Software Reference · Resource Hub
Geotechnical software.
A comparative reference to the geotechnical software actually used in Malaysian engineering practice. Slope stability (Slope/W, Slide2/3, PLAXIS LE, RocPlane, Swedge). FE soil-structure interaction (PLAXIS 2D / 3D, RS2 / RS3, FLAC / FLAC3D, ZSoil, ABAQUS). Settlement and consolidation (PLAXIS, GeoStudio Sigma/W). Seepage (Seep/W, PLAXIS Flow, RS2 Groundwater, FEFLOW). Pile design (PIGLET, ALLPILE, LPILE, PLAXIS pile module). Retaining wall analysis (Wallap, ReWaRD, Geo5, PLAXIS). Reinforced soil walls (MSEW, ReSSA, NCMA SRW). Probabilistic and reliability (Slide / @Risk, Crystal Ball). With strengths, weaknesses, learning curve, and use cases for Malaysian projects. By Infraconcrete - CIDB G7 specialist geotechnical contractor.
25+
Software titles covered
8
Analysis categories
G7
CIDB highest grade
200+
Analyses run in-house
Engineer's note
In-house we run Slope/W + Slide for routine slope stability, PLAXIS 2D / 3D for soil-structure (basement walls, MSE, deep excavation, soft soil embankments), RS2 for rock + tunnel, Wallap for embedded retaining walls, and MSEW for FHWA-compliant MSE wall design. For projects where multiple software cross-checks are needed, we run them in parallel and reconcile. Send your case for a same-day modelling discussion.
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Navigation
Jump to a topic.
01 / Slope Stability
Limit equilibrium and FE strength reduction.
| Software | Vendor | Type | Strengths | Use case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slope/W (GeoStudio) | Bentley / Seequent | 2D LEM | Industry default Malaysia. All LEM methods. Probabilistic. Coupled with Seep/W / Sigma/W. Easy to learn. | Routine cut/fill slope, embankment, dam, MSE wall global stability |
| Slide2 / Slide3 | Rocscience | 2D / 3D LEM | Best slip search algorithms. 3D capability. Strong probabilistic. Excellent post-processing. | Complex 3D geometry, large-scale slopes, probabilistic / sensitivity, mining |
| PLAXIS LE (formerly SVSlope) | Bentley | 2D / 3D LEM | 3D LEM, integrated with PLAXIS FEM workflow. Solid for tailings dams, large pits. | Tightly-coupled FE-LEM workflow; large 3D geometry |
| PLAXIS 2D / 3D (FEM SRM) | Bentley | FEM strength reduction | Premier FE in Malaysia. Excellent soil-structure. Wide soil model library. | Walls + reinforcement, deep excavation slopes, strain-softening |
| RS2 / RS3 | Rocscience | FEM continuum | Best for rock slope, tunnel-slope interaction. SSR strength reduction. Coupled stress-flow. | Rock slope, tunnel portal, jointed rock mass |
| FLAC / FLAC3D | Itasca | FDM continuum | Large strain, progressive failure, dynamic. Specialist tool. | Earthquake, rapid drawdown, debris flow initiation, very weak ground |
| RocPlane / Swedge / RocTopple | Rocscience | Kinematic rock | Plane sliding, wedge, toppling failure - rock slope kinematic checks via stereonet. | Rock slope kinematic analysis (preliminary, jointed rock) |
02 / FE Soil-Structure Interaction
The complex problems where LEM doesn't work.
