# Using custom forward models **URL:** \ **Category:** Mailing List Archive (read-only)\ **Tags:** list-archive\ **Created:** [December 7, 2018, 1:58pm UTC](https://mne.discourse.group/t/using-custom-forward-models/1677 "2018-12-07T13:58:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/mne/original/1X/85cc6bd2b69cb698a166dc6d880fb550510d0144.jpeg) [@system](https://mne.discourse.group/u/system)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2018, 1:58pm UTC](https://mne.discourse.group/t/using-custom-forward-models/1677/1 "2018-12-07T13:58:13Z")
External Email - Use Caution Hi all!, has anybody tried to work in MNE with the NY head model published by Stefan Haufe/Yu Huang? [https://www.parralab.org/nyhead/](https://www.parralab.org/nyhead/) Is there any utility function to import external head models (maybe not computed with freesurfer)? Or is this something that has to be done by hand/reverse engineering the mne forward model functions? Thanks a lot for any hints on this! Sebastian Casta?o-Candamil Doctorate student Brain state decoding lab University of Freiburg E // sebastian.castano at [blbt.uni-freiburg.de](http://blbt.uni-freiburg.de) (mailto:sebastian.castano at [blbt.uni-freiburg.de](http://blbt.uni-freiburg.de)) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: [http://mail.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu/pipermail/mne\_analysis/attachments/20181207/f363b6b0/attachment.html](http://mail.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu/pipermail/mne_analysis/attachments/20181207/f363b6b0/attachment.html) ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/mne/original/1X/85cc6bd2b69cb698a166dc6d880fb550510d0144.jpeg) [@system](https://mne.discourse.group/u/system)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2018, 2:22pm UTC](https://mne.discourse.group/t/using-custom-forward-models/1677/2 "2018-12-07T14:22:30Z")
External Email - Use Caution I fear you need to reverse engineer the MNE forward object to make this happen. Alex ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/mne/original/1X/85cc6bd2b69cb698a166dc6d880fb550510d0144.jpeg) [@system](https://mne.discourse.group/u/system)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2018, 3:21pm UTC](https://mne.discourse.group/t/using-custom-forward-models/1677/3 "2018-12-10T15:21:47Z")
External Email - Use Caution Dear Alex, dear Sebastian, I am also very interested in using custom forward models with MNE and I am in the (very slow - just a tiny side project for now) process of looking into the forward model and modifying the Python objects there. I'll let you know once I have something tangible. I would also be happy to be updated from your side. @Alex: I am wondering - once having the FW model complete - if I can use all subsequent functionality e.g. for plotting without freesurfer? Thanks, Arne ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/mne/original/1X/85cc6bd2b69cb698a166dc6d880fb550510d0144.jpeg) [@system](https://mne.discourse.group/u/system)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2018, 6:43pm UTC](https://mne.discourse.group/t/using-custom-forward-models/1677/4 "2018-12-10T18:43:22Z")
External Email - Use Caution Hi Arne, I would be very interested in hearing more about what you are working on when you have time. Many of the open FEM tools that are available are geared towards TMS/TES modeling as opposed to source imaging. Are you still using FreeSurfer for initial processing in the construction of your FEM head model (like iso2mesh, ROAST, forward, SimNIBS, etc.)? We lose the FS meshes we start with during tetrahedralization but I had always wanted to use dipoles constrained to the surface and then bring the estimated timecourses back to surface space to use mne or FreeSurfer/PySurfer for visualization. FieldTrip-SimBio does seem to have proper accommodation for FEM head model source estimation but I have not used it myself. Interested to learn more if anyone has or knows of other working options. Cheers, -Morgan ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/mne/original/1X/85cc6bd2b69cb698a166dc6d880fb550510d0144.jpeg) [@system](https://mne.discourse.group/u/system)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2018, 4:41pm UTC](https://mne.discourse.group/t/using-custom-forward-models/1677/5 "2018-12-12T16:41:47Z")
External Email - Use Caution the best I can offer is to look at: [https://github.com/mne-tools/mne-openmeeg](https://github.com/mne-tools/mne-openmeeg) and more specifically: [https://github.com/mne-tools/mne-openmeeg/blob/master/demo\_openmeeg.py#L195](https://github.com/mne-tools/mne-openmeeg/blob/master/demo_openmeeg.py#L195) it will require quite some work to be complete.... Alex ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/mne/original/1X/85cc6bd2b69cb698a166dc6d880fb550510d0144.jpeg) [@system](https://mne.discourse.group/u/system)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2018, 5:09pm UTC](https://mne.discourse.group/t/using-custom-forward-models/1677/6 "2018-12-12T17:09:44Z")
External Email - Use Caution that looks like a good start!. Thanks Alex! Sebastian Casta?o-Candamil Doctorate student Brain state decoding lab University of Freiburg E // sebastian.castano at [blbt.uni-freiburg.de](http://blbt.uni-freiburg.de) (mailto:sebastian.castano at [blbt.uni-freiburg.de](http://blbt.uni-freiburg.de))