Civil engineering
ETABS and SAFE: Building Analysis and Design
Model, load and check a concrete building in ETABS, then design its slabs and foundations in SAFE, with every result checked by hand.
- Free
- Intermediate
- 21.1 hours
- Self-paced
- Certificate optional
No card, no trial. The course is free for good. Certificate US$28.99, optional.
After this course you can
By the end you will be able to:
- Set up an ETABS model with grids, storeys and cracked sections
- Define gravity, wind and seismic loads and the code combinations
- Check modes, storey drift and P-delta against the code
- Run beam, column and wall design and check it by hand
- Design slab strips, punching shear and footings in SAFE
Who it is for, and what you need first
Who it is for
Civil and structural graduates, junior design engineers and draughtspeople who will model and check concrete buildings in ETABS and SAFE.
Level: Intermediate. Intermediate. For civil and structural graduates, junior design engineers and draughtspeople who know statics, reinforced concrete design basics and how to read structural drawings. No ETABS or SAFE experience is needed. The course follows one eight-storey concrete office building through the software; a separate STAAD.Pro course covers a different program and structure.
What you need
Software: CSI ETABS and CSI SAFE, current version 23 (Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit, Cloud Sign-in licence). CSI offers an evaluation trial on request for evaluation use only; check the trial terms on CSI's own page. A spreadsheet, or a few lines of Python or JavaScript, for the hand checks. The lessons use ACI 318-19 with ASCE 7-22 for every worked example, and the same steps apply with Eurocode 2 and EN 1998..
Hardware: A 64-bit Windows 10 or 11 computer. CSI lists 16 GB of RAM as the minimum and 64 GB as the recommended amount, about 6 GB of disk for the install and a discrete graphics card for large models. Small learning models run on a modest machine. The video lessons run on any device..
How this course works
Watch the lessons
Short video lessons, one module at a time, at your own pace.
Read the notes
Open the Reading tab for the written notes and diagrams of the module.
Check yourself
Answer the questions to see what stuck before you move on.
Final assessment
Pass the final once you have been through the modules.
Certificate, if you want oneOptional
Optional, with a page anyone can use to verify it.
What you learn
15 modules in order, at your own pace. 21.1 hours of video lessons, with written notes and a practice task in each module.
- 1ETABS and the building-analysis workflow39m
- 2Grids, storeys and starting a model53m
- 3Materials, sections and cracked-section modifiers1h 2m
- 4Modelling the frame: columns, core, beams and replication1h 8m
- 5Slabs, walls, diaphragms, supports and meshing27m
- 6Gravity load patterns and cases52m
- 7Wind, equivalent static seismic load and mass source40m
- 8Load combinations for strength and service50m
Show the other 7 modules
- 9Modal analysis, mass participation and response spectrum1h 19m
- 10P-delta, storey drift and irregularity checks1h 14m
- 11Concrete beam, column and shear wall design1h 10m
- 12Slab design, reading output and detailing53m
- 13SAFE: importing from ETABS, slab strips, punching shear and deflection1h 35m
- 14SAFE foundations: soil springs, mat and isolated footings1h 15m
- 15Final assessment
What you practise
Course project, about 12 hours
Verification pack for a six-storey concrete residential block: loads, seismic force, drift, a beam and a footing
Build the hand-check pack that goes with an ETABS and SAFE model of a six-storey residential block. You work the floor loads, the equivalent static seismic force, the drift and stability check, one beam, one footing and a soil spring estimate, then write the checking note.
- 5documents in the pack
- 6steps to follow
- 6things to hand in
- 12 hof work, at your pace
- ReportDesign basis and floor load take-off, Marina Residences Block B
- ReportEquivalent static seismic force, drift and stability check
- ReportBeam, footing and soil spring hand checks
- RegisterHand-check register
- ProcedureChecking procedure for a building model
The project is optional practice. The certificate needs only the modules and the final assessment.
After the course, your next step
Show what you can do, then keep going in the same field.
A certificate you can verify
Finish the modules and pass the final assessment (15 questions, pass mark 60%) and you can add a certificate with a public verification page. One-off, US$28.99 for you. It is not a vendor credential.
