SOLIDWORKS Simulation

SOLIDWORKS Simulation 2022: Enhanced Contact for Faster, More Stable and Accurate Results

SOLIDWORKS Technical Update

SOLIDWORKS Simulation 2022 is the biggest release we have seen in many years! We remain focused on making Simulation easier and faster for SOLIDWORKS users to apply to their designs. With the enhanced 2022 Simulation features, you can design better products faster than ever before. Better Performance: Faster Contact Simulation SOLIDWORKS Simulation 2022 calculates contact interactions significantly faster than previous versions. Solution time is improved by using parallel multicore computing, better CPU usage, faster stiffness calculation, and robust data communication for contact pairs. Designers will notice considerable benefits in models with numerous contact interactions. Benchmark data performed by our developers and by reseller Computer Aided Technology (CATI) show performance improvements ranging from 25% to 67%. Fig 1. A simulation model with numerous contact elements Easier Simulation: Contact Stabilization Many CAD models have less than perfect geometries, such as non-touching surfaces or clearance between bodies. These design elements make it more difficult for the solver to get started, which in turn prolongs solving time. SOLIDWORKS Simulation 2022 Contact Stabilization enhancement resolves this issue. Contact Stabilization works by adding a small numerical stiffness value to qualified areas before they come into contact. With contact stabilization, the solver can resolve instability issues encountered at the start of the solution before contact is initiated, and designers can more easily obtain Simulation results. You may be wondering: How do I take advantage of this enhancement? That is the best part of this story! The software automatically applies contact stabilization when your geometries have an initial clearance. This new feature is part of our Robust Default initiative, which uses Default Settings where the software fills out most settings, and the users only need to change custom fields. Fig 2. Contact model with initial clearance Improved Accuracy: Better convergence and more realistic contact representation between curved surfaces When meshing components, it is difficult to capture the exact gap distance between curved surfaces, especially when a coarse mesh and/or draft elements are being used. With SOLIDWORKS Simulation 2022, the software automatically calculates the geometry correction terms, which improve the representation of curved surfaces of cylindrical, spherical, and conical geometries. These terms are then used to improve the accuracy of the simulation results for curved surfaces. This capability has been implemented through collaboration with our sister brand SIMULIA which specializes in simulation. Fig 3. Contact interaction between curves surfaces New Feature: Improve Mesh Quality with a New Set of Mesh Diagnostic Tools A high-quality mesh is a key to a good simulation for result accuracy, convergence, and calculation speed. SOLIDWORKS Simulation 2022 introduces a brand-new set of diagnostic tools that enable you to examine the quality of a mesh by identifying and isolating poor quality elements and then prompting you to fix them. The Mesh Quality Diagnostics Tool can be used to display Aspect Ratio, Jacobian Ratio, etc. You can then use the Mesh Helper to get assistance refining the mesh in key areas and resolve mesh quality before proceeding to solve your analysis. Fig 4. Poor quality elements identified by the new Mesh Diagnostics Tools New Mesh Default: No Enforced Common Nodes In 2022, we made No Enforced Common Nodesthe default to make it easier and faster to mesh large and complex assemblies. In SOLIDWORKS Simulation 2022, we continue to make improvements in this area by increasing the accuracy of results in Simulation scenarios where gaps or small interferences exist due to the meshing process. A typical example is when using shell elements, the gap is due to the shell thickness. Fig 5. No Enforced Common Nodes solid mesh SOLIDWORKS Simulation 2022 enhancements demonstrate real-world user benefits, making it easier and faster than ever for SOLIDWORKS users to get accurate simulation results. We continue to build as much automation into the software as possible, so it does more of the simulation work for you. In turn, you can minimize design time and maximize speed to market. To get more information or schedule a demo of SOLIDWORKS Simulation 2022  

