User Manual

Users Manual
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Red Cedar Technology, Inc. The information in this manual is subject to change without notice and should not be construed as a commitment by Red Cedar Technology, Inc. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the material, Red Cedar Technology, Inc. assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors, inaccuracies or omissions that may be present in this manual. Copyright 2011 by Red Cedar Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. HEEDS is a registered trademark of Red Cedar Technology, Inc. Other brand or product names that may appear in this manual or in the illustrations are the registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective holders.
Contents
Part 1 Overview 1
1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................2
What is Optimization? ................................................................................................ 2 How HEEDS MDO Optimization Works ..................................................................... 3
About HEEDS MDO agents ............................................................................................ 4
How HEEDS MDO Judges Designs .......................................................................... 4

Design feasibility ............................................................................................................. 5
2. Designing Your Study .................................................................................................7

Defining the Optimization Problem ............................................................................ 7 Choosing a Study Type ............................................................................................. 8
Parameter Optimization................................................................................................... 8 Design of Experiments (DOE) ......................................................................................... 8 Robustness and Reliability Testing ................................................................................. 9 Evaluation projects .......................................................................................................... 9
Creating a Baseline Design ....................................................................................... 9 The Anatomy of a HEEDS MDO Project .................................................................. 10
Setting up a Project in HEEDS MDO Modeler............................................................... 11
3. Working in the HEEDS MDO Modeler Environment ........................................... 15

Starting HEEDS MDO ............................................................................................. 15 Starting and Opening Projects ................................................................................. 16 The Modeler Screen ................................................................................................ 17
Initiating actions ............................................................................................................ 19 Naming conventions ...................................................................................................... 20 Working with tables ....................................................................................................... 21 Viewing table data ......................................................................................................... 26
Saving Projects ....................................................................................................... 27 Switching Projects ................................................................................................... 28 Exiting from HEEDS MDO Modeler ......................................................................... 30
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Part 2 Defining the Project Components
31
4. Defining Processes and Analyses..........................................................................32

Minimum Requirements for an Analysis ................................................................... 32 Defining Processes and Analyses in the Modeler .................................................... 33
Defining an analysis....................................................................................................... 34 Identifying input files ...................................................................................................... 47 Identifying output files .................................................................................................... 50 Replacing an input or output file .................................................................................... 51 Removing input and output files from an analysis.......................................................... 53
Using Multiple Analyses ........................................................................................... 55

Adding analyses ............................................................................................................ 55 Sharing data between analyses ..................................................................................... 56 Sharing files between analyses ..................................................................................... 57 Removing analyses ....................................................................................................... 57
Using Multiple Processes ........................................................................................ 57

Adding a process ........................................................................................................... 58 Copying an analysis to add to your process .................................................................. 59 Copying processes ........................................................................................................ 61 Removing processes ..................................................................................................... 61 Changing the position of a process in the graph............................................................ 62
Importing Model Data .............................................................................................. 62
5. Defining Project Variables .......................................................................................64

Types of Project Variables ....................................................................................... 65
Continuous variables ..................................................................................................... 65 Discrete variables .......................................................................................................... 67 Dependent variables ...................................................................................................... 67 Parameter variables....................................................................................................... 68
Creating Project Variables ....................................................................................... 69

Adding project variables ................................................................................................ 69 Defining Print Format for variables ................................................................................ 70 Defining continuous variables ........................................................................................ 74 Defining discrete variables............................................................................................. 79 Defining dependent variables ........................................................................................ 85
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Defining parameter variables ........................................................................................ 90 Using HEEDS MDO internal variables .......................................................................... 93
Removing Project Variables ..................................................................................... 95 Adding, Editing and Removing Variables in Batches ............................................... 96
6. Defining Project Responses ................................................................................. 103

Creating Project Responses .................................................................................. 104
Extracting a response from a file ................................................................................. 105 Calculating a response using a formula ...................................................................... 106 Calculating a response using the RMS method for curve fit ........................................ 107 Adding a response determined by a digital data filter.................................................. 111 Adding a response determined by forming limit criteria ............................................... 114 Calculating a response using a HEEDS response surface model file ......................... 119
Removing Project Responses ............................................................................... 121 Adding, Removing, and Editing Responses in Batches ......................................... 121
Part 3 Tagging Your Files
128
7. Overview of Tagging .............................................................................................. 129

Overview of the Tagging Tab ................................................................................. 129 Tagging Input Files ................................................................................................ 131 Tagging Output Files.............................................................................................. 131 Extracting Response Values .................................................................................. 132 Untagging .............................................................................................................. 133
Untagging values ........................................................................................................ 133 Untagging files or file groups ....................................................................................... 134
Retagging .............................................................................................................. 135 Re-reading a File ................................................................................................... 135 Other Tagging Tools ............................................................................................... 136
The Processes tree ..................................................................................................... 136 The Process Coloring option ....................................................................................... 137 The Search feature...................................................................................................... 140
8. Marking .................................................................................................................... 141

Parsed Files and Field Delimiters .......................................................................... 141 Marking Input Files ................................................................................................ 142 Marking Output Files ............................................................................................. 143
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Untagging Variables or Responses........................................................................ 144 Copying and Pasting Tags ..................................................................................... 145
9. Scripting................................................................................................................... 146
The Script Editor Screen ....................................................................................... 147 HEEDS Scripting Language (HSL) ........................................................................ 148
Important HSL Rules ................................................................................................... 148 The scripting commands.............................................................................................. 149
Entering a Script .................................................................................................... 155

Scripts with loops ......................................................................................................... 156 Testing your script ....................................................................................................... 158 Troubleshooting script errors ....................................................................................... 159 Copying scripts ............................................................................................................ 160
Sample Scripts ...................................................................................................... 161

Tagging a value in a free-format file ............................................................................ 161 Tagging a value in a fixed-format file ........................................................................... 161 Tagging a column of values ......................................................................................... 162 Tagging a vector of values from more than one location ............................................. 162
Untagging Responses with Scripts ........................................................................ 163
10. Tagging with Portals: Overview ......................................................................... 164

Supported Portals .................................................................................................. 164 Untagging Variables or Responses Tagged through a Portal ................................. 165
11. Input Portals: Tagging Variables ........................................................................ 166

Abaqus Input Portal ............................................................................................... 166
Preliminary Setup in HEEDS MDO .............................................................................. 166 Using the Abaqus Input Portal ..................................................................................... 166
ANSYS Workbench (WB) Input Portal ................................................................... 168

Setting the ANSYS Workbench Environment Variable ................................................ 168 Installing the Windows Server Resource Kit Tools ...................................................... 170 Preliminary Setup in HEEDS MDO .............................................................................. 170 Using the ANSYS WB Input Portal .............................................................................. 171
Excel Input Portal .................................................................................................. 172

Making Microsoft Excel compatible for use with HEEDS MDO .................................... 172 Preliminary setup within HEEDS MDO ........................................................................ 173
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Tagging a variable in the Excel portal ......................................................................... 174
LS-DYNA Input Portal ............................................................................................ 175

Using the LS-DYNA Input Portal ................................................................................. 176
MATLAB Input Portal ............................................................................................. 177

Preliminary system setup ............................................................................................ 177 Preliminary setup within HEEDS MDO ........................................................................ 178 Using the MATLAB Input Portal .................................................................................. 179 Storing variables and responses in MATLAB Engine Memory .................................... 180
Nastran Input Portal .............................................................................................. 181

Using the Nastran Input Portal .................................................................................... 182
NX Input Portal ...................................................................................................... 183

Preliminary setup outside of HEEDS MDO Modeler ................................................... 183 Preliminary setup within HEEDS MDO Modeler .......................................................... 185 Using the NX Input Portal ............................................................................................ 186
SolidWorks Input Portal ......................................................................................... 188

Preliminary setup within HEEDS MDO Modeler .......................................................... 188 Using the SolidWorks Input Portal ............................................................................... 188
SolidWorks Simulation Input Portal ....................................................................... 189

Setting the SolidWorks Simulation Environment Variable ........................................... 189 Preliminary setup within HEEDS MDO Modeler .......................................................... 191 Using the SolidWorks Simulation Input Portal ............................................................. 192
12. Output Portals: Tagging Responses ................................................................. 194

Abaqus Output Portal ............................................................................................ 194
Preliminary Setup ........................................................................................................ 194 Using the Abaqus Output Portal .................................................................................. 194 Choosing Output Type: Field or History ..................................................................... 196
Adams Output Portal ............................................................................................. 203

Using the Adams Output Portal ................................................................................... 203
ANSYS Workbench Output Portal ......................................................................... 205

Setting the ANSYS Workbench Environment Variable ................................................ 205 Installing the Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools ............................................. 206 Preliminary Setup in HEEDS MDO.............................................................................. 206 Using the ANSYS WB Output Portal ........................................................................... 206
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Excel Output Portal ............................................................................................... 207

Making Microsoft Excel compatible for use with HEEDS MDO .................................... 208 Preliminary setup within HEEDS MDO ........................................................................ 209 Tagging a response in the Excel portal........................................................................ 209
LS-DYNA Output Portal ......................................................................................... 211

Preliminary Setup ........................................................................................................ 211 Using the LS-DYNA Output Portal ............................................................................... 212
MATLAB Output Portal .......................................................................................... 215

Preliminary system setup............................................................................................. 215 Preliminary setup within HEEDS MDO ........................................................................ 216 Using the MATLAB Output Portal ............................................................................... 217
Nastran Output Portal ............................................................................................ 219

Using the Nastran Output Portal .................................................................................. 219
SolidWorks Output Portal ...................................................................................... 223

Preliminary setup within HEEDS MDO Modeler .......................................................... 223 Using the SolidWorks Output Portal ............................................................................ 223
SolidWorks Simulation Output Portal ..................................................................... 224

Setting the SolidWorks Simulation Environment Variable............................................ 224 Preliminary setup within HEEDS MDO Modeler .......................................................... 224 Using the SolidWorks Simulation Output Portal........................................................... 225
Part 4 Assembling Your Project
227
13. Working with Agents ............................................................................................ 228

Adding Agents ....................................................................................................... 229
Naming your agent ...................................................................................................... 231 Assigning a process to the agent ................................................................................. 232
Defining Agent Search Methods ............................................................................ 233

Parameter Optimization Methods ................................................................................ 234 DOE Methods .............................................................................................................. 234 Robustness and Reliability Methods ............................................................................ 234 Evaluation Method ....................................................................................................... 234
Defining Agent Variables ....................................................................................... 235 Defining Agent Responses .................................................................................... 235
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Part 4a Assembling a Parameter Optimization Project
237
14. About Parameter Optimization Projects ........................................................... 238

The Components of a Parameter Optimization Project .......................................... 238
Parameter Optimization Agent .................................................................................... 238 Variables and Responses ........................................................................................... 238 Search Methods .......................................................................................................... 239
Projects with Multiple Objectives ........................................................................... 239
15. Assembling a Parameter Optimization Project................................................ 240

Agent Variables and Responses ............................................................................ 240
Defining agent variables .............................................................................................. 240 Defining agent responses............................................................................................ 243 Defining the attributes of agent responses .................................................................. 245 Editing objectives and constraints ............................................................................... 255 Deleting objectives and constraints ............................................................................. 256
Collaborative Optimization ..................................................................................... 256

Creating a design set .................................................................................................. 257 Importing designs into a set ........................................................................................ 258 Manually adding designs to a set ................................................................................ 261 Submitting the design set to the search process ......................................................... 263 Cancelling the submission........................................................................................... 264 Viewing the Log........................................................................................................... 264 Removing a design set ................................................................................................ 265 Exporting a design set ................................................................................................. 265
Parameter Optimization Methods .......................................................................... 266

Selecting a Search Method ......................................................................................... 266 Displaying the Methods Manager ................................................................................ 267 Using SHERPA ........................................................................................................... 268 Using MO-SHERPA .................................................................................................... 269 Using the Genetic Algorithm (GA) method .................................................................. 273 Using the Quadratic Programming method (NLSQP) .................................................. 277 Using Simulated Annealing ......................................................................................... 279 Using the Response Surface method .......................................................................... 282 Using the Multi-Start Local Search method ................................................................. 285
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Using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO)................................................................... 286 Using the Nelder Mead Simplex method ..................................................................... 290
Part 4b Assembling a DOE Project
294
16. About DOE Projects ............................................................................................. 295

Types of DOE Studies ........................................................................................... 295
Screening DOE ............................................................................................................ 295 Taguchi Robust Parameter Design (RPD) ................................................................... 296 Response Surface DOE .............................................................................................. 297
The Components of a DOE Project ....................................................................... 298

DOE agents ................................................................................................................. 298 Agent variables ............................................................................................................ 298 Agent responses .......................................................................................................... 299
Sample DOE Scenarios ......................................................................................... 299

Study of a composite control arm ................................................................................ 300 Study of a truss structure ............................................................................................. 300
17. Assembling a Screening or Response Surface DOE Project ....................... 302

Adding a DOE agent to your project ............................................................................ 302
Agent Variables and Responses ............................................................................ 303 Using the Directed Method .................................................................................... 304 Setting Up a Custom DOE ..................................................................................... 308
Defining your factor levels: 2-level projects ................................................................. 311 Defining your factor levels: 3-level projects ................................................................. 312 Defining your factor levels: central composite method................................................. 313 Fitting a Response Surface to existing design data ..................................................... 315
18. Defining a Taguchi Robust Parameter Design Project ................................... 318

Viewing the Agent Variables and Responses ......................................................... 318 Setting Up a Taguchi Robust Parameter Design DOE ........................................... 319
Defining your factor levels: 2-level projects ................................................................. 323 Defining your factor levels: 3-level and mixed-level projects ....................................... 325 Defining your response goals ...................................................................................... 326
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Part 4c Assembling a Robustness and Reliability Project
329
19. About Robustness and Reliability Projects ..................................................... 330

Variables and Responses in Robustness and Reliability Projects.......................... 330 Sample Scenarios ................................................................................................. 331
Checking the clearance between adjacent parts ......................................................... 331 Testing a car bumper .................................................................................................. 331
20. Assembling a Robustness and Reliability Project .......................................... 333

Adding an R&R Agent to your Project ......................................................................... 333
Viewing Agent Variables and Responses ............................................................... 334 Defining a Robustness and Reliability Project ....................................................... 335
Setting up a reliability analysis .................................................................................... 335 Setting up a robustness study ..................................................................................... 337
Part 4d Assembling an Evaluation Project
340
21. Assembling an Evaluation Project..................................................................... 341

Agent Variables and Responses ............................................................................ 341
Adding an Evaluation agent to your project ................................................................. 342 Defining agent variables .............................................................................................. 344 Defining agent responses............................................................................................ 345
Evaluation Method ................................................................................................. 345

Importing designs ........................................................................................................ 345 Adding more designs................................................................................................... 346 Editing design data ...................................................................................................... 346 Clearing all designs from the Methods Manager ......................................................... 347
Part 5 Running the Project
348
22. Running Your Project ........................................................................................... 349

Selecting Run Options ........................................................................................... 349
Defining run options for each agent ............................................................................ 349 Defining run options for agent groups ......................................................................... 353
Files Created Before and During a Run ................................................................. 357 Running a Project from the Modeler ...................................................................... 358
Running a project for the first time............................................................................... 359
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Running a project again ............................................................................................... 360 Restarting a run ........................................................................................................... 362
Monitoring a Run ................................................................................................... 366

Stopping a run ............................................................................................................. 366
Viewing the Runtime Plots ..................................................................................... 368

Viewing the performance plots .................................................................................... 368 Displaying the variable plots ........................................................................................ 370 Displaying the response plots ...................................................................................... 372 Displaying the agent group message (.MES) files ....................................................... 373
23. Troubleshooting.................................................................................................... 375

If your project does not run . . . .................................................................................... 375 If problems occur during the run . . . ............................................................................ 377
Part 6 Post-Processing
378
24. Viewing Your Results ........................................................................................... 379

Parameter Optimization Plots ................................................................................ 380
The performance plot................................................................................................... 380 The variable plots ........................................................................................................ 381 The response plots ...................................................................................................... 383 The designs ................................................................................................................. 385 The Parallel plot ........................................................................................................... 386 Projects with more than one agent .............................................................................. 395
Pareto Optimization (MO-SHERPA) ...................................................................... 396

The Pareto front plot .................................................................................................... 396 The MO-SHERPA parallel plot .................................................................................... 406
DOE Post-Processing Plots ................................................................................... 412

The Pareto chart .......................................................................................................... 412 Main effects plots ......................................................................................................... 413 Interaction effects plots ................................................................................................ 415 The response surface plots ......................................................................................... 417 Response surface fit .................................................................................................... 419 The parallel plot ........................................................................................................... 420
Robustness and Reliability Post-Processing Plots................................................. 424
The probability distribution plots .................................................................................. 424 The parallel plot........................................................................................................... 426
Copying Plots to the Clipboard .............................................................................. 429 Results Files .......................................................................................................... 429
The PLOT and RES files ............................................................................................. 430 Opening Results Files in Excel or a Text Editor .......................................................... 431 Pareto optimization (MO-SHERPA) results ................................................................. 431
The Evaluation Directories .................................................................................... 432
Part 7 Multiple-Agent Projects
433
25. Using Multiple Agents .......................................................................................... 434

Multiple agents in parameter optimization ................................................................... 434 Multiple agents in DOE................................................................................................ 435 Multiple agents in robustness and reliability ................................................................ 435
Adding, Deleting, Naming and Moving Agents ....................................................... 435

Agent Coloring ............................................................................................................ 436
Using Agent Groups .............................................................................................. 438

How agent groups work............................................................................................... 439 Copying agents and agent groups .............................................................................. 442 Changing the position of an agent group..................................................................... 444 Moving agents to different groups ............................................................................... 444
Appendices
446
Appendix A: Modeler Input ....................................................................................... 447

*VARIABLES ......................................................................................................... 447 *DISCRETE_SETS ................................................................................................ 449 *DISTRIBUTIONS ................................................................................................. 449 *ANALYSES .......................................................................................................... 450 *TAGS ................................................................................................................... 451 Example File .......................................................................................................... 451
Appendix B: Running Projects from the Command Line ..................................... 453

Running a project with the overwrite option................................................................. 453 Running a project without the overwrite option............................................................ 454
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Continuing a run from the command line ..................................................................... 455 Extending a run from the command line ...................................................................... 456 Other command line options ........................................................................................ 457
Index
459
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Part 1 Overview
1. Introduction
HEEDS MDO is a multidisciplinary design exploration and optimization software package that automates the search for better and more robust solutions within a given design space, and dramatically reduces design time. HEEDS MDO enables you to find designs that perform extremely well according to multiple criteria, while simultaneously satisfying multiple constraints and using a large number of variables. In an overnight run, HEEDS MDO can produce results that would take several weeks to accomplish manually. Although the technology behind HEEDS MDO and its powerful search engine is complex, the software is user friendly. You do not need to be an expert in optimization theory to use it effectively. Simply create your design model with the analysis software you normally use. Then, set up your design project in the HEEDS MDO Modeler. When your project runs, HEEDS MDO automates and accelerates the natural design iteration process, using the same analysis tool(s) you used to create your design.
What is Optimization?
As an engineer, your goal in creating something new is typically to design it to be as good as it can be in some sense. That may mean that it should last as long as possible, perform as efficiently as possible, or be as easy to maintain as possible. Or it may mean that it should be ready for market in as short a time as possible or be as inexpensive to manufacture as possible. If the product is to replace an existing one, it needs to be at least as good as the old one in many respects and better in others. All of these reasons for creating a new design have one common goalto improve one or more aspects of the design so that it results in a better product. This is what optimization is all about. Websters Collegiate Dictionary defines optimization as an act, process, or methodology of making something (a design, system, or decision) as fully perfect, functional, or effective as possible. Based on this definition, true optimization is making something as good as it can possibly be. Closely related to optimization is improvementthat is, making something better than it currently is. Traditional optimization has focused on improvement rather than true optimization. The result is not necessarily the best design possible, but merely a design
Introduction
that is improved over the original. True optimization, on the other hand, results in the best design possible under a given set of circumstances. To solve an optimization problem manually, you would need to choose combinations of variables and perform an analysis for each combination. Then, you would examine the output to evaluate how well it fulfills the objectives and constraints and determine what a good set of variables for the next run might be. Eventually, given enough time, you would come up with a solution that was more optimal than the baseline design. For a simple problem, you might even come up with the best solution. However, given the nature of most engineering design environments, limitations on time and resources prevent manual search methods from reliably producing the best possible design. Instead, you must settle for better or good enough. This is where HEEDS MDO comes in.
How HEEDS MDO Optimization Works

Taking the same software tools that you would otherwise use in a manual design process (a finite element package, a computational fluid dynamics package, a dynamic systems package, a circuit simulation package, etc.), HEEDS MDO, running unattended, can search the design space for the best design by automating the evaluation process and executing it numerous times, adjusting the variables each time based on an intelligent search strategy until it has performed the number of evaluations you specify. HEEDS MDO starts by choosing values for the project variables within the limitations you specify. It evaluates each design with the same analysis software tool(s) that produced the baseline input and output files. During an evaluation, HEEDS MDO will automatically select which hybrid search procedures to use depending on the results that are returned, unless you override it with your own specific directions. As the search progresses, it uses intelligent selection processes, based on what worked best (or did not work) in previous designs. HEEDS MDO writes the data for each design to its working files. During a given run, HEEDS MDO can evaluate hundreds of designsa far greater number than can typically be produced in a manual design search. It doesnt take an engineer to figure out how much more likely you are to find the optimal design with HEEDS MDO than with the manual method.
HEEDS MDO 6.1 Users Manual
About HEEDS MDO agents

HEEDS MDO uses agents to control the search process. HEEDS MDO has four types of agents: a parameter optimization agent, a DOE agent, a robustness and reliability agent, and an evaluation agent. The agent you choose depends on the type of study you want to perform. In your project, each agent is associated with a process and performs the analyses that are defined for that process. Each project must have at least one agent. However, up to 99 agents can be used (see Using Multiple Agents). Your agent controls an independent design exploration study. Within the agent, you can specify the number of variables and their representations, the objective and constraint functions, the search algorithms to be used, the analysis model(s) to be evaluated, and more. The simplest HEEDS MDO problems use a single agent to search for a design and a single analysis tool to run the evaluation. More complex problems can employ multiple analysis tools and/or multiple search agents, using multiple computers if necessary to maximize search efficiency. All of this can be specified easily within the HEEDS MDO Modeler. This brings some astonishingly large problems within the range of automated optimization. For more detailed information about agents, see Working with Agents on page 228.
How HEEDS MDO Judges Designs

During optimization, HEEDS MDO gives each design a performance rating. The value returned for the objective(s) and the degree to which a design satisfies its constraints together determine the designs performance value. A high-performance design is one that satisfies all constraints and has a good rating on its objective(s). All designs that satisfy the chosen constraints essentially ignore the margin by which they meet those constraints. Once the constraints are satisfied, only the objectives contribute numerically to the performance evaluation. The performance value of each design is calculated using the following equation:
Nobj 2 LinWt i * S i * Obji QuadWti * S i * Obji 2 Ncon LinWt j * ConViol j QuadWt j * ConViol j + + 2 2 Normi Norm Normi Norm = 1 i =1 j j j
Introduction
Or, when the linear and quadratic weight variables are set to their default values:
Nobj 2 QuadWt j * ConstrntViolation j LinWti * Signi * Obji Ncon 2 Normi Norm i =1 j = 1 j
Variable Nobj LinWti Si Obji Normi QuadWti Ncon LinWtj ConViolj Normi QuadWtj
Definition Number of objectives in the optimization study The linear weight for the i objective. The default value is 1. Sign for the i objective. The value is -1 for objectives being minimized and +1 for objectives being maximized The response value for the i objective for that design The normalizing value for the i objective. The quadratic weight for the i objective. The default value is 0. Number of constraints in the optimization study The linear weight for the j constraint. The default value is 0. The amount by which the j constraint is violated. This value is 0.0 if the constraint is met. The normalizing value for the i constraint. The quadratic weight for the j constraint. The default value is 10000.0.
th th th th th th th th th
Design feasibility
A design that simply meets or satisfies all of the constraints is called a feasible design, regardless of how well it meets its objective. There may be many feasible designs that are very bad, but what we look for in optimization is the best of the feasible designsthe one that maximizes or minimizes the objective as much as possible while still satisfying the constraints. As indicated by the performance value equation given above, for feasible designs (all constraints are satisfied), the performance function is a sum of the normalized objective values. When one or more constraints are violated, the performance value of the design is
reduced by a value based on the violation of the constraint (the second term in the equation). Feasibility is technically an either/or propertyany violation of any constraint means that a design is infeasible. However, it is difficult to treat feasibility in that way for many real-world problems. Instead of treating all infeasible designs equally, HEEDS MDO computes a penalty factor for each constraint that is violated. For example, a constraint may say that the first natural frequency of a structural system must be greater than a specific fixed value. It does not matter how much greater, as long as it is that value or larger. Small violations of that constraint would be assigned smaller penalties than large violations. These penalties are combined with the objective rating to calculate the overall performance value of a design. Performance is good for designs with a good score on the objective and no violations of the constraints; performance gets worse when the objective score gets worse or constraints are violated. Since the constraints are enforced using the penalty method, in certain cases, the reduction in performance of a design due to a small violation in constraint(s) can be offset by the increase in the performance because of the improvement in the objective the same time. This means that you can have slightly infeasible designs that have a higher performance value than designs that are feasible. In fact, it is possible that the best design reported is slightly infeasible for this reason. If no amount of infeasibility is acceptable, the weights for the constraint definitions should be increased and/or the normalizing factor value should be reduced such that even a small violation in the constraint results in a large reduction in the performance value. By not eliminating designs on the basis of feasibility, HEEDS MDO can still provide results that are valuable in optimizing the design, even if no designs in a given run are actually feasible. HEEDS MDO still provides the best of the infeasible designs, which you can use to recast your design problem (perhaps by extending the range or number of the variables or by relaxing some of the constraints) and let HEEDS MDO try again. This means that a run that does not produce desirable results is not a failed run but a step in the direction of optimizing the design.
2. Designing Your Study

When you set out to optimize a design, you must decide what aspect(s) of the design need to be improved (the objective or goal) and what restrictions or limiting factors need to be applied (the constraints): An objective is whatever property of the design is to be maximized (e.g., strength or durability) or minimized (e.g., cost, weight, etc.). The constraints are the limitations you want to place on the design. They may specify how big the part must be, how it must connect to various other objects, what the most extreme operating conditions that it can tolerate without failing must be, how much it can cost, etc.
The best possible design will be the one that most effectively meets the objective while staying within the constraints. There are often many different ways to look at the same problem. For example, you might specify the maximum allowable weight of a part (a constraint) and try to maximize the load it can tolerate without failing (the objective). Alternatively, you might seek to minimize the weight (the objective) while enforcing that it cannot break at a certain load (a constraint). The solutions will likely be different, but each might be appropriate for a given situation.
Defining the Optimization Problem

To optimize a design, you need to identify its measurable parts. Every optimization problem can be specified in terms of the following: One or more objectives to use to judge how good a design is. The objective is what you are trying to maximize or minimize. A set of constraints that will determine whether or not a design is feasible. A baseline design to use as the frame of reference. A set of variables that specify what values can be changed from the baseline design in order to define a new design. Once you have identified your variables, you need to determine their allowable values. The combined allowable range of all your variables determines the design space that will be searched.
Choosing a Study Type

Before you set up your project in HEEDS MDO Modeler, you need to think about the type of study that will best accomplish your goals. HEEDS MDO offers the following design exploration and optimization capabilities: Parameter Optimization - Identify optimal solutions within a given design space using advanced mathematical search algorithms and strategies. Design of Experiments (DOE) - Perform DOE studies to examine how selected variables affect a design. Robustness and Reliability - Test designs to determine how sensitive a design is to expected variations in designated project variables. Evaluation Execute and post-process designs that you specify. Depending on your project needs and requirements, you might use HEEDS MDO to perform any of the above functions. On a given project, you might use more than one, selecting the one that is most appropriate for each stage of your projects development. For example, you might set up a parameter optimization study and search for an optimized design that meets all of your objectives and constraints. After that, you might take your best design(s) and use a DOE study to identify critical tolerances based on the sensitivity of the design to certain variables. Individual designs could be studied further by testing their robustness and reliability.
Parameter Optimization
In a HEEDS MDO parameter optimization study, optimized designs are sought by an agent by iteratively changing the values of tagged variables, executing the defined analyses, and extracting the responses for each design candidate. New design candidates are generated based on the mathematical search algorithms in HEEDS MDO.
Design of Experiments (DOE)

HEEDS MDO provides standard design of experiments (DOE) capabilities from within the Modeler. A DOE study can add more power to the optimization process and provide a greater understanding of the physics of the design by determining how variables affect its performance. After you run a parameter optimization project, you can set up a DOE study to
Designing Your Study
identify which of the variables have the greatest influence on your responses and which have little or no effect. When you set up a DOE, you choose the factors (variables) you want to test and the method you want to use to set up the DOE matrix. Using the DOE matrix, HEEDS MDO generates the designs and uses the responses you specify to evaluate the influence of your selected factors and also the influence of the interaction between these factors. The results are reported in post-processing plots, which can be displayed within HEEDS MDO.
Robustness and Reliability Testing

To further evaluate your designs, you can test them to see how robust they are against standard tolerances and expected deviations in design parameters and environmental conditions. You can build your robustness and reliability project from your optimization project, or you can create a project to test a design that you created from a manual optimization. Setting up a robustness and reliability project is easy. Simply tell HEEDS MDO which variables you want to vary during the evaluation and set up stochastic distributions for them. HEEDS MDO will select values for these variables based on the defined distribution, either randomly or by applying a structured sampling methodology. Based on the results, you can determine the overall robustness of the design and tweak your design if necessary to produce more desirable results.
Evaluation projects
In a HEEDS MDO Evaluation study, you specify the designs that you want to evaluate and the best process for you. With this type of project, you are using the process automation capabilities of HEEDS MDO to automate the creation and execution of, and results extraction for, different combinations of design variables that you specify.
Creating a Baseline Design

Your first step, regardless of project type, is to create a baseline design in your analysis software for use in HEEDS MDO. It does not have to be a good design or even a feasible one. It just has to be a workable one. Create an input file just as you would if you were not using HEEDS MDO, assigning reasonable values that are representative of your design space to the quantities that will
become the variables in your HEEDS MDO design study. Then, run your analysis software to produce an output file and check the results to make sure the input file is error free. HEEDS MDO uses the input and output file(s) from your design as a basis for creating and evaluating the design candidates. Except for the variables, the input file is used as is for each evaluation during a HEEDS MDO run. The baseline input files are never altered by HEEDS. These files are used as templates to create new copies of these files with the updated design variables. The output file is used only to determine the location of the values that will be used in determining the results of the study. Using the HEEDS MDO Modeler you will (1) identify your project variables and the responses that contain your objective(s) and your constraints and (2) define the constraints (whether a response should be or a par ticular value) and objectives (whether a response should be maximized or minimized).
The Anatomy of a HEEDS MDO Project

Now that you have a basic idea of what HEEDS MDO does, lets take a closer look at a HEEDS MDO project. There are four types of agents: Type of Agent
Parameter Optimization Design of Experiments (DOE) Robustness and Reliability Evaluation
Description
Search for an optimal design. Determine how certain variables influence the performance of your design. Test your design against expected real-world deviations in your design and environmental variables. Execute and post-process designs that you specify.
All HEEDS MDO projects, regardless of agent type, have the following elements: At least one process, which contains at least one analysis. Analyses define the tools and model files that are used to evaluate the performance of each design candidate. A set of project variables. The project variables are the quantities (or parameters) that are varied for each evaluation.
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A set of project responses. The project responses are used to evaluate the performance of the design. At least one agent. Agents execute and control the design exploration study.
Setting up a project in HEEDS MDO Modeler

HEEDS MDO projects are set up in the HEEDS MDO Modeler and run using the HEEDS MDO Solver. When you define a HEEDS MDO project in the Modeler, you must complete these steps: 1. Define the processes and analyses you will be using by identifying the input and output files and providing the command needed to execute the corresponding analysis tool. 2. Define your project variables and responses. 3. Tag the values that represent the variables and responses to their locations in the input and output files. 4. Define your agents and assemble the project. The first three steps define and automate your evaluation process and are fundamentally the same for all types of projects. The fourth defines the way the design space is to be explored in your study. The design exploration attributes depend on the project type.
Defining processes and analyses (Processes Tab)

In HEEDS MDO, a simulation run of one specific design is called an evaluation. At the very least, one analysis will be executed for each design evaluated. In some cases, several separate analyses may be required to judge a single design. The set of analyses that are required to evaluate a design is called a process. Each agent must have at least one process associated with it that contains the analyses that the agent will perform: If all of your agents perform the same analyses, they can share the same process. If your agents perform different analyses, you will need to create separate processes that contain the analyses specific to each agent.
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Defining project variables and responses (Variables Tab)

During a HEEDS MDO run, designated quantities in the input file(s) are modified based on specifications you set. These quantities are represented by the project variables. When extracting results from a particular design, HEEDS MDO Solver looks at values that you specify in the output file(s). These values are the project responses. Both are defined on the Variables tab. All projects require variable and response definitions.
Tagging the files (Tagging Tab)

To tell HEEDS MDO Solver which values in the input and output files represent the variables and responses you have defined, you need to tag the files: Tagging an input file links the variables you have defined with the corresponding values you want to replace in the input file. When HEEDS MDO Solver runs, it will change these values for each design it evaluates. The values you tag in the output file represent the location of the responses you have defined to evaluate the quality of the design and any that will be used as prerequisites in the determination of other values. Variables and responses are tagged on the Tagging tab.
Assembling your project (Assembly Tab)

Once you have defined your evaluation processes, you need to tell HEEDS MDO Solver how to use them in your design exploration study. When you assemble your project, you create your agents and define the way each agent should explore the design space.
Running a project (Run Tab)

A HEEDS MDO project can be executed either from the HEEDS MDO Modeler or by communicating with HEEDS MDO Solver from a command line prompt. In the examples in this manual, we will be running from within the Modeler. Instructions for running from the command line are given in Appendix B: Running Projects from the Command Line.
Viewing your results (Post Tab)

During the run, HEEDS MDO Solver displays runtime plots within the Modeler that let you monitor the progress of the run. Post-processing plots show the results of the run. Postprocessing plots for parameter optimization and robustness and reliability projects can be
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viewed while the project is running, as well as at the end of the run, so you can always see what the end result would be if you were to stop the run. DOE post-processing plots are not available until the entire run is completed. HEEDS MDO Modeler displays the following post-processing plots. The type of plot displayed depends on the type of agent: Parameter optimization plots
Plot Type Performance Variable (for each variable) Response (for each response) A list of the best designs found Parallel Pareto Front Description Shows how well the objective(s) and constraint(s) are being met. Shows variable selection Tracks the values that have been extracted for each response. Includes the best designs along with their performance ratings, the values used for the variables, and the values returned by the responses. Contains a composite view of the variables and responses for all designs plotted. For studies with only two objectives that use the MO-SHERPA method.
DOE plots
Chart/Plot Type Pareto chart Main effects plot Interaction effects plot MARS, quadratic, and linear response surface plot Response surface fit plot Parallel plot Description Shows the relative influence of each factor for a given response. Shows the effect of each factor on each of the responses. Shows the influence of the interaction between factors for each response. Allows you to examine how changes to your variables might affect your responses. Shows how well the response surface models approximate the design space. Contains a composite view of the variables and responses for all designs plotted.
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Robustness and reliability plots

