SolidSteel parametric for Autodesk Inventor | Klietsch GmbH

SolidSteel parametric for Autodesk Inventor


Functions

With SolidSteel parametric, you can design all types of steel structures quickly and easily. To achieve this performance, SolidSteel parametric provides the necessary tools and functions for efficient parametric work in steel, plant and mechanical engineering.

As you can see from the following feature overview, the functionality does not end with the design, but also includes bidirectional data exchange with structural analysis software and subsequent processes such as automated bills of materials and shop drawings.


 
 

Profiles & Offsets

SolidSteel parametric for Autodesk Inventor provides a very extensive, but easily expandable, profile database. Over 30 international standards are currently available.

Profiles are placed along sketches. These can be normal 2D or 3D sketches. In addition to normal parallel offsets, which move the profile half the height up or down, or half the width to the left or right, individual offsets are also available. This feature allows you to move the profile individually at the start and end points without having to adjust the corresponding sketch.

Of course, the start and end points can be swapped to place asymmetrical profiles. Rotation around the center axis is of course also possible.

When profiles need to be cut, SolidSteel parametric for Autodesk Inventor offers several options. Basically, there are three different cutting functions:

Profiles / Beams in structural steel design with Autodesk Inventor
Watch the video to learn all about profile selection, basic placement, parallel offsets, individual offsets and parametric changes.

Beam Converter

The Beam Converter function of SolidSteel parametric for Autodesk Inventor is a particularly convenient and fast way to place profiles of entire assemblies. Open any geometry in Inventor and convert it into SolidSteel parametric parts - i.e. profiles with the corresponding attributes and information - using the Beam Converter. It doesn't matter what format the data is in, as long as Inventor can open it - this can be STEP data, Revit models or even Inventor Frame Generator models.

The Beam Converter's intelligent algorithms analyze all or individual solid bodies within an assembly and, based on a geometry analysis, determine whether the component is a typical steel construction profile - if the cross-section matches, a comparison is automatically made with the extensive, international profile library of SolidSteel parametric for Autodesk Inventor.


Typical steel design connections in the Inventor Frame Generator
Watch the video to see how quickly the SolidSteel parametric Beam Converter converts the frame generator model into a SolidSteel parametric model and uses basic functions to place all the necessary connections typical of steel design in just a few minutes.


Steel detailing of your Revit models
The saying "pictures say more than 1000 words" is particularly true here. Watch the video to see how quickly a steel frame designed with Revit can be fully detailed - including all typical steel design connections such as end plates, frame corners, angle connections and much more.

Cuts

SolidSteel parametric for Autodesk Inventor makes cutting a breeze.
With just a few clicks, you can make miter cuts, cope cuts, or complex contour cuts. Simply select the profiles, and the cut is automatically inserted.
You can also set a distance between the cut surfaces for all cuts. This allows you to take tolerances into account or leave gaps for welding.


Steel detailing of your Revit models
The saying "pictures say more than 1000 words" is particularly true here. Watch the video to see how quickly a steel frame designed with Revit can be fully detailed - including all typical steel design connections such as end plates, frame corners, angle connections and much more.

Face Cut

Face cuts allow you to cut profiles on a planar surface or extend profiles to a planar surface.

You can set the direction of the cut relative to the surface – a large arrow provides optimal visual feedback.

Miter Cut

The miter cut allows profiles to be mitered.

However, an optional angle adjustment ensures that profiles with different cross-sections, for example, are still cut cleanly. Of course, it is also possible to cut with an individually set angle.

Cope Cut

In addition to simple cuts, coping is also available as a more typical steel construction operation.

It notches a profile at the end. The parameters can be entered manually, or another profile can be selected as the tool. The parameters will then be applied automatically. In addition to various settings such as size, position and offsets, the shape of the cope cut can also be adjusted.

Remove Cuts

Cuts can also be removed at any time via a convenient user interface with excellent visual feedback.

Typical steel connections

If profiles are not simply cut to size with each other, welded or bolted connections, which are typical for steel construction, are usually used.

