Pointwise Release Notes

Version: Pointwise V18.2 R1
Release Date: September 2018
News Release: www.pointwise.com/news/2018/High-Order-Mesh-Generation-CFD-Now-Available-Pointwise.html

Overview
New Features
Resolved Issues
Platform Support
Previous Versions

Overview

Pointwise is our leading mesh generation software product for CFD, encompassing nearly three decades of technology development. The product features a modern software framework and workflow and provides tools like 64-bit support, multi-threading, and Windows/Linux/Mac portability.

These release notes are provided as a reference for the new features included in the latest version of Pointwise as well as any known issues that were resolved.

New Features

An initial set of options has been added to provide the ability to elevate the polynomial degree of linear meshes. This is accomplished by the addition of a set of solver attributes for CGNS and Gmsh CAE export solver plug-ins. On export, linear meshes are elevated based on solver attributes and user prescribed parameters.
Connectors can now be projected onto database curves.
T-Rex can now identify situations where a growth domain and a symmetry (match) domain are nearly coplanar and invoke multiple normals if Full Layers = 0.
CAD data can be automatically assigned to specific layers when imported into an existing Pointwise project file.
Structured blocks can be joined into an unstructured hexahedral block.
Grid, Solve will automatically use projection method for domain specified in Edit, Project.
The isotropic region of 2-D T-Rex domains now uses edge lengths from T-Rex final layers to set minimum and maximum equilateral edge lengths.
Options now exist that allow users to select how layers of T-Rex hexahedral cells transition to the isotropic tet region in an unstructured volume mesh.
An option has been added to Grid, Solve for unstructured blocks that provides the ability to initialize only the boundaries of the block. With this capability, the effects of using push attributes or domain adaption on the bounding domains can be evaluated prior to initializing the interior of the block.
The commands available via the context menu (aka the right click menu) have been greatly expanded.
The Create, Group command now allows grouping of source entities.
The Grid, Sync Spacings command enables all spacings at a node junction to be synced to the same value based on the minimum, maximum, or average value at the node.
Support for CGNS has been upgraded to version 3.3.1 for both grid import and export.
The Grid, Apply T-Rex command allows 2D T-Rex to be applied to a domain or domains by simply selecting which connectors should be used with a wall boundary condition.
Connectors and database curves can now be split into a specified number of equal pieces.
3-D pan, zoom, rotate can now be controlled by an on-screen tool called the View Manipulator (in addition to mouse and keyboard devices).
Tetrahedra formed from multiple normals in a T-Rex extrusion are now combined into prisms and hexahedra.
GMSH grid import is now supported.
The default project grid type can be specified within Edit, Preferences.
A debug mode has been added to the Glyph Server to enable diagnostic messages for remote scripting.
File version support has been upgraded for the CATIA V5, NX, Solidworks, ACIS SAT, and Creo native CAD readers.
Viridis and plasma colormaps have been added as options for the Examine color bar.
Selected domains can now be examined for intersecting elements.
When joining two structured domains that share more than one edge, Pointwise offers a choice of which edge to join the domains across.
Spacings can now be operated on in a group setting in the Grid, Named Spacings command.
The previous sort order used in the T-Rex boundary condition table is now remembered.
A pop-up window of the keyboard short-cuts is now available via the Help menu or ? short-cut.
The most recently used colors are remembered and shown in the Select Color toolbar command.
STL database and grid import now supports quadrilateral elements.

Resolved Issues

SPR	Description
PW-20686	An IGES file exported from OpenVSP had a noticeably large gap between two surfaces when imported into Pointwise.
PW-20729	A Constant Y hyperbolic extrusion boundary condition was not handling a singularity properly for a structured block extrusion.
PW-21414	A CGNS file could import into Pointwise on a Linux operating system, but not on a computer running Windows 7.
PW-21355	A T-Rex block was initialized without issues but was emptied of all cells when the block was saved.
PW-21400	Importing a specific IGES file caused Pointwise to prematurely exit.
PW-21407	A minor formatting issue was discovered in the Gridgen Generic CAE file format.
PW-21412	Initialization of a T-Rex block that contained a source and a periodic domain caused Pointwise to prematurely exit.
PW-21448	The default setting for the T-Rex Isotropic Height parameter was changed but not kept in a saved project file.
PW-21488	The Use Default option for Growth Rate for unstructured T-Rex domains was not populating the Growth Rate field with the user prescribed default value.

