Netgen/NGSolve — The Complete Guide: Free Meshing and High-Order Finite Elements in Python
Netgen/NGSolve are two open-source (LGPL) tools from TU Wien that work as one: Netgen builds geometry and generates the mesh, and NGSolve solves on it. Installation is simple (for example with pip), and all the work is done from Python, including in Jupyter notebooks with 3D display.
Netgen / NGSolve — Multiphysics Finite Elements
TU Wien / NGSolve Project
High-order finite element mesher and solver for mechanics, flow and electromagnetics.
Get it from the vendorWhat you get
- High-order elements — instead of refining the mesh you raise the polynomial degree, and get high accuracy on coarse meshes.
- Stating the equations themselves — you write the bilinear form rather than picking an analysis type from a list.
- Built-in mesher — CSG geometry, STEP import and tetrahedral meshes.
- Fields — solid mechanics, fluid flow and electromagnetics.
- Parallel computing — runs across multiple processors.
Who it suits
Researchers and students who know the mathematics of finite elements and want a modern, flexible tool — especially in electromagnetics and problems where accuracy matters. Netgen is also used on its own as a mesher and is built into other tools such as SALOME. For routine analysis with a full graphical interface — PrePoMax.
Related tools
A similar weak-form approach in Python — FEniCS. A dedicated finite element language — FreeFEM. For complex meshes — Gmsh.
FEniCS
FEniCS Project
Solve partial differential equations by writing the variational form directly.
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FreeFEM
Sorbonne Université / Inria
Solves partial differential equations in a language close to the mathematical formulation.
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Gmsh
Gmsh Project
FEA mesh generator with built-in geometry and scripting — standard infrastructure for open numerical work.
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SALOME
CEA / EDF / OPEN CASCADE
Geometry, meshing and post-processing platform for FEA, around external solvers.
Get it from the vendorThe bottom line
NGSolve brings high-order finite elements to Python in a clean, accessible way — a powerful, free tool for research and teaching.