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Project Falcon Technology Preview now available on Autodesk Labs

63 REPLIES 63
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Message 1 of 64
scott.sheppard
3752 Views, 63 Replies

Project Falcon Technology Preview now available on Autodesk Labs

Project Falcon for Autodesk® Alias software is a wind tunnel simulator that seamlessly integrates with Alias allowing designers to interactively investigate the aerodynamic performance of their designs at any stage. Industrial designers can get intuitive simulation results for their designs in seconds with no specialist knowledge required. Simply launch Project Falcon and results appear immediately. Project Falcon makes use of a revolutionary new automatic meshing technology that can handle any geometry at any stage of design. Flow and wind pressure results update almost in real-time in response to changes in wind-direction and speed. These results can be used to improve design decision making much earlier in the process.

 

Understanding the aerodynamic behaviour of your design is critical whenever air flows over, around, or through a design. As “organic” surfacing becomes more prevalent in industrial design, so too does the opportunity to create designs that work in harmony with the wind to reduce costly aerodynamic drag.

 

http://labs.autodesk.com/utilities/falcon/

 

Please try it and post your comments as a reply in this thread.



Scott Sheppard
Program Manager
Autodesk Labs
Autodesk, Inc.
63 REPLIES 63
Message 21 of 64
scott.sheppard
in reply to: ABukowski

I have been meaning to reply back. Thanks for the conformation that updating your video driver fixed the issue.



Scott Sheppard
Program Manager
Autodesk Labs
Autodesk, Inc.
Message 22 of 64
ABukowski
in reply to: scott.sheppard

I've got some issues with Falcon's ability to calculate drag correctly, or it's interpretation of model data and drag.

 

I can replicate expected figures at low speeds for primitive shapes, but if i place an elongated shape such as a rectangle into Falcon it seems to calculate some areas incorrectly.

 

For example, I run a test on a very basic rectangle shape with a curved leading edge.  This gets calculated as having a CD of 0.7 with a drag force of 2947 N.

 

The frontal area of the model is 8.925m, but to have the CD and drag being calculated as it is would require a frontal area of around 11.11m, or an air density of 1.5kg/m3, both of which are incorrect.

 

Similarly, if the model is rotated before import to requre a 0 degree yaw in Falcon, there are errors in the calculation once again.

 

Is it possible to divulge some more information regarding how Falcon interprets the geometry model and the airflow / drag readings so that this issue can be troubleshooted?

Message 23 of 64
scott.sheppard
in reply to: ABukowski

Please send me your file, so I team can play with it, and we can be sure we are seeing the same results.



Scott Sheppard
Program Manager
Autodesk Labs
Autodesk, Inc.
Message 24 of 64

The team has shared with me that the next release will have accurate (error < 0.001%) front area calculated.



Scott Sheppard
Program Manager
Autodesk Labs
Autodesk, Inc.
Message 25 of 64
ABukowski
in reply to: scott.sheppard

Thanks to the team for looking at that problem.  Looking forward to the next version; any idea when the next update might be expected?

Message 26 of 64
scott.sheppard
in reply to: ABukowski

Not sure - I rarely know in advance. Labs is an agile organization that responds quickly, so we don't require advance notice.



Scott Sheppard
Program Manager
Autodesk Labs
Autodesk, Inc.
Message 27 of 64
ABukowski
in reply to: scott.sheppard

I'll just check back regularly then.  Looking forward to it!

Message 28 of 64
katylyn
in reply to: scott.sheppard

Thanks for the tips. It can help me a lot. 🙂

Message 29 of 64
simon.watt
in reply to: scott.sheppard

Install Standalone
Falcon32bit.exe
2011.0.1.0
Project Falcon 2012
on
Windows XP Pro
Version 2002
SP 3
Pentium 4 3.00GHz
2GB RAM

After installation, attempt to run by clicking installed icon... Get the following error

Falcon Application
Exception caught whilst running WindTunnelApp: 'pack://application:,,,/WPFOpenTK;Component/Themes/ExpanderTemplate.xaml' value cannot be assigned to property 'Source' of object 'System.Windows,ResourceDictionary'. Could not load file or assembly 'System.Core, Version=3.5.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089' or one of its dependencies. The system cannot find the file
specified. Error at object 'System.Windows.ResourceDirectory' in markup file 'WindTunnel_CFD;component/mainwindow.xaml'.

