Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Feb 28, 2013 2:59 pm Can anyone tell me what software structural engineers use when designing the structural members like bearers/joists/lintels etc for a new house build? I assume it's an expensive piece of software, however I would imagine there would be a free or cheap copy/equivalent? The reason I ask is that I want to play around with designs to get the most economical design possible(open plan living -but avoid steel etc) and doing this on a back and forth basis with an engineer would be costly. At the end of the process, I just want to hand them something to review and confirm. On the building design side, can anyone recommend a cheap or free softwar like CAD that automatically renders quality 3d images of the facade and internals? Thanks in advance Re: Structural Engineer Question 2Feb 28, 2013 3:23 pm A lot of joist and bearer design is done using design tables rather than keep running through a computer. There are some design tables here: http://www.tabma.com.au/resources.php The Harder You Try - the Luckier You Get ! Web site http://www.anewhouse.com.au Informative, Amusing, and Opinionated Blog - Over 600 posts on all aspects of building a new house. Re: Structural Engineer Question 3Feb 28, 2013 4:41 pm bashworth A lot of joist and bearer design is done using design tables rather than keep running through a computer. There are some design tables here: http://www.tabma.com.au/resources.php Thanks. I figured there was a bit of that going on as well. Makes it a lot more tricky to work out from a relative novice in structural building design though....particularly when I'm trying to work out how to get around a 10x7 open plan room and working out how whether it's economically feasible to do a skillion roof at a similar cost to standard truss roof.. Can you recommend a good 3d visualisation program? Do the architects/draftsman use programs that render the images off the elevations? or do they create something from scratch? Re: Structural Engineer Question 4Mar 01, 2013 9:55 am Most engineers etc for small scale residential will consult their span and load tables but draw sections in 2D only which is what you will receive as structural drawings so I doubt any of them will supply you with 3D stuff. A lot of it will be cut and paste from previous jobs. For 3D viz most guys will draw it all from scratch and then render in something like Revit, Autocad, Archicad and similar. These all cost $3500-$5000 and up. If you want something free for 2D and 3D, then look at Google Sketchup. It also has an online library of models users have made then uploaded which you can use for free too. Whatever you choose , you should look at one that exports to.dwg or.dxf as ANY Cad program can open those two. You can save your drawings then hand a digital file to the engineer who can then view them and use these as the basis for his drawings. This will make it cheaper for you. As for the framed vs truss roof. Just draw a floorplan and elevation of the area in question then take it to a truss company and ask them for a quote for both supply only or supply & install. Using a conventional framed roof and span tables work out what size and quantity of rafters, purlins etc you'll need. Do a search here on the forums and you should get a rough idea of how much to allow for labour for the framed roof. Stewie 3 6402 The engineering is the engineering. It's irrelevant how much material you have. Unless it fits the requirements of your design the engineer can't "make"it work. You might… 7 9687 |