What Is Simulation / FEA Software?
Mix (19 tools)
- License: 12 open source · 7 proprietary
- Hosting: 13 self-hosted · 1 SaaS · 5 both
Simulation and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) software enables engineers to model, analyze, and predict the physical behavior of structures, fluids, and systems before building physical prototypes. These tools solve partial differential equations over discretized domains (meshes) to simulate real-world physics.
The simulation domain spans several disciplines:
- Structural analysis – stress, strain, deformation, fatigue, and failure prediction under static and dynamic loads
- Thermal analysis – heat transfer, conduction, convection, and radiation modeling
- Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) – fluid flow, turbulence, aerodynamics, and heat exchange in fluids
- Electromagnetic analysis – electric fields, magnetic fields, and wave propagation
- Multi-physics – coupled simulations combining two or more physics domains (e.g., thermal + structural, fluid-structure interaction)
About this data & disclaimer
The information on these pages was researched by a combination of human review and large language models. This catalogue serves as a reference for the resources, applications, devices, deployment payloads, and other components that the ResorsIT platform integrates, deploys, and manages. To suggest an addition or correction, please contact us. Prepared by Rhodium Systems Inc., author of the ResorsIT platform — a unified IT operations management platform for IT teams and MSPs that integrates a curated suite of open-source, commercial, and SaaS applications into a single system with shared identity, single sign-on, access control, and a common audit trail. This information is compiled on a best-effort basis: it may be incomplete, contain errors, and become out of date as tools, vendors, licences, and features change. Use this catalogue only as a starting point for your own research, and independently verify and review any tool carefully against your own requirements before relying on it.
Comparison
No single simulation tool fits all cases – the choice depends on the engineering domain, budget, and existing workflows.
Feature Matrix
| Tool | FEA | CFD | Multi-Physics | Meshing | HPC | GUI | Scripting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FreeCAD FEM | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Python |
| CalculiX | Yes | No | Thermal | No | MPI | No* | CLI |
| Elmer | Yes | Basic | Yes | Yes | MPI | Yes | Lua |
| Code_Aster | Yes | No | Thermal | No | MPI | No* | Python |
| OpenFOAM | No | Yes | CHT | Yes | MPI | No* | C++ |
| SU2 | No | Yes | FSI | Yes | MPI | No | Python |
| Salome-Meca | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Python |
| GMSH | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Python |
| ParaView | No | No | No | No | MPI | Yes | Python |
| ANSYS | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | MPI/GPU | Yes | APDL/Py |
| COMSOL | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | MPI | Yes | Java/Py |
| Abaqus | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | MPI/GPU | Yes | Python |
| MSC Nastran | Yes | No | Thermal | No | MPI | No* | DMAP |
| SimScale | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Cloud | Web | API |
| Altair HyperWorks | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | MPI/GPU | Yes | Tcl/Py |
| OpenCourant | Expl | No | No | No | MPI | No* | CLI |
| OpenRadioss | Expl | No | No | No | MPI | No* | CLI |
| LS-DYNA | Expl | ICFD | Yes | No* | MPP/GPU | Yes | CLI |
| Impact | Expl | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Java |
* = GUI available via separate pre/post-processor (Salome-Meca, GiD, LS-PrePost, etc.)
Expl = explicit transient dynamics solver (crash / impact); CHT = Conjugate Heat Transfer; FSI = Fluid-Structure Interaction; ICFD = incompressible CFD
File Format Support
| Tool | STEP | IGES | STL | VTK | CGNS | Own Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FreeCAD FEM | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | FCStd |
| CalculiX | No | No | No | Yes | No | INP/FRD |
| Elmer | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | SIF |
| Code_Aster | No | No | No | Yes | No | COMM/MED |
| OpenFOAM | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | OF dict |
| SU2 | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | SU2 mesh |
| Salome-Meca | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | MED |
| GMSH | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | MSH |
| ParaView | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | PVD |
| ANSYS | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | DB/RST |
| COMSOL | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | MPH |
| Abaqus | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | ODB/INP |
| MSC Nastran | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | BDF/OP2 |
| SimScale | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Cloud |
