Just putting it out there ... Midas Gen, Midas Civil and they have a bunch of stuff to even do Geotechnical designs like Midas Soilworks Midas GTS for member design there is Prokon. just one software that we use other than the ones you mentioned
Hi Mat. I used to work in the structural engineering field back in1983 and 1984, as a design engineer. Wow, have things changes! We did all calculations by hand and used the steel and concrete codes for design guidelines. We did drawings by hand which was slow.
Ofcourse that would have been much much slower, but I bet that must have been too much fun! With extensive use of such softwares people are now not able to visualize properly and understand the force flow and behaviours. I think so much dependency is more a bane than a boon!
SAP2000, ETABS, Autodesk Robot, Sofistik, Scia, Abaqus, Tekla. Most of them are widely used across Europe. Till now I have tried the first 3 for my undergraduate studies and I am planning to learn Sofistik or Scia to combine them with my master's dissertation. Keep up the good work on your videos Mat !!!!
Great Video. We use so many programs but it all depends on what projects we have and how specialized we become in our careers. I was and offshore structural engineer for 15 years and we used SACS for all our steel structure design. The oil and gas industry is dominated by SACS. We also used many excel and mathcad sheets for local member designs and Abacus for FEA modeling when we had a really challenging thing to look at that traditional software couldn’t handle. It takes a long time to become good with software and we can never forget to check ourselves with the basics that we learned in school. Structural programs are amazing but one character in the input file of many thousands can totally change the behavior of a structure and that can equal to misrepresentation of it. Now the fun part. Structural software can be very expensive and a burden for a company to have lots of it. This is one of the challenges being a SE and we have to know how to do these problems by hand because fancy software is not always going to be available. Do not watch this video then relax in school because you think software is going to so it all for you. You must have a good understanding of the fundamentals so when the program produces a erroneous result you recognize it. Also, just like when Microsoft or Apple does and update then messes up and then comes another update. Structural software is the same.
I'm in the oil and gas industry working for an owner and so I don't generally need software that can do entire buildings. I use RISA3D, RISAFoundation, Dimensional Solutions (great for reinforced concrete), Caesar II (for pipe), Struware -CodeSearch (it's like ASCE7 and the IBC in Excel format for determining loads... Highly recommend... Super cheap), HILTI PROFIS and RISAConnection. RISA can do some FEA too so thats pretty nice.
Hi #MatPicardal I like structural engineering, I'm Civil Engineer. This topic about Structural Softwares is amazing, because I didn't know all alternatives that you showed. Congratulations for this information for all us! Greets from Quito-Ecuador!
I am young Civil Engineer from India and I use Staad Pro/Etabs for Structural analysis and Design. Revit for Modelling of structure. Staad Foundation, SAFE and SAP 2000 for different elements like Foundation and Slab. Excel Sheet for any particular element design. For steel design I prefer either Staad or ETABS. AutoCAD for Drafting purpose. Also CSI Bridge, and MX Road for Bridge and Road works
Mostly SAP2000 for analysis, but I'm trying to introduce Robot to my office. Lots of spreadsheets programming, but this requires a lot of time if you have a different condition so you have to adjust the spreadsheet to make it work. Revit is my go to for modeling and drawing, once you get used to it your productivity increases a lot, especially when preparing construction plans. I have never heard of bluebeam revu but it looks incredibly intuitive and that's great to communicate with steel contractors or so, to make sure that your design is clear to everyone. Thanks for the video
Thanks for sharing Fernando, I've heard of Robot, haven't been able to use it extensively, how's it working for you and the buildings you're designing?
@@MatPicardal it is a long process because my boss is so used to SAP2000 and I'm still learning robot, but from what I understand you can easily communicate between Revit and robot so changes on each model should be reflected in the other. Still SAP2000 is pretty useful because it now has integrated the Costa Rican Seismic Code so we can easily change response spectrums according to the project without importing from a file and making sure that the txt format is correct (the decimal separator is a pain to deal with if a computer has a different setting)
Please do a video on end releases vs boundary conditions and weak axis and strong axis bracing. I get all this very confused and it’s very important getting this right in design software.
Super cool that you work at DCI. Two of my three company owners used to be Principal Engineers at DCI, I've learned a ton from them. I have used pretty much all the same programs as you and maybe that's why haha
as a structural engineer in Botswana (africa), i used AutoCad & Prokon. i recently start learning Etabs, it is easier and user friendly but i am still struggling interpret its results
Thanks for the comment! Yes, ETABS takes a while to interpret, even then, at least in the U.S., we still have to watch out for some of the outputs/data it doesn't get right all the times. Always be aware of the black box.
Very good info. Personally, I heavily rely on Revit Structural packet, also Hilti for footings. Definitely interested in checking out RAM concepts and PT slabs. For connections, I have actually been using FEA from inventor and fusion, since you can easily import 3d joint model back into Revit as part of joint family.
Hy! greetings from Brazil! Im civil Engineering student and here in Brazil a very popular software for general design and structural analisys is the ALTO QI EBERICK. We have another one called TQS for general design and structural analisys too. REVIT is very popular here too, a lot of architects and civil engineers use it.
In the Philippines, especially in Cebu, most of them are using ETABS or SAP2000. But if you go south (Mindanao), only STAAD.pro is widely known, even in the academe. Don't know much about in the north though.
@@MatPicardal Using predefined shapes in the Tool Chest. Although I checked today and I realized that your Bluebeam has more engineer oriented shapes like the I-section and the section cut tag that you showed. Are those part of a plugin?
@@neli8892 I've just never had the need to use such functions in the way suggested by Mat ,that is, to help a drafter understand what I need. I do all of my own drafting once the drafter sets up the plans so that could be part of the reason haha
Visual Analysis 12 for beam design RAM Concept for concrete slab, especially for PT slabs RAM Structural Systems and TEKLA Structural Systems for building design REVIT for drawings Excel Spreadsheets for pretty much everything else
Great video. I've been involved in some very tall and difficult cold-formed steel designs, and I trust the RSG software much more than I trust the Simpson software. This is an anomaly for me as I trust all things Simpson usually, but cold-formed steel is intense and can buckle in a million ways. The Simpson software just feels too much like a black box.
