Nvidia Maximus looks to bring order to GPU compute workflows for simulation and rendering

Nvidia Maximus consists of a Quadro graphics card and a Tesla GPU compute board, tied together by a unified driver in a certified Nvidia Maximus workstation.

Ecce Maximus (behold Maximus), we proclaim, giving our best impression of having had a classical education.

We’re not talking about the resurrection of Russell Crowe in Gladiator here though,Maximus is a new (Graphics Processing Unit) GPU technology from Nvidia that the Santa Clara firm reckons will revolutionise engineering and visualisation workflows on workstations.

The concept is simple. Deploy two GPUs in a workstation instead of one. GPU ‘A’ is a Nvidia Quadro graphics card used exclusively for 3D graphics, while GPU ‘B’ is a specialist Nvidia Tesla GPU compute card reserved for complex rendering or simulation calculations. According to Nvidia, this solves a common problem in GPU compute workflows where software competes for GPU and CPU resources and one operation often wins out at the expense of the other. In such circumstances, the workstation can only work efficiently when performing linear workflows - design or simulate, or design or render, but never both operations at the same time.

While the concept of having two GPUs in a workstation is nothing new, Nvidia says all the clever stuff happens in the unified Nvidia Maximus driver. It is this driver that intelligently allocates jobs to each GPU, helping ensure there are sufficient GPU (and CPU) resources left in the locker to perform concurrent tasks efficiently. Nvidia explains how users can continue to design freely in 3D, while the OpenCL or CUDA-based rendering or simulation application, performs its complex calculations in the background. This is designed to encourage new iterative workflows for both design and simulation. Users can get visual or performance-based feedback on designs much quicker, enabling many more options to be evaluated at the same juncture in the product development process.

The marketing folks at Nvidia are currently promoting Maximus in the context of a handful of design and engineering applications.

SolidWorks 2010 (design) + Ansys Mechanical 13.0 SP2 / 14.0 (simulation)

PTC Creo Parametric 1.0 m010 or PTC Pro/Engineer 5.0 (design) + Ansys Mechanical 13.0 SP2 / 14.0 (simulation)

Dassault Systèmes Catia V5/V6 (design) + Simulia Abaqus 6.11-1 or newer (simulation)

MathWorks MATLAB R2011b + MATLAB Parallel Computing Toolbox (simulation)

Catia V6 Live Rendering (V6R2011x or newer) featuring Nvidia iRay (design and rendering)

3ds Max 2012 featuring iRay (modeling and rendering).

In the following slides, Nvidia shows how, with Maximus, a user can continue to work in SolidWorks with no loss of performance, even when performing a simulation in Ansys. And that the simulation runs quicker.

At time of writing, we’re not sure which CAD/CAE applications are yet ‘certified’ for Nvidia Maximus, but that’s certainly the plan going forward. More applications are likely to be given the official Nvidia Maximus endorsement if or when they develop GPU-compute capabilities with OpenCL or CUDA.

With a view to delivering a complete solution, Nvidia has also got all the major workstation vendors on board and Nvidia Maximus workstations are available from HP, Dell, Lenovo and Fujitsu. While Nvidia is recommending single CPU workstations as an entry point for Maximus, a dual CPU workstation is likely to make the most out of the technology.
And while Nvidia’s top end workstation recommendation, featuring dual Xeon processors, 24GB RAM, a Quadro 6000 and a Tesla C2075 doesn’t come cheap, Nvidia also makes the valid point that some simulation software charges per CPU core, and with a single Tesla board counting as a single core, the overall solution cost could be reduced.

We’re going to take a closer look at Nvidia Maximus in the December/January edition of DEVELOP3D. We promise to keep the Russell Crowe references to a minimum.

Source:DEVELOP 3D blog

Mastercam X6 Release Highlights

Mastercam X6 delivers full 64-bit support and a powerful set of new tools to help you make the most of your shop. We've listed some highlights below (click the video icon to see a quick demonstration):

Mill and Router:

• The new in-process stock model delivers an accurate representation of your part as toolpaths are applied to it. The model can be verified and used as the basis for additional toolpaths. 
• Enhanced dynamic milling includes finer control and additional time savings. 
• Fast 2D HST region chaining dramatically speeds up dynamic toolpath programming. 
• Smart rest roughing uses the new in-process stock model to create a highly efficient pass to remove stock remaining from a larger tool
• Hybrid finish "filler" passes divide your part into a series of Z sections and applies two different machining strategies to each section for a superior finish.

Lathe:

• Variable depth roughing for longer insert life. 
• Easy pick, pull and cutoff operations. 
• Remaining stock removal. 
• Smart finishing that identifies and cuts flats and walls with different motion. 
• Finish tool inspection. 
• Enhanced canned rough and finish toolpaths.
• New finish feed / speed facing and canned grooving controls.

Wire:

• Enhanced autosyncing.
• Improved wirepath editing.
• New force wire taper to vertical options.

CAD Tools:

• Finer control over intersecting and trimming solid edges.
• Enhanced solid trim to surface.
• Dynamic transform along a vector.

Blade Expert: 

With the release of Mastercam X6 , we're also introducing Mastercam Blade Expert, a new purchasable add-on designed for multi-bladed parts. This powerful tool can be added to Mastercam Mill Level 3 or Router Pro, and delivers:

• Powerful programming for fans, propellers, impellers, turbines, marine screws and more.
• Variety of efficient roughing strategies.
• Precise curt pattern control on blade, fillet, and floor finishing.
• Automatic tool axis control.
• Full machine simulation.

Imagine, Design, Create Now on Your iPad

Thanks to Steve of the the Autodesk Blog “Autodesk Manufacturing Northern Europe” for the heads up on the new Autodesk Imagine Design Create iPad app now available free in the Apple app store.
The Autodesk Imagine Design Create book was released this March in print at the TED 2011 conference.
The book celebrates the impact of design. Imagine Design Create and tells stories of how technology is transforming the very nature of design.
Bringing together stories of good design happening around the world, Imagine Design Create shows how people are using fresh design approaches and new capabilities to solve problems, create opportunities, and improve the way we live and work.
The iPad app includes the book as well as interactive features including a tour of the Autodesk Gallery in San Francisco.
Features:

• More than 30 minutes of video
• 13 original video interviews exclusive to the app
• Interactive infographics
• More than 250 stunning images, including dozens seen only in the app
• Slideshows and interactive photo features
• Visual table of contents for quick and easy navigation

Some images from the new interactive iPad app:
  
You can download the iPad App from Apples’ App Store
Link to Imagine Design Create in the App Store
Also check out the several other apps from Autodesk including another app Autodesk ForceEffect.

Source:

Between the Lines