Will you be developing a version of the West Point Bridge Designer for the iPad (or iPhone, Android, Windows tablets, HTML5, etc.)?
We are always interested in taking the WPBD software to the next level. However our software development team currently consists of one person working in his spare time for no pay. If you think that new versions of the Bridge Designer are needed, we hope you’ll be part of the solution. We welcome corporate sponsorships, cash donations, and effort volunteered by expert programmers to advance the project. The Bridge Designer is Open Source software (check it out at http://sourceforge.net/projects/wpbdc/), so volunteering your intellectual energy to the project has never been easier.
Is it possible to do a silent installation of the WPBD software?
Bridge Designer 2016 for Windows requires Windows XP or newer. Bridge Designer 2016 for Macintosh requires Mac OS X 10.7.3 (Lion) or later. Bridge Constructor FREE Download and Install for your computer - on Windows PC 10, Windows 8 or Windows 7 and Macintosh macOS 10 X, Mac 11 and above, 32/64-bit processor, we have you covered.
Yes. For the Windows installation of WPBD 2014, the command is setupwpbdv14j /S.
Why am I only able to use “Old-Style Graphics” for the load test animation on my Mac?
This is a good news, bad news story. Bad news: In 2012, Apple dropped support for Java, which underlies the WPBD. Good news: Oracle picked up Java, offering it free as a third party application. Bad news: Oracle’s Java–currently the only one available for Mountain Lion (OS X 10.8)–is incompatible with the advanced graphics used for the “fly-thru” animations in the WPBD. Good news: We are working to offer an update that re-enables this capability. Stay tuned…
Why can’t I run the WPBD Standard Setup on my Snow Leopard (OS X 10.6) or earlier Mac?
We’re Sorry about this. Apple and Oracle made it so. See the “Old-Style Graphics” answer above. Oracle Java won’t run on OS X versions earlier than Lion (OS X 10.7). If you have a valid installation of Apple’s Java 6 or 7, the Minimum Setup should work for you.
Why is the Macintosh Standard Setup download so large?
Apple recommends that Java applications like WPBD include a copy of the entire Java runtime environment. This is a big download package, but it’s the safest and most trouble-free way to run WPBD on a Mac. If your download link is slow and you are sure that Java 6 or 7 is working correctly on your Mac, you can try the Minimum Setup, which is much smaller.
Why does the Windows Installer mention the American Society of Civil Engineers?
We’re grateful to the ASCE for allowing us to use their signature on the WPBD distribution. Their certificate guarantees that no one has tampered with the installer between us and you.
I’m trying to run the Mac version of WPBD and it’s not working. What to do?
WPBD installs best using an account with Administrator privileges. If you’re working in a lab or other environment where you don’t have Administrator privileges, seek the help of a system Administrator.
Still not working? Contact us for more help.
I’m trying to run the Windows version of WPBD and it’s not working. What to do?
WPBD installs best using an account with Administrator privileges. If you’re working in a lab or other environment where you don’t have Administrator privileges, seek the help of a System Administrator.
Still no luck? The WPBD requires Windows XP, Vista, or Win 7 in either 32- or 64-bit versions. If WPBD is not working for you, we suggest the following steps: Bad graphics driver software is the likely cause of the problem. Installing the most recent graphics drivers from your computer or graphics card manufacturer will often provide an immediate fix.
Still not working? Contact us for more help.
The software runs fine in the Drawing Board mode, but the Load Test animation doesn’t work at all. The screen is blank, the computer freezes, or a box appears saying that the graphics system has failed. What to do?
WPBD uses your graphics card aggressively, just as advanced computer games do. Consequently, it is sensitive to graphics driver software problems.
Try starting the West Point Bridge Designer with the icon titled “West Point Bridge Designer 2nd Edition for older computers.”
Still no luck? Download and install the latest version of drivers for your graphics card or computer. If you don’t know how to do that, consult a computer technician or your computer manufacturer’s web site.
Still no luck? Contact us for more help.