In Venezuela, Etabs/SAP2000/Safe are mainstream, also Robot Structural Analysis; but in some Universities you can find Staad pro and ram connections; nevertheless this trend has changed over time because of the emergence of other software and client/architects requirements; as for today I can safely say that it varies with the structural design firm, in my case: Etabs/Safe for RCC structures/slabs/shallow foundations and steel structures, Lpile for deep foundations, Etabs/Tekla Tedds for cantilevered retaining walls, Robot Structural Analysis for pre qualified steel frame connections, Idea Statica for non conventional steel frame connections, Revit/Naviswork for BIM and Autocad for drawings. And on the personal side, I'm looking forward to learn Tekla Structures and Midas Gen
Thank you for this video. I am a Civil Engineer and planning to specialize in Structural Engineer. Your videos are very informative and helpful. Please continue posting videos as this well help a lot of aspiring Structural Engineers like me to continue with this path.
Great video! I use Etabs for analysis and every design of the elements even the slabs(at least for buildings) safe for foundations and sap2000 for structures in general. At work we trying to get into robot structures because its interaction with revit but we still testing. On the other way, it will be great talking about prices too because all we know that these softwares are expensive and it is not easy for some offices (at least in my country).
Thanks for sharing Andre, great to hear from other engineers. Let me know your experiences with Robot when you get a chance, it seems interesting. Haha, yes, software prices are definitely a thing for any firm, they seem to keep going up and up.
thank you for sharing. may i ask you is it enough for me to learn robot Instead of learn sap ,safe and etabs . i am still student and i want to learn analysis software from now i already learn rivet as structural modeling. i am asking you because when i ask some one about this, he said that i have to learn safe, etabs and asp as ones . thanks
Hey mat this video left me a little scared u listed of this many softwares and I have heard like 4-5 of them, but THANKS for the information, looks like I have a lot to learn now.
Lots to learn! Don't worry, you'll learn them eventually. It may not even be that many depending on the firm you end up in. More importantly, learn how to check what the software outputs to you. If someone asks you, how do you know those outputs are correct or reasonable? Then you should have some idea/backcheck. This could be checking base shear by hand, simple tributary load take downs by hand, checking mode shapes, checking bending/shears/moments by hand or simpler software, comparing to similar projects, etc.
Adding this comment to appreciate your effort on this video. You discussed the use and power of the softwares well. You even gave the alternatives for some. Great video! Thanks for sharing your experience! I am currently trying to learn Staad Connect. Will try aome of these softwares after.
Hi Mat. I am grateful that you had the time to make this video. Can you provide me with any reference about how to write a scientific research. Thanks again
Well I am a retired civil engineer these days. I'm amazed at how far structural design software has progressed. What I want to know is whether these new engineers can design these structures if they didn't have these structural design software. Do they just accept the output or do they scrutinize the output design ?
I am happy you made this comment. Most of these softwares have issues or sometimes we don't use them properly so I have made it a habit to carry out manual checks just to be sure. I also read a lot so I understand how the structure is supposed to behave when loads are imposed on it. Without these hand calculations, it is just garbage in garbage out.
Agreed, that's what the younger generation has to ask especially with these softwares. It's a double edged sword. We need to be performing sanity checks and making sure the outputs make structural sense and if the models are behaving the way we would expect.
Its nice to see someone else in the area (I'm in Irvine, CA myself) with seemingly identical experience/exposure to product types. I'm working primarily in high density housing right now. Up to 6 levels of wood over up to 3 levels of concrete. Just getting into running all the PT and punching shear on both the podium & mat slab using custom spreadsheets as well as ADAPT's PT/RC program. In the future, we'd like to move into using Adapt Builder and model the entire concrete portion of the structure - a huge hurdle to get over, to say the least! On another note, have you considered making a video of the other complications we engineers go through: architectural, mechanical, plumbing & electrical coordination. Coming to an agreement with all the other subs on location of soffits for ducts and plumbing as well as placement of electrical panels, etc.
Kevin Shannon We do multi-family projects as well, been using Builder and ADAPT-PTRC for many years. Yeah builder is quite the learning curve! It's much better than it used to be for sure, but still a bit buggy. If you haven't had the need to switch over yet, maybe wait one more year or use one job as a test job to start some momentum. I'd say I'm faster in builder now than even PT-RC, but to get to that point took a lot of practice and headache!
If you are based on Europe: Design: Tekla Structural Designer + Tedds, Robot, CYPECAD (only for Spain) BIM: Revit, Tekla Structures Connections: IDEA statica Anchors: Hilti & Rawplug Drafting: AutoCAD. Parametric Design: Rhino + Grasshopper
Hello Engr. Mat picardal, I make use of Orion for my Structural design, and looking forward to also improving myself by learning some more. Good job mat.
Hi Guys. "XTRACT" is a very simple and powerful tool that allows you to do all kind of sectional analyses such as: P-M interaction diagrams, capacity 3D surfaces ( for any type of columns) and moment-curvature analysis to model plastic hinges that can be easily exported to Excel and then imported to softwares such as SAP 2000 or ETABS to perform Push-Over analysis when using performance based design approaches. It is mainly used in the bridge design industry but I think it has useful applications for buildings as well.
Hello Mat! I've been waitching tons of your structural videos and learned alot from it. Thank you so much and keep up the good work! 😊 Quick question, where do you live in the Philippines?
Thanks Jez! I live in California south of the Los Angeles area. I was born in the Philippines though, fortunate enough that my parents took me to the US when I was very little.
We use etabs, midas, local software pkpm and yjk in China. Pkpm and yjk are like automatic miniature camera, so easy to use for most common structures.
i was using robot for the genral structure analysis at first then i discovered etabs safe and sap2000 that i'm using now for that because its waaaaay easier to exploit the info they gave and faster , i only use robot for beams put the loads see if the beam is good and do the reinforcement there
Sir I've tried to try to use etabs to solve my previous seatwork in structural analysis using portal frame method, and etabs have generated smaller shear,axial and moment values compared to my manual solutions. Sir, I hope on your next video you'll be solving some easy 2d frames and show to us the generated values using etabs and using manual solution.
Great Video man! I've been searching for the same video for many years. Now you answered all my questions in one video, thank you so much. But you mentioned several softwares! Do you use all of them to structural design? I mean is there a software for all those applications you explained about?