| Altair HyperWorks | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | HM |
| OpenCourant | No | No | No | Yes | No | rad/k |
| OpenRadioss | No | No | No | Yes | No | rad/k |
| LS-DYNA | No | No | No | Via* | No | k/d3plot |
| Impact | No | No | No | No | No | IMP |
Via* = d3plot readable in ParaView via a third-party reader
Deployment Comparison
| Tool | Platform | Docker | Cloud | Install |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FreeCAD FEM | Win/Lin/Mac | Comm. | No | Desktop installer |
| CalculiX | Linux/Win | Comm. | No | Binary / compile |
| Elmer | Win/Lin/Mac | Yes | No | Package / compile |
| Code_Aster | Linux | Yes | No | Package / compile |
| OpenFOAM | Linux/Mac | Yes | No | Package / compile |
| SU2 | Win/Lin/Mac | Yes | No | Binary / compile |
| Salome-Meca | Linux | Yes | No | Binary package |
| GMSH | Win/Lin/Mac | Comm. | No | Binary / SDK |
| ParaView | Win/Lin/Mac | Yes | No | Binary installer |
| ANSYS | Win/Linux | No | AWS/Azure | Managed installer |
| COMSOL | Win/Lin/Mac | No | No | Managed installer |
| Abaqus | Win/Linux | No | AWS | Managed installer |
| MSC Nastran | Win/Linux | No | No | Managed installer |
| SimScale | Browser | N/A | SaaS | None (web) |
| Altair HyperWorks | Win/Linux | No | Altair One | Managed installer |
| OpenCourant | Linux | Comm. | No | Package / compile |
| OpenRadioss | Win/Linux | Comm. | No | Package / compile |
| LS-DYNA | Win/Linux | No | Ansys Cloud | Managed installer |
| Impact | Win/Lin/Mac | No | No | Java download |
Comm. = community-maintained Docker images (not official)
Licensing Comparison
| Tool | License | Cost | License Server |
|---|---|---|---|
| FreeCAD FEM | LGPL-2.1 | Free | No |
| CalculiX | GPL-2.0 | Free | No |
| Elmer | GPL-2.0 | Free | No |
| Code_Aster | GPL-3.0 | Free | No |
| OpenFOAM | GPL-3.0 | Free | No |
| SU2 | LGPL-2.1 | Free | No |
| Salome-Meca | LGPL | Free | No |
| GMSH | GPL-2.0 | Free | No |
| ParaView | BSD-3-Clause | Free | No |
| ANSYS | Proprietary | $$$$ | FlexLM |
| COMSOL | Proprietary | $$$$ | FlexNet |
| Abaqus | Proprietary | $$$$ | FlexLM |
| MSC Nastran | Proprietary | $$$$ | FlexLM |
| SimScale | Proprietary | $$-$$$$ | N/A (SaaS) |
| Altair HyperWorks | Proprietary | $$$$ | Altair Units |
| OpenCourant | AGPL-3.0 | Free | No |
| OpenRadioss | AGPL-3.0 | Free | No |
| LS-DYNA | Proprietary | $$$$ | FlexLM (Ansys) |
| Impact | GPL-2.0 | Free | No |
Open-source tools have no license cost but require internal expertise for setup, meshing, solver configuration, and post-processing.
Commercial tools include polished GUIs, technical support, validated solvers, and established industry certification workflows.
SSO / OIDC Comparison
Most simulation tools are desktop applications; SSO is not directly applicable. Authentication is managed at the infrastructure level (VDI, HPC scheduler, license server).
| Tool | SSO Relevant | OIDC | SAML | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SimScale | Yes | Yes | Yes | Cloud SaaS; SSO via IdP |
| All others | No | N/A | N/A | Desktop / CLI tools |
For desktop tools deployed via VDI, SSO is handled by the VDI platform (e.g., Apache Guacamole with Authentik OIDC).
Suitability Summary
Open-Source Recommended Stack
For customers needing a fully open-source simulation environment:
- Salome-Meca – pre/post-processing + Code_Aster solver (structural/thermal)
- OpenFOAM – CFD simulations
- GMSH – mesh generation for any solver
- ParaView – visualization and post-processing for all solvers
- Elmer – multi-physics (electromagnetic, heat, fluid, structural coupling)
Commercial Recommendations
For customers with commercial simulation needs:
- ANSYS – broadest multi-physics platform; most industry certifications
- Abaqus – best for nonlinear structural analysis (automotive, aerospace)
- COMSOL – strongest multi-physics coupling; popular in R&D and academia
- SimScale – cloud-native; no HPC infrastructure needed; good for SMBs
Explicit Crash / Impact
Explicit dynamics (crash, impact, blast, drop test) is a distinct sub-domain from the implicit-first general FEA tools above:
- OpenCourant – the maintained open-source explicit crash solver; preferred for new fully-OSS crash work, reads LS-DYNA decks
- OpenRadioss – its discontinued predecessor; keep only where an existing pipeline pins it
- LS-DYNA – the commercial benchmark; its
.kkeyword format andd3plotoutput are the interoperability standard the OSS solvers target - Impact – a simple Java explicit solver for teaching and light research, not production scale
Infrastructure Planning
For infrastructure supporting simulation workloads:
- HPC clusters – Slurm job scheduler, InfiniBand networking, parallel filesystems (BeeGFS, Lustre)
- License servers – FlexLM/FlexNet monitoring via Telegraf; usage dashboards in Grafana
- Storage – high-throughput parallel filesystem for simulation I/O; archive tier for completed results
- VDI – remote access to pre/post-processing GUIs with GPU passthrough
Tools
19 tools.
