This article is for users of the STAAD.Pro Cloud Analysis Early Access Program (EAP) and STAAD.Pro 2025, to provide feedback on the experience of using a cloud based analysis to solve large models.

 

Introduction

The typical analysis of a model in STAAD.Pro uses a solver that is distributed with the installation. This makes use of a system that is well established and productive for the majority of models engineers. However, more designers are attempting to solve problems of models that have very large numbers of entities along with very large numbers of load cases and combinations that result in analysis times that extend into hours.  This means designers can become restricted in the number of analysis solutions they can effectively perform as the time of analysis can be a determining factor. This is where an analysis service using the resources available in the cloud can be used to reduce analysis times and improve the productivity of the designer.

Two methods of analysis have been produced

1) A standard analysis method that offers a powerful machine to replicate the analysis performed on the desktop.

2) A sub-model analysis method which creates 2 or more versions of the model that are solved in parallel and the results combined to for the overall solution.

 

The first method is available for use on any model, but in reality has a very limited effective use case as although will tend to solve faster than the equivalent solution on the desktop, because there is additional time required in order to initiate the cloud environment, upload the model and download the results, the improvement in analysis time on models that take up to 30 minutes to solve on the desktop will potentially take longer to get to a usable solution.

 

The second, sub-model method, has far greater opportunities to provide substantial time saving for analysis as the parallel analysis method can be solved far quicker, although again it does need to account for initialisation time, creation of the individual sub-models, uploading the models and downloading results and combining the results to provide the solution. However, for models that meet the requirements for a sub-model analysis that take in excess of 30 minutes when solved on the desktop, time savings of 50% or longer can be achieved.

Note that at this time, to use the sub-model solution the following prerequisites must be met:-

 

Cost

This service is provided free of cost whilst being offered as a technical preview offering.

 

How to Use the Cloud Analysis

This service is available in STAAD.Pro 2025 as a technical preview capability. A version is also available in STAAD.Pro 2024, but will first need to be unlocked. To activate the Cloud Analysis in STAAD.Pro 2024 you will need to first introduce the setting as supplied by Bentley. If you have not received the instructions, please log a service ticket with the subject title 'STAAD.Pro Cloud Analysis EAP'

On the Analysis and Design ribbon, click on the 'Run Cloud Analysis' button.

This will first validate that required configuration setting has been applied (see above).  If the configuration is correctly defined, you will be connected to the cloud using your Bentley credentials. A valid login will then result in the following dialog being displayed:-

This provides access to both methods of cloud analysis, standard and sub-model. However if the model does not meet the prerequisites of a sub-model method, then the sub-model option will be disabled and a message to show the issue(s) that caused that action will be displayed, e.g.

Although, note that the standard cloud analysis can still be performed.

A default 'Job Name' will be provided, although this can be modified, any name should not include any spaces.

An optional 'Job description' can be provided if that can better help explain the specifics of this analysis.

 

The dialog displays a list of available analysis engines in a drop list. Each item in the list relate to the engines that ware associated with specific published versions of STAAD.Pro. This allows you to perform an analysis using a different version of the program without having to install that version locally.

The default engine will be the most current from a list of compatible engines that are available using this service. Note that the service may offer a different set with more current published versions of STAAD.Pro. By choosing an older version of the analysis engine, it is possible to obtain the results that would have been produced using that version, but without having to do a local installation.

 

If the prerequisites of a sub-model analysis have been met, the option to perform a sub-model analysis can be checked. With this option, on clicking 'Submit' two or more duplicates of the model (as defined by the control 'No. of sub-models) will be created which will contain one or more load cases such that all the sub models contains all the primary load cases. Note that a sub-model that includes any load case that itself includes a reference to another load case will include both load cases.

The Submit button will then initiate the process of performing the cloud analysis using the chosen configuration. 

If a standard analysis method has been specified, then the cloud service will be initialised, the model uploaded and analysis started. If there are any problems during this phase then an information message will be displayed. 

If successfully initiated, the following will be displayed:-

Whilst the analysis is running the status of the analysis is displayed on the Status bar, e.g.

It is now possible to close the model in STAAD.Pro and work on other projects or close STAAD.Pro down entirely.

 

It is possible to check the status of the current model by reopening the Cloud Analysis and clicking on the 'Manage' button which is only active if at least one instance of a cloud analysis has been successfully started, e.g.

 

 

When the cloud analysis has completed, if the model is open, a pop up message is displayed such as:-

and with the model loaded in STAAD.Pro, the status bar reports this:-

 

 

If a sub-model analysis method has been specified, then a collection of STD models are created in the same folder as the target model file. These will contain the same geometry and reference load case 

 

If they contain design then the design is performed individually on each sub model. Whilst there is no overall design on each designed member as provided on a single model analysis, a spreadsheet is provided as part of the result set that includes a summary of all the designs and a quick way to identify the load case that  would result in the highest overall design ratio. 

 

If the analysis fails, then the following message is displayed.

 

Downloading Results

The completion of a cloud analysis will result in two result icons being activated in the Analysis and Design ribbon.

1) Load Results

Click this button to download the results file into the model folder to activate the Post Processing workflow.

If the sub-model option was selected, an additional step takes place in which after the results files are downloaded, the results for each sub-model is combined and then the Post Processing workflow activated. Note that it is possible to view the individual sub-models and their results by viewing the STD files that are now present in the model folder.

 

2) Download Results

Click on this button to download a zip file that contains all the files that were used including any sub-models and their results.

This zip file can then be located in any desired location and expanded to view the models and results.

An alternative method to download results is available from the Cloud Management available in the backstage (see below).

 

Note that results produced from a cloud analysis have a limited lifespan on the server. They will be held on the server for a period of 14 days during which they can and should be downloaded. After this period, they will be removed from the server.

 

Cloud Analysis Files

When a job has been specified to create sub-models, two new folders will be added to the model folder.

After submitting the job:- TmpU.***********, this is a folder that is uploaded to the cloud that contains:-

1. OS.log file, a text file that confirms the actions taken during parsing of the model to verify its suitability for sub-model analysis.
2. Splitter.log file, a text file that reports the actions taken during sub model creation.
3. splitinfo.json file. A reference file used by the cloud analysis.
4. All sub-models as STD files.
5. Auxilary data files for each sub model
6. UID files for each sub model

 

After downloading the results from a completed cloud analysis:- TmpD.***********, this is folder that contains the data produced by the cloud analysis that includes:-

1. The original STAAD model
2. Sub folders for each sub model in which the folder contains a zip file that in turn contains
   1. The sub-model
   2. The analysis output data for the given sub-model 

 

Check Status of Cloud Analysis Jobs

The status of all jobs that have been uploaded for a cloud analysis can be checked by clicking on the 'Cloud' option in the Backstage:-

 

 

Requirements

To utilise this  service requires the license setting 'Structural SELECT Entitlements' has been checked. Note that this is a free inclusion provided with a current subscription program.

 

Current Limitations

Due to the time that is required to initiate the cloud services, upload the model, and download the results, the benefits of using a cloud solution is not suited for models that would take less than 30 minutes to solve on a local workstation.  

In order to perform a sub-model analysis, the following criteria must be met:-

Previous STAAD.Pro Cloud Solution

Note that STAAD.Pro 2023 offered a similar offering using a service that has been deprecated and no longer available. Any attempt to use the deprecated service may cause STAAD.Pro to terminate.