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EnSight can read in up to 32 datasets at a time! It accepts any combination of data (ex: CFD, FEA and CAD – all togeth-er). See our website for a current list of data interfaces. Contact CEI to request other data interfaces.

File formats and solvers that EnSight reads

AcuSolveADINA-CFDAirpakANSYS CFDBarracudaCFXFLUENTIcepak

CFD-ACE+ CGNSConvegeCFDCRUNCHEDEMFIDAPFLOW-3DKIVA

OpenFOAMOverFlowParticleWorksPlot3DPolyfl owPowerFLOWRADIOSS-CFDRFLOW

FLUIDS, PARTICLES, CFD CADIC Engine CFD CRASH, STRUCTURES

ConvergeFireForteKivaStar-CDVectis

ABAQUSADAMSADINAANSYSAUTODYNEXODUSI-DEASRecurdyn

LS-DYNAMSC.DytranMSC.MarcMSC.NastranMSC.PatranNX NastranRADIOSS-CRASH

OBJSTL

Who is CEI?

EnSight

Computational Engineering International, Inc. is a software development company headquartered in Apex, North Carolina, USA. CEI is the developer of the high-end visualization and post-processing tool, EnSight. CEI was founded in 1994 as a spin-off from Cray Research, and the founders are still the driving force behind the company.

CEI has US sales offi ces in Houston, Texas, and Detroit, Michigan, and international offi ces in Ger-many, China, Japan, and India. In other international locations, EnSight sales are led by distributors who are also selling major CAE brands like ANSYS, MSC Software, ESI, LS-Dyna, Mentor Graphics, and more.

EnSight is a software program for visual-izing, analyzing, and communicating data from computer simula-tions and/or experiments. Major markets for EnSight are automotive, aerospace, defense, combustion, energy production, high-tech manufacturing, and other markets which require very high precision in computer-based physics modeling. It is most often used for computational fl uid dynamics (CFD), com-putational structural mechanics (CSM), and other CAE (computer aided engineering) processes.

EnSight is a neutral post-processing tool with interfaces to the most popular CFD packages such as Fluent, Star-CCM+, Converge, CFX, Open-FOAM etc., and popular FEA interfaces such as ANSYS, Simulia (Abaqus), Nastran, and LS-DYNA. EnSight is used by more than 750 companies worldwide with over 2,000 active licenses.

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Volume rendering Volume rendering is a visualization technique that allows the user to view an entire volume of data at once, without hav-ing to slice the data in any way. The process involves fi nding all cells that overlap each pixel and accumulating a color for that pixel from the color and transparency of each cell. Volumes can be constant colored, but more often you will color the volume using a palette corresponding to a variable or a variable component. EnSight can show clips, cuts, isosurfac-es, and other tools in the same scene as volume rendering.

Isosurface compared to Volume Rendering of Azimuthal Vorticity in a simulation of the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Image courtesy of Los Alamos Na-tional Laboratory.

EnSight, the leading post processor for computational fl uid dynamics (CFD) data on the market, has launched its most powerful update yet: EnSight 10.2. This major update focuses on improving the graphics quality and per-formance of EnSight visualizations to make understanding and communicating your engineering data easier than ever. EnSight 10.2’s overhauled graphics system allows for extremely realistic models, featuring shadows, refl ec-tions and refractions based on a diverse list of materials. These updated visual components give your presenta-tions a complete, professional look.

EnSight visualization of a drill bit CFD simulation. EnSight’s volume rendering capability is used here to render the volume using the velocity fi eld. The result allows you to visualize the ve-locity fi eld in a single image, rather than through multiple section cuts.

Include transparency (“alpha”) values, allowing control of transparency based on variable value

EnSight 10.2, the most powerful post-processor in existence. Now even better.

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Automate your Post-Processing with PythonIn addition to Command (aka Journal) Language, EnSight can understand Python. Python provides an alternative script-ing language to drive EnSight, and is also the vehicle by which additional logic, decision making, loop, and general augmented capability can be achieved.

