Digital Twin

The massive exploration of ideas through computational science and artificial intelligence is fueled by high-performance computing. In the cloud, on-premises, at the edge, and everywhere in between, explore the HPC technology maximizing HPC throughput and utilization for breakthrough results.

With faster computers comes new complexities that, if understood, can be mastered to yield significant application performance and cost improvements. In this breakout session, we will investigate how the Azure HBv3 offering, with increased memory bandwidth and L3 cache, can drastically reduce time to solution for AcuSolve at scale. We will cover some benchmarks and show how they perform on Azure at various scale points. This data will enable AcuSolve users to reduce time to solution so they can dedicate more time to improving their product.

Beyond empowering your team with flexible compute resources to scale productivity, cloud bursting technology provides running and automation opportunities that make real impact on the metrics that matter most to your organization. Join this breakout session for HPC stakeholders to see how to manage, optimize and forecast compute resources, bursting to and between your on-prem resources and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, Google Cloud Platform, Microsoft Azure, and Amazon Web Services (AWS). “It just works” may be the magic words for end users, but in this session we’ll explore all that goes into serving up the right compute resources for every workload.

In this presentation Ian Littlewood, Product Manager at Altair, runs attendees through some live demos around Altair's hybrid cloud bursting for HPC workloads. Discover how Altair can provide multi-cloud bursting tools to impact your business needs and how our simulator driven bursting can provide cost-optimized resources at the right time and based on your company's policy, controls and limits. Speaker: Ian Littlewood, Product Manager (Cloud Solutions), Altair Duration: 21 minutes

AI-powered real-time melt-pool analytics for accelerated product development and production.

What if you could create 1D simulation models that retain the precision of your 3D analysis while running up to thousands of times faster?

In this session, cloud expert Rick Watkins presents three actionable HPC and cloud models designed to optimize innovation potential and longtime ROI, whether your team is small and nimble or maintains its own large compute infrastructure. Engineers interested in boosting performance with HPC will come away with an understanding of what HPC and cloud model could be right for them – as well as a high-level appreciation for the critical role that IT infrastructure optimization plays in maintaining your team’s competitive edge, and all the complexity involved in making appear simple.

Nowadays, many Machine Learning techniques able to identify dynamic models from data are taking hold. But, can we support the learning phase leveraging our expertise obtaining models with better generalization property? To tackle this need and others we have developed a novel approach, romAI. This application combines AI and system modeling techniques to generate reusable continuous dynamic models extremely time-efficient, hence used as Reduced-Order Models to speed-up system design and optimization or in Digital Twins/Simulators for real-time applications.

AAM has been providing mechanical drivelines to automotive customers for more than 25 years. As the automobile transitions to electrification, so too must the driveline. AAM has developed a suite of innovative, lightweight, compact and cost-optimized electric drive units and electric beam axles to meet the growing global technology demand as electric vehicles continue to expand over the next decade. Engineering simulation, optimization and validation tools were significant enablers to increase the validation confidence and reduce the time to market for these new products.

Altair products are quickly evolving into AI-driven products. Starting from the modeling and visualization products, the latest release of Altair HyperWorks includes features like shapeAI, which quickly finds and classifies parts “by shape” inside geometry files or finite element meshes - when you want to locate all of the bolts, shafts, and gears in a complex assembly - by applying machine learning.

Andrew Dyer, Senior Tech Specialist at Altair in the US, Gabriele Piombo, EngD Partner with Altair at the University of Warwick, and finally Prof. James Marco, Professor of Systems Modelling and Simulation at the University of Warwick, present - Rapid Battery Layout Optimization using 0D / 1D in a Systems Environment. Together they will discuss the use of a 1D Systems approach to simulate a battery module. This includes the cell, cooling plate & busbar and is subjected to a typical extreme duty cycle. A typical event is simulated where the maximum allowable temperature is exceeded which triggers an increase in the cooling flow rate. This system is then optimised.

Dr. Royston Jones, CTO and Dr. Anthony Hahnel, Technical Director, give their keynote presentation during the ATCx Driving Innovation in Electric Powertrain 2021.

