FEM analysis discussion, z88, ElmerFEM

[pinniped]

That's a beautiful job kwahoo; the FEM stress analysis with Z88 looks good. Is the mesh really that coarse or does Z88 put in a cosmetic mesh?

[NormandC]

Why didn't you link your latest video at the same time?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfJUgJ93RGQ

[samsagax]

I know is a bit offtopic, but did anyone try ElmerFEM for FEM analisys? I would like to do that myself but need some experienced user guidance i think.

[triplus]

Didn't know GUI tool like Z88 exist for Linux. Very useful video indeed. Thanks!

[logari81]

However, Z88Aurora is closed source.

[kwahooo]

FAQ:

Z88Aurora is freeware – why not Open Source then?
Backgrounds:
1. legal reasons, not further discussed in this context.
2. Z88Aurora is one of few free FEA-programs, that work mostly identical (in native mode!) under Windows, LINUX and Mac OS X; sounds easy but is very laborious in praxis, with many specialities to consider. Although using ANSI-C as programming language as well as GTK+ for the GUI and OpenGL for 3D-graphics, very profound knowledge in WinAPI and X11-system is categorically required. For instance, there is no ready-to-run interface from GTK+ and OpenGL to Windows 64-bit; therefore, this is an in-house development. Vice versa there is the well-suited claim for real OpenSource-software to be easily compiled with configure and make. Due to the program’s complexity, this is not possible without further ado; therefore this is not an option for Z88Aurora. Especially for Finite-Elements-OpenSource-programs in the internet there are some very bad examples, that even advanced programmers won’t get completely or at all compiled.
Remedy: For those who are interested in the program code there is the OpenSource-version Z88V14 OS for each operating system: Windows (with WinApi) and LINUX/Mac OS X (with GTK+): The solvers and the basic GUI are quite similar to those of Z88Aurora and can be easily compiled for Windows, Linux and Mac OS X.

[jriegel]

That project is odd. More or less closed source but free of charge? This projects have often the problem that they die very fast.
Commercial they are a dwarf compared to Ansys/Abacus/LS-Dyna. To have all integrated (Post-Pre-Calculation) seams problematic.
When the PhD's are finished this project will die...

[tetaberta]

I know is a bit offtopic, but did anyone try ElmerFEM for FEM analisys? I would like to do that myself but need some experienced user guidance i think.

I am using Elmer FEM for solving Poisson equation (electrostatic potential, part of an ion optics simulation) in a domain, which is defined in FreeCAD. My workflow consists of these steps:

1. export the geometry from FreeCAD to STEP file
2. create the mesh in "Elmer format" using netgen (optionally you can modify the mesh using ElmerGrid - useful if you want to scale or rotate your simulation...)
3. load the mesh into ElmerGUI and assign governing equations, material properties, and boundary conditions to volumes and faces
4. run the solver...

I save the output to vtk for further processing and simulating the ion trajectories in my own software...
I have no experience with structural calculations though.

Stepan