a quick tutorial

7/28/2019 A Quick Tutorial

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2005 ANSYS, Inc. 1 ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

Design Modeler Evaluation Guide

A Quick Tutorial

Ansys, Inc.March, 2005

Last modification: May, 26th - PTH


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Agenda

Introduction

Overview of the GUI

Parametric Modeling

Defeaturing and parametrizing an imported geometry Handling thin models

Mid-Surfacing

Slicing

Internal volumes

Enclosure


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Introduction


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Purpose of this tutorial

This tutorial will guide you through the basics of Design Modeler. It is not meant to bean in-depth training.

You will learn how to: Model a parametric geometry

Defeature an existing geometry before simulating

Slice models to get specific mesh properties

Handle thin models Create internal volumes

Enclosures

You need about 4 hours to go through the entire tutorial. You might skip one part orthe other, since they are independent. However, if you would like to have a broaderunderstanding of the functionalities, we strongly encourage you to follow the fulltutorial, especially the Parametric Modeling part.

Make sure you read the GUI overview since it defines a few required notions thatwill allow you to understand the explanations of each section.

All examples can be done with DesignModeler 9.0 except the mid-surface one(version 10.0)


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Overview of the GUI


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GUI - Graphical User Interface

GUI Overview

GUI Layout:

The menus and toolbars accept user input and commands

Tool bars can be docked and re-sized to meet users preference Two Basic Modes of Operation

Sketching tab (2D)

Modeling tab (3D)

Mode Tabs


7/91 2005 ANSYS, Inc. 7 ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary


GUI Overview

Menus,Toolbars,Pull-downLists

Tree

Pane

Details

Pane

Mode Tabs

Status/Info Bar

GRAPHICS(Model View)

DisplayTriad




Main Menu

Main menu: File: basic file operations

Create: 3D creation andmodification tools

Concept: Tools to create lineand surface bodies

Tools: global modelingoperations, parametermanagement, programcustomization

View: modify displaysettings.

Help: access documentation




Toolbars

Plane/Sketch Controls Graphics controls

3D geometry tools

File management Selection filters/toolsSketching

Only



On-Line Help Copyright and Support

Info


Documentation




Accessing Help Topics

Contents

Tab

SearchTab




Basic Mouse Functionality

Basic mouse control (3 buttonmouse assumed):

LMB Geometry selection

+ LMB adds/removes

selected entities

Hold LMB and sweep cursor =continuous selection

MMB Free Rotation (shortcut)

RMB Box Zoom (shortcut)

Open context menus



Adjacent/Flood Select

In select mode the cursor changes to reflect current selection filter (itwill match the icon).

Adjacent Select, selects surfaces or edges adjacent to the currentselection. Adjacent Select will pick all model surfaces within a tangenttolerance of that surface or edge.

Selecting

Selection Filters

Model features are identified by graphically picking them (selecting)

using the left mouse button

Feature selection is done by activating one of the selection filters

(also from RMB)

New

Selection

Single/Box

Selection

2D Points, PF

Points, 3D

Vertices

2D Edges, Model

Edges, Line Edges

FacesSolid Bodies,

Surface Bodies,

Line Bodies

Extension

Options



Selection filters can also be set via RMB on theModel View:

In Sketching Mode:

In Modeling Mode:

Selecting

Selection Filters



Selecting

Mouse Selection

Add to or remove from currentselection set Depends on current selection filter

(lines, surfaces, etc.)

Paint Select - hold left mousebutton then move (paint) mouseover entities to be selected Depends on current selection filter

(lines, surfaces, etc.)

Ctrl+

+Hold

Note: To un-select all, click once in a blank area of the geometry window



Selecting

Selection Panes

Selection Panes allowselecting hidden geometry(lines, surfaces, etc.) afterinitial pick Panes are color coded to

match part colors (for

assemblies) Multi-select techniques

apply to selection panesas well

Note, each plane represents an entity (surface, edge, etc) that an imaginary

line would pass through starting from the initial mouse click location and

proceeding into the screen in the normal viewing direction.

