Top Ten Software used in Civil Engineering

Most of Civil Engineers are curious about choice of the software they have to learn. How many and what kind of software they must know to become a good civil engineer?? If you are one of them, then you are on right platform – just make your check list and begin your journey right now.

However, you may know some or all of them because they are user friendly and very popular.So on the basis of the need mention above,Top Ten Software are listed as follows;

1. Microsoft Office

There is no need to explain that how important this software is. It is obvious that none of the person can start his professional career especially office work without knowing the importance and usability of Microsoft Office products like MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint and list goes on. If you want to become a good Civil Engineer your top most choice for software should be Microsoft Office.

2. “ AutoCAD ” and “Google Skecthup”

The most powerful resource to express your imagination is to write down, to draw or to plot them. But in each and every case you must have a tool and a medium to show what you think. Same is with the AutoCAD, No doubt it is the most popular Software in Architectural world but it has the same importance for the Civil Engineering as well. As your imagination for structures first comes out from the Layout, Plan, 2D and 3D Views which are made most widely with none of the other but AutoCAD.

For Beginner’s or quick need civil engineers we also suggest “Google Sketch up Pro”. It is very easy and user friendly because here you have to deal with the tools available with icons which are easy to understand as compared to the commands. You can extrude your 2D into 3D just by picking up a Tool, then just a single click to pull and it’s done.

3. SAP 2000

Sap 2000 founded about 30 years ago and is the most widely used structural software in Latin America, Portugal, Italy and Spain. It is also very popular in Asia and UK as well. In parallel the second most widely used software are StaadPro, ETABS and Risa 3D.

However, the grids provided in SAP makes it easier to create the geometric input than with the StaadPro or any other software of the same kind. Dynamic analysis is stronger in SAP2000 for example earthquake force applied in any direction, automatic lumping of masses for earthquake, live load reduction, bridges transient loads, eigen modes and ritz modes, etc. it has facilities for creep and shrinkage of concrete. Its ability to solve heterogeneous soil-structure interaction clearly differentiates it from others.

4. CSI SAFE

SAFE is the ultimate tool for designing concrete floor and foundation systems. From framing layout all the way through to detail drawing production, SAFE integrates every aspect of the engineering design process in one easy and intuitive environment. SAFE provides unmatched benefits to the engineer with its truly unique combination of power, comprehensive capabilities, and ease-of-use.

5. Primavera Project Planner

Primavera Software, Inc., the company behind Primavera, is a leading provider of Project Portfolio Management (PPM) solutions for project-intensive industries. The company was recently acquired by Oracle.

Primavera offers best-in-class solutions focused on the mission critical PPM requirements of key vertical industries including engineering and construction, public sector, aerospace and defense, utilities, oil and gas, manufacturing and high tech, and IT and services.

Primavera PPM products, together with Oracle's project financials, human resources, supply chain management, product lifecycle management, business intelligence, and infrastructure software are expected to provide the first, comprehensive Enterprise Project Portfolio Management solution. This solution is expected to help companies optimize resources and the supply chain, reduce costs, manage changes, meet delivery dates, and ultimately make better decisions, all by using real-time data.

6. MXRoads

As said by the officials of Bentley MXROAD;

Bentley MXROAD is an advanced, string-based modeling tool that enables the rapid and accurate design of all road types. With MXROAD you can quickly create design alternatives to achieve the “ideal” road system. Upon selection of the final design alternative, MXROAD automates much of the design detailing process, saving the user time and money.

7. Pipe 2012

Pipe2012 is a seamlessly integrated suite of software which includes the engines KYPipe, Steam, SWMM, Gas, Surge, andGoFlow. For forty years, KYPipe has developed and provided support for pipe system hydraulic flow analysis software. The strength and flexibility of the Pipe2012 suite of engines has made KYPipe an industry leader and made their software the most widely used pipe system hydraulic flow analysis software in the world.

The Pipe2012 suite of software utilizes a consistent, intuitive Graphical User Interface; allowing the user to transition easily and efficiently between engines.

KYPipe's software development team provides free technical support for all Pipe2012 users. Unlocking the various engines included as part of the Pipe2012 package is as simple as a phone call.

8. “VectorWorks Designer” & “Rhino”

From the classroom and into your career in the real world of professional design, no software can give you all the design tools that Vectorworks does, at a price you just can't beat – that is “FREE”.

Vectorworks Designer with Renderworks is comprehensive. All the components you need to make your designs come alive are here. No jumping from platform to platform. From your first roughs to the final presentation, it's all here. Vectorworks also plays well with others. Importing and exporting from other programs is easy and seamless, to keep your work flowing through the entire design process.

It is flexible, versatile, intuitive and smart so that you can enjoy the freedom to design the way you want, work the way you think. You can create, model, and present with the one application and can join the community of world renowned designers.

On the other hand “Rhino” is Better, Bigger and Faster. The world's most versatile 3D modeler that handles bigger projects, faster, with more than 2,000 enhancements.

The Rhino 5 development process started more than five years ago with one overriding goal—to remove as many of your workflow bottlenecks as possible. That meant making Rhino faster and able to handle much larger models and project teams, in addition to making thousands of large and small improvements.

9. Mathcad

Mathcad by PTC®, the product development company, is the industry standard software for engineering calculations. It’s easy-to-use live mathematical notation, powerful capabilities and open architecture allow engineers and organizations to streamline critical design processes.

Mathcad presents calculations, text and images in an understandable format, enabling knowledge capture, reuse and design verification which results in improved product quality with faster time-to-market.

Mathcad lets you solve, analyze, document and share your calculations easily.

10.     “Visual Basic” & “HTML”

Above two are not actually the software you are thinking, these are more than software actually these are programming languages that contributes towards standalone and integrated software and websites.

Hundreds of high-level languages have been developed, but only a few have achieved broad acceptance, for example (QBASIC, FORTAN and Pascal). Visual Basic is an example of a graphical-based language. A graphical-based language allows the user to work directly with graphics. Visual Basic is a Microsoft Windows Programming language. Visual Basic programs are created in an Integrated Development Environmental (IDE). The IDE allows the programmer to create, run and debug Visual Basic programs conveniently. IDEs allows a programmer to create working programs in a fraction of the time that it would normally take to code programs without using IDEs.

Whereas, HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) is a basic need either if you want to spread your knowledge worldwide or to make people familiar about your Product or Company. With the use of HTML you can develop websites or start a new Blog where you can write and spread your content of knowledge/product/company more professionally.