right now?
- Refreshing our product brochures.
Can you remember the hardest part during the development of something for Consteel 14 (if you want to / can name such)?
- Designing the new website.
Can you remember the greatest moment during the development of something for Consteel 14 (if you can/would like to, you can explain it a bit)?
- When I finished the logo for the Pangolin plugin.
How far away in time does the launch feel like?
- It’s around the corner.
How do your workdays look like? (Are you getting busier and busier each day or is it constantly easy/hard)?
- It’s like a roller coaster from January. But with deadlines approaching, it becomes busier.
Recommendation for the users to check out first after downloading Consteel 14?
- Register on our website. 🙂
As you can see, Consteel 14 will be out soon, and its development happens with multiple dedicated experts’ input. We can’t wait for the launch, stay tuned to get notified when you can access Consteel 14!
The annual ConSteel distributor meeting took place in Budapest in early February 2020.
The meeting was about reviewing 2019, assessing the results of the past year and to discuss the plans for 2020.
Our goals for the new year were set, which we presented to the distributors, as well as the new programs and opportunities of ConSteel were introduced.
Besides, the meeting allowed everyone to grow their international relationships. We are glad that last year two distributor partners joined the ConSteel community, representing Romania and Finland. This means that two more countries have direct Consteel contacts and support providers in their homeland, which is a great benefit for the users.
This year six of our distributor partners participated in the event, representing Greece and Malta, Germany, Romania, Poland and Spain.
On day one, the marketing and sales tasks were on the table, besides the annual reports and set goals were discussed, then the partners participated in a workshop to share their opinions and ideas about ConSteel’s existing and future developments.
We announced the winner of the ConSteel Distributor of 2019 award: this year the winning partner was ERGOCAD from Greece. The company has been a leader in licence sales for years as well as they take care of keeping the good reputation of ConSteel with their expert communication.
On day 2 the meeting took place in a SkyBox Conference room in the recently built Puskás Ferenc Stadium.
This day was dedicated to present the new directions of the developments and innovations of the software which the parters greeted with genuine interest. The novelties of the upcoming version of ConSteel, ConSteel 14 were presented, as well as other developments and software relations were introduced.
As a final program of the meeting, we had a tour around the stadium, being able to visit the highest point – built with beautiful steel structures, the VIP areas and the pitch as well.
We are pleased to announce that the R&D project called “CFSExpert” led by ConSteel Solution Ltd. has won financial support on the EUROSTARS-2 international R&D funding programme.
The value of the winner project is indicated by the fact that up to now only 22 Hungarian participants won from a total of 182 submissions, which is only a 12% success rate, moreover, in the last 11th call only the ConSteel Solutions Ltd. was awarded from the Hungarian applicants.
What is EUROSTARS?
Eurostars supports international innovative projects led by research and development- performing small- and medium-sized enterprises (R&D-performing SMEs). With its bottom-up approach, Eurostars supports the development of rapidly marketable innovative products, processes and services that help improve the daily lives of people around the world. Eurostars has been carefully developed to meet the specific needs of SMEs. It is an ideal first step in international cooperation, enabling small businesses to combine and share expertise and benefit from working beyond national borders. Eurostars is a joint programme between EUREKA and the European Commission, co-funded from the national budgets of 36 Eurostars Participating States and Partner Countries and by the European Union through Horizon 2020. In the 2014-2020 period, it has a total public budget of €1.14 billion. These programmes are highly market-oriented, which means that in addition to high-level R&D content, a well-grounded marketing strategy and business plan must be submitted. Proposals are ranked centrally by the EU and evaluated by committees of independent international experts.
The winner project
Title:CFSExpert – Structural design tool for cold-formed steel structures
Consortium:ConSteel Solutions Ltd. – Hungary – consortium leader
Universitatea Politehnica Timișoara – Romania
Gordias Srl. – Romania
Date:01.01.2020 – 31.12.2021
The goal of the project is to develop straightforward software tools for practising engineers to use in their projects including cold-formed steel (CFS) profiles of general shape, according to a design based on Eurocode 3 concept. The software is based on an innovative design process which integrates the specific modern mechanical analysis of CFS members (Constrained Finite Strip Method – cFSM) with existing and newly developed design procedures. The software tools will be launched at three levels for different types of target users having the same calculation core including the developed new innovative design methodology. Accordingly, the main R&D result of the project is in this special calculation core, but for the support of an efficient marketing and sales process, it is also aimed to implement it into three different types of software realization. The CFSExpert Structure is a design package implemented into the ConSteel 3D analysis and design software as an additional module for the design of cold formed sections within a general 3D steel structural model. The CFSExpert Member is a stand-alone software configuration to handle a single element, with simply supported or continuous statical system, with specific graphical input and output features limited to cold-formed profiles. The CFSExpert Engine is a “black-box” calculation engine, without graphical user interface, but having standard easy-to-use input-output interface suitable for implementing into any existing or new-to-develop specific design software tools. It is strongly believed that these three different software realizations provide the most efficient way for serving the largest part of practising engineers with the innovation implemented into the calculation core.