Best CFD Software for Startups
View:
What is CFD Software for Startups?
CFD software is used to simulate fluid flow through a physical system. It uses numerical methods and algorithms to calculate complex flows involving heat transfer, turbulence and chemical reactions. CFD software is widely used in many industries, such as automotive and aerospace engineering, to identify potential design flaws before the product goes into production. Compare and read user reviews of the best CFD software for Startups currently available using the table below. This list is updated regularly.
-
1
Azore CFD
Azore CFD
AzoreCFD has been a trusted, cutting-edge software tool since 2007. Azore focuses on analysis, design, engineering, and on obtaining precise, and quick results. Customers use Azore for applications that include: industrial flows, aerodynamics, thermal mixing, conjugate heat transfer, gas species mixing, heating and cooling systems, external flows, and more. Azore can be used to simulate essentially any steady-state or transient fluid flow model, including problems that involve conjugate heat transfer and special transport. With flexible pre/post processing, Azore allows for arbitrary polyhedral mesh topology with several import formats supported. Built-in post-processing capabilities includes: scalar fields, pathlines, animations, residual reports, vector fields, ISO-surfaces, force & movement reports, and export for external post-processing. -
2
Orbital Stack
Orbital Stack
Orbital Stack is an AI and CFD web-based software that provides earlier qualitative guidance, comparing a large number of design options while highlighting any potential wind and thermal comfort red flags. It allows for the realization of a variety of climate-conscious, high-performance developments not previously feasible due to cost and/or time constraints associated with traditional studies. Orbital Stack is the first digital climate-analysis tool built by global leaders in wind and microclimate engineering using real wind tunnel data. It is truly a game-changer for the architecture and building design sector, offering our clients direct access to wind comfort and safety analysis, thermal comfort and shadowing analysis, and cladding pressure simulations. This means architects can run their own wind simulations and quickly understand the climate impacts of their proposed building designs from the start, making decisions that result in higher performing and more resilient projects.Starting Price: $0 -
3
SimScale
SimScale
SimScale is a cloud-based web application that plays a key part in simulation software for many kinds of industries. The platform allows the use of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Finite Element Analysis (FEA), and Thermal Simulation. It also offers 3D simulation, continuous modeling, and motion & dynamic modeling. -
4
COMSOL Multiphysics
Comsol Group
Simulate real-world designs, devices, and processes with multiphysics software from COMSOL. General-purpose simulation software based on advanced numerical methods. Fully coupled multiphysics and single-physics modeling capabilities. Complete modeling workflow, from geometry to postprocessing. User-friendly tools for building and deploying simulation apps. The COMSOL Multiphysics® software brings a user interface and experience that is always the same, regardless of engineering application and physics phenomena. Add-on modules provide specialized functionality for electromagnetics, structural mechanics, acoustics, fluid flow, heat transfer, and chemical engineering. Choose from a list of LiveLink™ products to interface directly with CAD and other third-party software. Deploy simulation applications with COMSOL Compiler™ and COMSOL Server™. Create physics-based models and simulation applications with this software platform. -
5
alsim
ESS Engineering Software Steyr
The popularity of ESS is mainly owing to our niche solutions in the automotive market. The success of our solutions in the competitive environment led ESS to set foot into the “on-demand” domain. With the alsim cloud, we are achieving something no one else has pulled off before. We offer simulation tools that can be used by anyone without any CFD knowledge on a pay-per-use basis. This ensures all consumers – students, engineers and businesses alike – can equip themselves with our cutting-edge techniques. Apart from the offline product offerings, we also serve our customers across all industries with solutions & reports based on our simulation results. We work closely with our customers in identifying their requirements and problem areas to provide them with highly accurate simulation results. Equipped with in-depth experience of industrial processes and robust solvers, we have been able to provide service to some of the major OEMs across the world with success. -
6
Pipe Flow Calculations
Zoran Savovic PR Application Services
