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

ITASCA Software Version 9.7

ITASCA Software v9.7 is our second point release in 2026, delivering important feature updates, capabilities, and refinements to ensure optimum efficiency, effectiveness, and compatibility for your projects. This release primarily focuses on geotechnical and mining engineers using FLAC2D, FLAC3D, PFC, MPoint, and XSite for numerical modeling of slopes, underground excavations, embankments, and hydraulic fracturing.

If you are running existing projects, version 9.7 remains fully back‑compatible with files from versions 9.0 and 7.0 and is available to users with active subscription or maintenance plans.

Key Updates at a Glance

• GeoBot Pro, ITASCA’s AI assistant is now embedded in the software to answer your questions and even build and test small example models.
• More robust Mohr‑Coulomb and ubiquitous joint behavior using updated corner‑domain stress corrections.
• FLAC2D remeshing now supports Maxwell and hysteretic damping, plus zone and gridpoint Extra variables can be interpolated.  
• New Python parameter study examples.
• MPoint, ITASCA’s new material point method (MPM) software, gains improved splitting control, FLAC‑style plots, more examples, and enhanced documentation.
• PFC 9.7 is now officially released and XSite joins ITASCA’s Software installation family with v9.7.
• Workflow improvements include Sketch extrusion splitting, MPI zone nulling during cycling with the Cluster Option, STL file format plot export, and Python parameters and functions are now visible in the Object Tree.

Read on for more details.

GeoBot Pro: ITASCA’s Built‑in AI Assistant

GeoBot Pro is now embedded directly into the software as a sidebar, extending the existing web‑based assistant into your modeling environment. GeoBot is trained on ITASCA documentation, examples, training material, forum exchanges, and selected FLAC/PFC/FLAC3D FISH functions.

What you can do with GeoBot in v9.7:

• Ask targeted technical questions
  You can pose specific questions such as “Should I use wet or dry density when calculating dynamic stress boundary conditions?” and GeoBot will search the software documentation, examples, and ITASCA Software Forum content, then return a concise answer with code snippets and links to the relevant documentation sections and examples.
• Ask questions in your native language
  Use GeoBot to bridge any language divide: “¿Cómo inicializo las tensiones en un modelo de FLAC2D v9.7 con una relación k de 1.2?” Ask questions in English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, and more. GeoBot will respond in kind while correctly displaying commands or scripts in English.
• Generate small example models with cloud verification
  For small problems, GeoBot can try to create a model (geometry, constitutive model, material properties, boundary conditions, etc.) and then run it on AWS to check that the commands execute correctly. If unsuccessful, it will try again. This helps detect obvious command‑level mistakes or AI hallucinations before you adopt its script. This is currently a BETA feature.
• Accelerate learning and prototyping
  The generated models are currently wrapped in Python and may still contain errors, but they often get you most of the way to a working example, which is useful when you are exploring unfamiliar commands or workflows. You can then adjust any remaining issues yourself.

Help ITASCA Help You

You will see a new dialog after starting v9.7 asking for your help with analytic data. This is an opt-in usage logging feature that counts the commands and FISH functions you use and sends anonymous aggregate statistics to ITASCA. This information helps guide development priorities and never transmits project or model details. We hope you’ll sign up!

More Robust Mohr‑Coulomb Model Behavior

Version 9.7 updates the way stresses are corrected near the intersection of shear and tensile failure envelopes in all Mohr‑Coulomb‑based constitutive models. Previously, a bisector line between shear and tensile envelopes could push “corrected” stresses to the wrong side of the intersection in edge cases, which could lead to non‑robust behavior.

The new approach introduces a third “corner” domain:

• Domain three corner correction
  Stresses in the transition region between shear and tension are now directed to the corner at the intersection of the two envelopes, instead of relying on a simple bisector.
• Consistent treatment of ubiquitous joints
  A similar correction is applied to ubiquitous joint models, where both shear and tensile joint failure can occur, giving more reliable joint failure handling in fabric and rock mass simulations.
• Practical impact on your models
  The updated behavior yields more accurate and stable solutions in Mohr‑Coulomb based models. You may see slight differences compared to version 9.6 when your model operates near the shear-tension intersection.

FLAC2D 9.7: Remeshing, Damping, and Parametric Studies

FLAC2D 9.6 introduced automatic remeshing for large‑strain simulations, allowing analyses to continue for models undergoing large deformations. Version 9.7 builds on that capability and improves its usefulness for dynamic problems and parameter studies.

Key updates in FLAC2D 9.7:

• Maxwell and hysteretic damping during remeshing
  Dynamic analyses using Maxwell or hysteretic damping now correctly interpolate damping parameters when remeshing occurs. This makes large‑strain remeshing practical for dynamic modeling.
• Larger effective time steps in large‑strain runs with remeshing
  As zones become heavily distorted, the dynamic time step decreases. When the mesh is regenerated, better quality zones reset the dynamic time step to a higher value, allowing simulations such as landslides or large deformations in soft materials to solve more efficiently.
• Extra‑variable interpolation for cleaner contours while remeshing
  Numerical grid‑point and zone Extra variables (for example, initial pore pressure or vertical stress) can now be interpolated instead of simply copied between previous and new meshes. This produces more accurate calculations (e.g., excess pore pressure) and smoother contour maps of Extra variables as the mesh evolves.
• Python‑driven parametric study examples
  New Python examples show how to run automated parameter studies for slopes with ubiquitous joint materials. You can vary slope angle and joint orientation (or a pseudo‑static horizontal load) and generate factor of safety slope stability maps, helping you identify combinations that are more prone to instability.