Plot Type Probability distribution plot (one for each response) Parallel plot Description Shows the overall probabilities, mean, and standard deviation. Contains a composite view of the variables and responses for all designs plotted.
Evaluation plots
Plot Type Performance (optional) Variable (for each variable) Response (for each response) A list of the best designs found (optional) Parallel Description Shows how well the objective(s) and constraint(s) are being met. Shows variable selection Tracks the values that have been extracted for each response. Includes the best designs along with their performance ratings, the values used for the variables, and the values returned by the responses. Contains a composite view of the variables and responses for all designs plotted.
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3. Working in the HEEDS MDO Modeler Environment

Regardless of the type of project you choose, your project will be set up in the HEEDS MDO Modeler and run using the HEEDS MDO Solver. In this chapter, we will look at the general operation of the HEEDS MDO Modeler.
Starting HEEDS MDO

The way you start HEEDS MDO depends on the platform you are using.
Windows
1. Click Start and select Programs (Windows 2000) or All Programs (Windows XP) 2. Highlight the HEEDS MDO 6.1 program group on the Programs menu. 3. Click on Modeler to start the Modeler. The next time you start HEEDS MDO, HEEDS MDO 6.1 should be listed in your frequently used programs, so you shouldnt have to open the full program menu.
Hint: If you are running Windows, you can place a shortcut to the Modeler on your desktop. Then
you wont need to start it from the menu. The default path to the Modeler is:
C:\HEEDS\MDO\Ver6.1\Modeler\HEEDSModeler6.1.exe Note: If you are running a single-user system and you did not set the license manager up to start
the server automatically at power up, you will need to start the license server first. Refer to the installation guide for instructions.
Linux and all other platforms

1. Open a terminal. 2. Enter the following command: modeler_6.1.sh
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Starting and Opening Projects

When you launch HEEDS MDO, you will see the startup screen shown below. Before you can display the Modeler screen, you will need to start a new project or open an existing project.
To start a new project

1. Do any of the following: Click the New button on the startup screen. From the File menu, select New. Press Ctrl + N on the keyboard. The Save New Project As dialog will appear. 2. Navigate to the folder where you want the project file to be saved. This folder will be your project directory.
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Working in the HEEDS MDO Modeler Environment
Note: If you are using Windows and have not yet created a folder for your project, you can do so now in the Save New Project As dialog. Simply click the will appear in the currently displayed directory. in the tool bar, and the new folder
3. Enter a name for your new project in the File name field. You do not need to enter the .hds extension; HEEDS MDO will add it automatically. 4. Click Save.
To open an existing project

1. Do any of the following: Click the Open button. Select Open from the File menu. Press Ctrl + O on the keyboard. The Open dialog will appear. 2. Navigate to the directory where your project file is stored. 3. Either double-click on the HEEDS MDO project (.hds) file, or highlight it and click Open. 4. Your project will be loaded and the Modeler screen will appear.
The Modeler Screen

The HEEDS MDO Modeler screen is laid out on a set of six tabs. Each tab contains all the fields and features you need to perform one of the main steps in setting up and running a HEEDS MDO project:
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Tab Processes Variables Tagging Assembly Run Post
Function Define the processes, analyses, and files that are to be used in the project. Define the project variables and responses. Link variables and responses to the input and output files. Create your agents and assemble the project for execution. Run and monitor the project. Display the plots that report your post-processing results.
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Initiating actions
The menu bar contains functions that apply to the project as a whole. Most actions you perform are initiated from right-click or context menus. These menus contain the commands that are valid for the currently selected object.
To initiate an action
1. To display the pop-up menu for a given object, right-click on the object. An object can be any of the following: A graphical representation:
A table or window:
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A cell in a table:
An item in a tree:
2. The menu will contain a list of functions that can be performed on the selected object. If a function is not currently valid for the object, it will be grayed out. 3. To perform a function, select the corresponding command from the menu.
Note: If an object is inactive or does not have any actions associated with it, no menu will appear.
Naming conventions
When you add an element to your project (such as a variable, a response, an analysis or an agent), it is given a default name of name_n, where name is the name of the object or element (e.g., variable, Analysis, OPT_Agent) and n is the next number in sequence (e.g., if you already have a variable_1, the next variable will be variable_2). You can change this name to one that is more suitable for your project and clearly identifies the object, but there are some naming conventions that you need to follow: All names must be alphanumeric and may not have any spaces: This is a legal name: This is not a legal name:
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CoarseAgent1 Coarse Agent 1
You may use underbars as separators: Coarse_Agent_1

CoarseAgent_1
Variables and responses have one additional restriction: They cannot begin with a number. These are legal names: These are not legal:
Area_1, Sig2Max 3x3Area_1, 3Out
If you enter a name that is not legal, a message will appear when you try to move to another field. You will not be able to leave the field until you enter a legal name.
Working with tables

In HEEDS MDO Modeler, the attributes for sets of items, such as variables and responses, are displayed in tables. This section covers how to add and remove items from tables, as well as how to enter values into table cells.
Adding and removing items

Items are added to and removed from the tables using pop-up menus.
To add an item
1. Right-click in the window that contains the table or list you want to add the item to. The pop-up menu will appear:
2. Select the Add option from the menu. A new line will be added to the table.
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Removing items
1. Click on the box in front of the item. A selected: will appear in front to show that it is
2. Right-click anywhere in the window, and select the Delete option from the pop-up menu:
3. The selected line will be removed from the table.
Entering values
Each cell in a table row represents one of the attributes that can be defined for that item. Values are entered into cells either by directly typing into text boxes or by making selections from a drop-down list.
Note: Not all cells in a table will necessarily be active. Some are activated based on the other choices you make. For example, if you are creating a discrete variable, only the cells that apply to discrete variables will be active.
Text box cells In text box cells, you simply enter the value you want, just as you would in a text field in a dialog box. If you use Microsoft Excel, you will find that it is very much like entering a value in an Excel table.
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To enter a value
1. Click on the cell where you want to enter the value. A box will appear around it to show it is selected, and an insertion point will appear in the box:
2. Type the value into the cell. Then either press Tab to move to the next cell or click on the next cell you want to fill.
Note: When you select a cell, that row in the table is automatically selected (notice the
from the row, click on the . ). When you select another cell in the row, the original cell will be deselected. To remove the selection box
Hint: You can fill in an entire row in a table without using your mouse by using Tab to move from cell to cell. When you get to the end of a line, Tab will move the selection box to the next line. To back up to a previous cell, press Shift + Tab.
To replace a value
1. Click on, or tab to, the cell that contains the value you want to replace. The current value will be highlighted:
2. Type the new value into the cell.
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To edit an existing value

1. Click on the cell that contains the value you want to edit. The current value will be highlighted:
2. Click your mouse on the place where you want to insert or delete characters. The highlight will disappear and the insertion point will appear in the place you clicked:
3. Edit your value as needed by inserting and/or deleting characters. Use the left and right arrow keys to move the insertion point if necessary, or tab to the cell that contains the value you want to edit. 4. Press the left or right arrow keys to remove the highlight. 5. Use the left or right arrow keys to move the insertion point to the place where you want to insert or delete characters, and edit your value.
To copy and paste values in a table

1. Click on, or tab to, the value you want to copy. 2. To copy the highlighted value, do one of the following: Press Ctrl + C. Right-click on the highlighted value, and select Copy from the pop-up menu. 3. Click on, or tab to, the cell you want to copy the value to. 4. Do one of the following to paste the value in: Press Ctrl + V. Right-click and select Paste from the pop-up menu.
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Dropdown lists If you click on, or tab to, a cell with a dropdown list, a will appear to the right of the cell. You can use either your mouse or the keyboard to make your selection from the list.
To select a value using your mouse

1. Click on the cell. You will see a 2. Click on the , which indicates that it is a dropdown list. to display the list. The current value will be highlighted:
3. Click on the value you want to select. Then click either on another cell or on the
To select a value using the keyboard

1. Tab to the cell. A will appear. 2. Press the down arrow key on your keyboard to display the dropdown list. The current value will be highlighted:
3. Use the left and right arrow keys to highlight the value you want to select.
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4. Press Enter to select the value.
Viewing table data

Unless you run your monitor at a resolution higher than 1024760, you may find that some tables are too wide or too long for the screen. To view the rest of a table you can use the scroll bars at the bottom and right side of the screen. You can also use the vertical splitters to adjust the width of the columns so that more columns fit within the visible table area, or the horizontal splitters to adjust the height of the window to display more rows.
Changing the column width

If you want to see more of your table, you can change the width of the table columns.
To change the column width

1. Using your cursor, hover over the line that separates the columns in the table header. If the column width can be adjusted, a will appear:
2. Click on the
and drag your cursor to the left or right to change the column width.
Changing the window height

You can change the height of some windows by adjusting the position of the horizontal splitter (the bar that separates two adjacent windows).
To change the window height

1. Place your cursor on the splitter bar between the two windows. When the cursor is in the right place, it will change to :
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2. Drag the splitter up or down to change the height of the window. It should be noted that not all windows have moveable splitters between them. If the does not appear, the splitter is not moveable.
Saving Projects
Whenever you save a project, the files needed to run HEEDS MDO are generated. You can save your project at any stage of development, but you should always save it at the following times: 1. Before you load a new project or exit from HEEDS MDO Modeler, to ensure that your latest changes are preserved. 2. Before you run a project, to generate the most up-to-date run files. To assist with this, the Automatically save project before run option on the Run tab is enabled by default (see more information about this option on page 360).
To save an existing project

Open the File menu, and click Save. The project will be saved immediately under the name you gave it when you first saved it. No dialog box will appear.
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When you save a project, the contents of the input files are saved inside of the HEEDS project file (.hds). If you have large input files, the process of saving may take some time.
To save a copy of an existing project with a different name or in a different location

You can use the Save As option to create a copy of an existing project under another name or in a different directory. This is particularly valuable if you need to create a project with many of the same variables, responses, and analyses. 1. Open the File menu and click Save As. The Save As dialog box will appear. 2. Navigate to the directory where you want to save the copy. 3. Enter the name you want to use for the copy of the project. The .hds extension will be added automatically.
To use the Fast Save option

Normally, HEEDS MDO will save the contents of the input files inside of the project (.hds) file every time you choose to save. If your input file sizes are large, the save process can be time-consuming. It can also take up more disk space. However, the advantage is that the contents of the file can be loaded very quickly, regardless of how many times you open and close the project. With the Fast Save option enabled, the contents of your input files are not saved inside of the project (.hds) file. Instead, the contents of the file are read just once when the Modeler is launched. However, once an input file has been read, it is available for tagging during that session. If you close and reopen the project, the file will have to be read again to view its contents on the Tagging tab. To enable Fast Save, choose Enable Fast Save from the Options menu.
Switching Projects
Once you create or open a project, it remains in the Modeler until you create or open another project, or exit from the Modeler. When you change projects, the project you are working on will be replaced by the new one. Be sure to save the current project before switching projects.
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To open an existing project when another project is loaded

1. Open the File menu and select Open, or press Ctrl + O. The following warning message will appear:
If your project has been saved, click Yes to display the Open dialog box. If you are not sure whether you have saved your project, click No and the message box will close. Save your project, and then select Open, or press Ctrl + O again. 2. Navigate to the directory containing the project file you want to open. 3. Select the project file, and click Open. The file must have an .hds extension.
To start a new project when another project is loaded

1. Open the File menu and select New, or press Ctrl + N. The following warning message will appear:
If your current project has been saved, click Yes. If you are not sure whether you have saved your project, click No and the message box will close. Save your project, then select New or press Ctrl + N again. 2. When you click Yes, the Save New Project As dialog will appear. 3. Navigate to the directory where you want to store your new project. 4. Enter the file name in the File name field, and click Save to save the file. The current project will be cleared, and the defaults for a new project will appear.
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Exiting from HEEDS MDO Modeler

To exit from the Modeler
1. Open the File menu, and select Exit. The following message will appear:
2. Select one of the following: Yes Saves the project in its current state before you exit. No Closes the project without saving your unsaved changes. Cancel Cancels the Exit command. Use Cancel if you selected Exit by mistake.
Reminder: HEEDS MDO Modeler does not keep track of whether the project has unsaved changes. Generally, it is best to click Yes when you are asked whether you want to save the project.
There is no harm in saving, unless you have made manual changes to the HEEDS MDO Solver files or you do not want to save your latest changes.
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Part 2 Defining the Project Components
4. Defining Processes and Analyses

The first step in creating a HEEDS MDO project in the Modeler is to define the processes and analyses that are used to evaluate each design candidate: A process is the set of analyses that are needed to fully evaluate a design. An analysis is the execution of a specific analysis tool to evaluate all or part of a design. Some evaluations may only require a single analysis, while others may require a number of analyses and use a number of different analysis tools.
Minimum Requirements for an Analysis

To define an analysis in HEEDS MDO, you enter the command to run the analysis tool and identify the input and output files that are required for the analysis. A minimal analysis definition consists of the following: A command that executes the tool to be used for the analysis. The command must contain the exact text you would enter at a command line prompt. The tool you use for a given analysis must be the one you used for the baseline design. An input file that contains the input values for the analysis (optional) An output file that contains the values from a successful analysis run (optional) Additional input and output files may also be referenced in a single analysis, and/or more than one analysis may be required to complete the design evaluation. The command to execute is required for all projects. Some types of projects may not require input files or output files, although most do.
Input files
HEEDS MDO Solver uses the input files from your baseline design as a template for creating the input files for the designs to be evaluated. Each time HEEDS MDO tries a new design, it writes out new input files, in which it assigns new values to the variables. The input files must contain values that represent the variables you intend to use in the HEEDS MDO study. In projects where more than one tool is used to evaluate a design or
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Defining Processes and Analyses
more than one input file is used, your defined variables may not necessarily be included in a single input file.
Output files
HEEDS MDO Solver uses the output files generated from your baseline design as a template to identify the information used in determining the results of your study. In a HEEDS MDO project, these values are called responses. Your output files must have been generated by your analysis tool and must contain values for the responses you want HEEDS MDO Solver to use to compute design performance and/or post-processing results.
Defining Processes and Analyses in the Modeler

Processes and analyses are represented hierarchically on the Processes tab by a set of buttons in the Process Graph. They are also shown in the Processes tree at the left of the screen:
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Because every project needs at least one analysis, a default process (Process_1) containing one default analysis (Analysis_1) is automatically created for every new project. To define an element, either click on it in the Processes tree, or click on the corresponding button in the Process Graph. The fields that allow you to define that element will be displayed in the Manager panel below the Process Graph.
Defining an analysis
Entering an analysis definition is simply a matter of naming the analysis, selecting a solver (if desired), specifying the command to execute the analysis tool, and defining the success requirement (if desired).
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Naming the analysis

The name of the default analysis is Analysis_1. Of course, you may rename it to something more relevant to the analysis you are performing. This is highly recommended if there will be several analyses in your project.
To change the name of an analysis

Simply highlight the contents of the Name field, and type in the desired name.
Selecting a solver
If you want to tag your output file through a portal, you need to select one of the supported simulation packages in the Analysis Manager (see Supported Portals on page 164). To do this, click the dropdown under Select solver to enable portal(s), and choose the desired solver. The portals available for each solver are listed next to it on the menu:
Option General Abaqus ADAMS
Portals No portals Input/output Output only
Description No portals are enabled. If your study does not require a portal, select this option. Enables the Abaqus portals. Enables the ADAMS output portal.
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Option ANSYS WB Excel LS-DYNA MATLAB Nastran NX SolidWorks SW Simulation
Portals Input/output Input/output Input/output Input/output Input/output Input only Input/output Input/output
Description Enables the ANSYS Workbench portals. Enables the Excel portals. Enables the LS-DYNA portals. Enables the MATLAB portals. Enables the Nastran portals. Enables the NX input portal. Enables the SolidWorks portals. Enables the SolidWorks Simulation
Excel Solver Options When you select Excel as your solver, an additional Macro field appears. If your Excel analysis utilizes a macro, enter the name of the macro in this field:
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NX and SolidWorks Solver Options When you select NX or SolidWorks as your solver, an additional CAD Export Format option appears. Select an option from the dropdown, if desired:
In addition to updating and saving the .prt or .sldprt file, HEEDS MDO will also generate a CAD file for the format you select in the CAD Export Format field.
Note: In the Input Files Manager for the analysis, be sure to attach the solver input file that represents the baseline design.
SolidWorks and SolidWorks Simulation Solver Version For the SolidWorks and SolidWorks Simulation portals, the portal definition does not require you to specify which version of SolidWorks to use. The portals will use the version of SolidWorks that was last opened. We recommend that you close all sessions of SolidWorks running on your machine and then start a new session with the version that you want to use. The HEEDS portal will attach itself to the version that is open and use it for the analysis. SolidWorks Simulation Solver Options When you select SolidWorks Simulation as your solver, an additional Study option appears. Enter the exact name of the study, as you named it in Simulation:
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Specifying the execution command

Finally, for many of the portals, youll need to specify the command required to execute your simulation tool, which must be the same one you used to create the baseline design. The Modeler provides two fields for entering this informationone for the Execution File name and one for the Command Line Options What you enter in these fields depends on what your simulation package requires to run from a command line prompt or terminal window. The values in the Execution File and Command Line Options fields will be combined (with a space in between) to form the complete execution command. You can use these fields in two ways: 1. You can place the execution file and command lines options in separate fields, or 2. You can place the entire command in the Command Line Options field. In either case, the syntax that results when the two fields are combined must be the correct syntax to execute your simulation tool.
To place the execution file and command line options in separate fields
This is recommended when the full path to the execution file is required, because you can browse for the folder and file. This reduces the likelihood of human error. The following command line c:\LSDYNA_970\program\ ls970_s_nsmp.exe i=MyInputFile.dyn could be placed in the fields like this:
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Note: If you are working on a Windows machine and any of your path or file names contain spaces, you must place the execution file string in quotation marks:
c:\LSDYNA_970\program\ ls970_s_nsmp.exe i=MyInputFile.dyn
To enter the entire command in the Command Line Options field

If you dont typically enter the path to the execution file as part of the command, you can skip the Execution File field altogether. The following could simply be entered as a single command: abaqus interactive job=MyInputFile nastran MyInputFile Here is an example of the first one:
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Defining requirements for evaluation success

In the Analysis Manager, you can tell HEEDS MDO what criterion to use to determine whether an evaluation is successful or not. This is referred to as the success requirement. You can define the success of an evaluation either by matching a text string in a specific output file, by comparing a return value, by checking to see whether a particular file exists, and by checking to see whether a particular file does not exist. How the success requirement option works Imagine that an analysis has failed due to errors, but there is some data available in the output files. Many situations could cause this to happen (e.g., divergence, too much mass added during mass scaling, etc.). When this happens, HEEDS MDO will try to read the results for the design from the output files. Without a success check in place, there is no way for HEEDS MDO to know that these results from a partially completed analysis are not good. Since there is some data available, HEEDS MDO will read it, store the values, and proceed with the optimization. This can corrupt the search. For example, lets say that we are trying to optimize a bracket under loading using non-linear FE analysis. Consider a design that converges only halfway through the solution and then exits. If this design is treated as successful because HEEDS MDO is able to read the results from the output files, it will most likely be significantly better than the other solutions, since it was analyzed under essentially half the design load. This will cause HEEDS to move the
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search in a direction that is not correct. You can use the success requirement to avoid this outcome.
Note: If you do not define a success requirement, the option will be set to None by default. We recommend that all general users enable If text in an output file matches what is specified for all optimization studies.
To define the success requirement

1. At the bottom of the Analysis Manager, click the Define Success Requirement button:
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The Define Success Requirement dialog will appear:
2. Click on the dropdown to select the method HEEDS MDO should use to determine whether an evaluation was successful:
Option Do not check for success Description No success check is enabled. Most solvers create a log file that contains information on success or failure of the analysis. Examples include .sta files for Abaqus, d3hsp or messag files for LS-DYNA, and .out files for Nastran. A text string in this file can be used to define the success requirement. We recommend this option for all users. Some applications return an integer value to indicate the completion of an evaluation. Additionally, some users have written custom scripts that accomplish the same goal. If you are advanced user and/or have a custom script written for a return value, you may want to use this option to define your success requirement. HEEDS MDO will check to see whether the file you specified exists. HEEDS MDO will check to see whether the file you specified is absent.
If text in an output file matches what is specified
Using a return value from a script or application If a specific file exists If a specific file does not exist
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To define success by matching text in an output file (Recommended)

Most solvers create a log file that contains information on success or failure of the analysis. Examples include .sta files for Abaqus, d3hsp or messag files for LS-DYNA, and .out files for Nastran. A text string in this file can be used to define the success requirement. We recommend this option for all users. 1. Select If text in an output file matches what is specified:
2. Click Browse:
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3. In the Open dialog, navigate to output file containing the text you would like HEEDS MDO to match. 4. Click Open to select the file. The name of the file will be displayed in the File Name field:
5. In the Text field, enter the text string that HEEDS MDO should search for. 6. Click OK to exit the dialog.
To define success by comparing a return value (Advanced)

Some applications return an integer value to indicate the completion of an evaluation. Or, you may have written custom script that accomplishes the same goal. If you are advanced user and/or have a custom script written for a return value, you may want to use this option to define your success requirement: 1. Select Using a return value from a script or application:
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2. In the Successful Return Value field, enter the integer value HEEDS MDO should look for. 3. Click OK to exit the dialog.
To define success by the checking for a specific file

1. Select If a specific file exists from the dropdown.
2. Click the Browse button, and select the file that HEEDS MDO should look for to determine that an evaluation has been successful:
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3. Click OK.
To define success by checking to see if a specific file is missing

1. Select If a specific file does not exist from the dropdown.
2. Click the Browse button, and select the file that should be absent for HEEDS MDO to consider the evaluation successful:
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3. Click OK.
Identifying input files

HEEDS MDO Solver uses the input files from your baseline design to determine the input for an analysis. When HEEDS MDO begins working on a new design, it assigns new values to the project variables you tag in the input files and uses the rest of the values as they are.
Adding input files to the project

When you are setting up a project, any input files that will be used by your analysis must be added to your project. You should add all of the input files that were used in the baseline design analysis, even if these files dont contain any variables (for example, include files).
To add an input file to the project directory

1. In the Process Graph, click on the desired analysis. 2. Click on the Input Files button to display the Input Files Manager for that analysis:
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3. Right-click in the Input Files Manager window. 4. Select Add Input File from the pop-up menu:
5. Navigate to the directory where your input file is stored. 6. Double-click on the file name (or select the file name, and click Open). HEEDS MDO will copy that file into the project directory 7. Once the file is added to the directory, it will be placed in your Input Files Manager list.
Assigning input files to an analysis

Inside the project directory, the files for each analysis are contained within a unique folder named after that analysis. During execution, for each design it evaluates, HEEDS MDO will use the input file you specify for that analysis. By default, HEEDS MDO will use the input file located in the main project directory.
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If you have one analysis in your project, HEEDS MDO will use the input file in your project directory for all evaluations. In this case, the Location To Copy From option is set to Project Directory.
If you have more than one analysis in your project, however, you might want HEEDS MDO to run the first analysis, and then copy the input file from that analysis to the second analysis before it runs (rather than using the input file from the project directory). In this case, you would set the Location To Copy From option to the name of the first analysis:
To specify which input file to use for an analysis

1. Click on the desired analysis button in the Process Graph. 2. Click on the Input Files button. 3. Select the input file from the list in the Input Files Manager. 4. In the Location To Copy From field select the desired option:
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If you select Project Directory, HEEDS MDO will use the input file located in the project directory for the analysis. If you select the name of another analysis, HEEDS MDO will wait until that analysis has completed, and then use its input file to execute the current analysis.
5. Add a Comment to give further information about the file, if you wish. This is a good practice if your analysis contains more than one input file.
Identifying output files

During a run, HEEDS MDO uses information from the output files generated from your baseline design to identify and extract your response values. It does not use the actual values in the baseline file. Unlike input files, you do not need to add all the output files generated by your baseline design to your project. You only need to include the ones that contain the values you want to designate as responses.
Adding output files to your project

If you use scripting to tag your output files (see Scripting on page 146) and want to be able to verify your scripts, those output files must be located in the project directory. Otherwise, the location of your output files does not matter. If a file you add to your project is not already in the project directory, you will be given the opportunity to copy it to the project directory.
To add an output file to an analysis

1. Click on the Output Files button to display the Output Files Manager:
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2. Right-click in the Output Files Manager window and choose Add Output File from the pop-up menu. The Open dialog box will appear. 3. Navigate to the directory where your output file is stored and double-click on the file name to select it. 4. If the file you are adding is not already in your project directory, you will be asked if you want to copy it to the project directory. Select one of the following:
Button Yes No Description If you want the file placed in your project directory. Copying the file does not affect the location or content of the original file. If you do not want to place the file in your project directory.
5. When the file is added, it will appear in the Output Files list. 6. Add a Comment to give further information about the file if you wish. This is a good practice if your analysis contains more than one output file.
Replacing an input or output file

In some cases, you may want to move your files after they have been tagged. If an input or output file is no longer accessible through the current path, you can use the Replace File option to tell HEEDS MDO where the file is now located.
To replace an input file

1. In the Process Graph, click on Input Files. 2. In the Input Files Manager, select the file you want to replace. 3. Right-click in the Input Files Manager window, and select Replace File. The Open dialog will appear. 4. Navigate to the directory where the input file is stored, and double-click on the file name to select it.
a. If the input file is not already located in your project directory, it will be automatically copied to your project directory.
Note: Large input files may take some time to copy.
b. If there is an input file with the same name already in the project directory, a dialog like the following one will appear:
To overwrite the existing file with the new one, select Yes. To exit the dialog without overwriting the existing file, select Cancel.
5. The selected input file will be added to the Input Files Manager.
To replace an output file

1. In the Process Graph, click on Output Files. 2. In the Output Files Manager, select the file you want to replace. 3. Right-click in the Output Files Manager window, and select Replace File: The Open dialog will appear.
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4. Navigate to the directory where the output file is stored, and double-click on the file name to select it. a. If the selected file is not already located in the project directory, the following dialog will appear:
1. To copy the selected file to the project directory, click Yes. 2. If you wish to use this output file without copying it to the project directory, click No. 3. To exit the dialog without taking any action, click Cancel. 5. The selected output file will be listed in the Output Files Manager.
Important: If your output file has been tagged through a portal, a command prompt window will appear and will remain on the screen while the file is parsed. Do not close the window or you will terminate the process.
Removing input and output files from an analysis

If an input or output file is no longer used in an analysis, you can remove it from the project. Any output file that is no longer required for responses can be removed. Do not remove an input file unless it was added by mistake or you have revised your baseline design and no longer use the input file in the analysis.
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The HEEDS MDO Modeler will not allow you to remove any files that you have tagged, unless you untag them first. This is to prevent you from accidentally removing a file you have spent a lot of time tagging.
To remove an input file

1. Click on the Input Files button to display the Input Files Manager. 2. Click the box in front of the file you want to remove:
3. Right-click anywhere in the Input Files Manager window 4. Select Remove Input File from the menu.
To remove an output file

1. Click on the Output Files button to display the Output Files Manager. 2. Click the box in front of the file you want to remove:
3. Right-click anywhere in the Output Files Manager window. 4. Select Remove Output File from the pop-up menu.
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Important: Removing a file from your project does not delete the file. If you need it again, you can always add it back in to your project.
Using Multiple Analyses

In some design studies, a complete evaluation of a particular design may require multiple analyses, using either the same or different analysis tools. For example, a multidisciplinary design process may involve thermal, modal, and stress analyses, each of which must be performed by a different analysis tool. Or a design may be required to meet certain targets for multiple load cases, where each load case is evaluated by running a separate analysis with the same tool. When more than one analysis is required to perform a complete evaluation of a design, you place all of these analyses in the same process. When you work with more than one analysis, it is usually desirable to give each one a unique name so you can tell at a glance which one is which. You may also want to use the Comment field to enter notes about what the analysis is used for.
Note: HEEDS MDO executes analyses sequentially (one after the other). If you wish to run multiple analyses simultaneously, you can do so using the optional module, HEEDS PARALLEL. For information about how to use this module, see the HEEDS PARALLEL and Q User Guide.
Adding analyses
You can add as many analyses as you want to a process. The process button will expand to accommodate them:
To add an analysis
1. From the Process Installation options, Select Add Analysis:
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2. Click on the Process button. The analysis will be added to the process:
After you create your additional analyses, you will need to define them, as described in the Defining an analysis section on page 34.
Sharing data between analyses

You can share output data from one analysis with other analyses in the same process. To do this, you assign the value from a response in one analysis to a dependent variable in the other. The values can either be used as is, or you can calculate a value based on the response. The responses you want to use as input must be filled before you can use the values in another analysis. Therefore, the order in which the analyses are performed becomes extremely important. HEEDS MDO Solver performs the analyses in the order in which they appear in the Processes tree, which is initially the order in which they were added. You can change the positions of analyses so that they are performed in the correct order.
To change the position of an analysis

1. In the Processes tree, select the analysis you want to move. 2. Right-click on the analysis to display the pop-up menu. 3. Select Raise or Lower from the pop-up menu. The analysis will change position in the tree and also in the Process Graph.
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Sharing files between analyses

HEEDS MDO Solver executes each analysis in a separate directory. As a result, none of the files from the previous analyses are available by default for any subsequent analysis. In a design study containing multiple analyses, if you want to use an output file from a previous analysis as an input file for a subsequent analysis, you first need to add that file as an input file. Then, under Location To Copy From select the analysis from which this file needs to be copied. See Assigning input files to an analysis on page 48 for more information.
Removing analyses
You can remove analyses from a process as long as they are not linked to any input or output files. If you have assigned files to an analysis, you must remove the files before removing the analysis.
Removing an analysis
1. Remove any associated input or output files from the analysis (see Removing input and output files from an analysis on page 53). 2. Right-click on the analysis to display the pop-up menu:
3. Select Delete from the menu.

