what is sfere2

Sfere2 is an application developed to interactively design structural frameworks.
It's main distinction from other framework calculation programs is the way feedback is given to the user. Most programs simply let the user setup a framework and - when done - calculate the stiffness and strength of the structure. From a classical structural mechanical point of view, there is nothing wrong with this approach. But there is room for improvement.

The most notable improvement Sfere2 tries to implement, is taking stability in account. The standard approach to analyzing frameworks is: First determining Stability, does the structure collapse? Then calculating the (elastic) Stiffness, How much does it deform? And finally Strength, determining whether the structure is strong enough, Are the pressures low enough to avoid plastic deformation?
Implementing an animated visual feedback of stability allows the user to play around with the concepts of stability and instability, instinctively developing a feeling for these concepts.

example of an instable truss inside Sfere2


Being able to analyse instable structures removes a lot of restrictions on the types of structures that can be evaluated. Suddenly it is possible to design and check tethered structures and do FormFinding like Gaudi.
example of a tethered structure
Another feature of sfere2 is it's ability to do background calculation while the user is still building/optimizing it's structure. This allows for a intuïtive WYSIWYG way of working. Errors show themselves immediately. The effects of changes to the structure become apparent without having re-calculate (because Sfere2 is continuously calculating in the background).

Yet another area where Sfere2 differs from classic static-analysis applications, is the visual feedback of properties. Like: material properties are indicated by color and cross-section properties by shape, much like the real world.