Thanks Amir, It's a lot of software, yes, but I don't use all the ones I mentioned and it will depend on the firm that you work in. For example, some firms may use ETABS for almost everything including gravity/lateral analysis and design, while other firms may prefer using ETABS only for analysis, and import those results in another software. As a new engineer, don't worry too much if you're not familiar with the software, you'll eventually learn how to use it. I'd be more focused on asking yourself this important question after using a software you're not familiar with: "How do I know the results that (insert software program) is giving me look right?" Learn how to create your own gut checks, this could be in the form of checking the base shear by hand and comparing it, checking to see if the bending/shear moments look right, doing a simple hand calculation and comparing it to the computer results, checking the results in another software program, looking at other projects that are similar and seeing if you're getting similar sizes, etc.
I pretty much use all of those programs, except for the concrete slab design. My firm’s managers don’t delegate that type of work very often. We use spreadsheets for beam design but I am interested in trying out the member design software you mentioned.
SCIA and Dlubal RFEM/RSTAB (mostly for Germany, Switzerland, Austria) and AxisVM and Etabs (for the whole Europe) let‘s say. And for BIM, ALLPLAN is the way to go.
Steel strctural buildings , obviously more efficient in building process. Together with the curtain glass walls . All that installation works , screw and bolts. But , how about the floors ? Normally what materials used for it , precast concrete slabs ? or any other suggested lighter materials ?
Hey I’m a junior majoring in civil engineer and my question to you is that you named a lot of software, where did you learn to use all these? Did someone had to teach you when you first got your job or how does it work? As you know in university they teach us very little information about all these critical stuff that we should be learning instead.
Generally you'll learn to use some program in the context of your major when you're taking analysis and/or design classes. For example, my school used STAAD and to a lesser degree SAP2000 and Risa. You'll pick up a lot of others when you start working somewhere depending on your company's preferences and the type of work you do. It really doesn't matter where you start as long as you understand the basic mechanics behind what's going on because at the core these programs are more or less all the same. Understand matrix analysis, understand the finite element method and the rest is just learning how a specific program wants you define the geometry, apply section and material properties, boundary conditions, etc...
Hi Henry, it's a lot of software, yes, but I don't use all the ones I mentioned and it will depend on the firm that you work in. For example, some firms may use ETABS for almost everything including gravity/lateral analysis and design, while other firms may prefer using ETABS only for analysis, and import those results in another software. As a new engineer, don't worry too much if you're not familiar with the software, you'll eventually learn how to use it. I'd be more focused on asking yourself this important question after using a software you're not familiar with: "How do I know the results that (insert software program) is giving me look right?" Learn how to create your own gut checks, this could be in the form of checking the base shear by hand and comparing it, checking to see if the bending/shear moments look right, doing a simple hand calculation and comparing it to the computer results, checking the results in another software program, checking mode shapes, looking at other projects that are similar and seeing if you're getting similar sizes, etc.
IdeaStatica for component based finite element steel connection software for special cases not defined by AISC, I haven't tried RisaConnection though 😉
I have used Descon before. What differs in IdeaStatica is that it can capture the strain and stress of the connection elements because it utilizes FEM thus it can do connections that are very unusual, or if you want to verify your load paths and design assumption. While Descon can only do the typical connections like having a fancier spreadsheet. You can search Ideastatica online for more info.
@@ganeshnatarajan848 Hi, IDEA StatiCa is using FEM (CBFEM to be precise) to map the forces/stresses and then apply the standard checks to satisfy the code. The difference is that it can do it not just for standard templates but for a huge variety, more info: www.ideastatica.com/steel/
Hi engr. Big fan of ur videos. Am a new graduate engineer and i would like to know where to start after receiving the architectural drawings. Which softwares to start with. Thanks
You forgot “woodworks” for wood. Does members, connections, shearwalls, and load take downs. Also, NCMA has a pretty easy to use program for most masonry members.
Question: How much do Revit professionals make in comparison to Structural Engineers? And how widespread is BIM in reality? Tbh, that's a LOT of software... I thought there were only about 8 softwares... (ETABS, Revit, SAFE, Excel, AutoCAD - yea, I was that dumb) But it's good to know that they've a software for everything. Thanks for making this video. I wouldn't have realized how much I actually have to learn otherwise.
Hi Razi, Revit professionals generally make less than structural engineers in the U.S., but there are a few firms now that actually have career paths for engineers that want to go into BIM/Revit route. Smaller structural engineering firms that work on small projects won't typically need BIM/Revit, but medium/large firms that work on bigger projects, I see it becoming the norm. It's a lot of software, yes, but I don't use all the ones I mentioned and it will depend on the firm that you work in. For example, some firms may use ETABS for almost everything including gravity/lateral analysis and design, while other firms may prefer using ETABS only for analysis, and import those results in another software. As a new engineer, don't worry too much if you're not familiar with the software, you'll eventually learn how to use it. I'd be more focused on asking yourself this important question after using a software you're not familiar with: "How do I know the results that (insert software program) is giving me look right?" Learn how to create your own gut checks, this could be in the form of checking the base shear by hand and comparing it, checking to see if the bending/shear moments look right, doing a simple hand calculation and comparing it to the computer results, checking the results in another software program, looking at other projects that are similar and seeing if you're getting similar sizes, etc.
@@MatPicardal Thanks for the insight Mat. So I should be doing more practice problems in courses like RC design and Steel design, to train for correct intuition?
Thanks for all the information.I have two questions, how many of these softwares you learned at undergraduate level? and do you get time to work on structural research?
STAAD Pro :D STAAD RCDC for concrete design STAAD Ram Conenct for Steel Connections Excel for Isolated Footing (Edge, Corner and Center) Now I'm trying to learn ETABS, SAP2000, SAFE and Tekla :D
Hi Mat - Quick question, I recently joined a small residential structural engineering firm. We basically just inspect existing issues within homes and recommend improvements (cracks in block foundation walls, improper framing, over-spanned beams, undersized or under supported beams, small exterior deck designs etc..). It's a bit of a niche area and since we're not typically analyzing or designing an entire home from scratch, what do you think is the best software to use? We draft our own floorplans and callouts in autoCAD. I'm assuming Forte looks like a good option for member sizing etc.. Any other recommendations?