Pete Darnell, Vice President, Software Development at Altair discusses why embedded development tools must track the ever-increasing complexity and feature set of microcontrollers as well as demands from new markets like the Cloud based “Internet of Things”. He looks at trends in the microcontroller space and discusses how block diagram model-based development tools can be used to abstract these changes to ease firmware development. He also looks at the thing side of IoT and the challenges of power management to extend battery life and what it will take to provide secure over-the-air firmware updates. The recording is about 19 minutes long, and was presented at the 2020 Global Altair Technology conference.

Altair's EMEA enterprise computing director, Chris Townend, and product manager, Ian Littlewood, team up to talk about adopting HPC in the cloud and making it simple for users and administrators.

Winning the innovation race for mechatronics products requires a tool set which can support a multi-disciplinary development process from early concept design up to in-service support.

These success stories illustrate how customers are leveraging Altair's Math & Systems technology for Model-Based Development to develop better products, faster. Simulations involve 3D, 1D, and/or 0D modeling approaches based on the integrated use of Altair MotionSolve™, Altair Activate™, and/or Altair Compose™.

Gonçalo Pereira, Principal Applications Engineer at Altair presents at the 2019 UK e-Mobility Seminar. Trade-off Studies between Battery Pack, e-Motor, Range etc. System Model Generation to Explore Sensitivities.

Sendyne, part of the Altair Partner Alliance, provides a virtual, physics-based battery model called CellMod Virtual Battery for real-time co-simulation for individual cells and packs. This presentation provides a brief overview of the battery model and benefits as well as an example of system simulation using Altair Activate using the Functional Mock-up Interface standard for co-simulation.

With the prospect of increasing labor shortages among a wide variety of industries, combined with the significant costs of occupational injuries and the ever-increasing pressure to increase productivity, leading robotics company, Sarcos is in a unique position to deploy industrial robotics designed to increase productivity while eliminating injuries, by augmenting rather than replacing human workers. Chris Beaufait, COO of Sarcos, discusses the current robotics landscape, why automation is not the right solution to the problems industries are facing, how Sarcos and its product lineup - including the full body, fully powered Guardian XO exoskeleton - will play a critical role in defining the workforce of tomorrow, and his vision for the robotics industry over the next five to 10 years.

Presenter: Rajiv Rampalli, Sr VP in HyperWorks Core Development team, Altair

Altair’s products for multi-body system simulation (MBS) – MotionView, MotionSolve, and Inspire Motion – form a key component of multi-disciplinary system simulations. In this presentation, we will look back on several achievements this year, in the form of customer successes as well as recent enhancements to these products which significantly extend the depth and breadth of capabilities. Some of these application examples also involve connections from MBS to other Altair technology or to 3rd-party technology such as to Altair OptiStruct (for flexible bodies and light-weighting) and Altair Activate (for hydraulics) and EDEM (for discrete element modeling of bulk materials).

Presenter: Dario Mangoni on behalf of Alessandro Tasora, Engineering Professor and Digital Dynamics Lab Leader, University of Parma

This presentation address the use of the Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO) deep reinforcement learning algorithm to train a Neural Network to control a robotic walker and a robotic arm in simulation. The Neural Network is trained to control the torque setpoints of motors in order to achieve an optimal goal.

Ed Wettlaufer, Technical Manager Mechatronics Group, Altair [on behalf of NAVAIR]

Government solicitations for proposals, or RFPs, for aircraft and airborne systems require preliminary designs with enough fidelity to accurately predict performance, in order to prove the design's ability to meet the Governments performance requirements. Modern high-performance computing provides the leverage to execute previously expensive analyses in areas such as computational fluid dynamics. The results of these high order analyses can be used to populate parameters in 1D systems models which can be easily coupled to medium order models from other disciplines. These capabilities allow the design engineer to rapidly iterate to levels of model maturity and accuracy not achievable years ago, resulting in high levels of confidence in the designs performance predictions in unprecedented time. Moving forward, Altair engineers will employ Multiphysics and co-simulation to execute the Engineering and Manufacturing Development phase (EMD) for one subsystem of the preliminary design developed in the afore mentioned pre-acquisition phase.