Design Platform

Building the Design Platform of the Future

Business, SOLIDWORKS Technical Update

Building the Design Platform As most of you are probably aware, we have introduced a new cloud-based, design-to-manufacturing portfolio called 3DEXPERIENCE WORKS. We know this makes some of you a little uneasy, as you see it as a replacement for your beloved SOLIDWORKS. I am here to tell you that is simply not true. By connecting SOLIDWORKS to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, our users will have the ability to embrace tools that were beyond their reach before. First, however, let’s discuss the reasons behind the move to the cloud. Is Moore’s Law dead? The CEO of Nvidia, Jensen Huang, famously declared the death of Moore’s Law at last year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Moore’s Law is the long-held notion that the processing power of computers increases exponentially every couple of years. However, it might have reached its limit. I’m not here to fuel the debate on this issue, but one thing is undoubtedly true: computer speed is not increasing at the rate it once did, while the need for more computational power to process AI-based algorithms or more complex simulation is increasing faster than ever. The April 1965 Electronics Magazine in which Moore’s article appeared. Photo credit: Wikimedia At the same time, we can expect that bandwidth and connectivity will only increase and improve in the future. As millions of people across the world are now learning and working from home due to the coronavirus, internet networks have been put to the test. They have, for the most part, persevered as have the legions of workers suddenly now working remotely. In order to keep pace with delivering the advanced engineering capabilities our users will need to compete in today’s challenging markets as well as those of the future, our R&D team realized we needed to make the transition to a cloud-based product development environment. We have done just this with the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, and the solutions tailored specifically to our SOLIDWORKS users with the 3DEXPERIENCE WORKS portfolio. Let’s take a look at some of the advantages of a platform-based approach to product development. Get better insights from your data Every product development company’s most important asset is its data. A platform approach to product development enables that data to be safely shared and collaborated on in real-time with key stakeholders, both inside and outside of your company. With intuitive access to real-time data, you can manage its complexity and make better-informed decisions faster which leads to greater profitability. 3DEXPERIENCE WORKS offers roles specialized in market and business intelligence that are key to operational excellence and optimal business performance. Improved collaboration Most of us know that better collaboration leads to higher levels of innovation, however, working together without the proper tools in place has always been a challenge. With 3DEXPERIENCE WORKS, collaboration tools are intuitive and everyone is working in the same system, facilitating the exchange of ideas, improving coordination, assuring traceability and accountability, and fostering more innovation. One single source of truth A single, online, always available “source of truth” makes companies more agile, more flexible, and resilient to disruptions like we are seeing today. By having one single source of truth, you can quickly get to the root cause of problems and more rapidly resolve them, increasing quality and ultimately, customer satisfaction. Digital continuity Product development using the 3DEXPERIENCE WORKS solutions assures digital continuity, meaning companies can automate updates of both software and data so everyone is on the same release and on the same page as far as product status because everyone is always working on real-time data. Time-consuming updates are now a thing of the past. Get connected By connecting SOLIDWORKS to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, you can create seamless product development workflows and easily extend them with new tools as your business needs evolve. This connected design-to-manufacturing ecosystem in the cloud enables teams to collaborate on real-time data anywhere and at any time on any Internet-enabled device. Less IT cost and burden Perhaps one of the biggest advantages of working in a cloud-based product development environment, such as the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, is that the cost of your IT infrastructure is significantly lowered. No longer do you need powerful, expensive workstations and servers. You also have the ability to scale up—or down—as needed and add new tools, such as advanced simulation, that you never dreamt possible. Do more with your IP By moving your SOLIDWORKS data to the cloud, you can still use the SOLIDWORKS you know and love but also reap the benefits of built-in data management that enable you to do more with your data. Design your way Only you know what’s best for your company so SOLIDWORKS provides design and development tools on the desktop; pure cloud-based tools, such as 3D Creator; or a hybrid approach that enables you to use SOLIDWORKS on the desktop and then connect it to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform so you can collaborate with any of your key stakeholders anywhere and on any device.