Fast & Accurate Fluid Flow Calculations. Pipe Flow Calculator is essential for engineers, students, and professionals working with fluid dynamics. With 18 desktop calculators, it solves simple and complex fluid flow problems in under a minute—GUARANTEED. Why Choose Pipe Flow Calculator? ✅ Easy to Use – Just enter values and get instant results. ✅ Trusted Worldwide – Used daily by thousands of professionals. ✅ Reliable & Updated – Bug fixes within 1-2 days. ✅ Transparent Calculations – All formulas are provided. Key Features ✔️ Switch between metric and imperial units. ✔️ Select pipes, materials, and fluids from predefined lists. ✔️ Export results to Excel & Word, save, print, and continue where you left off. ✔️ Copy/paste full calculation reports. Available Calculators 🔹 Pressure Drop, Pipe Diameter, Pump Performance, Reynolds Number 🔹 Orifice Plate, Venturi Tube, Nozzle, Prandtl Probe 🔹 Control Valve, Gas Flow, LPG, Thermal EnergyStarting Price: $9.95/month -
7
Ingrid Cloud
Ingrid Cloud
Ingrid Cloud is an online tool that automates the entire process of wind simulations. Our computational model has virtually zero human intervention, making it easy-to-use and accurate. We make CFD simple and affordable. The unique technology is based on research conducted at KTH Royal Institute of Technology for the past 15 years.Starting Price: $245 one-time fee -
8
bramble
Bramble CFD
Part of the TotalSim family, bramble is a platform for CFD simulations that can be accessed from any web-enabled device. It streamlines the pre- and post-simulation process, increasing productivity and creating consistency between simulations. Included within the platform are customised data management and analysis tools, as well as CFD support and because the software uses OpenFOAM there are no license or subscription charges. bramble offers: 1. Increased productivity 2. Reliable results 3. Customized data management 4. Cost effective simulations 5. A user-friendly platform 6. Simulations that are scalable Bramble also leases and sells all the hardware needed to run CFD simulations.Starting Price: £0.011 per core hour -
9
ParaView
Kitware
ParaView is an open source, multi-platform data analysis and visualization application that enables users to build visualizations for analyzing data using qualitative and quantitative techniques. It supports interactive 3D exploration and programmatic data processing through batch processing capabilities. ParaView is designed to handle extremely large datasets using distributed memory computing resources, making it suitable for supercomputers analyzing terascale datasets as well as laptops for smaller data. The application features a client-server architecture to facilitate remote visualization of datasets and generates level-of-detail models to maintain interactive frame rates for large datasets. ParaView's extensible architecture is based on open standards, allowing for customization and integration with existing tools and workflows. It includes readers for various well-known file formats and offers more than 200 filters and tools for data processing and visualization.Starting Price: Free -
10
Tecplot 360
Tecplot
Make Better Decisions with Tecplot 360, the most complete CFD Post processor. More CFD simulations are being run, grid sizes are getting larger, and data sets are being stored remotely. It’s essential that you have the right tools to handle large data sets, automate workflows, and visualize parametric results. Tecplot 360 helps you spend less time waiting and more time discovering. Integrate XY, 2D & 3D plots and get them looking exactly the way you want. Communicate your results with brilliant images and animations. Automate the boring stuff with PyTecplot Python scripting. Never miss a result when analyzing parametric data with Chorus. Securely access large, remote data with SZL-Server client-server. Load Tecplot, FLUENT, PLot3D, CGNS, OpenFOAM, FVCOM, VTU data and 22 other CFD, FEA, structural analysis, and industry-standard data formats. Report and compare solutions in a multi-frame environment with multiple pages. -
11
Autodesk CFD
Autodesk
Autodesk CFD is a computational fluid dynamics simulation software that engineers and analysts use to intelligently predict how liquids and gases will perform. Autodesk CFD helps to minimize the need for physical prototypes while providing deeper insight into fluid flow design performance. Autodesk CFD provides engineers with a range of powerful tools for system design optimization. Fluid flow and free surface movement. Thermal management for electronics cooling. BIM integration for occupant comfort of HVAC in AEC and MEP. The Application Programming Interface (API) and scripting functions expand the base capabilities of Autodesk CFD through the Decision Center’s customization and automation of common tasks. In addition, the Decision Center automates system design comparisons to speed up design-based decision making. -
12
SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation
Dassault Systèmes
