Through its seamless Integration with the CATIA V5, LMS Virtual.Lab Structures extends and complements the CATIA V5 CAE software with a fully integrated environment for FEA pre- and post-processing. These capabilities allow design and engineering teams to conveniently analyze the structural characteristics and behavior of components and assemblies within the same environment, while remaining fully associative with the original CAD models. The use of such a common toolset eliminates the need for time-consuming and error-prone file conversions and data translations, thereby increasing engineering productivity, improving the quality and consistency of analysis results, and accelerating engineering iterations.
A complete process in one environment
The Dassault Systèmes CATIA V5 offers a comprehensive solution for FE analysis based on the ELFINI solver and state-of-the-art solutions for basic solid and surface parts meshing, and advanced surface and solid meshing. LMS Virtual.Lab Structures extends and complements the CATIA V5 software suite for CAE with an extensive set of pre- and post-processing capabilities, and with a set of integrated drivers to industry-standard solvers such as MSC.Nastran, NX Nastran, Ansys and Abaqus. LMS Virtual.Lab Structures integrates the various process steps and simulation tools that would otherwise run separately and produce isolated results. This integration eliminates the need to rework models, duplicate meshes, transfer files, translate data, and visualize results in application-specific formats.
Geomery or mesh- based analysis
The integrated Virtual.Lab solution offers the flexibility to run a full geometry-based analysis process or to follow a mesh-based approach. The first approach allows users to develop design alternatives on the original CAD geometry, and to benefit from the full associativity throughout the simulation process. The mesh-based approach enables them to directly modify existing meshes and FE models and to flexibly analyze design alternatives before modifying the original CAD design.
Although LMS Virtual.Lab Structures seamlessly integrates with CATIA V5, it operates as a stand-alone solution and does not require a CATIA V5 installation on the user’s PC. Alternatively, LMS Virtual.lab Designer Structures is entirely integrated as an add-on to CATIA V5 FEA solutions and offers FE pre- and post-processing capabilities and drivers to industry-standard solvers within the CATIA V5 environment.
Mesh-based pre-processing
LMS Virtual.lab Structures offers an extensive set of mesh-based pre-processing functionalities, which is entirely complementary and integrated with the CATIA V5 pre-processing functionality. LMS Virtual.lab includes functionality to verify the quality of meshes, automatically check mesh quality versus company standards, check node and element numbering, and verify models according to free nodes, free elements, free edges, etc. Solver-specific checks are included, such as identifying rigid element dependency problems for Nastran. Also provided is a set of generic and solver-specific creation and editing operations, which act on node, element, axis system, material and property. Embedded functionality supports the definition of composite materials and the exporting of CATIA V5 generated composites to the FE solver. Operations allow users to drag and move nodes as well as perform operations, such as translations on meshes or groups, extrusions or mapped mesh creation. These mesh-based tools are designed to be as generic as possible so their operation is virtually transparent for the particular solver being used.
Integrated Solver-driving
Drivers to their preferred solver enable users to set up, launch and post-process a variety of solution types, including static, modal, transient, harmonic and steady-state heat transfer analyses. A variety of loads and constraints can be defined on the mesh and/or on the geometry. As such, users can set up associative analyses with external solvers, take advantage of specialized technologies and leverage their investment in multiple solvers. Ease of use allows novice users to treat the external solver as a virtual black box, but the system also provides all the advanced driver control that an experienced analyst would need.
Although LMS Virtual.Lab Structures supports a fully integrated FEA simulation process, it also offers an intelligent interface that offers users a “gateway” to the world outside CATIA V5. Through this interface, meshes (including those created with Dassault Systèmes meshing tools), groups, loads, constraints and results can be exported to various formats such as MSC.Nastran, NX Nastran and ANSYS. Similarly, orphan meshes (including their analysis setup parameters) and a wide variety of results can be imported from various sources.
Comprehensive post-processing
Comprehensive post-processing functionalities are available to visualize results (including solver-specific output) in a range of formats, such as color-coded contours showing high stress/strain concentrations, hot spots, 2D curves, bar-chart displays, deformation, and animated displacements. If the analysis indicates excessive deformation or stress, the CAD model can be changed, the mesh modified and the part re-analyzed until satisfactory performance is achieved – all within the same simulation environment.
Simulation-driven design
LMS Virtual.Lab takes the hassle out of FEA pre- and post-processing and provides an integrated environment for structural analysis within CATIA V5. The technology enables companies to move towards simulation-based product development, an approach where up-front analysis guides engineers toward optimizing the performance of their designs early in the cycle. The ability to readily run through what-if scenarios allows engineers to quickly evaluate design alternatives and thereby enhances creativity. Working in an integrated system provides for a consistent product development process sharing the same design and simulation environment across the enterprise. Teamwork is improved by facilitating collaboration and data exchange between separate groups in developing innovative designs that yield increased profitability and greater market share.
