FrameAI vs GRAITEC Advance Design

The dominant French FEM tool — honestly compared

Upload a structural steel PDF. FrameAI extracts every member, runs the Eurocode calculations, and exports shop-ready drawings — without a seat license, a FEM textbook, or a 3-month onboarding.

Try the live demo → Calculate your savings
15×
cost difference
2 min
PDF → drawings
$0
setup cost
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Feature comparison

Feature FrameAI GRAITEC Advance Design
EN 1993-1-1 / 1-3 / 1-5 steel design ✓ ✓
EN 1993-1-8 connection design ✓ ◑ Steel Connection module (separate license)
EN 1994-1-1 composite beams ✓ ✓ (2026 — full EC4 compliance)
EN 1992-1-1 RC design ✓ ✓
EN 1998-1 seismic design ✓ ✓ All regions
EN 1991-1-3 / 1-4 snow & wind ✓ ✓
French National Annex (NF EN) ✓ ✓ Full French annexes
DSTV NC1 CNC export ✓ ✗ Via GRAITEC CMS / Advance Workshop (separate product)
BIM import (IFC / Tekla / Revit) ◑ ✓ Native BIM Connect for Revit + Advance Steel
DXF export ✓ ✓ DXF
IFC 4 export ✓ ◑ IFC export (older schema)
PDF calculation reports ✓ ✓ Normed justification reports
Revision diff / AutoDiff ✓ ✗ Manual re-run
ROI calculator ✓ ✗
Public REST API + webhooks (Studio) ✓ ✗ No public API
Starting price per seat / yr See /pricing Quote-based via GRAITEC resellers (~€4,000–8,000/yr)
Free tier ✓ Always free ✗ No free commercial tier

Workflow comparison

Traditional workflow
GRAITEC Advance Design
  • Contact GRAITEC reseller for a quote (days to weeks)
  • Sign licence agreement and procurement
  • Install Advance Design (Windows desktop, ~1 hr)
  • Configure licensing server
  • Build full FEM model: members, loads, supports, sections
  • Run global analysis (can take hours for large models)
  • Manually design each connection via Steel Connection module
  • Export to Advance Steel for detailed shop drawings (separate licence)
  • Run GRAITEC CMS for DSTV NC1 output (separate product + setup)
Total time per project Days to weeks for a complete structural + connection + fabrication workflow
FrameAI workflow
AI-powered steel design
  • Open browser, log in — no install
  • Upload a structural steel PDF (or type geometry)
  • AI reads members automatically — no manual modelling
  • Every connection auto-designed per EN 1993-1-8 §6.2
  • DSTV NC1, DXF shop drawings, IFC 4 BIM export — in one run
  • Re-upload after revision: AutoDiff shows what changed
Total time per project 30–90 min end-to-end

Pricing

Traditional
GRAITEC Advance Design
Quote-based via GRAITEC resellers (~€4,000–8,000/yr)
Per seat per year.<br>Annual contract required.<br>Implementation + training extra.
FrameAI
Pro
See /pricing
Total price, all inclusive.<br>No seat limit. No training cost.<br>Browser-based, instant access.
FrameAI
Studio
See /pricing
Total price, all inclusive.<br>No seat limit. No training cost.<br>Browser-based, instant access.

Pricing from public sources as of June 2026. Contact competitor for current quotes.

Frequently asked questions

Can FrameAI replace Advance Design for a French bureau d’études?
For firms that use Advance Design primarily as a FEM modeller + global analysis tool: FrameAI is a different workflow — it starts from PDF drawings rather than building a FEM model from scratch. For firms focused on fabrication output (shop drawings, DSTV, BIM coordination) with a clear drawing set, FrameAI can replace the connection design + drawing generation layers entirely, at a fraction of the cost. Firms still using Advance Design for complex 3D global analysis (seismic pushover, nonlinear, large-span structures) may find FrameAI complementary rather than substitutive for that use case.
How does the GRAITEC Steel Connection module compare to FrameAI’s EN 1993-1-8 design?
Advance Design’s Steel Connection module runs component-based finite element (CBFEM) checks on individual joints — it’s a mature, validated tool. FrameAI implements the full EN 1993-1-8 §6.2 component method end-to-end, including T-stub yield-line, bolt group analysis, and weld design. The key difference: Steel Connection is a separate licence and runs one connection at a time; FrameAI designs every connection on the drawing set automatically in a single run.
Does FrameAI support the French National Annexes (Annexe Nationale française) for Eurocode?
Yes. FrameAI ships FR National Annex support for EN 1993-1-1, EN 1993-1-8, EN 1992-1-1, EN 1994-1-1, and EN 1998-1. All clause parameters (partial factors, combination rules, snow/wind maps) use the French annex values. GRAITEC Advance Design also supports full French annexes across EC0/EC1/EC2/EC3/EC5/EC8.
How does FrameAI handle DSTV NC1 output compared to GRAITEC CMS?
FrameAI generates DSTV NC1 (7th edition ASCII) natively — every upload run produces a valid NC1 file ready for any CNC machine. GRAITEC CMS is a separate product (sold and supported independently) that converts BIM data to DSTV. If you already have GRAITEC CMS set up, FrameAI’s IFC 4 export can feed into it. If you don’t have GRAITEC CMS, FrameAI’s native DSTV output avoids that additional product cost and setup.
Eurocode validation report → FR ↔

Try FrameAI free — no credit card.

No install. No sales call. Upload your first drawing and see the difference.

Try FrameAI free — no credit card.