Learn how to model and design a steel column in Eagle Eye Steel Column. This app allows you to define steel column properties, apply design parameters, and check compliance based on standard steel design principles and codes.

When you open Eagle Eye Steel Column, the workspace is divided into three main areas:

Left Panel — Parameters & Preferences Use this panel to define all input parameters, including Project Information, General Design Parameters, Material Properties, Section Properties, Section Dimensions, Member settings, and Deflection Limits.

Center Area — Forces Table & Visualizations The upper left center displays the Forces Table, which lists each station along the column with its corresponding actions such as Axial Force, Shear force, and moment. The upper right and lower center shows four views: Column Analysis diagrams, Column Section, Column Member (2D), and Column Member (3D). These views update as you modify your inputs.

Right Panel — Design, Properties & BOQ This panel displays the design output for the selected column section, including Strength Summary, Section Classification, Axial Design, Flexure Design, Shear Design, Combined Axial & Flexure results, and Slenderness Check.

The first thing to do when starting a new project is to choose your unit system. You’ll find the Units dropdown at the top of the Parameters panel on the left side of the screen.

Eagle Eye Steel Column supports three unit systems: SI, US, and Metric. Pick the one that matches your project requirements.

In the Project Information section, fill in the Company Name, Company Details, Company Logo, Model Name, Project Name, Project Owner, Project Designer, and Project Location. These fields are for documentation purposes and will appear in the generated report.

In the General Design Parameters section of the Parameters panel, set the design code, method and resistance factors for your project.

Design Code — Select your desired design code from the dropdown. Eagle Eye Steel Column currently supports three design codes: AISC 360-22, IS 800-2025, and EN 1993-1-1:2022.

Design Method — In case of AISC, select either LRFD (Load and Resistance Factor Design) or ASD (Allowable Stress Design) from the dropdown.

Resistance Factors — Once a design code and method are selected, the relevant resistance factors will be pre-populated automatically. You can also adjust these values as needed for your project.

In the Material Properties section, define the steel material to be used for the column design.

Material Library — Select the material library based on your region. Available libraries include United States, Australia, Canada, China, Europe, India, Italy, and Korea.

Material Grade — Select the desired steel grade from the dropdown. The available grades will update based on the selected material library.

Once a material grade is selected, the following properties will be pre-populated automatically. You can adjust these values as needed: Modulus of Elasticity (E), Yield Strength (fy), Poisson’s Ratio (v), Shear Modulus (G), and Mass Density (ρ).

In the Section Properties section, define the cross-sectional shape of the steel column.

Material Model Type — Select either Hot-Rolled or Cold-Formed steel depending on the requirement.

Type of Steel Section — Choose between Standard Section to select from a predefined section library, or General Section to manually define custom section dimensions.

Section Library — Select the applicable section library. Available libraries include AISC14, AISC14M, AISC15, AISC15M, Australia/New Zealand, BSShapes 2006, Chinese GB08, CISC 10, CISC 9, Euro, Indian, JIS-G-3192-2014, and Korean.

Section Type — Select the cross-sectional shape of the column. The available section types will update automatically based on the selected Material Model Type.

Section — Select the specific section designation from the dropdown based on the chosen section type and library.

The Section Dimensions section displays the cross-sectional dimensions of the steel column based on the section selected in the Section Properties section. The dimensions are simultaneously reflected in the Column Section view in the center panel.

When a Standard Section is selected, the dimensions are automatically populated and shown for reference. When a General Section is selected, the dimensions can be manually edited to define a custom cross-section.

In the Member section, define the column height, unbraced length and effective length factors.

Column Length, L — Enter the total height of the column.

Unbraced Length, Lb — Enter the unsupported length of the column in two directions, which is the distance between points of lateral support.

Effective Length Factor, K2 and K3 — Enter the effective length factors in the two transverse directions. These factors account for the end boundary conditions of the column and are used in the lateral buckling and compression checks.

Click the Preferences tab at the top of the left panel to access additional settings for report configuration.

Reports Control which sections are included when generating the Design Report:

• Show Cover Page — includes a cover page in the report.

• Show Document Information — includes project details such as Project Name, Model, Owner, Designer, Location, Units, and Date.

• Show Table of Contents — includes a table of contents for easy navigation.

