Inexpensive FEA software 1

[gurmeet2003]

Hello,
I recently lost my job and would like to start doing FEA consulting. I would like to start with an inexpensive FEA software. I am thinking of linear, some linear (material) and dynamic analysis. Could some body suggest a commercial softwre? I have used ANSYS and ABAQUS in past.



Gurmeet
Time is an illusion. Now is the only thing there is.

 

[gurmeet2003]

Sorry! Noticed a type. Third line should be.. linear, some non-linear (material)..

Gurmeet
Time is an illusion. Now is the only thing there is.

 

[ESPcomposites]

A free option is CalculiX:

http://www.bconverged.com/

The input deck is very similar to ABAQUS. I incorporate it the software I developed and it works well, though clearly limited when compared to ABAQUS

Roshaz is another option, with some element formulations being more traditional than CalculiX. I have not used it, but it looks pretty good from what I can see.

http://www.roshaz.com/

Brian

http://www.espcomposites.com

 

[jhardy1]

For another free option, you could also take a look at Elmer:

http://www.csc.fi/english/pages/elmer

 

[DanStro]

To expand on ESPcomposites a little, Calculix uses input files that are very similar to Abaqus so you would be able to use your prior experience. The main drawback is its awful GUI but if you are used to generated your own input files you will be in good shape. You can also use Gmsh as the pre-processor.

 

[irq]

ESPcomposites:
What main limitations do you see in Calculix comparing to Abaqus?
Please answer regarding to the following fields: linear & non-linear (material, geometry) static, rigid & deformable contacts, material: isotropic . It is only computing time or much more restrictions?

 

[ESPcomposites]

Calculix can solve nonlinear problems, including contact.

It does not have a true composite material. It does support anisotropic and orthotropic, which at times can be good enough, but sometimes is not.

Calculi does not have true 1D or 2D elements. Yes, it does have a beam and shell element. But they are actually 3D elements that are collapsed. This is quite a clever use that saves a lot of development time. Sometimes it is a challenge to work with though.

The really nice thing is the low learning curve if you are familiar with ABAQUS. And of course, the fact that it is open source. This allows me to redistribute and develop software around it.







Brian

http://www.espcomposites.com

 

[flash3780]

CalculiX is a great option... though I'm still plugging away at learning it, myself (I'm an ANSYS user by day, so the learning curve is a bit steeper for me than some).

The biggest challenge that I've come across for low-cost/free engineering tools is 3D CAD... the free stuff (OpenCASCADE, BRL-CAD,VARKON, PythonCAD, etc.) isn't that great... or at least has a steep learning curve. I've heard of folks using Blender, but that seems like more of an animation tool to me... but, maybe it works for all I know.

There are some low-cost CAD options out there, but they're still a significant investment (that I haven't made). VariCAD, TurboCAD, Bricscad... and so on.

Anything more than very simple analyses will require some CAD model manipulation, so be prepared to make an investment, there.

I've felt that the biggest benefit to CalculiX is the cross-compatibility, since models can be run on both solvers.

Code-ASTER is another free FEA tool which seems quite good, though I haven't tried it. It was developed by the French electric utility company... so no telling how much documentation you'll find in English. Even still, CAE-Linux is a packaged FEA solution built on PCLinuxOS that incorporates Code-Aster, which might be worth looking into.

Let us know what direction you go; I'd be interested in hearing what you find out there.

 

[corus]

FEAPpv is also free and you have the fortran source code too. Meshing is only basic though but you can use other programs for the mesh and import it into a text file. Compared to modern day commercial packages, it is fairly basic though.

Tara

http://tinyurl.com/4ydjg7m

 

[IDS]

We seem to be concentrating on inexpensive as in free, but I'm not sure that's the best option for someone starting their own business. I use Strand7 for all my FEA work, which is a significant investment, but much less than the likes of Abaqus. I'd say the easy to use graphical interface and support when you need it is worth the money. The annual cost is insignificant when compared with PI insurance anyway. For CAD I use Intellicad, but I rarely use it in an analysis context.

Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services

http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/

 

[ESPcomposites]

Doug,

How much is Strand7? It looks interesting. It looks to still be in the 8-10k range though? Roshaz is a lot cheaper, but I don't know that is has much of a following. Maybe johnhors can chime in.

I mentioned CalculiX because if you already have previous ABAQUS experience, then there is almost no learning curve (huge benefit). I know they are also working on Femap pre/post compatibility. It is my understanding that CacluliX can and has been used by consultants.

As far as CAD software goes, Alibre is pretty awesome for the money.

