Autodesk Structural Bridge Design is a specialized engineering tool purpose-built for structural and civil engineers designing and analyzing small- to medium-span bridges. Unlike general FEA (Finite Element Analysis) packages, it integrates sectional design, beam design, and full structural analysis into a single, cohesive workflow aligned with international design standards.

Key Features

The primary advantage of Structural Bridge Design is that it bridges the gap between raw mathematical structural analysis and practical, code-compliant physical design.

1. Multi-Method Structural Analysis

The platform handles various levels of complexity depending on the project phase:

• Line Beam Analysis: Ideal for rapid, early-stage preliminary sizing and load checking on single spans.

• Grillage (Deck Mesh) & Frame Analysis: Simulates the cross-sectional stiffness of a bridge deck to accurately distribute traffic loads across multiple girders.

• Finite Element Analysis (FEA): Utilizes shell and plate elements for deep analysis of complex geometry, skewed decks, and localized stress tracking.

2. Comprehensive Traffic Load Optimization

• Automated Traffic Loading: Eliminates the tedious task of manually plotting vehicle spatial coordinates. The software automatically applies code-compliant design vehicles, lane factors, and knife-edge loads across a moving path to identify the absolute worst-case structural moments and shear forces.

• Influence Surface Generation: Visually calculates influence surfaces for bridge decks, allowing you to instantly pinpoint how specific lane configurations trigger maximum reactions at the piers and abutments.

3. Deep Section & Beam Engineering

• Material Customization: Define exact geometries and configurations for reinforced concrete, prestressed concrete, structural steel, or composite (steel-rolled sections with a concrete slab) elements.

• Time-Dependent Material Behaviors: Factors in concrete creep, shrinkage, and prestress tendon relaxation losses over a 50-year or 120-year design life.

4. Code Compliance & Transparent Reporting

• International Design Standards: Built-in checks against major structural design frameworks, including AASHTO LRFD (American), Eurocodes (with country-specific National Annexes), British Standards (DMRB), and Australian Standards (AS 5100).

• Step-by-Step Mathematical Calculation Reports: Rather than operating like a black box, the software generates highly detailed, transparent calculation sheets complete with explicit references to the exact standard clauses and design formulas applied.

5. Seamless AEC Collection Interoperability

• The Parametric Bridge Workflow: Connects seamlessly with Autodesk InfraWorks (for conceptual, context-rich design), Civil 3D (for alignments, profiles, and road corridors), and Autodesk Revit (for detailed 3D structural reinforcement modeling and documentation).

System Requirements

Because Structural Bridge Design runs complex line calculations, finite element matrices, and parallel load optimization passes, a highly stable 64-bit multi-core setup is required.

Here are the hardware specifications needed to run the latest iterations of the platform:

No Return/Refund