Simulate the fluid flow, heat transfer, and fluid forces that are critical to the success of your designs. SOLIDWORKS® Flow Simulation is an intuitive Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) solution embedded within SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD that enables you to quickly and easily simulate liquid and gas flows through and around your designs to calculate product performance and capabilities. SOLIDWORKS® products are easy to learn and use, and work together to help you design products better, faster, and more cost efficiently. SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation enables you and your team to simulate fluid flow, heat transfer, and fluid forces that are critical to the success of your product. Companies of all sizes need integrated solutions to help them innovate and grow their business. With integrated CFD tools you can efficiently analyze the effects of fluid flow, heat transfer, and related forces on your projects and process multiple “what if” scenarios to help you optimize designs quickly. -
13
Ansys Sherlock
Ansys
Ansys Sherlock is the only reliability physics-based electronics design tool that provides fast and accurate life predictions for electronic hardware at the component, board and system levels in early stage design. Ansys Sherlock automated design analysis provides fast and accurate life predictions for electronic hardware at the component, board and system levels in early design stages. Sherlock bypasses the ‘test-fail-fix-repeat’ cycle by empowering designers to accurately model silicon–metal layers, semiconductor packaging, printed circuit boards (PCBs) and assemblies to predict failure risks due to thermal, mechanical and manufacturing stressors--all before prototype. With embedded libraries containing over 500,000 parts, Sherlock rapidly converts electronic computer-aided design (ECAD) files into computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and finite element analysis (FEA) models. Each model contains accurate geometries, material properties and translates stress information. -
14
OpenFOAM
OpenFOAM
OpenFOAM is the free, open-source CFD software developed primarily by OpenCFD Ltd since 2004. It has a large user base across most areas of engineering and science, from both commercial and academic organizations. OpenFOAM has an extensive range of features to solve anything from complex fluid flows involving chemical reactions, turbulence and heat transfer, to acoustics, solid mechanics and electromagnetics. OpenFOAM is professionally released every six months to include customer-sponsored developments and contributions from the community. It is independently tested by ESI-OpenCFD's application specialists, development partners and selected customers, and supported by ESI's worldwide infrastructure, values and commitment. Quality assurance is based on rigorous testing. The process of code evaluation, verification and validation includes several hundred daily unit tests, a medium-sized test battery run on a weekly basis, and a large industry-based test battery-run. -
15
Ansys CFX
Ansys
Known for its extreme robustness, CFX is the gold standard CFD software when it comes to turbomachinery applications. Both solver and models are wrapped in a modern, intuitive, and flexible GUI, with extensive capabilities for customization and automation using session files, scripting and a powerful expression language. Highly scalable high-performance computing will help speed up simulations including pumps, fans, compressors and turbines. New manufacturing methods have opened the door to more effective turbine cooling channel geometries. The new geometries will lead to better performance and efficiency but are more complex. To achieve highly accurate results, a team of Purdue engineers turned to Ansys CFX. The engineers executed key computations with little turnaround time. With the extra time, they could perform more in-depth comparisons and run further simulations to fully optimize their product. -
16
Ansys Icepak
Ansys
Ansys Icepak is a CFD solver for electronics thermal management. It predicts airflow, temperature, and heat transfer in IC packages, PCBs, electronic assemblies/enclosures, and power electronics. Ansys Icepak provides powerful electronic cooling solutions that utilize the industry-leading Ansys Fluent computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver for thermal and fluid flow analyses of integrated circuits (ICs), packages, printed circuit boards (PCBs), and electronic assemblies. The Ansys Icepak CFD solver uses the Ansys Electronics Desktop (AEDT) graphical user interface (GUI). Perform conduction, convection, and radiation conjugate heat transfer analyses, with many advanced capabilities to model laminar and turbulent flows, and species analysis including radiation and convection. Ansys’ complete PCB design solution enables you to simulate PCBs, ICs, and packages and accurately evaluate an entire system. -
17
CF-MESH+
Creative Fields Holding, Ltd.