Thanks for the video Mat. Currently, I use Eurocode (European Standard), and Autodesk software (Revit, Robot structural analysis, not ETABS or other programs) to maintain annoying export and import problems between programs. But the question is, now in 2020, is Robot Structural Analysis an actual software like ETABS? or is it worth studying ETABS?
Haven't had enough experience with Robot, but software is just a tool, there's lot's of varieties and is highly dependent on the industry/firm. If I can learn one software, I can learn any software, at least that's my attitude and how I market myself. Unless you're specifically trying to position yourself as a [specific software] specialist. For example, you can spend hours learning ETABS, but if the firm you work for doesn't use it, it's worthless unless you can persuade them to buy it.
Computer softwares are just tools. I have been using Etabs for almost 5 years and I could assure you that Autodesk software is a way better than any other softwares in that it’s a full-package deal that you don't have to bother to learn any else. Besides, results from Etabs and Robot are pretty similar at least for concrete structures.
@@ahmedal-sowaidi8074 I am civil engineer from Iraq and I agreed with you bro. I am an Autodesk Robot user since 2016 and the results are pretty good, specially for multi-story buildings (concrete or steel).
Mat, great video! I use a lot of different software but we predominantly use bluebeam to sketch as well. Your set of Tool Chest at 14:44 looks like it has everything! Did you get that off from somewhere?
15:24 Okay phew. I was worried Revit wasn't going to be mentioned. I've used it for club projects for a few years in high school and got certified so it, aside from AutoCAD, is the only Civil program I'm familiar with. (Though I made a very basic house model in SolidWorks my first year in high school, many lessons were learned) My neither my high school nor university has done anything with ETABS or worksheets though.
Anyone knows what programs would be suitable to work with where concrete is heavily used instead of steel (like in the gulf area)? Thank you for the video and I’m glad civil engineers have a channel like yours
As structural engineer 2008 to 2011 i used STADD PRO 2011-2015 I used etabs and safe 2015 to now robot i think etabs is very easy for preview analysis and design results robot very good but not easy don't forget Excel its very useful for civil engineer
What structural engineering software do you use?
pornhub
Esteem
Just Sap 2000 and Etabs 🙏😀
Do yoh recomend some new Software
Just putting it out there ... Midas Gen, Midas Civil and they have a bunch of stuff to even do Geotechnical designs like Midas Soilworks Midas GTS for member design there is Prokon. just one software that we use other than the ones you mentioned
Autodesk robot structural analysis and strand7
Hi Mat. I used to work in the structural engineering field back in1983 and 1984, as a design engineer. Wow, have things changes! We did all calculations by hand and used the steel and concrete codes for design guidelines. We did drawings by hand which was slow.
Ofcourse that would have been much much slower, but I bet that must have been too much fun! With extensive use of such softwares people are now not able to visualize properly and understand the force flow and behaviours. I think so much dependency is more a bane than a boon!
I use Ideastatica(for steel connections), Etabs(for buildings), Robot structural(liquid reteining structures), SAP2000(for coldformed systems), SAFE(for shallow foundations), and RAM Connections (for steel connections). Greetings from Nicaragua.
Thanks for sharing Tony!
SAP2000, ETABS, Autodesk Robot, Sofistik, Scia, Abaqus, Tekla. Most of them are widely used across Europe. Till now I have tried the first 3 for my undergraduate studies and I am planning to learn Sofistik or Scia to combine them with my master's dissertation. Keep up the good work on your videos Mat !!!!
Thanks for sharing Giorgos!
I mainly use ETABS and SAP200 for building analysis. Excel for member design. Filipino Civil Engineer here 😊
Awesome thanks for sharing! What building codes do you use in the Philippines?
@@MatPicardal NSCP 2015
Hello engr, why you choose to design on manual rather to design on software straight?
NSCP 2015 Based on ACI 318 and AISC
Mahal kita
Great Video. We use so many programs but it all depends on what projects we have and how specialized we become in our careers.
I was and offshore structural engineer for 15 years and we used SACS for all our steel structure design. The oil and gas industry is dominated by SACS. We also used many excel and mathcad sheets for local member designs and Abacus for FEA modeling when we had a really challenging thing to look at that traditional software couldn’t handle.
It takes a long time to become good with software and we can never forget to check ourselves with the basics that we learned in school. Structural programs are amazing but one character in the input file of many thousands can totally change the behavior of a structure and that can equal to misrepresentation of it.
Now the fun part. Structural software can be very expensive and a burden for a company to have lots of it. This is one of the challenges being a SE and we have to know how to do these problems by hand because fancy software is not always going to be available. Do not watch this video then relax in school because you think software is going to so it all for you. You must have a good understanding of the fundamentals so when the program produces a erroneous result you recognize it.
Also, just like when Microsoft or Apple does and update then messes up and then comes another update. Structural software is the same.
Etabs-for stability, shearwall, column and beam design.Steel design
Safe for floor and foundation design.
Autocan and BIM for drawings!
Thanks for sharing Julius, great to see what other engineers are using!
@@MatPicardal are these programs big in the US?
@@MatPicardal do you need structural engineer sir Mat? Im from the Philippines
Excel the most useful tool in civil engineering
Agreed
ms excel??
But if i gotta deal with gis survey data i use python. More flexible than excel.
I USED EXCEL IN STRUCTURAL DESIGNED & I MADE THE PROGRAM IN EXCEL..DON'T USED THE SOFTWARE IF YOU DID'NT KNOW THE PROGRAM ITSELF.
Mat Picardal
I’m a civil engineer but not strong with excel. Do you recommend any videos?
I'm in the oil and gas industry working for an owner and so I don't generally need software that can do entire buildings. I use RISA3D, RISAFoundation, Dimensional Solutions (great for reinforced concrete), Caesar II (for pipe), Struware -CodeSearch (it's like ASCE7 and the IBC in Excel format for determining loads... Highly recommend... Super cheap), HILTI PROFIS and RISAConnection. RISA can do some FEA too so thats pretty nice.
Thanks for sharing Lisa! Great to see what other engineers are using, especially if they are in a specialty field like the oil and gas industry.
Hi #MatPicardal I like structural engineering, I'm Civil Engineer. This topic about Structural Softwares is amazing, because I didn't know all alternatives that you showed. Congratulations for this information for all us! Greets from Quito-Ecuador!
