I created FDS Tutorial to help engineers, students, and fire safety professionals learn Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) through clear, practical examples.
Official documentation is essential, but for beginners it can be difficult to navigate, and for intermediate users it often lacks a structured path from theory to complete simulations.
This website was built to bridge that gap.
FDS Tutorial focuses on practical learning:
- setting up FDS simulations step by step
- understanding input parameters through real use cases
- avoiding common mistakes and modeling pitfalls
- building complete simulations rather than isolated examples
The goal is to provide a structured and accessible learning path without oversimplifying the underlying concepts.
About the author
I am a fire safety engineer with an academic background in Building Engineering and Building Systems Engineering, and professional experience in fire safety design and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling.
I am a registered engineer in Italy and have over six years of experience working with performance-based fire design, fire safety engineering, and FDS simulations applied to real projects.
The content of this website is based on:
- hands-on professional use of Fire Dynamics Simulator
- recurring issues encountered by engineers and students learning FDS
- practical workflows used in real fire modeling activities
This website is not intended to replace official documentation, but to make FDS more accessible, structured, and usable, especially for those approaching it for the first time.
What you will find on this website
On FDS Tutorial you will find:
- step-by-step tutorials for beginners
- complete FDS simulation examples
- a structured course covering FDS fundamentals
- resources to help you install, run, and visualize FDS simulations
All content is written with clarity and practical application in mind.
Scope and limitations
FDS Tutorial is an independent educational resource and is not affiliated with NIST.
While the tutorials aim to be accurate and practical, users are always encouraged to verify results, consult official FDS documentation, and follow applicable regulations and professional standards when applying FDS to real projects.
Contact
If you have questions about the content of this website or need help with FDS-related topics, you can get in touch by using the following form.