STAAD.Pro View Control

All view operations go through view = staad.View.

Interface Modes

view.SetInterfaceMode(0)   # 0=Modeling, 5=Post-processing, 6=Foundation, 9=Adv Concrete

# Set page within a mode
view.SetModeSectionPage(interfaceMode, sectionNumber, pageNumber)

Standard Views

view.ShowIsometric()
view.ShowPlan()       # top
view.ShowFront()
view.ShowBack()
view.ShowLeft()
view.ShowRight()
view.ShowBottom()
view.ZoomExtentsMainView()
view.RefreshView()

Never call `view.ZoomAll()` after `ShowPlan`/`ShowFront`/`ShowBack`/`ShowLeft`/`ShowRight`/`ShowBottom` (verified live) — it silently resets the camera back to isometric, discarding the view you just set. Use view.ZoomExtentsMainView() instead, which zooms to fit without changing the camera angle. Only use ZoomAll() when an isometric view is actually the intended result.

Rotation

view.SpinLeft(degrees)
view.SpinRight(degrees)
view.RotateUp(degrees)
view.RotateDown(degrees)
view.RotateLeft(degrees)
view.RotateRight(degrees)

Show/Hide Elements

view.ShowAllMembers()
view.HideAllMembers()
view.ShowMember(memberNo)
view.HideMember(memberNo)
view.HidePlate(plateNo)
view.HideSolid(solidNo)
view.ShowMembers(NMembers, NaMemberNos)
view.HideMembers(NMembers, NaMemberNos)
view.HideEntity(entityNo)     # hides any entity type (Beam/Plate/Solid/Surface) by number, no type argument needed
view.HideSurface(surfaceNo)

count = view.GetNoOfBeamsInView()
# GetBeamsInView(beamList) does NOT populate beamList (verified live) — it only returns the count, same as GetNoOfBeamsInView(). Use geo.GetBeamList() to get actual beam IDs.

Selection (View-Based)

view.SelectMembersParallelTo("Y")               # all vertical members
view.SelectGroup("ALL")                          # by group name
view.SelectInverse(entityType)                   # 1=Node, 2=Beam, 3=Plate, 4=Solid, 5=Surface
view.SelectByItemList(entityType, nItems, itemList)  # same codes as SelectInverse
view.SelectEntitiesConnectedToNode(entityType, nodeNo)      # 0=Geometry, 1=Beam, 2=Plate, 3=Solid (different codes, no Node option)
view.SelectEntitiesConnectedToMember(entityType, memberNo)  # same codes as ConnectedToNode
view.SelectEntitiesConnectedToPlate(entityType, plateNo)    # same codes as ConnectedToNode
view.SelectEntitiesConnectedToSolid(entityType, solidNo)    # same codes as ConnectedToNode
view.SelectByMissingAttribute(attributeCode)     # e.g. 4=missing supports

Two different `entityType` conventions exist — don't assume one table applies to all Select* functions:

• SelectInverse/SelectByItemList: 1=Node, 2=Beam, 3=Plate, 4=Solid, 5=Surface
• SelectEntitiesConnectedTo*: 0=Geometry, 1=Beam, 2=Plate, 3=Solid (no dedicated Node code)

Labels

Common which values (full table in the Reference section — VIEW_CODES.md):

view.SetLabel(which, True)   # show
view.SetLabel(which, False)  # hide

Result Diagrams

Common which values (full table in the Reference section — VIEW_CODES.md):

view.SetDiagramMode(which, show=True, refresh=True)

Plate/Solid Stress Type

SetStressType picks which stress component the Plate Stress (which=20) or Solid Stress (which=21) contour shows, and recomputes its legend range for the currently active load case (Load.SetLoadActive). Call `SetStressType` BEFORE `SetDiagramMode(..., showFlag=True, ...)` — a stress type must already be set for the diagram to turn on at all (matches the Diagrams>Plate/Solid Stress dialog, which also requires a type to be picked before the contour can be shown); calling it afterwards only changes the type of an already-shown diagram, it does not fix a diagram that failed to turn on:

view.SetActiveWindow(1)                       # REQUIRED before any diagram/export call — see Gotchas
view.ShowIsometric()
view.SetStressType(20, 8, False)              # entityType=20 Plate, stressType=8 Max Von Mises; skip refresh
view.SetDiagramMode(20, True, True)           # enable Plate Stress diagram now that a type is set

Once the diagram is already showing, switching to a different stressType (or a different active load case) only needs another SetStressType call — do not re-call SetDiagramMode, it's already on:

view.SetStressType(20, 1, True)               # switch to Max Absolute on the already-shown diagram

entityType: 20=Plate Stress, 21=Solid Stress.

