pytexgen 1.0.1

Python bindings for the TexGen textile geometry modeller

pytexgen

Python bindings for TexGen — an open-source geometric textile modelling software package developed at the University of Nottingham for obtaining engineering properties of woven textiles and textile composites.

pytexgen brings the full power of the TexGen C++ engine to Python, enabling scripted creation, analysis, and export of textile geometries for computational mechanics workflows.

Features

• Comprehensive textile modelling — 2D weaves, 3D weaves, angle interlocks, layer-to-layer, orthogonal weaves, knits, and braids
• Sheared geometries — model fabrics under in-plane shear deformation with CShearedTextileWeave2D
• Flexible yarn definition — full control over yarn paths, interpolation (cubic, linear, Bezier), and cross-sections (ellipse, lenticular, rectangle, polygon, power ellipse, and more)
• Mesh generation — rectangular voxel, sheared voxel, staggered voxel, rotated voxel, octree voxel, tetrahedral (CTetgenMesh), and surface shell meshes
• FEA export — direct export to Abaqus (.inp) and ANSYS formats with periodic boundary conditions
• XML serialization — save and reload complete textile models as .tg3 / .tgx files
• Geometric analysis — fibre volume fraction, yarn path queries, interference detection, and domain clipping
• Cross-platform — pre-built wheels for Linux (x86_64, aarch64), macOS (x86_64, arm64), and Windows (x86_64)

Installation

pip install pytexgen

Requires Python 3.8+. Pre-built binary wheels are provided for all major platforms — no compiler or C++ dependencies needed.

Quick Start

2D Plain Weave

from pytexgen import *

weave = CTextileWeave2D(4, 4, 5.0, 2.0, False)
weave.SwapPosition(0, 3)
weave.SwapPosition(1, 2)
weave.SwapPosition(2, 1)
weave.SwapPosition(3, 0)
weave.SetYarnWidths(4.0)
weave.SetYarnHeights(0.8)
weave.AssignDefaultDomain()

name = AddTextile(weave)
SaveToXML("plain_weave.tg3", name, OUTPUT_STANDARD)

Sheared Weave with Voxel Mesh Export

import math
from pytexgen import *

shear_angle = math.radians(15)
textile = CShearedTextileWeave2D(2, 2, 1.0, 0.2, shear_angle, True, True)
textile.SwapPosition(1, 0)
textile.SwapPosition(0, 1)
textile.SetYarnWidths(0.8)
textile.SetYarnHeights(0.1)
textile.AssignDefaultDomain()

name = AddTextile(textile)

# Generate voxel mesh with periodic boundaries for Abaqus
voxel = CRectangularVoxelMesh("CPeriodicBoundaries")
voxel.SaveVoxelMesh(textile, "sheared_weave.inp", 48, 48, 24, True, True, 5, 0)

Custom Yarn Paths

from pytexgen import *

textile = CTextile()

yarn = CYarn()
yarn.AddNode(CNode(XYZ(0, 0, 0)))
yarn.AddNode(CNode(XYZ(5, 0, 2)))
yarn.AddNode(CNode(XYZ(10, 0, 0)))
yarn.AssignInterpolation(CInterpolationCubic())
yarn.AssignSection(CYarnSectionConstant(CSectionEllipse(2.0, 1.0)))
yarn.SetResolution(20)
yarn.AddRepeat(XYZ(10, 0, 0))
textile.AddYarn(yarn)

textile.AssignDomain(CDomainPlanes(XYZ(0, 0, -1), XYZ(10, 10, 3)))
AddTextile("custom", textile)

API Overview

Textile Classes

Class	Description
CTextile	Base class — build from individual yarns
CTextileWeave2D	2D woven textile with interlacing pattern
CShearedTextileWeave2D	2D weave under in-plane shear
CTextileWeave3D	3D woven textile (multi-layer)
CTextileOrthogonal	Orthogonal 3D weave
CTextileAngleInterlock	Angle interlock weave
CTextileLayerToLayer	Layer-to-layer interlock weave
CTextileLayered	Combine multiple textiles into layers

Cross-Sections

Class	Shape
CSectionEllipse(w, h)	Elliptical
CSectionLenticular(w, h)	Lens-shaped
CSectionRectangle(w, h)	Rectangular
CSectionPolygon(points)	Arbitrary polygon
CSectionPowerEllipse(w, h, p)	Superellipse
CSectionRotated(section, angle)	Rotated variant

Mesh Generation

Class	Description
CRectangularVoxelMesh(bc)	Axis-aligned voxel mesh
CShearedVoxelMesh(bc)	Voxel mesh for sheared textiles
CStaggeredVoxelMesh(bc)	Staggered offset voxel mesh
CRotatedVoxelMesh(bc)	Rotated coordinate voxel mesh
COctreeVoxelMesh(bc)	Adaptive octree refinement
CTetgenMesh(min_size)	Tetrahedral mesh via TetGen
CSurfaceMesh()	Surface triangulation

Export Formats

Format	Method	Use Case
TexGen XML (.tg3)	SaveToXML()	Save/reload textile models
Abaqus (.inp)	SaveVoxelMesh() / SaveTetgenMesh()	Finite element analysis
ANSYS	pytexgen.Ansys module	ANSYS FEA
WiseTex	pytexgen.WiseTex module	Permeability analysis
FlowTex	pytexgen.FlowTex module	Flow simulation

Building from Source

git clone https://github.com/yufangjie1643/pytexgen.git
cd pytexgen
pip install scikit-build-core
pip install -e .

Requires CMake 3.17+, a C++ compiler, and SWIG.

Upstream Project

pytexgen is the Python packaging of TexGen, originally developed by Louise Brown and collaborators at the University of Nottingham, Composites Research Group.

For academic use, please cite:

Lin, H., Brown, L.P. and Long, A.C. (2011). Modelling and Simulating Textile Structures using TexGen. Advanced Materials Research, Vols. 331, pp 44-47.

License

GPL-2.0-or-later — see LICENSE for details.

Full documentation and more examples: GitHub