diff --git a/processing/post/spectral_iterationCount b/processing/post/spectral_iterationCount
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..42f8ca339
--- /dev/null
+++ b/processing/post/spectral_iterationCount
@@ -0,0 +1,104 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+# -*- coding: UTF-8 no BOM -*-
+
+import os,sys,string
+from optparse import OptionParser, OptionGroup, Option, SUPPRESS_HELP
+
+# -----------------------------
+class extendedOption(Option):
+# -----------------------------
+# used for definition of new option parser action 'extend', which enables to take multiple option arguments
+# taken from online tutorial http://docs.python.org/library/optparse.html
+    
+    ACTIONS = Option.ACTIONS + ("extend",)
+    STORE_ACTIONS = Option.STORE_ACTIONS + ("extend",)
+    TYPED_ACTIONS = Option.TYPED_ACTIONS + ("extend",)
+    ALWAYS_TYPED_ACTIONS = Option.ALWAYS_TYPED_ACTIONS + ("extend",)
+
+    def take_action(self, action, dest, opt, value, values, parser):
+        if action == "extend":
+            lvalue = value.split(",")
+            values.ensure_value(dest, []).extend(lvalue)
+        else:
+            Option.take_action(self, action, dest, opt, value, values, parser)
+
+
+
+# ----------------------- MAIN -------------------------------
+
+parser = OptionParser(option_class=extendedOption, usage='%prog [options] spectralOut[s]', description = """
+Generate datafile of converged iteration per increment for specified loadcase.
+
+""" + string.replace('$Id$','\n','\\n')
+)
+
+parser.add_option('-m','--memory',      dest='memory', action='store_true', \
+                                        help='load complete file into memory [%default]')
+parser.add_option('-l','--loadcase',    dest='loadcase', type='int', \
+                                        help='loadcase number to parse for')
+
+parser.set_defaults(memory = False)
+parser.set_defaults(loadcase = 1)
+
+(options, filenames) = parser.parse_args()
+
+# ------------------------------------------ setup file handles ---------------------------------------  
+
+files = []
+if filenames == []:
+  files.append({'name':'STDIN', 'input':sys.stdin, 'output':sys.stdout})
+else:
+  for name in filenames:
+    if os.path.exists(name):
+      (head,tail) = os.path.split(name)
+      files.append({'name':name, 'input':open(name), 
+                                'output':open(os.path.join(head,'iterationCount_'+os.path.splitext(tail)[0]+'.txt'), 'w')})
+
+
+# ------------------------------------------ loop over input files ---------------------------------------  
+
+for file in files:
+  print file['name']
+  step = 1
+  iter = 0
+
+# ------------------------------------------ assemble header ---------------------------------------  
+
+  output = '1\theader\n' + \
+           '\t'.join(['step','iteration']) + '\n'
+
+  if options.memory:
+    data = file['input'].readlines()
+  else:
+    data = []
+    file['output'].write(output)
+    output = ''
+  
+# ------------------------------------------ read file ---------------------------------------  
+
+  for line in {True  : data,
+               False : file['input']}[options.memory]:
+
+    items = line.split()
+    if len(items) > 7 and items[0] == 'Loadcase' and int(items[2]) == options.loadcase:  # 'magic' line?
+      if int(items[5]) == step:
+        iter += 1                                                  # next iteration found
+      else:
+        output += '\t'.join(map(str,[step,iter])) + '\n'
+        step = int(items[5])                                       # store current step count
+        iter = 1                                                   # was first iteration of next step
+
+        if not options.memory:
+          file['output'].write(output)
+          output = ''
+
+  output += '\t'.join(map(str,[step,iter])) + '\n'                 # process last step (for which, of course, no further step can be found)
+
+  file['input'].close()
+
+# ------------------------------------------ output result ---------------------------------------  
+
+  file['output'].write(output)
+
+  if file['name'] != 'STDIN':
+    file['output'].close
diff --git a/processing/setup/setup_processing.py b/processing/setup/setup_processing.py
index 0b277e6eb..baa457912 100755
--- a/processing/setup/setup_processing.py
+++ b/processing/setup/setup_processing.py
@@ -19,9 +19,10 @@ bin_link = { \
 							'voronoi_tessellation',
 							],
 				'post' : [
-							'postResults',
 							'3Dvisualize',
 							'mentat_colorMap',
+							'postResults',
+							'spectral_iterationCount',
 							],
 						}