Before calling `SetStressType`, read [VIEW_CODES.md](./assets/VIEW_CODES.md) for the full `stressType` tables (31 plate values, 10 solid values) and use the exact integer code from it — never guess or trial-and-error multiple values. VIEW_CODES.md also lists each code's exact UI Label (the literal text in the Diagrams > Plate/Solid Stress dialog's Type combo box) — several differ from the descriptive name (e.g. FX/FY/FXY show as "SX (local)"/"SY (local)"/"SXY (local)"; stressType 19 shows "MXY (local)", not "MZ"); match a user's request against UI Label, not just the descriptive name. Common plate values for quick reference: 1=Max Absolute, 8=Max Von Mises.

Annotations

view.SetNodeAnnotationMode(dFlag=True, refreshFlag=True)
view.SetReactionAnnotationMode(dFlag=True, refreshFlag=True)
view.SetBeamAnnotationMode(Type, DWFlags, RefreshFlag)

# Design results overlay
view.SetDesignResults(
    utilization=1,   # 0=None, 1=Actual Ratio, 2=Normalised
    color=True,
    showValues=True
)

Section View (Clipping Plane)

view.SetSectionView(plane, minVal, maxVal)  # plane: 0=XY, 1=YZ, 2=XZ

Screenshots

Always call `view.SetActiveWindow(id)` immediately before `CopyPicture`/`ExportView` — a STAAD.Pro session commonly has multiple windows open (e.g. <Untitled 1> main 3D view plus Nodes/Beams spreadsheet windows; check with view.GetWindowCount()/GetWindowTitle(id)). Without it, the capture can silently come from whichever window was last active — a spreadsheet, or a stale view left over from earlier in the session — with NO error, just a wrong or blank-looking image. id=1 is the right choice for the common case (freshly opened model, main view untouched) — but ExportView/CopyPicture intentionally never assume this for you, so a script that created or opened a DIFFERENT window (CreateNewViewForSelectionsEx, OpenView, a saved view) must pass that window's own id, not 1.

# Copy to clipboard
view.SetActiveWindow(1)   # 1 = main view for a freshly opened model; use the real id if targeting another window
x, y = view.CopyPicture()

Export View to File

ExportView saves the current view as an image file. It takes a directory and a filename as separate arguments. The combined path is validated by the sandbox. Call `view.SetActiveWindow(id)` first (see Screenshots above) — this is the single most common cause of a wrong/stale capture.

# ExportView(directory, fileName, fileFormat, overwrite)
# fileFormat: 0=bmp, 1=jpg, 2=tga, 3=tif — no other formats are supported

view.SetActiveWindow(1)   # main view for a freshly opened model

# Export to TIF
view.ExportView("C:\\exports", "iso_view.tif", 3, True)

# Export to TGA
view.ExportView("C:\\exports", "plan_view.tga", 2, True)

# Export to JPG
view.ExportView("C:\\exports", "iso_view.jpg", 1, True)

# Export to BMP
view.ExportView("C:\\exports", "plan_view.bmp", 0, True)

Always include the matching extension in `fileName` (.bmp for format 0, .jpg/.jpeg for 1, .tga for 2, .tif/.tiff for 3). STAAD.Pro's own MakeFilePath appends the fileFormat extension on top of whatever fileName is given — on some builds this doubles the extension (e.g. iso_view.tif.tif), on others (where a native fix has landed) it does not. Never assume which happened — after calling ExportView, list the target directory to see the real filename on disk before reporting a path back to the user or reading the file back.

Path rules (enforced on the combined directory\filename — violations raise an error):

• The combined path must be absolute
• The filename must end with .bmp, .jpg, .jpeg, .tga, .tif, or .tiff, matching the fileFormat code used — any other extension, or a mismatched one, is rejected (a bare filename with no extension is also accepted by the sandbox, though not recommended — see above)
• UNC paths (\\\\server\\share\\...) are blocked
• Paths targeting protected OS directories (Windows, Program Files, ProgramData) are blocked
• Path traversal (..) in either directory or filename is blocked

Window Management

size = view.GetApplicationDesktopSize()
view.SetWindowPosition(xTop, yTop, xWindow, yWindow)
count = view.GetWindowCount()
title = view.GetWindowTitle(id)   # IDs from 1
view.SetActiveWindow(id)
view.CreateNewViewForSelectionsEx(windowOptions)  # windowOptions: 0=new window, 1=active window (preferred — CreateNewViewForSelections() also available, always opens a new window)
view.CloseActiveWindow()

mode = view.GetInterfaceMode()   # 0=modeling, 1=post-processing, 2=STAAD.etc interop, 4=Piping, 5=BEAVA
view.SetInterfaceMode(interfaceMode)

Saved Views

view.SaveView("MyView", overWrite=True)
view.OpenView("MyView", windowOptions=True)  # True=current window
view.RenameView("NewName")
view.DetachView()   # removes the active (open, non-"Whole Structure") view from the saved-views collection; returns 1=OK, 0=failed

Diagram Scales

See [VIEW_CODES.md — Scale Type IDs](./assets/VIEW_CODES.md) for the full scaleTypeId → enum name → unit table.

