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https://github.com/jaheyns/CfdOF

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) for FreeCAD based on OpenFOAM solver
https://github.com/jaheyns/CfdOF

cad cfd freecad-workbench openfoam

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Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) for FreeCAD based on OpenFOAM solver

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README 

        
# CfdOF: A Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) workbench for FreeCAD



This workbench aims to help users set up and run CFD analyses within the [FreeCAD](https://freecadweb.org)

modeller, and serves as a front-end (GUI) for the popular OpenFOAM® CFD toolkit (www.openfoam.org, www.openfoam.com).

It guides the user in selecting the relevant physics, specifying the material properties, generating a mesh, assigning

boundary conditions and choosing the solver settings before running the simulation. Best practices are specified to

maximise the stability of the solvers.



![screenshot](Doc/Resources/boiler.png)



Disclaimer:

This offering is not approved or endorsed by OpenCFD Limited, producer and distributor of the OpenFOAM software via

www.openfoam.com, and owner of the OPENFOAM® and OpenCFD® trade marks



## Features



### Current:



#### Flow physics

* Incompressible, laminar flow (simpleFoam, pimpleFoam)

* Support for various RANS, LES and DES turbulent flow models

* Incompressible free-surface flow (interFoam, multiphaseInterFoam)

* Compressible buoyant flow (buoyantSimpleFoam, buoyantPimpleFoam)

* High-speed compressible flow ([HiSA](https://hisa.gitlab.io))

* Porous regions and porous baffles

* Basic material database

* Flow initialisation with a potential solver

* Solution of arbitrary passive scalar transport functions

#### Meshing

* Cut-cell Cartesian meshing with boundary layers (cfMesh)

* Cut-cell Cartesian meshing with baffles (snappyHexMesh)

* Tetrahedral meshing using Gmsh, including conversion to polyhedral dual mesh

* Post-meshing check mesh

* Support for dynamic mesh adaptation for supported solvers

#### Post-processing and monitoring

* Postprocessing using Paraview

* Basic support for force-based function objects (Forces, Force Coefficients)

* Basic support for probes

#### Other features

* Runs on Windows 7-11 and Linux

* Unit/regression testing

* Case builder using an extensible template structure

* Macro scripting

* Support for distributed parallel (cluster) runs via mpiexec & --hostfile



### Platforms supported



#### Linux



Any system on which FreeCAD and the prerequisites listed below can be installed.



#### Windows



Windows 7-11; 64-bit version is required.



#### macOS



Not widely tested, but success has been reported. See

[the following forum post](https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=63782&p=547611#p547578)

for instructions.



## Getting started



### Prerequisites



The CfdOF workbench depends on the following external software, some of

which can be automatically installed (see below for instructions).



- [Latest release version of FreeCAD (at least version 0.20.0 / git commit 29177)](https://www.freecadweb.org/downloads.php)

 or [latest development version (prerelease)](https://github.com/FreeCAD/FreeCAD-Bundle/releases/tag/weekly-builds)

- OpenFOAM [Foundation versions 9-10](http://openfoam.org/download/) or [ESI-OpenCFD versions 2006-2306](http://openfoam.com/download)

- [Paraview](http://www.paraview.org/)

- [cfMesh (customised version updated to compile with latest OpenFOAM versions)](https://sourceforge.net/projects/cfmesh-cfdof/)

- [HiSA (High Speed Aerodynamic Solver)](https://hisa.gitlab.io)

- [Gmsh (version 2.13 or later)](http://gmsh.info/) - optional, for generating tetrahedral meshes



### Setting up the CfdOF workbench



#### Windows



The latest

[release](https://www.freecadweb.org/downloads.php)

or [development](https://github.com/FreeCAD/FreeCAD-Bundle/releases/tag/weekly-builds)

FreeCAD build can be obtained (64 bit version) and installed

by respectively running the installer or extracting the .7z archive to a directory

\. In the latter case, FreeCAD can be run in place

(\\bin\FreeCAD.exe).



CfdOF itself is installed into FreeCAD using the Addon manager:



* Run FreeCAD

* Select Tools | Addon manager ...

* Select CfdOF in the list of workbenches, and click "Install/update"

* Restart FreeCAD

* For installation of dependencies, see below



Note: The CfdOF workbench can be updated at any time through the Addon manager.



##### Dependency installation



Dependencies can be checked and installed conveniently from the CfdOF Preferences panel in FreeCAD.

In the FreeCAD window, select CfdOF | Open preferences.  The dependencies can be installed as

individual components or as part of a docker container (refer to the **Docker container install** section below).



