diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 59b7ec382..0b4d7916d 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -25,7 +25,6 @@ set (petsc_config_makefile "${PETSC_TEMP}/Makefile.petsc")
 file (WRITE "${petsc_config_makefile}"
 "## This file was auto generated by CMake
 # PETSC_DIR  = ${PETSC_DIR}
-# PETSC_ARCH = ${PETSC_ARCH}
 SHELL = /bin/sh
 include ${petsc_conf_rules}
 include ${petsc_conf_variables}
@@ -99,11 +98,21 @@ endforeach(exlib)
 set(CMAKE_Fortran_COMPILER "${MPIEXEC}")
 project (DAMASK Fortran)
 
+list(APPEND CMAKE_MODULE_PATH "${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/cmake")
+
+find_package(FFTW REQUIRED)
+find_package(PythonInterp REQUIRED)
+find_program(F2PY_EXECUTABLE NAMES "f2py${PYTHON_VERSION_MAJOR}.${PYTHON_VERSION_MINOR}"
+                                   "f2py-${PYTHON_VERSION_MAJOR}.${PYTHON_VERSION_MINOR}"
+                                   "f2py${PYTHON_VERSION_MAJOR}"
+                                   "f2py")
+
 message("***Found PETSC_DIR:\n${PETSC_DIR}\n"                  )
 message("***Found PETSC_INCLUDES:\n${PETSC_INCLUDES}\n"        )
 message("***Found PETSC_EXTERNAL_LIB:\n${PETSC_EXTERNAL_LIB}\n")
 message("***Found PETSC_LINKER:\n${PETSC_LINKER}\n"            )
 message("***Found FORTRAN MPI COMPILER:\n${MPIEXEC}\n"         )
+message("***Found FFTW_LIB:\n${FFTW_LIBRARIES}")
 
 
 # # https://cmake.org/Wiki/CMake_FAQ#How_do_I_use_a_different_compiler.3F
@@ -114,6 +123,14 @@ message("***Found FORTRAN MPI COMPILER:\n${MPIEXEC}\n"         )
 set (DAMASK_VERSION_MAJOR 1)
 set (DAMASK_VERSION_MINOR ${DAMASK_V})
 
+# Built-in options for DAMASK build system
+#   -> can be overwritten from commandline/install_script
+option(OPENMP             "Use OpenMP libaries for DAMASK"                              ON  )
+option(DAMASK_PROCESSING  "Build pre/post processing modules for DAMASK"                OFF )
+option(OPTIMIZATION       "DAMASK optimization level [OFF,DEFENSIVE,AGGRESSIVE,ULTRA]"  NONE)
+option(SPECTRAL           "Build spectral sovler for DAMASAK"                           OFF )
+option(FEM                "Builb FEM solver for DAMASK"                                 OFF )
+
 # COMPILE VARIABLES
 add_definitions(-DDAMASKVERSION="${DAMASK_V}")
 add_definitions(-DPETSc)
@@ -142,7 +159,7 @@ endif()
 set (DAMASK_INCLUDE_FLAGS "${DAMASK_INCLUDE_FLAGS} ${PETSC_INCLUDES}"          )
 set (DAMASK_INCLUDE_FLAGS "${DAMASK_INCLUDE_FLAGS} -I${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/lib")
 
-if ("${OPTIMIZATION}" STREQUAL "OFF")
+if ("${OPTIMIZATION}" STREQUAL "NONE")
     set (OPTIMIZATION_ifort    "-O0 -no-ip")
     set (OPTIMIZATION_gfortran "-O0"       )
 elseif ("${OPTIMIZATION}" STREQUAL "DEFENSIVE")
@@ -445,6 +462,11 @@ elseif (FEM)
             DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX})
 endif(SPECTRAL)
 
+if (DAMASK_PROCESSING)
+    INSTALL(PROGRAMS    ${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/src/core.so
+            DESTINATION ${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/lib/damask)
+endif(DAMASK_PROCESSING)
+
 ##
 # ADD TESTING CASES
 # add_test (SmokeTestRun
diff --git a/build_FEM.sh b/build_FEM.sh
index a8326a07e..b6ad6c67e 100755
--- a/build_FEM.sh
+++ b/build_FEM.sh
@@ -23,13 +23,14 @@ cd FEM
 
 ##
 # CMake call
-# PETSC_DIR          |  PETSC directory
-# DAMASK_V           |  DAMASK current revision
-# CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE   |  Default set to release (no debugging output)
-# OPENMP             |  [ON/OFF]
-# OPTIMIZATION       |  [OFF,DEFENSIVE,AGGRESSIVE,ULTRA]
-# DAMASK_DRIVER      |  [SPECTRAL, FEM]
-# DAMASK_INSTALL     |  Directory to install binary output
+# PETSC_DIR                |  PETSC directory
+# DAMASK_V                 |  DAMASK current revision
+# CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE         |  Default set to release (no debugging output)
+# OPENMP                   |  [ON/OFF]
+# OPTIMIZATION             |  [OFF,DEFENSIVE,AGGRESSIVE,ULTRA]
+# DAMASK_DRIVER            |  [SPECTRAL, FEM]
+# DAMASK_INSTALL           |  Directory to install binary output
+# INSTALL_PROCESSING       |  Build supporting pre/post processing scripts
 cmake -D PETSC_DIR=${PETSC_DIR}             \
       -D DAMASK_V=${DAMASKVERSION}          \
       -D CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=RELEASE           \
@@ -37,6 +38,7 @@ cmake -D PETSC_DIR=${PETSC_DIR}             \
       -D OPTIMIZATION=DEFENSIVE             \
       -D DAMASK_DRIVER=FEM                  \
       -D DAMASK_INSTALL=${HOME}/bin         \
+      -D INSTALL_PROCESSING=YES             \
       ../..
 