Presenter: Stefano Benanti, R&D materials engineer, Hutchinson

Battery cooling (BC) systems are frequently composed of several parallel branches, each leading to and away from a series of cooling plates. As a correct flow distribution in each branch and overall pressure drop are a key requirement from every customer, numerical computation is extremely important from the first stages of each project: the number of components and their dimensions have a relevant impact on the total cost and it is thus necessary to quickly provide results already in the Request for Quotation (RFQ) phase.The 3D computation of such cases, albeit feasible, takes a relevant amount of time and makes it more costly (both in terms of computational power and of necessary software licenses) to quickly provide results. The goal is then to develop a quicker method to provide results and allow for the necessary optimization cycles. Altair Activate® was chosen by Hutchinson to develop a library of ROMs representing different circuit components through which is possible to create 1D models able to respond quickly and precisely to such demands.

Presenter: Dario Mangoni, Engineering Professor, University of Parma

In the modern car industry, the advent of hybrid and electric vehicle systems is driving radical changes in the car electronics and software, demanding more and more advanced controlling techniques. Self-stopping, self-starting, ultimately self-driving cars are nowadays possible, because of the multitude of sensors, controller units and actuators making the vehicles “smart”. To simplify and make the interaction between the user and the machine more and more intuitive and user-friendly, a much broader and deeper investigation of different use scenario combined with the human interaction and intervention is critical. In this context, higher-detailed vehicle models are required to provide a valid prototyping tool which can be reliably used to test innovative controlling strategies, such as testing with the Man-In-the-Loop. The Car Real-Time Modelica library proposed here aims at providing a highly valuable tool for the vehicle control system design and test. The key competitive advantages in this approach are in the Maple model-based compiler for supporting high-level of details modeling; the adoption of the Modelica language which allows a transparent and physical approach to the modeling activities and finally the Activate platform which offers real-time capabilities within an environment meant for the signal-based control design. To graphically validate the library results, a visualization framework for realistic real-time simulations that assures high-fidelity scenario in which to test user experience was also realized.

Presenters: Ulrich Marl, Key Account Manager for Electric Vehicle Motor-Feedback Systems, Lenord+Bauer & Andy Dyer, MBD Sr Technical Specialist, Altair

This presentation shows a modeling process to quantify the position/speed sensor (e.g, encoder) effects on an e-motor, and corresponding control system for a concept traction motor similar to the Nissan Leaf. The integrated solution of the e-drive is carried in Altair Activate as a system builder, using other Altair solutions e-motor solutions in FluxMotor and Flux to generate data for the e-motor itself, as well as the optimal current values for the Field-Oriented Contoller. The inverter is driven with efficient space vector pulse width modulation. The integrated solution also supports different levels of modeling fidelity for the system components, for example for the e-motor where either direct co-simulation with Flux for detailed finite element analysis or a reduced order model (ROM) using look-up tables. In this way, sensor design parameters can be evaluated within an accurate system of the e-drive to improve performance and efficiency.

Presenter: Ronald Kett, Technical Specialist, Altair

For a Stewart-Gough-Platform (Hexapod), various software tools were used to study and design highly dynamic hydraulic drives together with an overall system control. Calculation of Eigenfrequencies, control design and comparison, hydraulic system design, and overall simulation control were done in Altair Activate, the mechanics of the Stewart-Gough-Platform was taken from a CAD model into Altair Inspire Motion. The co-simulation between control + hydraulics and mechanics was performed using Activate and Altair MotionSolve. Altair HyperView and HyperGraph were used to analyze and visualize the results. With the highly integrated solutions, the results could be achieved within a very short time. The different types of models (linear/simplified/full mechanics/hydraulics) made it possible to start with fast development cycles and finally achieve reliable results.

