A semi-active control platform comprising the mechanical model of magnetorheological (MR) dampers, the bang-bang control law and damage material models is developed, and the simulation method of steel plate shear wall (SPSW) and optimization method for capacity design of MR dampers are proposed. A 15-story steel frame-SPSW structure is analyzed to evaluate the seismic performance of nonlinear semi-active controlled structures with optimal designed MR dampers, results indicate that the control platform and simulation method are stable and fast, and the damage accumulation effects of uncontrolled structure are largely reduced, and the seismic performance of controlled structures has been improved.