A new release version of OpenSees, a software framework for developing applications to simulate the performance of structural and geotechnical systems subjected to earthquakes, is now available on the cloud at
Amazon EC2.

OpenSees release version 2.4.6 introduces new materials and shell elements such as ShellDKGQ and ShellNLDKGQ. See the full list of updates on the OpenSees change log web page.

Compared with other commercial computational applications that run only on the desktop, OpenSees in the Amazon cloud offers a simple web service interface that gives users complete control of computing resources and access to Amazon’s servers, storage, databases and a broad set of application services over the Internet at a fraction of the cost.

Watch this six minute video tutorial that walks you through everything you need to get started with OpenSees in the cloud.

Once the StarCluster Software from MIT is installed and running, users need only to run 7 commands from the terminal to start using the remote Amazon EC2 cluster for as little as 2 cents an hour per node.

Furthermore, Students and Educators can get free hours through the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Educate program, and industry partners can get hands-on experience with AWS Cloud Services at no charge for 12 months by signing up with the Amazon AWS Free Tier program.

The development and application of OpenSees is sponsored by PEER – Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center.

For more information, see the OpenSees web site.