December 2007

Here at Symscape the big software development news is that we are working on a Linux version of Caedium. You'll also find a new tutorial added to our collection on the Symscape website and a new article describing the benefits of using solid modeling for Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE).

Linux

After receiving numerous requests, we are producing a version of Caedium and its add-ons to run on the Linux operating system. While the final installation should work with most current Linux packages, our primary supported package will be Ubuntu.

Caedium on LinuxCaedium on Linux

Given the cross-platform software at Caedium's core, we expect to have our Linux release available soon.

Flow Over an Airfoil Tutorial

Follow our latest tutorial, Flow Over an Airfoil, to simulate the air flow over an NACA 4415 airfoil. Also we show you how to compare the simulation results with experimental data stored in a comma-separated file format.

Solid Modeling

Read our article about Solid Modeling to learn how the characteristics of complex objects, such as an airplane, can be assessed prior to manufacture if you represent the object as a solid model. Most CAE analysis tools have yet to embrace true solid modeling - for the pioneering few, such as Caedium, benefits abound.

Blog

Below are teasers for our latest blog posts. Click the titles to read the entire post.

Personal Air Vehicle Challenge
Rather than a personal jetpack that is limited to flights (or more accurately hops) of 30-50 seconds duration, how about a Personal Air Vehicle (PAV) with a range of 700 miles? Now you are talking - welcome to NASA's vision for a versatile vehicle to alleviate congestion on roads.

Wind Belt: Wind Power Minus the Spin
Spinning wind turbines in various configurations - horizontal or vertical axis, massive or micro, even flying - dominate the environmentally friendly electricity generation scene. However, what if you wanted an electricity source to power a small light? Spinning wind turbines are too costly. A second option is batteries (recharged by solar panels maybe). But now there is a third - the Wind Belt can convert wind energy into electricity, without spinning components, suitable for low-power appliances such as small lights.

Kites: History, Aerodynamics and Uses
As with paper airplanes, we have Chinese inventiveness to thank for another wildly popular aerodynamic device - the kite. Kites have evolved over millennia to the extent that they can now provide useful motive forces to aid ships to cross oceans. However, their ability to thrill children (and those young at heart) with their grace and aerobatics remains intact.

Solar-Powered Airplanes
Steady progress in zero emissions, solar-powered airplanes recently culminated in an unofficial endurance record of 54 hours by a remote-controlled airplane called Zephyr, built by Qinetiq. Another solar-powered airplane, the Solar Impulse, hit the headlines recently when the team building the airplane announced the launch of their prototype that will, they hope, carry a pilot around the globe in a series of flights.

Fab it Yourself
3D printers and other types of rapid prototyping machines are the latest innovation in manufacturing where components are built by depositing material (usually plastic) layer by layer. Until recently the cheapest machines were still expensive (in the $10,000s range). Not anymore - now there are freely available plans for fabricators (fabs or fabbers as they are known) that are well within the price range and capabilities (assembly required) of hobbyists.