These enhancements are particularly relevant if you’re interested in modeling large‑strain slope failures, embankments, or other problems where mesh distortion and dynamic effects are important.

MPoint Updates and PFC/XSite Alignment

MPoint 2D and 3D, ITASCA’s Material Point Method (MPM) software, is designed to model very large strains, while avoiding meshing issues, with material points that can move through a background mesh. MPoint uses FLAC constitutive models and may be coupled with FLAC2D or FLAC3D. In 9.7, MPoint remains in BETA but gains several usability and accuracy improvements, thanks in large part to feedback from our BETA Testers — thank you all!

MPoint 9.7 highlights:

• Expanded  documentation and new examples
  The documentation now covers more of the underlying theory and ITASCA‑specific details, including how material points can interact with FLAC zones for coupled models.
• More control over material point splitting
  As material points spread out during large deformation simulations, splitting criteria determine when one point becomes two to maintain accuracy. The new release offers more options and control over this splitting behavior.
• FLAC‑style plot items
  MPoint plot items are now structured in a similar way to FLAC3D plot items, making the interface more familiar for existing FLAC users and simplifying visualization workflows.

For discrete and hydraulic fracturing workflows:

• PFC 9.7 out of beta
  After robust bug fixing and additional testing, PFC2D and PFC3D version 9.7 are now officially released. Earlier point releases since v9.0 were labeled as BETA.
• XSite 9.7 packaging and version alignment
  XSite, ITASCA’s lattice-based hydraulic fracturing simulation program, is now available as version 9.7 alongside the other ITASCA Software products, aligning versioning and distribution across ITASCA Software. A demo mode is available with a limited model size, allowing users to explore small hydraulic fracturing models before licensing the full version.

Workflow and Visualization Improvements in ITASCA Software 9.7

In addition to major features, ITASCA Software 9.7 includes several quality‑of‑life enhancements that streamline modeling workflows and data exchange.

Notable improvements:

• Splitting extrusions in Sketch
  In FLAC3D’s Sketch tool, you can now split extrusions by adding and adjusting points along the extrusion path. This makes it easier to create curved extrusions without complex workarounds.
• Zone nulling during cycling with MPI
  With the Cluster (MPI) option in FLAC3D, zones can now be nulled during cycling. This enables more flexible and efficient workflows for very large, distributed models that need local removal of material or staged excavation sequences.
• STL plot export
  In addition to DXF, plots can now be exported as STL files that contain triangulated surface data. This is useful for sharing geometry with external tools that prefer STL for 3D printing, visualization, or further processing.
• Python in the Object Tree
  The Object Tree now shows Python variables and functions alongside zones, grid points, and FISH functions. This provides better visibility for your project’s scripting environment and helps you track the state of your model conveniently within the user interface.

FAQ: Common Questions About ITASCA Software 9.7

Can I open older FLAC2D/FLAC3D models in version 9.7?

Yes. Version 9.7 is designed to be backwards‑compatible, so you can open and run projects created in version 7.0 and 9.0 without rebuilding them from scratch.

Why do my Mohr‑Coulomb results change when I move from 9.6 to 9.7?

If your model operates near the intersection of the shear and tensile failure envelopes, the new corner‑domain correction in 9.7 can produce slightly different, but more robust, stress corrections, leading to small changes in calculated responses.

How does GeoBot in ITASCA Software v9.7 use my data?

ITASCA protects your GeoBot data through these specific measures:

• Limited Retention: ITASCA stores data only as long as necessary to provide the service and then deletes it.
• Data Separation: GeoBot only accesses the specific model and commands you provide during your current session. It does not access your entire computer or other private files.
• Encrypted Transmission: All information sent to the service uses secure encryption to prevent unauthorized interception.
• Restricted Access: Only a limited number of authorized personnel can access the data to improve the service.

You can read the full GeoBot privacy policy here: https://geobot.itascasoftware.com/privacypolicy.

When should I consider MPoint instead of FLAC2D remeshing?

MPoint’s Material Point Method is designed for very large deformations where traditional mesh‑based approaches may struggle. FLAC2D  remeshing can handle many large‑strain problems, but MPoint becomes more attractive for extreme deformations (e.g., granular flow or a tailings dam run out analysis).

Is PFC 9.7 suitable for production work?

Yes. PFC2D and PFC3D version 9.7 have undergone extensive testing and debugging and are now considered officially released and suitable for production projects, with robustness expectations comparable to other v9.7 programs.

See What Version 9.7 Can Do For Your Projects

Upgrading to ITASCA Software version 9.7 adds the GeoBot AI assistant, more robust Mohr-Coulomb behavior, improved FLAC2D remeshing and damping, and the latest MPoint, PFC, and XSite capabilities. 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

Want to see version 9.7 in action? Watch the webinar: