ETABS is the most advanced .ETABS has facility for: - Construction sequence analysis. - Push-over analysis.

(RISA 3D also has this facility) - Shear wall design thats practically very useful (STRAP also has this. Results from STAAD are confusing to me) - Live load reduction for upper floors (STAAD doesnt have this) - Earth quake force can be applied in any angle (not just X and Y alone) - Modelling tapered concrete beams - Floor load for irregular panels, that is easy to do (STRAP too has this) - Design of columns with cross section of any arbitrary shape (including T, L, +. STRAP too has this) - Diaphram action (with earthquake loads and wind loads automatically applied on the diaphragm centre) - Automatic lumping of masses for earthquake (STAAD doesnt have this, STRAP and NISA/Civil has) - Choice of Eigen or Ritz vector for Response Spectrum analysis - Auto calculation of beam reinforcements based on moments at column face, rather than at column centreline; and column reinforcements based on moments at beam soffit, rather than at beam centreline - Rigid panel zone modifier * STAAD.Pro and ETABS has facility for design as per IS:13920 (ductile detailing). * STAAD.Pro and ETABS has additional software for foundation design (especially mat). They are STAAD.Foundation and SAFE respectively. * NISA/Civil gives wonderful structural drawings that can be opened in AutoCAD. * NISA, the general FEM package comes along with NISA/Civil. Around 10-12 years

ago FEM Kit and STARDYNE used to be bundled with STAAD/Pro - Not anymore. * NISA/Civil has facility for isolated & combined footings thats convenient * STRAP has a Wood-Armor facility with graphics, which I have seen elsewhere only in Civil/FEM (which works as a plug-in to ANSYS) * SAP2000 has facilities for creep/shrinkage The list is not exhaustive, but a few points that just occurred to me. I would like others to contribute their points of view on these, as well as other software, like STRUDL, CADS, RISA 3D, Struds, SCADDS, etc. . ETABS has input saved in text format. It can be edited as a copy and opened as a new file. However, there is no documentation available to my knowledge for the formatting of it. Hence, it is much more tedious to work with input files in ETABS when compared to STAAD. While ETABS makes up for it with a much easier graphical interface, sometimes the lack of input file editing is a minus point. For example, for cross-checking of data, it is useful if we can take a printout of the input file and graphics of various level plans and various sections. This will not be possible in ETABS. 2. To the best of my knowledge, ETABS also uses Matrix method of strucural analysis for members and FEA for plates 3. 3D rendering is available in ETABS, it is actually more beautiful (IMHO)... Go to View menu and select Set Building View options. In first column bottom, check Extrusion and Object Fill... 4. ETABS is specifically designed for Building modelling. ETABS is short form for Extended Three-dimensional Analysis of Building Systems. SAP is a more generic modelling software. SAFE is for analysis, design and drafting of floors and foundations. Note that ETABS and SAP offer analysis and design only. Drafting the results from either can be achieved through SAFE. GUI of SAP and ETABS far more user friendly than Staad pro. The grids provided in ETABs and SAP makes it easy to work with than the Staad pro. Unfortunately like in STAAD pro in ETABS and SAP you cant work with GUI and Text mode simultaneously. As far as i Know ETABs also uses the Stiffness matrix method. ETABS also have wonderful Virtual reality model generator. you can use the OpenGL view to do so. ETABS is the software which is specially used to analyze the building structure. u can also use the SAP but model generation and result interpretation are

