New software lets engineers run simulations in real time

​Engineers will be able to instantly see how design change will impact on the physics of their work, according to the makers of a new piece of simulation software.

ANSYS Discovery Live, which is available for preview from today, is a powerful simulator that can be run on a laptop. It allows engineers to design virtual objects with various mechanical properties, and see in real-time how changes will manifest themselves in areas such as air flow or temperature conductivity.

Professional Engineering got an advance look at the software a few weeks ago, and was able to watch how changing the dimensions of a pipe changed the pressure of the fluid inside it in real time.

“Today engineering simulation is used mainly by experts and it’s mainly used on complex engineering projects like cars and planes, and it’s mainly used at the validation phase once you have a design in place,” Mark Hindsbo, vice president and general manager at ANSYS told PE. He says the new software will allow simulation to form part of the design phase, saving time and money and allowing engineers to pursue ideas they’re not sure about.

The software is different from existing simulation software because it uses the massive graphic processing power of modern computers to perform its calculations. The company say it is thousands of times faster. 

“The tool allows us to use multiple physics and the results are practically instantaneous, so we can get answers to the quick ‘what-if’ studies very quickly – helping us engage more people in simulation with the ultimate goal of moving faster, better products on time,” said Bob Tickel, director of structural and dynamic analysis, Cummins.

Hindsbo said the software would “fundamentally change product development, inverting the traditional process by bringing simulation upfront and enabling millions of engineers to benefit from the power of simulation,” he said in a press release to mark the launch of the software.

There are potential educational applications too. The software could be used to demonstrate engineering principals to students – PE got a look at how increasing the surface area of a heat sink changed the way heat flowed through it, for example. Hindsbo told PE that a free version of the software would be made available for academics.