Beta Testers Wanted! - CalcBook Structural Engineering Software

[CalcBook]

Hello Eng-Tips,

I've been on this forum for quite some time (under a different username) and have been working on a new structural engineering software for the last couple years, in part, due to this thread. My co-founder and I felt there was a better way to perform code-based structural engineering calculations

CalcBook is a structural engineering software that streamlines the production of code-based structural engineering calculations. We just launched the Beta version and are looking for testers to provide valuable feedback. Beta testers who review the software and complete a short questionnaire will receive 2 months free when we go to market. Just head over to CalcBook and hit the download beta button. We appreciate your feedback!

(Mods - we hope we are not violating any rules here. We felt that since we are not selling anything, this is post is OK. We are just hoping to tap into the vast amount of knowledge on this forum to help make a better software that we will all end up using)

 

[Lomarandil]

Any functionality beyond steel design?

----
just call me Lo.

 

[CalcBook]

Hi Lomarandil,

Yes, we do plan on adding more materials after releasing Version 1.0. Each material will be available as a module to give users flexibility on what they need and don't need.

Timber and Concrete are already in development and we plan to make them available within about 6 months after releasing Version 1.0. Thanks for the question!

-Peter

 

[-SPi]

Hi Peter & Nick,

By the sounds of it, you are on to a good idea. Clear design calculations that show all the steps is a must have.

I tried to download CalcBook Beta without success. After entering my email address and pressing the Download button, nothing happens. I have disabled my add blocker.

Stephen

 

[CalcBook]

Sorry about that, Stephen!

You should have the download email now. Let us know if it didn’t come through.

-Peter

 

[-SPi]

Got the email, and will play with CalcBook soon. Thank you Peter.

 

[dik]

SPi and Lo: let me know how this performs. I do mostly steel design (S16 in Canada, but often use AISC).

Rather than think climate change and the corona virus as science, think of it as the wrath of God. Feel any better?

-Dik

 

[CalcBook]

Hi Dik - Once we complete timber and concrete, we will be looking to expand to the Eurocode and Canadian codes.

 

[dik]

Thanks...

Rather than think climate change and the corona virus as science, think of it as the wrath of God. Feel any better?

-Dik

 

[1503-44]

Once you do the calculations, what final documentation is produced? A pdf, or something else? Do the drop down reference boxes get printed cleanly into the doc? Can the user enter design notes about why a particular method was selected? Can the user enter references to design sketches, drawings, additional references to supplemental calculations, additional design criteria, client specifications or design code loading case categories, etc. Is there something that interfaces with AutoCad? How are results communicated. Can I and send the results to my CAD tech for incorporation into the design drawings? Are designer's names, reviewing engineer, date, job numbers, editions and revisions contained on the doc? How's all of that work? Can someone review and understand the final docs without having a copy of the book installed?

 

[Lomarandil]

Yes, we do plan on adding more materials after releasing Version 1.0. Each material will be available as a module to give users flexibility on what they need and don't need.

Timber and Concrete are already in development and we plan to make them available within about 6 months after releasing Version 1.0. Thanks for the question!

Thanks for the info. I don't really do any AISC steel design currently, so I'll pass on this beta. But I'll be interested to see your future iterations when they are released. (It's a logical place to start working out your UI and features, but it's also a very well-served space as far as calculation tools go).

----
just call me Lo.

 

[CalcBook]

Lots of good questions from 1503-44... I will try to group them and provide answers. If I miss something let me know.

Once you do the calculations, what final documentation is produced? A pdf, or something else? Do the drop down reference boxes get printed cleanly into the doc?... ...Are designer's names, reviewing engineer, date, job numbers, editions and revisions contained on the doc? How's all of that work? Can someone review and understand the final docs without having a copy of the book installed?

Yes, there will be a pdf output with all of the relevant calculation information you would typically see on a structural calculation set - you can think of the program's calculation window as a 'print-preview' for what the pdf output will look like. Users will have the option of either a short, 1 page summary of the calculation or be able to print the entire thing with all the detailed calculation steps. The program currently has a header that is typical of structural calcs containing user inputs for job, designed by, reviewed by, etc. See image below:

Can the user enter design notes about why a particular method was selected? Can the user enter references to design sketches, drawings, additional references to supplemental calculations, additional design criteria, client specifications or design code loading case categories, etc.

