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Installation¤

OpenSeesMatlab is currently distributed as a MATLAB toolbox for Windows. MATLAB R2023a or later is required.

Install a released version¤

  1. Download a release from GitHub or Gitee (China).
  2. Extract the release to a directory where you have write permission.
  3. In MATLAB, change to that directory and run: 
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    cd('path_to_openseesmatlab_directory');
installOpenSeesMatlab;
  4. Restart MATLAB if the installer requests it.

The MATLAB File Exchange package is not yet available.

Verify the installation¤

Run this in a new MATLAB session:

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opsMat = OpenSeesMatlab();
opsMat.version
opsMat.opensees.wipe();

A returned version and no constructor error indicate that MATLAB can find both the toolbox and its OpenSees MEX module.

You can also check which installation MATLAB resolves:

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which OpenSeesMatlab -all

If more than one copy is listed, remove old copies from the MATLAB path so that scripts do not load a different release than expected.

Run an example¤

The examples directory contains Live Scripts grouped by engineering topic. Open a .mlx file in MATLAB Live Editor and run its sections in order. A good first choice is a small structural example; response and visualization examples are useful after you understand the basic command workflow.

Next, follow Your first analysis for a complete model–analysis–result cycle, or browse the examples.

Requirements and limitations¤

Item Requirement
MATLAB R2023a or later
Operating system Windows
OpenSees engine Included through the OpenSeesMatlab MEX interface
Interactive Polyscope viewer Requires the packaged Polyscope MEX binary

Polyscope is optional for core analysis

The OpenSees command interface and regular MATLAB visualization do not depend on opening a Polyscope window. Use opsMat.vis.polyscope only when you want the interactive Polyscope GUI.

Troubleshooting¤

OpenSeesMatlab is not found¤

  • Confirm that installation completed without an error.
  • Run which OpenSeesMatlab -all.
  • Re-run installOpenSeesMatlab from the extracted release directory.

The MEX file cannot be loaded¤

  • Confirm that you are using supported 64-bit Windows and MATLAB R2023a or later.
  • Do not mix files from different OpenSeesMatlab releases.
  • Check whether endpoint security software quarantined a packaged binary.

A Polyscope viewer cannot start¤

  • Confirm that the release contains the packaged Polyscope MEX binary.
  • Update the graphics driver and try a regular MATLAB plot with opsMat.vis.plotModel() to distinguish a graphics-backend issue from a model issue.
  • Core OpenSees analyses can still run without the interactive viewer.

Performance guidance¤

For the lowest overhead, use opsMat.opensees with standard OpenSees recorders or direct query commands. The .pre, .post, and .vis modules trade some overhead for MATLAB-friendly workflows, structured data, and interactive exploration.

Version numbers¤

OpenSeesMatlab uses MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH.BUILD. The first three fields identify the corresponding OpenSees release; BUILD identifies an OpenSeesMatlab revision built on it. For example, 3.8.0.2 is the second OpenSeesMatlab build based on OpenSees 3.8.0.

See the changelog for release-specific changes.