Want a free certificate? Do the matching Free internship: 4 weeks, nothing to buy, with a free certificate of completion.
Project work you can show
Weekly briefs and a work record, online. Pick the internship that fits you. Finish the 4 weeks and get a free Internship Completion Certificate, with a QR code anyone can scan to verify it. Training, not employment.
Find an internshipPart of a learning path
Courses in a planned order, so each one builds on the last.
More free courses
Roles that use this skill
- PLC programmer
- Controls engineer
- Automation technician
- Commissioning engineer
These are the kinds of roles where the skill is used. We make no promise of a job or an interview.
Plain notes
- Free: the whole course, the notes, the practice tasks, the final assessment and support from practising engineers.
- Paid, and optional: the course certificate, and the Premium internship (the Free internship costs nothing).
- No job promise: the course teaches a skill. It does not place you in a job.
- Lessons by: Computers and Structures, Inc., qLearnify (EN), Tarek Youssef, Real civil, Dr Nafie - Structural Engineering, Be Pro Engineer, AF Math & Engineering, Road to be an engineer, The Civil Bro - Civil Structural Design. Independent creators; the lessons stream from their own channels. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, practice tasks and assessments.
Computers and Structures, Inc. · qLearnify (EN) · Tarek Youssef · Real civil · Dr Nafie - Structural Engineering · Be Pro Engineer · AF Math & Engineering · Road to be an engineer · The Civil Bro - Civil Structural Design. If you are one of these creators and want a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@wartens.com.
Why learn with EDWartens
What you get with this course, and what comes after it.
- Free from the first lesson to the final assessment.
- Video lessons with written notes and a project.
- An optional certificate that anyone can verify online.
- Free internships to keep practising afterwards.
Common questions
What is the ETABS and SAFE course?
It is a free-to-learn course that follows one eight-storey reinforced concrete office building through CSI's ETABS and SAFE: grids and storeys, materials and cracked sections, loads and combinations, modal and response spectrum analysis, drift and P-delta checks, beam, column and wall design, then slab strips, punching shear, deflection and foundations on soil springs, with every result checked by hand.
Who is the ETABS and SAFE course for?
Civil and structural graduates, junior design engineers and draughtspeople who know statics and the basics of reinforced concrete design. No ETABS or SAFE experience is needed. Engineers in design offices in the Gulf and elsewhere use these programs daily, so the course starts from the workflow they follow.
Which software and version does the course use?
CSI ETABS and CSI SAFE, version 23.3, released on 23 September 2026 and current when the course was checked on 1 November 2026. CSI offers an evaluation trial on request for evaluation use only, and its licences use Cloud Sign-in. You can follow every lesson and do every hand check with only a spreadsheet.
Which design code does the course use?
The worked examples use ACI 318-19 with ASCE 7-22, one code family throughout. The steps are the same under Eurocode 2 with EN 1990, EN 1991 and EN 1998, and regional codes such as IS 456, IS 1893 and IS 875 follow the same workflow with different factors.
Can I design a real building with what I learn here?
No. Real structures must be designed and signed by a qualified structural engineer working under local regulations, and software output must always be checked by hand. The course teaches the workflow and the checks, and it is not a licence to practise.
Is this a CSI certification?
No. The certificate is a verifiable certificate of completion from EDWartens, not a CSI certification or a professional engineering qualification. ETABS and SAFE are trademarks of Computers and Structures, Inc., named only to describe the software taught.
How long does the course take, and is it free?
About 14 hours of video and around 21 hours in total with the notes, worked problems and practice, at your own pace. Every module, the notes, the optional verification-pack project and the final assessment are free to learn.
What certificate does the ETABS and SAFE: Building Analysis and Design course give?
A verifiable certificate of completion, issued when you finish the modules and pass the 15-question final at 60 percent. It has a unique certificate number, a QR code and a public verification page that shows the course, the modules covered and your final score.
Start free today
ETABS and SAFE: Building Analysis and Design, at your own pace. Add the certificate only if you want one.