• Sketching
  The new parametric sketching ribbon now features a constraints legend and a variety of new tools. You can apply variables when using most tools, and edit sketches using the new History Browser (F6).
  
  • Constraints Legend - Inspire now provides feedback as to whether a sketch is under-constrained or over-constrained in the new sketch legend.
  • Project - Project selected geometry onto the sketch plane.
  • Intersect - Extract curves resulting from the intersection of the sketch plane with selected parts.
  • Polygons - Sketch a regular polygon by defining the center and radius, or sketch a parallelogram by defining three corners.
  • Ellipses - Sketch an ellipse by defining the center, width, and height. You can also create an open ellipse by adding start and end points.
  • Splines - Sketch a spline curve using fit points or controls points. When using the Spline Through Points tool, the spline curve will pass through the sketch points. Splines Using Control Points will pass near, but not through, the sketch points.
  • Dimensions - Apply and edit a dimensional constraint to control the size and proportions of a sketch entity.
  • Extend - Extend or shorten a sketch entity.
  • Fillet - Round the corners of a sketch entity to create fillets.
  • Mirror - Mirror selected sketch entities about an axis.
  • Offset - Offset selected sketch entities by clicking and dragging the original sketch.
  
• Geometry
  The updated parametric Geometry ribbon now features new tools for Reference Geometry, Extract, and Shell. You can apply variables when using most tools, and edit geometry using the new History Browser (F6).
  
  • Reference Geometry - Create reference planes, references axes, and reference points from geometry features or other reference entities.
  • Extract - Extract selected geometry features and transfer them to a new part.
  • Shell - Remove material and create thin walls to generate a shelled part.
  Additional Changes and Enhancements for Geometry:
  
  • The Move tool has been updated so that moves can now be referenced.
  • The Push/Pull tool now allows you to add, subtract, replace, or create a new part from the result of sketch face that has been pushed or pulled. The default is to add to the current part.
  • The Keep Original and Instance options for the Mirror tool have been moved to the Find Options menu.
  • The visualization for Boolean tools has been updated.
  • The Cut tool has been renamed Slice.
  • The Midsurface tool now remembers your previous selection for Mid vs. S1/S2.
• PolyNURBS
  The updated parametric PolyNURBS ribbon now features new tools to move and mirror PolyNURBS bodies. PolyNURBS now retain all downstream geometry operations such as Booleans and fillets even after manipulating the cage. You can edit PolyNURBS using the new History Browser (F6).
  
  • Move Bodies - Translate or rotate PolyNURBS bodies.
  • Mirror Bodies - Mirror the bodies of a PolyNURBS part around a symmetry plane.
  • Subdivision Surface - Select the Subdivision Surface check box in the upper right corner of the modeling window to maintain the part as a mesh-based subdivision surface rather than converting to NURBS surfaces. This makes it much faster to exit the tool, as it won’t perform the NURBS surface conversion.
  Additional Changes and Enhancements for PolyNURBS:
  
  • The Edit PolyNURBS tool has been removed, as editing is now handled through the History Browser.
  • The Close tool has been renamed Repair.
• Structures
  
  • Updates to Contact Gap and Penetration Values for SimSolid Analysis - The default contact settings are now the same for both the SimSolid and OptiStruct solvers.
  • Reset Refine Results for SimSolid Analysis - You can now reset any SimSolid results you’ve refined in the Analysis Explorer.
  Additional Changes and Enhancements for Structures:
  
  • Section cuts can now be visualized in part color.
• Motion
  
  • Plot Manager Improvements - Improvements have been made to the Plot Manager for motion post-processing, including:
    
    • Showing entity icons in the Plot Browser that can also reflect whether entity is currently hidden or not.
    • Renaming of containers such as Supports (instead of Constraints) and Connectors (instead of Spiders) in the Plot Browser.
    • Denoting when a plot has had Show during analysis or Freeze enabled.
    • Automatically dismissing plots when exiting the Review Motion Results tool.
    • Using an internally stored representation of plot template instead of using disk-based autosave operations.
    • Improved template robustness for handling cases when some model entities have been suppressed.
    
