RANS Flow or Panel Flow
Hi there,
I am working on a project with a deadline of the start of next week, so quick help would be most appreciated.
I have attached a link to a download of a .dae file below. (built in sketchup)
http://www.sendspace.com/file/o2qlve
Although I have used Caedium before, it was only for very simple tasks compared to the one at hand.
I need to create an air flow through the attached model, entering through the double doors at the bottom and exiting through the two doors on the second floor, just above.
It is a model of the Barbican art gallery in London.
The aim is to have a resulting video mapping how a massive blast of air would circulate through the space.
As it is for an art project the emphasis is on an aesthetically pleasing circulation of arrows rather than the data.
I have an example on my website of a still I created before, ideally i would like something similar but animated.
http://www.robchavasse.co.uk/ (go to weather report)
My main question is would the best way to go about this be through panel flow? Can i then export as .avi?
If so I think i could work on the .dae (in Sketchup) and in Caedium to bond it to a solid (maybe simplified) volume, then apply panel flow to it?
Does this sound like the right method of inquiry, before I invest too much time into it?
Thank you so much for any help.
Rob Chavasse
Feedback
Questions? Ideas? Problems?
SketchUp Modeling Tips
First you need to make sure the SketchUp model has all the geometry defined - currently you are missing the doors.
Also you need to ensure that all the edges in the SketchUp model are shared by 2 faces.
I noticed that some larger edges are not split with smaller coincident edges. To fix use the SketchUp line tool to redraw the smaller edge and then if the two shared faces are planar, use the SketchUp eraser tool to remove the edge to form a single face.
Sometimes during import into Caedium a face will merge with a neighbor and not honor a edge that separated the two faces in SketchUp. In this case you need to make a copy of one of the two faces and export it in a separate COLLADA file. Delete the face in the original SketchUp model and export the remaining model. In Caedium import both COLLADA files and then use the Edges->Connect tool on the Geometry Tool Palette to connect the coincident edges.
All things being well you can go ahead in Caedium and use the Volume->Stitch tool with the Topology Only property switched on to form your flow volume.
The Panel Flow method assumes irrotational flow, so it can not simulate recirculation regions. In light of your requirement for aesthetics I'd suggest using the RANS Flow method.
To export a movie (.avi) you'll need to animate something. You have a number of options:
Or some combination of the above.