far more easier in Etabs.eg. SAP don't have storey response plots. SAFE is used for foundation design and slab design only. Another feature which make ETABS and SAP more attractive than STAAD is detailing of members. detailing of Rebars are far more easier in ETABS u can also export rebar area to excel for convinence. Only fault i see is ETABS cannot generate the Floor loads. you have to model slabs as plate element and mesh it and apply floor loads on it.Otherwise i think modelling and rebar detailing is far easier in ETABS. Another prime feature which ETABS and SAP has is modelling of Link elements. You can model isolators, Damper, GAp , hook plastic elements. You can also do multisupport excitation analysis on SAP using displacement timeshistory. I dont think direct integration time history analysis is supported in STAADpro which is essiential for nonlinear dynamic times history analysis (correct me if i am wrong). I am attaching the picture of finite element model done in SAP 2000. please note the non-prismatic element used in Tower and pier of the bridge and also the cable elements. The SAP2000 program has the ability to solve the multi-support, soilstructure interaction a facility which is not available in STAAD. Etab -Extended alalysis for buildings-is good for both R.C.C and Steel structures specially for buildings. Safe is good for analysis and design with detailed reinforcement for slabs-flat slab, beam and specially foundation designs of all types including raft with different bearing capacity or soil spring for a structure is very good.

STAAD uses Matrix method of strucural analysis for members and FEA for plates.Which method ETABS uses.
ETABS documentation gives no details of the solver it uses other than referring to it as standard solver. It also mentions providing an alternate advance solver, of which it says The advanced solver is based on proprietary CSI technology. It uses, in part, code derived from TAUCS family of solvers. This is unlike STAAD, where almost everyone who have used the earlier STAAD-III must have seen the display Performing Modified Cholesky Triangular Factorization. That was the name of the solver used until recently, when they came up with a

faster Out-of-core solver.

3) 3D rendering facility in STAAD ..Is this available in ETABS also.

Hope the question has been answered

4) CSI Berkeley provides ETABS,SAP and SAFE..What is the difference in all three because all this software comes from one company.
Hope the question has been answered.. to which Ill add:- ETABS is for buildings. SAP is more general purpose. SAFE is specifically for slab-floor sub models, like flat slab design (one floor at a time), raft foundation, etc. (The etc. includes combined footings and pile caps). ETABS can have floor loads. You can provide membrane elements and apply loads on it. Though they are called membrane elements, they are actually floor objects that automatically distribute loads to supporting beams in the 2-way distribution pattern. Only that in ETABS, it works only if horizontal. So it doesnt work for sloping roofs. Such floor objects are easier than the FLOAD option of STAAD.Pro (which require (measuring and) inputting the actual x-y coordinate ranges of each slab or a set of slabs). Floor objects are also available in STRAP, NISA/Civil (and its building specific version DesignStudio) packages, and the (much) awaited STAAD.X package. Of course, its also there in SCADDS, Struds, and most probably in RISA, STRUDL, etc. Also that last time when I said STRAP has a Wood-Armor facility with graphics, which I have seen elsewhere only in Civil/FEM, I wish to make more clear that STRAP has the wood-armor results in numerals displayed over each plate element in graphics, whereas in Civil/FEM, it is in contour plot form.

Sap2000 and STAAD are two most popular structural analysis programs available for civil/structural engineers. They are used to calculate the forces, stress and deflection of structural members under variety of loads. These programs also come with design codes to help in designing structural members. STAAD was originally developed by Research Engineers International. The company was brought by Bentley Systems in late 2005. Structural Analysis Program (SAP) was originally developed by the researchers at UC Berkeley. The program was a DOS based structural analysis tool. Later, its

commercial version was developed by adding graphical users interface (GUI) by Computer and Structure, Inc., also based in Berkely, California. Another product of Computer and Structure, ETABS was used to design worlds tallest building, Burj Khalifa. Pricewise, STAAD.Pro is cheaper. The text editor feature in STAAD.Pro is something designers find useful in changing inputs easily and versatile. Some facts that make STAAD are the additional modules that to design connections and foundations. SAP2000s grid system makes it easier to draw the model on screen. The dynamic analysis and seismic analysis of structure is more matured in SAP 2000. Designers find the automatic calculation of static seismic forces very helpful. It also accounts for creep and shrinkage of concrete. It can also import models from STAAD.Pro models. It also has a facility of performing nonlinear static analysis (pushover analysis).