Note: If you are using multiple processes, you may remove a duplicate analysis without removing the files first.
Using Multiple Processes

For convenience, you may define multiple processes in a HEEDS MDO project. The process that will be used in the design study is the one that you assign to your agent. By default, the
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first process you define is automatically assigned to your agent. You can modify the agent assignment options on the Assembly tab.
Adding a process
Creating a new process is simply a matter of adding it to the Process Graph and giving it a name. You do not have to name your processes, but when you work with more than one, giving each process a distinct name will make it easier to keep track of them.
To add a process
1. From the Process Installation options, select Add Process:
2. Click anywhere in the Process Graph, and the process will be added:
3. If you wish, enter a name for your process in the Name field in the Process Manager. This must be an alphanumeric string with no spaces:
4. You may also want to add a Comment to remind you what the process is used for and to make note of any additional information for your own reference.
Copying an analysis to add to your process

You can add an analysis to your process by copying an existing analysis from another process. However, when you copy an analysis, it remains linked to the original. Any changes you make to one copy will be automatically made in the other. Therefore, copies are only useful if you want the identical analysis performed in both processes. For example, in the illustration below, we have created two processesthe Beam_Analysis and the Shell_Analysis. Both will perform the same Frequency and Buckling analyses. However, since they perform two different Stress analyses, we needed to create two processes. We copied the Frequency and Buckling analyses from the Beam_Analysis and added them to the Shell_Analysis process, and then we created a new stress analysis called Shell_Stress.
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To copy an analysis
1. In the Process Graph, right-click on the analysis you want to copy. 2. Select Copy from the menu:
3. Right-click on the process to which you want to add the analysis. 4. Select Paste Identical to add the copy of the analysis.
Reminder: Dont forget that the copy is a linked copy. Any changes you make to one copy will be
made in the other.
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Copying processes
Just as you can copy an analysis, you can also copy an entire process. This may save you time if the two processes perform most of the same analyses. Once youve copied a process, you can add or delete analyses as needed. When you copy a process, all analyses copied with the process are linked copies, although the process itself is not. Any changes to an analysis will be reflected in the original and any other linked copies. However, deleting copied analyses from one process does not affect the linked copies in other processes, and adding analyses to a copied process does not affect the original process.
To copy a process
1. Right-click on the process you want to copy. 2. Select Copy from the pop-up menu. 3. Right-click anywhere in the Process Graph window. 4. Select Paste Identical from the menu. The new process will be given a default name (Process_n), because two processes cannot have the same name. 5. Rename the process as desired. 6. Edit the process, as needed, by adding and/or removing analyses.
Removing processes
If you no longer want to use a process, you can remove it to avoid confusion. But you do not have to remove it for HEEDS MDO Solver to function correctly. If a process is not assigned to an agent, its analyses will simply not be performed. If you think you may want to use the process again, you may want to leave it in the project so you dont have to redefine it.
To remove a process
1. Right-click on the process you want to remove. 2. Select Delete from the pop-up menu.
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Changing the position of a process in the graph

If you have several processes, you may find that they get positioned on top of one another. You can easily change their positions in the Process Graph so they do not overlap.
To move a process to another position

1. Click on the process to select it. 2. Use the arrow keys on your keyboard to move the process to the desired location. OR 3. Click anywhere on the Process button, and drag your mouse pointer to the place where you want to move it. A rubber-band line will appear. 4. Release the mouse button, and the process will move to the new location.
Importing Model Data

HEEDS MDO Modeler allows you to import data files containing your definition data into your project. This allows you to partially define your project when you set it up initially. Data can be imported for any of the following HEEDS MDO objects: Analyses Variables Discrete sets Stochastic distribution Tags (marking only) The format of the file, along with the contents of a sample file, is available in Appendix A: Modeler Input.
Warning: There is no error checking in this procedure. You will need to examine the values after the file import and make your own corrections.
To import model data

1. Open the File menu, and select Import Model Data:
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2. The Open dialog will appear. 3. Navigate to the directory where your data file is stored. 4. Either double-click on the file or highlight the file, and click Open. The dialog will close, and your data will be imported.
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5. Defining Project Variables

During a HEEDS MDO run, designated quantities in the input file(s) are modified based on specifications you set. These quantities are represented by the project variables. When extracting results from a particular design, HEEDS MDO Solver looks at values that you specify in the output file(s). These values are the project responses. Both variables and responses are defined on the Variables tab. All projects require variable and response definitions. This chapter will show you how to define project variables. For information about how to define project responses, see Defining Project Responses on page 103.
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Defining Project Variables
Project variables represent the quantities or values in the input file that are to be varied during a design evaluation. Some examples might include: the thickness of a plate the radius of a hole the stiffness of a spring the voltage of a power supply the orientation of a ply in a composite structure the number of stages in a turbine engine the choice of material To be used as a variable, a quantity that represents the variable must be present in at least one of the input files used in the project.
Types of Project Variables

When you define a variable, you give it a name. HEEDS MDO Solver will use that name to identify the variable in the evaluation. You also assign it a type: continuous, discrete, dependent, or parameter (numeric or text). The types of variables that are active in your project, and the way they are used, will depend on whether the project is a parameter optimization, DOE, robustness and reliability, or evaluation study.
Continuous variables
The values of continuous variables are chosen from a range of real numbers. Quantities like lengths, thicknesses, coordinates, etc., are typically specified as continuous variables. When you define a continuous variable, you specify the minimum value and the maximum value of the range. For example, a minimum value of 2.0 and a maximum of 200.0 would specify real numbers between (and including) 2 and 200. During a HEEDS MDO run, the value is varied within the specified range.
Discretization of continuous variables

Most search methods employed by parameter optimization studies use a discretized form of the continuous variable to limit the possible choices. Instead of allowing HEEDS MDO Solver to select values totally at random from the range, continuous variables are discretized based
on the level of refinement you specify when you define the study. This level of refinement is the resolution. If you specified a range of 0 to 100 and set the resolution to 11, only values 0, 10, 20, 20, 100 would be used in an even distribution. If you specified a resolution of 101, any integer value from 0 to 100 could be used. More will be said about this when we discuss defining agent variables during project assembly (see Defining Agent Variables on page 235). No resolution is specified for continuous variables in a DOE project. The values used are determined by the DOE method and are selected based on the maximum and minimum values of the range, unless you override them. Continuous variables are not varied in robustness and reliability projects. If they are present in the project, their baseline values are used. Discretization of continuous variables reduces the size of the design space. This generally has a very beneficial effect on search efficiency whenever non-gradient-based search methods are used. There are also other advantages to variable discretization. First, from a practical point of view, there is no reason to specify a value that cannot be achieved in practice. Second, discretization allows you to use more than one agent to search the design space simultaneously at different resolutions. An agent searching at a low resolution can quickly identify regions of the design space with high potential (and filter out those regions with low potential), while a second agent, searching at a higher resolution and using information from the low-resolution search, can concentrate on the regions with high potential for a more efficient search. In the rare cases where continuous variations are desirable, the resolution can be set as high as necessary to mimic the behavior of a true continuous variable within the precision limits of the computer.
Stochastic continuous variables

When a value is assigned to a variable, that value is often assumed to be exact (or deterministic). In other words, any possible variation of that value in the physical world is ignored. Often, however, the value of a variable may be known to be only within a certain tolerance, within which a distribution of values may exist. In this case, we say that the variable is stochastic, and a distribution about the mean of the variable is defined. You can apply stochastic distributions to your continuous variables to account for known tolerances (e.g., variations in material thickness) and to test the robustness of a design against expected deviations. Stochasticity is defined at the project level when you define
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your variables (see Defining Project Variables on page 64). It is applied to your variables at the agent level. It is important to note that applying stochasticity may significantly increase the number of evaluations performed, depending on the percentage of variables that are stochastic. It can often be beneficial to use two agents when you use stochastic variables, where one agent, working with non-stochastic variables, feeds a second agent, which then applies stochastic distributions to designs that have already been determined good. Your first agent might, for example, determine that 2.25 is the optimal thickness and pass that design to the second agent. The second agent would then test the robustness of the design against the specified variations and modify the design as needed to increase its robustness. For more information about working with multiple agents, see Using Multiple Agents on page 434.
Discrete variables
Discrete variables can only take on values from a specified set of choices. This set may contain specific numeric values. It may also contain non-numeric choices (e.g., steel, aluminum, titanium). Discrete variables are used whenever only specific values are valid. When you define a discrete variable, you create a discrete set, which contains the allowable values. If there are only three possible thicknesses of a given material, for example, and the values are not evenly distributed, you would specify it as a discrete variable and reference the three thicknesses through a discrete set. There is no point in allowing HEEDS MDO to select any number within a given range when only three would be considered valid input.
Dependent variables
The value of a dependent variable is determined from other values supplied during the evaluation. A dependent variable can simply assume the value of another variable or response, or you may define a formula to calculate the value. When a value in a given variable must be based on the values in one or more other variables or responses, you write a formula to calculate it. For example, the area of the triangle must be calculated using its base and height. HEEDS MDO Solver can assign the base and height, based on your constraints, but it will not automatically calculate the area. So, to prevent HEEDS MDO Solver from assigning a non-
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logical area value, you would make the area variable dependent, and calculate it from the base and height variables. Dependent variables can be used in all types of projects. Before you define a dependent variable, you must define the variables and/or responses it is dependent upon. During a HEEDS MDO run, these variables and responses must be assigned values before the value of the dependent variable can be determined. Since the values for all variables in the design are written out before the analyses are run, your formulas can reference any variable that is used by the agent, regardless of which analysis it is in. It does not matter if the analysis has been run. If you have more than one analysis in a process, you can use dependent variables to pass values from one analysis to another. If, for example, you want the value in a response from one analysis to be used as the value for a variable in a subsequent analysis, you can assign that response to a dependent variable. You can also use the response in a calculation. Unlike variables, which can be used regardless of which analysis they are associated with, responses are only filled after an analysis is run. So, the analysis that contains the response must be run before the analysis where you plan to use the value. Therefore, you must make sure that the analyses in that process run in the correct order (see Defining Processes and Analyses). If you are running a project with HEEDS PARALLEL enabled, HEEDS MDO will automatically reorder the analysis execution by adding dependencies that this condition is met. A warning is written out to the message file in this case.
Parameter variables
A parameter variable is one whose nominal value does not change. You can also use a parameter variable to vary a known value stochastically to test a design for robustness.
Numeric parameter variables

Absolute numeric parameter variables are of value when you want to assign a constant value to a variable instead of allowing it to be varied. Stochastic numeric parameter variables are used in robustness and reliability projects to test the effect of expected variations on design performance. They can also be used in parameter optimization projects to build robustness into a design. Stochasticity is not applied in DOE projects. So, if any parameter variables are present in the project, only the baseline value is used.
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Absolute numeric parameter variables can be used in all project types. Stochastic numeric parameter variables can only be used in parameter optimization and robustness and reliability projects.
Text parameter variables

Just like their numeric counterparts, absolute text parameter variables can be used to assign a constant value (text string) to a variable instead of allowing it to be varied. No stochasticity can be defined with this variable type.
Creating Project Variables

The project variables represent the quantities or values in the input file that are to be varied during the study. As mentioned before, there are four types of variables: continuous, discrete, dependent, and parameter (numeric or text). The types of variables that are active for a given project depend on the type of agent you are using. However, including inactive variables in a project will not generate errors or adversely affect the project results.
Adding project variables

When you add a project variable, it is given a default name of variable_n, where n is the next number in sequence (e.g., if you already have a variable_1, the next one will be variable_2). You can change this name to one that is more suitable for your project.
To add a variable
1. Right-click anywhere in the Project Variables window. A pop-up menu will appear:
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2. Select Add Variable. A line will be added to the table in the Project Variables window:
3. The variable will be given the default name of variable_n. Click on the Name cell and change it to the name you want to give the variable. Make sure the name does not start with a number and does not contain spaces.
Defining Print Format for variables

Regardless of variable type, you need to indicate a Print Format for each variable. The Print Format options (in the Variables and Response Attributes area) let you specify the format HEEDS MDO should use when it writes the variable value out to the input file. For example, if the variable needs to be written out in a format that is readable by Nastran, you might create a custom Print Format for Nastran with a field length of 8:
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If you do not create custom Print Formats for your variables, HEEDS MDO will use the Default (Automatic) setting for all of the project variables. The Automatic setting simply selects the most appropriate Print Format, and the settings for that format, so that the variable value is written to the input file with the highest possible precision. For any of the Print Formats, if your choice will result in a significant loss of data in writing out a value with the specified format, HEEDS MDO will write a warning to the message file. For example, if you choose the integer format with a fixed length of 4, then the value 12345 will be written out as 1234, since the max length was restricted to be smaller than the precision of the number. HEEDS MDO will write a warning in this case.
To choose a Print Format

1. In the Variable and Response Attributes group box, click on the Print Formats tab:
2. Right-click in the Print Format window, and select the desired format Type:
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Type
Description This format should be used when the variable value can be written out as a real number or text. This option will determine if the value being written is a number or text based. In case it is a number, it will identify the best format (floating or scientific) along with the format options to use such that the number is written out with the highest possible precision. This option allows you to control the total field length. This format should be used when the variable value needs to be written out as an integer, even if the value being written has a fractional part. If the value being written is not an integer, the value will be rounded before writing to the file. This option allows you to control the total field length. This format should be used for text parameters or discrete variables with non-numeric choices in the discrete set. This option allows you to control the total field length. This format should be used when the variable values needs to be written out in the decimal format. (e.g., 12.00238). This option allows you to control the total field length as well as the number of digits after the decimal point. This format should be used when the variable values needs to be written out in the scientific format (e.g. 1.00E+00). This option allows you to control the total field length, the number of digits after the decimal, the number of digits for the exponent and if a sign is required for the exponent.
Automatic (Default)
Integer
String
Floating Point
Scientific
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3. If you wish to restrict the length of the variable value, check the Use Fixed Length box:
4. Then, enter the desired length in the Total Field Length field:
5. To assign the new Print Format to your variables: a. Return to the Project Variables list, and select a variable. b. Click on the dropdown in the Print Format column for that variable and select the format you just created:
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The remaining fields in the Project Variables table are used to define the variables attributes. The way you set them depends on the variable type: continuous, discrete, dependent or parameter (text or numeric).
Defining continuous variables

When you define a continuous variable, you need to designate a range of values for HEEDS MDO to choose from during analysis, and you also need to specify a baseline value.
Designating a Range (Min and Max)

When you define a continuous variable, you first designate a range of values for the variable. How HEEDS MDO uses this range depends on the type of study: Parameter optimization studies HEEDS MDO chooses the values for the variable from this range. DOE studies MDO Solver bases its selection on the high and low values of the range, unless you change them when you set up your DOE (see page 298). Robustness and reliability studies The baseline value is used for any continuous variables in the project. Evaluation studies HEEDS MDO validates the value you specify based on the range defined for this variable. You can specify any value within the range. To define the range of values for a continuous variable, you enter the minimum value (Min) and the maximum value (Max). For example, a minimum value of 2.0 and a maximum of 200.0 would specify real numbers between, and including, 2 and 200. A minimum value of 0.5 and a maximum of 1.5 would specify real numbers between, and including, 0.5 and 1.5.
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It is best to limit the range of values chosen during an analysis to those that would be logical or valid for your design. The narrower the search, the more efficient HEEDS MDO will be in zeroing in on the best value. There is no point in searching for values between 0 and 100 if you know, in advance, that valid values cannot be less than 0.6 or greater than 2.0.
Entering a Baseline
When you define a continuous variable, you also need to enter a baseline value. How HEEDS MDO uses this baseline value depends on the type of study: In parameter optimization studies, the baseline value is used for the very first design evaluated. In DOE studies, the baseline value will be used for any continuous variables that are not used as factors (more information on DOE factors is given in Chapters 15 and 16). For robustness and reliability studies, the baseline value will be used for all continuous variables. In evaluation studies, the baseline values are for reference only. For most studies, we recommend that you use the value from your baseline design.
To define a continuous variable

1. Click on a variable in your Project Variables list. (Or, if you need to add a variable, right-click in the Project Variable window, and select Add Variable.) 2. Select Continuous from the Type drop-down list (Continuous is the default):
3. Enter the minimum value of the range in the Min field.
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4. Enter the Baseline value. Use the value from the baseline design unless you have some good reason for using a different one. 5. Enter the maximum value of the range in the Max field.
Note: Instead of allowing HEEDS MDO Solver to select any real number from your specified range, continuous variables in parameter optimization projects are discretized by specifying a level of refinement (the resolution). The level of refinement is defined at agent level.
Applying stochastic distributions to continuous variables

Parameter optimization studies can often benefit by applying stochastic distributions to continuous variables. When a value is assigned to a variable, that value is often assumed to be exact, and any potential variation of that value in the physical world is ignored. However, in reality, it may only be possible to build a part within a given tolerance of a defined measurement. In an optimal design, we want to make sure that small deviations from standard will not cause a part to fail or perform poorly. To allow for these deviations, you can apply stochastic distributions to continuous variables in HEEDS MDO. This allows you to define a variable as value x instead of simply value. For example, suppose you want to find the optimal thickness of a plate. However, the thickness can vary within a given tolerance, so you also want to make sure that any expected deviations from optimal do not cause undesirable results. You first define the thickness as a continuous variable and assign it a range. Then you apply a stochastic distribution (uniform or Gaussian) to the variable. When a stochastic distribution is applied to a continuous variable in a parameter optimization study, HEEDS MDO tries to find high-performance designs that are insensitive to the defined variation in the variable value. HEEDS MDO evaluates potentially good designs multiple times by assigning different values to the stochastic variables (with different noise around the mean) and computing statistics of the results. These evaluations are done along the way
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while searching for good designs. The statistical data and the number of times a design has been evaluated are written out to the HEEDS MDO project results files. By using stochastic distributions, you can ensure a more robust design that is relatively insensitive to the slight variations that may result from the manufacturing process. In running the above example, HEEDS MDO Solver might pick 2.25 as an initial (mean) value. However, based on our distribution, the real world deviation could be between 2.23 and 2.27. If HEEDS MDO found that a value of 2.25 resulted in a good design, but 2.24 would result in a poor design, the design with 2.25 would not be rated highly, even if it was the best design found otherwise.
Important: The use of stochastic variations may significantly increase the number of evaluations HEEDS MDO performs, depending on the problem and the number of stochastic variables involved.
Stochastic distributions are defined on the Variables tab and associated with a variable there, as well. However, you choose whether or not to actually apply the distribution when you define the agent-specific attributes for the variable on the Assembly tab.
To create a stochastic distribution

1. Click on the Variables tab. 2. In the Variable and Response Attributes window, click on the Distributions tab. 3. Right-click inside the window to display the pop-up menu:
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4. Select the type of distribution you want to add from the menu (Uniform or Gaussian). A distribution will be added to the list with the default name of Dist_n, where n is the next number in sequence:
5. To change the name of the stochastic distribution, click on the Distribution cell and enter the name you want to give it. Make sure the name does not contain spaces. 6. Select the distribution, and a field will appear on the right:
7. Next, enter the value that determines the tolerance or deviation that will be applied.
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For uniform distributions, enter the Maximum Variation either as a Percentage of Baseline or an Absolute Value. For Gaussian distributions, enter the Standard Deviation as either a Percentage of Baseline or an Absolute Value.
To assign a stochastic distribution to a variable

1. Select the Distribution field for the variable you want to make stochastic. 2. Click on the dropdown in the Distribution column to display the list of the stochastic distributions you have created:
3. Select the Distribution you want to apply from the list.
Defining discrete variables

When you want to limit the value of a variable to a specific set of choices, you can use a discrete variable. To create a discrete variable, you must define a set that contains the choices that are valid for that variable. This set may contain specific numeric values or nonnumeric choices (e.g., steel, aluminum, titanium). For example, if only three thicknesses of a given material were possible, and the values were not evenly spaced (e.g., 0.25", 0.5", and 1.0"), you would define thickness as a discrete variable and reference the three thicknesses through a discrete set. During the run, HEEDS MDO Solver would select only values from that set.
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Note: If the values are evenly spaced (e.g., 1, 2, 3), they could also be specified with a continuous variable by setting the appropriate resolution.
To define a discrete set

1. In the Variable and Response Attributes window, click on the Discrete Sets tab. 2. Right-click anywhere in the window to display the pop-up menu:
3. Select Add Discrete Set from the menu. A discrete set will be added with the default name of Set_1. 4. Highlight the name, and change it to the desired name for the set:
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5. Next, you will need to add items to the set. Click on the set to select it. 6. Follow these steps for each item you want to add: Right-click in the Items window to display the pop-up menu. Select Add Item from the menu to add the item. It will be given the default value of Item_n, where n is the next number in sequence:
Select the default value and change it to value you want to assign to the item.
For non-numeric values, be sure to use the values your analysis tool recognizes. 7. When you finish, your Items list should include all of the values in the discrete set:
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8. Select the Ordered value from the drop-down list. If the item values are listed in order, select Yes.
Note: We recommend that you set up your items in the desired order, because this results in a much more efficient search
If the item values are not listed in a particular order, select No. 9. Both numeric and non-numeric sets can be ordered:
Ordered numeric set
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Ordered non-numeric set:
Note: You can add comments to a discrete set and to each of the items in it. The Comment field is located to the right of the other columns in the Set and Items window; you can scroll to it. Hint: If you want to add comments as you add items to a set, you can make the Items panel larger by dragging the vertical splitter to the left. You can also adjust the column width in the table itself.
To assign a discrete set to a variable

1. Click on a variable in your Project Variables list. (Or, if you need to add a variable, right-click in the Project Variables window, and select Add Variable.) 2. In the Type column, select Discrete.
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3. Click in the Discrete Set column for the variable, and select the set you want to use for that variable.
The first value in the set will automatically be placed in the Baseline field. 4. You can select another Baseline value from the set (e.g., the one in your baseline design) if you wish: Click on the Baseline field. Click the to display the list of values in the discrete set, and select the one you want to use for the Baseline value:
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Note: The baseline value of a discrete variable is not important for parameter optimization and DOE studies. However, the baseline value is used as the constant value in robustness and reliability studies (see About Robustness and Reliability Projects on page 330).
Removing discrete sets and values

You can remove a discrete set from your project if you are no longer going to use it, but there is no need to do so. If you do not reference the set, HEEDS MDO will not use it. So, if you think you might want to use it again in another run, you can leave it in the project. At some point, you may also want to remove values from your Items list if you no longer want HEEDS MDO to consider them. For example, if after one run, all of the good designs used only two of the four thicknesses, you might want to eliminate the others from your set for the next run. Or, you might decide to eliminate a material that is no longer an option because of cost or availability.
To remove a discrete set

1. Select the set you want to remove by clicking on the box in front of the set name. 2. Right-click in the Discrete Sets window to display the pop-up menu. 3. Select Delete Discrete Set to delete the set:
To remove a value from a discrete set

1. Click on the value you want to remove. 2. Right-click in the Items window. 3. Select Delete Item from the pop-up menu to delete the value.
Defining dependent variables

The value of a dependent variable is determined either by the values of other variables/ responses or by a formula. You can give a dependent variable a value either by directly
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assigning it the value of another variable or response, or by defining a formula to calculate the value. Both methods use the Formula Definition editor in HEEDS MDO.
Creating dependent variables

Before you define a dependent variable, you need to define the variables and/or responses that it depends upon, because you will need to reference them in your formula. During a HEEDS MDO run, values must be assigned to these variables and responses before the value of the dependent variable can be determined. In your formulas, you may reference any variable in your project. Technically, you may also reference any response. However, a response must be filled before the formula is calculated, or the result will not be valid. Therefore, if you are using a value from another analysis, the order in which your analyses run is extremely important (see Defining Processes and Analyses on page 32).
To define a dependent variable

1. In the Type column, select Dependent:
The Formula Definition editor will appear in the lower right corner of the screen. 2. Enter the formula for the variable in the editor. Instructions are given below. The formula you enter will appear in the Formula column.
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Note: You can also apply stochastic distributions to dependent variables. They work the same way as stochastic continuous variables with one exception: if you attach a distribution to a dependent variable, it will always be applied. It cannot be enabled or disabled for a given agent.
Entering a formula
You can populate a dependent variable with a value from another variable or a response, or you can calculate the value. Both are entered in the Formula Definition editor window.
Important: The Formula Definition editor is case sensitive. Your variables or responses must match, and all functions must be entered in lower case, as they appear on the calculator keys.
To assign a dependent variable the value from another variable/response

1. In the Project Variables list, select the dependent variable that you want to define. The Formula Definition window will appear with the name of the variable you are defining displayed at the top:
2. In the Formula Definition window, type the name of the variable/response whose value you want to assign to the dependent variable. 3. Click the Accept button, or press the Enter key on your keyboard.
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4. The variable or response you entered will appear in the Formula column in the Project Variables list for the dependent variable:
Note: If an error message appears after you enter the variable/response name in the editor, make sure the variable or response has been defined for the project. You need to define it before you can enter it in the editor window. Also, make sure you have typed the name exactly as it appears in the variables/responses list (the editor is case sensitive).
To calculate the dependent variables value using a formula

1. Select the variable in the Project Variables list that contains the dependent variable. The Formula Definition window will appear.
2. To enter numbers, operators, symbols, or functions, do either of the following: Use your mouse to click on the editor buttons, or
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Use the keyboard to type the formula into the editor window. Make sure that the formulas are typed in lower case just as they appear on the calculator buttons.
Important: When you enter decimal numbers smaller than 1, you must enter a 0 to the left of the decimal point0.52, 0.725, etc. The Formula Definition editor does not accept decimals without a leading 0.
3. To place a variable or response in the formula, type its name into the appropriate position in the window. 4. To delete characters, use either the Del or Backspace key on the keyboard. 5. To clear your formula and start over, click the Clear button in the editor. 6. When you finish, click Accept or press Enter to save the formula. The formula will appear in the Formula column for the dependent variable.
Note: The max, min, sum, and avg keys are used for vector-valued variables. All functions can be applied to scalars or vector-valued variables (e.g., sin of a vector-valued variable performs the sin on every single element in the variable).
To edit a formula
1. Select the variable you want to edit. The formula editor will appear and the current formula will be displayed in the window. 2. Make changes to the formula as needed. 3. When you are finished, click Accept or press Enter.
To return to the last saved version of the formula

1. Click Cancel. 2. All the edits that you have entered since you selected the variable will be removed. If you clicked Accept at any time while entering or editing the formula, all edits you have entered since you last clicked Accept will be removed.
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Warning: Clicking Cancel before you click Accept when you first enter a formula will clear out everything you entered, just as if you clicked Clear.
Defining parameter variables

A numeric parameter variable can be used to assign a constant value to a variable. This constant value may either be absolute or stochastic. Absolute numeric parameter variables can be used in all project types. Stochastic numeric parameter variables can only be used in parameter optimization and robustness and reliability projects. In DOE projects, stochasticity is not applied, so any parameter variables you define as stochastic will be treated as absolute. A text parameter variable can be used to modify a marked file that needs a simple text change.
Note: All parameter variables from previous versions will come into 5.4 as numeric parameter variables.
Using absolute numeric parameter variables

Absolute numeric parameter variables allow you to set a constant value for a variable. Suppose you had initially created a continuous variable for the diameter of a hole. But, after running the project once, you decide that you want the diameter fixed at 0.25" for the next run. By changing it to an absolute numeric parameter variable, you can give the diameter this new value without having to modify your input file.
To define an absolute numeric parameter variable

1. In the Project Variables window, select Numeric Parameter as the Type.
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2. In the Baseline field, enter the absolute value you want to assign to the variable:
Using stochastic numeric parameter variables

You can use a stochastic numeric parameter variable to vary a known value stochastically, either to guide a parameter optimization search toward more robust designs or to measure the robustness of one particular design. For example, if a plate thickness has a nominal value of 1.125" with a tolerance of 1%, you can create a stochastic numeric parameter variable to ensure that the design performance is not drastically affected by the possible variations. (Stochastic distribution is explained on page 76.) Because their primary purpose is to test the robustness of a design, robustness and reliability projects rely exclusively on stochastic numeric parameter variables. When you set up a robustness and reliability study, you create a stochastic numeric parameter variable for each variable that can affect the robustness and reliability of the design.
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To define a stochastic numeric parameter variable

1. Create a stochastic distribution for the variable (see page 77). 2. Select Numeric Parameter as the Type for the variable.
3. In the Baseline field, enter the value you want to assign to the variable. This value will be used as the mean for your stochastic distribution. 4. Click on the Distribution field, and select the stochastic distribution you created for this variable (for information about creating stochastic distributions, see page 77):
Using text parameter variables

A text parameter variable can be used to modify a marked file that just needs a text change. For example, imagine you ran a study in which you varied the material using a discrete set (e.g., Steel, Aluminum, etc.). But, now you want to run a subset of that study with just a single material (e.g., Steel) as an absolute parameter variable. You could define that material as a text parameter variable.
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To define a text parameter variable

1. Select Text Parameter as the Type for the variable.
2. In the Baseline field, enter the text string you want to assign to the variable:
Using HEEDS MDO internal variables

Some analysis tools require you to specify a hard path to a referenced file or directory. Since the path to the design folder changes with every design (e.g., Design1, Design2, Design3), this presents a dilemma. In this situation, you can use HEEDS MDOs internal variables to update the path in the execution syntax or in the files during a run. These special variables allow you to access, and tag, data that are usually hidden in HEEDS MDO, such as design number, design path, agent ID, and job name.
To display internal variables

1. Click on either the Variables tab or the Tagging tab to bring the Project Variables window into view. 2. Click on the Options menu, and select Show Internal Variables.
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The internal variables will appear at the top of your list of Project Variables:
Variable Name Design_Num Design_Path Agent_Num Job_Name
Description Allows you to access the design number for the design being executed. Allows you to access the complete path to the design folder for the design being executed. Allows you to access the agent ID of the agent running the optimization. Allows you to access the name used to identify jobs running in the queue. This is also the name HEEDS MDO uses to check for completion if you are using HEEDS PARALLEL and have chosen either Execute job status check command or Get job status info from file as the completion check option (for information about this option, see the HEEDS PARALLEL and Q Users Guide).
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Note: Internal variable names are reserved by HEEDS MDO and cannot be used for other variables in a project.
3. Tag HEEDS MDO internal variables in exactly the same way that you would tag any other project variable.
Removing Project Variables

If you no longer want to use a variable, you may remove it if you wish. But, as long as a variable is not tagged or referenced by other variables, HEEDS MDO will just ignore it.
To remove a variable
1. Click on the box in front of the variable you want to remove:
2. Right-click anywhere in the Project Variables window. A pop-up menu will appear:
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3. Select Delete Variable. The variable will be removed from the table.
Note: Project variables that have been tagged in an input file cannot be deleted unless they are untagged first.
Adding, Editing and Removing Variables in Batches

At times, you may want to add a large number of variables to a project at once. If the definition is the same for all of the variables, and only the names need to differ, then you can use the Batch Add Variables option to accomplish this. Similarly, if you wish to edit an aspect of the variable definition (i.e., changing the print format) for a large number of variables at once, you can do this with the Batch Edit Variables option. Finally, if you wish to delete a large number of variables, the Batch Delete Variables option allows you to select the desired variables from a list and delete them all at once.
To add multiple variables in a batch

1. Right-click in the Project Variables window. 2. Select Batch Add Variables from the menu:
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The Batch Add Variables dialog will appear:
3. Enter the Number of variables you wish to add:
4. Select the variable Type:
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5. Variables will be named using a prefix followed by a variable number (i.e., Prefix_1). Enter a Prefix to be used for the variable names. The default name is variable_.
6. Next, enter the Starting number for the variables, and the desired Increment between numbers. 7. In the Attributes group box, define the variables as you typically would for the Type you have chosen:
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8. If you wish to add the variables and keep the dialog open, click Apply. 9. If you wish to add the variables and close the dialog, click OK. 10. To exit the dialog without adding any variables, click Cancel.
To edit multiple variables in a batch

1. Right-click in the Project Variables window. 2. Select Batch Edit Variables from the menu:
The Batch Edit Variables dialog will appear:
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3. Place a checkmark next to the variables you want to edit:
4. In the Variable Attributes group box, select the variable Type. If you do not wish to change the type, select **No Change**:
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5. Edit the other variable attributes in this group box, as desired.

Note: If you leave a field in this dialog empty, the current values for that attribute will remain unchanged for the selected batch of variables.
6. If you wish to apply the edits to the selected variables, and keep the dialog open, click Apply. 7. If you wish to apply the edits to the variables, and close the dialog, click OK. 8. To exit the dialog without making any edits, click Cancel.
To remove multiple variables in a batch

1. Right-click in the Project Variables window. 2. Select Batch Delete Variables from the menu:
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3. Place a checkmark next to each variable you wish to delete. If you wish to delete all of the variables, select the checkbox next to Name.
4. Click OK.
Note: HEEDS MDO will not ask you to confirm the deletion of these variables. They will be deleted immediately.
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6. Defining Project Responses

When extracting results from a particular design, HEEDS MDO Solver looks at values that you specified in the output file(s). These values are your project responses. Depending on the type of study, project responses can be used to determine the performance of a design, to collect data to be used in post-processing, or to provide values that are needed to define another variable or response. You must define a response for every output value you want to use in your project. Project responses are defined on the Variables tab.
For parameter optimization projects, you must create responses for your objective(s) and your constraints, and also for any other values you want to use in formulas. For DOE and
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robustness and reliability projects, you must define a response for each output value to be used in post-processing. Values for responses may either be used directly from the output file that is created for the design, or they may be calculated based on other variables and/or responses. When you add a response, it is given the default name of response_n, where n is the next number in sequence. You may change the name to one of your choice. Responses have no additional attributes other than the source of the value and a definition (formula, curve fit, filter, FLD) if applicable. Because responses can differ from agent to agent, the way they are used in parameter optimization projects (as objectives, constraints, or prerequisites) is defined when you assemble your project, not when you initially define your responses. Responses for robustness and reliability, and most DOE projects, have no additional agent attributes. They only need to be defined for the project and tagged. For DOE projects that use Taguchi Robust Parameter Design, however, you will need to define the goal of each response in a particular agent.
Important: Any response in an analysis may be used to calculate the value of another response in the same analysis. If you use a response from another analysis, make sure that the analysis containing that response runs first.
Creating Project Responses

When you define a project response, you need to indicate how the value of the response should be determined (the Source). The response value can be determined in the following ways: Extracted directly from a file Calculated using a formula (if dependent on other variable or response values) Calculated using the RMS method for determining quality of curve fit Determined by applying a digital data filter to a noisy response Based on forming limit criteria (FLD) Using an RSM file (.mdl) generated by HEEDS MDO
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Defining Project Responses
Extracting a response from a file To add a response extracted directly from a file
1. Right-click anywhere in the Project Responses window. A pop-up menu will appear:
2. Select Add Response. A line will be added to the table in the Project Responses window:
3. The response will have the default name of response_n. Click on the Name cell and change it to the name you want to give the response. Make sure the response name does not start with a number and does not contain spaces. 4. Select File as the Source (this is the default). 5. Add a comment if you wish, so you will know what the response is used for.
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Calculating a response using a formula

If you choose to make a response dependent on other variables and/or responses, you must enter the formula through the Formula Definition editor. As with dependent variables, you must define the variables and/or responses that will be used in the calculation before you can enter the formula. During a HEEDS MDO run, these variables and responses must be assigned values before the response can be calculated.
To add a response determined by a formula

1. Right-click anywhere in the Project Responses window. A pop-up menu will appear: 2. Select Add Response. A line will be added to the table in the Project Responses window.
3. The response will have the default name of response_n. Click on the Name cell and change it to the name you want to give the response. Make sure the response name does not start with a number and does not contain spaces. 4. In the Source field, select Formula.
Note: Instructions for entering formulas are found on page 87.
5. Enter the formula to calculate the response in the Formula Definition editor window. 6. Click Accept. The formula will be placed in the Formula field for the response:
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7. Add a Comment if you wish, so you will know what the response is used for and/or how it is calculated.
Calculating a response using the RMS method for curve fit

Responses from a curve fit source allow you to measure the closeness of the fit between a target curve and a curve from your optimization simulation. The target curve is typically either an experimental curve or a previously known, standard curve. The closeness of the curve to a target curve is measured with a root-mean square method (RMS). This RMS measurement can be minimized to find a curve that better matches the target curve. Example applications for curve fitting include, but are not limited to, material modeling (e.g., matching stress-strain curves to predict material parameters), data predictive modeling (e.g., matching population models to predict model parameters), and response prediction (e.g., matching force-displacement curves). To define responses in HEEDS MDO Modeler using the Curve Fit source, you must first define a two-dimensional target curve by either importing a text file or manually entering the x and y coordinates of the curve data points. The Curve Fit must then have two other responses defined as the X Values and Y Values of the actual curve.
To add a response determined by a curve fit

1. Right-click anywhere in the Project Responses window. A pop-up menu will appear:
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2. Select Add Response. A line will be added to the table in the Project Responses window:
3. The response will have the default name of response_n. Click on the Name cell and change the name, if you wish. Make sure the response name does not start with a number and does not contain spaces. 4. In the Source field, select Curve Fit. A Curve Fit Definition window will appear to the right of the Project Responses window. 5. RMS will be automatically assigned as the default Type for the Curve Fit.
Note: The only curve fit currently available within HEEDS MDO is the Root Mean Square Method (RMS). This method, also known in mathematics as the quadratic mean, is the square root of the mean of the squares of values. Mathematically this can be represented by:
1 N 2 RMS = ( y y ') dx N i =1
where N is the number of increments, y is the actual curve, y is the target curve, and dx (x) is the increment size for i. The smaller the value of RMS, the closer the two curves are to matching.
6. Next, you will need to define the target curve:
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a. In the Variable and Response Attributes window, select the Target Curves tab:
b. Right-click in the Curve window, and select either Add Curve Manually or Add Curve from File:
To add a curve manually, right-click in the x-y window, and choose Add Item from the popup menu. When you add an item, fields appear for x and y values. Enter the appropriate values. Repeat this process until you have defined the curve completely.
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To add a curve from a file, browse for and select the file that contains your predefined curve data. This file should contain only the x and y values for the curve, with one item per line. Commas, spaces, and tabs may be used as delimiters between the x and y values.
7. Once you have defined the target curve, you need to assign it to the RMS response: a. Go back to the Curve Fit Definition window, and click on the Target Curve dropdown:
b. From the dropdown, select the curve you just created. 8. Finally, you need to define X and Y values for the curve fit. Project responses are used as the X and Y Values for completion of the Curve Fit definition. The X and Y Values are vectors that make up the curve to be compared with the Target Curve. The number of items in X and Y should be the same; otherwise, HEEDS MDO will give an error. You need to create two responses to represent these vectors. The responses are then obtained through tagging, as normal, using either Scripting or a Portal. Although it is
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desirable for these vectors to contain the same number of items as the Target Curve vector, this is not required. Once two responses have been created that will represent the vectors of the X and Values, assign the responses as their proper values in the Curve Fit Definition window:
Once the X and Y Values are assigned, the Curve Fit Definition is complete for the response:
Adding a response determined by a digital data filter

In certain situations (e.g., an acceleration curve response from a crash test) it is desirable to remove the noise in the data signal. There may be localized peaks and valleys in the recorded response data that are artifacts of the modeling techniques used and do not necessarily represent the model behavior. Digital filters are used in these cases to remove the noise in the data and to provide smoother, more realistic output.
To filter data stored in a response

1. If you havent already done so, create and define the response that you want to filter:
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a. Right-click in the Project Responses window. A pop-up menu will appear:
b. Select Add Response. A line will be added to the table in the Project Responses window:
c.
The response will have the default name of response_n. Click on the Name cell and change it to the name you want to give the response. Make sure the response name does not start with a number and does not contain spaces.
d. Define the response as desired. 2. In the Source field for the response you want to filter, select Filter. A Filter Definition window will appear to the right of the Project Responses window:
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3. In the Filter Definition Window, click on the Response To Be Filtered dropdown, and select the name of the response that you want to filter. 4. Click on the Filter Type dropdown, and select the filter that you wish to use: SAE 6487 (Butterworth 4-pole phaseless CFC filter) or Point Average. a. If you chose SAE 6487: 1. Select a Cutoff Frequency (hertz) from the choices available in the dropdown (60 or 180). 2. In the Time Interval Between Data Points (sec) field, enter the desired number of points. b. If you chose Point Average: 1. Click in the Number of Points to Average field, and type the desired number of points. The default value in this field is 7. 5. When you have completed the Filter Definition, the details of that definition will appear in the Formula column next to the filtered response:
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Adding a response determined by forming limit criteria

