IMAGINiT Manufacturing Solutions Blog

Autodesk Force Effect Flow

Budding off my Autodesk Flow Design post on monday I thought I would follow it up with talking about the newest addition to the Force Effect family of Apps to the Apple Store.  Now, unlike the other Force Effect Apps, this one is not yet available on the Google Play store, but that doesn't mean it won't be sometime in the future if history tells us anything.

Powerful 2D flow simulation software on your iPad with Autodesk® ForceEffect™ Flow. Create freehand concept designs or use object detection technology to instantly capture geometry from your environment, and then simulate the aerodynamic performance of your design with confidence. Quickly modify your geometry to explore design options and experiment with different visualization modes for optimal results viewing.

•Fast—Instant flow solving capabilities provide immediate feedback on the design performance. Print, email, or view a results report on any HTML-enabled browser or mobile device.
•Easy—Intuitive interaction for drawing, modifying and simulating concepts. Capture objects in your environment using edge detection technology.
•Complete—Visualization profiles include smoke, trail, vector and pressure.
•Integrated— Store, share and collaborate with Autodesk 360. Easy workflow continuation into CAD with industry-standard export capabilities via DXF™ files and email for file sharing.

The Autodesk ForceEffect Flow engineering app is the perfect tool for accurate 2D flow simulation analysis:
•Freehand sketching of elements and construction lines with snaps
•Object dimensioning, global scaling, units, constraints
•Import image as background, simple manipulation
•Capture objects in environment using object detection technology
•Adjustable velocity and simulation visualization modes include Smoke, Trail, Vector and Pressure
•Configurable display precision and length/velocity units
•Export snapshot of the simulation or record video to share with others
•Results reporting with picture, results and performance data
•Save and load files from Autodesk Cloud

As you can see from the App images below, the app is very similar to the other Force Effect Apps but of course is changed for the needs of the CFD user for geometry creation as well as simulation interaction.

As with the other Apps you can load a picture for reference in from your Photo Albums, Camera, and Autodesk 360.

The Simulation has the ability to show different anaylsys with visualizations like Smoke, Trails, Vector, and Pressure based on Airflow Speed.

Check out this inexpensive app for only $2.99 today from the App Store and be sure to watch this overview from our very own Rusty Belcher where he does a Flow Simulation on a Space Battleship!

 

Project Falcon Graduates to Autodesk Flow Design

Autodesk had a technology preview called Project Falcon, you can probably remember my blog post on it a while ago here.  Autodesk has announced that this preview is now a full blown product called Autodesk Flow Design. 

Now this isn't a run of the mill change from preview to product.  A lot of overhaul has gone into as far as interface and many other improvements such as...

• 64-bit solver process with greater access to memory
• Expanded graphics card and driver support
• Voxel size and overall tunnel size information
• Solution status indicator
• Ability to key-in specific values for velocity, resolution, orientation, etc.
• Expanded CAD imports (ipt, iam, sldprt, prt, x_t, STEP, etc.)
• Ribbon-style controls, standard menus, and model navigation cube
• Color banding and contour display options
• Revised tunnel and flow line seed box size controls
• Improved video recording controls and feedback
• Simplified iso-surface controls
• Saved run configurations for fast recall of past runs
• Multi-axis wind tunnel orientation control inside Inventor
• Pressure shading on building surfaces inside Revit
• Wind velocity profile option inside Revit

Autodesk Flow Design is available as a annual or monthly cost ($210, or $35 respectively) and requires an internet connection for each use of the tool.  For any users of the existing Project Falcon, it will still expire with your term and you will have to let that bird fly away unless you pick up the rental license as the Autodesk store.

Categorizing iPart Factories and iParts in Autodesk Vault

Vault Workgroup and Vault Professional 2014 have the ability to sort file types and place them into configured categories as they are checked into the Vault.  Recently one of our Vault Experts, Pete Markovic, had someone ask him how to separate iPart Factories and iParts into separate categories.  His solution was very easy using built in Vault file properties.

First of all I want to make sure everyone knows what an iPart Factory and an iPart are.  An Inventor iPart Factory is an Inventor part (ipt) that contains table driven iPart members and when an iPart is placed in an assembly (iam) the part (ipt) generated from the iPart Factory is called an iPart.  Below is an iPart Factory showing all the iPart members.  For more information about iPart Factories and iParts you can explore this Autodesk site.

The first step is to create the file categories in the Vault.  In the Vault client, logged in as the Vault administrator, select "Tools", "Administration", "Vault Settings" and then the "Behaviors" tab.  In the Vault Settings dialog box, select the "Categories" icon.

Create two File categories with names of your choice.

  Close the "Configure Categories" dialog box and select "Rules" on the "Behaviors" tab.

Select "New" and create two new category sorting rules.  The names of the rules are up to you but make sure you select the matching categories during creation.

Next, select the iPart rule and select the Vault Property shown below.

