FreeFEM — The Complete Guide: Free Finite Element Solving of Partial Differential Equations
FreeFEM is an open-source language and program for solving partial differential equations by the finite element method, developed at Sorbonne University and Inria. Instead of a commercial-software interface, you write the problem in weak form — almost as you would in a lecture — and FreeFEM builds the mesh, assembles and solves.
FreeFEM
Sorbonne Université / Inria
Solves partial differential equations in a language close to the mathematical formulation.
Get it from the vendorWhat it is used for
- Heat conduction and diffusion — steady and transient.
- Elasticity — stresses and displacements in 2D and 3D.
- Flow — Stokes and Navier-Stokes.
- Electromagnetics and coupled problems — multiphysics in one script.
- Adaptive mesh refinement — automatic mesh improvement driven by the error.
Who it suits
Researchers, graduate students and people who teach finite elements: you see exactly what is being solved, and you can formulate problems that no ready-made program covers. For routine structural analysis with an interface — PrePoMax with CalculiX. For multiphysics with a graphical interface — Elmer. For complex meshes — Gmsh.
Elmer FEM
CSC — IT Center for Science, Finland
Multiphysics FEA — solids, flow, heat and electromagnetics — with its own graphical interface.
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PrePoMax
University of Maribor
Full graphical front end for CalculiX — meshing, materials, loads and results in one window.
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Gmsh
Gmsh Project
FEA mesh generator with built-in geometry and scripting — standard infrastructure for open numerical work.
Get it from the vendorFEniCS
FEniCS Project
Solve partial differential equations by writing the variational form directly.
Get it from the vendorThe bottom line
FreeFEM is a powerful, flexible tool for anyone who understands the mathematics of finite elements. Completely free, with extensive documentation and examples.