This repository reproduces code for poly3d, a boundary element method program first released in the M.S. thesis Thomas, 1993. It is intended to make this legacy code easily available for use in structural geology, geomechanics, and active tectonics research.
The primary poly3d manual is Thomas, 1993. It covers the details of the boundary value problems behind poly3d and explains the input and output file formats.
Prof. Michele Cooke (University of Massachussetts, Amherst) maintains a poly3d tutorial page that previously included the thesis source code provided here. The original poly3d tutorial is available there, as are several examples and other software packages.
Other examples are available on the Stanford Structural Geology and Geomechanics website.
This version of poly3d has been tested and modified under Debian Linux and CentOS using gcc 4.8.
The makefile provided here assumes you are using a recent version of gcc, the GNU Compiler Collection. Mac OS X 10.8 and above alias gcc to a clang front-end; to compile poly3d in those environments, you must install gcc using Homebrew or macports.
Both versions of poly3d must be compiled with the -O2 flag. Over-optimization (e.g. -O3 or -ffast-math) can lead to unpredictable numerical errors and large singularities in the resulting displacement fields. Just say no!
poly3d -i <input> -o <output>
poly3d and a related commercial software package were developed by researchers and students of Profs. David Pollard and Atilla Aydin associated with the Stanford Rock Fracture Project and the Structural Geology and Geomechanics research group. This repository is intended for academic use only, and is solely derived from the publicly available source code printed in Thomas, 1993 with modifications to fix the "shadow effect."
Please cite this thesis and related publications if you use poly3d in published work.
Thomas, A. L., 1993, Poly3D: A three-dimensional, polygonal element, displacement discontinuity boundary element computer program with applications to fractures, faults, and cavities in the Earth's crust (Doctoral dissertation, Stanford University).
To see a recent example of poly3d in action, take a look at this 2014 paper by Fattaruso, Cooke, and Dorsey on uplift produced by tectonic activity in the Coachella area.
Please open an issue if you have a question.