CYPECAD is one of the premier software solutions globally for the analysis, explanation design, and detailing of structures in building construction and civil engineering projects. Developed by CYPE Ingenieros (headquartered in Alicante, Spain), CYPECAD is specifically tailored for structural engineers, architects, and detailers who require a comprehensive tool capable of handling complex floor geometries, foundation designs, lateral force evaluations, and dynamic load conditions.
Unlike general-purpose finite element analysis (FEA) software that requires manual assembly of nodes, frames, and meshes, CYPECAD utilizes a floor-by-floor object-oriented approach. This design allows engineers to model structural elements—such as beams, columns, walls, slabs, and footings—directly from architectural floor plans while automatically enforcing mechanical continuity and dynamic structural behavior.
1. Core Architecture and Graphical Modeling Workflow
CYPECAD simplifies the structural modeling workflow through a structured sequence that closely mirrors real-world construction logic.
Project Definition and Floor Groups
Modeling begins by setting up the elevation hierarchy. Engineers define story heights, floor levels, live load categories, dead loads, and group floors with identical structural layouts. At this stage, regional building codes (such as ACI, Eurocodes, ASCE, or Latin American national standards) are selected, establishing the material properties, load combinations, safety factors, and dynamic design criteria.
Architectural DXF/DWG Integration
CYPECAD allows users to import 2D CAD templates (DXF or DWG files) directly into the floor plans. With built-in object snapping tools, structural elements can be placed precisely on top of architectural gridlines, wall outlines, or column centers.
┌──────────────────────────┐
│ Architectural DXF / DWG │
└────────────┬─────────────┘
│ Import & Snap
▼
┌──────────────────────────┐
│ Column & Shear Wall Grid │
└────────────┬─────────────┘
│ Connect Levels
▼
┌──────────────────────────┐
│ Beam & Slab Input Tab │
└────────────┬─────────────┘
│ Define Footings
▼
┌──────────────────────────┐
│ Foundation & Retaining │
└──────────────────────────┘
Comprehensive Element Modeling
CYPECAD accommodates a wide range of structural elements within a single model:
- Columns and Shear Walls: Supports rectangular, circular, or custom polygonal reinforced concrete columns, structural steel profiles (rolled, welded, or cold-formed), timber sections, composite sections, and complex concrete shear walls discretised with finite element meshes.
- Beam Systems: Offers rectangular, T-beam, drop cap, inverted, steel-encased, and non-prismatic beam profiles.
- Slabs and Floor Systems: Features extensive support for one-way joist slabs (in-situ, precast concrete, or steel joists), waffle/waffle-grid slabs, post-tensioned slabs with bonded or unbonded tendons, composite metal decks, flat slabs, and hollow-core concrete planks.
- Integrated 3D Structures: Allows users to embed spatial steel, timber, or aluminum trusses, roof canopy frames, or free-form spatial structures (modeled via CYPE 3D) seamlessly into the main reinforced concrete building frame.
2. Advanced Analysis, Structural Mechanics, and Code Compliance
At its computational core, CYPECAD generates a dynamic 3D spatial stiffness matrix for the entire building structure.
┌───────────────────────┐
│ Structural Model │
└──────────┬────────────┘
│
┌──────────┴────────────┐
▼ ▼
┌─────────────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────────────┐
│ Spatial 3D Analysis │ │ Nonlinear & Multi-Code │
│ - Dynamic Spectral │ │ - Fire Resistance │
│ - Non-Structural Walls │ │ - ULS / SLS Checks │
│ - Punching Shear │ │ - Dynamic Reinforcements│
└─────────────────────────┘ └─────────────────────────┘
Dynamic Seismic and Wind Analysis
CYPECAD performs modal spectral dynamic analysis to calculate dynamic lateral wind and earthquake forces. A key feature is its ability to account for how non-structural masonry partition walls alter a building’s dynamic response. By incorporating the stiffness contribution of infill walls, CYPECAD helps identify issues like short-column failures, torsional irregularity, soft-story mechanisms, and floor-level shears during seismic activity.
Punching Shear Verification
For flat slabs, waffle slabs, and foundation mats, CYPECAD checks for punching shear risks. It evaluates local shear stress states along critical perimeters around columns and wall supports, automatically calculating necessary shear reinforcement (such as vertical stirrups or inclined bars) where design limits are exceeded.
