Engineering Design 'Stack' 4

[MRob909]

Hi All,

I was listening to a podcast where some software developers were discussing their 'tech stack'. Meaning the various bits of software they use in their day to day to undertake their work. This got me thinking that every structural engineer I talk to uses different tools and resources to deliver their projects. I've listed out some of mine below, maybe there will be some useful tools here that we can share, feel free to add your own below:

Personally I use the following:
Frame Analysis & General FEA: Dlubal RFEM
Steel Connection Design: https://www.ideastatica.com/
Manual Calculations: (Simple Elements, or Repetitive Calculations): MathCAD
Anchors, Resin: Hilti Profis

3D Modelling: Autodesk Inventor
Model Review/ Markup (For 3rd Party): https://viewer.autodesk.com/
Drawing Review/ Markup: IPad with Goodnotes App
Digital sketches: IPad with Concepts App
Online Sketches: www.witeboard.com

Historic Geotechnical Data for UK: British Geological Survey (Boreholes)
Historic Maps for UK: National Library of Scotland Viewer

Useful Problem Solving Website: https://untools.co/
Useful Charts, Diagrams, Visuals: https://flourish.studio/

 

[EngDM]

RSTAB is the exact same as RFEM, just without the shell elements, so if someone likes RFEM, they should like RSTAB as well. I'm personally a big fan of the programs and wish I had access to them. The initial price is attractive, however once you get to all the addons for design and other features, it can get pricey. However, the nice thing with RFEM 5 was that it only used the license when actually using the addon (for example, if you're running steel design to check the members, the license is only pulled while that window is open to setup the parameters and to run the calculations - viewing the results does not use a license), so you didn't need as many licenses of the addons as you had of the main program.

Unfortunately, I think they changed that with version 6, and now the addons are 'locked' to one of the licenses for the main program.

Also, are the CSI products (SAP2000, Etabs etc.) no longer being offered on a perpetual license?

---

For my programs, I run with the following:

• Frame Analysis & General FEA:
  • SAP2000 for 3D
  • Ftool for 2D
• Steel Connection Design:
  • Excel/MathCAD/Smath Sheets
• Manual Calculations (Simple Elements, or Repetitive Calculations):
  • Hand calculations
  • Excel/MathCAD/Smath Sheets
• Anchors, Resin:
  • Hilti Profis
• CAD Software
  • AutoCAD

Can RFEM run code checks as well like RSTAB? Like is it just a more fleshed out RSTAB?

 

[driftLimiter]

my understanding is that you purchase add-on packages for different design modules.

 

[STpipe]

Can RFEM run code checks as well like RSTAB? Like is it just a more fleshed out RSTAB?

Yes, if you purchase the requisite addon. I wouldn't call it more fleshed out, the programs are virtually identical save for one having the capabilities to model shell and solid elements.

 

[human909]

Here is my list. Heavily biased towards SpaceGass and Inventor. I do plenty of steel structures and more complex structural/mechanical steel equipment.

• Frame Analysis
  • SpaceGass
• Standard Steel Connections
  • SpaceGass
• Complex Steel Analysis
  • Autodesk Inventor: Nastran In-Cad FEA
  • Handcalcs on paper, Excel, or paper
• Wind Calcs
  • CheckWind (prior to this Excel/paper)
• Timber and Residential
  
  • ClearCalcs (Clearcalcs is great for a basic residential workflow, but it is quite lacking in breadth.)
• General Drafting
  
  • Autodesk Inventor (I'm adept with it and less adept with 2D packages. So I stick with what I know.)

Software I am interested in:

• IdeaStatica: Amazing for niche steel connections, but not cheap and I only would use this a few times a year.
• SkyCiv: A more powerful version of ClearCalcs but seems to lack a residential/timber focus and is trying to be a jack of all trades but master of none.

