T-1.0Tutorial

Your first project, end to end.

Five steps cover the whole loop, shown with real captures from a demonstration project — 78 elements across 8 sheets, every frame from the program. The complete, searchable reference ships inside the app: press F1 on any dialog.

T-2.0The workflow

From plan set to calc package.

TEST-STRUX · 78 ELEMENTS · 8 SHEETS

Step 01 / 05

Import the plans

Start a project and drop in the architect's PDF — every page lands as a sheet you can draw on, with the original linework referenced underneath your framing. Then calibrate: open Choose Scale, click a dimension you trust, and type its true length. Spans, spacings, and tributary widths all measure off that one number, so set it before placing anything.

PDF UNDERLAY PAGES → SHEETS SCALE ONCE

The StruxDraft File menu open, with Open PDF highlighted for importing an architectural plan set — IMPORT — FILE ▸ OPEN PDF

The Choose Scale dialog — calibrating the imported plan by entering the true length of a known dimension — CALIBRATE — CHOOSE SCALE ONE KNOWN DIM

Step 02 / 05

Draw the members

Place joists, beams, headers, columns, walls, and footings directly over the plan — each opens a design dialog with live code checks the moment it lands. Most connections happen automatically as you draw, and the schedule fills itself in the background, one row per member.

13 MEMBER TYPES AUTO-CONNECT LIVE CHECKS

Structural members being drawn over the imported plan — joist regions, beams, and columns tagged on the sheet with the member toolbar above — DRAW — MEMBERS OVER THE PLAN CONNECTIONS REGISTER AS YOU GO

Step 03 / 05

Connect the rest

T-Connect handles the connections geometry alone can't infer — pull a rectangle across the intersections and every crossing registers as a load transfer. Loads quick-apply from the project database, with custom cases where the defaults don't fit.

T-CONNECT DRAG QUICK-APPLY LOADS CUSTOM CASES

T-Connect Drag Mode — an amber dashed rectangle pulled across intersecting members on the plan, registering each crossing as a connection — T-CONNECT — DRAG MODE EVERY CROSSING → A CONNECTION

The custom load cases dialog — defining a project load case with its own type and magnitude beyond the stored defaults — CUSTOM LOAD CASES

Step 04 / 05

Validate in 3D

Open the model in 3D before anything prints — every applied load draws as an arrow on the real geometry, and the utilization heatmap re-colors each member by its governing check. Hover any member for its tag, utilization, and max deflection.

LOAD ARROWS UTILIZATION HEATMAP HOVER CARDS

REC — VALIDATE · LOAD ARROWS HOVER: W-003 · U = 0.019

Step 05 / 05

Export the package

One dialog prints the calculation package — calc report, key plans, and drafting markups, as PDF or layered DXF.

CALC REPORT KEY PLANS + MARKUPS PDF · DXF

Download the sample calc report (PDF, 180 pages)

The export dialog — choosing PDF or layered DXF output for the drawing package — EXPORT — PDF / DXF

The structural calculation report open at its cover sheet, with design criteria and the member-by-member table of contents following — CALC REPORT — COVER → CRITERIA → TOC CALC REPORT

Thirteen member types, each with its own designer — wood, steel, concrete, and masonry.

Every designer documented in full

T-3.0In-app help

The full tutorial lives in the app.

StruxDraft ships with a complete, searchable help system that stays in sync with the version you're running — every dialog, every tool, every engineering check, explained where you're standing.

Press F1 anywhere for help on the dialog you're in.
Open Help → Tutorial for the guided, step-by-step walkthrough.
Use the Glossary and A–Z index in the help window to find any topic.

T-4.0Keyboard

Shortcuts worth memorizing.

PREFERENCES → SHORTCUTS TO REMAP

COMMON SHORTCUTS DEFAULTS

Action	Shortcut
Open help on the current dialog	`F1`
Command bar — find any tool or member	`Ctrl` + `K`
Beam tool	`Ctrl` + `B`
Joist tool	`Ctrl` + `J`
Wall tool	`Ctrl` + `W`
Undo / redo	`Ctrl` + `Z` / `Ctrl` + `Y`
Zoom in / out	`=` / `-`
Previous / next sheet	`←` / `→`
Cancel the current tool	`Esc`

T-5.0Worth learning early

Worth learning early.

TIPS

The StruxDraft command bar open over the plan, matching commands and member tags as characters are typed

Ctrl+K command bar

Press Ctrl+K and start typing over the plan — the bar matches commands and member tags on every keystroke. Two or three characters jump you to a tagged member or fire a draw tool, so your hands never leave the keyboard mid-layout.

Split view

Keep the model open beside the plan from your first joist region — catching a wrong elevation on member three beats finding it on member sixty.

The toolbar control that opens the current model in the 3D view

One click to 3D

The 3D view is one click from any sheet, so check the model as you go instead of saving it for the end. Sheets stack at true elevation — a second-floor joist region reads directly above the wall that carries it, and a gap in that stack is a gap in the load path.

T-6.0Next step

Run the loop on a real project.

Bring your own plan set to the beta — the five steps above are the whole workflow.

Download Free Launch Strux4D in your browser

WINDOWS · FREE TO USE, NO ACCOUNT · FULL TUTORIAL SHIPS IN THE APP — F1