CF-MESH+ is the latest CFD meshing software version developed by Creative Fields. It comprises advanced meshing workflows with an easy-to-use front-end interface allowing for superior user experience and efficiency. It features a powerful set of tools and functionalities for generating quality CFD meshes in arbitrary complex geometries encountered within the industry. The software features a degree of robustness that will help you enhance your productivity and get a competitive advantage in your simulation efforts.Starting Price: $500 -
18
PowerFLOW
Dassault Systèmes
By leveraging our unique, inherently transient Lattice Boltzmann-based physics PowerFLOW CFD solution performs simulations that accurately predict real world conditions. Using the PowerFLOW suite, engineers evaluate product performance early in the design process prior to any prototype being built — when the impact of change is most significant for design and budgets. PowerFLOW imports fully complex model geometry and accurately and efficiently performs aerodynamic, aeroacoustic and thermal management simulations. Automated domain discretization and turbulence modeling with wall treatment eliminates the need for manual volume meshing and boundary layer meshing. Confidently run PowerFLOW simulations using large number of compute cores on common High Performance Computing (HPC) platforms. -
19
6SigmaET
6SigmaET
6SigmaET is an electronics thermal modeling tool that uses advanced computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to create accurate models of electronic equipment. Designed specifically for the electronics industry, our thermal simulation software ushers in unparalleled intelligence, automation and accuracy to help you meet your requirements and overcome thermal design challenges. Since its inception in 2009, 6SigmaET has become the fastest-growing thermal simulation software in the electronics cooling market. The versatility of 6SigmaET allows you to simulate the thermal performance of electronic components: ranging from the smallest ICs to the largest, most powerful servers. Learn more about 6SigmaET's value to your industry by watching one of our videos or exploring our case studies. The complete CAD geometry of a device and PCB design can be imported into 6SigmaET for thermal analysis, reducing model creation time. -
20
HyperWorks
Altair Engineering
HyperWorks provides easy-to-learn, effective workflows that leverage domain knowledge and increase team productivity, enabling the efficient development of today’s increasingly complex and connected products. The new HyperWorks experience was created to free engineers to move from physics to physics, domain to domain, and even create reports without ever leaving their model. Create, explore and optimize designs within HyperWorks to produce robust designs that accurately model structures, mechanisms, fluids, electromagnetics, electrical, embedded software, systems design, and manufacturing processes. The solution-specific workflows enhance a growing number of engineering processes including fatigue analysis, concept design optimization, CFD modeling, and design exploration. Each provides a meticulously designed and intuitive user interface, differentiated for each user profile while remaining consistent and easy to learn. -
21
SimFlow
SIMFLOW Technologies
SimFlow is a desktop Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis software for Windows and Linux OS. It is based on OpenFOAM libraries, acting like an OpenFOAM GUI. It is a professional CAE package for engineers offering fully-featured 3D simulations. SimFlow is a powerful general-purpose CFD software. It combines an intuitive graphical user interface with the advantages of the open-source OpenFOAM® libraries. Download SimFlow and use it for free in an evaluation mode to solve the most complex problems you face as an engineer, scientist or student. Maybe you use CFD software on a daily basis or maybe just want to start your adventure. Install SimFlow, rediscover the CFD world without any time limit and enjoy powerful fluid simulation software. -
22
Ansys Fluent
Ansys
Ansys Fluent is the industry-leading fluid simulation software known for its advanced physics modeling capabilities and industry leading accuracy. Ansys Fluent gives you more time to innovate and optimize product performance. Trust your simulation results with a software that has been extensively validated across a wide range of applications. With Ansys Fluent, you can create advanced physics models and analyze a variety of fluids phenomena—all in a customizable and intuitive space. Accelerate your design cycle with this powerful fluid simulation software. Ansys Fluent contains the best-in class physics models and can accurately and efficiently solve large , complex models. Ansys Fluent unlocks new potentials for CFD analysis. A fluid simulation software with fast pre-processing and faster solve times to help you be the fastest to break into the market. Fluent’s industry leading features enable limitless innovation, while never making a compromise on accuracy. -
23
Simcenter STAR-CCM+
Siemens Digital Industries
Simcenter STAR-CCM+ is a multiphysics computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software for the simulation of products operating under real-world conditions. Simcenter STAR-CCM+ uniquely brings automated design exploration and optimization to the CFD simulation toolkit of every engineer. The single integrated environment includes everything from CAD, automated meshing, multiphysics CFD, sophisticated postprocessing, and design exploration. This allows engineers to efficiently explore the entire design space to make better design decisions faster. The additional insight gained by using Simcenter STAR-CCM+ to guide your design process ultimately leads to more innovative products that exceed customer expectations. Significantly improving a battery design across its whole operating range is a challenging task, and involves the simultaneous optimization of numerous parameters. Simcenter provides a complete simulation environment for the analysis and design of the electrochemical system. -
