Contact UsWhy CAE Needs CI/CD Now
Design cycles are tighter, models are larger, and decisions depend on repeatable physics results. Manual, analyst-specific steps create delays and inconsistencies that ripple through programs. Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) brings proven software engineering discipline to simulation: version control, automated checks, and push-button reproducibility from pre-processing through reporting.
This is not “more tools.” It is a way to make your existing Ansys investments work at scale, across teams and programs.
What CI/CD Means for Simulation Teams
Continuous Integration
Every change to a model, script, or material library is committed to a central repository. Automated jobs run validation checks: mesh metrics, solver settings, boundary conditions, and quick regression solves. Bad changes are flagged immediately.
Continuous Delivery
When a change passes the quality gates, a pipeline produces ready-to-consume artifacts: solved results, standardized plots, KPI tables, and a PDF/HTML report stored with traceability.
The result is a reliable “simulation factory” that anyone on the team can operate.
The Core Building Blocks
Git and repository hygiene
- Store models, macros, materials, mesh recipes, and post-processing scripts.
- Use branches for feature work, pull requests for reviews, and tags for releases.
- Track metadata in a machine-readable manifest (model ID, solver version, units).
Ansys Solution Application Framework (SAF)
- Orchestrates simulation tasks as repeatable steps: geometry prep, meshing, solving, post-processing, and reporting.
- Encodes best practices as templates that any analyst can reuse.
- Exposes parameters to upstream systems for parametric and optimization loops.
Mechanical ACT extensions
- Add custom panels and buttons inside Ansys Mechanical to enforce standards.
- Auto-apply naming conventions, contact settings, mesh controls, and result objects.
- Reduce “click-path” variation and training burden for new users.
PyAnsys and Fluent/Mechanical scripting
- Drive Ansys solvers headless for batch runs.
- Extract KPIs to CSV/JSON for dashboards and audits.
- Build lightweight GUIs for non-programmers who still need to run the pipeline.
CI engines
- Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, or Azure DevOps trigger jobs on commit, schedule, or API calls.
- Integrate with on-prem HPC schedulers or Ansys Cloud for elastic capacity.
Getting Started in Four Sprints
Sprint 1: Inventory and Standardize
Identify two high-volume workflows. Capture current steps, inputs, and KPIs. Define quality gates.
Sprint 2: Template and Script
Create SAF templates and ACT extensions. Automate pre-processing and post-processing with PyAnsys.
Sprint 3: Wire CI and HPC
Connect Git to the CI engine. Stand up runners with access to Ansys solvers. Validate a small pipeline.
Sprint 4: Prove Value
Run side-by-side for a month. Track cycle time, failure rate, and rework. Expand to a second domain.
Metrics that Show ROI
- Setup time per run
- Number of reruns due to setup errors
- Queue time to the first result and to the final report
- KPI stability across analysts and sites
- Percentage of runs passing quality gates on the first attempt
- Cost per study (solver hours and human hours)
Where SimuTech Group Fits In
Process discovery: Map your current flow and identify automation candidates.
Template design: Build SAF templates and ACT extensions that encode best practices.
Scripting and integration: Develop PyAnsys libraries and connect CI engines to HPC or Ansys Cloud.
Governance: Define quality gates, manifests, and reporting standards that satisfy engineering and audit needs.
Enablement: Train engineers to use and extend the pipeline without becoming programmers.
Our goal is simple: make high-quality simulation repeatable, scalable, and fast.
CI/CD transformed software because it replaced heroic effort with reliable systems. The same is now possible in CAE. When simulation pipelines are versioned, automated, and verified by quality gates, teams move faster, decisions get clearer, and results stand up to scrutiny.
Improve Your Productivity Today
If you want to see efficiencies like these working on your models, request a Simulation Workflow Automation consultation, and we’ll outline a pilot tailored to your tools, team, and targets.
