Precise Simulation is proud to be able to announce the release of FEATool Multiphysics version 1.18.1, featuring improved user-interface and graphics performance, new CFD boundary-condition and pressure-normalization options, greater flexibility for advanced customization, and a new heat-transfer optimization example.
Improved UI and Graphics Performance
Version 1.18.1 introduces several improvements to the user interface and graphics rendering. These updates provide a smoother and more responsive experience when setting up models, visualizing results, and working with larger or more complex simulations.
New Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Features
Mean Pressure Outflow Boundary Conditions for CFD
The CFD physics modes now support mean pressure outflow boundary conditions. This option provides additional control over outlet behavior and is particularly useful for flow models where the average pressure at an outlet must be prescribed while allowing the local pressure distribution to adjust naturally.
Rather than fixing pressure pointwise at an outflow boundary, this option enforces the average pressure over the boundary, which can improve numerical stability and give more physically realistic results for many internal and external flow problems where the pressure field isn't uniform across the outlet.
Pressure Normalization for CFD Physics Modes
New automatic pressure-normalization functionality has also been added for CFD simulations. Pressure normalization can help remove the arbitrary pressure offset that arises in incompressible-flow problems and improve numerical handling of computed pressure fields.
This helps to effectively stabilize the solution by pinning down the pressure level, avoiding the classic "floating pressure" issue in incompressible flow simulations, and therefore increases stability and convergence of flow solvers.
New Heat-Transfer Optimization Example
Version 1.18.1 also includes a new m-script heat-transfer design and optimization example.
The example demonstrates how to formulate and solve a heat-transfer battery optimization problem using a MATLAB m-script workflow by setting up an optimization loop around a thermal simulation, making it a useful starting template for anyone looking to couple FEATool Multiphysics simulations with design optimization tasks.
Exposed and Overridable M-File Functions
For users working on the MATLAB command line and m-file scripting, a wider range of internal FEATool m-file functions are now exposed and can be directly overridden by users (following the same API). This makes it easier to customize workflows, modify selected solver or preprocessing behavior, and integrate project-specific functionality without changing the core FEATool Multiphysics installation.
The update gives advanced users and developers greater control while preserving compatibility with standard FEATool workflows and is backwards compatible with older releases.
Upgrade to FEATool Multiphysics 1.18.1
FEATool Multiphysics™ 1.18.1 and CFDTool™ 1.11.1 is a focused update that improves everyday usability while expanding the CFD, customization, and optimization capabilities of the platform. The new release also fixes and improves many smaller bugs found in earlier versions. Users are therefore encouraged to upgrade to the latest version and explore the new features and example scripts.
The updated toolboxes are available right now both as stand-alone desktop apps, and also as MATLAB toolbox Add-Ons, with fully interactive GUI and cross-platform support for the Microsoft Windows, Linux, and MacOS operating systems. The toolboxes can be downloaded directly from www.featool.com/download (or installed directly with one-click from the MATLAB Add-Ons Toolbar).
If you use FEATool Multiphysics and find it useful in your work or studies please do share your models, modeling experience, and consider recommending the toolboxes to your colleagues and coworkers.
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For more detailed information on the new features and improvements, and to download the toolbox, please visit:
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