Initial mouse click



Selecting

Box Selection

The Selection Toolbar includes a Select

Mode button allowing users to select

items via Single Select or Box Select

Selection based on currently active filter

Type of selection based on dragging

direction:

Drag from left to right: items completelyenclosed in the box are selected

Drag from right to left: items completely

and partially enclosed in the box are

selected

Note the difference in the hash marks

along the edges of the box to help youdetermine which box selection type will

be performed.

Left to Right Right to Left



Graphics Controls

Rotate Behavior (LMB):

Cursor near center of graphicsscreen = free rotations.

Cursor outside center = rotationabout Z view.

Cursor near top or side edge ofgraphics screen = rotations about X(top/bottom) or Y (left/right) axes.

Note: the cursor will change style depending onwindow location/action



Graphics Controls

Panning

Zoom in/out

Box Zoom

Fit model to graphics screen

Look At: select model feature (surface, line, etc.) then Look At.

Model automatically orients normal to feature, centered at pickpoint.

Additional Mouse Controls While in select mode:

Center mouse button = free rotations.

Right mouse button = box zoom.

Shift + Center mouse button = zoom.



Graphics Controls

While in Rotate, Pan, or Zoom mode:

Left click on model temporarily resets center of view and

rotation at cursor location (identified by red dot).

Left click in open area re-centers model and rotation center to

centroid.

Temporary

rotational

center




Context Menus

RMB

ContextSensitiveMenus appear:

Model View

Print PreviewTree Object

Tree

Sketch

Dimensioning

Note: to delete a feature: highlight iton Tree, RMB >Delete, or

using keyboard




Cursor Modes

Mouse Cursor is context sensitiveIndicates chosen operation

Viewing, Rotation

Selecting

Sketch AutoConstraints

System Status busy, wait



Parametric Modeling


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Workshop Overview

In this workshop, theassembly shown on right

will be enhanced. Basic

DesignModelerfunctionality will be

covered.

The final design is shown

on the right


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Open DesignModeler File

Launch Workbench via Start Menu >

Programs > ANSYS 9.0 > ANSYSWorkbench

In the Start page, select the Geometryicon. Then select the [Browse] button.

You will be prompted to select aDesignModeler database to open

In the Open dialog box, select theDMQuickIntroModeling.agdb file andclick on [Open].


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Create New Plane for 6th Arm

The DesignModeler geometry will be opened and

displayed, as shown on the right.

SelectArmCopyPlane5from the Tree. Select theNew Plane icon to create a new plane based on theselected plane In DesignModeler, new planes for creating sketches

can be defined in a number of ways. In this example,the five arms have been created by copying and

rotating previous planes by 60, then copying the armsketch onto the planes.

Change Transform 1 (RMB) to Rotate about Y withthe FD1, Value 1 as 60. The newly-created plane will be renamed to

ArmCopyPlane6 and rotated 60 degrees, as notedabove.

Click on the Generate icon when done.After completing each action, use the Generate icon

to have DesignModeler check and execute the newgeometric definitions.

In the Details view of the newly-created plane, changethe Plane name to ArmCopyPlane6.


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Copy Sketch Instance for 6th Arm

Right-click onArmCopyPlane6and select Insert >Sketch Instance

A sketch instance can be thought of as a copy ofanother sketch. Sketch instances may not be modifieddirectly, but they can be used as a way of using exactcopies of other sketches for other features, and thesesketch instances will automatically be updated ifchanges are made to the original sketch

DesignModeler will prompt for a Base Sketch to beused. Select ArmSketch from the Tree, underXYPlane. Click on Apply for Base Sketch to finishthe selection.As noted earlier, sketch instances cannot be modified

directly. However, they can be translated, rotated, andscaled by changing definitions FD1 through FD6 in theDetails view. For this exercise, no reorientation orrescaling of the sketch instance is necessary.

Click on Generate to apply the new definition. In the Details view, rename Sketch Instance to

ArmSketchCopy6.


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Revolve Sketch to Generate 6th Arm

Click on the Revolve button In the Details view, select Base Object,then selectArmSketchCopy6from the Tree.Click on Apply.This will provide the profile (sketch instance)

to be revolved

In the Details view, select Axis, then selectthe axis of rotation of the sketch which isparallel to the Global Y-Axis. Click onApply. Then, change FD1, Angle (>0) to30.This provides the axis of revolution, and the

amount of rotation is specified to be 30

degrees. Click on Generate to complete thechanges.

