Fast Concept Modeller - FCM is a workbench within CATIA V5 that enables the integration and convergence of design and analysis.
FCM was developed in a joint cooperation with BMW and focuses on the needs of the automotive industry in the early concept phase. FCM delivers a fast and intuitive generation of geometrical representations of a car concept and enables an automatic derivation of functional models to analyze and optimize the structure of a new car concept.
FCM is packaged in 3 main modules:
• P1 - FCM Parametric Modeller
• P2 - FCM Analysis Preprocessor
• P3 - FCM Structure Analysis Processor
and two CATIA add-ons:
• Z1 - FCM Section Master for CATIA V5
• Z2 - FCM Attribute Master for CATIA V5
Description :
FCM Structure Analysis Processor adds 1D meshing from cross section based beam structures to the geometry and mesh creation with FCM Analysis Preprocessor. This unique extension module discretizes complex beam structures directly within CATIA V5 ready for 1D optimization solvers.
The FCM structural elements are created, discretized and their resulting sections and properties can be visualized in FCM Structure Analysis Processor itself. Optionally, the 1D beam meshes can automatically be coupled to 2D shell meshes. The complete functional model is exported directly as MD Nastran bdf. The optimized cross sections are imported (bdf & pch) and visualized in FCM which can directly drive and automatically update the FCM geometry along with the suggested geometry and property changes (e.g. wall thickness).
Customer benefits :
Beam models can be used to evaluate the principal cross section dimensions for new car designs in a phase where there is no detailed geometry available. FCM Structure Analysis Processor allows to model the basic topology of the car and optimize the mass and static and dynamic stiffness of the entire vehicle body at the earliest possible stage!
The bi-directional communication between CAD and CAE leads to accelerated iterative engineering loops (design – validation –optimization). These automated design loops enable Frontloading and deliver mature designs in the production process. Investment risks for the early stage of product design and layout and the time to market are reduced while at the same time the product quality is increased.
Customer benefits:
- fully integrated in CATIA V5
- easy to learn and to use
- enables very fast creation of models and its variants
- simple cross-section based models reduce overall file size
- direct export of discretization
- optimization results can be imported and previewed
- direct feedback of optimization results to CAD geometry
- rule based discretization: stiffness of structures are taken into acccount
- Optimization of cross sections dimensions and thicknesses for a complete vehicle body with Nastran SOL200
- simplified communication between CAD and CAE
- synchronized CAD-CAE data all the time
- arbitrary beam cross sections (ABCS): go beyond the limited list of standard cross sections
- ABCS: creation of almost exact cross section profiles from production geometries
1. Are you working with vehicle spaceframe structures?
2. Do you want to pre-optimize your geometry concepts?
3. Do you want to transfer more realistic cross section geometries rather than simple and over-simplified sections for simulation and optimisation?
4. Do you want automatically update the CAD geometry based on the optimisation result?
5. Do you want to carry out (analytical) crash simulation of spaceframe concepts in the blink of an eye?
Automotive Industry, Transportation, Aerospace
OEM, reference: BMW
Suppliers, reference: Semcon
ESP, reference: Semcon
Design Engineers using CATIA V5, lead development engineers, vehicle concept engineers, total vehicle interpretation engineers, studio engineers, vehicle packaging engineers
CAE engineers
R&D
RIT