Photo credit: Joel A. Kulesza, LANL LA-UR-21-25545
This 4.5 day training course will be taught in English by the MCNP development team, from the Los Alamos National Lab.
For information on how to get to the Nuclear Energy Agency and for nearby hotels, click here.
This class introduces the unstructured mesh capability in MCNP6 and the Attila4MC problem-setup Graphical User Interface (GUI) from Silver Fir Software and then proceeds with advanced topics. In this class, the participant will learn how to take 3-D geometries developed using CAD software, import these CAD geometries into Attila4MC, mesh the geometry, setup the entire MCNP6 input file with the GUI, and run the calculation using the MCNP6 unstructured mesh capability.
The participant will also learn about the Attila4MC variance reduction tools: (1) The Attila solver to generate weight windows with the FW-CADIS and CADIS methodologies and (2) GUI based tool to automatically calculate cell importances for use in the traditional geometry splitting and roulette game.
The MCNP6 pre- and post-processor programs will be covered. Post-processing of MCNP6 solutions for visualization will be covered, enabling the user to produce 3D contours, 2D slices, and various other plots of the unstructured mesh solution.
The latest released version of Attila4MC (currently 10.3, may be 10.4) will be provided to students and all training provided is relevant to the next planned release (10.4). Licenses and software will be distributed by the LANL point of contact at least one week before the class to allow time to resolve any installation issues.
There is no requirement for students to have a specific CAD software package in order to participate in this course. However, students who wish to take part in optional sessions on CAD model creation, cleanup, and defeaturing are encouraged to bring access to a CAD tool of their choice. Any CAD software capable of exporting models in STP/STEP format is suitable.
The material is organized with group exercises and demonstrations. There will be an open lab where the participant can work on a problem of their choice, either one that they bring or one from the class exercise pool.
Class instructors are from LANL and Silver Fir Software, so pre-class communication will come from both organizations to assist students with pre-class preparation.
Topics include:
Questions about the class may be sent to mcnp_help@lanl.gov. Please include “NEA Advanced MCNP 2026” in the subject line.
The registration fee is 2000 EUR. This includes lunch and coffee breaks but does not cover accommodation.
As soon as your registration has been accepted, you will receive the necessary information to proceed with payment, either directly by credit card on the NEA website, or by bank transfer. The payment deadline is on Friday 30 January 2026.
Registrations will be open until places run out. We draw your attention to the fact this course can only host 22 participants, so please do not delay in registering and paying the course fee.
Note aux participants français : l'OCDE/NEA n'est pas un centre de formation. Pour cette raison, les frais d'inscriptions sont dus avant le début de la prestation et il ne sera pas établi de convention de stage.
Participants are expected to bring their own laptop (with charger and cable) capable of connecting to Wi-Fi and allowing connections to the Internet. They must arrive with the MCNP code installed for use in the classroom. It is strongly recommended that the installation DVDs also be brought (and a way to read them) in case the code needs to be reinstalled on the student's laptop during the class.
In addition to the installation instructions provided with MCNP6.3®, LANL is offering a tutorial for installing the codes: YouTube tutorial for installing MCNP6.3 on Microsoft Windows.
Required: ParaView 5.12 or later should be installed for the advanced class.
