BSA Committee on Design Software
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8. Building Engineering Software - Solar, Energy, HVAC, Structural
Solar Analysis / Advice Software for Architectural Practice :
Energy10
EnergyPlus
Solar5
NREL - National Renewable Energy Laboratory = http://www.nrel.org
CREST - Center for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technology = http://www.crest.org
ASES - American Solar Energy Society = http://www.ases.org
Microshadow - DesignWorkshop Pro Sun Study ---- http://www.energydesignresources.com/
Ecotect = http://fridge.arch.uwa.edu.au/software/index_default.html
Solar Simulation Software for Architectural Research :
DOE-2 Plus
Blast
ASEAM
Organizations with advice about solar and energy analysis software :
NREL
CREST
ASES
Also see Sun Study Software 6. Lighting / Daylighting / Sun Study Software
Structural :
Beam Design
Frame Designer
StruCalc
Woodworks ---- The American Wood Council = http://www.awc.org
MaxBeam and MaxQuake/MaxWind = http://www.gry.com/arch/
CADEcomp ---- Cade Systems, Kooweerup, Australia = http://www.cadesystems.com.au
User Comments :
Microshadow - DesignWorkshop Pro Sun Study ---- http://www.energydesignresources.com/
In a related environmental design development, our joint project with EPCOT of Tokyo to create the first live 3D interactive solar access analysis tool is bearing long-awaited fruit. Unveiled on September 1 at the AEC Systems Show in Tokyo, and scheduled to ship in Japan in early October, the DesignWorkshop Pro Sun Study edition will bundle DesignWorkshop Pro with our customized version of the Microshadow solar analytical module for under $2500. We're planning a less costly version of Microshadow for the US market, leaving out specialized features for Japanese building codes and focusing on the general functions like shadow outline plots, cumulative shadow contour plots, and the interactive 3D sun scale. If this sounds like something you could use, please let us know at the E-Design Forum (see above) or by email to "support@artifice.com"
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2000
From: "John Daglish" <john.daglish@vnumail.com>
Calculating Shadows -Software
Some good software to do this is Ecotect, building science software - energy calcs, shadow analysis will even automatically design the perfect sunshade for a given set of times and dates, acoustics, etc. It has a built in parser so you can draw lines from equations,...for the builtin 3d modeller, will accept dxf inputs, outputs including vrml ,...Needs some setting up the climatic region if not Australia. Very powerful, a bit complex and it doesnt cost a lot. Check it out
http://fridge.arch.uwa.edu.au/software/index_default.html
John DAGLISH eco-tecture, baubiologie & permaculture email: john.daglish@vnumail.com
Date: Thu, 25 Nov 1999
StruCalc is the best program I have found which I would consider very user friendly and not in the stratosphere in terms of price. It is a Windows program and has a fill-in-the-blank system for entering data. Output is in both beam diagram form and typed calculations with reactions, moments, shear values and whether the selected beam fails or is OK. Will also show a variety of beams to work for a given set of load conditions if one specific beam size is not critical. Is set up for the parameters of all three model building codes. You pick the code and the program knows the limitations and requirements of that code. The program is very "architectural" friendly in that one does not have to be a structural engineer to operate it or to enter data. It takes over the tedious task of many trial and error manual calculations to structuring a building.
I have tried about 4 or so other similar programs, both for Windows and for DOS (BeamChek is one that I can recall), but none coming up to the professional quality of StruCalc. I even use StruCalc over the Trus Joist-Macmillan TJBeam program (which is free from them), because StruCalc is simpler to use. StruCalc is a program by Cascade Consulting out of Oregon. Their toll free voice number (or at least one year ago it was this number) is 800-279-1353. Their other locational particulars are: P.O. Box 1617, Corvallis, Oregon 97339; toll free fax number (800) 279-1354.
The latest version I have is 4.05 and it was updated on 11/18/97 to handle the 1997 UBC, 1997 SBCCI, and the 1996 BOCA codes. I bought the program about two years ago for (I think) $295. For my work, it paid for itself on my first project. The program calculates joists, rafters, beams, roof beams, multiple loaded beams (uniform loads, point loads, triangular loads, all on one beam or individual beams), columns, concrete strip and pad footings. It has built in selections for good 'ol stick lumber, plywood web joists, laminated veneer lumber, glulams, and steel. It's LVL lumber selections are from three or four of the national manufacturers of LVL products; just pick a product and the program knows the structural design values to use. Lumber is selected by desired species and quality (construction, utility, select structural, #1, #2, #3) and the program database knows what the Fb and E for each selection should be. That's enough or StruCalc will think I am hinting for a commission. David Porter AIA David Porter Assoc.-Architects inc dpa-arch@gate.net Palm Beach Gardens, FL USA Voice (561) 694 -0100
Date: Tue, 7 Mar 2000
From: "Gene Hughes" <comtek@lightspeed.net>
The only drawback in StruCalc is that only simple span beams can be calculated.
Take a look at the Sizer module of Woodworks by the American Wood Council, http://www.awc.org . Woodworks has two other modules - --Connections and Shearwalls, all three of which are downloadable as demos.
Another structural program to consider is Archforms' MaxBeam and MaxQuake/MaxWind at http://www.gry.com/arch/
A review of Woodworks, MaxBeam/MaxQuake, Strucalc, Enercalc and Keymark(expensive) appeared in the April '98 AIA East Bay Chapter Newsletter, found online at http://www.aiaeb.org/newsletter/1998/apr98d.htm Of these, I have seen a demo of the MaxBeam/Quake (excellent for lateral loads, shearwalls and hold downs) and Keymark --very impressive, but also very expensive ($380/month license fee, yes per month)
Date: Thu, 9 Mar 2000
From: "David Anderson" <kdraft@dcsi.net.au>
CADEcomp is another excellent structural engineering program. It comes from Cade Systems in Kooweerup Australia. CADEcomp runs on Win' 95-98 & NT. It calculates columns & beams in many timber or steel sections and automatically creates a member schedule, diagrams and full report with all the engineering data. The member schedule can be exported as a DXF. CADEcomp calculates with options of single span or up to 5 continuous spans with cantilevers. Just fill in the gaps with the loading, span & member details and away is goes.
A FREE demo can be downloaded from http://www.cadesystems.com.au or full version costs AU$795.
David Anderson, Korumburra Drafting, Australia
Struc Plus bundles their SPTools drafting utilities with every sale, upgrade, or cross-grade of IntelliCAD 2000. More info from http://struc-plus.com