Intro
A construction stage model carries its whole build sequence in one table: which structure groups are cast in each stage, which supports and bearings are switched on, which temporary props and falsework come out, and when. Explaining that sequence to a client, a checker or a site team usually means stepping through the stages in CIVIL NX one at a time, taking screenshots, and retyping the activation lists into a spreadsheet. The Construction Stage Reporter reads the stage definition straight from the open model and turns it into three deliverables in seconds: an MP4 animation that steps through every stage in isometric view, an Excel workbook of what is activated and deactivated in each stage, and a PDF report with the same tables and a snapshot of the model at the end of every stage. On the way it checks the stage data itself and flags anything that does not add up.
Developed with
- MIDAS CIVIL NX 2026 (v1.0.0)
Benefits of this plugin
- The whole sequence in one video — every stage in order, with the members activated in that stage fading in green, the members removed shown in red before they disappear, and earlier work in grey. Supports, springs, links and releases are drawn as small glyphs and coloured the same way, and every frame names the model and the stage, with stage n of N, its duration and the groups switched.
- A true MP4, rendered frame by frame — frames are drawn offscreen and encoded to H.264 inside the plugin rather than screen-recorded, so the result is the same on any machine and opens in Windows Media Player, VLC and PowerPoint. Resolution (1280 × 720 or 1920 × 1080), frame rate, seconds per stage and fade time are all set on the tab.
- One view or four — Iso SE, SW, NE or NW, or all four together as a 2 × 2 split screen, with an optional slow orbit. The camera is fitted to the whole model once, so the picture never jumps between stages.
- An activation schedule in Excel — stage matrices for structure and boundary groups (A activated, D deactivated, ● carried over), group tables with activation age, boundary position and redistribution, stage details, load groups and warnings, with frozen headers and filters ready to use.
- A PDF for the record — cover page, summary, stage matrices split cleanly across pages, and one page per stage with its snapshot and the groups activated and deactivated in it.
- Stage data checked as it is read — a group deactivated before it was ever activated or activated twice, a group missing from the group tables, empty or never used, elements that are never active in any stage, boundaries in no group. Each is reported against its stage and group, and none of them stops the reports.
- Built for real models — a 20,000-element model is read in under a second and exported to 1080p video faster than the video plays.
- Read-only by design — the plugin only reads the model. Nothing is added, altered or overwritten, and no analysis is run.
How to use this plugin?
- Open the model in CIVIL NX and start the plugin — it connects and reads the model straight away. Use Refresh from model after changing the stages in CIVIL NX.
Check the sequence on the Stages tab — every stage with its duration and day range, the structure and boundary groups it activates (green +) and deactivates (red −), activation ages and original-position boundaries tagged, the load groups and the number of active elements. Any inconsistencies in the stage data are listed underneath.
Stages tab: the 16 stages of a three-span balanced-cantilever bridge — foundations and piers, pier tables, eight segment pairs, closures and the release of the temporary pier fixity.
- Preview the animation on the Animation tab — play, pause, step between stages or scrub. View on the Stages tab jumps straight to a stage.
- Choose the video settings — resolution, frame rate, seconds per stage, transition time, the view or all four, slow orbit, boundaries, background and group labels.
Select Export MP4. Progress is shown at the foot of the window and the export can be cancelled at any time.
Animation tab: stage 28 of 40 on a 20,000-element viaduct — deck pour 12 fading in green over the girders and piers cast in earlier stages.
- On the Reports tab, confirm the model name used in the reports and file names, whether to include load groups and the snapshot size, then select Export Excel or Export PDF.
- Or select Export all to produce the video, the workbook and the PDF in one go. The files are saved as <ModelName>_ConstructionStages.mp4, .xlsx and .pdf, and every file made in the session can be saved again from the Reports tab.
If anything in the model reads unexpectedly, the Debug tab shows every table the plugin read, with its raw data.
A frame from the exported video in the four-view layout: bay B of a composite plate deck poured over the steel girders, with its rigid-link connection activated in the same stage.
Conclusion
The construction sequence is often the part of a bridge model that is hardest to explain and easiest to get wrong. The Construction Stage Reporter takes the stage definition exactly as CIVIL NX holds it and turns it into a video for presentations, a workbook for checking and a PDF for the record — all three from the same reading of the model, so they always agree — and it points out where the stage data itself is inconsistent before anyone relies on it.