Quick Start for Programmers

Set it up and write the script yourself: a complete walkthrough, no prior Python experience required.

Step 1: Prerequisites

Python	STAAD.Pro	OS
3.10+	any version	Windows only

Step 2: Open STAAD.Pro with a model

Open STAAD.Pro and load (or create) a structural file that already has a few nodes and beams in it. OpenStaad connects to this running session. It doesn't open STAAD.Pro for you, so it needs to already be running with a model loaded before you go any further.

Step 3: Create a project folder

Create a new, empty folder anywhere you like, for example a folder named openstaad-quickstart on your Desktop. This is where your script and its Python environment will live.

Step 4: Open the folder in a code editor

We recommend Visual Studio Code (free). Open it, then File → Open Folder… and pick the folder you just created. Then open a terminal inside it with Terminal → New Terminal; you'll use it for every command below.

Step 5: Create and activate a virtual environment

A virtual environment keeps OpenStaad's install isolated to this folder. In the terminal you just opened, run:

python -m venv venv
venv\Scripts\activate

You'll know it worked when the prompt starts showing (venv).

Step 6: Install OpenStaad

pip install openstaad

Step 7: Write the script

Still in VS Code, create a new file named quickstart.py inside your folder, then copy and paste this into it:

from openstaad import ops

s = ops.connect()
print(f"Nodes: {s.GetNodeCount()}")
print(f"Beams: {s.GetBeamList()}")

Step 8: Run it

⚠ Make sure STAAD.Pro is still open with your model loaded.

python quickstart.py

You should see the node and beam counts from your model printed in the terminal.

Need Python or STAAD.Pro installed first? Start with Start from Scratch.