Grid® for Simulation & CAE Software
Simulation & CAE Software Definition
Simulation and computer-aided engineering (CAE) software supports engineering analysis tasks, encompassing finite element analysis (FEA), computational fluid dynamics (CFD), multibody dynamics (MBD), and optimization capabilities, enabling engineers and analysts to simulate, validate, and optimize products and manufacturing tools before physical production.
Core Capabilities of Simulation & CAE Software
To qualify for inclusion in the Simulation & CAE category, a product must:
- Enable users to create product and structure simulations through a graphical user interface (GUI)
- Allow users to test and verify components of a simulation with customizable environmental variables
- Help users optimize process or product development
Common Use Cases for Simulation & CAE Software
Engineers, analysts, and R&D teams across industries use simulation and CAE software to reduce physical prototyping costs and accelerate product development cycles. Common use cases include:
- Simulating structural integrity, fluid behavior, and mechanical performance before manufacturing
- Testing product designs against customizable environmental variables to validate safety and compliance
- Optimizing product and manufacturing tool designs to improve performance and reduce material waste
How Simulation & CAE Software Differs from Other Tools
Simulation and CAE products are frequently implemented alongside other CAx applications such as computer-aided design (CAD) software and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software to support an organization's full product lifecycle management (PLM) workflow. While CAD focuses on design creation and CAM handles manufacturing instructions, CAE and simulation tools provide the engineering analysis layer that validates and optimizes designs before they move to production.
Insights from G2 on Simulation & CAE Software
Based on category trends on G2, simulation accuracy and the range of supported analysis types stand out as standout capabilities. These platforms deliver reductions in physical prototyping costs and faster design validation cycles as primary outcomes of adoption.
Simulation & CAE Grid® Scoring Description
Products shown on the Grid® for Simulation & CAE have received a minimum of 10 reviews/ratings in
data gathered by March 05, 2024. Products are ranked by customer satisfaction (based on user reviews) and market
presence (based on market share, seller size, and social impact) and placed into four categories on the
Grid®:
- Products in the Leader quadrant are rated highly by G2 users and have substantial Market Presence scores. Leaders include: MATLAB, Simcenter STAR-CCM+, Simcenter 3D, Onshape, Ansys Fluent, Solid Edge, SOLIDWORKS, Altair SimSolid, Fusion, SimScale, Ansys Mechanical, Autodesk CFD, Simcenter Amesim, Inventor, Altair Inspire, HEEDS, Keysight ADS, Ansys Discovery, Ansys Motor-CAD, Altair Hypermesh, Moldflow, and Ansys HFSS
- High Performing products have high customer Satisfaction scores and low Market Presence compared to the rest of the category. High Performers include: MeshWorks, Altair OptiStruct, Automation Studio, aPriori Digital Manufacturing Simulation Software, IronCAD, CYME Power Engineering Software, PSIM, and FlexSim
- Contender products have relatively low customer Satisfaction scores and high Market Presence compared to the rest of the category. While they may have positive reviews, they do not have enough reviews to validate those ratings. Contenders include: Simulink Desktop Real-Time, Mathcad Prime, Simulink, Ansys LS-DYNA, SolidWorks Plastics, SolidWorks Simulation, Creo Parametric, TRNSYS, Ansys Forte, NI Multisim, SolidWorks Flow Simulation, Altair HyperWorks, Tecnomatix, Abaqus, Mathematica, Stateflow, Ansys Electronics Desktop, Creo Simulation, PRO/II Process Engineering (powered by SimSci), SimEvents, Ansys CFX, Inventor Nastran, and Simcenter Femap
- Niche products have relatively low Satisfaction scores and low Market Presence compared to the rest of the category. While they may have positive reviews, they do not have enough reviews to validate those ratings. Niche products include: Ansys Maxwell, Ansys Icepak, SageMath, GNU Octave, SIMULIA, Ansys Sherlock, Maple, Electric P8, Scilab, COMSOL Multiphysics®, PSCAD, OpenFOAM, Vensim, PLECS, DWSIM, Modelica, OpenSim, CarSim, and Collimator
© 2024 G2, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed
in any form without G2’s prior written permission. While the information in this report has been
obtained from sources believed to be reliable, G2 disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy,
completeness, or adequacy of such information and shall have no liability for errors, omissions, or inadequacies in such information.
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