The addition of EnSight 10’s advanced visualization capabilities directly into FLOW-3D will give users easy and efficient access to high-end post-processing and visualization capabilities beyond the basic options currently included in FLOW-3D. Specifically, EnSight 10 provides:

• Built-in client-server post-processing capability to speed analysis and animation rendering across distributed networks;
• More advanced post-processing capabilities, including interactive key frame animation with the ability to analyze 2D slices adjacent to a 3D image, easily drill down into specific data sets for deeper analysis and even embed dynamic graphs directly into the running 3D animation to examine simulation dynamics and data change simultaneously; and
• Customization options through Python scripting that enable FLOW-3D users to easily add unique visualization features and options to create a custom solution to meet their specific functional needs.

“The integration of EnSight 10 will offer our users unprecedented capability to easily develop the compelling, dynamic images they need to conduct more thorough analysis, validate findings and communicate their results to their customers, both internal and external,” said Flow Science President Tom Jensen. “We spent a lot of time and effort looking for a solution that would give us the state-of-the-art post-processing and visualization our customers had been asking for. CEI and EnSight were a natural fit for us, offering both well-developed technology that could quickly plug in to FLOW-3D, as well as a similar open and collaborative corporate culture that will continue to benefit our customers down the road.”

Built on the same OpenGL standard and sharing a common API/reader library, the EnSight standard will be integrated directly into the FLOW-3D GUI, easily accessible from the interface. The embedded EnSight product will be capable of reading FLOW-3D and STL formats.

FLOW-3D is the CFD tool of choice for analyzing dynamic liquid and gas behavior in the metal casting, civil hydraulics and microfluidics markets. Applications include inkjet printhead design, product and process enhancement for consumer products, hydroelectric facility development and improvement and die & mold design optimization for foundries. For CEI, the partnership provides an opportunity to offer its flagship EnSight technology to a relatively untapped market.

“Flow Science’s products are specifically designed to simulate transient processes—unsteady problems with dynamic elements that can be very difficult to visualize and datasets that tend to be quite large,” said Anders Grimsrud, founder and president of CEI. “Unlike other visualization software, this is where EnSight 10 really shines. It is uniquely well-suited to handle these kinds of problems and deliver stunning images and insightful animation quickly and efficiently. We’re extremely pleased to be working with Flow Science to offer this new expanded capability to their customers.”

EnSight 10 features an all-new structured volume rendering capability and a streamlined user interface for analyzing and communicating complex simulation results. Offering exceptional customization options and ease of use with intuitive drag-and-drop and right-click capabilities, the new GUI even allows users to build custom toolbars, similar to the Windows Ribbon, based on the options, features and functionality needed.

FLOW-3D users will be able to get a sneak peek of the new integration during the 12th annual FLOW-3D European Users Conference, to be held this June 25-26 in Munich.