code_saturne User's Forum

Hi,

What is the best open source grid generator that could be used with Code_Saturne?

I tried tu use both Gmsh and Salome but they don't seem to be optimal for CFD simulation. It looks like if they had been mainly developed for solid mechanics. Particularly, both points are difficult:
-boundary layer mesh generation
-structured mesh generation

Salome is more advanced then Gmsh and proposes more features. Boundary layer mesh generation for basic geometries is possible but importing of a complex industry CFD model (via IGES or STEP format) and preparation to a nice CFD compliant grid with boundary layers mesh seems to be out of reach (at least for me).

Do you know good non open source grid generation softwares that wouldn't be too expensive?

Which grid generator do you use at EDF?

Regards,

François-Yves

Hello,

The main open source grid generators we use are the ones you mentioned (i.e. SALOME and Gmsh). At EDF, we also have access to some non-free plugins for SALOME, giving us a few more options for free triangle/tertrahedra meshing (BLSURF and GHS3D), but no "CFD-type" mesh with boundary prism layers (though this is a request). We also have access to a "Hexotic" plugin for INRIA's automatic hexahedral mesher, but even though this tool shows some promise already, it is far from mature.

You may try the EnGrid mesher, which uses Gmsh for volume meshing and adds a prism layer, buy the project seems dead. Gmsh alone also seems capable of prism layer addition (if you look at its Wiki site), though this does not seem immediate, and I did not obtain results when trying to adapt an example on the Wiki to one of my cases. (Though I only tried very briefly, and have not dug deeper into the subject yet).

We also use several non-free meshing tools, including SIMAIL (old, but still works, though not CFD-specific either), Star-CCM+, and ICEM-CFD (or Ansys meshing). We also tested Harpoon in the past, though the lack of robustness was disappointing. I-deas was heavily used some years ago, but this is not the case anymore (its development is not focused towards the CFD market).

There are also many tools which seem interesting but that we have not tested (notably Pointwise, Hexpress, and CUBIT, but also BOXER, Truegrid, Kubrix, ...).

So far, we have not found any "miracle" meshing tool, so choice of a meshing tool is often based on how much experience the user has with available tools.

Regards,

  Yvan

Thanks for your answer. I think we will buy a commercial grid generator since usability of opensource ones is currently far behind commercial ones.

Regards,

François-Yves