Forming limit criteria are used to predict failure during a sheet metal forming process, and they can be used in other situations, as well. With this method, you define curves to delineate regions that will result in failure either due to tearing or folding. When you plot the major and minor strain for every integration point in your FEA model, if the point lies above the failure line, it is likely to fail by tearing. If it lies below the curve that marks the limit for compression, then it will most likely fold. So for a design to be feasible, or to satisfy the FLD criteria, all the points should lie between the curves. You can also define an offset, which represents a factor of safety for tearing. The generic formulation of the HEEDS MDO FLD feature allows you to use it with any solver (e.g., ANSYS, LS-DYNA, Abaqus) and any FEA model. Also, it is not just a pass or fail implementation. In a response that uses this definition, HEEDS MDO stores how many points failed to meet the forming limit criteria. If you are expecting a certain set of elements or regions to have failure, and theyre not important or can be ignored, this response can be used to allow that. There are two responses used to generate an FLD response: a major strain response and a minor strain response. These create the set of points that will be used in evaluating the criteria. Additionally, you need to define the forming limit curve (FLC) and the compression curve: The FLC definition can be curve based or math based. If it is curve based, you specify the curve as XY data by importing the curve data from a file (and you can additionally define an offset). With math based, you specify thickness and strain hardening component. The compression curve is a linear curve, which can be defined in two ways. You can either specify an angle in degrees, or you can define the curve based on XY data, just as you do for the FLC.
To add a response determined by forming limit criteria

1. If you havent already done so, create the response that you want to define using forming limit criteria: a. Right-click in the Project Responses window. A pop-up menu will appear.
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b. Select Add Response. A line will be added to the table in the Project Responses window:
c.
d. In the Source field for the response you want to filter, select FLD. 2. Next, create a Major Strain Response: a. Right-click in the Project Responses window. A pop-up menu will appear. b. Select Add Response. A line will be added to the table in the Project Responses window:
c.
d. Define the response as desired. 3. Follow the same steps to create a Minor Strain Response with a Source of File. 4. Select the FLD response in the Project Responses window. A FLD Definition window will appear to the right of the Project Responses window:
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5. Click on the Minor Strain Response dropdown, and select the minor strain response from the list. 6. Click on the Major Strain Response dropdown, and select the major strain response from the list. 7. For the FLC Type, select the Curve Based or Math Based radio button: a. If you chose Curve Based: 1. Create a curve in the Target Curves tab. For information about creating curves, see page 107. 2. Click on the Tensile Curve dropdown, and select the appropriate curve from the list:
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3. Click in the Offset field, and enter the desired value. The offset provides a factor of safety for tearing. Without an offset, HEEDS MDO will look for designs that go right up to the FLC limit. b. If you chose Math Based:
1. Select the Thickness data. There are two ways to do this: Click on the Thickness dropdown, and select the variable containing the thickness data, OR Type the desired value into the Thickness field.
Note: If thickness is being designed, select the variable containing the thickness value here. Otherwise, if the thickness is not changing, define it as a numeric parameter variable.
2. Select the Hardening data. There are two ways to do this:
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Click on the Hardening Component dropdown, and select the variable containing the related data, OR
Type the desired value into the Hardening Component field.
3. Click in the Offset field, and enter the desired value. The offset provides a factor of safety for tearing. Without an offset, HEEDS MDO will look for designs that go right up to the FLC limit. 8. For the Compression Line Type, select the appropriate radio button:
Line Type None Angle Based
Description Select this option if you do not wish to apply a compression line. Select this option if you want to apply a compression line at a particular angle. In the Angle (deg) field, enter the desired angle. Select this option if you want to apply a compression curve whose coordinates youve specified. Click on the Compression Curve dropdown, and select the appropriate curve.
Curve Based
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Calculating a response using a HEEDS response surface model file

Some HEEDS MDO studies allow you to create an approximation of the responses in your model. If the fit is good, these response surfaces let you visualize the design space. Moreover, these surfaces can be used to perform further studies at very small cost since each design evaluation based on the response surface takes only a fraction of a second, while an actual design evaluation that doesnt use response surfaces may take from a few minutes to many hours. The RS Model source type allows you to use a Response Surface Model (RSM) file generated during a previous HEEDS MDO study to calculate the value of the response. HEEDS MDO internally creates the response surface model based on the imported MDL file and calculates the values of the response using this model.
To add a response calculated by a HEEDS response surface model (RSM) file

Note: This feature supports the MDL files generated in HEEDS MDO 5.4.1 or later.
1. If you have already run a HEEDS MDO study to obtain your response surface model (MDL file), and you wish to modify the study to use an RS Model response, you first need to click on the Tagging tab, and untag the response that will now be calculated using the RSM file (it will no longer obtain its value from the output file). 2. Click on the Variables tab. 3. In the Source field for the response you want to calculate using an RSM file, select RS Model. The RS Model Definition window will appear to the right:
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4. Click the Import button. 5. Navigate to, and select, the MDL file from a previous HEEDS MDO study. Click Open. 6. The RS Model Variable Mapping will be displayed. a. RS Model Variable The variables from the MDL file will be show in this first column. b. Range Used For Fit The middle column (read only) shows the range that was used to fit that surface.
Note: HEEDS MDO does not prevent you from using variables that go outside of the range shown, but depending on the type of response surface that you use, it may be not be accurate to do so.
c.
Project Variable HEEDS MDO will automatically populate this column. In most cases, your variables from the previous study and the variables in this study are going to be the same. If you need to change a variable, click the dropdown next to it, and select any variable defined in the current project.
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7. To look at the MDL file that you imported, click the View button. This will show you the contents of the file as well as the date/time and location of import.
Removing Project Responses

If you no longer want a response to be used, you can easily remove it, but you do not have to. It will not be used unless it is tagged or referenced by other variables or responses. However, you may do so if you wish. Removing responses is just like removing variables.
To remove a response
1. Click on the box in front of the response you want to remove. A show that it is selected: will appear to
2. Right-click anywhere in the Project Responses window. A pop-up menu will appear. 3. Select Delete Response. The response will be removed from the table.
Note: As with variables, tagged responses cannot be deleted unless they are untagged first.
Adding, Removing, and Editing Responses in Batches

At times, you may want to add a large number of responses to a project at once. If the type is the same for all of the responses, and only the names need to differ, then you can use the Batch Add Responses option to accomplish this. Similarly, if you wish to edit an aspect of the response definition for a large number of responses at once, you can do this with the Batch Edit Responses option.
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Finally, if you wish to delete a large number of responses, the Batch Delete Responses option allows you to select the specific responses from a list and delete them all at once.
To add multiple responses in a batch

1. Right-click in the Project Responses window. 2. Select Batch Add Responses from the menu:
The Batch Add Responses dialog will appear:
3. Enter the Number of responses you wish to add:
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4. Select the response Source:
5. Responses will be named using a prefix followed by a response number (i.e., Prefix_1). Enter a Prefix to be used for the response names. The default name is response_.
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Note: Unlike for variables, the batch add responses feature does not allow you to create the data for the responses, only the response name and type.
6. Next, enter the Starting number for the responses, and the desired Increment between numbers:
7. If you wish to add the responses and keep the dialog open, click Apply. 8. If you wish to add the responses and close the dialog, click OK. 9. To exit the dialog without adding any responses, click Cancel.
To edit multiple responses in a batch

1. Right-click in the Project Responses window. 2. Select Batch Edit Responses from the menu:
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The Batch Edit Responses dialog will appear 3. Place a checkmark next to the responses you want to edit:
4. In the Response Attributes group box, select the response Source. If you do not wish to change the type, select **No Change**:
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5. Enter a Comment for the entire group of responses, if desired. 6. If you wish to apply the edits to the selected responses, and keep the dialog open, click Apply. 7. If you wish to apply the edits to the responses, and close the dialog, click OK. 8. To exit the dialog without making any edits, click Cancel.
To remove multiple responses in a batch

1. Right-click in the Project Responses window. 2. Select Batch Delete Responses from the menu:
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3. Place a checkmark next to each response you wish to delete. If you wish to delete all of the responses, select the checkbox next to Name.
4. Click OK.
Note: HEEDS MDO will not ask you to confirm the deletion of these responses. They will be deleted immediately.
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Part 3 Tagging Your Files
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7. Overview of Tagging
Once you have identified your input and output files, and defined your project variables and responses, you need to tag the values in the files that represent those variables and responses. Tagging an input file is merely a matter of linking the variables you have defined with the corresponding values you want to replace in the input file. For each design it evaluates, HEEDS MDO Solver writes out new input files, in which it assigns new values to the variables you have tagged. After an evaluation is complete, it uses the responses you have tagged in the output files to calculate additional responses or variables, to evaluate the performance of that design, or to collect information for post-processing. The values you tag in the output file represent the locations of the responses you have defined to evaluate the quality of the design, as well as any that will be used as prerequisites for determining other values. Variables and responses are tagged on the Tagging tab. There are three types of tagging: Marking simply tags the values (based on row and column numbers) that represent the variables or responses. Scripting uses a script to determine the location of the values and can only be used for responses. Scripting allows you to tag a vector of values, responses in a fixed file format, or locations relative to a constant string. Tagging with portals allows users of certain supported software packages to tag variables and responses without knowing exactly where the values are located in the input or output files.
Overview of the Tagging Tab

The Tagging tab contains the Project Variables and Project Responses windows, where you select the variable or response you are tagging. There is also an expanded version of the Processes tree, where you select the file containing the variable to be tagged. The center portion of the screen displays information about the variables and responses, as well as the screens used to tag them:
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Although only the first column of the Project Variables and Project Responses windows is displayed, these are actually the same windows you used to define your variables and responses on the Variables tab. If you find that you forgot to add a variable or response, you can create it in the appropriate window here, without having to return to the Variables tab.
Note: You can use the vertical splitter at the right of these windows to enlarge their panes temporarily.
When you first display the Tagging tab, you will see a Summary window. The information displayed in this window summarizes the tagging details for a selected variable or response. If you do not have any variables or responses selected, the summary information will instruct you to select one to view the tagging information. If a variable or response has not yet been tagged, this information will be displayed in the Summary. If a variable or response has been tagged, you will see a list of files the variable or response has been tagged in:
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Overview of Tagging
If you deselect the variable or response, you will be returned to the initial summary screen.
Tagging Input Files

Tagging input files is just a matter of associating your defined project variables with the locations of the values that represent them in the parsed files. Project variables that appear in more than one input file must be tagged in all files where they appear. HEEDS MDO Solver will keep the values consistent within a given process. There are two ways to tag variables in an input file: marking and tagging with portals. Marking allows you to tag the values in input that represent your projects variables. Marking is the easiest way to tag an output file. However, you can only use marking if your response 1) represents a scalar value, 2) is located in a delimited file, and 3) does not vary in location from one output file to another. Or, if you are using one of the supported simulation packages, you can tag the file through a portal (discussed in Tagging with Portals: Overview on page 164).
Tagging Output Files

When you tag responses in an output file, you are identifying the location of values that HEEDS MDO Solver will use to determine design performance or to calculate postprocessing results. There are three ways to tag the responses in an output file: marking, scripting, and tagging with portals. Marking is the easiest way to tag an output file. However, you can only use marking if your response represents a scalar value, is located in a delimited file, and does not vary in
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location from one output file to another. Marking is discussed in detail in Marking on page 141. If your response does not meet the conditions required for marking, you can use scripting (discussed in Scripting on page 146). Or, if you are using one of the supported simulation packages, you can tag the file through a portal (discussed in Tagging with Portals: Overview on page 164). Only responses that are retrieved directly from a File (those with a source of File) are tagged. Responses that are calculated through a Formula, Curve Fit, Filter or FLD (forming limit diagram) are not tagged, because these values are calculated based on other extracted results and are not present in the file. Note that you can only tag a response once in a process.
Note: If you fill a response through a formula, curve fit, filter or FLD, the definition will be displayed
in the summary panel when the response is selected.
Extracting Response Values

One way to check your response tagging is to use the Extract Value button at the bottom of the screen:
When you click this button, the value in the tagged cell will appear. You do not need to have a file open to use it. Extract Value is especially valuable for checking response formulas.
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Overview of Tagging
When you click on a response that is filled by a formula, the results of the calculation will appear.
To extract response values

1. Select the response you want to check the value for. 2. Click Extract Value. A command prompt will appear briefly while the value is being extracted. The value for the response will appear in the Value field:
Note: Extract Value is available for responses only. You cannot use it to check variables, even those that are filled with a formula.
Untagging
All tagged variables and responses will be used in your analyses. Whenever you no longer want a project variable or response to be considered in a particular process, you must untag it. Untagging a variable or response does not remove it from your project, only from use in the file where it was untagged. You can always retag it if you want it to be used again. There is no harm in leaving untagged variables and responses in your project, because HEEDS MDO simply ignores them.
Untagging values
If you want to remove a variable or response completely, you need to untag it before you can remove it. HEEDS MDO will not let you remove a variable or response that is in use. When you untag a value in an input file, the original value from the file will be restored and used, as is, in subsequent runs. When you untag a value in an output file, the original value is also restored. However, since this value is not actually used, the only effect in HEEDS MDO Solver is the removal of the response from consideration in the process where it was tagged.
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Untagging files or file groups

You can also untag entire files at once. You may have the occasion to do this if you want to remove a file from an analysis, because tagged files cannot be removed. Or you may simply want to retag the file from scratch. You may select individual files to untag, or you can untag them by hierarchical group (all input files or output files for an analysis, all files for a given analysis, or all files in an entire process).
To untag a single file

1. Select the file in the Processes tree. 2. Right-click and select Untag from the pop-up menu, or click the Untag button. The following message will appear:
3. Click Yes to delete the tags.
To untag a file group

1. Select the file group you want to untag in the Processes tree: To untag all input files for an analysis, select Input Files under that analysis. To untag all output files for an analysis, select Output Files under that analysis. To untag all files for an analysis, select the single analysis. To untag all files in an entire process, select the single process. 2. Right-click and select Untag from the pop-up menu. The following message will appear:
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Overview of Tagging
3. Click Yes to delete the tags.
Retagging
Tagging associates a response or variable with a specific file and a definition (created either by selecting a specific location in a file or by using a script or portal). If you change the way a tagged variable or response is defined (for example, by making different selections in the portal definition or changing the script commands), the Retag button will become active. If you want the changes youve made to be saved as part of the tagging for that variable/response, you must click Retag. If you havent clicked Retag, and you leave the screen after making changes, those changes will be lost.
Note: The Retag option is only available in the portal and scripting tagging modes.
Re-reading a File
If you need to make a minor change to an input or output file after you have tagged the file (for example, correcting a typo), you can use the Re-read File option. This will preserve your existing tags. If you think the changes you made to the file may have affected the validity of your tagged values, be sure to go back and check that all of your tags are still correctly defined after using the Re-read File option.
To re-read a file
1. Make your changes to the file outside of the HEEDS MDO Modeler. 2. Highlight the file you want to update in the Processes tree. 3. Right-click in the Processes tree, and select Re-read File from the pop-up menu.
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Important: Make sure you modify the correct file. HEEDS MDO Solver will look for the file in the location specified on the Processes tab. If your file location has changed, use Replace File on the Processes tab to change the location before you update the file on the Tagging tab.
Other Tagging Tools

Two visual aids may help you locate tagged valuesthe Processes tree and Process Coloring. These two features can be helpful when it comes to keeping track of tagged variables, especially if you have a large number of them. Also, when you have a large file, it may be difficult to find the value you want to tag. If you are using either marking or scripting, you can locate the value using the Search String function to locate a string near the value or even the value itself.
The Processes tree

You can use the Processes tree to find out which file(s) a variable or response is tagged in.
To locate the files where a variable or response is tagged

On the Tagging tab, select a variable or response. The file(s) where the variable or response is tagged will be bolded in the Processes tree:
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Overview of Tagging
The Process Coloring option

The Process Coloring option is found on the Colors menu, and it is activated by default:
Note: To turn off Process Coloring, select Colors > No Coloring
Process coloring can be used to figure out which variables or responses are tagged in a given file. Additionally, if you have more than one process, you can use Process Coloring to find out which variables and/or responses are associated with a given process. Or, if you have more than one analysis in a process, you can use Process Coloring to find out which variables and/or responses are associated with a given analysis.
To locate tagged values using Process Coloring

1. On the Tagging tab, select an input or output file from the Processes tree. The variables or responses that are tagged in the selected file will be highlighted:
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2. Select one of the highlighted variables or responses. If you are using marking, you will see the highlighted values in the parsed file:
When Process Coloring is activated, the tagged values for the selected file will also be highlighted on the other tabs in the Modeler.
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Overview of Tagging
To use Process Coloring to find out which variables/responses are associated with
a process or analysis 1. Select the element you want to check from the Processes tree: To find out which variables or responses are associated with a process, select the process:
To find out which variables or responses are associated with an analysis in a given process, select the analysis:
To find out which variables are tagged in a given analysis, select Input Files:
To find out which responses are tagged in a given analysis, select Output Files:
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2. When you select the item from the tree, the corresponding variables and/or responses will be highlighted in the Modeler.
The Search feature

When you have a large file, it may sometimes be difficult to find the value you want to tag. If you are using either marking or scripting, you can locate the value by searching for a string near the value or even for the value itself. The Search String feature performs a forward search only. It begins its search in the line where you are positioned and searches to the end of the file. It searches the file contents only. You cannot search for tags. However, you can search for values in tagged locations.
To search for a value

1. Select the line where you want to start the search. To search the entire file, select the first line in the file. 2. In the Search String field, enter the string or value you want to find. The search function is case sensitive, so be sure to enter the correct case if you are searching for an alpha-numeric string.
3. Click Find Next. You will scroll to the next location of the search string in the file. A will appear in front of the row that contains the value.
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8. Marking
Marking allows you to tag the values in input or output files that represent your projects variables or responses. Marking is the easiest way to tag an output file. However, you can only use marking if your response 1) represents a scalar value, 2) is located in a delimited file, and 3) does not vary in location from one output file to another.
Parsed Files and Field Delimiters

When an input file is displayed for marking, it is parsed into rows and columns based on its lines (rows) and field delimiters (columns). The default delimiters that are used by HEEDS MDO Modeler to parse free format (i.e., delimited) files are listed in the Parsing Delimiters field at the top of the Tagging screen:
The default delimiters are commas, semicolons, double quotes, the equal sign, and open and closed parentheses. In addition to these, a space is always treated as a delimiter. If your file does not parse into columns correctly, it either uses a field delimiter that is not one of the defaults, or one of the defaults is used for something other than a delimiter in the file. To correct the problem, you can add delimiters or remove any of the default delimiters (except the space delimiter).
To remove delimiters
1. Click in the Parsing Delimiters field.
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2. Remove the delimiters you do not want. Use the left and right arrow keys on your keyboard to move your cursor and Del or Backspace to delete them. 3. Press Enter, and the file will reparse.
To add delimiters
1. Click in the Parsing Delimiters field. 2. Add your delimiter to the list. Each delimiter character is treated individually, so you do not need a space or other separator between them. 3. To add a tab delimiter, check the Include Tab box. 4. Press Enter and the file will reparse.
Note: Delimiters can only be modified in an untagged file.
Marking Input Files

When an input file is displayed for marking, it is parsed into rows and columns based on its lines (rows) and field delimiters (columns).
To tag a variable in an input file

1. In the Project Variables window, select the variable you want to tag. 2. Select Mark from the Tagging mode list:
3. Select the input file in the Processes tree that contains the value you want to associate with the selected variable. The parsed file will be displayed in the center of the screen. 4. Click on the cell in the parsed file that contains the value that corresponds to the selected variable. This will select the cell.
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Marking
5. Right-click on the cell you selected, and choose Tag from the pop-up menu:
The variable name will appear in the cell in place of the value:
Marking Output Files

When an output file is displayed for marking, it is parsed into rows and columns based on its lines (rows) and field delimiters (columns).
To tag a response in an output file

1. Select the response you want to tag in the Project Responses window. 2. Select Mark from the Tagging mode drop-down list. 3. Select the output file in the Processes tree that contains the value you want to associate with the selected response. The parsed file will be displayed on the screen. 4. Click on the cell in the parsed file that contains the value that corresponds to the selected response. This will select the cell. 5. Right-click on the cell you selected, and choose Tag from the pop-up menu:
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The response name will appear in the cell in place of the value
Untagging Variables or Responses

All tagged variables and responses will be used in your analyses. Whenever you no longer want a project variable or response to be considered in a particular process, you must untag it. Untagging a variable or response does not remove it from your project. You can always retag it if you want it to be used again.
To untag a value
1. In the Project Variables or Project Responses window, select the variable or response you want to untag. 2. Select the file that contains the value from the Processes tree. 3. Scroll to the cell in the file that contains that variable or response. The cell will be highlighted so you can easily spot it as you scroll through the file. 4. Click on the cell that contains the variable or response to select the cell. 5. Right-click on the selected cell, and select Untag from the menu:
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Marking
Copying and Pasting Tags

If your project contains input files that are relatively similar, and the values you want to tag are in the same position in the file, you can copy and paste the tags and edit them afterward instead of marking the second file from scratch. After you paste the tags in, you will need to remove any tags that do not apply or are in the wrong place and add any missing ones. Copying and pasting tags is done strictly on a location basis. That is, the tags are copied from the source file and pasted into the same row and column locations in the target file. If a copied tag corresponds to a row and column location in the target file that does not contain a taggable value, the cell will not be tagged and a message will appear to inform you of the problem. This will not affect the overall copy and paste operation. You can also copy and paste tags in output files. However, your target file for the copied tags must be in a different process, as a response can only be tagged once in a process.
To copy and paste tags

1. Highlight the file that contains the tags you want to copy in the Processes tree. 2. Right-click in the Processes tree window, and select Copy Mark Tags from the popup menu. 3. Highlight the target file in the Processes tree. 4. Right-click in the Processes tree window, and select Paste Mark Tags from the popup menu to paste the tags in.
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9. Scripting
When you use scripting to tag a response, you specify its location relative to constant elements in the file (e.g., strings, line numbers) instead of tagging a fixed row and column. There are three main reasons you may want to use scripting: 1. In some output files, the locations of the tagged values may vary each time the files are generated, usually because of warning messages that are inserted when the file is output. By specifying the location relative to a string (e.g. the third column in the line below the label Load Case 1), you can ensure that the value can always be located. 2. Values in fixed-format files do not have delimiters to denote where one field ends and another begins. To tag a value in a fixed-format line, you need to specify the location of the starting and ending character. 3. The value of a response may need to be based on a vector of values instead of just a single value. You can create a vector of values by tagging a number of individual values or one or more columns of values. All of these situations can be easily handled through scripts.
Note: Scripting can only be used to tag output files.
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Scripting
The Script Editor Screen

The Script Editor screen is displayed whenever you select Script as the Tagging mode for a response:
The Script Editor is at the top of the screen. It contains buttons you can use to insert the HEEDS MDO Scripting Language (HSL) commands. It also contains an editable window where you enter the script. The lower portion of the screen displays the output File you are tagging. You can use this file to find the location you want to tag. The Search String function is available to assist you in finding specific strings in your file. Notice that the output file displayed in the script editor screen is not parsed, as it is on the marking screen. When you write a script, you direct HEEDS MDO Solver to the position in the file where the value(s) you want to tag are located. Then, you specify the location of the value(s) you want to extract.
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HEEDS Scripting Language (HSL)

HEEDS Scripting Language (HSL) has a few simple commands that you can use to parse data from output files. You can use HSL to perform complex parsing functions without expertise in any advanced programming language. The commands are very simple and straightforward. The language is general enough to cover majority of parsing use cases. This section lists and describes all the commands available for use with HSL.
Important HSL Rules

Command formatting
Type commands in all capital letters. They are case sensitive. The commands can be indented in the file. They do not have to start in the first column of the script file. All parameters associated with a command must be enclosed in parentheses.
Comments
A line that starts with a dollar sign ($) is treated as a comment. You can insert an unlimited number of comments into the file.
Line length
The length of each line should not exceed 255 characters.
Parsed data
All data parsed using the script are stored in the response variable that invoked the script via the *PREREQUISITE, *OBJ_AFTER_EXTRACTION, and *CON_AFTER_EXTRACTION keywords in HEEDS MDO. Parsed data are stored and available for any other computations, including subsequent response calculations.
Prohibited search string characters

Search strings cannot contain commas, or left or right parentheses.
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Scripting
Errors
When HEEDS MDO encounters an error while running a script, execution of the script is terminated.
The scripting commands

You can use the buttons in the Script Editor to insert HSL commands. Then, all you have to do is supply the arguments. The scripting commands fall into four groups: file commands, loop commands, positioning commands, and extraction commands.
File commands
The file commands are used to open and close the output file. When you write a script, you will start with an OPEN_FILE command and end with a CLOSE_FILE command. OPEN_FILE
Description Description Syntax Arguments Example Opens the output file where your script will be executed. OPEN_FILE must be the first command in any script. OPEN_FILE(filename) filename Output file name and extension
OPEN_FILE(tower.log)
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CLOSE_FILE
Description Description Syntax Arguments Example Closes the output file after your script is executed. CLOSE_FILE None. CLOSE_FILE
Loop commands
The loop commands let you execute a block of commands a specified number of times. There are two loop commandsone that designates the beginning of the loop and one that designates the end. LOOP
Description Description Syntax Arguments Example Executes a script block a specified number of times. LOOP(repetitions) repetitions Number of times to repeat the loop
LOOP(3) code to be executed
END_LOOP
Description Description Syntax Arguments Example Designates the end of a loop. All code between the LOOP command and the END_LOOP command will be executed the number of times specified in LOOP. END_LOOP None. LOOP(3) code to be executed END_LOOP
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Scripting
Positioning commands
The positioning commands move to specified positions in the file. The default position when a file is opened is at the top of the file. You can specify the position to move to by the number of lines or by specifying a string, a line number, or the top or bottom of the file. MOVE_DOWN
Description Description Syntax Arguments Example Specifies the number of lines to move down from the current row position. MOVE_DOWN(lines) lines Number of lines to move down from the current line.
MOVE_DOWN(8)
MOVE_UP
Description Description Syntax Arguments Example Specifies the number of lines to move up from the current row position. MOVE_UP(lines) lines Number of lines to move up from the current line.
MOVE_UP(4)
GOTO_TOP
Description Description Syntax Arguments Example Moves to the first line in the file. GOTO_TOP None. GOTO_TOP
GOTO_END
Description Description Syntax Moves to the last line in the file. GOTO_END
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Description Arguments Example None. GOTO_END
GOTO_LINE
Description Description Syntax Arguments Example Moves to the specified line. GOTO_LINE(line) line Number of the line to move to.
GOTO_LINE(126)
GOTO_STRING
Description Description Syntax Moves to the specified occurrence of a specified string, based on the current position in the file. GOTO_STRING(string, occurrence) string occurrence The string to search for. The occurrence of the string you are searching for based on the current position in the file. A positive number means the file is searched towards the end of the file, while a negative number will result in the search being performed towards the beginning of the file. For example, if the value for the second parameter is set to 2, the search will skip the first occurrence of the string and position the file pointer at the beginning of the line containing the next occurrence string.
Arguments
Example
GOTO_STRING(Load Case, 3)
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Notes: Unlike most programming languages and many scripting languages, in HEEDS MDO you do not enclose literal strings in quotation marks. If a command requires a string in a specific position, HSL assumes that the value entered in that position is a string. If you place quotation marks around a string, they will be considered part of the string. Commas and parentheses cannot be part of the search string.
Extraction commands
The extraction commands retrieve values from a specified location in a line. Every script must contain at least one extraction command. After you use the positioning commands to find the row where the value is located, you use the extraction commands to retrieve it. You can retrieve single values or you can retrieve a column of values. The latter feature allows you to retrieve a vector of values for your response. There are commands for both free-format and fixed-format files.
Note: The scripting commands assume that free-format files are either comma or space delimited. Other delimiters are not recognized.
GET_VALUE_FREE
Description Description Syntax Arguments Example Retrieves a value from the specified position in the current line in a freeformat file. GET_VALUE_FREE(position) position - Position of the value in the row. If you were to enter a 3, the third value in the row would be retrieved. The position is determined by the delimiter used to separate the values. GET_VALUE_FREE(5)
GET_VALUE_FIXED
Description Description Syntax Retrieves a value from the specified position in the current line in a fixedformat file. The position is specified by entering the starting and ending character positions. GET_VALUE_FIXED(startPos, endPos)
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Description Arguments Example StartPos - Starting character position of the value in the row. EndPos - Ending character position of the value in the row. GET_VALUE_FIXED(7, 15)
GET_COLUMN_FREE
Description Description Syntax Retrieves a set of values from a free-format file, starting with the current line. The value in the designated position in the line will be retrieved from the number of consecutive lines you specify. GET_COLUMN_FREE(position, lines) position - The position of the column in the row. If you were to a 3, it would retrieve the third value. enter
Arguments
lines - The number of lines to be retrieved. For example, 25 would retrieve the value in the specified column position from 25 consecutive lines, starting with the current line There are two different types of values that can be used for this parameter: it can either be the integer number of consecutive lines that need to be read or EOC. Using EOC allows reading columns whose length is not fixed. If EOC option is used, the values will be read until the end of column or the file is detected. GET_COLUMN_FREE(5, 25)
Example
Note: After the values are extracted, the file position will be on the last value in the extracted column.
GET_COLUMN_FIXED
Description Description Syntax Retrieves a set of values from a fixed-format file, starting with the current line. The value in the designated position will be retrieved from the number of consecutive lines you specify. GET_COLUMN_FIXED(startPos, endPos, lines)
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Description startPos - The starting character position of the column value in the row. endPos The ending character position of the column value in the row. lines - The number of lines to be retrieved. 10 would retrieve the value in the specified position from 10 consecutive lines, starting with the current line. There are two different types of values that can be used for this parameter: it can either be the integer number of consecutive lines that need to be read or EOC. Using EOC allows reading columns whose length is not fixed. If EOC option is used, the values will be read until the end of column or the file is detected. GET_COLUMN_FIXED(7, 15, 10)
Arguments
Example
Note: After the values are extracted, the file position will be on the last value in the extracted column.
Entering a Script
Entering a script is relatively easy, because buttons are provided in the Script Editor to insert the actual commands. All you have to do is supply the arguments.
To display the Script Editor

1. From the Project Responses window, select one of the responses you want to tag with a script. 2. Select the output file where the value(s) you want to tag are located from the Processes tree. 3. From the Tagging mode drop-down list, select Script. The Script Editor will be displayed.
To enter a simple script

1. Click the OPEN_FILE button on the right. The OPEN_FILE command will appear in the script window. 2. Enter the name of the output file you are tagging in the parentheses: OPEN_FILE(tower.log) 3. Enter the commands needed to locate the line that contains the value(s) you want to extract in your script. For each command:
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a. Press Enter to start a new line and click the button for the command. b. If the command has arguments, enter the required arguments in the parentheses: GOTO_STRING(Stress, 2) MOVE_DOWN(3) 4. Commas are inserted automatically for commands with more than one argument. 5. Enter the command to extract the value(s): a. Press Enter to start a new line and click the button for the command. b. Enter the required arguments to locate the value in the parentheses: GET_VALUE_FREE(3) 6. Press Enter, and click the CLOSE_FILE button to place the close file command in the script. 7. Click Tag to associate the script with the response.
Important: When you click a button, the command is inserted at the point where your insertion point is positioned, so be sure to always start a new line before you click a button.
Scripts with loops

When you need to execute a set of commands several times in a file, you can use a loop instead of entering the command set repeatedly. Loops are particularly useful for extracting a vector of values from several different locations in the file (e.g., from each load case).
To enter a loop
1. Start the loop by clicking the button for the LOOP command. Place the number of times you want to execute the loop in the parentheses:
LOOP(3)
2. Enter the commands for the loop. Loops are usually easier to read when the commands in the loop are indented, so press Tab to indent the line before you enter the command:
LOOP(3) GOTO_STRING(Load Case, 1)
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MOVE_DOWN(4) GET_COLUMN_FREE(3, 15)
3. Place an END_LOOP command at the end of the loop:

LOOP(3) GOTO_STRING(Load Case, 1) MOVE_DOWN(4) GET_COLUMN_FREE(3, 15) END_LOOP
Loops can also contain loops. You can place a loop inside another loop as shown below:
LOOP(3) GOTO_STRING(Load Case, 1) LOOP(2) MOVE_DOWN(4) GET_VALUE_FREE(5) END_LOOP END_LOOP
When you nest loops, make sure you have included an END_LOOP command for every LOOP command.
A further word about creating vectors

To create a vector of values, you can use either the GET_VALUE command or the GET_COLUMN command. With GET_VALUE you can create a vector of values by tagging single values in the files. With GET_COLUMN you can tag one or more columns of values to create your vector. Which command you will use depends on the values you want to tag and whether they are grouped together or scattered throughout the file.
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Values are added to a vector in the order in which they are retrieved by the script. When values are added to a vector, they are appended to the end of the vector list. If you were creating a vector by extracting a column of 10 values from each of three load cases, your script might look like this:
OPEN_FILE(rail.log) LOOP(3) GOTO_STRING(Load Case, 1) MOVE_DOWN(2) GET_COLUMN_FREE(2, 10) END_LOOP CLOSE_FILE
The first time the loop was executed, it would extract 10 values from the first load case, creating a vector of 10 values. The second time, it would extract 10 values from the second load case and append them to the first 10 values. The third time, it would extract 10 values from the third load case and append them to the 20 values that are currently in the vector, giving you a vector of 30 values. Since you cannot change the order, if order makes a difference, you should retrieve them in that order.
Testing your script

You can test your script by using the Extract Value button at the bottom of the screen:
This button will return the value you have tagged with your script. If you have tagged a vector of values, the first value will be returned.
To test a script
1. Click Extract Value. A command prompt window will appear briefly on your screen while the script is run.
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The value you have tagged will appear in the field next to the button. This value should match the one you tagged in the file (or the first value if you are tagging a vector of values). 2. If the value is not what you expect, check the script for errors.
Note: You can also use the Extract Value button to check response formulas.
Troubleshooting script errors

If you see ERROR in the field instead of a value, the script could not extract the value. There are several reasons you might see this: You entered the output file name incorrectly in the OPEN_FILE command You did not click Tag to associate the response with the script. The location you are extracting the value from does not contain an extractable value. There is no extraction command in the script. The script contains a syntax error, either a misspelled key word or an invalid argument (e.g. a string when a number is expected). The first line in the file is not an OPEN_FILE command. One or more project variables are not completely defined.
To troubleshoot errors
1. Make sure that the following are true: The first line contains an OPEN_FILE command, and There is an extraction command. 2. If either of these is missing, add it to the script and try extracting the value again. 3. Check the name of the output file entered in the OPEN_FILE command, and correct it if necessary. Then try extracting the value again. 4. If the output file name is correct and you still get an error, you may not have clicked Tag before testing. Click Tag and try extracting the value again. 5. If you still get an error, check for the following syntax errors:
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Check each command to make sure the arguments are valid and that you have the correct number of arguments. Make sure the required parentheses and commas are present in commands with arguments. Make sure you have not used commas and parentheses in string arguments and that you have not enclosed your strings in quotation marks. Make sure the command key words are spelled correctly. If you used the buttons to paste them in, they should be correct unless you changed something accidentally. 6. If you do not find any syntax errors, check your script by manually simulating the script commands in the output file at the bottom of the screen to find which command contains the error: Be sure to position yourself on line 1 because all scripts start at line 1. To simulate the GOTO_STRING command, enter the string in the Search String field and click Find Next once for each occurrence your command specifies. If your line location is specified correctly, check to make sure the location you specify in that line contains a value. If you cannot find the error by looking at the script, open the checkPerformance.out file in the HEEDS-Scratch folder your project directory. This file will contain a description of the errors. If there is an incompletely defined variable, it will be listed. If there is a syntax error, you will be able to determine what command it is in.
Copying scripts
If you have several scripts that are fundamentally alike in your project, you can copy the first one and paste it in for each of the others. Once it is pasted in, you can edit it as needed.
To copy a script
1. Select the response that contains the script. 2. Highlight the script in the script window. 3. Right-click, and select Copy from the menu. 4. Select the response that you want to copy the script to. 5. Right-click in the script window, and select Paste from the pop-up menu. 6. Make whatever changes you need to make to the script.
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7. Click Tag to associate the script with the response.
Sample Scripts
Here are some examples of typical scripts.
Tagging a value in a free-format file