SOLIDWORKS

Top Ten SOLIDWORKS Design-to-Manufacturing Enhancements

SOLIDWORKS Technical Update

Dassault Systèmes has launched SOLIDWORKS® 2022,the latest release of its portfolio of 3D design and manufacturing applications. SOLIDWORKS 2022 includes performance enhancements and expanded functionalities that improve workflows for design, documentation, data management, validation, and manufacturing. Users can also expand their capabilities by connecting to the 3DEXPERIENCE® WORKS portfolio to tackle more challenges, from design to manufacturing, and enable cloud-based computing and collaboration. Let’s take a quick look at some of the enhancements you’ll see in SOLIDWORKS 2022. And please remember, these are just a few of the hundreds of new enhancements in SOLIDWORKS 2022. Drawing Detailing Mode Improvements Introduced in SOLIDWORKS 2020, Detailing Mode for Drawings has been enhanced to support for the creation of Detail, Break, and Crop views. In addition, hole callouts are now supported in Detailing Mode. Content and characteristics for existing notes can now be modified, and existing dimensions can be fully edited, including tolerance values and arrow type. Assembly Modeling Enhancements Access and work on your assemblies more efficiently with SOLIDWORKS 2022. Now you can dynamically load Lightweight Components and receive warnings about Circular References. Combine these time-saving enhancements with new graphics improvements that take better advantage of your GPU, and you will be spending more time designing and less time waiting. Also, there’s great new functionality that lets do more with defeatured models.   When you use the Silhouette method for defeaturing, you can create a configuration from the defeatured model. This allows you to quickly toggle between your fully detailed and defeatured designs at any time. User Experience Improvements SOLIDWORKS has long been known for its intuitive and customizable user interface. Once again, we listened to what you had to say about improvements you’d like to see, and SOLIDWORKS 2022 comes packed with enhancements that improve your design experience. An improved color picker can reference external applications, such as a web browser, to allow you to select a color for appearances. Simply click the eye dropper on the desired color and you’re done. When it comes to customization of you design environment, a command search capability within the Customize dialog makes it much easier to customize toolbars by helping locate the command you are looking for faster. You can now use a system option to show translated features names in the FeatureManager design tree such as cut, boss and fillet.  A new collapsible Command Manager gives you more space to work, as well as semi-transparent dimensions that make it easy to select entities on dimension creation. And, you can use Redo for more than 60 features and commands in parts. Previously, Redo was only available in sketches. Improved Electrical Design Enjoy greater flexibility for electrical design. You can use splines and arcs to define the routing path in 3D. If you use splines in the sketch to define the routing path, it is modeled by splines. There are now more options to manage wires in the project. You can draw lines without wires; remove the wire when you disconnect it from a symbol; and merge the wires when you delete a connected symbol. Plus, you can now use multiple wires or cables to pass through and arrange through clips. Also, Terminal Types Manager can now handle terminals and interconnections and bring information on end terminations from SOLIDWORKS Electrical schematics into 3D for complete documentation. Improved Plastics Simulation SOLIDWORKS Plastics 2022 enables you to define domain-based material definitions. You can also use the new Sketch-based baffle and bubblers. Fully define your plastic injection studies without the need to create a mesh, significantly reducing the amount of time to create, modify, and share the information. It is easier to streamline the plastics simulation workflow with the redesigned Plastics Manager tree. Additionally, you can set up over-molding injection studies and leverage hundreds of newly added materials. SOLIDWORKS Inspection SOLIDWORKS Inspection enables you to leverage existing 3D CAD files to create industry-standard inspection reports. SOLIDWORKS Inspection add-in enhancements include specifying a file location for project templates and report templates. This ensures that, in multiuser environments, users have the correct templates, which are critical for quality control. You can also rotate VDA balloons while keeping the ballooning number vertical. Plus, you can adjust the font size for VDA balloons. For SOLIDWORKS Standalone enhancements, you can now open SOLIDWORKS parts with 3D annotations to create inspection documents. You can also view SOLIDWORKS parts with 3D annotations; use 3D CAD data to create First Article Inspection (FAI) reports quickly; and read and extract 3D annotations to build reports using Smart Extract. SOLIDWORKS Inspection is a separately purchased product that you can use with SOLIDWORKS Standard, Professional, or Premium, or as a completely standalone application. Enhanced 3D Annotation Tools We are increasing productivity through model-based definition (MBD) improvements. SOLIDWORKS MBD 2022 extends the ability to organize product and manufacturing data (PMI) by adding the ability to add datum target symbols to your DimXpert dimension scheme. You can apply DimXpert location dimensions to datum target points and edit the dimensions to control the location of the datum targets. Also, sheet metal bend tables are now publishable as 3D PDFs, which have improved display quality. SOLIDWORKS MBD is a separately purchased product that you can use with SOLIDWORKS Standard, Professional, and Premium. More Options for SOLIDWORKS CAM SOLIDWORKS CAM 2022 provides more automation with expanded stock options, enhanced drill operations, and control over where you are managing posts. Changes are now controlled through the rebuild manager, ensuring all necessary information stays current with design changes. Cylindrical stock now has support for milling operations, and drill peck amounts are now specified based on the diameter of drill used. Streamlined Data Management SOLIDWORKS PDM 2022 lets you explore and document references with the (highly requested) Treehouse View for Contains and Where Used. Workflow Icons build-in visual recognition that increases awareness of your processes across the entire team. Bill of Materials accounts for more CAD workflows, and everyday PDM operations are faster. We think you will appreciate the more consistent Windows Explorer integration and better thumbnail support. PDM now has greater flexibility in controlling custom column sets. Support for BOM settings reduces the risk of mistakes and improves efficiency when working with BOMs. And icon…