The OpenFOAM installation is via the

[OpenCFD MinGW package](https://www.openfoam.com/download/install-binary-windows-mingw.php), and

the [BlueCFD Core](https://bluecfd.github.io/Core/) port of OpenFOAM is also supported.



OpenFOAM can be installed manually using the above links, or by clicking the relevant

button in the Preferences panel described above. If you experience problems running OpenFOAM in CfdOF, please make

sure you have a working installation by following instructions on the relevant websites.



To interface correctly with the OpenFOAM installation, CfdOF needs to be able to write to its

install location.

Some users experience problems using a location inside C:\Program Files due to restrictions

imposed by Windows User Account Control. It is therefore suggested to install to an alternative

location, preferably in your home directory.



If OpenFOAM is installed with administrator privileges using the above packages, then Microsoft MPI

will also optionally be installed. If not, then it will be necessary to download and

install it manually from [here](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/message-passing-interface/microsoft-mpi#ms-mpi-downloads).

MPI is needed in order to run in parallel.



Set the OpenFOAM install directory in the preferences

panel to the install directory ending in the 'vXXXX' subfolder (where XXXX is the version number installed)

for the MinGW package, or the BlueCFD install directory.

 It will be automatically detected in the default install

locations.



Any version of [ParaView](https://www.paraview.org/download/) can be installed,

by following the above link or clicking the relevant button in the Preferences panel.

Set the ParaView install path in the preferences panel to the 'paraview.exe' file in the 'bin'

subfolder of the ParaView installation. Common defaults will be detected if it is left blank.



Likewise, cfMesh and HiSA can be installed from the Preferences panel. Do not close

it until the 'Install completed' message is received.

Note that the OpenFOAM installation must be in a writable location

for cfMesh and HiSA to be installed successfully.



Choosing the "Check dependencies" option will verify that all

prerequisites have been successfully installed.



#### Linux



AppImages of the latest [release](https://www.freecadweb.org/downloads.php)

or [development](https://github.com/FreeCAD/FreeCAD-Bundle/releases/tag/weekly-builds)

versions of FreeCAD can be downloaded and run directly

without installation. Note that you will

have to enable execution permission on the downloaded file to run it.

Otherwise, FreeCAD can be built

from the source code at https://github.com/FreeCAD/FreeCAD .



Note:

* Installations of FreeCAD via Linux package managers

make use of your local Python installation. Therefore you might need to install additional

Python packages to get full functionality. The dependency checker (see below) can help to diagnose

this.

* Note that the 'Snap' container installed through some distributions' package managers

can be problematic as it does not allow access to system

directories, and therefore OpenFOAM has to be installed in the user's home directory

to be runnable from FreeCAD.



For the reasons above we recommend the AppImage as the most robust installation

option on Linux.



CfdOF itself is installed into FreeCAD using the Addon manager:



* Run FreeCAD

* Select Tools | Addon manager ...

* Select CfdOF in the list of workbenches, and click "Install/update"

* Restart FreeCAD

* For installation of dependencies, see below



Note: The CfdOF workbench can be updated at any time through the Addon manager.



##### Dependency installation



Dependencies can be checked and some of them installed

conveniently from the CFD Preferences panel in FreeCAD.

In the FreeCAD window, select Edit | Preferences ... and

choose "CfdOF".



The dependencies can be installed manually, or as part of a docker container (refer to Docker container install below). Manual

installation may be undertaken for OpenFOAM ([OpenCFD](https://openfoam.com/download) or [Foundation](https://openfoam.org/download/)

versions), [Paraview](http://www.paraview.org/) and [Gmsh](http://gmsh.info/) (optional) by using the links above or your distribution's package

manager. Note, however, that the OpenFOAM packages bundled in

some Linux distributions may be out of date or incomplete; for example,

the standard Debian and Ubuntu packages do not include the build command 'wmake'

and therefore cannot be used with the optional components 'HiSA' and 'cfMesh'.

We therefore recommend installation of the packages supplied through

the official websites above. Please make sure the install the 'development'

package where available (usually named with the suffix '-devel' or '-dev') to 

be sure that the optional components 'HiSA' and 'cfMesh' can be compiled

with 'wmake'.



Set the OpenFOAM install directory in the preferences

panel - examples of typical install locations are /usr/lib/openfoam/openfoam2306,

/opt/openfoam10 or /home/user/OpenFOAM/OpenFOAM-10.x (it will be automatically

detected in common default install

locations). Note that if you have loaded the desired OpenFOAM

environment already before starting FreeCAD, the install directory should be left blank.



cfMesh and HiSA can be installed using the Preferences panel described above,

and can be downloaded and built from their source

code inside your OpenFOAM installation if you have

not already done so yourself. Note that this is a lengthy process.



