CDFAM Computational Design Symposium

20:33

The Era of Living Machines: How Biology Will Build...

CDFAM Computational Design Symposium ·

2026/10/05

CDFAM Computational Design Symposium — DC 2026Giorgia Cannici · Virginia TechWhat if material fabrication could shift from assembly to growth—and be directed with precision through external fields?This work introduces magnetotropic plants: genetically engineered organisms in which gravity-sensing organelles (statoliths) are rendered magnetically responsive. By replacing gravitational cues with externally applied magnetic fields, plant growth direction can be actively controlled in real time. This

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19:33

From Horns to Armor: Biomimicry, Computational...

CDFAM Computational Design Symposium ·

2026/10/03

CDFAM Computational Design Symposium — DC 2026Matthew Shomper · Not a Robot EngineeringNature has been solving the problem of impact protection for millennia, in order to arrive at solutions far more elegant than anything on the market today. The microstructure of a bighorn sheep’s horn is one of the most striking examples : a geometry that is brutally efficient at scattering and absorbing energy, such that the animal can sustain repeated high-speed collisions without lasting damage. The challenge

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23:11

Before the Model: Aurora as AI-Grounded Climate...

CDFAM Computational Design Symposium ·

2026/10/01

CDFAM Computational Design Symposium — DC 2026Damola Michael; Elliot Glassman · CannonDesignThe environmental design conversation typically begins too late, after massing is committed and geometry is locked. Aurora repositions that conversation to day one, giving architects and engineers an immediate, evidence-based picture of any site before a design tool is opened.The platform synthesises EPW weather files, CMIP6 climate projections, ASHRAE design conditions, NOAA historical records for US sites,

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15:10

Bridging the CAD-to-Simulation Gap: Integrating...

CDFAM Computational Design Symposium ·

2026/10/01

CDFAM Computational Design Symposium — DC 2026Matthew Sederberg · CoreformThe traditional “design-to-analysis” loop is often bottlenecked by the laborious process of mesh generation, which can consume up to 80% of total simulation time. This presentation introduces Coreform IGA for Abaqus, a solution that brings CAD-exact isogeometric analysis (IGA) directly into the Abaqus ecosystem. By utilizing Coreform’s Isogeometric Analysis approach, users can perform high-fidelity simulations directly on CAD

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16:32

AI-Native, Simulation-Driven Insight with End-to-End...

CDFAM Computational Design Symposium ·

2026/10/01

CDFAM Computational Design Symposium — DC 2026Mike Park · FlexcomputeComputational design enables wider configuration exploration and reduces time to market, but turning innovation into validated, manufacturable designs is hampered by human-in-the-loop simulation. Manual geometry cleanup, meshing, and data management pace every workflow, while the feedback loops between simulation and the rest of the design organization stay broken by data silos. This talk presents an end-to-end, AI-native approach

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20:19

Optimal Lattice Selection for PCM Thermal Management

CDFAM Computational Design Symposium ·

2026/09/29

CDFAM Computational Design Symposium — DC 2026Andreas Vlahinos · Advanced Engineering SolutionsPCMs provide cooling without requiring an extra power source, unlike fans or active liquid cooling systems. They absorb peak energy loads during operation and release that heat when the ambient temperature drops, acting as a buffer against rapid temperature changes. This allows for more compact thermal management systems. Because most PCMs have inherently low thermal conductivity, they often fail to absorb

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15:00

Git for Hardware: Version Control as the Foundation...

CDFAM Computational Design Symposium ·

2026/09/29

CDFAM Computational Design Symposium — DC 2026Steve Massey · SysGitSoftware development was transformed when version control became infrastructure rather than afterthought. Hardware engineering has not had an equivalent transition. Requirements live in documents. System models are stored in vendor-locked platforms. Design reviews happen in meetings rather than pull requests. The result is programs that cannot iterate at the speed the environment demands.SysGit applies the tools and workflows that

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21:54

Artificial Intuition: Building an AI Mind for...

CDFAM Computational Design Symposium ·

2026/09/25

CDFAM Computational Design Symposium — Washington DC 2026Michael Frei · ARENA PhysicaMost advances in computational design focus on mechanical structure — domains we can visualize and have evolved an intuition for. But as modern hardware becomes increasingly software defined, the unseen and unintuitive world of electromagnetism is taking center stage.Conventional solvers can simulate fields, yet they cannot imagine new ones. Over the past year, our team has been building toward that capability. At

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20:34

AI-Enabled Assembly Configuration Spaces: Encoding...

CDFAM Computational Design Symposium ·

2026/09/25

CDFAM Computational Design Symposium — Washington DC 2026Sai Nelaturi · C-InfinityThe gap between digital design and physical assembly is not primarily a geometry problem. It is a reasoning problem. Engineering teams spend thousands of hours communicating assembly intent through manual CAD workflows, managing configuration complexity across product variants, and catching fitment and feasibility issues that could have been identified before any metal was cut. The cost is measured in weeks of

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20:07

Physics AI as a Strategic Advantage: How...

CDFAM Computational Design Symposium ·

2026/09/24

CDFAM Computational Design Symposium — Washington DC 2026Juan Alonso · LuminaryThe next decade of great-power competition will be won or lost in the engineering loop. Adversaries have increased the speed of iteration in hypersonics, undersea platforms, and autonomous aircraft and the U.S. defense industrial base cannot keep up by relying on traditional engineering workflows. Closing that gap requires a step-change in how programs are developed with AI-accelerated engineering.LinksTalk page with full

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11:24

From Text to Robotic Assembly: 3D Generative AI and...

