June 2026 Issue: Live Q&A Sessions, Geothermal Workflows, and Dynamic Training Resources

It’s already June, and things are heating up. 🔥🔥 We’re tackling everything from civil infrastructure and open pit stability to geothermal redevelopment and extreme deformation modeling. This month’s issue is packed with ways to learn from ITASCA users’ work and sharpen your own workflows. Whether you want live Q&A with consultants and developers, in-depth numerical case studies, or step-by-step training on FLAC2D and FLAC3D, you can jump straight to the topics that matter most to your projects. Let’s dive in!

This Issue At a Glance

• Introductory Webinar: Ask an ITASCA Consultant – Live Q&A with a civil engineering focus
• Webinar: Ask ITASCA Software – Live Q&A where our software experts answer your modeling questions
• In the Field: IMAT open pit slope stability and 3DEC horizontal fracturing case study
• Webinar Replays: EGS with XSite & Baker Hughes, What’s New in v9.7, and advanced Q&A with David DeGagné
• On the Blog: What’s new in ITASCA Software v9.7 article and rapid geothermal screening with Baker Hughes case study
• Free Training: FLAC3D dynamic analysis series and FLAC2D introductory course
• Face to Face Events: URTeC, ARMA 2026, GEODAYS 2026, and the ARMA “Numerical Modeling of Extreme Deformations” workshop
• Beta Program with MPoint: Early access to MPoint2D, MPoint3D, and new features across the ITASCA suite
• Trials & Licensing: Free 2‑week software evaluations and academic program options
• Community: Visit the ITASCA Software Forum, where you can engage with and share ideas with the ITASCA Software community

ITASCA Software Webinars

Webinar: Ask an ITASCA Consultant – Civil Engineering Challenges

Bring your real civil engineering problems to a live Q&A with ITASCA Consulting Group. Featured consultant Augusto Lucarelli will walk through attendee‑submitted scenarios and share how ITASCA approaches analysis, modeling, and design decisions in practice.

Event details

• Date: Wednesday, June 10, 2026
• Time: 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM (UTC-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada)
• Featured consultant: Augusto Lucarelli
• Focus: Civil engineering challenges

Who should attend? Geotechnical engineers, civil and structural practitioners, project managers, and technical specialists seeking consulting-informed guidance on real-world civil engineering problems and best practices.

Reserve your spot and submit your question

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Webinar: Ask ITASCA Software – Live Q&A with the Software Experts

Get direct answers to your toughest ITASCA Software questions in this live Q&A session with our developers and engineers. Submit your modeling or workflow challenge in advance, then join to see live demonstrations, troubleshooting tips, and best‑practice recommendations.

Event details

• Date: Thursday, June 11, 2026
• Time: 10:00 AM – 10:30 AM (UTC-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada)

Who should attend? ITASCA Software users, numerical modelers, and technical leads who want deeper, hands‑on insight into specific modeling issues, features, or workflows across FLAC, FLAC3D, 3DEC, PFC, and related tools.

Register and submit your question

In the Field

In the Field highlights real work from the ITASCA Software community—practical videos, tutorials, technical papers, and project examples created by users applying our tools to challenging geotechnical, mining, and energy problems. This is where you can see how peers are building models, solving complex scenarios, and translating ITASCA workflows into proven, real-world solutions.

Tutorial: Slope Stability in a Large Open Pit with IMAT

See how NEMCCO CONSULTING uses ITASCA’s IMAT to quickly evaluate slope stability for a large open pit mine, from importing complex 3D geometries to refining meshes and interpreting factor of safety contours in FLAC3D. The tutorial walks through DXF-to-STL conversion, shrink-wrap meshing, convergence settings, and refinement strategies that keep models accurate while remaining computationally efficient.

Watch the IMAT slope stability tutorial

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Horizontal Hydraulic Fracturing Under Disposal Conditions with 3DEC

This GeoConvention 2026 session (via GeoConvention Partnership) applies coupled flow-geomechanical modeling in 3DEC to study how high‑rate water disposal can drive horizontal hydraulic fracture growth along weak bedding planes. The work shows how in-situ stress contrast, mechanical layering, and pore pressure diffusion control fracture propagation direction and highlights risks of induced seismicity and potential fault reactivation hundreds of meters from the wellbore.