Select the iPart Factory rule and select the Vault property shown below.  Make sure the "Apply rules on object creation" box is checked for both rules.

I have to do some sorting on my category rules.  I have a rule to place all Inventor parts (ipt) in a separate category.  iPart Factories and iParts both have an ipt file extension so I have to make sure their rules are evaluated before the Inventor parts rule is reached.  To do this I use the "Move Up" or "Move Down" arrows to place the two new rules above the Inventor Parts rule.

Your Vault is now configured to place iPart Factories and iParts in separate categories as they are checked into the Vault for the first time.

 

Creating and Using Inventor Redlines - Part 3

The designer has received the redlined drawing and needs to make corrections.  First the original Inventor Drawing is opened in Inventor.

Next the Redlined DWFx file is opened.  It will be added to the Drawing Browser as an overlay.  You can cycle between the different browser views as shown.

Right click on a redline markup in the browser to expose various commands on the context menu.  Select Properties to show information about the markup including who created it, when it was created and any notes were added during the creation of the readline.

You can also change the status of the markup and make your own notes if you have questions and need to return the redline markup to the design checker.

Right click on the DWFx file on the top line for the "Markups Browser" window to show other important commands.  Here you will find the "Close" command to remove the redline markup from your drawing.  You will also find commands to "Republish" the DWFx if you made changes to the redline markup that need to be saved and sent back to the design checker.

If you happen to turn off any redline markups but do not close them, they will be automatically detached when the drawing is saved and closed.

I mentioned in Part 1 that a DWFx file of an Inventor 2D drawing could be opened directly in Internet Explorer without the installation of any additional software.  Below is our redlined markup in Internet Explorer 10 which functions as a viewer only.  Commands for redlining are not available.

If Autodesk Design Review 2013 is installed on the workstation, the DWFx file not only can be displayed in Internet Explorer but you will have the same Measure and Markup tools available in Internet Explorer as you would if you opened the drawing in Design Review.

 

 

Creating and Using Inventor Redlines - Part 2

I pick up the DWFx redline process as the Design Checker opens it in Design Review 2013.  Just a note here that Autodesk did not create Design Review 2014 so you do not have to go looking for it.  I wanted to point out a cool way to move between sheets and views before I get to redlining the drawing.  If you hover over a section line, section note, detail view or detail note you will get a message to Ctrl click to follow link.  It is a cool way to move between views.

Click on the "Markup & Measure" tab to expose all the available tools that can be used to create a redline markup. 

One thing to remember, some of the tools will only activate when a base tool is selected.  For example, the text settings will become active after I select one of the drawing tools like "Rectangular Callout with Rectangular Cloud".

Using this tool, I will make a redline markup to correct the outside diameter of the rim. 

The markup will appear in the "Markups" palette.  If you do not see this palette, select it under the "Home" tab to display.

One thing that is often missed in the ability to add additional notes to a markup.  When the redline markup is highlighted the "Markup Properties" palette allows you to add these notes.

Redline markups can include stamps and user defined symbols but that will be another blog article.

The design checker is finished and he saves the redline markup and notifies the designer it is ready to be corrected.  The process of opening the DWFx redline inside Inventor will be covered in Part 3.

Creating and Using Inventor Redlines - Part 1

Every Engineering Checker or Drawing Manager faces the challenge of communicating design changes or corrections to their design team.  Sure you can print a check drawing, grab a red pen, make corrections and then hope it gets back to the designer to make changes.  The drawing could get lost in the shuffle, get coffee spills on it or worse get ignored all together in that landfill on the designer's desk.  The Inventor software teamed up with Design Review allows for a better solution.  Keep all you redlines in electronic form then they can be placed in the Vault as an attachment to the corrected drawing, stored in your engineering folder or emailed to those involved in the design.  It is also proof for both the redliner and the designer, who executes the changes, that they have done their job.  Design Review 2013 is installed with every Inventor 2014 installation so why not use it!  For those of you that do not use Inventor the software is free and can quickly be downloaded from the Autodesk home page.  Best of all if you only need to view a DWFx 2D drawing file, you can do this from Internet Explorer without any additional software viewer.

I want to step through a typical redline process as it moves from the designer to the design checker and then back to the designer to correct.  My Inventor drawing consist of two sheets.  The second sheet contain the section view from the first sheet and a detail view of the section.

As the designer finishes the drawing he selects "Export to DWF" from the Inventor Application Menu.

There are a lot of options in the "Publish Drawing" dialog box and you can configure it to suit your workflow but I want to make sure I "Enable Markups" and select the location to place the DWFx file.

I use the Custom Option so I can select the sheets I want to publish and if I desire, the matching 3D model.

After you hit the Publish button at the bottom of the page you can choose to save the file as a DWF or DWFx file.  Always use DWFx because it gives you more optons.

The designer can now notify the design checker that the file is ready via email or included the DWFx file in the email.  In Part 2 I will pick up the process as the Design Checker works with the redline.