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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.
The Advanced User Settings can be added to a Scenario by right clicking on this and selecting the option as shown in the picture below.
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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 Densityand 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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The software uses four resolution levels from coarse to fine (level 3: coarse - level 0: fine). More or less resolution levels can be added or removed. The number behind the level indicates the number of iterations calculated on this resolution level. Moreover, the stressPercentGoal for each resolution level can be changed. More information about the stresses and resolution here.
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.
Therefore, an already optimized STL-file is needed as Start Space. This can be exported directly from the post processing and and be selected as a Start Space by clicking on the browse button. Therefore, the unit of the exported STL-file needs to be in meters (SI-Units). In most cases the Strut Density and Shape Quality settings must be changed as well using the Advanced User Settings. For a restart the same resolution level and number of to be completed iterations have to be filled in.
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:
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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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