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Simulation On-The-Go with COMSOL Client for Android

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COMSOL announces that COMSOL Client for Android is  available. Researchers, engineers, and students can perform simulation tasks from their Android devices, such as phones, tablets, and Chromebooks simply by connecting to the COMSOL Server software which runs the computations remotely.

COMSOL Client for Android expands on the capabilities of the Application Builder and COMSOL Server by enabling you to take your simulation applications on the road, without being limited by your device hardware. Providing field technicians or sales representatives with the power of COMSOL Multiphysics directly on their Android devices allows them to bring the R&D work on site or to the sales pitch.

“COMSOL Server allows users to run simulations through web browsers or desktop-installed clients,” explains Daniel Ericsson, Applications Product Manager, COMSOL. “COMSOL Client for Android expands on those capabilities by introducing a more seamless user experience on Android devices.”

“Using COMSOL Multiphysics and its Application Builder I can create models and build apps based on them. This allows other departments to test different configurations for their particular requirements and pick the best design,” comments Sam Parler, Research Director at Cornell Dubilier.

The Application Builder and COMSOL Server were developed to make multiphysics modeling more accessible to a wider audience. The Application Builder allows simulation specialists to create custom-made applications based on their multiphysics models. With COMSOL Server, organizations have been able to deploy industry-specific analysis tools in a streamlined and quick to implement format that can be scaled for global benefit. COMSOL Client for Android has made the convenience of running simulation applications as easy as ordering a rideshare.

Just like COMSOL Client for Windows, the simulations are run on remote servers, so you are not limited by your device hardware. Administrators continue to have full control over who can access and run the apps by using COMSOL Server. Android users will have the latest version of a simulation application each time they open the app.

COMSOL
play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.comsol.androidclient

Updates in CAD focus on better simulation

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While the latest upgrades to major CAD systems don’t make major changes to the way those programs operate, they do include significant updates. Here’s a look at some of the biggest enhancements and key features of these programs.

Jean Thilmany, Senior Editor

CAD packages continue to see regular updates, whether a major release, or the minor updates that happen throughout the year. Some updates include major enhancements or new features, as is the case with NX, which now includes machine learning and artificial intelligence features. The company will quit bringing out yearly NX updates, as the software is now offered on continuous release.

Other popular programs like Creo, Solid Edge, SolidWorks, and Autodesk Fusion 360 have seen changes as well. More than one company has changed the way in which they name the new versions of their software and several boast new or enhanced simulation capabilities.

Here’s a look at the most recent updates.

NX from Siemens PLM

In February, Siemens announced an update to its NX CAD software, which now includes machine learning and artificial intelligence features that, by following users’ patterns over time, come to automatically predict their next steps and anticipate their needs.

The programs do this by monitoring the actions of the user and following their success and failures. In that way, the features determine how to serve up the right NX commands and also modify the user interface accordingly, says Bob Haubrock, senior vice President, product engineering software at Siemens PLM Software.

Machine learning is increasingly used in the product design process because it has the power to process, analyze, and learn from large volumes of data, he adds. In this way, designers can more efficiently use software to increase productivity. The ability to automatically adapt the user interface to meet the needs of different types of users in various departments can increase CAD adoption rates at a company, continues Haubrock.

In another recent change, Siemens PLM Software began delivering NX using a continuous release model. This means the software updates are produced in short cycles and are released when needed, at any time.

The model gives NX users faster access to new enhancements and quality improvements, while reducing the efforts needed to effectively deploy NX, Haubrock says. “With automatic updates, customers do not have to search for updates online and will not miss critical fixes. The NX Update mechanism will automatically notify and install important updates as they become available.”

With continuous release, users can turn on “automatic updates” within their system to ensure they always receive the updates. The approach helps reduce the cost, time, and risk of delivering changes by allowing for more incremental updates to applications.

Thus, NX will no longer be identified by a release number and will only be referred to as NX. In other words, there will be no NX13.

The CADmaker says it’s the first major CAD, CAM, and analysis vendor to deliver its products in this way.
The company says the new approach will enable Siemens’ NX users to:
–Receive enhancements faster to help boost productivity
–Have a consistent schedule for updates
–Better plan for the adoption of new technologies
–Reduce deployment costs

Creo from PTC

In February PTC released Creo Simulation Live, which allows engineers to perform simulation in real time on their parametric models because ANSYS simulation capabilities have been integrated with the Creo CAD tool.

Creo Simulation Live, from PTC, lets engineers perform simulation in real time on their parametric models because ANSYS simulation capabilities have been integrated with the Creo CAD tool.

“Every time you make a change in your model, you’ll see the consequences instantaneously in the modeling environment,” says Brian Thompson, PTC senior vice president, CAD segment.

“The goal is to remove the barrier between the CAD and CAE world,” says Andrew Leedy, a PTC applications engineer. “This is targeted toward the engineer or designer rather than the analyst.”

The simulation software runs linear, structural, thermal, and modal analyses. The solver uses GPU rather than CPU for instantaneous analysis, Leedy adds. “So as soon as you make changes to the model it updates the graphics that drive the simulation.

The capability to simulate and design simultaneously helps engineers understand the implications of what they’re making, he adds.

The integrated tool also eliminates the need for the engineer to mesh the model before running a simulation and does away with the post-processing step.

The integrated simulation software from ANSYS is called Discovery Live.

“Engineers can ask ‘What if I add this hole, what will it do to the model?’” he said. “This works on top of the model, it works directly within the environment an engineer is used to.”

The CAD software does require a graphics card that supports the ANSYS tool.

Solid Edge from Siemens PLM

Solid Edge 2019 brings a new naming convention to the tool, which will now be referred to by the year in which it is released. This makes it easier for engineers to identify the release they’re using as well and to identify the products within the Solid Edge portfolio, says Ben Weisenberg, applications engineer at product lifecycle management company Prolim. Weisenberg frequently details Solid Edge updates to the CADmaker’s user community.

Solid Edge 2019, from Siemens PLM, makes it easier for engineers to identify the products within the Solid Edge portfolio. The most significant updates for mechanical designers are tools that allow engineers to model and simulate the entire production process along with the final product.

The most significant updates for mechanical designers are tools that allow engineers to model and simulate the entire production process along with the final product, Weisenberg says.

These include the convergent modeling tools that designers can use to integrate mesh models directly into their workflows. They can use these tools for the milling, casting, and molding of generative designs and 3D printed designs.

Manufacturing constraints allow engineers to optimize the weight and strength requirements of their model. A new design-for-cost feature shows the anticipated cost of the part, to help keep product development on track and within budget.

