About the role

The structural Analysis Engineer is a comprehensive role to perform structural integrity assessment of any type of product, providing:

• Multiple structural analyses, including static or quasi static, frequency, buckling, mode-based steady-state or transient dynamic, random response, and non-linear dynamic
• Thermal analyses or sequential thermal-stress analyses (both transient or steady state)
• Advanced capability from meshing, with possible automated creation, scenario definition (up to thousands of loadcases), execution, results visualization, and report generation
• Fatigue simulation that can predict accurate fatigue lives to ensure complex engineering products are designed for durability, and extend ordinary stress analysis to provide estimates of the lifecycle for components subjected to cyclic loads

Note: you can use the table of contents in the top right of the post to jump to the section you're interested in. 

R2025x FD03

Functional Value

• Enhance vehicle safety workflows with the availability of integrated section output definition and results visualization 

• Reliably investigate durability of welded structures using British Standard BS7608 methods 

• Assess complex structural vibration induced fatigue cases with multi-channel frequency based vibration fatigue 

• Enhance modelling of heat transfer effects in thermal engineering applications with the addition of cavity radiation definition 

• Improve the accuracy of structural simulations with the ability to define initial hardening condition from an upstream CATIA forming feasibility simulation 

• Improve modeling efficiency and re-use with support for defining appropriate element types as part of the model definition

User Experience Value

• Expedient model diagnostic information loading and display for efficient results analysis and model troubleshooting 

• Efficiently assess the load carrying capacity of idealized bolted joints featuring multi-layer definitions

R2025x FD02

Functional Value

• Experience improved usability and efficiency for managing existing mesh with support for persistency of mesh editing operations when model changes are made

• Efficiently simulate problems involving multiphysics applications with the addition of the iterative linear equation solver

• Easily generate high quality mesh with the ability to enable elements optimization from within the Mesh Part Manager

• Flexibly and effectively use native applications and monitor simulations during execution with the new local interactive solve mode

• Easily simulate structures with geometric imperfections for a post-buckling load-displacement analysis

User Experience Value

• Increase confidence in the produced mesh quality with quality plot display showing the criterion selected by the user with the relevant range of legend values

R2025x FD01

Functional Value

• Efficiently create models of formed components using CATIA quick formability feature to initialize shell section thickness

• Create high fidelity FE models including triangle/tet meshes with improved meshing capabilities by adding mesh type as a user parameter

• Simulate aging of battery electrodes with additional material parameters defining aging of materials

• Simulate ultra-performant products with new-generation multi-scale materials and manufacturing methods

• Build large assemblies of symmetric components efficiently with the ability to mirror a half-symmetry FEM including connections

• Enhance dynamic explicit procedure accuracy involving contact with the support of precise contact through geometry-based corrections

• Enhance accuracy of structural simulations by including manufacturing effects with initial hardening conditions

• Accelerate midsurfacing of complex castings with the addition of a new 'Middle Wire' command in the Natural Shape app

R2025x GA

Functional Value

• Efficiently create models of formed components using CATIA quick formability feature to initialize shell section thickness

• Create high fidelity FE models including triangle/tet meshes with improved meshing capabilities by adding mesh type as a user parameter

• Simulate aging of battery electrodes with additional material parameters defining aging of materials

• Simulate ultra-performant products with new-generation multi-scale materials and manufacturing methods

• Build large assemblies of symmetric components efficiently with the ability to mirror a half symmetry FEM including connections

• Enhance dynamic explicit procedure accuracy involving contact with the support of precise contact through geometry-based corrections

• Enhance accuracy of structural simulations by including manufacturing effects with initial hardening conditions

• Accelerate midsurfacing of complex castings with the addition of a new 'Middle Wire' command in the Natural Shape app

R2024x FD03

Functional Value

• Efficiently and robustly perform thermal simulations with enhancements adding support for general contact in the thermal analysis and an option to interpolate temperature mapping

• Efficiently simulate fully coupled fluid-structural loading and extreme structural deformations with support of the Coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian analysis technique

• Efficiently build robust structured hex mesh of polyhedral volumes through the enhanced partition hex meshing functionality with a new mid-point algorithm

User Experience Value

• Accelerate and simplify access to the relevant output information with the new option to define unique default output requests

