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.
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.
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 — so you ship a lighter, cheaper, lower-carbon structure without redesigning a single connection.
- Real-time guidance — suggestions appear as you model, not after an overnight run.
- Code-compliant by default — EC3, EN 1993 and ASCE checks run automatically.
- Section by section — every beam, column and slab assessed against its actual demand.
Functionally identical alternatives, generated on demand.
For any structural element, Nio's generative models propose alternatives that carry the same load at a fraction of the embodied carbon — giving engineers 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 sections on paper.
- The engineer stays in charge — accept, refine, or reject each proposal.
Instant feedback, grounded in real analysis.
Nio's models are FEA-aware — trained on decades of finite-element results, so they anticipate how a structure will behave the moment you draw it. You get expert guidance in milliseconds, and full FEA is reserved for the handful of candidates worth proving.
- Answers in milliseconds — utilisation and code checks predicted as you work.
- FEA only where it counts — run full analysis on your shortlist, not every iteration.
- Steel and concrete — trained across the structures you actually build.
Every saving, costed in carbon your auditors trust.
Optimisation results are priced against the same databases as our Material Take-Off — so the carbon delta on every swap is audit-ready.
From first sketch to signed-off change log — without leaving your model.
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.
It reads your model as you build.
Every beam, slab and column is evaluated on the fly — with leaner, code-compliant alternatives surfaced inline.
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.
A signed change log, ready to ship.
Reports, comparisons and an auditable trail of every swap — all exportable, all reviewable, all defensible.
Across the structural projects we've analysed, the median reduction from safe, like-for-like swaps has been 22%. No load paths changed. No redesign. Just less material doing the same job.
Structural optimisation, answered.
What is AI-powered structural optimisation?
Structural optimisation is the process of finding the lightest, lowest-carbon structure that still carries its loads safely. Nio does it with AI: it reads your steel or concrete model, predicts how each member performs, and suggests leaner, code-compliant sections in real time as you design.
Will the suggestions stay code-compliant?
Yes. Every recommendation is checked against the relevant design codes — EC3 / EN 1993 for steel and the equivalent concrete and ASCE provisions — before it is shown. Nio narrows the options; the engineer of record still signs off on every change.
Which tools and file formats does Nio work with?
Nio works inside Revit, Tekla and Autodesk, and reads structural models from SAF files. It fits your existing toolchain — no migration and no change to how your team works.
How much embodied carbon can structural optimisation save?
Across the structural projects we've analysed, like-for-like section swaps have cut embodied carbon by a median of around 22% — with no change to the load paths and no redesign. Savings vary by structure, but most frames carry 15–30% more material than they need.
Do my models or files leave my machine?
No. Nio is local-first: optimisation runs against your model where it already lives, so source files never have to be uploaded and client data and IP stay on your own infrastructure.
Do you still run full finite-element analysis?
Yes, but only where it pays off. Nio's FEA-aware models give instant guidance on every member, then you run full FEA on the shortlisted candidates to produce the verified, auditable proof your reviewers expect.
Bring us your next frame. We'll find the carbon you didn't know you could save.
We'll run the analysis on a recent project — free, under NDA — and walk you through what we found. Usually takes one call and one file.
Talk to an engineer
Tell us about your project and we'll be in touch within one working day.
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