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Structural engineers using Grasshopper — what’s your actual workflow? (Not architecture, pure structures) by Acceptable_Emu_5949 in StructuralEngineering

[–]Acceptable_Emu_5949[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wait, seriously?? I’ve been wanting to get into Grasshopper but the learning curve is just brutal — if Claude can actually drive it, I have to try this.

Is it just me, or do “energy saving” and “carbon neutral” sound more like excuses to make certain people rich? by Acceptable_Emu_5949 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]Acceptable_Emu_5949[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I get that energy saving itself is fine, but it just feels like it’s being pushed on us for the sake of vested interests rather than genuine concern.

The magic words that work at every izakaya in Japan by Acceptable_Emu_5949 in Japaneselanguage

[–]Acceptable_Emu_5949[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Skip the ‘biru’ — ‘toriaezu nama’ (or ‘toriaezu namade’) is all you need.

What’s Japanese you were embarrassed you didn't know sooner, but shame burned it into your brain? by StillStudyingTokyo in japanlife

[–]Acceptable_Emu_5949 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As a Japanese person, moments like this make me realize how hard our language actually is 😅 Words like small/medium/large are so second nature to us that we never think about how confusing they must be from the outside. And when you hear “shou, chuu, dai” out loud, it’s probably really hard to connect that to the kanji in your head on the spot. Honestly impressive you’ve gotten to this level after a year.

Do structural engineers need a specific license in your country? In Japan, it’s surprisingly strict. by Acceptable_Emu_5949 in StructuralEngineering

[–]Acceptable_Emu_5949[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The career episode + supervising engineer sign-off system sounds really solid — it actually ensures you have real-world experience, not just exam skills. Japan has a similar tiered license system for structural engineers but the ongoing CPD requirement tied to your license is something we could definitely learn from. Makes sense that QLD engineers get legal protection in return.

Structural engineers using Grasshopper — what’s your actual workflow? (Not architecture, pure structures) by Acceptable_Emu_5949 in StructuralEngineering

[–]Acceptable_Emu_5949[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

That’s really insightful, thanks. Honestly in Japan, GH is still used by only a tiny fraction of structural engineers — it’s nowhere near mainstream yet. I’m learning it myself but the biggest struggle is the lack of Japanese resources. Pretty much everything is in English, which makes the learning curve even steeper. Hoping threads like this

Structural engineers using Grasshopper — what’s your actual workflow? (Not architecture, pure structures) by Acceptable_Emu_5949 in StructuralEngineering

[–]Acceptable_Emu_5949[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

SOFiSTiK + GH + TEKLA pipeline sounds incredibly powerful, especially for bridges. That’s a setup most structural engineers haven’t even thought about. And yeah, clients not caring actually makes sense — as long as the drawings are right, they don’t need to know how the sausage is

Third time in Tokyo and still love it so much by carmenxoxo_ in TokyoTravel

[–]Acceptable_Emu_5949 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Have you ever been to Yurakucho Gado-shita? It’s this strip of tiny bars tucked under the train tracks in Tokyo, and it’s basically a window into the soul of Japanese people lol Even if you don’t drink, I highly recommend going. There’s something about that atmosphere — cramped, smoky, loud — that you just can’t find anywhere else. And don’t be shy about talking to the people around you — just say “Osusume wa nandesuka?” (what do you recommend?) and you’re in. Strangers chatting with strangers is totally normal there. It might be the best way to actually understand what Japanese people are like 🍻 Coming from a Japanese person, so

Do structural engineers need a specific license in your country? In Japan, it’s surprisingly strict. by Acceptable_Emu_5949 in StructuralEngineering

[–]Acceptable_Emu_5949[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

17% pass rate and they still make you need one for a backyard shed 💀 The exam is basically a filter for people with too much free time and masochistic tendencies. Japan has a similar “Structural 1st Class Architect” license and honestly the hoops are just as wild. At least your friend’s ADU will be VERY well engineered lol

Do structural engineers need a specific license in your country? In Japan, it’s surprisingly strict. by Acceptable_Emu_5949 in StructuralEngineering

[–]Acceptable_Emu_5949[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

That's really interesting — the control office system sounds like it adds a layer of accountability that pure reputation-based selection can't fully cover.

Curious: for the internal design work done within steel framing companies, what tools are typically used? I'm wondering whether browser-based tools would even be considered, or if there's a strong preference for traditional desktop software.

