Generative Design on Cloud - 3DEXPERIENCE Platform

 The 3DEXPERIENCE Platform 

The 3DEXPERIENCE platform is a collaborative environment that Connects People, Data, Processes, ideas, and Business. 3DEXPERIENCE is a cloud-based platform that is easily accessed with a browser that has curated roles for persons from each department in an organization ranging from Design, Simulation, and Manufacturing to Governance/Management.

The 3DEXPERIENCE platform has cloud design capabilities running on a browser, so that it can be used with any device using a dedicated Touch Mode. A few of the Cloud Design roles include 3D Creator, 3D Sculptor, 3D Sheet Metal Creator, 3D Structure Creator, 3D Mold Creator, 3D Pattern Shape Creator, 3D Render, Drafter, and so on.

3D Creator

3D Creator is a role on the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform, having xDesign as the web application to create parametric models and assemblies, in a unified interface within a browser. Since the tool requires only a browser and internet connection, you can model on the go with a Tablet or Mobile device. The tools and workflows in xDesign are very similar to the mighty SOLIDWORKS.

DESIGN GUIDANCE

Apart from Parametric modeling, xDesign enables us to use industry trending tools like Generative Design on the cloud. We can use this Design Guidance to help design geometries, taking into account forces, space, and loads. We can create a new design or redesign an existing geometry.

For creating a new Generative Design, the process is so simple that we need to define the Material of the model, boundary conditions like Fixtures and Loads, the bounding box dimensions of the model, and any areas to be excluded during the generation process. Within the browser, several iterations occur to offer you the best possible geometry for the given conditions.

A conventional or legacy design consumes more material that does not contribute to the load, whereas the model obtained from Design Guidance (Generative Design) can be directly built using additive manufacturing. In order to make the optimized model to be manufactured using conventional machining processes, we can build machinable features from generated design using xDesign tools.

Advantages of Generative Design

· Reduced Product Weight hence reduced material and handling costs

· Takes less time to complete the design

· Create better designs and better products

· Consolidation of various parts into a single design

· Limitless number of designs to choose from

· 3D Creator doesn’t need any installation

With 3D Creator you can also:

· Create parametric 3D models anywhere and anytime using a browser

· Eliminate the need to plan your assembly structure with a single modeling environment

· Iterate rapidly without the rework associated with typical parametric modeling tools

· Understand structural requirements through an easy exploration of optimal material with Design Guidance

· Leverage the power of machine learning to reduce repetitive tasks with the Design Assistant tools

· Visualize your designs with ease and impress customers instantly with realistic appearances and environments.

The 3D creator role enables you to step up your Product Design and development process, and allows your design data to be managed, and used for other processes like Simulation and Manufacturing, on this unified 3DEXPERIENCE Platform. 

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Get your SOLIDWORKS Desktop Connected to 3DEXPERIENCE Cloud

 Imagine how useful it would be if you could safely store and access your SOLIDWORKS data in the cloud, from anywhere in the world, using just a Login ID. Yes, 3DEXPERIENCE is an easy-to-use cloud-based platform that allows you to save your SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD designs securely to the cloud. It empowers business partners to collaborate in real-time and leverage their expertise to accelerate product development.

 The 3DEXPERIENCE Platform

3DEXPERIENCE is a collaborative platform that enables businesses and individuals to innovate in entirely new ways and create products or services based on virtual experiences. It provides a real-time view of business activity by connecting people, ideas, and data. The platform offers curated roles for each department in an organization from Design, Simulation, Manufacturing, and Governance.

Collaborative Designer for SOLIDWORKS

 

The Collaborative Designer role allows users to save SOLIDWORKS data and make real-time updates within the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

The collaborative designer role for SOLIDWORKS has the following apps

l Derived Format Converter

l Design with SOLIDWORKS

l Inspect with SOLIDWORKS Inspection

l Render with SOLIDWORKS Visualize

 

When a user navigates to the 3D Compass and clicks on the "Design with SOLIDWORKS" app, Desktop SOLIDWORKS is launched with an active 3DEXPERIENCE session accessible from the Task Pane. Any assembly or part file opened in SOLIDWORKS will appear in the 3DEXPERIENCE Task Pane with a status icon indicating that it has not yet been uploaded to the cloud. As soon as you click on the save active window, the data will be uploaded to the cloud.

