A cloud-based digital engineer is hovering nearby, ready to calculate, design and optimize thousands of bolted and welded connections on 3D Tekla models as a service to subscribers.

QuickQnect is a Tekla plug-in about seven years in development and out in stealth mode since April. The developer says QuickQnect differs from other steel-connection software in that it uses powerful, in-the-cloud computers to examine loads rapidly, designing each connection to be as efficient as possible, rather than applying standard designs by connection type from a library.

To set up the tool, the engineer selects among dozens of preferences for job requirements, connection types, detailing, bolts and welds. Then, the model—or only parts of it—is uploaded to a cloud processor by clicking a button on the Tekla interface. The system extracts the forces and engineers the connections, says Jef Sharp, the developer and CEO of Qnect, Hadley, Mass.
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