[er_ijaz]

Hi
I'm currently using snappyhex mesh for meshing my fluid domain to run simulation in openfoam.
I found salome is better free alternative to snappyhexmesh, but the time required by the mesh created via salome is more than then mesh created using helyx (snappyhex).
There is a module callled meshgems in salome to be purchased in order to create hex mesh.
Is it worth buying meshgems to create hex mesh for openfoam application?

[virengos]

Hi,
I've been using both solutions for many years. Both solutions have their pros and cons (snappyHexMesh and Salome). Depends on your reference case (mesh structure, number of cells, boundary layer, required quality, your available time to play around and more). (1) snappy is quite powerful, it's scriptable, running in parallel, and has a great community (2) standard Salome meshing module is running on 1 CPU, but it is very fast for hexa meshing, it's also scriptable with Python, one can use directly the geometry in STEP format. (3) The Distene's MeshGems seems to be really good, but might be useless without additional subscription, support and training (4) I myself would rather spend part of the money to fund the OpenFOAM foundation and to strengthen the community, with the other part of the money you could hire an expert to teach you both software approaches. (5) A other solution might be to look for a mid-price OpenFOAM software for Linux or Windows with a high-quality support.
That's my personal point of view!
best,
Damian