Engineers use simulation technology to evaluate a model in a virtual environment and predict how it will behave in the real world.

A model is a representation of an object, system or process, such as a bearing for an industrial robot, a landing gear system for commercial aircraft or a food packaging process. Engineers create 3D models of components, machines and structures using computer-aided design (CAD) software and then use computer-aided engineering (CAE) software to test and evaluate the models under defined conditions.

For example, an engineer may design a component in CAD and then use CAE software to simulate peak loading conditions to analyze the component’s response. If simulation results show that the component satisfies requirements, engineers may build a physical prototype to validate the part in the real world.

Additionally, engineers can use simulation software to explain why a component or structure failed. For example, if many customers report that a machine fails repeatedly at a particular connection, engineers can use simulation tools to understand the problem and improve the design. Thus, simulation can be used at numerous points in a product lifecycle.

Engineers also use process simulation software to model and analyze manufacturing processes, such as production lines, robot operations and automated warehouses. Others leverage physical simulators, such as flight or heavy equipment simulators, incorporating gaming software and even virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) to conduct human-in-the-loop testing. Physical simulators are often used for training and evaluating a system or process involving human decision-making.

For engineers who design products, components, machines and structures, there are three widely used simulation techniques: finite element analysis (FEA), computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and multibody dynamics (MBD).

How does simulation software work?

While CAD software creates 3D models representing real-world designs, CAE software creates mathematical models representing the designs based on physics equations. Physical conditions, such as forces and heat, applied to the designs are often described using partial differential equations (PDEs), which are continuous functions with infinite solutions. To compute and output discrete values from such equations, CAE software uses discretization methods that convert differential equations into solvable systems of algebraic equations.

Engineers choose a discretization method based on the design and what they want to analyze. Without getting into the mathematics, here is a simplistic overview of three commonly used methods:

Finite element method (FEM): This method divides a 3D model into many smaller finite elements, collectively called a mesh. The software discretizes the PDEs into algebraic equations for each element. It then solves the system of equations for the entire mesh. FEM solves a myriad of physics problems and is widely used for complex geometries in FEA tools.

Finite difference method (FDM): This method divides a 3D model into a finite grid with evenly spaced intervals and endpoints. The software discretizes the PDEs into algebraic equations at the endpoints and solves the system. FDM is typically reserved for simple geometries that can be divided into structured grids.

Finite volume method (FVM): This method divides a 3D model into many smaller finite volumes called cells. The software discretizes the PDEs by integrating over the cells, accounting for variations between them and balancing fluxes. FVM is often used to solve fluid flow and heat transfer problems in CFD tools.

Since discretization approximates algebraic equations, there are inherent errors in each method. Engineers must understand which method is most appropriate for their models and set up a quality mesh or grid to help minimize such errors.

How to switch to a simulation engineering career

Engineers interested in transitioning to simulation-based roles can start building skills with open-source software and tutorials. Many commercial platform providers also include trials and introductory courses. Consider looking at job postings from various companies to see what software they use and become familiar with those interfaces by building basic models and running simple studies.

Despite the effort to democratize simulation software and make it more accessible to non-experts, engineers should brush up on relevant physics, calculus and programming skills to understand the calculations and ensure results make sense. That might mean revisiting concepts and equations for structural mechanics, fluid dynamics and heat transfer to gauge whether a model accurately reflects a defined real-world problem. It might also mean practicing coding or learning a new scripting language.

Simulation engineers are highly sought after, and many companies are willing to pay top dollar for expertise. Job prospects are favorable in nearly every industry, including aerospace, automotive, construction, electronics, manufacturing, medical and telecommunications. Demand in such industries continues to grow as more organizations seek to improve efficiency, safety and performance while reducing costs and environmental impact.

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Aerospace dramatically influenced hydraulics’ evolution in the last century. The move from manual to hydraulic actuation happened quickly in the 1950s and 1960s, yet fundamental hydraulic designs in aircraft have not changed as much since.

“If you look at some of the pumps on the 787, for example, they are probably identical to the ones that were on the 747 in terms of design — even though there were 40 years between them — for several reasons, not least of which is that they work and they’re good,” said Simon Jones, CTO of Domin.

Today, many aircraft have three central systems, each with multiple pumps and reservoirs. Power transfer units may be present if a pump fails to transfer pressure between different systems. Each actuator also has redundancies with separate hydraulic and electrical systems. Plus, all this equipment requires extensive piping that adds immense weight, complexity, and assembly time.

