Technology Preview features provide early access to upcoming product innovations, allowing you to test functionality and provide feedback during the development process.
Technology Preview features are not fully tested and may not be functionally complete. As such, they are not suitable for deployment in production. However, you may find them useful in a non-production environment.
Feel free to use these features in your normal business environment as needed to form an opinion concerning the performance of the Technology Preview.
Our PLAXIS team would welcome your valued feedback concerning the performance of the Technology Preview features as you evaluate the capabilities.
Please be aware that at some point, you may receive notice from PLAXIS that such use must cease or any Technology Preview feature will become unavailable to you. As we receive feedback, this Technology Preview may also be enhanced, updated or can also be discontinued without notice.
As Technology Preview, any of the features are provided to you "as is" without the benefit of any Bentley warranty, indemnity or support obligation.
Note that all Technology Preview features are available when using the Geotechnical SELECT Entitlements. For activation, visit our Bentley Communities article on Starting PLAXIS.
For more information visit our Bentley Communities article on Geotechnical SELECT Entitlements [GSE].
Current Technology Preview Features in PLAXIS
For information on the specifics of a Technology Preview Feature, check the table below and our Reference manual in PLAXIS software, under the Help menu.
| Feature | Product | Added in Version | Information |
| Added mass | PLAXIS 2D PLAXIS 3D | V20.04 | Westergaard's added mass for hydrodynamic pressures: a simple case How does Plaxis deal with water pressures during dynamic calculations? |
| Export to ParaView | PLAXIS 2D PLAXIS 3D | V20.02 | Discover ParaView post-processing environment for PLAXIS 3D calculation |
| Import/Export to GeoStudio 2D | PLAXIS 2D | 2023.2 | How to run a Limit Equilibrium Method analysis from PLAXIS 2D |
| Import Super Element | PLAXIS 3D | V22.00 | PLAXIS Reference manual |
| Import surfaces from Central to PLAXIS 3D | PLAXIS 3D | 2023.2 | PLAXIS Reference manual |
| Importing triangulated surfaces (*.obj, *.stl files) | PLAXIS 3D | V22.00 | PLAXIS Reference manual |
| Import PLAXIS LE into PLAXIS 2D | PLAXIS 2D | V20.04 | Importing PLAXIS LE into PLAXIS 2D |
| PLAXIS-SACS Suction Bucket Analysis | PLAXIS 3D | V21.01 | PLAXIS-SACS Suction Bucket Analysis Manual |
Changes per PLAXIS version
PLAXIS 2D 2024.1 / PLAXIS 3D 2024.1
- Removed:
- Integrated Structural Modelling (ISM)
- PLAXIS Coupling Tool
PLAXIS 2D 2023.2 / PLAXIS 3D 2023.2
- Added:
- Import/Export to GeoStudio 2D
- Importing surfaces from Central to PLAXIS 3D
PLAXIS 3D CONNECT Edition V22.00
- Added
- Import Super Element
- Import triangulated surfaces (*.obj, *.stl files)
PLAXIS 3D CONNECT Edition V21.01
- Added
- PLAXIS-SACS Suction Bucket Analysis
PLAXIS 3D CONNECT Edition V21
- Added
- o Integrated Structural Modelling (ISM)
PLAXIS 2D CONNECT Edition V20.04
- Added
- o Import PLAXIS LE into PLAXIS 2D
PLAXIS 2D CONNECT Edition V20.02 / PLAXIS 3D CONNECT Edition V20.02
- Added
- Export to ParaView
PLAXIS 2D CONNECT Edition V20.01 / PLAXIS 3D CONNECT Edition V20.01
- Added
- Added mass
PLAXIS 3D CONNECT Edition V20
- Added
- PLAXIS Coupling Tool
Additional Notes
Additional notes on specific Technology Preview Features will be included in this section.
Integrated Structural Modelling (ISM)
Updated February 2024
The iTwin Analytical Synchronizer (iTAS, formerly known as ISM or Integrated Structural modeler) allows users to publish a structural model created in, for example STAAD.Pro, as a *.ism.dgn file. The file can then be imported into other Bentley structural modelling applications to quickly reuse the structural model geometry and assigned materials and update any changes to the design in the external *.ism.dgn again.
With the ISM functionality in the PLAXIS 3D interface the structure’s geometry and materials can be imported into a PLAXIS 3D model, to combine it with the subsurface for a geotechnical analysis including the full structure.
Note that the ISM functionality in PLAXIS 3D will already not work with iTwin Analytical Synchronizer 2023 (23.00.00.092) and later. With an upcoming major release, the ISM import and publish functionality will be entirely removed from the PLAXIS 3D interface. Note that this change is strictly limited to just PLAXIS 3D, none of the other Bentley applications, nor iTAS itself are affected by this change.
PLAXIS Structural Coupling tool with STAAD.Pro
Updated February 2024
The PLAXIS Structural coupling that works together with STAAD.Pro enables users to do an iterative coupled analysis between a structural model in STAAD.Pro and PLAXIS 3D, considering the full non-linear response of the soil. This is done by simulating the interaction of a particular structural load case, through point loads located on the soil in PLAXIS 3D, that correspond with the base of the structural model in STAAD.Pro. Resulting displacements and forces of the PLAXIS 3D analysis are then used to update the structural model's base restraints and reruns the loop between STAAD.Pro and PLAXIS 3D until convergence is reached in the coupling tool.
With the release of PLAXIS 3D 2023.2 the PLAXIS Coupling tool is deprecated and with an upcoming major release the PLAXIS Coupling tool will be entirely removed from the PLAXIS 3D interface.