“There’s a reason why there’s an eraser on a pencil.” That’s how Dan Saperstein, CATI’s senior vice president of business systems, describes the creative, iterative process of developing a product for the real world using simulation. In the early design stages, simulation allows companies greater leeway to experiment and innovate—to design with a pencil, rather than a pen.

“Companies traditionally brought products to market through physical testing,” says Dan. “They would physically design it, build it, break it, and redesign it until it was no longer broken.” It’s a process that is both time consuming and expensive, and is also limiting in the type of tests that can be performed and the data it is possible to collect from them. With simulation, the story is different. “We’re able to bring our customer’s process to market a lot faster, allowing for better quality and better innovation. Simulation is no longer a nicety in the marketplace—it’s a necessity.”

Joe Formicola, CATI’s vice president of CAE simulation solutions, concurs. “I see simulation becoming even more of an important tool for product development. It’s becoming increasingly available because of its ease of use on the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform and the connectedness to CAD, but also because of the computational capabilities that the cloud has allowed us to have.”

If the advantages that simulation brings to an engineering firm are hard to overstate, so too are the benefits that come from working with an experienced sim team.

This was the logic CATI followed in late 2020, when they acquired Caelynx, an Ann Arbor-based team of simulation consultants specializing in the Dassault Systèmes product line of simulation software, which also includes SOLIDWORKS. By bringing on a simulation team with decades of expertise in diverse fields, CATI could better support their own customer base of SOLIDWORKS users by helping them integrate their CAD workflows to a wider range of advanced simulation tools.

However, as Joe is quick to point out, an expert simulation team is an enhancement to a company’s internal team, not a replacement. “We want our customer’s expert engineers to have expert tools. But to create these types of easy-to-use workflows that connect to CAD and are very advanced, you need people with experience who have in-depth understanding of the physics solvers, of the CAD tools, and who are used to working with customers and helping them implement these tools.”

For as impressive as all that sounds, the depth and breadth of CATI’s new simulation team can best be demonstrated by introducing the individual members. If your company needs simulation support, these are the people ready to assist you.

Meet the CATI Sim Team Leaders.

The observation that technology continues to grow at exponential rates is a bit clichéd, but it also has a name: Moore’s Law. Back in the 60s, Gordon Moore, the CEO and co-founder of Intel, posited the number of transistors on a dense integrated circuit board would double roughly every two years. That law held true for over fifty years, and while it might be slowing down, those within high tech industries are still engaged in an intensely competitive race to provide ever more powerful and innovative devices.

For businesses striving to stay at the leading edge of their industry, few tools could be more important than the advanced EM simulations provided by CAE programs such as CST Studio Suite. Here are five use cases for this technology in electronics design.

1. Model effects of increased capacity for data processing and storage.

Simulated surface current distribution across
PCB & package with CST Studio Suite.

One of the most obvious applications for EM simulation is in the design of new electronic components for data processing and storage. Despite the improvements made year after year in this area, the demand for faster, more powerful devices with longer battery lives has yet to slow down. This is because, as devices provide more processing power and increased storage, the demands placed on them increase.

EM simulation can drive improvements by showing how reduced chip sizes have increased speeds and power density. It can then help engineers understand how to use these efficiencies in their designs to provide greater capacity to end users.

2. Improve antennae efficiency to reduce coupling issues.

Although the average consumer doesn’t think about it much, antennae have become ubiquitous components among modern connected devices. The typical smartphone, for instance, doesn’t just have one antenna—it can have over half a dozen. These include antennae for WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, and as many as four for LG cellular connectivity—and that’s just what’s in a smartphone.

Having so many components in such close proximity to each other all trying to send and receive signals causes many issues, with stronger signals drowning out weaker ones—much like too many speakers in a small room talking over each other. However, EM simulation can help engineers overcome this challenges by modeling which placement of antennae and compact isolation features within the device leads to the best performance.

3. Simulate electromagnetic interference on other electronic components and nearby devices.

CST simulates crosstalk & ISI on memory modules.

Antennae aren’t the only electronic components that can run into interference issues. With electrical or electro-mechanical systems enhancing or replacing mechanical systems in more and more industries—including manufacturing, aircraft, and automotive vehicles—ensuring that these systems don’t undermine each other is essential to maintain peak performance.

