To make AMECO-17 attractive to the practicing engineer, every effort has been expended to simplify and minimize the input data. A special command language has been developed, incorporating structural engineering terminology. These commands are used to generate the geometry and the loading, to control the automated analysis/design process and to display selective design result documents. Instant Graphical Displays of any floor can be obtained with one click of the mouse.

For example, the following 10 commands will design the 30-level coupled shear wall frame in reinforced concrete:

AMECO CONCRETE DESIGN ALL LIST REBAR SCHEDULES, COSTS COMPUTE EQ FORCES , NBC V 0.15 R 3 USE SPANS 28-6 FLOOR WIDTH 22-0, COL L 12-9 USE FLL 60, SLAB 8 LEVELS 30 TO 25 B101 TO 104, WALL 105; COL 1 TO 6 101 LEVELS 24 TO 1 B101 TO 107, WALL 105; C1 TO 8 101

By simply changing the first command to AMECO STEEL, the same structure will be designed in steel.

The structure will be subjected to dead loads, floor live load of 60 psf and seismic forces for zonal velocity ratio of 0.15. The requested design documents will show lists of member sizes, reinforcing bar schedules, bill of materials and construction costs.

Though a simple example, it illustrates the brevity of input and the phraseology used. Similar commands are given to design 3-D structures such as commercial or residential buildings, complex industrial plants, etc. Without exception, AMECO input data is many times less in volume than the data required for most other structural design programs.