At Basma Tech, we do believe that design based on simulation can accelerate the arrival to better business decision and separate your venture from competitive peers. Specially, the emerging markets of new technologies such as drones, sensors and robots necessitate the reliance on cutting edge simulation tools as precision manufacturing is aptly expensive.

For years, insight based on high fidelity models required expensive software, dedicated hardware, and large R&D budgets. But today, things are different. With cloud computing, open-source simulation tools, and the right workflow. In this blog we intend to provide a case study proving even a small engineering team can harness the power of high-fidelity analysis and accelerate design decisions, cut costs, and outpace competitors.

In this blog story we elaborate about the journey of achieving reasonably priced simulations and establishing a robust workflow for CFD application from spinning up a virtual machine to running a full propeller simulation with moving meshes and processing of large amount of results data remotely. Our challenge stemmed from the need to spin simulations for underwater camera system propelled inside a small, and maybe yellow, submarine.

Pillars to Effective Simulation Setup

1.Remote Virtual Machines. We chose to spin virtual machines on the cloud, they are immediately available, you may stop them at anytime, discard them. When you pause this machines you are still charged for the storage.

We chose to go with Google Cloud VM with 8 vCPUs and optimized memory, giving us plenty of compute power for CFD simulations while keeping costs under control. By stopping the VM when not in use and using instances for short runs, we reduced costs even further. In addition, you can make copies (images) of these machines after setting them up with the right software.

2.Open Source ToolKit. Next came the software stack for propeller iterative design. We chose a 100% open-source pipeline:

• OpenFOAM — industry-standard CFD solver for incompressible and compressible flows.
• ParaView — a powerful visualization tool for analyzing and communicating results.
• OpenVSP — a parametric geometry tool we used to generate our propeller model.

3.Taking It for a Spin: Our First Propeller Simulation. We decided to put the workflow to the test with a realistic, high-impact case: simulating the aerodynamic behavior of a drone propeller. For a quick start, OpenFoam has a tutorial that you can run quickly with minimum setup.

When you get to detailed modifications or specified cusumization, you can opt to go for OpenVSP, where you can model a propeller blade and hub. Then the geometry can be exported as STL and imported it into OpenFOAM, where you can build a computational mesh using blockMesh and snappyHexMesh.

4. Scaling with Parallel Solvers. One of the advantages of running CFD in the cloud is that we can scale horizontally. Using MPI parallelization, we split the mesh into subdomains and ran the solver on all 8 vCPUs simultaneously. This cut simulation time dramatically — turning multi-day runs into overnight jobs.

With parallel processing in place, we could also run multiple design variations side by side, exploring how changes in pitch, chord length, or tip shape affect thrust and efficiency. That kind of rapid iteration is nearly impossible with physical prototypes alone.

5. Remote Postprocessing. Once the solver finished, it was time to make sense of the results. We used ParaView, running in client-server mode, to visualize the flow field remotely — avoiding large data transfers to our local machines.

From there, we scripted the post-processing to generate velocity and pressure contour plots, vorticity visualizations, and even MPEG animations of the rotating propeller wake. These visualizations are more than just pretty pictures — they’re powerful tools for communication. They help engineers and stakeholders see the consequences of design choices and guide decisions grounded in physics, not guesswork.

6.Open Source ToolKit. What started as a technical experiment quickly became something more: a strategic capability. By establishing a cloud-based simulation workflow, we now have an agile virtual testbed that can evaluate new ideas before a single part is built. This enables:

• Rapid Prototyping — Explore dozens of design options overnight.
• Early Decision Confidence — Validate engineering choices before committing to manufacturing.
• Reduced Risk & Cost — Catch performance issues before they become expensive problems.
• Competitive Advantage — Deliver better products faster than teams relying solely on physical testing.

7. Final Thoughts — Simulation as a Core Business Too. At Basma Tech, we believe that simulation is no longer just a tool for analysts — it’s a strategic enabler for businesses. With cloud infrastructure and open-source software, it’s now within reach of any engineering team willing to invest in the workflow.

T he lesson from our journey is simple: once the pipeline is built, every future project gets easier. Every new idea can be explored faster. And every design decision becomes more informed

In a competitive landscape where speed and insight are everything, that’s not just engineering — it’s strategy