How do I export a PDF report of my structural analysis?
Using CalcSteel
After running an analysis in the editor, click Reports → Generate PDF. The report includes: cover page with project name, designer and date; 3D rendering of the model; load combinations; FEM results (deformed shape, reactions, internal forces); profile verification tables with governing checks per code (tension, compression, flexure, shear, combined, deflection); stress ratio for each bar color-coded from green (OK) to red (fails). Free plan adds a small watermark to reports. Starter and Pro plans produce clean, professional reports you can deliver to clients. Pro also lets you add your company logo and custom title block (designer name, CREA/registry number, project reference).
Key takeaways
- To export in CalcSteel: open the editor, build or load a model, apply loads and combinations, run the analysis, then use Reports → Generate PDF — a single document you can attach to a submission or archive.
- A defensible report is not a number dump: reviewers expect the code basis, load combinations, governing utilization (the highest demand-to-capacity ratio per member), reactions and deflections, laid out so the design can be checked and, where required, signed and sealed.
- PDF won because it became vendor-neutral: born from John Warnock's 1990 Camelot paper, launched 15 June 1993, and made an open ISO standard (ISO 32000-1) in 2008 — exactly what sealed, long-lived engineering records need.
- Desktop suites (SAP2000, ETABS, RISA-3D, Robot) build reports desktop-side under a paid license; browser tools like SkyCiv and CalcSteel assemble the document on demand. CalcSteel generates its PDF in the browser and includes export on the free plan — with a watermark on free, and clean reports on the paid Starter/Pro tiers.
Full guide
Export a PDF Report of Your Structural Analysis
Step-by-step with figures and sources — 11 min read
Try CalcSteel for free
Model, analyze, and design steel structures in your browser. No installation, no signup required.
Open 3D Editor