Courtesy of Fluent Inc.

3-matic
Revolutionise your geometry preparation process for FEA & CFD!
Easy, automated and efcient pre-processing

Signicantly reduce turn-around times for preparing scanned data

From manipulation of scanned data, and processing of bulk CAD data, to geometry conditioning and geometry adaptation for FEA & CFD, 3-matic proves to be a real timesaver!

I cannot see how the project could have been completed in

a timely and satisfactory manner if we did not have access to 3-matic software. Karl Baverstock Principle Engineer Fluid Dynamics and Environmental, Westland Helicopters Limited UK

Capturing data through the use of scanning technologies usually results in point or faceted data. Reverse engineering (RE) has always been assumed to be the next step. However, RE is a lengthy, error-prone process. When making a scanned model ready for analysis, the FEA and CFD applications will typically triangulate the surface data obtained by RE. In some sense you are back to where you started, but with deviations far in excess of the original scan data. 3-matic software presents an alternative, rapid process chain by providing the design tools required to reconstruct and manipulate scan data directly, transforming it into a mesh ready for FEA/CFD. This saves signicant amounts of time. In addition, projects that previously were considered impractical can now be realised. 3-matic makes it possible to analyse physical objects for which CAD data is unavailable or in which some part properties (like shape or wall thickness) have changed during manufacturing.

1a. Original MAC analysis of FEA mesh obtained from CAD data 1b. MAC analysis of FEA mesh with geometrical shape & thickness obtained from scan data shows highly improved results 2a. CT scans can capture the internal structure for ow analysis 2b. In 3-matic the internal structure can be selected and modied (e.g., the rounds generated by the scanner software have been straightened) 2c. 3-matics wall thickness analysis highlights thin areas, where the element size prevents the creation of a good volume mesh 2d. The surface mesh has been rened locally on the thin areas 3a. Point cloud data can be imported and modied in 3-matic software 3b. 2.5D model with thickness measurements included

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1b

Accelerate the transition from CT scans to FEA or CFD

CT scanning gains ground for technical applications because it captures internal, as well as external, structures and thus allows for extensive non-destructive testing. Materialise image processing technology, Mimics, translates CT scanner data into a full 3D model within minutes. You can modify these models and their internal structures using 3-matic. Advanced, semi-automated tools to correct or modify scanned data easily (see Fig. 2b) Triangle quality can be improved considerably, including local renements on thin walls (see Fig. 2d)

2a

Courtesy of BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co. KG.

2b

Courtesy of BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co. KG.

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2d

Directly from optical scan data to FEA or CFD

In 3-matic software you can design on and manipulate point cloud data right away, without reverse engineering:
3a

Import, meshing, correction and modication of point clouds (see Fig. 3a) Capability to create 2.5D meshes - 2.5D mesh can be obtained via a midplane construction (see Fig. 3b) - Wall thickness information can be calculated automatically and exported together with the 2.5D mesh Mesh optimisation and inspection

3b

Your shortcut to FEA & CFD

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Drastically reduce your CAD geometry preparation time

3-matic offers a wide range of tools to convert les generated by CAD systems into a consistent, clean, and optimal mesh for FEA or CFD analysis. You can combine geometry from mixed sources into one project. File xing, which is very time-consuming on CAD level, is done easily and quickly using 3-matics range of automated tools. Reduce CAD geometry preparation times for analysis by working with a triangular mesh from the very start.

Traditionally it would take us 2-3 weeks of tidying to create a representative model of underhood components, but with 3-matic we were able to do it in a matter of hours. Jonathan Eccles Principal Engineer, CFD Services AdvantageCFD United Kingdom

Quickly prepare large, detailed CAD data for FEA purposes

The advanced CAD import functionality converts CAD geometry easily to a high-quality watertight mesh model. Automated CAD repair (see Fig. 4a) Easy de-featuring (see Fig. 4b) Fast Boolean operations (incl. automatic removal of self-intersections) Boundary conditions box creation in a few mouse-clicks (see Fig. 4c) Mesh optimisation and inspection

4a. Different components, from mixed sources, have been combined in a single le. 4b. De-featured model. 4c. Car prepared for an external aerodynamics simulation. The mesh is rened at critical points.

