Roadmap for release 0.2.0

[nikoscham]

This roadmap outlines proposed features and tasks for version 0.2.0 of FEAScript. See also the milestone here https://github.com/FEAScript/FEAScript-core/milestone/1

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Physical Modelling

• [Advanced] Implement a new solver for the steady-state 2D Navier-Stokes equations ✅ (Semi-completed. A Stokes equation solver has been implemented) see the issue here Development of a new solver for steady-state 2D Navier-Stokes equations #21)
• [Advanced] Implement a new solver for the Eikonal equation to model propagating wavefronts ✅ (Completed - see the issue here Wave equation #8)

Geometry & Meshing

• Enhance Gmsh import functionality - Extend support to triangular elements and integrate with existing solvers ❌ (Removed from 0.2.0 roadmap - see the issue here Enhance Gmsh import functionality #18)
• Expand geometry handling in generateMeshFromGeometry() function (from meshGenerationScript.js) - Add support for additional basic 2D shapes (e.g., trapezoids, rings) ✅ (Completed - see the issue here Expand geometry handling in generateMeshFromGeometry() function #20)

Numerical Solution

• Implement a new solver for 1D differential equations ✅ (Completed - see the issue here Development of a new solver for 1D differential equations #3)
• Add support for solving nonlinear equations through iterative Newton-Raphson method ✅ (Completed - see the issue here Add support for solving nonlinear equations via Newton-Raphson method #22)
• [Advanced] Utilize GPU acceleration for iterative solvers (begin with Jacobi solver) ✅ (Completed see the issue here Increasing the usage #10)
• [Advanced] Implement frontal method for linear systems (see here) ✅ (Completed - see the issue here Implement frontal method for solving linear system #23)

Visualization

• Extend plotSolution to visualize arbitrary geometries ✅ (Completed - see the issue here Extend plotSolution to visualize arbitrary geometries #41)
• [Advanced] Use vtk.js for visualizing the results and the computational mesh ❌ (Removed from 0.2.0 roadmap - core development is focused on solvers, meshing and numerical methods - see the issue here Use vtk.js for visualization #24)

Various

• Package FEAScript as an npm library ✅ (Completed – see the issue here Package FEAScript as an npm library #19)
• Automate running Node.js tests on every pull request ✅ (Completed - see the issue here Automate running Node.js tests on every pull request #32)

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Please feel free to

• Propose new features or optimizations
• Express interest in contributing to any of the above tasks
• Help define priorities for the 0.2.0 release

[ferrari212]

Hi @nikoscham,

I’ve been reviewing the FEAScript library and wanted to share my initial impressions:

New Feature Suggestion

• Have you considered adding unit tests? This would help ensure a more stable and maintainable development process as the library grows.

Improvement Suggestions

• The current implementation appears to focus on heat transfer applications. In the long term, it might be beneficial to generalize the structure of the code to support a wider range of FEM problems (eg: Structural calculations).
• As someone with a background in a different field, I found parts of the codebase challenging to follow. Providing example use cases or documentation would improve accessibility and also support the development of tests as suggested above.

Interest in Contributing

• I’m interested in contributing, particularly to more contained tasks such as implementing a 1D solver or improving mesh generation from geometry.
• If you have references in mind regarding the numerical methods intended for these tasks, I’d appreciate it if you could share them.

Thanks for the initiative.

[nikoscham]

Hi @ferrari212, thank you so much for your thoughtful suggestions!

The idea of introducing unit tests is an excellent one—I’ll create an issue for that shortly.

I'm also working toward generalizing the codebase and keeping it as DRY (Don’t Repeat Yourself) as possible. For the upcoming major release (0.2.0), the focus will be on implementing the 2D Navier-Stokes equations and the Eikonal equation, however, structural calculations are definitely on the roadmap for future releases. The goal is to have solvers that are complete applications for specific types of simulations (e.g., heatConductionScript for solid heat transfer). These solvers would call reusable components of the software, such as meshGenerationScript, basisFunctionsScript, numericalIntegrationScript, etc. Ideally, the integration between solvers and reusable components will become more robust and efficient as the project matures.

You're absolutely right about the need for better documentation. It's something I’ve noted, and I’ll do my best to get a proper documentation effort started soon. In the meantime, you might find this article I wrote on the FEAScript blog helpful:
Finite Element Method Notes

I’ve also sent you a collaboration invite. Once you accept, and if you agree, I’ll assign you to the following two tasks:

• Expand geometry handling in generateMeshFromGeometry() function
• Development of a new solver for 1D differential equations

I'll be supporting and guiding you through these tasks as needed (I’ll soon share more material in the respective issues)—don’t worry, you won’t be on your own. There’s no strict deadline for these tasks, so feel free to progress at your own pace. Your help is truly appreciated!

Thanks again for your interest and willingness to contribute!

[nikoscham]

Hey all!

As we approach the 0.2.0 milestone (with 75% of tasks completed), some incompatibilities with the previous versions may arise. For example the plotSolution function (as well as the newly introduced plotInterpolatedSolution; see the issue #41) now use the signature plotSolution(model, result, plotType, plotDivId) (or equivalently for plotInterpolatedSolution). A demonstration can be found in the new 2D heat conduction tutorial using a rhomboidal fin geometry and Gmsh mesh: https://feascript.com/tutorials/heat-conduction-2d-rhom-fin-gmsh.html.

If you have created examples using earlier versions of FEAScript, and prefer not to update your code, you can continue using the CDN for the previous stable release (0.1.3): import { FEAScriptModel, plotSolution } from "https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/FEAScript/FEAScript-core@release/0.1.3/dist/feascript.esm.js.

Note: The main branch always contains the latest development version (with ongoing work toward 0.2.0), so it may include additional unstable changes.

[nikoscham]

I am glad to announce that version 0.2.0 has been released 🎉
Thanks everyone (actually @ferrari212) for participating in the discussion!