# Simulation workflows

Use Adam to prepare, troubleshoot, or interpret an engineering analysis. Begin with the question the study should answer: displacement under a load, a pressure drop, a temperature, or a comparison between design revisions.

## Choose where the study runs

| Path | Use it when | Before running |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Adam task environment | You want an analysis from attached geometry or a generated model | Ask Adam to check the available solver and whether it supports the required physics |
| Connected native application | You need an existing native study or a specific commercial solver | Connect the licensed application on Windows and verify the intended model is accessible |
| Existing results | You want a study explained or compared | Supply the setup, solver output, logs, units, and revision; a rerun may be unnecessary |

Updated task environments include Gmsh, CalculiX, scikit-fem, and OpenFOAM. Availability and supported formulations must be checked in the actual task. See [native CAE setup](/integrations/native-cae) for commercial application connections, version constraints, and current qualification limits.

## Follow the study lifecycle

**Define the question**
Identify the geometry, physical conditions, quantity to measure, and acceptance limit if one exists.
**Prepare the model**
Preserve relevant geometry, assign material regions and boundaries, and choose a mesh suitable for the physics.
**Run and inspect**
Check the solver's completion state, diagnostics, and the achieved load or time. Inspect the requested response.
**Establish what the result supports**
Evaluate balance checks, refinement, assumptions, and comparisons before using the result for a design decision.

- [Prepare geometry](/cae/geometry-preparation): Simplify deliberately and preserve the physical regions.
- [Set up a study](/cae/study-setup): Translate requirements into materials, loads, and boundary conditions.
- [Create a mesh](/cae/meshing): Check quality, domain coverage, and boundary assignments.
- [Structural analysis](/cae/structural-analysis): Evaluate displacement, stress, and reactions.
- [Fluid analysis](/cae/fluid-analysis): Evaluate flow, pressure drop, and supported thermal cases.
- [Results and comparison](/cae/results): Read fields, compare revisions, and preserve reproducible evidence.

## Start with a study brief

```text
I need to determine [engineering quantity] for [design and revision] under [operating conditions]. Review the attached geometry and requirements. Identify the appropriate physics, required material and boundary data, and an available solver. List missing inputs and propose a setup and verification plan within [compute budget]. Label any illustrative assumptions.
```

A completed solve establishes that a numerical job finished. An engineering conclusion also depends on the physical model, numerical checks, and the requirement being evaluated. If a run fails or gives an implausible answer, start with [simulation troubleshooting](/cae/troubleshooting).