SteelFrame Studio User Manual

The interface organizes one project into four stages. Model edits geometry and systems; Verify presents demands, capacities, assumptions, and blockers; Cost converts modeled pieces into physical procurement; Export creates the review and exchange package.

You may switch stages at any time: they are not separate files or a rigid wizard. Geometry changes regenerate the related framing, takeoff, and checks.

The Getting Started panel overlays the model and lets you create, open, or explore a prepared house. Reopen it from Help → Getting Started.

Simple mode prioritizes essential actions and results. Professional mode exposes advanced parameters, sources, assumptions, and checks. Both use the same project and calculation core; switching modes does not remove data.

Enable View → Learning Mode to show ⓘ icons next to less obvious controls and results. Each explanation covers what the value is, how it is used, how to interpret it, and what it does not guarantee. Enabling or disabling it never changes the model.

Short tooltips remain available when Learning Mode is off. The command palette (Ctrl/Cmd+K) finds actions by name without navigating menus.

Press Ctrl+N (Windows) or Cmd+N (macOS), or go to File → New.

The initial dialog asks you to choose a country (Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, or Paraguay). This determines actions, cities, currency, technical references, and the structural catalog. You can change it later from Design Criteria; the app rebinds profiles and references without silently transferring another country's resistance data.

The project initializes with a 12 × 30 m slab and no walls.

From File → House Templates you can start from 8 prepared designs. Geometry is shared, while the active country and city are preserved so actions, profiles, anchors, foundation, and takeoff regenerate on that basis:

Each template comes with perimeter walls, interior partitions, openings, roof, and floor system preloaded. They are a great starting point for learning the app or adapting to a real project with minor tweaks.

File → Sample Project loads the "Casa Ejemplo": a 10 × 20 m house with exterior walls, one interior partition, doors, windows, and a gable roof. It serves as a tutorial for walking through every feature without designing from scratch.

Projects use the .sfp extension: a cross-platform JSON container with geometry, configuration, and undo snapshots. Windows/Linux retains up to 50 session states; the SwiftUI macOS app persists the 20 most recent states in the file.

On the Windows/Linux egui interface, the app automatically saves every 2 minutes and offers recovery after an unexpected close. In SwiftUI on macOS, use Save or Save As; history stored in the .sfp is restored when the file is reopened.

Every project change is stored as a snapshot. The egui session supports up to 50 actions; SwiftUI uses a bounded stack and serializes the 20 most recent states so history survives closing the app.

The slab is the foundation pad the house is built on. In the left panel you can choose from common presets or enter custom dimensions:

You can also configure the slab thickness. The default is suitable for residential homes.

If you need to conform to urban planning rules, use the Lot and Setbacks section:

• Lot width and depth — terrain dimensions (not slab dimensions).
• FOS limit (Floor Occupancy of Site) — max allowable horizontal footprint.
• FOT limit (Total Floor Occupancy, similar to FAR) — sum of built areas allowed.
• Setbacks: front, back, left side, right side.

Once setbacks and FOS are defined, a buildable zone is highlighted on the slab with a red border. Walls outside that zone are flagged. The app also calculates the occupied percentage and warns you if you exceed FOS or FOT.

File → Import Lot DXF loads the exact lot geometry from a DXF file containing a closed polyline (typically generated by surveyors or architects).

The app extracts the vertices, computes the bounding box, and adjusts the slab dimensions automatically. If the DXF does not contain a closed polyline, you get a warning.

To discard the imported lot and revert to a rectangular slab, use Clear imported lot.

To place a wall:

1. Click the + Add Wall button in the left panel. This activates the Select a point mode.
2. Click on the slab to set the starting point. The system auto-snaps to existing wall endpoints and midpoints when the cursor is nearby.
3. Directional arrows appear: Front, Back, Left, Right. Pick one for an orthogonal wall, or choose Free angle to define an arbitrary direction.
4. In free-angle mode, click a second point and the wall is drawn between both points.

While placing a free-angle wall, you can force specific angles with modifier keys:

• Shift — snap every 45°. Ideal for standard diagonals.
• Alt / Option — snap every 5°. More granular, useful for shallow pitches.

While holding the key, the wall angle jumps to the nearest multiple.

Clicking a wall in the left panel expands it. From there you edit:

• Start and end coordinates (X and Z, in meters).
• Height — 2.40 m by default.
• Stud spacing — 0.40 m standard, 0.60 m for light loads.
• Member count and opening count (read-only).

