nTop Platform 2.29 is here! This release features Maps, a powerful new capability that enables you to create functionally parameterized unit cells. In addition, this release features several user enhancements such as a new shortcut for converting a CAD face into an Implicit and a Boundary Layer Mesh block that lets you create volume meshes with high amounts of detail near the surface and less detail in the interior. As with every release, nTopology’s dedicated support team is ready to answer your questions. Please visit support.ntopology.com to gain access to helpful tutorials and support articles.

• Boundary Layer Mesh (Beta)

• Map from Lists (Beta)

• Evaluate Map (Beta)

• Convert a CAD Face to an Implicit

• Export Lattice Bodies and Thick Lattices as 3MF

• nTopCL: More control over what is output in your console

• Orthotropic Nonlinear Thermal Properties

• Usage Improvements

• Bug Fixes

Boundary Layer Mesh (Beta)

• Boundary layer meshing is mostly used in CFD applications, where you have high temperature, velocity, and pressure gradients in the regions very close to the surface and less demanding gradients elsewhere. This block enables you to create a semi-structured mesh that models the area close to the surface mesh with very fine details but coarsens as you move away from the surface mesh.
• Location: Beta > Simulation - Mesh
• Description: Create a boundary layer mesh from a surface mesh.
• Input 01: Domain
  • Type: Mesh
  • Description: The domain to mesh.
• Input 02: Number of layers
  • Type: Integer
  • Description: Number of boundary layer elements
• Input 03: Thickness
  • Type: Scalar
  • Description: Thickness of the boundary layer.
• Input 04: Growth rate
  • Type: Scalar
  • Description: Successive growth rate between successive layers.
• Input 05: Tetrahedralize
  • Type: Bool
  • Description: Tetrahedralize the interior.
• Output: Volume Mesh

Map from Lists (Beta)

• We’re introducing the beginning of an important, broad capability called “Maps”, which have a broad number of applications. These initial blocks complement the new lattice pipeline to enable the creation of functionally parameterized unit cells. In addition, they are general purpose interoperation tools that can be used to rapidly perform lookups.
• Each Map can go from a number of input dimensions to, currently, one output dimension. Up to three input dimensions are supported today. 1D->1D Maps work much like Transfer Functions today, but they exist as an independent object that can later be evaluated. 3D -> 1D Maps are like Scalar Point Maps, but the three dimensions can be of any dimensionality, not just units of length like points, and there is no associated display with the abstract map. Also, the interpolation option is included in the Map.
• Like Fields and Transfer Functions, Maps can be evaluated at individual points. Like Transfer Functions and Point Maps, they may also be evaluated into continuous fields.
• An example use-case of a Map would be to record how varying parameters affect a physical property via simulation or empirical measurement. For example, one might measure how the modulus of a sample varies as a function of a thin gyroid’s period, wall thickness, and bias.
• Location: Beta > Math - Maps
• Description: Create a Map <1d, 1d> from a collection of points using linear interpolation within the convex hull of the point set and no extrapolation.
• Input 01: Input variable 1
  • Type: Scalar list
  • Description: Data points of input variable 1.
• Input 02: Output variable 1
  • Type: Scalar list
  • Description: Data points of output variable 1.
• Input 03: Interpolation type
  • Type: Interpolation Enum
  • Description: Interpolation type.
• Output: Map
• There are 3 overloads for this block, outlined below:
  • Scalar list, Scalar list, Interpolation Enum
  • Scalar list, Scalar list, Scalar list
  • Scalar list, Scalar list, Scalar list, Scalar list

Evaluate Map (Beta)

• Location: Beta > Math - Maps
• Description: Evaluate a Map.
• Input 01: Map object
  • Type: Map Object
  • Description: Map <1d, 1d>
• Input 02: Input variable 1
  • Type: Scalar Field
  • Description: Input variable.
• Output: Scalar Field
• There are 6 overloads for this block outlined below:
  • <1d, 1d> Scalar
  • <1d, 1d> Scalar Field
  • <2d, 1d> Scalar, Scalar
  • <2d, 1d> Scalar Field, Scalar Field
  • <3d, 1d> Scalar, Scalar, Scalar
  • <3d, 1d> Scalar Field, Scalar Field, Scalar Field

Convert a CAD Face to an Implicit

• You can now right click on the face of a CAD body and convert the face into an implicit body.
• The new shortcut for converting a CAD Face to an Implicit Body is Convert Face to Implicit.
• Below is an example of the shortcuts:

Export Lattice Bodies and Thick Lattices as 3MF

• We’ve modified the Export Lattice body to enable you to export lattices, lattice bodies, and thick lattices.
• Below are the Export Lattice overloads:
  • File Path, Lattice, Length Unit Enum
  • File Path, Lattice Body, Length Unit Enum
  • File Path, Thick Lattice, Length Unit Enum

nTopCL: More control over what is output in your console

• You can now select how much information you would like to see upon the execution of nTopCL. Also, the information, warning, and error messages will show with the colored headings.
• ntopcl -v0 or ntopcl - -verbose 0 works as a silent mode that will display no messages.
• ntopcl -v1 or ntopcl - -verbose 1 returns the same messages as our default that will display warnings and errors.
• ntopcl -v2 or ntopcl - -verbose 2 provides the most detailed information including the information that you would see in the debug panel.

Orthotropic Nonlinear Thermal Properties

• We’ve introduced a new overload for the Orthotropic Thermal Property block that enables you to input dictionaries to create an orthotropic nonlinear thermal property. Below is an overview of the new overload.
• Description: Define an Orthotropic Nonlinear Thermal Property by specifying directional thermal properties of the desired material. Providing scalar fields as thermal properties will result in spatially varying material properties.
• Input 01: Kx
  • Type: Dictionary
  • Description: Thermal conductivity in x-direction.
• Input 02: Ky
  • Type: Dictionary
  • Description: Thermal conductivity in y-direction.
• Input 03: Kz
  • Type: Dictionary
  • Description: Thermal conductivity in z-direction.
• Input 04: Specific heat
  • Type: Dictionary
  • Description: Specific heat capacity.
• Output: Orthotropic Thermal Property

Usage Improvements

• Any block that formerly output Tet Meshes now outputs Volume Meshes.
• The Export Part block has a new overload that enables you to export lists of bodies.

Bug Fixes

• Sectioning Implicit Bodies derived from CAD bodies now returns expected results.
• We’ve resolved an issue that was causing nTop Platform to unexpectedly exit when opening the properties of a degenerate mesh face.
• We’ve resolved an issue where variables would not be editable if a comment had been added to the block.