EM simulation can help engineers understand the effects of electromagnetic signals on their designs, and test possible ways to reduce interference. These simulations can be for the electric components within the device itself, and the effects that external devices might have on the system.

4. Model effects of electromagnetic influences on the human body.

A model to test an 8 channel head coil, including the magnet bore,
the gradient coils and the HUGO voxel model.

High levels of electromagnetic radiation manifest themselves quickly in the forms of burns or rashes. These come from ionizing sources of radiation, such as X-rays or gamma rays. The effects on the human body of non-ionizing sources of radiation—such as what are found in electronic devices—are currently under study. While scientific studies over the past thirty years have not shown harmful effects of exposure to low-level EM radiation sources, they have also not conclusively ruled out the possibility.

EM simulations can aid this research by modeling the effects of EM radiation on human tissue without exposing any human beings to actual risk. EM simulation can also help device manufacturers by showing that their devices fall within the regulatory standards set for non-ionizing radiation.

5. Understand the thermal effects of high powered devices.

High-powered electronic devices generate heat, and this heat can damage the electric components with a device if it is not managed carefully. Designers of high tech devices need to understand the thermal effects of the placement of components within the device so that they can make the appropriate tradeoffs between heat management and the efficacy of various components.

Multiphysics simulations that can combine the results of EM simulation from CST Studio Suite with thermal dynamic simulations can help engineers make informed decisions about the design of their devices.

EM simulation helps businesses create powerful, durable electronic devices without compromising on design or safety.

Clearly, EM simulation plays a crucial role in the designing of effective electronic devices. However, simulation doesn’t just provide the reassurance that electric devices will meet design specifications—it gives businesses the ability to push their designs further, to test the boundaries of current performance limitations, and perhaps even exceed them.

CST Studio Suite provides the software package engineers need to create these designs. As a high performance 3D EM analysis program, it provides the electromagnetic field solvers that can be used in each of the applications we have described here—and more.

For many businesses, expanding their simulation capabilities means hiring new engineers who specialize in the field of electromagnetic simulation to handle the extra work load. We can work with your engineering department both as value-added resellers of CST Studio Suite, and as CAE consultants to help you manage high volume workloads.

If your business wants to begin using CST Studio Suite to improve your electronics design, contact us right away. We’ll help you get started.

The global market for electric vehicles (EVs) has been growing rapidly for the past decade, and shows no sign of abating. This is especially true as the technology behind electric vehicles reaches a tipping point, where increased efficiency and other benefits will outweigh those currently offered by combustion engine vehicles. As the EV market expands, manufacturers are responding with new vehicle designs boasting greater range, faster charge times, and longer battery life.

However, achieving these technological improvements is not possible without extensive support from CAE simulation. Automotive manufacturers rely on these simulations to speed up and optimizes designs, reduce uncertainty, save money, and provide a competitive edge. Without FEA simulation to support these developments, manufacturers would have to resort to expensive physical prototyping and testing procedures which would greatly slow down their time to market and hinder their ability to adapt to changing needs.

CAE simulation can be applied to battery design in the following ways.

1. Battery cell design.

The lithium-ion battery has been widely adapted as the industry standard for electric vehicles, but it comes with many drawbacks. The current technology has limitations in terms of energy density, life of the battery, and the speed at which it can be recharged. Most importantly, the sensitivity to temperature and volatility of electrolytes can make them susceptible to fire and are a clear safety risk.

Studies into other materials, such as sodium-ion batteries, or batteries that use lithium metal for the anodes, are being researched, with many possibilities for improvement on the horizon.

Battery cells require thermal-electrical analysis to model heat loss as well as structural analysis to determine how a cell might withstand mechanical stressors. Cells that overheat quickly or unevenly in normal running conditions, or which respond poorly to hot climates, are unsuitable for commercial use.

2. Battery module.

On average, about twelve battery cells are combined to form a battery module. However, slimmer cell designs that allow more cells to be fitted onto one module result in more efficient designs. Simulation can help engineers find ways to increase the number of cells per module to improve performance. As battery cells are assembled into modules, thermal-electrical analysis can determine if and how cooling components or temperature monitors should be inserted. Mechanical simulation should also be used to determine constraints to the packing of cells, to determine the stress propagation within individual cells as they swell in response to charging and discharging cycles.

Finally, as cells behave differently once they are mounted onto a module, these modules must also be tested for thermos-structural and impact loading scenarios, to determine what stressors might lead to combustion or other structural failures.

