Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

OpenFOAM VS Insight Maker

Compare OpenFOAM VS Insight Maker and see what are their differences

OpenFOAM logo OpenFOAM

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

Insight Maker logo Insight Maker

Explore powerful simulation algorithms for System Dynamics and Agent Based Modeling in a truly...
  • OpenFOAM Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-08-02
  • Insight Maker Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-05

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    Although community-driven, the documentation can sometimes be incomplete or outdated, making it challenging for new users to find reliable and up-to-date instructions and tutorials.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.

Insight Maker features and specs

  • Versatile Modeling
    Insight Maker supports a wide range of modeling paradigms, including system dynamics, agent-based modeling, and causal loop diagrams, making it adaptable for various types of simulation and analysis.
  • Cloud-Based
    Being a web application, it offers the flexibility of accessing models from anywhere without the need for software installation, facilitating collaboration and easy sharing.
  • Free to Use
    Insight Maker is free, making it accessible to students, educators, and professionals who need powerful modeling capabilities without financial constraints.
  • Community Support
    It has an active user community and plenty of resources, including tutorials and forums, which can be very helpful for newcomers to the platform.

Possible disadvantages of Insight Maker

  • Learning Curve
    The breadth of features and types of modeling can be overwhelming for new users, particularly those unfamiliar with systems thinking or modeling concepts.
  • Limited Advanced Features
    While powerful for general use, it may lack some of the advanced features and customization options available in more specialized or commercial modeling software.
  • Performance Issues
    Being a cloud-based tool, it may experience lag or performance issues, especially with large models or complex simulations.
  • Internet Dependency
    As a web-based application, continuous internet access is required to work on models, which might be inconvenient for users with limited or unreliable internet connections.

Analysis of OpenFOAM

Overall verdict

  • OpenFOAM is a powerful and versatile tool for CFD that is well-regarded in both academia and industry. Its open-source nature and comprehensive feature set make it a valuable resource for those needing customizability and advanced simulation capabilities.

Why this product is good

  • OpenFOAM is a popular open-source Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tool that provides a wide range of features for simulating complex fluid flows.
  • It offers a flexible and extensible platform, allowing users to customize solvers and utilities to fit specific simulation needs.
  • The extensive library of pre-built solvers and utilities is suitable for various applications, from automotive to aerospace engineering.
  • Being open-source, it encourages collaboration and sharing of improvements, making it highly adaptable and continuously evolving.
  • Comprehensive documentation and a large user community contribute to reliable support and knowledge exchange.

Recommended for

  • Engineers and researchers in academia who require a robust CFD tool with customization capabilities.
  • Industry professionals involved in research and development who need flexible and cost-effective CFD solutions.
  • Advanced users with programming skills who want to leverage and extend its capabilities for specific project needs.

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

Insight Maker videos

Building a simple simulation with Insight Maker

More videos:

  • Review - Insight Maker Simulation xRev
  • Review - Simulation with Insight Maker xRev

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to OpenFOAM and Insight Maker)
Numerical Computation
83 83%
17% 17
Technical Computing
75 75%
25% 25
Simulation Software
57 57%
43% 43
CFD
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using OpenFOAM and Insight Maker. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, OpenFOAM should be more popular than Insight Maker. 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.

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: over 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: over 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
View more

Insight Maker mentions (4)

  • Modelica
    Switch to https://insightmaker.com/ if you can. It is FOSS , maintained and used as powerfull but simpelere alternative. - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
  • Where is the system model for human nutrition and digestion?
    I'm looking into free to use online simulation and collaboration software such as https://insightmaker.com/ and will start digging into it. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Fools Stop Mysticizing System Dynamics
    I created a fairly popular system dynamics modeling applications back when I was a grad student [0]. When using modeling tools like system dynamics, it's useful to keep in mind George Box's quote that "All models are wrong, but some are useful". When using a modeling tool to describe any form of social system you're creating an imperfect copy of it. This imperfect copy embeds what the modeler (rightly or wrongly)... - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • How to Safely Think in Systems
    Some other commenters here seem to think this article is (or should have been?) an introduction to systems thinking, or an argument for using it. The article is explicitly framed as some advice, based in experience, on avoiding common pitfalls with using explicit models in systems thinking. As such I think it is a nice read. It is also full of links to other interesting work by the author, not least of which is a... - Source: Hacker News / over 3 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing OpenFOAM and Insight Maker, 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.

StochSD - StochSD (Stochastic System Dynamics) is a Continuous System Simulation extension that is built with the capabilities to help you simulate continuous flows between compartments and, most importantly, also has the power to manage discrete transitions …

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

EMSO simulator - EMSO simulator is an equation-oriented process simulator with a graphical interface for modeling...

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.

Minsky - System dynamics program with additional features for economics