COMSOL Multiphysics 4.3a Released

By DE Editors

COMSOL introduced Version 4.3a of COMSOL Multiphysics, its flagship software for modeling and simulating physics-based systems. With version 4.3a, the company has introduced LiveLink for Excel to connect multiphysics results with spreadsheets. According to the company,  version 4.3a also further extends the ability of engineers, scientists,  and researchers to leverage multiphysics with new support for cluster computing on the Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2).

New modules for analyzing fatigue and for importing ECAD files make their debut in the new release, as does the new LiveLink for Solid Edge. Additionally, every one of the more than 30 application-specific COMSOL add-on modules for mechanical, electrical, fluid, and chemical modeling and simulation include new upgrades.

Version 4.3a’s new LiveLink product for Microsoft Excel enables users to run COMSOL Multiphysics directly within Excel.

“LiveLink for Excel is a game changer that brings multiphysics to engineers and scientists everywhere,” said Lars Gregersen, technical product manager at COMSOL. “With LiveLink for Excel as well as the new tools and extension modules in Version 4.3a, not only have we expanded the COMSOL simulation platform, we have further strengthened the role of multiphysics simulation in the product design tool chain.”

LiveLink for Excel works by adding a COMSOL tab to the new ribbon toolbar in Excel. From this tab users can control a COMSOL model. Parameters and variables used in the COMSOL Multiphysics model are available for editing in Excel instantly, and any edits to those parameters and variables in Excel can then be synchronized with the COMSOL model.

LiveLink for Excel also allows users to save and load Excel spreadsheet files of experimental, validation, calibration, and other data related to a simulation from within COMSOL. Additionally, in a separate window,  LiveLink for Excel presents simulation results through interactive 3D plots. Users can then insert these plots into an Excel worksheet with just a single mouse-click.

Amazon EC2 delivers a scalable, pay-per-use compute capacity that can save users the expenses associated with purchasing and maintaining high-end workstations or in-house cluster networks. Users with a floating network license simply upload their COMSOL executable and their model to Amazon EC2.

The recently introduced Cluster Sweep feature is engineered for compute-intensive jobs such as parametric studies and frequency sweeps. Cluster Sweep can shorten the time to solution by enabling users to deploy in parallel as many CPUs as needed to solve their problem. Leveraging Cluster Sweep on a compute cluster such as Amazon EC2 lets users run multiple parallel processes with each individual process dedicated to a single parameter set of the same problem.

The new Fatigue Module leverages the strength of the Structural Mechanics Module to help users determine how many load-cycles a structure can withstand. The module provides both high-cycle and low-cycle” stress and strain, respectively” fatigue analysis methods. When also combined with the Nonlinear Structural Materials Module,  users can perform full elastoplastic fatigue evaluations.

For more information, visit COMSOL.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.