How to integrate ICEM CFD with Ansys Workbench ?
 

Hello,

I am working on the ICEM CFD tutorial and found the interesting parameter function of Designmodeller in Workbench. Then, I would like to integrate ICEM CFD in Workbench as an Advanced Meshing tab.

In installation manual said to install both program in same path. I did it, but there is no Advanced Meshing tab in any Workbench pages.

Has anyone did that before ?

Any help or advices are appreciated.

Thanks : )

Re: How to integrate ICEM CFD with Ansys Workbench
 

you need icem cfd 10

Icem
 

cld u explain how did u get started?
i am also doing a similar question

Step sideways...
 

ICEM CFD is integrated into WB 11. At 12.0 they took a step sidways...

ICEM CFD 12.0 is not directly integrated into the workbench project page, but it can read workbench mesh and geometry files much better than any previous version...

So, use DM, then save your DM files and open them with ICEM CFD.

For 13.0, we hope to integrate ICEM CFD back into the workbench flow.

to be honest I'd rather prefer tools to be separate. For example the new auto save feature in workbench does my head in; you do a mistake or test something and everything in the project needs updating. :mad:

I think the integration is a cool feature to show off and sell the software to people but IMO its useless if you are doing something a bit more complicated. then again its quite simple to structure an fsi simulation but again i have the feeling that if you do complicated stuff the workbench is useless. anyway since I don't use the fsi feature (or icem) I'm still thankful that cfx can read the meshdb files so workbench is purely for geometry reparation and meshing for me ....

WB 2.0 is a mess...
 

I have to agree with the above. As soon, as 12.0 hit I started using CFX standalone because the WB 12.0 CFX version will not allow a -ccl file.ccl statement in the solver tab as it would in 11.0. :mad:

I probably won't ever go back to WB now.

I also agree that I do not want to update hours long solves everytime I make a change. What person thought this was a good idea?

I get a sneaky feeling a non-engineer project manager was instrumental in the push to the WB 2.0 system. Rather than making things easier to use, they have added a layer of complexity I do not need or want.

Don't even get me started on the incessant dragging and droping need to even define a project. I had high hopes for WB 2.0, and have been trying to give it a chance, but it has just way too much junk in the way of me doing my work. 11.0 was so simple.

I kind of feel like ANSYS' goal is to buy up everything they can hoping something will stick, all the while ignoring their core followers needs, by adding features we don't want. Case in point: ANSYS classic has needed a GUI look feel and use, update for years. Did it come in 12.0? Probably too busy incorporating ANSOFT stuff and creating the 2.0 mess.

Worse it looks to me like ICEM will be dumbed down so the average WB user can use it in 13.0.

Not a happy ANSYS customer....

what to say about fluent users that will have to learn how to use cfx... ;) or ansys-cfd as they will call it....

I'm lucky I am I think as I hope ansys-cfd will be based on cfx :D

Thanks for your feedback...
 

Hello George and Craig,

At the end of July there will be a Webinar presentation on ICEM CFD 12.0 new features and I think this will include the roadmap for going forward… Check the webinar calendar for this and other webinars… http://www1.ansys.com/customer/webinars/

You could look for the ANSYS ICEM CFD 12 update...

Keep in mind that this is the first release with the new project page paradigm. They will need to refine it as resources allow and based on user needs; your needs specifically, if you want to share them.

I will forward the comments about auto save, etc, on to the Workbench product manager. By the way, he is a battle tested CFD engineer ;) who started out in CFX, managed ICEM CFD support for a few years and is now focusing on Workbench paradigms. He is an expert user and can demo the tool very well, perhaps seeing it used with all its advantages will change your minds?:) We have a big vision that just needs more time to be realized fully. Anyway, I am sure he will be interested in hearing how you use the tools, so if you could provide more detail (you could send it directly to me if you don’t want it public) it would be great.

By auto save, I assume you mean that if you make a change in DM or ANSYS Meshing, it is saved when you close even if you don’t want it to be? In the mean time, you can get around this by copying a block on the project page and only messing with the copy.

As for the ANSYS Classic GUI… The feedback we usually get from customers is “leave that GUI alone”. So we have… Instead we placed all of “Mechanical APL” (the official name of “ANSYS Classic”) into workbench so it can take advantage of the persistent/parametric interfaces, geometry, meshing and DesignXplorer without needing to change its self… Of course, you can still use it stand alone also.

Similarly, when ICEM CFD goes onto the project page or its technology is incorporated into WB, we will still have the standalone version for customers who do not need or want the parametric functionality and other advantages of WB. :)

And last, but not least, ANSYS ICEM CFD will not be dumbed down to get into Workbench… Try to separate the products and technology in your mind. Some ICEM CFD technology that can be automated (Such as meshing algorithms, smoothing algorithms, output translators, etc.) is being added to ANSYS Workbench Meshing so that our “average” users can take advantage of them… These will be exposed in ways that make them automated and easy to use and also integrated with the other technology ANSYS has acquired. So for instance, an automated form of ICEM CFD Hexa Blocking (called MultiZone) is in ANSYS Meshing, but to keep it simple, it does not allow the user to see the blocking or adjust edge parameters at the blocking level, etc. For our higher end users who want to do interactive blocking or mesh editing, etc., we continue to provide ICEM CFD (also available as a standalone product). When the more interactive technology moves into Workbench, it will be put into a higher level product called “ANSYS Extended Meshing”. This product will smarten up the technology, rather than dumb it down. We have a lot of ideas for how we could improve the implementation and automation. For instance, you will still be able to do what you want for ICEM CFD Hexa (flexibility) and it will still use old scripts, etc. but we will introduce new paradigms so that you will be able to right click on a vertex and get options right by the cursor to “move vertex” or “split vertex” or “associate to…” or be able to slide a split past other splits, or when you associate a vertex to a point, we can have those nearest points highlighted and “snap” ready. Parametric and non/parametric updates will also be simplified, etc. In the mean time, we continue to improve the ICEM CFD tools and technology for our existing customers as well as future Workbench customers, but we have no intention of reducing its power or flexibility or “dumbing it down”… ;)

If workbench 2.0 is not ready for you yet, I hope you will continue to give us good feedback so we can release a product you will enjoy using as soon as possible.

Best regards...

Simon, thank you for the generous reply. That alleviates some future concerns. I appreciate your candidness.

I apologize for calling 2.0 a mess; I realize many people put their heart and soul into it. I just wish it were more straightforward.

I had to actually ask my ASD how to define a material for use in 'Mechanical', after struggling for an hour. Not good. In 11.0, I had a simple test simulation running in minutes.

I would love to use CFX WB 2.0 if I could but without an ability to put a -ccl statement on the solver tab my simulation that I have been working on for over a year is broken and 2.0 balks. I can do this in CFX 12.0 standalone, and could in WB in 11.0.



Good luck.

you only need to ask for a customer satisfaction survey from the thousands of ANSYS customers but for someone to actually implement the survey results... ;)