Supported by Flow Science FLOW-3D On 64-bit Windows and Linux platforms.
Supported operating systems
Processors
Operating systems
- 64-bit Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2012
- 64-bit Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 and SUSE 11 *
*Starting FLOW-3D version 11.0.3, SUSE Linux is no longer a supported platform.
Support for users who have installed FLOW-3D “compatible” Linux distributions (such as Fedora, Scientific Linux, Debian, Ubuntu) are only offered if the problem can be reproduced on Flow Science’s RedHat and Novell enterprise-class Linux distributions.
FLOW-3D / MP Claims
For those interested in running a distributed memory version of the application FLOW-3D you can find more information about hardware and operating systems on the site FLOW-3D /MP Supported platforms page.
Graphics support
FLOW-3D requires modern graphics cards with up-to-date OpenGL drivers for satisfactory performance. At least OpenGL 3.0 support is recommended.
FlowSight works best with graphics cards that support DirectX 11 or later. Recommended choices are nVidia Quadro K-series and AMD FirePro W-series. nVidia GTX gaming hardware works with some limitations, such as slow or incorrect volume rendering.
Integrated graphics, such as those commonly found in laptops, may be sufficient, but discrete graphics options are strongly recommended. At least 512 MB of graphics memory is recommended.
License Server Software
FLOW-3D uses flex lm to manage licenses. If you choose to use FLEX lm Windows Network Floating Manager, your network server must be running Microsoft Windows 7, 8, 8.1, Server 2008 or Server 2012 and you must use a hardware key (dongle).
Memory and CPU speed
At least 2 GB of RAM per core processor is recommended. For example, a workstation with two 6-core processors should have at least 24 gigabytes of memory. Note that the amount of RAM required is highly problem dependent. Simulations with large domains or complex geometries requiring fine resolution require significantly more RAM than the minimum required. Memory speed has little effect on simulation time, and usually 1333 or 1600 MHz memory is sufficient.
Operating system
Simulation time on Windows and Linux is comparable. Users can choose which operating system they prefer.
Developer Tools
Users who wish to customize any of the subroutines distributed by Flow Science as part of the standard installation will need a license for Intel Fortran Compiler 2013. Windows users also need Visual Studio 2010.