How to develop Connectors using Specklepy SDK or .NetSDK for RISA or RAM

Features & Ideas
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Hello Speckle team, community and fellow developers,

I kindly request if someone can guide me, in how developers can write their own connectors. I appreciate this a lot, if there could be a possible Documentation for Speckle Py SDK! I am interested if Speckle Team is already working on RISA or RAM connector ? If so, I am excited and would request for the same

Regards
Abhishek Shinde

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Hey @ashinde_TYL ,

We have some docs on this, although they are outdated, the current steps are very similar: Writing Your Own Connector | Speckle Docs

The best way is still to look at how other connectors work: Speckle · GitHub

We are not working on a RISA or RAM connector and would love to support you if you decided to do so :slight_smile:

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Hello Matteo,

Thanks a lot. I am going to PM you regarding this

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Feel free to ping me @ashinde_TYL !! :smiley:

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@ashinde_TYL

As far as I know, RISA doesn’t have a way to develop third party tools that directly interact with the software, so I don’t think anyone can develop a RISA Speckle connector. This is unfortunate because RISA is one of the better structural design tools in my opinion.

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Interesting to know and feeling sad at the same time. Are there any workarounds you tried exploring? @connor with your experience as Structural Engineer, which structural design tools would be most appropriate to develop connector for apart from RISA?

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Another request was made for a RAM Connector very recently, but not by someone able to develop one.

As Connor described in that thread, structural apps have two avenues to connect to Speckle.

  1. With a plugin architecture and a published SDK/API
  2. With an internal scripting environment (easiest if that is Python/.NET)

The latter is less a connector but more ability to use our SDK to handle the Speckle connection. You are in the hands of the host application for the available conversions possible.

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Yes, I think both RAM Structural Systems and STAAD Pro would be feasible and really useful, but they would also present some unique challenges.

I’ve also been curious about IDEA Statica for a bit, I think that connector would be good to develop.

If you’re going to create a connector I think it is import to have some familiarity with the application and to pick something that you would actually use. Developing a connector for software that you don’t even use sounds boring and not very fulfilling

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I agree totally with you on this. Developing a connector without understanding any of the tools( RISA, RAM, IDEA Statica,etc) itself is not good, as Its important for me to understand the datatype and how it works and its specific application. Thanks a lot @connor @jonathon and @teocomi . I will think about this connector more carefully and propose something. Will keep you all posted on Speckle forum and also LinkedIn.

Once again, huge thanks for the support . I appreciate this a lot

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