Add A New Element
The OpenSees applications allows developers to use their own element modules to the application. Unlike most other programs, the elements are added at run-time and not at compile time. The advantage of this is the the developers:
- Do not need the OpenSees source files or libraries to compile and link the application.
- Can share their modules with others without having to provide the source code.
The element modules can be written using either C++, C, or Fortran. Whatever the language the developer wishes to use, the element modules make use of the OpenSees API to for example find nodal coordinates and displacements, and make use of material modules that exist in OpenSees or are also added as external routines.