As more products enter the market that simulate real world experiences, consumers' expectations are rapidly increasing. To meet these rising expectations the hardware and controls required are becoming more complex while maintaining time to market and cost. To achieve this, efficiencies are required in the control’s development and hardware tools chains. Wahoo Fitness and Altair collaborated to create the new Wahoo KICKR Bike utilizing a Model-Based Design approach to controls development combined with a simulation driven design process to meet the high expectations of the bike trainer community.

Presenter: Christian Kehrer, Business Development Manager, Altair

This presentation discusses the multi-disciplinary evaluation of truck platooning, with the lead truck sending out acceleration, braking and steering signals for the following trucks to react accordingly. The benefits address safety requirements, fuel savings, traffic capacity and convenience. The presentation demonstrates why platooning requires a holistic approach in the sense of connecting different modeling and simulation methods for a virtual evaluation of this system of systems.

Presenter: Berker Bilgin, Assistant Professor of Engineering (ECE) at McMaster University and co-founder of Enedym Inc.

Electric motors in general, are made of certain parts, such as the stator, rotor, coils and magnets, and mechanical parts. These parts might look simple and bulky from the outside, however, the highly interrelated relationship between the geometry of these parts, characteristics of materials, and the way the current is controlled, defines the cost, size, efficiency, performance, and lifetime of the motor. In electric motor design, multidisciplinary aspects are highly interrelated. The effect of various parameters on the electromagnetic, thermal, and structural performance should be investigated together to come up with an optimized design. This is possible by developing the platforms where the multidisciplinary aspects are modeled in a software environment, as we are doing with Altair software.

Presenters: Rafael Morais Cunha, CAE Engineer in NVH, FCA Group & Frederico Luiz de Carvalho Moura, NVH CAE Leader, FCA Group

To make the driving experience more comfortable for passengers inside a vehicle compartment, in an increasingly shorter development cycle, predictive methods for the acoustic response characterization are used by vehicle engineering teams. The main purpose is to estimate the sound field in the car cabin. The FCA NVH team identified in Altair tools an excellent opportunity to develop a complete solution for acoustics simulation. Supported by the Altair technical team, new methodology was created to convert frequency domain analysis into actual sound waves. This method was used to study the NVH steady-state acoustic performances. And development is in progress to simulate an acoustic environment to reproduce all vehicle noises in operational condition. Using this methodology, it’s possible to virtually understand the acoustic behavior of vehicles, helping to make decisions in early design stages which could save design cost, time and also improve the driving experience for passengers.

Presenter: Christian Kehrer, Altair [on behalf of Oliver Höfert, Simulation Engineer at Kampmann]

The increasing virtualization of engineering methods is inevitable. This also holds true for the design of systems that take care for the thermal well-being of humans, e.g. in buildings. If it comes to simulation of so-called HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) systems, very often high fidelity approaches like CFD are connected to it. In contrary, this contribution illustrates a 1D modeling approach of a heat exchanger in use of Altair Activate. The presentation explains the implementation of the NTU (Number of Transfer Units) method in a system simulation environment. This includes a short description of the approach itself as well as its current limits. Based on the implementation of a single cell, differing network configurations for the evaluation of use cases of varying complexity will be shown.

Presenter: Kaustubh Deshpande, Chassis Engineer, Nikola Motor Company

This presentation describes Nikola Motor’s progression of design maturity from 1D CAE to 3D CAD/CAE for chassis system engineering work on their electric trucks. This progression spans from Voice of Customer to Functional Requirements to Functional Deployment to Structural Deployment. Nikola Motor starts with a ‘First Principles’ model of their truck/trailer vehicle dynamics, then they perform system modeling & simulation with Altair Activate using quarter- and half-truck/trailer models. Block diagrams are created using both signal-based blocks and physical-based blocks (with Modelica). Through this methodical process, Nikola Motor is able to derive more and better insight earlier in their development process regarding important vehicle characteristics for their trucks – ranging from ‘yaw rate of the tractor for loaded vs. unloaded trailer’ to ‘full-trailer load distribution sensitivity due to fifth wheel location’. Work is in-progress to tighten the connection between their 1D CAE simulations in Altair Activate™ and their 3D CAE multi-body dynamics simulations.

