DesignSpark Mechanical Online Help

ANSYS add-in

DS Mechanical and ANSYS provide a combined solution that you can use to simplify CAD models for analysis. With this add-in, you can send a model that was imported or created in DS Mechanical to ANSYS Workbench, ANSYS Mechanical, ANSYS DesignModeler, or any other integrated ANSYS products. The geometry is sent into ANSYS along with any driving parameters or analysis specific attributes (spot welds, midsurfaces thicknesses, etc) that you have defined. Driving parameters can be edited within ANSYS to run sets of iterative analyses.

The basic process is simple:

1. Import a CAD model into DS Mechanical.

2. Simplify and modify the model for analysis.

3. Define parameters and named selections that you can use in ANSYS.

4. Send data to ANSYS:

   • ANSYS 11.0, 12.0, and 12.1: Launch ANSYS from DS Mechanical, and then set up analysis conditions and constraints using the powerful simulation tools in ANSYS.

   • ANSYS 13.0: Start ANSYS Workbench and create a geometry cell:

     • To work with an existing design, click Import Geometry in ANSYS and choose an existing SCDOC fileFile format for SpaceClaim files (.scdoc). Files comply with the Microsoft Open Packaging Convention, which is also used by Microsoft Office 2007. These files are actually zip archives with a special structure, the contents of which are primarily XML data., then use Edit Geometry to launch DS Mechanical with that document loaded.

     • To start a new design, click New DS Mechanical Geometry in ANSYS to launch DS Mechanical with an empty design.

5. Modify and send data between DS Mechanical and ANSYS, and rerun the tests as often as necessary.

6. Return the validated design options or recommended changes to the designer when testing is complete.

You can view the following video that demonstrates the process:

DS Mechanical ANSYS integration demonstration

Data you can send to ANSYS

You can transfer the active model to ANSYS, even if it has not been saved. You can also send data from a document that is open in DS Mechanical or from a saved DS Mechanical document.

Only visible objects are sent to ANSYS; hidden objects are not sent.

The following data is transferred to ANSYS:

• Geometry

  • Solids

  • Surfaces

  • LineA straight line, arc, or spline drawn in Sketch mode or on a layout plane. Lines have length but no area. When you pull a sketch into 3D with the PullTool used to distort or deform geometry. Use the Pull tool to offset, extrude, revolve, sweep, draft, and blend faces; or to round, chamfer, or extrude edges. When converting a sketch to 3D, pulling a line creates a surface and pulling a surface creates a solid. tool, lines become edges. bodies (Beams)

    When a Beam with SectionDesign2D or 3D model that contains at least one top-level component. mode in which you edit solids by working with their edges and vertices in cross-section. ViewOrientation settings that you can apply to your design, including spin, pan, and zoom. You can adjust these settings individually or you can apply one of the following preconfigured views: Trimetric, Isometric, Top, Bottom, Front, Back, Right, Left. You can also select Snap View and click a face to view it head-on. is cut away to show interior detail. Anchor type set to Location is transferred to Workbench, its Location becomes a Workbench OffsetDistance an edge, segment, or curve is moved or copied. of type, User Defined. The X and Y offset components will, in general, change to preserve the Beam cross-section position relative to the Beam line. This coordinate transformation is necessary to account for differences between DS Mechanical and Workbench reference frames.

  • Points

• Origins

• Named Selections (groups)

• Driving dimensions (groups)

  • Ruler dimensions

  • Pattern count

  • Driving annotation dimensions

  • ShellSolidObject that encloses volume. A surface becomes a solid if it encloses volume. or part that is hollowed out from a selected face, leaving a shell of designated thickness. thickness

• Midsurface thickness values on surfaces

• Spot welds

• Material properties