Software

• CAESES 4.1.2 was released. This new version of Friendship Systems’ modeling and optimization software with improved adjoint CFD coupling and more.
  • Friendship Systems also announced a partnership with Flow Science that will deliver an optimization environment to FLOW-3D users.
• ESI announced VA One 2016, the latest release of their modeling environment for noise and vibration simulations. (See image below.)
• ENGYS released HELYX V2.5.0.
• simFlow 3.0, an OpenFOAM-based CFD solver, was released and includes an airfoil mesh generator among other new features.
• MSC Software announced a new release (Fossa) of Apex, their next-generation CAE platform with Python scripting. [I’m intrigued by the definitions of “fossa” that I’m finding online. A civet-like mammal. A shallow depression.]
• Materialise announced the beta test program for Magics21, the core component of their 3D printing software suite, for editing faceted geometry models.
• ITI launched CADfix 11, their software for CAD model translation, repair, and simplification. This latest release includes geometry morphing capabilities among many other new and updated features.
• Vectary, the new 3D online modeling tool, is currently in beta.
• The availability of Autodesk’s technology preview of Project Calrissian for CFD has been extended through 25 November.

The new Diamondback triathlon bike screams aerodynamics and whispers CFD. Image from BikeRadar.com. Click image for article.

Applications & Events

Amazing indeed. CFD solves mazes. Image from Symscape. Click image for article. (If CFD could only help me solve the Sudoku.)

• Processing Magazine delves into CFD for mixer design. It requires “sound volume-meshing techniques.”
• CD-adapco is partnering with Spike Aerospace on design of a supersonic business jet.
• Prof. Brian Spalding was announced as a keynote lecturer (“The Shape of CFDs to Come”) at next month’s 4th Annual OpenFOAM User Conference 2016.

Example mesh and simulation from FloEFD for LED automotive headlights. Image from Engineering.com. Click image for article.

Computing & News

• Exascale computing is proving to be difficult, even on the hardware side.
• ANSYS and SGI claimed an HPC record for CFD by running an 830 million cell simulation of a gas combustor in ANSYS 17 on an SGI ICE XA using 145,152 compute cores with 83% efficiency.
  • Also from ANSYS, they reported Q2 revenue of $246 million.
• Read about the Exascale Computing Project from the U.S. Dept. of Energy.
• Market analysts TechNavio are predicting a global CFD market in 2020 of US$1.8 billion, with an annual growth rate of 9% from now until then.

Read about what’s new in SolidWorks Simulation 2017 including meshing improvements. Image from EngineersRule.com. Click image for article.

Visualization & More

• I recently became aware of CFD consultancy NEXTFLOW Software based in Nantes, France.
• Has anyone else read SAE standard J2966, guidelines for applying CFD to heavy ground vehicles? I’m told amendments have been proposed that, among other things, limit mesh type to either hexahedra or polyhedra.
• Here’s the best of the visualization web for July 2016 as compiled by VisualizingData.com.
• In the EnSight FAQs for September 2016 you’ll read about applying a texture map to a curved surface and more.

Fluctuating surface pressure from an automotive simulation using OpenFOAM. This beautiful image is from ESI. See link above.

Winner of The Meshy Award for 2016

The winner of The Meshy Award was announced yesterday at the Pointwise User Group Meeting 2016. From a broad spectrum of well-qualified entries (see the photo album on our Facebook page) the judges selected a truly innovative use of mesh generation technology from Branch Technology. The company is using Pointwise to generate meshes that are 3D printed on an architectural scale for use in construction. Their winning entry is for the Cheekwood International Playhouse. Congratulations to C. Bruce Hilbert and Melody Reese from Branch Tech.

The winning mesh for The Meshy Award, announced at the Pointwise User Group Meeting 2016, was Branch Technologies 3D printed mesh.