Thanks Roberth! Greetings!
I am young Civil Engineer from India and I use Staad Pro/Etabs for Structural analysis and Design. Revit for Modelling of structure. Staad Foundation, SAFE and SAP 2000 for different elements like Foundation and Slab. Excel Sheet for any particular element design. For steel design I prefer either Staad or ETABS. AutoCAD for Drafting purpose. Also CSI Bridge, and MX Road for Bridge and Road works
General Building: ETABS
General Analysis: SAP2000
Steel: STAAD Pro
Concrete: Midas Design+
Anchors: Hilti Profis
Retaining wall: ASDIP Retain
Wood: Tekla Tedds
Coldformed: CFS
Mark-up drawings: Foxit Phantom
BIM: Revit (not used)
Staad Pro for analysis + Fitzroy Scale for design is what I use....Might seem tedious but you get to appreciate the Design processes
Thanks for the share! Great to see what other engineers are using!
Mostly SAP2000 for analysis, but I'm trying to introduce Robot to my office. Lots of spreadsheets programming, but this requires a lot of time if you have a different condition so you have to adjust the spreadsheet to make it work.
Revit is my go to for modeling and drawing, once you get used to it your productivity increases a lot, especially when preparing construction plans.
I have never heard of bluebeam revu but it looks incredibly intuitive and that's great to communicate with steel contractors or so, to make sure that your design is clear to everyone.
Thanks for the video
Thanks for sharing Fernando, I've heard of Robot, haven't been able to use it extensively, how's it working for you and the buildings you're designing?
@@MatPicardal it is a long process because my boss is so used to SAP2000 and I'm still learning robot, but from what I understand you can easily communicate between Revit and robot so changes on each model should be reflected in the other.
Still SAP2000 is pretty useful because it now has integrated the Costa Rican Seismic Code so we can easily change response spectrums according to the project without importing from a file and making sure that the txt format is correct (the decimal separator is a pain to deal with if a computer has a different setting)
Please do a video on end releases vs boundary conditions and weak axis and strong axis bracing. I get all this very confused and it’s very important getting this right in design software.
Super cool that you work at DCI. Two of my three company owners used to be Principal Engineers at DCI, I've learned a ton from them. I have used pretty much all the same programs as you and maybe that's why haha
as a structural engineer in Botswana (africa), i used AutoCad & Prokon. i recently start learning Etabs, it is easier and user friendly but i am still struggling interpret its results
Thanks for the comment! Yes, ETABS takes a while to interpret, even then, at least in the U.S., we still have to watch out for some of the outputs/data it doesn't get right all the times. Always be aware of the black box.
Very good info. Personally, I heavily rely on Revit Structural packet, also Hilti for footings. Definitely interested in checking out RAM concepts and PT slabs. For connections, I have actually been using FEA from inventor and fusion, since you can easily import 3d joint model back into Revit as part of joint family.
Thanks for sharing and your insights Victor, really interesting to see what other engineers are using in the industry!
Hy! greetings from Brazil!
Im civil Engineering student and here in Brazil a very popular software for general design and structural analisys is the ALTO QI EBERICK. We have another one called TQS for general design and structural analisys too. REVIT is very popular here too, a lot of architects and civil engineers use it.
Thanks for sharing Rafael!
You should give example videos for designing a structure on E tab & RAM
I use SAP2000, Etabs, RAM Connection, autocad, sketchup (for 3D view) and MS excel
Awesome, I've used those as well!
Wht is the difference between etabs and sap2000
BIM Revit is the future. Get to know it.
Being a Geot I use SlopeW, Plaxis, Wallap and VDisp.
Thanks for sharing! Great to see what other engineers are using.
We are mostly using Revit, Robot Structural analysis and advance steel.
Thanks for comment! Great to hear, been hearing Robot a lot lately.
wood too!
In the Philippines, especially in Cebu, most of them are using ETABS or SAP2000. But if you go south (Mindanao), only STAAD.pro is widely known, even in the academe. Don't know much about in the north though.
Thanks for sharing Joel! Good to know what other engineers are using!
Excellent comprehensive summary.
Funny how I've been using Bluebeam for year now and I just found out you can draw in it as well haha!
Thanks Mat
What??? How !?
Drawing with a stylus?
@@MatPicardal Using predefined shapes in the Tool Chest. Although I checked today and I realized that your Bluebeam has more engineer oriented shapes like the I-section and the section cut tag that you showed. Are those part of a plugin?
@@neli8892 I've just never had the need to use such functions in the way suggested by Mat ,that is, to help a drafter understand what I need. I do all of my own drafting once the drafter sets up the plans so that could be part of the reason haha
RISA 3D for masonry
ETABS for concrete and steel design
Revit structure for steel and concrete detailing
Thanks for sharing!
Visual Analysis 12 for beam design
RAM Concept for concrete slab, especially for PT slabs
RAM Structural Systems and TEKLA Structural Systems for building design
REVIT for drawings
Excel Spreadsheets for pretty much everything else
Thanks for sharing Darren! Great to see what other engineers are using!
In france its mostly Autodesk- Robot Stutural Analysis, Revit and Cbs Pro
Thank you so much
Thanks for the share! Great to see what other engineers are using.
Great video. I've been involved in some very tall and difficult cold-formed steel designs, and I trust the RSG software much more than I trust the Simpson software. This is an anomaly for me as I trust all things Simpson usually, but cold-formed steel is intense and can buckle in a million ways. The Simpson software just feels too much like a black box.
In Venezuela, Etabs/SAP2000/Safe are mainstream, also Robot Structural Analysis; but in some Universities you can find Staad pro and ram connections; nevertheless this trend has changed over time because of the emergence of other software and client/architects requirements; as for today I can safely say that it varies with the structural design firm, in my case: Etabs/Safe for RCC structures/slabs/shallow foundations and steel structures, Lpile for deep foundations, Etabs/Tekla Tedds for cantilevered retaining walls, Robot Structural Analysis for pre qualified steel frame connections, Idea Statica for non conventional steel frame connections, Revit/Naviswork for BIM and Autocad for drawings.
And on the personal side, I'm looking forward to learn Tekla Structures and Midas Gen
Thanks so much for sharing! Great to see what others are using!
