Simulation Driven Design, Engineering and Architecture

Simulation-Driven Design Presentations at CDFAM

CDFAM is the world’s leading event series dedicated to computational design across scales and disciplines. The presentations featured represent a cross-section of the work shared at CDFAM by leading researchers, software developers, and industry engineers who are redefining the future of simulation-driven workflows.

Simulation-driven design has matured into a foundational pillar of advanced engineering practice—spanning applications from 3D printed architected materials to full-scale architectural systems. 

Today, simulation is not just a validation tool, but a generative engine—informing, constraining, and automating decisions across design, optimization, and fabrication.

From real-time cloud-based multiphysics and field-driven design in industrial AM, to uncertainty-aware structural optimization and urban energy analysis, this collection showcases the depth and breadth of simulation’s role across disciplines, scales, and sectors.

"Real-time simulation is finally giving us feedback during design, not just after."
— Andreas Vlahinos

CDFAM creates the critical environment for cross-sector collaboration—bridging academia, software development, and applied industry. Without this kind of shared exchange, teams risk 'bringing a dead bird to the door'—building tools no one wants or methods no one can use.

What follows is a curated overview of presentations from recent and upcoming CDFAM events, highlighting the tools, techniques, and mindsets reshaping simulation’s role in design.

Each example reflects how simulation is actively transforming engineering workflows—ensuring that innovation is both visionary and viable.

Simulation Research and Academic Contributions to Engineering Design at CDFAM

• Sandia National Laboratories – Jeremy Lechman
  Leveraging physics-based modeling for AM process optimization
  (CDFAM 24 NYC)
  Lechman presented how multiscale particle and continuum simulations are used to evaluate microstructure evolution, porosity, and thermal transport in additively manufactured components.

• DTU – Ole Sigmund
  Perfect Designs for Imperfect AM: topology optimization & de-homogenization
  (CDFAM 24 Berlin)
  Sigmund demonstrated how de-homogenization techniques convert periodic topology-optimized microstructures into continuous solid geometries that account for process variability in AM.

• SUPSI – Alberto Ortona
  Additive Manufacturing of Ceramics Using Computational Design
  (CDFAM 24 NYC)
  Ortona demonstrated how computational workflows were applied to design support-free, thermomechanically stable ceramic parts using extrusion-based AM, with focus on toolpath-driven geometry conditioning and printable segmentation strategies tailored to the brittle behavior of ceramics.

• University of Edinburgh – Gabrielis Cerniauskas
  Machine learning for lattice and metamaterial optimization
  (CDFAM 24 NYC)
  Cerniauskas presented a data-driven approach to generate high-performance lattice morphologies using supervised ML models trained on FEA simulations.

• NYU – Daniele Panozzo
  Robust geometry processing for simulation and PDE-constrained shape optimization
  (CDFAM 23 NYC)
  Panozzo introduced an end-to-end geometry processing pipeline—featuring an open-source tetrahedral mesher—designed to robustly convert broken, non-manifold, or degenerate CAD into analysis-ready domains for use in nonlinear elasticity, contact modeling, and differentiable PDE-constrained optimization workflows.

Simulation Software and Computational Design Tools

• nTop + Siemens Energy – Bradley Rothenberg & Markus Lempke
  Field-driven design and simulation workflows for turbine components
  (CDFAM 24 NYC & Berlin)
  They demonstrated workflows where scalar and vector field data—such as temperature, stress, and stiffness maps—are used to drive implicit geometry creation for heat exchanger and turbine component design, enabling high-performance, multi-zone structures with field-specific material distributions and manufacturability constraints embedded directly into the design process.

• Intact Solutions
  Simulation-Driven Continuous Engineering: meshless design feedback
  (CDFAM 24 NYC)
  Presented a continuous analysis framework where meshless solvers provide design-time simulation feedback within a unified geometry kernel, enabling rapid iteration and embedded validation for applications such as customized mechanical parts, structural components, and evolving product assemblies.

• ToffeeX – Thomas Rees
  Physics-driven generative design with multiphysics constraints
  (CDFAM 24 Berlin)
  Rees detailed the integration of adjoint-based multiphysics solvers for early-stage generative exploration in fluid, thermal, and structural domains, with applications ranging from heat exchangers and microfluidic devices to pressure vessels and complex cooling geometries, where real-time feedback allows engineers to balance competing performance objectives.

• Additive Flow – Alexander Pluke
  Volumetric parameter control and simulation-aware optimization
  (CDFAM 24 Berlin)
  This presentation demonstrated how voxel-based simulation outputs, including stress, heat flux, and density fields, are mapped directly to manufacturing parameters like beam power and scan speed. Using the 3MF volumetric extension, this performance data is communicated seamlessly to slicing and build preparation software, enabling localized control for applications such as heat exchangers, orthopedic implants, and load-bearing brackets with optimized internal architectures.

