11-24-2010, 03:58 PM
Hi
PLAXIS is very robust and user friendly software when compared to others. but still some others (like FLAC, DIANA, ABAQUS, MIDAS GTS, Phase2D) have advantages.
Plaxis have two different softwares for 2D and 3D analysis and launched new 2010 series few days ago. but Plaxis 3D has not a dynamic solver yet. Material library is one of the richest and easisest to understand for use for the newbees.
FLAC ITASCA also has two different softwares for 2D and 3D analysis. It is not a FEM software. that may be an advantage in some cases and disadvantage in another case. 2D gui (graphical user interface) is easy to use but when dealing with 3D you have to know about the commands to model or need to have some extra meshing operator and CAD program to make it abit easier.
PHASE 2D is not as good as for soil modelling since its main area is for rocks and underground structures. I am using both two (Plaxis and Phase2) of them but not satisfied with the results in soils in Phase2D. It is powerful in rocks since you can model cracks and discontinuties with special interface elements.
TNO DIANA is one of the best that you can model whatever you want but still needs some experience for the use of DIANA logic itself. I mean it also uses two gui s iDIANA and FX+ and FX+ makes the modelling much easier. you can both model 2D and 3D in the same software.
MIDAS GTS becomes powerful with DIANA nonlinear solver but has only linear dynamic MIDAS solver. It is also easy to use and powerful if you dealed any kind of 3D software.
I dont know about ABAQUS since I havent used it. The general idea is that it is also powerful.
I hope it helps.
PLAXIS is very robust and user friendly software when compared to others. but still some others (like FLAC, DIANA, ABAQUS, MIDAS GTS, Phase2D) have advantages.
Plaxis have two different softwares for 2D and 3D analysis and launched new 2010 series few days ago. but Plaxis 3D has not a dynamic solver yet. Material library is one of the richest and easisest to understand for use for the newbees.
FLAC ITASCA also has two different softwares for 2D and 3D analysis. It is not a FEM software. that may be an advantage in some cases and disadvantage in another case. 2D gui (graphical user interface) is easy to use but when dealing with 3D you have to know about the commands to model or need to have some extra meshing operator and CAD program to make it abit easier.
PHASE 2D is not as good as for soil modelling since its main area is for rocks and underground structures. I am using both two (Plaxis and Phase2) of them but not satisfied with the results in soils in Phase2D. It is powerful in rocks since you can model cracks and discontinuties with special interface elements.
TNO DIANA is one of the best that you can model whatever you want but still needs some experience for the use of DIANA logic itself. I mean it also uses two gui s iDIANA and FX+ and FX+ makes the modelling much easier. you can both model 2D and 3D in the same software.
MIDAS GTS becomes powerful with DIANA nonlinear solver but has only linear dynamic MIDAS solver. It is also easy to use and powerful if you dealed any kind of 3D software.
I dont know about ABAQUS since I havent used it. The general idea is that it is also powerful.
I hope it helps.