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Old 07-02-2005, 03:23 AM   #1
barton
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Calling all Engineers....


It seems like the major of software used in the engineering field seem land locked in the Windows world. Are there any engineering out there that use linux? I am hoping to find some Mechanical Engineers, but any engineering profession is awesome too.

Just curious to see whose out there.
 
Old 07-02-2005, 05:28 AM   #2
harmandeep kaur
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nt exactly an engineer but an engineering student (electronics n communication engg)
also a newbie
juss started linux sm days ago
 
Old 07-02-2005, 05:52 AM   #3
trickykid
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Moved: Seriously, what does this have to do with Linux on a technical level? Moving to General where non-technical/non-Linux questions belong.
 
Old 07-02-2005, 11:43 AM   #4
irfanhab
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I'm a software engineering student, but I do a lot of electronic engineering too (for hobby not profession), well most tools in this field are indeed windows based, however some awesome linux software exist aswell, such as Cadence, infact

visit: http://www.edaboard.com
Its a board dealing with electronic design and other electronic stuff, and they have an entire forum dedicated to linux softwares.

As for software engineering, Windows based tools galore, All Computer Aided Software Engineering Softwares are windows based. but there is one tool which I find usefull in Linux its called Umbrello, comes with KDE, a UML modelling tools, surely it doesnt beat Rational Rose, but it is 'good enough'

Last edited by irfanhab; 07-02-2005 at 11:47 AM.
 
Old 07-02-2005, 03:21 PM   #5
IRIGHTI
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Pro/Engineer has a Linux port. I'm not sure about some of the FEA tools. I would guess that Ansys has a port as well, don't quote me on that.

btw, I'm a fellow ME.

Edit: I think I misread your post. Yes, I am a Mechanical Engineer that uses Linux...

Last edited by IRIGHTI; 07-02-2005 at 03:22 PM.
 
Old 07-02-2005, 10:35 PM   #6
needforspeed
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I'm a senior in computer engineering and I work for a civil engineering firm doing land surveying, AutoCAD, help with design, tests, etc. At work, probably all the programs we use could easily be ported to linux, with the exception of AutoCAD. The big problem though is training my boss how to use it in Linux. He's not even very good with windows, it'd probably drive me crazy explaining all this Linux stuff to him.

I take a lot of classes that are Computer Science and a lot that are Electrical Engineering, and a few that are only required for computer engineers. All of the programs I've had to write for classes were required to work in a linux environment. The programs we use for running VHDL code for example, are all Windows programs (such as Cadence). I've found a few linux programs that are good replacements though.

It makes sense that there are not a lot of Linux stuff for engineers. Practically all engineers, except for computer types, have never used linux, nor have the desire or time to use/learn it. Windows is so much easier to use, and from a software engineering firms point of view, you'll make a lot more money writing software that can be used on about 90% of computers rather than the 3-5% of Linux users.

I like linux and like the ideas that drive it, but I like Windows too and I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing that most of the software is written for Windows. However, I believe that all software should be written with platform independence in mind.
 
Old 07-03-2005, 12:20 AM   #7
vharishankar
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I am an Electrical and Electronics Engineer.
 
Old 05-06-2010, 08:18 AM   #8
coolzerohundred
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I am a Mechanical Engineer. and I used Linux.
 
Old 05-06-2010, 08:25 AM   #9
pixellany
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Ancient thread, but no matter...

BSEE, but have long ago lost any ability to design electronics. Working as a system engineer and project manager (varies daily)
 
Old 05-06-2010, 10:17 AM   #10
Alexvader
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Hi

Dumptrash W$... you do not need it... unless you have some major format interoperability issues with customers, or so...

but IF YOU DO PROJECT in Naval/Civil/Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering U DO NOT need W$...

I do Investigation and design in the Aerospace Division of a Major Industrial Corporation, and I use Linux all across my workflow... and better... in the investigation i use a lot of In-House codes, not OSS of course, but also a lot of OSS codes...

( these are easier to deal with, because of two factors... :

1. the Input/output format specifications are not proprietary... meaning that you can create a nastran mesh fromat converter to Abaqus mesh format converter... ...these format specs are publically available, as well as CAD formats like hdf, Iges, ParaSolid, SAT, STEP,... etc.

Can you create an Ansys12 mesh converter to Adina format...? don't think so...


Vendors make what they can to get you "tied" up to the "solutions" that they provide... even if these so called solutions are less than good for your needs...

2. the "BlackBox syndrome" not the window manager, ROFL when you use a proprietary code You have no idea of what the code is doing to perform some sort of calculation:

How is the integration of shape functions of a finite element code performed ? Can you model Physical singularities like Crack initiation and propagation in a welded Join ? what is the Rheologivcal model of a CFD code, is it well adapted to what you want to model...? etc, etc


For Instance: try to model Non-Ideal Magneto Hydro Dynamic flow with a commmercial application like Fluent.... you are "tied" to the models that the programmer coded, IF he thought there was commercial interest in coding it...

