C# vs other programming languages
 

Hi Everyone,

Do you think C# can prove a better alternative than C++ or C for CFD?

Moreover, is Matlab good enough to handle CFD?

regards Metal

Re: C# vs other programming languages
 

C and C++ are well tested in CFD field. C# is much like Java than C++. MATLAB can be used for CFD and provides interfacing with C/C++ and FORTRAN. It depends on your problem as you need to build your own NS solver using MATLAB functions. You may need to write your own functions too.

Re: C# vs other programming languages
 

> Do you think C# can prove a better alternative than C++ or C for CFD?

You would have to expand on what better means but it is hard to see any advantages and the disadvantages (platform dependence, speed, lack of existing numerical routines, few CFD people know the language, etc...) look pretty compelling.

> Moreover, is Matlab good enough to handle CFD?

Using a scripting language like Matlab (or Python, Ruby, etc...) is a well established way to go about researching numerical methods/schemes within CFD programs. It makes parametric changes easy and the generation of subsequent plots and movies. However, apart from the controlling routines, most of the low level number crunching routines are usually written in languages like C or Fortran to avoid the speed penalty of an interpretted language. Matlab effectively provides the packaging. Writing all the statements of a 3D CFD code in the Matlab language would not be wise.