Modeling and simulation is being used to analyze, develop, and optimize power cable designs around the world. From the bottom of the ocean to deep underground, cables are subjected to various pressures and temperatures. This is where multiphysics simulation has been particularly helpful, providing engineers with insight into the complex environments and conditions to which cables are exposed.

Topics include:

• Subsea cables for powering offshore wind farms
• Underground cable routes for the power grid
• 3D modeling of armor losses in high-voltage cables
• Efficient grid operation and maintenance with simulation apps

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Altair announced that it has made a major breakthrough in quantum computing for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) alongside researchers from the Technical University of Munich. The team developed a generic quantum CFD algorithm for 3D CFD, which Altair says has the potential to be “a game changer for next-generation CFD and simulation-based design” in the company’s press release.

The release elaborates: “Making classical CFD compatible with quantum mechanics allows users to leverage quantum computing’s superior processing power for simulations that are exponentially faster and potentially more accurate than classical computations.”

The researchers published their findings in a paper for Computer Physics Communications titled Quantum Algorithm for the Lattice-Boltzmann Method Advection-Diffusion Equation. It was developed under an Altair research grant and co-authored by Altair vice president of CFD solutions Christian Janssen and former Altair chief technology officer Uwe Schramm.

“Altair is committed to pushing the boundaries of simulation technology,” said Janssen in the release. “Our GPU-powered CFD tools have set the standard for efficiency and accuracy. Now, we’re exploring the revolutionary potential of quantum computing to tackle even more complex simulations, opening up new possibilities for innovation in product design and engineering.” 

Siemens Xcelerator for EV engineering

Siemens has announced EV-focused adopters of its Xcelerator portfolio of engineering software. Pune, India-based Sedemac’s research and development, engineering and manufacturing teams will use Siemens software to develop motor control and engine control units for EVs, e-bikes and other electric equipment. In the U.S., Ohio-based Workhorse Group has standardized on Siemens Xcelerator as a Service to develop electric trucks for last-mile delivery.

“Standardizing on NX and Teamcenter X has allowed us to integrate our design, engineering, and supply chain functions efficiently,” said Jeff Mowry, chief information officer at Workhorse Group, in the Siemens press release. “Previously, our multi-CAD environment was costly and required extra resources. With Siemens, we’ve eliminated these inefficiencies and can focus on building complex electric trucks more effectively.”

Bentley adds carbon analysis to iTwin Experience

Bentley Systems announced that new carbon analysis tools in iTwin Experience are now generally available. The tools will allow infrastructure engineers to assess embodied carbon in their designs, making it easier to develop more sustainable designs, according to Bentley. The tools are now available at no additional cost to iTwin Experience users, though users will require a license to a carbon assessment calculator such as EC3 or OneClickLCA.

“Using Bentley’s new Carbon Analysis capabilities helps transform the tedious task of carbon reporting into a smooth, automated process—providing infrastructure professionals with greater visibility into carbon impacts and helping them design sustainable infrastructure faster and more easily,” said Chris Bradshaw, chief sustainability officer at Bentley Systems, in the company’s press release.

Autodesk releases Manufacturing Data Model API v2

Autodesk updated its Manufacturing Data Model application programming interface (API) to version 2, now in general availability. Part of Autodesk Platform Services, the new API allows Fusion users both read and write access to Fusion design data down to the component level, enabling bidirectional integrations with third party tools. Though the current version of the API is focused on design data, Autodesk suggests that other types of product data, such as simulation, may be accessible in future versions.

The post Altair’s quantum CFD breakthrough could be a game changer appeared first on Engineering.com.

Pre-processing: This is the simulation setup and involves importing a CAD file, defining all properties of the 3D model, creating the mesh and applying constraints and conditions. This step is critical for a successful simulation study with accurate results. Some CAE software has built-in pre-processors with a graphical user interface (GUI) for easy importing and setup. Others without a pre-processor or GUI require engineers to create a data file in an exact format. There is also independent pre-processor software to make the entire pre-processing step, or parts of it, easier with exportable files.

Solving: A solver is the software that performs the calculations and computes the mathematical model. Depending on a model’s complexity, this step can require extensive computational resources and time.

Post-processing: This is the simulation output, such as data files, heat maps and charts. Some CAE platforms have built-in post-processors so engineers can view simulation results in the same program. If a solver doesn’t have a post-processer, engineers must download output files and load them into external programs to view results.

Some simulation software platforms integrate with external CAD programs for easy importing. Others provide CAD and CAE capabilities in a single platform, which streamlines workflows and helps engineers iterate faster. This also enables simulation-driven design. Regardless, once a model is ready for CAE analysis, engineers have options depending on what needs to be tested.

