CakeCFD Project Record Status: Active — Source Public
Open source · GPLv3

High-order CFD, built on OpenFOAM

CakeCFD pairs a modified OpenFOAM solver core with TENO convection schemes and Cake Studio, a native desktop application for meshing, solving, and post-processing — plus an AI interface that runs simulations from natural language.

Overview

Everything from geometry to results

One workflow, from CAD import through meshing, solving, and analysis.

01

TENO convection schemes

Targeted Essentially Non-Oscillatory schemes with adaptive C_T weighting, shipped as a wmake library not in stock OpenFOAM.

02

Geometry import

Native STEP and BREP import via OpenCASCADE 7.6, with automatic tessellation and STL export for meshing.

03

Automated meshing

A guided blockMesh / snappyHexMesh pipeline covering surface features, boundary layers, and refinement regions.

04

Native 3D viewport

Qt5 + VTK 9 interface with isocontours, streamline tracing, live residual plots, and a solver console.

05

Turbulence database

Built-in Johns Hopkins Turbulence Database access for DNS inflow data, exportable to boundary conditions.

06

AI-driven control

Drive meshing, solving, and reporting from natural language through the companion cakecfd_ai package.

Components

Two repositories, one workflow

Both are public and licensed for reuse.

Desktop application

Cake Studio

A native C++ Qt5 application covering the full workflow: geometry import, mesh generation, solver configuration, run control, and post-processing in a single interface.

  • Per-solver dialog writes fvSchemes, fvSolution, initial fields
  • Dark and light themes
  • Linux (Ubuntu 22.04+) or WSL2 on Windows via WSLg
AI interface

cakecfd_ai

A Python package that exposes meshing, solving, monitoring, and post-processing as tools Claude can call — set up, run, and interpret a simulation from natural language.

  • Python API (CakeAgent), CLI REPL, and direct tool calls with no API key
  • 14 tools spanning meshing, solver control, and reporting
  • pip install cakecfd_ai
Numerics

Solver & verification status

Solver baseOpenFOAM 2412, finite volume method
Supported solverssimpleFoam, icoFoam, pimpleFoam, pisoFoam, rhoSimpleFoam, rhoPimpleFoam, rhoCentralFoam, buoyantSimpleFoam, buoyantPimpleFoam
Turbulence closuresk–ω SST, k–ε, Spalart–Allmaras
LicenseGNU General Public License v3.0 (solver & application)
Verification status. As shipped, the TENO schemes measure second order on smooth linear advection, not the fifth and sixth order of the reference formulation — the reconstruction reduces to central differencing in smooth regions, a deliberate choice for pressure–velocity stability that caps the achievable order. Reproducible via validation/tools/advection_order.py (case VC‑001). A k‑exact upwind‑biased reconstruction reaching approximately fifth order on the same test is in progress on a development branch.
Roadmap

Project status

ComponentStatus
Solver core & TENO schemesPublic — higher-order in progress
Cake Studio applicationPublic — repository
cakecfd_ai packagePublic — repository
Cross-platform installerPlanned
Technical manuscriptPlanned
License

Licensing

CakeCFD (solver core and Cake Studio application) is released under the GNU General Public License v3.0 — source at github.com/CakeCFD/cake-studio. The companion cakecfd_ai package is released separately under CC BY 4.0 — source at github.com/CakeCFD/cakecfd-ai.