• Altair – Joseph Flynn
  Implicit modeling with designer control for biomedical and AM use
  (CDFAM 24 Berlin)
  Altair presented tools enabling designer control over topology, lattice density, and material distribution through implicit solid modeling workflows, incorporating real-time field evaluations to predict structural performance and inform print feasibility, enabling use cases such as lightweight orthopedic devices, cellular implants, and manufacturable lattice components tuned for strength and flexibility.

• SimScale – David Heiny
  Real-time browser-based simulations and AI surrogate modeling
  (CDFAM 24 Berlin)
  SimScale's GPU-accelerated solvers and AI surrogate models are used to run real-time CFD and thermal simulations in a web browser, enabling engineers to iteratively test and optimize heat sink and enclosure designs without local hardware, as demonstrated in an electronics cooling use case.

• Coreform
  Isogeometric simulation for accurate and robust mechanical analysis
  (CDFAM 24 NYC)
  Coreform explained how smooth T-spline-based geometry, used in isogeometric analysis, eliminates the mesh-geometry mismatch typical in traditional FEA, leading to improved stress convergence and accuracy in large-deformation and contact problems. Their solver integrates directly with CAD using native spline representations, reducing preprocessing time and enabling consistent simulation fidelity for nonlinear structural applications.

• Rafinex – André Wilmes
  Robust optimization and uncertainty quantification in engineering design
  (CDFAM 23 NYC & 24 Berlin)
  This presentation explored how stochastic optimization incorporates variability in loads, boundary conditions, and material properties directly into the design process, allowing engineers to generate solutions that are not just optimal under ideal conditions but consistently high-performing across a range of real-world uncertainties. The approach was applied to structural components such as engine mounts and gripper arms, demonstrating how robustness can be quantified and validated through integrated simulation workflows.

Industry Applications of Simulation-Driven Design in Architecture, Engineering, and Manufacturing

• Royal HaskoningDHV – Gabriel Garcia
  Simulation-Driven MEP Systems for Architectural Integration
  (CDFAM 24 Berlin)
  Garcia presented how performance-based simulation of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) systems—such as airflow, Wi-Fi signal propagation, cabling infrastructure, and equipment serviceability—can guide architectural layout decisions early in the design process. By treating MEP as the nervous system of the building rather than an afterthought, his workflow links spatial planning with operational efficiency, influencing not just the façade but the full architectural configuration.

• Andreas Vlahinos
  Simulation-Driven Design of Lattice Structures
  (CDFAM 24 Berlin)
  Vlahinos presented a workflow for evaluating the mechanical behavior of lattice structures under realistic AM-induced imperfections, emphasizing the significance of finally achieving real-time simulation feedback after decades of relying on time-intensive, iterative testing cycles. His approach showcased how engineers can now assess and adjust lattice performance instantly within the design environment, fundamentally changing how optimization and validation are integrated into the design-for-AM process.

• NASA Goddard – Ryan McClelland
  Generative Design & Digital Manufacturing for Space Structures
  (CDFAM 23 NYC)
  This presentation highlighted how voxel-based topology optimization techniques were used to automate the structural design of lightweight, high-stiffness spaceflight brackets while satisfying mission-specific constraints such as cryogenic stability and vibration resistance. These optimized geometries were directly linked to manufacturing via CNC-compatible toolpath generation, enabling rapid fabrication of fully validated components for NASA missions within a two-week window, integrating simulation at both the part and process levels.

• Ocado Technology – Kiera Exley
  Automation-Enabled Design for Additive Robotic Systems
  (CDFAM 24 NYC)
  Exley outlined the development of internal tools for parametric design and real-time AM suitability checking for industrial automation. These workflows integrate topology optimization to minimize weight while maintaining performance targets for robotic housings and mounts, using simulation-driven constraints such as deformation limits, part orientation, and support minimization. Input parameters include mechanical load paths and build volume constraints, while outputs include AM-ready geometry and metadata for process planning and cost estimation.

• ARUP – Rick Titulaer
  Integrating Urban Simulation and Design for Building Performance
  (CDFAM 24 Berlin)
  Titulaer demonstrated data-driven design workflows that integrate urban-scale energy simulations into ARUP's  InForm platform to guide early-stage form generation. The presentation included a stadium design case study where reflection simulation was used to evaluate glare and thermal impact within the architectural envelope, enabling informed geometry adjustments during the conceptual phase.