When you save data to the cloud for the first time, a save to 3DEXPERIENCE dialog box appears, allowing users to select Bookmark to easily access data, make new revisions and add comments. The content in the dialog box can also be exported as spreadsheets.

 

As part of Life-cycle capabilities, the file can also be locked or unlocked to ensure that other individuals with access cannot edit it simultaneously. The users can create new revisions, new branches, change ownership, and change maturity states according to the assembly or part, such as Private, In-Progress, Frozen, Released, or Obsolete.

Change is inevitable. Effective change management improves an organization's ability to make sound decisions. It helps to boost productivity, reduce risks, and aids in increasing a company’s profitability. Viewing and accessing all assigned changes and tasks is one of the Change Action capabilities. "Work Under" is a way of documenting design changes, which is helpful for managers to review. A maturity state is not only applicable to data elements, but also to tasks, issues, and changes, all of which can be approved further.

This collaborative task management application allows you to manage, share, and assign tasks, access related content, estimate job duration and share comments. Bookmarks are available on the platform for organizing work into folders, sharing with teammates, and readily accessing content from any device. Bookmarks, as well as all other apps, features, and much more can be accessed through the mighty SOLIDWORKS Interface or Web Browser.

Key Merits

l Store your CAD data on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform and make it available to all departments such as design, simulation, manufacturing, and governance, by integrating them into one unified platform.

l The 3DEXPERIENCE platform allows you to instantly review your tasks and work on the proposed change orders without leaving SOLIDWORKS.

l Enable key stakeholders to use your design data along with all available business data in the cloud

l With a web browser, you can find, view, share, annotate, discuss, and manage CAD and non-CAD data from anywhere, at any time, and on any device.

l Avoid rework and reduce errors as a result of working in disconnected groups.

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3DEXPERIENCE BROWSER BASED CAD - xDesign

What is 3DEXPERIENCE?

The 3DEXPERIENCE platform is a collaborative environment which empowers businesses to innovate and collaborate in entirely new ways through cloud.
It provides real-time view of business activity and ecosystem, connecting people, ideas, data and solutions together in an organization using a single environment.
Bring key stakeholders together on a single collaborative platform, allowing you to seamlessly move from ideation through delivery for continuous development via 3DEXPERIENCE cloud-based solutions.

What is 3D Creator - xDesign?

3DEXPERIENCE platform contains roles in which 3D Creator has xDesign app for 3D parametric browser-based modeling. 

Innovate, collaborate, and create great designs on the go using the xDesign Cloud Solution inside a web browser.

The User Interface of 3D Creator – xDesign app is very similar to traditional SOLIDWORKS with the advantage of cloud design which offers the user to design from any device, anywhere and anytime with just a browser like Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Safari etc.

You can capture and realize your ideas with parametric 3D models of parts and assemblies.

It provides a single modeling environment and rapidly iterate your design intent anytime with super features.

Design and optimize materials and design using Design Guidance tool and generative design approach.

Reduce repetitive tasks with the Design Assistant tools using the power of machine learning technology.

3D Creator - xDesign is a cloud-based solution that is always working with the latest version of software on all your devices with no worrying about installing, configuring, or managing software.

With 3DExperience Cloud Design app like xDesign, the IT infrastructure, hardware requirements, server maintenance can be minimized.

Secure communication and collaboration can be ensured with internal or external stakeholders. 

3D Creator ensures successful collaboration through secure and safe communities, complete design and data access control, sharing, easy visualization, and product review within the ecosystem.

Manage tasks and monitor the progress of projects using a dashboard. The 3DEXPERIENCE Platform dashboard offers seamlessly transitions between 3D Creator and other design solutions.

3D Creator - xDesign app offers Design Guidance, an interactive feature based on simulation and optimization algorithms to help inspire innovative solutions to your design challenges, collaboration and data management.

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Different Modes of Combination in Response Spectrum by SolidWorks Simulation

The response spectrum method is used to compute inertial response, estimates of response quantities developed for each mode, each direction of excitation and each input, if multiple inputs are considered. The total response is then formed by summing over all modal component, spatial component and excitation component responses. It estimate the structural response to short, nondeterministic, transient dynamic events. Examples of such events are earthquakes and shocks. Since the exact time history of the load is not known, it is difficult to perform a time-dependent analysis.

