The Nest of Engineers

IES, Inc. creates high quality structural design software for engineering and related professionals. Your solution for general analysis, frames, trusses, shear wall systems, foundations, retaining walls, floor systems and more in steel, wood, concrete, aluminum, cold-formed, and masonry. ShapeBuilder is a section properties calculator, stress analysis, shape database customization. Get torsion properties, cracked section properties, concrete section capacities and interaction diagrams. Integrates with VisualAnalysis. VAConnect is a set of connection-design utilities that integrates with VisualAnalysis Design level or higher. Save the time and hassle of copying loads and geometry from one program to another. Face it, checking many load combinations is a pain, but VAConnect does exactly what is needed using all the loads from VisualAnalysis, while grouping similar connections for consistent, organized design. The tools also run stand-alone for the situations where you just have a quick check to make or a question to answer. Get back to any design in seconds to update a value or print a report. To run the stand-alone tools, you must purchase the product outright or get it as part of the IES Building Suite or IES Total Suite. With IES Transparent Reporting you get either summary reports or details that look and feel like you wrote them out by hand with sketches, equations, code references, and a clear, logical flow. These tools are the opposite of black-box and blind-trust. Why use VisualAnalysis? You have choices in the marketplace for general-purpose FEA tools but VisualAnalysis shines in a number of areas: Excellent for everyday projects. + Great for unusual projects, and large, complicated models. + Three feature and price levels available: Compare Levels.+ Building-code support is optional, use it for mechanical applications too. + Extremely versatile: model just about anything! + Reporting is extremely powerful and very flexible (save your own styles). So easy to use, most customers are productive within hours of installing. + Over 3000 companies use IES tools: one part-time support person at IES! + BIM support: VARevitLink provides two-way integration with Autodesk Revit Structure. Why use VisualFoundation? You have choices in the marketplace, for mat footings -even among IES tools! VisualFoundation shines in a number of areas: Dedicated to foundations, so easier to use than VisualAnalysis for this task. + Automated modeling - the FEA model is built and refined automatically. + Incorporate the effects of walls and beams in the slab. + Over 2500 companies use IES tools: one part-time support person at IES!

Integrated Engineering Software QuickSuite 2018 v5.0 [Size: 14 MB] ... QuickRWall is perhaps the best tool on the market for retaining wall design! It will get you out of the 'black box' and into high-quality wall design in short order. The reports are excellent with full equations and intermediate data readily available for complete checking. QuickRWall is very graphical, extremely easy to use, fast, and robust. This is one of our best-sellers. QuickFooting: Concrete spread footing (single column pad), imports from VisualAnalysis. Design and check reinforced concrete footings under a single column without building a complex analysis model of the building. A standalone tool of masonry components to manage multiple structural components within a single project file. The QuickMasonry "Project Management" tool offers the ability to design a whole series of lintels and walls, for a single building in one project file, following the latest masonry design specifications and offering a host of impressive features. QuickConcreteWall specializes in reinforced concrete shear walls and is an excellent tool for detailing a concrete wall subject to in-plane forces. Complex ACI interaction checks are done instantaneously as you tweak design parameters and view the results. Complete rebar detailing is provided in a productivity-quick format.

IES VisualPlate v3.00.0001
[Size: 20 MB] ... What will VisualPlate do for you?: Concrete Slab design simplified. Bending analysis for any plate material. With a program dedicated to these tasks, your job is made easier. Integrates with IES VisualAnalysis.

Why use VisualPlate?
You have a number of choices in the marketplace, for wall, slab or plate bending problems--even among IES tools!