3. Battery pack.

Battery cells, once bound together in a pack, present other challenges which simulation can address. The strength, stiffness, and durability of a battery pack structure are all crucial variables to determine the fatigue life of the pack.

Battery packs will also need simulations to determine how they respond to heating and cooling. CFD simulation can model the response of the battery pack to coolants, as well as potential triggers for a runaway thermal effect.

CATI can be your simulation partner as you improve your EV battery design.

As electric vehicle manufacturers and suppliers scale their production to meet consumer demand, they will need to rely heavily on the ability to coordinate with each other and adapt quickly to changes across all stages of the supply chain.

CATI also serves as a Value-Added Retailer (VAR) of Dassault Systèmes simulation software. We provide support and training to businesses as they seek to expand the capacity of their own engineering teams to handle more simulation projects. Our engineers can work with your company to create methodologies that can be integrated with your battery development process to test new designs.

If you are looking for an EM simulation partner to expand this portion of your business, talk to us. We can provide the support you need.

As electric vehicles take over a larger share of the automotive market, OEMs and suppliers alike need to make use of every tool at their disposal to improve the performance of their vehicles. At present, no tool is more essential than CAE simulation when it comes to helping manufacturers test the design of EM components and how they contribute to the structure, efficiency, and performance of a vehicle.

While a lot of attention is often focused on battery performance in EVs, the electric drivetrain also presents completely new engineering challenges that require extensive simulation in order to understand how interconnecting systems affect each other. From our experience working in the automotive industry, we have identified six key areas where simulation helps EV engineers improve drivetrain performance. Let’s take a closer look.

1. NVH

Trust the Drive – Electric Drive Noise and Vibration Analysis
WATCH THE WEBINAR NOW

2. Electric Motor Performance

Electric vehicles have typically lagged behind those with internal combustion engines (ICEs) in terms of power and performance. This has been a barrier to wider adoption, as improvements in motor and transmission performance have come at a tradeoff to battery longevity. However, newer EV technologies have increased the efficiency of electric powertrains, allowing them to compete with and even outperform their ICE counterparts.

Multiphysics simulations have been integral to these improvements, and can help automotive manufacturers develop even better designs. This can be particularly important in optimizing motor efficiencies with gear ratios, to improve performance on highways or during uphill driving.

3. Thermal Management

Electric Drive Engineering
WATCH THE WEBINAR NOW

4. Lubrication

Electric vehicles require different lubricants than ICEs. Without fossil fuels and with fewer moving parts, these systems run cleaner, meaning the engine oils will collect fewer contaminants over time from burning fuel. However, EV motors operate at very high speeds, and still require both oil and coolant. And, while EV transmissions are different from ICEs, they do still require lubrication for the gear reducer.

Thus far, there is no one solution to which lubricants should be used for different EV transmissions. While some manufacturers use traditional transmission fluid, others are relying on grease bearings with oil lubricants. CFD simulation can help engineers understand which lubricants work best based on their design choices.

5. New Materials

WLTP and Lightweighting – Lighten the Burden of WLTP
WATCH THE WEBINAR NOW

6. Durability

The reputations of automotive manufacturers are made or broken on the reliability and longevity of their products. Premature failure of components leads to lost trust among consumers, as well as extra expenses for manufacturers in case of a large recall.

Using CAE simulation, engineers can create models to run fatigue tests and predict failure conditions for every component in the EV driveline. These simulations can help manufacturers determine repair schedules and write better warrantees for their vehicles.

CATI can support your simulation needs for electric vehicle drivetrains.

CATI offers CAE simulation support for OEMs and suppliers in two key ways. First, we are value-added resellers (VARs) of Dassault Systèmes software, including Abaqus, CST Studio Suite, CATIA, and SIMULIA. For manufacturers who hope to expand their CAE departments we offer support for using this software to set up custom workflows.

Second, as CAE and FEA consultants, we bring our multidisciplinary expertise to the table, helping our clients find solutions to complex problems. We can perform CAE simulations for our clients, increasing the capabilities for those who do not have CAE engineers on staff, and expanding the capacity for those who need extra assistance during peak production times.

If you are looking for a CAE partner to help test designs for EV components, contact us. We would love an opportunity to contribute our automotive expertise to your project.

