The following table compares the features of spMats 7.0x and its predecessors pcaMats and MATS/PCA-Mats.
| FEATURE | MATS/PCA-Mats v5.20 | pcaMats v6.10 | pcaMats v6.5x | spMats v7.0x |
| General | ||||
| Operating System | Microsoft Windows 3.1 or above | Microsoft Windows 98 or above | Microsoft Windows 98 or above | Microsoft Windows XP and Vista |
| Evaluation version | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Electronic documentation | Help file (.HLP) |
Help file (.HLP) Manual file (.PDF) |
Help file (.HLP) Manual file (.PDF) |
Help file (.HLP) Manual file (.PDF) accessible directly from the program |
| Printed Documentation | Yes | On demand | On demand | On demand |
| Input Data File Format | PCA-Mats .MAT format |
pcaMats (.MA6) format PCA-Mats (.MAT) File Import Filter |
pcaMats (.MA6) format PCA-Mats (.MAT) File Import Filter |
pcaMats (.MA6) format PCA-Mats (.MAT) File Import Filter |
| Input Auto Saving | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Export to DXF | No | No | No | Yes |
| Recent file list | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Keyboard Shortcuts | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Display Settings via Pop-up Menu | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| On-line Checking for Program Updates | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Digital Signature for Improved Security | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Modeling and Calculation | ||||
| Capacity |
2,500 nodes 2,500 elements |
10,000 nodes 9,900 elements |
10,000 nodes 9,900 elements |
10,000 nodes 9,900 elements |
| Code/Standard |
ACI 318-89 CSA A23.3-94 |
ACI 318-02 CSA A23.3-94 |
ACI 318-05 CSA A23.3-04 ACI 318-02 CSA A23.3-94 |
ACI 318-08 ACI 318-05 CSA A23.3-04 ACI 318-02 CSA A23.3-94 |
| Metric Units | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| US customary units | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Libraries | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Columns | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Piles | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Punching shear check | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Visualization and Reporting | ||||
| Geometry View - 3D | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Geometry View - 2D | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Geometry View - Columns and Piles in 3D View | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Geometry View - Columns and Piles in 2D | No | Symbolic only in their respective views | Symbolic and to scale including load assignment and contour map views | Symbolic and to scale including load assignment and contour map views |
| Annotation for subsets of nodes assigned with loads, piles, and restraints | No | No | No | Yes |
| Geometry View - Thickness Boundary Lines | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Zoom In / Zoom Out | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Geometry Panning | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Geometry Rotating | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Text Results - View | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Text Results - Print | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Text Results - Print Highlighted Selection | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Text Results - Copy To Clipboard | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Text Results - Save to file | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Contour maps - View | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Contour maps - Print | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Contour maps - Printout Annotations | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Contour maps - Print Preview | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Contour maps - Copy to Clipboard | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
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