Pointwise Release Notes
- Version: Pointwise V18.0 R2
- Release Date: December 2016
- News Release: www.pointwise.com/news/Pointwise-Broadens-Script-Language-Support-CFD-Mesh-Generation.html
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
- Pointwise can now be customized to execute scripts written in virtually any scripting language including Python and Perl and these scripts can call Glyph commands.
- All break points on selected connectors can be deleted using a new toolbar button.
- The Project command now includes the ability to show constrained grid points in the Display window in the same manner as Examine, Database Associativity.
Resolved Issues
| SPR | Description |
|---|---|
| PW-17414 | Initialization of a large unstructured T-Rex block took over 12 hours after a moderate increase in farfield connector dimensions. |
| PW-19141 | Pointwise exited prematurely when initializing an unstructured block. |
| PW-19170 | Initialization of a T-Rex block failed with the error “One or more entities could not be initialized”. |
| PW-19604 | Pointwise was unable to initialize an unstructured block. |
| PW-19884 | Pointwise created abnormally large tetrahedra in the Farfield of an initialized unstructured block. |
| PW-20031 | Added more information to Glyph2 Manual Pages for the general type Filter, as well as the mode types Copier, Creator, Modifier, Paster, and ReExtrusionSolver. |
| PW-20073 | Some plugins were missing from a Mac OSX workstation when the system region was set to Asia-Japan. |
| PW-20078 | The glyph action pw::Object getType was inadvertently obscured by pw::TRexCondition getType. This was affecting a python-glyph wrapper. |
| PW-20082 | Pointwise core dumped when trying to export a large grid to CGNS. |
| PW-20085 | A Coon's Patch was not being created for circles consisting of one database line curve. |
| PW-20088 | The secondary color attribute was not being applied to the interior lines of entities. |
| PW-20089 | A grid exported to Star-CCM+ contained negative volume cells when imported into Star-CCM+. |
| PW-20090 | The transparent background option was permanently disabled on Linux. |
| PW-20091 | The *.tiff format for the Print to File command was not available on Linux workstations. |
| PW-20097 | Pointwise exited prematurely when importing an IGES file created by OpenVSP. |
| PW-20102 | Pointwise's screen was black and numerous error messages appeared when it was executed on a workstation running Mesa with OpenGL 3.1 or higher support. |
| PW-20111 | Quads in Advancing Front Ortho domains were split automatically by the T-Rex algorithm at a sharp edge during the generation of multiple normal off the edge. The split direction chosen resulted in cells with no interior points. |
| PW-20121 | Pointwise V18 was unable to finish importing a STEP file. |
| PW-20144 | A vertex could not be selected during curve creation. |
| PW-20151 | Starting Pointwise when there were no available processes failed which resulted in the appearance of the License Activation Wizard. |
| PW-20156 | Copying and pasting multiple line sources caused one to be deleted. |
| PW-20157 | A UGRID file with surface patch ID's set to zero failed to import into Pointwise. |
| PW-20159 | When trying to connect to one Windows workstation from another with Remote Desktop, Pointwise's display would appear black due to insufficient OpenGL support. |
| PW-20162 | Pointwise exited prematurely when trying to initialize a T-Rex block in which quadrilateral surface elements were being extruded out of very small geometric regions with a very low Maximum Included Angle Skew criteria. |
| PW-20170 | Pointwise was not correctly importing Gridgen CAE settings. |
| PW-20204 | Flip was not working while executing a rotational extrusion. |
| PW-20205 | Setting the Spacing to “User Specified” in structured block solver attributes caused an assertion. |
| PW-20211 | The prescribed Pyramid Aspect Ratio was not being used during initialization for the cells between a structured and unstructured block. |
| PW-20213 | The preference to start the file browser in the current working directory was being ignored on Mac platforms. |
| PW-20228 | A T-Rex block with structured domains in the face was generating zero height pyramids off the quads during initialization. |
| PW-20233 | The Glyph manual pages for the Rotational Extrusion Solver Attributes contained a minor typo in the description for RotateAxisStart. |
| PW-20234 | Boundary Conditions that had the same ID number were exported to CFD++ with zero faces. |
| PW-20237 | Unrelated domains were selected after the completion of a domain projection operation. |
| PW-20240 | No cells were display on an examination cut of the Skewness Equivolume diagnostic function for a block containing mixed cells. |
| PW-20241 | The Glyph manual pages for the Rotational Extrusion Solver Attributes did not contain an example usage for the NormalCornerFactor attribute. |
| PW-20244 | Refining two T-Rex domains on a wing caused Pointwise to exit prematurely. |
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 V18.0 R1 and later will not be supported on 32-bit platforms.
| Hardware | 64-bit | |
|---|---|---|
Microsoft Windows |
Intel
AMD |
|
Linux |
Intel
AMD |
|
Mac OS X |
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
libpng16-16
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
libpng12-0
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
Mac OS X
| Operating System | Version | 64-bit |
|---|---|---|
| Mountain Lion | 10.8 | |
| Mavericks | 10.9 | |
| Yosemite | 10.10 | |
| El Capitan | 10.11 |
Important: Pointwise V18.1 R1 will not support Mac OS X versions older than 10.10.
Other Versions
Pointwise V18.6 R3
Pointwise V18.6 R2
Pointwise V18.6 R1
Pointwise V18.5 R2
Pointwise V18.5 R1
Pointwise V18.4 R4
Pointwise V18.4 R3
Pointwise V18.4 R2
Pointwise V18.3 R2
Pointwise V18.3 R1
Pointwise V18.2 R2
Pointwise V18.2 R1
Pointwise V18.1 R2
Pointwise V18.1 R1
Pointwise V18.0 R4
Pointwise V18.0 R3
Pointwise V18.0 R2
Pointwise V18.0 R1