Programs increasingly user-friendly

For structural engineers, steel fabricators, and concrete and frame producers, software has become indispensable in design, calculation, and production. The choice of software packages is large  and virtually all packages provide fast and reliable calculations. In particular, they are The user-friendliness and connectivity of the software packages, who make the difference.

Software for the construction industry is undergoing rapid development. Programs are becoming more technically advanced and more closely aligned with developments in the construction industry. "Parametric design simplifies the work and saves a lot of time," knows Jan Willem Fokkema, Business Unit Manager of Matrix Software. "Moreover, it is becoming increasingly user-friendly."

Matrix Software's software interfaces easily with other programs.

Hands-on

Fokkema is referring to structures in which regularly recurring parameters - such as a shed, garage or transmitter mast - are often already worked out in detail. The user merely enters the length, width and height and then the structural calculation rolls out, exactly as the designer envisioned. "These programs are great hands-on," says Fokkema. "The user does not have to come up with solutions himself, but chooses from the menu the alternative that suits his design. With the same ease, he adjusts an articulation or performs a roundtrip analysis."

Developing from renewed foundations

"We are technicians by trade and have been in this business for forty years," Fokkema then explains. "About twenty years ago we jettisoned everything we had developed for structural engineers up to that point. Then we started anew - with the accumulated knowledge. That turned out to be a smart move. It led to very efficient and modern calculation programs. Whereas with other programs you have to press a button five times, in our programs you are where you want to be with the push of a button. Making our software suitable for BEM was therefore a fairly simple step for us. The foundation was already in place." 

Simple links

Connections to other programs, such as Excel, also prove excellent in Matrix Software's programs. Common calculations can be programmed into Excel. Either by the users themselves or by Matrix. In this way, the input and output of a structural calculation can be arranged on just a few sheets; the flexibility of Excel is thus combined with the power and quality of the calculation heart of MatrixFrame. Fokkema: "A great convenience for the user. In the same easy way the link with Dynamo, Revit and Tekla can be made. Technically, our programs are at the highest level. Marketing-wise, there are still gains to be made for us. But fortunately we have a very loyal customer base. Those who discover us once, remain customers."