SolidSteel parametric for Autodesk Inventor offers a wide range of options for connecting profiles largely automatically.
Usually only one profile and one surface, two surfaces or two profiles have to be selected - besides a few settings SolidSteel parametric does the rest of the work.

All configurations and settings can be saved in a user-defined database as presets and reused in all further projects.

End Plates

End plates are a very basic connection element in steel design and are used in a wide variety of installation situations. SolidSteel parametric for Autodesk Inventor provides the ability to place end plates with just a few clicks. It creates the end plate (or two in the case of a double end plate), automatically cuts the profile, creates the holes in the connecting part, inserts the bolt sets, and optionally creates welded assemblies.

In addition to standard settings such as material thickness, sheet size, etc., you can also select the screws, define the hole pattern, or rotate the plates.

For special shapes, such as end plates with flow openings or rounded corners, it is possible to save individual templates.

The European DAST catalog is already saved as a preset and generates the end plates including the HV screw set.

Baseplates

With the Baseplate feature, SolidSteel parametric allows you to place base plates quickly and easily. All you need to do is select a profile.
Based on the global upward direction, the base plate is automatically placed at the bottom of the profile – but this direction can also be changed individually.

Baseplate below Column
Column shortended by basplate thickness

Base plates can either be placed below the selected profile or the profile can be shortened by the thickness of the plate. This option allows you to work quickly without having to consider the thickness of the base plate when creating the sketch.

Shear studs can also be placed optionally.

A welded assembly is then created automatically from all components if specified in the SolidSteel parametric settings.

Miter plates

SolidSteel parametric for Autodesk Inventor offers a special function for miter plates.

Basically, miter plates work the same way as the double end plate, but both profiles are automatically shortened by the respective plate thickness. Miter plates can be set to different angles – the plate size is then automatically adjusted to the new situation.

Welding assemblies are also automatically created or existing welding assemblies are extended, and the plates can be managed as usual in the automated DXF export and in all other subsequent processes.

Ribs

Ribs or stiffeners in open profiles such as I and U profiles are also standard in almost all steel structures. SolidSteel parametric for Autodesk Inventor provides a wide range of options for placing or designing ribs.

Basically, ribs can be placed in two ways:

Offset from profile end

Here the rib is placed with a defined offset to the end of the profile and remains in the defined position in the profile even if the design is changed parametrically.

Selecting a Reference

When placing the rib, a reference can be used as a positioning guide. This reference can be a body edge or a sketch line. After selecting the reference, the rib automatically moves to the appropriate position in the profile. The reference can also control the positioning of the rib within the profile, allowing the rib to be slanted within the profile. When the construction is parametrically modified, the rib changes according to the orientation of the reference edge.

In addition, numerous settings are available for detailed design:

  • Rib positioning

  • Corner machining of the rib

  • Placement on one or both sides

  • Alignment of the rib to the reference edge

  • Half or full ribs (or manual input)

  • Slanted ribs

  • and much more.


Of course, with all these possible settings, the preset function is also available for the ribs. This means that if you want to use a rib of the same type more than once, you only need to make the settings once.

Gusset plates

Gusset plates are particularly challenging to design because, in addition to an already complex shape, they must change not only in position but also in geometry when a parametric modification is made.
SolidSteel parametric for Autodesk Inventor does the work for you. After selecting the bolted face and the welded face, a preview of the gusset appears immediately. After just a few settings or selecting a preset, the gusset plate is automatically created and optionally sorted into the appropriate welded assembly.

The entire geometry of the gusset plate can be modified in an easy-to-use dialog. Positioning of bolts, spacings, profile cuts, chamfers, and much more. There are three basic types of gussets, representing the most common shapes.

If you use a bracing in your design where drill holes are already present, the gusset plate can optionally adopt them automatically, so that the hole patterns fit perfectly on top of each other.

Clip Angle Connections

With SolidSteel parametric for Autodesk Inventor, you can create clip angle connections in seconds.
By selecting two faces, the angles are placed and can be individually aligned with optional offsets. The legs of the angle can be either welded or bolted. If welded, welded assemblies can be created automatically. For bolted angles, the hole patterns can be defined individually. As with all connections, the software supports this with a visual preview of the installation situation directly in the 3D model.