“What you end up with are planes lugging between one-and-a-half and two-and-a-half tons of hydraulic equipment around with them all the time and burning hundreds of kilos of fuel per flight just to lift these hydraulics,” said Jones. “They generally all have two-stage valves constantly taking a few kilowatts of quiescent loss the whole time you’re flying. For an eight-hour flight, that’s a huge number of kilowatt hours just to power the hydraulics to do nothing. So, you’re caught in this world where hydraulics are great, but having that hydraulic system on board is hugely costly in terms of infrastructure, size, weight, and power.”

Jones has an aerospace background and previously worked on gas turbines to reduce the weight of certain parts by tens of grams, even single-digit grams at times. He was hard-pressed to take every little piece of weight he could off the engine to get more out of the fuel. Every hundred grams of weight salvaged improved fuel burn by 0.1% and saved the company hundreds of thousands.

“The scale of waste in terms of the amount of energy needed to carry huge systems around on these aircraft is just baffling,” said Jones. “Hydraulics is great, but electrified systems are also great. The best solution, therefore, should be bringing those two together and using the best of hydraulics without the clunky central stuff, giving it full digital control, and putting it into an electrified system.”

Domin poses to decentralize hydraulic systems and move toward hybrid-electric aircraft to leverage the best of both worlds while shrinking components, reducing weight, and decreasing energy consumption. Jones stated that hydraulics persists because of its power-dense force transmission but doesn’t lend itself well to lightweight electrified architectures, where digital signal transmission enables asset monitoring and optimization.

“The other nice thing is that you can manage redundancy by having multiple units or multiple redundant systems within a given actuator, for example. You can also locally manage energy storage, harvesting, and reuse,” he said.

However, capturing and reusing energy may not be feasible for all systems. For example, braking would be challenging due to its immense energy requirements, whereas flight controls have fully reversible cycles. Today, a big pump applies constant pressure through valves that are always on alert to lift and lower the flight control surfaces. This could be an opportunity to manage energy and eliminate losses so that no energy would be consumed.

“The reason it’s not done today is because it’s really hard to shrink hydraulics and get them to a point where they are efficient, small, compact, and lightweight. If you buy a pump, a valve, and an accumulator and bring all those together, you then have a big block. It just doesn’t work.” said Jones. “If you look at electrohydrostatic systems today, they look like a Frankenstein thing. There’s a few flying, but it hasn’t taken the industry by storm yet because it’s big, clunky, and generally prone to reliability issues.”

Since hydraulics don’t naturally shrink very well in this case, electromechanical actuators may seem like the sensible solution. However, for applications with high levels of shock, vibration, dirt, and temperature fluctuation, as is common for aircraft brakes, landing gear, and flight controls, such solutions can jam and compromise safety. They also must be sized according to the largest force they’d have to exert and hold, drawing power the entire time.

“There have been billions spent on electromechanical systems for aerospace, and there are almost none flying. And the ones that are aren’t competitive with traditional hydraulic solutions,” said Jones. “So, we’ve identified this niche in the market where everyone wants to use less energy and have less weight. Everyone wants these modern digital systems, but no one can shrink and integrate traditional hydraulic systems nicely. That is the sweet spot for us.”

Domin’s core technology comprises ultra-compact, high-performance pumps and high-speed switching valves. The company uses enabling tools, including metal 3D printing, to develop hydraulic products that allow electricity to generate and modulate pressure in a very complex, high-bandwidth manner. Though large-scale commercial aircraft are on their radar, the team has progressed in validating its products on helicopters.

“We’ve done a lot of work on helicopter braking systems. Today, they’ve got a pump on the top deck and pipe all these things down to the cockpit. The pilots have some pedals, and they control some valves. Then, there are more pipes down to the brakes, and you have a separate parking brake with another pump and accumulator. All those things can come out, and we can drop in a really small — the size of an apple — little hydraulic system next to the brake. That’s all control over wire, effectively, and we’re talking tens of kilos of weight savings, which is significant on one of those aircraft,” said Jones.

But Jones and his team aren’t just looking to compete in the market — they want to make a positive impact on society while decreasing humanity’s footprint. He isn’t convinced that hydrogen and other solutions will be ready for a long time, so he’s thinking about what he can do right now to improve flying today.

