Algor Multiphysics 5

[swertel]

I was reading through the Algor website, since Alibre is seemingly in cohoots with them, and found out that when you purchase a core Algor package, you get Alibre Design with it.

Apparently, Algor is not using Alibre as their solid modeler as opposed to their own modeler, SuperDraw last I was aware.

I haven't talked with anyone yet at either company to verify this, but it makes sense to me. Mainly because if you buy an Algor Core Package after Alibre Design, you get $695 off the cost of Algor. That $695 is the magic cost of Alibre, so basically you don't have to buy the solid modeler twice. That's nice of them.

Also, Alibre Design Pro comes with the 12 month LEASE of Algor DesignCheck. That means you get the cheapest Algor package out there, but for only the first year, then you have to pay for it separately.

What really cracks me up that that Algor's InCad technology is not fully associative to Alibre yet, but it is expected to in the next release/update, yet if you read through Algors website, it says that it has direct CAD support for Alibre -- included. All other CAD packages are not included or included with limitations, depending on the core Algor package you buy. Of course, you have to buy InCad to remove those limitations.

If this sounds somewhat disgruntled, it is. Alibre marketing is making Alibre Pro sound too good to be true, but if you really do want an FEA package, you might as well just buy Algor and get Alibre with it.
But how does the support work? If I have a problem creating the model, do I contact Algor or Alibre?

--Scott

For some pleasure reading, the Round Table recommends FAQ731-376

 

[mickeb]

The Algor Designcheck is NOT limited to one year! Upon installation there is an opportunity to select between 3 months of Algor MF, or infinite time with Designcheck.

The Algor support is through the Algor Assistant (from inside Alibre Design) or through "classic" channels like telephone or mail. BTW, Algor support is super...

 

[swertel]

Thanks for the reply.

Per Algor's website, DesignCheck is on either a 3 month or a 12 month LEASE. I don't know how the license would expire, but a lease means that you have to renew it every year and a renew to me means cost. Does Alibre Pro have a different licensing scheme to allow infinite DesignCheck? Or does the term LEASE mean really refer to a maintenance program?

My experience with Algor support is a couple years old. It may just have been my local support, we were not "allowed" to contact Algor directly.

From your second paragraph, it sounds like Algor and Alibre have the same Assistant technology. I'm assuming then, if you run the Assistant from within Alibre, you get the Alibre Assistant; if you run it from within Algor, you get the Algor Assistant. Is this a correct assumption?

--Scott

For some pleasure reading, the Round Table recommends FAQ731-376

 

[warburton1]

Hi Scott, I have the Alibre Pro package. As far as I can tell here is the low down in terms of the FEA package.

When you purchase Alibre Pro and install the Algor design check software you are given two options on installation, one is to install the fully functional but time limited version (equivalent to the 3 month lease version). The other option is to install basically a non expiring, functionally limited version. This version is not listed on the Algor web page (as far as I could see).

I find that the functionally limited version is too limited, however, I am not sure that the fully functional version will cover the FEA requirements I have (especially Bearing analysis). To this end, Algor have suggested one of the Pro Static LM analysis tools.

Gary W

 

[guyfn]

Hello,
I asked the Algor staff about it, and here is what they answered me:

Thank you for contacting our website. To answer your question about DesignCheck that you received when you purchased Alibre Professional, you may register Designcheck as either time limited or feature limited. If you register the software as feature limited it will continue to work forever. The full featured version (time limited) once the trial period is over the software will quite working.

ALGOR Design Check Feature-limited version

ALGOR DesignCheck finite element analysis (FEA) software enables Alibre Design Professional users to verify their single part designs with a first-pass analysis. This tool enables engineers to virtually test the behavior of product designs, speed up time to market and make better, safer products at a lower cost.

DesignCheck is available directly from the Alibre Design Professional menu as an add-on and includes an easy-to-use interface for finite element modeling, results evaluation and presentation. The DesignCheck interface features multiple view windows, a tree view of the model and associated data and Windows-native data input screens with real-time data checking for reasonable input.

ALGOR DesignCheck (Feature-limited) includes the following features for an unlimited period of time:

Analysis Capabilities

· Static stress with linear material models

Modeling

· Direct CAD/CAE data exchange with Alibre Design for single parts

Meshing

· Automatic 3-D solid hybrid meshing (bricks on the model surface and tetrahedra inside) with a built-in aspect ratio check
· Intelligent, automatic, feature-based mesh refinement tools and point-and-click definition of areas where a finer mesh is desired

Element Library

· 3-D brick element

Material Models

· Linear elastic isotropic

Loading and Constraints

· Surface forces
· Surface constraints

Solver Options

· Symmetric sparse
· Parallel processing for multiple processors

Results Evaluation

· Integrated environment for model visualization and results evaluation
· 3-D dynamic viewing options and rich colors provided by OpenGL-based displays
· Material and result rendering for model and analysis visualization
· Cross-sectional viewing options
· Dynamic clipping planes for slicing models
· Multiple methods for selecting elements in order to hide areas of the model
· Result contours of:
· von Mises stress
· Automatic display of units in the results legend
· Uses TrueType fonts for legend and annotations
· Dynamic controls for positioning the results legend, annotations and background images
· Pre-defined and user-defined color palettes for result contours
· Slider to dynamically control the scale and display of the displaced model
· Slider for controlling the display of elements based on a lower or upper result limit
· Point-and-click result inquiry options
· Inquire mode enables results from selected objects or load and constraint data to be displayed and available for copy and paste operations to other applications
· Result text listing
· Support for exporting results to common Windows applications
· Capability to save all settings for a specific presentation and view that same display at any time or use those settings with a different model