This script tags a single value in a free-format file, relative to the second occurrence of the string Mass:
Script OPEN_FILE(tower.log) GOTO_STRING(Mass,2) MOVE_DOWN(10) GET_VALUE_FREE(5) CLOSE_FILE Command Description Opens the output file tower.log. Goes to the second occurrence of the string Mass. Moves down 10 lines from the row containing Mass. Extracts the fifth value in the row. Closes the file.
Tagging a value in a fixed-format file

This script tags a single value in a fixed-format file, relative to the first occurrence of the string Weight:
Script OPEN_FILE(beam.out) GOTO_STRING(Weight,1) MOVE_DOWN(3) GET_VALUE_FIXED(10, 17) CLOSE_FILE Command Description Opens the output file beam.out. Goes to the first occurrence of the string Weight. Moves down 3 lines from the line containing Weight. Extracts the value that starts at position 10 and ends at 17. Closes the file.
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Tagging a column of values

This script tags a column of 25 values in a free-format file:
Script OPEN_FILE(rail.log) GOTO_STRING(Buckling,1) MOVE_DOWN(8) GET_COLUMN_FREE(3,25) CLOSE_FILE Command Description Opens the output file rail.log. Goes to the first occurrence of the string Buckling. Moves down 8 lines from the row that contains Buckling. Extracts third value in the row from 25 consecutive lines. Closes the file.
Tagging a vector of values from more than one location

This script creates a vector of values by tagging columns of values at three locations in a free-format output file. After establishing the initial position in the file, it executes the commands to find and retrieve the values three times.
Script OPEN_FILE(tower.log) GOTO_STRING(Disp,2) LOOP(3) GOTO_STRING(Disp,1) MOVE_DOWN(8) GET_COLUMN_FREE(2,10) END_LOOP CLOSE_FILE Command Description Opens the output file tower.log. Goes to the row that contains the second occurrence of Disp. Starts the loop. The next 3 lines will be executed 3 times. Goes to the next occurrence of Disp. Moves down 8 lines. Extracts the second value from 10 consecutive lines. Designates the end of the loop. Closes the file.
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Scripting
Untagging Responses with Scripts

When you untag a response that is tagged with a script, the script is deleted. Therefore, you should be very sure (a) that you want to untag the response and (b) that you have the correct response selected. There is no way to recover your script if you untag a value by mistake.
To untag a response that is associated with a script

1. Select the response you want to untag from the Responses window. 2. Select the output file where the response is located from the Processes tree. 3. Click Untag to untag the value. The value will be untagged and the script will disappear from the script window.
Warning: If you use any of the untagging options to untag a group of files, files containing responses associated with scripts will be untagged as well as those tagged by marking.
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10. Tagging with Portals: Overview

If you use one of the analysis software packages supported by HEEDS MDO, you can tag your input and/or output files through a HEEDS MDO portal. Each supported package has an interface through which HEEDS MDO can communicate and extract the information from the input or output file. The portal tagging mode in HEEDS MDO allows you to tag vectors (for responses only) and individual values without knowing their specific locations in the file. HEEDS MDO Solver extracts and displays the information available from the input or output file and allows you to select the quantities you want to associate with each variable or response.
Supported Portals
The following portals are available in HEEDS MDO:
Package Abaqus Adams ANSYS WB Excel LS-DYNA MATLAB Nastran NX SolidWorks SolidWorks Simulation Input Portal Output Portal Versions Supported 6.6 through 7.1 2010 12.1 and later Excel 97 and later 970, 971 Versions 2009, 2010 and 2011 MSC 2008 R1 and later NEi 9.2 and later 4, 5, 6
2010 and 2011 2010 and 2011
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Tagging with Portals: Overview
Untagging Variables or Responses Tagged through a Portal

When you untag a variable or response that was tagged through a portal, the tagging definition will be removed and the screen will return to its default settings. Once you untag a variable or response, there is no way to restore the tagging definition except by tagging again.
To untag a variable or response

1. Select the variable or response you want to untag from the Project Variables or Project Responses window. 2. Click Untag to untag the value. The tagging definition for the variable or response will be removed.
Warning: If you use any of the untagging options to untag a group of files, files containing variables or responses associated with portals will be untagged along with those that were tagged by marking and scripting.
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11. Input Portals: Tagging Variables

HEEDS MDO offers input portals for Abaqus, ANSYS Workbench, Excel, LS-DYNA, MATLAB, NASTRAN, NX, SolidWorks, and SolidWorks Simulation.
Abaqus Input Portal

Preliminary Setup in HEEDS MDO
If you want to use the Abaqus Input Portal to tag input files in a given analysis, you must first do the following on the Processes tab when you define the analysis: 1. In the Analysis Manager, select Abaqus (Input/output) from the Solver dropdown list. 2. In the Input Files Manager for the analysis, add the input file that will be used by the solver you have chosen. The file type must be the one that is supported by the portal.
Using the Abaqus Input Portal

Follow these steps to open the Abaqus Input Portal and tag your variables.
To open the Abaqus Input Portal

1. Click on the Tagging tab. 2. In the Project Variables window, click on the desired variable to select it. 3. Change the Tagging mode to Portal. 4. From the Processes tree, select the desired input file. The Abaqus Input Portal screen will appear:
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Input Portals: Tagging Variables
To tag a variable in the Abaqus Input Portal

1. Select an Input Type. 2. If you chose Beam General Section, Beam Section, Shell General Section, Shell Section or Solid Section: a. Select an Element Set. b. Select an Input Type (if applicable). c. Select an Input to be Modified.
3. If you chose Material: a. Select a Material Name. b. Select a Material Keyword. c. Select an Input to be Modified.
4. If you chose Node: a. Enter a Node Number. b. Select a Coordinate Direction. 5. Click the Tag button.
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Note: Once you complete the portal definition for a variable, a read-only Value from File field will appear at the bottom of the portal. This displays the baseline value from the specified location in your input file.
ANSYS Workbench (WB) Input Portal

Before you use the HEEDS MDO ANSYS Workbench portal, there are a few preliminary setup steps that you need to complete. These include setting the ANSYS Workbench environment variable and installing the Windows Server Resource Kit Tools.
Setting the ANSYS Workbench environment variable

The HEEDS_ANSYS_CMD environment variable is created when you install HEEDS MDO. It tells HEEDS MDO how to start ANSYS Workbench when you are using the ANSYS WB portal. Follow these steps to confirm that the HEEDS_ANSYS_CMD environment variable is set correctly on your machine: 1. Make sure you are logged in as an Administrator. 2. Right-click on My Computer, and select Properties.
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3. Select the Advanced tab in the System Properties dialog.
4. Click on the Environment Variables button.
The Environment Variables window appears. 5. In the System variables group box, scroll down to locate the HEEDS_ANSYS_CMD variable. 6. Click to select it. 7. Click the Edit button:
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8. Make sure the Variable value path is correct. It should point to the runwb2.bat file in your installation directory. The default path is as follows: C:\Program Files\ANSYSInc\v130\Framework\bin\Win32\runwb2.bat
Installing the Windows Server Resource Kit Tools

Users running Windows Vista or later or any supported Linux operating system do not need to perform these steps. In order to use the ANSYS Workbench Portal in HEEDS MDO, computers running Windows XP (32- or 64-bit) must install the Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools. The following steps need to be performed only once on a given computer, before any HEEDS MDO project using the ANSYS Workbench portal is run: 1. In your Web browser, go to the URL below: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=9d467a69-57ff4ae7-96ee-b18c4790cffd 2. Click the Download button. This will download the rktools.exe file. 3. Login to your computer as a user with administrative privileges. 4. Run rktools.exe. It will extract and run the installer for the Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools. 5. Click through the installer using the default settings.
Preliminary setup in HEEDS MDO

To use the ANSYS WB Input Portal to tag input files in a given analysis, you must first do the following on the Processes tab when you define the analysis: 1. In the Analysis Manager, select ANSYS WB (Input/output) from the Solver dropdown list. 2. In the Input Files Manager for the analysis, add the ANSYS Workbench project file (.wbpj) as an input file. This is the only file type supported by the HEEDS ANSYS WB portal.
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Note: If you select the ANSYS WB solver for an analysis, the supported file types must be tagged through the portal. You can have other input or output files attached to the analysis as well, but they can only be tagged through one of the other methods (i.e., marking or scripting).
Using the ANSYS WB Input Portal

Follow these steps to open the ANSYS WB Input Portal and tag your variables.
To open the ANSYS Input Portal

1. Click on the Tagging tab. 2. In the Project Variables window, click on the desired variable to select it. 3. Change the Tagging mode to Portal. A terminal window will appear indicating that the data from the ANSYS WB project file is being read to be displayed on the portal screen. 4. From the Processes tree, select the desired input file. The ANSYS Input Portal screen will appear (the Parameters displayed will not be exactly as shown):
5. Select the desired Parameter. 6. Click the Tag button.
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Excel Input Portal

When Excel is used as an analysis tool, it is an ideal companion for HEEDS MDO. Whenever an optimization problem can be posed that can be solved analytically, Excel can be used for analysis and HEEDS MDO for optimization. Examples include cost models, analytical structural and fluids problems, and gear design.
Important: The HEEDS MDO Excel Input portal is supported for versions of Microsoft Excel 97 and later. If you are using Excel 2010, which produces .xlsx files, note that the portal only supports Excel files with the extension .xls.
The portal easily integrates the analysis tool into the HEEDS MDO optimization process. HEEDS MDO Modeler reads in the active worksheet of a Microsoft Excel project for both input and output. It launches macros associated with a project and gives you full use of Excels capabilities in an automated fashion.
Making Microsoft Excel compatible for use with HEEDS MDO

There are a couple of steps you need to take to make full use the Excel portal: 1. Make sure the security settings for macros are low (if your Excel project utilizes macros). 2. Make sure that when HEEDS MDO Solver is run with the Excel portal, Excel is open in the background but with no files open.
Security settings for macros

If your MS Excel project uses macros, you will need to ensure that the security settings for macros are low. This allows HEEDS MDO Solver to run the macros of the project without issue (in a sense granting the Solver access to run the macros).
To change the security settings for MS Excel macros (pre-2007)

1. Open Microsoft Excel. 2. Select Tools Macro Security. 3. Change the security level from High (default) to Low.
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To change the security settings for MS Excel Version 2007

1. Open Microsoft Excel. 2. Select the Microsoft Ribbon in the upper left hand corner of Microsoft Excel. 3. Select Excel Options. 4. Select Trust Center Trust Center Settings. 5. Select Macro Settings. 6. Click the Enable all macros option. 7. If you are going to use VB scripting, you may wish to select Trust access to the VBA project object model, as well.
Running Excel with no files open

When you are tagging in the Excel portal, or even just running a HEEDS MDO project that utilizes the Excel portal, Excel must be open but with all files closed. In particular, the Excel input/output files associated with your HEEDS MDO project should be closed whenever the project is open. If Excel is not open, HEEDS MDO Solver will open it, but this will generate errors within Excel. Excel can be minimized while you are running HEEDS MDO to prevent it from flashing onscreen with every new analysis.
Preliminary setup within HEEDS MDO

If you plan to use the Excel portal tagging mode for an input file in a given analysis, you must do the following on the Processes tab when you define the analysis: 1. In the Analysis Manager, select Excel (Input/output) from the Solver dropdown list. 2. In the Input Files Manager for the analysis, add the Excel file that represents the baseline design. For Excel, this will be an .xls file.
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Note: Design variables are tagged in the .xls file that was brought in as an input file, and responses are tagged in the .xls file that was brought in as an output file. If you are using the same file for both the input and output, HEEDS MDO treats it as two separate files. Consequently, tags placed in the input file will not appear in the output file, and tags placed in the output file will not appear in the input file.
Tagging a variable in the Excel portal

When you select a Microsoft Excel file (.xls) as an input file, HEEDS MDO Modeler will tell you that you must use the portal tagging method. Using the Excel portal requires only a few different steps than your typical HEEDS MDO model.
Note: When you are using this portal, the Excel application must be running with no files open.
1. To open the Excel portal, click on the Tagging tab:
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2. Change the Tagging mode to Portal. HEEDS MDO parses the input file and reads it in as it would appear in Microsoft Excel, with numeric rows and alpha columns. 3. In the Project Variables window, click on the desired variable to select it. 4. In the File window, select the cell containing the value that you want to tag.
Note: The Contents of Selected Cell field will display the value or formula that occupies the cell you have selected. Be aware that if you tag a cell that contains a formula, HEEDS MDO Solver will overwrite that formula with a value.
5. Right-click on the cell, and select Tag.
Note: Formulas are updated in the Microsoft Excel analysis as they would be if you manually changed the values in the cells that the formula was calling.
LS-DYNA Input Portal

If you plan to use the LS-DYNA Input Portal to tag input files in a given analysis, you must first do the following on the Processes tab when you define the analysis: 1. In the Analysis Manager, select LS-DYNA (Input/output) from the Solver dropdown list.
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2. In the Input Files Manager for the analysis, attach the input file that represents the baseline design. The file type must be the one that is supported by the portal.
Note: If you select the LS-DYNA solver for an analysis, the supported file types must be tagged through the portal. You can have other input or output files attached to the analysis as well, but they can only be tagged through one of the other methods (i.e., marking or scripting).
Using the LS-DYNA Input Portal

Before you can begin tagging variables, you will need to open the LS-DYNA portal.
To open the LS-DYNA Input Portal

1. Click on the Tagging tab. 2. In the Project Variables window, click on the desired variable to select it. 3. Change the Tagging mode to Portal. 4. From the Processes tree, select the desired input file. The LS-DYNA Input Portal screen will appear:
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To tag a variable in the LS-DYNA Input Portal

1. Select an Input Type: a. If you chose Node, enter a Node Number and select a Coordinate Direction. Skip to Step 4. b. If you chose Parameter, skip to Step 3. 2. Select a Section ID or Part ID from the dropdown. 3. Select the appropriate Input To Be Modified from the dropdown. 4. Click the Tag button.
MATLAB Input Portal

Before you use the HEEDS MDO MATLAB portal, there are some preliminary setup steps to complete both on the computer system and within HEEDS MDO.
Preliminary system setup

These system setup steps are different depending on the platform you are using.
Check the installed version of MATLAB (Both platforms)

For both Windows and Linux, the platform version of MATLAB installed must match the platform version of HEEDS MDO. For example, if the Win32 version of MATLAB is installed, you must use the Win32 version of HEEDS MDO, even if the operating system is Win64.
Windows MATLAB setup

Follow these steps on Windows computers: 1. Append the location containing the platform-specific MATLAB executable to the PATH environment variable: Generic Path: C:\Program Files\MATLAB\<version>\bin\<platform> Example Path: C:\Program Files\MATLAB\R2012a\bin\win64
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2. Register the automation server by running the following command: <path specified in step 1>\MATLAB.exe /regserver Example: C:\Program Files\MATLAB\R2012a\bin\win64\MATLAB.exe /regserver
Linux MATLAB setup

Make the following changes to the environment variables on a Linux computer: 1. Append the location containing the MATLAB executable to the PATH environment variable. This directory must contain the libeng.so file: Generic Path : /opt/MATLAB/<version>/bin Example Path: /opt/MATLAB/R2012a/bin Example command for bash shell: export PATH=$PATH:/opt/MATLAB/R2012a/bin 2. Append the platform-specific path to the LD_LIBRARY_PATH environment variable: Generic Path: /opt/MATLAB/<version>/bin/<platform> Example Path: /opt/MATLAB/R2012a/bin/glnxa64 Example command for bash shell: export LD_LIBRARY_PATH:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH:/opt/MATLAB/R2012a/bin/glnxa64

To use the MATLAB portal tagging mode for an input file in a given analysis, you must first do the following on the Processes tab when you define the analysis: 1. In the Analysis Manager, select MATLAB (Input/output) from the Solver dropdown list:
2. In the Input Files Manager for the analysis, add the solver input file that represents the baseline design: a. The file type must be supported by the portal. For MATLAB, this is an .m file.
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b. You can bring in multiple .m files. However, only those files that need to be copied to the evaluation folder need to be added as input files. 3. Next, you need to specify which file is the Main input file. This is the only file that is executed by HEEDS MDO for this analysis (this file can reference and execute other input files). HEEDS MDO needs to know which input file to run initially. To specify the Main input file: a. Select the desired input file. b. Right-click in the Input Files Manager. c. Select Designate as Main Input File from the pop-up menu:
4. The word Yes will appear in the Main File column next to the file you designated. The first .m added is set as the Main input file by default.
Using the MATLAB Input Portal

Before you can begin tagging variables, you will need to open the MATLAB Input Portal.
To open the MATLAB Input Portal

1. Click on the Tagging tab. 2. In the Project Variables window, click on the desired variable to select it. 3. Change the Tagging mode to Portal. 4. From the Processes tree, select the desired input file (.m file). The MATLAB Input Portal screen will appear:
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To tag a variable in the MATLAB Input Portal

1. Select a variable from the MATLAB Variables list.
Note: You can use the Filter list by and Order list by options to help you find the desired variable more easily, especially if the list of variables is quite long.
2. Click the Tag button.
Storing variables and responses in MATLAB Engine Memory

If you have a variable or response that you want to use in a MATLAB analysis without defining and modifying in an .m file, you can store that value in the MATLAB Engine Memory by selecting it in the MATLAB Additional Variables window. HEEDS will then add that variable/response to the MATLAB Engine memory. This variable/response can then be referenced in the .m files for this analysis by its name in the HEEDS MDO project. There are two main advantages to using this feature. First, you eliminate the file based I/O associated with opening, updating and closing .m file when modifying the variable values. Second, this is a very efficient way to use vector responses that are needed as input in a MATLAB analysis.
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Important: When you select variables/responses to share with the MATLAB analysis (to be loaded into the MATLAB engine without tagging), these variables must NOT be set in the .m files. If these variables are set in the .m file, the value set by HEEDS MDO for each new design will be overwritten by the variable definition in the m file.
Nastran Input Portal

If you plan to use the Nastran portal tagging mode for an input file in a given analysis, you must first do the following on the Processes tab when you define the analysis: 1. In the Analysis Manager, select Nastran (Input/output) from the Solver dropdown list. 2. In the Input Files Manager for the analysis, add the solver input file that represents the baseline design. The file type must be the one supported by the portal. For Nastran, this is a .nas, .dat or .bdf file.
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Using the Nastran Input Portal

Before you can begin tagging variables, you will need to open the Nastran Input Portal.
To open the Nastran Input Portal

1. Click on the Tagging tab. 2. In the Project Variables window, click on the desired variable to select it. 3. Change the Tagging mode to Portal. 4. From the Processes tree, select the desired input file. The Nastran Input Portal screen will appear:
To tag a variable in the Nastran Input Portal

1. Select an Input Type. a. If you chose Composite Property, Shell Property or Solid Property, select a Property ID and select an Input to be Modified. b. If you chose Grid, enter a Grid Point ID and select a Coordinate Direction. 2. Click the Tag button.
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NX Input Portal
NX is a powerful CAD tool used in many industries. Because NX is a parametric CAD tool, it allows a finite number of parameters to control the geometry of a part or assembly. These parameters are easily translated into design variables in a design optimization project. Integrating NX with HEEDS MDO is simple using the HEEDS MDO NX Input Portal. The portal handles all communication between HEEDS MDO Solver and the NX part file, and the project definition is straightforward and intuitive in the HEEDS MDO Modeler.
Preliminary setup outside of HEEDS MDO Modeler

Before you use the NX Input Portal within HEEDS MDO Modeler, you must first define your variables in the NX Expressions menu, and modify the Path environment variable on your machine.
Defining variables in the NX Expressions Menu

The NX Portal interacts with NX *.prt files by way of a custom application developed by Red Cedar Technology. The portal interacts exclusively with the Expressions menu in NX. Therefore, any parameters that you want to use as design variable in a HEEDS MDO design study must be defined in the Expressions menu.
Modifying the Path Environment Variable

Follow these steps to modify the Path environment variable on your machine: 1. Make sure you are logged in as an Administrator. 2. Right-click on My Computer, and select Properties.
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3. Select the Advanced tab in the System Properties window.
5. The Environment Variables window appears.
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6. In the System variables group box, scroll down to locate the Path variable. 7. Click to select it. 8. Click the Edit button. 9. In the Variable value field, add a semi-colon to the end of the path, and then enter the complete path to the UGII folder in your NX installation:
10. So, for example, if your NX installation directory location is C:\Program Files\UGS\NX 6.0\ then append the following to the Path variable: ;C:\Program Files\UGS\NX 6.0\UGII
Preliminary setup within HEEDS MDO Modeler

If you plan to use the NX portal tagging mode for an input file in a given analysis, you must first do the following on the Processes tab when you define the analysis: 1. In the Analysis Manager, select NX (Input only) from the Solver dropdown list. 2. Select an option from the CAD Export Format dropdown, if desired.
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Note: In addition to updating and saving the .prt file, HEEDS MDO Solver will also generate a CAD file for the format you select in the CAD Export Format field.
3. In the Input Files Manager for the analysis, attach the solver input file that represents the baseline design. The file type must be the one supported by the portal. For NX, this will be a .prt file.
Using the NX Input Portal

Follow these steps to open the NX Input Portal and tag the desired variables: 1. Click on the Tagging tab 2. In the Project Variables window, click on the desired variable to select it. 3. Click on the Tagging mode dropdown, and select Portal. 4. From the Processes tree, select the input (.prt) file. The NX Input Portal will appear:
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The NX Input Portal screen contains an Expressions window, which displays the expressions in the input (.prt) file that are available for tagging. By making selections from this window, you tell HEEDS MDO Solver which value, or vector of values, you want to tag for your selected variable.
Note: If you select the NX solver for an analysis, the supported file types must be tagged through the portal. You can still have other input or output files attached to the analysis as well, but they can only be tagged using one of the other methods (i.e., marking or scripting).
5. In the Expressions window, click on the expression you want to tag:
6. Click the Tag button.
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SolidWorks Input Portal

Important! This portal is only supported on Windows.

If you plan to use the SolidWorks portal tagging mode for an input file in a given analysis, you must first do the following on the Processes tab when you define the analysis: 1. In the Analysis Manager, select SolidWorks (Input/Output) from the Solver dropdown list. 2. If desired, select an option from the CAD Export Format dropdown.
Note: If another tool in your optimization process needs the part file to be converted into a different form such as IGES, then HEEDS MDO can do that conversion. Just choose the desired Export Format from the list. To use this option, you must have only one session of SolidWorks open before you start the HEEDS MDO run. You must also save the part file once to the desired format from this session.
3. In the Input Files Manager for the analysis, attach the solver input file that represents the baseline design. The file type must be the one supported by the portal. For SolidWorks, this will be a .sldprt file.
Using the SolidWorks Input Portal

Follow these steps to open the SolidWorks Input Portal and tag the desired variables: 1. Click on the Tagging tab. 2. In the Project Variables window, click on the desired variable to select it. 3. Change the Tagging mode to Portal. 4. From the Processes tree, select the .sldprt input file. The SolidWorks Input Portal screen will appear:
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The SolidWorks Input Portal screen contains an Equations window, which displays the equations in the input (.sldprt) file that are available for tagging. By making selections from this window, you are telling HEEDS MDO Solver which value you want to tag for your selected variable.
Note: If you select the SolidWorks solver for an analysis, the supported file types must be tagged through the portal. You can still have other input or output files attached to the analysis as well, but they can only be tagged using one of the other methods (i.e., marking or scripting).
5. In the Expressions window, click on the expression you want to tag: 6. Click the Tag button.
SolidWorks Simulation Input Portal

Setting the SolidWorks Simulation Environment Variable

The HEEDS_SWSIMULATION_PATH environment variable is created when you install HEEDS MDO. It tells HEEDS MDO how to start SolidWorks Simulation when you are using the portal. Follow these steps to confirm that the HEEDS_SWSIMULATION_PATH environment variable is set correctly on your machine: 1. Make sure you are logged in as an Administrator. 2. Right-click on My Computer, and select Properties.
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3. Select the Advanced tab in the System Properties dialog.
The Environment Variables window appears.
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5. In the System variables group box, scroll down to locate the HEEDS_SWSIMULATION_PATH variable. 6. Click to select it. 7. Click the Edit button:
8. Make sure the Variable value path is correct. It should point to the Simulation directory in the SolidWorks installation directory. The default path for this environment variable is as follows: C:\Program Files\SolidWorks Corp\SolidWorks\Simulation

If you plan to use the SolidWorks Simulation portal tagging mode for an input file in a given analysis, you must first do the following on the Processes tab when you define the analysis: 1. In the Analysis Manager, select SW Simulation (Input/Output) from the Solver dropdown list. 2. In the Study field, enter the exact name of the study as you named it in Simulation. 3. In the Input Files Manager for the analysis, attach the solver input file that represents the baseline design. The file type must be the one supported by the portal. For SolidWorks Simulation, this will be a .sldprt or .asm file.
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Using the SolidWorks Simulation Input Portal

Follow these steps to open the SW Simulation Input Portal and tag the desired variables: 1. Click on the Tagging tab. 2. In the Project Variables window, click on the desired variable to select it. 3. Change the Tagging mode to Portal. 4. From the Processes tree, select the .sldprt or .asm input file. The SW Simulation Input Portal screen will appear:
5. Select an Element Type (Shell, Solid or Beam). 6. Select an Input to be Modified (Material or Thickness). a. If you chose Material, you need to add at least one Material Library. To do this:
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1. Click the Add Library button. 2. Browse to the desired library file, and select it. It must be a .sldmat file.
Note: This file should contain the definition of all the materials you want to consider during the optimization. If all of the definitions are not in a single file, then you must add all of the material library files necessary so that the definitions for all materials in consideration are available.
3. Click the Open button. The file path will appear in the Material Libraries window. 7. If you chose a Solid element type, you also need to select the desired Body. 8. Click the Tag button.
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12. Output Portals: Tagging Responses

HEEDS MDO offers output portals for Adams, Abaqus, ANSYS Workbench, Excel, LSDYNA, MATLAB, NASTRAN, SolidWorks and SolidWorks Simulation.
Abaqus Output Portal

Many results that you need to extract from Abaqus runs come from binary files, for which the marking or scripting methods do not work. For example, field variables and field history variables need to be extracted in this manner (these include stresses, strains, displacements, energies, and reaction forces, among many others). The Abaqus Output Portal is a clean and simple way to allow HEEDS MDO Solver to extract responses from an Abaqus output database.
Preliminary Setup
If you plan to use the Abaqus Output Portal to tag output files in a given analysis, you must first do the following on the Processes tab when you define the analysis: 1. In the Analysis Manager, select Abaqus (Input/output) from the Solver dropdown list. 2. In the Output Files Manager for the analysis, attach the output file that contains the results of the baseline design produced by the solver you have chosen. The file type must be the one that is supported by the portal. For Abaqus, this will be the .odb file.
Note: If you select the Abaqus solver for an analysis, the .odb file must be tagged through the
portal. You can have other input or output files attached to the analysis as well, but they can only be tagged through one of the other methods (i.e., marking or scripting).
Using the Abaqus Output Portal

1. Click on the Tagging tab. 2. In the Project Responses window, click on the desired response to select it. 3. Set the Tagging mode to Portal:
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Output Portals: Tagging Responses
4. Select the output file from the Processes tree. A command prompt window will open while HEEDS MDO Solver parses the file for display on the tagging screen. Then the Portal screen will appear:
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Choosing Output Type: Field or History

Once the Abaqus Output Portal is open, the first thing youll need to specify is whether you are defining Field or History output. Select the appropriate option from the Response Type dropdown:
If you have chosen Field, continue with the instructions in the Defining a Field Response section. If you have chosen History, continue with the instructions in the Defining a History Response section.
Defining a Field Response

Defining when in the analysis the data are to be retrieved The selections you make for the windows in the first row tell HEEDS MDO Solver when in the analysis you want to extract the value from the file. You specify the step and then the frame increment that contains the value. Note that the data are extracted after completion of the analysis.
To define when the value is to be extracted

1. Select the Step from which you want to extract the value. All defined steps in the project will be available for selection in the Step list.
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2. Select the Frame increment, to extract the value from a specified frame or group of frames.
Option Last All Range Description Retrieves the value from the last frame increment executed. Retrieves the values from all increments associated with the step. Retrieves the values from a specified range of increments.
3. If you select Range, fields will appear in the Range Data window so you can specify the range:
In the Start field, enter the number of the starting increment in the range. In the End field, enter the number of the last increment in the range. For example, if you want the first increment, enter 0 for both Start and End. Similarly, if you only want the fifth increment, enter 5 for both Start and End.
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Defining what output quantity to retrieve The second row is used to identify the output quantity you want to associate with your selected response.
To define what output value is to be extracted

1. The labels for the available output quantities will appear in the Output list. Select the output quantity you want to extract:
Note: Definitions of the Output variable abbreviations used in this field can be found in the Output
Variables section of the Abaqus Analysis Users Manual.
2. In the Type field, select either the Component or Invariant radio button. 3. From the list below the Type field, select the specific Component or Invariant that you want to retrieve the values from. 4. If required, select a value from the Position field. 5. If required, select a value from the Section field. Defining where in the design the value is located The selections in the third row define where in the design (i.e., which region) the value you want to retrieve is located. To do this, you specify the part or assembly, the set entity type, and the specific set.
To define the location of the output quantity for a part

1. From the Location field, select Assembly or Instance. If you selected Assembly, continue on to Step 2.
If you selected Instance, a list of part instances will appear. Select the instance of the part you want to extract the value from:
Note: Some parts only have one instance. Others (spokes in a wheel, for example) may have
multiple instances of the same part.
2. Next, in the Entity window, select All or Subset. If you want to extract the value(s) from all element sets, choose All. Then, continue on to tagging the response. If you select Subset, an entity type list will appear. Select the desired entity type Node Set or Element Setfrom the list.
The available sets for the entity you selected will appear in the ID window. Select the set in the ID window that you want to extract the quantity from. Tagging the response After you have defined the information that you want to extract for the response, click the Tag button at the bottom of the screen to tag the response.
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Testing the setup Testing your output setup can help you identify and eliminate errors in your analysis before you run it. To test your output definition, click Extract Value. The extracted value will appear in the Value field next to the button:
Note: If you tagged a vector of values, only the first value will appear in the Value field.
Defining a History Response

Defining when in the analysis the data are to be retrieved The selections you make for the windows in the first row tell HEEDS MDO Solver when in the analysis you want to extract the value from the file. You specify the step and which time interval contains the value. Note that the data are extracted after completion of the analysis.
To define when the value is to be extracted

1. Select the Step from which you want to extract the value. All defined steps in the project will be available for selection in the Step list.
2. Select the Time increment, to extract the value from a specified time increment or group of time increments.
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Option Last All Range
Description Retrieves the value from the last time increment executed. Retrieves the values from all time increments associated with the step. Retrieves the values from a specified range of time increments.
3. If you select Range, fields will appear in the Range Data group so you can specify the start and end times for the range:
In the Start field, enter the number of the starting increment in the range. In the End field, enter the number of the last increment in the range. If you want the first increment, enter 0 for both Start and End. Similarly, if you only want the fifth increment, enter 5 for both Start and End. Defining where in the design the value is located The selections in the History Region define where in the design (i.e., which region) the value you want to retrieve is located.
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Defining what output quantity to retrieve The third row is used to identify the Output quantity you want to associate with your selected response.
To identify the output quantity to retrieve

1. Select the component to tag. 2. Select either the X (Time) or Y (Value) radio button: To read the output variable from the .odb file, select the Y (value) option. If the corresponding time value should be read, select the X (Time) option.
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Note: Definitions of the Output variable abbreviations used in this field can be found in the Output
Variables section of the Abaqus Analysis Users Manual.
Tagging the response After you have defined the output quantity that you want to extract for the response, click the Tag button at the bottom of the screen to tag the response. Testing the setup Testing your output setup can help you identify and eliminate errors in your analysis before you run it. To test your output definition, click Extract Value. The extracted value will appear in the Value field next to the button:
Adams Output Portal

To use the Adams Output Portal to tag output files in a given analysis, you must first do the following on the Processes tab when you define the analysis: 1. In the Analysis Manager, select Adams (Output only) from the Solver dropdown list. 2. In the Output Files Manager for the analysis, attach the output file that contains the results of the baseline design produced by the solver you have chosen. The file type must be the one that is supported by the portal (.req). The Adams output portal uses the Adams request file and .nam file to read the output data.
Using the Adams Output Portal

Follow these steps to open the Adams Output Portal, and tag your responses.
To open the Adams Output Portal

1. Click on the Tagging tab.
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2. In the Project Responses window, click on the desired response to select it. 3. Change the Tagging mode to Portal. 4. From the Processes tree, select the desired output file. The Adams Output Portal screen will appear:
5. Select the desired Request. 6. Select the desired Component. 7. Select the desired Time Increment:
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Option First Last All Range
Description Retrieves the value from the first time increment executed. Retrieves the value from the last time increment executed. Retrieves the values from all time increments available in the request file. Retrieves the values from a specified range of time increments.
8. If you select Range, fields will appear in the Range Data window so you can specify the range: a. In the Start Time field, enter the number of the starting increment in the range. b. In the End Time field, enter the number of the last increment in the range. c. The available range will be read from the request file you added as an output file in the Adams analysis and displayed next to the Range option.
9. Click the Tag button to tag the response.
ANSYS Workbench Output Portal

Before you begin using the HEEDS MDO ANSYS Workbench portal, there are a few preliminary setup steps that you need to complete. These include setting the ANSYS Workbench environment variable and installing the Windows Server Resource Kit Tools.
Setting the ANSYS Workbench environment variable

The HEEDS_ANSYS_CMD environment variable is created when you install HEEDS MDO. It tells HEEDS MDO how to start ANSYS Workbench when you are using the ANSYS WB portal. Follow the steps in Setting the ANSYS Workbench Environment Variable (on page 168) to confirm that the HEEDS_ANSYS_CMD environment variable is set correctly on your machine.
Installing the Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools

Users running Windows Vista or later, or any supported Linux operating system, do not need to perform these steps. In order to use the ANSYS Workbench Portal in HEEDS MDO, computers running Windows XP (32- or 64-bit) must install the Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools. The following steps need to be performed only once on a given computer, before any HEEDS MDO project using the ANSYS Workbench portal is run: 1. Log in to your computer as a user with administrative privileges. 2. In your Web browser, go to the URL below: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=9d467a69-57ff4ae7-96ee-b18c4790cffd 3. Click the Download button. This will download the rktools.exe file. 4. Run rktools.exe. It will extract and run the installer for the Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools. 5. Click through the installer using the default settings.
Preliminary setup in HEEDS MDO

To use the ANSYS Output Portal to tag output files in a given analysis, you must first do the following on the Processes tab when you define the analysis: 1. In the Analysis Manager, select ANSYS WB (Input/output) from the Solver dropdown list. 2. In the Output Files Manager for the analysis, attach the output file that contains the results of the baseline design produced by the solver you have chosen. The file type must be the one that is supported by the portal.
Note: If you select the ANSYS WB solver for an analysis, the supported file types must be tagged
through the portal. You can have other input or output files attached to the analysis as well, but they can only be tagged through one of the other methods (i.e., marking or scripting).
Using the ANSYS WB Output Portal

Follow these steps to open the ANSYS Output Portal and tag your responses.
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To open the ANSYS Output Portal

1. Click on the Tagging tab. 2. In the Project Responses window, click on the desired response to select it. 3. Change the Tagging mode to Portal. 4. From the Processes tree, select the desired output file. The ANSYS Output Portal screen will appear (the Parameters displayed will not be exactly as shown):
5. Select the desired Parameter. 6. Click the Tag button.
Excel Output Portal

When Excel is used as an analysis tool, it is an ideal companion for HEEDS MDO. Whenever an optimization problem can be posed that can be solved analytically, Excel can be used for analysis and HEEDS MDO for optimization. Examples include cost models, analytical structural and fluids problems, and gear design. The Excel Output Portal is supported for versions of Microsoft Excel 97 and later. The portal easily integrates the analysis tool into the HEEDS MDO optimization process. HEEDS MDO Modeler reads in the active worksheet of a Microsoft Excel project for both input and output.
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It launches macros associated with a project and gives you full use of Excels capabilities in an automated fashion.
Making Microsoft Excel compatible for use with HEEDS MDO

There are a couple of steps you need to take to make full use the Excel portal: 1. Make sure the security settings for macros are low (if your Excel project utilizes macros). 2. Make sure that when HEEDS MDO Solver is run with the Excel portal, Excel is open in the background but with no files open.
Security settings for macros

If your MS Excel project uses macros, you will need to ensure that the security settings for macros are low. This allows HEEDS MDO Solver to run the macros of the project without issue (in a sense granting the Solver access to run the macros).
To change the security settings for MS Excel macros (pre-2007)

1. Open Microsoft Excel. 2. Select Tools Macro Security. 3. Change the security level from High (default) to Low.
To change the security settings for MS Excel Version 2007

1. Open Microsoft Excel. 2. Select the Microsoft Ribbon in the upper left hand corner of MS Excel. 3. Select Excel Options. 4. Select Trust Center Trust Center Settings. 5. Select Macro Settings. 6. Click Enable all macros. 7. If you are going to use VB scripting, you may wish to select Trust access to the VBA project object model, as well.
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Running Excel with no files open

When you are tagging in the Excel portal, or even just running a HEEDS MDO project that utilizes the Excel portal, Excel must be open but with all files closed. In particular, the Excel input/output files associated with your HEEDS MDO project should be closed whenever the project is open. If Excel is not open, HEEDS MDO Solver will open it, but this will generate errors within Excel. Excel can be minimized while you are running HEEDS MDO to prevent it from flashing onscreen with every new analysis.

