The structural analysis is one of the most important and delicate for an engineer: the continuing evolution of laws and their interpretation makes the work more complex.
For this reason it is often (if not always) resort to the aid of a software, which is also regularly updated.
The cost of this type of software is prohibitive for those who are beginners (starting from 1000 € minimum), with the risk of choosing the product does not fit the activity that takes place. Fortunately, most manufacturers of these programs the opportunity to try them, albeit with limited functionality.
'll hardly have to start planning a mega-structure, the more often we will face common types of buildings and not too large. For this work, you may want to invest in a full-featured software or rely on the limited but functional versions of the same software.
without dwelling too much on many software around, briefly describe the two that I use or have used, with the premise that both are used for business purposes (not all are trial versions):
- Pro_SAP , 3D modeler that can operate up to 150 nodes, calculates and generates in executive RC, steel, masonry and wood.
- Edislim , calcolo e generazione esecutivi in c.a., fino a 20 montanti e 3 livelli.
Come si vede per iniziare a lavorare vanno più che bene.
Per strutture più semplici (balconi, scale, muri di sostegno, ecc..) basta implemantare i calcoli in un foglio excel o calc. In uno dei prossimi post metterò dei link a sheets ready and downloadable for free.