Enercalc vs. Tedds (or other)
Enercalc vs. Tedds (or other)
(OP)
Hello all,
I am considering purchasing a structural software suite for my company (already have STAAD, Bently ADV FDN, RAM Connections) and I have only used Enercalc in the past. I like Enercalc, but I do not like the "black box" issue with the calcs. I read in some old threads from 2001 that Tedds is better and shows the formulas in the output for checking. I would specifically like to get feedback from people who have used both Enercalc and Tedds and could give some Pro's/Con's of each. I would also consider another software if there is something out there that just completely blows away Enercal/Tedds, but I would need some convincing. My work is in a petrochemical plant environment (typically small steel additions, spread footings, concrete grade beams, etc...).
I would like feedback in the next 2-3days as I need to make a decision fairly quickly. I have been given approval to purchase, just need to let them know the package to setup the multiple user licenses(sp?).
Thanks in advance,
I am considering purchasing a structural software suite for my company (already have STAAD, Bently ADV FDN, RAM Connections) and I have only used Enercalc in the past. I like Enercalc, but I do not like the "black box" issue with the calcs. I read in some old threads from 2001 that Tedds is better and shows the formulas in the output for checking. I would specifically like to get feedback from people who have used both Enercalc and Tedds and could give some Pro's/Con's of each. I would also consider another software if there is something out there that just completely blows away Enercal/Tedds, but I would need some convincing. My work is in a petrochemical plant environment (typically small steel additions, spread footings, concrete grade beams, etc...).
I would like feedback in the next 2-3days as I need to make a decision fairly quickly. I have been given approval to purchase, just need to let them know the package to setup the multiple user licenses(sp?).
Thanks in advance,






RE: Enercalc vs. Tedds (or other)
But, I'd also be interested in seeing what they've got. Is it just a series of pre-defined (but editable) calculation templates like MathCAD? Or, is it a series of pre-defined (but NOT editable) calculation templates like Enercalc?
RE: Enercalc vs. Tedds (or other)
RE: Enercalc vs. Tedds (or other)
We own a TEDDS license until they figure out we haven't paid our bill and then we will be getting rid of it. No one here uses it. Those that would prefer to use something like TEDDS over ENERCALC use MathCAD or make their own spreadsheets in Excel. I haven't spent a ton of time with it, but I wasn't terribly impressed. Doesn't seem nearly as powerful as MathCAD, but isn't as user-friendly as ENERCALC. Kind of in no-man's land in that regard.
RE: Enercalc vs. Tedds (or other)
RE: Enercalc vs. Tedds (or other)
RE: Enercalc vs. Tedds (or other)
It's harder to write your own equations in Tedds than in MathCAD, but the output is much nicer and they have built in modules, similar to Enercalc. You can write your own equations similar to MathCAD. Tedds updates their calcs with code revisions on a pretty frequent basis. They have a very large library of calcs that seem to be pretty complete for most common building elements. Request a free trial that includes all the modules. They may be willing to do that.
MathCAD is very nice for writting your own equations, but as JackBolt said, it takes time to keep up with code revisions, and you're on your own for checking your calcs. Also, there aren't very many pre-made sheets for common calcs.
I haven't used Enercalc in maybe 4 or 5 years, but back then it had some things that were easy to screw up and weren't very apparent that they were wrong when you did screw them up. Lots of people use Enercalc and I guess they update their software to take into account the errors that people find, so it may be better now.
If it was my money at stake, I would buy Tedds over Enercalc. I don't think there's anything Enercalc can do that Tedds can't. The bonus is that you can write your own equations in Tedds.
RE: Enercalc vs. Tedds (or other)
Is there anyone who really prefers Enercal over Tedds? If so, please give me some reasons. So far, the feedback for Tedds is ahead.
RE: Enercalc vs. Tedds (or other)
http://eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=322513
There are others too I believe
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MAP
RE: Enercalc vs. Tedds (or other)
FWIW, our office switched from Enercalc to Tedds a few years ago. At the time, Enercalc had become far out of date relative to the current codes. When they finally released an update it was terribly buggy. The black box format made it too difficult to verify output, so we dumped it. While Tedds performs a few calculations a bit differently than I would, I can easily make the changes and move on.
RE: Enercalc vs. Tedds (or other)
RE: Enercalc vs. Tedds (or other)
RE: Enercalc vs. Tedds (or other)
RE: Enercalc vs. Tedds (or other)
Re: Enercalc code issues and program lock ups. The current version is very supported right now and there are no Code issues that I am aware of. I have been using enercalc for going on 10 years now. I have no (read "ZERO") experiences with crashed or locked up screens on a systemic level. Running this from WIN98, WIN-NT, WIN-XP, WIN-vista (OK maybe some crashes on Vista:), and WIN-7 (64 bit). I even have it running on a virtual WIN-XP inside Win-7 from time to time. I still use the Enercalc 5.8 too for analyzing foundation wall stresses.
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MAP
RE: Enercalc vs. Tedds (or other)
RE: Enercalc vs. Tedds (or other)
EIT
www.HowToEngineer.com
RE: Enercalc vs. Tedds (or other)
RE: Enercalc vs. Tedds (or other)
1) ENERCALC is a completely different product than it was 3-5 years ago. We have had problems with lockup but they are largely gone. They are due to the highly complex multi-threaded user interface system becoming out of sync.
2) Presenting all the details of a calculation is hard. With so much capability and so many load combinations to run the detailed output can be endless. We don't offer endless information because 30 years of experience has taught us you don't need it. We put in everything we think is needed and keep adding based on user requests. We offer different levels of printout detail and try to list all relevant results in tables.
3) The software itself will detect an update about every 2-3 weeks, however the update installer on our web site actually has new builds far more often. It's a balance between annoying the user with updates and supplying the most up-to-date software we can.
4) Our documentation consists of more than 50 training videos, 600+ pages of documentation, and a FAQ system. Plus our technical support is highly available. It's a large software package and we keep adding to it.
Chris Conrad, P.E.
Director of Development
ENERCALC, Inc.
Web: www.enercalc.com
RE: Enercalc vs. Tedds (or other)
Here is an example of the increased power of mathcad. I like using mathcad to do bulk solving. For example, I have a program that I built which can solve and design 25 skew beam connections at once (actually I can solve as many as I like, but 25 is my default). This is very nice because I can put all the input into a simple excel box inside the mathcad sheet and all connections are designed simultaneously, this makes calculation preparation and review much simpler and keeps the paper consumption to a minimum when I print a physical copy of the calculation.
M.S. Structural Engineering
Licensed Structural Engineer and Licensed Professional Engineer (Illinois)
RE: Enercalc vs. Tedds (or other)
Regarding Tedd's, I tried a demo a few years ago and did not like it. I was trying to find a replacement for MathCad which I had heavily invested in but got worn down with dealing with the new program owners. I still would like to use my many older MathCad sheets but not sure the latest will run them or if the company has changed hands again or not.
RE: Enercalc vs. Tedds (or other)