ADS Expert is an integrated system that (a) provides suggestions about
suitable optimization algorithms for a particular structural optimiza
tion problem, (b) it offers explanations and guide lines, in the form
of hypertext, that refer to the optimization strategy, optimizer and o
ne dimensional search method, (c) it produces the required gradients f
or the objective function and the constraints using symbolic different
iation, (d) establishes a direct linking with ADS routines and (e) it
monitors the evolution of the optimization process. The system can be
used as an educational tool for structural optimization and as an effi
cient integrated system for small to medium size optimization problems
for which the objective function and the constraints are given in the
form of explicit functions of the design variables. The system is a W
indows application and runs quite satisfactorily on PCs.