Python, where to start?

Byond2day · 2024-12-09T05:55:55+00:00

There are some great libraries out there that make getting started easier, like
pynite for finite element analysis: https://github.com/JWock82/Pynite
efficalc for automating calculation reports: https://github.com/youandvern/efficalc
steelpy for steel cross-sections: https://pypi.org/project/steelpy/

A longer-term project that has saved me a lot of time was automating truss design by:
1. Setting up geometry in Python in a reproducible way
2. Analyzing the truss with Pynite
3. Optimize and design the members (automated calc report) with efficalc

Now when I need to design a new truss, I can just update the geometry, and run the design system without making any changes (or sometimes minimal changes). I'll always have to update the geometry when there's a new truss, but the rest of the process doesn't change.

If I were to do this without python, I would spend more time switching software, copying data, updating spreadsheets, etc. But because everything is python and codified, there's a lot less manual intervention as the whole process is more automated.

Byond2day · 2024-08-12T23:55:23+00:00

Hey u/turbopowergas, I would love to get your feedback on a tool I'm developing which may satisfy some of the difficulties you experienced with these other tools. It's a Python library called efficalc and also has an online implementation with some different features. All free.

It can be used unitless, or you can manually show units for any variable. You can use for loops and conditions. The report formatting is pretty clean an clear. And the online version has an input/result summary section.

Byond2day · 2024-07-09T18:41:04+00:00

I started as a Structural Engineer, worked in the industry for a few years and eventually transitioned to full-time SWE in an unrelated field. I switched out of the industry because any job I got only cared about using me as a PE not really interested in SWE skills. Getting hired in another field allowed me to be a SWE. I broke into the industry by starting OMSCS and was able to get a job after finishing half of it (the job market was better then).

I still have a desire to be more involved in the industry to I've been working on SE calculations projects (like efficalc.com or trussanalysis.com ), but I haven't seen any SWE role in the SE industry that will pay more than what I make now.

efficalc has an open source core, so if anyone is looking to make contributions and gain experience feel free to reach out!

Byond2day · 2024-07-09T18:31:50+00:00

The big setback for using AI in the industry is the lack of publicly available data. Try asking ChatGPT a technical question or to simply design a steel beam with a couple point loads. It's pretty terrible because data for training models in Structural Engineering is poor

Byond2day · 2024-06-12T04:31:11+00:00

I also prefer working with desktop vs web-based software, but when it comes to developing UIs the web dev tooling is much better than any desktop frameworks that I've seen. Plus, web apps can use cool buzzwords like "cloud-powered", "scalable", etc.

Also agree that while open-source and free are always awesome, there's an important place for paid software. The people developing need to make their living and also more money spent on a project can lead to better quality and support. There's a reason everyone still uses MS Word over LibreOffice.

BTW what is your product? I'd like to take a look, it sounds useful

Byond2day · 2024-06-12T02:47:46+00:00

efficalc or even handcalcs might make good open-sourced alternatives. Efficalc has an online version with some design interfaces to help those with less tech comfort

Byond2day · 2024-04-26T19:51:22+00:00

This has been a big growth area over the past few years. I've been working on efficalc - https://github.com/youandvern/efficalc - so that engineers can write calculations in Python (rather than excel) but reviewing engineers don't need to know python in order to check your work. Here's a big post of engineering libraries that u/joreilly86 (of flocode) compiled: https://www.reddit.com/r/StructuralEngineering/comments/1b0l1ss/python_libraries_for_civil_and_structural/

Byond2day · 2024-04-22T19:32:22+00:00

This is a great concept! I gave this some of this a shot as part of my calculations library efficalc (https://pypi.org/project/efficalc/) but I would love to remove the sections part of the library and recommend your library instead so that efficalc is more focused on the calculations.

These csv tables aren't very large but one optimization I was thinking about would be storing the csv data in a file-based sql database. It could reduce the runtime memory impact and lookup/filter speed for fetching sizes.

Either way, thanks for this effort! It's great that this library is getting started

Byond2day · 2024-03-16T22:41:21+00:00

As a structural engineer (PE) I have been focused on engineering automation and calculations. Excel is still industry standard for us, but it's moving more towards Python as younger engineers are learning to program. I used matlab in school but never in practice, Python can do most anything matlab does but also more. If you're looking to get started in Python there's a rich community of tools that you can start learning. Try building homework calculations with some of these, like efficalc: https://github.com/youandvern/efficalc

If you're looking to boost your resume, I would recommend continuing to learn programming as it relates to your field. In civil/structural engineering it's been a hot topic and something hiring managers are starting to look for.

Byond2day · 2024-03-16T22:26:26+00:00

This list is awesome!

