Top 10 architected materials and lattice design videos

nTop is known for its unmatched architected materials and lattice structure design capabilities, and we have a lot of videos to prove it. Here we have compiled a list of our most popular videos on this topic (as of January 2021) — ordered from basic to advanced.

Choosing a lattice

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There’s no shortage of lattice types to choose from, and virtually no limits to the scale and level of repetition you can generate with them in nTop. Simulating a one thousand unit cell lattice with traditional solid elements can bring the design process to a halt. Increase that to a million or billion unit cells, and homogenization will be your new favorite feature.

How to accelerate FE simulations of lattices using homogenization

Controlling gyroids

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Gyroids and triply periodic structures are some of the more popular unit cells used by engineers. Many of them inherently have two distinct fluid domains, making them natural choices for heat exchangers. They are also a great combination of stiffness, strength, low density, and manufacturability (due to their continuous walls). These two videos show how to adapt, tailor, and morph them to different form factors and to simulation data.

How to design and control lattice structures and gyroids part 1

How to design and control lattice structures and gyroids part 2

Designing for impact absorption

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Helmets and impact protection are excellent applications for architected materials. Their high customizability and low density allow for highly tunable crush responses which can be optimized for the relevant impact conditions. In these two videos from our recent DfAM eSeries, you will learn aspects of bio-inspired design and how to begin in the design process.

DfAM eSeries: Control the collapse – Architected materials for impact absorption

DfAM eSeries: Impact-resistant lattice structures inspired by biological armor

Footwear texturing

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Have you ever wondered how the wild tread patterns on your running shoes are modeled? And how these can be applied across product lines with dozens of different sizes and configurations? This three-part mini-series with footwear expert Andrew Reitz shows you how.

nTop Live: Data-driven computational design of footwear traction textures part 1

nTop Live: Data-driven computational design of footwear traction textures part 2

nTop Live: Data-driven computational design of footwear traction textures part 3

Field mastery

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If you’ve made it this far, it’s time for the final bosses. In these two videos, Implicit Modeling Grandmasters, Matt Shomper and Blake Courter show how far the core modeling engine of nTop can stretch. In the first video, Matt shows how to conformally map periodic structures into just about any shape. In the second, Blake shows increasingly intricate heat exchanger geometries -- eventually working up to a quad-fluid heat exchanger and multi-fluid reactor vessel. Fasten your seatbelts!!

nTop Live: Designing manufacturing-ready conformal lattices and periodic structures

nTop Live: Periodic structures with multiple domains for heat transfer and beyond

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