Elastica++: A high-performance, multiphysics framework for large interacting assemblies of Cosserat rods

TL;DR

Elastica++ is an open-source, high-performance computational framework for simulating large assemblies of Cosserat rods, enabling detailed multiphysics studies of slender-body dynamics across various applications.

Contribution

It introduces a scalable, flexible, and high-fidelity simulation tool that bridges the gap in existing computational methods for large-scale slender-body interactions.

Findings

Supports teraflop-scale throughput with complex physical interactions.

Demonstrates robustness across diverse case studies including metamaterials and microrobots.

Interoperates with external solvers for multiphysics simulations.

Abstract

Soft, slender structures are ubiquitous in natural and engineered systems, with broad application potential from biomimetic materials to soft robotics. However, there is a notable lack of computational tools that simultaneously preserve high-fidelity continuum rod mechanics, scale to large interacting ensembles, and remain flexible across diverse biophysical settings. Here we introduce Elastica++, an open-source, high-performance implementation of the Cosserat-rod model for large-scale simulations of slender-body dynamics. Elastica++ combines performance-oriented kernels with shared-memory parallelism to sustain teraflop-scale throughput despite complex discretization domains and physical interactions. The framework further interoperates with external numerical solvers, supporting efficient multiphysics workflows. We demonstrate robustness and breadth through case studies spanning passive nest-like metamaterials, collective active-matter dynamics, cilia carpets, soft magnetic microrobots, and schooling swimmers. Elastica++ thus provides a missing foundation for high-throughput studies of emergent behavior in interacting assemblies of elastic slender structures.