How to plan an engineering simulation

Here are the things to think about when planning a simulation study:

• What problem do you need to solve?
• How much time do you have to run the study?
• What computational resources do you have, and are they adequate for the study?
• What are your goals for the study, and what do you intend to do with the results?
• How will the results be communicated, and to whom?

Understanding the purpose helps engineers plan and run a simulation efficiently to minimize time, costs and other resources.

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Siemens Digital Industries Software announced updates to Simcenter Testlab that the company says will enhance testing efficiency and reduce reliance on physical prototypes. Among other updates, Simcenter Testlab will get new Virtual Prototype Assembly tools that Siemens says “bring together physical test and simulation data to create virtual prototypes with a focus on enabling performance evaluation of different configurations and variants before building physical prototypes.”

In other news from Siemens Digital Industries Software, the company announced that Global Foundries has certified Siemens’ Analog FastSPICE platform for Global Foundries’ 22FDX, 22FDX+,12LP, and 12LP+ Process Design Kits.

Ansys, TSMC and Microsoft speed up photonics simulation

Ansys has collaborated with TSMC and Microsoft in a pilot project that they say successfully accelerated photonic component simulation by over 10x. Using Ansys Lumerical FDTD software, the companies ran the simulations on Microsoft Azure virtual machines with Nvidia GPUs.

“The size and complexity of our multiphysics silicon solutions makes the process of simulating all possible parameter combinations challenging,” said Stefan Rusu, head of silicon photonics system design at TSMC, in the press release. “This latest collaboration again highlights that Ansys effectively harnesses the latest cloud infrastructure and techniques to deliver powerful, predictively accurate solutions that produce results in a fraction of the time.”

FEATool Multiphysics updated to v1.17

Precise Simulation announced version 1.17 of its FEATool Multiphysics software. The developer says that the new release adds support for turbulent and compressible flow simulations to both the OpenFOAM and SU2 Code solver interfaces, adds a dedicated OpenFOAM API, and provides performance improvements for the toolbox GUI, among other enhancements. CFDTool, a “simplified sister toolbox” to FEATool Multiphysics, has also been updated to version 1.10.

VI-grade partners with Applus+ IDIADA for virtual vehicle development

VI-grade announced an expanded collaboration with Applus+ IDIADA that it says represents “a significant step forward in virtual vehicle development.” The partnership will see IDIADA’s vehicle models, which are based on real-world test data, incorporated into VI-grade’s VI-CarRealTime software for simulation and testing.

“By offering vehicle models based on real-world data from IDIADA’s testing facilities, our customers can achieve more accurate simulations and faster development times,” said Guido Bairati, managing director at VI-grade, in the company’s press release. “This strengthened partnership will greatly enhance their ability to prepare, validate, and refine their vehicle designs in a virtual environment before moving to physical tests.”

Faraday embraces Ansys RaptorX

Faraday, a provider of application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) design services, announced that it’s expanding its use of Ansys simulation software to include Ansys’ RaptorX electromagnetic solver.

“Fabrication is exceptionally expensive and there is no room for error. So, keeping the overall project cost low is paramount, and it starts with the initial design. With the addition of RaptorX in this phase, we can offer customers an efficient workflow that includes design verification and signoff as well as access to top-tier test and fabrication services, removing doubts about the chip’s performance and longevity,” said C.H. Chien, vice president of R&D at Faraday, in the company’s press release.

SimOps launches Simulation Operations Automation initiative

SimOps announced the official launch of the Simulation Operations Automation initiative, which it says is “poised to redefine the way organizations manage and optimize their engineering simulations and the operation of the underlying infrastructures.” Part of the launch includes structured training that SimOps says will provide the skills to master simulation operations.

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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.

The post What is engineering simulation? appeared first on Engineering.com.

SimScale GmbH unveiled several updates to its automotive simulation platform that will “help [customers] unlock next-generation engineering techniques,” according to Jon Wilde, VP of product management at SimScale, in the company’s press release. The updates include improvements to SimScale’s AI simulation feature, enhancements to its electromagnetics solver and conjugate heat transfer solver, various improvements to structural analysis and better enterprise collaboration features. SimScale capped the announcement with the news that more than 600,000 registered users have now signed up for the cloud simulation platform.

Matlab and Simulink updated to release 2024b

MathWorks, developer of Matlab and Simulink, has announced Release 2024b of its flagship products. According to the developer, the new release includes “major updates that streamline the workflows of engineers and researchers working on wireless communications systems, control systems, and digital signal processing applications.” Among those updates are the addition of 6G waveform generation to 5G Toolbox, the ability to design nonlinear data-driven control techniques in Simulink Control Design, and a new interactive app to configure digital signal processing (DSP) algorithms and generate hardware definition language (HDL) code.

Keysight introduces quantum circuit simulation tool

Keysight Technologies has introduced a new EDA tool for designing and simulating quantum circuits called Quantum Ckt Sim. Developed in partnership with Google Quantum AI, Quantum Ckt Sim incorporates frequency-domain flux quantization in its circuit solvers, which Keysight claims as an industry first.