CST Studio Suite is updated for 2020, and it now includes access to the powerful low-frequency solvers of Opera, an excellent choice for motor design among other things!  Visit our CST Studio Suite page to learn more about CST or contact us for a demo.  You can also try the free Student Edition!

Here are some of the highlights of this release:

General Features

General

• LINUX support for all interactive workflows
• New project preview mode, which includes archiving of projects
• Added filtering option to the navigation tree
• New search option to find commands, information and examples
• New Python module for general project management
• Enhanced general and cylindrical bend feature
• System Simulator: Import of Functional Mockup Units for ModelExchange according to FMI standard
• HPC: MPI job scheduler native shell support
• HPC: Improved GPU support: Added selected AMD GPUs (T), NVIDIARTX series and NVIDIA NVLink

System Assembly and Modeling (SAM)

• Extended modification options of existing simulation projects
• Improved support of lumped elements for 3D simulation projects
• One-click conversion of 3D projects to assembly projects

Meshing

• Mesh Import: Recovery tool for intersecting triangles
• NVH Mesh Import with connections for surface mesh (I)
• Improved robustness of mesh moving for optimizations and sweeps

Post-Processing

• New Python module ‘cst.results’ to access 0D/1D results from file
• New easy to use ‘Result2D’ VBA object
• Improved ray histogram post-processing
• Interactive plot measurement mode for Cartesian 1D plot
• Interactive farfield plots in orthographic projection
• Faster farfield combination that avoids nearfield data processing (T, F)
• New Report tool to collect screenshots and create report documents
• Enhanced 2D colormap plot supports contour lines, banding and auto tick
• Customizable plot units in 2D/3D plots

3D EM Technology

• High Frequency Simulation
• Added circularly distributed discrete face ports (F)
• Encryption of CST models for securely sharing data (IP protection): FD and TLM solver added
• New Partial RLC solver for calculation of circuit parameters (partial resistances, inductances, and capacitances) with optional SPICE export
• Allow surface impedance material at waveguide ports (T)
• Performance improvements for open boundary simulations (T)
• Added multi-pin lumped element SPICE and Touchstone circuits (T, TLM)
• Added connectivity tree and mesh feedback for discretization and intersection problems (TLM)
• Improved handling of composite skins on aircraft frames (TLM)
• Combine results for fast reduced order model frequency domain solver with tetrahedral mesh (F)
• Modal weighting coefficients available after Characteristic Mode Analysis (I, M)
• Performance enhancement for monostatic RCS sweep (I)
• General performance improvements and support for larger simulation setups for MLFMM (I)
• Field of view analysis (A)
• Improved accuracy for near- and farfield source excitations (A)
• Hybrid solver task (SAM task)
  • Support simultaneous excitations defined in local domains
  • Reference impedance for S-parameters and Touchstone export added
  • Support all ports excitation selection

Antenna Magus

• Multiple elements per array
• Element pattern from collection
• Calculate NFS for default designs and for previously estimated designs while NFS setting was disabled
• Value comparison in compare window
• Exclude selected variables from macro export

Low Frequency Simulation

• Performance improvement for time domain solvers (LT)
• Authoring of CAD coil segments from CAD geometries (LT, JS, LF FD (broadband only))
• 3D translational motion (LT)
• Introduction of Machine Simulation Sequence for multiple drive scenario simulation in SAM
• Authoring of Reduced Order Models as Functional Mockup Units according to FMI standard (LF FD and SAM Machine Simulation Sequence)
• Induction Machine drive scenario (SAM Machine Simulation Sequence)
• Performance improvements for evaluating machine drive scenarios (SAM Machine Simulation Sequence)
• Using iron loss data sheets for calculating iron losses (Frontend)
• Temperature dependent permanent magnet recoil model (LT)

Particle Simulation

• Particle volume source for modeling initial plasma distributions
• Ion-induced secondary electron emission
• Added support for periodic boundaries in the E-Static PIC solver
• Time dependent field excitation for E-Static PIC solver

SPARK3D

• In Corona configuration, pressure sweep points may be distributed in a linear or logarithmic scale
• Added new Corona simulation type: at a fixed power, a pressure sweep may be analyzed in order to know if there is breakdown or not

FEST3D

• Expose independent parameters to CST Design Studio
• Added coaxial/dielectric-loaded cavity libraries based on CST Frequency Domain Solver. Rectangular and cylindrical cavities are allowed
• Visualize the mesh used by 3D subcomponents based on BI-RME3D and CST Frequency Domain Solver
• Use FEST3D projects as blocks in CST Design Studio