If you plan to use the Excel portal tagging mode for an output file in a given analysis, you must do the following on the Processes tab when you define the analysis: In the Analysis Manager, select Excel from the Solver dropdown list. In the Output Files Manager for the analysis, attach the output file that contains the results of the baseline design produced by the solver you have chosen. For Excel, this will be an .xls file.
Note: Design variables are tagged in the .xls file that was brought in as an input file, and responses
are tagged in the .xls file that was brought in as an output file. If you are using the same file for both the input and output, HEEDS MDO treats it as two separate files. Consequently, tags placed in the input file will not appear in the output file, and tags placed in the output file will not appear in the input file.
Tagging a response in the Excel portal

When you select a Microsoft Excel file (.xls) as output file, HEEDS MDO Modeler will tell you that you must use the portal tagging method. Using the Excel portal requires only a few different steps than your typical HEEDS MDO model.
Note: When you are using this portal, the Excel application must be running with no files open.
1. To open the Excel Output Portal, click on the Tagging tab. 2. Change the Tagging mode to Portal. HEEDS MDO parses the output file and reads it in as it would appear in Microsoft Excel, with numeric rows and alpha-columns:
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3. In the Project Responses window, click on the desired response to select it. 4. In the File window, select the cell containing the value that you want to tag.
Note: The Contents of Selected Cell field will display the value or formula that occupies the cell
you have selected. Be aware that if you tag a cell that contains a formula, HEEDS MDO Solver will overwrite that formula with a value.
5. Right-click on the cell, and select Tag:
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Note: Formulas are updated in the Microsoft Excel analysis as they would be if you manually
changed the values in the cells that the formula was calling.
LS-DYNA Output Portal

Many results that need to be extracted from LS-DYNA runs can be extracted from a binary file (binout) using the LS-DYNA Output Portal within HEEDS MDO. This portal provides an alternative to tagging responses from ASCII files that require the scripting method. The LSDYNA Output Portal is the cleanest and simplest way to allow HEEDS MDO to extract responses from an LS-DYNA output database.
Preliminary setup
If you plan to use the LS-DYNA Output Portal tagging mode for an output file in a given analysis, you must first do the following on the Processes tab when you define the analysis: In the Analysis Manager, select LS-DYNA (Input/output) from the Solver dropdown list. In the Output Files Manager for the analysis, add the output file that contains the results of the baseline design produced by the solver you have chosen. For LSDYNA, this will be a binout or binout0000 file.
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Note: If you select the LS-DYNA solver for an analysis, the binout file must be tagged through the
portal. You can still have other input or output files attached to the analysis as well, but they can only be tagged using one of the other methods (i.e., marking or scripting).
Requesting the binout file in LS-DYNA

The LS-DYNA Output Portal within HEEDS MDO extracts results from the binout file, not ASCII files. Therefore, you need to request this file for output when running your initial baseline job in LS-DYNA. This can be done by using the *DATABASE_filename keyword in the input deck for the project. The card for this keyword is as follows: *DATABASE_filename Time frequency, A To request the binout file, field A must be given a value of 2 or 3: A value of 1 for A corresponds to the writing of ASCII files only for output. A value of 2 for A corresponds to the writing of only the binout file. A value of 3 for A corresponds to the writing of both ASCII files and the binout file.
Important! You need to request the binout file for each file from which HEEDS MDO Solver will be extracting results with the LS-DYNA portal. From the binout file, HEEDS MDO can extract all of the file types except d3hsp and eigout. If you want to extract data from these file types, you need to place the d3hsp and/or eigout files in the same directory as the binout file.
Using the LS-DYNA Output Portal

Before you can begin tagging responses, you will need to open the LS-DYNA portal.
To open the LS-DYNA Output Portal

1. Click on the Tagging tab. 2. In the Project Responses window, click on the desired response to select it. 3. Change the Tagging mode to Portal.
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4. From the Processes tree, select the binout output file. The LS-DYNA Output Portal screen will appear:
To tag a response in the LS-DYNA Output Portal

1. Select the desired ASCII file from the Data Files list:
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2. Select a value from the Output dropdown list.

Note: If you selected elout, you will need to also select an Element Class (solid, shell, or beam/truss) and then an Output value. You will also need to identify a specific Integration Point (or All integration points) that you want to include in the response definition.
3. For some Data Files, youll also need to select a value from the Component dropdown list. 4. In the IDs (or Mode Numbers) field, either select All or User-defined. 5. Select a Time Increment.
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Option First Last Range
Description Retrieves the value from the first time increment executed. Retrieves the value from the last time increment executed. Retrieves the values from a specified range of time increments.
6. To tag the response, click the Tag button at the bottom of the screen.
Testing the setup

Testing your output setup can help you identify and eliminate errors in your analysis before you run it. To test your output definition, click Extract Value. The extracted value will appear in the Value field next to the button:
MATLAB Output Portal

Before you use the HEEDS MDO MATLAB portal, there are some preliminary setup steps to complete both on the computer system and within HEEDS MDO.
Preliminary system setup

These system setup steps are different depending on the platform you are using.
Check the installed version of MATLAB (Both platforms)

For both Windows and Linux, the platform version of MATLAB installed must match the platform version of HEEDS MDO. For example, if the Win32 version of MATLAB is installed, you must use the Win32 version of HEEDS MDO, even if the operating system is Win64.
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Windows MATLAB setup

Follow these steps on Windows computers: 1. Append the location containing the platform-specific MATLAB executable to the PATH environment variable: Generic Path: C:\Program Files\MATLAB\<version>\bin\<platform> Example Path: C:\Program Files\MATLAB\R2012a\bin\win64 2. Register the automation server by running the following command: <path specified in step 1>\MATLAB.exe /regserver Example: C:\Program Files\MATLAB\R2012a\bin\win64\MATLAB.exe /regserver
Linux MATLAB setup

Make the following changes to the environment variables on a Linux computer: 1. Append the location containing the MATLAB executable to the PATH environment variable. This directory must contain the libeng.so file: Generic Path : /opt/MATLAB/<version>/bin Example Path: /opt/MATLAB/R2012a/bin Example command for bash shell: export PATH=$PATH:/opt/MATLAB/R2012a/bin 2. Append the platform-specific path to the LD_LIBRARY_PATH environment variable: Generic Path: /opt/MATLAB/<version>/bin/<platform> Example Path: /opt/MATLAB/R2012a/bin/glnxa64 Example command for bash shell: export LD_LIBRARY_PATH:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH:/opt/MATLAB/R2012a/bin/glnxa64

To use the MATLAB portal tagging mode for an output file in a given analysis, you must first do the following on the Processes tab when you define the analysis: 1. In the Analysis Manager, select MATLAB (Input/output) from the Solver dropdown list:
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2. In the Output Files Manager for the analysis, attach the output file that contains the results of the baseline design produced by the solver you have chosen. For MATLAB, this will be an .m file.
Using the MATLAB Output Portal

Before you can begin tagging responses, you will need to open the MATLAB Output Portal.
To open the MATLAB Output Portal

1. Click on the Tagging tab. 2. In the Project Responses window, click on the desired response to select it. 3. Change the Tagging mode to Portal. 4. From the Processes tree, select the desired output file (.m file). The MATLAB Output Portal screen will appear:
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To tag a response in the MATLAB Output Portal

1. Select a response from the MATLAB Variables list. The Value From File field below the list displays the actual value of the variable.
Note: You can use the Filter list by and Order list by options to help you find the desired variable more easily, especially if the list of variables is quite long.
2. Select the Data Type: Real or Imaginary 3. Click the Tag button.
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Nastran Output Portal

If you plan to use the Nastran Output Portal tagging mode for an output file in a given analysis, you must first do the following on the Processes tab when you define the analysis: 1. In the Analysis Manager, select Nastran (Input/output) from the Solver dropdown list. 2. In the Output Files Manager for the analysis, attach the output file that contains the results of the baseline design produced by the solver you have chosen. For Nastran, this will be an .op2 file. If you select the Nastran solver for an analysis, the supported file types must be tagged through the portal. You can still have other input or output files attached to the analysis as well, but they can only be tagged using one of the other methods (i.e., marking or scripting).
Important! From the op2 file, HEEDS MDO can extract all of the file types except mass. If you want to extract mass data, you need to place an f06 (MSC Nastran) or OUT (NEi Nastran) file in the same directory as the op2 file.
Using the Nastran Output Portal

Before you can begin tagging responses, you will need to open the Nastran Output Portal.
To open the Nastran Output Portal

1. Click on the Tagging tab. 2. In the Project Responses window, click on the desired response to select it. 3. Change the Tagging mode to Portal. 4. From the Processes tree, select the .op2 output file. The Nastran Output Portal screen will appear:
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To tag a response in the Nastran Output Portal

1. Select the desired Output Type: a. If you chose Constraint Force, select a Constraint Type from the dropdown, and then go on to Step 2.
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b. If you chose Element Force, Strain, or Stress, select an Element Class from the dropdown, and then go on to Step 2.
2. Under Output, select a Component from the dropdown. 3. Under Location, select an Entity Type: a. If you chose Node Set or Element Set, also select the appropriate file from the Input File With Set Definition dropdown:
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4. Select an Entity IDs option (either All or User Defined). 5. If your Output Type from Step 1 was Element Force, Strain, or Stress and your Element Class was COMPOSITE, you will also need to select a Ply Number option (either All or Specified) at this point:
6. Select a Subcase ID (All or Specified). 7. Select a Time Step or Mode Number option:
Option First
Description Retrieves the value from the first time increment executed.
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Option Last All Range
Description Retrieves the value from the last time increment executed. Retrieves the values from all the time increments for the selected subcase. Retrieves the values from a specified range of time increments.
8. When you are finished with the response definition, click the Tag button:
SolidWorks Output Portal


If you plan to use the SolidWorks portal tagging mode for an output file in a given analysis, you must first do the following on the Processes tab when you define the analysis: 1. In the Analysis Manager, select SolidWorks (Input/Output) from the Solver dropdown list. 2. If desired, select an option from the CAD Export Format dropdown.
Note: If another tool in your optimization process needs the part file to be converted into a different form such as IGES, then HEEDS MDO can do that conversion. Just choose the desired Export Format from the list. To use this option, you must have only one session of SolidWorks open before you start the HEEDS MDO run. You must also save the part file once to the desired format from this session.
3. In the Output Files Manager for the analysis, attach the solver output file that represents the baseline design. The file type must be the one supported by the portal. For SolidWorks, this will be a .sldprt file.
Using the SolidWorks Output Portal

Follow these steps to open the SolidWorks Output Portal and tag the desired responses:
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1. Click on the Tagging tab. 2. In the Project Responses window, click on the desired response to select it. 3. Change the Tagging mode to Portal. 4. From the Processes tree, select the .sldprt output file. The SolidWorks Output Portal screen will appear. The SolidWorks Output Portal screen contains an Equations window, which displays the equations in the output (.sldprt) file that are available for tagging. By making selections from this window, you are telling HEEDS MDO Solver which value, or vector of values, you want to tag for your selected variable.
Note: If you select the SolidWorks solver for an analysis, the supported file types must be tagged
through the portal. You can still have other input or output files attached to the analysis as well, but they can only be tagged using one of the other methods (i.e., marking or scripting).
5. In the Equations window, click on the expression you want to tag. 6. Click the Tag button.
SolidWorks Simulation Output Portal

Setting the SolidWorks Simulation environment variable

The HEEDS_SWSIMULATION_PATH environment variable is created when you install HEEDS MDO. It tells HEEDS MDO how to start SolidWorks Simulation when you are using the portal. Follow the steps in Setting the SolidWorks Simulation Environment Variable (on page 189) to confirm that the HEEDS_SWSIMULATION_PATH environment variable is set correctly on your machine.

If you plan to use the SolidWorks Simulation portal tagging mode for an output file in a given analysis, you must first do the following on the Processes tab when you define the analysis:
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1. In the Analysis Manager, select SW Simulation (Input/Output) from the Solver dropdown list. 2. In the Study field, enter the exact name of your Simulation study. 3. In the Output Files Manager for the analysis, attach the solver output file that represents the baseline design. The file type must be the one supported by the portal. For SolidWorks Simulation, this will be a .sldprt or .asm file.
Using the SolidWorks Simulation Output Portal

Follow these steps to open the SolidWorks Simulation Output Portal and tag the desired responses: 1. Click on the Tagging tab. 2. In the Project Responses window, click on the desired response to select it. 3. Change the Tagging mode to Portal. 4. From the Processes tree, select the output file. The SW Simulation Output Portal screen will appear:
5. In the Step/Mode Number field:
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a. If you are doing a non-linear analysis, you should enter the specific Step Number in this field. For a linear analysis, this would just be 1. b. If you are doing a frequency analysis, then you should enter the Mode Number in this field. 6. Select an Output Type.
Important: The Output Type list is static and does not reflect the contents of your output file. Make sure that the selected output is being calculated and is available from your simulation results.
7. Select a Component. 8. Click the Tag button.
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Part 4 Assembling Your Project
13. Working with Agents

Project assembly involves creating and defining your agent, and this is the primary purpose of the Assembly tab. Your agent controls and executes the analysis you defined on the Processes tab, while it performs the design space exploration tasks associated with its type. There are four types of agentsparameter optimization, design of experiments, robustness and reliability and evaluation. How an agent operates within your project, and what you need to do to define it, depends on its type. However, the procedure for creating an agent is the same for all types. In this chapter, we briefly show you how to create and define agents.
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Working with Agents
Adding Agents
An agent is created using the Agent Installation options on the Assembly tab. When you add an agent to your project, you must specify its type. You cannot change the type after the agent is created.
To remove the default agent

When a new project is created, a parameter optimization agent (OPT_Agent) is automatically added to the Agent Graph by default. If you are setting up a different type of project, you must remove the default agent, and add the correct one for your project. 1. Right-click on the default agent to display the pop-up menu. 2. Select Delete:
3. The agent will be removed and the agent group button will look like this:
4. It will expand again when you add your first agent.
To add an agent
1. To add your agent, select the type of agent you want to add from the Add Agent Type list box:
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2. Move your mouse to the Agent Graph. The pointer will change to a
3. Place the pointer anywhere on the button: 4. Click on the agent group button to add the new agent.
5. Note that the new agent also appears in the Agents tree:
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Working with Agents
To remove an agent
1. Right-click on the agent you want to remove to display the pop-up menu. 2. Select Delete from the pop-up menu:
Naming your agent

When an agent is added, it will be given a default name depending on type, where n is the next number in sequence. The prefix denotes the type of agent:
Default Name OPT_Agent_n R&R_Agent_n DOE_Agent_n EVAL_Agent_n Agent Type Parameter optimization agent Robustness and reliability agent Design of experiments agent Evaluation agent
HEEDS MDO will always place the agent type prefix in front of the name in the graph and in the tree: OPT_Coarse_Agent DOE_3X3_Agent Just like variable and analysis names, agent names may not contain spaces. If you use more than one agent in your project, you should give each agent a uniquely descriptive name: Coarse_Agent 3X3_Agent
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To change the default agent name

1. Click twice in the Name field to highlight the default name (note that the prefix does not appear):
2. Type the new name for the agent. Do not include the prefix. The name you type will replace the highlighted value:
3. Press Tab or Enter or click on another field or in the Agent Graph. The new agent name will appear on the agent button in the Agent Graph and also in the Agents tree. The agent prefix will be added to the name in the graph and in the tree. It will not appear in the Name field.
Assigning a process to the agent

All agents must be associated with a process so HEEDS MDO Solver knows which analyses the agent is to perform. By default, Process_1 is assigned to every agent. Consequently, if your project involves only one process, you do not need to change the process assignment. However, if your project involves multiple processes, you can change the default process assignment as needed.
Note: If you change a process after you have fully defined your agent, you should be aware that all
agent-specific attributes you have defined for the agent will be erased. You will have to complete the definitions again after the new process is attached.
To change a process assignment

1. Select the agent in the Agent Graph. 2. Select the process in the Processes tree.
Working with Agents
3. Click the Process dropdown, and choose a different process to assign to the selected agent:
The following warning message will appear:
4. Click Yes to reassign the process.
Defining Agent Search Methods

Each agent uses a defined method to perform its design exploration functions. To access the search methods available for an agent, click on the Methods button in the Agent Graph:
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The methods available depend on the type of agent youre using: parameter optimization, DOE, robustness and reliability, or evaluation. These methods are summarized briefly here, and then discussed in detail in the assembly section for each specific type of project.
Parameter optimization methods

For parameter optimization projects, a default proprietary search method called SHERPA (Systematic Hybrid Exploration that is Robust, Progressive and Adaptive) combines several different search methods simultaneously, adapting and refining them as the search progresses. MO-SHERPA performs a similar type of search for each objective in projects with multiple objectives (e.g., solving for both minimum weight and maximum stress). It can be used instead of SHERPA when you want each objective evaluated independently to determine tradeoffs instead of finding the best possible design based on the weighted combination of all objectives. You can alternatively select one of several other methods if you want more control over the search. For a more detailed discussion of parameter optimization search methods, see Search Methods on page 239.
DOE methods
For DOE projects, the method determines how the design matrix is created. You may select the specific method you want to use or allow HEEDS MDO Solver to select it for you. For a more detailed discussion of DOE search methods, see DOE Methods on page 234.
Robustness and Reliability methods

For robustness and reliability projects, you simply select whether you want the values generated at random within your stochastic distributions or whether you want to use a structured sampling method. For a more detailed discussion of robustness and reliability search methods, see Robustness and Reliability Methods on page 234.
Evaluation method
Since there is no search performed by the Evaluation agent, the Methods Manager is just used to define the designs that you want HEEDS MDO to create, evaluate and post process.
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Working with Agents
Defining Agent Variables

The variables used by a given agent are called agent variables. To access the variables for an agent, click on the Variables button in the Agent Graph:
During assembly, agent variables in parameter optimization projects and DOE projects require additional definition. No further definition is required for robustness and reliability projects, as all necessary definition is done when the variable is created. For continuous variables in parameter optimization projects, you must enter the resolution. The resolution controls the fineness of the values that will be used within the specified range and is used to discretize continuous variables for search methods that employ variable discretization. For more information about agent variables in parameter optimization projects, The Components of a Parameter Optimization Project on page 238. For DOE projects, you must select your factors from the variables defined for your agent. Only continuous and discrete variables may be used as factors. For more information, see The Components of a DOE Project on page 298.
Defining Agent Responses

The responses used by an agent are called the agent responses. To access the responses for an agent, click on the Responses button in the Agent Graph:
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In parameter optimization and evaluation projects, each agent response requires additional definition (objective or constraint) to tell HEEDS MDO Solver what to do with the response when it evaluates the performance of the design. No further response definition is required for DOE and robustness and reliability projects, as these studies are only concerned with the output value.
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Part 4a Assembling a Parameter Optimization Project
14. About Parameter Optimization Projects

In a HEEDS MDO parameter optimization study, optimized designs are sought in each agent by iteratively changing the values of tagged variables, executing the defined analyses, and extracting the responses for each design candidate. New design candidates are generated based on the mathematical search algorithms in HEEDS MDO Solver. In this chapter, we will give you a general overview of parameter optimization projects and discuss how the various components function within them. In Assembling a Parameter Optimization Project, we will give you specific instructions for defining and assembling a parameter optimization project.
The Components of a Parameter Optimization Project

Parameter optimization agent
A parameter optimization agent searches for an optimal solution in the given design space. For each design, HEEDS MDO selects new values for your variables, based on your variable definitions. As the search progresses, HEEDS MDO uses intelligent methods to choose the values, based on the results of previous designs. As it works, it evaluates each new design against the best design it has found so far. The data from each new best design is written to the HEEDS MDO output files. Depending on your preference, HEEDS MDO can save the input and output files from all designs or all best designs for your examination. Or, it can save the files from the final best design only.
Variables and responses

Project variables and responses are created globally for your entire project. When you assign a process to an agent, the variables and responses that have been tagged in the analysis files associated with that process are available for use by that agent. For a parameter optimization agent, you must define additional attributes for each variable and response at the agent level to specify how they will be used in the design evaluations performed by that agent.
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About Parameter Optimization Projects
Search methods
Parameter optimization methods are the mathematical search algorithms that a parameter optimization agent uses to find an optimized design. You can choose from a variety of methods. The default search algorithm in HEEDS MDO is a proprietary method called SHERPA, which is actually a combination of strategies from several different search methods that are used simultaneously and adaptively. Because SHERPA performs both global and local search, it is applicable to almost any engineering design optimization problem. If you prefer, you may choose another method from the list of those available.
Projects with Multiple Objectives

When you have a parameter optimization project with multiple objectives, you can do either of the following: Search for an optimal solution based on the weighted sum of the objectives. Perform a Pareto optimization to obtain tradeoff relationships between the objectives. The weighted-sum optimization can be performed using the SHERPA method (which is proprietary to HEEDS MDO) or any of several specialized methods. The types of results obtained from such an optimization are the same as they would be for a single-objective problem. Designs are given a performance rating based on the weighted sum of the objectives and are ranked based on that rating. When the run completes, the best designs will be presented to you for further consideration. When a Pareto optimization is performed, each objective is treated independently. The end result is a Pareto front set, containing the optimal designs based on the tradeoffs of all the objectives. In HEEDS MDO, Pareto optimizations are performed by the proprietary MOSHERPA (Multi-Objective SHERPA) method. More information about SHERPA, MOSHERPA, and other available methods can be found in Parameter Optimization Methods on page 234. .
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15. Assembling a Parameter Optimization Project

A parameter optimization agent is used for parameter optimization studies. A parameter optimization agent searches for an optimal solution in the given design space. For each design, HEEDS MDO selects new values for your variables, based on your variable definitions. As the search progresses, HEEDS MDO uses intelligent methods to choose the values, based on the results of previous designs. As it works, it evaluates each new design against the best design it has found so far. The data from each new best design is written to the HEEDS MDO output files. Depending on your preference, HEEDS MDO can save the input and output files from all designs or all best designs for your examination or it can save the files from the final best design only.
Agent Variables and Responses

Project variables and responses are created globally for your entire project. When you assign a process to an agent, the variables and responses that have been tagged in the analysis files associated with that process are available for use by that agent. For parameter optimization agents, you must define additional attributes for each variable and response at the agent level to specify how they will be used in the design evaluations performed by that agent.
Defining agent variables

The agent variables are displayed in the Agent Variables window on the Assembly tab. All variables that have been tagged in the input files associated with the process you have assigned to your agent will appear. Most of the variable definition was done on the Variables tab (see Defining Project Variables). The only thing that you need to define at the agent level is the resolution for your continuous variables. You may also enable and disable stochasticity for continuous stochastic variables. All other attributes were set when you defined the variables at project level and cannot be changed at agent level.
To display the agent variables

Click on the Variables button in the Agent Graph. The agent variables will appear in the panel below the Agent Graph.
Assembling a Parameter Optimization Project
Entering the resolution

Only continuous variables require a resolution. Discrete variables do not need a resolution because they are specified as a set of explicit values, rather than a range. Values for dependent variables are calculated and values for parameter variables are preset and hardcoded. The resolution controls the fineness of the values that will be used within the specified range for continuous variables. They are assigned a default resolution of 101. You may set this value as high or as low as you wish. If the range were between 0 and 10, a resolution of 11 would specify only integer values 010. A resolution of 101 would produce a finer set of values0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, etc. Search algorithms that do not operate on strictly continuous variables select their values from this set.
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Because the resolution is defined at agent level, agents can run the same analysis and still have different resolutions for the variables. When you use coarse and refined resolutions in different agents, there is a guideline formula that must be followed to arrive at a valid resolution: RefinedResolution = n (CoarseResolution - 1) + 1 where n is a positive integer. Based on the above formula, with a coarse resolution of 11, we could use 21, 31, 41, 51, 61, .., 101,....., etc. If the resolution is not valid, HEEDS MDO Solver will generate an error during the run.
To enter the resolution

1. Click on the Resolution cell for the continuous variable you want to define.
2. Change the default Resolution to the value of your choice.
Applying stochasticity
You can apply stochastic distributions to your continuous variables to account for known tolerances (e.g., variations in material thickness) and to test the robustness of a design against expected deviations. When you associate a continuous variable with a stochastic distribution, it enables HEEDS MDO Solver to treat that variable as stochastic. You can enable or disable stochasticity for continuous variables as needed for a given agent. This allows you to have two agents perform the same analyses, where one applies a stochastic distribution to the variable and the other does not. By having the non-stochastic agent feed designs to the stochastic agent, you can guide the stochastic agent to a more
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productive region of the design space for its search. For more information about working with more than one agent, see Using Multiple Agents.
To enable/disable stochasticity for a continuous variable

Stochasticity is defined at the project level when you define your project variables. It is applied to your variables here, at the agent level.
Note: Only continuous variables can have stochasticity enabled or disabled at the agent level. Stochastic distributions that are applied to parameter variables and dependent variables are always enabled. If you do not want them treated as stochastic, you must remove the distribution at project level.
1. Click on the Stochastic cell and display the drop-down list:
2. Select the appropriate value from the list:

Value Yes No Description Applies the defined stochastic distribution to the variable. Does not apply a stochastic distribution to the variable.
Defining agent responses

Project responses are created globally for your entire project. When you assign a process to an agent, the responses that have been tagged in the analysis files associated with that process are available for use by that agent. For a parameter optimization agent, you must define additional attributes for each response at the agent level to specify how they will be used in the design evaluations performed by
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that agent. Responses in a parameter optimization project either represent objectives or constraints values in the output file that HEEDS MDO Solver uses to determine the performance of each design. You will need to define one response for each objective and each constraint you want HEEDS MDO Solver to use in determining the optimal design. Response attributes are defined on an agent-by-agent basis. Responses that are not defined as objective or constraints will be treated as prerequisite responses (values that will be used by dependent variables and responses).
Objective and constraint responses

Objective and constraint responses tell HEEDS MDO whether the response is to be treated as an objective or a constraint and contain the attributes that are to be used in determining the performance value of designs. Objective responses contain the values you are trying to maximize or minimize (your objectives, in other words). When you define an objective response, you specify whether you are trying to maximize or minimize the objective. For example, if you were seeking to reduce the weight of a given object, the weight response would be defined as an objective. You would be trying to minimize the objective because you are searching for the minimum value. Constraint responses contain the limiting performance factors for the search (your constraints). They allow you to codify the product requirements so designs that do not meet them can eventually be eliminated. When you define a constraint, you specify a limit and whether the response value must be less than or greater than that limit. A structural component, for example, might be constrained by mass, stress, or displacement. In defining the constraint, you would specify the limiting value and indicate that the value must be less than that limit. How HEEDS MDO calculates performance value Recall that the performance value of each design is calculated using the following equation:
Nobj 2 LinWt i * S i * Obji QuadWti * S i * Obji 2 Ncon LinWt j * ConViol j QuadWt j * ConViol j + + 2 2 Normi Norm j Normi Norm j i =1 j =1
OR When the linear and quadratic weight variables are set to their default values:

Nobj 2 QuadWt j * ConstrntViolation j LinWti * Signi * Obji Ncon 2 Norm Norm j i =1 i j =1
Variable Nobj LinWti Si Obji Normi QuadWti Ncon LinWtj ConViolj Normi QuadWtj
Definition Number of objectives in the optimization study The linear weight for the i objective. The default value is 1. Sign for the i objective. The value is -1 for objectives being minimized and +1 for objectives being maximized The response value for the i objective for that design The normalizing value for the i objective. The quadratic weight for the i objective. The default value is 0. Number of constraints in the optimization study The linear weight for the j constraint. The default value is 0. The amount by which the j constraint is violated. This value is 0.0 if the constraint is met. The normalizing value for the i constraint. The quadratic weight for the j constraint. The default value is 10000.0.
th th th th th th th th th
Prerequisite responses
Prerequisite responses are not directly used to evaluate how well a design performs. Instead, they store values for later use by dependent variables and/or calculated responses. They do not have any attributes. These responses can be used to monitor certain aspects of the design without any impact on the performance. You can use prerequisite responses to neutralize a response that you dont want used by a particular agent. If you do not define a response as either an objective or a constraint, it will automatically be considered a prerequisite, which means that you remove it from consideration in the search for better designs for that agent.
Defining the attributes of agent responses

In the Agent Responses window, you will define the way each response is used specifically for the agent. While two agents that use the same process must use the same responses, the way in which the responses are used can be defined differently for each agent.
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Suppose, for example, you have a stress response and a mass response. In one agent, you could minimize stress and impose a constraint on mass, while, in the other agent, you could minimize mass and maintain a constraint on stress. In this section, well show you how to define your responses at the agent level.
Note: Each project response can be defined as an objective and one or more constraints.
To view the agent responses

1. Click on the Responses button in the Agent Graph:
The agent responses will appear in a read-only list in the Agent Responses panel:
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Note: If no agent responses appear, either no process has been assigned to the agent or no
responses have been tagged in the output files of the assigned process.
Adding objective responses

Objective responses contain the values you want to minimize or maximize. When you add them, you need to: 1. Tell HEEDS MDO Solver whether you want to maximize or minimize the value, and 2. Set a normalizing factor. You can also: 1. Define an acceptable range for the value of the objective. 2. Adjust the quadratic and/or linear weights, which affect how HEEDS MDO will judge the performance of designs. Minimizing/maximizing an objective For example, if you were seeking to minimize the weight of a given object, you would define weight as an objective response. Because you are searching for the minimum value, you would be trying to minimize the objective. If the response is extracted directly from an output file, HEEDS MDO Solver automatically initializes this value to the value from the tagged file. Setting the normalizing factor The normalizing factor should be set to a value that is on the same order of magnitude as the expected answer. The normalizing factor has no real effect unless you have additional objectives or constraints in your problem; so, if you have only one objective you can leave the default. In problems with more than one objective, the normalizing factor is used to adjust the response values to ensure that all objectives are treated appropriately when HEEDS MDO Solver computes the weighted-sum performance of a given design. For example, suppose that displacement and stress are both objectives in a given problem. The expected values of displacement might be on the order of 0.1 inches, while stress is on the order of 10,000 psi. If these values are not adjusted when computing the performance of the design, the objective with the largest valuestress in this casewill govern the performance rating and the smaller valuedisplacementwill not have any effect.
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In problems where there is only one objective and some constraints, the normalizing factor makes sure that the weighting of the objective is not too large. In this case the infeasible designs may be treated as better designs because the weight on reducing the objective value is higher than strictly meeting the constraints. Defining an acceptable range for response values Values outside of the acceptable range will be treated as error designs by HEEDS MDO. The default values for the Acceptable Range fields are a very negative minimum number (1.0d300) and a very large maximum number (1.0d300). For many studies, leaving these default values in place will work just fine:
However, there are some studies for which you will want to customize the acceptable range to eliminate designs that should be errors. By changing the values in the Acceptable Range fields, you can specify a reasonable range within which HEEDS MDO should limit its search.
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For example, if one of your responses was mass, you would want set the minimum value for this response above zero (because negative mass isnt feasible). This would prevent HEEDS MDO from considering designs for which the mass response was a negative value due to errors in the analysis or an invalid combination of design variables. If you didnt specify that mass should be greater than zero, you might run a 10-hour study only to find that HEEDS MDO had found optimal designs with negative values for mass. This is why defining the acceptable range is such a valuable way to place limits on the search for an optimal design.
To add an objective response

1. Click the Add Objective button:
The Add Objective dialog will appear. 2. Select a response from the Response list:
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3. Enter a value for the Normalizing Factor. The normalizing factor should be set to a value that is on the same order of magnitude as the expected answer (For more information, see Setting the normalizing factor on page 252). 4. Under Option, select Minimize or Maximize, depending on whether you want to minimize or maximize the objective:
5. If desired, adjust the Acceptable Range values (For more information, see Defining an acceptable range for response values on page 248).
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6. If desired, adjust the Performance Calculation values:
7. When you have completed the objective response definition, click OK. The response now appears in the Objectives list:
Notice that the response is marked with an x in the Responses list. This gives a quick visual indication that you have defined this response as either an objective or a constraint.
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Adding constraint responses