 

[Craig_H]

Keep in mind that I am a small one-person shop and keep my software lean as a result:

• Frame Analysis & FEM
  • SAFI GSE. I sometimes feel like I am the only one using this, but it works well for me.
• Building Climatic Loads
  • Jabacus. Buddy started charging and he should considering how quickly he updates to code revisions, etc. Still very affordable given how much time it saves me.
• Timber and Residential
  • WoodWorks Sizer
  • "Hand" calcs & spreadsheets for connections & lateral design
• "Hand" Calcs
  • I use SMath extensively for everything from one-of to semi-repeatable calcs that need a minor tweak project to project.
  • Excel (actually, LibreOffice Calc) for more repeatable spreadsheets.
• General Drafting
  • BricsCAD. Still a perpetual license, affordable, and darn near as featured as Autodesk products for traditional CAD.
  • PDF XChange Editor for PDF Markup
  • Third party if I need Revit.
• Reports & Documents
  • LibreOffice

 

[EngDM]

Building Climatic Loads

• Jabacus. Buddy started charging and he should considering how quickly he updates to code revisions, etc. Still very affordable given how much time it saves me.

Agreed. At first when they started charging I was disapointed, but the amount of updates we get and new calculators out the wazoo is great for the price; if nothing less to just get a reference for some niche calculations like light-gauge screws.

 

[SocklessJ]

• General Analysis
  • RAM Elements - My favorite for non-building structures. Integration w/ Ram connection, as well as modules for foundations, masonry, tilt is great. Wish it could do semirigid diaphragms.
  • SAP2000 - For research projects.
• Building Design
  • ETABS - A very powerful black box.
• Connection Design
  • Ram Connection - Good
  • Idea Statica - Insanely powerful. Very steep learning curve. The future.
• Manual Calculations
  • v15 from my cold dead hands
• Anchors
  • Profis
• PDF
  • Bluebeam
• Drafting
  • Revit

 

[human909]

One quick question and ignorant question.

Why does everybody use Profis? What are the complicating factors that make Profis so useful for anchor design? Do you use it more for dowels or HD bolts or others uses?

(I occasionally use Ramset I-Expert which is free. But I presume not as powerful.)

 

[EngDM]

One quick question and ignorant question.

Why does everybody use Profis? What are the complicating factors that make Profis so useful for anchor design? Do you use it more for dowels or HD bolts or others uses?

(I occasionally use Ramset I-Expert which is free. But I presume not as powerful.)

Wide-spread adoption of their adhesives at least in my area of practice, free tool, loads of different configurations.

I use Simpson's for CIP anchors tho.

 

[will.sce]

I forgot. Foxit PDF reader. Even though it's a reader, it does offer a fair bit of markup, and if pressed, it is possible to do things like signatures and shop drawing stamps. Free. (I receive no compensation for "endorsements")

To add to that, you can measure PDFs to scale off, without opening a cad file or model. Assuming of course the PDF is correctly to scale

 

[human909]

I second that. I've used Foxit for 15years as Adobe was far too crash prone back then. Foxit was stable and I've used it ever since. I currently have a total of ~95 PDFs open in Foxit Reader at the moment. It is stable as hell, works, measure and basic annotation is all I need 98% of the time.

I also used Drawboard for PDF editing it has some of the more advance features and is useful with a stylus.

I've yet to find the clear benefits of Bluebeam despite the clear popularity of it. Also too expensive for me as a sole practitioner.

 

[phamENG]

One quick question and ignorant question.

Why does everybody use Profis? What are the complicating factors that make Profis so useful for anchor design? Do you use it more for dowels or HD bolts or others uses?

(I occasionally use Ramset I-Expert which is free. But I presume not as powerful.)

