Nexus Connection Example - GD-Bracket

Step 1: Connect to Nexus

Select the Nexus Connect button and sign in with your credentials.

Step 2: Create a document

Create a new Design & Additive Manufacturing document and enter the name of the document.

Step 3: Material definition

Select a material from the materials list in Nexus.

Step 4: Geometry import

Import your geometry base for the optimisation.

Step 5: Define Design Space

Select the geometry as the Design Space.

Step 6: Assign the material

The material selected in the Nexus document is imported in Apex GD. Assign it to the Design Space.

Step 7: Optimisation preparation and run-through

Please go to the GD-Bracket Tutorial and follow the instructions starting at Step 3 to setup the optimisation model and carry out the optimisation.

Step 8: File upload

Upload the result directly from the post processing to your Nexus document with the Push Changes option. The Print and Nominal geometries of the last iteration are pushed to the Nexus document and you can continue the AM workflow in AM-Studio and Simufact Additive.

Import the build direction from AM-Studio or Simufact Additive

The build direction of the created design might be changed by AM-Studio or Simufact Additive. If this is the case, the optimal build direction can be reimported in MSC Apex GD and a new optimisation considering this new orientation can be carried out.

Therefore, the changes need to be synced. After the synchronisation, a new coordinate system is created in the Model Browser. Set the coordinate system as the active PCS and create a new Scenario which is referencing this coordinate system. Activate the AM Design Rules to optimise the structure according to the build direction and start the optimisation. Afterwards go through the usual steps to upload the result to your Nexus document.

Limitation: The created coordinate system needs to be set as the active PCS by the user.

Alternative workflow for file upload:

As an alternative the design can also be transferred to the pre processing and for example manually manipulated after the optimisation. If this is the use case, the geometry can also be uploaded from the pre processing. Therefore, step 8 is replaced by the following steps:

Step 8: Create solid geometry

Select the Smooth Geometry of the last iteration and use the Transfer Design Candidate Shape to pre processing button to create the NURBS geometry.

Right click on the Design Space object to create a new part of the Design Space which includes the Machining Allowances defined in the Interface.

Use the Design Space including the Machining Allowances and the solid Design Candidate to carry out an intersection. The resulting geometry is the Print Geometry as a solid file.

Step 9: File upload

Right click on the Print Geometry part and select Sync with Nexus to upload this geometry to the active Nexus project.

Continue with the AMPBF Connection workflow with AM-Studio and Simufact Additive to prepare the part for manufacturing.

The synchronisation from Pre-Processing uses the build direction of the last run Scenario and uploads this information to the Nexus document.