“There’s obviously a trend of people who are motivated to look at the sustainability of things and the scarcity of resources,” he said. “But being sustainable doesn’t mean that people shouldn’t fly. It just means that we should make flying easier with a lower overall penalty to the environment.

“Engineers have the power to increase prosperity across the world. We have the power to deliver things that allow more people to do great things and give more people choices. We would love it if we made technology that meant there weren’t necessarily fewer flights, but more people would get on a flight and go and connect with people or see the world or travel — but while recognizing that the [resources] we have in the world … are scarce. Therefore, we should do our best to deliver things that let more people experience all that, but at a lower penalty than today. That’s where we’d love to get to.”

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Hang Loi’s engineering journey began as a child in Vietnam. As a good student who enjoyed learning at an early age, she excelled at math and grew aware of the scholarly aspects of engineering in her teens but didn’t personally know any engineers. Her mother was a tailor, and her father was a photographer-turned-auditor who worked for the United States Agency of International Development (USAID) for 20 years until the fall of Saigon in April 1975.

“I was a very curious child and always wanted to figure out how things work,” said Loi. “I wasn’t a tinkerer. I didn’t take apart radios or anything like that, but I was always asking ‘why’ and digging deeper. I was drawn to challenges and really proud of myself when I solved a problem.”

In 1975, nine-year-old Loi and her family abruptly fled their home country to escape warfare and persecution. Fate brought them to Toledo, Ohio, where her father, who spoke five languages, started a new career as an auditor with a large company in the area. Loi continued studying with the mindset and hope that someday she might be a doctor or an engineer.

“My family believed an education leading to marketable skills was important, and a science-based career fit the bill. They instilled that in me, even though they weren’t engineers themselves. They really valued education and encouraged me,” she said. “I didn’t have to fight any genderism. I wasn’t questioned with, ‘Why do you want to do that? Are you sure you want to go down that path?’ as other girls may have faced.”

Loi attended Case Western Reserve University and double-majored in chemical engineering and music. At the time, there was about one woman for every seven engineering students, but being a double minority wasn’t on her radar.

“The fact that I was a woman didn’t register when I was in college … or for a long time — probably the first half of my career,” she said. “For about 15 years, I did not realize that I was a minority amongst minorities, that I was a woman, an immigrant, an English language learner, an Asian American. Those were just things about me, but I didn’t know they mattered and in which ways.”

Loi didn’t have a dedicated women’s group and didn’t discover the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) until later in her career. She recalled visiting a minority engineering group on campus during the first week of college orientation and, through the conversation, learned that minority engineering didn’t apply to her because she was Asian.

“I was a minority but not a minority, and I didn’t quite understand that. So, they were not a resource, and I didn’t search further from then on,” said Loi. “I didn’t become aware of resource communities until later in my career. It’s a detriment to those who don’t discover them, and it’s a barrier to young people, maybe like me, who didn’t realize that we didn’t have to go it alone.”

A campus recruiter invited Loi to interview for three positions at 3M in Minnesota. She chose a rotational program and worked at different manufacturing sites every six months for two years. With no prior knowledge about manufacturing, she enjoyed the challenge and opportunity to travel around the country.

“I didn’t realize that 3M had manufacturing sites in very small communities. My first assignment was in a rural town of 5,000. I grew up in Vietnam in a city of four million. I’d never really seen a small world or been in a rural town,” said Loi. “You learn a lot along the way from opening yourself to experiences that are outside of your comfort zone. You learn things you hadn’t expected about different parts of America. You learn about your capacity to grow, persevere, and be resilient.”

At 3M, Loi worked in product engineering and led commercialization programs from concept through production-scale manufacturing. Her early experiences taught her that she enjoyed delivering solutions to customers, and she opted for R&D opportunities that enabled a faster pace and more direct interactions with end users, supplier partners, and large internal manufacturing teams. She initially chose a division involved in retroreflective materials used in security IDs, U.S. passports, and clothing.

“The way I explain my job to kids or young adults is that I take a couple of square inches of a product idea and make them into miles. All the science involved with taking that embryonic concept into something that you can make all day long, and with the same consistent acceptable quality, is a huge engineering challenge,” said Loi. “When people say ‘scalable manufacturing,’ it’s taking early-stage technologies and developing them into continuous high-speed processes that manufacture products at high volume. But the challenge doesn’t end there.”