Presenter: John Straetmans, Computer Engineering Student, University of Michigan

This project attempts to build an accurate real-time (RT) drone simulator through the full integration of a 1D functional model of a drone created in Altair Activate®, along with its corresponding geometry, into Unreal Engine via the Functional Mock-up Interface (FMI) standard. Then, VR, peripheral controllers, and other functionalities were added to the representation. This task was accomplished by modifying the Altair RT Vehicle Package, making it able to handle not just vehicles, but any system model located in an FMU for co-simulation, in this case a quadcopter model. Once the FMU containing the Altair Activate® drone model was successfully loaded into Unreal Engine, the tools provided by the application allow additional features to be added, such as VR support. By implementing an FMU, together with its geometry, into Unreal Engine, we can visually analyze the dynamics of the system to further verify the drone model and its performance. In the future, this integration process should be facilitated to automatically load any FMU following just a few steps.

Presenter: Michael Hoffmann, Sr Vice President of Math & Systems, Altair

In this presentation, Michael Hoffmann, Sr Vice President, shares the company’s vision & strategy for Altair’s Math & Systems tools for Model-Based Development – based on providing an open platform tightly connecting 0D to 1D to 3D modeling & simulation. At different stages of their product development cycles, engineers can model and simulate their increasingly complex products as multi-disciplinary systems by using equations, block diagrams, and/or 3D CAD geometry. His scope includes Altair Compose™, Altair Activate™, Altair Embed™, and Altair MotionSolve™ as well as the multi-body motion capabilities in Altair Inspire™. He also spotlights several recent success stories about customers who have used these technologies to drive innovation through simulation.

Chris Wilkinson, CTO at SMD speaks at the UK Altair Technology Conference 2019. An XPRIZE challenge is designed to source new approaches to solve difficult problems thereby disrupting existing markets or creating new ones. Our oceans cover over 70% of the planet with only 5% explored. The ocean environment is hostile and technically challenging to operate within. The Ocean Discovery XPRIZE competition was established to seek cheaper and faster solutions to survey the world’s oceans. This presentation is about one of the teams that entered the competition with a disruptive solution for ocean survey. The emerging role and importance of a digital twin is explored to support the solution as it scales from proof of concept to one that is fully industrialised.

Presentation by Kamalraj Rajagopal, Senior Application Engineer at Altair.

Using a realistic example involving Python as the scripting and process automation tool used by Altair SimLab™, learn how to use Compose to create and debug Python scripts.

Presentation by Michele Macchioni, Director, ModVis Program and Development Management at Altair.

Using a realistic example of performing standard handbook-type calculations for aircraft structural components (in this case, calculating reserve factors for aircraft fasteners), learn how functions can be easily created in Compose, registered there, and then re-used with other Altair tools such as the Matrix Browser in HyperWorks – optionally visualizing calculation results directly on your FEM.

Learn how to use Compose for 0D modeling & simulation, as complementary to 1D and 3D CAE simulations – to perform useful numerical computations; to do parametric modeling; to create scripts; to automate commonly repeated product development processes; to complement or replace legacy in-house codes; to visualize and manipulate CAE data; and more.

Compose uses OpenMatrix Language (OML) syntax that is directly compatible with MATLAB/Octave and interoperable with Python – so you can preserve and reuse existing scripts constructed with these other languages.

Presentations recorded at the Global ATC in Paris, France on October 16, 2018.

Presentation by Franck Delcroix, VP, Program Management Math at Altair.

This interactive session will highlight the following capabilities of Altair Compose: using its OpenMatrix Language (OML) for calculations, scripts, debugging, data visualization and post-processing; Working with Python; Using multiple languages together; Creating your own GUIs; Optimization; Integrating with Altair HyperWorks.

Presentation by Juan Pedro Berro Ramirez, Radioss Expert at Altair.

Using a realistic example involving nonlinear FEA codes such as Radioss, learn how to use Compose to help characterize and calibrate material models to improve the match between simulation results and experimental results.