Updated simulation capabilities include:
–Enhanced structural and thermal simulation, including transient heat transfer.
–Time-based history analysis enables simulation of thermal and cooling performance.
–Free surface flow simulation, lighting and radiation capabilities allow digital “what if” analysis.
–The ability to display simulation results on geometry faces to help engineers make more informed judgments about the model.

SolidWorks from Dassault Systèmes

New features to the program, released in September 2018, let product development teams better manage large amounts of data and capture a more complete digital representation of a design. The program also offers new technologies and workflows that improve collaboration and enable immersive, interactive experiences during design and engineering.

SolidWorks 2019, from Dassault Systèmes, is powered by the company’s 3DExperience platform, which runs the CAD, simulation, and other tools on which designers and engineers rely. Those applications on the 3DExperience platform are tailored to SolidWorks users and mid-market companies.

Other new features include the capability for engineers to interrogate or rapidly make changes to a model through an enhanced large design review capability. Another upgrade gives teams a way to communicate with others not involved in design. With this feature, viewers of the CAD design can add markups to parts and assemblies and then export the marked-up designs as a PDF.

The most recent update from Dassault Systèmes involves the Works portfolio, which will bring applications like SolidWorks together with business solutions like a company’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. Typically, ERP systems track all pertinent companywide business processes, including accounting, supply chain, and human resources.

When parent company Dassault Systèmes launched SolidWorks 2019, executives stated that the CAD tool was “powered” by the company’s 3DExperience platform, which runs the CAD, simulation, and other tools on which designers and engineers rely.

Those applications continue to run on the company’s 3DExperience platform and are tailored to SolidWorks users and mid-market companies. They have been folded in the 3DExperienceWorks portfolio.

SolidWorks executives term the new portfolio a “business experience platform.” It provides software solutions for every organization within a company—from design to enterprise resource management, says Bernard Charlès, vice chairman and chief executive officer for Dassault Systèmes. “It’s a way for mid-market companies to tie all processes together, from design to manufacturing.”

Use of the applications across the platform should improve collaboration, manufacturing efficiency, and business agility, he added. Companies can accomplish their work using one cohesive digital innovation environment instead of using a complex series of point solutions that requires jumping between applications and interfaces, Charlès, says.

The software on the platform includes SolidWorks, analysis, simulation, manufacturing, and ERP applications. It is available on-premise and in the public or private cloud. The platform connects data and streamlines business and design processes by providing dashboard templates, managed services, access to industry-focused communities and user groups, and applications specific to a variety of job roles, Charlès says.

Autodesk

Like other CADmakers Autodesk has consolidated its design, simulation, and other computer-aided engineering capabilities in one product, Fusion 360, which is available as a cloud-based product. The product unifies design, engineering, and manufacturing into a single platform, according to Autodesk.

Fusion is a 3D modeling took that includes simulation, visualization, rendering, CAM, and other functions within a single interface. It also includes a 3D animation tool and 2D drawing tools. The product runs on both Windows and Macintosh systems.

In March, updates to that product included the capability to know when a teammate is working on your design at the same time to avoid doing work that will be over-ridden by another designer. When someone is working on the same design, an icon is displayed in the toolbar. By using a mouse to hover over the icon, a designer can see who is working on the same design. If one person makes a change to the design and saves it, the icon in the toolbar will change, letting the designer know that the design now has a newer version.

The toolbar has been updated to include quick access tools and documents tabs that line up with one another for more space on the design desktop.

Also new is a hole-tap tool called taper tapped, which allows designers to choose among a variety of thread types.

Autodesk also maintains its AutoCAD and Inventor CAD tools with no plans to immediately discontinue those products. Those two CAD systems usually see a new release in March of each year; though as of press time Autodesk hasn’t announced 2020 versions of AutoCAD or Inventor.

At Autodesk University in November 2018, Greg Fallon, vice president of business strategy at Autodesk, did announce updates to a collection of tools that work inside Inventor as well as a suite of specialized toolsets now available with AutoCAD.

Two years previously at Autodesk University 2016, company officials said they expect to maintain Inventor for another five to ten years and plan to continue updating it and enhancing functions. The Inventor emphasis will continue to be on industrial machinery design, officials said at that time.

While Inventor may be phased out in favor of Fusion 360, this has not been explicitly stated by Autodesk executives.

As ever, there are too many CAD packages to include in a single roundup. Other applications include IronCAD, TurboCAD, OnShape, Catia, and KeyCreator. All these will include new and updated features in future updates.

As designers and engineers know, when it comes to CAD software, the key phrase is, constant evolution.

Ansys
www.ansys.com

Autodesk
www.autodesk.com

Dassault Systèmes
www.3ds.com

PTC
www.ptc.com

Siemens PLM
www.plm.automation.siemens.com

ANSYS Cloud: Direct cloud HPC access through ANSYS Mechanical, ANSYS Fluent

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Bruce Jenkins | Ora Research

“Engineering simulation has long been constrained by fixed computing resources available on a desktop or cluster,” observes industry leader ANSYS. “Today, however, cloud computing can deliver the on-demand, high-performance computing (HPC) capacity required for faster high-fidelity results offering greater performance insight. To leverage the combined benefits of cloud computing and best-in-class engineering simulation, ANSYS is partnering with Microsoft Azure to create a secure cloud solution: ANSYS Cloud.”

Within ANSYS Mechanical and ANSYS Fluent, the company says its users can “easily access HPC in the cloud directly—without the need for any additional setup. Access the hardware and software you need, when you need it—pay only for what you use.”

Capabilities

Built-in cloud HPC access—ANSYS Cloud delivers easy access to on-demand HPC resources from within your ANSYS environment. Using your ANSYS tools, prepare your simulation models on your desktop. Simply select a pre-configured hardware, then submit your jobs directly to the cloud. You won’t have to wait in HPC cluster queues or reduce your model size to fit desktop constraints. Job progress may be monitored from your desktop or through a web-based cloud portal.

The ANSYS Cloud is optimized for ANSYS solvers. Choose from a set of pre-defined hardware configurations depending on the needs of your model.

Ready-to-use cloud service—Mechanical and Fluent users can “easily access ANSYS Cloud without involving their information technology (IT) teams. Without the need for complex software installations or cloud-side setups, users are free to focus on solving their engineering problems. And, without having to build in-house solutions or rely on third-party vendors, businesses can avoid costly upfront investment and delays.” ANSYS Cloud is a “ready-to-use solution that is ANSYS-tested and certified, and fully-supported by ANSYS HPC and solver experts.”

“Completely secure workflows”—ANSYS Cloud provides a “highly robust and completely secure environment for running simulations in the cloud. At the Azure data centers, where simulations are run and data are stored, access is strictly controlled. The solution combines Microsoft Azure’s best practices with custom encryption for added security.” Both data at rest and in motion are encrypted.

