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v 0.1 Foundation

Learn astrophysical simulation
from the ground up.

A hands-on, step-by-step guide to five widely used simulation codes — Arepo, Enzo, Gadget, Gizmo, and Ramses — designed for researchers running their first simulations.

Read the BasicsStart with the Arepo Quickstart →

What’s inside

Simulation Basics Core ideas you'll need before touching any code: meshes, particles, resolution, time stepping, and more.

Code Guides Each code walks through four chapters: Overview, Quickstart, Simulation Blueprint, and Production Run.

Code Comparison A side-by-side look at each code's method, strengths, and trade-offs.

Glossary Consistent definitions for technical terms used across all guides.

Suggested learning path

1

Build a solid foundationStart with the Basics to pick up the essential concepts.

2

Run your first simulationFollow a Quickstart guide — Arepo, Enzo, Gadget, Gizmo, or Ramses — to get a working example end-to-end.

3

Design and scale upUse the Compare page to choose a code, then work through its Blueprint and Production Run chapters to build larger simulations.

Goals for this guide

• Get every example running cleanly inside a conda virtual environment.
• Take at least one code all the way from Quickstart to Production Run.
• Not sure where to begin? Start with the Arepo Quickstart.