Cable | Circuit | Macromodels | PCB | Chip

Cable Simulation

• Support for CST Cable Studio projects in simulation projects
• Improvements of connection to 3D manager
• Improvements of automatic bundling and twisted cable simulation
• Increase of simulation accuracy concerning loss and screen modeling, incl. Spice export
• Improvements of the user interface: e.g. interactive cross-section editing

Circuit Simulation

• All task properties are available through task parameter list and many other schematic editor improvements
• New parameterized array block to define multiple, identical sub circuits
• New FEST3D project block
• IBIS-AMI task: Support of transient AMI simulation
• Encryption/decryption for SPICE circuit files
• Interface to LTSPICE simulator

IdEM

• Full support for macromodeling of Mixed-Mode parameters
• New functionality for performing sensitivity analyses on a dataset
• Enhancement of the passivity solver through a more efficient characterization of the passivity violations
• Major improvement in the convergence of the passivity enforcement solver through a more robust optimizer
• Performance improvements for terminate ports functionality

Filter Design

• Automatic 3D filter design and model creation

EDA Import and PCB Simulation

• Support for bending and multiple-stackup information in Cadence-Allegro import
• Automatic import of heat sources from PCBS IR-drop results into CST MPhysics Studio
• Improved performance of opening PCB designs in 3D
• New package component model (EBD)
• New impedance calculator for pre-layout analysis
• Improvements in IR-Drop simulation: Consider filled vias
• Increase of simulation accuracy for SI/2DTL, e.g. Ohmic loss modeling and legacy via model, incl. SPICE export
• Improvements of the user interface: e.g. view attributes manager and color mode for 2D/3D results

Boardcheck

• Classify rules by analysis types (EMC, SI, PI)
• New rule ‘Power Net Overlapping’
• Improved rules that are checking cross-talk

Chip Interface

• Automatic port creation at pin locations
• Project history display and editing
• Retain pin/net information when exporting through Cadence Virtuoso plugin
• Single-file setup for GDS-based workflow triggered from Cadence Virtuoso plugin

Multi-Physics Simulations

Thermal Simulation

• CHT Solver
  • New CFD mesh type enabling the use of non-uniform background meshes and the optimal positioning of meshing gridlines at solid interfaces
  • Improved reporting of setup errors including self-intersecting surfaces
  • Faster and more accurate import of surface losses from EM simulations
  • Support for surface emissivity and contact properties in the two-resistor thermal compact model
• Two-resistor thermal compact model creation macro for classic thermal solvers (THt, THs)
• Updated heat transfer coefficient calculation macro to compute surface temperature for given power dissipation (THt, THs)

You don’t need affiliation with an academic institution to try out CST Studio Suite and Antenna Magus for free. Just follow these easy steps to sign up and check it out!

CAE is essential to modern engineering, but it’s an ever-changing landscape of infinite possibilities. So let us get to know you, and we will figure out a world-class software solution unique to your needs and couple it with excellent pricing and reliable support.

CST Studio Suite

The CST Studio Suite Student Edition introduces you to the world of electromagnetic simulation, making Maxwell’s equations easier to understand than ever. With this free edition you have – bar some restrictions – access to our powerful visualization engine and some of the most advanced solvers of CST Studio Suite.

To accompany the CST Studio Suite Student Edition, we have prepared some examples, which are typical of the type of textbook problems you may encounter during your studies of electromagnetic theory or other related courses. Each tutorial includes a descriptive text, a CST Studio Suite file and also a short video showing how to construct each of the models.

CST Studio Suite Student Edition is ideal for use as part of coursework as well as for anyone wishing to become more proficient with CST Studio Suite.

Even if you are not affiliated with an academic institution, you can immediately download the CST Studio Suite Student Edition for free and get access to the tutorials​​​​​​​​​​​​​​.

Visit our CST Studio Suite page to learn more about applications, capabilities, hardware requirements, and more.

Antenna Magus

The Antenna Magus Student Edition​​​​​​​ is available for Windows only and includes design capabilities for 12 popular antenna types. Antenna Magus Student Edition also includes tools for synthesis and analysis of basic antenna arrays and a selection of useful antenna design utilities.