The full version is reasonably priced and feature rich. I think it's $230/year? I'll know soon enough when I sit down to reconcile my accounts for the year. That's about the cost of running 2 anchor calcs based on the old appendix D or now chapter 17 (I think it's 17? I just flip to my tab...) by hand. And paid profis has an option for rigid baseplate assumptions, CBFEM, and AISC DG1 analysis methods so you can check the plate at the same time. They've also expanded it to include masonry, which I don't believe any of the others have done. AND...it integrates with RISA connection. So it acts as an extension of the software suite I'm already using.

 

[RenHen]

I mostly use Profis because I spec Hilti anchors and it's easier than messing around with their testing data tables or Appendix D. It is the nicest anchor software I've used for many of the reasons phamENG mentions; but it's mostly a preference on the hardware end for me.

 

[EngDM]

I second that. I've used Foxit for 15years as Adobe was far too crash prone back then. Foxit was stable and I've used it ever since. I currently have a total of ~95 PDFs open in Foxit Reader at the moment. It is stable as hell, works, measure and basic annotation is all I need 98% of the time.

I also used Drawboard for PDF editing it has some of the more advance features and is useful with a stylus.

I've yet to find the clear benefits of Bluebeam despite the clear popularity of it. Also too expensive for me as a sole practitioner.

Look into PDF X-Change, it's perpetual and can scale by reference within the PDF, has a stamp pallet, can edit basically any PDF if its newer with SHX objects, has an OCR tool, easy document merge, stable AF compared to Shitdobe.

I mostly use Profis because I spec Hilti anchors and it's easier than messing around with their testing data tables or Appendix D. It is the nicest anchor software I've used for many of the reasons phamENG mentions; but it's mostly a preference on the hardware end for me.

My only issue with it is the dimensions input; the auto-updating dimensions overriding other dimensions unless you do it in the correct order is frustrating.

 

[phamENG]

My only issue with it is the dimensions input

Agreed. Takes some getting used to, but once you do, it's pretty painless.

 

[RenHen]

Oh yeah good call, I do really hate the way that's set up. I'm not designing anchors every day so I always end up forgetting which one needs to be updated first and chasing my edge distances around. Still less of a headache than the alternatives but room for improvement as well imo.

 

[EngDM]

Agreed. Takes some getting used to, but once you do, it's pretty painless.

I've been bugging Simpson to allow for L shapes in concrete to reflect putting a baseplate at a corner for years now, I guess it's not as straight forward as I'd hoped... you'd think for a free program they'd be on top of this!

 

[Just Some Nerd]

My only issue with it is the dimensions input; the auto-updating dimensions overriding other dimensions unless you do it in the correct order is frustrating.

This is usually pretty easy to get around using the 2D view if it's too much of a nuisance

 

[Euler07]

Anyone here use Vectorworks for 2d drafting? I never learnt autocad since the company I first worked for used Vectorworks, after coming from Minicad back in the day. It always seems far more intuitive than autocad and has python scripting built in.

Also, I would second PDF-XChange. If you buy the pro version, then It has something called "PDF tools". It essentially allows simple scripting of PDFs, then you can add the script to the shell right-click options in Windows. For example, if I want to send a sample draft of a drawing, I can right click on a PDF and it has an option that will automatically add a draft watermark, convert each page to a low resolution image, then save it back into a PDF. It's a real timesaver and takes just a few minutes to setup.

 

[Mark_J]

Anyone here use Vectorworks for 2d drafting? I never learnt autocad since the company I first worked for used Vectorworks, after coming from Minicad back in the day. It always seems far more intuitive than autocad and has python scripting built in.

Also, I would second PDF-XChange. If you buy the pro version, then It has something called "PDF tools". It essentially allows simple scripting of PDFs, then you can add the script to the shell right-click options in Windows. For example, if I want to send a sample draft of a drawing, I can right click on a PDF and it has an option that will automatically add a draft watermark, convert each page to a low resolution image, then save it back into a PDF. It's a real timesaver and takes just a few minutes to setup.

Bookmarking PDF-XChange for future research. I need a good pdf tool to work with pdf letters, forms and plans.