If you are just starting to explore the world of meshing and stumbled upon cfMesh and CF-MESH+, you are probably wondering what is the difference between them. Briefly said, cfMesh is open-source and CF-MESH+ is commercial software. Besides the obvious, free vs. paid, and other than asking yourself if CFD meshing is worth your money, other differences can be detrimental to the success of your project.
In this article we will explain the main technical differences of cfMesh and CF-MESH+, to help you make an informed choice.
cfMesh vs.CF-MESH+
In the spreadsheet below, you can see their main differences, briefly described:
| Feature | cfMesh | CF-MESH+ |
| Basic automatic cell sizing | yes | yes |
| Boundary layers | basic | advanced |
| Cartesian 2D + 3D | yes | yes |
| GPL / open source | yes | no |
| Polyhedral meshing | yes | yes |
| Tetrahedral meshing | yes | yes |
| Hexahedral meshing | no | yes |
| Advanced control of layer topology | no | yes |
| Control of boundary layer thickness | no | yes |
| Advanced control of mesh quality | no | yes |
| Advanced controls for automatic cell sizing | no | yes |
| Advanced selection of domains that shall be meshed | no | yes |
| CAD import | no | yes |
| Surface Repair | no | yes |
| Commercial | no | yes |
| Meshing of multiple domains and baffles | no | yes |
| Resolving feature edges without creating triangles | no | yes |
| Robust algorithms for controlling of mesh quality | no | yes |
| Support | no | yes |
cfMesh
cfMesh is an open-source library for mesh generation, implemented on top of the OpenFOAM® framework.
As I often point out, cfMesh development started more than twenty years ago as a project in my spare time, intending to develop a meshing tool that is robust, simple to use, and simple to learn and extend. In addition, I also wanted to explore the possibilities offered by the emerging parallel computing architectures that offer great potential for handling complex problems.
The main idea behind cfMesh was to implement the minimum number of algorithms that can be further extended and combined into various meshing workflows, tailored to the needs of a specific problem.
You can download its Windows or Linux version and give it a spin.
Note: None of the OpenFOAM® related offerings by Creative Fields Holding Ltd is approved or endorsed by OpenCFD, Ltd. (ESI Group), producer of the OpenFOAM® software. OpenFOAM® and OpenCFD® are registered trademarks of ESI Group.
CF-MESH+
When starting our company, we launched the open source mesher cfMesh. The community accepted it very well, however, the contributions and the lack of financial support did not follow the excitement. Therefore we could not work on complex topics (boundary layers, multi-material meshing, etc.) relevant to all of our users. Back in 2017, we decided to make a total transition from open source. Today CF-MESH+ is a closed-source commercial product that only saves the mesh in the OF format since our users still ask it a lot.
Who is it for?
CF-MESH+ is designed for engineers and other experts using CFD in their product development and research. It is a perfect tool for those who require an efficient, easy-to-use, yet fully automated meshing process able to resolve complex domains faced in industrial settings.
The volume meshes generated by CF-MESH+ are delivered in OpenFOAM, ANSYS Fluent, or neutral (CGNS) formats, and are highly suitable for use by a multitude of popular CFD software. The meshes have been successfully used in various types of CFD simulations, from automotive aerodynamics (see e.g. our F1 car case study or Ahmed body meshing example video), hydrodynamics, human hemodynamics (blood vessels), HVAC, to chemical processing, or civil engineering. Due to its ability to generate volume meshes composed of tetrahedral elements only, the software has also found successful usage within the finite element analysis (FEA) realm.
Benefits for you
Resolving complexity. The implemented meshing methodology is designed to provide quality meshes on arbitrarily complex geometries. The available workflows are robust and sensitivity to input data is minimized.
Simple setup. Minimum user input is needed to prescribe settings for the meshing process.
Speed. The meshing workflow is fully automated and meshes are obtained in a single run. Implemented algorithms are parallelized and computational resources are used efficiently. Meshing processes can also be set up and started from the batch mode (scripting).
Access to expert support. Our mission is to help our customers be productive in their simulation efforts. While the software is being regularly upgraded with the new features that facilitate this process, our customers also greatly benefit from our meshing expertise and support. In certain circumstances, it is also possible to provide customized meshing solutions and workflows.
14-day free trial. If this has made you curious you can try out CF-MESH+. No obligations and no credit card is required, just apply and try it on your geometries. You can also subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed on our newest developments.
