SimScale

Vorteile

- Based on OpenFOAM, a software with fully validated results. - You don't need powerful equipment. You pay for what you use. Everything is in the cloud- It simplifies setting up a CFD simulation, especially for the non-expert user. - You have good online support.

Nachteile

- Although it is easy to set up and run simulations, it should be emphasized that it is still CFD / FEA software, so the user must have a minimum of training skills to use it. - It still has limitations for some complex industrial or research applications. However, the user can create a free account and evaluate SimScale operationally before purchasing a license.

Vorteile

I like that we can do computations on cloud. I also like there there are courses from SimScale directly that teaches us not only the way to use it ; but also guides us on projects that can be done with it. I think this is a very useful feature for beginners like me. I did some Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulations through the guided project and became familiar with the software. Another thing I like about it is the fact that it is lightweight on browser resource consumption.

Nachteile

Honestly, I don't have any complaints for SimScale. Sure, there could have been more advanced features but this is more than enough for most users.

Vorteile

Simscale helps our consulting engineering company perform on a different level. It has given our Mechanical HVAC division a new niche in engineering & design.

Nachteile

The ability to simulate more than one material.

Vorteile

I like Simscale, because you can achieve really good results, is really easy to use and the support answers really fast if you have any questions. Also, I can keep using my computer for other things like making a report or editing the geometry for a new design.

Nachteile

Maybe Simscale should include in the future shell and beam elements.

Vorteile

SimScale has made a cloud native simulation platform that works seamlessly. Importing CAD from OnShape is extrememly easy, while you also have the option of importing from your computer. Setting up simulations is extremely easy and it is convenient to setup the default cases very quickly. It takes a bit more effort to figure out how to change away from the defaults and incorporate approaches which are no pre-built. The post processing is also quite easy. You can also download the results and post-process in ParaView which is very helpful and opens up lots of options.

Nachteile

Although the integration with OnShape is extremely good, it requires a separate license. A small set of CAD features within SimScale would be very helpful. All of the post processing is visual. The ability to output certain results in tables / plots would be helpful. A measuring tool within the simulation domain would be very helpful. When setting boundary conditions, it is sometimes very useful to have a measuring tool to get a idea of some dimensions.

Vorteile

SimScale is easy to implement since it is entirely web-based. Not IT restrictions or limitations as you might experience with other similar software. There is a tremendous user community and the customer support is excellent. The workflow in SimScale is linear and easily understood by users even with limited experience. The help files and documentation often help resolve any problems you might be experiencing with the simulations.

Nachteile

In my field dealing with pressure vessels and piping, it would be beneficial to have a way to model cracks in order to predict propagation that would align with Level 3 FFS assessments.

In Betracht gezogene Alternativen

Gründe für den Wechsel zu SimScale

Vorteile

We have mainly focused on the Pedestrian Wind Comfort feature that Simscale offers. It is intuitive and easy to set up the simulation, the software reads our 3D model accurately, lowering CAD clean up times, and hence was easy to integrate in our design team workflow. The online chat support is super helpful!

Nachteile

Data visualization could be slightly improved.

Vorteile

SimScale is a trustful companion in rolling out cfd simulations in enterprise scale. There's an easy learning curve and support is very helpful. Creating Pedestrian Wind Comfort simulations is easy for everyone! Now we can focus on design rather than the engineering behind.

Nachteile

As of today; I'd love an easier workflow to upload files and exchange parts of your geometry without uploading the entire thing in a zip. There are coming ways through API and Rhino plugins but we haven't been able to utilize it 100% yet.

Vorteile

I liked the most - It's navigator form, which makes it easy to learn and use this software. Other software, u need to have your own checklist to do the simulation in a correct way, one thing is missed, whole simulated results will be wasted. here, in Simscale , due to it's navigator form, u don't need to worry about the checklist. in addition to this feature, i liked how fast we can get the simulation done , generally CFD simulations are taking time but here in simscale , u can have your results ready within some hours. That is fantastic.

