Support

Questions, a result that looks wrong, or something you would like Girder to do: write to us.

Contact

Email support@syncster.dev. For a result you doubt, please attach the .girder file, or the PDF report. We answer within a few working days.

Getting started on iPhone and iPad

Tap + in the document browser to make a structure. The stacked-squares button (Start From) makes a frame, a truss or a continuous beam, or opens one of the examples. Press ▶ to analyse, then read the Results, Dynamics and Design parts at the top. The in-app guide (More › Girder Guide) has a topic on the touch controls.

Common questions

How do I move around the structure?

Drag with one finger to turn it, drag with two fingers to move it, and pinch to zoom. The View menu (the eye) gives the 3D, front, side and plan views and Fit.

How do I draw members?

On the Model part, take Members from the tools above the picture and tap from point to point; taps snap to a nearby node, or else to the grid. Let Go ends a chain, and Undo takes a step back.

The analysis says the structure is unstable. Why?

Girder works in three dimensions, so every way a structure can move must be held. A single beam on a Pinned and a Roller support can still spin about its own axis and swing sideways. Use Custom supports (hold X, Y, Z and RX at one end, Y and Z at the other), or start from the Continuous Beam template, which does this for you. The message names the node and the movement nothing resists.

How do I get a report?

After the analysis, More › Export PDF Report writes the full report, with the model, loads, results, modes and every member's design calculation, and hands it to the share sheet to save, print or send.

Can I use my files from the Mac?

Yes. The iPhone and iPad app opens and saves the same .girder files as Girder for the Mac, through Files, iCloud Drive or AirDrop.

Which codes and units does Girder use?

NSCP 2015: concrete after ACI 318-14 and steel after AISC 360-10, LRFD or ASD. Units are kN and metres, with sections in millimetres.

How do I know the results are right?

More › Verification against Books runs worked examples from Kassimali, Chopra, Timoshenko, McCormac and the AISC design examples, and shows the book's answer beside Girder's. Girder is an aid to an engineer's judgment: check its results before building on them.