OpenSees Developer

OpenSees Developer pages are intended for application developers of OpenSees. In these pages information is provided for developers to:

1. Create an application using the Framework.
2. Add new modules into the existing OpenSees interpreters.

OpenSees is a software framework for developing sequential and parallel finite element applications applications for structural and geotechnical engineering.

The code is open-source and released under a modified GPL. The modification allows users to use the source code for their own use. It does not allow them to sell a product that includes OpenSees code. The interpreters are written in such a way that developers wishing to gain financial advantage could for example:

1. Create pre and post processors for the OpenSees interpreters.
2. Create new modules, i.e. elements, materials, solvers, integrators, ... for the OpenSees interpreters.

The code is made open-source and free to use for a number of reasons:

1. Linus's Law: Given enough eyeballs all bugs are shallow.
2. Free software attracts users.
3. New ideas can be explored and built upon if they are available to be scrutinized.
4. Too much software developed in Civil Engineering research institutions is lost when graduate students leave.
5. The software developed in Civil Engineering research requires greater testing than is done to generate a few

dissertation or a few journal papers.

Design the Framework

The initial design of the framework is outlined 'Object-Oriented Finite Element Programming: Frameworks for Analysis, Algorithm and Parallel Computing (1997), F.McKenna' [1]. Some of the interfaces in the dissertation have been modified over time.