This paper was produced for the 2019 NAFEMS World Congress in Quebec Canada

Resource Abstract

The rise of the total number of simulations in combination with the higher level of post-processing automation has introduced an era where in many cases engineers see directly the reports generated from CAE simulations instead of the CAE simulations results. So, evaluating CAE studies has shifted from post-processing to organizing and handling these reports. The real value of the reports comes from the way they can be accessed and utilized. The report about the overall performance of a model version aimed at the management must be totally different than the reports an engineer must go through to evaluate last night’s runs. In case of management reports, the goal is to offer an overview of the results with reports that can be opened easily with limited resources. One level below there is the need to access information about an analysis by people from different fields - design, test engineers or CAE engineers from different departments collaborating with the simulation engineer. Finally the most detailed reports are required by the analysts during the evaluation of results targeting at design improvements suggestions.



This paper makes a comparison between the two groups of reports – the conventional reports in 2D like presentation reports, spreadsheet data, images and videos with the 3D reports like 3d objects (vrml, obj, 3dpdf) and post-processor native databases. It explores the benefits and restrictions of each group in all cases. It focuses mainly on how the recent advancements in CAE software, presentation tools interfaces and web solutions have rendered 3d databases a much better option than before overcoming the two main past barriers– ease of use and accessibility. The latter is showcased by the solutions offered with the metadb database, the native results database of post-processor META from BETA CAE Systems. Different uses of this database are showcased covering the diverging needs that may exist in the analysts’ world. Results can be saved in a ready-to-evaluate status so that the analyst can browse directly the different model areas and results presented in the desired way. The way results are organized and can be browsed in such databases has been greatly enhanced in the past years and consists a crucial factor in improving productivity in reviewing reports on one hand and in democratizing their use on the other. This database can be combined with a pptx report to be readily opened and reviewed from there or with web solutions, so that the 3d data are displayed as part of a dashboard. These databases can be readily reviewed by a free viewer on a laptop / PC or, alternatively by using the post-processor in a remote application schema even on a tablet / smartphone.



With post processor databases the ability to save everything under one file, but still offer the capability to access and retrieve data separately can contribute to lean data storage. The latter combined with the sophisticated compression capabilities of the results database can lead to significant savings in storage size. Another important aspect is the comparison capabilities, a very important drawback in case of using presentation reports. Finally, storage size, I/O and graphics performance can benefit greatly from saving simplified representations of a model.