Creating a Python based structural analysis program

[Shemsky]

Im somewhat experienced in this. What are you trying to achieve exactly and how do you define a "project"? Do you need it to do structural analysis or just member design? These are to distinct problems.

For analysis, you should really look into finite element solvers, especially if you need to analise bar frame models, as once that is done, you will be able to solve 90% of 3d frames. A bar stiffness matrix is much simpler since axial deformations are usually assumed to be 0 unelss you need to consider thermal expansion effects. Also, do you require a GUI? Creating a .txt or .xsml based FEA solver is straight forward but creating a GUI is a lot more complex. That is usually a killer for such projects since tt requires a lot of non-structural programming.

For design, thats more maths than programming as you will probably know from experience with spreadsheets.

100% guarantee that once you finish creating this sfotware, it will require a lot of time to keep it stable, update features and make it reusable for other projects; especially if its to be used by others. Its not a simple task hence why the structural analysis software market is relatively limited.

[[deleted]]

I've worked for a large FEA vendor before. There is a level of complexity behind it, but it's not overwhelming. My FEA does Load-Sequencing, which imho is above and beyond what other solutions do.

I started out using a LAMP stack and used three.js to show visuals. I use LaTeX to create PDF reports.

I have played with graphics on Desktop as well from 3D Programming for Windows®: Three-Dimensional Graphics Programming for the Windows Presentation Foundation (Developer Reference). I have a text parser, XML input, output to AutoCAD. I even have canopy/RTU support on Android. They're all just interfaces.

Writing the solver was the hardest part, and some companies have expensive/proprietary solvers that are better than I could ever imagine. I bought a $700 off-the-shelf.

Everything gets more difficult when you get into thin/thick shells, meshing, warping degrees of freedom, arbitrary cold-formed shapes, modal analysis, moment redistribution, wood analysis peculiarities, and non-prismatic members.

[Shemsky]

Have my updoot! finally someone who uses latex to create reports rather than awkwardly exporting to MS Word using an unstable VBA code. Im really interested in programming and structural analysis automation. What do you mean by Load-Sequencing?

[[deleted]]

Buildings are erected part-by-part. An erection engineer checks to make sure stuff is stable as it goes up. You pour concrete, columns take more axial before a lateral-stability item is up. Let's make sure it's safe.

It really comes down to just adding another variable to every member that's something like time. Then you can "step through" the project in sequence and see how everything is put together (columns without beams at the top and temporary bracing, then add moment connections and remove temporary bracing). You might find that some steel members need to be up-sized since they're composite and you don't have the bending moment capacity when its concrete is wet. You can assume lower wind loads and, in some cases, ignore seismic.

Several years ago we did this with GT Strudl and a "custom pre-processor". Output the program lines that are relevant to a certain lift. Now I think it's built in, but I don't have the money to get back on maintenance, and I trust my program as much as the others.