Testing, delivery, warehousing, pricing, intellectual property protection, and sales — Loi and her teams had to address numerous challenges throughout the commercialization effort, requiring technical expertise and critical thinking.

“The first technology platform I worked with after my rotation was retroreflective films. You see the yellow reflective trims today on safety apparel used in industrial and occupational settings. You see the silver on firefighters’ jackets and athletic wear; I worked on those. The fluorescent lime yellow trims on construction workers’ vests were new to the world of safety products that I brought to life 20-some years ago, and it’s still in use today around the world,” she said.

During the latter half of her career, Loi worked on optically engineered films for electronic devices that use liquid crystal displays (LCDs). “These phenomenal films recycle light within the displays so that the batteries in your mobile devices can decrease in size and last longer. The alternating refractive indices of the hundreds of layers of stacked nano-thick films result in more brightly illuminated screens while conserving battery power and reducing energy usage. That invention was among the critical breakthroughs at 3M that enabled the explosive growth around LCDs and continues today in many applications that require displays, like automobiles and airplanes. Bringing all that to life is very neat, and I am proud I led many of those programs.”

At 3M, Loi also led the employee resource group (ERG) to help attract, develop, and retain Asian-American talent. However, her goal wasn’t limited to building cultural awareness and raising sensitivities around important celebrations such as Lunar New Year and Diwali. She aimed to help build a supportive community of cohorts that connect and elevate each other and other underrepresented voices. She also encouraged her company and Asian-heritage employees to align their priorities so everyone succeeded. She emphasized how relatively easy it is for employees to move up the ladder early in their careers, but many underrepresented groups, such as women and minorities, face “broken rungs” that stall further opportunities.

“You can do anything in your first three to five years. However, upon reflection, research, and many conversations, I learned that getting opportunities to continue to grow and broaden expertise can be challenging for women and minorities. That is when race, gender, parenthood, and other biases come into play. That is when getting help and support from allies from the dominant group matters,” she said.

Additionally, she strongly voices her concern about losing women in the workforce, especially when they have children. She challenges companies to have women’s backs, continually support them with growth opportunities, and help them re-enter the workforce prepared should they choose to step away. “You must make sure that women talent at all stages of careers stays in and is engaged. Our advancement and continued presence pay back dividends by encouraging other women to do the same.”

During her career, Loi advanced from product engineer to commercialization leader to global supplier relationships manager. She earned numerous patents for 3M, completed a global diplomacy fellowship for the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), and now serves on the board of directors of the Case Alumni Foundation at her alma mater.

“I always felt that if you’re good at something, it’s your responsibility to use your capability,” she said. “If I weren’t pursuing these challenging paths that other people might shy away from, then who’s going to do it? Who am I waiting for?”

As Loi enters her next chapter, she remains a strong advocate for equitable opportunities for a diverse workforce. “Problem-solving is all about identifying the correct problems in the first place. The wider the viewpoints in the room, the more the team can see. It’s not a competition. I feel privileged to have gained unique perspectives from my experiences as a woman, a bilingual immigrant, an engineer, an Asian American, a daughter of courageous parents, and a parent myself of two daughters. We’re all part of humanity, and we’ve got to find a way to have our organizations look like our society so that the solutions are encompassing and inclusive.”

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When Ahmad Muslim was about nine years old, he went to his grandmother’s house and disassembled her VCR — a perfectly fine, operational VCR — just to see what was inside. He took it apart, put it back together, and then explored other household items.

Muslim’s mother recognized his inquisitive nature and innate math skills, which she and his brother admit do not run in the family. As a single mother raising two boys in Washington, D.C., she later told Muslim’s high school guidance counselor about his childhood tinkering and desire to know how things work. When college applications rolled around, engineering seemed like the right fit.

“I definitely credit my mom, and I’ve always been very fortunate to have people who fanned my flame and didn’t try to put it out,” said Muslim.

Muslim studied electrical engineering at Florida A&M University in Tallahassee and joined Proctor & Gamble (P&G) in Cincinnati in 2008. Like many recent graduates, he didn’t fully understand what being an engineer at the company meant but was grateful to receive a job offer in an uncertain economy.

