Democratising Simulation
with Applications
Simulation applications (and the ability to distribute them) benefit organisations by making
modelling accessible to a wider range of engineers, colleagues and customers.
Simulation is a powerful tool
that enables users to save time
and money by studying physics
phenomena within designs to
predict operating conditions before
prototyping. However, computational
modelling is often left to the
simulation specialist, which can limit
resources and production within a
company. While other team members
may not be experts in simulation,
their insights can be invaluable to
research, design and manufacturing
processes.
Extending the reach of
multiphysics simulation enables
companies to get higher-quality
products to market faster and
cheaper than by developing iteration
after iteration of a prototype. By
creating and distributing simulation
applications, specialists can
include nonexperts in simulation
in the process, demystifying it and
breaking down barriers within an
organisation so that there is more
room for collaboration, prediction
of outcomes, innovation, and
optimisation.
At Veryst Engineering, AltaSim
Technologies and GLL Bio-Med
Analytics, building and distributing
applications helps make their
customers’ design workflows more
efficient.
Application Development
and Distribution Made Easy
Applications enable anyone to
test parameters and run repeated
analyses without a simulation
specialist. This larger group of
Users can access applications via COMSOL Server™ and run them on a web browser or client.
customers or colleagues without
engineering backgrounds can make
quick, informed decisions with
confidence. This way, teams can
work together more effectively.
To get an overview of the
workflow from model to application,
a simulation expert will start by
creating a model in COMSOL
Multiphysics®. Then, the expert
can use the Application Builder
in COMSOL Multiphysics to turn
the model into an application.
Applications can be created in
minutes using drag-and-drop
functionality. The result is a
specialised interface with restricted
inputs and outputs, so that the end
user focuses only on the parameters
pertinent to their work.
“The application development
process itself is very easy and user
friendly,” says Nagi Elabbasi from
Veryst Engineering, a consulting
firm that offers simulation
expertise to customers. He added
that applications have a lot of
functionality and for Veryst, they
are also a good marketing tool.
As Elabbasi explained, “In the
applications, you have access to
extensive Java® functionality,”
which means that Veryst can link
applications to their material library,
the PolyUMod® Library, allowing
for even more advanced application
development to share with their
customers.
To give collaborators access
to applications, there are two
methods: compiling standalone
executable files or distributing them
via an application management
tool. As the name implies, COMSOL
Compiler™ is used for creating
compiled applications that can be
run without a COMSOL® software
license on Windows®, Linux® or
macOS. COMSOL Server™ is the
choice for those who want to upload
and manage applications for their
organisation and let their application
users run simulations via web
browser or client (see image left).
Presenting Simulation
Applications as Customer
Solutions
The ways in which consultants use
simulation applications with their
customers varies. For instance,
GLL has received positive feedback
from their customers about how
applications allow even those without
a physics background to run analyses.
“You can see a light going on in their
head,” says Gary Long of GLL, “when
they realise they can produce their
own simulations and results.”
Sometimes, a customer realises
the possibilities opened up by
applications after working with
a model developed for them. In
Veryst’s experience, customers will
“realise how the model is useful to
them, want to use it internally and
then they see how an application can
help them do that,” says Elabbasi,
adding that the more the awareness
of applications spreads, the earlier
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