The make program is a staple UNIX development tool. In this article I will show how it can be used to automate and simplify the usage of CalculiX.

My CalculiX projects are all kept in their own directories. In each of those directories there exists a Makefile. This contains instructions for the make program.

By default, invoking make in this directory runs the pre-processor and the solver. But there are also specific sub-commands, for example:

• “make mesh” shows the mesh used in the FEA.
• “make disp” shows the deformed product in the post-processor.
• “make stress” shows the stresses in the product in the post-processor.