“I’ll be honest, when I thought of P&G, the first thing that came to mind was the products, but as I navigated my career, it’s been extremely fulfilling,” said Muslim. “I’ve been fortunate to work on many different platforms and have many different experiences where I truly get to exercise that engineering muscle, whether it’s interfacing with our manufacturing sites and helping them troubleshoot or solve a problem or more upstream things like integrating new technologies, machine learning, or AI into our business and processes.”

For the past 15 years, Muslim has worked in P&G’s beauty sector as an intelligent controls and automation engineer. He and his team provide the brains — the electrical hardware and software — of the sector’s manufacturing systems, including data and integration. Early on, he led the installation of a new packing system for Old Spice products, coordinating with numerous suppliers, designing software and hardware, and integrating multiple systems into the facility. He also helped start up two manufacturing plants by installing new systems, designing new processes, and integrating the facilities. Such projects exposed him to technical challenges and other engineers outside his expertise.

“I was an electrical engineer on purpose because I didn’t like chemistry,” said Muslim. “But I’ve had opportunities over my career to work with a lot of R&D, chemistry, and biology and gained a greater appreciation for that and how different materials interact with different structures. I have opportunities to work with mechanical engineers to understand torques, chemical folks on thermodynamics, and civil engineers on loads and building frames.”

He also values the non-technical skills he has developed, such as managing people and relationships, communicating effectively, and collaborating.

“You need the technical foundation to be an effective engineer, but you can’t get the work done by yourself — that’s just impossible. So, you also need to be able to convey a message, influence people, and articulate a problem statement,” he said.

Muslim works in a dynamic environment where the next problem may be right around the corner. “When a production system goes down, it’s all hands on deck. I’ve had instances where I’ve gotten an email on a Thursday and had to jump on a plane on Friday morning to help solve something. As much as some of us complain about those fire drills, so to speak, I think it also taps into why we all became engineers in the first place, and we all get excited whether we admit it or not.”

But engineering problems aren’t the only challenges Muslim has encountered. Day-to-day social expectations and assumptions impacted his initial career and continue fueling his passion for developing inclusive cultures.

“I always like to push the line in terms of style and appearance, so a thought played in the back of my mind: I have to be a certain way to be successful here. I have to act a certain way, show up a certain way, and talk a certain way,” said Muslim. “For the first five or so years of my career, that was a constant theme in my mind, and it hindered me quite a bit. I spent so much time worried about the perception that I wasn’t fully unleashing all of what I had to offer. All that focus could have been put towards innovation or solving the next problem.”

Muslim attributes P&G and its employees for cultivating a culture that encourages everyone to be themselves at work.

“You don’t owe it to anyone to try to be somebody that you’re not — to try to fit a mold that isn’t who you are,” he said. “Once I really started to embrace my individuality and bring that into the workplace, it initially shocked me because everyone was so receptive. They were like, ‘I love your hair, I love the way you dress.’ I was worried for so long, and it was liberating to have that breakthrough. It also really opened me up to start doing the equality, inclusion, and diversity side of things in my career. I felt empowered to encourage everybody to show up in the ways they want and to be their full selves.”

Muslim became actively involved in affinity networks and gender equality programs and started mentoring to increase diversity awareness. He leads lunch-and-learns to encourage more equitable environments, help the lightbulbs go off, and foster continuous learning. “It’s personal to me. I want to see environments and spaces where women are treated equally because I come from a place where the majority of the people who raised me and got me to the point that I am were women.”

He also started exploring other forms of diversity that often go unseen. “I started researching neurodiversity more because it wasn’t something I was very aware of myself. It’s important that everybody feels like they can be their best selves, and those characteristics can be more challenging because you have to deal with them in silence, and no one can see them. No one would ever know to ask you if you don’t disclose them in some kind of way.”

When it comes to the inclusion of African Americans in the workplace, Muslim feels like society has advanced yet regressed in certain respects.

“Many younger people are a lot more unapologetic than I was, and I’m encouraged by that,” he said. “They’re empowered to use their voice because of the culture they’ve grown up in. In the last 15 years, they’ve seen things happen in society that I didn’t see as a child — not that they weren’t happening, but it wasn’t as visible and prevalent. Things travel at the speed of light now. It’s on your phone, it’s on your TV, it’s all over, and you can’t run from it. I think that has created a certain level of rebelliousness or self-awareness and pride that has allowed younger people coming into the workforce to be a little more aggressive, and I appreciate that about them, but I do think there’s still a ton more work to do.”

