Roly.jl

Roly.jl (Reverse-search Polyform enumerator) enumerates polyforms: aggregates built by connecting arbitrarily shaped blocks at their binding sites, in 2D or 3D.

Given a set of building blocks and the bonds allowed between their sites, Roly.jl can:

• enumerate every geometrically valid polyform up to a chosen size,
• generate and store polyforms for further processing,
• estimate how many there are when exact enumeration is too expensive,
• build binding rules interactively by placing particles on a lattice (ruleeditor).

Installation

From the Julia REPL, press ] to enter Pkg mode, then:

pkg> add https://github.com/goodrichgroup/Roly.jl

Roly.jl currently does not support Windows.

Where to next

• Workflow covers the basics: defining binding rules, coloring a species' sites, then enumerating, generating, counting and visualizing polyforms.
• Custom particle species explains how to define your own shapes.
• Orientation and twists covers what a bond fixes about relative orientation and how to control it. Read it if a species does not enumerate what you expected.
• API reference lists every exported name.

Citation

If you use Roly.jl in your work, please cite:

@article{roly2025,
    year = {2025},
    title = {{Accessing Semiaddressable Self-Assembly with Efficient Structure Enumeration}},
    author = {Hübl, Maximilian C. and Goodrich, Carl P.},
    journal = {Physical Review Letters},
    doi = {10.1103/physrevlett.134.058204},
    pages = {058204},
    number = {5},
    volume = {134}
}