innovation intelligence ® simlab automation training nirmal subbaiah may, 2013

Innovation Intelligence®

SimLab Automation Training

Nirmal Subbaiah

May, 2013

Copyright © 2012 Altair Engineering, Inc. Proprietary and Confidential. All rights reserved.

SimLab Automation

• Topics

• CAD Import• Design Parameters

• Attributes ( Color, Group etc)

• Parameters• CAD & SimLab Parameters

• How to define and use.

• Templates • Mesh spec, Contact, LBC, Material/property

• Process Capture ( Project Menu)• Repeat process for same model with different parameters

• Repeat process for different models with similar attributes

• DOE


SimLab Automation

• CAD Import

SimLab’s Direct CAD Import gives access to design parameters exposed in CAD

software and allows the definition of parameters inside SimLab that define feature

modification (Regeneration), which enables the user to study the influence of design

parameters on the result.

The group information of entities like faces and edges can also be imported

into SimLab as groups which enable the user to define mesh control, loads

and boundary condition. Regenerating the model will retain the group

information


SimLab Automation

• Import for different CAD systems


Unigraphics


Step 1. Open a part and select Modeling application

Creating Parameters


Step 2. Select Tools/Expression

Creating Parameters (Contd.)


Step 3. Select “All” in “Listed Expressions” which will list out all design parameters



Step 4. Select a parameter and rename preceding with SL_



Groups

• Groups

Entities which are grouped in UniGraphics by an unique name will be

imported into SimLab as groups with the same name.


Creating face group

• Step 1: set selection filter to face


Creating face group (Contd.)

• Step 2 : Select face/faces and right click to set property


• Step 3 : Enter name for the group of faces

Creating face group (Contd.)


Step 1: set selection filter to edge

Creating edge group


Step 2 : Select edge/edges and right click to set property

Creating edge group (Contd.)


Step 3 : Enter name for the group of edges

Creating edge group (Contd.)


ProE

Parameters can be created in Pro/E by selecting Tools / Parameters

To add parameter select Parameters/Add Parameter from Parameters dialog Parameters in Pro/Engineer (Ex: Con_Rod.prt)

Assigning the Parameters

Right click on section and select “Edit Definition”

Double click the dimension and enter the parameter name

Assigning the Parameters (Contd.)

Right click on feature and select “Edit Definition”


Double click the dimension and enter the parameter name



Catia

CATIA knowledge ware allows to create parameters and assign it to features. SimLab gives access to these parameters and allows the definition of parameters inside SimLab to study there influence in results without redesigning the CAD model.

CATIA – Knowledge ware

Step 1. Clicking the icon will display the dialog box.

Step 2. To create a new parameter, click “New Parameter of type” after selecting its type(Length). The new parameter appears in the “Edit name” field. Define its name, value and click “Apply” Creating parameters in CATIA

The new parameter will be listed in the specification tree. User can create any number of parameters with predefined value.

Tools | options | Infrastructure | Part infrastructure | Display tab provides options for customizing the display of elements in the specification tree. Checking “Parameters” and “Relations” will display those in specification tree

Parameters and Relations in Specification tree

This is an example to show how the parameters is associated to a feature. In this example the radius of big end is associated to a parameter “BigEnd_Radius”.

Step 1. Clicking the icon (from Knowledge tool bar) will display the dialog box.

Step 2. Select sketch from specification tree and select the dimension for big end radius. The selected dimension will be highlighted in the formula dialog

Using parameters

Using parameters (Contd.)

Step 3. Select Add Formula

Step 4. Select parameter “BigEnd_Radius” from specification tree and click “OK”


The new relation will be listed in the specification tree


Step 1. Select “Generative Shape Design” Workbench

Creating publication

Step 2. Select “Operations/Extract”

Step 3. Extract the faces which are to be published

Creating publication (Contd.)

The extracted face will be listed in the specification tree


Step 4. Select Tools/Publication


Step 5. Select the “Extract” feature from the tree

Step 6. It can be renamed to user defined name by selecting the name field. This name will be the name of the group in SimLab Creating publication (Contd.)

To read the publication information from the CATIA file the application protocol is to be set as “214 iso” Select Tools | Options | General | Compatibility | STEP and set “Application Protocol(AP) to “214 iso” and click “OK”. This will enable the user to import the publications as “SimLab group”.

CATIA – Publication


Preparation before recording a process

• Before recording a process, prepare the templates/specs required for

the whole process.


Recordable operations

• Any dialog with hand symbol can be recorded in .sls script.


SimLab Parameters


Using Parameters

• Any edit box that is marked in yellow will accept a parameter in place of a

number ( Float / Integer) or Name( String)


Mesh Specification files

• Template • Generic – but needs user intervention

• GeomID• Specific to a model

• Face Color• Generic – can be assigned automatically

• Body/Group Name• Generic – can be assigned automatically.


• Mesh Spec Creation - Demo


Color spec

• Standard color coding should be followed.

• Colors can be applied in CAD systems or inside SimLab.

• Each feature should be identified with unique color.

• Import the model and use Render Mode | Face Color to see the colors

assigned to faces.

• RGB values can be seen in output window when a face is selected.

• After applying meshcontrols to different features, export a mesh specification

file using Color option.

• This spec can be imported to any model which was color coded with the same

color standard. ( Ed: Holes – Blue, Planar Face- Red, Fillets – Green)


Color – mesh spec


Color – Mesh spec


Color – Mesh Spec


Color- Mesh spec


Color – Mesh Spec


Group / Name – Mesh spec

• Entities ( Faces, Edges, Body)should be assigned a specific name

• SimLab will read the name details and create groups.

• After creating mesh controls, export using Group/Name based mesh

specification file.

• This file can be used for any component with similar features and names

assigned in the same way how it was used in the original model.


Group / Name - Mesh spec


Mesh controls applied


Mesh controls – Export


Using Parameters in Mesh Spec


Record a Process

• Create Project directory• Project, Input , Output

• Input Files• CAD, Mesh spec, Contact template etc.

• Record


Record a Process


Import Step


Import Mesh Spec


Surface Mesh


Volume Mesh


Transfer Group


Apply Pressure on Bigend_VM Group


Apply Constraint on SmallEnd_VM group


Create Material / Apply Property


Export Solver Deck


Close Project


Replay the script for Different model

• Rename Model#2 to the orginal name used in the script

• Copy model#2 to Input folder and run script

• New model should have same attributes of the model used while recording

the process.


Interactive Play


Run scripts in batch mode

• SimLab.bat –auto d:\script.sls

• SimLab.bat –auto d:\script.sls -param d:\Param.xml -doe

designExperimentFile.xml -nographics –nowait

• -auto

• -param

• -doe

• -nographics

• -nowait


DOE

• Go to Applications | Special | DOE

• Choose Project Folder.


DOE

• Select number of factors and levels

• Choose variables.

• Enter values for each iteration

• Click “Design Experiments”

• Run.

innovation intelligence ® simlab automation training nirmal subbaiah may, 2013

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