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ANSYS Fluent VS OpenSim

Compare ANSYS Fluent VS OpenSim and see what are their differences

ANSYS Fluent logo ANSYS Fluent

ANSYS engineering simulation and 3D design software delivers product modeling solutions with unmatched scalability and a comprehensive multiphysics foundation.

OpenSim logo OpenSim

State-of-the-art. simulation software. advancing research. in rehabilitation science. Performance.
  • ANSYS Fluent Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-01-26
  • OpenSim Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-15

ANSYS Fluent features and specs

  • Comprehensive Physics Modeling
    ANSYS Fluent offers extensive modeling capabilities encompassing fluid dynamics, heat transfer, turbulence, and various multiphase flows, enabling accurate simulations across a wide range of applications.
  • High Accuracy
    With advanced numerical algorithms, Fluent provides highly accurate results, which are validated across numerous industries and academic studies.
  • User-friendly Interface
    The software features a user-friendly graphical interface, making it easier for both beginners and experienced users to set up and analyze simulations.
  • Extensive Post-Processing Tools
    Fluent includes a suite of post-processing tools that allow users to visualize and analyze simulation results in detail through contour plots, vector plots, and animations.
  • Strong Technical Support and Community
    ANSYS offers extensive documentation, tutorials, and customer support, as well as an active user community that can help with troubleshooting and learning.
  • Scalability
    Fluent is highly scalable and can run on a wide range of platforms, from personal workstations to high-performance computing clusters, making it suitable for different project sizes.

Possible disadvantages of ANSYS Fluent

  • Cost
    ANSYS Fluent is a high-end software, often accompanied by significant licensing fees, which may not be affordable for smaller companies or individual users.
  • Steep Learning Curve
    Despite its user-friendly interface, the comprehensive features and advanced functionalities of Fluent can result in a steep learning curve for new users.
  • Resource Intensive
    Running complex simulations in Fluent can be computationally demanding, requiring significant processing power and memory, which might necessitate high-performance computing resources.
  • Dependency on Accurate Input
    The accuracy of Fluent simulations is heavily dependent on the quality of input data and initial conditions, which means that inaccurate or insufficient input can lead to unreliable results.
  • Occasional Stability Issues
    Users sometimes report stability issues or crashes during large, complex simulations, which can disrupt workflow and require troubleshooting.

OpenSim features and specs

  • Open-Source
    OpenSim is open-source software, allowing users to freely download, modify, and distribute it without any licensing fee. This encourages collaboration and innovation within the community.
  • Comprehensive Biomechanical Modeling
    OpenSim offers a detailed platform for biomechanical modeling and simulation, allowing researchers to create and analyze musculoskeletal models to study human and animal movement.
  • Wide Community Support
    The tool is supported by a wide community of users including researchers, educators, and professionals, providing extensive resources, discussions, and shared models.
  • Integration Capabilities
    OpenSim is capable of being integrated with other simulation and analysis tools, enhancing its utility in diverse research and application fields.
  • Extensive Documentation
    Comprehensive documentation, tutorials, and user guides are available, helping new users to start quickly and efficiently with their projects.

Possible disadvantages of OpenSim

  • Complexity
    The software can be complex to use, especially for beginners, as it requires a steep learning curve to understand its full capabilities and effectively use its advanced features.
  • Computationally Intensive
    Running detailed simulations can be computationally demanding, requiring access to high-performance computing resources.
  • Limited Customer Support
    Unlike commercial software with dedicated support services, OpenSim relies largely on community support, which might not always meet the users' immediate needs.
  • Interface Limitations
    The user interface may not be as intuitive or user-friendly as some commercial counterparts, potentially slowing down workflow efficiency.
  • Niche Application
    Primarily focused on musculoskeletal modeling, OpenSim may have limited applications outside its specialized field, restricting its use to niche groups.

Analysis of ANSYS Fluent

Overall verdict

  • ANSYS Fluent is highly regarded as a powerful CFD tool and is generally considered a good choice for professionals and organizations seeking detailed and accurate fluid simulation results. Its comprehensive features and strong support infrastructure make it a valuable asset for complex engineering applications.

Why this product is good

  • ANSYS Fluent is considered a leading computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software due to its advanced physics modeling capabilities and high precision in simulating fluid flow, heat transfer, turbulence, and reactions. It is widely used in industries such as aerospace, automotive, energy, and manufacturing for its robust solver and extensive range of features that allow for accurate and reliable simulation outcomes.

Recommended for

  • Aerospace engineers
  • Automotive engineers
  • Energy sector professionals
  • Researchers in fluid dynamics
  • Manufacturing process analysts
  • Anyone needing precise fluid flow simulations

ANSYS Fluent videos

ANSYS Fluent: Overview of the Mapped Interface Technique for CHT Simulations

OpenSim videos

Introducing OpenSim 3.0

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to ANSYS Fluent and OpenSim)
Numerical Computation
91 91%
9% 9
Technical Computing
88 88%
12% 12
CFD
100 100%
0% 0
Data Visualization
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, OpenSim should be more popular than ANSYS Fluent. It has been mentiond 4 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

ANSYS Fluent mentions (1)

  • Cannot access the ansys.com website (Access denied)
    I live in Iraq and whenever I try to access "ansys.com", I get the error. Source: over 2 years ago

OpenSim mentions (4)

  • Is there some kind of CAD program you can design Mujoco MJCF XML files in?
    The most famous and complete free sim for actual natural body parts is https://simtk.org/projects/opensim. Source: over 3 years ago
  • How to use Motion Capture Data on OpenSim - Help!
    Hi, I take it you're meaning opensim which models musculoskeletal structures and creates dynamic simulations of movement rather than opensimulator. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Ask HN: What problem are you close to solving and how can we help?
    My research specialty is biomechanics. For the arm motion thing, it sounds like you might want inverse kinematics or inverse dynamics. Take a look at OpenSim: https://simtk.org/projects/opensim For the oral appliance adjustment, I'm not sure what your output measures of interest are. If they're mechanical maybe you want to do a sensitivity analysis using FEA. Maybe look at FEBio: https://febio.org/ As for... - Source: Hacker News / over 3 years ago
  • OpenSim issues
    The first link you shared doesn’t take me to the same spot I downloaded the models from. This link: https://simtk.org/projects/opensim should take you to the home site. Click “download latest releases” drop down and select “models and examples”. This is how I got them, should be in a zip file under “modules”. Hope this helps! Also I have struggled with a lot of different issues using Opensim for gait Lab marker... Source: almost 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing ANSYS Fluent and OpenSim, you can also consider the following products

OpenFOAM - OpenFOAM® - Official home of The Open Source Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Toolbox.

MATLAB - A high-level language and interactive environment for numerical computation, visualization, and programming

Wolfram Mathematica - Mathematica has characterized the cutting edge in specialized processing—and gave the chief calculation environment to a large number of pioneers, instructors, understudies, and others around the globe.

SimScale - SimScale makes high-fidelity engineering simulation truly accessible. From anywhere. At any scale. In the cloud.

COMSOL Multiphysics - COMSOL is the developer of COMSOL Multiphysics software, an interactive environment for modeling and simulating scientific and engineering problems.

SimFlow - SimFlow is a powerful CFD software, focused on engineering and science.