1. Software for Structural engineering. Past, Present and future.

2. Finite Elements, the beginning….
Ray Clough published “The Finite Element method in plane stress analysis”. The finite element designation was invented.
The study was based in a previous joint work with Jon Turner from Boing called “Stiffness and Deflection Analyses of complex structures”
1960
Eduard L. Wilson and Ray Clough developed the SMIS. Symbolic Matrix Interpretative System. The computer programs SMIS and CAL were designed to assist in the teaching of matrix and direct stiffness methods for structural analysis. These programs, or modified versions of the programs, are used in most of the major engineering schools in the United States and in a large number of foreign universities
1963

3. Eduard L. Wilson developed numerical methods and computer programs for the stress analysis of the Minuteman missile and the APOLLO space capsule
Eduard L. Wilson developed the first versions of the generic Structural Analysis Program called SAP
1969
Dr. Jurgen Bathe updated dynamic response options and developed additional documentation to the release of the public domain SAP IV
Eduard L. Wilson developed the first versions of ETABS
1973
First versions of SAP80
1985

4. The dawn of a great new Era in terms of computing and simulation
These were extraordinary days for science and engineering…
The dawn of a great new Era in terms of computing and simulation
Prof. Ed. Wilson
Ray Clough

5. Ray Clough was particularly interested in Dams design and modeling
His work was making the world a better and safer place

6. CSI Computers & Structures
1970 – Ashraf Habibullah finishes his masters at Berkeley University
1975 – Started CSI, Computers & Structures, today, worldly recognized as a reference in the field of software for structural analysis and earthquake engineering

7. Structural analysis software…the present
A huge number of structural software has been developed in the last 40 years under the principles of the finite elements. In Wikipedia we can find 156 references of main structural and finite element related software

8. Structural analysis software…the present
Many structural procedures and design codes have been developed and implemented all over the world
Most software has been implementing its own versions of the structural codes design rules and checks

9. Structural analysis software…the present
Software continues to evolve. 3D and interoperability are clear directions at the present.

10. Structural analysis software…the present
Software and hardware are allowing for full integration of all details about structural engineering and construction projects

11. Structural analysis software…the present
Software and hardware are allowing for full integration of all details about structural engineering and construction projects

12. Structural analysis software…the present
BIM is shaping the present

13. Structural analysis software…Challenges and future
We must not confuse software evolution with less human responsibility. On the contrary. As software automates more, we have
to be more aware and careful.

14. Structural analysis software…and the Structural Engineer
Structural engineers have a huge responsibility in our society
The work of structural engineers must be recognized
The work of structural engineers must be performed over a solid education and scientific background

15. Structural analysis software…and the Structural Engineer
The work of structural engineers should use computational software as long as the software is perfectly clear and does not hide from the user, hypothesis, procedures and should never be used as a black box
Structural software should not limit or restrain in any way the ability to design, check and model structures in any conceivable way that an engineer may choose. An engineer can choose to make important designs using a pencil and a paper.

16. The future of structural software…a dream
Structural software will communicate in a more intelligent way with 3D BIM models in the sense of extracting and adding information to and from the analysis models that are useful and that are being used
Design codes will become more oriented to computational usage, but structural software will let the implementation of design codes to be open source. Structural engineers will progressively learn how to code high level languages
The concepts of sub-structuring and localized modelling, along with the increase of capacity of software and hardware will allow for a greater flexibility in the way to idealize and plan structural models

17. The future of structural software…a dream
Structural software will be simultaneously used as a professional tool, but also as an academic tool. Students will heavily rely in the clear exposure of computational and mechanical concepts from the software as also in the observation of the open source structural codes to learn engineering
Structural software will be more commonly connected to Artificial Intelligence assisting tools, to help predesign, automate default options, and optimize design in general

18. a Message from Ashraf Habibullah