I DOWNLOADED OPENSIM - NOW WHAT?
This introductory tutorial at the 2015 Gait and Clinical Movement Analysis Society (GCMAS) meeting will provide practical tips for getting started with OpenSim.
The workshop will take place on Wednesday March 18, 4-6pm. Participants will be introduced to OpenSim’s features, file formats, and documentation using HANDS-ON, clinically-relevant examples.
Full Abstract: OpenSimTutorial gcmas2015.pdf
Introduction to OpenSim and Workshop goals
Background
Models of the musculoskeletal system enable one to study neuromuscular coordination, analyze athletic performance, and estimate musculoskeletal loads. OpenSim is open-source software that allows users to develop, analyze, and visualize models of the musculoskeletal system, and to generate dynamic simulations of movement (see Delp 2007). In OpenSim, a musculoskeletal model consists of rigid body segments connected by joints. Muscles span these joints and generate forces and movement. Once a musculoskeletal model is created, OpenSim enables users to study the effects of musculoskeletal geometry, joint kinematics, and muscle-tendon properties on the forces and joint moments that the muscles can produce. With OpenSim, our goal is to provide a framework that allows the biomechanics community to create, share, and extend a library of models and dynamic simulation tools.
Workshop Goals
This workshop will introduce users to some of the tools and models available with the OpenSim software package. In this workshop, you will:
- Become familiar with the components of OpenSim’s graphical user interface (GUI)
- Explore the components of an OpenSim lower body musculoskeletal model
- Use OpenSim tools to create a scaled, subject-specific model and calculate joint kinematics
- Simulate the effect of a tendon lengthening surgery to address plantarflexor contracture
Preparing for the Tutorial
Enrolled participants should bring (or be prepared to share with a colleague) a laptop running the Windows operating system with OpenSim and Notepad++ installed. Bring a computer mouse, too.
Before the tutorial:
(1) Please test your installation of OpenSim by completing the test exercise posted below.
(2) Download the GCMAS tutorial files.
How to Download OpenSim
OpenSim is hosted on SimTK, a cloud storage service for biomedical tools and research. There are 32- and 64- bit versions available to correspond with your system requirements. If you are unsure which version you need, click here.
Download OpenSim 3.2.
How to Download Notepad++
OpenSim model files and setup files are written in xml. Notepad++ is a free text editor that makes it easier to view and edit xml files. During the tutorial we will use Notepad++ to examine OpenSim files.
Download Notepad++
How to Test Your Installation of OpenSim
gui_intro_draft.pdfIntroduction to the Opensim GUI (PDF)
How to Download the GCMAS Tutorial Files (add zip tutorial folder)
coming soon
Workshop Staff and Contact Information
Instructors
Allison Arnold (aarnold@oeb.harvard.edu) Concord Field Station, Harvard University
| Apoorva Rajagopal (apoorvar@stanford.edu) Neuromuscular Biomechanics Laboratory, Stanford University
|
|---|---|
Chris Carty (c.carty@griffith.edu.au) School of Allied Health Sciences, Griffith University
| Ability & Innovation Lab, University of Washington  |
James Dunne (james.dunne@stanford.edu) Neuromuscular Biomechanics Laboratory, Stanford University
|
Tutorial Slides
coming soon
Background Reading
Here are some useful resources for learning more about OpenSim:
Useful Links
National Center for Simulation Research (NCSRR)
OpenSim Documentation (Confluence)
Overview of the OpenSim Workflow
Relevant Literature
OpenSim: Open-Source Software to Create and Analyze Dynamic Simulations of Movement
Scott L. Delp, Frank C. Anderson, Allison S. Arnold, Peter Loan, Ayman Habib, Chand T. John, Eran Guendelman, and Darryl G. Thelen
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING, VOL. 54, NO. 11, NOVEMBER 2007
Is My Model Good Enough? Best Practices for Verification and Validation of Musculoskeletal Models and Simulations of Movement
Jennifer L. Hicks, Thomas K. Uchida, Ajay Seth, Scott L. Delp.
Journal of Biomechanical Engineering, Volume 137, Issue 2, 2015
Muscle contributions to vertical and fore-aft accelerations are altered in subjects with crouch gait
KM Steele, A Seth, JL Hicks, MH Schwartz, SL Delp
Gait & posture 38 (1), 86-91
Can biomechanical variables predict improvement in crouch gait?
JL Hicks, SL Delp, MH Schwartz
Gait & posture 34 (2), 197-201
Crouched postures reduce the capacity of muscles to extend the hip and knee during the single-limb stance phase of gait
JL Hicks, MH Schwartz, AS Arnold, SL Delp
Journal of biomechanics 41 (5), 960-967