Software to learn metallic structures
By excellence, calculation and design of structures is one of the most difficult subjects in the architecture and engineering career. Knowing how they work, understanding the basic concepts, and performing appropriate mathematical operations is not an easy task!
Although over the years technologies have appeared that help better understand how metallic and architectural structures work, the training is complex.
Today we present three educational structure programs completely free. Interactive 2D and 3D simulators created by Gennaro Senatore, which can make the difference between not understanding anything or knowing what we are doing, in a simple way.
What do you need to know about these structure software?
These programs are free and are made by Gennaro Senatore, who is the Director of Research (Intelligent Structural Systems) at the Institute of Lightweight Structures and Conceptual Design (ILEK) at the University of Stuttgart. Additionally:
- They are programs for learning how structures work and “playing” with them, whether assembling or manipulating them.
- They are installed on the computer. We will need to download the software.
- For the programs to work correctly, we need a PC or Mac with the latest version of Java installed that you can download HERE.
- The 3 programs are on the official page of Gennaro Senatore that you can download from HERE by clicking on the image corresponding to each software. You can also see the simulators on Expedition Workshed.
From here, we add information about each of the programs to learn structures…
1.- PushMePullMe 2D to manipulate structural shapes
We are facing a dynamic software that allows manipulating metallic structural shapes to provide an understanding of their behavior under a load.
By moving your own mouse, you can mimic a load and see how it acts on the design observing the resulting reactions in real-time on the structure. Summary video of the software to learn structures:
⚠ What educational models are in the 2D structural software?
There are different frames, beams, and cantilevers. You will find all the following interactive models in 2D:
⚠ How to install the program:
- Remember, we need a PC or Mac with the latest version of Java installed to run PushMePullMe.
- Download the PushMePullMe program from the official page of Gennaro Senatore.
- Unzip the PushMePullMe folder
- Run each example by entering the folder. For example:
Additionally, for a better understanding of how calculations are made. There are guides in PDF format that you can consult from HERE (Section PUSH ME PULL ME WORKSHEETS) and they refer to:
- Guide to the sign conventions used in the Push Me Pull Me models
- Worksheet 1: Linear modeling of real structures
- Worksheet 2: Beam deflection
- Worksheet 3: Deflection of two-dimensional frames
- Worksheet 4: Relationship between load and reactions
- Worksheet 5: Reactions and shear force diagrams
- Worksheet 6: Bending moments and shear force
- Worksheet 7: Deflected shape and bending moments
Remember that we have an article about a physical game to learn structures that is great.
2.- PushMePullMe 3D to create structures
This software to learn structures allows you to build, alter, and manipulate 3D structural designs, both metallic and architectural.
The program’s engine is capable of calculating integral stress fields and displacements, including rigid body motion, for cables, bars, and beam components in real-time.
The tool continuously calculates the force balance in the deformed shape, facilitating shape detection and improvement. An example:
⚠ What educational models are in this 3D software to learn structures?
In this case, you start from “zero”. A blank canvas where you can create 3D structures and apply different options to manipulate the drawing (You can Export/Import drawings). As an option, from this YouTube channel playlist they have some types of structures and how they were created:
Learning to use the program takes a bit, it is advisable to watch the videos from the attached list from the basic to the complex structure
Some of the most important features of this software are:
- Build structures using elements with flexural, shear, torsional, and axial stiffness.
- The engine has been validated and compared with known analytical solutions.
- Analytical plotting of stresses, reaction forces, bending diagram, shear diagram, and displacements.
- Drag and drop to dynamically change the element type and support type.
- Multiple selection window for elements, nodes, and loads.
- Apply/edit (magnitude and direction) uniformly distributed loads.
- Apply/edit (magnitude and direction) point loads.
- Dynamically resizable grid plane for drawing geometry.
- Integrated browser (Revit style) for drawing in 3D.
- Import/export geometry as DXF, in 3DM (Rhino4). And export to jpeg, pdf.
- Runs in its own window that can be resized and put in full-screen mode.
⚠ How to install the program:
- Remember, we need a PC or Mac with the latest version of Java installed to run PushMePullMe.
- Download the PushMePullMe program from the official page of Gennaro Senatore.
- Click on the downloaded file. When the security message appears, click the “Run” button and check the “Do not show this again” box.
- A new icon will appear on the computer screen “PushMePullMe”, you just need to click to open the program.
3.- CATASTROPHE to see how structures collapse
In this case, the program is designed to answer a question… How many elements can you remove from a structure before triggering a disaster?
It is a dynamic software that allows you to modify structural shapes, offering a view of how structures react when subjected to loads in real-time.
⚠ What educational models are in this 3D software to learn structures?
Here, you also start from “zero”. A blank canvas where you can create a 2D structure, apply forces, remove elements, and see how it collapses. It is advisable to watch the previous video to see how it works, it is simpler than PushMePullMe 3D.
⚠ How to install the program:
- Remember, we need a PC or Mac with the latest version of Java installed.
- Download the Catastrofhe program from the official page of Gennaro Senatore.
- Unzip the Catastrofhe folder and enter Catastrofhe Windows > Catastrofhe (It is the application to click to run the program)
- The canvas starts blank so you can build a structure and “play”.
From an educational perspective for engineering and architecture, these small programs on learning how structures work can be very useful, take advantage of them!
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