Optionally, double clip angles can be created directly. The first angle is mirrored on the second surface. Of course, the software analyzes the component and immediately creates the correct offset to avoid penetration.

The European DAST catalog is already stored as a preset and creates the angle connections according to the selection, including the HV screw set.

The video shows how to create your own user-defined connections using the example of an angle connection.

Custom Connections

With over 50 years of experience in steel construction, we know that in most cases there is a combination of several standard connections:

  • A cope cut, a double clip angle and a rib.

  • One end plate, 2 pairs of ribs

  • etc.


There are also connections that require special parts, such as lower chord haunches, crane eyes or very special types of connections.

For all these types of applications there is the so-called Custom Connections.

This feature allows you to create individual, user-defined connections and use them over and over again. All profiles that meet in the joint are selected and then all joint parts are selected. These parts do not have to be SolidSteel parametric components, but can be parts designed manually in Autodesk Inventor.

The dependencies of the parts, as well as their position within the connection, are stored in an intelligent database, and you can use the connection over and over again. Not just in the first assembly, but in all projects.

In addition to saving an immense amount of time in the normal design process, SolidSteel parametric's Custom Connections for Autodesk Inventor also allows you to create almost any complex structural steel connection with dozens of components, such as frame corners, columns, and much more.


Custom connections also support linear cuts. The cuts are supported at both the part and assembly level.
These cut features can be taught in when you create a custom joint and will be re-created at the same location when you repeat the connection. This can be used for machining operations on the involved profiles as well as for machining operations on the sheets.
This means that weld preparations, manual or tool openings, decorative cutouts, and any other process that would otherwise be laborious to create manually can be done automatically.

SolidSteel parametric for Autodesk Inventor also has the ability to create 180° connections in the custom connections, which are connections where two profiles meet collinearly. This allows you to create custom connections with or without liner plates, welded transitions with complex weld preparations or stiffeners, or plate connections at butt joints.

Bolted connections

The Klietsch Part Selection is used for all bolted connections.
A bolt or a complete bolt set can be selected or assembled in a comfortable user interface. Of course, individual screw sets can also be saved and used again and again.

The integrated library can be expanded at will, and for a better overview you can create favorite lists or hide unnecessary standards or sizes.

Welded assemblies

A lot of welding is done in structural steelwork. But how do you know which parts belong together in CAD? The answer is simple: welded assemblies.

All parts that are to be welded together are stored in a welded assembly. This is basically a normal sub-assembly in the Inventor parts tree.
For functions such as stairs or end plates, this can be done automatically.
So you always have the right structure of parts and can concentrate on other things.

AI Connections - Assistant for Intelligent Connections

Why keep doing repetitive tasks when the computer can do them for us?
We asked ourselves the same question and concluded:
There's a better way!
The result: AI Connections

When placing custom connections, an intelligent algorithm optionally searches the entire assembly for geometrically identical installation situations, allowing the same connections to be placed at any number of locations in the assembly in a single step.
With the AI Connection feature of SolidSteel parametric for Autodesk Inventor, you not only get a feature that saves you a lot of time – you also get a feature that allows you to find identical installation situations that you may not have even thought of. This means you don't create unnecessary, dissimilar parts. The same installation situation = the same typical steel design connection and therefore the same parts.
Are you worried that artificial intelligence is creeping into more and more areas of our lives? And what could be worse than systems that want to be smart but aren't?
With SolidSteel parametric's AI Connection feature, you're in complete control of all placements and don't have to worry – the software suggests, but you decide. Always!


Custom- & AI Connections
The video covers both the custom connections and the AI connections feature as well.

Manual Bolting

As the name suggests, the manual boltings functions can be used to manually place bolts or even entire bolt assemblies (i.e. bolts, washers and nuts).

To place fasteners, all you have to do is select a hole feature. Both normal holes and slotted holes are supported.