“This significant milestone leverages EDA capabilities to streamline the design of superconducting microwave circuits for quantum applications and beyond. We anticipate this advancement will empower quantum engineers to enhance the performance of parametric quantum circuits, particularly in terms of power handling and bandwidth, which are crucial for the readout of qubits in quantum computers,” said Mohamed Hassan, quantum solutions planning lead at Keysight EDA, in the company’s announcement.

Makersite now available in Autodesk Inventor

Makersite announced that it has expanded its strategic partnership with Autodesk to bring sustainability data to Autodesk Inventor. Makersite, which offers carbon, cost and compliance data to product designers, is already available as an add-on in Autodesk Fusion. The new Makersite Inventor add-on will be available on the Autodesk App Store soon, according to Makersite, and will cost $770 per user and $7,000 per 100 materials from the custom materials library.

“Enabling Inventor customers to uncover sustainability insights right in the product they’re already using, leveraging Makersite’s market-leading supply chain intelligence and material analysis data to do so, is exactly the kind of workflow efficiency we’re building into all our tools,” said Stephen Hooper, Autodesk’s vice president of design and manufacturing product development, in Makersite’s press release.

SDC Verifier 2024 R2 released

SDC Verifier announced its 2024 R2 release, which now supports the latest versions of FEA software including Ansys, Siemens Femap and Siemens Simcenter 3D. SDC Verifier 2024 R2 also adds support for new standards and codes including ASME BTH-1:2023 (a standard for below-the-hook lifting devices) and DNV CG-01-28 (a standard for plate buckling). Other new features of SDC Verifier, according to the developer, include a streamlined process for generating load combinations, a new parameter search feature, improvements to the Panel Finder tool and a redesigned online help page.

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Revolution in Simulation (Rev-Sim) has launched a free learning program focused on the role of AI in simulation and product development. In a press release announcing the new program, Rev-Sim says it will provide an expert-curated curriculum, best practices and a community discussion forum.

The new learning program will be supported by Founding Steering Committee members Malcolm Panthaki of Aras and Rev-Sim, Justin Hodges of Siemens, Cenk Feridunoglu of EmpowerOps and Sandeepak Natu of CIMdata, according to Rev-Sim.

MapleSim update promises more robust machine design

Maplesoft has released the latest version of its MapleSim simulation platform. According to Maplesoft, the new update will help engineers quickly evaluate the designs of manufacturing equipment and machines.

“The new results management options make it easy to compare different simulation results in side-by-side views, so decision-making in the early product development stages becomes faster – and that leads to the launch of more robust final machines,” said Chris Harduwar, VP of strategic solutions at Maplesoft, in the company’s press release.

Other updates to MapleSim include new modeling components in the MapleSim Web-Handling Library, support for recent CAD software releases in the MapleSim CAD Toolbox, and new options to import and export FMI 3.0 files in the MapleSim Connector for FMI.

Autodesk revenue up 6.2%

Autodesk has released financial results for the second quarter of its fiscal 2025. The company reported revenue of $1,505 million, a 6.2% increase from the previous quarter, with a profit of $282 million.

Autodesk CEO Andrew Anagnost attributed the successful results to “[Autodesk’s] ability to capitalize on the attractive long term-growth trends we’re seeing, including increases in global reconstruction and infrastructure,” among other factors, according to the company’s press release.

Altair acquires KSK Analytics

Altair has acquired Japanese consulting firm KSK Analytics. Specializing in the manufacturing sector, KSK has been a reseller of Altair’s RapidMiner data analytics platform for more than a decade.

“Altair has had a presence in Japan for nearly thirty years and this acquisition expands our reach and technical depth in data science to better serve the growing AI market in Asia Pacific,” said James R. Scapa, founder and CEO of Altair, in the company’s announcement.

In other RapidMiner news, Altair announced a partnership with the Faculty of Data and Decisions Science at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology that will give faculty, students and researchers access to the analytics platform.

Asahi Kasei launches CAE Solution Platform for polymers

Asahi Kasei Engineering Corp. has launched a cloud-based simulation platform to predict the crash and impact behavior of polymers. The “CAE Solution Platform” will provide users with downloadable apps, including a polymer material fracture prediction model called i-LUPE as well as an i-LUPE mapping tool.

Tech Soft 3D appoints new president

Tech Soft 3D announced that Antonio Parisse will join the company as president of its Industrial Applications Group. Parisse, who has more than 20 years of experience in the business of CAD, CAM and simulation software, will report directly to Tech Soft 3D CEO Ron Fritz.

The post A new (free!) guide to AI in simulation, and more CAE updates appeared first on Engineering.com.

