(Click the video thumbnail above to watch the demonstration on YouTube!)
Source-Available Engineering Simulation & Optimization Platform
Visual Modeling · Parametric CAD · Topology Optimization · FEA · Solution Spaces · Sensitivity Analysis · Surrogate AI · Multi-Objective Optimization
PyLCSS (Python Low-Code System Solutions) is an integrated product development environment for engineering design, enabling engineers to model and analyze multidisciplinary systems through an intuitive node-based visual interface, all within a single desktop application.
The core concept is the Solution Space approach for robust design: instead of seeking a single optimal point, it identifies box-shaped regions of valid designs that allow decoupled subsystem development, as introduced by:
Markus Zimmermann, Johannes Edler von Hoessle, "Computing solution spaces for robust design", Int. J. Numer. Meth. Engng., 2013. DOI: 10.1002/nme.4450
- Parametric CAD — Define geometry in Python (CadQuery) or draw it interactively in FreeCAD via a live bridge
- FEA — Static structural analysis via CalculiX with displacement and von Mises stress results visualised in the built-in VTK viewer
- Topology Optimization — SIMP-based voxel topology optimization via pyMOTO; direct STL/OBJ export of optimized geometry
- Crash / Impact Simulation — OpenRadioss explicit solver integration with animated VTK result playback
- Solution Space Exploration — Find all designs that satisfy your requirements, not just a single optimum; includes product family analysis to identify a common platform across variants
- Multi-Objective Optimization — 7 solvers: SLSQP, COBYLA, trust-constr, Differential Evolution, Nevergrad, NSGA-II, and Multi-Start
- Global Sensitivity Analysis — 4 methods: Sobol, Morris, FAST, and Delta (DMIM)
- Surrogate Modelling — 4 algorithms (MLP, Random Forest, Gradient Boosting, Gaussian Process / Kriging) with cross-validation, hyperparameter search, and feature importance
- System Modelling — Graph-based functional architecture editor for mapping requirements to subsystems
- AI Assistant — PydanticAI agent with 25 tools, multi-provider LLM support (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, local), streaming speech-to-text (Faster-Whisper + Silero VAD), and offline TTS (Kokoro-82M)
- Black-Box Integration — Wrap any external solver (ANSYS, MATLAB, LS-DYNA, HPC scripts) in a simple
evaluate(x)function
Detailed documentation on node types, workflows, and solver configuration is available in the Help widget inside the application.
Requirements: Python 3.10+ · Windows 10/11 (macOS/Linux: experimental)
git clone <repository-url>
cd pylcss
python -m venv .venv
.venv\Scripts\activate # Windows
# source .venv/bin/activate # Linux/Mac
pip install -r requirements.txt
# Optional: download CalculiX, OpenRadioss, FreeCAD (interactive)
python scripts/install_solvers.py
python scripts/main.pyOr on Windows: double-click run_gui.bat.
External solvers (CalculiX, OpenRadioss, FreeCAD) are optional — PyLCSS opens cleanly without them and only the corresponding node types are disabled. They are governed by their own upstream licenses (CalculiX: GPL, OpenRadioss: AGPL-3.0, FreeCAD: LGPL-2.1+).
Licensed under the PolyForm Shield License 1.0.0.
Allowed: Personal use, academic research, internal business use. Restricted: You cannot use this software to build a competing product or service.
See LICENSE and NOTICE for full details.