VisualPlate shines in a number of areas:
    Dedicated to plate bending; easier to use than VisualAnalysis for this task
    Automated modeling--the FEA model is built and refined automatically.
    Concrete-specific rebar demand for slabs
    Von-Mises stress criteria checks for metal plates

What's New in Version 3.0?
IES released the latest upgrade in May 2015 with the following feature additions or improvements.
    Numerical Results now offers displacement table
    Circle and Polygon plates are now resizable
    Concrete details displayed by by FEA plate element, column-line, or plate-area
    Custom service load cases may be created
    Custom load combinations may be created

Major Benefits and Abilities
    Concrete slab analysis and design
    "Metal" plate bending (with any material)
    Complex geometries, irregular, holes, rounded, etc.
    Multiple plate thicknesses or solid properties
    Holes in plate
    Stiffeners or beams
    Elastic spring supports along a line
    Unlimited model size
    Customizable 'architectural' grid lines
    Automated FEA meshing
    Flexible edge and point supports
    Sophisticated thick-plate finite element formulation
    Import & Export DXF files
    Export FEA model to VisualAnalysis for more advanced work

Loads and Load Combinations
    Customizable load combinations (IBC & ASCE 7 built-in)
    Custom service load cases
    Plate self-weight may be included
    Uniform or linear area loads, rectangular or circular
    Rotate area loads in-the-plane
    Ring loads (rectangular or circular)
    Column loads, axial and moments
    Linear loads

Analysis Results
    Slab deflections plotted
    Moment, Shear values plotted
    Nonlinear analysis capabilities

Design Features
    IBC 2012, ACI 318-11
    Single or double layer of slab reinforcement
    Size each layer of slab steel
    Export to VisualAnalysis for more complicated tasks
    Moment and shear diagrams along any line

Reporting
    Full-color reporting for a professional look and easy reading.
    Filter reports by load case
    Export numerical table to .xls, .pdf, or .html format
    Preview the report before printing
    Customize what items are included in the report
    Print one-page graphic summaries

Usability
    Clear graphical displays with selection, zoom, pan
    Context-sensative input panels
    Customizable units, enter values in any convenient unit or with expressions
    Polar coordinate for working with round models
    Template projects to jump-start new work

IES VisualShearWall v3.00.0002 [Size: 20 MB] ... What Will VisualShearWall do for you?: Analysis of shear wall systems: rigid and semi-rigid diaphragms. With a program dedicated to this task your job is made easier. Integrates with IES VisualAnalysis.

Why use VisualShearWall? You have a number of choices in the marketplace, for shear wall modeling--even among IES tools! 

VisualShearWall shines in a number of areas: Dedicated to shear wall systems + Automated modeling--the FEA model is built and refined automatically + Rigid, semi-rigid, or flexible diaphragms + Design walls in QuickConcreteWall or QuickMasonry

New Version: IES released version 3.0 of VisualShearWall in May 2015 with new features to make this product much faster, more accurate and more practical for managing your shear wall projects.

Rigid and SemiRigid Shear Wall Systems: Analysis of complex arrangements of shear walls with an advanced finite element solution.

Isolated Wall Shear Wall Systems: For modeling flexible diaphragms, you can enter specifc loads on each wall and manage the whole floor system in a single project.

Export Results for Design Checks: You can export wall results from VisualShearWall into either QuickConcreteWall or QuickMasonry for detailed design checks and detailing.

Major Benefits and Abilities: Model and Analyze Rigid and Semi-Rigid Wall Systems + Flexible Diaphragm Modeling: You apply forces to each wall. + Wood, Steel, Masonry, and Concrete + Any diaphragm configuration/shear wall orientation + Shear wall and diaphragm openings + Moment or Braced Frames + Single-story analysis of many walls. + Generate "Next Floor Down" project file from reactions at this level.

