IDEA StatiCa is a finite element based steel connection design program that SPACE GASS can link to.
You can export from SPACE GASS to IDEA StatiCa by selecting "Export - to IDEA StatiCa Connections" from the File menu and then specifying the export parameters in the form shown below.
Load case list
IDEA StatiCa will design each connection to satisfy all of the load cases you specify. If you want to include all analysed load cases then this field can be left blank, otherwise you should type in a list of load cases (separated by commas or dashes) that you want to be considered in the design.
When specifying the load case list, you can either list them directly
or you can click the 
button
to display and select from a list of the load cases currently in the job.
Nodes
The nodes list defines the location of each steel connection that you want designed. You can either list them directly or you can click the "Select" button and then select them graphically. Every member connected to a listed node will be included in the connection design.
Export folder
This is the folder that the IDEA StatiCa file will be saved into.
IDEA StatiCa Country
The selected country will determine which design code IDEA StatiCa uses to design the connections.
Detect continuous members
During the export process, members that are continuous through the connection can be detected and treated as continuous during the design. For example, a beam that connects to a column partway up its height should have its connection designed for a continuous column rather than for two separate columns that meet at the connection. Failure to recognise continuous members could result in connections that are unsafe or over conservative and so this option should normally be ticked. SPACE GASS uses various means to detect which members are continuous through a connection, however you should carefully check the connection in IDEA StatiCa to ensure that the continuous member detection has been done correctly.
Export method
SPACE GASS uses an IDEA StatiCa component in order to create the export file. This component is usually available via a web service (the default), however if there is no internet access and if IDEA StatiCa is installed on your computer then you can choose the installed program option instead. The web service is the fastest and preferred option.
It is then just a matter of clicking "Export" to export the SPACE GASS data required by IDEA StatiCa to design the connections.
Equilibrium
IDEA StatiCa likes the internal forces and moments to be in equilibrium at each connection, however if a connection node has node loads applied directly to it in SPACE GASS or is attached to a tension-only or compression-only member that has been disabled in some load cases then you may get unbalanced forces or moments at the connection when it is exported to IDEA StatiCa. They will show up in the IDEA StatiCa "Load" table as unbalanced actions. If you are satisfied that node loads applied directly to the connection node or that disabled tension/compression-only members connected to it do not affect the connection design then you should consult the IDEA StatiCa documentation regarding "Equilibrium" and "Unbalanced forces" for options on how to deal with the imbalance.
Because of the non-standard way that IDEA StatiCa handles member offsets, they cannot be exported directly from the SPACE GASS model to IDEA StatiCa. If a member end is offset at an exported connection node in SPACE GASS, the exported member actions will include the eccentric effects due to the offset, but the geometry will be exported without the offset and you will have to manually move the member in IDEA StatiCa to the correct offset position.
Cross section limitations
Angle, RHS and SHS sections imported into IDEA StatiCa will have a minimum 1mm root radius applied even if they are less than that or zero in SPACE GASS.
IDEA StatiCa has some section requirements such as equal flanges for I-shapes, channels, Cees and Zeds, equal thickness legs for angle sections and the like. Sections in SPACE GASS that don't conform to these requirements will be imported into IDEA StatiCa as point shape sections that won't be able to be designed or viewed in IDEA StatiCa.