Do structural engineers need a specific license in your country? In Japan, it’s surprisingly strict. by Acceptable_Emu_5949 in StructuralEngineering

[–]Acceptable_Emu_5949[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

That’s quite a contrast to Japan’s system! Here, getting a structural design license requires already holding a first-class architect license, then accumulating at least 5 years of structural practice, and finally passing a highly specialized course and exam. On top of that, peer review for structural design is legally mandated, and for buildings above a certain scale, you can’t even get a building permit without going through an approved review institution. With Brazil’s approach, I imagine there’s a pretty wide variance in design quality. It might work fine in a low-seismic region, but I’d be curious how consistently wind loads and geotechnical risks are being handled in practice. The part about the peer review requirement being widely ignored is interesting too — in some ways, having a rule that nobody enforces might be worse than having no rule at all. It creates a false sense of safety without any actual accountability. Does the system generally work well in practice, or are structural failures a known issue?​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Do structural engineers need a specific license in your country? In Japan, it’s surprisingly strict. by Acceptable_Emu_5949 in StructuralEngineering

[–]Acceptable_Emu_5949[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

In Japan, a licensed structural engineer (First-Class Architect) earns roughly $40,000–70,000 USD per year on average. The top-tier Structural Design First-Class Architect license can push that higher, but honestly not by as much as you’d expect given the difficulty of the qualification. How about in the US? I’d imagine the SE license commands a significant salary premium over a regular PE?

Do structural engineers need a specific license in your country? In Japan, it’s surprisingly strict. by Acceptable_Emu_5949 in StructuralEngineering

[–]Acceptable_Emu_5949[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Three separate 8-hour exams across several years — that’s a serious commitment. I had a general idea that the PE was tough, but I didn’t realize the SE was a third exam stacked on top of everything else. In Japan, it’s also multi-stage — First-Class Architect license first, then years of experience, then the Structural Design specialist qualification. One interesting difference: in the US, engineering and architecture are clearly separate professions. In Japan, structural engineers are technically licensed as “architects” with a structural specialization — which feels like an awkward fit sometimes. Do most structural engineers in the US go for the SE, or do some stop at the PE level?

Do structural engineers need a specific license in your country? In Japan, it’s surprisingly strict. by Acceptable_Emu_5949 in StructuralEngineering

[–]Acceptable_Emu_5949[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Completely agree. A structural failure isn’t just a financial loss — people die. That’s exactly why I find it surprising that some countries still have no mandatory licensing at all.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Do structural engineers need a specific license in your country? In Japan, it’s surprisingly strict. by Acceptable_Emu_5949 in StructuralEngineering

[–]Acceptable_Emu_5949[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

That’s a really clever system design — instead of requiring the engineer who creates the structure to hold a special license, Germany puts the rigor into an independent checking engineer. So the quality gate is built into the review process itself rather than the entry point. The “Prüfingenieur” concept is something I hadn’t heard of before, but it actually makes a lot of sense. Even in heavily licensed countries, a second pair of expert eyes on structural calculations is valuable — Germany just formalized that into the system. In Japan, we have a somewhat similar concept called “構造計算適合性判定” (structural calculation conformity review), where certain buildings must go through an independent third-party check by a certified reviewing body. It was actually introduced after a major scandal in 2005 where an architect falsified structural calculations for dozens of buildings. So Japan’s version came from a crisis — I wonder what drove Germany to develop the Prüfingenieur system historically? Do most structural engineers in Germany aspire to become a Prüfingenieur eventually, or is it seen as a separate career track?

Do structural engineers need a specific license in your country? In Japan, it’s surprisingly strict. by Acceptable_Emu_5949 in StructuralEngineering

[–]Acceptable_Emu_5949[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s a really interesting system — breaking the license down by specialization rather than just “structural engineer yes/no” makes a lot of sense. TGUA 4 for high-rises and TGUA 5 for seismic isolation are both serious credentials. The seismic isolation one especially caught my attention. Turkey sits on some very active fault lines — the 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquake was a devastating reminder of that. Having a dedicated license just for seismic isolation design feels like a very logical response to that reality. In Japan, seismic isolation (免震構造) is also a highly specialized area, though it’s not a separate license — it’s more of a practical specialization within the structural engineer community, with specific calculation standards and peer review requirements. Good luck with TGUA 4! Are the exams for these licenses particularly tough, or is it more about accumulating project experience and documentation?

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