• Shorten durability case analysis time with an option to analyse only selected part of a model in durability case at the scenario level

R2024x FD02

Functional Value

• Improve performance predictions for haptics sensors with sequentially coupled electromagnetics and structures simulations
• Increase efficiency of modeling assemblies and identifying intersecting entities with the new visibility and filtering options of interference checker results

User Experience Value

• Improve usability and efficiency of scenario definition by cutting, copying and pasting scenario features of the model tree
• Experience improved usability and efficiency for managing complex assemblies with an improved way to create and edit Display groups with a refreshed dialog.
• Enrich the experience of reviewing model definitions and results of simulations with substructures with the ability to visualize the exterior surface of substructured components
• Easily and reliably identify and correct disconnected mesh parts in an assembly based on the realized connections in the model definition to simulate complex assemblies more efficiently

R2024x FD01

Functional Value

• Build large assemblies that involve symmetric components with the new planar-symmetric FEM generation functionality
• Increase fidelity of advanced nonlinear structural simulations through new material calibration models and ability to average multiple material test data sets
• Increase efficiency of managing simulation data across different products with the new option to export FEM data to LS-DYNA
• Reliably evaluate strength and durability of both non-welded and welded structures using the proven FKM Guidelines methodology

User Experience Value

• Improve usability and efficiency of simulation model preparation with the new Geometry Idealization app
• Streamline simulation workflows based on Assembly of Meshes with automated Abstraction Shape creation
• Improve simulation experience with automatic compiling of user subroutine source codes
• Investigate multiple material options in fatigue life predictions through material definition override in durability

R2024x GA

Functional Value

• Evaluate durability scenarios reliably with the addition of proven infinite life fatigue algorithms (Prismatic Hull and Dang Van)
• Perform full MODSIM design exploration of tire engineering workflows with the availability of Steady State Transport capability

User Experience Value

• Manage multi-step scenario simulations quicker and easier with improved flexibility and efficiency
• Experience game-changing performance improvements of cloud results visualization for large models
• Diagnose and fix modeling issues quickly and efficiently with automatic detection of unconstrained motion

Diagnose and fix modeling issues quickly and efficiently with automatic detection of unconstrained motion

Manage multi-step scenario simulations quicker and easier with improved flexibility and efficiency

Experience game changing performance improvements of cloud results visualization for large models

Evaluate durability scenarios reliably with the addition of proven infinite life fatigue algorithms (Prismatic Hull and Dang Van)

Perform full MODSIM design exploration of tire engineering workflows with the availability of Steady State Transport capability

R2023x FD04

Functional Value

• Reduce modeling time and enhance simulation quality with improvements to the mesh interference checker

User Experience Value

• Advance usage of substructures aided by visual representations during modeling and results exploration

Reduce modeling time and enhance simulation quality with improvements to the mesh interference checker

Advance usage of substructures aided by visual representations during modeling and results exploration

R2023x FD03

Functional Value

• Maximize mesh data reuse and automate connection realization aided by the connection rules in Assembly of Mesh simulation models
• Perform full MODSIM design exploration of tire engineering workflows with the availability of embedded rebar layers and symmetric model generation

User Experience Value

• Improve mesh quality in surface meshes and partition hex mesh regions with enhanced manual mesh editing tools
• Enhance automated spot fastener creation with self fastener detection and realization

Improve mesh quality in surface meshes and partition hex mesh regions with enhanced manual mesh editing tools

Enhance automated spot fastener creation with self fastener detection and realization

Maximize mesh data reuse and automate connection realization aided by the connection rules in Assembly of Mesh simulation models

Perform full MODSIM design exploration of tire engineering workflows with the availability of embedded rebar layers and symmetric model generation

R2023x FD01

Functional Value

• Enhance associative design-simulation workflows with Nastran-based model assemblies thorough Nastran model import improvements, with mesh part delete and replace with 3DEXPERIENCE part designs
• Enhance life prediction in high temperature application using new thermomechanical creep-fatigue algorithm
• Predict durability of thin welded structures using the FKM-based methodology with shell representations

User Experience Value

• Diagnose and fix modeling issues quickly and efficiently with the new simulation job diagnostics

Diagnose and fix modeling issues quickly and efficiently with the new simulation job diagnostics

Enhance life prediction in high temperature application using new thermomechanical creep-fatigue algorithm