In the Details view, change the Revolvename to ArmRevolve6


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Freeze the TopBase Body

Freeze the body by selecting Tools menu > Freeze Freezingand unfreezing bodies are common operations

when creating multibody assemblies. In DesignModeler, there is no distinction between parts and

assemblies as in CAD software, and separate files are notused to keep track of parts vs. assemblies.

In fact, DesignModeler has a different concept, which is calledmulti-body parts, where bodies in a part will share coincidentnodes on adjacent surfaces when meshed in WorkbenchSimulation (instead of using contact elements to define theinteraction between parts).

Because all parts are created in one database, freezing

operations allow the user to specify whether resultingoperations will be mergedto the current geometry orcreated separately. Frozen bodies cannot bemanipulated, so any further operations will result in newbodies being created.

In the next steps, the bottom plate will be created from anextrusion of a sketch. To prevent the bottom and topplates from being merged into one body, the top plate willbe frozen to prevent any further manipulation to it, and

only the bottom plate will be an active body. Frozen bodies will be shown as translucent, although this

can be toggled on/off under View menu > Show FrozenBodies in Transparent Mode


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Create Plane for Second Body

Rotate the model with the middle-mouse button such thatthe bottom face is in view

Select the bottom face (shown on right) and select theNew Plane icon Note that, depending on the location of the bottom face

selected, the origin will be positioned differently. This isbecause Use Arc Centers for Origin? is set to Yes bydefault, so the center of whichever arc is closest to theselection point will be used for the origin of the new plane.

Make sure that the origin at the center of the model willbe used for the plane origin by choosing Base Face in

the Details view, then selecting the inner or outer edgesof the selected face (this will cause the selection to benear the inner or outer rings, so their center will be usedfor the origin).

In the Details view, click on Apply for Base Face, ifneeded.Additional transformations may be applied, as was done

earlier whenArmCopyPlane6was rotated 60. However,for this plane, no further manipulation of the plane isnecessary.

Click on Generate when done.

In Details view, rename Plane to BaseBottomPlane.


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Create Sketch for Second Body

Add a new sketch by selecting the New Sketch icon inthe toolbar. In the Details view, rename the Sketch to

BaseBottomSketch. Select the Sketching tab fromthe Tree to enter Sketch mode.

In Sketching mode, select Draw: Circle and create acircle with the outer radius equal to the plane boundary. When doing this, note that when the cursor is near the

center of the plane, the letter P will be displayed. Thisis an auto-constraintwhich will allow the user to easilyset constraints when creating sketches. Make sure thatthe center is constrained to the origin of the plane(P=coincident Point constraint), then move the cursorto the outside diameter of the plane. Note that the Tletter will be shown when the cursor is near the outerdiameter. Click again to set the radius with an auto-constraint equal to the outer radius (T=Tangent to outerdiameter).

Create another circle with a small radius

Ensure that the center is coincident with the origin of theplane (with the P auto-constraint). Create the outerradius to be somewhere as shown on right. Note thatthe color of the line is teal underconstrained lines areshown in teal whereas fully-constrained lines (like theouter radius) is shown in blue.



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(contd) Select Dimensions: General and click on the

teal inner circle sketch. Specify the dimension

location with another left-mouse click.The Dimensions section allows users to specify

various types of dimensions. The General andSemi-Automatic are the most common options the former allows generic specification ofdistance, length, or radius dimensions whereasthe latter tries to select all underconstrainedaspects of the sketch.

Use the Dimensions: Edit and select the newly-created dimension. In the Details view, renamethe Diameter to INNERDIAM.

Renaming the sketch dimensions is not required,but it makes parameter or dimension assignment(shown later) much easier, if the items havedescriptive names.


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Extrude to Create Second Body

Return to modeling mode by choosing the Modeling tabbeneath the Tree.

Select the Extrude icon on the toolbar

In the Details view, ensure that Base Object is set toBaseBottomSketch, the newly defined sketch. If not,the sketch can be reassigned by selecting the item nextto Base Object, selecting the BaseBottomSketch fromthe Tree, then selecting Apply.