• Installation of EnSight includes installation of Python• Allows the use of EnSight in batch, with hardware acceleration • Generate your own scripts and customized GUI using Python• Automatic conversion of EnSight Command (Journal) language into Python• Additional ideas and user-defi ned scripts on ensight.com/resource

‘Accumulated drag’ is a very useful way to assess the aerodynamic performance and determine the regions of the vehicle which are contributing to the drag. With a simple Python macro, which utilizes the ability to loop repeatedly over a se-ries of commands, EnSight can be used to easily calculate the cumulative drag as a function of length down the vehicle.

EnSight graph of average velocity on a mov-ing sector through theta. This is an example of a Python routine that takes a sector in RTZ, calculates a spatial mean, and then moves this sector around through 360 degrees, recording the average at each sample.

Examples of Automation using Python

Many top users of EnSight only occasionally open the EnSight GUI. By automating their post-processing using Python and running it in batch, they spend less time interactively post-processing and more time analyzing their results and mak-ing better products.

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Visualize

Surface Coloring Surface coloring of aircraft model parts. EnSight has a wide range of color palettes which can be completely customized

2D to 3D Rotate & Extrude 2D sim-ulation extruded to 3D. Can extrude axisymmetric to full 360 degrees

Isosurfaces Iso-surface of pressure colored by turbulent kinetic energy

Surface Flow (LIC) Show the direction and magnitude of your sur-face flow. Or create a clip plane and see the flow in the plane

Shock Surface Visualization of a shock wave

Streamlines Streamlines of flow around racing bicyclists

Auxiliary Clipping Auxiliary clipping of a car, showing the parts ‘inside’ of the cutting plane

Flow Separation & Reattachment Lines Picture showing surface re-stricted streamlines created using seeds of separation lines (in blue) and reattachment lines (in red)

Contour Lines Contour lines ofenergy variable – with labels

Deformation Deformation of parts shown in a car crash simulation

Vortex Cores Vortex cores used as ‘seeds’ for the streamlines

Volume Rendering Volume render-ing of a rocket stage separating to expose the rocket payload

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Animations

Above shows an animation still from an aerodynamic analysis of a Formula 1 race car, showing particle traces. The user can control the speed of the particles, the length of the trace, and the size of the ‘tip’ (either an arrow or a sphere). The animation was created by a customer, AdvantageCFD, using EnSight. Streamlines around the car help to illustrate the cooling airfl ow as well as the downforce generating devices of the vehicle. EnSight’s keyframe animation features are used in conjunction with streamlines and frame mode animation of the wheel movement to help convey the story of the simulation to the audience.

Modal analysis of a pump casing, animation showing extreme modes at a frequency of 520 Hz.

Virtual cameras in EnSight are used to visualize the fl ow along a spline or a streamline and get a much better understanding of the analysis. This can be extremely useful for internal fl ows in, for example, studying the spread of fi re inside a building. It can also be used to get multiple perspectives, such as in a car crash, by including the perspec-tive of the both driver and that of a third person outside the car.

This is a still from an animation showing ‘exploded views’ of a laptop CFD simulation. The laptop lid is ‘opened’ and various parts ‘exploded’ to clearly show the tempera-ture variation of this complex geometry. This is done using the ‘frame mode’ in En-Sight, and similar tricks can be used for other animations, such as rotating wheels of a car when there is no rotation.

EnSight can be used to compare experiment and simulation by playing both simul-taneously. In the still to the left, a crash simulation is compared with experimental videos (top/side/front view). The simulation can be rotated, translated, and zoomed. In addition, graphs can be added to the animation showing plots as a function of time. Videos showing EnSight’s animation capabilities can be found at: vimeo.com/ensight10/collections

EnSight is best known for its animation capabilities. It allows the following types of animation:

• Particle trace• Mode shape• Structural deformation• Key-frame camera control• Flipbook• Exploded view• Fly-around• Synchronize with test data plots• Synchronize with test movies• Move the camera along a spline

Further Examples of Animation Features

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‘Probe’ a data set with your cursor, and get a value of a particular variable. Move the probe over a surface, or in 3D, and the variable value automatically updates. In a transient simulation, the probe value updates with change in time step.

Compare meshes, solvers, and more by plotting cases together!

Plotting multiple variables on the same plotter.

