FEM Simulation
Validate every design with engineering simulation
Overview
confBuild includes a powerful built-in FEM (Finite Element Method) simulation engine powered by Code_Aster. Validate your parametric designs for structural integrity, thermal performance, and dynamic behavior — all without leaving the editor.
Structural
Stress, buckling & deformation
Thermal
Heat transfer & temperature
Dynamic
Modal, harmonic & transient
Advanced
Contact, fatigue & fracture
18 Analysis Types
confBuild supports a comprehensive range of FEM analysis types organized into four categories.
Structural Analysis
static_linear
Linear static stress analysis
Standard load-bearing parts
static_nonlinear
Large deformations & material plasticity
Rubber, plastics, large deflections
buckling
Critical buckling load factors
Slender columns, thin shells
prestress
Initial stress state (CREA_CHAMP)
Bolted joints, cables
Dynamic Analysis
modal
Eigenfrequency & mode shape analysis
Vibration characterization
harmonic
Frequency response (swept sine)
Vibration isolation, resonance
transient
Time-dependent dynamic response
Impact loads, shock events
explicit_dynamics
Impact, crash & blast simulations
High-speed impacts
seismic
Earthquake response analysis
Building & bridge safety
Thermal Analysis
thermal
Steady-state heat transfer
Heat sinks, insulation
thermal_transient
Time-dependent heat transfer
Heating/cooling processes
thermo_mechanical
Combined thermal-structural coupling
Thermal expansion stress
Advanced Analysis
fatigue
Fatigue life estimation (S-N curves)
Cyclic loading endurance
contact
Contact mechanics with friction
Assembly, press-fit
creep
Time-dependent material deformation
High-temperature components
fracture
Fracture mechanics (J-integral, K-factors)
Crack propagation analysis
acoustic
Coupled fluid-structure acoustics
Noise & vibration (NVH)
damage
Progressive damage accumulation
Concrete, composite failure
Simulation Workflow
Running a FEM simulation in confBuild follows a straightforward five-step process.
Generate Mesh
Create FEM mesh from your 3D model
Assign Materials
Choose from 39 engineering materials
Apply BCs
Define loads, constraints & temperatures
Run Solver
Code_Aster cloud simulation
Step 5: Analyze Results
After the solver completes, view stress distributions, displacement fields, safety factors, and generate professional PDF reports — all from within the FEM panel.
Getting Started
Set up your first FEM simulation in a few steps.
Quick Start
- Create a 3D model using primitives (cube, cylinder, extrusion, etc.)
- Open the FEM Mesh Panel from the side toolbar
- Click Generate Mesh to create the finite element mesh
- Select a material from the library (e.g., Steel S235)
- Add boundary conditions — at minimum a fixed support and a load
- Choose an analysis type (start with
static_linear) - Click Run Simulation and monitor real-time progress
- Review results: stress, displacement, safety factor
AI-Assisted Setup
confBuild can use AI to automatically generate boundary conditions from a natural language load case description. Simply describe your scenario (e.g., "500N downward force on the top face, fixed at the bottom") and the AI will assign appropriate loads and constraints to the correct mesh face groups.
FEM Documentation
Explore each topic in detail.
Mesh Generation
Mesh quality, element types, Netgen mesher
Boundary Conditions
Forces, pressure, constraints, thermal BCs
Materials Library
39 materials: steels, aluminum, plastics, composites
Results & Reports
Visualization, color maps, PDF reports