The OpenSees Development Team has spent the last several months making some improvements to both the functionality of their open source software framework, as well as its accessibility by teaming with the NEEShub.
OpenSees 2.2.2 Released
Version 2.2.2 of the OpenSees binaries is now available for download from http://opensees.berkeley.edu/OpenSees/user/download.php. All users are strongly encouraged to upgrade to this version from any prior version for the best performance of OpenSees.
In this new version, some new classes, new uniaxial materials, and a new parameterization framework for uncertainty analysis have been added, along with several upgrades for improved reliability analysis functionality. A complete listing of changes can be found in the change log.
OpenSees in the Clouds
OpenSees 2.2.2 is now available for use on NEEShub (http://nees.org) through the OpenSeesLaboratory tool. This means that users do not need to install OpenSees onto their local computers but instead can run analyses remotely on the NEEShub machines. In addition to saving users the hassle of constantly upgrading their personal computer for newly released versions of the software framework, the primary advantage of utilizing this remote computing functionality is that the tool runs on NEEShub machines that are extremely fast. This will be very useful to advanced OpenSees users because it will drastically decrease computational time for large models or analyses that need to perform many runs.
For new users, the OpenSeesLaboratory tool will allow them to trial OpenSees without any initial set-up or installation. If desired, new users will also have the advantage of using the OpenSees graphical user interface (GUI) applications, BuildingTcl and OS Navigator, on NEEShub that help simplify the use of OpenSees for simple models. Watch a video that shows how to perform an OpenSees simulation!
posted November 10, 2010