 echo
diff --git a/build_spectral.sh b/build_spectral.sh
index e40700566..669ef18bc 100755
--- a/build_spectral.sh
+++ b/build_spectral.sh
@@ -40,13 +40,14 @@ cd $BUILDDIR
 # OPTIMIZATION             |  [OFF,DEFENSIVE,AGGRESSIVE,ULTRA]
 # DAMASK_DRIVER            |  [SPECTRAL, FEM]
 # DAMASK_INSTALL           |  Directory to install binary output
-cmake -D PETSC_DIR=${PETSC_DIR}           \
-      -D DAMASK_V=${DAMASKVERSION}        \
-      -D CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=RELEASE         \
-      -D OPENMP=ON                        \
-      -D OPTIMIZATION=DEFENSIVE           \
-      -D DAMASK_DRIVER=SPECTRAL           \
-      -D DAMASK_INSTALL=${HOME}/bin       \
+cmake -D PETSC_DIR=${PETSC_DIR}          \
+      -D DAMASK_V=${DAMASKVERSION}       \
+      -D CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=RELEASE        \
+      -D OPENMP=ON                       \
+      -D DAMASK_PROCESSING=ON            \
+      -D OPTIMIZATION=DEFENSIVE          \
+      -D DAMASK_DRIVER=SPECTRAL          \
+      -D DAMASK_INSTALL=${HOME}/bin      \
       ../..
 
 echo
diff --git a/src/CMakeLists.txt b/src/CMakeLists.txt
index 60f8336a1..8d5f5296a 100644
--- a/src/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -196,3 +196,51 @@ if (SPECTRAL)
       add_executable(DAMASKSpectral.exe "DAMASK_spectral.f90")
       target_link_libraries(DAMASKSpectral.exe DAMASK_EXE)
 endif(SPECTRAL)
+
+if (DAMASK_PROCESSING)
+    # set compiler flags based on type of compiler used
+    if (${CMAKE_Fortran_COMPILER_ID} STREQUAL "Intel")
+        set(CORECOMPILER "${CORECOMPILER} --fcompiler=intelem")
+        set(CORECOMPILER "${CORECOMPILER} --f90flags=\"-fPIC -fpp -stand f08 -diag-disable 5268 -assume byterecl -real-size 64 -integer-size 32 -shared-intel\"")
+    elseif(${CMAKE_Fortran_COMPILER_ID} STREQUAL "GNU")
+        set(CORECOMPILER "${CORECOMPILER} --fcompiler=gnu95")
+        set(CORECOMPILER "${CORECOMPILER} --f90flags=\"-fPIC -fno-range-check -xf95-cpp-input -std=f2008 -fall-intrinsics -fdefault-real-8 -fdefault-double-8\"")
+    endif(${CMAKE_Fortran_COMPILER_ID} STREQUAL "Intel")
+    # set CORE compiler options
+    set(CORE_COMPILE_OPTIONS "${COMPILEROPTIONS} -DSpectral -DFLOAT=8 -DINT=4")
+    set(CORE_COMPILE_OPTIONS "${COMPILEROPTIONS} -I${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/lib")
+    set(CORE_COMPILE_OPTIONS "${COMPILEROPTIONS} -DDAMASKVERSION=\\\"${DAMASK_V}\\\"")
+    # set CORE link flags
+    if (${CMAKE_Fortran_COMPILER_ID} STREQUAL "Intel")
+        set(CORE_LDFLAGS "${CORE_LDFLAGS} -openmp -Wl")
+    elseif(${CMAKE_Fortran_COMPILER_ID} STREQUAL "GNU")
+        set(CORE_LDFLAGS "${CORE_LDFLAGS} -shared -Wl,-undefined,dynamic_lookup")
+    endif(${CMAKE_Fortran_COMPILER_ID} STREQUAL "Intel")
+
+    # source file for building core
+    set(COREFILES "${COREFILES} prec.f90"              )
+    set(COREFILES "${COREFILES} spectral_interface.f90")
+    set(COREFILES "${COREFILES} IO.f90"                )
+    set(COREFILES "${COREFILES} libs.f90"              )
+    set(COREFILES "${COREFILES} numerics.f90"          )
+    set(COREFILES "${COREFILES} debug.f90"             )
+    set(COREFILES "${COREFILES} math.f90"              )
+    set(COREFILES "${COREFILES} FEsolving.f90"         )
+    set(COREFILES "${COREFILES} mesh.f90"              )
+    set(COREFILES "${COREFILES} core_quit.f90"         )
+
+    execute_process(COMMAND F2PY_EXECUTABLE damask.core.pyf )
+endif(DAMASK_PROCESSING)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+