Software

• If you’re in CFD you’ve probably done some programming. Therefore, you might be interested in NASA’s rules for safety critical code. #6 No function should be longer than what you can print on a single sheet of paper (about 60 lines).
• OpenVSP 3.7.0, the parametric aircraft geometry tool, was released.
• Desktop Engineering wrote about the release of COMSOL Multiphysics 5.2a.
  • DEVELOP3D wrote about it also.
• Siemens PLM introduced Simcenter 3D and brings CD-adapco’s and other software into an integrated PLM environment.
• ParaView 5.1.0 was released with built-in ray tracing, point cloud interpolation, and more.
• Beta CAE released v16.1.3 of its software suite.
• Fluidity is an open-source CFD code with adaptive unstructured mesh capability.
• TransMagic release 12 includes several new features including a polygon reduction tool. [Be sure to watch the video.]

This nice mesh image is from an article about defining non-uniform properties (e.g. material properties) using Fields in Patran. Image from MSC. Click image for article.

CFD Applications

• Engineering.com shares 3 ways to assess CFD convergence, one of which is residuals.
• The Niharika Institute of Computational Engineering (NICE) offers CFD training and instruction in Bangalore.
• The new Syn aero road bike was designed with CFD.
• CFD helped the Elemental Rp1 road-going track car produce 400 kg of downforce at 150 mph. [which is an odd assortment of units]
• I just recently became aware of FreeCAD, an open-source 3D parametric CAD modeller.
• Researchers at U.C. Davis have created KiloCore, a 1000-core chip.
• NAG is offering a software modernization service to help ensure that your software is performing well on current and future systems. [Might need it to take advantage of the KiloCore.]
• CFD simulations are one of the factors influencing data center design.

CFD and Social Media

• Hassan Kassem has started a new blog on OpenFOAM.
• CAESES 4.1.1, the upfront modeling and optimization software, was released with Twitter integration. [Can you name any other CFD software with social media integration?]
  • Also from CAESES, a student user won DNV GL’s young professionals award for work on optimization of a ship’s bow.
• GridPro, the structured multi-block grid generator, has a new blog.

This is a screen capture from a video on the CFD Expert YouTube channel about simulation airflow through a factory using Fluent. Click image for video.

Misc. News

• If you’re into 3D scanning, DEVELOP3D reports that Artec Studio 11 has automated the post-processing of 3D scans.
• I’m not smart enough to understand uncertainty quantification, but I’ve recently become aware of company SmartUQ.
• DHCAE has developed a specialized CFD tool based on OpenFOAM for simulating flow through filters.
• ORBITEC is now using Converge CFD for the design of rocket engines.
• The 16th European Turbulence Conference will be held 21-24 August 2017 in Stockholm.
• Imperial College London seeks a research assistant for GPU-accelerated, high-order CFD.

Meshing’s Not Nearly This Black and White

There’s not much to say about the painting below by Francois Morellet except that I like the contrast between the negative and positive spaces. And it is “mesh-like.” Plus I’m a sucker for black and white line art as it skews toward my interest in animation.

Francois Morellet, 3 Trames Strip-Teasing, 2008. Click image for source (ArtNet)

Bonus: While the image below may look like geometric art, it’s actually a math puzzle. Which part has the largest area: black or gray? See the answer at Futility Closet.

Which part is larger? Black or gray? Click image for source.

Bonus++: Is a liberal education key to saving STEM? Is it the “A” in STEAM? “Science needs liberal education and its counterweight to the values of the market for its own sake.”