Working with 3D image data (such as MRI and CT) in simulations can be a challenge, particularly in terms of preserving the original geometry of a scan when going from images to Finite Element (FE) meshes. SIMULIA partner Simpleware have developed solutions for this problem, enabling rapid processing of 3D images and mesh export in dedicated formats to Abaqus. The core strength of this workflow is Simpleware software’s capabilities to mesh multiple parts of a model with conforming interfaces and shared nodes; generated meshes are guaranteed watertight and are ready for simulation.
In the Life Sciences, software users are able to generate robust anatomical models from scans, with Simpleware software also enabling integration of CAD parts and image data; this has applications to modelling and simulation for medical devices in orthopaedics and for physiological flows. This image-to-model workflow is also being used in areas like Materials Science, for example to characterise composite structures, and in Oil and Gas for core sample analysis and other challenges involving complex material samples.
Partner Events
Simpleware regularly works with SIMULIA to provide workshops and training sessions on the compatibility between their software packages. In the Life Sciences, this has recently included an advanced biomedical modelling workshop with Simpleware partner Device Analytics and HP at the University of California, Irvine. The event particularly highlighted methods for working with medical image data, as well as the many applications of using realistic human models for device design, evaluation and testing. Attention was also paid to recent work in modelling the human heart, part of the SIMULIA Living Heart Project.
Discussing Simpleware to Abaqus solutions at UC Irvine, April 2016
Simpleware also run frequent Lunch & Learn seminars with SIMULIA, which cover both Life Sciences and wider Materials and Industrial applications; these sessions include opportunities for hands-on demos, and have been successful in the past for introducing current Abaqus users to compatibility with Simpleware. The most recent Lunch & Learn was held in the SIMULIA Great Lakes regional offices in Dearborn, Michigan, and produced some excellent discussions of the challenges and solutions users experience when working with 3D image data.
Kerim Genc, Simpleware Technical Sales Manager for the US and Canada, commented: “Simpleware’s image-based meshing capabilities make it a key tool in the 3D-image to simulation workflow, so it is exciting to partner with SIMULIA and demonstrate this powerful capability with relevant user presentations and a hands-on workflow. We have been promoting our image-based meshing approach for years so it is exciting to see more industry adoption and the removal of what was once a very significant bottleneck for CAE engineers when trying to handle complex organically shaped multi-domain geometries.”
Lunch & Learn at SIMULIA Great Lakes, Dearborn, Michigan, April 2016
Learn more
For more details about Simpleware’s upcoming events, see http://www.simpleware.com/news-and-events/events/
To learn more about the compatibility between Simpleware and Abaqus, please see the Simpleware eSeminar series.
Simpleware are exhibiting and presenting at the SIMULIA Community Conference 2016 in Boston. Attend our talk on Thursday May 24th from 1.30pm-2.00pm on Simpleware and Abaqus: Doing More with 3D Image Data and Simulation. Learn more.
If you have any questions about using Simpleware software with SIMULIA products, please contact Simpleware at info@simpleware.com.
