computer science

OpenSees

OpenSees is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand OpenSees rather than just read about it. In short: OpenSees (the Open System for Earthquake Engineering Simulation) is an object-oriented software framework created during the National Science Foundation-sponsored era (1997-2007) of the Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research (PEER) Center. OpenSees allows users to create finite element applications for simulating the response of structural and geotechnical systems subjected to earthquakes.

Key takeaways

OpenSees belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect OpenSees to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of OpenSees from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

OpenSees (the Open System for Earthquake Engineering Simulation) is an object-oriented software framework created during the National Science Foundation-sponsored era (1997-2007) of the Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research (PEER) Center. OpenSees allows users to create finite element applications for simulating the response of structural and geotechnical systems subjected to earthquakes. This framework was developed by Frank McKenna and Gregory L. Fenves with significant contributions from Michael H. Scott, Terje Haukaas, Armen Der Kiureghian, Remo de Souza, Filip C. Filippou, Silvia Mazzoni, and Boris Jeremic. OpenSees is primarily written in C++ and uses several Fortran numerical libraries for linear equation solving.

Licensing The license permits the use, reproduction, modification, and distribution by educational, research, and non-profit entities for non-commercial purposes. Use, reproduction, and modification by other entities is allowed for internal purposes, but these entities cannot redistribute the program or its derivatives.

Usage Users of OpenSees create applications by writing scripts in either the Tcl or Python programming language. OpenSees developers manage the source code at GitHub.

Acronym The proper acronym capitalization for the "Open System for Earthquake Engineering Simulation" is OpenSees, as opposed to OpenSEES. This reflects the same unconventional capitalization of Tcl.

History Prior to taking on the name "OpenSees," the framework was simply called "G3" in reference to the name of the PEER research group tasked with simulation development. The doctoral thesis of Frank McKenna on parallel object-oriented structural analysis formed the basis for "G3." The current version as of March 2024 is 3.6.0.

References

External links OpenSees Webpage OpenSees Manual OpenSeesPy PyPI page OpenSeesRT PyPI page OpenSeesRT Manual

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with OpenSees

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what OpenSees claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to OpenSees before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about OpenSees ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of OpenSees

In research: OpenSees appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses OpenSees in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: OpenSees is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Computer-aided engineering software for Linux, Earthquake engineering, Finite element software, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for OpenSees outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study OpenSees in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what OpenSees means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain OpenSees out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is OpenSees in simple terms?

Why does OpenSees matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study OpenSees?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on OpenSees.