The CD adapco Group announces the release of two new software tools, STAR-NX and Comet-NX, and their integration with the NX software portfolio from UGS PLM Solutions. These solutions will enable engineers to speed product development, cut costs and improve product design.

STAR-NX is a plug-in for the Group’s core computational fluid dynamics (CFD) product, STAR-CD, whereas Comet-NX is a complete product specifically designed to encourage and quickly assess upfront “what-if” design changes. In both cases, integration of CFD within the NX environment enables easier parametric design studies to be carried out with enhanced automation and bi-directional associativity between CAD and CFD models.

“Our PLM Open Platform continues to provide significant customer value by allowing companies like CD adapco Group to offer our customers best-in-class, extended functionality solutions,” said Chuck Grindstaff, executive vice president, PLM Products, UGS PLM Solutions. “By enabling UGS PLM Solutions partners to integrate their solutions with our NX and Teamcenter portfolios, existing as well as new UGS PLM customers will find it extremely easy to quickly leverage CFD simulation and analysis in their product development environment.”

The Solutions

Both STAR-NX and Comet-NX enable rapid high quality meshing, model setup, solving and results evaluation to be completely integrated within the native CAD environment. With NX, boundary conditions and fluid properties are simply entered within the familiar NX graphical user interface.

The Comet-NX code is intended for design engineers who need to do quick upfront studies in their design process using NX. Simple flows can be easily modeled. Modern and unique automatic polyhedral mesh generation means models can be set up very quickly and fast solutions achieved. Users can quickly assess different what-if design scenarios.

The STAR-NX plug-in for STAR-CD is for engineers who need to extend their flow analysis to include highly complex physics. It achieves this by offering complete compatibility with the leading CFD solution, STAR-CD, allowing highly complex physics to be modeled directly within the NX environment including chemical reaction and combustion, multiphase and multiphysics. A unique feature is that the graphical user interface can be customized by a CFD expert to enable casual users to access advanced CFD features without burdening the interface with unnecessary complexity, fostering and enabling enterprise-wide applications.

Steve MacDonald, President of the CD adapco Group, explains the benefits: “As a formal member of the UGS PLM Open partnership program, CD adapco is now able to offer users of the NX CAD products a highly integrated CFD solution that will allow engineers to analyze their designs as requirements and designs evolve. I am confident that STAR-NX and Comet-NX will successfully meet the enterprise-wide needs of design engineers, development engineers and researchers across all industries.”