Nachteile

Yes, sometime as user i feel that i am not able to fix the simulation file/model when it is failing to run and i have to take help from customer support. Getting help from customer support is good but i want to avoid most of the times and want to fix it by myself which i can do easily in other software. for Example, sometime it is showing "error is encountered" but not showing the actual problem. Yes, as an user, i would like to suggest simscale to work on this point and also provide us the easiness to fix the errors/issue coming by ourselves when the run is failed.

Vorteile

The user interface is easy to use and improved over time. From Cutting Planes to Point Selection for Parameters, it is easy find the necessary study variables. The 'Core' system allows for rapid simulations for large problems. Making everything Automatic (unless otherwise specified) makes it user friendly. A large material selection for structural analysis.

Nachteile

Simulation estimates can be off. More CAD operations would help (example would be to split just faces instead of bodies).

Vorteile

Because Simscale does its work on the server, it's nice to be able to run it in parallel with other work.

Nachteile

I want to ask a question through the messenger, but it is difficult to ask a question because my English is not very good.

Vorteile

Ease of use and implementation has made using SimScale software a success at DTS.

Nachteile

The minimum annual core hours and fee is a little much for our needs.

Vorteile

The ease of use, the cloud based setup, which negates the need for hardware.

Nachteile

The post-processing could be improved to get a better picture of results and have more options on output measurements.

Vorteile

The possibility of using the tool completely via web, not using local machine or server

Nachteile

I would need different colors in parts ( possibility of change part colors) to set easily the contacts

Vorteile

The software is very user friendly and easy to setup and run models

Nachteile

Lack of cyclic modeling for modeling turbo machinery applications

Vorteile

EASE OF USE: I used it for compressible flow fluid simulations. It is very easy to setup and run a simulation in SimScale and analyze the output. SimsScale GUI is excellent. You can specify specify forces and moments and/or area averages to monitor statistics across specific faces of objects and also obtain statistics using post processing simulation results using cutting planes and particle traces.
EASE of SETUP: Because all computations are on the cloud you can use any computer with reasonable power to run SimScale using a web browser. Further you can submit many simulation runs which runs in the back ground on the cloud.
SUPPORT AND DOCUMENTATION: SimScale provides excellent library of on-line tutorials that enables you to self learn. They also provide unlimited access to a very competent, patient and helpful team of consultants free of charge to provide assistance with simple and complex issues.
EASE of LEARNING: You don't need to be an expert on Computational Fluid Dynamics to use SimScale. Having a basic understanding of CFD will suffice. I used the books recommended by SimScale to self learn CFD before using SimScale for increasingly complex simulations including Turbine simulations. Although I do have a Civil engineering background with graduate studies in Operations Research I did not have deep expertise in fluid mechanics and CFD before I got started. Between tutorials and assistance of SimScale consultants you can learn very fast.

Nachteile

SimScale user experience is fundamentally very good. I only have minor issues.
One feature I would really like to see in SimScale is to have the ability to specify surface area averages on a cross section created by an arbitrary cutting plane. Currently you can do that only on specific faces of a imported CAD object. For example inlets, outlets or surfaces. By defining a surface area average you can also see how statistics across that area change as a function of iterations. Currently only way to get this information for non-surfaces is by post processing simulation data using cutting planes. This requires more work and takes time. Also SimScale can be somewhat slow to paint the screens because of large amounts of data involved.
Another area of improvement is to provide more tutorials and documentation as to how to improve the mesh quality. Currently what is available is some what limited.

Vorteile

The fact that SimScale is completely web-based CFD software that is capable of providing tangible outputs in a short period of time with the help of real-time simulation with no reduction in resources of the system, is the best aspect of this software. This is better than other CFD software that typically takes weeks to simulate a 24 hour period with basic boundary conditions.
SimScale allows us to simulate the built environment with respect to thermal simulation, wind analysis, heat island etc. with the help of CAD models within the browser, you don't need any expensive hardware upgrades or parallel computing either. The software is also capable of providing thermal comfort parameter outputs such as PMV and PPD, which can help designers to consider these when designing pedestrian/occupant friendly spaces.

