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Run a Single Simulation
First, we will run a single OpenFOAM simulation using the motorBike
case. This should be straightforward as all the necessary input files are
already prepared, as described in the previous section.
Code Overview
The Python code required to run a OpenFOAM simulation using the Inductiva API follows a consistent structure. We adapted it for this specific use case, as shown below.
import inductiva
# Allocate cloud machine on Google Cloud Platform
cloud_machine = inductiva.resources.MachineGroup( \
provider="GCP",
machine_type="c2d-highcpu-4",
# 1 thread per physical core
threads_per_core=1,
spot=True)
# Initialize OpenFOAM stack
openfoam = inductiva.simulators.OpenFOAM( \
version="8",
distribution="foundation")
task = openfoam.run( \
input_dir="openfoam-input-example/",
shell_script="./Allrun",
on=cloud_machine)
# Wait for the simulation to finish and download the results
task.wait()
cloud_machine.terminate()
task.download_outputs()
task.print_summary()
Note: OpenFOAM-Foundation v8 limits the simulation to use only physical cores, this is why we use
threads_per_core=1. Learn more about this here.
When the simulation is complete, we terminate the machine, download the results and print a summary of the simulation as shown as follows.
Task status: Success
Timeline:
Waiting for Input at 03/06, 10:31:51 1.346 s
In Queue at 03/06, 10:31:52 41.149 s
Preparing to Compute at 03/06, 10:32:34 4.007 s
In Progress at 03/06, 10:32:38 156.559 s
└> 156.233 s bash ./Allrun
Finalizing at 03/06, 10:35:14 1.23 s
Success at 03/06, 10:35:15
Data:
Size of zipped output: 115.53 MB
Size of unzipped output: 184.12 MB
Number of output files: 110
Total estimated cost (US$): 0.0180 US$
Estimated computation cost (US$): 0.0080 US$
Task orchestration fee (US$): 0.010 US$
Note: A per-run orchestration fee (0.010 US$) applies to tasks run from 01 Dec 2025, in addition to the computation costs.
Learn more about costs at: https://inductiva.ai/guides/basics/how-much-does-it-cost
You can also visit the Inductiva Web Console to view task details, navigate the task the filesystem, and monitor logs in real time.
In the next part of this tutorial, we'll take things to the next level by running dozens of OpenFOAM simulations in parallel on Inductiva, demonstrating the true power of cloud-based scalability. Stay tuned!