Leveraging Azure Virtual Networks, ANSYS Cloud offers a “separate, secure network architecture for each customer: only you can access your data.”

The complete system architecture has undergone comprehensive testing, including detailed penetration testing, ANSYS says. Because new security threats continuously emerge, the solution’s security is regularly audited by a third party.

“Economical on-demand pricing”—Pay-per-use access to both cloud hardware and ANSYS software is available on Microsoft Azure and enabled through ANSYS Elastic Licensing. Rather than locking into a longer-term lease, users purchase a pool of ANSYS Elastic Units (AEU) based on their short-term cloud-computing needs.

How this works: “Using your existing licenses, prepare your model using your on-premise hardware. When you submit your simulation job for analysis in the cloud, use your pool of AEUs.”

AEUs are consumed at a specified hourly rate that varies with the choice of hardware configuration and solver type (i.e., Mechanical or Fluent). For example, a Mechanical simulation on a small hardware configuration (1 node, 12 cores) will consume 13 AEUs/hour, whereas the same simulation on a medium configuration (3 nodes, 36 cores) will consume 18 AEUs/hour.

Your pool of AEUs (shared with other users in your organization) is charged based on your cloud runtime (in fractions of an hour). Consumption of AEUs may be tracked using the cloud portal, which is accessed via a desktop or mobile web browser.

“With this combination of traditional licensing (leased and paid-up for steady workflows) and pay-per-use licensing (for in-cloud, flexible capacity),” ANSYS says, “you can optimize your company’s investment in simulation.”

Remote job monitoring

Easily monitor the progress of your simulation from within the desktop installation of Mechanical and Fluent or from a web-based cloud portal. Job monitoring tools provide full access to the solver transcript, a graphical view of convergence parameters and real-time access to debug information when help is needed.

You can also view a summary of your simulation jobs via a web-based cloud portal, which can be accessed from your desktop or mobile device. Using the cloud portal, you can track total consumption of AEUs and even share your simulation jobs with your peers and ANSYS support.

Cloud-based 3D results visualization

With ANSYS Cloud, users can review and validate the results of their simulations while their data are in the cloud. “Innovative post-processing technology leaves the heavy data in the cloud, transferring only requested information to you for 3D rendering in your web browser,” ANSYS says. This approach “avoids heavy network usage and eliminates the latency typical of virtual desktop approaches. The performance is unmatched for all-size models.”

Users can plot scalar and vector fields and visualize results on existing parts, planes, isosurfaces and isovolumes. When needed, “download the data to your desktop for detailed post-processing using your familiar desktop applications.”

ANSYS, Inc.

Microsoft Azure

Maple 2019’s data analysis capabilities identify biomarkers of several cancers

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The ability to leverage complex data as a strategic asset is becoming increasingly critical, but the current labor market has a shortage of resources in big data analytics. Companies are faced with several challenges related to the inadequate resources necessary to process data. A long-time Maple user and quantum mechanics researcher, Marvin Weinstein, refers to the problem of extracting meaning from large data sets as, “How do we find a needle in a multi-dimensional haystack, when we don’t know what a needle is, and we don’t know if there is a needle in the haystack?”

Dynamic Quantum Clustering (DQC) accomplishes this feat by creating a density map of data using DQC’s proprietary Maple library, and Maple 2019 visualization tools. The result of a DQC analysis is a Maple animation that provides a visual record of the complex computations going on behind the scene. According to Marvin, Maple animations have been a big part of DQC’s success because they reveal answers without the complex mathematics. He says that, “these animations sell our product because they leverage the human ability to spot patterns developing in time and space.”

With Maple’s prototyping abilities and customizable features, Marvin was able to get DQC up and running within a week. Marvin confesses that “whenever I can avoid having to do things [manually], I do so.” By using the DQC compiled library within Maple, it was possible for Quantum Insights to have a powerful GUI without having to build the interface from scratch. Marvin believes that time is often wasted with unnecessary coding and analysis tasks, and exploits many of the built-in features of Maple to save time drive his research forward.

The core of DQC is an algorithm that maps a problem of unsupervised clustering to a problem in quantum mechanics. It uses quantum evolution to identify correlated information and reveals the details of the process through a Maple animation. This animation typically reveals hidden and unexpected insights into complex data. Marvin asserts that the aim of DQC is to “let the data speak for itself.” The advantage of working without making assumptions or hypotheses, without cleaning the data, and without the need for expert knowledge means that DQC is a data exploration method that is faster, cheaper and more efficient than current methods.

One of DQC’s major accomplishments thus far has been the identification of several biomarkers strongly correlated with multiple cancers. According to Marvin, TCGA analysis was selected as the initial step towards cancer research because cancer is a problem that everyone understands to be a big deal, and “we’ve all lost people we love to cancer.” The hope was that better clustering methods would allow mRNA from various tumor samples to better classify tumors into biologically relevant groups. The study identified 48 of 73,000 mRNA expressions that defined all five different cancer types. This analysis, published in Nature Scientific Reports, has demonstrated the ability to provide an accurate diagnosis of cancer type, based on molecular information alone, and has further revealed significant sub-typing of cancer cells, beyond what pathologists can currently achieve. The sensitivity to variation in mRNA expression patterns is the “holy grail” of precision medicine, because it promises to tell us which tumors are likely to respond to a drug and which tumors will not respond. Moreover, the analysis showed that DQC significantly outperformed tSNE-HDBScan, the current gold standard clustering method used in cancer data analytics.

Now, Marvin is working in pharmacogenomics to offer better diagnosis and treatment methods for cancer and other diseases. His company, Quantum Insights, is working towards developing effective, data-driven strategies. While Quantum Insight’s initial focus was cancer, the goal is to expand this research into other healthcare applications. Marvin believes that the DQC technique will help save lives wherever better analytics are required. Other successful applications of his research include Alzheimer’s data, detection of contraband nuclear material, analysis of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data, and other areas that utilize large amounts of data.

Maplesoft
www.maplesoft.com

Democratizing Simulation: delivering measurable results

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By Robert Farrell

Through the process of “democratization” organizations can safely put the power of engineering simulation into the hands of those who are not experts in using CAE software, including product designers, new engineers and even those in technical sales and customer support. This resulting Democratizing of Simulation accelerates design validation, which in turn shortens time to market with more innovative products. But what are the challenges, benefits, and enabling technologies of this democratization movement; and what results are companies actually seeing today?

Product development leverages intelligent Computer-Aided Design (CAD) models. This is no great revelation; it’s been this way since the early 1980s. About that same time the engineering world began to investigate ways to analyze these models to simulate performance. This created a need that was filled by a new breed of engineer who would develop expertise in the domain of numerical simulation – the CAE Analyst.

