In this video we walk you through an overview of Calcs.com tools and how to navigate inside the calculators. You’ll see how we show every step of the calculation, use traffic lights for structural checks, link loads between calculators, work with unit-aware inputs, switch views and print modes, get support, and change materials.
Timestamps
What is Calcs.com & transparency
0:16 – Philosophy, click any widget for description, reference & equations
Traffic lights
1:04 – Visual indicators: pass, near limit, or fail based on utilization
Member Selector
1:39 – Check many sections; see which pass or fail and pick the best member
Link loads
2:13 – Link loads between calculators (e.g. beam reactions into a column)
Units & unit awareness
3:46 – Mixed units, conversions, and referencing variables in inputs
Views & print mode
5:23 – Standard vs detail view; one-page summary, standard, and detail export
Send questions & knowledge base
7:22 – Contact support, share your project; 8:05 – Knowledge base & AI search
Change material
9:05 – Swap calculator material (e.g. wood beam to steel); links stay intact
Video recap: chapter summaries
Below is a resume of what we cover in each part of the video. Use the big cards to skim the content or click a card to go to that chapter’s summary.What is Calcs.com and transparency
Timestamp: 0:16 One of our philosophies at Calcs.com is to be transparent. We don’t want to be a black box. You’ll see every step of the calculation, and you can go deeper: click on any label or result (for example, shear design or shear reduction factor) to see a description, the reference we use, and the equation we’re applying. This is available across almost every step of our calculations.
Traffic lights
Timestamp: 1:04 Traffic lights are visual indicators that show whether a structural check passed, is near the limit, or failed, based on utilization. When you change inputs (for example, increase loads in the Loads section), the traffic lights update so you can see how the design is performing at a glance.
Member Selector
Timestamp: 1:39 When you choose a member (e.g. in Size and grade), you can open the Member Selector. It lists your Preference Sections first and shows an overview of traffic lights for each section, so you can see which sections would fail with your current configuration and which would work. You can quickly try a larger designation and see which options pass, making it easy to pick an efficient member.
Link loads
Timestamp: 2:13 You can link loads between calculators. For example, create a wood column and link it to the reactions from a wood beam: in the column’s load section, under Lateral movement loads, click Link, select the beam (and the support location), and the column will use those reactions. Clicking the linked label takes you back to the source calculator. If you change the beam (e.g. increase loads), the column updates automatically. No refresh needed.
Units and unit awareness
Timestamp: 3:46 Calcs.com is unit-aware. In inputs like Beam span length you can type expressions such as 20 feet + 10 inches or 10 inches × 5, and the conversion is done automatically. You can mix units (e.g. 8 meters) as well. You can also reference variables in other inputs (e.g. use the total length
L or L/2 for end locations), and the calculator will resolve them correctly.Views and print mode
Timestamp: 5:23 We offer two in-app views: Standard and Detail. Use the view toggle to show more or fewer calculation steps depending on how much detail you want. When exporting, use the print icon at the top and choose among One page summary (essentials only), Standard view, or Detail view. The one-page summary keeps inputs and results on a single page. You can also set your company logo (e.g. in Settings) so it appears on exported PDFs.
Support and knowledge base
Timestamp: 7:22 (support) · 8:05 (knowledge base) Use the airplane icon to send a message to support. You can grant access to your project so we can see what’s going on. Helpful when you have questions about how we calculate something, unexpected results, or differences from other software. Our support team includes civil engineers. We also have a knowledge base: click through to find articles and design examples (e.g. for Wood Beam). An AI assistant can search the knowledge base. Try asking something like “How can I design a steel beam?” to get relevant examples and links.
Change material
Timestamp: 9:05 If you’ve finished a calculation (e.g. a wood beam) and want to see the same setup with a different material, use Change material in the top sidebar. Select another calculator (e.g. Steel beam). Loads and configuration are preserved; only the material and designation change. Load links (e.g. to a column) continue to work. You don’t need to redo the link.
Check out the next videos in our onboarding series
How to Use Project Defaults
Setting up project defaults and linking to calculators
How to Organize Your Projects on Calcs.com
Organizing projects in Calcs.com
Load Linking: Wind Loads → Diaphragm → Shear Wall
Build a fully connected lateral load path
Related articles
How project defaults work
Set global rules for your design
Preferred sections and autosize
Pin sections and speed up member selection
Linking loads and reactions between calculators
Load path tracking and load linking
Exporting and printing calculations
Export and print your calcs
How to change materials
Swap modules between timber and steel
Creating new calculations
Add and set up new calcs in a project