Muslim is optimistic, though, mainly because more information is readily available. Such information can equip and educate all of us to be more accepting and adaptable. It also holds us all more accountable for our words and actions.

“There’ll be a social media campaign if you make a misstep in that regard,” he said. “You can’t be secretive about your hate for any particular group anymore. It’ll get discovered, it’ll get called out, and it will affect your business.”

Muslim remains excited about engineering, especially as technology evolves, and looks forward to new opportunities to learn, reinvent, and add to his toolbox. He aims to continue building his technical and non-technical skills to solve challenging engineering problems that benefit P&G’s business while being a diversity and inclusion leader in the workplace and elsewhere.

“I love the technical work, but my legacy will definitely be in what I’ve poured into other people and the culture that I’ve created here and will leave behind,” he said. “And I tell everyone in our organization, as much as you may view me in a certain light as it relates to diversity, equality, and inclusion, I’m still on the journey just like everybody else — there’s no endpoint.”

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Simcenter, the popular simulation software from Siemens Digital Industries Software, is now available in the cloud — at least in part. Called Simcenter X, the software-as-a-service, pay-as-you-go product gives engineers a virtual desktop for modeling and post-processing powered by high-performance computers, plus enhanced collaboration and ad-hoc storage capabilities. However, Simcenter X is presently limited to STAR-CCM+, the computational fluid dynamics module of Simcenter. In a launch announcement, the company said it plans to make Simcenter X “generally available” later this year.

Simcenter X is the new cloud-based simulation and test solution delivered through Siemens Xcelerator as a Service. (Image: Siemens)

Altair acquires Research in Flight’s aerodynamics platform

Altair recently acquired Auburn, Alabama-based Research in Flight, a developer of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software that counts the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army and NASA among its customers. Research in Flight’s flagship product, FlightStream, expedites the design and development of aerodynamic and hydrodynamic components for aerospace, defense, marine, energy, turbomachinery and automotive applications. In a release, Altair said that FlightStream will be integrated with Altair HyperWorks, a computer-aided engineering (CAE) software platform, and made available through its Altair Units licensing system. Altair said the acquisition will help it meet the evolving needs of engineers, including those designing electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

Bentley Motors adopts VI-grade technology to simulate electric-vehicle experiences

Luxury automaker Bentley Motors recently selected VI-grade’s Compact Full Spectrum Dynamic Simulator (FSS) technology to help build virtual prototypes of new battery-powered electric-vehicle models. The Compact FSS is a driver-in-the-loop simulator for evaluating key contributors to a rider’s experience, including comfort, motion, vibration and sound. Bentley’s goal is to reduce digital development cycles, minimize physical prototypes, and prioritize virtual technology for its next-generation vehicles, explained a Bentley engineer in a release.

MathWorks software to help Toyota achieve its mobility aspirations

Toyota Motor Corp. announced it will expand its use of Matlab and Simulink, the core products of MathWorks, a U.S.-based producer of mathematical computing software. Toyota said that using model-based design (MBD) with Matlab and Simulink will help it respond quickly to change and reduce development times, which will support its plan to become a “mobility company” within the automotive industry.

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Cobalt is Ashlar-Vellum’s flagship 3D modeling software in its Organic Workflow process — a non-linear workflow with on-demand parametric history, transparent tools, a holistically integrated tool palette, and cross-team communications. On August 9, 2023, the company released Cobalt v12 with improved speed, security, and support features. It’s now releasing the new app to help engineers and designers share files across platforms.

“We are thrilled to bring the Cobalt Share App to the Apple Mac App Store, making it more broadly accessible to Apple users worldwide,” said Robert Bou, president of Ashlar-Vellum. “Our goal is to facilitate seamless collaboration and inspire creativity. We believe the Cobalt Share App will have a profound impact on the way people work together, cross-team, cross-software, cross-platform.”

Key features include:

• Empowers real-time collaboration and sharing
• Provides an intuitive interface for easy adoption
• Enables cross-platform compatibility
• Supports macOS High Sierra(10.13) or higher
• Exports in over 40 formats, including DWG, DXF, STEP, IGES, PDF
• Downloads for free from the Apple Mac App Store

Visit the Apple Mac App Store to download the Cobalt Share Application for free.

