Sometimes we stop using things
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
CURRENTLY UNDER EVALUATION. INSTRUCTIONS ONLY AVAILABLE FOR CONVERGE STUDIO (PREPROCESSOR) AND NOT CONVERGE (SOLVER).
Refer to deprecation note in [deprecated] Connecting to CalSTAR's Server.
Converge CFD is a particle-based fluid dynamics solver. It is currently being evaluated by the Simulations team for full team usage. More details about the software can be found here.
There are actually two programs relevant here: CONVERGE and CONVERGE STUDIO. Both are included in our license. CONVERGE is basically the actual solver. CONVERGE is the program that will run your processed input files and return the simulation. CONVERGE STUDIO is a pre-processor where you can view geometries, set boundaries, set simulation options, and export these as input files for CONVERGE. CONVERGE STUDIO is also capable of running CONVERGE in serial, and validating the exported inputs with CONVERGE.
Click here for Converge CFD's Downloads page. You will need to make a new account, or log in with your preexisting account. Upon logging in, a file directory page will be shown.
Select CONVERGE_2.4, then CONVERGE_Studio, then download the appropriate file for your operating system.
There are no special instructions for installation. Simply run your downloaded file and follow the on-screen prompts.
It will be helpful to make a note of your installation directory, as you will need it for licensing.
Since the software is no longer in use, and the license file has been requested multiple times by persons clearly not on the team, the license file is now unlisted and private. Please contact your current leads if you really must use the license file.
The license file can only be downloaded when signed into Google Drive with a berkeley.edu account.
Copy or move the 'license.lic' file into the license folder in CONVERGE Studio's installation directory. For Windows, the default location is
The file MUST be named license.lic or CONVERGE Studio will be unable to locate the file.
The license for Converge CFD is a floating license. This means you must be connected to a licensing server in order to use the software. For CalSTAR, the licensing server is our only server, the PDM server. For instructions on connecting to the server, click here.
Once the license.lic file is copied into the correct directory, and you are connected to the server, simply launch CONVERGE Studio.
You must stay connected to the server while working in CONVERGE Studio. The program will perform a license check out/verification every few hours. This includes simulations. You must be connected during a simulation or it will be terminated after the next license check. Terminated sims can be restarted via the restart file.
For floating licenses, only 5 simulations can run at a time across ALL computers. Please make sure with the Simulations Lead that no other critical sims are running before you start yours.
Straightforward version control for CAD
GrabCAD Workbench is an online platform to share CAD files and collaborate on projects, featuring version history tracking. It integrates directly with SolidWorks with a toolbar add-in and a desktop application.
If you already have a GrabCAD account, you can skip this step.
GrabCAD Community and GrabCAD Workbench accounts are the same
Creating a GrabCAD account is a straightforward process, first naviagte to:
In the company details section, choose job level as "Student" first before filling anything else out. The company name section should change to school name; type "University of California, Berkeley" (or some variation thereof) in the text box.
Proceed through the signup process.
Be sure to go to your email to confirm the account.
You've now successfully created a GrabCAD account!
STAR parts currently follow the set naming convention outlined at https://rocketry.gitbook.io/public/tutorials/documentation/solidworks-file-conventions found under Tutorials --> Operations --> SolidWorks file conventions. All parts in STAR GrabCAD projects created after 2019 must follow this format. If you have questions, just ask in #operations!
Message the email you used to sign up for GrabCAD to the Operations Lead (@mcelly#1609) along with a copy of the previous paragraph on naming to obtain an invitation to STAR's GrabCAD page. Let them know which projects you need access to, if possible.
The GrabCAD Workbench desktop application allows you to sync CAD files from your projects so that you have a local copy on your computer. It also installs the companion SolidWorks toolbar.
Navigate to the following link to download the installer:
Continue through the installation process. After completing the installation, be sure to log in with your GrabCAD account.
You've now successfully installed the GrabCAD Workbench desktop application!
You may want to unsubscribe from Workbench emails here (there are a lot!): https://workbench.grabcad.com/account/workbench_notifications
At the time of writing this, the GrabCAD SolidWorks add-in is not supported for SolidWorks 2019. You will still be able to change and sync local files to GrabCAD projects, albeit less conveniently.
Before starting, make sure you have completed your installation of GrabCAD Workbench. If you have not, please finish the instructions here:
Upon being added to CalSTAR on GrabCAD, you'll be able to see all our projects.
In order to access these projects locally, first create a folder anywhere in your existing files. (When you downloaded GrabCAD, it by default should have created a "GrabCAD" folder in Documents.)
While the name of the folder does not matter, for clarity, you should name it with the same title as the GrabCAD project you are trying to sync to.
In the GrabCAD Desktop App, you'll have the option of manually connecting a project. Select that option, select a project, and link it to your recently created folder.
In the Desktop app, if you have successfully connected a project to your local folder, you'll be able to see the status of both the local folder and the online Workbench. If the Workbench panel is blue, that indicates that other people have made changes to files within the project and you will need to download these updates.
