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Everything about Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and product lifecycle management (PLM)

meshing

CFD in 2014

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cfd in 2014When a reader asked me whether there would be a post for CFD in 2014, I realized it is time to think about 2014.  CFD in 2013 is entering its grave. This post is the final nail in the coffin for that old post.

So, it’s time to talk about CFD  in 2014.

Of course, I don’t want to pretend to be an industrial analyst for CFD. I’m not rubbing the crystal ball. Instead, I’m ranting from the perspective of end users, because I think I am part of them.

Branding, not just technology

Technology is abused nowadays.

If you ever watched a shopping channel (maybe just accidentally in a hotel), you may notice “technology” is one of the hot words in the show.  Maybe just for a mop, or an egg mixer, the presenter is always intoxicated by the “technology”  the product has. The “technology” talked may be just small tricks or common-sense.

If you think CFD software industry is an exception, you are probably wrong.

The technology behind  CFD  is not evolved as fast as CFD software releases. But most CFD software vendors need to push incremental update regularly so that the customer can keep spending. 

One … Read the rest “CFD in 2014”

Why isn’t open source CFD solution for everyone?

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gnu-headWhen open source CFD solution is talked, two familiar statements are often heard:

  1.  Open source CFD solution is cheap because nothing can be cheaper than free.

  2.  Open source CFD solution is inferior, otherwise, why is it free?

Both of them are wrong.

Open source CFD solution is not cheap, although licensing is free

Most open source CFD packages are licensed under GNU General Public License (GPL) or BSD license or MIT license.  Under such licenses, anyone can use the software (including source code) for free. There is no limitation on the usage (it means it can be used in commercial project). The only restriction is on the re-distribution of the software or its derivatives: you must release the source code if you want to sell or re-distribute it.

So, licensing the software has no cost. You can get it from the internet. Of course, you can pay nominal fees to get it on a DVD delivered to your doorstep.

But software is only part of a CFD solution.  Human resources and hardware are also in the equation of cost. In most organizations, these two usually cost more, especially the staff cost.

The argument some may have is … Read the rest “Why isn’t open source CFD solution for everyone?”

CFD in 2013: what will change? what will not

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Mayan-ApocalypseObviously, the doomsday didn’t come. It proves again it is hard to predicate what will happen when you don’t have sufficient knowledge of how the system works now. Maybe it is just a bug in Mayan’s calendar (Google also forgot to put December in People App in Android 4.2 (aka Jelly Bean 4.2)  last November).

Predicting the future of CFD is similar to weather forecasting, maybe just like Mayan’s Apocalypse.

But this does not stop us from expecting a new prediction, just like you check the weather forecast before travel.

As my first degree is meteorology related, please do not expect the prediction is more accurate than weather forecasting for the next 365 days.

#1. Automated meshing:  a classical fairy tale continues

Fairy tales always have listeners, and of course, tellers as well. When you are young, you are listeners; when you are older, you may gradually become a teller.  What has not been changed is the story.

Automated meshing is such a classic fairy tale in CFD industry.

Meshing is always one of the most challenging tasks for most real-world CFD problems (I am not talking about flow over an infinite plate). Automated mesh generation is the dream … Read the rest “CFD in 2013: what will change? what will not”

Top 5 misunderstandings on (good) mesh

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Although there are quite a few mesh-free (mesh-less) FEA and CFD codes, meshing is still one of the most important tasks for most CAE users. The importance of generating high-quality mesh can never be overemphasized.

But how to define a high-quality, or more preciously good, mesh? Reading the output of mesh quality report in your meshing software is only the first step; you need to make judgements whether the mesh is good enough for your physical problem.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of misunderstanding of good mesh. Nowadays, it is hard to find meshing course in engineering departments. The numerical algorithm in most engineering schools is optional. So, it is not surprising, the new generation CAE users lack some fundamental knowledge on how meshing works in a CAE system.

Here are the top 5 misunderstandings on a good mesh.

#1. Good mesh must follow CAD model well.

More and more CAE users are designers, as explained in the previous post. They are generally well trained in CAD, and they tend to bring all details to analysis. They believe more details means more close to the reality.

This is not true, most of the time. Good mesh need resolve physics, … Read the rest “Top 5 misunderstandings on (good) mesh”

CAEWatch, WTF?

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CAE Watch is the information hub for CAE professionals. From respected industry experts of finite element analysis (FEA), computational fluid dynamics (CFD), product lifecycle  management (PLM), we will bring you the in-depth analysis on the computer aided engineering (CAE) industry.

We are frustrated with the numerous CAD/CAM/CAE/PLM/PDM magazines, which have articles similar to marketing materials: lack of depth. Such articles may mislead the CAE professionals, although they provide the updates on the industry.

We are also frustrated with the market research reports produced by some research firms. Unfortunately, a lot of these researchers even  cannot ask a proper question, and therefore cannot present a clear picture of the industry, because they do not have any knowledge on CAE.

So, here comes CAE Watch.

We will give you in-depth analysis on the CAE  industry and share with you the advanced techniques in both FEA and CFD. In addition, you can ask any CAE related questions: FEA, CFD, PLM, HPC, preprocessing, post-processing, meshing, CAD import…, and our experts will try to give you the most relevant and accurate answer.

Not enough?

 … Read the rest “CAEWatch, WTF?”