PLAXIS 3D
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3D geotechnical engineering software
- Reliably solve infrastructure challenges
- Create FE models quickly and efficiently
- Get realistic assessments of stresses and displacements
- Drive efficiency with multidiscipline workflows
About this software subscription: This Virtuoso Subscription includes a 12-month practitioner license of this software, that comes with Keys (credits) to unlock training and services.
Seequent is the subsurface software company within Bentley Systems. Together, we’re helping build a more resilient future by connecting the built world above ground with the hidden world below it. It’s easy to purchase a Virtuoso Subscription, through Virtuosity, Bentley’s eStore, and still get the expert technical support from Seequent’s subsurface experts.
Model and analyze geo-engineering projects with finite element analysis in 3D
PLAXIS is a user-friendly, finite element package with trusted computation that is used by geotechnical engineers globally. PLAXIS 3D offers CAD-like drawing capabilities to help with the analysis of subsurface environments for geoengineering projects. From excavations, embankments, foundations, tunneling, and mining, to reservoir geomechanics, users can determine the deformation and stability of geotechnical engineering and rock mechanics to assess the geotechnical risk.
Because every firm has different needs, there are multiple variations of PLAXIS 3D:
- PLAXIS 3D: PLAXIS 3D includes the most essential functionality to perform everyday deformation and safety analysis for soil and rock. This comprehensive software for the design and analysis of soil, rocks, and associated structures makes it easy to model in 3D.
- PLAXIS 3D Advanced: PLAXIS 3D Advanced includes everything that is included in PLAXIS 3D, plus enhances your geotechnical design capabilities with more advanced features and material models. You can consider creep or flow-deformation coupling through consolidation analysis. Additionally, you can solve your problems faster than PLAXIS 3D, by leveraging the multicore solver.
- PLAXIS 3D Ultimate: Extend the capabilities of PLAXIS 3D Advanced, to analyze the effects of vibrations in the soil, like earthquakes and moving traffic loads. You can also simulate complex hydrological conditions through time-dependent variations of water levels or flow functions on model boundaries, as well as soil boundaries.
- PLAXIS 3D WorkSuite: PLAXIS 3D WorkSuite includes everything that you get with PLAXIS 3D Ultimate, plus you get PLAXIS 3D LE, for limit equilibrium slope stability analysis and PLAXIS Designer to help build 3D conceptual models.
Quickly Compare Software Tiers
Features | PLAXIS 3D | PLAXIS 3D Advanced | PLAXIS 3D Ultimate |
Calculation Types | |||
K0 Procedure initial calculation type | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Gravity Loading initial calculation type | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Field Stress initial calculation type | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Flow Only initial calculation type | ✓ | ||
Plastic deformation calculation type | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Safety deformation calculation type | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Consolidation deformation calculation type | ✓ | ✓ | |
Dynamic deformation calculation type | ✓ | ||
Dynamic with consolidation deformation calculation type | ✓ | ||
Fully coupled flow-deformation calculation type | ✓ | ||
Phreatic Level pore pressure calculation type |
✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Use Pore Pressures from Previous Phase pore pressure calculation type | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Steady-State Groundwater Flow pore pressure calculation type | ✓ | ✓ | |
Transient Groundwater Flow pore pressure calculation type | ✓ | ||
Soil and rock material models |
PLAXIS 3D | PLAXIS 3D Advanced | PLAXIS 3D Ultimate |
Linear Elastic | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Mohr-Coulomb | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Hardening Soil | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Hardening Soil Small Strain Stiffness | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Modified Cam-Clay | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Jointed Rock Model | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
NGI-ADP | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Hoek-Brown, with parameter guide | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Soft Soil | ✓ | ✓ | |
Soft Soil Creep | ✓ | ✓ | |
Sekiguchi-Ohta (viscid) | ✓ | ✓ | |
Sekiguchi-Ohta (inviscid) | ✓ | ✓ | |
UDCAM-S and cyclic accumulation tool | ✓ | ✓ | |
Concrete | ✓ | ✓ | |
UBC3D-PLM (liquefaction) | ✓ | ||
User-Defined soil and rock models | PLAXIS 3D | PLAXIS 3D Advanced | PLAXIS 3D Ultimate |
SHANSEP Mohr-Coulomb | ✓ | X | ✓ |
SHANSEP NGI-ADP | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Overconsolidated Clay | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Creep-SCLAY1S | ✓ | X | X |
Masonry | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Visco-Elastic Perfectly Plastic | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Generalised Hardening Soil | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Hypoplastic Model with Inter-Granular Strain | ✓ | ✓ | |
Swelling Rock | ✓ | ✓ | |
Isotropic Jointed Rock with Mohr-Coulomb Failure Criterion | ✓ | ✓ | |
Hoek-Brown with Softening (strength softening and GSI softening models) | ✓ | ✓ | |
N2PC-MCT Rock Creep (Norton-based double power creep with Mohr-Coulomb and tension cut-off failure surface) | ✓ | ✓ | |
Norsand | ✓ | ✓ | |
Fluid | ✓ | ✓ | |
Barcelona Basic Model | ✓ | ||
Clay And Sand Model | ✓ | ✓ | |
SANISAND-MS | ✓ | ✓ | |
Interoperability | PLAXIS 3D | PLAXIS 3D Advanced | PLAXIS 3D Ultimate |
Generate stratigraphy from imported CPT logs | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Import Leapfrog surfaces from Seequent Central | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Automatic geotechnical model generation from/by OpenTunnel Designer | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
CAD import (including IFC, point clouds, parametric, triangulated surfaces, borehole top and bottom) and export | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Remote scripting for input, output, and SoilTest | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
ProjectWise integration, loading from and saving to ProjectWise server | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Refer to our Comparison Chart for more information
Because every firm has different needs, there are multiple variations of PLAXIS 3D:
PLAXIS 3D
PLAXIS 3D includes the most essential functionality to perform everyday deformation and safety analysis for soil and rock. This software for the design and analysis of soils, rocks, and associated structures makes it easy to model in full 3D.
