Tips & Tricks

Arbitrarily 3D shaped surfaces

This paper illustrates the modeling process to be applied by a Visual-Mesh user with the objective of creating one arbitrarily 3D shaped surface starting from scratch.

How to fill multiple holes of different shapes and sizes on a plate?

Using Visual-Mesh, you can fill small holes of different diameters with a surface easily. This can be achieved with the Surface Trim option available in the surface menu.

How does Batch Mode execution work in Visual-Environment?

To run the scripts in Batch mode

How to filter entities in the Explorer?

You can filter entities based on Name and ID and also list the referred entities

How to create your own toolbars in Visual-Environment?

You can create your own toolbars using Tools->Customize

How to change user home location in Visual-Environment?

You can change the Home and Temporary directory path from General Preference or from the Variables

How to make an advanced selection in Visual-Environment?

Advanced Selection allows you to select entities in different ways such as column wise, sheet wise, etc. It also allows you to stop the selection at non manifold T-Sections based on feature angle.

Process optimization: the future of numerical simulation software

Optimization is becoming a very popular word. However, what does it mean and what does it involve? The goal of this e-tip is to give some keys about optimization concepts and its use in process optimization. In a first stage, we will describe the type of optimization problems that could be solved and in a second stage, the principles and algorithms will be presented. Finally, advantages and drawbacks of the different methods and algorithms will be addressed, with respect to the different types of optimization problems which can be solved.

Casting simulation: from prototype to performance

Passenger safety in cars, planes and other transportation vehicles is an ethical obligation, a legal issue and a technological challenge. Simulation is a well implemented tool in order to test the behaviour of a car body during crash. The models, including rapid deformation and rupture, are sophisticated and reliable. Currently, most properties used in such simulations correspond to homogenous and defect free materials. However, cars are manufactured before being crashed. And manufacturing routes such as casting, but also stamping, forging or welding, do not provide defect free and homogeneous materials.

Parallel processing

“To pull a bigger wagon, it is easier to add more horses than to grow a gigantic horse.” This paraphrased quotation nicely expresses the basic concept of parallel processing. The speed of sequential computers has been doubling every eighteen months, according to Moore’s law. However, at any given time, that speed is limited by the state of the art in integrated circuit design and manufacturing. To circumvent that limitation, it is possible to split a given computationally intensive task among multiple processors working simultaneously.