Altair HyperWorks® 13.0 Advances Current Product Design Trends

TROY, Mich., Sept. 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Altair today announced a new release of HyperWorks®, the most comprehensive version to date of its computer-aided engineering (CAE) software platform, which has set the global standard for enabling its users to create more durable and efficient products.

HyperWorks 13.0 increases engineering productivity in four distinct areas:

• Performance optimization. Through a wide array of solvers and multiphysics solutions, engineers are able to quickly predict and optimize product performance.
• Lightweight design. Tailored simulation and optimization tools help reduce weight while meeting design goals through the use of effective geometries, new materials, and advanced manufacturing methods.
• Lead-time reduction. Process automation, efficient modeling algorithms and advanced visualization capabilities help to dramatically increase simulation throughput to help bring products to market faster.
• Access to new technologies. Simulation accessibility has been extended to new categories of users for design and optimization, including open access to specialized third party software from members of the Altair Partner Alliance (APA) and HPC, cloud-based products.

"This release of HyperWorks advances the most current trends in product design," said James Dagg, Chief Technical Officer of Altair. "With an even sharper focus on tools for the analysis and design of composite structures, it facilitates processes for the mass customization of products. HyperWorks continues to offer a broad array of advanced solvers enabling engineers to simulate a wide range of physics, from the analysis of linear and nonlinear phenomena in structures to fluid flow, thermal, and electromagnetic behaviors."

Performance optimization

OptiStruct® can now operate as a strong nonlinear solver, with major improvements that elevate its functionality to simulate large displacement analysis and hyper-elastic materials like rubber with an extremely efficient use of parallel computing to maximize speed. Its optimization capabilities have been enhanced to introduce new response types and multi-model optimization (MMO), allowing one efficient solution for components that are common across different structures.

AcuSolve® can now be coupled with MotionSolve® for a more accurate analysis of the flow of air or other fluids while the structural part is moving. An example would be simulating the effect of an adjustable rear wing on sport vehicle aerodynamic performance. This solver coupling represents one of the suite's many multiphysics capabilities.

RADIOSS® furnishes more physics and even more accurate results for crack-propagation modeling through the extended finite element method (XFEM) and enhanced capabilities for airbag deployment. RADIOSS also offers improved parallelization for multi-domain methods and advanced mass scaling for better performance.

Both HyperStudy® and OptiStruct now offer integration with Excel. An engineer may export tradeoff studies to spreadsheets allowing to do post-processing independent of HyperStudy or, in OptiStruct, include Excel calculations as a response type in the optimization run.

Lightweight design

Altair is well-known for its expertise in designing composites structures. Pre-processing features in HyperWorks have been enhanced for improved usability. New, advanced methods of visualizing composite simulations in both the pre- and post-processing stages are now available, with the ability to visualize material, element and ply systems and overlay them with stresses. Additionally, new material laws and failure criteria for laminated composites and polymers are included.

HyperForm® now moves beyond metal forming to apply its capabilities to composite forming for sandwich and multilayered structures. The HyperMesh® drape estimator calculates thickness and angle variations that result from draping. These are very convenient accessories available to every HyperWorks user.

Lead time reduction

With the latest release of HyperWorks, engineers spend less time on the model build and get solutions more quickly. For instance, mass customization requires manufacturing many different versions of the same product. Altair has completely rewritten the part-replacement tool so that, if engineers are bringing in a new geometry, they can simply exchange the parts and all the connections are updated automatically. A new comparison tool can compare any combination of computer-aided design (CAD) and finite element geometry and highlight the differences. Enhanced direct modeling capabilities in HyperMesh allow users to quickly generate such geometries as reinforcement ribs without needing to go back to a CAD system.

Post-processing enhancements provide users with faster access to results and better ways to analyze them. Bidirectional communication between the HyperWorks desktop and PowerPoint is now possible. Results are now cached so that users may switch quickly between result sets when working on larger models.

HyperMesh, HyperView® and HyperGraph® each feature a new, unified Entity Editor to help modify all parameters of model or post-processing session entities faster. In the HyperMesh Entity Editor, new entities, components, properties and materials may be created much more efficiently. Solver documentation also is implemented into the Entity Editor via tool tips.

Interoperability between HyperWorks, CAD and product lifecycle management (PLM) systems allows engineers and designers to communicate easily and share product modifications in a truly collaborative environment. With HyperWorks 13.0, Altair has added bi-directional support for Windchill and Total Materia to the list of supported PLM systems and material databases.

Particular attention has been paid to the development of solutions for industry-specific use cases. HyperWorks Virtual Wind Tunnel™, a complete solution for automotive external aerodynamics, is now part of the HyperWorks suite as is a new aerospace user profile. Other solutions for NVH, drop test simulation and more are now available as HyperWorks solutions via an innovative delivery and licensing system.

Access to new technologies

Altair's optimization technology, which has been available for more than 20 years in OptiStruct, is now part of solidThinking Inspire®, an easy-to-use package designed to make finite element analysis (FEA) accessible to non-experts. SolidThinking Inspire allows for quick and easy creation and investigation of structurally efficient concepts and now includes analysis and geometry simplification capabilities. In addition, more than 50 third-party specialized solutions are available to HyperWorks users at no additional charge through the Altair Partner Alliance. Altair's groundbreaking, token-based user model is evolving continuously to provide more value and enable customers to implement a simulation-driven design process.

For more information or to attend an upcoming webinar, please visit www.altairhyperworks.com/hw13.

About Altair

Altair is focused on the development and broad application of simulation technology to synthesize and optimize designs, processes and decisions for improved business performance. Privately held with more than 2,300 employees, Altair is headquartered in Troy, Michigan, USA, and operates more than 40 offices throughout 22 countries. Today, Altair serves more than 5,000 corporate clients across broad industry segments. To learn more, please visit www.altair.com.

SOURCE Altair