Predict durability of thin welded structures using the FKM-based methodology with shell representations

R2023x FD01

Functional Value

• Predict behavior and failure of adhesives with inclusion of cohesive element modelling
• Perform highly accurate battery cell performance workflows by inclusion of pore pressure with coupled stress-thermal-electrochemical simulations
• Improve performance and accuracy of contact interactions by inclusion of nonlinear penalty contact and contact mass scaling
• Generate high quality surface mesh for crash simulation workflows through newly improved surface mesh algorithm resulting in better mesh flow
• Increase fidelity of highly complex nonlinear structural simulations through calibration of cohesive traction-separation laws and model calibration comparison functionality
• Improve efficiency of external simulation workflows with enhanced NASTRAN translation functionality

User Experience Value

• Modify simulation settings quickly and efficiently by editing scenario features directly through the improved assistant panel

Modify simulation settings quickly and efficiently by editing scenario features directly through the improved assistant panel

Predict behavior and failure of adhesives with inclusion of cohesive element modelling

Perform highly accurate battery cell performance workflows by inclusion of pore pressure with coupled stress-thermal-electrochemical simulations

Improve performance and accuracy of contact interactions by inclusion of nonlinear penalty contact and contact mass scaling

R2022x FD04

Functional Value

• Enhanced coupling connection capturing specified number of node rings around holes
• New factor of safety output for virtual bolts allowing a quick check if the bolt has failed or not
• Stress Linearization capability to extract membrane and bending stresses as requested by various industrial standards
• Support of vibration-based fatigue simulation in both time (transient modal) and frequency (random vibration) domains
• Durability cases are now supported in Parametric Design Study workflows
• Support for the definition, solve, and post-processing of coupled stress-thermal-electrochemical simulations for battery workflows

User Experience Value

• Improved abstraction shape creation process to allow multiple items creation
• Improvements to sequentially coupled multiphysics workflows (e.g. fluid to structure, plastic injection to structure) to integrate simulations from different scientific fields where simulation results from one solver are used to drive a simulation in another solver.

New Stress Linearization capability in Physics Results Explorer to extract membrane and bending stresses as requested by various industrial standards

New factor of safety output for virtual bolts allowing a quick check if the bolt has failed or not

Sequentially coupled multiphysics workflow where the simulation results from one solver (here Fluid) are used to drive a simulation with different or additional physics in another solver (here Structural).

Enhanced coupling connection capturing specified number of node rings around holes

Improved abstraction shape creation process to allow multiple items creation

New coupled stress-thermal-electrochemical simulation step for battery workflows

Vibration-based fatigue simulation in both time (transient modal) and frequency (random vibration) domains

Durability cases are now supported in Parametric Design Study workflows

R2022x FD03 

Functional Value

• Virtual Pin can now be defined on surface geometry removing an existing limitation
• New option for selective flipping of face normals when defining a cyclic symmetry, an acoustics absorber or a fluid cavity on a shell-like model, avoiding any specific geometry modification requirement
• Support for the definition, solve, and post-processing of coupled thermal-electrochemical simulations, required in battery engineering workflows

User Experience Value

• Visibility improvement by adding legends to colored mesh visualization (mesh quality, mesh orientation, interference, etc.)
• User Experience improvements in the Property & Abstraction manager by allowing multiple properties selections in order to change the material behaviors or the thicknesses, reducing dramatically the number of clicks in such cases
• Various user experience improvements in dedicated dialog boxes for the templates (creation, management) making them more easy to use

Support for the definition, solve, and post-processing of coupled thermal-electrochemical simulations, required in battery engineering workflows

Visibility improvement by adding legends to colored mesh visualization (mesh quality, mesh orientation, interference, etc.)