There are also Duplicate (creates a copy offset by ~0.5 m) and Delete Wall actions.

When two walls share an endpoint, the app automatically detects the junction and places reinforced corner studs.

When a wall ends on the middle of another (T-junction), blocking is inserted in the receiving wall to transfer lateral loads.

These insertions happen automatically; you do not need to configure them.

You can drag a wall endpoint directly in the viewport to resize it. If two walls meet at that point, a disambiguation dialog lets you choose which one to move.

A short click (without dragging at least 5 pixels) is interpreted as a selection — this prevents accidentally shrinking the wall with short clicks.

In addition to exterior and interior, a wall can be marked as party wall (medianera). This loads a layer preset with RF gypsum boards on both sides and enables thermal, acoustic, and material estimates. The preset alone does not certify F60 fire resistance or an R'w value: those performances depend on the complete assembly and must be checked against tested documentation for the selected system.

Party walls are also handled specially in thermal calculations (they do not count as exterior enclosure).

Expand a wall in the left panel and click + Add Opening. You can pick a preset or enter custom dimensions:

The position is defined as the distance from the wall's starting point to the left edge of the opening.

The app blocks placement if any of these rules are violated:

• Too close to wall start or end — minimum distance required for king and trimmer studs.
• Opening taller than the wall — height + sill cannot exceed wall height.
• Overlaps another opening on the same wall.

For each opening, the system automatically generates:

• King studs — full-height studs on both sides.
• Trimmer studs (jack studs) — shortened studs supporting the header.
• Header (dintel) — horizontal beam above the opening, generally two PGCs in a box configuration.
• Sill on windows.
• Cripples above the header and below the sill.

Structural verification of the header (capacity and deflection) is automatic — see Structural Design.

Each wall has a type that determines which layer preset applies by default:

In the Wall Layers section you can load a preset with one click or edit layer by layer.

Layer order matters: the vapor barrier always goes on the warm side, the water-resistive membrane outside, etc.

The app distinguishes three uses of product data: qualified structural product (traceable geometry, material, and capacities), complete-geometry product (supports takeoff and adaptation), and incomplete commercial product (supports identification and quotation, but not resistance transfer). A name or price never raises technical quality by itself.

In addition to interior and exterior layers, exterior walls typically carry cavity insulation (between studs). The app accounts for this in thermal transmittance calculations.

Enable or disable cavity insulation with a toggle in the layers panel.

The menu View → Show Wall Layers enables a 3D visualization where every layer appears with its own color and real thickness. Useful for catching configuration errors before exporting.

SteelFrame Studio supports up to 3 levels: Ground Floor + Floor 1 + Floor 2.

The + Floor and − Floor buttons add and remove levels. Removing always drops the topmost floor.

The active floor selector determines which level you are editing. Walls, openings, and layers are independent per floor.

Each floor system has a configurable construction system:

Floors can be mixed: typically Steel Frame on the ground floor over the foundation slab, plus a concrete floor for the upper level if the client prefers. The app handles the system switch and computes dead loads accordingly (concrete density × thickness).

For a Steel Frame floor system:

• Direction — "Along X" or "Along Z".
• Spacing — 0.40 m standard, 0.60 m for light loads.
• Profile — selected from the PGC catalog (150 to 300).
• Bridging rows — number of cross-braces between joists.
• OSB subfloor — on/off toggle.

The Generate Floor System button creates rim tracks, joists, bridging, and subfloor in one step. Structural verification (span, deflection, capacity) is automatic.

For a reinforced concrete floor:

• Thickness in meters (typical 12–18 cm).
• Concrete grade: H13, H17, H21, H25, or H30.

The slab is rendered as a solid and contributes to self-weight via density × thickness. No steel members are generated for this type.

Trusses are the load-bearing structure of pitched roofs. SteelFrame Studio generates 4 types:

• Howe — verticals near supports, diagonals toward the center.
• Pratt — verticals at the center, diagonals toward supports (more efficient under gravity).
• Fink — W pattern, very economical for medium spans.
• King Post — a single central post; ideal for short spans.

For each truss you configure the chord profile (top and bottom) and the web profile (diagonals and verticals).

The representative check evaluates kinematic stability, tributary load, reactions, displacements, and chord/web axial forces. Joints and fastener groups use compatible published evidence when available; unmatched production details remain explicitly simplified.