In OpenFOAM

http://www.openfoam.com/

you can code your own solver for MHD... in fact, I have coded mine... for non Ideal Resistive MHD ... )


So, You can use Linux WITH Commercial applications for Linux, Ansys, Abaqus, Fluent, ProEngineer, Adina, CFD-Adapco, ( Autodyn, If you like to blow up cities with Fuel Air Explosives LMAO )

OR If you are a good programmer and/or you like to understand the very essence of things, you can use things like Calculix, Code-Aster, Salome-Platform, Syrthes, Code-Saturne, Ofeli, Dolfin, DealII, BRL-CAD, Rheolef, GetDP, GMSH, TetGen/netgen, Grummp, OpenFOAM, gerris flow solver, Paraview, VisIT, Dx, Dakota, FreeMat, (QT)Octave, Scilab, (Wx)Maxima, Gnumeric...

Just dump W$...

But If you really have time, ( sometimes I do ) and patience, you can create your own FE applications, there are lots of object oriented frameworks that allow you to do this...

DealII, Ofeli, Dolfin...

And challenge the "utmost" precision of the so called "commercial applications" with the one you acheive with yours...

BRGDS

Alex

EDIT: You can do something so "not-trivial" in Engineering using Linux, as designing a subsonic airplane from scatch, since the so called "preliminary Design" from first principles going through the sizing of aerodynamics and structure, till the controllers transfer functions, and airframe response to control actions... all the tools you need to do this are available in FOSS...

Last edited by Alexvader; 05-06-2010 at 10:34 AM.
 
Old 05-08-2010, 11:37 AM   #11
Alexvader
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Hi Again

Thought somebody ( like the OP ) might be interested in this... :

There are LOTS of general purpose LiveCDs ( DVDs ) stemming from the main Distros available out there...

From the Debian's, *Buntus, Fedoras, Slackware, Arch...

I am planning to build a LiveDistro from one of these, with the full pack of OSS applications needed in Mechanical/Naval/Aerospace Engineering Project Workflow :

Good FEM/CFD/BEM/DEM solvers, a complete set of pre/post-processing applications, a good set of scripting/math-prototyping applications ( Matlab-like ), a minimum set of development tools ( math/engineering libraries and headers, fortran and C/C++ compilers, iPython shell )
, good gui and command line spreadsheets, 3D cad applications...

All this with the possibility of creating a swap in an empty partition of the host computer, and /home/user persistence in usb key.

This is a lot of work, I am doing all this alone, but to answer the OP's question... I believe one can ditch W$ for engineering work... AND AFAIK there are NAFEMS benchmark test problems which have been successfully run using OSS solvers and FEM/FVM engineering simulation apps...

Some apps ( like Code-Aster http://www.code-aster.org/V2/spip.php?article152) have even been granted an ISO 9000 certification of precision of the results obtained...

BRGDS

Alex
 
Old 05-08-2010, 12:14 PM   #12
Kenny_Strawn
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Well, it's probably that M$ has corrupted most of the world's engineers, and their corruption must end.
 
Old 05-08-2010, 02:13 PM   #13
Alexvader
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Hi Kenny_Strawn

I think the issue is much more complex than that...

It has to do with the "proletarization" of the "Engineering" class... :

In most corporations we watch some sort of customer/client dictatorship... Engineers "must" do what clients/customers expect them to do, this is what corporate management thinks is better for the "business"...

This is almost as preposterous as a pacient that is going to be subjected to a surgery telling the surgeon how to operate him... or a defendant telling the Lawyer who defends him, which laws to invocate in his defense...

If they know it all, then why the heck do they hire people to perform some sort of qualified technically demanding job...? why the f**c* don't they do it themselves... ??!!

The progressive loss in Technical autonomy, gradually bound the engineers to use the work tools provided by some corporations ( i.e. Microsoft, Ansys, Simulia, etc )...

I do not need to stress that the quality of the engineer's work does not rely as much on a given set of tools, but mostly on the knowledge of how they perform what they do...

-Von Braun designed the V2 without any computers, so did Jir'o Horikoshi when he designed the Rei Sen ( Mitsubishi A6m Zero ), or the Naval Engineers that designed Yamato Senkan, and aircraft carriers like Hosho, back in 1922...

This is why I strongly advocate against Closed Source, n00b friendly, engineering design software...

The Slider ruler is not n00b friendly, yet it is a very powerful tool... IF properly handled... When I entered First Scholar Year of Mechanical Engineering, my sister offered me one... very complete... some colleagues of mine would laugh at me using it, yet I could obtain valuable results, without having to rely on batteries and handheld Scientific calculators...

Some programs for Finite elements, or computational Fluid Dynamics are very powerful weapons in an incompetent Engineer's hands.... ROFL... Just immagine the failure propagation in terms of the cost in lives of a badly designed Car, or Bridge...

This does not happen IF the engineer mus have a deep knowledge of what the toold performs prior to submit any kind of problem... IMHO


Of course, when you work in a corporation where "they" tell you what to do, and HOW to do it, problems start to arise... when technical autonomy is lost, it is something bad... IMHO


BRGDS

Alex

Last edited by Alexvader; 05-08-2010 at 02:33 PM.
 
Old 05-08-2010, 03:24 PM   #14
Kenny_Strawn
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Yeah. The companies (e.g. M$, cr@pple) tell people that they are providing service so that they can steal their money that might otherwise go to more important things, such as food, drink, and roofs over their heads. Don't fall for Broprietary Software. It's only there to steal money from and oppress us users.
 
  


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