It is a fun time to be in the Upfront CFD industry. Things have certainly come along way. It wasn't too long ago that the CAD companies were campaigning for companies "to make the transition from 2D to 3D". Everyone was developing really cool transition tools that would help users convert their 2D drawings into 3D parts and assemblies. I am sure this still applies to some, but I think a good percentage of companies have at least considered making the move. The list of improvements in 3D MCAD tools is endless. There has been a step change in ease of use, automation and productivity over the last few years. Even the graphics and displays have improved dramatically. Check out the image (no photo rendering required) below from our friends at
SolidWorks.
Advancements have been made across the board in other products as well. A few years ago, many engineering organizations considered structural FEA as a "nice to have". Now it can be said that many engineering organizations consider FEA to be part of the critical path. This was due to a number of factors. FEA codes are now easier to use, they can leverage native MCAD models and FEA has been integrated into the engineering design process. FEA companies partnered with their customers, listened to what they were saying and adapted to the changing market.
You are now seeing a surge in the adoption of CFD into the engineering design process. CFD has been around for a number of years. It primarily has been used by CFD specialists or farmed out to the vendors. Clearly, there is still a market for this. But CFD should be and can be part of the design process. Check out the image below a guy on our team worked on recently.
It is the responsibility of the vendors to make you successful. This goes above and beyond whether the product is easy to use. It has to do with whether or not the vendor has a plan and reputation to make you successful. Let's be honest, there are alot of options out there. The decision should go well beyond the cost and ease of use. Here is a quick list of questions, I'd be asking.
How dedicated and experienced is the vendor in solving your particular problem?
Do they have examples, references, success stories?
Do they fully understand your needs?
Do they have an implementation plan?
Do they have a services group? Have you spoken to them prior to your decision?
Will your particular problem be discussed in training or are you stuck with standard non-related examples?
How is support handled? Do they have a Customer Portal or Online Community? Will you be transferred around from specialist to specialist? What does the "escalation" procedure look like?
