save as/print out feature

[Jamey]

It struck me as a need for future model generation, debugging, sharing, and visualization that there be a standard in terms of a model file I/O feature.

Let me motivate this by saying that a lot of the power in the usage of OpenSees is derived from the fact that it is built upon the tcl scripting language. This makes it possible to generate models based on hundreds of different source files, if/then statements, variable placeholders, for/while loops, functions, procedures, variable argument input/output procedures, lists, etc.... In fact it is general enough that different people working on the same project could each supply a tcl file to be sourced without having knowledge of the entire model. Therefore, there is a disconnect between the tcl input versus the actual input that the modelBuilder in OpenSees receives.

This raises the issue of how one would ever visualize models using such projects like Neesportal, OpenSeesNavigator, OSP, etc.... Obviously this is not possible given what is stated above. Then there is the issue of people submitting tcl input files for debugging/problem solving. Wouldn't it be nice to just see the OpenSees input and not all the tcl input? How about parametric studies, or models obtained from collaborators/third parties where there is not necessarily one input file that corresponds to a particular model.

Anyways, what I was proposing was a method for saving the model currently in the domain directly to file either as a.) a single input tcl file complete with commands (ie. element, uniaxialMaterial, etc) and values that could be sourced by anyone anywhere, or b.) a modified/simplified file format that just displays important information, coordinates, tags, arguments, etc but that could be imported into OpenSees at a later date or opened by post-processor/visualization routines, etc.









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[sankalp]

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[CH101]

It seems to me that it wouldn't be too difficult to isolate essential nodes. I can see how useful that feature would be. . .