Plotters in EnSight can be customized, including font type, font size, colors of various attributes, X/Y scales, grid back-ground, etc. Plots in EnSight have an auto layout as well. When the user changes the size of the plot, EnSight knows automatically how to rearrange all the attributes. Additionally, when one sets a style, it can be copy-pasted onto another plot.

The picture to the left shows different plots of variables over time. These variables are derived from existing variables and by querying the data.

The fi rst variable is ‘Maximum Fluid Temperature’ and the sec-ond is ‘Mean Outlet Temperature’, which is the area averaged temperature at the outlet of the manifold.

EnSight not only visualizes your existing data, but can also query data and make plots. • Many types of ‘Queries’ are available, including over distance queries, distance line

tool, 1-D part, X/Y/Z Arc length, and spline key-frame camera control• Over Time Queries: At Node, Element, XYZ over time. Min/Max over time • Operation on existing queries • Reading from an external fi le

Queries & Plotting

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Variables and Calculator The calculator provides a powerful tool to derive new variables from existing variables in EnSight. Calculator and variable creation capabilities include:

• Form-based calculator• Compute variables• Extended CFD variables• Boundary layer variables

• Integrals & arithmetic operations• Matrix operations• Trigonometric and tensor functions• Statistic functions

Predefi ned functions in the calculator: boundary layer variables, calculus functions, force and moment calcu-lations, trig and statistical calculation, and many more.

Alternatively, you can build your own new variables by selecting existing variables, math functions, operators, and numbers as desired. Example of new variable: Boundary Layer variables calculated within EnSight (highlighted).

You can create additional variables based on existing data. Typical mathematical operations, as well as many special built-in functions, enable you to produce simple or complex equations for new variables. Some built-in functions enable you to use values based on the geometric characteristics of server parts. In general, created variables are available for any process, just like given variables. If you have transient data, a time change will re-compute the created variable values.

Often an analysis program produces a set of basic results from which other results can be derived. EnSight provides many of these common functions for you, or you can enter the equation(s) and build your own!

SUV body surface coloured by boundary layer thickness

SUV body surface coloured by coeffi cient of skin friction

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EnSight’s stereo capability allows you to have the best possible visualization for your simulations. Ranging from desktop stereo to high-end ‘CAVES’, EnSight can do it all. Virtual reality with EnSight enables one to see the model in real size 3D. What better way to visualize and analyze your results!

BIG Data Examples: The K-T ImpactThis is a model of a meteorite hitting the surface of the ocean. The model has 11 billion cells, and generated 10 TB of data! EnSight can easily handle very large models. Such models can also be viewed in virtual reality labs using EnSight VR.

EnSight’s VR capabilities include: • Stereo display • Head tracking • CAVES and walls

Scientists at the Los Alamos National Lab (LANL) Powerwall Theater visualizing very complex simulation results in 3D ste-reo. The rendering is distributed across multiple displays. The Powerwall is a 20 million megapixel display wall, and the model has over 240 million cells.

3D ViewingEnSight also supports viewing in 3D with Facebook’s Oculus headset. There is no additional charge for this capability and it is included in every level of EnSight.

EnSight supports 3D viewing on stereo displays such as 3D TVs and monitors. 3D viewing is also supported by EnVision, EnVE and EnVideo viewer applications.

EnSight also supports viewing in 3D on Canon’s MREAL Mixed Reality headset.

• TrackD tracking• 6 DOF input devices• VRPN tracking

Virtual Reality

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FSI and Multi-PhysicsEnSight has been capable of post-processing coupled fluid-structure interaction data for many years. This capa-bility is becoming more important as FEA and CFD com-panies go after the challenging applications of fluid-struc-ture interaction. Fluid-structure interaction applications include tire hydroplaning, airbag inflation for automotive occupant safety, sloshing and filling of fuel tanks, and thermal-stress in an exhaust manifold of a car.

EnSight supports loosely coupled FSI solutions such as

A keyframe animation created from a Multi-physics simulation from MSC Adams and MSCDytran. The MBD simulation is done separately with MSC Adams and the crash simulation is done with MSC Dytran. Both these datasets are read into EnSight and post-processed. Simultaneously, this feature of EnSight can be used to transfer boundary conditions from FEA to CFD and vice versa (using the calculator). It can also be used to com-pare results from different design iterations, or results of the same model from different solvers.