User Interface: Quick and easy 2D modeling (of a 3D system) + Draw in plan view or elevation + Easy placement of Drag Struts and Collectors + Project Manager and tabbed views provide easy data entry + Hot-keys for zooming and panning views + Polar coordinate system for laying out circular plan view items + Easy commands in a 'ribbon' toolbar + More flexible drawing grid

Loads and Load Combinations: Model Line loads, Point loads, and Wall Loads + IBC/ASCE 7 Seismic Load Combinations + Customizable Building Code Combinations + Customizable Load Combinations + Custom Service Cases + Independant Wind & Seismic load cases for two directions + Skewed direction load cases are now available + Copy & Paste Diaphgram Loads

Analysis: Multiple shear wall materials in one model + Automated FEA plate meshing + Summarized results for walls, drag struts, and collectors

Reporting: Preview the report before printing + Customize what items are included in the report + Print one-page graphic summaries + Center of Rigidity is reported + Filtering reports by load cases or combinations, or by walls + Total Resultant is displayed at top/bottom for walls with openings

Integration: Import & Export DXF files + Exports model to VisualAnalysis for more advanced work + Exports concrete wall results as loads for QuickConcreteWall shear wall design.

IES QuickConcreteWall v2.00.0003 
[Size: 18 MB] ... Concrete ShearWall Design: QuickConcreteWall specializes in reinforced concrete shear walls and is an excellent tool for detailing a concrete wall subject to in-plane forces.  Complex ACI interaction checks are done instantaneously as you tweak design parameters and view the results. Complete rebar detailing is provided in a productivity-quick format.

Modeling
    A rectangular wall, or wall with columns at the ends
    Reinforcement: Specify horizontal & vertical bars, column longitudinal bars (if columns), and ties
    Single-curtain or double-curtain reinforcement
    Multiple (independent) walls may be designed in a single project file
    Specify extents of special boundary elements (seismic provisions)
    Specify manner in which horizontal wall bars are embedded into columns (or boundary elements): Straight, hooked, or not at all
    Option to have crossties on every column longitudinal bar, or only as required by code
    Specify whether or not column longitudinal bars use a tangential lap splice
    Enter the design displacement for seismic design (when seismic provisions are to be used)
    European rebar sizes

Loading
    Supported loads: shear, In-plane moment, axial loading
    No limit on the number of load sets that can be entered
    Load combinations & factoring performed automatically
    ASCE 7-10 Load Combinations
    Custom "building code" load combinations
    Import & Export Loads (text)
    Optionally include the self-weight of the wall
    Specify shear loads at the top of the wall or at the base

Design Checks Performed
    Checks concrete walls for in-plane forces
    IBC 2012 and ACI 318-11specifications
    ACI Ch. 21, (seismic) including special boundary elements
    Detailing when special boundary elements are not present (21.9.6.5)
    Wall minimum reinforcement (horizontal & vertical) of ACI Ch 14
    Wall reinforcement max spacing (horizontal & vertical) of ACI Ch 14
    Wall shear strength according to ACI Ch 11
    Wall & column detailing requirements of ACI Ch 7
    Wall flexure/axial interaction strength per ACI Ch 10
    Wall shear strength according to ACI Ch 21
    (when seismic provisions are to be used)
    Wall steel ratio/spacing according to ACI Ch 21
    (when seismic provisions are to be used)
    Special boundary element detailing & related checks of ACI Ch 21

Results
    Demand/Capacity ratios with clear Pass/Fail indicators
    All check equations shown graphically for easy verification
    Context-specific drawings related to each group of calculations
    Interaction diagram plotted for each load case
    Easy identification of the load combination that controlled
    Calculates development and splice lengths for wall & column bars

Reports
    Full-color reporting for a professional look and easy reading
    Detailed design sketch
    Echo of input data
    Extremely customizable, from a summary to full-calculation details

IES QuickRWall v3.00.0005 [Size: 5 MB] ... What will QuickRWall do for you?: Fast retaining wall design checks and detailing with excellent reporting. Why use QuickRWall?: QuickRWall is perhaps the best tool on the market for retaining wall design!  It will get you out of the 'black box' and into high-quality wall design in short order.  The reports are excellent with full equations and intermediate data readily available for complete checking.  QuickRWall is very graphical, extremely easy to use, fast, and robust.

