A: Pointwise is software for generating CFD meshes. It is also the name of the company that produces the software, Pointwise, Inc. Pointwise is the next-generation version of Gridgen, the CFD meshing software that's been around since 1984.

Q: If I have a Gridgen license, do I need to purchase a Pointwise license?

A: Pointwise and Gridgen are licensed together. If your customer site has a current Gridgen license, you get Pointwise for free. You may request a Pointwise license using the form at www.pointwise.com/licenses. Your Pointwise license will have a duration of the same period of performance as your current Gridgen license.

Q: Where can I get Pointwise?

A: You can download directly from our web site at www.pointwise.com/support/dload_pw.shtml. Be sure to download and refer to the Installation Instructions included on the same web page.

Q: Where can I request a Pointwise license?

A: If you are a current customer, you may request a Pointwise license using the form at www.pointwise.com/licenses. You will receive a Pointwise license for your current period of performance.

If you are not a current customer, you may request a Pointwise evaluation by using the form at www.pointwise.com/free.

Q: Are Gridgen and Pointwise compatible?

A: Yes, Gridgen and Pointwise are compatible. Pointwise can import and export Gridgen Version 15 grid (.gg) and database (.dba) files.

Q: Are Gridgen and Pointwise license files compatible?

A: Not in the initial release. This means you will run two license servers: one for Gridgen and one for Pointwise. Keep your existing license file for Gridgen and use the new Pointwise license file only for Pointwise. A future release of Gridgen will share license management with Pointwise. At that time, you will only run one license server that will simply meter the total number of Gridgen and Pointwise processes.

Q: Which should I use: Gridgen or Pointwise?

A: The initial release of Pointwise has the core meshing capabilities of Gridgen included. Over the next several years, we will be adding the remaining capabilities as Pointwise is positioned as the replacement for Gridgen. To help you decide which of these two products you should evaluate, please read the following summaries.

Pointwise will be the right choice for the majority of users. It is the future of our meshing products. Choose Pointwise if you want meshing software with a familiar, easy to learn graphical interface and a high degree of automation. Pointwise includes the ability to make structured, unstructured, and hybrid grids. New features in Pointwise that distinguish it from Gridgen are undo, automatic grid assembly, and 64-bit support.

Choose Gridgen if you need one of the meshing techniques not yet included in Pointwise, and you do not mind learning a proprietary graphical interface. The main features in Gridgen that have not yet been implemented in Pointwise are solid modeling, anisotropic tetrahedral extrusion, and Native CAD Readers.

Q: Pointwise lacks a feature that Gridgen has. When will it be added to Pointwise?

A: Gridgen's core capabilities were the first to be implemented in Pointwise. Over time, all of Gridgen's capabilities will be migrated to Pointwise.

Q: What platforms does Pointwise support?

A: Pointwise supports Microsoft Windows XP and Vista on Intel and AMD (32-bit), Linux on Intel and AMD (32-bit and 64-bit), Mac OS X on Intel and PowerPC (32-bit) and SGI IRIX (32-bit and 64-bit). See the Portability page for more details on Pointwise's platform support. Ports to other platforms are in-work.

Q: When downloading Pointwise I get an error about exceeding the maximum number of anonymous users. What does that mean?

A: Our ftp site places an upper limit on the number of simultaneous downloads by users logged in as anonymous. Contact Tech Support at support@pointwise.com or 800-4PTWISE if you continue to experience problems downloading the software

Q: Image manipulation is different in Pointwise than Gridgen. How does it work?

A: Pan the image by holding Shift and the Right Mouse Button. Zoom the image using the Middle Mouse Button. Rotate the image by holding Ctrl and the Right Mouse Button. Keypad rotation works just like in Gridgen.

Q: Can I run my Gridgen scripts in Pointwise?

A: Not in the current release. Pointwise's version of Glyph differs from Gridgen's Glyph and backward compatibility has not yet been implemented. You can write scripts for Pointwise, however, using its version of Glyph. Support for Gridgen Glyph scripts will be handled in a future release.

Q: I was a Pointwise Beta tester. How do I install the production software?

A: On Windows, use Add or Remove Programs from the Control Panel to remove the beta version. Then install the production software as usual.

Q: What do the little Xs by menu commands mean?

A: They indicate commands that are grayed-out because they have not yet been implemented as opposed to commands that are grayed-out because they are not applicable to the currently selected entities.

Q: Does Pointwise support 64-bit platforms?

A: Yes. Pointwise Version 16.00 supports 64-bit on Linux and IRIX. Support for other 64-bit platforms (e.g. Windows) will be added in the future.

Q: Why isn't there an icon and list of domains in the List?

A: The Show Domains command is a toggle for global control over the display of domains. Once it is toggled off, the Domain Icon and the domain list will not be shown in the List Panel. To make the domains re-appear in the List, simply check Show Domains in the View menu.

Q: How can I get Alt+RightMouseButton to work with Linux using the GNOME window manager?

A: Change the following GNOME preferences:

In Window Preferences, under Movement Key, change the setting to something other than "Alt" (for example, "Super (or Windows Logo)".
In Keyboard Preferences, under Layout Options, select "Alt and Meta on the Alt keys (default)."

Q: How can I draw a closed curve?

A: When you try to draw a closed curve by selecting its first point you'll notice that it can't be selected. That's because the curve hasn't been saved yet so the point technically doesn't exist. There's an easy way out of this catch-22.

When adding the last point, click on the first point then click in the XYZ field on the panel and press Enter. If the curve is database constrained, use the UV field instead.
If the first point was some other selected point, add the final point somewhere else and then click and drag it to the desired location.

IMPORTANT: Just like Gridgen, Pointwise does not like it when you draw connectors that begin and end at the same point. Create two curves instead.

Q: How can I make FLEXnet automatically start after a reboot?

A: This is explained in the FLEXNET documentation at http://www.globes.com/support/utilities/flexnet_licensing_end_user_guide.pdf in Section "Automatical Start" of Chapter 9, "The License Server Manager".

Q: How can I obtain bound copies of the Pointwise user manuals?

A: Pointwise provides PDFs of our User Manual, Glyph Reference Manual, and Tutorial Workbook with each installation of our software. Our Right to Use License allows you to print and/or bind as many copies of our manuals as you need for your reference.