Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Autodesk CFD VS OpenFOAM

Compare Autodesk CFD VS OpenFOAM and see what are their differences

Autodesk CFD logo Autodesk CFD

Autodesk® CFD software provides flexible fluid flow and thermal simulation tools with improved reliability and performance. Compare design alternatives, and better understand the implications of your choices before manufacturing.

OpenFOAM logo OpenFOAM

OpenFOAM® - Official home of The Open Source Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Toolbox.
  • Autodesk CFD Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-08-14
  • OpenFOAM Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-08-02

Autodesk CFD features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Autodesk CFD provides an intuitive interface that helps users, especially those who are not experts in computational fluid dynamics, to navigate and use the software effectively.
  • Integration with Autodesk Ecosystem
    The software integrates well with other Autodesk products, enabling seamless workflows and data exchange between different design and engineering software.
  • Cloud Solving Capabilities
    With cloud solving options, users can offload computational tasks to the cloud, allowing for complex simulations without heavily relying on local hardware capabilities.
  • Extensive Material Library
    Autodesk CFD includes a comprehensive library of materials that can be used in simulations, making it easier to model real-world scenarios accurately.
  • Comprehensive Simulation Features
    The software supports a wide range of simulations, from thermal and fluid flow analyses to advanced turbulence and heat transfer studies.

Possible disadvantages of Autodesk CFD

  • Steep Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    While the basic features are user-friendly, mastering the more advanced simulation options can be challenging for new users, requiring significant time and practice.
  • Cost
    Autodesk CFD can be expensive for individual users or small businesses, considering both the software licensing and potential cloud computing costs.
  • Performance Dependence on Internet Speed
    The cloud computing features require a stable and fast internet connection, which can be a drawback in areas with limited connectivity.
  • Limited Customization
    Compared to some other CFD tools, Autodesk CFD may offer fewer options for highly customized simulations or scripting, potentially limiting flexibility for power users.
  • Resource Intensive
    The software can be resource-intensive on local machines, necessitating high-performance hardware for complex simulations if not using cloud resources.

OpenFOAM features and specs

  • Open Source
    OpenFOAM is free to use and its source code is openly available under the GPL license, allowing for extensive customization and transparency in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations.
  • Extensibility
    Users can extend and modify the functionality of OpenFOAM to suit specific needs or integrate new algorithms, making it highly adaptable to various projects and research requirements.
  • Community and Support
    A robust community of users and developers contributes to forums, documentation, and collaboration, providing substantial peer support and shared knowledge.
  • Versatility
    OpenFOAM supports a wide range of physical models and simulation types, from simple incompressible flow to complex multiphase flows and chemical reactions, making it suitable for diverse applications.
  • Parallel Computing
    Optimized for parallel processing, OpenFOAM can run efficiently on high-performance computing systems, thereby handling large-scale simulations effectively.

Possible disadvantages of OpenFOAM

  • Steep Learning Curve
    OpenFOAM requires a significant investment of time to learn and master, as it involves understanding complex physics, programming concepts, and software-specific syntaxes.
  • Limited GUI
    Unlike some commercial CFD software, OpenFOAM lacks a sophisticated graphical user interface (GUI), necessitating users to rely on command-line input and scripting for setup and execution of simulations.
  • Documentation Quality
    Although community-driven, the documentation can sometimes be incomplete or outdated, making it challenging for new users to find reliable and up-to-date instructions and tutorials.
  • Performance Variation
    Performance and stability can vary depending on the specific simulation setup and hardware used, which may require users to conduct extensive testing and optimization.
  • Dependency Management
    Installing and maintaining OpenFOAM and its dependencies can be complex, often requiring specific versions of libraries and compilers to ensure compatibility and optimal performance.

Autodesk CFD videos

Autodesk CFD - Who's It for and what's it do?

More videos:

  • Review - Autodesk CFD Comparison

OpenFOAM videos

What is OpenFoam? | Skill-Lync

More videos:

  • Tutorial - How to run your first simulation in OpenFOAM® - Part 1 - tutorial
  • Tutorial - CFD tutorial for beginners | What is OpenFOAM? | SKILL-LYNC

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Autodesk CFD and OpenFOAM)
Technical Computing
23 23%
77% 77
Numerical Computation
23 23%
77% 77
Simulation Software
39 39%
61% 61
CFD
13 13%
87% 87

User comments

Share your experience with using Autodesk CFD and OpenFOAM. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, OpenFOAM seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 19 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.

Autodesk CFD mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Autodesk CFD yet. Tracking of Autodesk CFD recommendations started around Mar 2021.

OpenFOAM mentions (19)

  • OpenFOAM on Debian 12
    In openfoam.org, there is not compiled binaries for Debian (any version). So one should install it using docker (I prefer to do not use it) or by compiling the code from the source. I consider compiling from source, but I do prefer binaries. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Please help me get running OpenFOAM
    Hello I am a mechanical engineering student in my last year. So I made the wisest decision to learn OpenFOAM. But there is the catch. I have no idea how to use Linux or how to emulate Linux on Windows 10. I found a lot of videos on Youtube how to download an start OpenFOAM but every one of them was using different methods each time so I got confused. Can anyone please help or direct me? Thank you for your answers... Source: about 2 years ago
  • Step by Step (Written not Video) Tutorial for FEM with Air
    As far as air flow simulation, I got slightly farther with Open Foam than I did in FreeCAD directly. Still, I got in way over my skill level and stopped before getting anything useful. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Open source FEA tools instead of ANSYS Workbench and APDL
    There are two versions of openfoam, one closed source (which is the one I linked to in my original comment, my apologies about that) and the open source version. But what you're describing makes it sound like fenics might be your best option. Source: over 2 years ago
  • command not found and looping
    I suggest you install per the instructions at openfoam.com or openfoam.org instead of using apt. Source: over 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Autodesk CFD and OpenFOAM, you can also consider the following products

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

Simscale CFD - SimScale CFD is a cloud-based leading CAE platform that offers access to CFD, FEA, and thermodynamics simulation capabilities 100% via a standard web browser.

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

Autodesk Fluid Flow - Autodesk Fluid Flow is an industry-leading fluid dynamics software that helps to enhance product performance and reliability.

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.

CFDTool - An Easy to Use MATLAB Computational Fluid Dynamics CFD Simulation GUI Toolbox