The NAFEMS review examines 13 interoperability scenarios, including model exchange, co-simulation, process chaining, test-data integration, long-term archiving, and machine-learning readiness. Its central conclusion: no single format or interface can solve the problem on its own. Instead, industry needs an ecosystem of standards and coupling technologies that can connect increasingly complex development processes.

In that environment, VMAP stands out as a neutral standard for linking manufacturing and simulation workflows. According to the review, VMAP 1.2 supports the exchange of metadata, mesh and coordinate information, units, state and result variables, material-model parameters, images, tables, and sensor or measurement data. The study also notes that 41 CAE tools were integrated with VMAP at the time of publication.

Fraunhofer SCAI is involved not only in standardization but also in implementation. SCAI positions itself as a core partner in the VMAP community and supports companies in converting CAx data landscapes to the standard and launching initial deployment projects.

MpCCI is the second pillar. NAFEMS describes it as a strong solution for co-simulation, enabling different solvers to exchange data during runtime. The review highlights its role in synchronization, data transfer, and interpolation across non-matching meshes. In practice, that addresses a central industrial need: coupling specialized simulation tools without forcing users into a single-vendor environment.

For companies expanding digital engineering across disciplines, suppliers, and software stacks, interoperability is becoming a strategic capability rather than a technical afterthought. The NAFEMS study suggests that VMAP and MpCCI are among the stronger options currently available and that Fraunhofer SCAI is helping shape both the standards layer and the operational software needed to enable simulation workflows to run at scale.

NAFEMS is the international, not-for-profit association for the engineering modeling, analysis, and simulation community. Founded in 1983, it focuses on best practice, knowledge exchange, collaboration, and professional development in engineering simulation.

Further information:
https://www.nafems.org/publications/resource_center/assess_interop_26_abs/
https://vmap-standard.org/
https://mpcci.org

Contact:
Klaus Wolf, Head of Business Area Multiphysics
Fraunhofer Institute for Algorithms and Scientific Computing SCAI
Schloss Birlinghoven 1, 53757 Sankt Augustin, Germany
E-Mail: klaus.wolf@scai.fraunhofer.de
www.scai.fraunhofer.de/multiphysics