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OpenFOAM VS Paraview

Compare OpenFOAM VS Paraview and see what are their differences

OpenFOAM logo OpenFOAM

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

Paraview logo Paraview

ParaView is an open-source, multi-platform application designed to visualize data sets of size...
  • OpenFOAM Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-08-02
  • Paraview Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-29

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    Although community-driven, the documentation can sometimes be incomplete or outdated, making it challenging for new users to find reliable and up-to-date instructions and tutorials.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

Paraview features and specs

  • Open Source
    ParaView is open-source software, which means it is free to use, modify, and distribute. This makes it an accessible option for individuals and organizations with limited budgets, and it benefits from community-driven development and support.
  • Scalability
    ParaView is designed to handle large data sets and can be scaled to run on supercomputers as well as on personal computers. This is beneficial for users who work with big data and need a flexible tool that can grow with their needs.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    ParaView is available on Windows, macOS, and Linux, which allows users to work across different operating systems without compatibility issues.
  • Extensive Visualization Capabilities
    ParaView offers a wide range of visualization techniques, from simple 2D plots to complex 3D and multi-dimensional visualizations, which are essential for effectively interpreting scientific data.
  • Customizability and Extensibility
    Users can customize and extend ParaView’s functionality through its scripting capabilities, using languages such as Python. This flexibility is crucial for users who need specialized tools or want to automate tasks.

Possible disadvantages of Paraview

  • Steep Learning Curve
    New users, especially those without a background in visualization tools, may find ParaView challenging to learn due to its comprehensive features and complex interface.
  • Resource Intensive
    Visualizing large data sets can be resource-intensive, requiring substantial computational power and memory, which may not be available on low-end hardware configurations.
  • Limited Documentation
    While ParaView has some documentation, users may find it inadequate or challenging to navigate, making it harder to learn or utilize advanced features effectively.
  • Complexity for Basic Tasks
    ParaView’s advanced capabilities may overwhelm users who only need basic visualization tools, as the software's complexity may create unnecessary hurdles for simple data visualization tasks.

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

Paraview videos

Paraview Tips'n Tricks - The art of mesh quality visualization | Tech Queen Roxy

More videos:

  • Review - Introduction to ParaView Postprocessing of NACS Results
  • Review - ParaView | Basics of Data Visualization | Best Practice | Part 01

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to OpenFOAM and Paraview)
Numerical Computation
80 80%
20% 20
Technical Computing
78 78%
22% 22
CFD
100 100%
0% 0
Simulation Software
64 64%
36% 36

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, OpenFOAM seems to be a lot more popular than Paraview. While we know about 19 links to OpenFOAM, we've tracked only 1 mention of Paraview. 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

Paraview mentions (1)

  • Just installed openfoam2012, previously I used openfoam8. But it did not install paraview,i think.
    Openfoam installation does not come with Paraview. Directly download paraview binaries from paraview.org and use it. Donot try to compile yourself , if you are not familiar with Linux. Source: about 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing OpenFOAM and Paraview, 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

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.

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.

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

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