training@yacoda.com
01 / Orientation

Online CasADi basic training

Getting up to speed with CasADi.

This training is hands-on. Seminars are paired with computer exercises. The seminars give a bird’s-eye view of optimization and optimal control — a teaser for further study, or a recap for the experienced.

For
Academic and industrial researchers or tool-developers looking for practical ways to tackle large or complex continuous optimization problems, and optimal control problems in particular.
Prerequisites
No prior experience with CasADi required. Basic mathematical skills (analysis, calculus, linear algebra) and programming in MATLAB/Octave, Python, Julia or JavaScript.
Software
CasADi 3.8
Format
6 weeks online trajectory with the Oct 2026 cohort · 24 hours of learning time · each week you can choose from two 3-hour live Q&A sessions where we work on exercises.
When
Next cohort starting in 64 days: 6 Oct – 17 Nov 2026

After completion, you will be well-equipped to solve a broad range of engineering problems using CasADi by yourself.

02 / Contents

What we cover.

Newton-type methods for constrained nonlinear programming – integration methods – direct transcription of optimal control problems (OCP) – model predictive control (MPC) – CasADi concepts, syntax and best practices.

12 modules of seminar and exercise, each with a pre-recorded solution. Open one to see the depth.

01 Rootfinding on a nonlinear set of equations: Newton's method
  • The Newton step in a high-dimensional search space
  • How (approximated) Jacobians are central to the method
  • Using CasADi to evaluate Jacobians
  • Common failure modes of Newton's method
02 CasADi basics: expression graphs and Functions
  • A clear mental image of the basic CasADi concepts
  • A consistent vocabulary for talking about CasADi
  • Reasoning about CasADi types
  • Reading CasADi error messages
03 Constrained nonlinear programming: Newton-type methods and interior point
  • The conditions for optimality
  • How Newton-type methods originate from rootfinding
  • Building an SQP and an interior-point method in CasADi
04 Integration of CasADi integrator, rootfinder and nonlinear programming
  • Composing CasADi building blocks to solve non-trivial engineering problems
05 The CasADi Opti stack for easy nonlinear programming
  • Using Opti for nonlinear programming
  • Simple debugging skills for common failure cases
06 Nonlinear programming for fitting problems
  • How several fitting algorithms relate
  • Using L1 and L2 norms in CasADi
  • The robustness property of the L1 norm
  • Solving a parameter-estimation problem from scratch in Opti
07 Direct methods for optimal control
  • Single shooting and multiple shooting
  • The sparsity structure in multiple shooting
  • Choosing between single- and multiple shooting
08 Implementing model predictive control in CasADi
  • MPC as an extension of optimal control
  • Speeding up a CasADi MPC problem
  • Why MPC does not necessarily give a good controller
09 Time-optimal control in CasADi
  • Why time-optimal control is intrinsically harder
  • Trajectory tracking versus path tracking
  • Periodic racing problems
  • Interpreting Lagrange multipliers
10 Stochastic and robust constraints in optimal control
  • Applying CasADi beyond ‘standard’ optimal control
11 Integration of system dynamics with collocation
  • An intuitive understanding of a collocation method
  • The connection to rootfinding
12 Direct collocation for optimal control
  • How it differs from multiple shooting with a collocation integrator
  • Implementing direct collocation
  • The sparsity structure it produces
  • The benefits of direct collocation
Four framed prints in a pile: a CasADi Opti optimal-control example with its solution plot; the applied control signal an optimizer returns; the sparsity pattern of a multiple-shooting constraint Jacobian, 44 by 32 with 104 nonzeros; and an expression graph before and after taking a gradient
Slides and results from the course — some from earlier variants.
03 / Enroll

Pick a flavour.

Same course — on your own, with a live cohort*, or the complete package with one-to-one time.

Self-study

578.51 € incl. VAT

Guided

standard pick
1,200.00 € incl. VAT

Mentored

3,000.00 € incl. VAT
Same material release schedule for all tiers.
Recorded in high quality; green screen, tele-prompter setup. There is only one variant for each seminar that should be sufficient to get you started regardless of choice of programming language
You are free to pick any of Matlab/Octave, Python, Julia, or Javascript, and to swap your choice at any time.
The code will be Matlab/Octave, Python, Julia, or Javascript, depending on your choice.
Recorded in high quality; green screen, tele-prompter setup. There is only one variant for each walkthrough that should be sufficient to get you started regardless of choice of programming language
This will mention a typical 24-hour engagement. You do need to consume the material to be entitled to the certificate.
This entails the material listed above. Live sessions are not recorded.
1 year
1 year
2 years
This is your opportunity to network and get motivation.
There will always be a EU-friendly timeslot and a US-friendly timeslot. Streamed in standard conference-call quality.
The forum will stay accessible for the access duration listed above.
We have plans for these, but they may only materialize after the 6 week period.
You can book up to 4 calls over the course of two years; subject to calendar availability by the tutor; you can also spend the hours by giving Yacoda implementation work or study work.
8 hours
This happens during a 1 hour call; separate from the one-to-one consulting
The certificate will give a qualitative description of how you performed during the exam.

* It is well established that participation in a cohort (= group of people who all start at the same time) boosts completion rates for e-courses; most people are wired to feel more motivation when amongst peers.

6 week program, starting 6 October 2026

6 week program, starting 6 October 2026

6 week program, starting 6 October 2026

04 / Testimonials

What participants say.

Around 200 engineers and researchers have joined our CasADi courses since 2018. The voices below are participants of our earlier physical courses.

Highly recommended course for anyone interested in practical optimal control.

Ján DrgoňaAssociate Professor, Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering2023 source

Very useful course for anyone willing to get started with (or learn the proper ways to use) CasADi.

Alejandro AstudilloVP of R&D, Trener Robotics2023 source

Me and two colleagues followed the CasADi course in Leuven organized by Yacoda. It's a great open-source tool.

Tijs Van OevelenResearcher, VITO/EnergyVille2023 source

I liked the course a lot, and I especially appreciated the effort to expose us to as many topics as possible.

Juxhino KavajaCo-founder, nuorail2023