Tablet compatible apps for markups, calcs, sketches, etc.

[RPGs]

Hey everyone, thank you in advance for any tips, tricks, or apps you might recommend. I am doing lots of google searching, but I've never found a better resource for practicing structural engineers than this forum and wanted to drop a line to you folks, since a lot of you have similar day-to-day experience.

After seeing so many contractors and other professionals on site with iPads and other tablets, I just picked up a Samsung Galaxy S9 FE tablet with S pen with the hopes of streamlining some of my work flow. I slapped a fat rubber & plastic case on it so I fit in.

I've got it set up for the most part to my OneDrive cloud for file/document dumps and I've spent some time making sure I can perform basic PDF markups or sketches with the built-in note and MS viewer apps.

I was wondering if any of you had any recommendations for programs/apps that you've found useful when being on-site that helped you make preliminary decisions on site and/or streamlined that lovely interim period between standing on-site and sitting at your real workstation--perhaps a simple beam analysis app, a handy app for sketching, and/or a more useful pdf editor?

Any tips/tricks or recommendations you might have would be hugely appreciated. My most sincere thanks for your time and help.

 

[IDS]

My opening comment in the thread below still stands, but that's just my opinion, and you may find the content useful:

https://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=426581

Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services

http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/

 

[SE2607]

I LOVE my Samsung S8 Ultra. I keep all my PDFs in DropBox (similar to you with One Drive). I go to my DropBox folder, open a PDF, then open with Samsung Notes. There, I make my comments. Usually, that's good enough when I markup drawings, although I did have to practice changing to a highlighter as I picked up redmarks instead of reaching for my yellow highlighter. LOL. If I need to create a PDF from the redmarks (seldom from my tablet, but may do more often from my phone), I can do that. I almost don't use paper anymore for anything.

 

[RPGs]

Thank you, IDS, that's a great thread with a lot of useful content. I do agree, on principle, that trying to get a tablet to do the real calculation legwork isn't realistic. A true PC like a Surface is probably what I need to achieve that end--I'm still on the fence if this tablet will help me moving forward.

I almost don't use paper anymore for anything.

Thanks, SE2607. This seems like the most obvious benefit. When I print out 24"x36" plans onto 11"x17" paper it gets hard to read in the field and then afterwards it just feels crude to send a scan of my--already scaled down--field notes with chicken scratch to a client. It'd be great to not have to spend time to re-do my field notes at my desk.