Subsequently have to kill WindTunnelApp.exe in the Windows Task Manager.

Any suggestions?

Cheers, Simon

Message 30 of 64
ABukowski
in reply to: scott.sheppard

Is there any word on a likely release of the next update to Falcon?

 

Thanks

Message 31 of 64
scott.sheppard
in reply to: ABukowski

I do not know of anything schedueld at this time.



Scott Sheppard
Program Manager
Autodesk Labs
Autodesk, Inc.
Message 32 of 64
ABukowski
in reply to: scott.sheppard

Thank you for the reply.

 

I only ask because if i remember correctly, the current version of Falcon has a license that runs out in August.

Message 33 of 64
tomislavp4
in reply to: scott.sheppard

Looks promising! It is easy to use and is focused on simulating the flow over the exterior of a vehicle without being crowded with too many tools. I don´t think one can count on it though.

 

  • The first issue is the lack of a moving floor. Cars operate fairly close to the road and the interaction between the road surface and the undebody of the vehicle has a major effect on both downforce and drag.
  • Second major issue is the lack of support for rotating bodies. Tyres can have a major effect on the flow, especially in open-wheel vehicles such as motorcycles and race cars.
  • Third issue is support for exhaust flow. Since it is a highly energetic flow, the flow from the exhaust can alter the flow and be used to generate more df or reduce drag if used properly.

Are these features in the pipeline?

Message 34 of 64
scott.sheppard
in reply to: tomislavp4

Thank you for your detailed feedback.



Scott Sheppard
Program Manager
Autodesk Labs
Autodesk, Inc.
Message 35 of 64

I have the same problem:


Falcon.exe
Project Falcon 2012
on
Windows XP Pro 64
SP 2

After installation, attempt to run by clicking installed icon... Get the following error
Falcon Application
Exception caught whilst running WindTunnelApp: 'pack://application:,,,/WPFOpenTK;Component/Themes​/ExpanderTemplate.xaml' value cannot be assigned to property 'Source' of object 'System.Windows,ResourceDictionary'. Could not load file or assembly 'System.Core, Version=3.5.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089' or one of its dependencies. The system cannot find the file
specified. Error at object 'System.Windows.ResourceDirectory' in markup file 'WindTunnel_CFD;component/mainwindow.xaml'.

 

Please HELP !!!

Message 36 of 64

This error message indicates that your system is lacking a component that Project Falcon needs in order to run. Sometimes you can resolve this by getting newer system libraries. One of these new libraries may contain the missing functionality that Project Falcon is looking for. You should at least try Wndwos update and get all of the updates available for your system. This is not a guarantee, but it is worth a try.



Scott Sheppard
Program Manager
Autodesk Labs
Autodesk, Inc.
Message 37 of 64
N12ck
in reply to: scott.sheppard

where can I find lift coefficient's or lift values on this software?

 

Thanks

Nick

Message 38 of 64
suraj1793
in reply to: scott.sheppard

I was wondering if anybody could help me. I have modled a car on Inventor and pulled it into Project Falcon as an STL file, I have simulated it but dont have any idea how to read the results, the graph on the bottom of the screen shows me the drag coeficient (which I need) but this changes as the time on the graph changes, this is onfusing me because I thought the air flow over the car was constant meaning the drag coeficient should be constant.

Also if there is anything else i should be looking out for in these tests then please tell me.

 

Thank you.

Message 39 of 64
N12ck
in reply to: suraj1793

You need to allow the results to converge, it will change a lot for the first 1-2 hours then starts to home in on the actual number Nick
Message 40 of 64
eng_Andy
in reply to: N12ck

In case anyone's around, will Falcon eventually produce a Cd in 2D (Concept) mode, or only in 3D (Simulation) mode? Asking because I'm going to be waiting for hours either way, trying to model a cowling/duct in a 2x2x2.25m control volume, with 0.01m voxels on an AMD 64 X2 5200+ (2.71GHz) and 3GB of RAM on XP Pro SP3. Running in 2D mode just now, it's ticking along at what looks something like 1fps. 😞 It would be nice to be able to use some degree of 'smart meshing', or essentially telling falcon to use less elements/'voxels' in certain parts of the control volume, such as in the gaping hole in the middle of this model. I think that's what allenhung was trying to get at earlier.

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