What are some basic, open source aerodynamics or CFD simulation software that can import Blender or Sketchup models? I am looking for software that is easy-to-use, free, and suitable for educational purposes.
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1$\begingroup$ Software-recommendation questions are off-topic on this site. Feel free to try Software Recommendations, though. $\endgroup$– WasabiCommented Jun 19, 2016 at 1:13
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$\begingroup$ There are two CFD addons for Blender: namely, BlenderCFD and BlendME. They require older versions of Blender, unfortunately. $\endgroup$– Rita GeraghtyCommented Apr 21, 2019 at 10:45
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1$\begingroup$ I don't see why this thread is off-topic. Nowadays, you have to test the impacts of winds, heat, fluids, etc against some objects: Blender help create simulations of them. $\endgroup$– Rita GeraghtyCommented Apr 21, 2019 at 11:18
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1 Answer
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CFD requires a mesh of the model. To my knowledge, blender and sketchup do not do this. You may need an intermediary mesh generator to realize any cfd simulations, freeware or otherwise. Beware that mesh generators produce a plethora of different file formats which may or may not be readable in your cfd simulator of choice.
If you're looking for a good open source cfd simulator, i'd recommend OpenFOAM. Beware: it is neither simple to understand or use and i don't recommend it unless you really have a good grasp of fluid dynamics snd numerical discretization and solver methods
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$\begingroup$ I heard about OpenFOAM, but I haven't used it yet. I wish to learn OpenFOAM, but much of my time is taken up with learning Blender and few softwares, some with steep learning curves consuming my time. I wonder how long it took you to learn OpenFOAM. $\endgroup$ Commented Apr 21, 2019 at 11:03
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$\begingroup$ @Rita: it is not easy to learn it at all. It requires lot’s of knowledge about fluid dynamics and numerical methods. $\endgroup$– PaulCommented Apr 21, 2019 at 14:35