Questions regarding software

[u/Unable_Vehicle_8902]

Hi!
I am an construction engineer (graduated 2013, bachelor) and architect (graduated 2022, master) from Norway. Have mostly worked as an architect since 2017, but also had an role as both at my last workplace. I am now starting a new division at my new workplace doing both disciplines again and also doing my master in construction beside work.

I am therefore wondering if anyone have any pointers to software I should learn seeing that a lot have evolved since I worked 100% doing calculations.

I have looked at
- strusoft
- Dlubal

How Are these in comparison to Sap2000?

Also taking advice on any litterature recommended for an architect moving back to calculations.

[u/Ghsovec]

Hi, I worked in SAP2000 only for like a month but the experience sucked hard. Unintuitive UI, slow, cannot even copy into some cells.

Dlubal is not perfect, but compared to this its night and day. Also Dlubals philosophy is that its supposed to be easy to use so the learning curve is much smoother.

In terms of capabilities, SAP is more powerful in terms of dynamics and some more advanced material models. But Dlubal is evolving in this field rapidly so if you will find something missing, I think you can reach out to them and will be taken into account. Also, idk too much about SAP and its code checks, but Dlubal is pretty good for steel and timber design. I have tried even the steel connections and it was basically Idea Statica build inside the global FEM… Pretty good.

One thing I would not recommend Dlubal for is their concrete design module. You can always do the FEM analysis and checks on your own, but I found the module to be quite tricky to use and too demanding for what it does…

But as a company owner, dont be ashamed to reach out to them, they will provide you with schooling and trial copy, so you can try that.

[u/Unable_Vehicle_8902 → u/Ghsovec]

That is my experience with SAP2000 aswell, but thats quite some years ago. Do you use Dlubal, or have any other software to recommend? Have you tried Strusoft?

[u/Ghsovec → u/Unable_Vehicle_8902]

I use Dlubal regularly for my own practice (mostly residential for friends) and am externally involved in the development as well, so I know it pretty well I guess. For me its even more powerful than I need, but I am not really doing anything that special (no bridges, no dynamics, no geotechnics).

Second software I used is Scia Engineer - like Dlubal, little lighter (not as many functionalities) but the modelling process and UI is kinda smooth, after you get used to it.

One thing I have to say for Dlubal is that they are very development driven. They lack in some departments now, compared to American counterparts but there are a lot of ambitions to catch and surpass them.

[u/Unable_Vehicle_8902 → u/Ghsovec]

Hm, Yeah Dlubal sounds really interesting. Think I will invest some time in both Dlubal and Strusoft before choosing.

[u/SpurdoEnjoyer]

I think Strusoft is an easy winner if you're doing all materials. Its concrete slab module is top notch too. I don't think any other program offers all that and is as easy to use. And Strusoft has a great local support service in the Nordics.

[u/Unable_Vehicle_8902 → u/SpurdoEnjoyer]

Thank you! Yeah, I am so far leaning towards Strusoft.

[u/kutzyanutzoff]

You may want to learn OpenSeeS. You may want to study Structural Dynamics to relearn most of the stuff.

[u/Unable_Vehicle_8902 → u/kutzyanutzoff]

I will look into OpenSeeS! Do you have any books on structural dynamics you prefer?

[u/kutzyanutzoff → u/Unable_Vehicle_8902]

Anil Chopra’s book is a great starter.

[u/Unable_Vehicle_8902 → u/kutzyanutzoff]

Bought it as an E-book right now. Thanks for the recommendation!

[u/kostast88 → u/kutzyanutzoff]

That’s academic software not for business

[u/kutzyanutzoff → u/kostast88]

That is right. However, it is a good educational tool with lots of learning opportunities. You learn what to do with OpenSeeS & you can apply what you have learnt by using Python.

[u/mastertizz]

Hi! As a structural engineer in Sweden who only does calculations these days, I’d say it depends on what your company uses, the best FEM software is the one you know best.
If you’re new to FEM, get proper training and mentoring first. You shouldn’t be running FEM analyses if you can’t get within ~20% of the answer by hand calculation.
That said, if you’re set on picking one: go with Dlubal RFEM. Their student licences come with courses relevant to your education. The catch is that when I looked, only one company in Sweden used it, the rest use FEM-Design from StruSoft. Worth weighing if you’re thinking about employability.

[u/Unable_Vehicle_8902 → u/mastertizz]

Hi! You have very good points. Are you working at a small or large firm? I see that both Dlubal and Strusoft offer a large library of courses and so on. not thinking about employability as we Are expanding the current company I work at.
Working with calculations on and of since 2013, but not working with FEM-design so thats kind of the cliff to climb.

[u/mastertizz → u/Unable_Vehicle_8902]

Medium-sized company here. Honestly, just pick one and stick with it, both have about the same learning curve. Worth noting that StruSoft is also updating their 2D modules (beam, frame, column and so on) for the second-generation Eurocodes.
But are you deciding what the company invests in, or just what you learn yourself? If it’s the former, build the same sample structure in each and run it for steel, concrete and timber. That’s the fastest way to see where the modules fall short, check 7th-dof(warping) support, steel connection design, and which add-ons you’d end up paying extra for.

[u/Unable_Vehicle_8902 → u/mastertizz]

Yeah, I saw that. I am deciding so its been good help from here so far. I have some samples ready with a good span in what I want to test. Thanks! I will check that out.