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Interview with Tim Palmer, Director of VPG Business Development - 3/31/08
FE modeling tools continue to evolve at a rapid pace, racing to keep up with users’ needs for easy to use, fast and efficient meshing tools and model preparation features.
As ETA readies the release of version 3.3 of its FE modeling software product, eta/VPG, we interviewed Tim Palmer, Director of VPG Business Development, for a preview of the new tools and features available in this release.
Q: When users want to know about what ETA is doing to improve the VPG product, what should they be aware of?
Palmer: Well first, users should know that we are listening to them, and have placed user requests at the top of our development list. Also, they should know that we have instituted a benchmarking process which helps us identify new features and trends in the FE modeling community. This feeds directly to our development planning, and has already shown results through improved products.
Q: Looking at VPG version 3.3, specifically, how are you delivering these improvements? What can users expect?
Palmer: If I had to sum up VPG version 3.3 in just a few words, I would have to say “meshing tools” – we have made vast improvements to the VPG/PrePost module, to help our users create, prepare and edit models easier, faster and with greater accuracy. We have included nearly 70 new or enhanced features in VPG 3.3, with 50 of these enhancements in the VPG/PrePost module. This level of enhancement has not been achieved by ETA in an annual release of VPG.
Q: What are some of the examples of enhancements that you think users will appreciate the most?
Palmer: The meshing tools that I think will be most helpful are the “Re-Meshing” feature and the “Mesh-to-Surface” feature.
The “Re-meshing” feature allows users to select a region of their mesh, redefine the mesh size parameters and VPG will re-mesh the area and connect t back into the surround elements.
The “Mesh-to-Surface” feature allows users who have created or modified a mesh to create surfaces from that mesh and save or export these surfaces. This is a great help when interfacing with design engineers – the ability to create and manipulate surfaces from your improved FE-based design.
Q: What about other productivity tools in VPG?
Palmer: I believe users will be pleased to learn that we have expanded our material database within VPG. It now has the ability to create and save customized, user-defined material databases. This gives the user the ability to develop a knowledgebase for materials and standardize material modeling throughout their organization.
Another exciting tool is the “Optimization Interface”. Currently, this works with the Sherpa product from Red Cedar Technology, to allow users to define and even execute optimizations from within VPG. Right now this just has basic functionality, but we will devote a great deal of attention to this in future releases. Optimization is one of the primary technologies that are transforming CAE today.
There are so many improvements in VPG 3.3, it is hard to just identify a few. That is why we have included some example videos on our website and will be rolling out this new version over the next few weeks. I urge users to closely review the Release Notes and contact their VPG Representative or Distributor for additional details.
Q: OK, so we see that version 3.3 has many new features that will affect the day-to-day use of the product. Any closing thoughts?
Palmer: We have accelerated the development of new features in our VPG product and are dedicated to closing any gaps between our products and other commercial meshing tools. As an organization, we are succeeding in our efforts by continuously adding unique features which allow our customers to have excellent products at affordable prices.
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A cutting-edge system analysis software package, eta/VPG delivers a unique set of tools which allow engineers to create and visualize advanced simulations for vehicle crashworthiness and dynamic durability. Integrated with NISA.
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