In this example CFD results are superimposed on the CAD model. The CFD simulation solves for external flow, which does not need any internal parts of the car. Also, the CFD model ignores minor details such as tire treads, logos, and gaps. But the CAD model shows all of these features in high detail and gives a very realistic feel to the image or video.

This image shows a coupled simulation of EDEM & MSC-ADAMS. Two simulations were solved separately but are visualized in one window using EnSight.

EnSight (Standard, HPC, and VR) can read in up to 32 different data-sets at once with a single license

Client

Server 3Server 2Server 1

using a MpCCI server module. For example, Fluent and Abaqus run a coupled simulation by using the MpCCI server module and adding MpCCI plug-in to their own respective programs.

In the example depicted below, the EnSight client is where all the FSI data comes together on one screen. The CFD data is on one server, the FEA data is on another server, and another physics on the 3rd server. And this only takes one license of EnSight.

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Server Server

SOS

Client

Server Server of Servers (SOS)EnSight has the capability to deal with decomposed data in an effi cient manner by utilizing what we call a serv-er-of-servers (SOS) architecture. An SOS server resides between a normal client and a number of normal servers. It appears as a normal server to the client and as a nor-mal client to the various normal servers. This arrangement allows for distributed parallel processing of the various portions of a model, and has been shown to scale well.

The huge data set above was a simulation of a meteor hitting the surface of the ocean in the Yucatan. The post process-ing was done using EnSight VR at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The client and server don’t have to be of the same architecture (ex: Windows Client and Linux Server).

Advantages of SOS • Allows for distributed parallel post-processing • Processes large data sets with billions of cells, and thousands of parts • Allows for processing of decomposed data sets • Allows for auto-decomposition of non-decomposed datasets • Increases performance for creating parts (ex: iso-surfaces, clips, etc.)

Client-Server or Client-SOS models don’t need to have a graphics card on the server. It will use the graphics card on the client and the memory on the servers.

NEW: Advanced HPC Modes

High Performance Computing (HPC)EnSight can seamlessly read in very large data sets using its client-server capability. For handling massive data sets of billions of cells or elements we created EnSight HPC.

EnSight is a client-server application, with the server reading the data and per-forming computations, and the client handling user input and rendering. Both client-server processes can run on the same machine in a stand-alone confi guration, or on different machines.

Version 9.0

EnSight SoS introduced for spatial steady models.

Version 10.1

RLSoS, is 2nd gen SoS to handle huge models solved with 10,000’s of processors.

Version 10.2

Transient SoS uses a clus-ter to speed up animation for transient models.

Version 10.3 coming soon

Super SoS, combining RLSoS and Transient SoS in massive compute clusters, to handle huge transient models with both spatial and temporal de-composition.

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EnSight Product Family

* Added in EnSight 10.2

FeaturesFree Desktop Standard HPC VR

Data import ALL ALL ALL ALL ALL

Rotate/pan/zoom

Plot data

Print/save images

Isosurfaces

Export movies

Export 3D models

Variable calculator

Particle traces

Transient particle traces

Surface restricted traces

Vortex cores

Separate/attach lines

Shock surfaces

Boundary layers

Massed particle traces

Material Properties * * * * *

Auxiliary Geometry * * * * *

Advanced Light Sources * * * * *

Unlimited Model Size

Surface Flow (LIC) * * *

Ray-Traced Export * * *

Keyframe Animation

Multiple Viewports

Frame Mode

Virtual Cameras

Read multiple cases

Run jobs in batch

Client-server

Threads 1 1 8 128 128

Virtual Reality (VR)

Cluster post-processing

Cluster-based rendering

www.ensight.com

Computational Engineering International, Inc.

US Headquarters2166 N. Salem Street

Suite 101Apex, NC 27523-6456

1-919-363-0883 marketing@ensight.com

EnVideo Free video viewer and still image player.

EnVe Batch video editing and image conversion.

EnVision Free 3-D viewer for models saved from EnSight.

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