MARCO - Modelica Advanced Research COmpiler

MARCO is a prototype compiler for the Modelica language, and is based on the LLVM / MLIR compiler technology.

Using MARCO

Packages are not yet available. The easiest to use MARCO is through the prebuilt Docker image. The image provides all the dependencies and the compiler itself.

Two Python scripts, located in the docker folder, are provided to conveniently run the compiler and the generated simulation inside a Docker container.

• marco.py invokes the marco tool, which represents the entry point of the compiler. The list of options can be obtained by passing the --help parameter.
• run-sim.py runs a simulation binary.

As an example, consider the following model involving a scalar variable and its derivative:

model SimpleFirstOrder
    Real x(start = 0, fixed = true);
equation
    der(x) = 1 - x;
end SimpleFirstOrder;

The following command takes the source file, named SimpleFirstOrder.mo, and generates a binary file named simulation. The numerical integration method is chosen with the --solver flag, and in this case consists in the forward Euler method.

./marco.py SimpleFirstOrder.mo -o simulation --model=SimpleFirstOrder --solver=euler-forward

As the name suggests, the simulation binary file implements the simulation that computes the evolution of the system. Additional parameters can be also be provided when running the simulation. Their list can be obtained using the --help argument.

./run-sim.py ./simulation --time-step=0.5 --end-time=5                                                                                                                                                                  ✔ 

"time","x"
0.000000000,0.000000000
0.500000000,0.500000000
1.000000000,0.750000000
1.500000000,0.875000000
2.000000000,0.937500000
2.500000000,0.968750000
3.000000000,0.984375000
3.500000000,0.992187500
4.000000000,0.996093750
4.500000000,0.998046875
5.000000000,0.999023438

Building MARCO

Two development Docker images, marco-dev-debug-debian-12 and marco-dev-release-debian-12, are made available. Both the images provide all the dependencies that are needed to compile MARCO, but do not contain the compiler itself. The images different in the build characteristics of the installed software:

	LLVM	Runtime libraries	OpenModelica
marco-dev-debug-debian-12	Release + assertions	Debug	Release
marco-dev-release-debian-12	Release	Release	Release

A Visual Studio Code Dev Container can be set up using the docs/devcontainer.json file.

Of course, it is also possible to build MARCO natively. Directions to obtain the required dependencies and compile the project can be found here.

Contributing

This project is licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL). Under the terms of this license, you are free to use, study, modify, and redistribute the code, provided you comply with the obligations of the LGPL.

By contributing, you acknowledge and agree that your contributions are provided under the same LGPL license as the rest of the project, unless explicitly stated otherwise.

Contribution Policy

1. Upstream repository control
   The copyright holders and maintainers retain full control over the contents of the official repository.
   Submitting a patch, pull request, or other contribution does not imply acceptance.

2. Modifications outside this repository
   You are free to make and distribute modifications in your own copies or forks, provided that such distribution complies with the LGPL (including, but not limited to, providing source code and preserving notices).

3. Acceptance criteria
   Contributions will be reviewed on technical, legal, and project-governance grounds.
   Contributions may be accepted, modified, or rejected at the maintainers' discretion.

Reporting Issues and Suggesting Enhancements

We welcome and encourage community participation.
You can contribute not only through pull requests but also by reporting bugs, documenting errors, or suggesting improvements.

If you have ideas for new features, please share them in the dedicated discussion category.