Platform Support

Minimum Requirements for All Platforms:

2 GB RAM (8 GB recommended)
2 GB disk space
Ethernet card
OpenGL capable color display monitor
1280x1024 screen resolution (4K monitor support now included)
Graphics adapter supporting 3D hardware-accelerated OpenGL and 24-bit RGB double-buffering
Up-to-date graphics accelerator drivers

Note: Pointwise V18.0R1 and later will not be supported on 32-bit platforms.

	Hardware	64-bit
Microsoft Windows	Intel AMD
Linux	Intel AMD
macOS	Intel

Requirements for All Platforms

Minimum Requirements:

2 GB RAM (8 GB recommended)
2 GB disk space
Ethernet card
OpenGL capable color display monitor
1280x1024 screen resolution (4K monitor support now included)
Graphics adapter supporting 3D hardware-accelerated OpenGL and 24-bit RGB double-buffering
Up-to-date graphics accelerator drivers

Important Notes:

Pointwise does not support 32-bit platforms.
Pointwise does not support remote execution. However, a FAQ with remote execution workarounds is avaiable.

Microsoft Windows

Operating System	64-bit
Windows 7
Windows 8.1
Windows 10

*There is a known incompatibility on Microsoft Windows between Dell Backup & Recovery software and Pointwise V18. If you experience problems opening or saving a file from Pointwise, Dell Backup & Recovery software should be disabled or uninstalled.

Linux

Operating System	Version	64-bit
CentOS	6
Red Hat Enterprise Linux	6
SUSE Enterprise Linux Desktop	12 SP1
Ubuntu Desktop	14.04

Linux Library Dependencies

Listed below are the specific versions of library packages that we have on our test machines where we know Pointwise works. Other dependences (e.g. libGL) are not explicitly listed below as they should be part of any standard install that includes the packages listed below.

CentOS 6.4

expat-2.0.1-11.el6_2
fontconfig-2.8.0-3.el6
freetype-2.3.11-14.el6_3.1
libgcc-4.4.7-4.el6
libstdc++-4.4.7-3.el6
libX11-1.5.0-4.el6
libXau-1.0.6-4.el6
libxcb-1.8.1-1.el6
libXext-1.3.1-2.el6
libXft-2.3.1-2.el6
libXrender-0.9.7-2.el6
zlib-1.2.3-29.el6

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6

expat-2.0.1-11.el6_2
fontconfig-2.8.0-5.el6
freetype-2.3.11-15.el6_6.1
libgcc-4.4.7-16.el6
libstdc++-4.4.7-16.el6
libX11-1.6.0-6.el6
libXau-1.0.6-4.el6
libxcb-1.9.1-3.el6
libXext-1.3.2-2.1.el6
libXft-2.3.1-2.el6
libXrender-0.9.8-2.1.el6
zlib-1.2.3-29.el6

SUSE Enterprise Linux Desktop 12 SP1

fontconfig
libbz2-1
libexpat1
libffi4
libfreetype6
libgcc_s1
libglib-2_0-0
libGLU1
libgobject-2_0-0
libgthread-2_0-0
libpcre1
libstdc++6
libX11-6
libXau6
libxcb1
libXext6
libXft2
libXrender1
libz1

2.11.0-4.19
1.0.6-29.2
2.1.0-17.1
5.3.1+r233831-9.1
2.5.5-7.5.1
5.3.1+r233831-9.1
2.38.2-5.12
9.0.0-15.1
2.38.2-5.12
2.38.2-5.12
8.33-3.314
1.6.8-11.1
5.3.1+r233831-9.1
1.6.2-4.12
1.0.8-4.58
1.10-3.1
1.3.2-3.61
2.3.1-9.32
0.9.8-3.56
1.2.8-5.1

Ubuntu 14.04

libexpat1
libffi6
libfontconfig1
libfreetype6
libgcc1
libpcre3
libstdc++6
libx11-6
libxau6
libxcb1
libxdmcp6
libxext6
libxft2
libxrender1
zlib1g

2.1.0-4ubuntu1.1
3.1~rc1+r3.0.13-12
2.11.0-0ubuntu4.1
2.5.2-1ubuntu2.5
1:4.9.1-0ubuntu1
1:8.31-2ubuntu2
1.2.50-1ubuntu2.14.04.1
4.8.4-2ubuntu1~14.04.1
2:1.6.2-1ubuntu2
1:1.0.8-1
1.10-2ubuntu1
1:1.1.1-1
2:1.3.2-1
2.3.1-2
1:0.9.8-1
1:1.2.8.dfsg-1ubuntu1