| Software | Vendor | Strengths | Soil models | Malaysian use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLAXIS 2D | Bentley | Most widely used Malaysia. Strong workflow. Industry training. Wide soil model library. | MC, HS, HSsmall, SS, MCC, NGI-ADP, GHS | Standard for deep excavation, walls, embankments, ground improvement |
| PLAXIS 3D | Bentley | 3D capability for true geometry effects (corners, partial walls, complex piling). | Same as 2D library | Mega-projects, station boxes, complex urban excavation |
| RS2 / RS3 | Rocscience | Strong rock mechanics. Joint elements. Coupled stress-flow. | MC, Hoek-Brown, Generalised Hoek-Brown, Cam-Clay variants | Tunnel, deep mining, rock slope, hydropower |
| FLAC / FLAC3D | Itasca | Explicit time-marching. Large strain. Dynamic. Most flexible programmable input. | MC, MC strain-softening, HS, Cam-Clay, custom user models | Earthquake, rapid drawdown, large-deformation analysis |
| ZSoil | Zace | Coupled multi-physics, stages, time-dependent. | MC, Cam-Clay, Mohr-Coulomb-Drucker-Prager hybrid | Less common Malaysia; specialist consultancies |
| ABAQUS | Dassault Systemes | General-purpose FEM. Most powerful for non-standard problems. | Wide library plus user subroutines | Research, very specialist work, university connections |
Soil model selection. Mohr-Coulomb (MC) - simple, suitable for preliminary work and where deformation is not critical. Hardening Soil (HS) - captures stress-dependent stiffness, suitable for excavations. HSsmall - adds small-strain stiffness, suitable for deep excavation deformation prediction (heave, surrounding settlement). Soft Soil / Modified Cam-Clay - for normally consolidated soft clay. NGI-ADP - for sensitive marine clay (anisotropic strength).
03 / Settlement & Consolidation
Soft soil and embankment programmes.
| Software | Type | Use |
|---|---|---|
| PLAXIS 2D / 3D | FEM with soft soil models (SS, MCC, NGI-ADP) | Embankment over soft clay - stage construction, pore pressure dissipation, time-dependent settlement |
| Sigma/W (GeoStudio) | FE deformation, integrated with Slope/W / Seep/W | Coupled flow-deformation |
| FE Coupled (PLAXIS Flow + Deformation, RS2 Groundwater + Stress) | Fully-coupled consolidation | Long-term settlement under load, dewatering effects |
| Spreadsheet / GeoStru / Settle3 | 1D / 2.5D classical | Routine settlement check, preliminary, simple stratigraphy |
| Asaoka / Hyperbolic / Tan-Tan | Field monitoring back-analysis | Predict ultimate settlement from observed time-settlement data; programme adjustment |
04 / Seepage Analysis
Steady-state and transient flow.
| Software | Strength | Use case |
|---|---|---|
| Seep/W (GeoStudio) | Standard 2D seepage. Saturated and unsaturated. Steady and transient. Integrated with Slope/W. | Slope rainfall infiltration, drainage system check, dam seepage |
| PLAXIS Flow | 2D / 3D seepage integrated with PLAXIS deformation. Coupled flow-deformation for consolidation. | Excavation dewatering, embankment construction, basement seepage |
| RS2 Groundwater / RS3 | FE seepage with rock joint flow capability. | Rock slope drainage, tunnel inflow, hydropower |
| FEFLOW | Specialist groundwater FE. 3D regional groundwater. | Regional groundwater modeling, environmental projects |
| VS2DI / HYDRUS | Vadose zone (unsaturated) | Specialist unsaturated flow research / agricultural / contamination |
05 / Pile Design
Axial, lateral, group, dynamic.
| Software | Type | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Spreadsheet (BS EN 1997, FHWA, AASHTO) | Closed-form bearing capacity / settlement | Routine axial pile capacity, settlement check, group efficiency |
| PIGLET (M.F. Randolph) | Pile group analysis (axial / lateral) | Group effects, settlement of pile group |
| ALLPILE (Civiltech) | Individual pile - axial, lateral, settlement | Routine production design, multiple pile types |
| LPILE (Ensoft) | Lateral pile (p-y curves) | Lateral capacity, deflection, moment - international standard for lateral piles |
| PLAXIS / RS2 (embedded pile) | FE soil-pile-structure interaction | Complex group effects, lateral cyclic load, soil-structure interaction |
| GRLWEAP / CAPWAP | Pile dynamics | Driving stress prediction, bearing capacity from driving (PDA) |
| Davisson / Chin / Brinch Hansen | Static load test interpretation | Determine ultimate / failure load from PLT |
06 / Retaining Wall Analysis
Embedded, gravity, anchored.
