×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Favorite Wood Design Software

Favorite Wood Design Software

Favorite Wood Design Software

(OP)
I am doing research into what wood design programs are available. I was wondering if there is a program for wood design similar to the RAM structural system. We are doing both typical and custom houses. We currently do all our wood design by hand or with spread sheets. The building officials in my area are starting to request calculations for residential structures (though I don’t know why but that is a different topic) and I was hoping to automate the process.

I am aware that the woodworks design package is available from American Forest and Paper. I have downloaded the evaluation version and used it briefly. Does anyone out there use it? If people are using it, what do they think of it? Does it make designing easier? Is it better for small houses or more complex structures? Does if making submitting calculations easier? Is there a better program out there?

I am not really interested in simple spreadsheet type programs or single beam programs. I can write my own spreadsheets for that. I am looking for an integrated design program.

Thanks in advance for any help

tfl

RE: Favorite Wood Design Software

tfl-
I use Woodworks sometimes.  It does take away some of the tedious work for the shearwalls portion of the program.  I still use the older 2000 version, which means I calculate lateral loads by hand (Mathcad template).  A shortcoming though, in my opinion, is that it doesn't deal effectively with skewed walls or tri-level type structures.  You end up needing to do more engineering to tie things together.  They say the 2005 version will address this.

RD

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources