nTop 5.15 - What's New?

nTop 5.15 is here! This release features our new Relax Graph block, which lets you create a graph with a uniform beam length by relaxing the vertices of the input graph. Field Viewer has been updated to provide a more intuitive and efficient way to inspect field data. This release also comes with block updates and bug fixes. Scroll down to read more about them!

Relax Graph

  • The Relax Graph block performs a relaxation on a graph to create uniform beam lengths while keeping vertices on the surface of an implicit body. The block has optional inputs such as a minimum angle, a boundary volume, and a passive region, providing additional control for the distribution of the graph vertices.
  • This block is typically used in rib design and surface latticing workflows. The starting graph can come from graph projection, CAD face, or mesh. See the Rib Design tab for blocks to accomplish this.
  • Block Name: Relax Graph
  • Location: Rib Design [Beta] > Create
  • Description: Perform a relaxation on the graph. This block will move the vertices to create uniform beam lengths.
    • Graph: The Graph to relax.
    • Surface: The surface which to constrain the graph vertices. Vertices starting within the domain Tolerance will be constrained to the surface of this body.
    • Max Iterations: The maximum number of iterations during the relaxation process.
    • Min Angle: The minimum angle between beams. The relaxation process will attempt to prevent any beam angles below this threshold. The input value should be between 0 and 180.0 degrees.
    • Volume: A secondary domain in the volume of which to constrain the graph vertices. This is typically a loop around the trimmed ends of the graph. Vertices will be able to move within this domain, but not away from it.
    • Tolerance: The maximum deviation outside the Domain. If no value is provided, the block will calculate a tolerance based on the graph. The input value should be always positive.
    • Move Limit: The maximum amount of movement per graph vertex between iterations. A smaller value may increase stability at the cost of a reduced convergence rate. If left unspecified, the block will calculate a move limit based on the graph.
    • Passive Region: Region in which all vertices are unmodified. All vertices within this region will have a displacement of zero.
  • Output: Graph

relax_graph.gif

Field Viewer Improvements

  • The Field Viewer has been updated to provide a more intuitive and efficient way to inspect field data, with improvements to the Display, Interactivity, and Colormap options.

Field Viewer GIF

    • Transparency: The field display now defaults to semi-transparent, allowing you to inspect the field while keeping context visible. Opacity can be adjusted using the slider in the Tools panel.
    • Default Size & Position: The field plane size is automatically adjusted based on the current 3D scene view for better visualization for scalar fields or when right-clicking on an object to trigger the field viewer. Right-click will also center and orient the field plane based on where the object was clicked. A new reset button is available to update the size of the plane to fit the view in one click.
    • New Colormap: A new "Implicit" Colormap has been introduced for implicit bodies, improving the legibility of field data inside and outside the body. The "Turbo" Colormap is now the default for scalar fields, and the previous "Distance Field" Colormap is accessible in the "Colormap" input.
    • Isolines: Isolines are now enabled by default, and their visible interval is adapted as you zoom in/out, providing a clearer representation of field shapes. You can still set a custom interval and min/max value in the Tools panel.
    • Probe: The probe feature is now enabled by default. It highlights Isolines on hover, making it easier to inspect field data and see the shape of the field at any value.

Field Viewer Update

Block Updates

  • We have updated our block versioning starting in nTop 5.15 to reflect the version in which the block was released or updated. For example, the Relax Graph block released with this version will have a block version of 5.15.0. You can learn more about block and software versions here.

Block Version

  • We have moved the 3-Axis Milling Constraint and 5-Axis Milling Constraint blocks out of beta into production.
  • We have updated our Import Static Structural Result and Import Static Thermal Result blocks to support importing VTK Legacy format (*.vtk).
  • We have updated our Import CFD Analysis Result to support importing VTK Unstructured Grid Files (*.vtu)

Bug Fixes

  • We fixed an issue that caused the Spring block to unexpectedly exit when connected with a Rigid Connector.
Was this article helpful?