Lecture 2

Introduction to Design Modeler

15.0 Release

Introduction to ANSYS DesignModeler

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What is DesignModeler?
Overview

DesignModeler is a tool

Sketching

For importing CAD models for preprocessing before engineering analysis

For geometry simplification/modification
and preparation for meshing
For parametric feature-based modeling

Application Fundamentals

Two basic modes of operation for geometry

creation
2D Sketching
3D Modeling (Surfaces and Solids)
Dedicated tools for import & clean-up

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CAD Import
& Clean-up

Modeling

Launching DesignModeler
From Analysis Systems

From Component Systems

Eg: Geometry, Mesh

Eg: Fluid Flow (Fluent), Fluid Flow (CFX)

ANSYS DesignModeler is launched within Workbench

Double click Geometry in the System or right click and select Edit
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DesignModeler Interface
Toolbars

Tree Outline

Mode Tabs
Graphics
Window

Details View

Status/Info Bar
Entity Details Bar
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Units Display Bar

Tree Outline
DesignModeler is a History based modeling
tool

Tree Outline is where are being displayed the

recorded sequential feature operations
Default Planes

Starts with three default Planes

XY, ZX & YZ
Sketches are created on Planes

Sequential list of
Modeling
Operations

Modeling Operations are listed sequentially,

which can be edited/deleted
The Bodies/Parts which are created by the
Modeling Operations are listed beneath them
This list of Bodies/Parts is not feature based

List of bodies/parts

Changes can only be made based on Feature

operations in the Tree Outline
Changes by Part Management operations such as
Form a New Part
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Details View
Working with the Details View

Feature inputs are listed in the Details View

The second column contains user input

values or selections
Each input box is activated by Left Click
Boxes requiring entity selection (Sketch,
Geometry etc) will display Apply/Cancel
when activated

Yellow boxes indicate that input is required

(numeric or selection input).

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Info Bars

Units Display Bar

Status/Info Bar

- Displays Unit used in

current project

- Displays Status of geometry model

- Displays dynamic instructions
Entity Details Bar

- Eg:

- Displays details of entity selected in Graphics

Window or Tree Outline.
- Eg:

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Toolbars
Toolbars can be accessed to get quick access to most commonly used features
The most commonly used toolbars are
Selection
View Controls
Display Controls

Toolbars can also be customized to Add/Remove features of users choice

Box Selection Options

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Criteria based Coloring

for Diagnostics/Visualization
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Suppression
Suppressing Bodies

Behaviour of Suppressed Body

Will not be exported or transferred to other

Workbench modules
Not visible in Graphics view
Identified by cross sign in Tree Outline
How to Suppress or Unsuppress?
Select the body to be suppressed, right click
and select Suppress Body
Select the body/bodies to be unsuppressed,
right click and select Unsuppress Body

Please note: Suppressing & unsuppressing bodies may

change some features in tree, wherever they were used.
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Suppressed

Visibility
Hiding Geometry

Behaviour of Hidden Bodies

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In Tree Outline, Hidden body is identified by

transparent tick-mark sign
Hidden bodies are transferred to other
Workbench modules and can also be
exported
Useful when working with complex models
How to Hide or Unhide?
Select the body or face to hide, right click
and select Hide Body OR Press F9
Right click Show Body to restore view

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Hidden

Named Selections
What are Named Selections?
Any number of entities grouped together under one
name
These can be used to:

Group Entities together for display purposes

Define boundary conditions
Apply Mesh Settings
Define Meshing Order

Can be created using one of two ways

Select an entity or a group of entities, click RMB, select

Named Selection from the context menu or
Select an entity or a group of entities, click on Tools menu
and select Named Selection

Named Selections can be assigned to groups points,

lines, surfaces or solids.

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Important DM Concepts
Body States
Active
Active bodies merge automatically with bodies in contact or overlapping.

By default, DM creates Active bodies. To avoid active bodies or parts to merge

together, use Add Frozen wisely.

Active State: Single body after two

Frozen
feature creation operations
Frozen bodies remain independent
Why to use Frozen bodies?
If Meshing requires bodies to be decomposed
If Solver requires different boundary & continuum conditions to be applied to
different areas of the model
Unfreeze can be used to Selectively convert Frozen bodies to Active State

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Frozen State: Two bodies (one frozen)

after two feature operations

Thin/Surface
Thin Surface Details
Creates Thin Solid or Shell (Surface)
Faces to Keep: Selected faces used to form the thin
solid or surface
Faces to Remove: Unselected faces used

Ability to Create a 2D model from a 3D one

A symmetry command can be used first to cut a 3D
model in half with the XY plane
Then use Thin Surface / Face to Keep to keep only the
symmetry plane 2D model

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3D to 2D
3D CAD after
Symmetry

3D CAD

Selection for Thin

Surface / Faces to Keep

Note : 2D models must be in XY plane

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2D surface body

Geometry Cleanup/Repair: Introduction

DM provides geometry tools to:
Analyze
Repair
Modify/Simplify

All these commands are available under

the Tools Menu
May need to view the model in wireframe
mode to visualize the problematic areas

