XC — The Complete Guide: Finite Element Structural Analysis and Code Checks From Python
XC is open-source software (GPL-3.0 licence) for finite element structural analysis. Geometry, mesh and loads are built in a Python script. What sets it apart is the design layer: tools for applying design codes to the analysis results, for concrete and steel.
XC
XC developers (xcfem)
Finite element structural analysis scripted in Python, with checking tools for Eurocode 2 and 3, ACI 318 and AISC 360.
Get it from the vendorWhat you get
- Linear and non-linear analysis — static and dynamic.
- Fibre sections — modelling of reinforced concrete sections.
- Construction stages — analysing the structure in the order it is built.
- Concrete checks — to Eurocode 2 and ACI 318.
- Steel checks — to Eurocode 3 and AISC 360.
What to know
XC is aimed at advanced users: there is no graphical interface, and installation targets mainly Linux. On Windows and macOS it is installed through WSL or an Ubuntu virtual machine. Come with experience in Python and in the finite element method, and check every result against an independent calculation.
Related tools
For non-linear and earthquake analysis — OpenSees. For 3D frame analysis in Python with a simple install — Pynite. For finite elements with a graphical interface — PrePoMax.
OpenSees
Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center, UC Berkeley
Nonlinear and dynamic structural analysis driven by scripts, from the earthquake engineering world.
Get it from the vendor
Pynite
D. Craig Brinck (JWock82)
A Python library for 3D finite element analysis of frames, plates and shear walls — static, P-Δ, modal and PDF reports.
Get it from the vendorPrePoMax
University of Maribor
Full graphical front end for CalculiX — meshing, materials, loads and results in one window.
Get it from the vendor
Code_Aster
EDF
EDF industrial finite element solver — nonlinear, dynamic and thermo-mechanical, open source.
Get it from the vendorThe bottom line
XC is one of the few open programs that links finite element analysis to design code checks. It takes effort to learn, but it gives a powerful tool for automating design.