Brian

http://www.espcomposites.com

 

[gurmeet2003]

Gentlemen,
Thanks for providing so much information. I apologize for not responding earlier. IDS already mentioned what I am going to say. I was not looking for free software. I do not want to spend a lot of extra time trying to pre-process, run or post-process the results as I want to do this in a commercial setting. Therefore I am looking for commercial software. I did a brief survey on the net and came up with the following software (s?):
1. Femap + NASTRAN (NEI sotware)
2. Simulia ABAQUS
3. ANSYS DesignSpace
4. ADINA
5. ANSA (pre/post processor only)
6. COMSOL
7. LUSAS
8. MSC Nastran
9. ALGOR
10. Hyperworks
My earlier experience has been with ANSYS with DesignSpace (not classical interface), ABAQUS with ABAQUS CAE (not building the input decks myself). I have used Hypermesh for some time. My feeling in terms of cost/seat ABAQUS probably is the upper limit. I was wondering is there a way to judge, which software is most cost effective. Also those of you who do consulting could perhaps tell which software are most commonly used in consulting services.

Thank you,

Gurmeet
Time is an illusion. Now is the only thing there is.

 

[ESPcomposites]

If those are your software candidates, then "inexpensive" is probably not a good way to describe the thread title.

Also, if you not familiar with building decks, exactly what sort of FEA are you going to provide? I am guessing you are not a classical stress analyst, but rather have "push button" FEA experience? This is not to say anything is wrong with that, but we have to understand what your skill set is and who your customers might be. Do you have any customers lined up and how will you get them?

If you are closer to the "push button" sort, then you may need to be compatible with your customer's software. They would probably want you work on a standard approach to their specific problems. I don't think anyone would want to turn you loose on a structural analysis project. The challenge there is variety of platforms.

If you are closer to a stress analyst, looking to extend your capabilities with FEA, you can do this with a variety of software. But based on your responses, this is probably not the case. You may not understand that the "inexpensive" options mentioned can and have been used by stress analyst consultants.

Give us a better idea of your plan to generate revenue. It will be difficult to just buy a software and get clients (especially if your classical experience is lacking). Even the best software is not substitute for that.

Brian

http://www.espcomposites.com

 

[KevinDeSmet]

Hope you don't mind the question ESP, but what exactly are decks?

Certified SolidWorks Professional

 

[johnhors]

"deck" is an old fashioned name for an input file for a FE solver.

In the early days of FEA you would type out your model data one line at a time onto a piece of card. You would end with a large pile of cards, as with playing cards these were referred to as a "deck" of cards or card deck.

A card reader would then read your model into the computer for analysis. The computer only "saw" your model when the FEA was running, the card deck was the only storage medium available to you. Output was from a line printer.

http://www.Roshaz.com

quality, cost effective FEA solutions

 

[ESPcomposites]

A deck is another term for the file that is sent to the solver. It comes from the old punch card days (before my time). All of the cards (individual lines of code) would be stacked together to form a physical "deck" of cards. For whatever reason, this term has lasted and is known to nearly every structural analyst who uses FEM (i.e. it is a very common term). I suppose the fact that it is a universal terms helps (it means the same thing, regardless of the solver).

Also, you will hear terms like "star card" for ABAQUS (though less common). The star card would be something *NODE, *ELEMENT, etc. The cards refer to the individual lines in the deck. Have a look at your deck to see what I mean, it will be an ASCII file.

Brian

http://www.espcomposites.com

 

[mechfeeney]

Hehe "star-card." Haven't heard that one before : ]

I'm not sure if 10 was your limit, but you could consider adding SolidWorks Simulation to that list. I'm an ABAQUS user (which is not inexpensive by any means).

 

[trainguy]

Warning - Friday afternoon rant alert:

It cracks me up whenever I see the "deck" term being used. I am relatively certain that if FEA developers would suddenly abandon this archaic notion, no one would be confused, or complain.

It's an input file, or script.

In general, the FE bunch are a pretty hip, savvy group. Considering that you can probably run some of these "decks" on your iphone, maybe we could move on...

Put another way, if my FE guy is confused because of the absence of the word deck in the software documentation, maybe I need a new FE guy.

tg

 

[ESPcomposites]

The term deck is universal. It has been used a long time and not going anywhere (at least on the aerospace side).

Part of reason to not say "input file" is that a .inp is an ABAQUS input file. So an input file can imply you are using ABAQUS. If you are using NASTRAN and say input file, it can be misleading. We would say deck, BDF, or bulk data file for NASTRAN. Aerospace guys tend to use a multitude of FEA software for different functions (sometimes in close parallel). I have used at least 5 or 6 of them. Deck is nice because it is platform independent.

I have never heard the word "script" used though, mostly because there is little parallel between a script and a deck. Scripts usually have some soft of programming or are "programming like", while decks are not. They are "dumb".

Brian

http://www.espcomposites.com

 

[johnhors]

Just to add a little to what Brian has said, Abaqus uses .inp "input files" and can also use python script files to control the analysis, the script file does not contain model data.

Other programs like Lusas use a "data file" with extension .dat

But every FE analyst knows (or should know) what deck means in this context. I would be very wary of any analyst who was unfamiliar with this term.


The formatted input deck for Nastran (as still produced today by all FE pre-processors that I am familiar with) is designed to fit on to the 80 character width of the Hollerith card. Thus it lives on.

see:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punched_card

http://www.eecis.udel.edu/~mills/gallery/gallery9.html

http://www.Roshaz.com

quality, cost effective FEA solutions