High quality simulation models of the designs created using Antenna Magus Student Edition can be generated. These models are fully compatible with CST Studio Suite and some models are also compatible with CST Studio Suite Student Edition

Even if you are not affiliated with an academic institution, you can immediately download and try out Antenna Magus Student Edition for free.

Dassault Systèmes CATIA and SIMULIA (Abaqus, XFlow, CST Studio Suite, etc.) solutions are widely used in the tire industry to optimize tire performance, reduce costs and develop innovative products. The combination of design, PLM and simulation tools on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform means these solutions are even more powerful in combination, allowing advanced design and simulation workflows integrated over the entire tire design cycle.
This improves communication between design teams, making project data and specifications easily available to all, and allows multi-attribution optimization and decision making in order to achieve the best trade-off between the magic triangle and other variables. Cumulatively, this allows more verification cycles in same amount of time with higher confidence and increases the chances of passing SAE standards without test failures, cutting both cost and time-to-market.

Here are some of the powerful simulations that Abaqus, XFlow, PowerFlow, Simpack, and CST Studio Suite can provide in a highly efficient, unified 3DEXPERIENCE environment:

• Footprint, steady state rolling, braking, and cornering
• Impact and burst
• Hydroplaning and tire-snow interaction
• Wear/erosion
• Noise, vibration, and harshness
• Aerodynamic drag
• Vehicle dynamics
• Tire sensor design

Whitepaper: More Detailed Overview

Read more about the tools and technology employed in this comprehensive tire engineering workflow:

Webinar: See the Simulation Possibilities in Action

Watch a 40-minute in-depth webinar on this exciting topic here:

Webinar: Get a Close Look at Hydroplaning Simulation with SIMULIA

This 60-minute presentation shows, in detail, hydroplaning simulation with Abaqus and XFlow multiphysics:

We regularly employ SIMULIA’s multiphysics capabilities to produce accurate analyses, and beyond the usual structural stuff, CFD and vibration/acoustics are specialties of ours!  Our engineers’ talents are available to you as either your SIMULIA support team or engineering consultants.  Contact us to start a conversation and learn more about our engineering services.

The simulation portfolio of 3DEXPERIENCE R2019x (including Abaqus 2019 download, fe-safe, Tosca, Xflow, CST, and Isight) is out and available to you right now!  It’s packed with new features and enhancements that will expand your analytical possibilities and make your life as an analyst easier!  My personal favorites include improved solve times in Abaqus/Explicit, hyperfoam materials in Abaqus/Standard, and new constraint options in Tosca Structure.  Exciting!

How to Download

Head over to software.3ds.com to get your download now!  This update is freely available to current licensees.  For more detailed instructions on downloading and installing DS software, check out our blog post.

If you’d like to learn more about SIMULIA, visit our SIMULIA page.  If you’d like to speak to us about getting started with SIMULIA, contact us here.

What’s New

Abaqus

The Abaqus Unified FEA product suite offers powerful and complete solutions for both routine and sophisticated engineering problems covering a vast spectrum of industrial applications.

What’s New

Material and element enhancements

• A new 2nd order tet element C3D10 in Abaqus/Explicit provides larger stable time increment and is more computationally efficient than the existing C3D10M element
• A new shear panel element SHEAR4 in Abaqus/Standard provides efficient modeling of reinforced thin-wall structures such as can be found in airplane fuselages
• The hyperfoam material that was previously available in Abaqus/Explicit is now also available in Abaqus/Standard. Results transfer between Abaqus/Standard and Abaqus/Explicit is fully supported which enables workflows involving static preload followed by dynamic impact.
• The concrete damaged plasticity model in Explicit has been enhanced to include damage initiation and failure.

Contact enhancements

• General contact in Abaqus/Standard now supports thermal and thermal-electrical procedures.
• Initial contact stresses in Abaqus/Standard can be computed based on user-specified stress in elements underlying the contact surface.
• New contact output variables including scalar integration of contact pressure over the surface.
• The bolt contact capability in Abaqus/Standard has been enhanced to more accurately represent threads without actually meshing the thread.

Linear Dynamics enhancements

• SMP parallel processing is now supported for results recovery in mode-based procedures.
• The missing mass method is now available for use within the response spectrum procedure. A common application is earthquake engineering.
• Structural energy flow, power flow and acoustic radiated energy and power can now be computed for coupled structural-acoustic steady state dynamics.

