Introducing Calcs.app

As structures become more complicated, the ability to quickly check and document structural elements is becoming more important too. There are a lot of tools out there to perform detailed design of structures, and I am not about to try and replicate those efforts. However, I’ve noticed I often need a quick reference guide and calculator when peer reviewing others work (and checking my own). For that purpose, I have created calcs.app.

The overarching goal of Calcs.app is to become a comprehensive library of useful structural engineering references and calculators. There are also some principles which I would like these tools to follow:

• Calcs should be transparent. They should show the equations and steps taken wherever possible, rather than just ‘the answer’.
• Calcs should be self-explanatory. Variables should be defined, code equations referenced, and figues added when necessary.
• Calcs should be print-ready. They should be able to be printed to PDF and stuck in someone’s design notes.

Currently there are 8 concrete tools, 4 steel tools, and 1 general tool. I plan to add new tools as I need them. A few ideas include:

• spread footing design
• multi-story basement wall design
• steel beams and beam-columns
• ASCE and NBCC load calculators (seismic, wind, etc)

A few example tools are shown below, but you can just go to calcs.app to play around with them.