“Portfolio of simulation apps displayed in an e-handbook browser. (Courtesy of ESRD, Inc.)”

Software tools quickly emerged enabling these experts to painstakingly create elaborate mathematical finite element models for replicating real-world conditions and helped reduce the number of required physical prototypes. The process came to be known as “simulation;” and the results were measurable improvements in time-to-market, quality and costs. Since that time industry has embraced simulation and continued to invest in the tools and resources to support its on-going use and development.

The expert dilemma
The ability to apply advanced training, software tools, methods, expertise, and experience is as much an art as it is a science. Consequently there remains a relatively small fraternity of CAE experts – many early pioneers, or direct disciples thereof. These are the custodians of a level of expertise and experience relied upon to perform key analysis. It has been estimated there are an order of magnitude more product designers and engineers who consume the results of simulation than those who perform the simulation.

The problem is twofold. Limited expert resources create unnecessarily long analysis processes. This reduces the number of design alternatives that may be evaluated thereby stifling innovation. Second, as this generation exits the workforce there is concern that much of their knowledge will retire with them. The truth is that analysis/simulation is a critical competitive advantage for those who possess it. So what’s the answer?

Democratizing simulation
Today, there are a limited number of simulation experts and a sharply growing demand for simulation. Consequently, the resident expert is often a bottleneck. But what if a way existed to capture and reuse such knowledge and engineering judgment throughout the product development team? Democratizing Simulation is the term that is used for the techniques and approaches that allow product designers and engineers, without expertise in the use of simulation tools, to safely perform even advanced simulations and leverage the results in the design process.

Expanding the number of those capable of performing simulations safely and robustly reduces experts’ workload and allows designs to be validated more quickly while exponentially expanding the number of design alternatives that can be evaluated. Also, the simulation automation techniques that are used make the experts themselves more efficient and accurate. The results are measurable improvements in product quality, time to market, and product innovation. Additionally spreading the workload allows CAE experts to focus on more sophisticated or critical simulations. This further elevates the role and value of the expert in the organization while allowing their expertise to be leveraged by many others.

Gaining traction
More than five hundred engineers, designers and business professionals gathered in Cleveland last summer at the NAFEMS Conference on Advancing Analysis & Simulation in Engineering. The event included a growing number of sessions on Democratizing Simulation including fourteen presentations, two workshops, and a roundtable.

“It’s clear that it is no longer a question of whether democratized simulation will occur; or if it’s worthwhile to implement. Instead, the focus is on when it will become the industry norm,” said NAFEMS Americas Vice President, Matt Ladzinski. “Most presentations were real-world success stories detailing the challenges and ROI of implementation. It’s noteworthy that while none concluded that democratization is an easy process, all felt that the ROI is well worth the effort and intend to expand democratization within their organizations. These companies are the forerunners of the next generation of simulation users, when complex simulation technology vanishes behind a façade that will allow huge numbers of non-experts to safely leverage its power.”

Challenges
The vision and promise sound great; but admittedly, there are a few challenges.

Implementation
The biggest obstacle to widespread implementation is a general lack of understanding as to how or where to begin. Until now engineers were forced to scour the Internet and similar resources for bits of disjointed information. Too many web sites are all about selling something rather than educating their visitors. At the same time success stories were not well documented or readily available.

Quantifying the ROI
Often, the higher the business value, the harder it is to quantify. This is true of any business activity as it shifts from tactical to strategic importance. Quantifying the value of an expected reduction in cost or schedule can be challenging, but it is much easier than quantifying the value for increasing such things as quality, performance, or innovation.

Threat to the Status Quo
Democratizing anything represents a paradigm shift for organizations. And so Democratizing Simulation is often viewed as a direct threat by the CAE experts. Knowing the complexities of their job and unsure of how to accurately and completely replicate that knowledge for use by non-experts is understandably concerning. Consequently, CAE experts may be hesitant to endorse such an initiative. Still others may see it as diminishing their value in the eyes of the company. In no way is the role of the senior analyst diminished; nor are they being asked to relinquish control. To the contrary, through democratization techniques such as simulation applications, senior CAE analysts are taking on a more visible and important role as their expertise is now being leveraged throughout the company. Something in common amongst many of the Democratizing Simulation successes is the willingness of the CAE experts to champion the cause.

Democratization of 3D CAE Models + Results + Product Performance Information to improve data insights and fasten the design decisions. (Image courtesy of VCollab)

How it works: implementation
For those interested in taking a next step; or just want to learn more, there are multiple starting points for implementation. The most common include:
Intelligent automation templates

Template-based Simulation Automation has been used by many organizations to significantly improve the accuracy, consistency, repeatability, and efficiency of performing complex simulations. These intelligent automation templates embed the expertise of the experts in the form of rules that are automatically enforced when a template is executed. Templates not only allow non-experts to safely and robustly run simulations, but often also provide enterprise-wide standardization while making the experts more efficient and accurate.

Simulation apps
Equally important is the speed and ease of creating these templates. Specialty tools and Low-Code Development Platforms (LCDP) allow Simulation Applications (Sim Apps) to be created with little or no manual coding. This in turn allows those closest to the design process to build the Apps rather than relying on IT developers. Increasingly, Sim Apps are browser-based, and with authorized access into a corporate network one has access to the Apps without any need to have locally installed software, eliminating yet another historical constraint of simulation and modeling.

Simulation governance and standardization
All major industrial organizations employ numerical simulation in support of their engineering and business decision-making. Therefore using numerical simulation is no longer a differentiator. The differentiator is related to how safely and reliably numerical simulation is being used? Depending on the answer, numerical simulation can be a significant corporate asset or a potential liability. Whenever engineering or business decisions are based on the results of numerical simulation there is an implied expectation of reliability. Without such expectation it would not be possible to justify the time and cost of a simulation project. In fact, if simulation produces misleading information then it has a negative economic value.

System simulation
System simulation incorporates the end effects of all sub-systems and components in determining overall product performance. Throughout engineering design and simulation circles, system-level simulation has been synonymous to Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), which the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) defines as a “formalized application of modeling to support system requirements, design, analysis, verification and validation activities beginning in the conceptual design phase and continuing throughout development and later life cycle phases.”

Simulation Process & Data Management (SPDM) and the enterprise digital thread
Traditionally, simulation data, processes and experts have operated within various silos in the organization. Hence, this valuable expertise and data has not been an integrated part of enterprise engineering processes. Furthermore, organizations are now striving to manage their engineering data and processes in a more consistent manner, connecting these into what is being called a Digital Thread. Any engineering data that exists within silos is, by definition, left out of the Digital Thread – simulation data is such an example.

