Get the latest tech news

Flow5 released to open source

Notes flow5 v7.54, January 1st, 2026 - General - linked flow5 to the Gmsh SDK - refactored the code to isolate modeler and solver classes into a library - Modelling/Meshing - all meshing interfaces modified to use the Gmsh library in addition to the built-in custom mesher - added an option to build fuse meshes conforming to the wings mid-camber line - removed panel connections at the edges of flaps; slight impact on pitching moment - removed panel connections between fuselage anbd wings; slight impact on pitching moment - removed IGES import and export options due to changes of symbol names in the OCC library - changed the evaluation of inertia properties in the case of an xfl-type fuselage to use OCC instead of the built-in custom evaluator; slight impact on evaluations - minor improvements to the export of wings to AVL - Analysis - fixed issues with the velocity parameter in LLT calculations - removed the option to tilt the wings from AVL controls in linear polars; controls will need to be rebuilt - added an option to force transitions at hinge location in 2d batch and 3d OTF calculations - Post-processing - fixed minor issues in the 3d display of LLT results - UI - bunch of minor improvements and bug fixes - Other - removed number format localization in the fl5-lib module - deep code cleaning flow5 v7.53, January 1st, 2026 - General - flow5 is FOSS - the format of the .fl5 project file has been modified; NEWLY SAVED FILES WILL NOT BE READABLE BY VERSIONS OLDER THAN v7.53 - set the default OpenGL context to 4.6 instead of 3.3 - Modelling/Meshing - optimized the foil modification routines for faster UI response - fixed issues with the CAD and STL type sail editors - fixed the "save as" exit option in the plane editor - Analysis - Post-processing - UI - fixed more minor compatibility issues with Wayland - Other flow5 v7.52, September 22, 2025 - General - Modelling/Meshing - fixed AVL-type ctrl issues in T12358 polars - Analysis - corrected the storage of the local induced drag and induced angle in 3d operating points; was storing and displaying the result of force summations instead of results calculated in the far-field plane - Post-processing - UI - fixed minor compatibility issues with Wayland in OpenGL views - minor UI improvements - Other flow5 v7.51, June 8, 2025 - General - de-activated the requirement for online connection for permanent licences - upgraded the Windows binary package to Qt 6.8.2 which supports native dark mode - Modelling/Meshing - fixed AVL-type ctrl issues in T12358 polars - fixed a crash bug occurring with small triangular panels - Analysis - fixed the inoperative multithreading when running a plane batch analysis for the first time - Post-processing - fixed the incorrect export of Cp distributions of boat operating points - UI - Other flow5 v7.50, February 22, 2025 - General - the format of the .fl5 project file has been modified; NEWLY SAVED FILES WILL NOT BE READABLE BY VERSIONS OLDER THAN v7.50 - moved the file loading operations to a worker thread to enable dynamic feedback - Modelling/Meshing - simplified the panel bunching method - fixed occasional meshing failures in the plane editor - Analysis - moved the T.E. flaps from the plane and foil objects to the polars; check https://flow5.tech/docs/flow5_doc/Modelling/TEFlaps.html for explanations - modified the calculation of induced drag for triangular method for increased robustness in the handling of flaps; leads to a slight increase in the predicted value - removed the option to keep results from failed 3d viscous interpolations; this is to prevent mixing of valid an invalid results - removed the dynamic storage of 3d unit solutions to be compatible with flapped polars; the linear system is now solved at each new calculation - added the calculation of stability derivatives and root locus modes to T1258 polars - added AVL type controls to T12358 polars and restored them in T7 polars - merged the interfaces of T12358 and T7 polars - added an option to calculate viscous drag on the fly in 3d analyses using XFoil; will become active when flow5 goes open-source - removed the differential BL analysis method - added the calculation of the local induced angle to VPW calculations - moved the viscous loop option to the plane analysis - added T6 polars to the direct foil module; will become active when flow5 goes open-source - Post-processing - redesigned the scales interface for the display of operating points in 3d - fixed a bunch of issues related to the calculation and display of streamlines - removed the filter option in the polar graphs - UI - multiple minor improvements to the UI - fixed some window issues specific to dual screens on linux - Other flow5 v7.26, May, 2024 - General - Modelling/Meshing - Analysis - fixed minor issues in the plane scripting module - added the wing's root bending moment to the list of optimization targets - Post-processing - UI - Fixed some window issues specific to dual screens on linux - Other flow5 v7.25, April, 2024 - General - Modelling/Meshing - fixed several bugs in the export/import process of sails to xml files; format modified in the case of spline type sails - Analysis - fixed the inverted angle of beta int the sail module which was accidentally introduced in v7.24 while fixing signs in the plane module - fixed the issue with the scripted VLM analysis of planes which caused the fuselage panels to be inadvertently included - added an option in plane and boat scripts to export meshes to STL - Post-processing - UI - Other flow5 v7.24.1, December 9, 2023 - fixed the ineffective saving of graph variables in the application's settings flow5 v7.24, December 8, 2023 - General - the format of the .fl5 project file has been modified; NEWLY SAVED FILES WILL NOT BE READABLE BY VERSIONS OLDER THAN v7.24 - updated the code for compatibility with Qt6; the binaries are still released with the Qt5 libs for maximum compatibility with all platforms - added a documentation page on the matter of higher lift predictions in the case of thick surface methods - Modelling/Meshing - overhaul of the foil modification methods for simplicity and robustness - improved the construction of the foil's leading edge and of the mid camber line around the L.E.

None

Get the Android app