CivilKit Studio

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What's not in CivilKit (yet) ​

CivilKit Studio is honest about its edges. This page lists the capabilities a user of a mature analysis package might reach for that CivilKit does not have yet, so you are never left hunting, and points you to what we do have instead.

Recently shipped ​

  • Extensions (.ckext modules) - install sandboxed MicroPython design-check modules from a store or a file. See Extensions.
  • Specialised steel design checks - fire, fatigue, cellular beam, tapered member and AISC 360 composite checks with a dedicated UI and report integration. See Specialized Steel Design Checks.
  • Nonlinear pushover - geometric-nonlinear static pushover with a capacity curve. See analysis and results.
  • Steel check report cards - add steel-check results directly to the PDF calc report.
  • Built-up / compound member checks - AS 4100 design checks for common built-up sections.

Modelling ​

  • Full Structure Wizard - we generate continuous-beam and portal templates, not the full parametric wizard.
  • Tank Builder - no dedicated cylindrical/rectangular tank generator.
  • Plate mesh generation - no automatic plate meshing, mesh cuts or design strips. Modelling is frame/member-based.
  • Rigid diaphragms and master-slave constraints - no rigid diaphragm or general constraint/link editor.

What we have instead

Start from a template (continuous beam or portal) and edit the frame directly. Import an existing model via IFC or .SG to skip the builders.

Loads ​

  • Sea / wave loads - no marine or hydrodynamic load generator.
  • Harmonic / transient response loads - no forced harmonic or transient excitation loading.
  • Member prestress - no prestress/pre-tension load type on members.
  • Thermal loads - no temperature/thermal-gradient load type.
  • Distributed torsion - no distributed torsional load type.
  • Vehicle / moving-load libraries - no built-in vehicle library for moving-load patterns on bridges.

What we have instead

Point, distributed, area and self-weight loads, load combinations, and automatic AS 1170 wind, snow and seismic generation with apply-to-model. See analysis and results.

Analysis ​

  • True catenary cable - CivilKit models tension/compression-only members, not a full catenary cable element with sag.
  • Material nonlinear - we have P-Delta and T/C-only members, not full material nonlinear analysis.
  • Batch processing - no batch/queue runner for many models or load cases.
  • Deflection optimizer - no automated deflection-driven optimisation tool.

What we have instead

Linear static, P-Delta, tension/compression-only members, modal dynamics, linear buckling, modal time-history, response spectrum, and geometric-nonlinear pushover. See analysis and results.

Design ​

  • Concrete beam and column managers - concrete is per-element checks plus standalone calculators, not managed concrete design objects.
  • Shear walls, cores and diaphragms - no reinforced-concrete shear-wall or diaphragm design.
  • Biaxial P-M-M column design - no automated biaxial column interaction design.
  • Footing as a model object - footings live in a separate CivilKit module and calculators, not as an in-model foundation object.
  • Multi-code connection design - connection design is detail-first and AS-oriented while it matures, not a full multi-code connection suite.
  • CBFEM connection solve - no interactive 3D connection editor or CBFEM solver; current connection checks use closed-form methods.
  • Automated shop drawings and detailing - no detailing or shop-drawing output; that is a separate product class.

What we have instead

Automatic AS 4100 (and AISC 360 / EC3 / AS 4600 / AS 5100 / EIT) steel member design with auto-size, AS 3600 RC element checks, AS 1720.1 timber, specialised steel checks (fire / fatigue / cellular / tapered / composite), a growing set of connection checks, standalone calculators, and the new .ckext extension system.

Libraries and interop ​

  • Full library editors - we ship section and connection libraries, but not full in-browser editors for bolt, plate, weld, spectral or vehicle libraries.
  • IDEA StatiCa export - no export to IDEA StatiCa for connection handoff.
  • REST / remote API - scripting is via the in-browser window.CivilKit API only; there is no remote/REST endpoint yet.

What we have instead

Multi-region section libraries (AU / US / EU / UK / CA / TH), a connection library, IFC and .SG import with IFC export, and a documented in-browser scripting API. See Scripting & automation.