I use MidasGen, Design+, CSICol, Ram Connection, PLS-CADD, TOWER, PLS-POLE
Thanks for sharing Ian! Great to hear what others are using!
Thank you for this video. I am a Civil Engineer and planning to specialize in Structural Engineer. Your videos are very informative and helpful. Please continue posting videos as this well help a lot of aspiring Structural Engineers like me to continue with this path.
Great video! I use Etabs for analysis and every design of the elements even the slabs(at least for buildings) safe for foundations and sap2000 for structures in general. At work we trying to get into robot structures because its interaction with revit but we still testing. On the other way, it will be great talking about prices too because all we know that these softwares are expensive and it is not easy for some offices (at least in my country).
Thanks for sharing Andre, great to hear from other engineers. Let me know your experiences with Robot when you get a chance, it seems interesting. Haha, yes, software prices are definitely a thing for any firm, they seem to keep going up and up.
thank you for sharing. may i ask you is it enough for me to learn robot Instead of learn sap ,safe and etabs . i am still student and i want to learn analysis software from now i already learn rivet as structural modeling. i am asking you because when i ask some one about this, he said that i have to learn safe, etabs and asp as ones . thanks
@@salehomarsalehbazyad6614 yes of course robot is enough to do all work, specially for detailing. I am working on robot since 2016
all doubts in my mind are cleared after watched your videos.Thank you for the information.
Glad I could help!
Hello man. I'm Mengsrean from Cambodia. I'm your fan. Nice to see you on UA-cam.
😍😍
in Brazil we use TQS, SAP 2000 and Eberick
Very informative..keep up the good work!!!..looking forward to more
Thanks for the support Len!
Hey mat this video left me a little scared u listed of this many softwares and I have heard like 4-5 of them, but THANKS for the information, looks like I have a lot to learn now.
Lots to learn! Don't worry, you'll learn them eventually. It may not even be that many depending on the firm you end up in. More importantly, learn how to check what the software outputs to you. If someone asks you, how do you know those outputs are correct or reasonable? Then you should have some idea/backcheck. This could be checking base shear by hand, simple tributary load take downs by hand, checking mode shapes, checking bending/shears/moments by hand or simpler software, comparing to similar projects, etc.
@@MatPicardal thanks mat, your content is really useful.
Adding this comment to appreciate your effort on this video. You discussed the use and power of the softwares well. You even gave the alternatives for some. Great video! Thanks for sharing your experience!
I am currently trying to learn Staad Connect. Will try aome of these softwares after.
Hi Mat.
I am grateful that you had the time to make this video. Can you provide me with any reference about how to write a scientific research. Thanks again
Unfortunately, I'm not a great resource for that. I haven't been involved in much thesis/scientific research work.
Well I am a retired civil engineer these days. I'm amazed at how far structural design software has progressed. What I want to know is whether these new engineers can design these structures if they didn't have these structural design software. Do they just accept the output or do they scrutinize the output design ?
I am happy you made this comment. Most of these softwares have issues or sometimes we don't use them properly so I have made it a habit to carry out manual checks just to be sure. I also read a lot so I understand how the structure is supposed to behave when loads are imposed on it.
Without these hand calculations, it is just garbage in garbage out.
Agreed, that's what the younger generation has to ask especially with these softwares. It's a double edged sword. We need to be performing sanity checks and making sure the outputs make structural sense and if the models are behaving the way we would expect.
Eu utilizo muito o SAP2000. Me atende perfeitamente.
Its nice to see someone else in the area (I'm in Irvine, CA myself) with seemingly identical experience/exposure to product types. I'm working primarily in high density housing right now. Up to 6 levels of wood over up to 3 levels of concrete. Just getting into running all the PT and punching shear on both the podium & mat slab using custom spreadsheets as well as ADAPT's PT/RC program. In the future, we'd like to move into using Adapt Builder and model the entire concrete portion of the structure - a huge hurdle to get over, to say the least! On another note, have you considered making a video of the other complications we engineers go through: architectural, mechanical, plumbing & electrical coordination. Coming to an agreement with all the other subs on location of soffits for ducts and plumbing as well as placement of electrical panels, etc.
Kevin Shannon
We do multi-family projects as well, been using Builder and ADAPT-PTRC for many years. Yeah builder is quite the learning curve! It's much better than it used to be for sure, but still a bit buggy. If you haven't had the need to switch over yet, maybe wait one more year or use one job as a test job to start some momentum. I'd say I'm faster in builder now than even PT-RC, but to get to that point took a lot of practice and headache!
Very nice video, very useful content! Thank you!
Sap2000, ETABS, SAFE and MS Excel + AutoCad (plus Lisp and Autocad-based programs Kata pro, Ketcausoft)
If you are based on Europe:
Design: Tekla Structural Designer + Tedds, Robot, CYPECAD (only for Spain)
BIM: Revit, Tekla Structures
Connections: IDEA statica
Anchors: Hilti & Rawplug
Drafting: AutoCAD.
Parametric Design: Rhino + Grasshopper
Hello Engr. Mat picardal, I make use of Orion for my Structural design, and looking forward to also improving myself by learning some more. Good job mat.
sir could you make video on hybrid RCC masonry structure
Hi Guys. "XTRACT" is a very simple and powerful tool that allows you to do all kind of sectional analyses such as: P-M interaction diagrams, capacity 3D surfaces ( for any type of columns) and moment-curvature analysis to model plastic hinges that can be easily exported to Excel and then imported to softwares such as SAP 2000 or ETABS to perform Push-Over analysis when using performance based design approaches. It is mainly used in the bridge design industry but I think it has useful applications for buildings as well.
Thanks for sharing Alex! I briefly used XTRACT during my graduate studies at UC San Diego, and it was definitely a powerful software.
As concrete engineer
I use mainly etabs,spcolumns and revit
I dont think that i used softwares other than those
Thanks for sharing! Great to see what other engineers are using.
I mostly use Oasys GSA for building analysis and Oasys AdSec for concrete section checking; Excel and Python for general calculations and scripting
AxisVM, Etabs, Plaxis AE, for analysis and Nemetschek Allplan for drawing, but of course I use excell and SMath as well.
Hello Mat! I've been waitching tons of your structural videos and learned alot from it. Thank you so much and keep up the good work! 😊
Quick question, where do you live in the Philippines?
