Gen3D, which has been quietly creating generative design software to make the perfect hydraulic manifold or heat exchanger in picturesque Bath, UK, across the Atlantic, unnoticed except for the fleeting attention of a UK-based CAD publication, was acquired by Altair, one of the biggest simulation vendors that is still independent.
In a deal that went down earlier this month, Gen3D, the four recent PhD graduates of the University of Bath across the Avon River made their alma mater proud.
Gen3D is described as a company that makes additive manufacturing technology, though Gen3D Sulis applications are used during the design phase for shape optimization and lattice generation. Perhaps this is because the geometry created is so complex that additive manufacturing is the only hope for manufacturing it.
According to the announcement, Gen3D has an advantage in shape optimization and lattice generation over conventional CAD programs that are limited by their B-rep (boundary representation)-based geometry kernels.
“The Gen3D team brings deep industry knowledge and experience in advanced additive design techniques such as generative design, topology optimization, and lattice structure generation,” said James R. Scapa, founder and CEO of Altair, who plans to offer Gen3D’s technology within his company’s Inspire line of programs, which include SimSolid (structural analysis), MotionSolve (dynamic simulation) and OptiStruct (generative design). Gen3D’s technology will be integrated into Altair Inspire.
Gen3D shows three products on its site: Flow (for heat exchangers), Lattice and AM-Pro, which appears to be a combination of both Lattice and AM-Pro. All are sold by subscription. Flow and Lattice are each priced at £200 a month ($239 at present exchange rates) and the combination, AM-Pro is priced at £350 a month ($418). Pay annually and you get two months free.
Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed and neither were revenue, profit or the number of paying customers. Altair is a publicly traded company (Nasdaq) and as such, is only required to disclose acquisition costs it deems “material.” As there is no clear definition of “material” provided by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), we can only guess at the price of acquisition.
Founded by academics from the University of Bath in 2018, the little company is on the verge of optimizing for fluid flow and structures in a manner that the big CAD vendors have either ignored or been unable to address. For example, the simple best path from inlet to outlet in a hydraulic manifold or duplicating the random-seeming structure in cells often found in nature. And like the disorderly yet remarkably effective cellular structures in plants and bones.
The generative design/lattice world of which Altair/Gen3D is part, is not standing still. A technology leader, nTopology, just recently announced its 3rd generation of lattice generation.
While nTopology maintains its independence, the exit strategy for most generative design companies seems to be acquisition, either by design or simulation companies.
CAD companies began their acquisition strategy for generative design when Autodesk hired Robert Aish, the so-called “father of generative components,” from Bentley Systems in 2008. The company was to acquire Spacemaker for its generative design of architectural space for $240 million in 2020.
Frustum was acquired by PTC in 2018 for $70 million.
The German startup AMendate was acquired by Hexagon to join the company’s MSC Software division in 2019.
How Does It Work?
Gen3D’s Sulis works by generating fluid flow paths, which can be either optimized for flow between inlet and outlet, its path initially determined by the software and easily altered by the user, or be forced along a curve, like a helix. The former case may be perfect for hydraulic manifold design for which the flow losses from friction or drag need to be minimized, while the latter may be best suited for heat exchangers, wherein a more tortuous path will create more heat transfer.
Gen3D’s Sulis Lattice program creates a variety of lattice structures—some you may be familiar with, the orderly, geometrically perfect lattices of honeycomb structures, for example. Gen3D can also generate structures with “struts,” which may appear either organized or like a thicket, random and chaotic. But there is a method to the madness. Gen3D allows the formations of regions, each with a particular orientation and the size of struts, resulting in regions with purpose-specific structures. Think of the sole of a running shoe, with the heel region needing to provide more cushioning than where the ball of the foot rolls, a region that would require more flexibility. These regions can have abrupt boundaries be phased gradually throughout the design. Gen3D’s Lattice appears to be heading toward the cell structures found in nature (the hard spongy structure inside the head of your femur, for example)—although nature still has an advantage, as it can phase in microstructures architecture gradually, rather than abruptly with distinct regions.
The Brains Behind Gen3D
Gen3D was founded in 2018 by professors from the University of Bath’s Department of Mechanical Engineering: Vimal Dhokia, Wesley Essink, and Joseph Flynn.
Essink, also with a PhD “focused on AI in manufacturing processes,” is listed as the company’s CTO
and develops Gen3D’s software.
Flynn, listed as “Advisor” on Gen3D’s site, provides academic expertise in the areas of implicit modelng and additive manufacturing. He has a PhD in “precision engineering.”
Also listed on Gen3D’s site is Steve Goguelin, with a masters in mechanical engineering and a PhD in additive manufacturing, appears to be the voice and face of the company with a number of instructional videos.