OpenFOAM is leading software for computational fluid dynamics (CFD). It is licensed free and open source only under the GNU General Public Licence (GPL) by the OpenFOAM Foundation.
OpenFOAM Training
Unlock the power of OpenFOAM to deliver robust CFD solutions. Essential CFD, Applied CFD, Productive CFD and Programming CFD. OpenFOAM Training courses from the Architects of OpenFOAM.
OpenFOAM Development
CFD Direct develops OpenFOAM released via The OpenFOAM Foundation, undertaking development projects for customers who need new capabilities within the software.
Support and Consultancy
We provide support and consultancy services, covering software deployment and operation, case configuration, CFD practice, and code customisation.
CFDDFC® v13 Released
CFD Direct announces the release of version 13 of CFD Direct From the Cloud™ (CFDDFC®), available on Amazon Web Services (AWS) Marketplace as the standard CFDDFC product, Web CFDDFC and CFDDFC (Arm). CFDDFC v13 includes OpenFOAM v13, ParaView v5.10, OpenMPI v4.1.7 and FreeCAD v0.21, running on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. Standard CFDDFC can be accessed using the X2Go remote desktop client whereas Web CFDDFC and CFDDFC (Arm) are accessible using a remote desktop in a browser. A single instance can run CFDDFC and Web CFDDFC on up to 96 cores and CFDDFC (Arm) on up to 192. Instances can be clustered to run with 1000 cores or more.
OpenFOAM v13 Training
In Autumn 2025, CFD Direct is running its OpenFOAM Training courses — Essential CFD, Applied CFD, Productive CFD and Programming CFD — fully updated with the latest features of the new version 13 release of OpenFOAM. The training uses new features in OpenFOAM v13 for more productive and effective CFD, including: foamFind, unit conversion, coded and packaged function object, meshing multiple regions and coupling with boundary conditions. Productive CFD is available 15-18 Sep and 20-23 Oct. Essential and Applied CFD courses are available: 22-26 Sep, 6-10 Oct. Programming CFD is available 20-22 Oct, 3-5 Nov.
Dynamic Zones in OpenFOAM
In June 2025, Henry Weller at CFD Direct completed a rewrite of mesh zones and associated tools, released in OpenFOAM v13 by The OpenFOAM Foundation. The aim behind the rewrite of mesh zones was to make them dynamic, so they would work effectively for complex CFD problems, especially involving moving meshes. The new design includes createZones which provides a simpler, more powerful replacement for the lousy topoSet. Other utilities which have been rewritten, and are far better to use as a result, include setFields, refineMesh (making the separate refineHexMesh redundant), createPatch and subsetMesh.
The Best OpenFOAM is v13
OpenFOAM v13, produced by CFD Direct and released via The OpenFOAM Foundation, is the best version of OpenFOAM today. By “ best” we mean the software which best meets the critical needs of users — availability, usability, robustness and extensibility. It is redesign work that has greatest impact on these criteria and which CFD Direct has provided time and again, delivering new, improved software components. Examples include modular solvers, NCC, field-Lagrangian, bounded MULES, dynamic zones, improved dynamic meshes, snappyHexMeshConfig, fvModels and fvConstraints, liquid film modular solver and dedicated transport libraries.