computer design software 1

[structuralnerd]

I'm trying to update my company's computer design software, and I would like to get some opinions on which people prefer. We do building design...mostly steel and concrete (we also do some water treatment plants), and some wood and masonry thrown in there as well. We currently have RISA and an older version of RAM. We also have STAAD, but I have not used that extensively. Any opinions on what we should be using?

 

[Qshake]

IMHO, STRUDL is the most basic of languages/software programs to run. It is based on Problem Oriented Language POL and simply requires the usual amount of input in the following order:

structure type (truss, frame, space)
joint coordinates
support joints/conditions
member indicies
member properties
loads
analysis (static, dynamic, etc)
output

The commands are very simple and since STRUDL has been around quite sometime, many programs like STAAD have similar commands.


Regards,
Qshake

Eng-Tips Forums:Real Solutions for Real Problems Really Quick.

 

[transmissiontowers]

how is strudl? i've always wanted to learn it, but it doesn't seem very user friendly.

It seems to me that GTSTRUDL bowed to pressure from STAAD defections and has a Graphical user interface now called GTMenu for those that like that method. I learned the old command line method and tend to use that when starting a project. They do have several "Wizards" where you answer a few questions and the model is built automatically then you can enter more commands or jump into GTMenu and add parts or loads. They also have macros where you build up a series of commands that you run from the command interface.

The area where GTStrudl really shines is in tech support. If you have a question, you call Georgia Tech and talk directly to the software developers who are mostly professors in the Civil Engineering Department.

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