| Software | Type | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Wallap (Geocentrix) | Embedded wall LEM / SSI with construction stages | Sheet pile, secant pile, contiguous bored pile, diaphragm wall - widely used in Malaysia |
| ReWaRD (Geocentrix) | Anchored / tieback wall design | Multi-anchor walls, deep excavation |
| Geo5 (Fine - Czech / EU) | All-in-one suite (cantilever, gabion, sheet pile, MSE, soil nail wall) | Routine wall design, growing user base in Malaysia |
| PLAXIS 2D | FE soil-structure | Complex multi-stage excavation, soil-anchor-wall interaction |
| SPW911 / WALLAP-equivalent | Sheet pile cantilever / anchored | Specialist sheet pile |
| Spreadsheet (BS 8002, EC7) | Gravity / RC cantilever | Stability checks for routine gravity walls |
07 / MSE / Reinforced Soil Walls
Internal and external stability of reinforced soil systems.
| Software | Vendor / Source | Method | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSEW (FHWA) | FHWA / ADAMA Engineering | FHWA-NHI-10-024 simplified method | Standard MSE wall internal / external / global. Fast, defensible. |
| ReSSA | ADAMA Engineering | Reinforced slope and wall | Steep reinforced slopes, MSE walls with sloping backfill |
| NCMA SRW Software | NCMA (US Concrete Masonry Association) | NCMA SRW Manual method | Modular block / SRW walls; segmental retaining walls |
| Tensar SoilStructures / Tensar+ / TensarPlus | Tensar International | Vendor design method, BS 8006-1 compliant | Tensar geogrid MSE / SRW walls |
| Strata WallNet / Reinforced Earth design | Strata Geosystems / Reinforced Earth Co | Vendor methods to BS 8006-1 / FHWA | Strata / RECo walls (Starwall is Strata distributor) |
| Slope/W or Slide global stability check | Bentley / Rocscience | LEM with reinforcement | Always run global stability separately - MSE software does not always cover deep slip surfaces |
08 / Rock Mechanics
Rock slope, tunnel, rock-soil interface.
| Software | Vendor | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Dips | Rocscience | Stereonet analysis - joint orientation, kinematic feasibility |
| RocPlane / Swedge / RocTopple | Rocscience | Plane sliding / wedge / toppling failure modes - LEM rock slope |
| RS2 / RS3 | Rocscience | FE rock mechanics - tunnel, slope, jointed rock with strength reduction |
| UDEC / 3DEC | Itasca | Discrete element - blocky rock mass, large displacement of joint blocks |
| FLAC / FLAC3D | Itasca | Continuum FDM with joint elements - rock mechanics, earthquake |
| RocFall | Rocscience | Rockfall trajectory analysis - barrier sizing, drop tests |
09 / Probabilistic / Reliability Analysis
Beyond deterministic FoS.
| Software | Method | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Slide / Slide3 (probabilistic) | Monte Carlo / Latin Hypercube on input parameters | Probability of failure (Pf), reliability index (beta), sensitivity |
| Slope/W (probabilistic) | Monte Carlo | Same as Slide for slope stability |
| @Risk / Crystal Ball (Excel add-in) | Monte Carlo on spreadsheet calculations | Custom probabilistic analyses, ULS / SLS reliability |
| RBD-FORM (FORM, SORM analyses) | First / second-order reliability methods | Specialist - reliability-based design (RBD) |
Probabilistic analysis is increasingly required for critical infrastructure (federal highway / rail, dams, lifelines) where reliability index (beta) and probability of failure (Pf) targets are specified rather than (or in addition to) deterministic FoS. ISO 2394, JCSS Probabilistic Model Code, and Eurocode 0 give the framework.