If the Workbench panel is black and not blue, you do not need to do anything and are completely up to date.
Hover your cursor over the Workbench panel and click to download.
Make sure all changed files are selected and click Download Selected. After all of the updates finish downloading, you should see a green box pop up both in the Desktop app and in the bottom right corner of your screen that says the downloads have finished.
To open a file for use with GrabCAD, click on the Open Folder button in the Local Folder panel, then double click on the desired part in the pop-up file browser. Other methods of navigating to the part are not guaranteed to work (although they may if your files are reasonably organized and you know for certain you are accessing a GrabCAD synced file).
Before working or making any changes to a file, first lock the part in the online GrabCAD Workbench by navigating to the part and right clicking. More documentation on locking can be found here.
If you do not lock the file you are working on, you may create file conflicts and lose changes!
Work on the file for as long as necessary. It is good practice to save and upload with every major revision, even if you will be working for quite a while on the same part.
It should not require SolidWorks crashing and you losing all your progress in order for you to learn the importance of saving often.
After saving the file with changes, we are now ready to upload. Save the file and return to the Desktop app. You should now see that the Local Folder panel is highlighted blue. Hover your cursor over the panel and click to upload.
In the upload tab, you will be prompted to include a comment describing the upload. Write a descriptive message detailing exactly what you have changed since the last version.
When you are done with this, press the Upload Selected button to complete the process (by default, all changed files should be selected). As before, a green box will pop up notifying you when the upload is done.
If you don't plan on making any more edits in the current session, go back to the online Workbench and unlock the file by right clicking.
You're all done. Again, make sure to unlock the file when you're all finished editing it!
How to Connect to CalSTAR's Server for Maintenance, Solidworks Workgroup PDM or Converge CFD Licensing
As of August 14, 2018, CalSTAR's Microsoft Azure Server has been taken offline indefinitely. The server's primary role was to serve as a PDM host, a task taken over by GrabCAD. Its secondary task of hosting Converge CFD license validation was deemed to not be valuable enough to justify continued payment for the server.
In order to use Solidworks Workgroup PDM or Converge CFD, you must be on the same network as our server. Since we cannot physically connect to the same wifi or ethernet connection, we will be setting up a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to link your computer and the server.
As a very generalized example, you can think of a network as a small town, with roads connecting houses and stores. Being in the same town (network) allows you to use the roads to go from your house to the store and back (exchanging files and information with the server).
Staying with this example, a separate network would be the equivalent of a town on the other side of a river. The two towns can not interact with each other. You cannot drive from one town to the other, a home in one town cannot visit a store in the other.
This is representative of your computer and the server right now. The server cannot interact with your computer, and your computer cannot interact with the server. To have any interaction between the two towns (your computer and the server), a physical connection must be made. In our example, this would be the equivalent of building a bridge across the river. You must plug your computer into the same internet (ethernet/wifi) as the server. This is not possible since Microsoft owns the server and it is probably miles away from you.
What we will be doing in this guide is setting up a Virtual Private Network (VPN). In our two-town example, the VPN is basically a quick and temporary bridge connecting the two towns. The VPN will make it seem as if the two towns are one, connected with the same roads. This lets the server communicate with your computer and vice versa. This is necessary in order to share files between the computers (essentially what the PDM and license check does).
In order to set up the VPN with our server, you must install a VPN Client. The following two programs have been known to work well:
Choose one and download the version for your operating system. Read the notes below for your chosen program.
Configuration files for both programs can only be downloaded when signed into Google Drive with a berkeley.edu account.
Make sure you are downloading the SoftEther VPN Client under Select Component
When installing, make sure you are installing SoftEther VPN Client and NOT the Manager (Admin Tools Only)
Proceed with the rest of the installation.
Launch SoftEther VPN Client Manager
Select Virtual Adapter at the top of the window, then New Network Adapter
Click OK (Name should be prefilled as VPN)
Once finished, click Connect at the top of the window, then Import VPN Connection Setting...
Locate and import the 'pdm2.vpn' file you downloaded earlier (probably in your downloads folder).
Select the new connection PDM2 and login with the provided credentials.
When installing, leave the default options checked (select them if unchecked):
OpenVPN User-Space Components (grayed out)
OpenVPN Service
TAP Virtual Ethernet Adapter
OpenVPN GUI
Options in Advanced can be modified as you wish
Configuring After Installation
Launch OpenVPN GUI
For Windows, after starting OpenVPN, the OpenVPN GUI shows up as a computer-with-lock icon in the system tray (icons near the clock and date)
Locate the OpenVPN GUI icon in your system tray, and right click it.
Select Import File...
Locate and import the 'pdm2.ovpn' file you downloaded earlier (probably in your downloads folder).
Click OK
Right click the OpenVPN GUI icon.
Select Connect and login with the provided credentials.
