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MechDSL

Write your mechanics in LaTeX. Get tested code back.

MechDSL is a monorepo of two cooperating LaTeX-to-code compilers for computational solid mechanics. You describe the math — a boundary-value problem, a strain-energy function, a return-mapping algorithm — in an ordinary LaTeX document, and the toolchain emits deterministic, tested Taichi solver code.

The same .tex file renders normally through pdflatex and is executable input to the compiler. Your paper's source can be your simulation's source. The guiding principle:

Derive models from LaTeX; don't hand-code what the compiler should generate.

The two packages

  • :material-function-variant: mechdsl-core

    The FEM compiler. Turns % mechanics directives and strain-energy functions into element kernels, deriving stress S = ∂Ψ/∂E and tangent C = ∂²Ψ/∂E² symbolically. Six-layer pipeline, Total Lagrangian, Hex8, Taichi backend.

    :octicons-arrow-right-24: Introduction · Getting started

  • :material-cog-transfer: algo2code

    The algorithm transpiler. Turns LaTeX algpseudocode boxes — return-mapping loops, the PCG solver — into executable code. Zero runtime dependencies. Consumed by mechdsl-core for everything that isn't a closed-form expression.

    :octicons-arrow-right-24: Introduction · Getting started

The relationship is strict producer/consumer: mechdsl-core consumes algo2code-generated artifacts; algo2code is runtime-free and never imports mechdsl. Together they cover both halves of a constitutive model — the closed-form energy (differentiated by mechdsl-core) and the iterative algorithm (transpiled by algo2code).

A 60-second taste

from mechdsl import compile_latex

source = r"""
% mechanics dim 3
% mechanics cell hex8
% mechanics formulation total_lagrangian
% mechanics material svk --E 200e3 --nu 0.3
% mechanics boundary fix  --type dirichlet --value 0 --components 0 1 2
% mechanics boundary load --type neumann --traction "0 0 -1000"
"""

bundle = compile_latex(source)
print(bundle.element_ir_summary)   # what got localised (element, quadrature, einsum specs)
print(bundle.content_hash())       # deterministic — same input, same hash, every time

That call runs the full pipeline: parse the directives → build the Mechanics IR → localise to an Element IR → plan the tensor contractions → emit Taichi.

Where to go next

  • New here? Start with the mechdsl-core introduction — it's the main package.
  • Want to run something? Getting started takes you from a fresh clone to a compiled solver bundle.
  • Curious about the design? How it works is a guided tour of the six layers, and the FAQ answers the common questions.