Elmer FEM
Finnish open-source multiphysics finite element suite from CSC covering structural, fluid, thermal, electromagnetic and acoustic problems
Quick Overview
| Company | CSC - IT Center for Science Ltd (Elmer team) |
|---|---|
| Category | Engineering Simulation (CAE/FEA) |
| Headquarters | Espoo, Finland |
| Founded | Not stated |
| EU Presence | Yes - Finland (EU) |
| Data Location | Runs on your own machines or HPC |
| Open Source | GPL-2.0 (LICENSE file in the repository) |
| GDPR Compliant | Yes |
| Self-Hosting | Yes - download and run locally |
| Main Features | ElmerSolver, ElmerGUI, ElmerGrid mesh tools, structural mechanics, fluid dynamics, heat transfer, electromagnetics, acoustics, parallel computing |
| Pricing | Free software |
| Best For | Academic and research groups and engineers who want an open multiphysics solver |
| Replaces | Ansys Multiphysics, COMSOL Multiphysics |
Detailed Review
Elmer is a suite that solves partial differential equations, which makes it suited to coupled problems. The official repository lists models for structural mechanics, fluid dynamics, heat transfer, electromagnetics and acoustics, and the code runs from PCs to massively parallel HPC platforms.
The project is run by the Elmer team at CSC, the Finnish IT Center for Science in Espoo. The repository carries a GPL 2.0 licence text and has about 10,500 commits.
Components
ElmerSolver is the computation engine, ElmerGUI the graphical front end, and ElmerGrid and a 2D mesh generator handle meshing and conversion. The documentation is stated to be about 900 pages of manuals and tutorials.
Special variants exist, such as Elmer/Ice for glaciology.
Installation Options
The README links pre-compiled builds (Windows installers, a WSL distribution, a VirtualBox VM), an Ubuntu PPA, compilation instructions for Linux, Nix, Windows/msys2 and macOS, and Docker images.
This makes it easy to evaluate on an ordinary workstation before moving to a cluster.
Community and Support
Questions go to a discussion forum with a long history, with webinars and an update mailing list alongside. CSC also operates an Elmer service for researchers.
There is no vendor sales channel, so commercial support has to be arranged elsewhere.
Limitations to Consider
Elmer has no commercial vendor offering warranties or enterprise support in the usual sense. The repository does not contain a CAD modeller, so geometry has to come from other tools, and the pages checked state no verification test count, unlike code_aster. It suits researchers more than regulated design offices.
Who Should Use Elmer FEM
Universities, research institutes and engineers with simulation skills who want a free multiphysics solver from a Finnish public-sector IT centre.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Free, GPL-2.0 source
- Multiphysics in one suite
- Runs on laptops and HPC
- Windows, Linux, macOS and Docker options
- About 900 pages of manuals
Cons
- No commercial warranty or SLA
- No built-in CAD modelling
- No published verification suite size
- Research-oriented
Alternatives to Elmer FEM
Other European engineering simulation (cae/fea) worth comparing before you decide:
SimScale
Germany · Cloud simulation for CFD, structural and thermal analysis in a browser
Quanscient
Finland · Cloud multiphysics solver with all physics and unlimited users
COMSOL
Sweden · Multiphysics platform with one interface and add-on modules
code_aster
France · Open-source structural and thermal solver from EDF R&D
See all European engineering simulation (cae/fea) or compare them directly against Ansys Multiphysics on our alternatives page.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Elmer team at CSC, the IT Center for Science in Finland, with an open community around the GitHub repository.
The repository carries a GPL 2.0 licence text. Read the Elmer license policy linked from the README before commercial deployment.
Yes, the README links Windows installers and a WSL distribution, alongside Linux, macOS and Docker options.