Virtualwind is very pleased to announce the release of Virtualwind 2.1.  This version represents the first major Enhancement release to the software, and it contains a number of significant new features that have been requested by Virtualwind users.  It also incorporates several improvements to previous features, and fixes a couple of minor defects. Some highlights of 2.1 include:

- Weatherman - Provides the user with meteorological wind-data measurements, presented in the form of Wind Roses, from which the user can select a prevailing Wind Speed to be automatically entered into Virtualwind.

- Point Wind Monitors (PWMs) - PWMs log time-based wind speed, wind velocity or pressures at user-selected locations within the simulation Domain. The resulting data can be imported into Excel or other database programs for statistical analysis, and the PWM measurements can be displayed within visualizations in the form of arrows which show the magnitude and direction.

- Move Geometry Models - All model entities (Buildings, Canopies, and Terrain) can be moved and rotated. This movement can be achieved through the mouse (using Pick-and-Move, Pick-and-Slide, and Rotate about Axes), or by numerically inputting the new positions in the "Entities and Monitors" tree interface.

- Wind Speed Height - When users enter the Wind Speed, they can specify the height to which that speed corresponds. The user also selects an input wind profile that takes into account the fact that wind near the ground is slower than wind at Gradient Height, above the effects of the ground, vegetation and surrounding buildings.

- Geographical "Awareness" - The user can (optionally) specify latitude and longitude, as well as the "angle of North".  This is specifically required when using Weatherman to import meteorological wind data.

- Standardized Wind Directions - Wind directions are now specified in the universally standard "degrees Azimuth" from North, and according to the direction from which the wind is blowing.  

- Pressure Data Available - Pressure is now available as a Quantity of monitoring. As such, it can be displayed in colored still images or videos, in the same way that wind speeds can be visualized. Also, as noted above, time-step Pressure data can be logged for data analysis in Excel or other database programs. Users should note that results of pressure monitoring should only be considered for "free-stream" regions - i.e. not near the surfaces of Buildings, Canopies, or Terrain.

- Other Improvements - We have made subtle improvements to Pick-and-Move, Pick-and-Slide, and zooming to make the behavior more intuitive. We have also fixed a slight problem with saving a Study, and have changed the wireframe color so the wireframe stays visible against a black background.

The complete list of enhancements and maintenance fixes will be displayed when you install Virtualwind 2.1; it will also be available through the software itself (in the Help Menu select "Release Notes").
 
Upgrading to Virtualwind 2.1 is free to anyone who has purchased Maintenance and Enhancements for versions 2.0, 2.0.01 or 2.0.02. You will need to perform some steps to migrate your license files.  If you have not yet purchased a license, but downloaded a previous version of the Free Trial, you can upgrade your trial version to 2.1. The Virtualwind 2.1 Installer and instructions for migrating a purchased license or upgrading a trial version can be found on the "Downloads" page. To get to the Downloads page, go to the web site (www.virtualwind.com), login with your Username and Password, and click on "Downloads" in the green Members-Only menu.