Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

OpenFOAM VS OpenSim

Compare OpenFOAM VS OpenSim and see what are their differences

OpenFOAM logo OpenFOAM

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

OpenSim logo OpenSim

State-of-the-art. simulation software. advancing research. in rehabilitation science. Performance.
  • OpenFOAM Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-08-02
  • OpenSim Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-15

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    Although community-driven, the documentation can sometimes be incomplete or outdated, making it challenging for new users to find reliable and up-to-date instructions and tutorials.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

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.

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

OpenSim videos

Introducing OpenSim 3.0

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to OpenFOAM and OpenSim)
Numerical Computation
88 88%
12% 12
Technical Computing
85 85%
15% 15
Simulation Software
100 100%
0% 0
Data Visualization
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using OpenFOAM and OpenSim. 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 OpenSim. 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

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 OpenFOAM and OpenSim, 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.

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.

Scilab - Scilab Official Website. Enter your search in the box aboveAbout ScilabScilab is free and open source software for numerical . Thanks for downloading Scilab!

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

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