10 / Choosing the Right Tool
Match software to problem.
| Problem type | Recommended software | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Routine cut / fill slope stability | Slope/W or Slide2 | LEM is sufficient; circular and non-circular slips; fast turnaround |
| Slope with reinforcement (nails, anchors, MSE) | Slide / Slope/W (LEM with reinforcement) + PLAXIS for verification | LEM for FoS; FEM for displacement and progressive failure check |
| Deep excavation with retaining wall | PLAXIS 2D + Wallap (verification) | FEM for SSI; Wallap for embedded wall LEM check |
| Soft soil embankment | PLAXIS with SS / MCC / NGI-ADP soil model | Captures consolidation, time effects, stage construction |
| Tunnel / underground | PLAXIS 2D / 3D or RS2 / RS3 | FE for ground response, support optimization |
| Rock slope kinematic | Dips + RocPlane / Swedge / RocTopple | Joint orientation analysis, kinematic feasibility |
| Rock slope FE | RS2 / RS3 (or PLAXIS with Hoek-Brown) | FE strength reduction with rock mass model |
| 3D geometry (open pit, headland) | Slide3 or PLAXIS LE | 3D LEM with proper geometry effects |
| Earthquake / dynamic / large-strain | FLAC / FLAC3D | Time-domain dynamic, large-deformation capable |
| MSE wall design | MSEW or vendor software (Tensar / Strata) + Slope/W global check | Standard methods plus global stability verification |
| Pile group axial / lateral | PIGLET or PLAXIS embedded pile | Group effects, soil-pile-structure interaction |
| Rainfall infiltration | Seep/W transient + Slope/W | Coupled transient seepage and stability |
| Probabilistic / RBD | Slide probabilistic, @Risk on spreadsheet | Monte Carlo, reliability index, FORM / SORM |
11 / Standards Reference
What the software implements.
| Topic | Reference |
|---|---|
| Slope stability | BS 6031, BS EN 1997-1, JKR Slope Engineering Manual, USACE EM 1110-2-1902 |
| Retaining walls / sheet pile | BS 8002, BS EN 1997-1, BS EN 1993-5 (steel), AASHTO LRFD |
| MSE / SRW | BS 8006-1, FHWA-NHI-10-024, NCMA SRW Manual, AASHTO LRFD Section 11 |
| Pile design | BS EN 1997-1, FHWA-NHI-16-009, AASHTO LRFD Section 10 |
| Tunnel design | BS 6164, AGS / HKGC tunnel guidelines, ITA WTC |
| Reliability / probabilistic | ISO 2394, JCSS Probabilistic Model Code, BS EN 1990 (Eurocode 0) |
| FE soil constitutive models | NAFEMS guides, PLAXIS Material Models manual, Atkinson 1993 |
| Software validation | NAFEMS validation procedures, ASCE Computational Geomechanics Committee guidance |
Frequently asked
Software questions.
What's the most common slope stability software in Malaysia? +
Slope/W (GeoStudio) is the industry default. Slide2 / Slide3 (Rocscience) is rising at major consultancies. PLAXIS 2D / 3D for FEM strength reduction with soil-structure interaction. RS2 / RS3 for rock mechanics. FLAC for specialist large-strain / dynamic.
What for soil-structure interaction? +
PLAXIS 2D / 3D dominates Malaysian practice for SSI - deep excavation, walls, embankments, ground improvement. Wide soil model library (MC, HS, HSsmall, SS, MCC, NGI-ADP). RS2 / RS3 for rock-dominated. FLAC for large-strain / dynamic.
What for retaining walls? +
Wallap (Geocentrix) for embedded retaining walls (sheet pile, secant pile, contiguous bored pile, diaphragm). ReWaRD for anchored walls. Geo5 for all-in-one cantilever / gabion / sheet pile / MSE. PLAXIS 2D for complex multi-stage SSI. MSEW / ReSSA / NCMA for reinforced soil.
What for pile design? +
Spreadsheet for routine to BS EN 1997 / FHWA. PIGLET / ALLPILE for individual / group pile capacity. LPILE for lateral piles. PLAXIS embedded pile for FE soil-pile interaction. GRLWEAP / CAPWAP for pile dynamics (driving, PDA).
What for rainfall infiltration analysis? +
Seep/W transient seepage with rainfall flux boundary, then Slope/W with imported pore pressures. PLAXIS Flow with rainfall boundary integrated with deformation analysis. RS2 Groundwater for rock slopes. Critical FoS often hours-days AFTER peak rainfall.
Need analysis support for your project?
Send the project specification and constraints. Same-day response from the engineering team. We run Slope/W, Slide, PLAXIS, RS2, Wallap, MSEW in-house under design-build, or as the specialist contractor under your appointed consulting engineer.