ADA - Advanced Design & Analysis

A python library for working with structural analysis and design. This library should be considered as experimental.

The recommended way of installing ada-py is with pixi, in an isolated project environment:

pixi init my-project
cd my-project
pixi add ada-py

To only use the ada command line tool, install it globally instead:

pixi global install ada-py

Here are some of the goals with ada-py:

• Support reading, writing and modifying FE models and post-processing FE results
• Support open source and commercial FE packages (based on what I use/would like to use regularly)
• Support scriptable FE meshing
• Support reading/writing CAD/BIM formats (STEP/IFC) & mesh formats (GLTF)
• Use a CSG (Constructive Solid Geometry) core primitives library for boolean operations based on the IFC/STEP standards
• Provide the building blocks for advanced parametric and procedural 3d model design and simulation workflows
• The library should always strive for user ergonomics.

Quick Links

• Feel free to start/join any informal topic related to adapy here.
• Issues related to adapy can be raised here
• Docs is located in https://krande.github.io/adapy
• FEA verification documentation FEA Verification Documentation.

Usage

Using the ada-py package

Command line

Installing the package also installs a console script:

ada --help

Command	What it does
ada convert	Convert a model between CAD/FEM formats. Reads ifc, step, xml, gnx, sat/acis and the FEM decks abaqus (.inp), sesam (.fem/.sif), code_aster (.med/.rmed); writes ifc, step, gltf/glb, xml, gnx and the FEM decks abaqus, calculix, sesam, usfos, code_aster, opencourant. The extensions pick the formats unless --from/--to say otherwise, and --to is the only way to reach calculix and usfos, which share .inp and .fem with abaqus and sesam. xml and gnx are one model in two containers -- a .gnx is the GeniE workspace, the concept XML zipped with its ACIS body -- so there the extension decides and --to cannot override it; --binary-acis stores that body as binary SAB (GeniE V9.3+), text being the default. The output path is the one file you name; extra files a format needs land beside it. Local.
ada view	Open the built-in web viewer on a file, with the react, pygfx or trimesh renderer. A result file (.sin/.sif, .odb, .frd, .rmed, .radanim) is shown with its results. Local.
ada results	Summarise an FEA result file, or compare two runs of the same model and show the difference (stats, compare). Local.
ada build	Run the entrypoints declared in an ada_config.toml and push the artefacts to a viewer (run, upload, run-and-upload).
ada files	List, download, upload and delete blobs in a viewer scope (list, download, upload, delete).
ada audit	Query, fetch and locally re-run viewer audit conversions (runs, run, log, perf, profile, fetch, logfile, repro, wasm-sweep, parity).
ada serve

The build, files and audit groups talk to a hosted viewer and read their base URL and token from the environment (a .env in the working directory is picked up too; real environment variables win). Every command and subcommand takes --help, and the full reference is in the docs.

Create an IFC file

The following code

from ada import Assembly, Part, Beam

a = Assembly("MyAssembly") / (Part("MyPart") / Beam("MyBeam", (0, 0, 0), (1, 0, 0), "IPE300"))
a.to_ifc("C:/temp/myifc.ifc")

creates an Ifc file containing an IfcBeam with the following hierarchy

MyAssembly (IfSite)
    MyPart (IfcBuildingStorey)
        MyBeam (IfcBeam)

The resulting IfcBeam (and corresponding hierarchy) shown in the figure above is taken from the awesome blender plugin Bonsai.

Convert between FEM formats

Here is an example showing the code for converting a sesam FEM file to abaqus and code aster

Note! Reading FEM load and step information is not supported, but might be added in the future.

import ada

a = ada.from_fem('path_to_your_sesam_file.FEM')
a.to_fem('name_of_my_analysis_file_deck_directory_abaqus', 'abaqus')
a.to_fem('name_of_my_analysis_file_deck_directory_code_aster', 'code_aster')

Current read support is: abaqus, code aster and sesam
Current write support is: abaqus, code aster and sesam, calculix, usfos and opencourant (explicit shell models)

Create and execute a FEM analysis in Calculix, Code Aster and Abaqus

This example uses a function beam_ex1 from here that returns an Assembly object with a single Beam with a few holes in it (to demonstrate a small portion of the steel detailing capabilities in ada and IFC) converted to a shell element mesh using a FE mesh recipe create_beam_mesh found here.

from ada.param_models.fem_models import beam_ex1

a = beam_ex1()

a.to_fem("MyCantilever_abaqus", "abaqus", overwrite=True, execute=True, run_ext=True)
a.to_fem("MyCantilever_calculix", "calculix", overwrite=True, execute=True)
a.to_fem("MyCantilever_code_aster", "code_aster", overwrite=True, execute=True)

after the code is executed you can look at the results using supported post-processing software or directly in python using the built-in THREEJS based viewer in a web browser or Jupyter notebook/lab for the FEA results.

Acknowledgements

This project would never have been possible without the existing open source python and c++ libraries adapy depends on.

Project Responsible

Kristoffer H. Andersen