XC, opensource structural engineering FEM code

[bernd]

In this document http://www.xcengineering.xyz/blog_doc/2 ... ilding.pdf is here

A three-dimensional model of the structure has been built, all the scripts related to this model are hosted here in GitHub.

This link is dead ... https://github.com/anaiortega/XCproject ... uildingEC2

Found them here: https://github.com/anaiortega/XCmodels/ ... uildingEC2 including lots of other models: https://github.com/anaiortega/XCmodels

[bernd]

got it compiled ... https://gist.github.com/berndhahnebach/ ... c0d758f9f6

[ebrahim raeyat]

very interesting project. but i couldn't find any video of how it working. also it seems that it runs only on linux ubuntu or debian (your effort)!

could you please load some video of how it works? thanks.

[bernd]

Ohh yes very very interesting project.

yes ATM AFAIK all developer and user use it on Linux. But it should be fairly simply to get it compiled on any of the big linux. I would provide help here if needed.

How it works. It is all python. Geometry, meshing, actions, constraints, load cases, load case combinations, just everything is done in python. You get a vtk window with nice views where you can turn, move and zoom in the model. I have even started just a month ago.

See screens here: https://github.com/xcfem/xc/tree/master/doc/screenshots

May be luiz has some more informations than I have.

bernd

[ebrahim raeyat]

It's very good except the installation process that is very complicated and has very dependencies. and that only install on linux!
do you think it is valuable for working on it Seriously? thanks

[ebrahim raeyat]

Thanks bernd. I decided to write complete analysis and desinging software for concrete and steel structures.

for analysis i want to use OpenSees and it's no matter.
but for Gui i don't know which software is better, these are an alternatives:

1- paraview
2- FreeCAD
3- vtk itself
4- OpenFoam

also, look at this powerpoint for future of opensees:
opensees-future-directions

it seems that they want to bring BIM in OpenSees and providing a complete pre-post processor with python (slid 31)
also OpenSees recorder command works with paraview since version 2.5.0

what is your opinion at all.
thanks.

[bernd]

For GUI post processing paraview is state of the art. We have started to implement our own post processing in FEM but it is based on vtk, wiich is the library paraview is based on. IMHO the latter would be the best but takes resources to implement in FreeCAD. But one can switch to paraview all the time. Much more problems araise with pre processing. I am convinced structural analysis has to define the constraints (boundary conditions) an the geometry and not on the mesh. It is what all proprietary structural analysis software I know do and it is what FreeCAD FEM does. This is what makes FreeCAD FEM be somthing special in opensource FEM world, defining boundary condition on the mesh.

The other big problem is national standards. They are different in any country. There are dozens of (EDIT: opensource) FEM software out there but none does implement national standards. The xc developer have started to implement swiss standard. Since I live i Switzerland too this is very interesting for me. On the other side as soon as a software has some standard implemented it is not that difficult to adapt this to other national standards.

In the regard o GUI input for XC ... As I wrote I do not know yet what is best way to go. ATM I'm experimenting a lot with XC to get into their input format.

cheers bernd

[bernd]

Ahh in the regard of slides for future software development. I'm very skeptical. Even the big proprietary software company tell us everything in the regard of BIM will work just that easy if would just buy their license ... Afterwards you have dozens of discussions with the support what does not work with for example with ifc import and export files ... In this regard I only believe what i have done proofed to work myself with the various software.

cheers bernd

[bernd]

do you think it is valuable for working on it Seriously?

From what I have seen so far. Surely yes!

[HarryvL]

The other big problem is national standards. They are different in any country. There are dozens of FEM software out there but none does implement national standards.

Dlubal RFEM allows code checks against international standards and national annexes. But is is bl&&dy expensive. And every time you want something special (non-linearity, buckling, etc) you need to buy another module. I have the basic modules and it is very good, but pre-processing (model definition) is less advanced than FreeCAD.