How to use SCIA Engineer keyboard shortcuts

Improved usability is one of the key areas we focused on in SCIA Engineer 17 for boosted productivity of our users. Using shortcuts can save you a lot clicks and thus, shorten the time and make working with the software easier. In SCIA Engineer, you can use default shortcuts as well as customized shortcuts created by you or your colleagues. 

Default shortcuts

The default shortcuts cover the most frequently used commands and actions, for example those in the main menu. Services like Structure, Loads and Results are the ones that you deal with every time you  work in SCIA Engineer. Instead of opening and closing them countless times and “jumping” from one service to another, you can use the function keys to open and switch between the services in a click:
    F2 = Structure
    F3 = Loads
    F4 = Results 

Often clicking the Refresh action button? To refresh instantly in version 17, simply press:
    F5 = Refresh 

You will appreciate this especially when reviewing various results. Now, you simply choose the required result value in the Property dialogue and press the F5 key.

Other default shortcuts in version 17 include: Run calculation, UCS manipulations, Activity, input of primary elements such as beams, slabs or line grids and more.

The full list of the default shortcuts is available in our online help 

Click here to download and print the interactive shortcuts overview.

User-defined shortcuts

Customize your working environment by assinging  a keyboard shortcut to any SCIA Engineer command  to work more effectively the way you prefere. User-defined shortcuts can be stored in a file and imported to other installation of SCIA Engineer, enabling you to work in a customized environment, for example, that can be easily shared within the whole company.

Please, refer to our online help for detailed instructions.