  • Parts List and Report File for Rigid Groups - The Rigid Groups table now includes a Parts column that lists the parts contained in each rigid group. Additionally, there are now buttons to save and view a rigid groups report file. This report contains more detailed information including the mass, mass moment of inertia, center of gravity location, and more.
  • Lock Option for Spring Dampers - The Coil Spring and Torsion Spring microdialogs now have a Lock button similar to the lock feature for motors and actuators. When locked, the spring-dampers do not deform, and you can plot the Lock Force (for coil spring) and Lock Torque (for torsion spring) to understand the loading or to determine the preload required for the design position. For convenience, you can also find the Lock checkbox available on the context menu for springs, as a column in the springs table, as well as in the Property Editor under the General category. The locked state is also reported in the Model Browser and the Plot Browser in Plot Manager.
  • Implicit Joint for Coil Springs - The Parallel Mounts Joint property for coil springs now offers a Translational implicit joint as an alternative to the previously available Cylindrical joint.
  • Implicit Joint Behavior Setting - An option for specifying Implicit Joint Behavior has been added to the Run Settings dialog in the Connectors category under the Advanced section. Rigid is the default setting for implicit joint behavior.
  • Export MDL with Plant Output Signals for Motion Contacts - The Provide Signals to Plant option is now available for motion contacts, but is disabled by default. It can be found in the Property Editor and when enabled, the motion export operation will include contact force output plant signals in the .mdl file for use in MotionView, MotionSolve, and Altair Activate
  Additional Changes and Enhancements for Motion:
  
  • Expanded range for damping in coil spring-dampers: We now allow entry of 0.0 for the coil spring damping rate. This is useful when you want to study the effect of having no damping without altering the spring-damper type.
  • New filter buttons on Force Explorer: More buttons have been added to the Force Explorer for connectors and fasteners.
  • Animation (H3D) file writing improvement: If enabled in the Motion Run Settings, this file will now be created even if you stop the run manually or if the run fails during the motion analysis.
  • Jump to Contact Event improvement: The Jump to Contact Event buttons on the Force Explorer now work within the start and end times of the animation range specification.
• Print3D
  
  • Improved Geometry Integration - Parametric geometry that is created in Inspire is now seamlessly integrated with Print3D. Edits made to geometry using construction history are carried over and automatically reflected in Print3D operations.
  • Run Jobs on a Remote Server - You can now run jobs remotely on an Altair PBS server. You can also choose to locally run Print 3D jobs either sequentially or in parallel.

Inspire - General

• Toolbelts
  Inspire now has four toolbelts for quick access to tools for geometry, structures, motion and PolyNURBS. All toolbelts are fully customizable.

   

  

   

• Shortcuts for Quick Analysis and Force Explorer
  You can now run the function keys to run a structural analysis (F8) or motion analysis (F9) or open the Force Explorer (F10).

   

  

   

• Download Offline Help
  You can now download and install an offline help package from within the product.

Inspire - Structures

• SimSolid Analysis
  You can now use SimSolid as your solver when running a structural analysis in Inspire. This gives you the ability to edit geometry as well as yielding significantly faster results when running an analysis in Inspire.

   

  

   

• Cylindrical Coordinate Systems
  You can now create cylindrical coordinate systems from the Systems tool microdialog.
• Displacement Component Results in Local Systems
  Displacement components can now be reviewed in local systems using the Animation toolbar.
• Pressure Mapping
  It is now possible to apply a non-uniform distributed pressure using an option in the Pressure tool’s microdialog.

   

  

   

Inspire - Motion

• Plot Manager for Motion
  Manually browse and plot motion results data, create cross plots (i.e.,data vs. data), define pages in different layouts, and save the plots you've defined as a template for reuse.

   

  

   

• Analytical Motion Contacts for Box Primitives
  If motion contact sets contain parts that are detected as box primitives, the solution between the box and other analytical shapes (sphere, cylinder, and frustum) will now be analytical rather than mesh-based. Using geometric primitives in these cases generally improves the efficiency of the solution.
• Force Computation Option for Motion Contacts
  Motion contacts now have a Force Computed At option available from the guide bar options menu, microdialog, table, and property editor. The new Nodes option can be used to obtain more accurate contact normals for mesh-based contacts in certain applications, such as a sliding contact between a flat region on one part and a curved region on another.
• Plots of Jerk and Angular Jerk
  Jerk and Angular Jerkplot components are now available in the plot context menu for actuator and motor, respectively. They can be used to measure the derivative of acceleration during transient motion analysis.

   

  

   

• Export Data at Output Steps Only
  When exporting CSV files from a model that includes motion contacts, there is now an additional option in the context menu that allows you to export only the output steps.
• Write a.h3d Output File from MotionSolve
  You now have the option to select Generate Animation File in the Advanced section of the Run Motion Analysis window. When enabled, MotionSolve will write a run.h3d file to the run history folder at the end of a successful motion analysis. This file can be used to playback the animation in HyperWorks(via HyperView) or using the stand-alone HyperView Player.

   

  

   

Inspire - Print3D

• Min Undercut tool
  This new tool orients the part to minimize the supports needed for 3D printing. It analyzes possible orientations and selects the one that minimizes the total area of the undercut surfaces.

• Lattice Optimization
  Inspire 2018 is able to fill (parts of) the structure with small beams that can vary in length and thickness to create an even lighter optimized shape.Benefits:
  
  • Use for implants in medical applications so that tissue and bones can grow through
  • Use for heat sink design where air can flow easily
  • Use for infills of hollow products instead of a random hatching pattern
• Better 3D printing support
  Inspire 2018 has a number of functions to make sure created shapes 3D print well:
  
  • Overhang protection at a given angle
  • Lattice structure to be exported in STL
• PolyNURBS Improvements
  It is now easier than ever to wrap a generated shape with a supersmooth PolyNURBS geometry:
  
  • Autofit a wrapped shape to match the optimized shape as much as possible
  • Create sharp edges
  • Create flat surfaces
  • Fillet PolyNURBS geometry to underlying geometry
• Spreadsheet Linking
  It is now possible to link several Load Cases into a spreadsheet to quickly explore multiple strength cases.
• Motion
  A number of improvements have been implemented in the Inspire Motion Module:
  
  • You can now add friction to joints
  • You can you alter Motor characteristics interactively using the new Profile Editor
  • You can now move points and geometry directly on the screen interactively
• New Bonding options
  When creating Mid Surface Geometry for Sheet Metal Analysis you can now add Spot Welds. It is also possible to specify the weld material.
• No Mac OS X version
  No Mac version will be developed after version 2017.1. Mac users may migrate to the Inspire Unlimited version online at http://unlimited.solidthinking.com/inspire/.

• Motion Ribbon - The tools on the new Motion ribbon can be used to easily mechanize your model and perform a motion analysis.
• Ground Parts - The new Ground tool allows you to designate one or more parts that are considered to be ground and therefore immovable during motion analysis.
• Rigid Groups - The new Rigid Groups tool allows you to group a collection of parts together so they are treated as one rigid body for the purposes of motion analysis. This allows for efficiencies when building up motion models.
• Joints - The enhanced Joints tool allows you to connect parts together based on neighboring parts and designate whether they should be locked, active, or free. It also includes a greater variety of joint types that can be created (hinge, cylindrical, translational, ball and socket, planar) and finds more locations where joints can be placed (spherical, cylindrical, planar, and multi-planar pairs).
• Motors - The new Motors tool allows you to drive parts in a rotational manner and define angle, speed, or acceleration with built-in profile functions. The Use Controller option helps you to better diagnose situations where mechanical lock-up or motor stalling may occur.
• Actuators - The new Actuators tool allows you to drive parts in a translational manner and define displacement, speed, or acceleration with built-in profile functions. The Connected Parts option automatically finds connected part pairs that can be actuated.
• Springs - The new Springs tools allow you to create coil springs and torsion springs between parts. Movement of the spring-dampers can be visualized during analysis and review of the motion results.
• Gravity - The new Gravity tool allows you to visualize the direction of gravity in your model and reorient it using the Move tool.
• Run Motion Analysis - You can run a motion analysis using the Quick Run button on the Analyze icon to view instant feedback on how your model moves during motion analysis. Use the Run Settings to define whether to run a static or transient analysis and to define other run parameters.
• Review Motion Results - Motion analysis results can be played back for review. Results like forces, displacement, velocities, etc., can be plotted in a chart by clicking on an entity or selecting it from the Model Browser. A context menu on the chart allows you to export to .csv format.

Geometry Tools

• Partitions - The new Partition tool can be used to divide a part into design and non–design regions by selecting a hole, pocket, or face to offset.

