ram frame ot other modeler

[deereman]

I need a computer program to help me speed up my design work. I used Ram Frame 3 or 4 years ago when I worked for someone else but have just been doing all my designs by hand with the help of enercalc for beam anylsis and so forth ever since I went out on my own. Most of my work is one story buildings but have recently started geting two and three story projects. Anyone have any comments on ram Frame or other softwares out there. Also, what is ram advance?

 

[matrixeric]

RAM Structural System product though is advertised as one big do it all program you would have to buy individual licensed for the RAM Modeler, RAMBeam, RAMColumn, RAMFrame, RAMFoundations and RAM concrete to get the best out of it i.e. both gravity and lateral analysis done. I personally do not have much faith in the lateral analysis capabilities of RAM frame and rely on RISA (~STAAD) to do my lateral analysis.
RAM Advanse is RAM's FEM Analysis product on the lines of RISA and STAAD. However I feel it is not so user friendly as RISA or STAAD are.RASM infact asks to export its RAM structural system model to RAM advanse for a complex buildings which makes the whole thing more confusing.
If I were you I will invest in ETABS at this point of time as one license pretty much buys you all the capabilities of both lateral and gravity take down and is cheap too comparitively.

my 2 cents

 

[ryansteel]

Yup!!! i definitely agree to matrixeric. ETABS is a very advance building analysis program(i.e. so far its the only FEA software that has used "endlength offset"[very clever] i have encontered.) and its very user friendly.

 

[ASCE07]

Id suggest you to invest in ETABS/SAP...rather than any RAM varieties...EABS and SAP are very user friendly and flexible. It has a good online support and tutorials.
RAM too has tutorials online but the do not work.

Going by my experience you will be wasting a lot of time struggling with any RAM softwares.

I hope that answers your question.