Advanced User Settings
- Lennart Krueger
- Anne Duechting-Rotsch
With the Advanced User Settings the optimisation 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 and Usage of a Startspace.
Switch to former static schedule
The progression control can be deactivated and switched back to the former known optimisation method of a static schedule with the following command:
Input Commands | Explanation |
|---|---|
schedule.prefabricated.progressionControl = Static | Static optimisation schedule with predefined number of iterations depending on the chosen Strut Density and Shape Quality |
Influencing the Convergence Detection
To influence the optimisation parameters even further, changes to the safety coefficient of the convergence detection can be made in each resolution level. These settings overwrite the selection of the Strut Density and the Shape Quality as they are only default settings.
schedule.level.1.iterationCount = 0 schedule.level.1.eventSafetyCoefficient.initial= 0.6 |
The table gives an overview of the default settings:
General Optimisation without a manufacturing method:
Level | Event Safety Coefficient |
|---|---|
Level 1 | 0.3 |
Level 2 | 0.3 Mass Target & Strut Density Dense: 0.757 Mass Target & Strut Density Medium: 0.841 Mass Target & Strut Density Sparse: 0.921 |
Level 3 | 0.6 Mass Target & Strut Density Dense: 0.879 Mass Target & Strut Density Medium: 0.928 Mass Target & Strut Density Sparse: 0.970 |
Level 4 | 0.9 Mass Target & Strut Density Dense: 0.943 Mass Target & Strut Density Medium: 0.969 Mass Target & Strut Density Sparse: 0.989 |
Level 5 | 0.95 Mass Target & Strut Density Dense: 0.981 Mass Target & Strut Density Medium: 0.991 Mass Target & Strut Density Sparse: 0.997 |
Level 6 | 1.0 |
Optimisation with casting manufacturing method:
Level | Event Safety Coefficient |
|---|---|
Level 1 | 0.3 |
Level 2 | 0.3 Mass Target & Strut Density Dense: 0.827 Mass Target & Strut Density Medium: 0.892 Mass Target & Strut Density Sparse: 0.951 |
Level 3 | Strut Density Dense: 0.95 Strut Density Medium: 0.75 Strut Density Sparse: 0.95 Mass Target & Strut Density Dense: 0.995 Mass Target & Strut Density Medium: 0.996 Mass Target & Strut Density Sparse: 0.997 |
Level 4 | 1.0 |
Level 5 | 0.95 |
Level 6 | 1.0 |
The software uses six resolution levels from coarse to fine (level 1: coarse - level 6: fine). To remove or skip a resolution level the iteration count value can be set to 0.
To set up these additional parameters, the Input Commands need to be added to the optimisation model in the Advanced User Settings text field.
Restart (Start Space)
With the Advanced User Settings a Restart is possible. A Start Space needs to be chosen with which the optimisation will re/start.
Therefore, an already optimised STL-file is needed as a Start Space. This file can be exported directly from the post processing and selected as a Start Space by clicking on the browse button. The unit of the exported STL-file needs to be in meters (SI-Units).
For a restart the starting resolution level has to be input as well as the event safety coefficient for the progression control.
schedule.startCandidate.candidate = StartCandidate.stl schedule.level.1.iterationCount = 0 schedule.level.1.eventSafetyCoefficient.initial= 0.6 … schedule.level.5.iterationCount = 5 schedule.level.5.eventSafetyCoefficient.initial= 1.0 |
Have a look at the tables above for specific event Safety Coefficient values.
This way a two-stage optimisation is also possible. For a two-stage optimisation the resolution level and input parameters have to be chosen wisely and will need some fine tuning.
A Start Space can be marked as a Non-Design Space, thus the Start Space cannot be removed during the optimisation and will be part of the final design. Therefore, the following command needs to be added:
geometry.StartCandidate.path = StartCandidate.stl |
Soft Symmetry
The soft symmetry is activated per default. It influences the design generation so that the part is symmetric in all three dimensions if they were symmetric in the respective dimension to begin with. This is achieved for geometrical symmetrical design spaces even without the hard symmetry constraint.
Equivalence Delta Value:
This governs how far the optimization value of two symmetric elements is allowed to differ while still being considered equivalent. In theory any value works: the higher the value the more zealously the algorithm will try to keep Soft Symmetry, possibly degrading the quality of the produced geometry compared to a non-symmetric one. The default value is 1e-1.
Attempt Soft Symmetry:
Whether or not Soft Symmetry is attempted at all can be (de)activated here.
off: Soft Symmetry is deactivated.
always: Soft Symmetry is always on.
dynamic: The optimisation will start with Soft Symmetry activated but turn it off once no dimension’s symmetry can be salvaged. Note that “dynamic” will never turn it back on once it has turned it off once.
Soft Symmetry Threshold:
Specifies how many asymmetric elements are sufficient for the "dynamic" setting of attemptSoftSymmetry to turn off soft symmetry. Values between 0 and 1 are allowed, where the number represents the proportion of voxels.
The default settings can be changed with the following commands:
configuration.equivalenceDelta = 1e-1 configuration.attemptSoftSymmetry = dynamic configuration.softSymmetryThreshold = 0.3 |
|---|
Manufacturing Method Casting
Tool Length
Influence the tool length for a speed up. A loss of surface quality (staircase effect) & less defined pockets can be the trade off.
tool.tool0.lengthFactor=0.5
tool.tool1.lengthFactor=0.5 | For each draw direction (tool) the length factor can be adjusted. The default is 1. By decreasing the value the optimisation will speed up. Suitable values between 0.2 - 1. |
Overhang Angle - Support Reduction
By default an overhang surface is determined if the angle falls below 45° in relation to the baseplate. This angle can be changed with the following command:
45° | schedule.prefabricated.wallAngle=45° |
Resolution
The Complexity value defines the resolution of the model. The GD_Engine.log in the optimization result folder gives information about the calculated SuperVoxel edge length (base resolution) on the last resolution level. The SuperVoxel elements represent the model in the background for the FE-Analysis as well for the surface generation. The SuperVoxel edge length can be directly set with the following command to overrule the Complexity value.
Input commands | Explanation |
|---|---|
configuration.detail=2 | Specify the SuperVoxel edge length in world units (in this case 2mm) |
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