Aras Corp. believes that effective, enterprise-wide SPDM must be implemented within an open, vendor-agnostic PLM platform with a systems-centric approach and must be “invisible” to the simulation analysts.

High performance / cloud computing
From product prototyping to process design, High Performance Computing (HPC) can save businesses both time and money, while improving products and streamlining operations. Regardless of one’s experience level with HPC, in order to fully utilize it, you need access to three main components: hardware, software, and expertise.

HPC Hardware can consist of cloud-based resources, small departmental level clusters, or even powerful workstations. These are available from a variety of vendors, ranging from online ‘pay-as-you-go’ access, to large systems custom designed and installed in dedicated data centers.

CAE software can comprise of things such as solvers, meshers, visualization, and workflow managers, and so on. This software can range from very specialized, open-source packages available at no cost, to more generic commercial packages that can run across a wide scale of domains and resources.

Expertise that is available includes domains such as Computational Fluid Dynamics, Finite Structural Analysis, Bioinformatics, and so on. Companies needing expertise often start with external consulting “engineering service providers” who can assist with a specific project, before eventually directly hiring domain experts versed in a variety of technical skills.

Success stories surrounding Democratizing Simulation are plentiful and growing. Forward-thinking companies are taking advantage of available tools and resources to supercharge innovation, quality and productivity with effective use of simulation. Here are some documented examples:
GKN Driveline implementation results:
–Removes the bulk of routine analysis work and tedious report creation from the CAE Expert role, freeing them to work on more complex problems
–Allows a non-expert user to investigate many iterations and establish design-intent before expert involvement
–Data interrogation remains available for expert users, but is not required to execute the process
–Automation activity drives process refinement and structure, creating a globally consistent methodology

American Axle & Manufacturing implementation results:
–Average 75% time reduction for each analysis iteration
–Approximately $130,000 in annual cost savings at a single engineering site
–Improved quality through globally enforced standards and practices which remove human error
–Ability to run many more Noise Vibration & Harshness (NVH) analysis iterations, leading to more design decisions, earlier
–Ability to redeploy resources as less experienced engineers are now able to safely run simulations

Where to learn more
A new on-line resource community was launched in June, 2018 to support industry’s growing interest in the Democratization of Simulation. The Revolution in Simulation (www.Rev-Sim.Org) initiative is a collaborative effort among subject matter experts, industry end-users, professional associations, and solution providers. They all share a common mission to educate, advocate, innovate and collaborate through an open, non-commercial community to further advance engineering simulation for experts and non-experts alike to help ensure a significant, exponential increase in the use of simulation and simulation data.

“Rev-Sim provides access to the largest collection of educational materials including success stories, industry news, whitepapers, blogs, presentations, videos, webinars, best practices and technical reference materials to help individual professionals and their companies fully exploit the latest advances in simulation,” said Rev-Sim co-founder Rich McFall. “Perhaps most exciting is that the initiative is a true collaboration among topic experts, end users, thought leaders and solution providers including ANSYS, Aras, ASSESS, Beyond CAE, EASA, ESRD, ESTECO, Front End Analytics, Kinetic Vision, Modelon, NAFEMS, Ohio Supercomputer Center, PLM Alliances, UberCloud and VCollab. These innovative organizations are providing the expertise and funding to support this growing industry-wide movement to make engineering simulation more accessible, efficient, and reliable.”

Smart Engineering Simulation Apps: Ply-by-ply modeling and automatic lamination using 3D-solid elements enable the creation and deployment of this App in a Desktop CAE-Handbook.

Get on board
Democratizing Simulation isn’t some futuristic vision. It’s here and now and it’s delivering measurable and sustained results. Design and product development organizations, manufacturers, suppliers, software vendors and other solution-providers should begin taking steps to learn more and to join this revolution, this next generation of simulation methodologies and usage.

The confluence of simulation methodologies, software, automation templates and processes, and affordable high performance computing platforms, aided by the advent of mobile devices with ubiquitous high-bandwidth access to the Internet, has the potential to increase the number of users of simulation by an order of magnitude, over the next five to ten years.

Aras lays out strategy for acquired Comet Solutions technology

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Bruce Jenkins | Ora Research

“You probably saw our recent acquisition of Comet Solutions and thought, ‘Why’d they do that?’” writes Aras senior vice president of strategy Marc Lind. “Well, that’s a good question.” For background, see our Aras acquires Comet Solutions: Giant leap forward in simulation at enterprise scale, published here last September.

“As everyone knows,” Lind observes, “the amount of simulations being conducted has increased substantially over the past decade, and is projected to grow exponentially moving forward with the:

  • Need to further reduce physical testing,
  • Complexity of smart connected product design / MBSE,
  • Push for predictive maintenance through Digital Twins.”

Aras says it views simulation “in the context of the overall systems engineering process together with configuration and change, variants, requirements, validation testing and others. The fact that simulation management is completely disconnected from mainstream engineering processes is a problem—no closed-loop traceability/digital thread.”

Simulation will increase exponentially across the lifecycle, Aras predicts.

“Persistent problems”

According to Aras, what its largest customers say is that “simulation process and data management (SPDM) from the other major PLM providers are primarily standalone systems optimized for their own tools sets [and] treat others as second-class citizens.”

The result? When simulation environments are “isolated in silos, bad things happen:

  • Simulation results aren’t used or are too late to be useful,
  • Models get out of sync with the product design,
  • Wrong design gets simulated.”

And Aras calls these problems “just the tip of the iceberg. Without a new approach to SPDM, many of the strategic imperatives/Digital Transformation goals that rely on simulation will not be attainable.”

New approach to simulation management/SPDM is required to avoid risks, Aras believes.

“Consistent needs”

Global companies “must be able to increase simulation coverage of all types while staying in sync with design/model changes,” the company insists. “They’ve got to rapidly conduct analysis on product variations, options and concepts with repeatable processes.” Which means that “SPDM needs to be able to handle the full range of commercial tools, along with custom in-house tools, Excel and others.”

Putting its finger on one of the thorniest challenges to date in integrated, full-lifecycle engineering modeling and simulation, Aras adds, “It also means SPDM must be capable of managing mixed-fidelity models (0D/1D/2D/3D) and a wide variety of different data types. You will need multiple representations of the same item, and engineering objects should be captured independent of the underlying tools.”

Accomplishing that requires “vendor-neutral/tool-agnostic data and processes in SPDM, and a deeper level of understanding and control over the models is required—not just at the file-level—which means a unified data model in the PLM platform.”

And finally, says Aras, “Scalability has been a big problem as well. A new level of scalability is necessary moving forward.”