Modeling and visualization enhancements

• Model instances can now be used with flattened input files.
• Asymmetric axisymmetric elements CAXA/SAXA are now supported within Abaqus/CAE.
• Geometry assemblies within Abaqus/CAE can be exported into the ASAT format which simplifies interoperability with 3DEXPERIENCE applications.
• Visualization of nodal tensor fields is now supported.

Other key enhancements

• Parallel scalability of Abaqus/Explicit has been significantly improved. Performance improvements approaching 50% have been observed.
• Performance of contour integral evaluation has significantly increased for large models.
• Performance of linear static load cases has been significantly improved.

Tosca

The Tosca optimization suite provides fast and powerful structural and flow optimization solutions based on FEA and CFD simulations. Tosca optimization suite consists of two products: Tosca Structure is for optimized structural designs, and Tosca Fluid provides optimized fluid flow design concepts.

What’s New

Tosca Structure

• Tosca Structure.topology
  • Faster execution using shared memory parallelization (SMP) for topology optimization using shared memory parallelization.
  • Enhanced topology optimization sensitivity filtering
    • Sensitivity filters has been enhanced and especially in combination with stress constraints or symmetry constraints are results much improved
  • Enhanced optimizer for sensitivity based optimizations
    • New implementation of the internal optimizer, Convex Separable Approximation (CSA). The optimizer is now default
  • Improved controls for overhang constraints for additive manufacturing
•  Tosca Structure.shape
  • Enabling sensitivity based shape optimization with Abaqus non-linear analysis
    • Non-linear static analysis (NLGEOM=YES, *PLASTIC, *CONTACT …)
    • Including all modeling nonlinearities as large deformations, contact and non-linear materials.
    • Stress constraints
    • Reaction force constraints, even on *COUPLING elements
    • 2D and 3D elements
    • Abaqus execution in MPI-mode
    • Better performance, especially for stress constraints
  • Enhanced manufacturing constraints for sensitivity based shape optimization supporting the following manufacturing constraints
    • Plane symmetry
    • Cyclic rotational symmetry
    • Cyclic plane symmetry
    • Stamping
    • Demold control
  • For easy restrictions of plane surfaces adjacent to the design area with RESTRICT_ON_SURFACE
  • Definition of a smooth transition zone into the design area with CHECK_TYPE = TRANSITION
  • Enhanced element correction for C3D10 elements
•  Tosca Structure.bead
  • Enabling sensitivity based bead optimization with Abaqus nonlinear analysis which replaces the “linearized” workflows
  • The Sensitivity based bead optimization now supports
    • Non-linear static analysis (NLGEOM=YES, *PLASTIC, *CONTACT …)
    • Stress constraints
    • Reaction force constraints, even on *COUPLING elements
    • Abaqus execution in MPI mode
    • Better performance
•  Tosca support in ABAQUS/CAE 2019
  • Support Abaqus sensitivities for all Tosca workflows
  • Sizing
  • Shape
  • Bead * (planned for FD release)
  • Overhang constraint topology optimization
•  Supported solver interfaces
  • Abaqus 2019
  • ANSYS® v19.0
  • MSC Nastran® 2017
  • Supported life solver interfaces
    • fe-safe 2019
    • Femfat ® 5.3

Tosca Fluid

• Tosca Fluid improved interfaces for
  • STAR-CCM+® versions: 9.02 – 13.02
  • Ansys Fluent® versions 15.0.0 – 19.0.0

fe-safe

fe-safe is a powerful, comprehensive and easy-to-use suite of software for fatigue analysis from finite element models.

What’s New

• Improved robustness of weld line definitions for solid elements
• Enhanced nodal force method for Verity weld fatigue relaxes some of the meshing requirements
• Results summary available by group, not just model as a whole
• Groups/sets created by fe-safe are written to ODB Prismatic Hull infinite life method
• Simpler plugin loading
• Ability to use more than one plugin in the same project/job
• Improved plugin identification/versioning
• Installer unified with Abaqus

Isight

Isight provides simulation process automation and design optimization solutions that enable users to reduce analysis time and costs while improving product performance, quality and reliability.