It is a widely used procedure for performing elastic dynamic seismic analysis, represents the set of the maximum acceleration, velocity or displacement responses of a family of single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) damped oscillators. 

Fig: 1

For a given time period of system, maximum response is picked. This process is continued for all range of possible time periods of SDOF system. Final plot with system time period on x-axis and response quantity on y-axis is the required response spectra pertaining to specified damping ratio and input ground motion as acceleration, velocity or displacement response.

Factor Influencing Response Spectra:

1. Damping in the system

2. Time period of the system

3. Energy release mechanism

Errors in Evaluation of Response Spectrum:

Truncation Error: - In general, a truncation error exists in numerical methods for

integrating differential equations.

Rounding the Time Record: - For earthquake records digitized at irregular time intervals, the integration technique proposed in this report requires rounding of the time record and the attendant error depends on the way the rounding is done. For round-off to 0.005 sec, the average error in spectrum values is expected.

Error Due to Discretization: - In any numerical method of computing the spectra, the

response is obtained at a set of discrete points. Since spectral values represent

maximum values of response parameters which may not occur at these discrete points,

discretization introduces an error which gives spectrum values lower than the true

values.

Multi degree of freedom (MDOF) systems are usually analyzed using Modal Analysis. A

typical MDOF system with ‘n’ degree of freedom. The system when subjected to ground motion undergoes deformations in number of possible ways. These deformed shapes are known as modes of vibration or mode shapes.

In SolidWorks Simulation, we can predict the Displacement, Maximum Stress Induced and frequency with respective mode shapes of the system. with response as acceleration, velocity or displacement input to the system, with irrespective of the system type, the system can be 

Regular or Irregular as shown in Fig:2 & Fig:3.

  Fig:2(irregular Structure)

Fig:3(Regular) 

Regular Structure:

The design shall be approximately symmetrical in plan with respect to two orthogonal axis with flowing assumptions:

1. Location of joints with equal spacing in the design.

2. No horizontal or vertical irregularity of the structure

3. No change in material or shape of the structure cross section.

Irregular Structure:

If the design does not follow any assumptions of the regular system, becomes irregular structure. Most of the mechanical designs are Irregular in nature, as there may be material changes to the main members to improve the strength of the design.

There are different methods that are used for combining the response of each direction of system the methods for MDOF system are as follows:

1. Square root of sum of squares (SRSS) Method

2. Absolute Sum (ABSSUM) Method

3. Complete quadratic combination (CQC) Method

4. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL)

Square root of sum of squares (SRSS) Method:

The maximum response is obtained by square root of sum of square of response in each mode of vibration, the effect is calculated for each individual Frequency of the system with the defined response at different directions, these responses are summed up and an averaged.

Limitation of SRSS:

· There is a poor estimator of peak responses when applied to systems with closely spaced natural periods.

· Significant errors are caused when working with Irregular system.

Absolute Sum Method:

The peak responses of all the modes are added algebraically, assuming that all modal peaks occur at same time. The maximum response is given by:

Complete quadratic combination (CQC) Method:

The previously illustrated errors which are inherent in absolute sum or the SRSS method are rectified with CQC, The maximum response from all the modes is calculated as:

r_max is the maximum response

r_i, r_j are maximum responses in the i^th and j^th modes

α_ij is Cross Modal Coefficient

ξ is Modal  Damping Ratio, β is Frequency Ratio [ ]

Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Method:

The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) method to combine the peak responses from all mode shapes into overall displacements and stresses. It is modification of the SRSS Method, takes the absolute value of the response for the mode that exhibits the largest response and adds it to the SRSS response of the remaining modes the maximum response from all the modes is calculated as:

Where {u_j}_max represents the mode with the largest response among all modal responses.

All the above methods discussed are available in SolidWorks Simulation, according to the structure type and the user requirement, we can define the mode combination method as shown in the Fig: 4.

Fig: 4

We had discussed the different mode combination techniques in Response Spectrum, and the purpose of the different techniques and also the model equations of the techniques with their limitations.

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What's New in SOLIDWORKS Electrical 2022

 What is SOLIDWORKS Electrical?

SOLIDWORKS® Electrical software helps simplify electrical schematic creation with an intuitive interface for faster design of embedded electrical systems, including power systems, user controls, complex wiring, and harnesses.