Wall Configurations: Cantilever Retaining Walls - Gravity Retaining Walls (ACI Chapter 22) - Restrained Walls, Basement Walls, Propped Cantilevers - Tapered (Battered) or Stepped. Wall Materials: Concrete, Masonry, Mixed Concrete & Masonry. Key Benefits: Cantilever Retaining Walls - Gravity Retaining Walls (ACI Chapter 22 provisions) - Restrained Walls (e.g. Basement Wall, propped cantilever) - Wall stems may be concrete or masonry (or mixed) - Wall stems may be tapered (battered) or stepped - Design Checks for concrete or masonry - Wide variety of loading types. Building Code Support: IBC 2012, IBC 2009, IBC 2006, IBC 2003 - ACI 318-11, ACI 318-08, ACI 318-05 - MSJC 2008, MSJC 2005 - CSA A23.3: 2004, 1994 - ASCE 7-10, 7-05, 7-02 (Load Combinations) - AASHTO Earth Load Factors (optional) - Unreinforced stem (gravity wall) checked via unreinforced provisions of ACI Ch. 22 - Unreinforced heel/toe checked according to ACI Ch. 22 (e.g. very short heel/toe) - Custom load combination sets can be entered (rather than just a single combination) - Masonry load combinations are fully exposed & customizable - Stability load combination is customizable. Loads Inputs: Line/strip surcharge can be applied at a depth below backfill (e.g. for a buried footing) - At-rest earth pressure (frequently used for restrained walls) - Specify backfill depth from footing top or bottom (optional) - Specify the unit weight of the water in the backfill (so it need not be water).

IES QuickFooting v2.0 [Size: 14 MB] ... What will QuickFooting do for you?: Concrete spread footing (single column pad), imports from VisualAnalysis. Design and check reinforced concrete footings under a single column without building a complex analysis model of the building.

Key benefits
    Will check several footings all at once (for worst case).
    Automatic sizing and detailing (optional).
    Advanced handling of biaxial loading
    Offset pedestal from footing center
    Checks footing, pedestal, and interface.
    Stability checks: Bearing pressure (net & gross), overturning, sliding, and uplift.
    Complete units flexibility.
    Accurate calculation of bearing pressure under biaxial loading.

Supported Codes
    ACI 318-11
    IBC 2012
    ASCE 7-10 (Load Combinations)
    Canadian CSA A23.3-04

Basic Capabilities
    Design or check single-column spread footings made of reinforced concrete
    Column may be eccentric on footing
    Calculation of bearing pressure under biaxial loading
    Optional rectangular pedestal, offset from center
    Checks several footings all at once (design for worst case) with multiple 'load sets'
    Multiple footings in a single project file

Stability Checks
    Checks bearing pressure, overturning, sliding, and uplift
    Maximum allowable bearing pressure can be gross or net
    Specify a passive resistance from the adjacent soil for sliding
    Specify the coefficient of friction between the footing and soil
    Specify an additional downward force to resist uplift

Strength Checks
    Footing
        Flexure
        One-way shear
        Punching shear
        Minimum steel
        Minimum strain
    Footing-Pedestal Interface
        Bearing on footing
        Bearing on pedestal
        Dowel development into footing
        Dowel development into pedestal
        Dowel tensile capacity
        Minimum steel across joint
    Pedestal
        Shear
        Axial
        Axial-bending interaction
        Biaxial bending

Loading
    Load sets from more than one column (design for worst-case)
    Axial force, moments in both directions, shears in both directions, and overburden
    Allows pre-factored loads, such as from a metal-building design report
    Load combinations from IBC, CBC, or custom
    Uplift loads
    Import and Export loads (text)
    Import reactions from a VisualAnalysis model

Reporting
    Excellent 'transparent' report shows all checks and code references
    Full-color reporting for a professional look and easy reading
    Detailed design sketch
    Echo of input data
    Extremely customizable, from a summary to full-calculation details

Limitations
    Only rectangular footings are supported
    Only a single column (no combined or wall footings)
    No support for plain (unreinforced) footings
    No top-steel checks
    Only rectangular pedestals (optional)
    Only rectangular rebar patterns
    No calculation of rotational stiffness or deflections.

