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From Prompt to .mcdx

Ask the Structural Agent for a calc as a Mathcad sheet and the finished file comes back as a .mcdx download with a PDF report alongside: header, assumptions, code references, the calculations, and the final design check, laid out to be reviewed line by line. The whole workflow fits in one exchange:
A chat exchange: a request for a simply supported beam calc and the reply with the beam_calc.mcdx download link
Calc packages engineers pull this way: wind pressure packages, retaining wall design calcs, post tensioned beam checks, weld and connection checks, and the firm’s old Excel sheets rebuilt as Mathcad.

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Step-by-Step

1

Describe the check

Give the brief in one message (geometry, loads, materials, code, units) and end with “deliver as a Mathcad calc sheet”. Design Checks covers the brief in depth; here is one for a full package:
Example: wind pressure package
Create a wind pressure calc package for a 45 ft tall office
building at 1600 4th Ave, Seattle, WA 98101. ASCE 7-22, Risk
Category II, Exposure C. MWFRS pressures for both directions
and components and cladding zones. US units.
Deliver as a Mathcad calc sheet.
Need the site parameters first? See Wind & Seismic Loads.
2

Watch it build in the Canvas

The sheet takes shape in the Canvas beside the chat: header first, then assumptions, code references, calculations, and the design check.
A calc sheet in the Canvas: header fields at the top, then project reference, code references, calculations, and the design check
Click anywhere on the sheet to place a cursor. The agent sees where you are pointing, so “add the parapet case here” needs no further explanation.
3

Refine it in conversation

Follow-ups edit the same sheet: “tighten the deflection check”, “add the roof uplift case”, “switch the exposure to D and update everything downstream”. Keep each request to one change and the sheet stays clean.
4

Download the deliverables

The finished files arrive as download links in the chat: the .mcdx, a PDF report, and the supporting files, all saved to your Files area automatically.
The deliverables list in the chat: the Mathcad document, PDF report, and JSON definition as download links

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Rebuild an Excel Sheet as Mathcad

Firms keep years of design spreadsheets. Tag one and have it rebuilt as a calc sheet with the math written out:
Example
@Base_Plate_Design.xlsx Rebuild this spreadsheet as a Mathcad calc
sheet: same inputs, same checks, every formula written out with
its code reference so it can be reviewed line by line.
The agent reads the workbook, traces the formulas, and lays the calc out as a sheet a checker can follow without opening Excel. Tagging is covered in Mentions & Attachments; the reverse direction (a calc as a living workbook) is Excel Spreadsheets.

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Read It Back Before You Sign

The last step of a strong session is a walkthrough. Ask the agent to read the finished sheet back:
Example
Open the finished calc and walk me through the governing check:
the demand, the capacity, the clause it comes from, and the margin.
You are the engineer of record, and the walkthrough is how you put your confidence behind the numbers before the package goes out.

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On Your Firm’s Letterhead

Every sheet carries a project header you control: project name, number, task, calc by, checked by, dates, address, and your company logo from the Standards folder. Set the fields once and the .mcdx and the PDF both come out looking issued. The setup is Branded Reports.

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Next Steps

Design Checks

How to write the brief that gets a complete calcDesign Checks guide

Branded Reports

Header fields and your firm’s logo on every sheetBranded Reports guide

Excel Spreadsheets

The same calcs as workbooks with live formulasExcel Spreadsheets guide

The Canvas

The workspace where the sheet takes shapeCanvas guide
Questions? Email support@stru.ai or book a call.