---
name: "sofa"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "sofa-apps"
version: "1.0~beta4-12+b2"
release: "Debian 10 (Buster)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/sofa"
---

# sofa(1)

SOFA GUI

## NAME

sofa - SOFA GUI

## SYNOPSIS

sofa \[OPTIONS\]

## DESCRIPTION

SOFA is an Open Source framework primarily targeted at real-time simulation, with an emphasis on medical simulation. It is mostly intended for the research community to help develop newer algorithms, but can also be used as an efficient prototyping tool. Based on an advanced software architecture, it allows one to:

    \* create complex and evolving simulations by combining new algorithms with algorithms\
       already included in SOFA\
     \* modify most parameters of the simulation – deformable behavior, surface representation,\
       solver, constraints, collision algorithm, etc. – by simply editing an XML file\
     \* build complex models from simpler ones using a scene-graph description\
     \* efficiently simulate the dynamics of interacting objects using abstract equation solvers\
     \* reuse and easily compare a variety of available methods

## OPTIONS

- \-h --help

  this help

- \-s --start

  start the animation loop  (default: 0 )

- \-p --factory

  In addition to the baz segments, also parse the blurfl headers.

- \-g --gui

  choose the UI (batch\|qt\|glut)  (default: qt )

- \-l --load

  load given plugins  (default: )

## AUTHORS

SOFA is currently developed by 3 INRIA teams: Alcove, Evasion and Asclepios but the project also benefited from the help of the CIMIT Sim Group, ETH Zurich and CSIRO.

## SEE ALSO

The full documentation for **sofa** is available at \<**http://www.sofa-framework.org**\>