Advanced

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

Type Description Use Case
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

Type Description Use Case
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

Type Description Use Case
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

Type Description Use Case
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.

1

Generate Mesh

Create FEM mesh from your 3D model

2

Assign Materials

Choose from 39 engineering materials

3

Apply BCs

Define loads, constraints & temperatures

4

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

← Back to Documentation

Ready to validate?

Run your first FEM simulation

Get Started