scikit-fem — The Complete Guide: Easy, Free Finite Elements in Python
scikit-fem is an open-source Python library for assembling and solving finite-element problems. It depends only on NumPy and SciPy, so it installs in seconds on any computer — no compilation and no special environment.
scikit-fem
Tom Gustafsson and contributors
A lightweight Python library for assembling and solving finite-element problems, with few dependencies and many examples.
Get it from the vendorWhat you get
- Weak forms in short code — you write the problem as a short function and the library assembles the matrices.
- A range of elements — triangles, quadrilaterals, tetrahedra and hexahedra, first order and higher.
- Many examples — elasticity, heat, Stokes flow, beams and plates.
- Natural fit in Python — results are NumPy arrays, ready for plots and further processing.
- Permissive licence — BSD, suitable even for use inside commercial software.
Who it suits
Students learning the finite element method who want to see every step, and engineers who want a small FEM calculation inside an in-house tool. For very large or parallel problems, libraries such as FEniCS are a better fit.
Related tools
For larger problems with automated formulation — FEniCS. For rubber parts and large deformations — FElupe. For solving equations in a dedicated language — FreeFEM.
FEniCS
FEniCS Project
Solve partial differential equations by writing the variational form directly.
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FElupe
Andreas Dutzler
A Python finite-element library for nonlinear solid mechanics — rubber, elastomers and large deformations.
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FreeFEM
Sorbonne Université / Inria
Solves partial differential equations in a language close to the mathematical formulation.
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Python
Python Software Foundation
The language behind most modern engineering computation, and its full ecosystem.
Get it from the vendorThe bottom line
scikit-fem is the easiest way to start writing finite elements in Python, and still strong enough for real work.