New book: Advanced Numerical Simulation Methods

Advanced Numerical Simulation Methods: From CAD Data Directly to Simulation Results
Author: Gernot Beer

This book is about changing the paradigm of numerical simulation. Until now simulation required the generation of a mesh and this has meant a major effort and also a source of errors. In many cases an accurate description of the problem geometry is available as Computer Aided Design (CAD) data. 

This book will show how the generation of meshes can be avoided completely by using CAD technology. This includes using CAD data for the description of the geometry of the problem directly without approximation by a mesh and applying the functions that CAD programs use (non-uniform rational B-Splines or NURBS) to the description of the unknown. 

The book starts with an easy to follow introduction to NURBS and the standard data exchange format used by CAD programs. This is followed by an application to finite element shell analysis. For the solids modeling the boundary element (BEM) is used since this is the only way mesh generation can be avoided. A computer program written in Octave/MATLAB, that has full 3D capabilities, is introduced and used to demonstrate various steps in the analysis. Applications are in solid mechanics. Both linear and non-linear analyses are discussed and many practical examples are given. 

The book is designed to provide a starting point for scientists that want to work in this exciting new area of research and for practitioners to learn how the "pain" of numerical simulation can be eased.

Details and order... 

Rhino for Mac Online Course Begins August 3rd

Level 1 Rhino 5 for Mac Online Course

August 3-13, 2015

Join us for our Level 1 Rhino 5 for Mac online course beginning on August 3rd.

• Orientation:
    Monday, August 3 (9:00am - 11:00am Pacific)
• Training:
    Tuesday-Thursday, August 4-6 and
    Monday-Tuesday, August 10-11 (9:00am - 1:00pm Pacific)

Details:

• You will need the latest Rhino 5 for Mac version installed. Rhino 5 for Windows will not be acceptable for this class.
• You will need a stable and fast Internet connection.
• You will need the Rhino 5 Level 1 Training Guide and Models as well as the Rhino 5 for Mac User Guide. You may print the PDF for your reference. Download here.
• All "live" sessions will also be recorded and posted to a private Vimeo classroom album. You may watch/stream the videos for your review for up to three months following the class.

Sign up today!

Thea Render 1.5 for Rhino

Thea Render 1.5 brings a slew of new features and, of course, the Thea for Rhino plugin has been updated to reflect new additions.

A few new features are:

• Versatile interactive rendering system comprised of biased, non-biased, and GPU engines
• Rhino clipping plane, sun study, and camera animation support
• Render individual channels for post processing

Details...

Forum with the news of Thea for Rhino 1.5...

Loop de Loop

Charles Portelli, from the architectural firm Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF),  dropped by our office and we got to hear about some of KPF's latest projects.

One deviation from the large architectural projects we expect from KPF is this intriguing furniture line, Loop de Loop. All modeled in Rhino and rationalized in Grasshopper.

The five-piece collection, designed by William Pederson, founder and partner of KPF, works for both outdoors and indoors with its polyester mesh and powder-coated carbon steel rods. The non-elastic knit is deforms equally, no matter the person's size.

Each piece is a single loop of 5/8" high strength tubular steel, passing one end of the loop through the other --  Loop de Loop!

In a New York Times article, Pedersen elaborated, "We digitized them into a program that uses CNC technology to bend the 5/8-inch high-strength carbon-steel rods into continuous loops. There are 40 individual commands, and every inch or so along each tube the computer commands a change in the bend. It's like squeezing a tube of tooth paste: You change the pressure, and it changes the angle."