Fraunhofer Institute for Algorithms and Scientific Computing SCAI
Fraunhofer Institute for Algorithms and Scientific Computing SCAI

ModelCompare

ModelCompare

  • A seamless interface as a plug-in
  • Geometry changes
  • Multi-parts detection
  • Detection of material-ID and thickness changes
  • Detection of spotweld and RBE changes
  • Reporting functionality

© Fraunhofer SCAI

Software ModelCompare


The ModelCompare plug-in for finite element methods provides­­ a comparison of two similarly discretized FE models and ­portrays their differences in terms of ­geometry­ (mesh), material-ID and thickness.

ModelCompare flyer


The flyer illustrates the purpose and the main features of ModelCompare on two pages.
 

FEM Model Comparison Made Fast and Easy

ModelCompare is a plug-in for finite element (FE) pre- and post-­processing tools. ­It provides­­ a comparison of two similarly discretized FE models and ­portrays their differences in terms of ­geometry­ (mesh), material identifiers (ID) and thickness.

ModelCompare identifies the differences between the two models based on the geometry described by the mesh. It uses specialized mapping techniques that lead to extremely short run times.

User Benefits

Everybody involved in computer-­aided engineering (CAE) has to deal with ­numerous designs that vary in geometry, material and boundary conditions. ­ModelCompare is a quick-look tool capable of determining the differences between two FE models, which are ­discretized similarly. With ­ModelCompare, you can quickly ­compare two FE models within the visualization tool used ­without going through the burden of manually determining the differences. To document the changes, a pdf report can be generated.

Our Contribution

At Fraunhofer SCAI, we thrive at the ­cross-roads of mathematics and data ­analysis. This enables us to provide ­cutting-edge tools that address the ­everyday needs of CAE engineers. They often need to compare and identify parts from different models when they analyze different simulation results. This is why we developed this tool as one step of an overall simulation data analysis workflow.

A Seamless Interface as a Plug-in

ModelCompare is available as a plug-in for GNS Animator and can also be provided as a seamless, versatile interface for the ­visualization tool of your choice or as a stand-alone tool.

Geometry and Mesh Changes

An accurate estimation and depiction of the differences in the ­geometry of two FE models is made based on their nodal positions. Additionally, parts having the same shape, but different mesh configurations, are also detected and displayed.

Duplicated Parts in One Model

Parts with the same shape and same mesh, which occur several times in a model, are identified independently of their orientation.

Multi-Parts Detection

 

A part in the first model that is split into many parts in the second model can be identified as a set consisting of these parts.

New and Missing Parts / Elements

New parts that have been added to, or parts that have been ­removed from the model are detected and visualized. Elements missing in a part in one model, e.g. due to improper meshing, are also detected. The tool also detects if an element belongs to two different parts in the two models.

Material-ID, Thickness or Function Changes

Differences in material-ID, thickness or user specified function values between both ­models are detected. Here, thickness changes can be ­part-based or element-based, while function values can come from nodes or elements.

Detection of Spotweld and RBE Changes

Differences in the attributes of the spotwelds (e.g., part identifiers, element identifiers, connected parts) along with new and missing spotwelds are identified and visualized. Differences in the positions of the master and slave nodes of the rigid body elements (RBEs) can also be determined.

Reporting Functionality

A pdf report can be generated during the comparison process. The report will display the parts that have changes in the geometry. These changes will be shown from four fixed camera view points, while in the full car the respective part will be high-lighted. Other changes will be integrated into the report in the near future.

Node and Element Function Changes

One user-specified function over each node (or element) can be compared between the two models. The detected difference values will be displayed accordingly.

All parts that have been displayed in this information sheet are obtained from the open source FE model of the Toyota Camry.
Visualization of the thickness differences of the two chassis.
© Fraunhofer SCAI

Visualization of the thickness differences of the two chassis.

Detection of multiple parts in the second model which are assigned to a single part in the first model.
© Fraunhofer SCAI

Detection of multiple parts in the second model which are assigned to a single part in the first model.

Changes in the spotwelds have been ­detected­ and can be visualized together with the connecting parts.
© Fraunhofer SCAI

Changes in the spotwelds have been ­detected­ and can be visualized together with the connecting parts.

The bumper of the car that has been ­morphed in the other model has been ­detected as changed and the color coding ­depicts the ­intensity of morphing involved.
© Fraunhofer SCAI

The bumper of the car that has been ­morphed in the other model has been ­detected as changed and the color coding ­depicts the ­intensity of morphing involved.

Similar parts detected within one model.
© Fraunhofer SCAI

Similar parts detected within one model.

Small differences in the discretization meshes of the two models are detected.
© Fraunhofer SCAI

Small differences in the discretization meshes of the two models are detected. The maximum distance of the displaced node positions is here about 4mm.

© Fraunhofer SCAI

Während des Vergleichsprozesses kann ein pdf-Bericht erstellt werden.