Read the 3DEC GeoConvention 2026 paper

Webinar Replays and Videos

Replay: Solving Geothermal Challenges with XSite Numerical Modeling | ITASCA & Baker Hughes

In this joint technical webinar replay, experts from ITASCA and Baker Hughes show how advanced numerical modeling connects complex geomechanics to the economic viability of Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS). Dr. Branko Damjanac and Dr. Wei Fu demonstrate XSite’s 3D lattice‑based Synthetic Rock Mass (SRM) approach for simulating coupled thermal‑hydro‑mechanical processes and predicting near‑wellbore fracture initiation and tortuosity at the Utah FORGE site. Dr. Will Pettitt then scales up to the field level, presenting an integrated techno‑economic workflow based on a case study near Houston, Texas that uses “Goldilocks” horizontal well spacing and flow conformance modeling to mitigate fluid short‑circuiting and sustain roughly 1% annual thermal decline over a 30‑year life. In this presentation, see how predictive, physics‑based workflows can reduce subsurface risk and support commercial EGS deployment.

Watch the ITASCA | Baker Hughes Webinar

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Replay: What’s New in ITASCA Software v9.7

In this webinar replay, Dr. Jim Hazzard walks through the latest capabilities in ITASCA Software v9.7, including the new GeoBot AI assistant, enhanced Mohr‑Coulomb model robustness, and usability improvements such as command logging, STL plot export, and Python visibility in the Object Tree. You’ll also see key updates to FLAC2D for dynamic analyses, expanded examples and documentation for the MPoint Material Point Method beta, and news on XSite 9.7 (beta) plus the full 9.7 release of PFC2D and PFC3D.

Watch the ‘What’s New in ITASCA v9.7’ webinar

Time to Upgrade to v9.7? Upgrading to ITASCA Software version 9.7 adds the GeoBot AI assistant, robust Mohr-Coulomb behavior, improved FLAC2D remeshing, and updated MPoint, PFC, and XSite features. Active license holders can download the update directly from the website. New users can download a free demo or purchase subscriptions or perpetual licenses online from our website.

Replay: Ask ITASCA Software Q&A – May 2026

Senior Engineer David DeGagne answers advanced user questions on how to get more out of ITASCA Software , from hardware tuning and model calibration to complex excavation and blasting simulations. The replay walks through practical tips for running large deformation problems in PFC, improving 3DEC excavation strategies, dealing with non‑convergence in FLAC2D/3D under strain softening, and getting started with the new MPoint Material Point Method beta. You’ll also see how tools like PFC Bricks, Geobot, and the ITASCA Software Support Hub can streamline everyday geotechnical modeling and help you match numerical behavior to limited field data.

Watch the May 2026 Ask ITASCA Software Webinar Replay

ITASCA Software Blog

Article: What’s New in ITASCA Software v9.7 for Geotechnical Engineers

ITASCA Software v9.7 delivers a focused set of updates for geotechnical and mining engineers, adding the embedded GeoBot AI assistant, more robust Mohr‑Coulomb and ubiquitous joint behavior, improved FLAC2D remeshing and damping, and the latest capabilities in MPoint, PFC, and XSite to streamline everyday modeling workflows. The release remains fully back‑compatible with version 9.0 and 7.0 projects and is available to all users with active subscription or maintenance plans.

Read the article

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Case Study: Rapid Workflow for Assessing Geothermal Potential of Existing Oil & Gas Sites

This new case study outlines a three‑stage, physics‑based workflow developed by ITASCA Software and partner Baker Hughes to rapidly evaluate the geothermal potential of existing oil and gas fields, from early site screening through to detailed fracture and reservoir performance modeling. By combining geomodeling, discrete fracture network (DFN) simulations, dynamic reservoir and fracture modeling, and techno‑economic analysis, the workflow helps operators compare development scenarios, de‑risk subsurface uncertainty, and make informed decisions about repurposing hydrocarbon assets for geothermal power.

Read the case study

ITASCA Software Training

Course: Dynamic Analysis in FLAC3D

Dynamic loading is where FLAC3D really earns its keep, and this on-demand “Dynamic Analysis in FLAC3D” course walks through the full workflow from wave propagation fundamentals to applied seismic case studies like wharf analysis. Across 15 lessons (about four hours of content), you’ll see how to set up dynamic boundaries, manage wave reflections, select appropriate damping, and interpret results in a way that informs design decisions. Whether you’re modeling soil–structure interaction, seismic site response, or port and waterfront structures, this series gives you practical, repeatable patterns you can bring straight into your own projects.

Level up your dynamic modeling skills in FLAC3D

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Course: Master Geotechnical Modeling – FLAC2D Introductory Course

Advance your numerical modeling skills with ITASCA Software Academy’s comprehensive, free video training series on FLAC2D. This structured course provides step-by-step instruction navigating the user interface, constructing optimized meshes, and executing multi-phase fluid coupling, structural pile reinforcement, and non-linear seismic analysis (including PM4Sand and UBC-HIST liquefaction workflows). You will learn practical scripting techniques to accurately simulate complex soil-structure interaction, apply dynamic absorbing boundaries, and evaluate post-earthquake gravity deformations in earth structures and slopes.

