FEniTop vs OpenLSTO
FEniTop
github.comOpenLSTO
github.comSide by side
| Figure | FEniTop | OpenLSTO |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 0 | 1 |
| Spec score · Generative Design Software | 7.4 (#11) | 7.6 (#9) |
| Intended users | The authors say FEniTop may benefit both topology-optimization beginners seeking efficiency and ease of use and experts seeking computing efficiency for complex problems. | The software was developed and is maintained by researchers at UC San Diego and Cardiff University. |
| License | The repository identifies its license as GPL-3.0. | The project is available under the Apache 2.0 license. |
| Purpose | FEniTop is open-source software for topology optimization based on FEniCSx. | OpenLSTO is open-source software for level set based structural topology optimization, written in C++. |
Plans
In their own words
FEniTop
FEniTop is free, open-source software for topology optimization based on FEniCSx. It handles two- and three-dimensional problems on structured or unstructured meshes, with varied element geometries, types, orders, and quadrature degrees. Users express partial differential equations in weak form, while automatic differentiation supports finite-element and sensitivity analysis. PETSc through petsc4py provides linear and nonlinear solvers and preconditioners. Parallel implementations of Optimality Criteria and Method of Moving Asymptotes update design variables. A Helmholtz-type PDE filter targets large-scale parallel problems, including large filter radii. FEniTop can run from laptops to distributed computing clusters. Optimized designs export as XDMF files for ParaView post-processing. Repository examples cover beams in 2D and 3D, a 2D disk, a 3D shell, and a 2D compliant mechanism. The software is licensed under GPL-3.0. Setup instructions specify FEniCSx 0.7.3, PyVista, and Xvfb; Windows 11 instructions use Ubuntu under WSL and Docker Desktop.
OpenLSTO
OpenLSTO is open-source C++ software for structural topology optimization using a level set method. It seeks to minimize compliance, or maximize stiffness, within a volume constraint in a two-dimensional design domain. Developed and maintained by researchers at UC San Diego and Cardiff University, the described first light version is limited to that 2D problem. It runs through command-line arguments in a terminal; simple serial cases without external libraries can be compiled and executed with a C++ compiler. OpenLSTO produces.vtk solution files that ParaView can read, so users need a data visualization tool for post-processing. The project favors in-house components where possible and is available under the Apache 2.0 license. It runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows, with repository-clone and ZIP download options. The software is free: the OpenLSTO plan is free. The project says expanded capabilities using externally provided software are planned for a more advanced version.