What's New in V2014 (March 2013)

Getting Started Help About identifies the software as:

Autodesk Simulation Mechanical 2014

Build 2014.00.00.nnnn dd-Month-2013

(where nnnn, dd, and Month are set during the final build of the software)

The title bar of the About Autodesk Simulation Mechanical dialog box (Help About) indicates whether the 32-bit or 64-bit version is being used.

Note: The following list is not necessarily comprehensive. There may be other minor changes to the software that are not enumerated herein.

Enhancements (General):

For analysis-specific performance enhancements, refer to the individual analysis type categories elsewhere on this page.

• The Isolate command is now available for contact pairs in linear and nonlinear structural analyses that support contact and also in thermal analyses. The command is accessed from the context menu that appears when you right-click on a contact pair heading in the browser (tree view).
• Preview images are now available for recently accessed simulation files listed within the Application menu.
• A new solver has been added for linear static stress, MES, and static stress with nonlinear Material Models. The Autodesk® Moldflow® Algebraic Multi-Grid solver (AMG-MF) provides improved performance for relatively thick parts. In addition, the program will automatically choose this solver when appropriate or an alternative solver when not.
• The retrieval speed of linear and nonlinear displacement results has been significantly increased.
• A new eigenvalue solver (Subspace-AMG) has been added, which provides faster linear and nonlinear modal analysis solutions for large models or analyses where a large number of natural frequencies has been requested. The appropriate solver (Subspace-AMG or Sparse) is chosen automatically.
• The options within the Thermal tab of the Analysis Parameters dialog box for linear static and nonlinear structural analyses have been updated. Instead of specifying a thermal results filename, you now specify the model file (Mechanical or CFD) and the design scenario to use from that model for the temperatures. You can also specify a different design scenario within the current model as the temperature source.
• A Discussion Forum command has been added to the Community ribbon tab for easy access to discussions with the extended community of Simulation Mechanical users.
• A link to the IdeaStation page of the Autodesk Discussion Groups has been added to the Community ribbon tab. You can submit your ideas for program enhancements to this site and vote on ideas submitted by others.

CAD Interfacing and Meshing:

• For CAD-based models, the mesh type is now automatically set, with solid CAD models assigned the Solid mesh type and Surface CAD models assigned the Plate/Shell mesh type. For mixed-geometry assemblies, the global mesh type is based on the most prevalent type of part in the CAD model, with the less prevalent type automatically defined on a part-by-part basis, overriding the global default.
• User-entered element definition and material specifications are now retained for plate and shell element parts, allowing for additional associative workflow. When a CAD-based model containing one or more surface parts is modified and reimported, previously specified plate/shell element data (such as the thickness) and material data will no longer have to be re-entered.
• An image of Autodesk Inventor CAD models can now be previewed in Simulation Mechanical before opening the file.
• Loads or constraints applied to automatically created bolts (Mesh CAD Additions Bolt) and Joints (Mesh CAD Additions Joint) are now retained when the model is remeshed. Previously, all nodal-based loads and constraints were lost upon remeshing.
• Lines generated by the Remote Loads and Constraints tool are now automatically regenerated and the applied loads and constraints restored when a model is remeshed.
• For CAD surface models, the ability to imprint within a part during meshing has been restored. This feature ensures that the meshes will match where the edge of one surface intersects another surface belonging to the same part.
• Surface and solid meshes on CAD parts can now be deleted using the Delete CAD Mesh command. Hand-build parts/meshes are not affected by this command.

Linear Stress and Linear Dynamics:

• A Parametric Study tool has been added. For CAD models from Autodesk Inventor, dimensional parameters can be automatically varied, analyzed, and compared (without modifying the geometry) to assist in determining an optimal design.
• A Description column has been add to the Load Cases table within the Analysis Parameters dialog box. You can now enter a description so that different load cases are easier to identify.
• Cyclic Symmetry can now be defined and applied to surfaces of 3D CAD-based models, where the meshes are dissimilar. Previously, cyclic symmetry surfaces had to have an identical hand-built mesh.
• You can now choose whether to apply a Hydrostatic Pressure load to the Top or the Bottom surface of plate elements. The selection is made within the Surface Hydrostatic Pressure Object dialog box.
• A separate log file showing Mass Participation results is now produced for linear dynamics analyses. Previously, these results were included as part of the processor log.
• DDAM (Dynamic Design Analysis Method for naval shock) is now available in Simulation Mechanical and Simulation Mechanical 360. A Simulation Multiphysics license is no longer required (the Multiphysics product has been eliminated).
• Corrected an issue that produced wrong displacement results when Nodal Weight was combined with Centrifugal Acceleration.
• Corrected an issue in which unwanted constraints might be added to a model. This could occur when a Pin Constraint was applied to multiple parts that contact each other at a cylindrical surface.

