The Advanced User Settings give the possibility to (re-)start an optimisation with a Start Space. With this option already optimised results can be modified, e.g. struts can be added oder removed, and this new geometry can be used as the starting point of the optimisation. With this two stage optimisation already optimised geometries can be highly influenced and steered in the desired direction.
In the following the final result of the Part Consolidation Tutorial will be modified and a two stage optimisation will be performed. In this case a additional strut should be added.
Step 1: Export of already existing geometry
The first step is to export an already existing geometry. For the Part Consolidation Bracket the last iteration is exported. In general, every previous iteration can serve as a Start Space.
Step 2: Reimport of the already optimised geometry
The exported geometry has now to be imported into your MSC Apex GD project. Attention: The Unit system for the export from the post processing and the chosen unit system for the import must be the same.
The imported geometry will be displayed in your model tree as a new part with a faceted solid.
Step 3: Creation of an additional strut
With the sketching and geometry tools inside MSC Apex GD an additional strut can be created. First, two planes are created on which the beginning and ending of the strut will be sketched. These planes are created with the sketching tools by sketching a rectrangle on one of the global planes. The transform tool enables to place the planes on the desired positions.
Second, the beginning and ending of the new strut are created on the datum planes. Therefore, two circles are sketched on these planes. The circles should be created inside the already existing geometry thus the new strut has direct contact to the previous geometry.
The result are two circular surfaces which can be connected to one strut by using the Surface Loft tool. For this the picking filter on the left side on the tool has to be set to edges. The result is one strut which is displayed as a solid inside the model tree.
Step 4: Creation of the Start Space
To create the new Start Space the just created strut and the imported already optimised shape can be merged with a boolean operation.
There is no problem if the struts isn’t perfectly integrated into the design. It only has to be in contact with the existing shape. The optimisation will redefine the structure accordingly to the Boundary Conditions and Stress Goal.
The resulting faceted solid needs to exported as an stl-file. Attention: The units has to be in Meters!
Step 5: Start of the optimisation with the modified Start Space
In the last step the optimisation can get (re-)started with the new, modified Start Space. Therefore, the previous scenario can be copied.
For the copied scenario the Advaced User Settings has to be set-up. The path to the previous exported new Start Space has to be selected. Furthermore, the Advanced User Settings are used to adjust the number of iterations for each resolution level. In the most cases a two stage optimisation should start directly on the highest resoltion level or at least on the last two resoultion levels.
In this case twelve iterations on the last resoltion level are entered. How to adjust the number of iterations for each resolution level here.
The optimisation starts now with the modified geometry at the first iteration. At the end of the optimisation the strut is integrated completely into the design. Because the new strut is now loaded with stresses other areas of the geometry are less loaded. The optimisation reduces the material accordingly at these areas, thus in most cases the new, modified design is as lightweigt as the previous one.
Step 6: Additional options Isn’t Working! Needs to be observed
When a Start Space is used as in this Tutorial, the Start Space is only the starting point of the optimisation an the shape can be further modified by reducing and adding material.
Another option is to select this new Start Space as an Non-Design Space. This means that the input Start Space cannot be reduced by the optimisation algorithm, only more material can be added to the Start Space.
Attention: Not perfectly integrated struts or other added features will be part of the new design!
The following commands have to be added to the Advanced User Settings:
Mask StartSpace |
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