FAQ

Discover our most Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

Who is the USA company that developed Fidelity Pointwise?

The predecessor of Fidelity Pointwise is called GRIDGEN which is built to generate unstructured finite-volume grids. GRIDGEN is supported by U.S. Geological Survey. Fidelity Pointwise inherited most of the grid generation methods from GRIDGEN and combined them with more modern software interfaces. It is now owned and supported by Cadence.

Why should I purchase Pointwise instead of a 360° CFD software?

First of all, it is much cheaper than a complete CFD suite. Also, the meshing expertise of Pointwise makes its meshing quality stand out among other CFD software that focus more on CFD models and algorithms. So it is a better choice if the users have higher requirements on the meshing part or have their own or open-source CFD models.

What is the difference between Fidelity Pointwise and Pointwise?

Pointwise, Inc. was acquired by Cadence Design Systems, Inc. in 2021 to expand its system analysis offerings addressing CFD meshing for aerospace applications. The software Pointwise later changed its name to Fidelity Pointwise as a part of Cadence’s CFD suite of products. They have different licensing platforms (PLM for Pointwise and FlexNet for Fidelity Pointwise). Their features are precisely the same until Pointwise 18.6 and Fidelity Pointwise V2022.1. Afterwards, only Fidelity Pointwise is kept up to date.

Tool Testing

Can I test Fidelity Pointwise tool before purchasing a license?

Yes, of course. You can request a free trial representing your company or institution. Usually, the time is one month during which you can test the software to see if it suits your needs. Our engineering team is also always ready to answer any of your questions.

How can I request a demo or trial version?

Please follow the link to fill out the form for a free trial. Please note that Pointwise is a commercial application, and a trial is intended for evaluation purposes only. One of our engineers will be in touch to discuss your requirements before a trial is approved.

Licensing

What are the different licensing options available?

There are two primary licensing options available: Annual License and Perpetual License. The Annual License includes maintenance and support in the fee, while for the Perpetual License, the first year's maintenance is covered, and subsequent maintenance can be purchased after the initial 12 months.

How can I purchase a license for Fidelity Pointwise?

To initiate the process, kindly complete the form on our contact page with your specific request. Upon receipt, we will promptly respond with a detailed quotation. Upon your approval, we will send you the license order for your review and signature. Once we receive the signed document, we will promptly send you with the corresponding license file.

What licensing is available for Academic Institutions?

Education Institutions have the opportunity to enroll in the “Cadence University Program”, granting access to Fidelity Pointwise tools for classroom teaching and fundamental research. Each license allows up to 25 students to use the software for meshing on their personal computer, whether running on Windows or Linux.

I have the license for the old Pointwise in RLM servers, should I migrate to Fidelity Pointwise with FlexNet?

Yes. It is strongly recommended because Pointwise will not be updated anymore after 18.6. The new features and hotfixes will only be introduced in Fidelity Pointwise. It will be better for you to always keep the latest version and also better for us to provide support in case any problem occurs.

Training

Is training included with the purchase of a license?

Yes. By purchasing a license, you will have access to the Cadence Online Support (COS) system, in which you can find a set of video tutorials for Pointwise that cover all the basics to get started with the software.

What training materials or resources are available?

There is a tutorial workbook included in the software which introduces some classic meshing cases step by step. It ranges from a simple 2D mesh around an airfoil to a complex 3D mesh for a whole aircraft. The workbook can be accessed from the ‘Help’ button on the software interface. Moreover, Cadence is posting video tutorials on YouTube weekly covering all aspects of CFD. Follow Cadence CFD on YouTube for more information.

Where can I find user manuals and documentation for the tool?

A detailed online user manual can be found on the Cadence website through this link. There is also a PDF version of the user manual that goes with the software. You can access it from the ‘Help’ button on the software interface.

Are there any tutorials or guides available online?

Yes. There are many free online resources and tutorials. There is a GitHub page that includes many useful repositories with Glyph scripts that can facilitate meshing automation in Pointwise. In the Cadence Online Support system, you can access the systematic video tutorials that cover all the functionalities of Pointwise. There is also the Cadence CFD YouTube channel mentioned above that have a wide range of tutorials.