Ashlar-Vellum
ashlar.com

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Available through pay-as-you-go pricing, Simcenter X enables companies of all sizes to immediately access industry-leading simulation technology without the traditional upfront investment in hardware or licensing. For companies with existing simulation software and hardware, the flexibility and scalability of Simcenter X means that additional capacity can be added as needed, significantly improving capital allocation.

“Simcenter X enables companies to start simulating faster — when compared with traditional simulation environments and at lower cost. Now, using just a browser, they can have access to world-class simulation capabilities, that are trusted by the world’s leading innovators,” said Jean-Claude Ercolanelli, senior vice president, simulation and test solutions, Siemens Digital Industries Software. “We plan to expand Simcenter X beyond Simcenter STAR-CCM+ as part of our ongoing transition to SaaS.”

Simcenter X requires no additional IT expertise for set-up and implementation, allowing teams to focus on gaining insights with the automatically delivered up-to-date version of the simulation tools. Simcenter X bundles access to both hardware and software, making it easier to allocate and measure costs per project across an unlimited number of users and simulation runs. Simcenter X also includes additional benefits from the Siemens Xcelerator as a Service offering, including access to the Teamcenter Share app, for secure and controlled file sharing and collaboration.

“After we began adoption of cloud-based HPC for CFD simulations, we experienced tangible benefits. For a typical simulation model, we observed a solve time reduction by more than half compared to traditional on-premise methods. As a result, pre- and post-processing tasks have emerged as the primary contributors to overall turnaround time,” said Melaku Habte, Ph.D Sr. Fellow and global CAE/CFD lead, JoysonQuin Automotive Systems, North America. “The scalability afforded by cloud HPC in Simcenter X allows us to dynamically adjust resources to match project demands, enhancing flexibility and efficiency. Additionally, the integration of remote desktop capabilities has the potential to overcome geographical constraints, empowering engineers to access hardware and software resources from anywhere with internet connectivity, increasing collaboration and productivity.”

“We have already seen how running Simcenter STAR-CCM+ simulations in the cloud lets us accelerate design iterations and get more value from our simulation activities, and I believe the new capabilities of Simcenter X will enable us to go even faster,” said Nobert Bulten, product performance manager, Wärtsilä. “Having access to a virtual workstation in the cloud means we will be able to review simulation results, make changes and submit more jobs faster and without needing to transfer large data files. We will also be able to work on any step of the simulation workflow using powerful on-demand cloud resources, giving us more flexibility and allowing us to manage peak workloads more effectively.”

Simcenter X is planned to be generally available later in calendar year 2024. To learn more about how Siemens is using the cloud to deliver simulation capabilities to companies of all sizes, visit https://plm.sw.siemens.com/en-US/simcenter/fluids-thermal-simulation/cloud-hpc/.

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“Actify has been a long-term user of our HOOPS technology, and we share the common objective of unlocking the true value of 3D CAD files for manufacturing enterprises and their supply chains,” said Ron Fritz, CEO of Tech Soft 3D. “SpinFire has established a strong market position, and we are enthusiastic about leveraging our extensive expertise to enhance collaboration across engineering teams, particularly in handling feedback and client change requests.”

The company will still provide core intellectual property to developers, and the SpinFire team will continue delivering future products and providing support to customers and the global reseller network.

“Over the years, Actify has harnessed the power of core component technologies from Tech Soft 3D. They are engineering innovators, and our teams are well acquainted with each other’s code base and working practices. I am confident about what we can achieve together,” said Dave Opsahl, CEO of Actify.

This acquisition marks a significant step for the company’s position in engineering software development and enhanced solutions in the CAD viewing, CAD data translation, and collaboration space.

Tech Soft 3D
techsoft3d.com

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This update enhances various functionalities:

Support for new robot models

Added support for Kawasaki robots (BX300L model and others) in SprutCAM X Robot and MachineMaker. Additionally, support for 27 models of ROKAE robots has been added to MachineMaker. Kinematic models of these robots are now also available in the online Robot Library.
Profile Mode for Lathe Operations Enhancement: In Job Assignment for lathe operations, users can now adjust the chamfer angle in Profile cycle based on the 3D model, an improvement from the previous limitation of only being able to change the chamfer size.

