The IAStructE – IIIT Hyderabad student chapter of the Earthquake Engineering Research Centre organized an online Guest Lecture on14thAugust 2024. The lecture, titled “MvDad Cloud-based RC Building Earthquake Resistant Structural Design Software” was delivered by Mr. B.P Karamchandani, Founder and CEO of MvDad software. This event was open to postgraduates and research students, structural engineers, industry people, and faculty members.

Mr. Karamchandani began the lecture by sharing his motivation and passion behind creating MvDad software, which wasdeveloped to work on smartphones/computers with internet access. He highlighted the need for upcoming structural engineers to be well-equipped with knowledge about structural analysis software before stepping into their professional careers.The talk focused on understanding how the software analyzes and designs the most economical and stable RCC structure as per the Indian standard guidelines (e.g., IS 456, IS 875, IS 1893, and IS 13920)and subsequently assessing the earthquake performance of the building.

The webinar was focusedon the various features and analysis methodologies offered by MvDad software, modelling of different structural components including slabs, columns, beams, walls, and foundations.The speaker explained the step-by-step procedure for modelling and the requirements to upload the required characteristics of the structure in accordance with the latest Indian Standard guidelines.Further, the software will generate the following outputs: shear and bending moment diagrams, deflection profiles, stress profiles, and reinforcement detailing.This was followed by a lateral load analysis of the structure. The speaker also emphasized the modal and P-delta analysis techniques that can be used to calculate base shear, story drift, and story shear values.

The webinar concluded with an engaging question and answer session between the attendees and the speaker. These days, where high-end structural design and analysis softwares are difficult to obtain, MvDad provides an excellent alternative for those who want to strengthen their grip over structural and seismic analysis using these softwares. This discussion enriched the overall exploration of the topic and its significance in the domain of structural earthquake engineering.