The extrude Direction should be set to Normal, then

set the FD1, Depth (>0) to 1 inch. Since the extrusion Type defaults to Fixed, this creates

an extrusion in the planes normal direction at a fixeddistance of 1 inch. Note that, in the Graphics window, apreview outline of the new extrusion will be shown.

Click on Generate to create the Extrusion.

In the Details view, rename the Extrude name to

BaseBottomExtrude


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Provide Dimensional Assignment

In this step, the inner diameter of the bottom body will be set totwice the value of the inner radius of the top body

Select XYPlane: BaseProfile sketch. Turn off the solidgeometry and view normal to the sketch. The BaseProfile sketch, used to create the top body, will be

shown. Note that it is a cross-section sketch which was revolvedabout the Y-Axis. There is a dimension called INNERRADIUSthat defines the inner radius of the center hole.

Turn the solid geometry display back on and select theParameters icon from the toolbar.

In the Parameter/Dimensions Assignment tab, typeBaseBottomPlane.INNERDIAM=2*XYPlane.INNERRADIUS in thewindow. Select the Check tab, then the Close tab. The dimension assignment is done by specifying the Parent

name, then the dimension name. In this case, INNERRADIUS isfrom XYPLANE, and INNERDIAM is from the BaseBottomPlane.Hence, to make the diameter of one equal to twice the radius ofthe other, the above expression is entered in the Parameterwindow.

Click on the Generate icon. Notice that, now, the center hole of the bottom body is the same

diameter (3 inches) as the center hole of the top body. Becausea dimensional assignment is made, if the radius of the top bodyhole changes, so will the hole in the bottom body.


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Cut Holes in Second Body

From the Tree, expand HoleCutand select theHoleProfilesketch. Then click on Extrude.

The same sketch used to create the holes in the upperbody can also be used to modify the lower body. Asketch is not limited for use for a single part/body.

In the Details view, change the Extrude name toBaseBottomHoleCut. Change Operation to CutMaterial and ensure that the Direction is set toNormalAlthough considered an extrusion, the type of extrusion

can be changed between adding or removing material.Adding a frozen body is also possible, as well asimprinting faces.

The direction is selected as Normal, but it can bechanged to be a given vector based on the normal of aselected surface or by vectors defined by selected edgesor vertices.

Select To Surface for the Type of cut. For the targetface, select the bottom-most face, as shown highlighted

on the right. Extrusions can be performed by specifying a distance or,

in this example, by selecting a surface. If a surface isselected, this allows the cut to always be a certain depth,even if the thickness of the second body is changed.



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Create Top Cut in LowerBase

Expand the 2 Parts, 2 Bodies branch in the Tree.Rename the second Body to LowerBase.Right-click on the LowerBase branch and selectHide Body.Renaming bodies makes it easier to differentiate

bodies when brought into Workbench Simulation.

An inner surface needs to be selected, sotemporarily hiding the second body makes thiseasier.

Select the inner cut, as shown in the figure on theright (highlighted surface, indicated with an arrow).Select the New Plane button from the Toolbar.In the Details view, change the Plane name toBottomCutPlane1. Change Transform 1 (RMB)to Offset Z.

A new plane based on a selected surface will becreated. This is an outline plane, similar to theone created earlier for the main extrusion of theLowerBase body




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(contd) Select Parameters from the Toolbar. Under the

Parameter/Dimension Assignments tab, add

BottomCutPlane1.FD1=XYPlane.CUTDEPTHand click onthe Check then Close tab. The BottomCutPlane1 Z-offset was left at zero earlier.

By adding a dimension assignment, the z-offset wasmade to always be equal to the bottom of the surface.

Click on Generate when complete.

Unhide the LowerBase body by right-clicking the item in

the Tree and selecting Show Body

With BottomCutPlane1 selected in the Tree, click onthe Extrude icon from the Toolbar. Change theExtrude name to BaseBottomCut1. ChangeOperation to Cut Material with a Direction ofNormal. FD1, Depth (>0) should be changed to 0.5inches. Click on Generate when done.

Instead of using a sketch to create a cut, a plane (outlineplane) created earlier was used. This outline plane isbased on a surface, so, if the surface changes, theoutline plane will be updated accordingly.


