More than a simple facelift, ANSYS ICEM CFD 5.0 represents a dramatic redesign for the market leader in CFD mesh generation. For new users, ICEM CFD 5.0's intuitive user interface dramatically shortens the learning curve by providing a more streamlined meshing process, context sensitive help and a common interface for all ANSYS ICEM CFD meshers. New at Release 5.0 is the integration of the hex meshing and post-processing modules. The integration provides a more streamlined user experience, while maintaining the large amount of control desired by users. Existing users will benefit from the new meshing technology in a single, unified environment for shell, tet, prism, hex and hybrid meshes. Productivity improvements include: additional display options, Spaceball support and hotkeys to further enhance the usability for power-users.

Beyond the user interface redesign, significant functional improvements have been made to geometry creation, model diagnosis and repair, all of the meshing modules, mesh editing and visualization. The broad technological base of ANSYS, Inc. also has brought major improvements in hexa and tetra/prism meshing algorithms to enhance usability and automation.

"Our main goal with the ANSYS ICEM CFD 5.0 release was to significantly reduce the learning curve for our users and provide an unhindered access to our powerful meshing technology," said Devendra Rajwade, general manager, Environment Business Unit at ANSYS. "With ANSYS ICEM CFD 5.0, we have enhanced our meshing technology, while significantly improving the workflow within various modules, to better support our customer's processes."

Version 5.0 is a major upgrade for AI*Environment, a pre- and post- processing software dedicated to structural analysis, that can be run within the ANSYS Workbench Environment as the Advanced Meshing Tab. The ANSYS Workbench Environment provides users with consistency between ANSYS tools, through a shared database. AI*Environment 5.0 also provides users with direct access to their CAD system that allows the cleanest path of CAD geometry to a high-quality mesh. If CAD system data doesn't exist, AI*Environment can read third-party formats including STL, IGES, STEP, VRML, Parasolid and ACIS. With powerful tools to clean or simplify the geometry -- including feature detection/removal and mid-surfacing -- AI*Environment grants the user total control over a geometric model.

"The meshing control and mesh editing capabilities in AI*Environment 5.0 are unparalleled in the industry. Since the accuracy of an analysis is very subject to the quality and positioning of the nodes of the mesh, control over the mesh details is critical for the best possible solution," said Ben Klinkhammer, AI*Environment product manager at ANSYS. "With AI*Environment's flexibility for robust automatic meshing, backed with top of the line mesh editing/remeshing tools, the user can get the mesh quality they need to ensure good solution results."