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This innovative software eliminates reverse engineering steps because you can work directly on the available mesh data and even combine it with scan or CAD data from mixed sources. Why go in reverse when you can move forward to FEA/CFD! Sylvain Genot Mechanical Engineer Tomography & Digitizing Services, Tomo Adour SA France

Easily combine CAD and scanned data in one project in no time

3-matic interfaces directly with geometry generated by CAD systems and by scanning. 3-matic can import these various formats in a single project and treats them uniformly on polygon level. For example, you can integrate CAD components with the 3D model generated from scan data. By working directly on the resulting model, you can save weeks.
5a
Model provided by 3DCAFE.COM

Automate the clean-up for large data sets

The BatchConvert module provides a fully automatic mechanism to convert hundreds of les from mixed geometry sources (CAD as well as faceted formats) into watertight models. The batch process includes automatic geometry repair, cleaning and mesh decimation, making manual geometry clean-up time up to ve times faster, and reducing le size.
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Automated loading and repair of multiple CAD les in one session Variety of CAD les can be combined into one le (see Fig. 5b) Semi convex wrapping (see Fig. 5c) Zone preservation options to convert CAD le names into mesh zone names Mesh optimisation and inspection

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5d

Courtesy of Fluent Inc.

5a. V8 motor, composed of components from various sources 5b. Components are repaired and combined into one le (section view) 5c. After semi convex wrapping (section view) 5d. Flow analysis on the optimised model

Your shortcut to FEA & CFD

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Powerful mesh optimisation

3-matics range of advanced tools provide you with automated surface mesh generation, full control over the resulting mesh density, tetrahedron volume meshing and export of meshes to Fluent, ABAQUS, ANSYS, Nastran, Patran, and other CFD and FEA systems. This enables the user to complete full preprocessing in 3-matic. 3-matics well-organised user interface, unique surface structure and powerful grouping visualisation tools make this software user-friendly, intuitive and interactive. 3-matics highly automated re-mesh technology enables you to produce an optimally skewed surface mesh for FEA or CFD: Full re-meshing (from arbitrarily bad-quality triangle mesh to good-quality triangle mesh) Mesh coarsening and mesh rening (globally and locally) Element size growth control (= degree of transition from small elements to large elements) Smoothing Series of advanced inspection tools (non-manifold edges, sharp geometry, self-intersections, wall thickness, etc.) Wrapping for gap lling and de-featuring

Courtesy of Westland Helicopter Ltd

8 6. Surfaces can be split for export into Fluent le format 7. Tetrahedron volume mesh 8. Optimised mesh with local renements

Materialise Software Services:

Let Materialise reduce your turn-around times!
Materialise also provides software services. Our skilled 3-matic team is happy to apply their expertise to your projects. These services go beyond using 3-matic software to get your models ready for FEA or CFD. We provide a complete solution, based on the perfect combination of Materialise technologies and capabilities to meet your needs. What Materialise can do for you: Arrange the digitizing of your part(s) Manipulate (incl. advanced design operations) scanned data in a fraction of the time needed for reverse engineering Combine scanned and CAD data into one le Prepare 3D models for FEA analysis by creating high quality surface meshes Perform design iterations and shape optimisation

Jan Hoogsteyns

Why choose 3-matic:

3-matic provides you with a shortcut to FEA, CFD and virtual prototyping, particularly when youre dealing with scanned data or CAD data originating from multiple sources. Thanks to 3-matic software, you can reduce geometry preparation from months to a week and from days to hours: Reduce your geometry clean-up time by up to 80% Save weeks by working directly on scanned data Quickly make watertight surface meshes with optimal skewing Instead of spending the majority of your project time on geometry preparation, you can now focus on the actual simulation process! You can free up time to invest in performing additional design and analysis iterations. Thats because 3-matic enables you to: Get to the optimal design faster Increase efciency in the geometry preparation 3-matic provides you with a direct link between scanned data and FEA or CFD. Projects that previously were impractical because of geometry complexity or the time they would consume are now feasible. 3-matic makes the impossible possible: Analysis on physical objects for which no CAD data are available Capturing the difference between CAD data and manufactured part, improving the analysis accuracy Analysis of internal structures

3-matic focuses on a forward engineering solution, enabling the user to go straight from scanned or CAD data to analysis and other CAE applications. The result is a new business model that radically reduces product development cycles.
Physical part Scan data
Point cloud or faceted data

Combine
Image data Mimics

FE Mesh

FEA & CFD

Repair & de-feature Design & modify Optimise mesh quality

IGES data

CAD

CAD data 3D computer model STL data

STL data

RP

3-matic

STL data

CAM

Your shortcut to FEA & CFD

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Made by Materialise
3-matics revolutionary timesaving technology is built on a sound foundation: Materialise 15 years of core competence in le repair and surface mesh (STL) manipulation. Materialise NV was founded in 1990 as a joint venture with the University of Leuven-Belgium. Since then, the company has experienced exponential growth. They offer a broad range of advanced rapid prototyping, manufacturing and digital CAD software products. The company is privately owned, with several subsidiaries in Europe, Asia and the USA, and has the largest software development team in the RP market. 3-matic is Materialise latest innovative product. It implements so-called digital CAD, a short-hand for CAD-operations working directly on triangle les.

www.materialise.com/3-matic