Overview

We are pleased to announce that, starting with R2026 FD01, the SIMULIA Living Heart material models are now generally available for Abaqus users.

With this release, the Living Heart material models can be used without a QHH license check during execution, significantly expanding access to these capabilities across supported Abaqus workflows. The models provide a unified framework for simulating electrical conduction and contractile soft tissues, supporting cardiac, skeletal, and smooth muscle applications in studies of biomechanics, device interaction, and physiological function.

This milestone marks an important step in making Living Heart technologies more broadly accessible.

What is included

The Living Heart material models support:

• Consistent behavior across supported response types, including prestress, passive, active, and electrical responses
• Coupled simulation of electrical activation and active/passive tissue mechanics
• Application within standard Abaqus analysis workflows for physiological and device-related studies

The offering emphasizes robust, well-characterized material behavior and consistent application within supported physiological simulation workflows.

Updated User Assistance

To support the broader availability of these material models, the Living Heart User Assistance has been updated and expanded in R2026 FD01.

The updated documentation provides clearer guidance on:

• Introducing description on structural prestress response and its role in establishing the reference state for subsequent simulations.
• Providing response-specific input file usage for prestress, passive, active, and electrical tissue simulations, clarifying required keyword definitions.
• Adding five verification examples covering electrical (action potential and electrical conduction) and mechanical (prestress, passive, and active) responses, including expected results and supporting files for user confirmation.

These updates are intended to help users apply the material models correctly and consistently, and to set clear expectations for supported workflows.

What you need to know

• The Living Heart material models are broadly accessible enabled in R2026 FD01.
• The updated User Assistance clarifies how to use these models within their supported scope.
• Existing studies can continue to run, but users are encouraged to review the updated documentation when starting new work.

For questions or assistance, please contact your local SIMULIA support center:

https://www.3ds.com/support/contact-your-support-center