Thanks Jez! I live in California south of the Los Angeles area. I was born in the Philippines though, fortunate enough that my parents took me to the US when I was very little.
We use etabs, midas, local software pkpm and yjk in China. Pkpm and yjk are like automatic miniature camera, so easy to use for most common structures.
we use YJK, PKPM, 3D3S, ETABS, Midas, ETABS, SAP2000, ABAQUS, LSDYNA do strutural analysis in china.
Thanks for sharing! Really interesting to see what other engineers are using.
Thats great. Thanks for sharing
i was using robot for the genral structure analysis at first then i discovered etabs safe and sap2000 that i'm using now for that because its waaaaay easier to exploit the info they gave and faster , i only use robot for beams put the loads see if the beam is good and do the reinforcement there
Sir I've tried to try to use etabs to solve my previous seatwork in structural analysis using portal frame method, and etabs have generated smaller shear,axial and moment values compared to my manual solutions. Sir, I hope on your next video you'll be solving some easy 2d frames and show to us the generated values using etabs and using manual solution.
Here are some great programs being used in Germany:
- Sofistik
- RFem
- Infocad
- Scia
- Frilo
- MB Baustatik
Thanks for sharing Daniel!
I am still in college, the software that I have learned is SAP2000, StaadPro, Autodesk Robot, and i will learn others software as long as i can
Thanks for your sharing, hope you alway good to make more video,
From Vietnam
Appreciate the support Dat!
Great Video man! I've been searching for the same video for many years. Now you answered all my questions in one video, thank you so much. But you mentioned several softwares! Do you use all of them to structural design? I mean is there a software for all those applications you explained about?
Thanks Amir,
It's a lot of software, yes, but I don't use all the ones I mentioned and it will depend on the firm that you work in. For example, some firms may use ETABS for almost everything including gravity/lateral analysis and design, while other firms may prefer using ETABS only for analysis, and import those results in another software.
As a new engineer, don't worry too much if you're not familiar with the software, you'll eventually learn how to use it. I'd be more focused on asking yourself this important question after using a software you're not familiar with: "How do I know the results that (insert software program) is giving me look right?"
Learn how to create your own gut checks, this could be in the form of checking the base shear by hand and comparing it, checking to see if the bending/shear moments look right, doing a simple hand calculation and comparing it to the computer results, checking the results in another software program, looking at other projects that are similar and seeing if you're getting similar sizes, etc.
@@MatPicardal Hi, thanks for your response. It was helpful. ❤
We all are waiting for your next videos ...
Great!! I only know fews...
Hoping that you'll do some tutorials from at least one of those softwares 😁
Thanks, considering it!
We use CYPECAD. Mozambican Engineer here 🇲🇿
StaadPro for steel design, ORION for reinforced concrete works and excel for structural elements.
I pretty much use all of those programs, except for the concrete slab design. My firm’s managers don’t delegate that type of work very often. We use spreadsheets for beam design but I am interested in trying out the member design software you mentioned.
SCIA and Dlubal RFEM/RSTAB (mostly for Germany, Switzerland, Austria) and AxisVM and Etabs (for the whole Europe) let‘s say. And for BIM, ALLPLAN is the way to go.
Steel strctural buildings , obviously more efficient in building process. Together with the curtain glass walls . All that installation works , screw and bolts. But , how about the floors ? Normally what materials used for it , precast concrete slabs ? or any other suggested lighter materials ?
Staad pro is widely used in middle east for steel structure members and connection design
Hey I’m a junior majoring in civil engineer and my question to you is that you named a lot of software, where did you learn to use all these? Did someone had to teach you when you first got your job or how does it work? As you know in university they teach us very little information about all these critical stuff that we should be learning instead.
Generally you'll learn to use some program in the context of your major when you're taking analysis and/or design classes. For example, my school used STAAD and to a lesser degree SAP2000 and Risa. You'll pick up a lot of others when you start working somewhere depending on your company's preferences and the type of work you do. It really doesn't matter where you start as long as you understand the basic mechanics behind what's going on because at the core these programs are more or less all the same. Understand matrix analysis, understand the finite element method and the rest is just learning how a specific program wants you define the geometry, apply section and material properties, boundary conditions, etc...
Hi Henry, it's a lot of software, yes, but I don't use all the ones I mentioned and it will depend on the firm that you work in. For example, some firms may use ETABS for almost everything including gravity/lateral analysis and design, while other firms may prefer using ETABS only for analysis, and import those results in another software.
As a new engineer, don't worry too much if you're not familiar with the software, you'll eventually learn how to use it. I'd be more focused on asking yourself this important question after using a software you're not familiar with: "How do I know the results that (insert software program) is giving me look right?"
Learn how to create your own gut checks, this could be in the form of checking the base shear by hand and comparing it, checking to see if the bending/shear moments look right, doing a simple hand calculation and comparing it to the computer results, checking the results in another software program, checking mode shapes, looking at other projects that are similar and seeing if you're getting similar sizes, etc.
Great points Jared!
IdeaStatica for component based finite element steel connection software for special cases not defined by AISC, I haven't tried RisaConnection though 😉
Hi can I explain more about ideastatica, I'm using descon for steel connection design, in what way it differs
Can you please
I have used Descon before. What differs in IdeaStatica is that it can capture the strain and stress of the connection elements because it utilizes FEM thus it can do connections that are very unusual, or if you want to verify your load paths and design assumption. While Descon can only do the typical connections like having a fancier spreadsheet. You can search Ideastatica online for more info.
Thanks for sharing Almario, great to see what other engineers are using.
@@ganeshnatarajan848 Hi, IDEA StatiCa is using FEM (CBFEM to be precise) to map the forces/stresses and then apply the standard checks to satisfy the code. The difference is that it can do it not just for standard templates but for a huge variety, more info: www.ideastatica.com/steel/
i use autocad and staad pro most and also etabs my question to you is i recently go a macbook pro and can i use all these softwares on mac system
Sir make a video on column orientation and position in the building. How to decide that?
Good work Sir. I use PROTA STRUCTURES . It's easy to use.
Thanks Paul, been hearing about Prota alot also.
@@MatPicardal please check it out. Is it recommended?
Hi. This is Flamur, thanks for the guides Mat-e.
Glad I could help!
