The documentation consists firstly of a User Guide that contains information about the general running of OpenFOAM, I/O data structures, compilation, applications, libraries, mesh generation, post-processing and more. It is available in: HTML format here; PDF format (which includes an extensive index) in the doc directory of the OpenFOAM release and online here.

The C++ Source Guide, generated by Doxygen is supplied in the doc directory of the OpenFOAM release but can also be accessed by clicking here. The documentation has links to source code, inheritance and collaboration diagrams, and more. The search facility in the online version is activated.

The Programmer’s Guide is a misnomer. It contains some information about tensors, their linear and differential algebra, finite volume discretisation, and more. It is slightly out of date and can be found in the doc directory of the OpenFOAM release and online here.

Useful information on new features of and hints for upgrading to version 1.4.1 can be found in Release Notes.

Installation instructions for OpenFOAM can be found from here on this website. There is also a README file in the OpenFOAM installation directory that can also be accessed online here.

The use of an application can be understood by looking at the corresponding example case in the $FOAM_TUTORIALS directory in the OpenFOAM release. The Allrun scripts show how many applications are executed.

Another source of documentation is the archive on the discussion site. The opinions expressed there are those of the individuals who contribute.

There is always a need for more documentation. OpenCFD is continually providing it free to the OpenFOAM community but at a financial cost to itself. We would therefore welcome contributions to OpenFOAM documentation. If you wish to contribute, please contact us.