Aras perspective

Aras believes that “better data management and tool chaining are necessary in SPDM because they’re foundational to Digital Thread enablement, closed-loop verification, and future scenarios like machine-driven analysis. SPDM should be ‘invisible’ so that analysts and experts don’t have to worry about:

  • Where the CAD file came from,
  • Which HPC cluster to run on,
  • Where results get stored,
  • Report generation.”
Aras’s goal is to make SPDM “invisible.”

“Our approach to SPDM shoots to eliminate these redundant administrative tasks, and expose results throughout mainstream engineering processes.,” the company says. “That means from concept engineering, detailed design, test, field operation and back to requirements across the full lifecycle as part of our PLM platform. We’re doing the same thing for simulation management that we’ve done for PLM: making it more open, scalable, flexible and upgradable.”

“To accelerate things,” the company explains, “we’ve acquired Comet Solutions—provider of best-in-class capabilities for simulation process management—which immediately enables repeatable process automation to complement our unmatched data management capabilities. While we’re working on SPDM projects with customers already, we’re going further and working to incorporate Comet into the Aras platform for even more seamless capabilities moving forward. We’re excited to have the Comet team join Aras and help drive our momentum in SPDM.”

Aras Simulation Process and Data Management

Aras white paper: Unlock Simulation’s Value Across the Product Lifecycle with an Open Platform Approach

Ora Research white paper: AAM Sees Dramatic Productivity Gains, Cost Savings from Automating NVH Analysis Process with New Comet NVH Driveline SimApp

Marc Lind, SVP Strategy, Aras

Malcolm Panthaki, VP of Analysis Solutions, Aras

OnScale raises $10 Million from Intel Capital and Gradient Ventures

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OnScale, an emerging leader in Cloud-enabled engineering simulation software, announces $10M in Series A funding led by Intel Capital and Gradient Ventures, Google’s AI-focused venture capital fund. Additional investors include Thornton Tomasetti, Stage 2 Capital, Cultivation Capital, and CampbellKlein.

OnScale, which has grown considerably since emerging from stealth in early 2018, will use the new investment to drive global expansion, respond to increasing demand, and accelerate development of its Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) solutions for complex, real-world engineering applications.

OnScale CAE tools are based on proprietary multiphysics solvers that were developed and validated over 30 years by one of the largest engineering consulting firms in the world for DARPA, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), and large commercial customers. The CAE solvers were architected for highly parallel mainframe computers to handle very large engineering simulation problems and are a perfect fit for modern cloud-based, high-performance computing. OnScale was spun out of Thornton Tomasetti in 2017 and is led by Chief Executive Officer Ian Campbell, along with a strong leadership team with over 100 years of combined experience in CAE software.

The company has established a large and growing base of customers, including a number of Fortune 100 companies. OnScale gives engineers a wealth of design insights and highly accurate simulation results up to 100x faster than legacy CAE offerings. Current OnScale solutions address the simulation needs of Semiconductor and MEMS, 5G mobile, next-gen biomedical, infrastructure safety, and autonomous vehicle markets. The company is focusing on improving OnScale’s user interface, expanding the breadth of physics solver capabilities, and forming partnerships with other software companies to provide seamless engineering workflows.

“With strategic investors like Intel Capital and Google’s Gradient Ventures, OnScale is well positioned to help engineers of all disciplines solve their design challenges,” said Campbell. “Created for engineers, by engineers, our mission is to usher in the future of engineering. With this investment, we will continue to empower innovators who are creating the future of technology.”

“As technology systems become more complex, next-generation computer aided engineering software will become integral to design and deployment,” said Dave Flanagan, vice president and senior managing director at Intel Capital. “OnScale’s highly scalable CAE solution leverages the power of the cloud and advanced multiphysics to model highly complex systems, helping customers solve the toughest design challenges”. Investment Director Arun Chetty will join OnScale’s board.

“Leaps in technology require paradigm shifts in engineering, and the combination of world-class multiphysics solvers, AI, and highly scalable cloud-based HPC provide an opportunity for such a paradigm shift in how we create world-changing technologies. That is why we’re excited to welcome OnScale and its team of software experts to the Gradient portfolio.” said Zach Bratun, Partner, Gradient Ventures.

OnScale
onscale.com

Designed by engineers with nature’s help

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Engineers are increasingly turning to the already perfected designs found in nature to create lightweight and optimized products. And one software program—also inspired by nature– optimizes the CAD model for the job at hand

Jean Thilmany, Senior Editor

Want an example of efficient, environmentally friendly design? Look to nature.

When engineers take a biomimetic approach to their projects, they’re taking inspiration from how plants and animals, even the microbes around us, work. Nature has had eons to perfect its systems and shapes. Engineers haven’t. But they can crib from nature’s design methods and at least one form of CAD and analysis technology—itself based on biomimicry—can help.

Advances in additive manufacturing techniques mean the unusual geometries found in nature can be attempted and feasibly manufactured today.

For a modern-day example of biomimicry (that is, engineers drawing upon biology for their designs), look at the 500 Series Shinkasen Japanese bullet trains, which can reach speeds up to 200 miles per hour. This train was developed in 1992 to test technologies for future bullet trains. For the 500, designers wanted a fast train that ran quieter than earlier models.

Modeled after the kingfisher, the Shinkansen Bullet Train has a streamlined forefront and structural adaptations to significantly reduce noise.

Designer Eiji Nakatsu modeled the train’s nose after the beak of the kingfisher bird, which dives from air to water with very little splash thanks to its aerodynamic beak. The 500 is not only less noisy than earlier versions of the bullet train, it uses 15% less electricity and travels 10% faster, he says.

A few years ago, researchers in the University of California, Berkeley, Biomimetic Millisystems Lab created an adhesive based on the method geckos use to climb walls or hang from a tree branch from just one toe. They created the self-cleaning adhesive made from the long, slender polypropylene fibers that mimic the millions of hair-like structures called setae on the bottom of a gecko’s toes.

The adhesion is based on the geometry of the fibers: sliding the tape against a surface uncurls the fibers to engage the adhesive while sliding the tape in the opposite direction causes it to unstick, says Ronald Fearing, an electrical engineering professor at the school who led the research.

Because engineers could optimize the geometry of the polypropylene fibers using engineering analysis software, the adhesive can be made much stronger and stickier than a gecko’s feet. Also, the gecko adhesive, unlike conventional adhesive tapes, does not feel sticky to the touch, Fearing says.

Making things lighter, stronger and faster has long been the goal in engineering and biomimetics is one tool that can help. Automotive and aircraft companies—to name just a few—want to decrease the weight of their products as much as possible so they burn less fuel and are easier to handle.

Some of them—Airbus, Boeing, and Volvo among them—are using a topology optimization tool to cut excess material and weight. The tool is itself based on algorithms derived from a natural, biological process.

