The results of modeling a low-pressure capacitively coupled radio-frequency (rf) discharge based on the nonlocal approach are reported. The approximation employed enables fast modeling (FM) of the electron distribution function. The solution of the full problem, which consists of calculation of the electron distribution, rf, and stationary electric fields, and of the plasma density profile, for simple atomic gas takes similar to 10 min on the IBM PC 486DX2/66. To check the validity of the FM the full scale Monte Carlo modeling was performed. The results of the fast and the full scale modeling are in agreement. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.