After selecting the placement location, all you have to do is select the appropriate set in the usual bolt manager and SolidSteel parametric places the fasteners according to the specifications.
The placed boltings are treated as normal connections – they automatically change their position when parametric changes are made, appear as correct positions in the bill of materials and can also be removed if required using the SolidSteel parametric functions.
An important use case for the manual boltings are the custom connections. The manually placed bolting can be used to create custom connections of almost any complexity, even if the bolts were not created by a SolidSteel parametric features such as end plates.

Stairs and railings

Staircases

With SolidSteel parametric for Autodesk Inventor, you can create straight industrial stair flights in seconds. Simply define the start and end points of the stair and a preview is instantly displayed. You can then make numerous settings, including:

  • Horizontal and vertical extensions at the start and end (e.g. to create landings)

  • Additional steps at the top and bottom

  • Stair tread offsets

  • Floor height offsets at top and bottom with automatic realignment of all steps

  • Offsets for the whole staircase

  • And much, much more.

As you make your settings, SolidSteel parametric for Autodesk Inventor automatically calculates all important parameters such as slope, step size, angles, and distances. The settings allow you to set minimum and maximum values for all of these parameters. Depending on the settings, the software will warn you if any of the values are out of range.

When creating the staircase, SolidSteel parametric automatically creates all the necessary profiles, miters them, creates welded assemblies, places the treads, creates all the holes and places the bolt sets.

The stair tread library can be expanded and customized.

Of course, a stairway created with SolidSteel parametric for Autodesk Inventor is fully parametric and adapts as the start and/or end points move.


Railings

The railing feature complements the stair module, but can also be used for balcony railings and other fall protection.

The railings are template-based and can be customized to fit your needs.

With the railing function, it is possible to create functional industrial railings, but also to design railings with glass panels, for example, which are more likely to be used in residential or office buildings.

The railing function works with a clear dialog where all settings are made. The railings are inserted as independent copies of the railing template on which all adjustments and changes are made, leaving the original railing templates unchanged.

The railings are fully parametric and can be adjusted and edited at any time. The number of adjustable parameters depends on the quality of the railing template.
Here in the example, in addition to the values given by the stair geometry, such as length and angle, the handrail height, the number of segments, the number of rods in the segments and of course all offsets for the entire railing and also for the segments can be entered.

The flexible, template-based design with any number of variables gives you great freedom to create your own railings.

Structural analysis

SolidSteel parametric provides a bidirectional SDNF interface for structural analyses.

SDNF stands for Steel Detailing Neutral File and is a text-based exchange format between structural engineers and designers.
File sizes remain small even for large designs and can be easily sent via email.

The SDNF file contains all the information about the structure required for the structural analysis. After the calculation and dimensioning, any necessary changes can be saved in the SDNF file.
When re-importing into SolidSteel parametric, you have various options for entries in the ToDo-Manager – so you always have an overview and can adapt your structure to the structural requirements in the shortest possible time.

It is also possible to use existing SDNF files to automatically place all the profiles of the structure described in the SDNF file into a blank assembly in a matter of seconds, and then detail the structure as usual using the SolidSteel parametric features.

SDNF export, SDNF import and automated profile placement
This video shows both the capabilities for collaborating with structural engineers and importing a structure based on SDNF data.

Follow-up processes & manufacturing data


Equal parts & position numbers

SolidSteel parametric for Autodesk Inventor comes with equal parts detection.
This can be started at any time to find identical parts within the assembly. This algorithm is not based on metadata or part names, but actually compares the geometry of the parts.
For example, two profiles of the same length and type, but with different hole patterns, will be assigned different position numbers.
Rotational invariances are also taken into account.

SolidSteel parametric for Autodesk Inventor's geometric identical part recognition is the foundation for all subsequent processes.

Bill of Materials

As part of the geometric identical part recognition, SolidSteel parametric determines all necessary information about the parts (weight [gross & net], paint area, saw angle, position number, hierarchical position number, length, material, part type, and much more).
This information can be automatically written to the part's custom properties. This makes it easy to generate bills of materials from Autodesk Inventor or even PDM.

In addition, SolidSteel parametric can also be used for Autodesk Inventor functions. This generates more industry-specific BOMs such as saw lists, bolt lists, sheet metal lists, structural lists, and more. These lists can be customized and exported to Excel or CSV.

