Wait a second!
Have my ears deceived me?
Did Jim really vote against integration?
It's true. On this episode of Tech4Pd, Jim and Chad debate the benefits of an integrated CFD solution versus a specialization. This is the same contention as an integrated FEA versus specialization. Is there a difference?
FEA has long been the realm of specialists and, only recently, with the advent of easier tools and a better understanding of FEA, has it migrated to the non-specialist in an integrated environment. Considering the current state of CFD, I expect the transition from specialist to non-specialist via integration to happen as well, but it's not there yet.
Chad recites over a dozen developers of CFD software, some integrated and some not. Each have their niche and each currently can only fill that niche utilizing their current methods. That's not to say the future won't change things, but as it stands the final answer comes down to fulfilling the needs of the customer.
Will a specialty software like PRODAS ever be integrated into CAD? Probably not. Will 2D fluid flow be integrated into CAD, probably. (As if Autodesk 360 and Force Effect Flow won't inevitably be tightly integrated.) And isn't multi-physics already an integration of sorts? This is definitely an interesting debate, but who will be pay the consequence?
This episode sponsored by Mentor Graphics and PTC.