System and method for establishing bidirectional links between multiphysics modeling and design systems

Abstract

A system and method for implementing, on one or more processors, a bidirectional link between a design system and a multiphysics modeling system includes establishing via a communications link a connection between the design system and the multiphysics modeling system. Instructions are communicated via the communication link that include commands for generating a geometric representation in the design system based on parameters communicated from the multiphysics modeling system. One or more memory components can be configured to store a design system dynamic link library and a multiphysics modeling system dynamic link library. A controller can be operative to detect an installation of the design system, and implement via the dynamic link libraries, bidirectional communications of instructions between the design system and the multiphysics modeling system.

1 - 16 . (canceled) 
     
     
         17 . A system configured to establish a bidirectional link between a design system and a multiphysics modeling system, the system comprising:
 one or more memory components configured to store a design system dynamic link library and a multiphysics modeling system dynamic link library; and   a controller operative to:
 detect an installation of the design system, and 
 implement via the dynamic link libraries, bidirectional communications of instructions between the design system and the multiphysics modeling system. 
   
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the controller is further operative to generate files within the design system that contain a geometric representation. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the controller is further operative to send parameter lists representing variations in geometric features. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the controller is further operative to determine, via associativity, physical properties and boundary conditions for each variation to a defined multiphysics problem. 
     
     
         21 . (canceled) 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the multiphysics modeling system is a finite element multiphysics modeling system. 
     
     
         23 . A method executable on one or more physical processors for implementing communications between a computer aided design (CAD) system and a multiphysics modeling system, the method comprising the acts of:
 establishing, via at least one of the one or more physical processors, a bidirectional link communicatively connecting a CAD system and a multiphysics modeling system, the bidirectional link residing in one or more non-transitory computer readable media, the bidirectional link providing direct communication between a first user interface of the multiphysics modeling system and a second user interface of the CAD system, the bidirectional link further communicatively connecting with a simulation module of the multiphysics modeling system;   generating, within the CAD system, a geometric representation of a physical system, the geometric representation including a plurality of geometric entities;   defining, within the CAD system, selections of one or more of the plurality of geometric entities of said geometric representation;   transmitting geometric data from the CAD system to the multiphysics modeling system via the bidirectional link, the geometric data representative of at least some of the geometric representations of the physical system, at least a portion of the transmitted geometric data being used in the multiphysics modeling system to generate a geometrical domain, including geometric entities; and   transmitting selection data from the CAD system to the multiphysics modeling system via the bidirectional link, the transmitted selection data representative of at least some of the defined selections for one or more of the plurality of geometric entities, the transmitted selection data further being used to define selections in the multiphysics modeling system for one or more of the plurality of geometric entities.   
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , further comprising the act of displaying in the first user interface a graphical representation of the geometric data transmitted from the CAD system. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 23 , further comprising the act of displaying in the first user interface representations of the transmitted selection data. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 23 , further comprising the act of displaying in the second user interface representations of the defined selections. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the generating within the CAD system of the geometric representation of the physical system is based on parameters communicated via the bidirectional link from the multiphysics modeling system configured for modeling the physical system, and wherein the act of transmitting is part of an iterative process that includes communicating first instructions from the multiphysics modeling system to the CAD system, the first instructions including first commands for generating a first geometric representation in the CAD system based on one or more first parameters determined by the multiphysics modeling system, the multiphysics modeling system including an optimization process for automatically determining one or more updated parameters based on the one or more first parameters, and wherein the iterative process further includes communicating second instructions from the multiphysics modeling system to the CAD system, the second instructions including second commands for generating an updated geometric representation in the CAD system based on the one or more updated parameters. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the selections are user-defined. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the selections are based on material properties of the physical system. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the selections are based on physical properties of the physical system. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein one or more boundary conditions are defined for at least some of the selections. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the selections are represented as one or more nodes in a model tree in the multiphysics modeling system 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the selections in the multiphysics modeling system for the geometric representation are associated, via associativity mapping, to selections in the CAD system for the geometric representation, and wherein associativity mapping data is communicated from the CAD system to the multiphysics modeling system via the bidirectional link. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein selections in the CAD system for the geometric representation are updated, via associativity mapping, to selections in the CAD system for the updated geometric representation, the updated geometric representation being based on the one or more updated parameters communicated via the bidirectional link from the multiphysics modeling system. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein geometric entities in the geometric representation in the CAD system are updated, via associativity mapping, to geometric entities in the updated geometric representation in the CAD system, the updated geometric representation being based on the one or more updated parameters communicated via the bidirectional link from the multiphysics modeling system. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the multiphysics modeling system is a finite element multiphysics modeling system.