Is IDEA StatiCa Connection a FEM solution like Abaqus or ANSYS?

No, it is not. The scope of IDEA StatiCa Connection is to provide the engineer the tool that allows to safely CHECK any type of connections according to the codes, by running FEM analysis in the background and performing the code checks based on the internal forces obtained by the FEM solver (see more on that at "Do I have to be a FEM expert to use IDEA StatiCa Steel?").

IDEA StatiCa Connection focuses on the actual checking (and not the analysis) providing the engineer the possibility to overcome the limitations of the current Component method, on which all of the other existing connection software are based. It also provides a simple passed/failed status for all elements, which is something the general FEM tools simply do not have.

There is a huge difference in terms of user-friendliness and productivity compared to software like Abaqus and ANSYS, where every single part of the procedure is very time-consuming. However, in terms of calculation results, they can be comparable. On the other hand, IDEA StatiCa Connection can only evaluate steel connections, so you can’t simulate everything as you can do with Abaqus or ANSYS.