• Slope — in degrees (default 25°). Typical range: 5° to 30°.
• Eave — overhang beyond the exterior wall. Default 0.40 m.
• Truss spacing — 0.40 m standard, 0.60 m for light loads.

In addition to trusses, the app automatically generates purlins at ~1.20 m spacing, collar ties on gable and hip roofs, a ridge beam, fascia, and, on hip roofs, hip rafters.

The roof takeoff includes OSB, membranes, insulation, finish, ceiling board, and fasteners. This added mass also feeds applicable gravity and seismic actions.

When the perimeter is closed, the Structure → Suggest load-bearing walls menu item enables a modal with three strategies:

• Option A — all perimeter walls are load-bearing (maximum safety).
• Option B — only walls perpendicular to the ridge (optimized cost).
• Option C — with interior reinforcement walls (reduces clear spans).

The choice affects which walls get more robust profiles and where trusses rest.

SteelFrame Studio supports three types:

In the Stairs panel you pick type, stringer profile, width (distance between stringers), and rotation. The Generate Stairs button builds all components:

• Stringer — the main inclined profile.
• Tread support — horizontal clips per step.
• Tread — the step surface.
• Landing beam and landing deck (L and U types).

To remove, use Remove Stairs.

The app validates the tread/riser relationship using the Blondel formula:

2 × riser + tread ≈ 0.64 m

Based on the target floor height, SteelFrame Studio automatically calculates the number of steps, riser height, and tread depth, and warns you if the combination falls outside the ergonomic comfort range.

The dossier classifies each check as Pass, Fail, Needs input, Simplified, or Out of scope. The total also includes passing checks, so it does not equal the sum of warnings shown by one filter.

Simplified is not a failure: it identifies a conservative approximation or lower-depth evidence. Review-ready means the engine found no hidden blockers; it does not mean approved or signed.

Professional mode exposes discipline, source, target, and scope. Tabs filter the rows without changing summary counts.

Every result identifies its basis: Local, International (a reproducible public method such as AISI), Prescriptive, Extrapolated, or Unavailable. An international method is never presented as national compliance.

Product quality is separate: complete geometry supports takeoff and adaptation; transferring structural resistance also requires compatible material, thickness, properties, and, where applicable, the full assembly.

From the Design panel you configure:

• Country — determines the applicable code set.
• City — preloads wind speed, seismic zone, snow zone, and bioclimatic zone.
• Exposure category — A (dense urban), B (suburban), C (open field), D (coastal).
• Occupancy type — residential, office, commercial, storage.
• Floor finish and roof cover — affect dead loads.

The app automatically calculates:

• Dead load — self-weight of structure, cladding, insulation, floor system, finishes, roof, and ceiling. Displayed broken down by component.
• Live load — occupancy-based surcharge. Argentina uses CIRSOC 101; residential projects in Uruguay have an independent UNIT 33 reference, while remaining paths retain the app's disclosed reference value until a complete national table is incorporated.
• Wind load — pressure and suction on walls and roof per CIRSOC 102 (Argentina) or NCh 432 (Chile), with velocities by city.
• Seismic action — INPRES-CIRSOC 103 in Argentina and NCh 433 in Chile. Where no applicable public national path is available, Uruguay or Paraguay report it as not modeled; it is never silently converted to zero.
• Snow load — CIRSOC 104 in Argentina and NCh 431 in Chile. Uruguay and Paraguay disclose unavailability where applicable instead of presenting a foreign code as a local requirement.
• Point loads — manually configurable in the corresponding panel (e.g., plumbing fixtures, tanks, etc.).

The engine also reviews truss stability/actions, joints and screw groups, diaphragm distribution, braced walls, and continuity through hold-down, anchor, concrete, and soil. Shear-wall capacity transfers only when sheet, profile, screw, spacing, edges, and anchorage match the supporting evidence.

Location, floor count, and selected systems may govern profiles, spacing, fasteners, anchors, hold-downs, and the reference raft. The app can choose a stronger alternative or increase quantities when the active catalog contains a verifiable solution.

If the country catalog lacks the required product, geometry retains the best available local item and the dossier states the missing characteristic. Paraguayan, Chilean, or Uruguayan products never silently inherit Argentine resistance.

