Simulation Software

I have been exploring different simulation software based on FEM and CFD. I came across this cloud-based simulation software called SimScale. They allow for the simulations to be done on their computers and everything could be set up through a browser itself.

They also offer nice workshops and webinars. They have a huge collection of projects that is a contribution of the free users - available through a public project database. They recently also started an academic program and offering free versions for universities and design teams.

I was wondering if anyone here is using this and what you think about it? Are there any good alternatives that one might have used? They say that it is based on open-source softwares but how good are these open-source codes and are they trustworthy? Overall is cloud safe?

Does anyone have any experience to share about these cloud-based softwares?

Open source softwares can be good, but they don’t have a company’s brand on the line if their quality control is poor.

All simulation softwares are tools. Like a hammer, a lot can be done with it, but it depends entirely on you skill. That beings said, simulation softwares are about as complex a tool as it gets. What may seem like getting “the right answer” may very well just be creating nice pictures without a fundamental understanding of the physics and the solution scheme of the software.

What anyone getting started with simulation needs is the right mentor more than the right tool. Do you have someone that can review your work, who is highly skilled?

For full disclosure, I do simulation and analysis for a living so I am biased. I do technical support for FEA and CFD softwares and have seen so many invalid analyses that it makes me a little jaded sometimes.

I can answer more specifics if you have them.