Frequently asked questions
You pay for the actual computing time, after the job finishes. You see the forecast time and cost before the start.
This translation is provided for convenience. The Polish version is the legally binding one.
How the price is calculated
Every job runs on its own server. You pay for its actual running time, to the second, at an hourly rate that depends on the server and the size of the model. There is no subscription, minimum or start-up fee. After you upload a .fds file, the portal shows the forecast time, forecast cost and hourly rate for every server — before anything starts. Student account: 50% off. If the calculation takes longer than forecast, the cost grows proportionally; the portal tells you during the run and never stops a calculation because of cost. FDS error within the first 2 minutes: the job is free.
Questions
When do I pay?
After the calculation finishes. Before your first job you provide your billing details. After every job you receive an invoice by e-mail; companies can pay by bank transfer within 14 days or online (card, BLIK, Przelewy24). You can download the results right away, without waiting for payment.
What if FDS crashes?
The first two minutes of every job are a test run. If FDS stops with an error during that time, the job ends without charge and you see the error message and a hint on what to fix.
How long do you keep the results?
30 days after the calculation finishes. After that the files are permanently deleted. The .fds input file and the charts remain in the job history.
How many processes should I choose?
FDS computes one mesh per MPI process. The computing time is set by the most heavily loaded mesh, so more cores do not always speed things up. For your file the portal shows the variants from cheapest to fastest and indicates which one makes sense.
Can I stop a calculation?
Yes, at any time. FDS saves the state up to that moment, the results are available for download, and you pay only for the time used. An interrupted job with restart files can be resumed from the last save.
Where are my models computed?
On servers in the European Union. Every job has its own single-use server, which is deleted after completion. Only you have access to the job files.
How do I pay?
A company with a verified tax id (NIP or EU VAT number) pays after the job: an invoice per job or a monthly consolidated invoice, by bank transfer within 14 days or online. Anyone can also save and verify a card (0 zł authorisation) — then they pay after the job and invoices are charged to the card automatically. Without a verified tax id or a card, the account computes from a prepaid balance: top up any amount from 20 zł (card, BLIK, Przelewy24 or bank transfer), receive a prepayment invoice, and each job is deducted from the balance when it finishes, by actual server time. Unused balance never expires; refund on request.
Is there a minimum order amount?
No — you pay for the actual server time from the first second. The only threshold comes from the payment operator: a card, BLIK or Przelewy24 payment cannot be below 2 zł (0.50 € in euro), so an invoice for less is rounded up to 2 zł when paid online. A bank transfer pays the exact amount; with monthly consolidated invoices the question does not arise.
Which file do I upload?
A file in .fds format — exported from any model-building program or written by hand. The portal does not change your file; for the run it makes a copy in which it assigns meshes to MPI processes and, for longer runs, adds restart dumps.
Why does the final price differ from the forecast?
The forecast is based on the cell count, simulated time and expected flow velocities. In calibration tests the step count was within ±20%, and load on shared servers adds up to ±30%. During the run the portal shows a live forecast and e-mails you if it clearly exceeds the one made before the start. You pay for the actual time.
How large can a model be?
Before the start the portal computes the RAM needed and will not let you pick a server the model does not fit on. The largest server has 48 cores and 192 GB RAM, enough for about 130 million cells. Models of tens of millions of cells run on dedicated servers.
Can I run several variants at once?
Yes, without a limit. Each job runs on its own server. Upload variants together as a project, or create a variant from an existing job (e.g. a different fire size) and start the whole series with one click.
Which FDS version do you run?
Selectable when uploading the file: 6.11.1, 6.11.0, 6.10.1, 6.10.0, 6.9.1, 6.9.0, 6.8.0, 6.7.9, 6.7.7, 6.7.5 — the official NIST packages with Intel MPI. The latest one by default. Need a different version? Write to us and we will add it.