From the body to the aircraft
Engineers have been using the OptiStruct topology optimization program from Altair Engineering to optimize their CAD models for weight and strength. The program does this in the same way bones grow to be as light and strong as possible, says Janine Benyus. She’s co-founder of the Biomimicry Institute, of Missoula, Mont., which states its mission is to promote the transfer of ideas, designs, and strategies from biology to sustainable human systems design.

The OptiStruct program, developed by Jeff Brennan, is based on the way human bones grow. As a biomedical graduate student at the University of Michigan, Brennan investigated the theory that bone growth responds directly to external stimuli, he says.

He and his fellow researchers created a mathematical model to represent bone growth in the human body, theorizing the model could help point medical researchers toward ways to induce bone growth to treat conditions like osteoporosis. They found that bones grow in response to stress into an optimal structure through trial and error, says Brennan, now chief marketing officer at Altair.

And bones, of course, are not stiff and heavy. Rather, they’re porous, lightweight, but very strong. Many engineered structures could be designed in that same way, he says. Brennan applied the mathematical growth patterns seen in bone to static structures to bring to them that same type of lightweight, strong flexibility.

Brennan’s model is now the basis of the Altair topology optimization program. Engineers use topology optimization to discover the best way to distribute material throughout a structure, given their goals for that structure as well as their set of constraints.

The topology optimization software OptiStruct is based on human bone growth patterns. It’s now included in HyperWorks from Altair. Depicted is the way the software can filter and handle thousands of curves.

Now companies in many different industries use the Altair software to analyze and optimize structures for strength, durability and noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) characteristics and to help improve on existing designs, Brennan says.

For instance, the software was instrumental in helping Airbus reduce the materials used for certain wing and airplane rib assemblies by up to 40 percent, Benyus says.
“It’s pure biomimicry in the sense that by studying bones and then mathematically describing what it is they do to make themselves lighter, we’ve been able to save all of this material, but you wouldn’t look at that plane and say, ‘That’s biomimicry,’” she says. “But there’s biomimicry inside, and I really think that these are some of the most powerful things, these algorithms.”

The software offers engineers a different way of thinking about the design process. They can use topology optimization to specify constraints and them simulate potential designs before they’ve created their initial CAD model, Brennan says. They can choose the best of the potential designs returned to them and then further optimize them and adjust to their own needs, he adds.

The designs suggested by the tool may require some additional redesign or tweaking so as to be manufactured using traditional processes. The tool may suggest unorthodox shapes that just can’t be made with the help of a CNC machine or with an extruder, for example.

Though 3D printing is changing that…
As additive manufacturing continues to evolve it gives engineering companies the capability to manufacture nontraditional designs. Because 3D printers build up materials layer after layer they can print objects with any type of geometry. With 3D printing, for instance, designs can be created in intricate or swirling shapes. It also means patient aids like a prosthetic limb or dental implant can be printed exactly to the wearer’s unique shape and specifications.

A design practice and Airbus researchers teamed to design a partition for its A320 series. The partition is 3D printed for lightness and its shape is based on the structure of slime mold, for strength.

And the printers can now produce objects in a variety of materials. The introduction of engineering-grade metals to 3D printing, along with the already-existing array of engineering-grade thermoplastics, means manufacturers can build parts that are strong, yet lightweight, and that can be used directly in the final product.

Look, up in the air (the design of slime)

Airbus continues in its efforts to reduce the weight of the aircraft by using biomimicry and additive manufacturing.

Bastian Schäfer, an Airbus engineer, believes the capability to 3-D print airplane parts that range in size up to and including the plane’s very skeleton structure will revolutionize air travel. These lightweight additively produced parts will make planes that weigh much less than today’s models. A lighter plane uses less fuel and reduces the amount of greenhouse gases it emits. Planes with a smaller carbon footprint could be bigger and roomier, with improvements like larger and moldable seats, Schäfer said.

For him, the move to a 3-D-printed airliner begins with a printed partition his group unveiled two years ago and continues to perfect.

Schäfer is project manager on what his group calls the Bionic Partition Project. The project itself is under the purview of the Airbus Emerging Technologies and Concepts Group, led by Peter Sander.

Working under Schäfer, the group has created a 3-D printed partition to separate the seating area on the A320 from the galley. The partition weighs 45% less than the 7-feet-tall partitions now used on that model. It’s also substantially stronger, as the team replaced the component’s solid aluminum alloy parts with a number of slender, 3-D-printed metal pieces that connect to form a lattice of the same shape and size as the existing partition. The lattice is then covered in a thin material.

Partitions of this nature are large, weighty, and can be somewhat of a design challenge, Schäfer said. It needs to include a cutout wide and tall enough for a hospital stretcher to pass through and to be strong enough to anchor the two seats that fold down from the frame, which flight attendants sit in for takeoff and landing. And it must withstand impacts of up to 16 g-force. Oh, and it also must be less than 1-inch thick (to save space) and attach to the plane in only four places to decrease the weight of connecting hardware and to make for easy changeout.

With all that in mind, the team turned to nature. The partition’s internal, 3-D-printed structure mimics that of human bones, which, though light, have a high strength-to-weight ratio as they are dense at their stress points. Schäfer’s team designed a lattice structure comprised of metal pieces that are printed individually and then fit together to form the partition.

The Living, an Autodesk-owned design and prototyping studio in New York, also played a part in the project by creating the biological algorithm that would allow for the mimicking of human bones.

“Our algorithm was based on the growth of an organism called slime mold,” says David Benjamin, head of the group.

The mold grows and stretches its form to connect a set of points—or locations of food—with the minimum number of lines. It also has built-in redundancy; each point is connected with at least two lines so if one fails, the point is still connected to the network, or slime body, he says.

“The mold spores are efficient because they use the least amount of material to connect the dots. And they are redundant because when one of the paths is broken, the network can route around the problem and stay connected,” he said. “Although the size and material of the partition is different than that of slime mold, the logic is similar. And in our application, this approach worked very well.”

Schäfer has plans to further improve upon the partition’s existing design and build. He’d like to cut out a step in the manufacturing process by printing larger pieces of the structure at once, rather than printing the individual parts that are then fit together. Printer size now limits this capability.

The partition isn’t in production, but that will probably change within five years as Airbus furthers its move toward lighter planes, Schäfer says.

While no slime mold was injured in the making of the Airbus partition, the lowly organism will soon be helping the planes use less fuel—and emit fewer greenhouse gases—as they fly through the skies.

You may not want to thank the slime mold in person, but the engineers who use it—and well as many other natural designs—for inspiration—may just to do it for you.