Constraint responses contain the limiting performance factors for the search your constraints. They allow you to codify the product requirements so designs that do not meet them can eventually be eliminated. For example, a structural component, for example, might be constrained by mass, stress, or displacement. Designs that do not meet the constraints you specify will not receive a good performance rating and, for MO-SHERPA runs, will not be ranked very high. When you add constraint responses, you need to: 1. Specify a limit and whether the value must be less than or greater than the limit, and 2. Set a normalizing factor. You can also: Define an acceptable range for the value of the objective. Adjust the quadratic and/or linear weights, which affect how HEEDS MDO will judge the performance of designs.
Setting the normalizing factor The normalizing factor should be set to a value that is on the same order of magnitude as the expected answer. The normalizing factor has no real effect unless you have more than one objective in your problem; so, if you have only one objective you can leave the default. In problems with more than one objective, the normalizing factor is used to adjust the response values to ensure that all objectives are treated appropriately when HEEDS MDO Solver computes the weighted-sum performance of a given design. For example, suppose that displacement and stress are both objectives in a given problem. The expected values of displacement might be on the order of 0.1 inches, while stress is on the order of 10,000 psi. If these values are not adjusted when computing the performance of the design, the objective with the largest valuestress in this casewill govern the performance rating and the smaller valuedisplacementwill not have any effect. Defining an acceptable range for response values Values outside of the acceptable range will be treated as error designs by HEEDS MDO. The default values for the Acceptable Range fields are a very negative minimum number (-
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1.0d300) and a very large maximum number (1.0d300). For many studies, leaving these default values in place will work just fine: However, there are some studies for which you will want to customize the acceptable range to eliminate designs that should be errors. By changing the values in the Acceptable Range fields, you can specify a reasonable range within which HEEDS MDO should limit its search. For example, if one of your responses was mass, you would want set the minimum value for this response above zero (because negative mass isnt feasible). This would prevent HEEDS MDO from considering designs for which the mass response was a negative value. If you didnt specify that mass should be greater than zero, you might run a 10-hour study only to find that HEEDS MDO had found optimal designs with negative values for mass. This is why defining the acceptable range is such a valuable way to place limits on the search for an optimal design.
To add a constraint response

1. Click the Add Constraint button. The Add Constraint dialog will appear. 2. Select a response from the Response list. 3. Specify a Limit and whether the response value must be <= or >= the limit:
4. Enter a value for the Normalizing Factor. The normalizing factor should be set to a value that is on the same order of magnitude as the expected answer. (For more information, see Setting the normalizing factor on page 252). 5. If desired, adjust the Acceptable Range values (For more information, see Defining an acceptable range for response values on page 248).
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6. If desired, adjust the Performance Calculation values:

Note: For Reliability Analysis studies, the Performance Calculation fields are not available.
7. When you have completed the objective response definition, click OK. The response now appears in the Constraints list.
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Notice that the constraint is marked with an x in the Responses list. This gives a quick visual indication that you have defined this response as either an objective or a constraint.
Editing objectives and constraints To edit an objective or constraint

1. Select the objective or constraint from the respective list:
2. Click the Edit button. 3. Make any desired changes to the response in the Edit dialog. 4. Click OK.
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Deleting objectives and constraints To delete an objective or constraint

1. Select the objective/constraint from the respective list.
2. Click the Delete button. A warning dialog will appear:
Click Yes to confirm that you wish to delete the objective/constraint. Click No if you do not wish to delete the objective/constraint.
Collaborative Optimization
Collaborative optimization allows you to contribute designs to the search process at the start of and during a parameter optimization study. Using this feature, you can provide design ideas for HEEDS MDO to use during its search. This allows you to combine your domain knowledge and experience with the intelligent search technology in HEEDS MDO.
To access the collaborative design feature

1. On the Assembly tab, click on the optimization agent button.
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The Agent Manager will appear. 2. In the Collaborative Optimization group box, click on the Define User-Specified Designs button:
The Define User-Specified Designs dialog will appear. This is where you will define the design sets you want HEEDS MDO to include in the parameter optimization study.
Creating a design set

Designs are submitted to collaborative optimization in sets. This section will describe first how to add a set, and then how to add designs to that set by either importing designs or adding them manually. Each design you add to a set counts as one design evaluation, whether the design already has results associated with it or HEEDS MDO has to evaluate it first. As such, each design can be uniquely identified during post-processing. Also, any design sets that you create for collaborative optimization will be available for post-processing with the same design set names in HEEDS POST.
To add a design set

1. Click the Add Set button. Set_1 will be added to the User-Specified Designs Sets list:
2. Click on the name of the set to select it. 3. Click Rename Set to change the name of the set:
4. Enter the desired name, and click OK:
5. Next, youll need to add designs to the set either by importing them from a file or by adding them manually.
Importing designs into a set

You can import designs into a set from an existing comma-delimited file. The first line of the file must to be a comma-separated header line that includes the names of all of the design variables and responses that are needed to define a design for that particular study. The
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variable values on the subsequent design lines should be in the same order as the order in the header line. The output files HEEDS0.res and HEEDS0.gph are supported for collaborative optimization.
To import designs
1. Click on the desired set to select it. 2. Click Import:
3. Navigate to the comma-delimited file that you wish to import. 4. Select the file, and click Open. The imported designs will appear in the Designs in Set list:
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To view and edit variable and response values for imported designs
1. To select a design from the Designs in Set list, click on the designs name. The values for the design will be displayed to the right:
Option Specify response values
Description Enable this option to specify response values. This is useful if the design was already evaluated outside of HEEDS and you have results for it. Typically, to use the design in its search, HEEDS MDO will evaluate a design and then calculate the values for the response variables. However, if the design evaluation takes a long time, you may want to specify the response values for the design being added so that HEEDS does not have to perform the evaluation to get the response values. In this case HEEDS MDO uses the response values you specified, saving the time it would have taken to evaluate the design. Note: You can specify the response values for a design only if the Specify response values option is selected. In this case, the values must be specified, or the design will be ignored by HEEDS MDO as an error input.
Map variable values based on resolution
If this option is not selected, the design variable values that you specify here will be evaluated as you entered them. If this option is selected, HEEDS MDO will map the variable values to the closest value represented inside HEEDS MDO based on the variable resolution specified for each variable.
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2. To change a variable or response value, enter a new number in the Value field:
To remove a design from a set

1. Click to select the design in the Designs in Set list. 2. Click the Remove Design button:
Manually adding designs to a set

If you do not have an existing file containing designs to import, you can add designs to a set manually.
To manually add designs to a set

1. Click the Add Design button:
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2. If you wish to rename the design, click the Rename Design button, and enter a new name. 3. Select the design name from the Designs in Set list. The variable/response values will be displayed in the Values for Design window. 4. Define values that are needed for each of the variables or responses.
Option Specify response values
Description Enable this option to specify response values. This is useful if the design was already evaluated outside of HEEDS and you have results for it. Typically, to use the design in its search, HEEDS MDO will evaluate a design and then calculate the values for the response variables. However, if the design evaluation takes a long time, you may want to specify the response values for the design being added so that HEEDS does not have to perform the evaluation to get the response values. In this case HEEDS MDO uses the response values you specified, saving the time it would have taken to evaluate the design. Note: You can specify the response values for a design only if the Specify response values option is selected. In this case, the values must be specified, or the design will be ignored by HEEDS MDO as an error input.
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Option Map variable values based on resolution
Description If this option is not selected, the design variable values that you specify here will be evaluated as you entered them. If this option is selected, HEEDS will map the variable values to the closest value represented inside HEEDS based on the variable resolution you specified.
To remove a design from a set

1. Click to select the design in the Designs in Set list. 2. Click the Remove Design button to the right of the list.
Submitting the design set to the search process

Once you are satisfied with the design set you have created and want to share it with HEEDS MDO, click the Submit button:
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After you click the Submit button, all of the options allowing you to modify the design set will be disabled. This prevents you from making changes that would cause the values in the HEEDS Modeler to potentially be different from the ones used by HEEDS Solver. There is no limit on the number of sets that you can create and submit to the HEEDS MDO study.
Cancelling the submission

Once HEEDS MDO Solver has read the design set, this process cannot be cancelled. However, anytime before HEEDS uses those designs, you can click the Cancel button, and the designs will not be available for HEEDS to use. If you try to cancel after HEEDS uses the designs, you will get a dialog that says the following:
Click OK to exit this dialog.
Viewing the Log

The View Log button displays any warnings and errors, if any, encountered while importing the designs from a file. When you click the View Log button, the contents are displayed in a pop-up window.
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Removing a design set

If you dont want a design set to exist in the project any longer, you can remove it.
To remove a design set:

1. Click on the set name to select it. 2. Click Remove Set.
Exporting a design set

The Export option allows you to export all of the designs from your user-defined set into a comma-separated file. If desired, you then can make any desired modifications to that file and import it back in again to replace all of the designs in the set.
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To export a design set

1. Click on the name of a design set to select it. 2. Click the Export button. 3. In the Save As dialog that appears, enter the desired File name, and click Save.
Parameter Optimization Methods

Parameter optimization methods are the mathematical search algorithms that a parameter optimization agent uses to find an optimized design. You can choose from a variety of methods. The default search algorithm in HEEDS MDO is a proprietary method called SHERPA, which is actually a combination of strategies from several different search methods that are used simultaneously and adaptively. Because SHERPA performs both global and local search, it is applicable to almost any engineering design optimization problem. If you prefer, you may choose another method from the list of available ones. You may also define your own method through the user-defined method application programming interface (API). In this chapter, we will give you an overview of the available methods provided in HEEDS MDO and instructions for setting their attributes. For more information on designing your own methods, contact technical support (support@redcedartech.com).
Selecting a search method

No one particular search method works best on all classes of engineering design problems, as all search methods have at least some limitations. For example, some methods work effectively only when the design space is smooth and/or convex. Some methods work only with continuous variables or only with discrete variables (but not both) or for a relatively small number of variables. Some methods are inefficient, requiring a relatively large number of design evaluations to be performed to find an optimal, or near-optimal, solution. In order to choose the best method to use for your design optimization problem, you must first understand the characteristics of the design space that you are trying to search and which algorithms are most effective at searching that type of design space. The important characteristics of your design space are its smoothness (e.g., is it smooth, rugged, or discontinuous?), its modality (e.g., is it convex or multi-modal?), and its size (i.e., its range and dimensionality). They are determined primarily by (1) the type of analysis or
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evaluation function that is used and (2) the type, range, and number of variables and responses that have been defined. The best search method to use depends upon the characteristics of the design space that has been defined. However, it is often difficult, if not impossible, to know the type or character of a design space without first exploring it rather thoroughly, which is the primary role of the search method. There are three possible answers to this dilemma: 1. If you have some experience solving design problems similar to your current one, you may know which method(s) worked well in the past. Often, this is a good place to start, assuming that your current design problem statement is very similar to that of the previous design problems. 2. If you have sufficient experience and expertise with a particular type of method, you may understand how to redefine your current design problem in such a way that this method will work effectively. Unfortunately, this approach may force you to modify your design problem statement or to reduce the problem scope to better match the capabilities of the chosen method. In doing so, you may, perhaps, sacrifice some of the design goals that might have been realized by solving the original intended design problem. This is an example of the tail wagging the dog. 3. If you dont know which search method is likely to be the best one for your design problem, you can use the default search method SHERPA, which is available only within HEEDS MDO. SHERPA, which is an acronym for Systematic Hybrid Exploration that is Robust, Progressive and Adaptive, is a hybrid and adaptive search strategy that works well on many classes of design problems.
Displaying the Methods Manager

The method used by an agent is selected in the agent Methods Manager. Because each agent has its own method definition, you can create individualized searches for each agent.
To display the Methods Manager for an agent

1. Click on the Methods button for the agent:
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2. The Methods Manager will appear in the panel below the Agent Graph:
3. To define a method, select the method you want to use from the list, and click to display and set its attributes.
Using SHERPA
SHERPA is a proprietary hybrid and adaptive search strategy available within HEEDS MDO. During a single parametric optimization study, SHERPA uses the elements of multiple search methods simultaneously (not sequentially) in a unique blended manner. This approach attempts to take advantage of the best attributes of each method. Attributes from a combination of global and local search methods are used, and each participating approach contains internal tuning parameters that are modified automatically during the search according to knowledge gained about the nature of the design space. This evolving knowledge about the design space also determines when and to what extent each approach contributes to the search. In other words, SHERPA efficiently learns about the design space
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and adapts itself so as to effectively search all sorts of design spaces, even very complicated ones. SHERPA is a direct optimization algorithm in which all function evaluations are performed using the actual model as opposed to an approximate response surface model. Because all of the parameters within SHERPA are tuned internally, there are no attributes to define for this method, except the number of evaluations you wish to perform.
To enter the number of evaluations

1. Select SHERPA from the Methods Manager screen, and click Next. The SHERPA panel will appear in the Methods Manager:
2. Change the default to the Number of Evaluations you want to perform.

Note: The number of evaluations needed to perform an effective parameter optimization depends
on many things, such as the type of design space and the method(s) used. A good rule of thumb is to use at least five to ten evaluations per design variable (not including dependent variables and parameters).
Using MO-SHERPA
MO-SHERPA (Multi-Objective SHERPA) is designed to be used with projects with multiple objectives when those objectives conflict with one another. It works fundamentally like SHERPA but has the advantage of handling multiple objectives independently of each other to provide a set of solutions, each of which is optimal in some sense for one of the objectives. Conventional parameter optimization methods take all objectives into consideration and provide solutions based on the weighted sum of all objectives. If all objectives get
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better or worse together, the conventional method can find the optimal solution. However, if the objectives conflict (as, for example, weight and load-carrying ability typically do), the tradeoff can be explored using the multi-objective approach called Pareto optimization.
How MO-SHERPA works

A Pareto optimization selects the optimal designs based on whether they dominate other designs. A design is said to dominate another when it is better in at least one objective and not worse in all other objectives. During the run, feasible designs that are not currently dominated by any other designs are given the rank of 1. Then the remaining designs are reranked and those that are not dominated by any other design in that group are given the rank of 2. The procedure is repeated, re-ranking the remaining designs to establish ranks 3, 4, etc. The set of designs that are not dominated by any other designs yet found is called the Pareto set. The set of designs that are not dominated by any designs in the entire search space is known as the Pareto front. As the run progresses, the Pareto sets typically continue to approach the Pareto front (the set of ideal solutions). The maximum number of designs that are actually stored at any time is the number you specify as the archive size. Each design is a point on the Pareto front or, if not enough points on the Pareto front have yet been found, a point ranking of 2, 3, or beyond. As the run progresses, new designs will dominate and replace other designs on the Pareto front. The end result will typically be a set of designs that are not dominated by any other designs. By examining these designs, you can determine which solution best fits your needs or which solutions are worthy of further exploration. For two-objective projects, HEEDS MDO Modeler will display a Pareto front chart, which allows you to visually compare the results for the two objectives. You should use this method if you feel that a multi-objective project would benefit by this approach instead of a weighted approach, which results in a composite solution for the objective combination. Parameter optimization studies where you want to get a better understanding of the tradeoffs involved before determining the best solution for a problem with multiple objectives usually benefit by the MO-SHERPA method.
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Note: The MO-SHERPA method also calculates the weighted-sum performance for all evaluated
designs and returns the best design based on the weighted-sum performance, although it is not used as a criterion for determining the values used in future designs during the search. However, if your normalizing coefficients for your objectives are reasonable, it may be beneficial to also examine some of these designs to see how the weighted solutions compare with the Pareto front results.
Defining the search

Select MO-SHERPA from the Methods Manager screen, and click Next. The MO-SHERPA panel will appear in the Methods Manager:
You can control the search by limiting the number of evaluations, enabling or disabling automatic termination, and defining the archive size:
Attribute Max Number of Evaluations Description The maximum number of evaluations that you want HEEDS MDO Solver to perform. The minimum number of evaluations needed for valid results is 400 500. If you do not have time to run that many evaluations, you should use a weighted-sum method instead. A flag that determines when the project will stop: Off On The run will continue until the maximum number of evaluations has been performed. The run will stop if there is a convergence of the Pareto front.
Automatic Termination
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Attribute Archive Size
Description The maximum number of designs in the Pareto set at any time. If there are not enough designs in the Pareto set with rank 1, the archive is filled with rank 2 or below. The number you specify will be the number of designs that will be archived at the end of each cycle and the maximum number of designs that that will be included in the set at the end of the run. A larger archive size typically produces better designs, but only if you increase the number of evaluations as well. Recommended archive sizes: Minimum archive size Minimum recommended size Maximum recommended size 6 12 Number of evaluations 40
As a general rule, the optimal archive size can be calculated using the following: Number of evaluations 100
To enter the maximum number of evaluations

1. Click twice in the Max Number of Evaluations field to highlight the current value. 2. Replace the current value with the maximum number of evaluations you want to run. OR 1. Delete the current value, and press Tab or Enter to restore the default value.
To set the automatic termination flag

1. Click on the in the Automatic Termination field to display the list of choices. 2. Select the choice you want from the drop-down list:
To enter the archive size

1. Click twice in the Archive Size field to highlight the current value.
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2. Replace the current value with the number of designs you want included in the Pareto set. OR 1. Delete the current value and press Tab or Enter to restore the default value.
Using the Genetic Algorithm (GA) method

A genetic algorithm is a stochastic multi-point search method, which is based on the evolutionary theory of the survival of the fittest. It searches a space of potential solutions (designs) driven by the information it has learned so far during its search. The search starts with the evaluation of a set of random designs (i.e., values of all designs are chosen randomly within their allowable ranges). Once a set of candidate designs has been evaluated, a subset of those designs is picked, based in some way on their relative quality (i.e., degree to which they satisfy the problems constraints and objectives). Good designs are retained while bad designs are gradually eliminated as better design candidates are found. During the run, new designs are created by either mutation or crossover. Mutation changes the value of one or more variables, based on previous results. Crossover takes a pair of designs and generates a new design by swapping variable values between the selected pair. The creation and evaluation of each new population of designs is called a generation.
To select the Genetic Algorithm method

From the Methods Manager screen, select GA Genetic Algorithm, and click Next. The Genetic Algorithm panel will appear in the Methods Manager:
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Evaluation control
For a genetic algorithm search, you can specify the number of cycles you want to perform, the number of generations per cycle, and the population size. The population size controls the number of designs maintained at any time to use as parents of new designs. Together with the crossover and mutation rates, it determines the number of designs that are evaluated during each generation. At the beginning of a generation, HEEDS MDO Solver multiplies the population size by the crossover rate and/or the mutation rate and generates that number of new designs. These designs form the basis of the evaluations that will be run during that generation. A smaller population size will run more quickly. A larger size may give better results.
To change the number of cycles, generations per cycle, or population size

1. Click twice on the desired field to highlight the current value. 2. To change the current setting, enter the number of designs you want to evaluate per cycle. It will replace the current value.
To restore the default value

1. Delete the value. 2. Press Tab or Enter or click on another field, and the default value will reappear.
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Mutations
One of the ways that the genetic algorithm determines what design values it should use is through mutation. Values for a given evaluation are changed based on what was most successful in previous evaluations. Two attributes control the number and type of mutations performedthe mutation type and the mutation rate. The mutation type is the mutation search method used. The mutation rate is the percentage of the population to which the mutation is applied.
To set mutation attributes

The default settings are usually fine for most projects. 1. To select the mutation type, click on the Mutation Type dropdown to display the list of choices. 2. Select the desired option from the drop-down list:
Mutation Type Fields Multi-Field
Description Single-field mutation Multi-field mutation
3. To change the mutation rate, click twice on the Mutation Rate field to highlight the current value. Then do one of the following to change the value: Enter the percentage of the population size you want to mutate as a decimal number (e.g., 20% would be specified as 0.2). It will replace the current value. Delete the value, and press Tab or Enter or click on another field to restore the default value.
Crossover
The crossover method is another method of changing variable values. With crossover, selected values from two parent designs are recombined (i.e., crossed over) to produce a new design.
Two attributes control the crossoverthe crossover type and the crossover rate. The crossover type is the crossover search method used, and the crossover rate is the percentage of the population size to which the crossover is applied.
To set crossover attributes

1. To select the Crossover Type, click on the Crossover Type dropdown. 2. Select the desired option from the dropdown list:
Crossover Type One Point Two Point Uniform
Description Variables from two parent designs are swapped around one point in the design, resulting in two offspring. Variables from two parent designs are swapped around two different points in the design, resulting in two offspring. One offspring is created by randomly picking values for each variable from either parent. A second offspring is created from the variables that were not picked for the first.
3. To change the crossover rate, click twice on the Crossover Rate field to highlight the current value. Then, do one of the following to change the value: Enter the percentage of the population size you want to cross over as a decimal number (see above). It will replace the current value. Delete the value and press Tab or Enter or click on another field to restore the default value.
Selection type
The selection type attributes determine how the parents will be selected for crossover or mutation by the genetic algorithm.
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To set selection type attributes

1. Click on the Selection Type dropdown, and choose the desired option:
Selection Type Tournament Stochastic Universal Sampling Rank-based
Description The number of designs specified by the tournament size is picked at random and the best design among them is selected as the parent. Each design is selected with probability proportional to its relative fitness but in a variance reduction scheme that guarantees at least one sample for each design of above average fitness. Designs are selected with probability scaled according to their ranks in the population. Linear scaling may be adjusted to give all designs equal probability or to scale probabilities linearly from best (highest probability) to worst (lowest probability), with an arbitrary scale factor (probability of best/probability of median). Stochastic Universal Sampling is used on the scaled probabilities.
If you selected Tournament and you want to change the tournament size, click twice on the Selection Parameter field to highlight the current value. Then do one of the following to change the value: a. Enter the new value as an integer. It will replace the current value. b. Delete the value and press Tab or Enter or click on another field to restore the default value.
Using the Quadratic Programming method (NLSQP)

Non-linear sequential quadratic programming (NLSQP) is a gradient-based, single-point search method. A quadratic approximation of the model is created, which is then used to search for the minimum point in a local region. NLSQP requires one evaluation for each variable to determine the gradient. The gradient tells HEEDS MDO Solver which direction to search next for a more optimal value.
During a single NLSQP iteration, the total gradient of the design metrics with respect to the continuous variables is calculated. Each gradient is approximated with a forward differencing scheme. Based on the total gradient, line searches are performed. A line search is essentially a sampling along a line through a given point. An iteration includes gradient evaluations from a new point and the line searches from that point.
To select the Quadratic Programming method

From the Methods Manager screen, select QP Quadratic Programming, and click Next. The Quadratic Programming panel will appear in the Methods Manager:
Search control
You can place a limit on the number of line searches that will be made to try to find a better design and also on the number of iterations:
Attribute Iterations Line Searches Description The maximum number of iterations that the NLSQP search will perform. The maximum number of line searches that will be made during an iteration.
To change the line search and iteration limits

1. Highlight the current value by clicking twice on the field you want to change. 2. Replace the current value with your new limit.
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To restore the default setting

1. Delete the current value. 2. Press Tab or Enter or click on another field, and the default value will reappear.
Starting design selection

You may elect to start quadratic programming on the baseline design or have the design selected at random.
To specify the way the starting design is selected

1. Click on the in the Starting Design field. 2. Select your choice from the drop-down list:
Option Baseline Random Description The baseline design will be used as the starting point. The starting design will be selected at random.
Using Simulated Annealing

Simulated annealing is a stochastic single-point global search method. This approach is analogous to the way that liquid metal cools, hence the name. It tries to find designs with low energy states (or good values of the objective function) by randomly varying the values of the variables within a specified deviation, starting at its high point (higher energy) and working toward its low point (lower energy). This method has some capacity to escape local minima while it is at higher energy states.
To select the Simulated Annealing method

From the Methods Manager screen, select SA Simulated Annealing, and click Next. The Simulated Annealing panel will appear in the Methods Manager:
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Temperature control
The temperature values define the standard deviation that will be searched based on a given variable:
Attribute Starting Temperature
Description The maximum percentage standard deviation that can be used to perturb the variables. This value must be greater than 0.0 and less than or equal to 1.0. The minimum percentage standard deviation that can be used to perturb the variables. This value must be greater than or equal to 0.0 and less than 1.0. The number of steps between the starting and ending temperatures.
Ending Temperature
Temperatures
To specify the temperature range

1. Click twice on the Starting Temperature value to highlight the current value. 2. Replace the current value with the deviation percentage of your choice as a decimal number. The value must be greater than 0.0 and less than or equal to 1.0. 3. Click twice on the Ending Temperature value to highlight the current value.
4. Replace the current value with the deviation percentage of your choice as a decimal number. The value must be greater than or equal to 0.0 and less than 1.0.
To specify the temperature steps

1. Click twice on the Temperatures field to highlight the current value. 2. Replace the current value with the number of steps you want.
To restore the default setting in any field

Search control
You can control the length and duration of the search by limiting the number of iterations per temperature and the number of evaluations:
Attribute Iterations Number of Evaluations Description The maximum number of iterations allowed per temperature. The maximum number of evaluations that can be made during a simulated annealing search.
To change iteration and evaluation limits

1. Click twice on the field you want to change to highlight the current value. 2. Replace the current value with the value of your choice.


You may elect to start simulated annealing on the baseline design or have the design selected at random.
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1. Click on the Starting Design dropdown:
2. Select the desired option from list:

Using the Response Surface method

The response surface method uses linear, quadratic, or other functions (in terms of the variables) to approximate the response. A significant advantage of using response surfaces is that the actual objective function, which may be very time consuming to compute, is not evaluated in searching for better points on the response surface, potentially saving large amounts of time. Of course, there is also no guarantee that the minimum value found on a response surface will correspond to a minimum value of the actual objective function.
To select the Response Surface method

From the Methods Manager screen, select RS Response Surface, and click Next. The Response Surface panel will appear in the Methods Manager:
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Defining the search

You can control the search by limiting the number of iterations and the number of line searches and also select the surface type that is used: Surface Type The type of surface fitting technique used in creating the approximation function. Iterations The maximum number of iterations for the search. Line Searches The maximum number of line searches per iteration.
To change the surface type

1. Click on Surface Type field to display the list of choices. 2. Select Least Squares from the drop-down list. This surface type uses the least squares method to minimize error in the predictions to estimate the parameters associated with a linear or quadratic polynomial (depending on the number of designs available).
To set iteration and line search limits

1. Click twice on the field you want to change to highlight the current value. 2. Replace the current value with the number of your choice.
To restore the default iteration or line search setting

1. Delete the current value.
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2. Press Tab or Enter or click on another field, and the default value will reappear.
Selecting the sampling method

The response surface method allows you to select the sampling method to be used. This is done on a second panel in the Parameter Optimization Methods Manager:
To select a sampling method

1. Click Next to display the Sampling Method panel. 2. Select the sampling method you want to use from the displayed list: For most sampling types, the number of initial evaluations for the sampling method you selected will be displayed in the Number of Initial Evaluations field. You will not be able to change this number. If you selected a method with any specified as the number of evaluations, the Number of Initial Evaluations field will activate so you can enter the number you want to do. 3. Enter the number of additional evaluations you want to do in the Number of Additional Evaluations field. The total number of evaluations will be computed and displayed in the Total Number of Evaluations field.
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Using the Multi-Start Local Search method

In the multi-start local search method, a set of designs is chosen in a quasi-random manner and a complete local (gradient-based) search is done around each of these designs. When a design space has hundreds of local minima, this method can be more effective than SHERPA, but it requires an extremely large number of evaluations. When it is important to find the most optimal solution possible, it can be a valuable alternative for studies with design spaces that are highly multi-modal and where gradient-based searches will yield meaningful results. However, because it can require thousands of evaluations to produce the most optimal design, it is not generally practical for projects with time-intensive evaluations. For projects with shorter evaluation times, it can be used effectively to find an optimal design. Here are some guidelines to use to determine whether or not a project will benefit from this method: You need to find the best design possible and can afford thousands of evaluations. Your evaluation times are short enough to make thousands of evaluations practical. It should be noted that short enough and thousands of evaluations are relative and will ultimately depend on how much time you can afford to spend on the optimization phase of your project before it is no longer cost effective. Your design space is highly multi-modal. This decreases the chances that other search methods will lead to the global optimum. Gradients are useful in the search for an optimal design. Because this method performs local (gradient-based) searches around different starting points, gradients must be meaningful.
To define the multi-start local search method

1. Select Multi-Start Local Search from the Methods Manager screen, and click Next. The Multi Start Local Search panel will appear in the Methods Manager.
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2. Change the default value in the Max Evaluations field to the maximum number of evaluations you want to perform.
Using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO)

Particle swarm optimization (PSO) is an evolutionary optimization technique. It mimics the movements of birds in a flock. It is similar to a GA in that it is a multi-point search and starts with a set of random designs called the swarm. Each design in the swarm is called a particle. The variable values for a given design represent the position of that particle in the swarm. The set of variable values for a design is called the position vector. In addition to the variable values, the each design also has a velocity vector. New designs are created by flying the particles through the design space using the velocity vector and some acceleration terms based on the best design in the swarm, as well as the best position of the individual designs.
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Figure. PSO search process.
To define the Particle Swarm Optimization search method

1. Select PSO Particle Swarm Optimization from the Methods Manager screen. 2. Click Next. The Particle Swarm Optimization panel will appear in the Methods Manager:
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Specifying the swarm (population) size

To specify the swarm size, enter values for the number of designs in the swarm and the number of generations (cycles) to be performed:
Option Number of Designs in Swarm Number of Generations
Description This value is the size of the population. It is the number of designs evaluated and explored in every single cycle (generation). This value is the number of cycles that the search will be performed for. Within each cycle, every design in the swarm/population is modified based on PSO techniques and reevaluated.
Note: The maximum number of design evaluations for a given optimization setup will be the Number of Generations x Number of Designs in Swarm.
To set the number of designs and number of generations

Specifying how the search is performed

To specify how the Particle Swarm Optimization search should be performed. Enter values for the acceleration constants:
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Option Global Best Personal Best
Description The best design over all the iterations that have been performed so far. The typical value is 2. Each design in the population or the swarm has its own personal best, so this is the best that that particular design ever was in any of the generations that have been completed so far. The typical value for Personal Best is 2. Local Best tracks the best iteration within a neighborhood around a given design. If you are looking at Design A, the Local Best will be the best iteration in the neighborhood of Design A, a few iterations behind and in front of that design. Local Best is not used by default, but if you want to use it, we recommend using a relative factor between 0 and 2, although higher values can be used.
Local Best
Neighborhood Size
This value determines the size of the neighborhood for the Local Best. The neighborhood size is an integer value which specifies the number of designs that are looked at on both sides of the design. The typical value for Neighborhood Size is around 10-20 % of swarm size. A very big value will make it approach global best and a very small value becomes almost the same as personal best.
Note: The values of the acceleration constants are typically defined between zero and 2. A value of zero would mean that that particular design does not have any influence in generating new designs.
To change acceleration constants

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Using the Nelder Mead Simplex method

Nelder Mead optimization (or downhill simplex method) is a local optimization technique used commonly because of its simplicity. It is claimed to be relatively insensitive to the starting point and can be used with noisy response functions since it does not require gradients. This method uses the concept of a simplex, which is a geometrical entity connecting the different design points. For an N dimensional problem, the simplex will consist of N + 1 design points. For example, the simplex for a one variable problem is a line segment, and for a two variable problem it is a triangle. The optimization is performed by moving the points on the simplex to change its shape. The motion of the simplex as it evolves by changing shape, size, and location during the optimization resembles the movement of an amoeba. Because of this similarity, this method is sometimes also called the amoeba optimization. The shape of the simplex is changed using four different operations: reflection, expansion, contraction and shrinkage. All of these operations try to move the worst point towards the direction of improvement, which is calculated with respect to the centroid of the simplex. The reflection reflects the worst point about the centroid. The expansion continues to move the reflected point in the reflection direction in case the reflected design is a good design. The contraction and shrinkage reduce the size of the simplex, moving it closer to the best design, to move in a more controlled fashion. The optimization is terminated when the size of the simplex becomes smaller than a predefined size.
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Figure. Nelder Mead search process.
To define the Nelder Mead Simplex search method

1. Select NMS Nelder Mead Simplex from the Methods Manager screen. 2. Click Next. The Nelder Mead Simplex panel will appear in the Methods Manager:
Search control
You can control the search by setting the maximum number of evaluations that can be made during the optimization search and by specifying a starting simplex size:
Attribute Max Number of Evaluations Starting Simplex Size
Description The maximum number of evaluations that can be made during a Nelder Mead Simplex optimization search. This is not the total number performed; it is the maximum that can be performed. This is a number between 0 and 1. It specifies the fraction of the overall variable range that is used to offset the starting design to create the starting set of designs. Nelder Mead needs N+1 designs to start the optimization search where N is the number of design variables. One design is your starting design and the other N designs are generated by changing the value of one variable at a time based on the value specified in the Starting Simplex Size. Each new design of those N designs is generated by only modifying one variable, and the amount by which the variable is modified is determined by the Starting Simplex Size.
To change evaluation limit and starting simplex size



You may elect to start from the baseline design or have the design selected at random.

