Low Cost or Free Structural Engineering Design Software

The tedious hand calculations and slide rules used for structural engineering design and analysis in the 20th century are probably not recognizable by the current generation of structural engineering students. The process has evolved through the development of mainframe computers, electronic calculators, personal computers, and the internet resulting in a plethora of low cost or even free structural engineering design software. This article provides several examples of downloadable structural engineering software, open source structural analysis software, and spreadsheets, all listed for convenience.