The VMAP Standard:

Standardising Data Exchange for Virtual Engineering and AI Training

Free Webinar

Thursday, 23 April 2026 | Online

16:00 (Berlin) | 15:00 (London)
07:00 (Los Angeles) | 10:00 (New York)

Moving data between CAE tools is rarely as clean as software vendors promise. Most multi-physics workflows eventually encounter barriers where simulation results, such as stress fields or temperature distributions, must be transferred between different solvers. Historically, this has required bespoke scripts and wrestling with proprietary file formats, consuming significant engineering hours.

The VMAP standard was developed to solve this problem by providing a common, open interface for exchanging material and state data between simulation tools. This webinar explores the current state of the standard and introduces the new VMAP Converter Toolkit, which makes these workflows accessible without requiring a dedicated software team.

We will examine how VMAP serves as a neutral format for collecting and processing simulation results, as well as giving an overview of its current use at DLR. The session will also detail the technical capabilities of the VMAP Converter, which supports a wide range of FEM and CFD formats including Abaqus, Ansys, LS-DYNA, and OpenFOAM.

Key Topics

Standards and Interoperability: Findings from the NAFEMS Standards Interoperability Study and the role of VMAP as a central CAx exchange format.
The VMAP Standard in Practice: An overview of the standard’s architecture and its application within the DLR framework to solve data integration challenges.
The VMAP Converter Toolkit: A technical look at the new Python-based graphical application that allows for direct conversion of simulation results into the VMAP format.
Enabling AI and Semantic Methods: Using VMAP as a foundation for data-driven engineering and machine learning model training.

Details

Event Type	Webinar
Event Date	23 Apr 2026 16:00 (Berlin) \| 15:00 (London) 07:00 (Los Angeles) \| 10:00 (New York)

Agenda and Speakers

Setting the Scene: Ian Symington (NAFEMS) will discuss the Interoperability Report and the necessity of standardised exchange formats.

Case Study and Architecture: Martin Raedel (DLR) will present specific use cases, highlighting the challenges of working without a standard and how VMAP is integrated into the DLR architecture.

Technical Overview: Priyanka Gulati (Fraunhofer SCAI) will provide a detailed look at current developments and the functionality of the VMAP Converter.

The VMAP Converter Toolkit is available as open source via GitHub, github.com/vmap-sc/vmap-standard , supporting the community's effort to lower the barrier for industry adoption.