We will be releasing ESOP v2.0.0 this Summer with new functionality for membrane plate elements and improved documentation. Additional examples files as well as tutorials will be included.
Thanks for all the interest from the FSAE folks. I hope that a few of you will find a need for this type of thing. You may also be interested in the SAE paper we published rescently (search for 2006-01-1009 at sae.org)