Workflow & tools
Load takedown: spreadsheet vs software
Spreadsheets are flexible and free but slow on geometry; software automates tributary areas and stacking. Here is an honest comparison and when each one wins.
Elena Marchetti··4 min
Workflow & tools
How to read a structural floor plan
A structural floor plan tells you the grid, the supports, the spans and the loads. Here is what each element means and what to extract for a load takedown.
Elena Marchetti··5 min
Workflow & tools
Tribby3d alternative: StructLoads compared
Looking for a Tribby3d alternative for tributary areas and load takedown? StructLoads is a free, browser-based option. Here is an honest comparison of the two.
Elena Marchetti··4 min
Load paths
What is a transfer beam?
A transfer beam carries a column or wall that stops part-way down and redistributes its load to supports below. Here is what it does, why it is used, and how load flows through it.
Elena Marchetti··4 min
Codes & standards
Roof live load vs snow load
A roof carries both a minimum roof live load and a snow load, and the larger governs. Here is the difference, how each is found, and which one to design for.
Sam Rivera··4 min
Load paths
Lintel load calculation, explained
A lintel carries the wall and floor above an opening. Here is how to find its load, the triangular masonry-load idea, and a worked example for a door or window head.
Sam Rivera··5 min
Workflow & tools
How to check a load takedown
Four quick checks catch most load-takedown errors: area balance, reaction ratios, total load, and units. Here is how to run each one and what a failure tells you.
Elena Marchetti··5 min
Workflow & tools
Free structural engineering software for students
Students need tools that teach, not just compute. StructLoads is a free browser tool for load takedowns and tributary areas, with no install and a visible formula trace.
Elena Marchetti··4 min
Workflow & tools
Manual vs software load takedown
A hand load takedown teaches the method and stays transparent; software is faster and exact on geometry. Here is an honest comparison and when each one is the right call.
Elena Marchetti··4 min
Workflow & tools
How to do a load takedown fast (and check it)
Speed in a load takedown comes from drawing once and checking smart. Here is the fast workflow and the three checks that catch most errors.
Elena Marchetti··4 min
Fundamentals
One-way vs two-way slabs: which tributary model to use
Whether a slab spans one way or two changes how load reaches the beams, and what shape the tributary areas take. Here is how to tell them apart and when the distinction actually changes your numbers.
Sam Rivera··6 min
Fundamentals
Triangular and trapezoidal loads on beams
A two-way slab loads its beams with triangles and trapezoids set out by the 45-degree rule. Here is where the shapes come from, the equivalent UDL, and a worked example.
Sam Rivera··4 min