# General Workflow in Flow360 GUI

*This document outlines the systematic approach to setting up and running CFD simulations using the Flow360 graphical user interface.*

---
## Workbench view

![workbench](./Figures/workbench.png)

For the regions of the workbench, see [Workbench Layout](./03.workbench-layout/README.md).

---

## Primary Workflow Steps

| *Step* | *Description* | *Location* |
|--------|---------------|------------|
| **Setup** | Configure simulation parameters | Simulation tab |
| **Verify** | Verify setup using inspector | Bottom status bar |
| **Run** | Initiate simulation run | Top-right corner |
| **Monitor** | Track simulation progress | Analysis tab |
| **Visualize** | View results | Central viewer region |

```{seealso}
For the workflow and interface overview, see the {doc}`User Guide: Workflows & Interfaces </user_guide/WorkflowsInterfaces/WorkflowsInterfaces>`.

Related GUI-guide steps:

- Meshing: {doc}`Mesh </gui_guide/02.simulation-setup/02.mesh/README>`
- Output configuration: {doc}`Output </gui_guide/02.simulation-setup/04.output/README>`
- Visualization: {doc}`Visualization </gui_guide/03.analysis/04.visualization>`
- Convergence monitoring: {doc}`Convergence </gui_guide/03.analysis/02.convergence>`
```

---

## Detailed Descriptions

### Setup

*Configure simulation parameters in a top-to-bottom sequence through the left sidebar.*

1. **Create or open a project.** Create a project from a geometry, a surface mesh or a volume mesh, as described in [Starting a Project](./02.starting-project.md), or open an existing project from the [Dashboard](./01.dashboard.md).
2. **[Flow conditions](../02.simulation-setup/01.flow-conditions/README.md):** set the operating condition of the gas or liquid.
3. **[Mesh](../02.simulation-setup/02.mesh/README.md):** set the farfield, the meshing defaults, rotation zones, custom zones and refinements. Projects created from geometry or from a surface mesh need this step. A project created from a volume mesh needs no additional meshing.
4. **[Flow solver](../02.simulation-setup/03.flow-solver/README.md):**
   - [Boundary conditions](../02.simulation-setup/03.flow-solver/01.boundary-conditions/README.md): for each boundary condition (for example **Wall** or **Freestream**), select its faces in **Assigned surfaces**.
   - [Time](../02.simulation-setup/03.flow-solver/02.time.md): choose steady or unsteady time stepping.
   - [Physics](../02.simulation-setup/03.flow-solver/03.physics/README.md): set the fluid model and any solid, rotation, BET disk, actuator disk or porous medium models.
   - [User-defined dynamics](../02.simulation-setup/03.flow-solver/04.user-defined-dynamics.md), if needed.
5. **[Output](../02.simulation-setup/04.output/README.md):** set the [Reference dimensions](../02.simulation-setup/04.output/reference-dimensions.md) and add entries to the [Outputs list](../02.simulation-setup/04.output/02.outputs-list/README.md).

For detailed documentation of each setup panel, see the [Simulation Setup](../02.simulation-setup/README.md) guide.

### Verify

*Verify simulation setup completeness using the inspector tool.*

- **Location:** Bottom status bar
- **Success Indicator:** Inspector showing 0 errors

### Run

*Initiate the simulation process including surface and volume meshing.*

- **Location:** Top-right corner "Run" button
- **Scope:** Complete workflow from geometry to solution

#### Run Preview Dialog

When you click **Run**, a **Preview** dialog appears before the simulation is submitted. This dialog lets you review the simulation configuration and choose how to pay for the compute resources.

<div align="center">

![Run Submission Dialog – Run with Options](./Figures/account-settings-run-dialog.png)

</div>

The **Run with** section offers two compute options:

| *Option* | *Description* |
|----------|---------------|
| **FlexCredits** | Pay-as-you-go using your FlexCredit balance. The run is dispatched immediately to the standard queue. |
| **Virtual GPU** | Use your reserved vGPU daily allocation. Shows availability status (**Available** / **Unavailable**) and the remaining GPU-hours for today (e.g., *Remaining: 96.00 / 96 GPU-hours today*). |

When **Virtual GPU** is selected, a **Priority** field (1–10) appears. Higher priority jobs are scheduled before lower-priority ones when vGPU slots are limited.

```{note}
The Virtual GPU option is only available if your account includes a vGPU license. If no vGPU allocation is active, only the FlexCredits option is shown.
```

For full details on managing your vGPU queue, daily allocation, and job priorities, see the [Virtual GPU Scheduler](../06.account-settings/02.virtual-gpu-scheduler.md) page.

### Monitor

*Track simulation progress and analyze numerical results.*

- **Access:** "Analysis" tab adjacent to "Simulation"
- **Features:** Real-time convergence monitoring

For detailed documentation of the analysis tools, see the [Analysis](../03.analysis/README.md) guide, including [Convergence](../03.analysis/02.convergence.md) plots and [Monitor](../03.analysis/03.monitor.md) outputs.

### Visualize

*Inspect mesh and results using the central viewer.*

- **Controls:** Viewer bar for mode selection
- **Options:** Geometry, mesh, and solution visualization

For detailed documentation of visualization options, see the [Visualization](../03.analysis/04.visualization.md) page.