Below are the changes made since the previous release.
GeoStudio 2018 is a major new release of GeoStudio, introducing power and flexibility by combining multiple physical processes in a single analysis, among other improvements.
We recommend upgrading for everyone whose maintenance covers this release, but because of the number of major changes between GeoStudio 2018 and GeoStudio 2016, we suggest you schedule some time to upgrade your older files. GeoStudio 2018 will install side-by-side with any other GeoStudio versions you already have installed.
The major new features include:
Improved multi-physics capabilities
• A new rigorous finite element solver used by SEEP/W, TEMP/W, AIR/W and CTRAN/W features new multi-physics capabilities and faster solve times.
• In a single analysis, ability to simultaneously compute and/or couple water transfer, air transfer, solute transfer, gas transfer, and heat transfer processes. Use the new Physics tab in the Define Analyses window to choose which physical processes to enable in the same analysis.
• Simulation of a broader range of engineering problems including climate effects on the ground surface, groundwater flow in freezing and thawing soils, and movement of solutes and gases in the subsurface.
New climate-interaction boundary conditions to simulate atmospheric coupling
• In SEEP/W, the Land-Climate Interaction boundary condition simulates water transfers at the surface given climate and vegetation data.
• In TEMP/W, the Surface Energy Balance boundary condition simulates energy exchange over the ground surface.
• Boundary conditions can be used together to simulate coupled hydraulic and thermal responses of the ground profile to atmospheric conditions.
• Boundary condition data can be imported using the new Data Set feature. This allows for easy selection of data files containing field measurements (e.g., from weather stations), including column selection and unit conversion.
True 1D finite element analyses
• SEEP/W, TEMP/W, AIR/W and CTRAN/W now include true 1D modeling, which significantly speeds up 1D analyses that use many time steps.
• One-dimensional and two-dimensional analyses can share the same mesh and be run in the same project.
New Plan View definition
• Plan view now supports a variable aquifer thickness using spatial functions, allowing for new types of plan view problems to be analyzed.
Comprehensive unit conversion and support
• GeoStudio now offers considerable flexibility for selecting units for input and display.
• Default display units can be selected for individual or groups of parameters.
• When a value with units is entered for a parameter into any edit control, the number is converted to the selected units for the parameter.
Enhanced graphing capability
• Graphs can be set up and computed during solve time, allowing for rapid graph display.
• Results can be plotted within any subdomain, allowing for element-based parameters to be adjusted at nodes for plotting purposes. Subdomain plots can provide insight on flow through an internal node over time; consequently, flux sections are no longer required.
• Cumulative parameters are now accumulated during solve time, significantly speeding up graphing of these parameters.
• Data parameters have been reorganized in the dialog to make it easier to find the parameter to plot.
New 64-bit solvers
• Each solver in GeoStudio 2018 has new 64-bit processing support, enabling GeoStudio to now solve projects with many more analyses and denser meshes. The 64-bit solvers also offer improved performance when solving individual analyses or calling Add-In functions.
• Improved multi-threading support offers performance gains when solving many analyses simultaneously on modern CPUs.
• Solvers can now be stopped mid-computation and restarted without having to restart the analysis from the beginning.
Improved transient analyses
• Multiple options are now available for defining time increments in transient analyses; the time increment length or the number of time steps over the given period may be specified.
• Time-based mass, volume, and energy boundary conditions such as water rate, heat flux, and mass flux are now integrated across a time-step, ensuring perfect mass and energy conservation at the boundary and improving overall accuracy of the solution.
GeoStudio Basic now bundled with all products
• Purchasing a Full Feature license for any product will now provide access to a Basic license for all other GeoStudio products, allowing for greater product integration.
• For example, the owner of a full SLOPE/W license will now be able to complete a steady-state water transfer analysis using SEEP/W to define the spatial variability in pore water pressures.
New German language support
• The GeoStudio user interface can now be run in German.
• Previous language translations have been improved, including Spanish, French, Chinese, and Portuguese.
New engineering examples and books
• Additional examples are available representing a wider range of geotechnical and earth science problems.
• The engineering books have been updated to reflect the new features and functionality of GeoStudio 2018. The finite element flow products feature a new book called "Mass and Heat Transfer Modeling with GeoStudio".
Improved Add-In support
• Add-In functions can now be stateless, allowing for significant performance improvements during the solve process.
• Add-Ins can now be written using the latest versions of Microsoft Visual Studio (e.g., 2017).
• Add-Ins can be written as 32-bit or 64-bit. They now require .NET 4.0.
• The Add-In SDK document and examples have been updated to reflect the new features.