Applications

• What is an unexpected place to find scientific visualization? Here’s EnSight in Jeopardy’s Daily Double. [Go to 1:39]
• Here’s a video demonstration of applying Midas NFX CFD to an external flow problem. [1-hour recorded webinar. Includes intro to their product line.]
• For those interested in efficient evaluation of B-Spline surfaces, Intel documents their work with OpenCASCADE here.
• Here are some time-saving tips for STAR-CCM+ v9.04.
• In the same vein, here’s a tip for SolidWorks Flow Simulation.

Fluent solution for a scramjet done by researchers at IIT Madras. Image from CFD Review. (Click image for article.)

Events

• Registration is open for the 8-week online class Fundamentals of the Particle in Cell Method.
• Over on Slideshare you’ll find CFD: Modern Applications, Challenges and Future Trends. [See slide 8 for a provocative value judgement. Phew – meshing not cited as a contemporary challenge. Boo – “mesh-free methods” cited as a future trend.]
• The Virtual Engineer summarizes the recent NAFEMS Americas 2014 event and came away with three trends.
  • System Simulation
  • Knowledge Capture – Lack of expertise leads to low/poor adoption of simulation. [See here for more on this.]
  • Rethinking the Problem

This is Wartsila’s FPP (fixed pitch propeller) Opti Design, designed in part with CFD. Image from Maritime Executive. Click image for article.

Not CFD

Because my first “real” job was doing computational work related to wind tunnel testing (running a method of characteristics code for models to be put in NASA Glenn’s 10×10 supersonic tunnel) I still have fondness for these test facilities. The photo below, taken from FYFD, captures the scale of some of the test infrastructure we’ve lost; specifically, AEDC’s supersonic tunnel.

The scale of AEDC’s supersonic wind tunnel is impressive as evidenced by this vintage photo. Image from FYFD.

Software & Business

• SCIRun, an environment for modeling and simulation, now includes biomedical components.
• Exa had a good first quarter with revenue of $13.8 million (85% licensing, 15% projects) for a 10% increase year-over-year. [Reminder: I’m interested in Exa’s business performance because they are the only all-CFD, publicly traded company that I’m aware of.]
• Siemens PLM Software has released NX 9.0.2.
• This is interesting. Graebert announced that they’re working on a DWG CAD editor (not just a viewer) for Android tablets. Actually, the really interesting part is buried in the promise of a “new tablet-specific user interface.”
• Materialise’s 3-matic has joined Altair’s Partner Alliance.
• The CAD Insider writes briefly about CONVERGE CFD.
• The Texas Advanced Computing Center‘s 13th anniversary is celebrated in this infographic.

The Strong and the Lonely

Jonty Hurwitz works at the intersection of science and art. I believe from the title of his painting The Strong and the Lonely that he really understands mesh generation.

He shared with me a few thoughts on the difference between meshes for art and meshes for science and I’ve paraphrased them below.

1. A mesh for art needs to touch on a deeper meaning than just the mesh itself. It is the responsibility of the artist to attribute this meaning and convey it.  In a way, the engineering “market” is easy, it’s about making something that resonates with a wider group.
2. A mesh for art needs to evoke some kind of emotional reaction (other than boredom). [My god, he really does get meshing.]
3. A mesh for art needs to challenge the norm in some way, push the boundaries beyond the way engineers see it.

Jonty Hurwitz, The Strong and Lonely, 2013. Image copyright (c) 2014 jontyhurwitz. All rights reserved.