Nachteile

Customer care can be a bit more proactive in solving issues. Secondly, there is currently no option to calculate PET, SET and UTCI which are outdoor thermal comfort parameters and can be added in a future upgrade.

Vorteile

Speed
Ease of use/understanding
Complete control; SimScale has built-in options that allows more advanced users better control
Customer support responds quickly

Nachteile

I worked on a project evaluating SimScale for use in a professional setting and the software was unable to provide accurate results for a simple CFD simulation that I worked on with customer support for quite some time. They were responsive, but seemingly unable to find any issue with my solution that would only converge with unreliable results, if at all. Soon, they stopped responding. It just looks like the implementation of OpenFoam for CFD and the support staff are not at the level they need to be for SimScale to work for us right now. Hopefully things will improve in the future!

Vorteile

It fits an agile workflow very well, without blocking a workstation (which is not needed, any laptop will do) and no overhead of maintains your own cluster.
The tools tend to be a bit slower then proprietary solutions but the messaging workflow is nice.
Connection to Onshape cloud cad is a big plus.

Nachteile

Some features change their functionality and or disappear for a while. They are brought back later and better, but it hinders the workflow.

Vorteile

Being a cloud-based tool makes it great because you can access your scenarios from anywhere plus it is really easy to interact with. Great customer service that helps you through a lot of issues

Nachteile

Sometimes it can get a little overloaded and slows the simulations down

Vorteile

You can load your models into the browser-based interface and start the meshing or run the simulation without losing the ability to use your computer to do anything else. The interface is easy to use and learn

Nachteile

For best results, I had to defeature my models and convert them from Solidworks into STEP files so you do lose some time in the conversion and updating the models. There isn't a shared license so you have to have a single login vs a networked sharable license that you can move from computer to computer

Vorteile

What I liked the most about the platform is the dedicated customer support. From the onboarding project that helped me get started, to the regular web-meetings with an experienced Customer Success Engineer, the customer support of SimScale excels at many levels.
Another thing that I liked is the ease of use of the platform. The interface is pretty straightforward and the team behind SimScale is constantly working on improving it. The automated mesher functions great and succeeds at meshing complex geometries.

Nachteile

The lack of shell elements and the lack of possibility to model composite materials. SimScale also has limited functionality when it comes to fatigue. As more features are implemented, I hope to see these soon :)

Vorteile

Ease of use and selection of different options to analyze like vibration, thermal, static or dynamic analisys

Nachteile

The least i like is difficulty in model import and further errors in geometry

Vorteile

FEA is one of the best use cases for cloud software, and Simscale has implemented the software making best use of the technology. The biggest drawbacks of on-premises FEA software are the costs of equipment and calculation time. Simscale solves that. Instead of waiting hours for results of one FEA analysis, you get results in minutes making design iterations faster.

Nachteile

Having used the product since 2017, we've seen big improvements in user interface, but they still have a way to go. There is a learning curve, but their technical support is excellent both in understanding engineering design and the numerics behind simulation.

Vorteile

I primarily use Simscale for the Pedestrian Wind comfort simulation for large scale developments. Integrating simscale into out workflow has been seamless, and the user interface is especially friendlier as compared to other CFD products we have previously used. The parameter configuration process pre-simulations is very intuitive and ordered, akin to a structured list. The mesh generation is also impressive, as it can be much more forgiving on complex geometry that we use, and for any issues, the documentation is extensive available online, along with great customer support.

Nachteile

There definitely can be improvements but that can be said for a lot of things. For the majority of the time, the setup process is pretty handy as simscale takes care of things on the backend, but sometimes it could be nice to change some of the finer parameters in a simulation.

