Get started with OpenFOAM and CFD simulations in minutes with the easy to use and fully integrated GUI available with FEATool Multiphysics and CFDTool. With built-in geometry and CAD tools, automatic mesh generation, pre-defined flow solvers, and postprocessing and visualization functionality, setting up and running Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations with OpenFOAM has never been easier.
GUI for OpenFOAM
The FEATool Multiphysics and CFDTool toolboxes_with fully integrated Graphical User Interfaces (GUI) allows for setting up case files, defining, and running OpenFOAM simulations without ever having to leave the GUI, featuring
- Built-in CAD with 2D and 3D geometry modeling tools
- Define your model with the easy-to-use CAD GUI, or import STEP, IGES, and STL CAD geometries
- Automatic unstructured mesh generation
- Generate a mesh with “one-click”, including automatic 2D->3D mesh conversion for two-dimensional, axisymmetric, and swirl flow models
- Dedicated OpenFOAM solver control panel
- Support for incompressible, compressible, laminar and turbulent flow OpenFOAM CFD solvers
- Custom editing and export of OpenFOAM case files
- Automatic decomposition and handling of parallel domains and computations
- Solver control, solution, and residual monitoring directly in the GUI
- Integrated visualization, postprocessing, and analysis of results for CFD simulations
- Share results with colleagues with direct export to ParaView, VTK, and Plotly online web formats
- Full crossplatform GUI support for Microsoft Windows, Linux, MacOS
OpenFOAM & CFD Simulation Made Easy
With the toolbox GUI integrations for OpenFOAM, the complexities of setting up complex and parallel CFD simulations is as much as possible completely automated. The toolboxes automatically meshes, defines and sets up corresponding case files, and solves them, so that users can save time and perform complex CFD simulations without having to think much about it. The GUI can either be used to run full CFD simulations, or as a pre and post-processor for setting up, defining, and postprocessing OpenFOAM simulations, as well as aid to learn OpenFOAM syntax and defining case files.
OpenFOAM CFD Simulation Scripts
Moreover, as each “button click and selection” made in the GUI corresponds to a FEATool Multiphysics function call, also enables directly exporting and running CFD and OpenFOAM simulations as MATLAB scripts. This can be used to easily set up automated parametric simulation runs and parallel studies, and combining simulation models with all available MATLAB scripting functionality and toolboxes.
Furthermore, as every modeling step is recorded the GUI can also be completely automated and played back, which is ideal for producing reproducible step-by-step CFD tutorials, learning, and educational teaching materials.
Multi-CFD Solver Simulation
The unique Multi-Simulation capabilities of FEATool Multiphysics allows one to easily set up and run CFD simulations combined and coupled with completely different physics solvers. This functionality makes it possible to use the most accurate and efficient solvers for different parts of a model, both from the fully integrated GUI and Command Line Interfaces (CLI). One can for example use the CFD solvers OpenFOAM or SU2 for solving for the flow field, and couple it with FEniCS or FEATool for simulation of temperature equations, chemical reactions, and more.
An example of the multi-solver simulation functionality is available as a step-by-step CFD tutorial of modeling cooling via forced convection in a tube and fin heat exchanger. In this multi-simulation model the flow field and fluid dynamics is solved with the OpenFOAM CFD solver, after which the temperature field is solved with the built-in multi-physics solver (using the flow field previously computed with OpenFOAM). Combined with the automatic parallel processing support, the multi-solver simulation functionality saves both computational time and memory, and enables solving more complex and larger scale models not before possible.
Download and Try!
Please feel free to download and try FEATool Multiphysics and OpenFOAM GUI integration
If you use FEATool Multiphysics or CFDTool and find it useful in your work or studies please do share your models, modeling experience, and consider recommending the toolboxes to your colleagues and coworkers.