DM also give the ability to color edges

depending on connectivity

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Repair: Automation
Automatically detects and lists out
geometrical issues
Highlights the location of fault in the
geometry
Zooms into the location, when clicked on
the items in the list

Proposes fixes to the issues

Choose a different method to fix, if needed

Analyze the list

Fix issues all at once
Upon clicking Generate
Cant be done one after the other
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Face Delete
Used to remove features such as fillets, chamfers, holes etc., and
automatically heal the geometry at those locations
Four Options for Healing: Automatic, Natural, Patch or No healing

Patch Healing

Automatic

Natural Healing
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Edge Delete
Used to remove blends, chamfers, and holes from surface bodies
Can also be applied to imprinted edges from all body types
Can choose healing types: Automatic, Natural or No healing

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Single and Multi-Body Parts

Working with Parts

By default, DM places each body into one

part by itself
Single-body parts : Individual parts are
meshed separately

Single-body Parts

Multi-body Parts

Non-conformal mesh at interface

Multi-body part : Two or more bodies in a

single part
Conformal mesh at interface if Shared
Topology set to Automatic

Bodies can be grouped into a part in 2

ways :
Select bodies. Click RMB and select Form New
Part
Select bodies. Go to Tools Form New Part
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All bodies in a
single part

Single and Multi-Body Parts

Case 1: In DM: 3 parts, 3 bodies consisting of 3 solids
Result of transferring this geometry to Meshing

Contains: 3 solids, 3 bodies

Each solid is meshed independently
Nodes are not shared and do not line-up
No connection between the 3 mesh regions for fluid flow and/or heat
transfer
Contact pairs are automatically created between parts/bodies in
ANSYS Mechanical to transfer loads
DM

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Mesh

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DM

Mesher

Single and Multi-Body Parts

Case 2: In DM: 1 multi-body part, 3 bodies/solids
Result of transferring this geometry for Meshing
Contains: 1 multi-body part, 3 bodies/solids
Each solid meshed independently but node connectivity
among solids is preserved
Contains internal face which can be used for Post Processing
No contact pair is created in ANSYS Mechanical
DM

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Mesh

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DM

Mesher

Shared Topology

Shared Topology can be completed manually using

Uses of Shared Topology

For getting Conformal mesh
Imprinting for Contacts or Interface definition

Options
For generating a conformal mesh for a Multibody Part, Shared Topology
needs to be completed with Automatic setting
If conformal mesh is not required between two bodies in Part, but imprints
of faces of one body on other are required (for defining contacts in
Mechanical or Interface in Fluent), Shared Topology needs to be completed
with Imprint setting
For non-conformal, non-imprinted mesh on a body, Shared Topology setting
needs to be kept None

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Shared Topology can be set

through its Form

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OR Shared Topology can be

set for individual Part
manually

CAD Connections & Parameterization

CAD Connection
Parameterization
What is it ?
helps execute a set of operations repeatedly with different input values
Useful for analyzing multiple design points
By modifying geometry/topology parameters

Parameters can be either used for :

Sketch dimensions, Plane creation inputs, 3D operation values, etc.

Parameters can be linked with each other through expressions

Defined in Design Modeler or Workbench

Parameters can be controlled from Workbench

No need for Design Modeler to be opened

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Types of Parameters
Geometric parameters
Changes the dimensions or locations of a given
feature
Does not necessarily change the total
number of entities in the model

Topological parameters
Modifying the feature itself by adding or
removing geometry
Can change total number of entities in the
model
Parameterized
number of copies
in a pattern

Parameterized
dimension
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Bi-directional CAD Connectivity & Parameters

Parameters

Hole diameters
Number of holes

Parameters from
CAD to WB
CAD Parameters

Design Modeler

Pro.Engineer
Parameters from
WB to CAD
DM Parameters
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Creating Parameters in Design Modeler

Procedure
Any input prefixed with the symbol can be parameterized

Toggle to D to parameterize that particular input

Default Parameter Name Pattern
Feature Name.Dimension Reference
Parameter name can be changed

Examples:

A dimension reference (H1) for a sketch

created on the XYPlane = XYPlane.H1
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A dimension reference (FD1) for

Extrude1 = Extrude1.FD1

Parameter Manager
Accessible from the Toolbar or Tools menu
Design Parameters tab

List the existing parameters & assigned values

Parameter/Dimension Assignments tab
Contains expressions
relating the original dimension reference to the
value set in the Design Parameters tab

This 2 defined parameters become obsolete

and can be suppressed (or deleted)

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Create the needed expressions &

Check to evaluate them

Parameter Manager
Parameters created into Design Modeler can either be managed in:
Parameter Editor in DM
Parameter Set in WB

Linked together &

Updated in background

Multiple Design Points can be created using

different values of the parameterized
independent variable

Expression can be created in the

Outline of All Parameters in WB
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