Vorteile

The product is relatively easy to use, and the tips we've gotten from SimScale reps have been useful. It's been great working with Ricardo. The option to edit a model in CAD is nice too. Subtracting objects from each other is easier in SimScale than inventor.

Nachteile

I've had runs fail or time out without knowing exactly what went wrong. I believe I had too many mesh cells, but I don't think I knew what a good target was.

Vorteile

Easy to use and calculation "power" with remote Processor.

Nachteile

No possibility to calculate buckling and no possibility to input any load combinations.

Vorteile

The user interface is intuitive and easy to use. the interface to the cad model is relatively easy to use and straight forward. It can be a tedious job to work out the geometry in such a way that it is workable as a geometric input to the flow volume. The workflow is easy to understand and only a few introductory tutorials are needed to get up an running. In some cases Simscale can be used to laymen in CFD - similar to what FEM analysis is in 3D modelling design tools such as Autodesk Inventor.

Nachteile

I have not jet learned how to link up the CAD model to the Simscale model in such a way that modifications in the CAD model can be used to "regenerate" the flow volume of a CDF model (if it is possible at all?) It would be a great feature if is was possible, i.e. to make new versions of the base model and update the CDF analysis based on that. Opens up for more parametric analysis.

Vorteile

it is easy to use and easy to access. straight forwardness of the most functions which is good sometimes

Nachteile

presentation of the result, the results take some much time to be presented.

Vorteile

+There is a huge pool of possible simulations, from static/dynamic structural to fluid simulations.+As it is web based, it's not requiring a powerfull PC at all and does not occupy your PC at all while calculating.+Pretty good documentaion / Tutorials+Plug in Chat support: They are realy helpful and have a relative short response time

Nachteile

modyfing imported models is pretty awkward, but you can see they are working on it and it's getting better

Vorteile

Being able to simply launch a Pedestrian Wind Comfort study.

Nachteile

Maybe viewing the 3D model should be more intuitive

Vorteile

The user interface and multiple simulation tools

Nachteile

That does not bring a CAD designer, it is only simulation, few post-processing options

Vorteile

Good support, tutorials and worked examples. SimScale is quite good for the casual user and the mathematics is well hidden. The default Numerics seem to work most of the time.

Nachteile

In my opinion the software is still a work in progress, especially the interface, but this is good in a way because there are always new improvements appearing.If the CFD default Numerics do not work the settings can quickly confuse and without support from the Simscale Support team I would worry. To increase the user base of CFD someone has to come up with more obvious terms and explanations in this space, e.g. when is it best to use Gauss Linear Limited Corrected instead of Gauss Linear Corrected? This is true of most CFD tools that I have experienced.

Vorteile

Simscale is a fast and rather easy simulation software to use, whereas it gives accurate and reliable results for PWC analyses. It has many ways of displaying the results, which is a huge benefit.

Nachteile

So far, everything looks great. I think it would be great to have an integrated microclimate tool, to analyze UTCI and other thermal comfort metrics.

Vorteile

Customer support is second to none. SimScale has a very fast response and they not only answer the specific question that is asked but go into detail about why a particular feature works the way it does. This includes (sometimes) short videos that are extemely helpful

Nachteile

I would like to see the inclusion of phase change (i.e liquid to gas) capabilities.

Vorteile

-Easy to use-Almost complete simulation software

Nachteile

The possibility to run some simulation through a code.

Vorteile

Ease of use, clean interface, quality support

Nachteile

No pure 2D simulation, No composite FEA simulation is available, core hours are a limiting factor

Vorteile

Easy of use and deployment. Was up and running under a week and was able to grasp most features well enough to get good data and improve on design.

Nachteile

Web program is slow on retrieving data and need more live log or progress bar for its background processes.

Vorteile

I like the cloud computing feature the most as well as the really quick and helpful customer support

Nachteile

There are some features like rolling back to previous simulation settings that aren't developed yet.

