Neoterics: New Products & Esoterica, 4 in a Series

By DE Editors

Multi-CAE Environment Fosters Knowledge Re-Use

MSC.Software says that its SimXpert tool can accelerate the speed andaccuracy of multidisciplinary simulation, automate simulation processesand tasks, capture knowledge, and improve your overall analysis processand, by extension, your entire operation’s innovation abilities andbusiness productivity.
Designed for the expert engineering analyst, SimXpert enables companiesto build, share, and execute best practices for simulationstandardization throughout the enterprise. A key functionality ofSimXpert is that it enables your top analysts to capture theirsimulation process knowledge. This knowledge can then be wrapped intotemplates where it can be re-used by less-expert analysts or engineersrepeatedly. SimXpert enables your top analysts with multi-disciplinarysimulation capabilities including structures, motion, thermal, andcrash analysis. All of which can also be captured and formed intotemplates for knowledge reuse by less-expert engineering staffs.

SimXpert’s Template Studio is what enables expert analysts to authorsimulation best practices and standards as well as capture simulationknowledge and perform quick task automation. Once created, SimTemplatescan be managed by MSC’s SimManager as well as shared with a variety ofusers, such as design engineers, via MSC’s SimDesigner, the company’sCAD-embedded simulation suite that enables design engineers andengineering teams to execute simulation studies earlier in the designprocess.

SimXpert is a component of MSC’s recently announced SimEnterpriseproduct suite. SimEnterprise, which enables open connectivity betweendesigners, analysts, and other simulation stakeholders forcollaborative simulation, creates an integrated solver and pre- andpostprocessing environment, including a common data model and nativeCAD interoperability.

For more information, click here.

MSC.Software
Santa Ana, CA

ICEM Surf 4.6 Released

Surface design suite aimed at automotive and aerospace manufacturer needs.

The latest version of the surface design and modeling software suite,ICEM Surf, will be available next month from ICEM. ICEM Surf 4.6 hasenhanced photorealistic real-time design visualization capabilities,enhancements to the user interface, and additional functionality in thesurface design and modeling environment.

ICEM Surf 4.6 introduces G3 surface matching to achieve higher levelsof smoothness and surface matching. It also has a new ‘digital taping’capability, which provides a virtual version of the traditional manualprocess, enabling stylists and design managers to mark up designs inreal time on the desktop in either full photorealistic visualization orwire-frame model mode.
 
New live design review capabilities in the Reference Managerenvironment allow review session participants to switch between designvariants and combinations of variants, while enhancements to thehighlights analysis environment enable ‘real-world’ and visualsimulation analysis processes to be combined. In addition, a newprojection tool enables users to switch between static and dynamichighlights as they navigate around the virtual model.

For photorealistic design visualization, there are new HDRI (highdynamic range imaging) lighting capabilities available with ICEM Surf4.6. Together with new real-time bump mapping facilities and sphericaland 360 degree environments, the software can deliver an increasedlevel of realism to photorealistic images and renderings of digitalmodels.
 
As a result of increased demand for ICEM software in the Japaneseautomotive industry, ICEM Surf 4.6 also introduces the option of aKanji user interface.
 
ICEM Surf 4.6 is scheduled to begin shipping to customers in November 2006. For more information, click here.

ICEM
Southampton, UK

One Stop Access to Translators and Viewers for Most CAD Formats

CCE releases EnSuite for multi-CAD, multi-vendor engineering environment.

CCE, a provider of CAD/CAM engineering services and data translationproducts, recently released a new product called EnSuite. EnSuitecombines CCE’s most commonly used visualization and translation toolsin one application.

EnSuite provides a single interface with Internet-based access to arepository of CAD translators and viewers for almost all CAD formats.Formats supported include CATIA V4, CATIA V5, Unigraphics,Pro/Engineer, SolidWorks, Parasolid, IGES, and STEP.

Most of CCE’s standalone translation products will be included inEnSuite. For translations that cannot be automated, EnSuite includes aconnection to CCE’s engineering services department that can convertdata formats including 2D, 3D, and parametric history and features.

EnSuite has Web-centric licensing and automatic software updates. Thereis a Job Templating concept for automation of OEM conformance delivery.

For more information, click here.

