Finite Element Limit Analysis
The collapse load,
bracketed in 3D.
OPTUM G3 is geotechnical software for 3D stability and deformation analysis. Finite-element limit analysis brackets the true collapse load — pile groups, 3D slopes, tunnels, offshore foundations — with its accuracy built in.
Official OptumCE imagery — a bearing-capacity limit analysis in OPTUM G3.
What is OPTUM G3?
OPTUM G3 is 3D geotechnical finite element and limit analysis software from Optum CE of Denmark, the 3D companion to OPTUM G2.
- Method
- Finite Element Limit Analysis — rigorous upper + lower bounds
- Geometry
- Full 3D solid models — built-in 3D tools, IGES/STEP import
- Analyses
- Limit analysis, SR-FELA, elastoplastic, seepage, consolidation
- Code checks
- Eurocode 7 DA1/1 & DA1/2, plus 4 user-definable sets
It extends Finite Element Limit Analysis (FELA) into three dimensions, computing collapse loads, bearing capacities and factors of safety with rigorous upper- and lower-bound solutions — for pile groups, 3D slope stability, tunnels and offshore foundations. RAM CADDSYS distributes, trains and supports it in India.
Content verified against OptumCE's official material — Last updated 18 July 2026
Rigorous upper + lower bounds
the exact answer provably between them
Bearing capacity in seconds
the MIXED element, on full 3D models
3D models with 2D ease
built-in 3D tools + IGES/STEP import
Eurocode 7 built in
DA1/1, DA1/2 + four user sets
Finite Element Limit Analysis
Why does 2D geotechnical analysis fall short for some projects?
Because collapse mechanisms, loading, and stratigraphy in many real projects are inherently three-dimensional, and forcing them into a 2D plane-strain or axisymmetric idealization can misstate the true bearing capacity, factor of safety, or deformation.
Retaining walls with plan-irregular corners, pile groups where pile-soil-pile interaction governs, monopiles under lateral and axial loading, and slopes with limited lateral extent all have failure mechanisms that a 2D cross-section cannot represent. Analyzing them in plane strain either ignores the three-dimensional mechanism entirely or omits the pile-soil-pile interaction and group effects that only a full 3D model can capture.
OPTUM G3 addresses this by running the same rigorous Finite Element Limit Analysis (FELA) methodology used in OPTUM G2, but on a full 3D solid model. Every bearing capacity, collapse load, or strength-reduction factor of safety it reports comes with a mathematically guaranteed upper and lower bound, so engineers get both a 3D-accurate result and a built-in check on solution quality — rather than a single unverified number from conventional 3D FEA.
Upper bound
from an admissible failure mechanism
Exact solution
provably inside the bracket
Lower bound
from an admissible stress field
One 3D model. Six kinds of answer.
Engineers build or import 3D geometry, assign soil and structural elements, and OPTUM G3 automatically meshes the model with adaptive refinement before solving with FELA, elastoplastic, or consolidation analysis as the problem requires.
Finite Element Limit Analysis (FELA)
Computes collapse loads and bearing capacities directly, with rigorous upper- and lower-bound solutions that mathematically bracket the true answer. This gives an inherent verification of solution accuracy rather than a single unverified number.
In the software
Bearing capacity in 3D — in seconds.
For most teams 3D FE analysis is the last resort — slow to set up, long CPU times. OPTUM G3's MIXED element computes bearing capacity in seconds; upper- and lower-bound runs then bracket the answer.
OPTUM G2 vs OPTUM G3
Both share the same Optum FE engine and FELA methodology — the difference is dimensionality, and many projects start in G2 before verifying critical 3D effects in G3.
| Criterion |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensionality | OPTUM G22D — plane-strain or axisymmetric | OPTUM G3Full 3D solid modeling |
| Analysis types | Limit analysis (FELA) and SR-FELA — same methodology and Optum FE engine shared with G3 | Better in this row: FELA, SR-FELA, elastoplastic deformation and consolidation, on a full 3D solid model |
| Code support | Better in this row: Automatic Eurocode 7 partial-factor Design Approaches (DA1/1, DA1/2, User 1-4) | Rigorous analysis outputs — capacities, factors of safety, displacements — with code verification applied by the engineer |
| Typical use | Everyday 2D plane-strain or axisymmetric verification, scoped before checking critical effects in 3D | 3D effects 2D cannot capture: pile groups, monopiles, plan-irregular excavations, offshore foundations |
Many practices scope a project in OPTUM G2 and verify the governing 3D effects — corner conditions, pile-group interaction, asymmetric loading — in OPTUM G3. Both are part of the Optum CE geotechnical family, now offered together within OPTUM GX.
Designed for Eurocode 7 verification.
EN 1997 DA1/1EN 1997 DA1/2User set 1User set 2User set 3User set 4Built-in partial-factor Design Approaches feed limit-analysis results straight into national-annex ULS checks — with four user-definable sets for jurisdictions beyond the defaults.
Working to a national annex?
Send us the factors. We confirm the set-up.
Chennai, IN
Mon–Sat, 9–6 IST
Singapore, SG
Mon–Fri, 9–6 SGT
Dubai, AE
Mon–Fri, 9–6 GST
Looking for OPTUM G3 Training?
Talk to our team about OPTUM G3 training and onboarding, or browse the live and self-paced courses on RAM CADDSYS Campus.
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Most teams run OPTUM G3 alongside one of these — same engineering rigour, same support desk, one partner.
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PLAXIS
FE deformation analysis alongside your 3D limit analysis — displacements, consolidation, groundwater.
OPTUM G2
The 2D counterpart — faster upper/lower-bound analysis for plane problems.
GEO5
Routine geotechnical design by conventional methods — the everyday companion to rigorous analysis.
ALIZE LCPC
When the project reaches the pavement — mechanistic-empirical design per the French LCPC method.