File Operations

File Operations#

Systems map directly to folders on the XCOMPUTE-SERVER host. Each virtual system represents an abstraction or component of your project, organizing code, design, geometry, data, and documentation. Systems and subsystems form a filesystem hierarchy that serves as your project’s digital source-of-truth.

Files and folders can be imported/exported between a user’s machine and the connected server. Supported files are interpreted into high-performance objects for computation and rendering. Unrecognized types are attached and can be exported or launched directly from the GUI. See interface.cfg to assign extension commands.

I/O Configuration#

Operation

Server Side

Client Side

Input

Load from host filesystem

Import from local machine

Output

Save to host filesystem

Export to local machine

Define paths in client.cfg and server.cfg:

input=/path/to/project
output=/path/to/project

  • input and output are typically identical. Ensure the xcompute user has rw permissions:

    ls -al /path/to/project

  • XCOMPUTE-SERVER saves project state using native XCS/JSON, XCG, and XCO files, accessible via XC-Messages.

  • The root system defaults to a timestamped name to prevent accidental overwrites.

The Active System#

File operations target the active system (unless a specific item is selected). Change the active system by:

  • Clicking its name in the Navigation Tree (top-left)

  • Double-clicking its spatial representation in-scene

Typically, only one system is operated on at a time, optimizing concurrent teamwork as projects scale.

Importing Files#

Importing transmits files from XCOMPUTE-CLIENT to the server filesystem.

Supported Formats#

  • System: XCS, JSON

  • Data: XCO, CSV, VTU

  • Geometry: XCG, STL, MSH, SDF

Note

An 8 GB per-file limit is enforced on XC networks. Contact support to request increases.

Geometry Import#

  1. File menu → Import Geometry

  2. Or right-click in-scene → Import → Geometry

XC processes tessellated formats (STL, OBJ, MSH) into volumetric Signed Distance Fields (SDF). Once solved, SDFs can be reused as .sdf files to accelerate iterations.

General File Import#

  1. File menu → Import File

  2. Or right-click → Import → File

All file types can be attached to systems for centralized project management.

Exporting Files#

Export commands trigger the server to stage files in the output path, transmit them to the client, and write to the local output directory.

External Application Launch#

From the Manage tab under Associated Files, double-click an item to open it in the OS default program, or configure custom commands in extensions.cfg:

vtu=paraview --special-options
xcs=python3 -i path/to/concept_pb2.py
xcg=python3 -i path/to/spatial_pb2.py
xco=python3 -i path/to/vector_pb2.py

Ensure external software is in your OS path. Everything after = is executed as a shell command.

Save & Load#

System Save#

Writes native JSON/XCS setup, XCG geometry, and XCO data for the active system and subsystems to the server’s output path.

  • XCS/JSON files act as the system nucleus, specifying setup, physics, conditions, and solver sequences.

  • Files should match their containing folder name.

  • JSON is default for human readability; XCS is binary-optimized.

Data Save#

Solvers produce XCO data frames based on execution_count and save_interval. Data is organized by iteration and PropertyKey:

_system_data/0/*.xco
_system_data/1/*.xco
...
_geometry_data/0/*.xco
_material_data/<NAME>/_default_data/0/*.xco

The leading _ directs the loader to treat folders as data rather than subsystems. Data can be manually deleted or loaded via the Data tab (requires matching node counts).

Geometry Save#

XCG files store nodal positions, element indices, and embedded spatial data as a serialized stream of Messages::Topology.