OpenSim — The Complete Guide: Free Musculoskeletal Modelling and Movement Simulation
OpenSim is open-source software from Stanford University for modelling the musculoskeletal system and simulating how muscles produce movement. It is the accepted research tool in biomechanics and rehabilitation engineering, and runs on Windows, macOS and Linux.
OpenSim
Stanford University
Musculoskeletal modelling and movement simulation, from Stanford University.
Get it from the vendorWhat you get
- Ready-made models — whole-body and limb models that can be scaled to a subject.
- Inverse kinematics — joint angles from motion-capture markers.
- Inverse dynamics — joint moments from motion and force-plate forces.
- Muscle forces — estimating what each muscle does at every moment.
- Programming interface — automation through Python and MATLAB.
Who it suits
Students and researchers in biomedical engineering, designers of prostheses, orthoses and exoskeletons, and anyone studying sports injuries. It needs good measurement data and time to learn the workflow; it is not a quick tool for a one-off ergonomic calculation.
Related tools
For fast physics simulation of robots and bodies — MuJoCo. For finite element analysis of tissue — FEBio. For multi-domain dynamic models — OpenModelica.
MuJoCo
Google DeepMind
A fast physics engine for robotics, biomechanics and machine learning.
Get it from the vendorFEBio
University of Utah / Columbia University
FEA for biomechanics and soft materials — hyperelastic, viscoelastic and tissue-implant contact.
Get it from the vendor
PyBullet
Bullet Physics
A physics engine for robotics and reinforcement learning, driven from Python.
Get it from the vendor
OpenModelica
Open Source Modelica Consortium
Simulate multi-domain physical systems with the Modelica language.
Get it from the vendorThe bottom line
OpenSim is the leading free tool for simulating human movement, with a large research community and extensive documentation.