Kickstart Your Simulation Workflow

Prerequisites

To follow this tutorial, either as a hands-on walkthrough or as a reference for your own implementation, please begin by downloading the simulation files here.

The files are organized into three folders:

  • inputFiles_template – contains the FEM model definition and analysis scripts, including the dynamic analysis template (.jinja file) that will be modified within the script’s loops
  • outputFiles – the directory where the analysis results will be saved
  • Records – contains the 30 acceleration time-histories required for the IDAs

Additionally, the record duration file records_duration.txt will be read during the execution of the simulation script.

The full simulation script (simulation-script.py) is included to ensure reproducibility and easy adaptation for your own workflows.

Simulation Overview

For a primer on running a single OpenSees simulation, check out our introductory tutorial here.

In this tutorial, we take a significant step forward: executing 300 IDA simulations in a single run, leveraging a high-throughput workflow using the EESD OpenSees distribution.

Why 300 Simulations?

These simulations are generated by combining:

  • 30 real-world ground motion records, and
  • 10 intensity levels per record

Rather than manually defining each simulation, we use Inductiva’s Templating Manager. Starting from a single base configuration, it automatically generates multiple simulation cases by replacing predefined input values with parameterized variables. This approach enables easy exploration of a wide scenario space — with minimal manual setup.

Don’t worry if that sounds complex, we will guide you through each step.

Let's dive in!