How ASDIP Helps Engineers Save Time on Structural Design
ASDIP is a structural engineering software suite that lets you model, analyze, design, and optimize structural members in one place, so you spend less time on repetitive calculation setup and more time on engineering judgment. It fits engineers who want faster "what-if" iteration across common concrete, steel, foundation, retaining wall, and wood members, and who work to US or Canadian codes. The main time savings come from three things: pre-built modules for specific member types, quick re-analysis when you change a variable, and free calculators plus documentation for checking and delivering results.
Where the time savings actually come from
1. Pre-built modules instead of building a model from scratch
ASDIP organizes its work into focused modules, each targeting a specific member or design task. That means you don't start from a blank general-purpose model for every problem — you open the module that matches the member and enter the design inputs.
| Product | Modules included | Typical tasks |
|---|---|---|
| ASDIP CONCRETE | 6 modules | Continuous beams, biaxial columns, one-way slabs, shear walls, two-way slabs, out-of-plane loaded concrete or masonry bearing walls |
| ASDIP FOUNDATION | 6 modules | Concrete spread footings, combined irregular footings, strap footings, wall footings, pile caps, non-linear pile foundation analysis & design |
| ASDIP RETAIN | 5 modules | Concrete/block cantilever retaining walls, restrained basement walls, sheet piling, counterfort retaining walls, gravity retaining walls |
| ASDIP STEEL | 6 modules | Base plates, anchor rods, shear lugs, biaxial columns, steel/composite beams, web openings, shear & moment connections |
| ASDIP WOOD | 4 modules | Wood continuous beams, wood biaxial columns, wood bearing walls, wood multistory shear walls |
| ASDIP ANALYSIS | 4 modules | Analysis of structural members such as beams, plus load generation for seismic, snow, and wind loads |
The practical effect: when a task matches a module, you skip the step of assembling a generic analysis model and instead work directly on the design.
2. Fast "what-if" iteration for optimization
The site states that ASDIP lets you perform "what-if" analyses easily to find the most efficient design. This is where most of the day-to-day time savings show up. Instead of re-deriving a member by hand each time a dimension, load, or material changes, you change the input and re-run the design.
A concrete example: you're sizing a spread footing and the first trial is over-sized. Rather than redoing bearing and overturning checks manually, you adjust the footing dimensions in ASDIP FOUNDATION and immediately see the updated design. You can repeat this until the footing is efficient, then move on. The same loop applies to a steel base plate or a retaining wall stem.
3. Free tools and documentation for checking and delivery
ASDIP provides free standalone calculators that don't require the full suite:
- Beam Calculator
- Concrete Footing Calculator
- Base Plate Calculator
- Retaining Wall Calculator
These are useful for quick spot-checks or for a single member when you don't need the full design workflow. The site also emphasizes "well documented" results, which matters at delivery time — documented output reduces the time spent reconstructing how a number was reached.
What to check before you rely on it for a project
- Code coverage: ASDIP states it supports the latest codes in USA & Canada. Confirm the specific code edition your project requires is covered before you commit.
- Member type fit: The suite is organized around specific member types (see the table above). If your task falls outside those modules, the time savings won't apply the same way.
- Licensing and trial: A free 15-day software trial is offered, and the site references "licensing options" and a maintenance plan. Pricing details and payment terms are not specified in the available material, so check the How to Buy page for current terms rather than assuming cost or access conditions.
A practical way to evaluate the time savings
- Pick one recurring task from your current work — for example, a cantilever retaining wall or a steel base plate.
- Run it once in the matching ASDIP module during the free 15-day trial.
- Compare the total time against your current method, including setup, iteration, and documentation.
- If the task is one you repeat often, the iteration speed is where the savings compound.
If your work centers on the member types listed above and you design to US or Canadian codes, ASDIP is built to reduce the repetitive parts of that work. If your projects fall outside those modules, evaluate the free calculators first before considering the suite.