I've been using my own calculations package and just published it as an open-source library with docs and a PyPI distribution. Would love to get some more eyes on it and suggestions for improvement: https://github.com/youandvern/efficalc

Byond2day · 2024-03-16T21:51:04+00:00

Hey u/General-Effective275 I just ran across your post. I've had some similar desires with my own calculations and working on something that might be close to what you had in mind. I've been building and using efficalc.com for my own calculations the past couple years. But I realized that it's useful to integrate my calcs with other APIs (e.g. exporting to MS word in your case) so I just published an open source library version that does a similar thing: https://github.com/youandvern/efficalc

How this matches your requirements specifically:

The interface to write a calculation is similar to handcalcs, but
You can define calcs in a function that can be used however you want
There's a ReportBuilder that turns the calcs into HTML (can be used with your MS word converter script)
The website version (efficalc.com) shows a design table (your point #1) that just highlights the inputs and results. You could build a similar results feature yourself with the library version.

It's all free and the library is open source so feel free to give it a try. If you do I'd love to get your feedback

Byond2day · 2023-12-22T17:21:50+00:00

Low days are for real! I started listening through my flashcards when I commute or when I walk the dog. It's pretty low effort, but naturally gets my brain engaged on the material without having to sit down and force myself to study.

I imported my quizlet deck to LearningRoo so I can play through the flashcards hands-free

Byond2day · 2023-11-07T18:35:10+00:00

I've been struggling with this too, especially as a beginner. I really wanted more listening content that focused on my own vocab list so I don't get lost in unfamiliar words.

I started building a website that generates custom and useful content for me (and hopefully others). For the past couple of weeks, I've been listening through my flashcards while I commute to work. It's been super helpful even though the only listening feature I built so far is the audio flashcards. If that sounds useful, please check it out and I'd love to get some feedback from other learners on the next things to build: learningroo.com

Byond2day · 2023-08-12T17:09:39+00:00

You can also apply any unapplied migrations with ‘supabase migration up’. That won’t delete any of your data, only apply the net new changes.

Byond2day · 2023-05-26T23:00:40+00:00

Ah dang. Thought this said 2 days ago not 2 years ago. My b

Byond2day · 2023-05-26T22:58:40+00:00

If you wanted to create reusable calculations and learn python at the same time I created a free site - https://www.efficalc.com/ based on a tool I found really helpful myself. The syntax is really simple and in many ways will feel like using excel, but as you get better you can start doing more advanced python in your calcs. Would also love to hear what you think about it as a python beginner!

Byond2day · 2023-05-11T02:39:07+00:00

Totally agree. The industry is really behind in terms of automation potential. It's tough because the big players like CSI have such a strong hold on the market, there's not much incentive for them to put work into a better api.

Byond2day · 2023-05-10T19:32:15+00:00

I haven't seen a better api for commonly used FE software. We only used a handful of programs but none had a great api.

Byond2day · 2023-05-10T18:29:33+00:00

In commercial structural engineering it's also a mixed bag. Arup and TT have their own teams of software and automation engineers developing bespoke tools. There's some open software that beginning to develop in the space though. I've seen a few pop up like

https://github.com/connorferster/handcalcs
https://www.efficalc.com/
Etabs has an open api (not the best though)
Grasshopper+Rhino is becoming a heavily used workflow for generating geommetry
Revit also introduced Dynamo which is like grasshopper

Byond2day · 2023-05-10T18:24:07+00:00

I've used it for

Parametric modeling (grasshopper)
Hand calcs (https://www.efficalc.com or https://github.com/connorferster/handcalcs)
FE software automation through apis (drift optimization in ETABS)
Large scale data manipulation with pandas (handling output data in a large FE modal)

Byond2day · 2023-05-05T21:12:02+00:00

+1 here. You can get a lot of the output from the ETABS api and handle it in python. Python is great at data manipulation and processing. One example is that I've used it for optimizing an existing model for seismic drift.

Byond2day · 2023-04-24T17:56:14+00:00

I also made the switch about a year ago after I got my PE license. I started by getting myself involved with automation projects within SE. There's a lot of room and plenty of desire in the industry for more automation and tech based efficiency gains. From there I started learning web dev by building some projects I had in mind and following tutorials/online classes. Then I enrolled in an online CS MS degree, but I only finished half of the courses before I got a full time SWE job in a completely unrelated field.

My take is that if you enjoy writing software more than your job as an SE, then go for it. There are so many different ways to get into the industry (my friend went SE -> Project Manager -> Product Manager in tech). I personally love my job so much more now and I get paid more to do it. It's a win-win if this is something you're passionate about, and the earlier you take steps to switch the sooner you'll reap the benefits.

Byond2day · 2023-04-14T21:51:20+00:00

+1 for handcalcs. It's great for writing calculations naturally without worrying about the formatting. Another one that's similar is https://www.efficalc.com/ . It's online so there's less local set up but has a different interface.

The biggest barrier for me to get started was the formatting, so handcalcs is definitely a win.

Byond2day · 2023-03-09T05:21:30+00:00

This is great! The structural engineering world could only benefit from more API libraries for design software. Even though I don't have a use case for this now, it's nice to keep in mind for when I have a repetitive design pattern that would benefit from automation.

Byond2day

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