flow57.57

flow5 computes potential-flow solutions for preliminary aerodynamic and hydrofoil design, letting users assess concepts before committing to more detailed analysis. Its built-in preprocessing and post-processing cover the preparation of models and the examination of calculated results within the same workflow. The program is intended to make early designs of wings, aircraft, hydrofoils, and sails faster and more dependable.

It is version 7 of the legacy xflr5 project, bringing that project’s potential-flow approach to a newer generation of design work. Designers and engineers can use it to compare early concepts and investigate aerodynamic or hydrofoil behavior during development. The macOS release supports both Intel and Apple Silicon processors, and version 7.57 is freeware in the Developer Tools category under the GNU General Public License version 3.

flow5 incorporates XFoil for interactive subsonic isolated-airfoil design and analysis, Gmsh for three-dimensional finite-element meshing with pre- and post-processing, OpenCascade for 3D geometry, Intel MKL, and the Qt desktop application framework. Its online documentation is still under construction, while project files accompany the documentation and video tutorials. The flow5 practices video series presents recommended usage practices, and Stefan’s flow5 tutorial is also under construction.

Questions are directed to the discussion area of the project’s GitHub page, while issues, bug reports, and feature requests belong there as well. Version 7.57 is dated June 15, 2026, and flow5 is a registered trademark in France held by Vic-Aéro.