CCE
Farmington Hills, MI

ANSYS Supports Windows Compute Cluster

ANSYS, Inc. has announced that the upcoming releases of its ANSYS 11.0and FLUENT 6.3 multiphysics simulation solutions will include 64-bitsupport for Microsoft Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003. ANSYS saysthat by enabling HPC (high-performance computing) on the MicrosoftWindows platform, users will be able to deploy CAE at a higher levelthan before. This, in turn, will decrease the time required forsimulations and increasing the accuracy of results.
According to the company, ANSYS 11.0 and FLUENT 6.3 take advantage ofthe Microsoft MPI (message passing interface) software layer in WindowsCompute Cluster Server 2003 for data communication between processorson the cluster. The new releases will also use the Microsoft JobScheduler in Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003 for launching andcontrolling jobs on the cluster.

ANSYS reports that to validate its commercial robustness of theupcoming releases, it recently solved a 100 million-degree-of-freedomstructural analysis problem using Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003on an HP ProLiant cluster. No time metrics were provided. Figure 1(right) is an example of the type of the complexity that can beundertaken on a 64-bit platform.

“Before 64-bit-enabled Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003, (users) would need a shared memory machine or Linux cluster to solve 100million-degree-of-freedom models and beyond.  It’s very excitingto deliver this type of performance with Microsoft Job Schedulerintegrated with ANSYS Workbench to our (users),” said Mike Wheeler,vice president and general manager at ANSYS, in a press statement. Fordetails, go to ANSYS.

ANSYS, Inc.
Canonsburg, PA

Microsoft
Redmond, WA

Vector Fields Introduces ConcertoES

RF and Microwave design engineers will now pay less for 3D FDTD analysis.

Vector Fields Inc., a provider of electromagnetic engineering software,has introduced a new variant of Concerto, its advanced RF and microwavedesign software. ConcertoES offers 3d Finite Difference Time Domain(FDTD) analysis at a fraction of the cost of the full version, but withno compromise to performance or accuracy.

The new variant is being introduced with the release of Concertoversion 6. It comprises Concerto’s advanced 3D geometric modeler andFDTD solver, says the company, and is a fully capable electromagneticdesign suite with a maximum model size said to be sufficient for manyapplications in RF and microwave design. ConcertoES is the idealpackage where cost of ownership is particularly important.

ConcertoES offers exceptional value for money and can be upgradedeasily to the full-scale version of the design suite. Both versions usethe same geometric modeler and model formats remain the same, making iteasy to reuse models across the range.

Vector Fields Managing Director Kevin Ward explains why the new variantof Concerto has been introduced: “Reducing the cost of FDTD modeling isa significant step to take. While the full-scale version iscompetitively priced, we were aware that not everyone can afford, orneeds, all of the advanced capabilities that it provides. That is whywe decided to introduce ConcertoES, allowing engineers to pay less fortop design performance.”

In addition to the launch of ConcertoES, the new version 6 of Concertoheralds a host of new features and enhancements to Concerto. Alreadyleading the field in speed, accuracy, ease of use, and generalcapability, Concerto now has a much-improved modeler with history andparameterization tools, an enhanced MoM solver with special featuresfor predicting installed antenna performance, improved optimizationtechnology, an auto mesh refinement tool, and a link to AWR MicrowaveOffice. Users can also opt for a Linux 64-bit version, and a new finiteelement solver for eigen value analysis.

For further information, click here.

Vector Fields Inc.
Aurora, IL

Harpoon Converts Surface Mesh to Volume

CEI uses matched-meshing, proprietary algorithms.

CEI announced a new feature in its Harpoon extreme mesher that it saysenables a surface mesh to be converted easily and quickly into a volumemesh. Harpoon, developed by Sharc Ltd., uses proprietary algorithms togenerate high-quality, body-fitted hex meshes for FEA and CFDapplications.

“The new matched-meshing feature is perfect for those who want toretain their investment in surface meshes while taking advantage of thespeed and quality of hex meshing within Harpoon,” says Kent Misegades,CEI’s president.

Matched meshing in Harpoon uses a Delaunay meshing algorithm to matchthe triangular surface mesh with the hex mesh. It is controlled on aper-part basis, giving users the flexibility to designate some parts ofthe mesh as tetrahedra and others as cubes. Features such aszero-thickness parts (thin walls) can be matched, and all other Harpoonfunctionality, including boundary layers, can be applied to the mesh.

Matched meshing comes on the heels of major additions to Harpoonintroduced last month, including the Wrapper feature for fixing poorCAD geometry, 64-bit support, and a Windows installer.

Matched meshing is free to existing Harpoon users, and available toothers in the latest version of the software. More information onHarpoon and trial versions is available by visiting Sharc or CEIwebsites.

CEI
Apex, NC

Sharc Ltd.
Manchester, UK