• Show Parameters — includes the design parameters and input values used in the design.

Click Generate Report to produce the final report.

The Forces Table is displayed in the center panel under the Views tab. It presents the analysis results at each station along the column height for all considered load combinations. Click the maximize icon on the top right of the table to expand it and view all columns.

The table includes the Load Combination, Distance from the support, Axial Force (P), Shear V2, Shear V3, Moment M2, and Moment M3 at each section. These values are used as the basis for the steel column design checks performed by the app.

The Column Analysis panel displays the graphical diagrams of the analysis results along the column height. Use the dropdown at the top right to switch between load combinations. Click the maximize icon to expand the view for a closer look.

The panel shows two diagrams: the Axial force (P) diagram displays the axial force distribution along the column height, and the Moment (M) diagram shows the bending moment distribution. These diagrams update as the input parameters are modified.

Displays the cross-sectional view of the selected steel column profile, showing key dimensions such as depth (D), flange width (B), flange thickness (TF), and web thickness (TW).

Shows a side elevation view of the column, displaying the total length (L) and section depth (D).

Provides a three-dimensional rendered view of the steel column for a realistic perspective of the full structural member.

Once all parameters have been defined, click the Design button at the top of the Parameters panel to run the steel column design. The results are displayed in the right panel under the Design tab, organized into the following sections.

Strength Summary — Displays the overall Section Status (Passed/Failed), the governing Criteria, and the overall Demand-to-Capacity (D/C) Ratio for the steel column.

Section Classification — Indicates whether the flange and web is classified as Compact, Non-Compact, or Slender, which determines the applicable flexural strength equations.

Axial Design — Shows the axial capacity and the corresponding D/C Axial ratio (Pr/Pc) for the steel column.

Flexure Design — Shows the moment capacities (Mn2 and Mn3) and the corresponding D/C ratios for bending in both transverse directions.

Shear Design — Shows the shear capacities (Vn2 and Vn3) and the corresponding D/C ratios for shear in both transverse directions.

Combined Axial and Flexure — Shows the interaction check results for combined axial and flexural forces.

Slenderness Check — Displays the slenderness ratios (KL/r2, KL/r3), Flange Slenderness (bf/2tf), and Web Slenderness (h/tw) to verify compliance with slenderness limits.

The Properties tab in the right panel displays the computed geometric properties of the selected column cross-section, organized into four groups: Basic Properties covering the cross-sectional Area (A), Moments of Inertia (I3 and I2), Shear Areas (As3 and As2), and Torsional Constant (J); Section Moduli covering the Plastic Section Moduli (Z3 and Z2) and Elastic Section Moduli (S3+, S3−, S2+, and S2−), Radius of Gyration (r3 and r2), and Shear Center (X, Y).

The BOQ tab in the right panel provides a summary of the material quantity for the designed steel column, displaying the Mass per Unit Length of the selected steel section.

Click the Report tab in the center panel to generate a summary or a detailed design report. The report presents all design calculations step by step, including design criteria, section properties, deign summary, and design strength checks covering compressive strength (buckling and slenderness checks), flexural strength (moment capacity about both axes), shear strength (shear capacity in both transverse directions), and combined strength (interaction check for axial and flexure), along with the governing code equations and references. Use the navigation controls at the top to browse through the pages. The report can be printed directly by clicking the print icon in the toolbar.

Click the Flowchart tab in the center panel to view a visual step-by-step representation of the design calculation process. Use the dropdown at the top left to switch between different design flowcharts such as for Compression, Flexure, or Shear. Click the play button to animate the design flow, stepping through each calculation stage sequentially, with the animation speed adjustable from the controls at the top.

Click the Column Curve tab in the center panel to view the Column Strength Curve, which plots the normalized compressive capacity (Fcr/Fy) against the slenderness ratio (KL/r). The curve illustrates three column behavior models: the ideal curve assuming no residual stress, the tangent modulus curve accounting for residual stress only, and the AISC E3 code curve which additionally incorporates geometric imperfection. Enabling the Residual Loss option overlays the capacity reduction zones, highlighting the residual-stress loss and imperfection loss regions across the inelastic and elastic buckling ranges. A marker indicates the design KL/r value of the column on the governing curve.

You have now completed the full workflow for designing a steel column in Eagle Eye Steel Column.