Watch the free FLAC2D video course

Ready to Start? Test ITASCA Software free for 2 weeks. Fully evaluating simulation software requires testing against your project demands. Request a complimentary, 14-day trial license to test complete feature sets, run complex models, and validate processing speeds on your own data. Connect with an ITASCA Software expert to discuss your challenges and goals. Request Your 2-Week Trial

Conferences & Events

Want to talk strategy in person? You can find the ITASCA Software team at these upcoming events in June.

URTeC 2026 – Unconventional Resources Technology Conference

📅 June 22–24, 2026 📍 George R. Brown Convention Center, Houston, Texas

URTeC brings together engineers, geoscientists, and industry leaders for three days of technical presentations, case studies, and networking focused on unconventional resources. The ITASCA Software team will be onsite at booth #332 to discuss how our tools are being applied to reservoir geomechanics, hydraulic fracturing, and subsurface characterization.

Learn more

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60th US Rock Mechanics / Geomechanics Symposium (ARMA 2026)

📅 June 21–24, 2026 📍 Loews Ventana Canyon Resort, Tucson, Arizona

Hosted by the University of Arizona, the ARMA annual symposium is a premier gathering for rock mechanics professionals across mining, civil, petroleum, and energy sectors. The ITASCA Software team will be at the show at booth #11. We’ll show you what’s new in our software suite and you can connect directly with the people behind the tools you use. Learn more.

Don’t miss the ARMA 2026 ITASCA Software Workshop: Join instructors Jim Hazzard and David Potyondy for the Numerical Modeling of Extreme Deformations workshop on Saturday, June 20, 2026. This hands-on session focuses on simulation strategies for large-strain problems like slope runout and tunnel collapse. You will use techniques including the Finite Difference Method, Discrete Element Method, and Material Point Method to model moderate to extreme deformations. Bring your laptop to build, run, and interpret models using provided temporary licenses for FLAC2D, FLAC3D, MPoint, and PFC3D.

Register for ARMA | View all ARMA workshops

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GEODAYS 2026

📅 June 16-17, 2026 📍 Palais Beaumont, Pau – France

ITASCA is exhibiting at GeoDays 2026 (Booth E8), a business convention for underground industries focused on energy transition and industrial sovereignty. Taking place June 16 and 17 at Palais Beaumont in Pau, France, the event connects subterranean operators, engineering firms, startups, research laboratories, and local public authorities to develop innovative solutions for the subsurface.

Lauriane Bouzeran and Etienne Lavoine will be available at our booth and Caroline Darcel, co-Director of Fractory at Itasca Consulting, will speak during a session titled “Subsurface: what technological innovations will meet the energy and industrial challenges of tomorrow?” scheduled for Tuesday, June 16, from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM (UTC+02:00) in the Alphonse de Lamartine Auditorium. This session addresses how digital evolution, advanced modeling, and artificial intelligence help secure resources and reduce environmental footprints.

Register for GeoDays 2026

ITASCA Software Beta Program

Join Our Beta Program and Get Access to MPoint2D & MPoint3D

The next generation of ITASCA Software is already here, and we’re inviting you to help shape it. Our Beta Program gives power users early access to new capabilities across FLAC2D, FLAC3D, 3DEC, PFC2D, PFC3D, XSite, and our new Material Point Method tools, MPoint2D and MPoint3D.

As a beta participant, you can test advanced features in real projects, provide feedback directly to our development team, and influence how these capabilities evolve for geotechnical, mining, and energy applications. It’s the best way to explore MPoint2D and MPoint3D for large‑deformation problems while earning recognition, priority support, and other benefits for your organization.

Request to Join the Beta Program

ITASCA Software Academic Program

Bring ITASCA Software into Your Classroom and Lab

ITASCA Software powers some of the most demanding research and infrastructure projects in the world, and the same tools are available to researchers, instructors, and students through academic licensing.

Research licenses provide full access to all modules with flexible institutional terms. Teaching licenses bundle one instructor seat with multiple student seats and include ready-to-use curriculum. Student licenses offer full functionality at an affordable single-seat price, with continuous updates included.

Explore ITASCA Academics

ITASCA Software Forum

Join the Conversation on the ITASCA Software Forum

The ITASCA Software Forum is a community space for users of 3DEC, FLAC, FLAC2D, FLAC3D, Griddle, MassFlow, KATS, MINEDW, PFC, UDEC, XSite and more, to ask questions, share answers, and discuss ideas.

Anyone can join and browse discussions, but you’ll need a valid software license to post questions. After you’ve been granted posting permission, you’re encouraged to ask general usage questions and share feedback; for application-specific or private support, you can still use the Technical Support dialog in your software or the Help Request form on the ITASCA website.

Visit the Forum