Design Comparison

Batch Analysis

Compare dozens of design cases in one worksheet. Validate inputs, run the calculation across every row, let AutoDesign size the rows that need sizing, and walk away with results you can review, print, or export.

One worksheet, many cases

Replace dozens of one-off design runs with a single comparison view.

Auto-design any row

Toggle a column and AutoDesign sizes that row for you.

Spreadsheet-friendly

Paste from Excel, export to CSV, or print to PDF with a custom header.

Recommended workflow

Search first, then run the batch

For studies with many cases, prove the design space first on a single row using Suggest, then bring those bounds back to the worksheet with Auto Design turned on. Pairing the two-step search with batch sizing is the fastest way to design a fleet of cases without micro-managing each one.

1. Use Suggest in the main designer. Find a passing starting point on a representative case.
2. Open Batch Analysis. Add rows for each case; toggle Auto Design + Use Global.
3. Run the batch. AutoDesign sizes every row using the shared search settings.

How it works

Batch Analysis runs the same design calculation across rows of input data. Each row is one independent case, so you can compare load alternatives, member choices, geometry options, or sizing strategies in a single view.

Build a worksheet

Each row represents one design case or scenario.
Columns match the inputs needed by the active calculation.
Rows can be entered manually, duplicated, pasted from Excel, or imported from a downloaded template.

Validate before solving

Required fields and invalid values are flagged before the solver runs.
Invalid rows stay in the worksheet so they can be corrected without losing context.
Dropdown cells use the same allowed options as the main design form.

Run every row

Batch Analysis solves each valid row using the same calculation engine and active calculation settings.
Rows are independent, so one bad case does not block the rest of the worksheet.
Auto-Design rows run the full search-and-optimize loop per row before solving.
Warnings and blocked candidates are preserved with the row result.

Compare, print, and export

The results table summarizes status, governing value, governing check, and messages.
Row detail shows the exact inputs, warnings, and result items for review.
Print selected rows as a combined PDF or as separate per-row PDFs.
Export the completed comparison table to CSV.

What you control

The worksheet stays in your hands. You decide which cases to study, which rows AutoDesign should size, and how aggressively the optimizer should search.

What you decide

Choose the combinations of loads, sizes, materials, geometry, or other inputs to compare.
Decide which rows AutoDesign should size for you (Auto-Design column) and which to evaluate as-is.
Configure custom optimization settings per row, or share one global setting across many rows.
Select multiple rows at once to apply edits and actions to the whole selection.
Paste a spreadsheet range instead of retyping repetitive rows.
Download a template so column names and order match the active calculation.
Review invalid rows, warnings, and row-level details before using the results.
Export the completed comparison table to CSV, or print to PDF with a customizable header.

What AutoDesign does

Validates each row against the active calculation requirements.
Runs the calculation for every valid row using the active unit and design settings.
For Auto Design rows, runs the full Suggest + Optimize loop before solving.
Summarizes governing values and messages for quick comparison.
Keeps row details available so results can be reviewed before being used.

Auto-Design rows

Three checkboxes at the start of every row turn ordinary cases into auto-design cases. Instead of solving the row as-is, AutoDesign searches for a passing, well-sized configuration and writes the chosen values back to the row.

Auto Design

Turns the row into an auto-design row. AutoDesign runs the same Suggest + Optimize search used in the main designer to find a passing, well-sized configuration for this row before solving.

Custom

Use this row's own optimization settings. Configure them by right-clicking the row and choosing "Custom Design Settings" — same parameter UI as Design and Optimize, but scoped to one row.

Use Global

Use the shared global optimization settings instead. One configuration is applied across every row that opts in. Edit it from the Global Settings button at the top of the worksheet.

How the three checkboxes interact

Custom and Use Global are mutually exclusive — turning one on automatically clears the other.
Turning on Custom or Use Global automatically turns on Auto Design; the row needs auto-design enabled to use any custom search.
If neither Custom nor Use Global is checked, the row uses default optimization settings.

Multi-row selection

Editing many rows one at a time is tedious. Select multiple rows at once and every checkbox toggle, context-menu action, or duplicate / remove applies to the whole selection.

Selection gestures

Click — Selects only that row.
Shift-click — Selects the range from the previously clicked row to this one.
Ctrl/Cmd-click — Toggles the row in or out of the current selection.
Right-click any selected row — Opens the context menu (Duplicate / Remove) acting on every selected row.
Toggle a checkbox on any selected row — Applies the same toggle to every selected row at once.

