Bentley Incorporated : acquires ADINA for FEA

Much more on this when I'm back in the office next week: Bentley announced last night that it has acquired ADINA, makers of finite element analysis (FEA) software - most likely you know of them for ADINA Structures, but ADINA has modules for other application areas, enabling thermo-mechanical coupling or fluid-structure interaction analyses.

Bentley is clearly interested in the Structures offering, to do a comprehensive analysis of building, bridge, dam, and other structures. Yes, most often these are built to codes that simplify the analyses that designers need to do for compliance, but innovative structures often stretch the limits of these more simplistic analyses, and designers and engineers need to level up to compete. Enter ADINA.

ADINA is also interesting because it can model more than the typically-used building materials, also an area of interest to architects exploring new textures and engineers looking to go lighter and reduce the carbon footprint of projects.

But, I hear you ask, doesn't Bentley already have an array of AEC-specific simulation solutions? Yes and that's why a longer piece next week is going to be useful. Bentley has been acquiring and developing CAE solutions for decades and already has STAAD, RAM, AutoPIPE, MOSES, SACS, and more. ADINA adds non-linear capabilities, more materials, and possibly other things - as I understand it right now, there is some overlap (generic structures) but a lot more capability to be added by the acquisition. When I've spoken to Bentley simulation users in the past, Bentley solutions have been perfect for their purposes - up to a point; beyond that, users went to Ansys, ADINA, or other simulation-specific solution providers.

What this acquisition does for Bentley is keep those customers in-house, and also (in time) add capability to many of its other simulation offerings

The companies are not disclosing the terms of the deal, but it appears that Dr. Bathe and other key ADINA personnel are joining Bentley. We might learn more when Bentley announces its Q1 results in a few weeks.