Automatic DXF Export

All sheet metal parts, including those in custom joints, can be exported automatically. You can choose to export individual components or all sheet metal parts in the assembly.

Just select, specify the location, wait a moment: Done!

If sheet metal parts were created manually in Autodesk Inventor without being explicitly created as a sheet metal part, or if external third-party components were used in the design, these parts can be converted to SolidSteel parametric sheet metal parts using the Covert to Sheet feature.
Of course, all parts are still native Autodesk Inventor parts, but with the appropriate attributes and automatic conversion to an Autodesk Inventor sheet metal part.
This way the automatic DXF export or the Bill of Materials will recognize the parts correctly.


Shop drawings

Shop drawings are a key interface between design and manufacturing.

Creating the drawings is usually a time-consuming task, and keeping all drawings up to date, even when design changes are made, is not only time consuming, but also annoying.

The automatic shop drawing feature save you a lot of work and give you a clear management interface so you always know how up-to-date your drawings are.
Drawings that are affected by changes are highlighted in the drawing overview, allowing you to make targeted updates.

You are in full control, of sheet sizes or the type of dimensioning (chain or ordinate dimensioning), for example. If required, drawings can be provided with component-related BOMs, which, like the drawings themselves, are updated at the push of a button when changes are made.

Automated shop drawings & drawing management
Watch this video to see how SolidSteel parametric for Autodesk Inventor's drawing features can save you a lot of work, and how you can use the Drawing Manager to keep track of how up-to-date all your drawings are.

Tools & Utilities

ToDo Manager

The ToDo Manager is the central and well-arranged place to organize notes for yourself and colleagues you work with on a project, or automatically generated entries, e.g. from an SDNF import (see above) or an update.

ToDos are linked to assemblies and can be viewed by anyone working on those assemblies. They can be subsequently modified or deleted after the tasks have been completed.

The entries in the ToDo Manager can be sorted by topic. For "intelligent" ToDos, such as the SDNF import (see SDNF video above), functions such as changing profile types can be called directly from the ToDo Manager.

ToDos can have different statuses, e.g. info, warning or error, which are represented by the corresponding icon colors.

ToDos can be general or attached to individual components. Components to which ToDos are attached are highlighted when you move the mouse over the ToDo entry.

Diagnostics

The Diagnostics tab allows for quick analysis of the design, and all components, connections, stairs, sections, etc. are listed in a tree structure.

Usually you should only see green check marks in the list. If there is something wrong, you will be able to see it at a glance by the red X, and in most cases you will be able to fix the problem directly from the Diagnostics feature.

License management

License management can be accessed via the Klietsch website.
After logging in, you will find it in the user menu under "Licensing Center".

The Licensing Center allows you to view and manage existing licenses.
Information can be displayed for each license, such as the validity of a Premium license, as well as the status of the license and the webshop order to which the license is linked, if applicable.
In addition, licenses can be temporarily deactivated and shared with other users so that they can be used by another user, if available, without having to purchase or own a license themselves.

System requirements

Operating system: Microsoft® Windows® 10 or 11, 64-bit
CAD system: Autodesk Inventor, versions 2021 - 2025
RAM: min. 16 GB (≥ 32 GB recommended)
Hard disk space: ≥ 10 GB for installation program & complete installation
Network: Internet connection for downloading the installation file and licensing
.NET: .NET Framework 4.8 up to Autodesk Inventor 2024 / .NET Version 8 from Autodesk Inventor 2025

First steps

In our feature detail »First steps« you will find important information on installation, registration and video tutorials for a quick learning curve on how to use SolidSteel parametric.


To the feature detail »First steps«

Free Download

The Solid Steel parametric for Autodesk Inventor - Express version is available for free download.

Simply create a user account on our website and follow the online store to order for $0.
Use all the features of SolidSteel parametric for Autodesk Inventor for free with no hidden costs.
Only the number of possible joints is reduced. If you need to create larger designs, you can always upgrade your SolidSteel parametric to the Premium version.


Download now for free