Diffpack
Encyclopedia
Diffpack is a programming environment for developing simulation software for scientific and engineering applications. Diffpack has its main focus on the numerical modeling and solution of partial differential equations, in particular by the finite element method
and the finite difference method
(finite volume method
is also supported to some extent). The Diffpack software consists of a family of C++ libraries for general tasks related to numerical solution of partial differential equations, plus a set of Perl and Python scripts that ease the development of simulation programs and problem solving environments for scientific or engineering research. The package was one of the very first to explore object-oriented programming and the C++ language for advanced, high-performance computing.
Diffpack has been actively developed since 1991, with main contributions from University of Oslo
and the research institutes SINTEF
and Simula Research Laboratory
. The initiators and main contributors to Diffpack in the 1990s were Hans Petter Langtangen and Are Magnus Bruaset. Version 1.0 of the software was released in the public domain in 1995, with a new version in 1997. The Norwegian company Numerical Objects AS took over the rights of Diffpack 1997 and commercialized the product. In 2003, the German company inuTech GmbH purchased Diffpack and is now the principal maintainer and developer of the software. Past and present Diffpack customers include AREVA NP, Air Force Research Laboratory, Robert Bosch GmbH, Cambridge University, Canon, CEA, CalCom, DaimlerChrysler, Furukawa, Harvard University, Intel, Mitsubishi, NASA, Nestle, Nippon Steel, Shell, Siemens, Stanford University, Statoil, Veritas, VAI GmbH, and Xerox. Diffpack applications have been built in diverse areas, such as oil and gas, mechanical engineering, telecommunication, medicine and finance. The customer activities span from simple prototype applications to projects involving several man-years of simulator development.
Finite element method
The finite element method is a numerical technique for finding approximate solutions of partial differential equations as well as integral equations...
and the finite difference method
Finite difference method
In mathematics, finite-difference methods are numerical methods for approximating the solutions to differential equations using finite difference equations to approximate derivatives.- Derivation from Taylor's polynomial :...
(finite volume method
Finite volume method
The finite volume method is a method for representing and evaluating partial differential equations in the form of algebraic equations [LeVeque, 2002; Toro, 1999]....
is also supported to some extent). The Diffpack software consists of a family of C++ libraries for general tasks related to numerical solution of partial differential equations, plus a set of Perl and Python scripts that ease the development of simulation programs and problem solving environments for scientific or engineering research. The package was one of the very first to explore object-oriented programming and the C++ language for advanced, high-performance computing.
Diffpack has been actively developed since 1991, with main contributions from University of Oslo
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
and the research institutes SINTEF
SINTEF
SINTEF , headquartered in Trondheim, Norway, is the largest independent research organisation in Scandinavia. Every year, SINTEF supports research and development at 2,000 or so Norwegian and overseas companies via its research and development activity....
and Simula Research Laboratory
Simula Research Laboratory
is a Norwegian research organisation located just outside Oslo, the capital of Norway. The laboratory conducts basic research in the fields of networks and distributed systems, scientific computing, and software engineering. It employs around 120 people, mainly scientific researchers, and has an...
. The initiators and main contributors to Diffpack in the 1990s were Hans Petter Langtangen and Are Magnus Bruaset. Version 1.0 of the software was released in the public domain in 1995, with a new version in 1997. The Norwegian company Numerical Objects AS took over the rights of Diffpack 1997 and commercialized the product. In 2003, the German company inuTech GmbH purchased Diffpack and is now the principal maintainer and developer of the software. Past and present Diffpack customers include AREVA NP, Air Force Research Laboratory, Robert Bosch GmbH, Cambridge University, Canon, CEA, CalCom, DaimlerChrysler, Furukawa, Harvard University, Intel, Mitsubishi, NASA, Nestle, Nippon Steel, Shell, Siemens, Stanford University, Statoil, Veritas, VAI GmbH, and Xerox. Diffpack applications have been built in diverse areas, such as oil and gas, mechanical engineering, telecommunication, medicine and finance. The customer activities span from simple prototype applications to projects involving several man-years of simulator development.