ShellModeller

ShellModeller is a software package designed to create, modify, and analyze shell structures—thin, curved surfaces common in aerospace, civil, mechanical, and architectural engineering. It focuses on efficient generation of accurate shell geometries and their integration with simulation tools to evaluate performance under loads.

The program provides parametric modeling capabilities for shells, including tools for creating surfaces by lofting, sweeping, revolving, and applying surface maps. Users can define shell thickness, material properties, and boundary conditions, and assign local properties on complex geometries. It supports mesh generation for shell elements, offering options for triangular and quadrilateral elements, mesh refinement, and quality checks to ensure suitable FE performance. Through these features, ShellModeller enables rapid exploration of design variations and structural responses.

For analysis, ShellModeller interfaces with finite element solvers to perform linear and nonlinear analyses, buckling, vibration (modal) analysis, and other stability checks. It includes post-processing tools to visualize deformations, stresses, and other results on curved surfaces, with options for contour plots, color maps, and cut views. Users can define load cases such as pressure, gravity, andpoint or distributed loads, and apply symmetry or periodic boundary conditions to reduce model size.

Interoperability and automation are supported via import and export of common CAD/CAE formats (STEP, IGES, STL, OBJ, and others). The software often offers scripting or API access (for example, Python) to automate repetitive tasks, customize workflows, or integrate with broader design pipelines.

Typical users include mechanical and aerospace engineers, civil and architectural designers, and researchers working on shell-dominated structures and lightweight designs. ShellModeller is typically distributed as commercial software, with potential academic licenses and trial versions available from vendors.