Guides

Start here if you are new, or if a script is returning numbers you did not expect.

What is OpenStaad Python?

What the openstaad library is, what it automates in STAAD.Pro, and the shape of a first script.

Start from Scratch

Install STAAD.Pro, Python and openstaad, then write and run your first script end to end.

Unit Systems: One to Get, One to Set

OpenStaad has two unit systems: base units govern every value it returns, input units govern every value you send. What each one is, who controls it, and what it means for your scripts.

Base units decide the unit of every value OpenStaad returns: meters and kN, or inches and kips. They are an STAAD.Pro application setting, not a file property, and every derived quantity follows them.

Input Units

Input units decide how OpenStaad interprets every value you send: the model's UNIT command. How to read them, set them, the integer unit codes, and why a silent change corrupts later writes.

Migration Guide

How to migrate from the legacy openstaad API (pre-0.1) to the new ops session API (0.1).