Blending Design and Simulation

SpaceClaim 3-D direct modeling software was recently added to the ANSYS product family.

ANSYS SpaceClaim 3-D direct modeling software — available from ANSYS for several years and now part of the ANSYS product family — is a powerful tool for creating, importing and working with 3-D geometry. It has a simple and robust user interface that includes tools to defeature both parts and assemblies prior to meshing and solving. SpaceClaim has the power to simplify and automate what has traditionally been the time-consuming process of preparing geometry for use in a simulation system. With ANSYS SpaceClaim, engineers can author new concepts and more easily use simulation to iterate on designs and drive innovation.

Increased speed and pressure from competition is compelling organizations to find easier, more effective ways to develop innovative designs. By changing some workflow practices, an engineer can obtain workable geometry early in the design cycle. By performing simulation earlier in the design process, performance data can be built into the design process before key features have been determined to save product development time and costs.

ANSYS SpaceClaim’s defeaturing capabilities quickly create ideal models for meshing in a fraction of the time required by a traditional computer-aided design (CAD) tool. The software was created to enable those without CAD expertise to work with 3-D models, make the needed changes and resume their primary job function. SpaceClaim enables companies to perform analysis up front in the design process.

CONCEPT MODELING TOOLS DRIVE UPFRONT DESIGN EXPLORATION

How spaceclaim works

To help with bad geometry, SpaceClaim makes model repair easy by using a fast detect-and-repair approach to fix files. The direct modeling software can automatically fix common issues when opening files and also provides interactive tools for deeper repairs. If parts are missing some geometry, SpaceClaim’s direct modeling technology will blend seamlessly with repair tools to reconstruct data. A CAD specialist isn’t needed to execute changes; analysts can make the changes themselves and communicate the edits as needed.

The core of SpaceClaim is four simple tools that accomplish most of the geometry editing:

For many common repairs, the automated detect-and-repair functions do most of the work and reduce the need for manual patching.

Speeding model preparation for simulation is an important part of implementing and realizing the full benefit of simulation-driven product development.