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Structural Optimisation · AI co-pilot

Structural optimisation,
powered by AI

Nio is the carbon-aware co-pilot for structural engineers. Trained on decades of FEA, it reads your steel and concrete model in real time, suggests leaner, code-compliant sections as you draw, and reserves full analysis for the candidates worth proving.

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Real-time · Code-compliant (EC3 / EN 1993 / ASCE) · Inside Revit, Tekla & Autodesk

What it does

Three ways Nio takes weight out of your structure

Real-time optimisation, generative alternatives and FEA-aware intelligence — working together as a co-pilot inside the tools your team already uses.

01 · Real-time

The same structure, with less in it

Most steel frames carry 15–30% more material than they need. Nio spots the overbuilds as they happen and proposes smaller, code-compliant sections that carry exactly the same load — no connection redesign required.

  • • Suggestions appear as you model, not after an overnight run
  • • EC3, EN 1993 and ASCE checks run automatically
  • • Every beam, column and slab assessed against its actual demand
02 · Generative

Functionally identical alternatives, on demand

For any element, Nio's generative models propose alternatives that carry the same load at a fraction of the embodied carbon — a design space to explore, not a single answer to accept.

  • • Multiple options per element, ranked by carbon, cost and constructability
  • • Resource-efficient and buildable — not just lighter on paper
  • • The engineer stays in charge: accept, refine or reject each proposal
03 · FEA-aware

Instant feedback, grounded in real analysis

Trained on decades of finite-element results, Nio anticipates how a structure behaves the moment you draw it. You get expert guidance in milliseconds; full FEA is reserved for the handful of candidates worth proving.

  • • Utilisation and code checks predicted as you work
  • • Run full FEA on your shortlist, not every iteration
  • • Trained across both steel and concrete

How it works

From first sketch to signed-off change log — without leaving your model

  1. 01

    Nio joins your toolchain

    One install inside Revit, Tekla or Autodesk — or point it at a SAF file. No uploads, no migration, no change to how your team works.

  2. 02

    It reads your model as you build

    Every beam, slab and column is evaluated on the fly, with leaner, code-compliant alternatives surfaced inline.

  3. 03

    Full analysis on the options worth it

    You shortlist the candidates; Nio runs the FEA, returns ranked results and hands you the proof your auditors will ask for.

  4. 04

    A signed change log, ready to ship

    Reports, comparisons and an auditable trail of every swap — all exportable, all reviewable, all defensible.

Carbon your auditors trust

Every saving, costed in carbon

Optimisation results are priced against the same databases as our Material Take-Off, so the carbon delta on every swap is audit-ready — not an estimate, but a number you can defend.

See our Material Take-Off
22%
Median carbon reduction
From safe, like-for-like swaps — no load paths changed, no redesign.
15–30%
Typical overbuild
Extra material most steel frames carry over what they actually need.

Works inside your existing toolchain

Revit· Tekla· Autodesk· SAF

Local-first: optimisation runs against your model where it already lives, so source files never have to be uploaded — your client data and IP stay on your own infrastructure.

Bring us your next frame

We'll find the carbon you didn't know you could save. Explore the product, or talk to an engineer about your next steel or concrete structure.

Go to structural-optimisation.com Talk to an engineer