Pick of the Week: Altair Releases HyperWorks 12.0

Image courtesy of Altair Engineering, Inc.

Altair Engineering Inc. (Troy, MI) has announced the release of version 12.0 of its HyperWorks CAE simulation software platform. HyperWorks is a suite of modeling, analysis, visualization, and data management solutions for linear, nonlinear, structural optimization, fluid-structure interaction, and multi-body dynamics applications. HyperWorks 12.0, the company says, offers new functionalities and end-user productivity advancements in product optimization, finite element modeling, multiphysics analysis, powertrain durability analysis, and lightweight design. The focus of version 12.0, the company adds, is on simulation-driven design, composites, and multiphysics analysis.

Notable enhancements reported by Altair include a new streamlined user profile for quick model setup called BasicFEA and greater support for 3D visualization in the HyperView post-processing and visualization environment for CAE and test data. The HyperMesh finite element pre-processor now includes various meshing functionalities for shell and solid meshing, such as a mid-plane mesh generator with automatic thickness mapping from complex solid CAD geometry as well as the addition of quality control mechanisms.

Image courtesy of Altair Engineering, Inc.

The company says that the Version 12.0 release includes enhanced interoperability of CAD import and export, composites interfacing, and collaborative simulation data management. New powertrain durability and large-scale NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness) analysis and optimization features include a one-step transfer path analysis (TPA) and a multi-level sub-structuring solver (automated multilevel substructuring Eigen solver—AMSES) in the OptiStruct toolset for conceptual design synthesis and structural optimization.

Image courtesy of Altair Engineering, Inc.

The company reports that implicit solvers in the RADIOSS finite-element solver for linear static and dynamics problems, OptiStruct, and AcuSolve general-purpose finite element-based CFD (computational fluid dynamics) flow solver now add GPU (graphics processing unit) support with a cost-effective licensing schema. Automotive extensions to the MotionSolve multi-body systems modeling environment now allow co-simulation with third-party components. Additionally, RADIOSS has been extended with several new material laws and failure models for accuracy. AcuSolve offers a new Ffowcs-Williams-Hawkings acoustic solver for predicting noise levels at distant microphone locations. New manufacturing constraints for composite materials in OptiStruct are said to speed making designs more lightweight.

For simulation-driven concept design, the most recent version of the solidThinking Inspire digital product development system allows designers to generate and explore structurally efficient concepts in the earliest phases of the design process, according to Altair. Further, solidThinking Evolve 3D industrial design/styling software delivers a NURBS-based 3D modeling and rendering environment to create manufacturable models and render CAE results with photorealism.

Image courtesy of Altair Engineering, Inc.

For design exploration, study, and optimization, the HyperStudy module has been entirely redesigned and is said to accelerate design robustness and reliability studies. A new multi-core licensing model cost-effectively leverages HyperWorks and Altair Partner Alliance solvers for high-end multiphysics problems, the company says. The HyperWorks 12.0 suite also remains accessible from the cloud via HyperWorks On-Demand platform, says the company.

“HyperWorks 12.0 provides automated and easy-to-use features that save time, ensure accuracy, and improve products by making them lighter and by offering the opportunity for much more design exploration,” said James Brancheau, Altair’s CTO in a press statement. “The very tight integration and interoperability of the open-platform HyperWorks suite allow engineers, designers, and analysts to create and evaluate every aspect of their products with assurance that they have found the best design for their objectives.”

For more information on HyperWorks 12.0, visit Altair Engineering.

Go here for HyperWorks 12.0 overview videos.

Watch the HyperWorks Virtual Brochure.

Download the HyperWorks brochure.

See why DE’s editors selected HyperWorks 12.0 as their Pick of the Week.

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