FDTDX vs PetIBM
FDTDX
fdtdx.readthedocs.ioPetIBM
barbagroup.github.ioSide by side
| Figure | FDTDX | PetIBM |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Physics Simulation Software | 8.6 (#12) | 8.0 (#33) |
| API | Objects can be positioned and sized using absolute or relative coordinates. | PetIBM installs a library and header files for building flow solvers, with API documentation and simplified example solvers provided. |
| Assessment tools | No | No |
| Audience | The project presents FDTDX for research, development, and commercial use in photonic nanostructure simulation and design. | The project provides end-user installation instructions and separate guidance for developers extending or debugging PetIBM. |
| Authoring tools | Yes | No |
| Delivery mode | desktop | desktop |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Installation | The maker provides a pip installation command and an editable installation path for development. | End users can install prebuilt GPU-enabled packages with Anaconda or use Docker and Singularity/Apptainer containers. |
| Lesson library | No | No |
| Purpose | FDTDX is an open-source Python package for simulating and designing three-dimensional photonic nanostructures with the Finite-Difference Time-Domain method. | PetIBM implements immersed-boundary methods to solve 2D and 3D incompressible Navier–Stokes equations on stretched Cartesian grids using a projection approach. |
| Support | The FAQ invites users to open GitHub discussions for unanswered questions and issues for suspected bugs, and says the maintainers regularly check discussions. | The project directs bug reports, feature requests, and questions to its GitHub issue tracker and lists email contacts for questions, suggestions, or feedback. |
Plans
In their own words
PetIBM
PetIBM has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.