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Create Bottom Cut for LowerBase

Select the bottom face of LowerBase body, then create a NewPlane. Rename the Plane to BottomCutPlane2. If needed,select Base Face and adjust the origin to be at the center of the

model, as shown on the right. Then click on Generate. Recall that, with Use Arc Center for Origin? set to Yes, the

origin of the new plane will be defined using the closest arc wherethe plane was selected. Using Base Face, the user can reselectthe face near the centermost circle to use the center as the originfor the new plane.

Enter sketching mode by selecting the Sketching tab in the

Tree. Create a circle coincident with the origin (P auto-constraint symbol should be shown), then dimension the circlewith a 7 inch diameter. Entering sketch mode will automatically create a new sketch (if not

previously defined) on the selected base plane (or surfaces).

Creating and dimensioning a circle uses the same steps as doneearlier in creating the main extrusion ofLowerBase.

If the P coincident-point auto-constraint is hard to differentiatewith the C coincident-line auto-constraint, turn offthe line selectfilter from the toolbar (circled on right). Then, only points (i.e., theorigin) will be selectable, and the P auto-constraint will be easilygenerated.



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(contd)

Re-enter Modeling mode by selecting theappropriate tab from the Tree. In the Detailsview, rename the sketch toBottomCutSketch2.

Select the Extrude icon from the toolbar. In the Details view, rename the Extrude toBaseBottomCut2. Change Operation toCut Material. Respecify the Direction toReversed, with a fixed distance (FD1,Depth (>0)) of 0.3 inches. Click onGenerate when done.


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Create First Bolt Head

Select the top face of the TopBase body, as illustrated onthe right. Create a New Plane.

In the Details view, rename the Plane toBoltHeadPlane and change the Base Face such thatthe origin is at the center of one of the holes. Click onGenerate when completed.

Select the Sketching tab to enter sketch mode.

Create a circle with a P auto-constraint at the origin ofthe newly created BoltHeadPlane. Dimension this tomake the diameter equal to 1.2 inches. Recall that if the P auto-constraint symbol does not

readily appear, change the selection filter to points only.This makes it easier to have the coincident point P auto-constraint, as only existing points are now selectable.

Re-enter Modeling mode, and rename the sketch to

BoltHeadSketch.


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Create First Bolt Head (contd)

Select the Extrude icon. In the Details view, renamethe Extrude to BoltHead with a fixed depth of 0.2

inches in the normal direction. Click on Generate whendone to create the bolt head. Note that a new body is created since TopBase is a

frozen body.

Hide the solid model geometry by toggling off theDisplay Model icon from the toolbar

Select BoltHeadPlaneand create a New Sketch.Rename this Sketch to BoltShaftSketch.A new sketch to define the bolt shaft will be created

Enter Sketching mode by selecting the tab below the

Tree.


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Create a similar circle as done earlier for the bolt headwith Draw: Circle and a P auto-constraint at the plane

origin. Dimension the diameter with Dimensions: General.Rename the dimension with Dimensions: Edit, andenter BOLTSHAFTDIAM for the Diameter in theDetails view.

Open the Parameters window from the toolbar. UnderParameters/Dimension Assignments, enterBoltHeadPlane.BOLTSHAFTDIAM=TopBasePlane.CUTDIAM

ETER-0.1 to specify the bolt diameter to have a 0.1 inchclearance compared with the hole. Click on the Checktab to verify the result of the dimension assignment, thenclick on the Close tab.After specifying the dimension assignment, the

BOLTSHAFTDIAM parameter will have a D next to it inthe Details view, indicating that it is a driven dimension.


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Re-enter Modeling mode by selecting the tab below the Tree.With BoltShaftSketchselected, click on the Extrude icon fromthe toolbar.

In the Details view, change Extrude to BoltShaft. Specify theextrusion Direction as Reversed. For Type, change to ToSurface. For the Target Face, select the bottom-most surfaceofLowerBase, as shown on the right. Click on Generate whendone. In this case, instead of creating an extrusion of a fixed distance,

existing geometry is used as a reference point for the extrusiondepth. In this way, if the depth of the TopBase orLowerBasebodies change, so, too, will the bolt shaft.

