Using the Desktop App
Connecting ETABS & SAP2000
Let the Stru AI agents build and analyze models in the SAP2000 and ETABS installed on your machine
How the Connection Works
Once you’re signed in, the desktop app runs a local Client that bridges your conversations to the SAP2000 and ETABS installed on your machine. The agent sends modeling commands; the software executes them live on your screen.
The Client pill in the header shows the connection at a glance:
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Gray dot | Client isn’t running yet |
| Pulsing gray | Downloading or starting (normal for a few seconds after launch) |
| Green dot | Connected and ready to drive SAP2000/ETABS |
| Error | Something failed. Restart the client from this menu. |
Click the pill for Start client, Stop client, and Restart client. The client starts on its own shortly after you sign in. You rarely need to touch it.
The web app’s ETABS and SAP2000 agents can use this same connection. On app.stru.ai, pick your desktop in the machine selector in the header (the other choice is the cloud computer), and keep the desktop app open and signed in on that machine. A green dot means it’s connected.
Start a Modeling Session
Pick your agent
Choose SAP2000 Agent or ETABS Agent from the agent picker in the header. The choice locks once the conversation starts. Start a new chat to switch.
Choose a working folder (optional)
The working folder pill on the composer decides where model files live: This chat only keeps everything in the conversation’s own sandbox, or pick a shared project folder so multiple conversations can work on the same files.
Describe the model
Prompt the agent the same way you would on the web: geometry, sections, materials, load cases. See Writing Effective Prompts for what works best.
Watch it work
SAP2000/ETABS opens and builds on your screen while the chat shows live progress: the status bar, a step-by-step plan that ticks off as the agent works, and a lane badge (SAP busy, SAP ready, or the ETABS equivalent) showing the live software connection.
Long builds can hit the per-turn step limit. The status bar shows Agent paused with a Resume link. Click it to continue right where it left off. You can raise the limit under Settings → Agents → Agent step limit.
The app auto-detects SAP2000, ETABS, and Mathcad installed in their default locations and uses the newest version it finds. If you have several versions installed, pick the one you want under Settings → SAP2000 / ETABS. Each tab shows its detected-versions list with a refresh action.
Good to Know
If SAP2000/ETABS is running under Stru’s control when you quit (or install an update), the app asks for confirmation, because continuing closes that software session too. Save your model first if it matters.
Settings → General → Pre-warm SAP2000 and ETABS on app launch starts the software connection as soon as the app opens, so your first prompt doesn’t wait on startup.
The desktop app connects to Stru AI each time it starts and during agent runs. If the connection drops, the app shows a reconnect screen and resumes automatically. You’re never signed out for being offline.
Next Steps
ETABS & SAP2000 Agents guide
Prompting patterns, use cases, and troubleshooting for the agents themselves.
Settings & Troubleshooting
Fix detection issues, update problems, and more.
Email support@stru.ai for help.