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With the Advanced User Settings the optimization parameters can be influenced even further than the options Strut Density and Shape Quality. Furthermore, a few unsupported options are available using the Advanced User Settings like Restart, Usage of a Startspace, Symmetry and preventing an Intersection.
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The appearing text field can be used to add Advanced User Commands to the current Generative Design Scenario.
Restart, Usage of a Startspace & Influencing the Strut Density
To influence the Strut Density even further, changes of the number of iterations, stress goal percentage and number of resolution levels can be made. These settings overwrite the selection of the Strut Density and the Shape Quality as they are only default settings for the ones described here. The table gives an overview of the default settings:
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To set up these additional parameters, the Input Commands (left side of the table) need to be added to the optimization model in the Advanced User Settings Text Field. In the picture below an example is shown. By adding these Advanced User Settings, the first (coarse) resolution level will be skipped and the optimization starts directly at the second level. You might want to add more iterations to the remaining levels to give the optimization the chance to reduce the material accordingly. Especially level 2 can use more iterations in this case.
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Restart (Start Space)
With the Advanced User Settings a Restart is possible. A Start Space needs to be chosen with which the optimization will re/start.
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This way a two-stage optimization is also possible. For a two-stage optimization the resolution level and number of iterations must be chosen wisely and will need some fine tuning.
Symmetry
With the Advanced User Settings a symmetrical result can be realized. Therefore, the geometry and the boundary conditions have to statisfy some conditions:
The geometry needs to be symmetrical
The boundary conditions need to be symmetrical
The loads have to be applied only on a half/quarter/eighth of the part. They will be automatically mirrored and considered through the symmetry planes. Forces have to be applied on volumes/cells.
Attention: The loads are only allowed to be applied in the positive coordinate direction (positive cooridnate half/quarter/octant)
The displacement constraints are allowed to be applied on a volume/cell that goes beyond the symmetry plane to the other coordinate half/quarter/octant unlike loads
The geometry needs to be located in the global coordinate origin
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Have a look at the Symmetry Tutorial here!
Preventing an Intersection
Intersections between optimization results and the Design space are needed to create the final, manufacturable design. This ensures all functional sharp edges are available and the generative designed part is inside the boundary limits.
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If an intersection is not directly requested, the export command “noIntersection” can be added to the Advanced User Settings. In some cases the design space of the optimization is not the one the intersection should take place with and therefore this additional command can be used. The intersection is not done for the iteration but the result is the smoothed optimization result. For further information regarding a separat intersection with MSC Apex Generative Design have a look here.
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