Vorteile

Ease of use and learning. Very intuitive while remaining precise

Nachteile

Very slow. Takes minutes to open simulation results.

Vorteile

Easy to setup and running without IT and equipment overhead.The best part was the real time support integrated through the software. It helped us to move quickly with the help of knowledgeable support engineers.

Nachteile

More control over various mesh would have been much nicer.

Vorteile

Ease of use. I always thought any kind of high level CFD or heat transfer analysis would cost a fortune and require intensive training. So far with little experience I have been able to get good results that I could validate to ensure I understand the constraints and inputs I am using.

Nachteile

Units have been a little difficult for me to work with. Metric vs Imperial, post processing results don't always show the unit options that were used for the inputs.

Vorteile

Easy to learn and useImmidiate support is great to progress quickly

Nachteile

Less features in 3D/CAD Environment, all adjustment must be made externally

Vorteile

I have tried several simulations - ranging from solid, fluid, particles etc. The platform is extremely well built and robust. I liked that it was extremely easy to use. The aspect I liked the most was that there is a community version that students and learners could use. In addition, I think the professional version serves best for more advanced users who would use simulations for design in a more pronounced manner and on an everyday basis.

The forums are extremely helpful and I am really glad regarding the speed at which one receives replies both from the people working in the company and also other users. In addition, the blogs and help files definitely make it really easy to use the platform.

One of the aspects I also liked is the fact that it is based on open-source codes. So it is not a black box. I could go to openFOAM and check out how things work. The codes are all well parallelized that I have never faced any issues. Issues with parallelization are a general problem in this line of work but with SimScale this was really handy.

Nachteile

There are definitely some aspects where they can improve:
1. Providing structural elements like shells, beams, and plates. Most of the large aspect ratio structures are very time consuming to model using 3D FEM

2. Allow users to use custom material models. Most often, in both industry and academia, we do not use material models given in the software but would like to input our own material model. This is what drives most of the R&D centres.

3. There are no ad-hoc algorithms that allow hexahedral mesh generation for all geometries. I can think this as one of the reasons why SimScale might not have hexahedral mesh generator. But this can be significantly useful for many applications.

Vorteile

The ability to create the flow region inside the software itself without extraction of it manually.

Nachteile

The 3D dynamic flow areas and the rotational area are a bit confusing to understand in the beginning with the reference content that is available.

Vorteile

The speed of the simulation is very helpful.

Nachteile

The 3d model must be simplified to prepare for the simulation

Vorteile

The ability to run big models, such as FEA meshes in the order of 10 million nodes, and CFD in the order of 20 million cells, without the need of building a supercomputer is a game breaker. Just log in from a web browser and you are good to go to create, setup, run, supervise and post process any simulation. The support, both from the company and in the forum by other users is superb. Also, easy to access online tutorials, documentation, webinars and example projects lower the entre barrier for professionals that are new in the field.

Nachteile

Still missing some functionality to be considered a complete suite, basically some FEA and CFD simulation models.

Vorteile

Our use of SimScale was, in every respect, the product of an unforeseen use-case - and it happened to have a positive impact on our company. What was, initially, an uninformed purchase we simply had to make in order to facilitate the very specific needs of a client on short notice, resulted in the establishment of a team dedicated to SimScale - which has in the last eight months almost doubled its value over its set budget earlier this year. There was an instance where we required strictly thermal simulations to be conducted to specific criteria - something we had never done before, let alone knew was included in the functionality of SimScale - thankfully, a professional we had hired in an attempt to cement the contract kindly pointed out it was already available, he just needed the helm in order to put his skills to use - on the very day he was hired. Although use of SimScale is restricted to a single team, I've not received anything other than praise for the suite and services. I have no doubt that SimScale is the standard in all fields where these simulations are routinely conducted.

Nachteile

We had minor difficulty making use of the software, but this was because of lack of experience on our end, rather than a flaw on the end of SimScale.