Blue Ridge Numericshas released CFdesign 2011, the latest version of its CFD software packed withan array of new capabilities officials say help compress the simulationprocess, expand the reach of CFD, and provide a rich team environment forcomplex design studies.

Built on the Design Study environment that debuted inCFdesign 2010, the latest release offers a lightweight environment that lendsitself to multiple design studies all while compressing the design process soengineers have time to run additional simulations. "This release is all aboutenabling engineers to get more done in 24 hours," says Luke Mihelcic, productmarketing manager at Blue Ridge Numerics. "Traditionally, there are one or twoanalysts or gurus in a company who do all the simulations. What we've done inCFdesign 2011is make it more accessible to new and casual users so they can setup simulations very repeatedly."

A number of new tools added to CFdesign 2011 foster what thecompany is calling "one-click simulation," making it accessible for so-calledcasual CFD users. Specifically, the software supports CAD-entity groups,allowing users to assign the settings they need for the flow simulation (thingslike inlets or solids) inside a CAD package where they are more comfortable. Inaddition, a new rules manager inside the program lets users create associationsbetween CAD part names, CAD material names, CAD entity groups and a CFdesign setting,so users can assign settings to frequently recurring CAD components, greatlyautomating the process. "This eliminates a lot of anxiety that new users have,"Mihelcic says.

The Design Study environment has also been enhanced to makeit easier and less repetitive to set up multiple simulations. The new releaseincludes a powerful automation tool that allows for variation of multipleparameters such as materials, flow and thermal conditions, and new templatesgive engineers the ability to define standard processes and reduce the need tostart over for every simulation, Mihelcic says.

To help compress the simulation process, CFdesign 2011 hasbeen architected to harness all of the computational horsepower available on anetwork. Via its new remote solving manager, users can set up and allocatesimulation workloads across multiple workstations, while mobile alerts willsend users notifications via e-mail or text messages, updating them on thestatus of their design studies. "Folks are used to babysitting simulations," Mihelcicexplains. "With mobile alerts, we'll tell you it started, meshed and finished,and if something happened along the way, we'll e-mail you. It lets you knowwhat's happening with your simulation without having to sit and watch it."

In terms of new team capabilities, CFdesign 2011 supports amodel-centric workflow that maximizes screen real estate while deliveringaccess to all functions directly on the model. There are also twice as manymaterials available in the material library, and material databases can beshared with other team members. Other collaboration enhancements include anexpanded customer portal to allow the secure viewing and sharing of simulationresults; the ability to use the CFdesign 3D Results Viewer inside a standard Webbrowser; and improvements to the suite of visualization tools, enabling usersto identify optimal designs more readily.