Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

In RWIND, you can define zones and thus obtain a drag force for these zones. The information is available graphically and for each individual zone. This way you simply keep track of everything.

For complex structures, it can be helpful to quickly evaluate the results in a table.

You can evaluate the results in ParaView. For this, unzip the RWIND file and open the Sim001_V01_Surface.vtp file in ParaView in the RWIND_Simulations archive folder.

Since the zones are defined in the RWIND file, you can generate a .csv file, including the information of the cells.

This .csv file contains the information about the forces in the cells (front and back), related to the global axes. You can add up the forces of the zones with Excel and also create a vector. The data in ParaView are in SI units (for the forces [N]).

When using couplings/rigid members or members with a cross-section of the Dummy Rigid type, problems often arise when generating models in RWIND. The program stops, giving the warning message shown in Image 01.

However, you still have the option to run a wind simulation for such structures. To do this, deactivate the visibility for the objects concerned, for example, using the View navigator (see Image 02).

Then, in the "Simulate and Generate Wind Loads" dialog box, the "Settings" tab, activate the "Export active objects only" option (see Image 03).

You can then open the model in RWIND or simulate it directly in the background.

The most significant difference between the RWIND 2 Basic vs. Pro options is the simulation type. The Basic edition applies a steady-flow simulation. The Pro edition contains everything that is available in the Basic edition, but also provides new options and features including the transient flow simulation using a more advanced turbulence model (Spalart-Allmaras DDES).

For a full list of features compared in both versions, please refer to the RWIND 2 online manual RWIND Basic and RWIND Pro section with the link below.

1. Define a plane that will be used to apply the load. You can do so by creating 4 corner nodes around your structure (Image 01).

2. Go to Insert→ Load Wizards→ Member Loads from Area Loads. Specify the direction and magnitude in the Main tab (Image 02).

3. Select the Geometry tab and select the corner nodes that were previously created. (Image 03).

4. Select the Tolerances tab and enter a distance that will capture the entire width/height of the structure (Image 04). Click OK to exit.

5. Right click on the area load and select Display separately. The area load is now displayed as member loads (Image 05).

The load wizard "Wind Simulations" integrated in the program provides support for generating wind simulation load cases. The wizard generates a wind simulation load case with a complete model input for user-defined angle settings for the RWIND calculation in the background.

If you want to apply a different wind profile, depending on the angle, the wizard allows for several entries. To do this, proceed as follows:

1. Open the Wind Simulation Load Wizard.
2. In the first entry, define a wind profile to be considered for a specific angular position segment.
3. Generate another entry with another wind profile for the corresponding angular position segment.
4. Repeat Step 3 until all segments are covered.

Regarding the hardware, there should be no problems as long as it is a MAC based on Intel or ARM. However, the problem is the operating system. Unfortunately, MacOS is not supported yet. You have to have Windows installed on the MAC either with dual-boot, Bootcamp, or virtualization, such as Parallels Desktop.

However, please note that there are license restrictions when using virtual machines and the software key cannot be used.

The conclusion:

1. RWIND runs on MAC Parallels in a demo mode ➞ no calculation and no data storage are possible.
2. To run the full version of RWIND on MAC, the hardware key is required ➞ the user must have a valid license.

The settings for the wind simulation can also be adjusted in the main program in RFEM 6 and RSTAB 9.

In RFEM 6, you can find the settings for model simplification in the submenu of the mesh settings.

In RSTAB 9, you can find the settings for the model simplification in the menu item Wind Simulation Model Simplification.

Further settings regarding the flow parameters, options, and calculation parameters can be adjusted directly in the wind simulation analysis settings.

Yes, the load transfer surface can also be used in RWIND. The resulting surface load is then transferred to the members according to the settings of the surface.

Yes, you can use RWIND 2 Basic with this program generation as of versions RFEM 5.27.01 / RSTAB 8.27.01.

All you have to do is to change the solver version to RWIND 2 in the wind load settings.

If RWIND does not start, run RFEM or RSTAB as an administrator and try again.

To ensure RWIND appears in the load wizard of RFEM 6 or RSTAB 9, it is necessary first to activate the add-on in the Add-Ons tab in Base Data of the model.

Then, you can enter the data in the wind simulation settings under "Load Cases and Combinations" as well as the settings for the wind profile and for the load cases to be generated in the load wizard.