Upcoming Presentations at CDFAM Amsterdam: Simulation-Driven Design

CDFAM Amsterdam, July 9-10, 2025 will continue to showcase how simulation is not only validating design intent, but actively shaping form, material distribution, and production strategies across domains. The following upcoming presentations highlight the next wave of simulation-driven workflows, tools, and research:

• Mathias Fuchs – McNeel + cydric
  Isosurface Generation from Simulation Fields in Grasshopper 2
  Fuchs will reveal workflows using Grasshopper 2 and TRmesh/TRfem to derive geometry directly from simulated scalar fields, such as temperature and stress, creating performance-driven structures with embedded environmental responsiveness.

• Thomas Rees – ToffeeX
  System-Level Optimization through Coupled Multiphysics Simulation
  Building on prior work, ToffeeX will present new capabilities in co-optimizing thermal, fluidic, and structural constraints for complex assemblies, showing how early-stage design decisions can be guided by full-system performance predictions.

• Politecnico di Torino – Dario Carbonaro
  Computational Design and Optimization of Self-Expandable Cardiovascular Devices
  Carbonaro will present computational frameworks for designing vascular stents and TAVs using finite element simulations of implantation, unit-cell level topology optimization, and material tuning through NiTi heat treatment—bridging simulation, material science, and device performance.- 

• PhysicsX
  Engineering at Scale with Large Physics Models
  This presentation will outline how pre-trained AI models for aerodynamics, heat transfer, and structural simulation enable engineers to compress months of iterative workflows into minutes, with examples from aerospace and industrial equipment.

• Ansys – Chris Robinson
  Design Optimization for Advanced Manufacturing through Forward-Looking Performance Simulation
  Robinson will present how simulation of structural, thermal, and multi-physics behavior informs early geometry creation and optimization before manufacturing. Use cases include topology-optimized brackets and heat exchangers, with additional opportunities in RF, NVH, and fluid systems. The workflow couples performance simulation directly to advanced manufacturing methods to achieve optimized, application-specific outcomes.

• Altair – Wesley Essink
  Flexible Geometric Modeling and Atypical Simulation Solvers to Streamline Design Optimization
  Essink will showcase Altair Inspire’s integrated design optimization workflow, including multi-representation modeling, persistent boundary conditions, and geometry updates directly tied to simulation findings—all executed without switching tools or formats. Applications include the rapid structural optimization of mechanical components, streamlining iterative design cycles across industries.

• Flexcompute – Momchil Minkov + Qiqi Wang
  Real-Time Computer-Aided Optimization (CAO): How GPU-Native Simulation Changes the Industry
  This talk will demonstrate how GPU-native simulation combined with adjoint and inverse optimization workflows allows for rapid exploration of large design spaces in aerospace and photonics. By integrating real-time, goal-oriented optimization directly into the simulation environment, CAO shifts the design process from reactive validation to predictive synthesis—streamlining development cycles and enabling application-specific performance breakthroughs.

• Cognitive Design Systems – Rhushik MATROJA
  Manufacturing Driven Design
  Matroja will present how real-time Design for Manufacturing (DfM) checks and process-aware design recommendations enable engineers to generate manufacturable parts across AM, machining, casting, and molding workflows. Proven with partners like Safran and Mitsubishi Electric, the platform integrates simulation and manufacturability analysis into a single software loop—reducing design time while maintaining high performance.

• DTU – Luca Breseghello
  Stress-Based Design of Lightweight Horizontal Structures for 3D Concrete Printing
  Breseghello will present a simulation-driven workflow integrating stress-based material placement and FEA with robotic 3D concrete printing to develop beams and slabs with significantly improved strength-to-weight ratios. The talk will cover the design and validation of the 3DLightBeam and 3DLightSlab systems, highlighting life-cycle analysis and structural testing for sustainable concrete construction.

• Cornell University – Tiffany Cheng
  Bioinspired and Biobased 4D-Printing for Adaptive Building Facades
  Cheng will present a computational design workflow integrating material programming, environmental simulation, and 4D printing to create hygromorphic systems for passive climate-responsive facades. Applications span architectural envelopes and self-adjusting bioinspired components across scales.

• KU Leuven – Vanessa Cool
  From Structure to Sound: Unlocking the Potential of Vibroacoustic Design
  Cool will present a vibroacoustic topology optimization framework for designing meta-structures that balance mass, stiffness, and acoustic performance. Applications span from unit cell and metamaterial design to full-scale structural components, with simulation used to guide design from the early stages and ensure compliance with modern acoustic standards.

Register to Attend CDFAM Amsterdam to Connect with Other Experts in Simulation Driven Design

Simulation is no longer an afterthought or a final check—it is the foundation of modern design workflows across disciplines. 

At CDFAM Amsterdam, you'll engage directly with the researchers pushing the boundaries, the developers building the tools, and the engineers applying these methods to solve complex real-world problems.

Don’t miss the opportunity to meet the people behind these presentations, share your perspective, and build the collaborations that will shape what comes next.

Register to Attend CDFAM Amsterdam