Choosing the "Check dependencies" option will verify that all

prerequisites have been successfully installed.



#### Docker container install



Docker containers offer a convenient way of providing pre-compiled program packages for both windows and linux. macOS can also be supported but

assistance will be required to setup a container.  Please leave a message on the [forum](https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewforum.php?f=37).



##### Docker on Windows



The preferred docker run-time for Windows is via [podman](https://podman.io/) as currently this provides fast filesystem integration.

[Docker Desktop](https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop/) may also be used.



1. Install [podman](https://github.com/containers/podman/releases/download/v4.2.1/podman-v4.2.1.msi) (or [docker desktop](https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop/)).

2. If using podman, open a cmd window and issue the following commands:

   * `podman machine init`

   * `podman machine start`

   * `podman machine set --rootful`

3. Edit → Preferences → CfdOF: Press the _Install Paraview_ button.

4. Edit → Preferences → CfdOF: Select _Use docker_.

5. Press the _Install Docker Container_ button. There is no need to install gmsh, cfmesh and HISA as they are included in the docker image.

6. If using podman, fast WSL file system integration can be enabled:

   * Create a new subdirectory (for example `cfdof`) in the following firectory created by podman:

   `\\wsl$\podman-machine-default\home\user`

   * In the cfdof preference page, set the default output directory as above:

   `\\wsl$\podman-machine-default\home\user\cfdof`

7. Press the _Run dependency checker_ button.



##### Docker on Linux

1. Install docker using these [instructions](https://www.linuxtechi.com/install-docker-engine-on-debian/) (or similar).

2. Install paraview as per the package installation instructions for your distribution

   (for example `sudo apt-get install paraview` on debian).

3. Edit → Preferences → CfdOF: Select _Use docker_.

4. Press the _Install Docker Container_ button. There is no need to install gmsh, cfmesh and HISA as they are included in the docker image.

5. Press the _Run dependency checker_ button.



## Documentation



At present there is no formal documentation for CfdOF apart from this README.

However, demonstration cases

are provided inside the 'Demos' folder of the

[CfdOF workbench directory](https://github.com/jaheyns/cfdof). These aim

to provide a basic overview of features and best practices. The examples are run

by loading and executing the macro files ending in '.FCMacro' in the various sub-directories

in the 'Demos' directory. Where there are several numbered files, these should be run in order

and aim to demonstrate step-by-step how the case is set up.



Community assistance may be sought at the

[CfdOF dedicated FreeCAD forum](https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewforum.php?f=37),

and a list of various third-party documentation is available in

[the following forum post](https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=33492#p280359).



### FAQ



Q: Do I have to create a watertight geometry?



A: This isn't necessary if using the cartesian mesh generators _snappyHexMesh_ and _cfMesh_.

You can make use of shells and compounds instead of creating solids, as long as the

collection of shapes in the compound being meshed blocks off the volume desired.

Gaps smaller than the mesh spacing are also allowed.



## Feedback



### Reporting Bugs



Please discuss issues on the [CfdOF FreeCAD forum](https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewforum.php?f=37)

for community assistance.

Bugs can be reported on the [Github project site](https://github.com/jaheyns/cfdof).



Please first read the [guidelines for reporting bugs](https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=33492#p280359)

in order to provide sufficient information.



## Development



If you would like to get involved in the development of CfdOF, please refer to the [Contribution guidelines](CONTRIBUTING.md)

and [Roadmap](ROADMAP.md).



## Acknowledgements



### Funding



This development was made possible through initial funding from [Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd](http://www.eskom.co.za)

and the [Council for Scientific and Industrial Research](https://www.csir.co.za) (South Africa).



### Contributors



* Oliver Oxtoby (CSIR, 2016-2018; private 2019-) 

* Johan Heyns (CSIR, 2016-2018) 

* Alfred Bogaers (CSIR, 2016-2018) 

* Jonathan Bergh (2022)

* Qingfeng Xia (2015)

* Thomas Schrader (2017-) 

* Michael Hindley (2016)

* Mark Mackenzie (CNF, 2022)

* Katy Akmal (2022) [Forum: @KAKM]

* Adrian Insaurralde (2022)

* Klaus Sembritzki (2017)



### Dedication



CfdOF is dedicated to the memory of Michael Hindley. It is thanks to his irrepressible enthusiasm for

FreeCAD and open source software that this workbench exists. Rest in peace.