FEM Solver

Preface
This page collects information on the finite element solvers used by the FEM Workbench. The interface between a solver and FreeCAD in pre-processing as well as post-processing is done through text files. This means that in theory any solver which can be configured and controlled by means of text files is able to work together with FreeCAD; a proper parser and writer of input and output files needs to be programmed for this communication to work.

Available solvers in various Linux distributions
The FreeCAD-dependencies repository tracks the dependencies of FreeCAD across many Linux distribution. The FEM.md page looks at available open source FEA solvers that could be used with the FEM Workbench. The page shows the version of a particular solver in the repository of a particular Linux distribution. This information is useful to know if a solver is current, or out of date and must be upgraded.

The information is also discussed in the forum: supported and not supported Solver.

Solvers with an interface in FreeCAD
These solvers are well integrated into FreeCAD, which means that it's possible to set up and run a simulation project from the graphical interface and buttons in the FEM Workbench.

CalculiX
This is the first solver that was integrated to work with the FEM Workbench. CalculiX is designed principally for static, thermo-mechanical, and modal analyses. More information about this solver is in FEM CalculiX.

Elmer
The Elmer multiphysics solver was integrated into FreeCAD as a Google Summer of Code 2017 project: Elmer Integration (GSoC) - Activity Log, main website, community portal, code repository.

Z88
The Z88 solver is designed for linear static simulations with an emphasis in teaching about the finite element method. It was integrated into FreeCAD as a Google Summer of Code 2017 project: main website, download page, source code repository (and precompiled binaries for Win, Linux, and OSX). See the release notes for the latest versions: Z88os V15 released 17.07.2017, Z88os V13 released 20.05.2009 (version in Debian Jessie, Stretch, Buster).

Help: How to use Z88 in FEM?

OpenFoam

 * Initial forum topic: https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=21576
 * There is an own subforum: FEM -> CFD

Dualsphysics

 * https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=20595

Fenics

 * https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=4677

List on Wikipedia

 * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_finite_element_software_packages

Agros2D

 * http://www.hpfem.org/hermes/
 * http://www.agros2d.org/

Code Aster

 * https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?t=2839
 * https://www.code-aster.org/

Felt

 * https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=17061&start=20#p268503
 * https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=33463
 * http://felt.sourceforge.net/
 * https://github.com/Sudhanshu-Dubey14/felt

Frame3dd

 * http://frame3dd.sourceforge.net/
 * https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=19428
 * https://github.com/pslack/frame3dd

Impact FEM

 * http://www.impact-fem.org/

Modelica

 * https://www.modelica.org/
 * https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=32556
 * Python: https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=32556#p272632

Mumps

 * http://mumps-solver.org/
 * https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?t=15568&start=20#p126087

Nastran

 * https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=12753

OOFEM

 * http://www.oofem.org/
 * https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?t=15568&start=20#p126338

OpenSees

 * http://opensees.berkeley.edu/

Technog

 * Closed Source
 * https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=26772

XC

 * http://www.xcengineering.xyz/
 * https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=31262