For Argentina, soil type SA to SE under INPRES-CIRSOC 103 §3.1 amplifies seismic response through F_a: SA = hard rock, SB = rock, SC = very dense soil, SD = stiff soil, and SE = soft soil. Chile uses its own classification in the NCh path; Uruguay and Paraguay do not receive this Argentine procedure as a local requirement.

For Argentina, checks use the implemented and evidenced CIRSOC 101/301/303 LRFD envelope. In other countries the app identifies the national or international basis actually used and does not present it as local CIRSOC compliance. Reference combinations include:

• 1.2D + 1.6L + 0.5(L_r / S / R)
• 1.2D + 1.0W + L + 0.5(L_r / S / R)
• 1.2D + 1.0E + L + 0.2S
• 0.9D + 1.0W (uplift/overturning)
• 0.9D + 1.0E (seismic overturning)

The critical envelope is used for each member.

The system automatically verifies:

• Studs — axial + bending capacity, utilization ratio.
• Headers — capacity and deflection over openings.
• Floor joists — max allowable span and deflection.
• Lateral deflection of walls under wind (typically H/300).
• Lateral bracing — shear wall capacity vs. wind and seismic demand (considers OSB coverage, opening ratio, wall length).
• Foundation — continuous footing width based on soil capacity.

The interface shows a structural review status in the model summary and Verify stage:

• 🟢 Green — the check is within the implemented criterion.
• 🟡 Yellow — the result is usable but retains an assumption, simplification, or pending review.
• 🔴 Red — the check does not meet the applied criterion.
• ⚪ Gray — it was not evaluated because data is missing or it falls outside the implemented scope.

Tooltips and the dossier explain warnings, failures, missing inputs, and simplified checks.

The Foundation section configures soil bearing capacity via presets:

The app offers 10, 20, and 30 cm reference rafts, common concrete grades, two-direction mesh, and purchase quantities. Automatic selection only strengthens the modeled preset; it never reduces it. It also reviews global demand, soil, sliding/overturning, and the hold-down–anchor–concrete chain with the compatible capacity available.

You may use a regional soil family for preliminary sizing or enter allowable pressure plus a geotechnical report identifier. A regional value does not describe the lot.

Thermal analysis in Argentina follows IRAM 11603 (zoning) and IRAM 11601/11605 (transmittance and levels). The zone loads automatically based on the selected city:

Chile uses nine NCh 1079/OGUC zones. Uruguay and Paraguay expose the incorporated local references and label any path without a complete public national method as advisory; IRAM is not presented as a local requirement.

The app sums the thermal resistance of every layer plus the interior (RSI) and exterior (RSE) surface resistances, applies a correction for thermal bridging (85% with rigid exterior sheathing, 65% without), and reports the final transmittance:

U = 1 / Rtotal

The Thermal Transmittance (IRAM 11601) panel shows the calculated U value together with the maximum allowed for the selected zone and level, with status:

• ✅ Meets Level B
• ⚠️ Meets Level C minimum only
• ❌ Does not comply (U exceeds Level C limit)

The Bill of Materials updates with every design change. It covers steel, boards, membranes, insulation, fasteners, roof covering, concrete, reinforcement, hold-downs, and anchors, with physical units and provenance. A missing price is shown as quotation required, never zero or a complete total.

The Copy to Clipboard button lets you paste it directly into Excel, Google Sheets, or WhatsApp.

Version 7.0 includes the 22 minimum physical families for Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Paraguay. Structural profiles bind by country: Barbieri Argentina, Metalcon Chile, ARMCO Uruguay, and the controlled Barbieri Paraguay catalog. Geometric matches do not inherit foreign resistance.

Prices are dated snapshots shipped with app updates. SteelFrame Studio does not contact suppliers or download lists in the background: it works offline. Price coverage may be partial, especially outside Argentina, while quantities remain available for quotation.

When a wall is selected, Selected wall materials shows gross/net area, profiles and pieces, boards/rolls/insulation, and physical screws for that wall only. This is useful for isolated partitions or quoting one wall before the full project.

Commercial packages and offcuts may be shared with the rest of the build, so the global optimized purchase can differ from adding walls separately.

Profiles come in 6 m bars. To minimize waste, SteelFrame Studio uses a bin-packing algorithm that:

• Groups cuts of various lengths within each bar.
• Reuses offcuts for shorter cuts when possible.
• Reports the number of bars, waste percentage, and total cost.

