West Point Bridge Designer (WPBD) Challenge

This is a department wide challenge available for any Engineering student to participate in. Rather than devoting specific in class time for this event, it's an ongoing game that is an approved activity whenever you've completed your current coursework. Engage with this in place of non-engineering related activities.

The Challenge:
Build the cheapest bridge possible that successfully spans the gap (Your bridge must not only stand under its own weight, it must also support the weight of the test vehicle).

How To Get Started:
Click on the West Point Bridge Designer icon on your desktop to get the software going (If you are unable to find the icon, search for the software the traditional way using start>program files):




Proceed through each setup step to reach the bridge editor:




Build and test your bridge. The key way to reduce cost is by changing your bridge members to the smallest members possible. This is an "iterative" process. Fail early and fail often!

Achievements
You may earn the following Achievements. These are worth extra credit. Justification for each Achievement (screenshots and text explanation) should be compiled into a single post on your blog (remember, you can edit and update blog post to keep it current). You may be required to verify any results so keep copies of your files:

"Build it" (1pt) - Build a functional bridge. Display a screen shot and list the total cost. List one feedback item for each of our four feedback areas for this design (+, change, ?, !).

"My Best Result" (1pt) - Post your best result and your period in the comments section of this post.

"Best in Class" (1pt) - The best score posted in the comments section from each period may earn this Achievement.

"Best Bridge" (1pt) - The best score overall from any course posted in the comments section earns this Achievement.