24
Altair Activate
Altair
Altair Activate can be applied to model and simulate a broad range of products as a system-of-systems to discover better designs, faster. Products in every industry are becoming increasingly complex and electrified, as well as smarter and more connected. Multi-disciplinary system-level simulation capabilities help develop smart, complex mechatronic systems holistically while enabling more streamlined product development teamwork and workflows. Altair Activate breaks down silos between mechanical subsystems, electrical subsystems, control subsystems, electronic subsystems, software, hardware-in-the-loop, data analytics, and more. Model thermal-fluid system dynamics using 1D modeling &and simulation (rather than using only 3D CFD) to yield nearly-as-accurate results significantly faster – to enable more design exploration and optimized performance in less time. -
25
Kombyne
Kombyne
Kombyne™ is an innovative new SaaS high-performance computing (HPC) workflow tool, initially developed for customers in the defense, automotive, and aerospace industries and academic research. It allows users to subscribe to a range of workflow solutions for HPC CFD jobs, from on-the-fly extract generation and rendering to simulation steering. Interactive monitoring and control are also available, all with minimal simulation disruption and no reliance on VTK. The need for large files is eliminated via extract workflows and real-time visualization. An in-transit workflow uses a separate process that quickly receives data from the solver code and performs visualization and analysis without interfering with the running solver. This process, called an endpoint, can directly output extracts, cutting planes or point samples for data science and can render images as well. The Endpoint can also act as a bridge to popular visualization codes. -
26
SpectreUQ
Intelligent Light
SpectreUQ™ builds on the mature and sophisticated DAKOTA software from Sandia National Laboratories and adds a wizard to guide the engineer through the UQ process. The details of the disciplined UQ process are handled behind the scenes. It uses a database to store results from experiments and simulations in a structured fashion and provides interactive graphing and visualization tools. Provided via an annual subscription without user count restrictions and in source code form. SpectreUQ™ unlike other methods is non-intrusive to the simulation; it runs alongside the code, not within it. Using your own HPC, you are free to evaluate hundreds of flight conditions to train built-in surrogate models. Easy to learn and use, tuned over hundreds of hours of use on actual UQ studies. The Oberkampf-Roy method is used to guide the process of ingesting experimental data and CFD results. Interactive plots of results are easy to explore and publish. -
27
UrbaWind
Meteodyn
Wind is a difficult to grasp. In an urbanized environment, its behavior becomes more complex in contact with buildings, and many effects can occur: speed-ups (Venturi effect), vortices, plunging flows, interference, detachments, etc. The built environment thus creates a microclimate that often causes discomfort for users. To achieve sustainable architecture and urban planning, it is essential to study these aerodynamic phenomena and to integrate them as early as possible in urban projects. its study is more and more requested by project owners in many countries. Its consideration is necessary for the proper development of an outdoor public space and the well-being of users. UrbaWind allows you to compute the wind comfort of pedestrians according to the comfort standards of different countries. -
28
AKL FlowDesigner
AKL
AKL FlowDesigner is a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation software that enables wind analysis by easily importing 3D models of buildings or urban blocks developed by modeling tools such as Autodesk Revit, GRAPHISOFT ARCHICAD, Rhinoceros and SketchUp. AKL FlowDesigner is BIM capable in IFC format. Architects, designers, engineers and consultants can use AKL FlowDesigner early in the design process to understand and visualize airflow around their projects. Early analysis reduces design time and gives a powerful impression to clients. CFD simulation of AKL FlowDesigner gives you the maximum benefit in the application of AEC (architecture, engineering and construction) industry. Airflow simulation used to be a complex and time-consuming task requiring deep technical knowledge. No more! AKL FlowDesigner allows any user to create simulations and analyze airflow in minutes. No engineering degree or complex calculations are required! -
29
CAESIM
Adaptive Research
Adaptive Research is pleased to announce the immediate release of the CAESIM 2024 simulation platform, providing advanced computational fluid dynamics modeling with multi-physics capabilities. The new software release provides new tools and capabilities that optimize the modeling process and provide the CFD engineer with fast simulation solutions.Starting Price: $1295/annual standard -
30
Fidelity CFD
Cadence Design Systems
Accelerate engineering with the industry's only intuitive, comprehensive CFD platform for multidisciplinary design and optimization. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is an aspect of multiphysics system analysis that simulates the behavior of fluids and their thermodynamic properties using numerical models. Engineers use the Cadence Fidelity CFD platform design processes, such as propulsion, aerodynamics, hydrodynamics, and combustion, to improve and increase the efficiency of products by reducing time-consuming and expensive physical testing. Fidelity CFD platform provides an easy-to-use end-to-end CFD solution for multidisciplinary design and optimization, in applications such as aerospace, automotive, turbomachinery, and marine industries. The platform, with its streamlined workflows, massively parallel architecture, and state-of-the-art solver technology, provides unprecedented performance and accuracy and increases engineering efficiency for today’s design challenges.