Fire Resistance Evaluation
CYPECAD evaluates structural elements under fire conditions according to design standards (such as Eurocodes or CTE DB-SI). It evaluates concrete cover thicknesses, calculates charring rates for timber members, and designs protective thermal coatings for structural steel components to meet specified fire-resistance duration ratings.
3. Foundation Design and Soil-Structure Interaction
CYPECAD includes integrated modules for foundation modeling, eliminating the need to transfer support reactions to separate foundation software.
┌────────────────────┐
│ Foundation Systems │
└─────────┬──────────┘
│
┌────────────────────────────┼────────────────────────────┐
▼ ▼ ▼
┌──────────────────────┐ ┌──────────────────────┐ ┌──────────────────────┐
│ Shallow Footings │ │ Deep Foundations │ │ Mat Foundations │
│ - Isolated & Strip │ │ - Pile Caps │ │ - Winkler Elastic │
│ - Tie/Strap Beams │ │ - Strap Beams │ │ - Soil Springs │
└──────────────────────┘ └──────────────────────┘ └──────────────────────┘
- Shallow Foundations: Designs isolated, combined, or continuous reinforced concrete footings. Strap and tie beams can be included to manage eccentricity, balance soil bearing pressures, and restrain lateral seismic displacements.
- Deep Foundations: Features built-in design capabilities for pile caps supporting individual columns or multi-column configurations, accommodating arbitrary pile arrangements.
- Mat Foundations and Foundation Beams: Uses a Winkler elastic subgrade model to analyze soil-structure interaction beneath continuous mats or grid foundations. The software calculates contact pressures, bending moments, dynamic settlement profiles, and reinforcement layouts across varying soil strata.
4. OpenBIM Integration and Construction Documentation
CYPECAD streamline the transition from engineering calculations to site construction documentation.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ CYPECAD ENGINE │
└────────┬────────────────────────────────┬──────────────────────┬────────┘
│ │ │
▼ ▼ ▼
┌──────────────────┐ ┌───────────────────┐ ┌──────────────────┐
│ Detailing Plans │ │ Technical Reports │ │ BIM Data Flow │
│ - DXF/DWG/PDF │ │ - ULS / SLS │ │ - OpenBIM / IFC │
│ - Rebar Schedules│ │ - BOQ & Quantities│ │ - BIMserver.center│
└──────────────────┘ └───────────────────┘ └──────────────────┘
Interactive Reinforcement Editors
Rather than generating static output, CYPECAD features interactive graphical editors for columns, beams, slabs, shear walls, and footings. Engineers can inspect longitudinal and transverse rebar layouts, edit bar diameters or lap lengths, and run immediate Ultimate Limit State (ULS) re-checks.
Standardized Construction Drawings and Quantity Takeoffs
The software generates fully dimensioned structural construction plans—including rebar bending schedules, slab reinforcement callouts, foundation details, and structural steel joint connections—in DWG, DXF, or PDF formats. Additionally, it calculates material quantities, generating bills of quantities (BOQ) for concrete volumes, formwork areas, rebar tonnage, and structural steel weights.
OpenBIM Collaboration
As part of the OpenBIM ecosystem (via BIMserver.center), CYPECAD imports and exports standard IFC files. This allows seamless coordination with architectural platforms (Revit, Archicad, Allplan) and MEP design tools, facilitating structural clash detection and coordination across multidisciplinary project teams.
5. CYPECAD Capabilities Summary
| Feature Category | Capabilities & Supported Technologies | Primary Engineering Benefit |
| Material Support | Reinforced Concrete, Rolled/Cold-Formed Steel, Timber, Composite Sections | Enables hybrid structural design within a single unified model. |
| Analysis Types | 3D Matrix Stiffness, Modal Spectral Dynamic, Fire Resistance, Infill Wall Stiffness | Delivers accurate seismic, dynamic, and thermal performance evaluations. |
| Slab Systems | One-Way Joists, Waffle Slabs, Post-Tensioned, Flat Slabs, Composite Decks | Offers flexibility for varied floor system designs. |
| Foundations | Footings, Pile Caps, Tie/Strap Beams, Mat Foundations (Soil Interaction) | Eliminates the need for separate foundation modeling applications. |
| Deliverables & BIM | IFC OpenBIM Export, DXF/DWG Drawing Generation, BOQ, Detailed ULS Check Reports | Automates structural drafting and simplifies project estimation. |
CYPECAD bridges structural engineering theory and site-ready construction documentation. By unifying geometry input, multi-code analysis, rebar sizing, click for more and BIM export into a single platform, CYPECAD remains an essential tool for civil and structural design practices worldwide.