Pfc Basics

PFC Basics

Use this skill to explain, adapt, or generate PFC 6.0 foundation modeling workflows. It covers the smallest reusable building blocks: model lifecycle, domain setup, balls, walls, clumps, rblocks, groups, ranges, and minimal contact setup needed for runnable examples.

Parent Skill Relationship

pfc-basics is a child skill of pfc-workflow. It does not own the full PFC lifecycle. Use it for foundational object creation and command-order questions, then return to pfc-workflow for complete case planning, calibration, solve management, post-processing, and delivery.

Parent/child split:

• Parent pfc-workflow: owns full PFC case lifecycle and decides when foundation modeling help is needed.
• Child pfc-basics: owns model start/domain/object/range/group basics and minimal runnable examples.
• Sibling child pfc-cad-import: owns CAD/DXF/STL import, wall conversion, geometry-based ranges, and geometry-derived templates.
• Sibling child pfc-contact-models: owns contact-law selection, CMAT, contact methods, bonding, and contact validation.
• Sibling child pfc-standard-tests: owns canonical lab-test templates after basic objects are selected.
• Sibling child pfc-servo-calibration: owns servo-controlled loading and calibration sequencing.
• Sibling child pfc-fish: owns nontrivial FISH functions, callbacks, histories, and reusable helper files.
• Sibling child pfc-dynamics: owns dynamic/seismic/impact loading basics and checks.
• Sibling child pfc-fluid-coupling: owns fluid-solid coupling and seepage/buoyancy routes.
• Sibling child pfc-flac-coupling: owns PFC-FLAC/FLAC3D coupled workflows.
• Sibling child pfc-postprocessing: owns standard non-AE plots, fields, exports, and reports.
• Sibling child pfc-ae-energy: owns AE/energy/source-mechanism outputs.

When To Use

Use through pfc-workflow when the task asks to:

• start a clean PFC model or explain the basic command order
• define model domains and simple boundary behavior
• create or generate balls
• create, generate, or import simple walls
• create clump templates or generate/distribute clumps at a basic level
• construct/generate rblocks at a basic level
• assign simple groups or named ranges
• prepare a minimal runnable .dat foundation before routing to a specialist child skill

Required Inputs

Ask for these if missing:

• PFC2D or PFC3D target.
• Model size/domain extents and units.
• Desired object type: ball, wall, clump, rblock, or mixed specimen.
• Deterministic creation vs random generation/distribution.
• Particle size, grading, porosity, count, or simple shape intent.
• Whether a CAD/geometry source is involved; if yes, route geometry details to pfc-cad-import.
• Whether the next stage is a standard test, calibration, dynamics, coupling, or post-processing route.

Documentation-Backed Rules

The following PFC 6.0 documentation points were checked through pfc-mcp and are expanded in references/basics-doc-notes.md:

• model new starts a clean model; force intentionally discards unsaved state.
• model domain defines active domain extents and boundary conditions.
• model cycle / model step advance timesteps; short checks should precede long solves.
• model solve should use explicit criteria in public templates.
• model calm is useful after generation/distribution and before controlled solves.
• model save / model restore are runtime state operations, not canonical source assets.
• ball create, ball generate, and ball distribute cover deterministic creation, non-overlap generation, and porosity-style distribution.
• wall generate handles simple containers; wall import belongs in the CAD/geometry route when external files are involved.
• clump template, clump generate, and clump distribute cover basic clump setup.
• rblock construct and rblock generate cover basic rigid-block setup.
• contact cmat, contact model, contact property, and contact method are only touched minimally here; specialist contact design belongs to pfc-contact-models.
• named ranges, position/ID/group filters, and geometry filters should be explicit and auditable.

Canonical Template Map

Foundation Workflow Checklist

1. Start from model new unless continuing from a documented restore point.
2. Define model domain extent before creating/importing domain-sensitive objects.
3. Create/generate/distribute one object family at a time.
4. Assign clear groups for material, stage, boundary, and source role.
5. Use named ranges when selections are reused.
6. Apply only minimal contact setup needed for a runnable foundation.
7. Run model clean, short model cycle, and sanity checks before routing to calibration or solve.
8. Return to pfc-workflow for full-stage orchestration.

Working Rules

• Prefer PFC 6.0-native examples in scripts/canonical/basic-elements-pfc6/ and scripts/canonical/clump-rblock-pfc6/.
• Treat legacy .p2dat/.p3dat snippets in scripts/canonical/legacy-basics-reference/ as reference-only until audited for PFC 6.0 syntax and physics.
• Do not make generated .sav, project metadata, videos, PDFs, archives, or large output dumps authoritative skill assets.
• If geometry import becomes central, route to pfc-cad-import.
• If contact-law choice becomes central, route to pfc-contact-models.
• If the task becomes a lab test or calibration problem, route back to pfc-workflow and the relevant child skill.

Output Contract

A complete pfc-basics handoff back to pfc-workflow should include:

• selected foundation object route and why it fits
• required files or snippets from scripts/canonical/<case>/
• model dimension, units, and domain extent assumptions
• object creation/generation/distribution commands
• groups and named ranges introduced
• minimal contact setup, if any
• sanity checks and short-cycle validation steps
• notes for follow-on routing to CAD import, contact models, standard tests, servo calibration, dynamics, coupling, post-processing, or AE/energy analysis

Local Contents

• references/overview.md: self-contained boundaries, source map, and inclusion rules.
• references/basics-doc-notes.md: PFC 6.0 command notes checked through pfc-mcp.
• examples/README.md: example validation order and materialization guidance.
• scripts/canonical/: bundled PFC 6.0 and reference snippets.
• scripts/canonical/manifest.json: file inventory with sizes and SHA-256 hashes.
• scripts/README.md: helper-script policy and future maintenance guidance.