Altair Engineering
www.altair.com

Mcity test concept assesses driverless vehicle safety before they take on public roads: Rebuilding consumer confidence after crash deaths

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Bruce Jenkins | Ora Research

Mcity at the University of Michigan has outlined a test-track-based concept for evaluating the safety of highly automated vehicles before they’re tested on public roads that could emerge as a model for a voluntary standard for safety testing. Mcity is a public-private partnership led by U-M to accelerate advanced mobility vehicles and technologies.

Mcity’s mission is “driving the future of mobility.” In 2014 the University of Michigan launched Mcity as an “advanced mobility research center…to cultivate the diverse expertise and resources required to realize the potential of emerging mobility technologies, and their commercial and economic viability.” Mcity describes itself as “leading the transition to a new world of connected and automated vehicles. Our work goes beyond technology and considers all aspects of the future of transportation and mobility.”

Test track project comes after two highly publicized autonomous-vehicle fatalities stoked consumer fears about safety of driverless vehicles

The new test track project comes after two highly publicized autonomous-vehicle fatalities stoked consumer fears about the safety of driverless vehicles, and slowed development of these technologies “that have the potential to save lives, conserve energy and expand accessibility to transportation,” Mcity said. The Mcity ABC Test concept would create an independent safety assessment for highly automated vehicles (HAVs). It would be a key element in a three-pronged approach to HAV testing, along with simulation and on-road evaluation.

“Highly automated vehicles must be developed in a responsible way to fully realize their promise as a useful tool that will benefit society,” said Mcity Director Huei Peng, the Roger L. McCarthy Professor of

Mechanical Engineering at U-M, who is leading the Mcity ABC Test project. “The Mcity ABC Test is an approach that can help rebuild public trust and accelerate the development of these potentially life-changing vehicles.”

The crash of an Uber Level-4 automated vehicle prototype in March 2018 killed a woman as she was crossing a street in Arizona when the car’s sensors failed to detect her. A Level-4 vehicle can drive itself without human intervention. Five days later, a man was killed on a California highway when the Level-2 automated Tesla car he was driving using Tesla’s “Autopilot” highway assist system failed to notice the driver’s inattention and did not turn off or disable the technology. Instead, the car crashed into a roadside barrier and caught fire. In a Level-2 vehicle, the driver is expected to pay attention at all times and take over driving when necessary.

Recent surveys by groups including JD Power found that as many as half or more of U.S. consumers are concerned about the safety of driverless vehicles.

ABC test: Accelerated evaluation, Behavior competence, Corner cases

The ABCs of the three-part test include “Accelerated evaluation, Behavior competence and Corner cases.”

Accelerated evaluation concentrates on the most common risky driving situations. Behavior competence puts vehicles through a set of scenarios that correspond to major motor vehicle crash frequency. Drawing from a variety of sources, Mcity compiled a list of 50 such scenarios, of which 35 were chosen for near-term focus, including 16 scenarios for low-speed, path-following Level-4 vehicles. Corner-case testing focuses on situations that test the limits of automated vehicle performance and technology.

Mcity researchers are working on executing the Mcity ABC Test beginning with three accelerated evaluation behaviors, and the 16 behavior competence scenarios for low-speed Level-4 vehicles, such as the driverless shuttles Mcity is operating on U-M’s North Campus. Mcity will pursue funding support needed to prove the Mcity ABC Test concept.

Researchers are developing the ABC test concept using the Mcity Test Facility, U-M’s controlled, real-world environment for testing connected and automated vehicles. The ABC test could be scaled for larger test facilities as well, such as the American Center for Mobility in Ypsilanti Township, Mich. U-M is a founding partner of ACM.

Access the white paper

A comprehensive white paper outlining the crucial need that inspired the Mcity ABC Test protocol, along with specific test components, was released January 15, 2019 at the AutoMobil-D symposium at the North American International Auto Show at Cobo Center: “Mcity ABC Test: A Concept to Assess the Safety Performance of Highly Automated Vehicles”.

Mcity

American Center for Mobility

U-M Transportation Research Institute

In, April Engineering Leaders Will Gather at COFES to Look at Technology Convergence

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The Congress on the Future of Engineering Software has a new home in 2019. Just in time for its 20th anniversary, the even will move from Scottsdale, Ariz., to Menlo Park, Calif., the heart of Silicon Valley.

The conference is think-tank event where those involved with engineering technology industry come together to discuss best practices, share ideas for managing change, and find strategies to achieve financial success. This year, the event takes place April 7 to 9.

It’s relocation is obviously no accident.

“With this move, we’re showing that engineering software is moving into the future of more high technology products,” said Jim Brown, president of engineering consulting firm Tech-Clarity and a member of the COFES Institute board of directors. The institute provides leadership for COFES.

The meeting this year includes subjects like CAD and PLM software, but also addresses new methods of engineering design as well as new technologies making their way into the engineering realm.

“There’s so much convergence of new technologies like artificial intelligence, IoT, connected products and 3D printing  that are starting to come into the design world for things like generative design,” Brown said. “It’s kind of up to as the engineering software community to come together as users of the software and as the academics and industry thought leaders and software vendors to put our heads together to figure out how we can do more with these technologies.”

To illustrate the changes the engineering field has recently experienced, Brown pointed to the shift from products, like automobiles, that had previously been strictly mechanical in nature, to items that now commonly include mechanical, electrical, and even software systems.

“Now a car is trying to schedule your service appointments and soon as part of smart city initiatives it will be communicating with other cars and with traffic lights,” Brown said. “Our tools, our mindsets have to change. The engineering software community is excited for these changes, but we need to determine how to react to them and how to support them.”

For nearly two decades, COFES had been owned and run by Cyon Research. It recently moved to operating as a nonprofit.

Last week, conference leaders announced that Microsoft will deliver a keynote on the COFES 2019 theme of technology convergence—the pairing of two or more technologies in a single device–from a software perspective.

The trend of convergence creates new challenges and opportunities for any company developing software solutions for design and manufacturing.

Microsoft leaders will share their insights regarding the possibilities the cloud can bring to companies for competitive advantages when it comes to software solutions for design and manufacturing, said Diego Tamburini, Microsoft principal industry lead, cloud for engineering and manufacturing

The need to effectively design in this new reality will become increasingly more important, he said. While companies are dealing with convergence with brute force, the software tools do not exist yet to manage the expanded, evolving design process, he added.

Microsoft’s keynote is titled “What Does the Manufacturer of the Future Look Like? A Microsoft Perspective.”

Keeping up with the COFES theme of convergence, Microsoft will share thought leadership in the areas of connected products, connected services, factory of the future, intelligent supply chains, and the strategic trends that Microsoft is witnessing and their vision of a cloud-enabled marketplace of solutions enabling best-in-class solutions that work together, Tamburini said.