tidyr
tidyr replaced separate() with a family that says what it does.
Comparison · Analytics
modeltime vs OpenMC
A side-by-side editorial comparison of modeltime and OpenMC — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
modeltime vs OpenMC: at a glance
What is modeltime?
modeltime built conformal intervals in, then went quiet on features.
modeltime is at 1.3.3, a single change making the package robust to xgboost version shifts. The feature weight sits in 1.3.2, which added a future-based parallel backend, the maape() accuracy metric and dials helpers for ADAM engine tuning, and further back in the 1.2.8 and 1.3.0 pair that introduced conformal prediction intervals and then carried them through the nested forecasting workflow.
What is OpenMC?
OpenMC's random ray solver has gone from new arrival to the centre of every release
OpenMC is a Monte Carlo particle transport code for neutronics and radiation analysis. Since the random ray transport solver landed in 0.15.0 it has received substantial work in every subsequent release, most recently local adjoint sources, temperature and distributed-density feedback, fission-heating tallies and a weight-window bootstrapping workflow. The other consistent thread is shutdown-dose and depletion tooling, where 0.15.3 introduced an R2SManager to automate the rigorous two-step workflow and 0.16.0 extended it with reactivity control, CRAM substeps and multiple meshes.
modeltime vs OpenMC: editorial side-by-side
modeltime
0.0ANALYTICS
modeltime built conformal intervals in, then went quiet on features.
◆ Current state
modeltime is at 1.3.3, a single change making the package robust to xgboost version shifts. The feature weight sits in 1.3.2, which added a future-based parallel backend, the maape() accuracy metric and dials helpers for ADAM engine tuning, and further back in the 1.2.8 and 1.3.0 pair that introduced conformal prediction intervals and then carried them through the nested forecasting workflow.
◆ Where it's heading
The arc runs from uncertainty quantification to execution. Conformal intervals arrived first and were then threaded through nested fitting, refitting and the printed forecast tables so users can see which confidence method produced an interval. The later work moves down a layer to how forecasts are computed — a portable future backend replacing foreach tuning — rather than what they express.
◆ Prediction
With only an xgboost compatibility fix since the 1.3.2 feature release, the entries do not support a confident prediction about what comes next beyond continued dependency maintenance.
OpenMC
2.5ANALYTICS
OpenMC's random ray solver has gone from new arrival to the centre of every release
◆ Current state
OpenMC is a Monte Carlo particle transport code for neutronics and radiation analysis. Since the random ray transport solver landed in 0.15.0 it has received substantial work in every subsequent release, most recently local adjoint sources, temperature and distributed-density feedback, fission-heating tallies and a weight-window bootstrapping workflow. The other consistent thread is shutdown-dose and depletion tooling, where 0.15.3 introduced an R2SManager to automate the rigorous two-step workflow and 0.16.0 extended it with reactivity control, CRAM substeps and multiple meshes.
◆ Where it's heading
The project is layering a deterministic-adjacent solver alongside its Monte Carlo core rather than replacing it, and the ratio of random-ray work to core-solver work in each release keeps rising. In parallel it is packaging expert workflows into objects — R2SManager is the clearest case, turning a multi-stage shutdown dose calculation into a class rather than a recipe. The Python API is where most of that packaging surfaces, and it is also where the compatibility breaks land, with the minimum version moving to 3.12 in 0.16.0.
◆ Prediction
Given that every release since 0.15.0 has expanded the random ray solver's feedback and tally coverage, the next is likely to continue closing the gap between it and the main solver's feature set. The notes do not indicate whether it is intended to become a default path.
Alternatives to modeltime and OpenMC
Other Analytics products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either modeltime or OpenMC.
performance
performance keeps adding ways to check a model you have already fitted.
cmdstanpy
CmdStanPy is clearing deprecations ahead of a 2.0 it keeps announcing.
dowhy
DoWhy adds one estimation method a year and keeps its identification edge.
OpenHouse
OpenHouse is hardening the seams where table policies and jobs quietly fail.
silx
silx 3.0 moved its default Qt binding to PySide6 — a migration for everyone embedding it.
See all modeltime alternatives → · See all OpenMC alternatives →
Recent activity from modeltime and OpenMC
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 6d agoOpenMCSurface-flux tallies and PDG particle identifiers in OpenMC 0.16.0
- 7mo agomodeltimeRobustness to xgboost version changes
- 8mo agoOpenMCR2SManager automates shutdown dose rate calculations in OpenMC 0.15.3
- 11mo agomodeltimefuture parallel backend, maape() metric and ADAM tuning helpers
- 1y agoOpenMCOpenMC 0.15.2 hotfixes an MPI regression
- 1y agoOpenMCRay-traced material volumes and Phong-shaded plots in OpenMC 0.15.1
- 2y agoOpenMCOpenMC 0.15.0 introduces a random ray transport solver ⚡
- 2y agomodeltimeConformal intervals reach the nested forecasting workflow
- 2y agoOpenMCWeight window generation and continuous nuclide feed in OpenMC 0.14.0
- 2y agomodeltimeConformal prediction intervals introduced
- 3y agomodeltimeFixes the Smooth es() model
- 3y agomodeltimeFixes failing developer-tools tests
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between modeltime and OpenMC?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. OpenMC is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 2.5 vs 0.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is modeltime better than OpenMC?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. OpenMC is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 2.5 vs 0.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Analytics products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to modeltime?
Top modeltime alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "modeltime alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/modeltime for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to OpenMC?
Top OpenMC alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "OpenMC alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/openmc for the full list with editorial commentary on each.