Looking for Resources to Learn the Code

[RiderCharles]

Hi everyone,

I’m a beginner exploring OpenRadioss, and I’m very interested in learning how to work with its source code. However, I’m not sure where to start. Are there any documents or resources available that explain the source code in detail?

I would greatly appreciate any recommendations for tutorials, documentation, or even tips from experienced users on how to approach understanding and working with OpenRadioss.

Thank you in advance for your help!

[PaulAltair]

You can start here,

Confluence OpenRadioss Developer Guide Page

Because OpenRadioss has been developed over decades as the Radioss commercial code there is a lot of complexity in the code but...

Don't be overwhelmed, or afraid to ask if there are things you are trying to achieve, there is an active community of developers who can give advice.

Start small, you can try things in your own branches without fear of breaking anything.

Good luck.

[MarianBulla]

Hi @RiderCharles,

yes, in addition to what @PaulAltair mentioned, you can also have a look at some simple models, you can also start with, here: https://github.com/OpenRadioss/ModelExchange/tree/main

Hope it helps you ?

Thanks and best regards,
Marian

[RiderCharles]

Hi @PaulAltair and @MarianBulla

Thank you so much for your suggestions! I’ll definitely check out the Confluence OpenRadioss Developer Guide and the ModelExchange repository. These look like great starting points for me to get a better understanding of the code.

I have a follow-up question: I’m particularly interested in the explicit solver part of the project. Could you point me to the key modules or components that I should focus on to gain a solid understanding in this area?

Thanks again for your help!

[RiderCharles]

Actually, I’m currently trying to understand the different modules in this open-source project by using the simple examples provided here: https://help.altair.com/hwsolvers/rad/topics/chapter_heads/elements_verification_r.htm
and debugging the program step by step.

This approach feels quite inefficient, but I haven’t found a better way so far. I’d really appreciate it if you could share any suggestions or strategies to make this process more effective.

[elequiniou]

Thanks a lot @RiderCharles for your interest in the OpenRadioss project!
Indeed, the whole code is, more or less, the explicit solver, if you forget about implicit modules. Taking one example and going step by step through the debugger will let you understand the general structure of an explicit solver. You'll retrieved what is explained under this page: https://openradioss.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/OPENRADIOSS/pages/2359297/OpenRadioss+HMPP+Development+Insights#General-Explicit-Algorithm-%26-Communication-Scheme
If you need more help on some specific subject you would like to contribute, please, let us know and we can give you more insights about which part of the code to look.
A good starting point is the writing of a user material law, there is some explanation available under: https://www.youtube.com/@OpenRadiossCommunity
to develop so-called "User Subroutine".

Kind Regards,

Eric