Various user experience improvements in dedicated dialog boxes for the templates (creation, management) making them more easy to use

New option for selective flipping of face normals when defining a cyclic symmetry, an acoustics absorber or a fluid cavity on a shell-like model, avoiding any specific geometry modification requirement

R2022x FD02

Functional Value

• New material options (Valanis-Landel strain energy potential, specific heat and mean field damage for fiber reinforcement, etc.) increasing the range of possible simulation workflows
• Automatic partition of a solid to accelerate dramatically the hexahedral mesh generation workflow
• Ability to create several beams for virtual bolts to increase the simulation fidelity for specific cases
• Spot weld fatigue - support for remaining point fastener constructs (rigid, spring and beam)

User Experience Value

• Surface mesh seeding enhancement (visualization and interactive modification)
• Upgrade of the tet filler mesher algorithm leading to improvements in the mesh quality and robustness
• New dedicated dialog box for virtual bolts results accelerating access to relevant outputs (force, moment)
• Integration of Physics Simulation objects to the 3DMarkup app to create persistent annotations and slides based on such data, useful for collaboration and design change process

Modeling - Automatic partition of a solid to accelerate dramatically the hexahedral mesh generation workflow

Integration of Physics Simulation objects to the 3DMarkup app to create persistent annotations and slides based on such data, useful for collaboration and design change process

Post-processing - New dedicated dialog box for virtual bolts results accelerating access to relevant outputs (force, moment, factor of safety, etc.)

Durability - Spot weld fatigue - support for remaining point fastener constructs (rigid, spring and beam)

R2022x FD01

Functional Value

• Material Calibration - Support of new models (Hosford Coulomb damage, non-isotropic plasticity, etc.) increasing the material behavior modeling capabilities
• Modeling - Full support for fluid cavities Abaqus solvers’ functionalities to increase the range of simulation possibilities
• Scenario - Support of multiphysics procedures (thermal, electrical, stress) to increase the range of simulation possibilities
• New keyword editor tool to support Abaqus capabilities not yet available in the 3DEXPERIENCE platform
• Durability - New support of Spot Welds (solid mesh modeling) for fatigue life prediction

User Experience Value

Modeling - Virtual Bolt Enhancements by removing limitations such as non-planar, non-circular holes

Post-Processing - New camera setup feature allowing users to track any particular target and to follow the movement of a component during animations

Visualization Management tool improvement reducing the number of clicks to hide/show simulation features

Post-Processing - New camera setup feature allowing users to track any particular target and to follow the movement of a component during animations

Scenario - Support of multiphysics procedures (thermal, electrical, stress) to increase the range of simulation possibilities

Modeling - Full support for fluid cavities Abaqus solvers’ functionalities to increase the range of simulation possibilities

New keyword editor tool to support Abaqus capabilities not yet available in the 3DEXPERIENCE platform

R2022x GA

Functional Value

• Modeling and Meshing - Support lap joint for the Support boundary method of line fastener reducing dramatically the time effort and effort to create the mesh in such case
• Modeling and Meshing - Ability to run simulations on polyhedral geometries (orphan meshes) increasing the range of possible simulation workflows
• Meshing - New persistent locking options for elements and domains facilitating any remeshing action
• Scenario - New default for Edge-To-Edge contact for Explicit dynamic analysis, increasing simulation robustness and quality

User Experience Value

• Modeling and Meshing - One single app for Modeling & Meshing tools, reducing the number of clicks for the user
• Scenario - Openness increase through new CAA APIs to improve scripting capabilities
• Modeling and Meshing - Generative modeling tool for sub-modeling simulation to speed-up studies of local parts of models

Modeling and Meshing - Generative modeling tool for sub-modeling simulation to speed-up studies of local parts of models

Modeling and Meshing - Support lap joint for the Support boundary method of line fastener reducing dramatically the time effort and effort to create the mesh in such case

Meshing - New persistent locking options for elements and domains facilitating any remeshing action

Modeling and Meshing - One single app for Modeling & Meshing tools, reducing the number of clicks for the user

R2021x FD07

Functional Value

• Modeling & Meshing - New check and fix tools for compatible line fasteners connections to improve dramatically the meshing success rate
• Scenario - New Riks step generally used to predict unstable, geometrically nonlinear buckling or collapse of a structure
• Scenario - Enlargement of scope around capabilities for including manufacturing effects, pre-loaded sub-assemblies, using previous simulations in downstream applications (e.g. springback analysis)
• Scenario – Full support of coupled piezoelectric analysis
• Durability - Explicit Dynamic results supported to increase the durability analysis scope

User Experience Value

• Material - Added scroll bars and other User Interface modification improving dramatically the user experience
• Scenario - On-The-Fly axis system creation now possible when defining scenario features, improving dramatically the user experience
• Post Processing - New Save As New Template option for contour plots and sensors for a straightforward subsequent reuse

