I need to design a wood member (either sawn or engineered lumber) that will act as a single unit under load. The section will be built up from pieces fastened face to face and on edge. For instance, if (4) 1 1/2 X 7 1/4 units are to be used in the final section, two will be on the bottom, two...
Having used STAAD, Enercalc, and RamSteel, my personal preference is Ram. It can handle the design of a superstructure, and using those loads design baseplates and foundations. (though I don't know if it can handle retaining walls - I'd have to check. I usually use Enercalc for that.)
