diff --git a/processing/post/spectral_post.py b/processing/post/spectral_post.py
index 67d7dfb11..2a3ecbab3 100644
--- a/processing/post/spectral_post.py
+++ b/processing/post/spectral_post.py
@@ -5,46 +5,96 @@ print('post processing for mpie_spectral')
 filename ='results.out'
 results = open(filename, 'rb')
 print('filename:', filename)
-header = results.read(4) #read header
-begin = results.tell()
 
-end = results.read(1024).find(header) #find header (second time)
+#find load case name
+searchstring = b'Loadcase '
 
-results.seek(begin+9) #position: header + string "loadcase "
-#loadcase = binascii.b2a_base64(results.read(end-9)) #conversion doesnt work
-loadcase = results.read(end -9)
+begin = results.read(2048).find(searchstring) + 9 # function will return -1 if string isnt found
+results.seek(begin -13)  #position of header
+header = results.read(4) #store header
+results.seek(begin,0)
+length = results.read(2048).find(header)
+results.seek(begin,0)
+
+loadcase = results.read(length)
 print('loadcase:', loadcase)
 
 
-results.seek(begin+end+4)
+#find workingdir name
+results.seek(0,0)
+searchstring = b'Workingdir '
 
-header = results.read(4)
-begin = results.tell()
-end = results.read(1024).find(header) #find header (second time)
-results.seek(begin+11) #position: header + string "workingdir "
-workingdir = results.read(end -11)
+begin = results.read(2048).find(searchstring) + 11 
+results.seek(begin -15)  #position of header
+header = results.read(4) #store header
+results.seek(begin,0)
+length = results.read(2048).find(header)
+results.seek(begin,0)
+
+workingdir = results.read(length)
 print('workingdir:', workingdir)
 
-results.seek(begin+end+4)
+#find job name
+results.seek(0,0)
+searchstring = b'JobName '
 
-header = results.read(4)
-begin = results.tell()
-end = results.read(1024).find(header) #find header (second time)
-results.seek(begin+8) #position: header + string "workingdir "
-jobname = results.read(end -8)
+begin = results.read(2048).find(searchstring) + 8 
+results.seek(begin -12)  #position of header
+header = results.read(4) #store header
+results.seek(begin,0)
+length = results.read(2048).find(header)
+results.seek(begin,0)
+
+jobname = results.read(length)
 print('jobname:', jobname)
 
-results.seek(results.tell()+4)
-header = results.read(4)
+#find size of materialpoint results
+results.seek(0,0)
+searchstring = b'materialpoint_sizeResults'
 
+begin = results.read(2048).find(searchstring) + 24 
+results.seek(begin,0)
+materialpoint_sizeResults = array.array('i',[0])
+materialpoint_sizeResults[0] = struct.unpack('i',results.read(4))[0]
+print('materialpoint_sizeResults:', materialpoint_sizeResults)
 
+#read in resolution (FPs) of geometry
 resolution = array.array('i',[0,0,0])
-
-header1 = b'a'
-begin = results.seek(results.tell()+11)
-begin = begin + results.read(1024).find(header1)
-results.seek(begin+1)
+results.seek(0,0)
+searchstring = b'resolution'
+begin = results.read(2048).find(searchstring) + 10 #end position of string "resolution"
+results.seek(begin,0)
+pos = results.read(60).find(b'a')
+results.seek(begin+pos+1,0)
 resolution[0]=struct.unpack('i',results.read(4))[0]
+results.seek(begin,0)
+pos = results.read(60).find(b'b')
+results.seek(begin+pos+1,0)
+resolution[1]=struct.unpack('i',results.read(4))[0]
+results.seek(begin,0)
+pos = results.read(60).find(b'c')
+results.seek(begin+pos+1,0)
+resolution[2]=struct.unpack('i',results.read(4))[0]
 
-print(resolution)
+print('resolution:',resolution)
+
+#read in dimension of geometry
+geomdimension = array.array('d',[0,0,0])
+results.seek(0,0)
+searchstring = b'geomdimension'
+begin = results.read(2048).find(searchstring) + 13
+results.seek(begin,0)
+pos = results.read(60).find(b'x')
+results.seek(begin+pos+1,0)
+geomdimension[0]=struct.unpack('d',results.read(8))[0]
+results.seek(begin,0)
+pos = results.read(60).find(b'y')
+results.seek(begin+pos+1,0)
+geomdimension[1]=struct.unpack('d',results.read(8))[0]
+results.seek(begin,0)
+pos = results.read(60).find(b'z')
+results.seek(begin+pos+1,0)
+geomdimension[2]=struct.unpack('d',results.read(8))[0]
+
+print('geomdimension:',geomdimension)