CDFAM Computational Design Symposium ·

2026/09/23

CDFAM Computational Design Symposium — Washington DC 2026Alexander Htet Kyaw · MITRecent advances in 3D generative AI make it possible to create object geometries directly from natural language, but turning these digital forms into functional physical objects remains a major challenge. Most generated 3D models are meshes that do not contain the component level, structural, material, and assembly information required for robotic fabrication. This presentation introduces a research pipeline that

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17:18

Computational Design in Aerostructures: Topology...

CDFAM Computational Design Symposium ·

2026/09/23

CDFAM Computational Design Symposium — Washington DC 2026Brandon DeMille · General Atomics Aeronautical SystemsComputational design methodologies, including topology optimization, are transforming airframe structures development by enabling rapid exploration of design configurations during early conceptual phases. This presentation demonstrates a workflow that enables informed decision-making across disciplines and accelerates the path from initial concept to detailed design. A fuselage case study

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18:28

From Requirements to Manufacturable Systems: Agentic...

CDFAM Computational Design Symposium ·

2026/09/22

CDFAM Computational Design Symposium — Washington DC 2026Chris Helmerich · Celedon SolutionsMost ‘AI for engineering’ tools today sit beside the design process with a chat window next to a CAD viewer, a copilot that summarizes documents someone still has to act on. The harder problem is putting AI inside the loop, where it can read and write the same structured representation of the system that engineers, simulations, and downstream manufacturing all depend on.This talk covers how we approached that

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19:27

Fast and Robust Design with Implicit Functions and...

CDFAM Computational Design Symposium ·

2026/09/21

CDFAM Computational Design Symposium — Washington DC 2026Jan Vandenbrande · nTopCurrent Computer Aided Design systems excel in static detailed design but are too fragile and slow to support Design Exploration and Multidisciplinary Design Optimization for conceptual and preliminary design. This talk introduces a new approach to modeling products that overcomes these shortcomings based on implicit functions popularized in the animation industry. The main benefits of the approach is that is responsive

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20:15

Solving Aerodynamics Problems With Quantum Computers

CDFAM Computational Design Symposium ·

2026/09/21

CDFAM Computational Design Symposium — Washington DC 2026William Steadman · QuanscientWe present the results of the largest CFD simulations to date deployed on IBM and IonQ quantum hardware through our ongoing collaborations across the aerospace, maritime, and automotive sectors. We will explore the critical trade-offs quantum computing introduces to computational design in aerodynamics and aeroacoustics, while demonstrating how these advancements are being integrated into Quanscient’s multiphysics

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20:51

The Digital Thread In The Real World: Multiple...

CDFAM Computational Design Symposium ·

2026/09/21

CDFAM Computational Design Symposium — Washington DC 2026Austin Herrema · Istari DigitalAs the Department of Defense accelerates adoption of digital engineering and advanced manufacturing, the challenge is no longer defining the digital thread—it is executing it across a fragmented Defense Industrial Base (DIB). This session will explore a consortium-based approach to demonstrating an end-to-end digital thread spanning design, build, operations, and sustainment—executed within each partner’s native

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19:18

When Failure Is Not an Option: Bringing Certifiable...

CDFAM Computational Design Symposium ·

2026/09/18

CDFAM Computational Design Symposium — Washington DC 2026Rhushik Matroja · Cognitive Design SystemsArtificial intelligence is poised to automate a large share of design engineering work, yet the technology that excites the commercial world poses a fundamental problem for high-consequence industries. Generative AI is probabilistic by nature. It produces plausible answers, not provably correct ones. In sectors where a single structural failure can ground a fleet, halt a production line, or cost lives,

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22:55

Measuring Shape Fidelity in Generative CAD Models

CDFAM Computational Design Symposium ·

2026/09/18

CDFAM Computational Design Symposium — Washington DC 2026Daniel Hambleton · MetafoldGenerative AI is rapidly expanding what designers and engineers can create in 3D, but visual plausibility is not the same as geometric fidelity. This presentation asks a practical validation question: how close are AI-generated CAD models really to a target desired shape?We introduce a feature-vector workflow using the Metafold Shape Similarity technology to compare generated models against reference targets. Each

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16:24

Requirements to Production Part in Minutes: How...

CDFAM Computational Design Symposium ·

2026/09/17

CDFAM Computational Design Symposium — Washington DC 2026TJ Root · InfinitFormThe gap between optimized geometry and manufacturable components has been the defining constraint of computational design for three decades. Topology optimization produces brilliant forms that machinists cannot cut. Those forms are not editable in CAD / or CAD friendly. Simulation validates performance that mainstream manufacturing cannot reproduce. The result: design cycles measured in months, not days, and engineering

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21:59

Agentic Engineering: Generative AI in structural...

CDFAM Computational Design Symposium ·

2026/09/17

CDFAM Computational Design Symposium — Washington DC 2026Sergey Pigach · CORE studio | Thornton TomasettiCORE studio spent a decade building machine learning tools for structural design and analysis, all running as cloud services behind APIs. When MCP arrived, handing those same tools to an agent turned out to be close to trivial. Sergey Pigach demonstrates Bender, an agentic system running on AWS that the firm talks to through Slack: ask it for a concrete column stack and footing for a five-storey

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