SOLIDWORKS Electrical Solutions

The suite of SOLIDWORKS solutions for electrical/mechanical design and integration help design engineers reduce the risks inherent in innovation and get their products to market faster with less physical prototyping to reduce costs. With a consistent, powerful, intuitive set of design capabilities, all fully integrated with SOLIDWORKS, designers can establish an integrated design early in the process and avoid costly rework. Take your first look at SOLIDWORKS Electrical 2022 Highlights below:

 

SOLIDWORKS Electrical 2022 Highlights

· Faster 3D electrical routing: Accelerate electrical design creation and design changes.

o Significantly accelerate the routing of 3D wires, cables, and harnesses in your machine or product.

o Try more design ideas during the design cycle with faster route creation.

· Improved performance with large electrical projects: Save time when working with large electrical projects.

o Speed up commonly used operations such as copy, paste, delete, and undo.

o Make design changes from schematic to 3D faster.

Create large electrical projects more quickly

o Speed up commonly used operations such as copy, paste, delete, and undo.

o Make design changes from schematic to 3D faster.

o Create large electrical projects more quickly.

· Increased performance in multiuser electrical design environments: Increase productivity with better collaboration among concurrent users.

o Enable faster operations for multiuser groups doing concurrent electrical design.

o Make data sharing and collaboration between multiple users easier.

· Enhancement to the Electrical Content Portal (ECP): Create electrical designs faster with streamlined sourcing of electrical content.

o ECP is now included in the Task Pane of SOLIDWORKS Electrical, making it easier to access.

o Search for electrical content directly from inside SOLIDWORKS Electrical.

· Improved navigation in electrical reports: Improve design quality with easy navigation of your electrical project documentation.

o Enable multiple hyperlinks per report cell.

o Link electrical reports to component datasheets.

· Enhanced harness flattening documentation: Improve product quality through more complete documentation and quicker access to component reference documents.

o Select the main segments of a harness route in 3D to guide the flattening process.

o Simplify the organization of harness documentation by targeting the trunk line.

· Improved documentation of harness and cable designs with shared electrical connectors: Enjoy greater flexibility in documenting electrical harness and cable designs.

o Include external connectors that are shared but outside of the electrical route.

o Include external connector information in documentation tables such as circuit summary tables and connector tables.

o Add block views of external connectors on harness board drawings.

· Support for back shells: Improve design quality through a more complete 3D      representation of the overall design.

o Use both straight and angled back shells in your electrical route design.

o Create the route and then add, rotate, or change back shells as needed.

· Enhanced 2D documentation of backshells in electrical designs: Enjoy more complete and more flexible documentation of electrical designs.

o Include straight or angled backshells in harness board drawings.

o Include views of angled backshells in flattened harness views.

· Refinements to bend radius control: Improve design quality through a more realistic 3D representation of electrical routes.

o Avoid bend radius errors with automated routing of wire, cable, and harnesses in 3D.

o Create more robust 3D routing when using limited electrical guide path sketches.

· Links in BOMs: In BOMs, you can manage links in a merged cell, for example, when several components use the same manufacturer part.

· Add Data Files in the Export PDF: If you attach PDF files to the project as data files, you can export them in the exported PDF file.

· Testing the Query in the Expert Mode: When you edit report configurations in Expert mode, Test fully query includes the sort conditions and filters.

· Displaying ERP Data in the Manufacturer Parts Manager: If you connect the ERP data, you can display it in the Manufacturer Parts Manager.

· Including Data Sheets in Exported PDFs: You can include the datasheets associated with the manufacturer parts in exported PDF files.

· Displaying Break Condition in Report Manager: In the Report Manager, you can display a Break condition column that shows the field in which you have created the break condition.

· User Interface Redesign: The user interface is enhanced to be more ergonomic and user-friendly.

· Attribute in Origin – Destination Arrows: In the Origin – Destination arrows feature, the attribute #P_CONNECTED_0 lets you display the mark of the components connected through the arrows.

Displaying All the Wire Numbers on the Middle of the Line: When you number the wires, you can select a specific mode allowing you to display the wire number on the middle of the line segment.

· Connection Point Creation Enhancements: Connection points (C-Points) let you connect wires or cables with connectors. Now available inside the Routing Options, no need to open Routing Library Manager to Create C-Points. 

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