Editor’s Pick: Automated surface mesh generation in leading CFD software

Pointwise introduces Version 18.4 of its computational fluid dynamics (CFD) preprocessing software with a new utility for automated surface meshing. This new feature is the first in a previously announced new automation suite called Flashpoint. 

The company notes that a suitable mesh is essential to the CFD process, but “a suitable mesh is just a stepping stone to a CFD flowfield solution,” notes John Chawner, Pointwise president. The value of this new automated procedure, Chawner says, comes from meshing often becoming a “speed bump” because of its tedious complexity. “The new Flashpoint surface meshing combines automation with the control for which the Pointwise solution is known.” 

The new Automated Surface Meshing feature takes as input a geometry model and a few user-defined goals for the mesh, and then automatically generates a geometry-resolving hybrid unstructured mesh, with anisotropy (the property of substances to exhibit “grain” along varying molecular axes).  

“Flashpoint is a game-changer for meshing,” notes Dr. Chris Sideroff, a noted CFD expert and principal director at Applied CCM. “Pointwise has managed to offer the automation of top-down meshing while maintaining its powerful suite of bottom-up capabilities. The best-in-class high quality meshing Pointwise has always been known for is now achievable in minutes.”

Pointwise Version 184 supports Windows, Linux and MacOS 64-bit systems. The product is available as an upgrade or new purchase directly.  

The Version 18.4 update to Pointwise is now available directly from Pointwise. 

For more detailed information, watch the webinar, “Introducing Flashpoint: Goal-Oriented and Intelligent Automatic Meshing.”  

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

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