Because simulation is such a vital part of the product development process, a high level of collaboration is essential for all simulation activities.
Simulation CFD 2014 introduces two powerful collaboration and interoperability tools: Autodesk Vault and Autodesk 360. Both are useful for storing simulation data, but they work in very different ways. Autodesk Vault is for managing and archiving data within an internal firewall; Autodesk 360 is for managing and sharing data outside of the firewall.
Keep Simulations safe in Autodesk® Vault
Autodesk Vault manages your Simulation CFD design study files. You can organize all your files and keep them in one location for easy access. All file versions are retained, so you never misplace or replace past versions. The vault stores each version of a file, along with all the files dependencies, giving you a living history of the project as you work on it. The vault also stores file properties for rapid searching and retrieving.
In a design team, all the files and associated data are stored on the server so all users have access to the information and its history. Each member of a team must have a unique login name and password. Team members check out files to prevent more than one member from editing the same file at the same time. Once a file is checked back into the vault, team members can refresh their local copies of the model file to get the latest version from the vault, so all members of the design team work together.
Simulation CFD includes a Vault connection for storing design study share files. A share file is a compressed version of the files that make up the design study.
The Simulation CFD Vault connection is not designed to archive geometry files, but you can create a reference link between your CFD share file and geometry in the Vault archive. Additionally, you can create a new Simulation CFD design study or update an existing Simulation CFD design by selecting geometry files archived in Vault.
To use the Simulation CFD Vault client, you must have Vault installed and running on your network. If you have questions, please consult your CAD administrator.
To learn more about using Vault with Simulation CFD, click here.
Collaborate with Autodesk® 360
Autodesk® 360 is a web-based data management system for sharing simulation results, documents, and data. It enables access to simulation data anytime, anywhere. Unlike Vault, which is designed for internal data management, Autodesk 360 enables access from anywhere.
Simulation CFD 2014 introduces a direct connection to Autodesk 360. The Autodesk 360 tools in Simulation CFD let you tailor how data is uploaded to Autodesk 360 to suit your needs and the needs of your organization.
- You can manually upload the design study as a share file. This is useful for archiving the design study as well as for sharing with others.
- You can manually save images of simulation results. This is useful for collaborating and sharing data with others in your product development process or even interested parties outside of your organization.
- You can automatically save your simulation data to Autodesk 360. This option is called "Automatic Sync Settings" because it synchronizes every simulation you run to Autodesk 360. This is a powerful way to promote broad collaboration and automatically gain access to your results anytime, anywhere.
To access these tools, click the Autodesk 360 tab.
All Simulation CFD users on current Subscription and Simulation CFD 360 users are entitled to an Autodesk 360 account. This account entitles you to 25 GB of free storage space. The power of Autodesk 360, however, is its accessibility. When you post results images to Autodesk 360, you can access them later from any device that has Internet access, even your Mobile devices! If you enable automatic upload of results images, you can check your results remotely as soon as the simulation finishes, without even opening the design study.
The Autodesk 360 connection is included in both the desktop and 360 versions of Simulation CFD. You can sign in to Autodesk 360 using the login prompt in the upper right corner of the Simulation CFD user interface.
To sign into Autodesk® 360
- When you start Simulation CFD 360, a prompt asks you to sign into Autodesk 360 if you are not already signed in.
- In the Autodesk - Sign In dialog box, enter either the Autodesk ID or the e-mail address you used when you registered your account.
- Enter your Password.
- Click Sign In.
You are successfully signed in when your login name (or e-mail address) replaces the word "Sign In" on the Sign-In button:
To learn more about Autodesk® 360, click here.