I’m using the Mac version of WPBD. It works fine, but it’s different from all my other Mac applications. Can’t you make WPBD fit better in the Mac environment?
Maybe. We have very limited resources for Mac compatibility. Some Windows look and feel is therefore present in the Mac version. One example: if you use menu “Meta” accelerator key combinations (like Meta-S to Save), you’ll have to switch to replace Meta with Control in the West Point Bridge Designer. Sorry about this. If you have a pet compatibility issue, please post to our discussion group at http://kenai.com/projects/wpbdc/forums/discussion. We’ll consider it.
Files >Download West Point Bridge Designer 2018 (Mac) - CivilEngineeringBible.com (FREE!)
The Bridge Designer 2018 is a free educational software package designed to provide middle-school and high-school students with a realistic introduction to engineering through the design of a steel highway bridge. To install the Bridge Designer, download and run the appropriate setup file below.
The West Point Bridge Design Contest is a nationwide Internet-based competition intended to promote math, science, and technology education in U.S. middle schools and high schools. The contest provides students with a realistic introduction to engineering through an engaging, hands-on design experience.
The West Point Bridge Designer will introduce you to engineering through an authentic, hands-on design experience. Official software used to enter the West Point Bridge Design Contest. This software provides you with the tools to model, test, and optimize a steel highway bridge, based on realistic specifications, constraints, and performance criteria.
Your objective is to create an optimal bridge design. An optimal design is one that satisfies all of the design specifications, passes a simulated load test, and costs as little as possible.
How the West Point Bridge Designer Works
When you use the West Point Bridge Designer, you will experience the engineering design process in simplified form. You will design a highway bridge in much the same way that practicing civil engineers design real highway bridges.
- You will be presented with a requirement to design a steel truss bridge to carry a two-lane highway across a river.
- You may choose from a wide variety of different site configurations for your bridge. Each will cause your bridge to carry in a different way, and each has a different.
- You will develop a design for your bridge by drawing a picture of it on your computer screen.
- Once your first design attempt is complete, the West Point Bridge Designer will test your bridge, to see if it is strong enough to carry the specified highway loads. This test includes a full-color animation showing a truck crossing your bridge. If your design is strong enough, the truck will be able to cross it successfully; if not, the structure will collapse.
- If your bridge collapses, you can strengthen it by changing the properties of the structural components that make up the bridge, or by changing the configuration of the bridge itself.
- Once your bridge can successfully carry the highway loading without collapsing, you can continue to refine your design, with the objective of minimizing its cost while still ensuring that it is strong enough to carry the specified loads.
The West Point Bridge Designer gives you complete flexibility to create designs using any shape or configuration you want. Creating the design is fast and easy, so you can experiment with many different alternative configurations as you work toward the best possible solution. The process you will use is quite similar to the process used by practicing civil engineers as they design real structures. Indeed, the West Point Bridge Designer itself is quite similar to the computer-aided design (CAD) software used by practicing engineers, and it will help you in the same way that CAD software helps them--by taking care of the heavy-duty mathematical calculations, so that you can concentrate on the creative part of the design process.
System Requirements
West Point Bridge Builder Download
WPBD 2018 is available in two formats:
- WPBD 2018 for Windows - Requires Windows XP or newer.
- WPBD 2018 for Macintosh - Requires Mac OS X 10.7.3 (Lion) or later
This is the only version of the software that can be used for the 2016 Engineering Encounters Bridge Design Contest.
Disclaimer: This software was formerly known as the West Point Bridge Designer. It is now maintained and distributed by Engineering Encounters–a private, non-profit organization that is not affiliated with the U.S. government or the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
Features
Design a virtual bridge and compete nationally for scholarships or a computer!
Bridge Builder Download Mac Free
Learn about engineering and design.
Have fun testing and improving your designs with your friends.
Teachers, school districts, states! Run your own local contest with our support.
Cool game quality animation of bridge test with OpenGL.
BD (since 2013) is code-signed for your computer's safety and Windows 8 and Mac 10.7+ security compliance!