FEST-3D vs GNU FisicaLab
FEST-3D
fest3d.github.ioGNU FisicaLab
gnu.orgSide by side
| Figure | FEST-3D | GNU FisicaLab |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Physics Simulation Software | 8.6 (#11) | 8.5 (#14) |
| Authoring tools | Yes | Yes |
| Delivery mode | desktop | desktop |
| Downloads | The solver source is available from GitHub, while tutorials are in a separate repository included as a submodule. | The source code is available from the GNU FTP server and mirrors; the page also lists previous Linux binaries and a Windows installer. |
| Intended users | The project describes its team as students from the Department of Aerospace Engineering at IIT Madras, and its tutorials are provided for learning and verification. | The project describes the application as a way for learners to focus on physics concepts and build confidence before solving problems by hand. |
| Lesson library | Yes | Yes |
| Purpose | FEST-3D is a Fortran 90 finite-volume solver for Navier–Stokes equations on structured grids, developed for aerodynamic flow problems. | FisicaLab is an educational application for solving physics problems while leaving the mathematical details to the program. |
| Support | The homepage lists [email protected] as the project contact email. | The fisicalab-discusion mailing list is for user help with using and installing the program; bug-fisicalab is for development discussion, improvement requests, and bug reports. |
| 3D visuals | Yes | No |
Plans
In their own words
FEST-3D
FEST-3D is a Fortran 90 finite-volume computational fluid dynamics solver for Navier–Stokes flow problems on structured grids, developed for aerodynamics. It handles incompressible and compressible flows, including inviscid, laminar, transitional and turbulent cases. Users can select among flux schemes, reconstruction methods, time-integration options, turbulence models and transition models. MPI distributes computations across processors on one or more machines. The solver is free and open source under the GNU General Public License version 3.0, with source available from GitHub. Its installation script supports Ubuntu/Debian, CentOS and macOS, while manual installation instructions cover Linux. Building requires a Fortran compiler, an MPI library, CMake and Make. Tutorials in a separate repository address verification cases such as a smooth bump, lid-driven cavity, flat plates and an airfoil. FEST-3D writes VTK or Tecplot output for separate visualization tools. Grid generation and post-processing are outside the solver, and the project notes its halt/stop condition does not work with MPI.
GNU FisicaLab
GNU FisicaLab is a free desktop application for solving physics problems while handling the mathematical details. Its modules cover two-dimensional particle and circular kinematics, statics and dynamics, calorimetry, ideal gases, expansion, and thermodynamics. Statics and dynamics problems are described by constructing free-body diagrams. The interface supports SI and English unit systems. A grid chalkboard starts at 26 by 18 cells and can be enlarged in Preferences to 100 by 100. Data fields accept scientific notation, conversion factors, arithmetic, trigonometric functions, and square roots; parentheses cannot group operations. Online and downloadable documentation includes step-by-step examples. Source code is available from GNU FTP and mirrors, with previous Linux binaries and a Windows installer listed. GNU/Linux and BSD executable packages may come from distributions. FisicaLab is distributed under GNU GPL version 3 or any later version and provides no 3D visuals.