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If you are still building structural frames using standard sweeps, extrusions, and manual "Boolean" subtractions to clean up corners, you are working too hard. Siemens NX introduced the Structure Designer package—a toolset specifically built to turn hours of frame design into minutes of work.

In our latest tutorial, we dive into how this "heavy lifter" module works and why it’s a game-changer for anyone building industrial equipment.

What is Structure Designer?

Structure Designer is a dedicated environment within NX for creating structural frames. Instead of focusing on individual features, you focus on the Skeleton. By defining a simple wireframe of lines, NX automatically populates those lines with real-world beam profiles from a massive built-in library.

Key Features from the Tutorial

1. The Power of "Consolidate"

One of the standout features we cover in the video is the Consolidate command. When you’re building a frame, you often end up with dozens of individual members. Consolidate allows you to group similar bodies into single part numbers or sub-assemblies. As shown in the video, this keeps your assembly navigator clean and your Bill of Materials (BOM) accurate.

Using the Consolidate command in Siemens NX Structure Designer to manage frame members and streamline the assembly navigator for industrial skid and enclosure design.

2. Automated Corner Treatments

Miter cuts, coped ends, and butt joints—doing these manually is a nightmare. In Structure Designer, these are rule-driven. You select the corner, choose the treatment style, and NX handles the geometry. Even if you "goof" (like we show in the video!) and forget to update a corner, the software makes it easy to identify the outlier and fix it.

How to use the Edit Corner command in Siemens NX Structure Designer to define butt joints, miter cuts, and cutback distances for T-slot aluminum extrusion frames.

3. Library Integration

You don't need to model an I-beam or a square tube ever again. The package comes with an extensive library of standard sizes (AISI, ISO, DIN, etc.). Simply select your standard, pick your size, and apply it to your sketch.

Why Switch to Structure Designer?

Speed: Build complex 3D frames 5x faster than traditional modeling.
Accuracy: Automatically generated cut lists and weights for manufacturing.
Flexibility: Change a single line in your skeleton sketch, and every beam, gusset, and end cap updates instantly.

Next Steps: Drive Frameworks Top-Down & Prepare for Production

Building optimized structural frames requires clean top-down control and careful downstream preparation. Continue advancing your structural modeling and fabrication workflows with these comprehensive NX guides:

Link Structural Skeletons Globally: Learn how to cleanly publish and reference your master skeleton sketches across large multi-part frameworks using our comprehensive WAVE Geometry Linker Tutorial.
Streamline Frame Machining Setups: Once your structural steel columns and plates are modeled, prepare their mounting points for the machine shop floor with our guide on Preparing Hole Geometry for CAM in Siemens NX.

Scale These Workflows Across Your Engineering Team

Standard software tutorials only go so far when facing unique, real-world production bottlenecks. If your design team is struggling with workflow inefficiencies, modeling errors, or assembly instability, we can help.

At JIVE Engineering, we provide specialized, bespoke Corporate Engineering & CAD Training customized entirely around your company’s native production files and internal design standards. We move your team past basic button-clicking and equip them to build robust, failure-proof modeling workflows that save hours of engineering time.

Explore Our Custom Training Programs or Contact Our Team today to discuss your team's specific training needs.

Structure Designer Tutorial in Siemens NX