Workflow & tools
How to export a load takedown report
A load takedown is only useful if you can hand it over. Here is how to export it as a PDF, Excel or CSV, what each format is for, and what a good report contains.
Elena Marchetti··4 min
Workflow & tools
Best load takedown software, compared
Which tool should you use for a gravity load takedown? A fair comparison of StructLoads, dedicated tributary tools, calc platforms, full analysis suites and spreadsheets.
Elena Marchetti··4 min
Fundamentals
The 45-degree rule for tributary area
The 45-degree rule sets tributary boundaries by bisecting the angles between supports. Here is what it is, how it relates to the midline method, and when it applies.
Sam Rivera··4 min
Fundamentals
Tributary width for a beam, explained
A beam's tributary width is half the spacing to the parallel member on each side. Multiply it by the floor load for the uniform load on the beam. Here is the method with numbers.
Sam Rivera··4 min
Fundamentals
What is a load path in a building?
A load path is the continuous route a load follows to the ground. Here is what it means, the gravity and lateral paths, and why continuity and redundancy matter.
Elena Marchetti··4 min
Load paths
Fastest way to calculate column axial loads
The fastest way to get column axial loads is to draw the plan once and let the tributary areas and stacking resolve. Here is the workflow and why it beats sketching.
Elena Marchetti··4 min
Codes & standards
Snow load calculation (ASCE 7), explained
ASCE 7 turns ground snow into a roof snow load with a handful of factors. Here is the flat-roof and sloped-roof formula, what each factor means, and a worked example.
Sam Rivera··5 min
Codes & standards
Eurocode load combinations explained (EN 1990)
EN 1990 sets the load combinations for European design. Here are the ULS expressions 6.10, 6.10a and 6.10b, the partial and psi factors, and a worked example.
Sam Rivera··4 min
Fundamentals
How to calculate tributary area for a wall
A wall collects a tributary strip, not an area like a column. Here is how to find its tributary width, turn it into a line load, and where the strip method applies.
Sam Rivera··5 min
Fundamentals
Tributary area on an L-shaped floor
The re-entrant corner of an L-shaped floor is where hand tributary sketches drift. Here is why, how clipping to the outline fixes it, and the area-balance check that proves it.
Sam Rivera··5 min
Codes & standards
Load combination worked example
One column, every gravity combination, worked end to end in both ASCE 7 and Eurocode. See exactly how service loads become a governing factored reaction.
Sam Rivera··4 min
Load paths
Gravity load path: slab to foundation
Follow one gravity load from the slab through the beam, column and footing to the soil. Here is each handoff in the load path and why tracing it prevents errors.
Elena Marchetti··5 min