Steelwork connections in Plant 3D were possible only to a limited extent for a long time. Simple profiles and structures could be represented, but as soon as complex connections between profiles and beams were required, the continuous workflow came to an end. In secondary steelwork in particular, where supports, brackets and connections have to be precise and exact in detail, that was a noticeable gap. Anyone who wanted to model the connections out properly could not avoid the detour through Advance Steel.
With SuCri® Module 3, complex steelwork connections can be modelled directly in Plant 3D for the first time. For designers, CAD managers and project managers that means more than an additional function: switching between two programs is no longer necessary, the model stays in one environment throughout, and the fabrication documentation is produced from the same source. This article sets out why the previous gap was expensive in day-to-day project work, what the new workflow looks like, and which connections can be represented with it.
Why steelwork connections in Plant 3D were a gap for so long
Plant 3D is designed for piping design and plant modelling. Steelwork appears in it primarily as a load-bearing and supporting structure, for instance as a pipe rack, platform or as a support for lines and equipment. Representing this secondary steelwork roughly has always been possible. Work reached its limits where a geometric indication had to become a connection ready for fabrication.
A sound connection is more than two profiles touching each other. It covers the type of joint, the matching connection parts, the correct position relative to one another and, finally, a representation from which drawings and bills of materials can be derived. It was exactly this level of detail that Plant 3D could not deliver for complex steelwork connections. The consequence was a break in the middle of the design process: the piping model was in Plant 3D, while the detailed steelwork connections had to be created elsewhere.
What the detour through Advance Steel cost in the project
The classic workflow ran in several stages. Profiles, supports and clamping systems were created in Plant 3D. For more complex connections the model was exported to Advance Steel, where the assemblies were completed and the drawings derived. The result then had to be brought back into Plant 3D as an external reference so that the overall project stayed current.
This route was not only time-consuming but also structurally error-prone. Every export and every reimport is a point at which data can drift apart: one version is updated, the other is not, and model, drawing and bill of materials no longer agree. In projects with several people working on them and several rounds of changes, this risk adds up, because synchronisation between two models has to be tracked by hand.
On top of that came two further cost factors. First, the additional licence for Advance Steel, which has to be held and maintained. Second, the constant change of context: anyone jumping back and forth between two programs with different logic and operation loses time and concentration, and training new staff takes longer because they have to master both tools. As a result, detailing the steelwork connections was often a schedule risk that only became visible late in the project.
The continuous workflow with SuCri Module 3
With Module 3 the entire workflow stays in Plant 3D. Profiles, supports and clamping systems are created as usual, the secondary components and their connections are added directly with Module 3, and the fabrication documentation is then produced through Module 4. The export, the reimport and the maintenance of a second model are therefore dropped entirely. Plant 3D becomes the continuous platform for secondary steelwork, with no change of medium.
The interplay of the two modules matters here. Module 3 creates the connections, Module 4 takes over numbering and the derivation of drawings, dimensioning and bills of materials. Because both work on the same model, design and documentation come from one source. If something about a connection changes, that feeds through immediately into the derived documentation instead of having to be reworked in a separate program.
Which connections are possible
Module 3 integrates both the Hilti and the Sikla systems and therefore covers the common connection types of secondary steelwork. Through Hilti, I, T, X and V connections of profiles and beams can be created. Through Sikla the same connection types are available, extended by all connections that can be realised with the corner connectors EV CC41-1 to EV CC41-5 in order to attach several profiles to a main profile.
The connection types correspond to the typical situations that come up again and again in secondary steelwork. An I connection is the end connection of a profile, for instance through EPD adapters or end caps, and closes a profile off cleanly. A T connection attaches a profile at right angles to a continuous main beam, as is the case with branches and brackets. An X connection forms the crossing of two profiles, and a V connection joins two profiles at an angle, for instance in bracing and stiffening.
The Sikla corner connectors add multiple connections in which several profiles come together at a main profile. Nodes like these are frequent in support design and previously had to be detailed with particular effort. With Module 3 they are available as a regular connection. For the first time, therefore, all the common connection types for secondary steelwork can be represented directly in Plant 3D.
What changes for quality and documentation
The most visible gain is the time saved, because export and reimport are no longer needed. The more important gain is consistency. When primary and secondary steelwork are created in the same model, there is no second version that has to be kept up to date. Clashes between steelwork and piping become visible earlier, because both disciplines sit in the same environment, and changes can be made in one place instead of being reconciled between two models.
Documentation benefits too. Because the drawings and bills of materials are derived directly from the model through Module 4, they always match the current design state. That reduces the classic error in which a drawing shows an older state than the model, and it makes hand-over to fabrication and installation more dependable. In projects with many supports in particular, this continuity is the difference between documentation you trust and documentation that has to be checked once more before every hand-over.
Who benefits most from the change
The continuous workflow has the clearest effect where there is a lot of secondary steelwork and frequent changes, for instance in support and pipe rack design. Anyone who has been running two programs and two licences in parallel saves not only cost but, above all, reduces the friction between the tools. And teams training new staff reach their goal faster with a single, consistent environment.
SuCri® Module 3 has been available since 15 October 2025 with release 25.1.1.1. The full description of the connection types and their setup is in the SuCri manual. If you would like to check whether the continuous steelwork workflow fits your projects, we will gladly show it to you on an example from your own design work rather than on a prepared sample.
