CFD meshing

Pointwise, Inc.'s Gridgen Version 14 CFD meshing product features Glyph, a Tcl-based scripting language. Using Glyph, engineers can create customized meshing applications and utilities that reduce the effort to perform CFD analysis. The software supports triangular faceted geometry models in stereolithography and other formats, allowing users to more easily manipulate and put grids on complex CAD models and use legacy data as the starting point for new models. Other features include Native CAD Import, topology simplification via automatic joining and decimation of surface meshes, several new grid diagnostic functions, and integration of the grid quality examination command with the elliptic PDE methods for structured grids.

Remote simulation

Fluent Inc.'s Remote Simulation Facility (RSF) lets users exploit supercomputer capacity using pay-as-you-go methods through a highly secure Internet portal. The RSF handles highly parallel simulations, often characterized by large volumes of sensitive customer data, over the Internet. It is optimized for large-scale simulations and/or the concurrent execution of many simulations, such as those found in sensitivity analysis or optimization. Users are charged for solve time only; functions such as file transfer, report generation, and interactive online time are not metered.

Materials information management

CES4 from Granta Design Ltd. is a software system that provides everything needed to manage, analyze, and deploy materials information. It saves time and money, and provides unexpected opportunities for engineering improvement. The software has four distinct but interrelated modules that allow users to manage materials lab test data (CES Lab), consolidate materials information (CES Constructor), analyze material and process information and make optimal selections (CES Selector), and deploy and publish materials information on the Web or corporate intranets (CES Web).

CFD analysis

CFD Analyzer 3.0 from Amtec Engineering, Inc. is a Tecplot data visualization software add-on with extensive capabilities for post-processing CFD data. A new feature is the capability to detect, extract, and display key features such as vortex cores, shock surfaces, and separation bubbles. The function set is an enhanced version of the classic NASA PLOT3D Calculator. These capabilities help examine grid quality, perform spatial integrations, generate particle trajectories, extract flow features, and estimate numerical errors. The software also provides numerical integration scalars and vector functions along lines, over surfaces, and in volumes, allowing users to calculate global quantities such as areas and volumes, flow rates, total mass, and forces.

Data collaboration

DELMIA's Product-Process-Resource data collaboration system, called the PPR Hub, is a data model that provides storage and management of all product, process, and resource information required for production system design—from product concept through manufacturing implementation. The hub provides a link to both product data—including geometry, configuration, effectivities, and meta data—and resource data. This connection allows any engineering changes in product and resource to be updated automatically in the PPR Hub and immediately available to every person involved in the process. The hub also documents all data iterations that occur during planning, identifies best practices by storing all resource and process data for reuse on subsequent projects, and evaluates alternate solution concepts.

Tooling component library

A library of tooling components is available from Jergens on the Web as 2- or 3-D solid models in formats for nearly all CAD systems, including SolidWorks, Catia, Pro/E, STEP, and Parasolid. The models are available free of charge at the company's website, www.jergensinc.com. The part library is powered by 3D PartStream.net, which enables any design engineer to preview a component quickly before downloading. Parts can be rotated dynamically to view from any angle.