User experience enhancements

• Updated pop-up hints for Lathe machining, Engraving, Pocketing, and Chamfer machining operations.
• Improved functioning of pinned Snapshots when clicking Clear All in Project Snapshots manager.
• Enhanced overall performance of SprutCAM X and SprutCAM X Robot.
• New feature, which allows users to save tutorials on post processor development as an archive file, enabling offline access.
• Added Machine setup template for Swiss-type machines.
• Increased speed of Machining report generation with sketch output. The generation of sketches has been optimized, significantly reducing the Machining report generation time.
• Updated Smart Hints for Lathe part off, 5D by meshes, Turn Takeover, 3D helical, and Scallop operations.

Technical improvements

Significant improvements have been made in 17.0.14 update, addressing some challenges across the software. Notably, enhancements include fixing spline handling issues and refining the operation of vectors in 6D contour tasks. The update also resolves critical bugs such as the mishandling of network licenses and the visualization of 3D models in the tool library. The software now correctly updates fixtures during Rotate and Shift operations and eliminates previous issues with machine node saving in MachineMaker. Additionally, it resolves a recurrent error during the trajectory calculation for Cladding operations.

With Update 17.0.15, we fixed a critical error related to recalculating operations with the workpiece considered and errors when editing 4th and 6th axis limits for industrial robots. Importing step files no longer causes hangs, and we resolved axes collision issues in the standard project included with SprutCAM X. Errors in polar interpolation on lathes, collision avoidance options, and 5D mesh operation calculations in standard projects have been fixed. We corrected bugs in various areas such as the safe surface level option for adaptive machining, TCP calibration app links, and toolpath calculation in 6D Contour operation. Additionally, issues with localization rollbacks, launching SprutCAM on Windows 7, and cutter shank operations were also resolved.

Existing SprutCAM X and SprutCAM X Robot users with an active software maintenance contract (SMC) have been notified about the new release and can easily upgrade to benefit from these enhancements. Users who have not received a notification are encouraged to contact their nearest SprutCAM X Reseller for assistance or visit SprutCAM Tech contact page for more information.

SprutCAM
sprutcam.com

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In recent years, advancements in point cloud handling technology have led to a diverse array of tools in the market. Amid the ongoing digital transformation, the integration of 3D scanning and point cloud technologies has empowered the implementation of robust engineering solutions and revolutionized processes such as Scanning to CAD, BIM, and CAE.

The primary advantage of employing point cloud technology lies in the digitization of physical objects. Utilizing 3D scanners simplifies the process of converting physical objects into point cloud data as a more straightforward and cost-effective approach compared to creating digital data from scratch using CAD or CG software. Another key benefit is the precision of reproducibility. 3D scanners enable the creation of accurate 3D digital data by capturing physical objects. This is particularly useful in cases where manual reproduction in CAD/CG software would be challenging.

The manufacturing sector has embraced point cloud technology for various applications, such as simulating automotive parts or electronic components through CAE. 3D scanning facilitates the creation of part or mold data and the inspection of produced parts by comparing them to the original digital data. Elysium CADdoctor, available on the Altair Partnership Alliance, automates the generation of CAD models from point clouds, addressing challenges in transforming scanned data into highly accurate B-Rep models.

A growing trend involves 3D scanning of large buildings and structures for purposes such as planning factory layouts, creating as-built drawings, and confirming evacuation routes. Elysium InfiPoints, newly released for Altair Partnership Alliance users, addresses challenges in maintenance work by processing vast amounts of point cloud data, automatically extracting geometries, and simplifying the 3D modeling of elements like pipes, equipment, ducts, and steels.

3D scanners and InfiPoints streamline the equipment, facilities replacement, and installation process, reducing time and costs associated with manual on-site measurements. InfiPoints preprocesses point cloud data, enabling accurate measurements and automatic generation of CAD models for equipment and piping systems, subsequently used in BIM software.

For 3D modeling of large interior spaces, 3D scanners and InfiPoints facilitate CAE simulations, such as Computational Fluid Dynamics and thermo-fluid analysis. InfiPoints extracts surfaces from point cloud data, allowing for easy import into CAE for airflow analysis based on real-world conditions.

InfiPoints is a versatile software solution that transforms raw point cloud captures into actionable deliverables. Widely adopted across industries, including architecture, construction, shipbuilding, and automotive, InfiPoints caters to users ranging from scan technicians and surveyors to designers, engineers, and quality analysts. Demonstrating time-saving capabilities and quality assurance, InfiPoints is a powerful tool for creating floor plans or 3D models when documentation is unavailable or outdated.

Elysium
elysium-global.com

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