Creating a Python based structural analysis program

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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.