Chapter 4: Using the Ansys CFX Launcher

CFX can be run in two modes:

  • CFX stand-alone, which refers to CFX running as a stand-alone application independent of the Ansys Workbench software

  • CFX in Workbench, which refers to CFX running as a component inside of the Ansys Workbench software. This is described in Ansys CFX in Ansys Workbench.


Note:  For CFX, TurboGrid and CFD-Post applications, the graphics viewer, which is based on OpenGL 4.5, will work with Microsoft Windows Remote Desktop Connection only if you are using Nvidia Quadro graphics cards with appropriate drivers for Windows 10. If you see an empty (black) viewer, try setting the environment variable CFX_QT_OPENGL=desktop on the remote machine, in the local environment of the intended application (for example, in a shell or script that launches the application), before starting the application. Consider adding this environment variable to the cfx5rc.txt user’s configuration file. To work around this issue you may launch the CFX application prior to making the remote connection, or use one of the other Ansys-supported remote display methods.


Ansys CFX stand-alone has the launcher, which makes it easy to run all the modules of CFX without having to use a command line. The launcher enables you to:

  • Set the working directory for your simulation.

  • Start CFX and Ansys products.

  • Access various other tools, including a command window that enables you to run other utilities.

  • Access the online help and other useful information.

  • Customize the behavior of the launcher to start your own applications.

The launcher automatically searches for installations of CFX and Ansys products including the license manager. Depending on the application, the search includes common installation directories, directories pointed to by environment variables associated with CFX and Ansys products, and the Windows registry. In the unlikely event that a product is not found, you can configure the launcher using steps outlined in Customizing the Ansys CFX Launcher in the CFX Reference Guide.

This chapter discusses Starting the Ansys CFX Launcher. For more information about the launcher, see Ansys CFX Launcher in the CFX Reference Guide.