The company I work for only has staad pro and etabs...these are the only one I can learn.
Hi Mat, i used Tekla in Turkey for steel structure design. I need to learn ETAB. Am now back to my county which is Niger
Hi engr. Big fan of ur videos. Am a new graduate engineer and i would like to know where to start after receiving the architectural drawings. Which softwares to start with. Thanks
You forgot “woodworks” for wood. Does members, connections, shearwalls, and load take downs. Also, NCMA has a pretty easy to use program for most masonry members.
Thanks for sharing Kevin! Great to see what other engineers are using.
I use staad pro, Autodesk Nastran in-cad, sap2000, enercalc, pencil and paper
Another very useful software is prokon. Very easy and effective to use for analysis and even design even steel joint design
Thanks for the share!
Question: How much do Revit professionals make in comparison to Structural Engineers? And how widespread is BIM in reality?
Tbh, that's a LOT of software... I thought there were only about 8 softwares... (ETABS, Revit, SAFE, Excel, AutoCAD - yea, I was that dumb)
But it's good to know that they've a software for everything. Thanks for making this video. I wouldn't have realized how much I actually have to learn otherwise.
Hi Razi, Revit professionals generally make less than structural engineers in the U.S., but there are a few firms now that actually have career paths for engineers that want to go into BIM/Revit route. Smaller structural engineering firms that work on small projects won't typically need BIM/Revit, but medium/large firms that work on bigger projects, I see it becoming the norm.
It's a lot of software, yes, but I don't use all the ones I mentioned and it will depend on the firm that you work in. For example, some firms may use ETABS for almost everything including gravity/lateral analysis and design, while other firms may prefer using ETABS only for analysis, and import those results in another software.
As a new engineer, don't worry too much if you're not familiar with the software, you'll eventually learn how to use it. I'd be more focused on asking yourself this important question after using a software you're not familiar with: "How do I know the results that (insert software program) is giving me look right?"
Learn how to create your own gut checks, this could be in the form of checking the base shear by hand and comparing it, checking to see if the bending/shear moments look right, doing a simple hand calculation and comparing it to the computer results, checking the results in another software program, looking at other projects that are similar and seeing if you're getting similar sizes, etc.
@@MatPicardal Thanks for the insight Mat.
So I should be doing more practice problems in courses like RC design and Steel design, to train for correct intuition?
Etabs and sap200ñ work perfectly in us and LATAM. In Europe we use rhino, tekla and etabs sometimes
Thanks for all the information.I have two questions, how many of these softwares you learned at undergraduate level? and do you get time to work on structural research?
Hi guys.
You do not use Tekla Structures for creating 3D models (drawings/reports etc.)?
In my honest opinion it's way ahead Revit currently...
Thanks for the suggestion HyperGrid, been hearing Tekla alot.
From where you have learn tekla structures?
for massonry wall, ciment bloc, etc, MASS is pretty good and cheap.
STAAD Pro :D
STAAD RCDC for concrete design
STAAD Ram Conenct for Steel Connections
Excel for Isolated Footing (Edge, Corner and Center)
Now I'm trying to learn ETABS, SAP2000, SAFE and Tekla :D
awesome video...very informative.
Hi Mat - Quick question, I recently joined a small residential structural engineering firm. We basically just inspect existing issues within homes and recommend improvements (cracks in block foundation walls, improper framing, over-spanned beams, undersized or under supported beams, small exterior deck designs etc..). It's a bit of a niche area and since we're not typically analyzing or designing an entire home from scratch, what do you think is the best software to use? We draft our own floorplans and callouts in autoCAD. I'm assuming Forte looks like a good option for member sizing etc.. Any other recommendations?
Thanks for the video Mat. Currently, I use Eurocode (European Standard), and Autodesk software (Revit, Robot structural analysis, not ETABS or other programs) to maintain annoying export and import problems between programs. But the question is, now in 2020, is Robot Structural Analysis an actual software like ETABS? or is it worth studying ETABS?
Haven't had enough experience with Robot, but software is just a tool, there's lot's of varieties and is highly dependent on the industry/firm. If I can learn one software, I can learn any software, at least that's my attitude and how I market myself.
Unless you're specifically trying to position yourself as a [specific software] specialist. For example, you can spend hours learning ETABS, but if the firm you work for doesn't use it, it's worthless unless you can persuade them to buy it.
Computer softwares are just tools. I have been using Etabs for almost 5 years and I could assure you that Autodesk software is a way better than any other softwares in that it’s a full-package deal that you don't have to bother to learn any else. Besides, results from Etabs and Robot are pretty similar at least for concrete structures.
@@ahmedal-sowaidi8074 I am civil engineer from Iraq and I agreed with you bro. I am an Autodesk Robot user since 2016 and the results are pretty good, specially for multi-story buildings (concrete or steel).
Mat, great video! I use a lot of different software but we predominantly use bluebeam to sketch as well. Your set of Tool Chest at 14:44 looks like it has everything! Did you get that off from somewhere?
Thanks Marcel, those are custom tools, but look around the Bluebeam forums, their might be some weld/steel tool sets floating around.
@@MatPicardal saw this reply 1 year later haha!
Surprised he didn’t once mention autodesk robot structural analysis
Sir also do video on the career opportunity for civil engineers when compared to engineers ( especially software engineer )
15:24 Okay phew. I was worried Revit wasn't going to be mentioned.
I've used it for club projects for a few years in high school and got certified so it, aside from AutoCAD, is the only Civil program I'm familiar with. (Though I made a very basic house model in SolidWorks my first year in high school, many lessons were learned)
My neither my high school nor university has done anything with ETABS or worksheets though.
For a beginner which general software is the best for design and analysis for 2-7 storey building or residential?
Anyone knows what programs would be suitable to work with where concrete is heavily used instead of steel (like in the gulf area)? Thank you for the video and I’m glad civil engineers have a channel like yours
I am using Autodesk Robot structural analysis
As structural engineer
2008 to 2011 i used STADD PRO
2011-2015 I used etabs and safe
2015 to now robot
i think etabs is very easy for preview analysis and design results
robot very good but not easy
don't forget Excel its very useful for civil engineer
Thanks for the insights Ebrahim!
Can u teach me Etab?
As a civil-engineer should one be able to use all of them or else which ones are mostly used in the industry in our days ?