To copy the bolt, select Create menu > Body Operation

In the Details view, change Type to Copy. For Bodies, selectthe newly-created bolt body. For Source Plane, selectArmCopyPlane1 from the Tree. For Target Plane, selectArmCopyPlane2. Click on Generate to create the new copy ofthe bolt. AlthoughArmCopyPlane1 and ArmCopyPlane2may not lie on the

same plane as the bolt body, these two planes are rotated 60 fromeach other along the same axis of revolution. Hence, these twoplanes can be used as a way of copying the bolt body 60 toanother hole location.


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Defeaturing and parameterizing


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The model

Load the Design Modeler fileDMQuickIntroDefeaturing.agdb

Start ANSYS Workbench

Choose Empty Project

Select Browse under Link toGeometry file

Browse toDMQuickIntroDefeaturing.agdb

Click Open

Click Generate to refresh themodel

This assembly is a Autodesk Inventorpart which was attached in DesignModeler.

We will perform many operations on this part:

Body Delete

Face Delete

Fill

Bodies merging

Face imprint


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Model Import

We now explain how the model was imported in ANSYS

Workbench This is just an information, not a step you have toperform.

Starting from the CAD system (Autodesk Inventor in this case), the

user just goes to ANSYS 9.0 menu item and select Workbench

M d l i t ( td)


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Model import (contd)

This dialog appears. Select Empty project

The geometry is shown under the Link to active CAD geometry item.

Click on the file name

Finally create a New geometry based on the

CAD part. Once Design Modeler has started,

select the appropriate length unit and click theGenerate button to import your model.

Note: if you start from a non-associative format (parasolid, sat, Catia), the starting point would be a Link

to geometry file (dashed pink ellipse above) instead of the active CAD file. The next steps remain

unchanged.

St t b f d


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Steps to be performed

1. Remove body with Body operation2. Remove holes with Face Delete

3. Remove fillets or chamfers with Face

Delete4. Move bodies with Body operation

5. Create a parametric feature with sketch

and extrusion

R i t d b di


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Removing unwanted bodies

Select Create->Body Operation

Click on the four bodies marked with

a cross on this picture (hold CTRL to

select multiple bodies at the same

time)

Make sure the type option of the tool

is set to Delete

Click Generate

R i h l F d l t


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Removing holesFace delete

Freeze the full assembly (Tools ->Freeze).

We will now remove the holes of theleftmost plate

Unfreeze the left plate (Tools->Unfreeze then select left plate)

Click Generate

Choose Create->Face Delete

Select the inner holes faces asshown right (green highlighted)

Click Apply in the tools options.

Click Generate to get this

R i fill t d h f


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Removing fillets and chamfers

Freeze the full assembly (Tools -> Freeze).

We will now remove the fillets andchamfers out of the circled part

Unfreeze the circled part (Tools->Unfreezethen select part)

Click Generate

Pick one face of the part and press RMB.Select Hide all other bodies

Choose Create->Face Delete

Select the two fillets faces and the chamferat the bottom

Click Apply in the tools options.

Click Generate to get this

Finally click RMB and select Show allbodies

M i bj t P ti l f


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Merging objectsPartial unfreeze

Another interesting feature ofDM concerns the ability tomerge parts that havecoincident surfaces.

Lets try on the yellow partsshown on the right

Unfreeze the two parts (Tools->Unfreeze then select bothparts Hold CTRL key formultiple parts selection)

Make sure the Freeze othersis set to yes

Click Generate

Both parts are now merged intoa single one

Addi t i f t


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Adding a parametric feature

We will now add a circularimprint to the model, whosediameter will beparameterized. This kind ofimprint is useful to applyload on a specific area thatdoes not belong to theoriginal CAD model

First select the face asshown on the picture, thenchoose Sketching underthe tree view (the facecontour now appears as ablack dotted line)

Click the look at sketchicon to get a correct viewof the working plane

Addi t i f t ( td)


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Adding a parametric feature (contd)

Draw a circle on the surface asshown here.

Go to dimensions, click onGeneral then pick the circle.It automatically adds adiameter dimension to themodel.

You can edit the value of thediameter in the option window.

Using horizontal and verticaldimensions let youparameterize the location of thecircle based on the sketch

main axis. The dimensions canthen be changed as we did forthe diameter.

Addi t i f t ( td)


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Adding a parametric feature (contd)

Click the Extrude icon

Set the options as shown.Make sure you select onlythe concerned body.

