Four analysts, one panicked teammate, and a looming zombie horde. It sounds like a Halloween short film (spoiler alert: it is), but the engineering principles behind it are very real. When a team of SOLIDWORKS users brainstormed how to defend a cabin against zombies, they ditched guesswork. Instead, they used Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and electromagnetic simulation.
Whether you’re designing a hydraulic arm to defeat the undead or a real-world product, the same simulation principles apply. The physics don’t change; structural integrity, fluid dynamics, and electromagnetic behavior all follow the same laws.
SOLIDWORKS offers cloud-enabled tools for FEA, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), and Electromagnetic simulation. All of these connect directly to SOLIDWORKS Design, so geometry updates flow instantly into your analysis without extra steps.
Product Simulation of the Living Dead
Picture this: a cabin under siege. You need to know if barriers will hold, how fast-moving fluids behave, and what happens when solid bodies collide with structures. These are exactly the kinds of scenarios FEA and the advanced Abaqus solver are designed to handle.
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Analyst, powered by Abaqus, includes an explicit solver for highly dynamic simulations. Combine it with Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH), and you can analyze:
- Fluid-structure interactions, like water crashing down.
- Complex contact scenarios with multiple moving objects.
- Dynamic events like impacts, splashes, and fractures.
SPH represents fluid and material flow as moving particles rather than on a fixed grid, making it ideal for extreme deformation and high-velocity impacts. Whether it’s water from a defense tower or molten material in a manufacturing process, the math in SOLIDWORKS cloud-enabled FEA simulation tools works the same way.
Electromagnetics Simulation: Your Secret Weapon Against Zombies
Structural defenses are great, but what about detecting and neutralizing threats before they even reach you? Enter electromagnetics simulation.
Electromagnetics Engineer, powered by SIMULIA CST Studio Suite, delivers full 3D electromagnetic and multi-physics analysis for SOLIDWORKS users. In the zombie scenario, this means modeling a reflector dish with a high-power horn antenna to focus microwave energy into a narrow beam. You can:
- Simulate antennas, RF, microwave, and electromagnetic systems
- Visualize fields, currents, losses, and energy propagation
- Couple the electromagnetic results with thermal and multi-physics analysis
These tools solve real-world engineering problems, like optimizing antenna performance, ensuring signal integrity, and achieving EMC/EMI compliance. Electromagnetics Engineer links directly to your SOLIDWORKS Design models, so you can optimize designs early and reduce the need for physical prototypes.
Why Engineers Need Cloud-Enabled Simulation
Zombies aside, engineers everywhere need to know if their designs will hold up under stress, loads, or extreme conditions before building them. That’s where cloud-enabled simulation comes in.
Cloud-enabled FEA uses high-performance remote servers to handle intensive calculations, freeing up your local hardware (and your time). SOLIDWORKS cloud-enabled FEA solutions, powered by Abaqus and connected to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, ensure every geometry update seamlessly flows into your analysis. This integration saves time and helps your team stay focused on what matters, whether saving humanity from the undead or assuring your next product performs as designed.
Here’s the bottom line: fewer prototypes mean lower costs, faster analysis shortens time-to-market, and virtual validation gives you an edge over the competition. Whether you’re working with large assemblies, complex physics, or tight project timelines, cloud-enabled tools are your best bet.
Simulation Turns Guesswork Into Certainty
So, will your design hold up? Whether you’re preparing for a zombie horde or a product launch, simulation replaces guesswork with hard evidence. Advanced FEA and CFD tools with SPH technology, and electromagnetic simulation, let engineers test performance early, minimizing risks and maximizing results.
The zombie defense story may be fictional (or is it?), but the engineering behind it is very real. From manufacturing and aerospace to consumer goods, SOLIDWORKS simulation tools validate designs for virtually any industry. Ready to see how these tools can take your next project to the next level? Forget the undead—let’s talk about your designs.