Building the OpenFOAM Plugin

These instructions have been updated for Plugin SDK v1.0 R11 for Pointwise 18.1. See previous versions of this README if using older SDK distibutions.

To build the OpenFOAM plugin you must integrate the OpenFOAM source code into your local PluginSDK installation. These instructions assume you have already downloaded, installed, and verified the Pointwise Plugin SDK. Be sure the SDK you are using is compatible with the version of Pointwise you are targeting.

To integrate the OpenFOAM source code, you must first create a plugin project in your SDK using the steps shown below. You may replace MyOpenFOAM with any unique name you choose. Even though the SDK builds with C++ compilers, the OpenFOAM plugin uses the C-style entry points. Consequently, you must use the -c option with mkplugin below.

If you plan on building the plugin for multiple platforms, I suggest that you place the SDK on a network drive. That way you can build the OpenFOAM plugin using the same SDK installation. You only need to create the plugin project one time. Once a plugin project is created, it can be accessed and built on all platforms supported by Pointwise.

In the sections below, the PluginSDK folder is shorthand for the full path to the PluginSDK folder of your SDK installation. That is, PluginSDK is shorthand for \some\long\path\to\your\install\of\PluginSDK.

Creating the OpenFOAM Plugin Project on Unix and Mac OS/X

• % cd PluginSDK
• % mkplugin -caeu -c MyOpenFOAM
• % make CaeUnsMyOpenFOAM-dr

Building the OpenFOAM Plugin Project on Windows

At the Command Prompt

• C:> cd PluginSDK
• C:> mkplugin -caeu -c MyOpenFOAM
• C:> exit

In Visual Studio 2015

• Choose the File > Open > Project/Solution... menu
• Select the file PluginSDK\PluginSDK_vs2015.sln
• In the Solution Explorer window
• Right-click on the Plugins folder
• Choose Add > Existing Project... in the popup menu
• Select PluginSDK\src\plugins\CaeUnsMyOpenFOAM\CaeUnsMyOpenFOAM.vcxproj
• Right-click on the CaeUnsMyOpenFOAM project
• Choose Build in the popup menu

If all goes well above, you should be able to build the CaeUnsMyOpenFOAM plugin without errors or warnings. The plugin does not do anything yet. Building at this point was done to be sure we are ready to integrate the OpenFOAM source code from this repository.

Integrating the OpenFOAM Plugin Source Code into Your SDK

Once the CaeUnsMyOpenFOAM project is created and builds correctly as explained above, integrate the source code from this repository into your project by copying the repository files into the PluginSDK\src\plugins\CaeUnsMyOpenFOAM folder. This overwrites the files generated by mkplugin.

Edit the file PluginSDK\src\plugins\CaeUnsMyOpenFOAM\rtCaepInitItems.h. Change the plugin's name from

"OpenFOAM",     /* const char *name */

to

"MyOpenFOAM",   /* const char *name */

Save the file.

If using Visual Studio 2015:

• Right-click on the CaeUnsMyOpenFOAM project
• Choose Add Exisiting Item... in the popup menu
• Select PluginSDK\src\plugins\CaeUnsMyOpenFOAM\vctypes.h

You can now build the CaeUnsMyOpenFOAM plugin on your platform. If all builds correctly, you now have a CaeUnsMyOpenFOAM plugin that is functionally equivalent to the OpenFOAM plugin distributed with Pointwise. You are now ready to make your changes to the CaeUnsMyOpenFOAM plugin.

Closing Thoughts

See the Building a CAE Plugin for information on configuring your SDK build environment.

If you plan on publicly releasing source or binary builds of your version of the OpenFOAM plugin, you need to be careful about your choice of site id, site group name, plugin id, and plugin name. See documentation for site.h for details. Your plugin may not load correctly into Pointwise if the values you choose conflict with other CAE plugins.

Being open source, we would like to see any enhancements or bug fixes you make to the OpenFOAM plugin integrated back into the main Pointwise build. Please do not hesitate to send us git pull requests for your changes. We will evaluate your changes and integrate them as appropriate.