Altair and Oasys announced they’re developing an integrated solution for automotive crash safety analysis. That solution will entail “a seamless workflow” between Altair’s HyperWorks simulation platform and Oasys’s Primer software for preparing and modifying crash safety analysis models. The integrated solution will be available through Altair HyperWorks, according to Altair.

BeyondMath gets $8.5M for AI simulation

Simulation startup BeyondMath announced that it has secured $8.5 million in seed funding. The cash will support BeyondMath’s AI-based multiphysics simulation platform, which the startup claims “accelerates engineering iterations by a factor of 1,000 compared to current solutions.” The seed funding was led by UP.Partners with participation from Insight Partners and InMotion Ventures.

Noesis launches democratized SimApps

Noesis Solutions, developer of the cloud-based id8 engineering platform, launched a new feature that it calls SimApps. According to Noesis, SimApps automate recurring simulation tasks to enable “designers and engineers of all experience levels and functional expertise to perform reliable and efficient analysis of their engineering designs.”

“SimApps enable simulation-driven design and the democratization of simulation, allowing many more designers and engineers to access the value of simulation technologies with confidence and reliability,” said Georgios Papantonakis, chief product officer of Noesis Solutions, in the company’s announcement.

ModuleWorks puts GPUs to work

ModuleWorks GmbH is introducing GPU-based machining simulation in its upcoming ModuleWorks 2024.12 software release. The developer says that GPU-based simulation is up to ten times faster than CPU-based simulation, based on internal benchmarks of ModuleWorks’ toolpath simulation software using an AMD Ryzen 7 3700X CPU and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU.

Esteco acquires Optimad Engineering

Engineering software developer Esteco has completed its acquisition of simulation provider Optimad Engineering. Optimad’s computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and reduced order modeling (ROM) products will complement Esteco’s suite of digital engineering software to “empower engineers and designers with the tools they need to innovate and excel,” according to Carlo Poloni, president of Esteco, in the company’s press release.

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Renesas has completed its acquisition of electronic design automation (EDA) software developer Altium. The $5.91 billion deal, first announced in February, will see Altium as a subsidiary of Renesas led by CEO Aram Mirkazemi, who will concurrently serve as a senior vice president and head of Renesas’ Software & Digitalization team.

“With Renesas’ support and expertise, we are looking forward to accelerating the cloud-enablement of all industry processes associated with electronics design and development,” Mirkazemi said in a press release. “This will make electronics accessible to a broader market and lay the foundation for software defined products.”

Altair Enlighten Awards honor lightweighting and sustainability

Altair announced the winners of its 2024 Altair Enlighten Award honoring sustainability and lightweighting in the automotive industry.

The awards categories included sustainable product (winner: DuPont Betamate for its broad bake adhesive technology), sustainable process (BMW M and partners for their visionary materials seat), module lightweighting (Syensqo and General Motors for their high-performance thermoplastic battery module structure), enabling technology (CompositeEdge for their sustainable high-performance structures), the future of lightweighting (WEAV3D, Braskem and Clemson Composites Center for cost-effective lightweight vehicle body structures) and responsible AI (Dow Inc. for Specflex polyurethane solutions).

Read more about the winners and runners-up on Engineering.com.

Ansys revenue up from 2023

Ansys’ revenue is up, according to the company’s financial results for the second quarter of 2024. Ansys announced its Q2 revenue was $594.1 million, up from $466.6 million in Q2 2023, a 27.3% increase.

Beta CAE updates SPDRM

Beta CAE Systems released SPDRM v1.11.2, the latest version of its software for simulation process data and resources management. The company said in its release notes that the updated SPDRM includes several enhancements and bug fixes. SPDRM v1.11.2 is now available from Beta CAE and its distributors.

Carmen Torres-Sanchez to be keynote speaker at ASSESS Summit 2025

NAFEMS has announced the first keynote speaker for its upcoming ASSESS Summit 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. Carmen Torres-Sanchez, a professor of multifunctional materials manufacturing at Loughborough University in the UK, will address the audience at what NAFEMS calls “the think-tank for engineering analysis and simulation, which will guide and shape the direction of the industry for years to come.”

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The Ansys SimAI cloud-enabled generative artificial intelligence (AI) platform combines the predictive accuracy of Ansys simulation with the speed of generative AI. Because of the software’s versatile underlying neural networks, it can extend to many types of simulation, including structural applications.

This white paper shows how the SimAI cloud-based software applies to highly nonlinear, transient structural simulations, such as automobile crashes, and includes:

• Vehicle kinematics and deformation
• Forces acting upon the vehicle
• How it interacts with its environment
• How understanding the changing and rapid sequence of events helps predict outcomes

These simulations can reduce the potential for occupant injuries and the severity of vehicle damage and help understand the crash’s overall dynamics. Ultimately, this leads to safer automotive design.

Your download is sponsored by Ansys.

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