Support

What kind of technical support do you offer?

Our engineering team is always ready to answer all your questions about the software such as the use of some functions, errors you encountered during the meshing process, some tricky cases that require special handling, and so on.

How can I contact your support team?

Feel free to use our contact form to request support. Our technical team will promptly get in touch with you.

What are your support response times?

We will make sure that one of our engineers will be in contact with you regarding your questions within 48 hours. Depending on the specific cases, it might take longer for us to find a solution to the problem.

Server Changes

What should I do if I need to change my server or system configuration?

You should contact our support team about your needs and we will get in contact with you regarding the details.

Is it possible to transfer the license to a new server?

Yes, rehosting is always possible and the process is usually very simple. You will be requested to fill a request form with the fingerprints of the new server. After the new license will be generated and sent to you, our support team will guide you through the rehosting process. And based on the platform of the server (Windows, Linux, or MacOS), the specific details are different.

Are there any additional fees for server changes?

Yeas, there is a fee to pay for re-hosting. Please contact us for more details.

Compatibility

What operating systems is Fidelity Pointwise compatible with?

Fidelity Pointwise is supported on 64-bit Microsoft Windows, Linux, and macOS. Fidelity Pointwise does not support 32-bit platforms nor does it support remote execution. For more information on requirements specific to each operating system, do not hesitate to contact us.

Are there any specific hardware requirements?

The minimum requirements common to all supported platforms are:

At least 16 GB RAM (64 GB recommended).
At least 2 GB disk space (512 GB recommended).
Ethernet card./li>
OpenGL compatible monitor with at least 1280x1024 screen resolution (up to 4K).
Dedicated professional graphics card supporting 3D hardware-accelerated OpenGL and 24-bit RGB double-buffering.
Up-to-date graphics card drivers.

For information regarding specific platforms, please contact us.

How does Fidelity Pointwise integrate with the most common CFD solvers?

From Pointwise, you can export files that are directly readable to most CFD solvers You can export the grid geometry file by itself and also the whole CAE file to the solver of your choice. The support solvers include all the mainstream platforms such as ANSYS Fluent, ANSYS CFX, Star-CCM+, OpenFOAM, and many more. Please, contact us for the full list. The various choices allow you to adapt Fidelity Pointwise to your workflow without obstacles.

Technical Details

How many import options does Fidelity Pointwise have?

The Import command reads grid, database, source or overset data from non-native files into Fidelity Pointwise. The supported file formats are compatible with all the mainstream software in the market such as ANSYS, CGNS, and CFD++. Please, contact us for the full list.

How many export options does Pointwise have?

Similar to the various import options, Pointwise also has a wide range of export options available. You can export the grid geometry file by itself and also the whole CAE file to the solver of your choice. The support solvers include all the mainstream platforms such as ANSYS Fluent, ANSYS CFX, Star-CCM+, OpenFOAM, and many more. Please, contact us for the full list.

What kinds of quality parameters are there that are available to be examined in Pointwise?

Fidelity Pointwise provides many diagnostics functions that provide insight into the quality of your grid. The available examine functions will be dependent upon your current selection. For mixed selections, the functions available will be those exclusive to each entity type selected. For instance, Volume is only valid for blocks. Please, contact us for the full list. If you are an OpenFOAM user, there is also the cell non-orthogonality function that allows you to examine this parameter before importing it into OpenFOAM.

Updates and Maintenance

How often do you release updates or new versions of Fidelity Pointwise?

The update cycle is not fixed. Usually, the major updates will be released once a year. Hotfix and bugfix releases are continuously released to improve user experience.

Is there a maintenance plan for ongoing support and updates?

For customers who have purchased 1-year licenses that are renewed every year, maintenance is always included. However, for perpetual license holders, maintenance is not included in the order. Please contact us regarding this matter if you need help.

How can I report a bug?

If you found a bug during your use of Pointwise, please don’t hesitate to contact our support team with the details. We will help you with the issue or contact Cadence for a possible bugfix update.

FAQ