Version 3.18
nTopology 3.18 is here! We are introducing GPU Acceleration as a full production feature (previously was in Beta). This feature enables a significant increase in computation speed for most implicit bodies. We made updates to the properties of Mesh data types for further clarity and released new versions for Simplify Mesh by Amount and Simplify Mesh by Threshold. 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.
General Access for GPU Acceleration
We have made GPU Acceleration generally available to all users. This feature enables a significant increase in computation speed for most implicit bodies. For those Implicit Bodies that enjoy GPU acceleration, interactive manipulation of many of their scalar inputs is possible (by dragging the arrow icon next to an input). We have made several optimizations and bug fixes in the beta phase to ensure a robust visualization and interactivity experience. To learn more about GPU Acceleration, go to the Documentation > Getting Started > System Requirements > GPU Acceleration.
Usage Improvements
We added visual UVW characters to cell map’s UVW guides. This will assist, for example, when making a cell map from a CAD surface and inputting the correct number of cells in each direction. The UVW guides can be turned off by unchecking the feature in the Heads Up Display.
Block Updates
- We made two updates to the properties of the Mesh data type:
- The property that we formerly called manifold has been renamed to edge manifold. An edge is manifold if there are exactly two (or one, in case of a boundary edge) incident facets. In the image below, the third mesh from the left has a non-manifold edge, since it has 5 incident faces. A mesh is edge-manifold if all its edges are manifold.
- We added a new property called vertex manifold. A mesh is vertex manifold if for every vertex the set of incident facets forms a single connected component. In the image below, the right-most mesh is not vertex-manifold since the set of incident facets form two connected components.
Crane, K. (2021, February 25). DISCRETE DIFFERENTIAL GEOMETRY: AN APPLIED INTRODUCTION.
- We released new versions of the blocks Simplify Mesh by Amount and Simplify Mesh by Threshold to handle cases where the input mesh is not vertex manifold. Previously these blocks would throw an error and not run. Version 1.3.0 will run and produce a result, however, a warning message will display letting you know that the result would be better if you provide a vertex manifold mesh.
- We improved the performance of the CAD Body from Quad Mesh block. The “computing control cages” phase of the algorithm is up to 20% faster, depending on your model.
Bug Fixes
- We fixed an issue with the search block tooltip staying on screen even when navigating outside the nTopology window.
- We fixed an issue when the tooltip cut off text on long property chips.
- We fixed an issue that was causing a lattice created using certain custom implicit unit cells to be displayed inaccurately.
- We fixed some inconsistencies in scrubber behavior for interactive variables.
- We fixed an issue resulting from interacting with the variable input chip of an implicit body’s bounding box properties that was causing the program to unexpectedly exit.
- We fixed an issue when viewing the Von Mises stress scalar field in a static analysis containing shell attributes that was causing the program to unexpectedly exit.
- The Export Static Analysis block and Export Buckling Analysis Block have been updated to properly export acceleration forces. Prior to this release, other commercial FEA packages that do not support acceleration forces would import the load incorrectly. To implement these fixes and confirm you are exporting accurate acceleration forces in version 3.18 onwards, we recommend to re-run these blocks.