COMSOL, the provider of software solutions for multiphysics modeling, released version 6.0 of the COMSOL Multiphysics software. The release introduces the Model Manager, a new workspace in COMSOL Multiphysics that enables efficient simulation data management and collaboration. Also introduced with version 6.0 is the Uncertainty Quantification Module. The add-on product to COMSOL Multiphysics uses probabilistic design methods to quantify uncertainty in analyses and predetermined safety margins. Version 6.0 improves the solvers with performance speedup by a factor of 10 in engineering areas such as heat radiation and models subjected to nonlinear structural material behavior. With version 6.0, COMSOL promises to boost the productivity of engineers, their teams, and their enterprises in the areas of product design, process development, and manufacturing.
Structure, version control, and effective collaboration
The Model Manager is fully integrated in the COMSOL Multiphysics user interface and is designed for simulation data management, version control, tracking changes, and advanced search functionality within models, CAD data, and other related external files. It provides a structured workspace where colleagues and teams can collaborate within organizations and with external parties, putting the focus on effective product design and innovation. Efficient data storage that keeps only changes made to previous versions and the easy setup of branches and merging them for parallel model development, also contribute to an organization’s efficient modeling and simulation workflow.
COMSOL’s floating network license type allows users from anywhere within and outside of the license holder’s organization to access a centralized Model Manager installation. This also includes collaborators across geographical and territorial borders. A local Model Manager installation is included with all licenses even those that are not floating network based to provide a platform for building an individual user’s file storage structure, while updating versions and tracking changes of their modeling projects.
Enhanced sensitivity and reliability
The Model Manager expands COMSOL’s footprint within engineering design and development, the Uncertainty Quantification Module produces more complete, accurate, and useful multiphysics models. Based on probabilistic design methods, users can look at questions such as how manufacturing tolerances affect the intended performance of the final product, to prevent over and under-designs of devices and processes. Screening and sensitivity analyses reveal which parameters are more important than others, which can be used to efficiently test the validity of basic model assumptions and uncertainty propagation is used to assign probability distributions to the output quantities of interest.
Improving performance and expanding modeling capabilities
COMSOL Multiphysics version 6.0 includes important updates to the software platform and add-on products including performance improvements through speedup and memory consumption by a factor of 10 for certain engineering applications and more efficient electromagnetic simulation of PCB designs and a new realm for acoustics modeling: flow-induced noise.