Click generate. The topsurface now has the imprinton it

If you click on Sketch 2under the Extrude object inthe tree, the dimensions areshown in the options

dialog. You can change thevalue of the dimensionsand then update yourmodel by clickingGenerate


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Handling thin models

The model


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The model

Load the Design Modeler fileDMQuickIntroThinModels.agdb Start ANSYS Workbench



Browse toDMQuickIntroThinModels.agdb

Click Open


We will transform this solid model intoa thin model.

Model thicknesses


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Model thicknesses

6.5mm

5mm

13mm

10mm

Understanding the basics of Thin/Surface


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Understanding the basics of Thin/Surface

feature

Lets take a single thin body with 6.5mm thickness and go throughvarious options to get a single surface out of the solid

We consider here that the green face is one face we would like tokeep (this could be the opposite one as well)

One face kept and translated inward b y half the thickn ess

One face kept and translated outw ard by half the thick ness

Thin/Surface feature


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Thin/Surface feature

This feature can be used : to thicken a surface in order to create a

volume

to hollow a body


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Extracting surface bodies (contd)


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Freeze the model (Tools->Freeze)

Unfreeze the tube with 5mmthickness (shown in solid on thepicture)

Pick the internal or external faces(you can pick one face and usethe Extend Selection tools withExtend to limits)

Select the thin/surface Featureand set the options as shown

Click generate



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Repeat the previous operations with the last two solid bodies to get the model

shown below

Extending surfaces


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Extending surfaces

We will now extend the surfacesto touch.

Select the Surface Extension tool(Tools->Surface extension)

Pick the edge of the surface you

want to extend as shown on thepicture

Select the face to extend to (youcould also specify a distance)

Click generate

Select the edge to extend

Target face

Extending surfaces (contd)


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Extending surfaces (cont d)

You can also select multipleedges and multiple surfacesin a single operation.

Select the Surface Extensiontool (Tools->Surfaceextension)

Pick the edges as shownhere

Select the faces of the tube

Click generate

Select the three lines for each blade

Select the 5 faces of the tube (planes and fillets)


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Joining surfaces


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Joining surfaces

If we stop at this stage andmesh the resulting surfaces,we get a mesh similar to theone shown on the right.

There is no connection of anykind between the surfaces soall parts are mesh totallyindependent from each other.

Using the Joint feature ofDesign Modeler will helpsolve this issue.

Joining surfaces (contd)


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Joining surfaces (cont d)

Select the Joint Tool (Tools->Joint)

Select the tube, the largest surface andthe bottom one then click Apply in thetool options. Make sure ShareTopology is set to Yes.

Click Generate

Clicking on the joint feature just createdin the construction tree shows greenlines wherever a connection betweensurfaces exists.

The surfaces have now imprintscorresponding to their intersections.

We will also form a new part with these3 surfaces, so that they share commonnodes at the created intersections.

Select Form new part from the Toolsmenu, pick the three bodies andgenerate. The bodies are grouped under

a Part in the tree

Joining surfaces (contd)


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Joining surfaces (cont d)

The mesh now shows the common boundaries (in green on the picture)


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Automated Mid Surfacing

(available from DesignModeler 10.0)

The model


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The model

Load the Design Modeler fileDMQuickIntroMidSurface.agdb Start ANSYS Workbench



Browse toDMQuickIntroMidSurface.agdb

Click Open


We will transform this solid model intoa thin model using the mid surfacing

tool.

Extracting surface bodies


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Extracting surface bodies

Select the Mid Surface tool (Tools->Mid-Surface)

In the tool options, select Automaticfor the selection method

Set minimum threshold to 0.1mm andmaximum threshold to 15 mm (doing

this, you set the extreme values fordetecting face pairs in other words,the minimum and maximum sheetthickness to work with)

Then select Yes for Find face pairsnow

Face pairs identification


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Face pairs identification

The 20 face pairs found are shown in blue.

