User Guide: Managing Cases & Simulations

Usage

1. Start the Application:

   • If using the binary, just double-click it.
   • If using source on Windows: .\run.ps1.
   • If using source on Linux: uv run python -m app.

2. Access the web interface: Open your browser and navigate to http://localhost:5000.

3. Access the web interface: Open your browser and navigate to http://localhost:5000.

4. Set a case directory: Enter a path for your simulation cases. Click Set Case Dir.

5. Set OpenFOAM root directory: Enter a path for your OpenFOAM root directory. Click Set OpenFOAM Root.

6. Load a tutorial: Select a tutorial from the dropdown. Click Load Tutorial. The tutorial will be copied to your selected case directory.

7. Run OpenFOAM commands: Use the buttons (blockMesh, simpleFoam, pimpleFoam) to execute commands. Live output is shown in the console panel.

8. Realtime Plotting:

   • Click "Show Plots" to enable realtime polling of OpenFOAM results.
   • Plots update every 2 seconds.
   • For aerodynamic cases, click "Show Aero Plots" to see Pressure Coefficient (Cp) and Velocity Profiles.

9. Keyboard Shortcuts:

   • Use access keys to quickly navigate between tabs. The combination depends on your browser and OS (e.g., Alt + Shift + Key on Windows Firefox).
   • s: Setup
   • g: Geometry
   • m: Meshing
   • v: Visualizer
   • r: Run/Log
   • p: Plots
   • o: Post

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This page should walk a user through a standard simulation workflow from start to finish.

Loading Tutorials: How to use the dropdown to copy tutorials from the OpenFOAM directory to the CASE_ROOT.

Setting the Case Directory: How the persistent case_config.json works.

Executing Commands: Running blockMesh, simpleFoam, pimpleFoam, etc.

Advanced Workflows: A section on setting up parallel processing (MPI) runs or handling specific aerodynamic analyses (like external flow over rotors or airfoils), as these are common workflows that users will eventually want to run through the GUI.