Airplanes defy gravity. Formula 1 racing cars corner at incredible speeds generating lateral forces up to 4.5 times that of gravity. Yachts can circumnavigate the globe by wind power alone. These incredible feats are all due to the lift force generated by airfoils moving through air. Of course nothing comes for free; for lift, the cost is drag.

An analysis technique or algorithm, in the context of Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) software, is typically an iterative set of instructions that, when given geometry, boundary conditions and initial conditions, calculates quantities of interest such as velocity and force.

Airflow Through a Venturi

Simulation visualization is often used in marketing material to highlight innovative, state-of-the-art product design. Yet rarely are the visuals innovative or state-of-the-art.

Rarely, if ever, is a single analysis technique (e.g. Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes solver in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)) appropriate or necessary for the entire product development process. Typically the accuracy required for analysis increases with progression through the design process.