What carries through the selection

Checkbox columns (Auto Design, Custom, Use Global, Print) toggle on every selected row.
Context-menu Duplicate creates copies of every selected row at once.
Context-menu Remove removes every selected row in one click.
The worksheet header shows a "N rows selected" indicator while multi-select is active.
Per-row Custom Design Settings is hidden when multiple rows are selected — opening it would be ambiguous.

Custom optimize settings

Auto-Design rows search the design space using optimization settings — which parameters to vary, their ranges and steps, and which list options to allow. Two scopes are available.

Per-row custom settings

Right-click an auto-design row and choose Custom Design Settings.
Opens the same parameter / iterator UI used in Design and Optimize, scoped to that one row.
Selections, bounds, and list ordering are saved into the row's customOptimizeState.
The row's Custom checkbox uses these settings during the run.
Use this when one specific row needs different bounds — e.g. a shorter beam needs a tighter range than the rest.

Global settings (shared)

One configuration shared across every row that has Use Global on.
Edit it from the Global Settings button in the worksheet toolbar.
Changes are live: the next batch run picks them up automatically.
Use this when most rows should share the same search bounds and you only want to configure once.

Result statuses

Batch results are grouped by row status so you can quickly separate useful results from cases that need input cleanup or engineering review.

Solved

The row inputs were valid and the calculation completed successfully.

Designed

An auto-design row found a passing configuration. Solved parameters are written back to the row's input fields so you can inspect what AutoDesign chose.

Warning blocked

The row solved, but a validation or geometry warning makes the case unsuitable without review.

Design failed

An auto-design row could not find a passing configuration within the selected bounds. Widen the parameter ranges or adjust the row inputs and re-run.

Input error

The row is missing required values or contains invalid values that must be corrected.

Canceled

The row was canceled mid-run. Other rows continue; this row can be re-queued by clicking Run Batch again.

Error

The solver encountered an unexpected problem for that row while other rows can still be reviewed.

Spreadsheet workflow

The modal is built to fit the way engineers already compare alternatives: tables, copied spreadsheet ranges, and exported CSV files.

Paste from Excel: copy rows from a spreadsheet and paste them directly into the worksheet panel.
Header row support: a matching header row is allowed and will be skipped during import.
Append or replace: pasted rows can be appended to existing rows or used to replace the worksheet entirely.
Template download: the template CSV includes the expected column names and basic hints for each cell type.
Multi-row paste: paste a tall range to populate dozens of rows in one action.
Results export: the completed table exports row inputs, status, primary value, secondary value, and messages.

Print & report

Once a batch is solved, you can print one or many rows as a professionally-formatted PDF report.

Selecting rows to print

Check the Print column on each row you want to include.
Multi-select honors the Print checkbox — toggle it on one selected row to apply to all.
Only solved or designed rows are printable; pending or failed rows are listed as skipped.

Output styles

Combined PDF: one document containing a cover page and full report for each printable row, separated by page breaks.
Separate PDFs: one PDF per row — useful when each case goes to a different client or file.
The cover page shows the connection drawing rendered for that row's specific geometry.

Document header

The cover page uses the active Document Settings header — company, project name, job number, calc-by, approver, dates, etc. Edit it from the Document Settings button in the worksheet toolbar; settings are shared with the main designer's report so you configure once and they apply everywhere.

Cancel a run

A long batch run does not have to block you. Auto-design rows can be cancelled mid-search without interrupting the rest of the worksheet.

While a row is running, click Cancel on that row to stop it at the next checkpoint. The row reports a Canceled status.
Other rows continue running. Solved rows above are kept; queued rows below resume on the next run.
Closing the modal mid-run cancels every queued and running row cleanly.
Re-queue cancelled rows by clicking Run Batch again — already-solved rows are not re-solved.

Assumptions and practical limits

Each row is solved independently; Batch Analysis does not optimize across rows or share state between them.
The active calculation settings are applied to the whole batch run.
Dropdown values must match one of the active options for that calculation.
Invalid rows are not solved until their inputs are corrected.
Auto Design rows use the same search engine described in Design and Optimize; failures (Design failed status) usually mean the bounds are too tight, not that no design exists.
Warnings are preserved in row detail and should be reviewed before relying on a case.
CSV exports are intended for comparison and recordkeeping, not as a substitute for the full design report.