Now click on generate to extract the mid surfaces

First result


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First result

This extraction also returns a few non desired faces corresponding to the holes

Removing face pairs


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Removing face pairs

In the tree, click the RMB

on Midsurf item andselect Edit selections.This reactivates theoptions

Click on Face pairs

In the main window, clickRMB then Remove facepairs

Removing face pairs contd


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Removing face pairs cont d

Click each of the fillets near to the holes You have to remove 7 pairs (5 are shown here, the twomissing are near the green circled one)

Click Apply in the options then the Generate button

Final extraction


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Final extraction

The undesired faces are now removed. If you go over the surface bodies in the tree, you will

see that the thickness has automatically been affected to each of the bodies.


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Slicing

The Model


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Load the Design Modeler fileDMQuickIntroSlicing.agdb Start ANSYS Workbench


Select Browse underLink to Geometry file

Browse to

DMQuickIntroSlicing.agdb Click Open

The goal of this tutorial is toshow you how to use slicing inorder to get a swept mesh ofthis part.

The default mesh obtained onsuch a part is a tetra mesh asshown.

Slicing: what does it mean?


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g

Slicing is an operation that will allow you to split a solid into

smaller parts. The purpose of slicing can be meshing with hexa (swept)

elements but also affecting multiple materials in variousareas of the model

Three type of slicing are available:

Slice Off Faces: a set of faces is selected and a slice will begenerated to create a solid from these faces

Slice by plane: a plane is chosen and the part is sliced bythis plane

Slice by sketch: you can use sketches to draw an arbitraryshape that will be used for slicing (using extrusion or revolve

features). This last type is not addressed in this tutorial.

Slicing Off faces


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We start slicing the part using the faces ofthe rightmost feature

Any slice operation can only be performedon frozen bodies. So we freeze everything(Tools->Freeze)

Select all the faces of the feature as shown

Select Create->Slice and Apply to use thepreviously selected faces

Click generate: your model has now twoparts.

Since we want to keep a unique body, wewill form a new part: select Tools->Formnew part, pick all bodies, click Apply andGenerate

The construction tree should look asindicated

Now, if we mesh this new part, we have theresult shown to the right. This is a mix oftetra and hexa elements.

Slicing by plane


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Now, the part will be sliced parallel to the XY

plane, at two altitudes shown by the greenfaces on the top left picture. We will also sliceit along the third green face perpendicular tothe two first.

To slice the part at this level, we needcreating a plane corresponding to thesefaces. To do this, pick one of the face, thenthe Plane icon, then click Generate. Theplanes look like the right top picture.

Once the three planes have been created,select the Slice tool (Create->Slice), set theoptions to Slice by plane. Select one of theplane as cutting plane. To do this, click onBase Plane, then choose the plane name inthe construction treethen click Apply.Finally, Generate.

Repeat the previous step for the 2 otherplanes.

You now have 8 bodies that you can groupinto a new part.

We still have one solid in the part that is notswept.

g y p

Slicing by plane (contd)


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g y p ( )

To finalize the model, we

will use two additionalslices, based upon thetwo green faces shownon the right.

Create the planescorresponding to thesetwo faces and slice thepart.

You now have 10 bodiesthat you can group into a

new part.

And the mesh is totallyswept!


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Internal volumes

The Model


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Load the Design Modeler fileDMQuickIntroInternalVolume.agdb

Start ANSYS Workbench


Select Browse underLink to Geometry file

Browse toDMQuickIntroInternalVolume.agdb

Click Open

The goal of this tutorial is toshow you how to create theinternal volume of an hollowbody.

Filling a part


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Select the Fill Tool (Tools->Fill).

Select all the internal faces of thebody as shown here in green andclick Apply. You must have 10faces selected

Click Generate

You now have 2 bodies: theoriginal one and the internalvolume.

You can delete the outer body(Create->Body Operation)

Note that the outer body needsbe frozen before creating theinternal one.


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Enclosures

The Model


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Load the Design Modeler fileDMQuickIntroIEnclosure.agdb Start ANSYS Workbench



Browse toDMQuickIntroEnclosure.agdb

Click Open

The goal of this tutorial is to showyou how to create an enclosurearound this model.

In this case, the goal is to createthe air surrounding the motor for aelectromagnetic simulation.

Creating the enclosure


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Select the Enclosure

Tool (Tools->Enclosure)

Set the options as shownhere (note that you canchoose other enclosureshapes)

Click Generate

If we cut the enclosure,we can see that it reallyfills all the gaps between

the various solids of theoriginal model.

a quick tutorial

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