Reliably solve infrastructure challenges
Easily generate and scale construction sequences for excavations. Facilitate steady-state groundwater flow calculations, including flow-related material parameters, boundary conditions, drains, and wells. Use interfaces and embedded pile elements to model movement between soil and foundation, such as slipping and gapping. Get trustworthy results with realistic soil models and a complete portfolio of visualization abilities.
Get realistic assessments of stresses and displacements
PLAXIS 3D offers different calculation types, such as plastic, consolidation, and safety analysis. A range of material models for predicting the behavior of various soils and rock types, combined with robust calculations, helps ensure reliable results. You can display these forces in various ways, and use cross-section applications to inspect certain areas in greater detail.
Drive efficiency with multidiscipline workflows
Create logical geotechnical digital workflows that take projects from subsurface imports through design and analysis to various outputs.
PLAXIS 3D Advanced
PLAXIS 3D Advanced includes everything that is in PLAXIS 3D, plus it further enhances your geotechnical design capabilities with more advanced features and material models. You can consider creep or flow-deformation coupling through consolidation analysis. Additionally, you can solve problems faster with the multicore solver.
PLAXIS 3D Ultimate
PLAXIS 3D Ultimate extends the capabilities of PLAXIS 3D Advanced so you can analyze the effects of vibrations in the soil, like earthquakes and moving traffic loads. You can also simulate complex hydrological conditions through time-dependent variations of water levels or flow functions on model boundaries, as well as soil boundaries.
3D Geotechnical Dynamic Modeling
PLAXIS 3D Ultimate is suited for more advanced seismic analysis. When you need something that goes beyond the low-frequency vibrations, this is the choice for you. You can:
- Analyze the effects of human-made or natural seismic vibrations in soil
- Perform analyses on the effects of vibrations in the soil from earthquakes, pile driving, vehicle movement, heavy machinery, or train travel
- Accurately calculate the effects of vibrations with a dynamics analysis when the frequency of the dynamic load is higher than the natural frequency of the medium
- Perform a ground response analysis and liquefaction analysis using the UBCSand model
3D Geotechnical Groundwater Flow
Extend the default options of steady-state groundwater flow analysis.
- Simulate the unsaturated, time-dependent, and anisotropic behavior of soil
- Simultaneously calculate changes in pore pressures and deformation by performing a fully-coupled flow-deformation analysis
- Use the Flow-only mode to exclude displacements and stresses from the calculation if you are only interested in groundwater flow, making it easier to use.
PLAXIS 3D WorkSuite
PLAXIS 3D WorkSuite includes everything that you get with PLAXIS 3D Ultimate, plus you get PLAXIS 3D LE, and PLAXIS Designer.
PLAXIS 3D LE
With PLAXIS 3D LE you can model and analyze geo-engineering projects for limit equilibrium slope stability analysis and perform finite element analysis of groundwater seepage in unsaturated or saturated soils.
PLAXIS Designer
PLAXIS Designer makes it easy to build 3D conceptual models to help you overcome the challenges of merging and analyzing data. With Bentley’s open modeling environment, PLAXIS Designer enables you to visualize and manipulate geotechnical site data such as topology, boreholes, piezometers, and other field instrumentation data, as well as engineering staged construction and design.
Processor
Required: Dual Core CPU
Recommended: Quad Core CPU
Operating System
Windows 10, Windows 11
Memory
Recommended: minimum 8 GB
Large projects may require more
Disk Space
Minimum 2 GB free space on the partition where the WindowsTEMP directory resides, and 2 GB free space on the partition where projects are saved. Large projects may require significantly more space on both partitions.
For best performance, ensure that the TEMP directory and the project directory reside on the same partition.
Display
Graphics Card
Required: GPU with 256 MB OpenGL 3.3
Bentley strongly recommends avoiding simple onboard graphics chips in favor of a discrete GPU from the nVidia GeForce or Quadro range with at least 128-bit bus and 1 GB of RAM, or equivalent solution from ATI/AMD.
Video
Required: 1024 x 768 pixels 32-bit color palette, Recommended: 1920 x 1080 pixels 32-bit color palette
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