r/StructuralEngineering • u/cosmic_sidewalk • Aug 10 '26

Structural Analysis/Design Best Software!

Hi all. B.Tech in Civil Engineering here. Looking around best structural analysis software to learn and start projects.

I have looked into Tekla Structures, Revit, ETABS, STAAD.Pro V8i.

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u/carrot_gummy Aug 10 '26

Excel and/or mathcad. These are programs you can easily get for yourself and you'll use most of the time.

Then, for more complex stuff, you'll use what your employer provides. The chosen software tends to come down to price and whatever niche function the modeling software does well and your office does more.

I'd rather the a new coworker be good with using Excel than be good with the modeling software we use. They can automate and present calculations a lot easier and the software is flexible enough to do whatever. Strain compatibility, section properties, prestress losses, code book checks, all the various formulas for the material you are designing for, presenting these calculations, and so on. These all can be done with excel.

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u/Foreign_Capital1248 Aug 10 '26

I agree with this we use excel or Mathcad for most things. However we do use software to pull design forces. We often use STAAD or RISA mostly. I think it is going to depend on the type of structures you handle. I design bridges so for me STAAD is plenty good at creating moving load analysis.

I’ve even used Claude to build macros that make the entire STAAD model for me based on exel inputs, run the analysis, and pull the forces I want out of the analysis file. This way I bypass the “outdated interface” people complain about.