Structural analysis best package

Question

Which is the best package to draw up structural analysis problems. I need beam or truss, constraints, displacements, springs, loads, thermal actions and so on.

Something like this picture: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/Truss_Structure_Analysis%2C_Full_Figure2.jpg

Answer 1

Since I could not include further detail in my comment, I post it in this section.

The tikz library structuralanalysis provides some basic structural stuff which can be usefull to create hinges, supports, beams etc. This library provides 10 different commands \point, \beam,\support,\hinge,\load or \lineload and \temperature, \internalforces,\dimensioning,\influenceline ,\notation and \addon. The author of the library has provided with 4 types of beams (by default), 6 supports, 5 hinges and 3 types of loads (moment and forces at a point) and 4 types of lineloads (distributed forces). I just put a simple example.

\documentclass[11pt]{report}
\usepackage{structuralanalysis}
\usepackage{siunitx}
\begin{document}

\begin{tikzpicture}
\point{a}{0}{0};
\point{fprime}{.15}{1}
\point{b}{-.5}{.12};
\point{c}{.5}{.12};
\point{d}{-.5}{.3};
\point{e}{.5}{.3}
\point{f}{0}{1};

\support{3}{a};
\hinge{1}{b}
\hinge{1}{c}
\beam{4}{d}{e}
\beam{4}{d}{f}
\beam{4}{f}{e}
\hinge{1}{f}
\point{g}{6}{1}
\beam{4}{fprime}{g}
\dimensioning{1}{fprime}{g}{2}[\SI{2}{\m}];
%\point{force}{-2}{1.5}
%\load{1}{f}[90]% uncomment to introduce vertical load at the hinge
%\notation{1}{force}{F=10KN}% Just to show the unit and magnitude of the hypothetical force
\end{tikzpicture}

Note I worked out this simple support using the basic functions of the library. Spring is given bydefault. I show it below.

\begin{tikzpicture}
\point{a}{0}{0};
\support{5}{a}[45];
\end{tikzpicture}

[45] is to rotate the spring. One can set it to 0 for no rotation. Offcourse further knowledge of TikZ would enhance one's capability to go deep, but as far as simple structures are concerned, this library is quite usefull in my opinion. For further references see the manual of this library available at here. And you can download .sty file from here.

EDIT I also put the structure which you have shown in the link. One possible way to do that can be this (using the same library):

 \begin{tikzpicture}
    \point{a}{0}{0};
    \point{first}{-1}{0}
    \notation{1}{first}{A};
    \support{1}{a}[0];
    \point{b}{8}{0}
    \beam{4}{a}{b}
    \dimensioning{1}{a}{b}{-2.5}[\SI{2}{\m}];
    \point{c}{8}{-1.5}
    \support{3}{c}
    \point{c2}{7.5}{-1.32}
    \hinge{1}{c2}
    \point{c3}{8.5}{-1.32}
    \hinge{1}{c3}
    \point{beam1}{7.55}{-1.15}
    \point{beam2}{8.55}{-1.15}
    \beam{4}{beam1}{beam2}
    \beam{4}{beam1}{b}
    \beam{4}{beam2}{b}
    \notation{1}{b}{B};
    \point{D}{4}{1.74};
    \notation{1}{D}{D};
    \beam{4}{a}{D}
    \beam{4}{D}{b}
    \dimensioning{2}{b}{D}{11}[$\sqrt{3}$];
    \dimensioning{3}{b}{D}{-2.5}[\SI{2}{\m}];
    \point{C}{8}{1.74}
    \notation{1}{C}{C}
    \beam{4}{D}{C}
    \beam{4}{C}{b}
    \dimensioning{3}{a}{D}{2.5}[\SI{2}{\m}];
    \dimensioning{1}{D}{C}{2.3}[\SI{2}{\m}];
    \point{f}{4}{2.5}
    \load{1}{f}[90]
    \point{force}{2}{2.7}
    \notation{1}{force}{$F=\SI{10}{\N}$}
    \end{tikzpicture}