The libMesh library is a C++ framework for the numerical simulation of partial differential equations on serial and parallel platforms. Development began in March 2002 with the intent of providing a friendly interface to a number of high-quality software packages that are currently available.
A major goal of the library is to provide support for adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) computations in parallel while allowing a research scientist to focus on the physics they are modeling. The library currently offers:
- Partitioning Algorithms
- Metis K-Way weighted graph partitioning
- Parmetis parallel graph partitioning
- Hilbert and Morton-ordered space filling curves
- Generic 2D Finite Elements
- 3 and 6 noded triangles (
Tri3, Tri6)
- 4, 8, and 9 noded quadrilaterals (
Quad4, Quad8, Quad9)
- 4 and 6 noded infinite quadrilaterals (
InfQuad4, InfQuad6)
- Generic 3D Finite Elements
- 4 and 10 noded tetrahedrals (
Tet4, Tet10)
- 8, 20, and 27 noded hexahedrals (
Hex8, Hex20, Hex27)
- 6, 15, and 18 noded prisms (
Prism6, Prism15, Prism18)
- 5 noded pyramids (
Pyramid5)
- 8, 16, and 18 noded infinite hexahedrals (
InfHex8, InfHex16, InfHex18)
- 6 and 12 noded infinite prisms (
InfPrism6, InfPrism12)
- Generic Finite Element Families
- Lagrange
- Hierarchic
- Discontinuous Monomials
- Dimension-independence
- Operators are defined to allow the same code to run unmodified on 2D and 3D applications
- The code you debug and verify on small 2D problems can immediately be applied to large, parallel 3D applications
- Sparse Linear Algebra
PETSc provides a suite of iterative solvers and preconditioners for serial and parallel applications
- Complex values are supported with
PETSc
LASPACK provides iterative solvers and preconditioners for serial applications
- The
SparseMatrix, NumericVector, and LinearSolver allow for transparent switching between solver packages. Adding a new solver interface is as simple as deriving from these classes
- Mesh IO & Format Translation Utilities
- Ideas Universal (UNV) format (.unv) with support through
MeshData for arbitrary float data, like boundary conditions, associated with mesh entities
- Sandia National Labs ExodusII format (.exd)
- Amtec Engineering's Tecplot binary format (.plt)
- Amtec Engineering's Tecplot ascii format (.dat)
- Los Alamos National Labs GMV format (.gmv)
- AVS Unstructured UCD format (.ucd)
- Mesh Creation & Modification Utilities
- refine or coarsen a mesh: prescribed, level-one-compatible, or uniform
- build equispaced n-cubes out of
Edge2, Tri3, Tri6, Quad4, Quad8, Quad9, Hex8, Hex20, Hex27
- build circles/spheres out of
Tri3, Tri6, Quad4, Quad8, Quad9, Hex8
- add infinite elements to a volume-based mesh, handle symmetry planes
- convert
Quad4, Quad8, Quad9 to Tri3, Tri6
- convert a mesh consisting of any of the fore-mentioned n-dimensional linear elements to their second-order counterparts
- distort/translate/rotate/scale a mesh
- determine bounding boxes/spheres
- extract the mesh boundary for boundary condition handling or as a separate mesh