Results Presentation

· VRML utility to generate 3-D, web-based models
· Output result contours as BMP, JPG, TIF, PNG, PCX and TGA formats
· Built-in animation creation and display tools
· Report Wizard and environment for automatic generation and display of professional text or HTML reports

User Interface

· Windows-native interface with tree views, multiple views and docking toolbars
· Right-click application, modification and deletion of surface forces, surface constraints and FEA properties
· Shortcut keyboard and mouse controls for dynamic viewing options
· Built-in data checking for reasonable input
· Load and constraint set capabilities for managing different design scenarios
· Drag and drop of loads and constraints
· Material Library Manager includes a common material library and provides the capability to import, create and manage customized libraries
· Right-click, context-sensitive help
· Support for standard and custom unit systems
· Data management utility for archiving models

Configuration

· Stand-alone installation
· Built-in script and macro tools

Service and Education

· Integrated HTML Users' Guide with robust search and index capabilities
· Technical support and software updates
· Regular e-mail newsletter
· "Getting Started" demo to guide first-time users


ALGOR DesignCheck Time-limited version

ALGOR DesignCheck finite element analysis (FEA) software enables Alibre Design Professional users to verify their designs with a first-pass analysis. This tool enables engineers to virtually test the behavior of product designs, speed up time to market and make better, safer products at a lower cost.

DesignCheck is available directly from the Alibre Design Professional menu as an add-on and includes an easy-to-use interface for finite element modeling, results evaluation and presentation. The DesignCheck interface features multiple view windows, a tree view of the model and associated data and Windows-native data input screens with real-time data checking for reasonable input.

ALGOR DesignCheck (Time-limited) includes the following features for a period of 90 days from the time of installation:

Analysis Capabilities

· Static stress with linear material models
· Multiple-body contact and interaction
· Hertzian contact
· Thermal stress
· Sub-modeling
· Weight, center of gravity and mass moment of inertia

Modeling

· Direct CAD/CAE data exchange with Alibre Design for single parts and assemblies
· Joint Creation Utility for automatically creating pin and ball joints based on either two specified endpoints or a mid-point
· Provides direct access to AISC section property data for use with beam elements
· Capability to combine all element types available for a given analysis type in a single model

Meshing

· Automatic 3-D solid brick (eight- or 20-node), tetrahedral (four- or 10-node) or hybrid meshing (bricks on the model surface and tetrahedra inside) with a built-in aspect ratio check
· Intelligent, automatic, feature-based mesh refinement tools and point-and-click definition of areas where a finer mesh is desired
· Automatic mesh matching between parts of an assembly
· One-step assembly meshing

Element Library

· 3-D truss element
· 3-D beam element
· 3-D brick element
· 3-D tetrahedral element
· Gap element
· Cable element


Material Models

· Linear elastic isotropic
· Linear elastic orthotropic
· Linear temperature-dependent isotropic
· Linear temperature-dependent orthotropic

Loading and Constraints

· Static friction
· Forces
· Surface forces
· Moments
· Temperatures
· Prescribed displacements
· Prescribed rotations
· Pressures
· Tractions
· Hydrostatic pressures
· Gravitational forces
· Centrifugal forces
· Global and off-axis constraints
· Variable-stiffness off-axis constraints

Solver Options

· Symmetric sparse
· Skyline
· Iterative
· Banded
· Parallel processing for multiple processors

Results Evaluation

· Integrated environment for model visualization and results evaluation
· 3-D dynamic viewing options and rich colors provided by OpenGL-based displays
· Material and result rendering for model and analysis visualization
· Cross-sectional viewing options
· Dynamic clipping planes for slicing models
· Multiple methods for selecting parts or elements in order to hide areas of the model
· Result contours of:
· Displacement
· Stress
· Strain
· Reaction force
· Capability to simultaneously view varying result types through multiple view windows
· Shear and bending moment diagrams for beam elements
· Text output of weight, volume, center of gravity, mass moment of inertia and products of inertia
· Precision contouring for accuracy assessment
· Stress linearization utility for use with a linear static stress analysis on thin-walled structures
· Capability to combine the results of multiple linear static stress analyses
· Automatic display of units in the results legend
· Uses TrueType fonts for legend and annotations
· Dynamic controls for positioning the results legend, annotations and background images
· Pre-defined and user-defined color palettes for result contours
· Slider to dynamically control the scale and display of the displaced model
· Slider for controlling the display of elements based on a lower or upper result limit
· Mixed display capability to show results for specified parts and part color for other parts
· Point-and-click result inquiry options
· Inquire mode enables results from selected objects or load and constraint data to be displayed and available for copy and paste operations to other applications
· Result text listing
· Support for exporting results to common Windows applications
· Capability to save all settings for a specific presentation and view that same display at any time or use those settings with a different model

Results Presentation

· VRML utility to generate 3-D, web-based models
· Output result contours as BMP, JPG, TIF, PNG, PCX and TGA formats
· Built-in animation creation and display tools
· Report Wizard and environment for automatic generation and display of professional text or HTML reports

User Interface

· Windows-native interface with tree views, multiple views and docking toolbars
· Right-click application, modification and deletion of loads, constraints and FEA properties
· Shortcut keyboard and mouse controls for dynamic viewing options
· Built-in data checking for reasonable input
· Load and constraint set capabilities for managing different design scenarios
· Drag and drop of loads and constraints
· Material Library Manager includes a common material library and provides the capability to import, create and manage customized libraries
· Provides full search capabilities to find and apply standard section property data
· Right-click, context-sensitive help
· Support for standard and custom unit systems
· Data management utility for archiving models

Configuration

· Stand-alone installation
· Built-in script and macro tools

Service and Education

· Integrated HTML Users' Guide with robust search and index capabilities
· Technical support and software updates
· Regular e-mail newsletter
· "Getting Started" demo to guide first-time users