How?

Automate via the command prompt

The section data or beam data together with the details of the analysis to execute are contained in a text-based data file in JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) format. This file is passed to ASBD via the command line in the following format:

"path to ASBD exe" /BM "json file path"

Important:

The command order is strict, and it is recommended to always quote the program path and the JSON filename.

E.g. This command will run automation:

> "C:\Program Files (x86)\Autodesk\Structural Bridge Design 2022\sbd.exe" /BM "C:\MyFolder\MyFile.json"

An optional additional parameter /UI can be added to the command line to show the progress during automation and the output when finished.

> "C:\Program Files (x86)\Autodesk\Structural Bridge Design 2022\sbd.exe" /BM "C:\MyFolder\MyFile.json" /UI

This dialog is shown if the /UI parameter is used.

Automation Dialog

Tip:

If running the automation manually from command line (as opposed to launching from a script), the above automation command can be saved to a Windows Batch file for convenience.

This same input JSON file can be opened from the ASBD user interface (File | Open...). In this case you can browse the model data, but no analysis automation will be performed.

What to expect

The deliverables will depend on the details contained in the JSON file. Generally, an output JSON will be created containing the output corresponding to each analysis. An optional detailed report as a PDF can also be generated containing the full details of the calculations.

Read Deliverables for more information on output detail.