Application generator

generator reads commands from a text file and produces Rockable configuration files (shape files, input files, packings). It is the standard pre-processing tool for setting up simulations.

generator <command-file>

Note

Leave at least one blank line at the end of the command file to avoid parsing issues.

Example 

The following script generates a shape file and a full Rockable input file with a random close packing of cuboids:

# --- shapes ---
open shapes.txt
generateShape:cuboid Cuboid 0.0005 0.03 0.01 0.01
generateShape:xyz_walls 0.25 0.25 0.25 0.0005
close

# --- input file ---
open input.txt
print Rockable 21-08-2022
print #### time #############################
print t 0
print tmax 2.0
print dt 5e-6
print interVerlet 0.001
print interConf 0.01
print
print #### options ##########################
print forceLaw Default
print Integrator Beeman
print
print #### proximity of the particles #######
print DVerlet 0.005
print dVerlet 0.0025
print
print #### properties for particles #########
print density 0 2700
print density 1 2700
print
print #### interaction parameters ###########
print knContact 0 1 1e6
print en2Contact 0 1 0.02
print ktContact 0 1 1e6
print muContact 0 1 0.6
print krContact 0 1 0.0
print murContact 0 1 0.0
print
print #### the system #######################
print iconf 0
print shapeFile shapes.txt
print nDriven 0
Particles:placeHolder

generatePacking:RandomClosePacking
Cuboid
CUBOID Y
0.2 0.2 0.3
0.03 0.01 0.01
1.0 1.0
2000
0.9
0
0

close

Command Reference 

File output 

open <filename>: Open filename for output. All subsequent print, compute, and packing commands write to this file until close is called. If no file is open, output goes to the console.
close: Close the current output file. If Particles:placeHolder was used, the final particle count is written back into the file at that position before closing.

Printing and arithmetic 

print <text>

Write text to the current output, trimming leading and trailing spaces, and append a newline. Useful for writing raw lines into shape or configuration files.

print> <text>

Same as print but without the trailing newline. The next output statement continues on the same line.

Example — writing a computed contact stiffness on one line:

print> knContact 0 0
<compute 500000 * 2

produces: knContact 0 0 1000000

compute <label> <expression>

Evaluate a mathematical expression and write label result to the output.

Example: compute Particles 5^3 + 6 produces Particles 131

<compute <expression>

Evaluate an expression and write only the result (preceded by a space), without a label. Intended to be combined with print> on the previous line (see example above).

Particle counting 

Particles:placeHolder: Reserve a slot in the output file where the total particle count will be written when close is called. The count is updated automatically by every packing command.
incrementNoParticles <n>: Manually increase the tracked particle count by the integer n. Use this when adding particles through print rather than through a packing command.

Transformations 

A global transformation is maintained throughout script execution and applied by packing commands when placing particles.

transformation:add_translation <x> <y> <z>: Add a translation to the current transformation.
transformation:add_rotation <x> <y> <z> <angle_deg>: Add a rotation around the axis (x, y, z) by angle_deg degrees.
transformation:reset: Reset the transformation to identity (clears both translation and rotation).
transformation:reset_translation: Reset only the translation component.
transformation:reset_rotation: Reset only the rotation component.

Shape Generation 

generateShape:sphere <name> <radius>: Generate a spherical shape.
generateShape:cube <name> <radius> <sideSize>: Generate a cubic shape of side length sideSize with corner radius radius.
generateShape:cuboid <name> <radius> <sx> <sy> <sz>: Generate a cuboid shape with side lengths (sx, sy, sz) and corner radius radius.
generateShape:pyramid3 <name> <radius> <sideSize>: Generate a triangular pyramid shape.
generateShape:thin_cylinder <name> <Rin> <Rout> <H> <nbSectors>: Generate a thin cylindrical shell with inner radius Rin, outer radius Rout, height H, and nbSectors angular sectors.
generateShape:cuboid_container <name> <radius> <sx> <sy> <sz> <hasTop> <hasBottom>: Generate an open or closed cuboid container. hasTop and hasBottom are integers (0 = absent, 1 = present).
generateShape:rectangle_xz <name> <radius> <side_x> <side_z>: Generate a rectangular plate in the xz plane.
generateShape:rectangle_xy <name> <radius> <side_x> <side_y>: Generate a rectangular plate in the xy plane.
generateShape:rhombicuboctahedron <name> <radius> <sx> <sy> <sz>: Generate a rhombicuboctahedron shape.
generateShape:xyz_walls <sx> <sy> <sz> <Rw>: Generate three flat wall shapes (one per axis) sized (sx, sy, sz) with corner radius Rw.

Packing Generation 

addParticle <name> <group> <cluster> <homothety> <px> <py> <pz> <qs> <qx> <qy> <qz>

Place a single particle at position (px, py, pz) with quaternion orientation (qs, qx, qy, qz), homothety scale homothety, assigned to group and cluster.

generatePacking:wallBox <group> <LX> <LY> <LZ> <Rw>

Generate six flat wall particles forming a closed box of dimensions LX × LY × LZ with wall corner radius Rw, all assigned to group.

generatePacking:grid <name> <ox> <oy> <oz> <bx> <by> <bz> <nx> <ny> <nz> <group> <cluster> <homothety> <randQ>

Fill a box of size (bx, by, bz) starting at origin (ox, oy, oz) with a regular nx × ny × nz grid of particles of shape name. Set randQ to 1 for random orientations.

generatePacking:grid_clust <name> <ox> <oy> <oz> <bx> <by> <bz> <nx> <ny> <nz> <group> <cluster> <homothety> <randQ>

Same as generatePacking:grid but assigns incrementing cluster indices to each particle.

generatePacking:RandomClosePacking <name> <boxShape> <direction> <bx> <by> <bz> <xOBB> <yOBB> <zOBB> <hmin> <hmax> <nbTarget> <solidFraction> <group> <cluster>

Generate a random close packing inside a box of size (bx, by, bz).

Parameter	Description
`boxShape`	Container geometry: `CUBOID` or `CYLINDER`
`direction`	Packing growth direction: `X`, `Y`, or `Z`
`xOBB` `yOBB` `zOBB`	Bounding box dimensions of the particle shape
`hmin` `hmax`	Homothety range (size scatter)
`nbTarget`	Target number of particles
`solidFraction`	Target solid fraction (0–1)
`group` `cluster`	Group and cluster indices assigned to all particles