##  [03. How to Get Started with PyRocky](/blog/03-how-get-started-pyrocky) 

Before using **PyRocky**, users should have:

- A compatible version of **Ansys Rocky** installed
- **Python** 3.11 or newer installed
- A **Python** IDE or coding environment: Visual Studio Code and Jupyter Notebooks are good alternatives

**PyRocky** can be installed with pip:

```
python -m pip install ansys-rocky-core

```

It can also be installed with Conda:

```
conda install conda-forge::ansys-rocky-core

```

A basic **PyRocky** workflow starts by importing the package and launching an **Ansys Rocky** session:

```python
import ansys.rocky.core as pyrocky

rocky = pyrocky.launch_rocky()

```

**Ansys Rocky** software is launched in headless mode by default (without showing the Graphical User Interface, GUI), which is useful for automated workflows where the GUI is not required.

If the user wants to launch **Ansys Rocky** software with the GUI visible, the ‘headless’ argument can be set to ‘False’:

```python
rocky = pyrocky.launch_rocky(headless=False)

```

A connection can also be established to an existing **Ansys Rocky**session that was started with ‘--pyrocky’ option:

```
C:\Program Files\Ansys Inc\v242\Rocky\bin\Rocky.exe --pyrocky

```

When the **Ansys Rocky** session is started in this way, you can connect it with **PyRocky**:

```python
import ansys.rocky.core as pyrocky

rocky = pyrocky.connect_to_rocky()

```

From there, users can create projects, access studies, import geometries, define particle entities, configure solver settings, start simulations, and extract results.

A simplified workflow usually follows these steps:

1. Launch or connect to an **Ansys Rocky** session.
2. Create or open an **Ansys Rocky** project.
3. Access the study.
4. Configure geometry, particles, inlets, outlets, motions, and solver settings.
5. Run the simulation.
6. Extract curves, grid functions, and relevant engineering results.
7. Export the processed data to CSV, Excel, databases, dashboards, or reports.
8. Close the **Ansys Rocky** session.

For example:

```python
import ansys.rocky.core as pyrocky

rocky = pyrocky.launch_rocky()
api = rocky.api
project = api.CreateProject()
study = project.GetStudy()
study.SetName("Automated DEM Study")
project.SaveProject("automated-dem-study.rocky")
api.close()

```

This simple structure is the foundation for more advanced **DEM**automation workflows.

---

- [Previous: 02. Ansys Developer Portal: A Central Resource for Simulation Developers](https://developer.synopsys.com/blog/02-ansys-developer-portal-central-resource-simulation-developers)
- [Next: 04. PyRocky vs Ansys Rocky PrePost Scripting](https://developer.synopsys.com/blog/04-pyrocky-vs-ansys-rocky-prepost-scripting)