Calculators and Spreadsheets
Calculators and Spreadsheets
2
medeek (Structural)
(OP)
I've decided to consolidate some of the many spreadsheets and online calculators I've coded in the last couple of years in one place and bring some order to the mess:
http://design.medeek.com/resources/resources.html
All of the spreadsheets can be unlocked without a password so they can be further customized or improved. I am always open to suggestions and feedback on any of these. My idea is to provide a resource for other engineers that is built upon the working knowledge and experience of practicing engineers.
http://design.medeek.com/resources/resources.html
All of the spreadsheets can be unlocked without a password so they can be further customized or improved. I am always open to suggestions and feedback on any of these. My idea is to provide a resource for other engineers that is built upon the working knowledge and experience of practicing engineers.
A confused student is a good student.






RE: Calculators and Spreadsheets
RE: Calculators and Spreadsheets
Some of the diagrams are created interactively using SVG. For graphs I generally use a perl module called ChartDirector by ASE.
The PDF output for the reports is generated using Prince.
The online calculators are coded in Perl, with a mix of SVG, HTML, Javascript and whatever else I need to get the job done (ie. AutoLisp, KML etc...). I use Perl since it has such a huge library of modules available, it seems like someone has already done it before regardless of how seemingly bizarre the task.
My truss calculator needed some good tools to handle the matrix deocomposition for the matrix analysis I was programming into it. Sure enough there were a number of modules to pick and choose from. The only thing Perl is not particularily good at is interactive websites, for that I lean more towards javascript.
For the calculators that interact with the API or toolbox I also use MySQL as a database.
A confused student is a good student.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, PE
www.medeek.com
RE: Calculators and Spreadsheets
Most of these are geared toward the residential structural engineer.
The most recent is the diaphragm and sheathing calculator:
http://design.medeek.com/resources/diaphragm/DIAPH...
http://design.medeek.com/resources/diaphragm/DIAPH...
A confused student is a good student.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, PE
www.medeek.com
RE: Calculators and Spreadsheets
Your pages have made me curious about the possibility of using python backends with a browser frontend. What I find even more interesting about this is that there are some great ways to use excel and python together these days. Im wondering if it would be possible to use excel/python for quickly developing and then eventually moving to a nice polished web app without doing a ton of re-writing. Anyway, just thinking out loud here I guess. I'm considering going out on my own which would mean developing a lot of new tools from scratch.
I shared your site with a colleague and he was impressed as I was. I will be sure to give you some feedback if we get much opportunity to use your calculators more.
RE: Calculators and Spreadsheets
My first big project working with Excel was to write a spreadsheet that automatically created the reports and calcs for cranes on ocean vessels (oil exploration).
The amount of calculations involved and variables at play was ridiculous but the spreadsheet actually worked. For someone to get back into that spreadsheet and understand it would have been a nightmare. It took me nearly a month to create the spreadsheet, but in the end it could create a report in minutes what it used to take a couple of engineers an entire week worth of manual calcs.
I'm essentially doing what you are suggesting with Python, I'm running a Perl backend with an HTML frontend. I've also contemplated interacting with Excel but up until now flat text files have been just as easy and more robust for my applications. From what I understand Python is an excellent language for what you want to do and is very comparable to Perl and PHP. The problem with writing your own apps is a lot of time is spent on the interface and the report generation, so be prepared for that. However, once you have generated the code that creates your "templates" it does get easier. The important thing to remember is to try to keep things modular and reuse as much code as possible.
A confused student is a good student.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, PE
www.medeek.com
RE: Calculators and Spreadsheets
http://design.medeek.com/resources/wind/WIND_ANALY...
http://design.medeek.com/resources/wind/WIND_ANALY...
This one is still very much a work in progress. I still need to add the domed, stepped, multi-span and sawtooth roofs as well as data for Fig. 30.4-2A and Fig. 30.4-5B.
I then need to add the open building roof types Fig. 30.8-1 thru 30.8-3.
Currently data and calculations are available for the following figures in ASCE 7-10:
Fig. 30.4-1
Fig. 30.4-2B
Fig. 30.4-2C
Fig. 30.4-5A
A confused student is a good student.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, PE
www.medeek.com
RE: Calculators and Spreadsheets
I really appreciate all your input. Hopefully I will get some time to work on some of these ideas soon.
RE: Calculators and Spreadsheets
RE: Calculators and Spreadsheets
Perl is server side, javascript runs in the browser. The downside with javascript is anyone has access to your code.
A confused student is a good student.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, PE
www.medeek.com
RE: Calculators and Spreadsheets
One thing I forgot to mention was about how you lay out your pages in your spreadsheets horizontally. I don't know why but I always laid them out vertically which can really make formatting difficult if you want to adjust some cell widths. Im going to have to give that a shot. Not to mention that it makes more sense considering almost all monitors are wide screens these days.
RE: Calculators and Spreadsheets
A confused student is a good student.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, PE
www.medeek.com
RE: Calculators and Spreadsheets
http://design.medeek.com/calculator/changelog.html
A confused student is a good student.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, PE
www.medeek.com
RE: Calculators and Spreadsheets
The MWFRS wind loads are calculated using the Envelope Procedure (ASCE 7-10, Chapter 28) Part 1. I could have used the more involved directional procedure (Chapter 27) but I noticed that most Mitek shop drawings show the Envelope Procedure so I followed suit. Most of the code for this addition to the truss calculator was borrowed from my existing wind load calculator so the programming was actually minimal and only required some minor tweaks to incorporate it into the main program.
A couple days previous I also added an algorithm for calculating the self weight of the truss based on the NDS values and the volume of steel from the plates. Interestingly the steel plates actually do account for about 5-6 lbs on your typical fink truss, more than I would have thought.
A confused student is a good student.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, PE
www.medeek.com
RE: Calculators and Spreadsheets
A confused student is a good student.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, PE
www.medeek.com
RE: Calculators and Spreadsheets
http://design.medeek.com/resources/snow/snow_calcu...
A confused student is a good student.
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson, PE
www.medeek.com