MFEM — The Complete Guide: Free High-Order Finite Elements With GPU Support From Livermore
MFEM is an open-source finite-element library developed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). It is built for high performance — high-order elements, curved meshes and computing on graphics processors — and is used in demanding scientific and engineering applications.
MFEM
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
A high-order finite-element library from Livermore National Laboratory, with GPU support, for electromagnetics, mechanics and topology optimisation.
Get it from the vendorWhat you get
- High-order elements — high accuracy and curved meshes that follow the geometry.
- GPU acceleration — runs on graphics cards and large clusters.
- Electromagnetics — suitable elements for electric and magnetic fields.
- Topology optimisation — ready examples for designing light, strong parts.
- Python — the PyMFEM interface installs with pip alongside the C++ library.
Who it suits
Researchers and engineers working on large, accurate problems — electromagnetics, mechanics and optimal design. The many examples in the documentation are a good starting point. The BSD licence allows any use, even inside a commercial product.
Related tools
For an adaptive library with many tutorials — deal.II. For automated formulation in Python — FEniCS. For viewing the results — ParaView.
deal.II
deal.II developer community
A leading C++ library for adaptive finite elements, from a laptop to a supercomputer, with dozens of detailed tutorials.
Get it from the vendor
FEniCS
FEniCS Project
Solve partial differential equations by writing the variational form directly.
Get it from the vendor
ParaView
Kitware / Sandia / Los Alamos
Large-scale simulation post-processing — slices, streamlines and animation.
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Elmer FEM
CSC — IT Center for Science, Finland
Multiphysics FEA — solids, flow, heat and electromagnetics — with its own graphical interface.
Get it from the vendorThe bottom line
MFEM is a fast, modern library for high-order finite elements, backed by a national laboratory and fully free to use.