Mechanical Event Simulation (MES) and Nonlinear Static Stress:

• The program performance has been significantly improved for surface-to-surface contact analyses where contact pairs are defined using selection groups. The contact settings dialog box access time and the solution run time have both been reduced.
• A Drop Test Wizard has been added to facilitate the setup of drop test simulations.
• Load curve information for nonlinear analyses is now included within the HTML report in an improved table format. In addition, the Processor Information table has been split so that Event Details are presented in a better table format.
• A new method of improving solution convergence by decreasing the time step size when distorted elements are encountered has been implemented and made the default option. This method produces more accurate results than the prior default method.

Electrostatic:

• Electrostatic analyses are now available in Simulation Mechanical and Simulation Mechanical 360. A Simulation Multiphysics license is no longer required (the Multiphysics product has been eliminated).

FEA Editor Environment:

• The contents of the Add pull-out menu (within context menus) have been reordered to organize the various loads and constraints by type. In addition, extraneous commands have been removed. The menu now presents only the loads and constraints applicable to the current analysis type.
• You can now modify the color for multiple parts in a single operation.
• In the Setup tab of the ribbon, the Beam Loads panel is now hidden if no beam element parts exist within the model.
• In the browser, the names of suppressed parts are now rendered using a gray strikethrough font.
• Lines generated by the Remote Loads and Constraints tool are now automatically assigned to the next available part number. You no longer need to manually change to an unused part number.
• You can now specify the desired Part, Surface, and Layer number for the line elements to be created when executing the Joint command.
• After meshing a model, the default shading is now based on CAD surfaces rather than mesh lines. This makes surface selection easier because the entire surface is pre-highlighted and you don't have to click exactly on a mesh line to select the surface. The legacy appearance can be restored by clicking the View Appearance CAD Surfaces option after meshing to deactivate it.
• The Isolate command has been implemented in the context menu for contact pairs for linear, nonlinear, and thermal contact. Isolating a pair of contact surfaces makes all other surfaces in the model invisible, except for those that belong to the contact pair.

Results Environment:

• The Results by Part command has been added to inquire about the minimum and maximum current results on a per part basis.
• Element axial force results are now available for shrink fit contact analyses.

Report Environment:

• Load curve information for nonlinear analyses is now included within the HTML report in an improved table format.
• The material Yield Strength and Ultimate Strength is now shown by default in the HTML report.
• The HTML reports now include additional tables to display customer defined loading and simulation results.

Simulation Mechanical 360:

• A local solve option is now available for Simulation Mechanical 360 as an alternative to performing the solution on the cloud.

Interoperability with other Simulation, CAD, or Visualization Products:

• Simulation Mechanical can now import temperature results from Autodesk Simulation CFD and use them as a load in linear or nonlinear thermal stress analyses. Both steady-state and transient thermal results from Simulation CFD are supported.
• InCAD add-ins for the following three products are no longer automatically installed with Simulation Mechanical. The user must manually run the CAD add-ins installer (SimMechConfig.exe):
  • AutoCAD
  • Pro/Engineer
  • Spaceclaim
• Results based on any color scheme can be exported to Autodesk Showcase® and the colors will now be rendered correctly. Previously, non-default color schemes produced improper colors in Showcase.

Material Library Manager:

• Material properties can now be entered into the Material Library Manager using custom units systems.
• The ability to graph temperature-dependent material properties has been added to the Material Library Manager .
• For all library materials using the Standard material model and for which the Modulus of Elasticity, Yield Strength, Ultimate Strength, and Elongation have been defined, the Strain Hardening Modulus has been added to the material properties.
• The Shear Modulus of Elasticity input has been removed from the material properties for Isotropic, Temperature-Dependent Isotropic, von Mises with Isotropic Hardening, and von Mises with Kinematic Hardening material models (applicable to linear and nonlinear stress analyses). The Shear Modulus is calculated from the Modulus of Elasticity and Poisson's Ratio.

Learning Solutions:

• A New User Quick Start section has been added to the Wiki Help. It includes five brief videos and two tutorials specifically aimed at the new user. These tutorials provide additional guidance to ensure your success.
• The contents of the Wiki Help have been reorganized to simplify the table of contents, unify it with other Autodesk products, and to make the locations of topics more intuitive.

Other:

• Fluid flow, mass transfer, and coupled multiphysics analyses are no longer available in this product. Accordingly, the Generate Fluid Part command has also been removed from the Mesh tab of the ribbon. Refer to Autodesk Simulation CFD for fluid flow analysis needs.
• Units of J/s (Joules/second) are now shown as W (Watts).
• Some commands and options within Fatigue Wizard have been renamed and reordered for greater clarity.
• The Global CAD Import Options dialog box has been revised for better clarity.