Altair Buys SIMSOLID

Altair has acquired SIMSOLID, a company reportedly founded by asking a question:  “Why does the geometry used in the Design and Structural Simulation worlds have to be so different?”

SIMSOLID works on full-fidelity CAD assemblies to provide fast, accurate and robust structural simulation without requiring geometry simplification, cleanup or meshing, Altair reports.  SIMSOLID's underlying technology is based largely on the work of Victor Apanovitch, a former professor at Belarus Polytechnic University and the cofounder of SIMSOLID Corporation.

“We believe SIMSOLID is a revolutionary technological breakthrough which will have a profound impact for product design,” says James Scapa, Altair’s founder, chairman and CEO. 

Meshless Simulation

SIMSOLID promotes what it describes as “meshless simulation”—a process that lets you simulate without additional clean up of the CAD model or meshing it. Bypassing these two time-consuming steps can lead to significant speed increase in simulation. Furthermore, the method encourages reuse of the unmodified manufacturing model for simulation, which more accurately represents the product as-built.

SIMSOLID's computational engine is a commercial implementation of novel and unpublished mathematics based on extensions to the theory of external approximations. SIMSOLID controls solution accuracy using multi-pass adaptive analysis, making it extremely fast and memory efficient.  Large and complex assemblies can be solved rapidly even on laptop computers.

“We are very serious about solution accuracy,” says Uwe Schramm, Altair’s chief technical officer. “Others have tried to accelerate the interface between CAD and simulation by degrading the mathematical robustness. It is our feeling that by rapidly moving forward with the methods in SIMSOLID and expanding them across applications we can have a real effect on how design gets done while maintaining our high standards for computational excellence.”

Both Altair and SIMSOLID share the goal to broaden the use of simulation among design engineers. Altair promotes it with its easy-to-use topology optimization software Altair Inspire. SIMSOLID's approach is to use its small footprint program, simplified UI, and meshless workflow to appeal to non-experts.

Post-Acquisition Plans for SIMSOLID

Altair press office says, “SIMSOLID employees have joined Altair, including its cofounders Ken Welch, CEO; and Dr. Victor Apanovitch, President and CTO. SIMSOLID management will have strategic business and software development roles at Altair.”

The company also reveals, “The combined software development teams will be working closely on technology integration roadmaps and the advancement of SIMSOLID technology.” Welch assures that SIMSOLID brand will remain.

Altair transforms design and decision making by applying simulation, machine learning and optimization throughout product lifecycles, the company reports. Its portfolio of simulation technology and units-based software licensing model enable simulation-driven innovation for customers. With more than 2,000 employees, Altair is headquartered in Troy, MI, and operates 71 offices throughout 24 countries. Altair serves more than 5,000 customers across broad industry segments.