[Updated] IES VisualFoundation v6.00.0003
[Size: 20 MB] ... What will VisualFoundation do for you?: VisualFoundation will help you design complex mat footings. It automates much of the work involved in finite element modeling. VisualFoundation will take care of the modeling details while you specify the locations, sizes and structural configuration of your foundation. The software will analyze with your loads to determine moments, shears, displacements and bearing pressures using FEA. Stability checks and punching shear calculations are done automatically.
VisualFoundation will then help you check to make sure the footing meets IBC/ACI requirements, and will tell you about the steel requirements for the slab.

Major Benefits and Abilities
    Mat foundation analysis and design
    Complex mat boundaries, including circular and polygonal templates
    Generate copies of modeling elements using rectangular or circular patterns
    Multiple mat thicknesses or soil properties
    Holes in mats
    Combined footings
    Wall footings
    Concrete Walls, grade beams (for loading or stiffness)
    Columns (for loading, punching shear)
    Improved! Pile supports with elastic stiffness, optional tension-only or compression-only
    New! Thickened pile caps
    Unlimited model size
    Support for codes: IBC, ASCE 7, ACI 318,
    Automated FEA meshing and soil-spring supports
    Sophisticated thick-plate finite element formulation
    Import & Export DXF files
    Import & Export with VisualAnalysis
    Improved usability: easy graphics and toolbar commands
    New! Template projects for jump-starting new projects with similar features

Loads and Load Combinations
    Customizable load combinations (IBC, ASCE 7 built-in)
    New! Easy load combination customizations
    Streamlined seismic load combinations
    Uniform or linear area loads, rectangular or circular
    New! Circular and rectangular "ring" loads
    Rotated pressure loads
    Column loads, axial and moments
    Linear beam loads
    Wall loads, axial and moments
    Overburden loads

Stability Checks
    Checks for overall horizontal sliding forces.
    Plots and checks bearing pressures
    Overturning checks on the footing
    Seismic overturning reduction per ASCE 7 12.13.4

Strength Checks
    Slab shear plotted and checked
    Column and column-group punching shear checks
    Wall Punching Shear design checks
    Pile support and group punching shear checks
    Pile capacity limits are checked for tension or compression
    Grade beams are checked for shear and moment

Design Features
    ACI 318-11 checks
    Single or double layer of slab reinforcement
    Size each layer of slab steel
    New! "N" reinforcing bar sizes
    Grade beam reinforcement demand is provided
    New! Plate moment and shear diagrams
    New! Grade-beam moment and shear diagrams
    Override for minimum mat reinforcement
    Export to VisualAnalysis for more complicated tasks
    Import from VisualAnalysis includes project criteria settings and wall reactions

Reporting
    Post-analysis statics check reports are now available
    Average bearing pressure value is calculated for the entire footing.
    Full-color reporting for a professional look and easy reading.
    Preview the report before printing
    Customize what items are included in the report
    New! Easy export of report table to .xls, .pdf, or .html file.
    Print one-page graphic summaries

Current Limitations
    Does not provide full detailing of bars, diagrams, cut-offs, etc. (just requirements)
    Does not design piles