Abaqus (Dassault Systemes)
Abaqus is a premium commercial FEA suite from Dassault Systemes (SIMULIA), a leader in nonlinear structural analysis with implicit and explicit solvers and an extensive material model library.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas, docker · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Forward-auth · Vaulted credential
Altair HyperWorks
Altair HyperWorks is a comprehensive simulation platform that includes pre-processing (HyperMesh), solvers (OptiStruct, Radioss, AcuSolve), and post-processing (HyperView) in a unified suite.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas, docker · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Forward-auth · Vaulted credential
ANSYS
ANSYS is the largest and most comprehensive commercial simulation platform, covering structural mechanics, CFD, electromagnetics, semiconductors, optics, and systems simulation. ANSYS Inc.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas, docker · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Forward-auth · Vaulted credential
CalculiX
CalculiX is an open-source FEA package developed by Guido Dhondt and Klaus Wittig. It consists of two main components: CCX (CalculiX CrunchiX), the solver, and CGX (CalculiX GraphiX), the pre/post-processor.
License: GPL-2.0-only (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: docker, package · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Forward-auth · Vaulted credential
Code_Aster
Code_Aster is an open-source structural and thermomechanical FEA solver developed by EDF (Electricite de France).
License: GPL-3.0-only (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: docker, package · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Forward-auth · Vaulted credential
COMSOL Multiphysics
COMSOL Multiphysics is a commercial simulation platform renowned for its multi-physics coupling capabilities.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: docker · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Forward-auth · Vaulted credential
Elmer
Elmer is an open-source multi-physics simulation tool developed by CSC – IT Center for Science in Finland.
License: GPL-2.0-only (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: docker, package · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Forward-auth · Vaulted credential
FreeCAD FEM
FreeCAD is a free, open-source parametric 3D CAD modeler whose FEM workbench provides an integrated finite-element simulation workflow, using CalculiX, Elmer, or Z88 solvers for structural and thermal analysis.
License: LGPL-2.1-or-later (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: docker, package · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Forward-auth · Vaulted credential
GMSH
GMSH is an open-source 3D finite element mesh generator with a built-in CAD engine and post- processing facilities.
License: GPL-2.0-only (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: docker, package · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Forward-auth · Vaulted credential
Impact
Impact is a free, open-source explicit finite element program written in Java for dynamic impact simulation, with a bundled pre- and post-processor aimed at simplicity over commercial-grade scale.
License: GPL-2.0-only (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: package · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Forward-auth · Vaulted credential
LS-DYNA (Ansys)
LS-DYNA is the industry-standard commercial explicit dynamics solver from Ansys (originally LSTC), used for crash, impact, blast, drop and metal-forming simulation, with implicit and multiphysics capabilities.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas, docker · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Forward-auth · Vaulted credential
MSC Nastran
MSC Nastran (NASA Structural Analysis System) is one of the oldest and most trusted FEA solvers in the industry, originally developed by NASA in the 1960s.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas, docker · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Forward-auth · Vaulted credential
OpenCourant
OpenCourant is a community-led open-source explicit finite element solver for crash, impact, and highly nonlinear dynamic simulation, continuing OpenRadioss after its upstream was discontinued.
License: AGPL-3.0-only (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: docker, package · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Forward-auth · Vaulted credential
OpenFOAM
OpenFOAM is the industry-standard open-source CFD toolkit, a C++ library of solvers for incompressible, compressible, multiphase, and reacting flows, driven by text config files with strong MPI scaling.
License: GPL-3.0-only (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: docker, package · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Forward-auth · Vaulted credential
OpenRadioss
OpenRadioss is the open-source release of Altair Radioss, an explicit finite element solver for crash and impact, now discontinued upstream and continued by the community as OpenCourant.
License: AGPL-3.0-only (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: docker, package · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Forward-auth · Vaulted credential
ParaView
ParaView is a leading open-source scientific visualization and data analysis application built on VTK, supporting large datasets via MPI-parallel client-server rendering and Python scripting.
License: BSD-3-Clause (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: docker, package · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Forward-auth · Vaulted credential
Salome-Meca
Salome-Meca is an open-source structural simulation environment bundling the Salome pre/post-processing platform with the Code_Aster FEA solver, covering geometry, meshing, solving, and visualization.
License: GPL-3.0-only (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: docker, package · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Forward-auth · Vaulted credential
SimScale
SimScale is a cloud-based simulation platform that provides FEA, CFD, and thermal analysis through a web browser. It eliminates the need for local HPC infrastructure by running simulations on cloud compute resources managed by SimScale.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: OIDC, SAML
ResorsIT usage: Web App with SSO
Access & Identity: Single sign-on
SU2
SU2 is an open-source CFD suite developed at Stanford University, originally designed for aerodynamic shape optimization.
License: LGPL-2.1-or-later (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: docker, package · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Forward-auth · Vaulted credential