Structure

• Bead Patterns - Bead patterns have been moved out of the Property Editor and are now a tool on the Structure ribbon. The visualization has been changed to make it clearer where the bead boundaries are.
• Grounded Fasteners and Joints - When defining connections, you can now create grounded bolts, grounded screws, grounded pins and grounded sliding pins that act as supports in load cases.
• Fastener Optimization - When optimizing using grounded fasteners or cylindrical supports, you can now constrain the axial and shear forces using the optimization properties in the Property Editor.
• Connection Stiffness - You can now enable connection stiffness in the Property Editor, which allows for better approximation of axial and shear stiffness in grounded fasteners, grounded joints, and cylindrical supports.
• Part-to-Part Contacts - Contacts can now be defined between surfaces or manually created between parts.

PolyNURBS Tools

• Create PolyNURBS - The new Create tool allows you to quickly create free-form solid geometry that is smooth and continuous.
• Wrap - The new Wrap tool allows you to quickly generate polynurbs geometry by clicking along the contour of your existing shape.
• Add/Remove - The new +/- tool allows you to add a new cage to the face of an existing cage, allowing you to quickly build the basic shape of a polyNURBS object.
• Loop - The new Loop tool allows you to draw an edge loop around a cage.
• Bridge - The new Bridge tool allows you to connect two cages together. You can also use it to create a hole through an existing cage.
• Sharpen - The new Sharpen tool allows you to sharpen the edges of the underlying geometry at the edge of the control cage.

Geometry Tools

• Midsurface - The new Midsurface tool allows you to find and extract 2D sheets from single thickness thin solid geometry.
• Mirror - The new Mirror tool allows you to reflect selected parts across a symmetry plane.
• Scale - The new Scale tool allows you to resize selected parts.
• Revolve - The new Revolve tool allows you to revolve a planar face around an edge, a line, or a cylindrical hole. You can also create a new part by holding down the Ctrl or Shift key as you pull.
• Push/Pull - The updated Push/Pull tool allows you to create a new part by holding down the Ctrl or Shift key as you pull.

User Interface / Workflow

• Section Cuts - The new Section Cut tool allows you to view 2D cross-sections of your model.
• Move Tool - The updated Move tool features updated graphic manipulators with larger pick targets. You can also double-click to reposition the tool.

Setup Tools

• Enforced Displacements - The new Enforced Displacements tool can be used when the magnitude of a force applied to a part is unknown, but you do know how much the part displaces as a result of that force.
• Angular Velocity and Acceleration - The new Angular Velocity and Accelerations tool allows you to define the speed of rotation of the entire model and the axis about which it rotates.
• g-Loads - The new g-Loads tool allows you to simulate a model undergoing acceleration, which imparts a force on all of the parts in the model.
• Temperature Loads - The new Temperatures tool allows you to simulate the effects of temperature changes on your model.

Optimization and Analysis

• Buckling Analysis - You can now analyze your model for buckling modes, which are used to predict when a part will bend or collapse under load.
• Compare - The new Compare tool allows you to compare the results of analysis or optimization runs.
• Callouts - You can now add callouts to view results at specific locations on your model.

File Input / Output

• PDM - Inspire now allows you to open models from Teamcenter or Windchill PDM systems. It’s also possible to save Inspire models back to your PDM system.

• Contacts Tool
  The new Contacts tool allows users to find neighboring parts and designate whether they should be bonded, contacting, or have no contact.
• Fastener and Joints tools
  Connect multiple parts in a model using the Fastener and Joints tools to add bolts, screws, pins, or sliding pins.
• Gravity loads
  Gravity loads can now be added to a model through the Model Browser.
• New ribbon-style user interface
  New ribbon-style user interface with tools organized into tabs.

• Solid Editing Tools
  Powerful Boolean operations with instant visual feedback.
• Geometry Simplification
  Remove imprints, rounds, fillets, holes and pockets.
• Concentrated Mass Parts
  Create a concentrated mass either on a part or at a point in space.
• Concept Generation
  Evaluate concepts with maximum stiffness or minimum mass.
• Analysis
  Investigate linear static and normal modes analysis on a model.
• Smoothing Options
  Create surface models from Inspire and export as a geometry file for refinements in CAD.

• Minimizing Mass - When running optimization, users can now choose to either maximize stiffness or minimize mass.
• Stress Constraint - A Global stress constraint can be applied to limit the maximum stress in the model during optimization.
• Displacement Constraints - Displacement Constraints can be applied to a model to limit deflections in desired locations and directions.
• Extrude Draw Direction - The new extrusion shape control generates constant cross-section topologies in a specified direction.
• Localized Language Support - Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguse and Spanish are now supported.