IES VisualAnalysis v12.00.0009 [Size: 13 MB] ... Why use VisualAnalysis?: You have choices in the marketplace for general-purpose FEA tools but VisualAnalysis shines in a number of areas: Excellent for everyday projects. + Great for unusual projects, and large, complicated models. + Three feature and price levels available: Compare Levels. + Building-code support is optional, use it for mechanical applications too. + Extremely versatile: model just about anything! + Reporting is extremely powerful and very flexible (save your own styles) + So easy to use, most customers are productive within hours of installing + Over 3000 companies use IES tools: one part-time support person at IES! (Think about it, our products don't need support!) What will VisualAnalysis do for You?: Model: just about anything + Load: Point, linear, area, thermal, dynamic + Analyze: reactions, displacements, forces and stresses + Design steel, concrete, wood, cold-formed, and aluminum + Report: Excellent graphics and text reporting features + Succeed! Easy to learn & use, Fantastic free resources & support. Three Levels Available: Just enough features to get your job done right. The free-trial is the 'Advanced level'. If you buy a lower-level you may upgrade to a higher level for the difference in price. Compare the 3 Levels. Compare with other IES Products. Analysis-only in 2D and 3D (no Design View window) * with Design: Adds code checks, member sizing ** Advanced with Design: Adds meshed-areas, nonlinear, time-history, and more..

Modeling: Frames, Trusses, Grids, Beams, Tanks... + Beam or Truss Members, Plate/Shell Elements + Elastic Spring Supports + Auto-meshed Areas (for easy wall or slab modeling) + Tension-only/Compression-only members or spring-supports + Cartesian, Polar, Cylindrical or Spherical Coordinates + No built-in size limit (20,000+ nodes are practical) + Typical Manufactured Shapes: Steel, Wood, Aluminum, Cold-formed + Parametric, Custom or Shapes imported from ShapeBuilder + Just about any Material, Libraries included, Customizable! + CAD-style selection box + Generate linear copies + Simple, Rigid, Semi-Rigid Connections + Catenary Cable Elements + Many Ways to Construct Models: Sketch models graphically + Copy & Paste existing objects + Import/Export .DXF files + Import from Spreadsheet/Clipboard + Legacy or Interchange .STD files (basic model & loading) + Customizable parametric generation. Loading: Automatic Load Cases & Load Combinations + Updated! Built-in Support for IBC 2012, IBC 2010, ASCE7-10, etc. Combinations + Customizable Load Combinations. + Semi-Automatic ASCE 7 Wind Loads (Method 2) + Ice + Wind pressure on Members (e.g. open towers) + AASHTO Load Sources (optional) + Copy Multiple Loads from Member to Member+ Import Loads from a Spreadsheet/Clipboard + Static Loads: Concentrated, Distributed, Pressure, Thermal, etc. + Area Loads (keeps model and loads separated so changes are easy!) + Area Edge Loads (in or out of plane) + Dynamic Response Spectra, IBC & Customizable + Dynamic Forcing Function, Time HIstory analysis + Moving Loads (limited, e.g. crane beams, single load-line) + Automatic live-load pattern load combinations + Import Load Combinations.  Analysis & Results: Static Analysis (1st order, P-Delta, Iterated) + AISC Direct Analysis (notional loads, stiffness reduction) + Dynamic Analysis (Sparse Lanzcos, Newmark) + Superposition Results and Envelopes + Member Internal Forces, Displacements, Diagrams + Plate Forces, Stress, Contour Diagrams + Edge Results + Automatic Mesh Refinement with Auto-Meshed Areas + Nodal Reactions, Displacements + Graphical Results Viewing + Sophisticated, Customizable Text Reports + Spreadsheet report, and save directly Excel XLS. Design Checks & Building Codes: Smart and flexible setup: bracing, deflection checks, size constraints + Updated! Steel AISC 360-10 or CSA S16-14 Design for frame and truss members + Updated! Concrete ACI 318-11 Design of Beams, Columns, Flat Slabs (ACI) + Updated! Wood NDS 2012 Design for frame and truss members (NDS) + Updated! Aluminum ADM 2010 Design for frame and truss members (ADM) + Updated! Cold-Formed NAS 2012 Design for frame and truss members (NAS) + RSG Software's CFS is used internally to perform these checks + Visual bracing locations + Steel seismic compactness checks + Stress & Deflection Checks (code agnostic, any material) + Integrated Steel Connection Design via VAConnect + Steel warping torsion checks + Override intermediate values or parameters (e.g. Cb, Fy, wood C factors...) + Moving Loads and Dynamic results are now checked.