The easy to use FEATool Multiphysics™ FEA and CFD simulation toolbox version 1.16 is now available. Major new features of this release include significant multiphysics solver, graphics, and visualization improvements for handling larger scale 3D models.
Improved Multiphysics Solver Performance
In FEATool 1.16 and CFDTool 1.9 the built-in multi-physics solvers and algorithms have been significantly optimized to solve models 30% faster on average (and significantly faster for certain model types). These optimizations and improvements are fully backwards compatible, and require no new user input or model modifications. Simply load one of your old models to directly benefit from improved performance right away.
Optimized 3D Graphics Performance
3D geometry and rendering have been also optimized to allow for significantly better graphics performance. It should now be possible to comfortably solve and work with much larger models than before. Moreover, 3D plots now fill up the whole viewport and feature CAD style orbit, pan, and zoom controls, making it easier for users to visualize and view models, results, and simulation data.
3D Geometry Defeaturing
A new geometry modeling tool has been introduced to assist with defeaturing imported 3D CAD geometries. This type of operation can be used to clean up complex geometries by removing features such as small holes, thin chamfers, fillets, grooves, threads, and embedded text. With defeaturing geometries can be significantly simplified, which makes meshing easier, and simulations more efficient and faster. In the example below the holes and rounded corners and edges are selected to be removed, making subsequent modeling steps faster and easier.
New Features
Other notable new features include
- PDF image and Excel data export
- Improved save/load model file performance
- Edge/vertex selection for chamfer/fillet operations
- 2D geometry tool for Bezier and spline curves
- Binary brep (.bin) geometry format
- Geometry import option from bitmap image (bmp, jpeg, png)
- Structured meshing of geometry primitives
- k-Omega wall function support for SU2 solver
Stand-Alone Simulation Apps
In addition to many new features, both FEATool Multiphysics 1.16 and CFDTool 1.9 are now available both as stand-alone apps, as well as MATLAB® toolboxes for the Microsoft Windows®, Linux®, and MacOS® operating systems. When installed as stand-alone app MATLAB® is not required, however when used as a toolbox with MATLAB® user and custom m-file script modeling is enabled. The toolboxes can be downloaded and installed directly from https://featool.com/download and https://cfdtool.com/download, respectively.