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bbond13-Aquamarine
13-Aquamarine
August 4, 2017
Question

Is the PTC Civil & Structural Worksheet Library worth the cost?

  • August 4, 2017
  • 3 replies
  • 7051 views

I'm a structural engineer just getting into Mathcad and I see that they offer some premade worksheets for purchase.  The Civil & Structural package is listed at $200.  Has anyone used these or have an opinion of them.  I'd like to see some sheets to see how Mathcad can be applied.  Right now I am using the very basic features and I'm familiar with Excel so that's how I'm approaching my worksheets.  I'm sure I could learn quite a bit from seeing other sheets/approaches, but if the sheets are all out of date like the ones that are availible for free I think I'll pass.

 

Anyone have an opinion?

3 replies

V
vkofanov1-Visitor
1-Visitor
August 4, 2017

I did not see this collection of worksheets.
I independently develop a collection of worksheets for construction technology (both cloud functions and online calculations).

B
bbond13-AquamarineAuthor
13-Aquamarine
August 4, 2017

That is what I have started doing as well.  I often wonder how others are programming their sheets though.

V
vkofanov1-Visitor
1-Visitor
August 4, 2017

I create templates in such a way that the designer can use it both as a cloud function and as an online calculation.

A small example
The library you are asking about can not be used that way. It is used as an example of calculation.

R
RichardJ19-Tanzanite
19-Tanzanite
August 5, 2017
@bbond wrote:

I'm familiar with Excel so that's how I'm approaching my worksheets.

Don't do that. Mathcad is not Excel. Excel was created for accountants, not engineers. Everything is a pure step by step calculation where every intermediate step of a calculation results in yet another column of numbers. Most people do everything that way in Excel because the only way to define a function is to write in in VBA. It's trivial to create a user defined function in Mathcad, and that's the way you should approach almost every calculation. Define a series of functions that get to the end result you need, and then call that function.

B
bbond13-AquamarineAuthor
13-Aquamarine
August 8, 2017

Thanks Richard.  That was actually the point of the post.  I'd like to not approach Mathcad as a spreadsheet.  The neat thing about Mathcad is that I can see what is on a worksheet and how a problem is solved.  If I see a function or routine that I don't understand (and at this point it is pretty much all of them) I can go research it and learn why it was used.  Honestly, I don't have a coding background so my sheets at this point are all trivial and simply automated calculations.  However, if I see some applications and approaches from others maybe I'll pick up some handy tricks.  I haven't made it all the way through the tutorials but I do have a textbook that I'm reading (slowly) and I think I have access to the eLearning library.  Just trying to get others' opinions.

T
21-Topaz II
terryhendicott21-Topaz II
21-Topaz II
August 31, 2017

 I am a retired civil-structural engineer.  The e-book is American code based so has some limitation if you are not in America and not designing to USA codes.  It does not take much to create your own to nonUSA codes.

It provides good examples of how to use MathCad with examples you can relate to.

If you are currently in practice the fee of $200 is not to restrictive being only a few hours of charge-out.  It could save you hours.

 

You will not regret the time taken to master MathCad. 

    B
    bbond13-AquamarineAuthor
    13-Aquamarine
    August 31, 2017

    Thank you terryhendicott.  That is the sort of feedback I am looking for.  I am in the US so I'll probably order the library.

    N
    nas0k1-Visitor
    1-Visitor
    August 31, 2017

    You also might want to search this collabratory. Do a search on Fred Lusk as he posted worksheets that may be of interest to you.

    Sincerely,

    Norm

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