The ANSYS product line is a single integrated finite element analysis program called ANSYS/Multiphysics. Lower end ANSYS versions are created by using license keys to control which parts of ANSYS /Multiphysics you can access. This approach works much more cleanly than many of our competitors who use completely different modules (ie., different programs), and then try to get them them to work together. We provide commercial and educational ANSYS products to our Pacific Northwest and Rocky Mountain customers, and customized ANSYS products worldwide.

All ANSYS products on this page except ANSYS/DesignSpace include the ANSYS Parametric Design Language (APDL). APDL allows you to build models in a completely parametric sense. Geometry, loads, boundary conditions, material properties, failure criteria etc. may all be specified as parameters. You can then easily change any of them. APDL also includes standard programming functions such macros, do loops, branching, algebraic operations, and get functions to create a complete programming environment within ANSYS.

All ANSYS products on this page also include the ANSYS Workbench Environment. This is a very intuitive interface which, through the ANSYS Interface products, provides bidirectional associativity with popular CAD systems such as

- Pro/Engineer
- Autodesk Inventor
- SolidEdge
- SolidWorks
- Catia v5

This means that changes you make to your CAD model will be automatically reflected in the simulation model, allowing you to quickly explore many design options. With ANSYS/DesignXplorer or ANSYS/DesignXplorer VT, you can even optimize directly on these CAD parameters.

Following is a brief summary of each of the more common ANSYS products. More details can be found by clicking on the product name. A convenient Capabilities Chart is also provided which summarizes and compares the products in a checklist format.

ANSYS/Multiphysics simulates both the linear & nonlinear effects of different types of physical phenomena such as structural, thermal, high & low frequency electromagnetic, fluid flow, electrostatic, and acoustic in a single or coupled field static or dynamic environment. Advanced nonlinear structural analysis includes large strain, numerous nonlinear material models, nonlinear buckling, post-buckling, and general contact. Also includes the ANSYS Parametric Design Language (APDL) for building and controlling user-defined parametric and customized models.

ANSYS/Mechanical Simulates both the linear & nonlinear effects of structural and thermal models in a static or dynamic environment. Advanced nonlinear structural analysis includes large strain, numerous nonlinear material models, nonlinear buckling, post-buckling, and general contact. Also includes the ANSYS Parametric Design Language (APDL) for building and controlling user-defined parametric and customized models.

ANSYS/Structural Simulates both the linear & nonlinear effects of structural models in a static or dynamic environment. Advanced nonlinear structural analysis includes large strain, numerous nonlinear material models, nonlinear buckling, post-buckling, and general contact. Also includes the ANSYS Parametric Design Language (APDL) for building and controlling user-defined parametric and customized models.

ANSYS/Professional Simulates linear & some nonlinear effects of structural and thermal models in a static or dynamic environment. Limited nonlinear structural analysis includes large deflection shells/beams and node-to-node contact. Also includes the ANSYS Parametric Design Language (APDL) for building and controlling user-defined parametric and customized models. Connection products to directly read Pro/E, Parasolid, and SAT files also included.

ANSYS/Emag contains extensive 2D and 3D analysis capabilities that include static and low frequency harmonic and transient electromagnetic analysis. It also simulates electrostatics, circuits, and current conduction. Users can calculate force, torque, inductance, impedance, Joule losses, field leakage, saturation, electric and magnetic fields, and other parameters with the ANSYS/Emag program. A big advantage of using the ANSYS/Emag program in conjunction with ANSYS/Mechanical is its capacity for coupled-field analysis.

ANSYS Parallel Processing This add-on module features four solvers that permit engineers to affordably resolve large and complex engineering problems many times faster than before. The solvers are Algebraic Multigrid (AMG) Solver, Distributed Domain Solver (DDS), Distributed Pre-conditioned Conjugate Gradient (DPCG), and Distributed Jacobi Conjugate Gradient (DJCG). Parallel Performance for ANSYS offers engineers the benefit of decreased time to completion as well as the option of using either multiprocessing servers or a cluster of workstations networked together.

ANSYS/DesignXplorer DesignXplorer is an application for understanding the analysis response of parts and/or assemblies. By understanding the analysis response, DesignXplorer can be used to create design and analysis charts, design new members of a family of parts, and optimize a part/assembly for new conditions.  DesignXplorer uses parameters as its basic language. These parameters can come from various CAD Systems or from the analysis. Structural and thermal responses can be studied, quantified, and graphed. A multiplicity of robust designs may also be obtained by means of a Goals-Driven method of optimization. Operates in ANSYS Workbench Environment, but also is compatible with APDL models of ANSYS.

ANSYS/DesignXplorer VT  Similar to the DesignXplorer module, DesignXplorer VT uses Variational Technology to automatically generate an explicit approximation of finite element results over a selected input variable range. In a traditional Finite Element analysis, each change to any input variable requires a new Finite Element analysis. To perform a "what-if-study" where several input variables are varied in a certain range, a considerable number of Finite Element analyses may be required to satisfactorily evaluate the results over the range of input variables. Whether DOE methods or independent solutions are used, each design candidate requires a complete re-mesh and re-solve. Variational Technology provides a much more efficient approach by providing a "response surface." A response surface is an explicit approximation function of the Finite Element results expressed as a function of all selected input variables. The benefit of this technology is that only one solution is required to make the same type of forecast that DOE methods provide.

ANSYS/DesignModeler Contains the tools necessary to modify geometry in the ANSYS Workbench Environment to suit the requirements of a desired simulation. Features include accommodating multiple body models, converting solid CAD models to surface models, adding fully parameterized model features with 2-D sketching tools & 3-D feature creation tools, inserting points which will be interpreted as either spot welds or "hard points" for point loads, creating patch areas to represent thin sheet metal parts, slicing models into hex meshable sub regions of parts, creating a model for simulation if no CAD system is available, and exporting model as either a Parasolid or ANF (ANSYS Neutral Format) file.

ANSYS/Fatigue The fatigue module allows you to extend your Workbench-based simulation to include the performance over the required product life. Innovative result tools make this module very easy to use, and the results are easy to interpret. Load types include: reversed, zero-based, ratio and load history. Results can be viewed as: life, damage, factor of safety, biaxiality indication, rainflow matrix, damage matrix, and fatigue sensitivity.

ANSYS/ED   The ANSYS ED product offers you an affordable, hands-on introduction to ANSYS' simulation and virtual prototyping capabilities. ANSYS ED includes many of the performance features available in the top-line ANSYS Multiphysics - ANSYS LS-DYNA™ product combination, with some limitations (see chart for limitations.) Perform basic structural and thermal analyses, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), low-frequency electromagnetics and extreme deformation studies in the new, easy-to-operate single-window GUI.*

Then, when you're ready to step up to even more simulation power, you can easily upgrade your ANSYS ED product to higher-level ANSYS applications.

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