scales = view.GetScaleValues()
view.SetScaleValues(scales)
view.SetScaleValueByType(scaleTypeId, value)
count = view.GetScaleCount()
value = view.GetScaleValueByType(scaleTypeId)   # single-value counterpart to GetScaleValues, in base units
# After changing scale, toggle diagram off/on to force redraw:
view.SetDiagramMode(diagramId, False, True)
view.SetScaleValueByType(scaleTypeId, value)
view.SetDiagramMode(diagramId, True, True)
view.RefreshView()

Scale is INVERSE: visual_displacement = actual / scale Smaller value → more exaggerated deformed shape. To target a specific visual size: scale = max_actual_disp / target_visual_disp e.g. for max_disp=0.06 in and target visual=94 in: scale = 0.06 / 94 ≈ 0.00064

Display Units

# uType: 0=Dimension, 1=Displacement, 5=Force, 6=Moment, 14=Stress
view.SetUnits(uType, strUnit)   # e.g. SetUnits(5, "kN")

Examples

• export-plate-stress.py — export a Von Mises plate-stress contour screenshot per load case

Gotchas

• `which`/`entityType`/`stressType` and every other enum-style parameter in this skill are ALWAYS integers, never strings. Use the exact documented code from its table (Result Diagrams, Plate/Solid Stress Type, Label Codes, etc. above, or VIEW_CODES.md) — do not trial-and-error/probe multiple values hoping one works, and do not pass the enum's name as a string. If a table looks truncated or incomplete in context, re-read the specific section/asset rather than guessing.
• `view.SetActiveWindow(id)` is REQUIRED before `CopyPicture`/`ExportView`/any diagram screenshot workflow — a session can have multiple windows open (main 3D view plus spreadsheet windows like Nodes/Beams, plus any extra windows from CreateNewViewForSelectionsEx/OpenView); skipping this call has been reproduced live to silently capture the wrong (or a stale, leftover-from-earlier-in-the-session) window with no error at all — not a rare edge case, verify with view.GetWindowCount()/GetWindowTitle(id) if in doubt. id=1 is the right default ONLY for the common case of a freshly opened model's main view — if the script itself just created or opened a different window (e.g. via CreateNewViewForSelectionsEx/OpenView/SaveView+OpenView for a saved view), target THAT window's actual id instead of hardcoding 1.
• ExportView/CopyPicture intentionally do NOT force window 1 internally — they operate on whatever window is currently active, which is what makes multi-window workflows (export several saved views in one script, or a view built from a specific selection) possible. Always call SetActiveWindow(id) explicitly for the window you mean immediately before the capture call, every single time, even if you just switched windows moments earlier in the same script.
• Switch to post-processing mode (SetInterfaceMode(5)) before showing result diagrams; always call staad.ShowApplication() first
• Do not try to read back the interface mode after setting it — the value is unreliable; trust that SetInterfaceMode applies correctly. GetInterfaceMode() on its own (not right after a SetInterfaceMode call) is reliable — verified live, correctly returned 0 on a freshly opened model in modeling mode
• GetBeamsInView(beamList) does not populate the passed list — verified live, the list is unchanged after the call and the return value is just the count (identical to GetNoOfBeamsInView()). Use geo.GetBeamList() for actual beam IDs.
• Selection via view.SelectByItemList should be avoided for geometry — use geo.SelectMultipleBeams instead
• geo.ClearMemberSelection() empties the whole accumulated Geometry-side selection in one call (verified live), but raises OsNoBeamSelected if the selection is already empty — guard it:

  try:
      geo.ClearMemberSelection()
  except Exception:
      pass  # was already empty

Beams selected via staad.View functions (e.g. view.SelectByItemList) are a separate selection track and can survive a geo.ClearMemberSelection() call — clear both sides if you mixed view.Select* and geo.Select* calls.

• Prefer geo.Select* over view.Select* when both cover the same case (e.g. geo.IsColumn/geo.IsBeam for axis-aligned member selection instead of view.SelectMembersParallelTo) — but view.Select* functions with no geo equivalent (SelectGroup, SelectInverse, SelectByMissingAttribute, SelectEntitiesConnectedToNode, etc.) are fine to use directly:

  # geo equivalent of view.SelectMembersParallelTo("Y") for a Y-up model
  all_beams = list(geo.GetBeamList())
  vertical_ids = [b for b in all_beams if geo.IsColumn(b, 5.0)]   # tol in degrees
  geo.SelectMultipleBeams(vertical_ids)
  # geo.IsBeam(bid, tol) is the horizontal equivalent; neither covers arbitrary
  # non-cardinal axes, which only view.SelectMembersParallelTo supports

• ExportView(directory, filename, ...) takes a directory and filename as separate arguments; the combined path must be absolute, end with a supported image extension (.bmp, .jpg, .jpeg, .tga, .tif, .tiff), and not target a protected OS directory; UNC paths and .. traversal are rejected.