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OVERCOMING COMPLEXITY AND DRIVING EFFICIENCY IN BRIDGE DESIGN WITH PARAMETRIC
DESIGN

December 1, 2020
5652

By Gabriel Neves

Engineers are under growing pressure to be more productive while, at the same
time, structural design is becoming increasingly complex. The architectural
design tools of today have expanded the possibilities for more curves and
amazing structural details, all of which end up on the desktops of structural
engineers who are working with smaller budgets to meet tighter deadlines. While
this is especially true in bridge design, the majority of the bridge industry
remains heavily reliant on drawings as primary documents. Although widely
adopted, traditional 2D CAD workflows don’t solve the challenges commonly seen
on projects today such as material waste, rework, RFIs, budget overruns,
schedule delays, and a general lack of productivity.

These constraints are driving a growing number of structural engineers to
explore parametric design and BIM-based workflows. Parametric design shifts the
expression of design from geometry to the underlying logic, allowing engineers
to establish rules and parameters for a model, rather than model the geometry
directly. These rules operate on the input parameters, and the model is an
inevitable outcome. So, when adjusting one parameter, such as the number of
columns or the width of a deck, all of the model objects affected by that change
are automatically updated. When parametric design is combined with the proper
BIM software, the parameters can simultaneously drive information-rich BIM data
beyond simple geometry.

This might sound complicated, but it’s all about overcoming limitations and
rapidly creating design alternatives for complex shapes. Today, structural
engineers are leveraging a parametric workflow without prior knowledge of
programming through direct links between BIM software and visual programming
tools such as Grasshopper, a pre-installed plugin for Rhinoceros 6, a 3D
computer graphics and computer-aided design (CAD) application. This allows
engineers to define input parameters such as coordinates, dimensions, or curves
and visually script rules that act on those parameters, generating the desired
geometry or other output, which can then be applied directly to live objects
using a parametric BIM software. By bringing the parametric design into a 3D
parametric modeling environment, such as Tekla Structures, repetitive tasks and
change updates are automated. This allows engineers to quickly, accurately and
easily create a truly constructible 3D bridge model, fulfilling any Level of
Development (LOD) requirement and ensuring all deliverables, including the
model, drawings and material lists, are consistent.

Based on attributes the engineer defines, the effects of any change to the
design are automatically populated throughout the model. Grasshopper takes the
inputs, completes the calculations, and produces an output that is applied to
the model. This eliminates the need to manually apply changes across the model
and allows engineers to quickly generate and visualize multiple iterations of
complex designs in 3D by simply adjusting the attributes. This workflow is
especially beneficial when modeling structures, such as bridges, that have
complex geometries and curved surfaces.

The Many Benefits of Parametric Design

Modeling with parametric design has significant benefits that improve both the
design process and quality. With architects pushing the boundaries of design and
projects becoming increasingly collaborative, eliminating manual processes can
help structural engineers work more efficiently to meet today’s project demands.
By combining parametric design with parametric modeling, engineers can:

 * Accelerate work and increase accuracy. Parametric design lets engineers
   define logical rules describing the model and the relationships between its
   parts, as well as a set of parameters to drive the logic. The design tool
   then calculates and creates a dynamic 3D model based on that criteria that,
   when used with a parametric BIM software such as Tekla Structures, leads to a
   detailed, data-rich constructible model that contains all the information
   needed to build and fabricate. Eliminating manual work provides a tremendous
   productivity advantage by accelerating model creation and the automatic
   generation of the design as a whole decreases the chance for human errors
   that can, at worst, accumulate into costly miscalculations.
 * Simplify iterations. Addressing changes is much easier with parametric
   modeling than with a traditional 3D model, not to mention 2D CAD. Because
   adjustments to the model are based on the set logic and reflected throughout
   the entire design, it’s possible to iterate quickly while staying within a
   design’s established criteria and constraints.
 * Innovate with ease. When the entire design can be created, managed and
   iterated as a whole, there are more opportunities to optimize the design
   process. Parametric design and modeling provide engineers with an easy way to
   rapidly test and discover options for making a project more cost-effective.
   When a better option is discovered, the changes can be implemented quickly
   and with ease.

Getting Started

Trying a new approach or workflow for the first time can be intimidating. To
give parametric design a try, consider these four steps:

 1. Be willing to try something new. This may seem obvious, but it would be easy
    to read the word parametric and think, “this is too complicated” or “I’m not
    a programmer and I don’t have time to learn something new.” If you want to
    give parametric design a try, the full version of Rhino Grasshopper is free
    to evaluate for 90 days. What’s the harm in trying it out?
 2. Take advantage of tutorials and instructional videos. The best way to learn
    is online through videos made by other structural engineers, tutorials, and
    forums. Some personal favorites: Grasshopper-Tekla Structures demo,
    Grasshopper basics and these tutorials. It’s also fun to experiment with
    sample Grasshopper scripts which can be found with a simple Google search.
 3. Experiment with a simple design. Start by experimenting with parametric data
    for a simple design in Grasshopper and create output objects in a parametric
    BIM software. It’s not necessary to jump right in and learn using a complex
    bridge model. For example, build a simple wireframe structure, such as a
    portal frame, and use the line output as centerlines for the parametric BIM
    objects.
 4. Get Organized. It’s important to know that parametric design and modeling
    require organization. Create notes and keep the script of parameters
    organized and well documented so that any project stakeholder can understand
    it a week, or even a month, later.

With dynamic automation, increased accuracy, rapid iterations, and more
resources for the design as a whole, the benefits of parametric design are
undeniable. While it can be used for any project big or small, it’s especially
advantageous in complex structures with unconventional architecture. Using
parametric design with constructible BIM-tools takes the modeling process to the
next level and makes it possible to streamline work, create high-quality and
constructible designs and deliver successful projects – totally model-based
without drawings.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gabriel Neves is Bridges Technical Manager at Trimble, Structures Division and
Ministry of Bridges YouTube channel Content Creator.

 * TAGS
 * 2D CAD workflows
 * architectural design tools
 * BIM
 * BIM-based workflows
 * bridge
 * bridge design
 * budget overruns
 * CS1220
 * Driving Efficiency
 * drone
 * dynamic automation
 * Gabriel Neves
 * increased accuracy
 * material waste
 * parametric
 * Parametric Design
 * rapid iterations
 * rework
 * RFIs
 * schedule delays
 * software
 * technology
 * Trimble

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