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Ask HN: What Open Source FEA Software Do You Use?

4 points| lordvon | 11 years ago | reply

I like Calculix, but I do not like having to go into the GUI to change some parameters. I want to be able to change an input file and run it all with a script.

8 comments

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[+] groovy2shoes|11 years ago|reply
I've used OOF2 for a few research projects. Despite its warts, I found it very hackable. The application itself is written in Python with performance-intensive bits written in C++ and wrapped with SWIG. Adding new code in Python is a piece of cake, and fitting in some C++ when you need to is fairly easy. I haven't used any other FEA software, though, so I can't give you a comparison.
[+] lordvon|11 years ago|reply
Thanks! I will check it out. Why did you use OOF2?
[+] zwiteof|11 years ago|reply
I haven't used Calculix, but I was under the impression it uses an Abaqus format input deck? Looking at the documentation, this appears to be the case.
[+] lordvon|11 years ago|reply
Yeah, the only problem with automation was boundary condition specification. I guess I could use shell scripts to infer the list of boundary points for every boundary condition, given I knew in what order the points in the mesh were created.
[+] octopus|11 years ago|reply
FreeFEM++ was a good choice last time I checked.
[+] lordvon|11 years ago|reply
Thanks! I will check it out.