ProjectLibre — The Complete Guide: Free Scheduling and Gantt Charts Instead of MS Project
ProjectLibre opens MS Project files and builds Gantt charts, critical path, resources and earned value for free. How to schedule a project and what it lacks.
Guides and Articles
DWSIM — The Complete Guide: A Free Chemical Process Simulator
DWSIM is an open-source chemical process simulator: flowsheets, thermodynamics, distillation, reactors and heat exchangers. How to start and gaps vs Aspen.
EnergyPlus — The Complete Guide: Free Building Energy Simulation
EnergyPlus from the US DOE is the leading building energy engine: envelope, HVAC, lighting and comfort. How to use it, OpenStudio as a GUI, and what to check.
HEC-HMS — The Complete Guide: Free Rainfall-Runoff and Design Flow Modelling
HEC-HMS computes flood flows from rainfall: losses, unit hydrographs and routing. How to build a model, how it links to HEC-RAS and what you need to know.
SWMM — The Complete Guide: Free Urban Drainage and Sewer Modelling
SWMM from the EPA is the standard free urban drainage model: runoff, pipes, detention, infiltration measures and runoff quality. How to model it and its limits.
Code_Aster and SALOME — The Complete Guide: Advanced Open-Source Finite Element Analysis
Code_Aster from EDF with SALOME is among the most advanced open FEA solvers: nonlinearity, contact, thermo-mechanics and dynamics. How it works, who it suits.
PrePoMax and CalculiX — The Complete Guide: Free Finite Element Analysis With a Friendly Interface
PrePoMax gives CalculiX a friendly Windows interface: STEP import, meshing, loads, contact, nonlinear analysis and results. How it works and what is missing.
HEC-RAS — The Complete Guide: Free River Hydraulics and Flood Modelling
HEC-RAS computes river water levels, velocities and flood maps in 1D and 2D, for free. How to build a model, RAS Mapper, bridges and culverts, and the limits.
EPANET — The Complete Guide: Free Water Distribution Network Analysis
EPANET is the free standard for water distribution network analysis: pressures, flows, tanks, pumps and water quality. How to build a model and its limits.
OpenSees — A Guide for Structural Engineers: Free Nonlinear and Earthquake Analysis
OpenSees is an open-source engine for nonlinear and earthquake analysis. OpenSeesPy, fibre sections, pushover and time-history analysis, and what to know first.
GNU Octave — The Complete Guide: A Free MATLAB Alternative for Engineers
GNU Octave runs most MATLAB code unchanged, for free. What works, what does not, key packages, plots and engineering calculations, and when Python fits better.
LibreCAD — The Complete Guide: Free 2D Drafting as an AutoCAD LT Alternative
LibreCAD is open-source 2D drafting software built around DXF. What you can draw, how to handle DWG files, layers and blocks, and when another tool fits better.