There currently is not an option for user added text in-line with the calculation, however, this is a great idea and we will look at trying to implement this in future versions.

Is there something that interfaces with AutoCad? How are results communicated. Can I and send the results to my CAD tech for incorporation into the design drawings?

There currently is no interface with AutoCAD. Results will be communicated via the pdf output.

 

[CalcBook]

Thanks for the info. I don't really do any AISC steel design currently, so I'll pass on this beta.

No problem, Lo! We'll be sure to reach out when the other materials become available. If you do have any comments/feedback on the UI/UX or features, please let us know.

Peter

 

[CalcBook]

We have a few spots left for Beta Testing!

Beta Testers will have access to the program until February 1st, so sign up now. You can download the beta from CalcBook.com/beta-testing

A couple of clarifications from comments/questions we have gotten so far:
[ol 1]
[li]Yes, you will be able to print to pdf or directly to a printer in Version 1.0. Users will have the option of a 1-page summary or the full detailed output.[/li]
[li]Steel design is available now. Timber and concrete are in development and we expect to make those available in about 6 months.[/li]
[li]We have plans of including batch analysis. (e.g. output an excel file from Etabs/Sap/etc and run CalcBook calcs on several members at once and select which ones to print)[/li]
[/ol]

Let us know if you have any other questions!

Peter
CalcBook

 

[JDV22]

I've only played around with this a little, but it looks like it'll make my Mathcad sheets obsolete from the looks of it!

Are the licenses going to be per computer, or do you plan on allowing floating seats?

 

[CalcBook]

Hi JDV22 -

Customers will have the option of either individual licenses or network licenses (floating seats).

Let us know if you have any other questions!

Peter

 

[CalcBook]

Hello!

This is the last week for Beta testing! Beta testing will end February 1st, so head over to CalcBook now to download Beta!

A reminder that testers who download the software and respond to the survey will receive 2 months free when we go live.

Thank you to those who have already downloaded it and provided feedback - it is great to hear from the engineering community and help us build a better program that we can all use!

Peter

 

[geoffdale]

I had a quick look. Wondering if there is a direct way to input the eccentric load on the welding calculations or just the moment?
Also, the member check is mostly once you’ve done the moment and shear etc calculations? If there’s steps before the input, that might dissuade some people?
I love that all the calculations are presented- not a big fan of black box results.

 

[Celt83]

Great job on this.

Presentation of the results and calculations is really nice.

On the menu interface I found myself wanting to click on the images to enter the associated tool, but only the text below the image is an active link to the calculation module found this to be a little jarring.

Some of the icons for the custom welds have the X and Y axis and the weld graphic itself displayed very large such that they overlap adjacent icons in the GUI.

"Custom Weld - ..." is a little misleading as these aren't truly custom welds but actually defined/limited shapes.

For the "Custom Weld - Angle" computations it appears you are doing simple My/I for stress computations. Applying moments about global X or Y results in unsymmetric bending so the more general stress formulas should be used. For a 1 kip-ft (12 kip-in) moment on a 6" x 6" setup the more general bending stress formula produces 300 psi more stress than the simple symmetric bending formula.

EDIT:For the weld leg size input it seems fractional input such as 2/16 is not recognized only ints or floats are recognized as numbers.

My Personal Open Source Structural Applications:

https://github.com/buddyd16/Structural-Engineering

Open Source Structural GitHub Group:

https://github.com/open-struct-engineer

 

[Celt83]

For the member computations getting some form of analysis baked into the software would be a huge improvement, performing the analysis somewhere else and then transferring the critical bending moment to the input fields introduces the opportunity for a ton of error in the design.

I'd suggest starting simple and doing a single span beam with the option for left and right cantilevers, this would cover a lot of steel, wood, and masonry beam/girder framing conditions when you add those materials. For steel it then opens the door for calculation of Cb which will give your tool a leg up.

My Personal Open Source Structural Applications:

https://github.com/buddyd16/Structural-Engineering

Open Source Structural GitHub Group:

https://github.com/open-struct-engineer