Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

Question: What is unique about the FastBEM Acoustics® software as compared with other acoustic modeling software in the market?

Answer: The FastBEM Acoustics® software is relatively new in the market. However, its core engine, the BEM research code for modeling acoustic problems, has been in continuing development for the last 20 years. Developing efficient BEM code is not straightforward, because of the many intricacies in the formulations and related implementations, for example, which BIE formulations to apply, what types of elements to use, how to deal with singular integrals, irregular frequencies, thin shape breakdowns, and so on. The FastBEM Acoustics® software is built upon all the experiences accumulated in the last 20 years in the BEM research for modeling acoustic problems, as well as the latest techniques using the fast multipole methods. In addition, our fast multipole BEM is not simply a straightforward implementation of the original fast multipole method. We have implemented an adaptive, multilevel, dual BIE approach with fast integration and efficient memory management, that can deliver near O(N) efficiency. The FastBEM Acoustics® software can solve large BEM models routinely with the DOFs in the range of 500,000 to 2,000,000 on a PC within hours, that has not been matched by any other acoustic modeling software on the market.

Question: OK, the FastBEM Acoustics® software sounds really powerful and very exciting. What is the price of this software?

Answer: The price of the FastBEM Acoustics® software is very low, only a fraction of the prices of other acoustics BEM software packages (contact sales to find out). With the low cost, however, you actually gain several orders of speed-up in solving your research or product development problems. Potential users can download the full version software and try it for free for 90 days. Check the Download page.

Question: What are your long-term goals in developing the FastBEM Acoustics® software? What will be the enhancements in the near future?

Answer: Our long-term goals are to constantly enhance the functionality of the software and improve its computing efficiencies while keeping the accuracy intact. Acoustic models with several millions of DOFs should be solved within hours on a desktop PC with the tolerance for convergence below 1.E-4 and frequency range up to ka (nondimensional wavenumber) equal to a few hundreds. Other fast solution techniques may be combined with the fast multipole method to achieve these goals. Our planned short-term enhancements include incorporating other types of acoustic sources and materials, interfaces with more FEA software, a robust GUI, and others.

Question: I am a professor/post-doc researcher/graduate student/research assistant doing research related to modeling acoustic problems, can I get a free license for the FastBEM Acoustics® software?

Answer: Yes, we promote the use of the FastBEM Acoustics® software in academic research by providing low cost or even free licenses to faculties at universities. In exchange, we would like to receive some feedback or showcases from academic users who have obtained a free license. The request for a free license should be made by a permanent faculty member at a qualified institute of higher education. Please contact us if you wish to apply FastBEM Acoustics® software in your classroom teaching and/or student thesis research projects. A free Student Edition is also available for download. Check the Download page.