In the cutting-diagram PDF you can see graphically how cuts are distributed across each bar.

Beyond profiles, the BOM includes:

• Boards (cement, OSB, gypsum, etc.) — with coverage calculation, utilized cuts, and reusable offcuts.
• Insulation — fiberglass batt, vapor barrier, water-resistive membrane.
• Fasteners — T1 Wafer (steel-to-steel), T2 Trumpet (board-to-steel), Tornillo Alado (OSB/cement-to-steel). Quantities computed from generated connections, with per-box pricing.

Contribute material data opens steelframestudio.com.ar/tools/precios.html with the active country in the URL. The form also lets you change it manually and accepts ARS, CLP, UYU, PYG, or USD as appropriate.

The extractor reviews the file in memory, reports the data level reached by each product, and lets you complete missing fields before generating normalized CSV. The original file is not retained on the server. You may download the result or voluntarily send it to support; the bundled database changes only through a later app update.

The Steel Frame vs. Masonry Comparison section contrasts the current project in Steel Frame against traditional masonry systems:

• Hollow brick 18 cm
• Hollow brick 25 cm
• Solid brick
• Hollow brick + plaster

Metrics compared:

All formats are generated from the same project and Rust core on Windows/Linux and macOS. Exporting does not clear warnings or fill missing data: statuses, sources, and caveats travel with the package where the format permits.

Includes:

• Dimensioned floor plan with wall labels (M1, M2, …) and scale.
• BOM table with quantities, profiles, and weights.
• Reference of applied loads, finishes, and standards.

Meant to be delivered to the client or attached to the construction file.

A more extensive PDF aimed at licensed professionals. It contains:

• Design criteria (country, city, exposure, occupancy).
• Breakdown of dead, live, wind, seismic, and snow loads that are applicable and implemented for the country; non-modeled actions are identified explicitly.
• Applied LRFD combinations.
• Joist and member verification (if a floor system exists).
• Thermal analysis with U-value and the corresponding national reference, or an advisory label where no complete public path is incorporated.
• Foundation sizing.
• Applicable standards and their versions.

For every profile used, the PDF shows how the 6 m bars are cut: what lengths come out of each bar, what offcuts are left, and which are reused. It includes waste and reused-offcut statistics.

Taking it to the jobsite reduces cut errors and makes better use of the material.

The IFC 2x3 STEP export creates an exchange model for BIM coordination. It includes modeled structural members and dossier properties; exact compatibility depends on the destination importer.

Useful for coordinating with MEP/structural projects done on other platforms.

See section 2. The import looks for a closed polyline in the DXF and uses it as the lot outline.

SteelFrame Studio 7.0 supports projects in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Paraguay:

Country selection adjusts cities, currency, actions, soil references, and catalog: Barbieri Argentina, Metalcon Chile, ARMCO Uruguay, or Barbieri Paraguay. Resistance checks may combine local actions with identified public international methods (AISI/SFIA/SDI); reports disclose provenance and never call that fallback national compliance.

All four markets have technical and commercial coverage for 22 minimum families. Price coverage is complete in Argentina and partial in Chile, Uruguay, and Paraguay; missing prices remain ready for quotation.

The Windows/Linux egui interface supports Spanish and English from Settings. The SwiftUI+Metal edition distributed through the Mac App Store is presented in Spanish; Spanish and English offline manuals are bundled as reference, and the web copy offers both languages.

The 2D view is a top-down orthographic projection. Ideal for reviewing plan dimensions and the overall layout of walls, openings, and setbacks. All editing tools work the same as in 3D.

Dialogs—including Getting Started and the command palette—overlay the viewport instead of moving or resizing the model. Orientation labels remain behind the modal dimming layer.

Use isometric, top, front, right, or Fit model from menus or the palette. Opening or closing panels never changes geometry.

The View menu includes toggles to show or hide:

• Floor grid — reference every 0.5 m on the slab.
• Wall layers — 3D render with all cladding materials.
• Roof — hides trusses and purlins to work on the walls.
• Floor system — hides joists and subfloor.
• Decimal coordinates — toggles between 2.40 m and 2 m 40 cm.

SteelFrame Studio is a design and quotation support tool. Structural, thermal, and foundation calculations are indicative and must be verified by a licensed professional (civil engineer or architect) before construction. The company takes no responsibility for use of the software outside that context.