SHD Sim Shape
Let the gradient choose the shape
Justified by one thing only — the adjoint. Shape sensitivities across many design variables at roughly the cost of a single run, which a parameter sweep cannot match.
This module is available.
What it runs on
Established open-source solvers, bundled or provisioned — the same approach as the CFD module, where the case for paying is the hours the interface saves rather than a solver nobody else has.
SU2
Discrete and continuous adjoint, gradient-based
OpenFOAM
adjointOptimisationFoam exists, but less maturely
Analysis types
3 of them, in 1 groups, each with the backend that serves it. Naming the backend per row is deliberate: it is what tells you whether a capability is a setting away or a different solver entirely.
Adjoint design
Not worth adding as "another CFD solver" — SU2 overlaps OpenFOAM heavily. It earns a place only because the adjoint gives sensitivities for hundreds of design variables at once.
| Analysis type | Backend | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Adjoint shape optimisation | SU2 | Discrete and continuous adjoint, gradient-based |
| Aerodynamic / hydrodynamic design | SU2 | Compressible external aero, turbomachinery |
| Design sensitivity maps | SU2 | Surface sensitivity as a field — a genuinely new post-processing output |
What you would use it for
Written as questions because that is how the work arrives. Nobody sets out to run a modal analysis; they set out to find whether the thing will resonate.
What shape would be better, not just which of mine?
The adjoint gives sensitivity for hundreds of design variables at roughly the cost of one run — a sweep cannot search that space.
Where on this surface should I push?
Design sensitivity as a field on the geometry, which tells you where a change pays and where it does nothing.
Can I cut drag without losing the packaging?
Gradient-based aerodynamic design under geometric constraints.
Who asks these questions
- Aerospace
- Automotive
- Turbomachinery
- Marine and offshore
- Motorsport
Sectors where this analysis is routine — not a claim that we have customers in them.
How to get it
Add Shape on the pricing page, choose named or floating seats, and the same licence unlocks local solving, paid-tier scale and eligible SHD Cloud workflows for this module.