What’s New

• Isight Enhancements
  • Support copy-paste of scripts in script editors
  • New “Fetch & republish to local library” command in fipercmd
• Component Enhancements
  • Abaqus component upgrade
    • Support for Abaqus 6.14 – Abaqus 2019
  •  CATIA V5 component upgrade
    • Supports CATIA V5 R27, CATIA V5 R28, and CATIA V5 R29
  • SolidWorks component upgrade
    • SolidWorks component is enhanced to support SolidWorks 2016 SP4 through 2019 releases
• SIMULIA Execution Engine (SEE) Enhancements
  • TomEE-Microsoft SQL Server based SEE
  • Web Dashboard in TomEE-based-SEE
  • HTTPS support for Webtop and Web Dashboard in TomEE-based-SEE

CST Studio Suite

CST STUDIO SUITE allows engineers to experiment with virtual prototypes even at the earliest stages of the design process, to compare the performance of different configurations, and to optimize their products as part of end-to-end industry processes that require EM simulation.

What’s New

• General
  • CST Specialist connects CST Studio Suite with 3DEXPERIENCE and leverages the best capabilities of each. (See CST Specialist PX2 role BFS for more info)
  • Support for 3D CAD assembly design for CST Studio Suite assembly mode
  • Basic visualization of the farfield in Simulation Review app. The farfield plot is the most important KPI for antenna design and placement
  • Encryption of CST models for securely sharing data (IP protection), available for Transient Solver only
  • New Schematic Editor with strongly improved performance and usability
  • Improved Poser tool to posture human voxel models
  • System Assembly Modelling (SAM) Array Task allows post-processing optimization in full array
  • New Anchorpoint Sweep in SAM Assembly Viewer
• High Frequency
  • Support of new GPU devices: NVIDIA Tesla V100 and Quadro GV100
  • Improved HPC Cluster check for MPI simulations o Distributed Computing – Merge time improved
  • Lumped Elements Touchstone Circuits (T,F, TLM)
  • Simultaneous Excitation (F,I) o Windscreen antenna simulations: Improved setup
  • FD, TLM and Asymptotic Solver now included in Hybrid Solver (F, TLM, A)
• Low Frequency Simulation
  • 3D rotational motion (LT)
  • Support of periodic subvolumes in 3D (LT + Mstatic)
  • SAM Machine Task with several improvements
• Charged Particles
  • New E-Static PIC Solver (for slow movements, e.g. plasma)
  • Optically induced emission model (photoemission)
  • Combined E-field plots with particles
• Cable Simulation
  • Simplified definition of cable bundles in 3D
  • Easy definition of junctions between cable terminals
  • Stranded wires in TLM Solver (bi-directional coupling with cables thicker than a mesh cell)
  • Improved accuracy of lossy metals, used in cable cross section
  • Parameter sweep for random bundling
  • Running cable simulations on Linux OS (batch mode only)
• Circuit Simulation
  • New Schematic Editor with improved performance and usability
  • Excitation settings now available in ask Parameter list
  • New IBIS AMI Task
• Filter Designer
  • FD2D: improved accuracy of fast distributed models
  • FD3D: VNA based filter tuning (coupling matrix extraction from real-time measured S-parameters)
  • FD3D – New topologies for dual- and multi-mode filters
• Interference Task
  • Interactive violation matrix, directly opening EMI margin plot
  • Radio library available for download from support page
• EDA Import and PCB Simulation
  • IR and PI Result Field now use normal layout window with all selection capabilities
  • 2DTL and SI coupling limits can be determined from threshold voltage
  • IR Drop with detailed power loss and sign off reporting
  • Boardcheck: Electrical data for rules is calculated from PCB data, Hierarchical violation view
• Chip Interface
  • Cadence Virtuoso plug-in
  • Import from interconnect technology files (*.ict, *.itf)
  • Button for easy 3D-model generation

XFlow

XFlow offers particle-based Lattice-Boltzmann technology for high fidelity Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) applications as a part of SIMULIA’s Fluids Simulation portfolio.

What’s New

• Apply Volume Heat Source boundary condition and Conjugate Heat Transfer (CHT) boundary condition on the same solid
• Enhanced XFlow-Abaqus two-way cosimulation capability
• New XFlow-Abaqus one-way cosimulation capability for small fluid-induced structural deformations
• Improved Arbitrary Reference Frame for simulations with enforced moving bodies
• Power’By enhancements enabling the possibility to upload to numerical results of XFlow and the simulation model to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform
• Enhanced Isosurface visualization for simulations with multi resolution lattice domain
• Improved animations generator with new parameters to better control the output animation file