Modeling & Meshing - new check and fix tools for compatible line fasteners connections to improve dramatically the meshing success rate

Scenario - New Riks step generally used to predict unstable, geometrically nonlinear buckling or collapse of a structure

Scenario – Full support of coupled piezoelectric analysis

Scenario - Enlargement of scope around capabilities for including manufacturing effects, pre-loaded sub-assemblies, using previous simulations in downstream applications (e.g. springback analysis)

Post Processing - New Save As New Template option for contour plots and sensors for a straightforward subsequent reuse

Durability - Explicit Dynamic results supported to increase the durability analysis scope

R2021x FD06

Functional Value

• Modeling - New connection options (e.g. rigid elastic in connector behavior, distributing vs. kinematic couplings in connector and virtual bolt) to improve the connection modeling flexibility
• Scenario - Improved modeling capabilities for including manufacturing effects, pre-loaded sub-assemblies, from previous simulations in downstream applications (e.g. multi drop test) to accurately capture history dependent simulation use cases
• Scenario – Support of hydrostatic pressure, regular load condition for pressure vessel simulations
• Durability - Verity line weld support for solid models
• Post-Processing - Virtual Strain Gauge creation tool to define and output simulation results consistent with standard physical test measurement methods, and help determine best strain gauge locations for test

User Experience Value

• Modeling - More options (e.g. search domain) provided for the fastener creation automation using data coming from the CATIA Fastening app

Scenario - Improved modeling capabilities for including manufacturing effects, pre-loaded sub-assemblies, from previous simulations in downstream applications (e.g. multi drop test) to accurately capture history dependent simulation use cases

Scenario – Support of hydrostatic pressure, regular load condition for pressure vessel simulations

Modeling - More options (e.g. search domain) provided for the fastener creation automation using data coming from the CATIA Fastening app

Post-Processing - Virtual Strain Gauge creation tool to define and output simulation results consistent with standard physical test measurement methods, and help determine best strain gauge locations for test

Durability - Verity line weld support for solid models

R2021x FD05 

Functional Value

• Calibration of material models using a structural simulation increasing the range of possible calibratable material models
• Support of new common connection behaviors (i.e. plasticity, damage, lock, stop) to increase the simulation fidelity
• Scenario - Filters (e.g. Butterworth, Chebyshev, etc.) can now be applied to output requests to attenuate high-frequency solution noise and minimize results aliasing
• Support of the Verity fatigue method to allow line welds with shell elements durability assessment

User Experience Value

• New feedback in the Visualization Management dialog box for the user to make sure what he is currently viewing
• Automated FEM enhancements (e.g. Support of multibody and visible body in midsurface and tetrahedron procedures) to improve the meshing automated processes
• Allow results visualization during simulation execution to ensure the model is behaving as expected and get intermediate results before the end of the simulation

Allow results visualization during simulation execution to ensure the model is behaving as expected and get intermediate results before the end of the simulation

Support of new common connection behaviors (i.e. plasticity, damage, lock, stop) to increase the simulation fidelity

Support of the Verity fatigue method to allow line welds with shell elements durability assessment

Calibration of material models using a structural simulation increasing the range of possible calibratable material models

R2021x FD04

Functional Value

• Modeling - Seamless creation of abstraction shapes used for design modification for simulation purposes and access to the simulation geometry preparation tools to reduce the pre-processing duration
• Modeling and scenario - New modeling capabilities for axisymmetric structures, drastically reducing turnaround times for simulations

User Experience Value

• Modeling - Generative model build capabilities (e.g. axisymmetric) to fully automate the simulation model creation to drastically reduce the pre-processing time
• Modeling – Display of the parameters of all connections in the Connection Manager for efficiently reviewing them, especially in case of large assemblies
• Pre-Processing - Model Plots Enhancement to allow layout of plots with dedicated display options, name based filtering mechanism for queries (e.g. mass and volume)
• Post-Processing – Enhancement of the results comparison tool with new synchronization options (on legends, deformation)

Modeling and scenario - New modeling capabilities for axisymmetric structures, drastically reducing turnaround times for simulations

Modeling - Generative model build capabilities (i.e. axisymmetric) to fully automate the simulation model creation following best practices to drastically reduce the time to go from design data to simulation ready model