1. Click on the in the Starting Design field:
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2. Select your choice from the drop-down list:

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Part 4b Assembling a DOE Project
16. About DOE Projects

A design of experiments, or DOE, is a local exploration around a particular design. It is used to examine how different variables affect a given design (design sensitivities). When you apply a DOE to your optimal design after performing a parameter optimization study, you can determine from the result which variables are the most influential in the design so that tolerances relative to these variables can be tightened as needed to ensure reliability. You can also use DOE sampling as a good training set for the fitting of a response surface.
Types of DOE Studies

HEEDS MDO enables you to conduct three different types of DOE studies: screening, Taguchi robust parameter design, and response surface.
Screening DOE
In the past, DOE studies were often used prior to running a parameter optimization to find out which variables have the greatest effect on the baseline design. This was referred to as screening the design space, since the results of the DOE study would be used to select a limited number of design variablesthose that impact the baseline design the greatestfor the subsequent parameter optimization study. If the ranges of the design variables in the optimization are very small, so that the study qualifies as a local search intended to provide only incremental improvement, using screening prior to optimization is a valid approach. However, it may not necessarily be more efficient than doing a parameter optimization from the beginning based on all existing variables. On the other hand, when a global optimization search is performed over a broader range of the variables, the results of a screening DOE around one particular design in the design space may provide misleading information. A baseline design candidate in one region of the design space may be very insensitive to variables that strongly affect designs in the neighborhood of the optimal design. A screening DOE performed on that baseline design could lead to inaccurate conclusions about the design sensitivities of the optimal design. This could result in a design optimization study that does not include the most important variables. Thus, it might not be able to identify the optimal design.
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In the latter case, it would be more beneficial to perform a parameter optimization study instead. If you are in doubt about whether a design variable should be included in a parameter optimization study, it is often more efficient to include the variable in the search than it would be to perform a separate DOE study to justify its inclusion or omission, especially in the case of global searches.
Taguchi Robust Parameter Design (RPD)

A product or a process is typically designed to meet a specific set of design requirements. However, variations in geometric tolerances, material properties, environmental conditions, and other attributes can cause the actual behavior of a design to be different than intended. Whenever the design or process response deviates from the target value, there is a loss in the quality of the product. The goal of a Taguchi Robust Parameter Design (RPD) study is to minimize this loss in quality in other words, to create a robust product or process by identifying a design that responds minimally to variations, or noise, in the design and/or environment. This technique, which was proposed by Dr. Genichi Taguchi, can be applied to the design of either a product or a process. The factors affecting a designs response are divided into two categories: control factors and noise factors (which cannot be controlled). Taguchi RPD is based on the assumption that the noise factors are primarily responsible for the variation in the way a design behaves. Noise factors can be related to manufacturing, environment, and aging. Some examples include: Manufacturing Friction coefficient of a surface, dimensions of a cast part, material properties of a part, amount of a compound used in a chemical process. Environment Pressure, temperature, wind speed, use by different people. Aging Wear and tear, creep, fatigue, fading of color, leakage, shrinkage. Note that the RPD method does not try to control or eliminate the source of noise, but rather strives to identify a design that is insensitive to the noise.
Crossed Orthogonal Arrays

Taguchi Robust Parameter Design involves using crossed orthogonal arrays. With this approach, one orthogonal array is selected for the control variables and another orthogonal array is selected for the noise variables. For every run (experiment) in the control orthogonal array, all of the runs in the noise orthogonal array are performed. So the total number of runs
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About DOE Projects
performed for a Taguchi RPD study is M x N, where M is the number of runs required for the control orthogonal array and N is the number of runs required for the noise orthogonal array. As an example, if there are 3 control factors, all at two levels, and 2 noise factors, each at 2 levels, and both the control and noise factors are using full-factorial sampling, the total 3 2 number of runs for the Taguchi RPD problem would be 2 x 2 = 32 (as shown in the following figure):
Signal-to-Noise Ratio
Taguchi proposed the use of Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) as the primary measure of the robustness of a design. The signal-to-noise ratio is a quantity that measures the robustness of the response by using both the mean and the variation of the response. SNR is essentially a ratio of the response value to the variation in the response. A larger SNR value corresponds to higher design robustness. The formula used to calculate the SNR depends on how you want a particular response to behave (i.e., your goal for that response). Some of the most common goals for responses are: Smaller is better, Target is best, Nominal is best and Larger is better.
Response Surface DOE

Design of experiments (DOE) can be used to create response surface models. These models approximate the actual response of the design using different basis functions like polynomials, splines, etc. Once a model has been created, the response of the system can be calculated from the model rather than from a full design evaluation. Since the calculation of the response from the surface fit is very simple, the need for a full design evaluation is
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eliminated, which can save a tremendous amount of time. Two of the most commonly used DOE types for response surface DOE are Central Composite and Latin Hypercube.
The Components of a DOE Project

DOE agents
For DOE projects, you use a HEEDS MDO DOE agent. DOE studies can often benefit from using multiple processors. Enabling a complex DOE project as a multi-processor design allows you to spread individual evaluations across a network and run on more than one machine. This approach generally speeds up the run.
Agent variables
The variables used for the DOE factors may be either continuous or discrete. You do not have to use all the project variables you define in a DOE study. You ultimately pick the ones you want to use for factors when you assemble your project. Values are pre-assigned to the factors and used in different combinations for each evaluation as specified by the DOE matrix. The number of values assigned to each factor is determined by the number of levels in the DOE method selected.
Continuous variables
By default, a DOE uses the minimum value you specify as its low value and the maximum value as the high value. The default selection of values in a DOE is based on these two values. With the exception of the Latin Hypercube method, which treats the factors as continuous variables, the DOE matrix may include two, three, or five levels of values, calculated from your minimum and maximum. For a three-level method, the default mid value is the midpoint of your defined range. The central composite sampling method (fivelevel DOE) calculates the star high and low points from the high and low values. You can override the default assignments when you assemble your project.
Discrete variables
When discrete variables are used as factors for a DOE agent, the values are arbitrarily assigned default levels based on their position in your discrete set. For a two-level DOE, the first value in your discrete set becomes the default low value and the second, the default
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About DOE Projects
high value. For a three-level DOE, the first value becomes the low value, the second the mid, and the third the high. For the central composite sampling method (five-level DOE), the first becomes the low star-point, the second the low value, the third the mid value, the fourth the high value, and the fifth the high star point. As with continuous variables, you can override the default settings during project assembly.
Note: Because of the way a directed DOE treats continuous variables, you should, in most cases,
define variables that are limited to specific values as discrete, even if they are evenly distributed, to avoid the selection of invalid values for the mid and star points. If you use a custom DOE setup, you can override the defaults. More information is given in Assembling a Screening or Response Surface.
Other variables
If you have tagged any parameter variables in your input files, they will not be varied when the design is evaluated. This is also true of any continuous or discrete variables that you do not use as factors. During the analysis, untagged continuous, discrete, and parameter variables will be assigned the baseline value that you entered when you defined the variable on the Variables tab. Dependent variables will, as always, be calculated.
Agent responses
A DOE analysis result shows the influence of the factors (variables) or factor combination on each of your responses. Unlike a parameter optimization study, a DOE study does not use objectives or constraints. All it cares about is how changes in the variables selected as factors affect a given response value. The more variation there is in a response for a given factor, the more influential that factor is on your design. When Taguchi Robust Parameter Design is used, you will need to specify the goals for each response in order for HEEDS MDO Solver to properly calculate the signal-to-noise ratio.
Sample DOE Scenarios

The complexity of DOE projects can range anywhere from very simple (with few factors) to very complex (with enough factors to require more than one agent). Here are examples of some typical DOE projects and how they might be defined in HEEDS MDO.
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Study of a composite control arm

Suppose you have a design for a control arm, which uses a composite material. However, you want to reduce the manufacturing costs. There are three elements in your design where alterations may possibly reduce the cost. You want to examine these factors in a DOE study to determine which alterations will have the least impact on the existing design. Each factor has two choices:
Factor Material choice Thickness of tube Fiber orientation Choice 1 Carbon/Epoxy 0.125" Unidirectional fibers Choice 2 E-glass/Epoxy 0.25" 0/90 mat
You want to find which of the above factors have the greatest effect on the following: Mass Cost Maximum strain under a given load Displacement under a given load You would define a response for each of the above and a discrete variable for each factor. Then, when you set up your DOE, you would designate each variable as a factor. The results will allow you to determine whether it is best to use a cheaper material or to relax the tolerances on tube thickness and/or fiber orientation.
Study of a truss structure

You have an optimized design for a truss structure with 15 members, all made of circular tubing. In your design, all of the members have the same diameter and wall thickness. However, to control costs, you need to determine which members need tight tolerances (which are more costly) and which do not affect the structure if these tolerances are relaxed. There are 15 independent wall thicknesses to be examined. The allowable thickness range is between 3mm and 5mm. You need to determine the effect of varying the thicknesses on the following:
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About DOE Projects
Mass of the total structure Maximum displacement under a given load Maximum stress under a given load Your DOE study will have 15 variables (one for each thickness) and a response for each of the above elements. The results will show the effect that varying each thickness will have on each of the responses so you can determine which members can be decreased in thickness without significantly affecting the structural response and which members require tighter tolerances.
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17. Assembling a Screening or Response Surface DOE Project

When you define a screening or response surface DOE project, you determine which variables you want to use as factors and what method you want to use to create the DOE matrix. Your definition is done on the Assembly tab. There are two methods you can use to set up your screening or response surface DOEthe Directed method, which defines your chosen factors automatically and selects the best method to use to get your result, or the Custom method, which allows you more control over your definition.
Adding a DOE agent to your project

When a new project is created, a parameter optimization agent (OPT_Agent) is automatically added to the Agent Graph by default. For a DOE project, you must remove the default agent, and add the correct one for your project.

1. Right-click on the default agent to display the pop-up menu. 2. Select Delete:
It will expand again when you add your first agent.
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Assembling a Screening or Response Surface DOE Project
To add a DOE agent

1. To add the agent, select Design of Experiment from the Add Agent Type list box. 2. Move your mouse to the Agent Graph. The pointer will change to a pointer on the agent group button: 3. Place the pointer anywhere on the button: . Place the
4. Click on the Agent Group button to add the new agent. 5. Note that the new agent also appears in the Agents tree.

The agent variables and responses are the ones you have tagged for the process associated with that agent. To see the listed responses, click on the Responses button:
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The responses are read-only. No input is needed for the DOE. To display the agent variables, click on the Variables button:
The information in this window is also read-only. It will be filled in when you define your factors. All variables that are tagged in the process you have associated with the agent will be displayed here. However, only continuous and discrete variables will appear as choices when you select your factors.
Using the Directed Method

The directed method is the simplest type of setup. The Modeler does most of the work for you. This method is recommended for users who are relatively inexperienced in setting up DOE projects.
To start the directed method

1. Click on the Methods button for the DOE agent. The DOE Methods Manager will appear. 2. Select Screening/Response Surface as the DOE class:
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3. For Setup type choose Directed:
4.
Click Next, and the screen for setting your project attributes will appear.
Setting the project attributes

1. The list of variables that can be used as factors appears on the left of the Methods Manager. Only continuous and discrete variables are eligible: Select the variables that you want to use as factors by checking the box in front of each variable:
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To select all the variables in the list, check the box in front of the Variable column. 2. HEEDS MDO Modeler will assign factor names (A, B, C, etc.) to the variables you select, in the order they appear in the list. You can change the name by changing the order: a. Right-click on the variable you want to move to display the pop-up menu. b. Select Raise or Lower from the menu to change the position of the variable. 3. Enter the maximum number of designs you want evaluated in the Maximum number of designs to be evaluated field. 4. Select the intent of this DOE studyScreening or Response Surface. Your completed screen will look something like this:
5. Click Next and the screen for selecting the DOE method type will appear.
Selecting the DOE method

1. Based on your selections in the previous screen, the DOE Methods Manager will display the recommended method for your project and any alternates that will also produce the result you want:
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2. The Recommended method is typically the best choice. However, to change it, click on the one you want. 3. Click Next and the DOE matrix for your project will be displayed:
Type of DOE Two-level Three-level Latin hypercube
Low value 0 0 0
Mid value 1 Numbers in between represent the different values the factors can have between the high and low values.
High value 1 2 A number determined by the number of evaluations
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Type of DOE Central Composite
Low start point value 0
Low corner point value 1
Mid value 2
High corner point value 3
High star point value 4
The values used for the high, mid and low points are based on the values entered in your project variable definitions. For more information, refer to About DOE Projects. To see the values that are being used, click the Variables button, and they will be displayed in the Agent Variables window:
Setting Up a Custom DOE

The custom setup allows you more control over your DOE settings. It is recommended for those who are experienced in setting up DOE projects and also want to achieve a particular result.
To select the custom method

1. Click on the Methods button for the DOE agent. The DOE Methods Manager will appear. 2. Select Custom as the setup type:
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3. Click Next, and the screen for selecting your factors and your method will appear:
Selecting your factors and your method

1. The list of variables that can be used as factors appears on the left of the Methods Manager. Only continuous and discrete variables are eligible: Select the variables that you want to use as factors by checking the box in front of the variable:
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To select all the variables in the list, check the box in front of the Variable column. 2. HEEDS MDO Modeler will assign factor names (A, B, C, etc.) to the variables you select in the order they appear in the list. To change the order, change their position in the list: Right-click on the variable that you want to move to display the pop-up menu. Select Raise or Lower from the menu to change the position of the variable. 3. Select the method type you want to use from the ones displayed:
4. The number of designs to be evaluated for your selected method will appear in the Number of Designs Evaluated field: If you select a method with two or more choices, a drop-down list will appear in the field, so you can select the number of designs. If you select one of the methods with any underneath, you may enter the number of designs you want to evaluate. 5. Click Next and the screen for defining your factor levels will appear.
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Defining your factor levels: 2-level projects

If you selected one of the 2-level methods, or Latin Hypercube or D-Optimal, the screen below will appear when you click Next:
The initial values you entered for Min, Max, and Baseline on the Variables tab will be displayed, along with the default high and low values. The default high and low values for continuous variables are the high and low values you entered when you defined the variables. The default high and low values for discrete variables are the first two variables in the discrete set. You may accept the defaults, or enter high and low values of your own.
To accept the defaults

1. When the screen is first displayed, the Use global min/max definitions option will be checked. To accept the defaults, leave the option checked. 2. Click Next to view the DOE matrix.
To change the values

1. Remove the check from Use global min/max definitions. This will enable the table for editing. 2. You may enter values for continuous variables either as specific values or as a percentage of the baseline: If you want to define specific high and low values for a continuous variable, enter them in the Low (Value) and High (Value) cells.
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If you want to enter values for a continuous variable as a percentage of the baseline, enter the percentage in the Low (%) and High (%) cells. 3. To change the high and low values for a discrete variable, click on the Low (Value) and High (Value) cells to display the values in the discrete set and select the value you want. 4. Click Next to view the DOE matrix.
To return to the default values

1. Recheck Use Global min/max definitions. This will restore the global defaults. 2. Click Next to view the DOE matrix.

If you selected one of the 3-level methods, the screen below will appear when you click Next:
The initial values you entered for Min, Max, and Baseline on the Variables tab will be displayed along with the default low, mid, and high values. The default high and low values for continuous variables are the high and low values you entered when you defined the variables. The mid value will be the midpoint of your range. The default low, mid, and high values for discrete variables are the first three variables in the discrete set. You may accept the defaults, or enter high, mid, and low values of your own.
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1. Remove the check from Use global min/max definitions. This will enable the table for editing. 2. You may enter values for your continuous variables either as specific values or as a percentage of the baseline: If you want to define specific low, mid, and high values for a continuous variable, enter them in the Low (Value), Mid (Value), and High (Value) cells. If you want to enter values for a continuous variable as a percentage of the baseline, enter the percentage in the Low (%), Mid (%), and High (%) cells. 3. To change the low, mid, and high values for a discrete variable, click on the Low (Value), Mid (Value), and High (Value) cells to display the values in the discrete set and select the value you want. 4. Click Next to view the DOE matrix.

1. Recheck Use global min/max definitions. This will restore the global defaults. 2. Click Next to view the DOE matrix.
Defining your factor levels: central composite method

The central composite method uses 5 levels. For continuous variables, the Low Corner and High Corner defaults are the Min and Max values you entered when you defined the variable. The Center default is the midpoint of your defined range. The two outside points Low Star and High Starare calculated from the low and high corner values. For discrete variables, the first five values in the discrete set are used, starting with the Low Star point and ending with the High Star point.
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The Central Composite screen looks like this:

Note: The default values of the low star and high star points for continuous variables will be outside
the range that you specified in the variable definition. Make sure that these values make physical sense. If not, you will need to modify these values.

1. Remove the check from Use global min/max definitions. This will enable the table for editing. 2. You may enter values for your continuous variables either as specific values or as a percentage of the baseline: If you want to define specific values for a continuous variable, enter them in the Low Star (Value), Low Corner (Value), Center (Value), High Corner (Value), and High Star (Value) cells. If you want to enter values for a continuous variable as a percentage of the baseline, enter the percentage in the Low Star (%), Low Corner (%), Center (%), High Corner (%), and High Star (%) cells.
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3. To change the values for a discrete variable, click on the Low Star (Value), Low Corner (Value), Center (Value), High Corner (Value), and High Star (Value) cells to display the values in the discrete set and select the value you want. 4. Click Next to view the DOE matrix.

1. Recheck Use global min/max definitions. This will restore the global defaults. 2. Click Next to view the DOE matrix.
Fitting a Response Surface to existing design data

With the Use Existing Designs DOE method, you can import data for existing designs and ask HEEDS MDO to fit a response surface to that data.
Importing designs
To use the Use Existing Designs method, you need to import a file containing data for the designs you want HEEDS MDO to evaluate. About the import file If you are importing designs from another HEEDS MDO study, you can import the HEEDS MDO *.res file from that study. It will already be correctly formatted. If the file is not a HEEDS MDO *.res file, it must follow these formatting rules: The first row of the file (the header row) must contain the names of the variables and responses that correspond to the data in the columns. Beginning with the second row, the file must be organized such that each row represents one design and each column contains a variable or response value for all designs. All fields in the file must be separated by a comma. The file may contain extra columns; HEEDS MDO will ignore these.
To import designs
1. Click the Import designs button. An Open dialog will be displayed. 2. Select the desired file, and click Open.
3. The design data will be displayed in the DOE Methods Manager. This is a read-only display of the data, which means that it cannot be directly edited. If you wish to edit the data, see Editing design data on page 346.
Important: Using the Import option will replace any existing data in the DOE Methods Manager with the newly imported data. If you want to keep the existing designs and add more designs, use the Add more designs feature.
How errors are displayed Invalid designs will be displayed in red and will not be used by HEEDS MDO. A variable values that is outside of its range (based on the Min/Max definitions on the Variables tab) will be underlined and the entire row will be displayed in red. If a value for a particular variable or response is not found in the import file, it will be displayed in the Modeler as No data.
Adding more designs

Sometimes the design data you want to include in your study may not all be located in the same file. Using the Add more designs option, you can include design data from multiple files to create a single set for HEEDS MDO to evaluate.
To add more designs

1. Click the Add more designs button. An Open dialog will appear. 2. Select the desired file, and click Open. The design data will be added after the designs that are already listed there and numbered sequentially.
Editing design data

You cannot directly edit the design data within the Methods Manager. However, you can export the design data to a comma-delimited file, make the desired changes, and then reimport the data into HEEDS MDO.
To make changes/edits to the design data

1. In the DOE Methods Manager, click the Export designs button. A Save As dialog will appear. 2. Save the data to a comma-delimited file (.dat).
3. Using a text editor or Excel, edit the design data. 4. Save the file. 5. Click the Import designs button to bring the design data back into HEEDS MDO.
Clearing all designs from the DOE Methods Manager

To clear all designs, click the Clear All button. This option clears all of the data from the DOE Methods Manager without affecting the original data file(s).
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18. Defining a Taguchi Robust Parameter Design Project

When you define a Taguchi Robust Parameter Design (RPD) project, you first determine which variables you want to use as factors, and identify them as either control or noise factors. Then, you select which method you want to use to create the DOE matrix, along with the goal of each response statement. This definition is done on the Assembly tab.
Viewing the Agent Variables and Responses

The agent variables and responses are the ones you have tagged for the process associated with that agent. To see the listed responses, click on the Responses button:
The responses are read-only. The goals for each response will be defined later in the Methods Manager, and then displayed here. To display the agent variables, click on the Variables button. The information in this window is also read-only:
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Defining a Taguchi Robust Parameter Design Project
It will be filled in when you define your factors. All variables that are tagged in the process you have associated with the agent will be displayed here. However, only continuous and discrete variables will appear as choices when you select your factors.
Setting Up a Taguchi Robust Parameter Design DOE

To start the DOE setup
1. Click on the Methods button for the DOE agent. The DOE Methods Manager will appear. 2. Select Taguchi Robust Parameter Design as the DOE class:
3. Click Next. The screen where you will set project attributes will appear.
Setting the project attributes

The list of variables that can be used as factors appears on the left of the Methods Manager. Only continuous and discrete variables are eligible:
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1. For each of the variables listed, you need to tell HEEDS MDO Solver whether it is a control factor, noise factor, or should be excluded from the experiment. To choose the factor type, click on the Factor Type dropdown next to the variable, and select Control, Noise, or Excluded.
Note: When a variable is excluded from the experiment, its baseline value, as defined in the Variables tab, will be used for every design evaluation.
2. As you assign factor types, HEEDS MDO Modeler will sort the variables into the Control Factors and Noise Factors fields on the right:
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3. Click Next, and the screen for selecting the DOE sampling methods will appear.
Note: The options available to you on this screen will vary depending on the number of control and
noise factors involved in the DOE. For example, you must have at least three control factors if you want to use the Taguchi mixed-level method as your control DOE method.
4. On the left side of the screen, select the desired sampling method for control factors. The number of designs to be evaluated for your selected method will appear in the Number of Control Designs Evaluated field. If you select a method with two or more choices, a dropdown list will appear in the field, so you can select the desired number of designs.
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5. Similarly, on the right side of the screen, select the desired sampling method for noise factors. The number of designs to be evaluated will appear in the Number of Noise Designs Evaluated field. If you select a method with two or more choices, a dropdown list will appear in the field, so you can select the desired number of designs. 6. Click Next. On the screen that appears, you can change the factor names (e.g., A, B, C) given to variables. Depending on which DOE methods were chose in the previous screen, you may be able to change the number of levels for individual factors.
7. If you chose the Taguchi Mixed-Level method for either factor type (on the previous screen), you can change which factors have two levels and which have three levels. To do this: Click in the Levels column next to a variable, and select 2 or 3 from the dropdown.
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Note: The number of two-level and three-level factors in the Taguchi mixed-level arrays is restricted
by the number of evaluations that you chose on the previous screen. For the mixed-level array with 18 design evaluations (either control or noise), the following rules apply: 0-1 two-level factors, 2-7 three-level factors, 3-8 factors total. For the mixed-level array with 36 design evaluations (either control or noise), the following rules apply: 0-3 two-level factors, 4-13 three-level factors, 5-16 factors total.
8. Also on this screen, HEEDS MDO Modeler has assigned factor names (A, B, C, etc.) to the variables you select in the order they appear in the list. To change the order, simply change their position in the list: Select the variable that you want to move by clicking the arrow next to it. Right-click on the variable, then select Raise or Lower from the menu to change the position of the variable:
9. Click Next to move on to the screen where you will define your factor level values.

If you selected 2-level methods for both the noise and the control factors, the following screen will appear when you click Next:
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The initial values you entered for Min, Max, and Baseline on the Variables tab will be displayed, along with the default High and Low values. For continuous variables, the default High and Low values are the high and low values you entered when you defined the variables. For discrete variables, the default High and Low values are the first two values in the discrete set. For any variable, you may either accept the defaults or enter high and low values of your own.

1. When the screen is first displayed, the Use global min/max definitions option will be checked. To accept the defaults, leave the option checked. 2. Click Next to define your response goals.

1. Remove the check from Use global min/max definitions. This will enable the table for editing. 2. You may enter values for continuous variables either as specific values or as a percentage of the baseline: If you want to define specific high and low values for a continuous variable, enter them in the Low (Value) and High (Value) cells. If you want to enter values for a continuous variable as a percentage of the baseline, enter the percentage in the Low (%) and High (%) cells. 3. To change the high and low values for a discrete variable, click on the Low (Value) and High (Value) cells to display the values in the discrete set and select the value you want. 4. Click Next to define your response goals.

1. Recheck Use Global min/max definitions. This will restore the global defaults. 2. Click Next to define your response goals.
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Defining your factor levels: 3-level and mixed-level projects

If you selected a 3-level or mixed-level method for either the noise or control factors, or for both, the screen below will appear when you click Next:
The initial values you entered for Min, Max, and Baseline on the Variables tab will be displayed along with the default low, mid, and high values. For continuous variables, the default high and low values are the high and low values you entered when you defined the variables. The mid value will be the midpoint of your range. For discrete variables, the default low, mid, and high values for are the first three values in the discrete set. You may accept the defaults, or enter high, mid, and low values of your own.

1. When the screen is first displayed, the Use global min/max definitions option will be checked. To accept the defaults, leave the option checked. 2. Click Next to define your response goals.

1. Remove the check from Use global min/max definitions. This will enable the table for editing. 2. You may enter values for your continuous variables either as specific values or as a percentage of the baseline:
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If you want to define specific low, mid, and high values for a continuous variable, enter them in the Low (Value), Mid (Value), and High (Value) cells. If you want to enter values for a continuous variable as a percentage of the baseline, enter the percentage in the Low (%), Mid (%), and High (%) cells. To change the low, mid, and high values for a discrete variable, click on the Low (Value), Mid (Value), and High (Value) cells to display the values in the discrete set and select the value you want. 3. Click Next to define your response goals.

1. Recheck Use global min/max definitions. This will restore the global defaults. 2. Click Next to define your response goals.
Defining your response goals

For each response in your project, you need to specify a goal. The goal you choose determines which formula HEEDS MDO Solver will use to calculate the SNR for that response.
To define your response goals

1. Click the Goal field next to each response, and select an option from the dropdown.
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2. Detailed information about each Goal option is given in the following table:
Goal Smaller is better Description Select this as the goal for a response if a smaller value is better for the design performance. The value is always continuous and positive. The best response value for this application is 0. The SNR is based on variance only. Since there is no specific target, finding the best designs involves determining factor settings that maximize SNR. Target is best Select this goal when the response has a target and can take both positive and negative values. The goal is to minimize variation on both sides of the target value. The best response is typically 0. If the target is non-zero, finding the best design involves two steps: control factors are adjusted to achieve the desired response value, and then factors are adjusted that maximize SNR without changing the mean. This goal type assumes that it is possible to identify factors that change the standard deviation without affecting the mean. SNR = -10 * log10(s ) where s =
2 2
SNR Formula
Example Applications Noise in the passenger compartment, corrosion of material, plastic strain in a part.
SNR=
DC offset voltage of a differential operational amplifier.
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Goal Nominal is best
Description Select this goal if the response has a target and can only be positive. This case assumes that the mean and standard deviation are related and not independent. The SNR for this type of problem uses both mean and variance for the calculation. Identifying the best solution for this type of problem is again a two-step process: factor settings are chosen that maximize SNR, and then factors that do not affect SNR significantly are changed to bring the mean value to target.
SNR Formula
Example Applications Achieving a specified uniform thickness during chemical deposition process.
SNR =
Larger is better
Select this as the goal if the response value is always positive and the largest possible response value results in a better design. Since there is no specific target, finding the best designs involves determining factor settings that maximize SNR.
SNR =
An example is the fuel efficiency of a vehicle.
No goal
No SNR values are calculated.
None
Not applicable.
3. Click Next to view the DOE matrix.
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Part 4c Assembling a Robustness and Reliability Project
19. About Robustness and Reliability Projects

The purpose of a robustness and reliability study is to ensure that the performance of a particular design is not affected too strongly by minor variations in selected input parameters, due to expected tolerances. The robustness and reliability agent is used for robustness and reliability projects. It varies the parameters based on a stochastic distribution that represents the expected variations in the real world. For robustness and reliability studies, multiple agents do not generally produce better results. They cannot share designs, so using multiple agents would be like running two different projects that do not relate to each other. For this reason, robustness and reliability projects generally use only one agent and therefore have only one agent group. However, if you have multiple processors available that are licensed for the tool you are using for the evaluation, your project may be able to benefit from an HEEDS Q run. When a single-agent robustness and reliability project runs on multiple processors, the individual evaluations are farmed out across your network to whatever processors are available that can run the analysis. In most cases, this will definitely speed up the run.
Variables and Responses in Robustness and Reliability Projects

Only numeric parameter variables with assigned stochastic distributions affect the results of a robustness and reliability study. The stochastic distribution defines the variance or tolerance that is being tested. Parameter variables use the baseline value you entered when you define the variable as the mean for the stochastic distribution. If there are continuous or discrete variables tagged in your input files, they will be treated as constants and the baseline value you entered when you defined the variable will be used. Dependent variables will be calculated as they would be for other project types. Responses in a robustness and reliability project are used to determine how the variations in the parameter variables you designate affect the design. When performing a robustness study, the variation in response values indicates the sensitivity to the variations in the parameters. Major variations in the response results
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About Robustness and Reliability Projects
indicate that the design is adversely affected by variations within the known tolerance and is therefore not robust. When performing a reliability study, constraints are set and the study calculates the probability of failure (likelihood that the constraint is violated) with respect to the variation in the parameters.
Sample Scenarios
Robustness and reliability agents examine the effects that known deviations in a component will have on selected responses. For robustness studies, the agent determines the mean value of the response, the amount of variance, and the standard deviation. Based on the result, you can determine if the predicted variation is small enough. For reliability studies, the agent determines the probability of failure. Based on the result, you can determine if the design is likely to fail to meet design specifications in the field.
Checking the clearance between adjacent parts

Suppose you have an assembly composed of several parts, each of which has a given tolerance. To find out if the designed gap between two adjacent parts is acceptable, you need to determine what the probability is that, given the expected tolerances, the assembly will meet the specifications. You therefore need to vary the thickness of the two parts within their expected tolerances and study the resulting clearance. The two thicknesses would be defined as parameter variables with stochastic distributions that encompassed the expected tolerance, and the value that contained the clearance would be the response being examined. After assigning a constraint to the tolerance and running the project, the R&R agent will provide an approximate probability of failure with respect to the constraint. This would predict how likely it was that the two adjacent parts would not fit within the acceptable clearance limits.
Testing a car bumper

Let's say that you have a design for a car bumper that needs to withstand a 5 mph bumper test. You might do a robustness and reliability study to see how reliable the design is against probable variations in the material stiffness, material thickness, the shape of the bumper, and/or the load that it is subjected to and examine the resulting deflection. Once again, the predicted failure rate would be provided by HEEDS. If, based on these values, we find that
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the bumper deflection exceeds our target for, say, 1 out of every 100 bumpers that are manufactured, then we might want to go back and fine tune the design so that we can get a lower failure rate.
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20. Assembling a Robustness and Reliability Project

When you define a robustness and reliability project, most of your work is done for you once youve defined your project variables and responses on the Variables tab. When you assemble your project, you need to tell HEEDS MDO Solver what selection method to use and the number of evaluations you want to conduct.
Adding a Robustness and Reliability agent to your project

When a new project is created, a parameter optimization agent (OPT_Agent) is automatically added to the Agent Graph by default. For a robustness and reliability project, you must remove the default agent, and add the correct one for your project.

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To add an R&R agent

1. To add the agent, select the Add Agent Type radio button from the Agent Installation options. 2. Select Robustness and Reliability from the Add Agent Type list box:
3. Move your mouse to the Agent Graph. The pointer will change to a 4. Place the pointer anywhere on the on the Agent Group button:
5. Click on the Agent Group button to add the new agent. 6. Note that the new agent also appears in the Agents tree.
Viewing Agent Variables and Responses

The agent variables and responses are the ones that you have tagged in the input and output files used by your robustness and reliability agent. To display the agent variables, click on the Variables button. The information in this window is also read-only.
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Assembling a Robustness and Reliability Project
To see the listed responses, click on the Responses button. For a Robustness study, the responses are read-only. No input is needed.
For a Reliability Analysis study, you will need to define at least one constraint.
The only variables that are actually active in your robustness and reliability project are parameter variables that have stochasticity. At least one variable must have a stochastic distribution for the project to run. Only the baseline value is displayed since no other attributes are used by robustness and reliability agents. If there are other types of variables defined in your project, they will also appear in this list, but they will have no effect on the results of the run. For continuous and discrete variables, the baseline value you specified in the variable definition will be used as the value for the run. Dependent variables will be calculated.
Defining a Robustness and Reliability Project

Defining a robustness and reliability project is basically a matter of specifying the sampling type and telling HEEDS MDO Solver how many designs you want your agent to evaluate.
Setting up a reliability analysis

1. Click on the Methods button for the robustness and reliability agent.
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2. The Robustness and Reliability Methods Manager will appear. 3. From the Study Type options, select Reliability Analysis:
4. Click Next. 5. Select the desired technique from the three available Latin Hypercube Sampling, Monte Carlo Sampling, or FORM (First Order Reliability Method):
a. Latin Hypercube Sampling and Monte Carlo Sampling are samplingbased methods, so for these you simply specify the number of evaluations you want to conduct:
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b. The third option, FORM , is a Most Probable Point (MPP) type method. For this, you specify the number of evaluations you want to conduct for each constraint you defined in the setup:
6. Finally, you must define at least one constraint in the setup. For instructions regarding defining constraints, see Adding constraint responses on page 252.
Setting up a robustness study

1. Click on the Methods button for the robustness and reliability agent.
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2. The Robustness and Reliability Methods Manager will appear. 3. From the Study Type options, select Robustness Study:
4. Click Next. 5. Select the desired technique from the three available Latin Hypercube Sampling or Monte Carlo Sampling:
6. Latin Hypercube Sampling and Monte Carlo Sampling are sampling-based methods, so for these you simply specify the Number of Evaluations you want to conduct:
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Part 4d Assembling an Evaluation Project
21. Assembling an Evaluation Project

The Evaluation agent allows you to use the process automation capabilities in HEEDS MDO to evaluate and post-process specific designs that you have chosen. By importing a file containing data for the chosen designs, you provide MDO with values for continuous and discrete variables for each design. Objectives and constraints are not required to complete the Evaluation agent definition. However, you may wish to define these values on the responses. If you do define objectives and constraints, HEEDS will calculate the performance value for each design and then rank each design in terms of how good it is, just as it does with weighted objective optimization studies. Without objective and constraint definitions, all designs are treated as equal. Setting up an Evaluation study requires just a few steps: 1. Selecting the Process to use (Only if the default process is not the correct one). 2. Importing a file containing the designs to be evaluated. 3. (Optional) Defining the objectives and constraints for the agent. The plots available for an Evaluation study are the same as those available for a weighted objective optimization study.

Project variables and responses are created globally for your entire project. When you assign a process to an agent, the variables and responses that have been tagged in the analysis files associated with that process are available for use by that agent. By importing a file containing data for the chosen designs, you provide MDO with values for continuous and discrete variables for each design. Objectives and constraints are not required to complete the Evaluation agent definition. However, you may wish to define these values on the responses. If you do define objectives and constraints, HEEDS will calculate the performance value for each design and then rank each design in terms of how good it is, just as it does with
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weighted objective optimization studies. Without objective and constraint definitions, all designs are treated as equal.
Adding an Evaluation agent to your project

When a new project is created, a parameter optimization agent (OPT_Agent) is automatically added to the Agent Graph by default. For an Evaluation project, you must remove the default agent, and add the correct one for your project.

To add an Evaluation agent

1. To add the agent, select Evaluation from the Add Agent Type list box:
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Assembling an Evaluation Project
2. Move your mouse to the Agent Graph. The pointer will change to a pointer on the agent group button: 3. Place the pointer anywhere on the button:
. Place the
4. Click on the Agent Group button to add the new agent:
5. Note that the new agent also appears in the Agents tree:
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Defining agent variables

Agent variables are displayed in the Agent Variables window on the Assembly tab. All variables that have been tagged in the input files associated with the process you have assigned to your agent will appear. The variable definition was done on the Variables tab (see Defining Project Variables). The only thing that you need to define at the agent level is the resolution for your continuous variables.
To display the agent variables

Click on the Variables button in the Agent Graph. The agent variables will appear in the panel below the Agent Graph:
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Defining agent responses

For Evaluation studies, defining objectives and constraints is optional. Objectives and constraints are not required to complete the agent definition. However, you may wish to define these values on the responses. If you do define objectives and constraints, HEEDS will calculate the performance value for each design and then rank each design in terms of how good it is, just as it does with weighted objective optimization studies. Without objective and constraint definitions, all designs are treated as equal. For information about defining objectives and constraints, see Defining the attributes of agent responses on page 245.
Evaluation Method
To display the Evaluation Methods Manager, click on the Methods button in the Agent Graph.
Importing designs
To use the Evaluation method, you need to import a file containing data for the designs you want HEEDS MDO to evaluate.
About the import file

If you are importing designs from another HEEDS MDO study, you can import the *.res file from that study. It will already be correctly formatted. If the file is not a *.res file, it must follow these formatting rules: The first row of the file (the header row) must contain the names of the variables and responses that correspond to the data in the columns. Beginning with the second row, the file must be organized such that each row represents one design and each column contains a variable or response value for all designs. All fields in the file must be separated by a comma. The file may contain extra columns; HEEDS MDO will ignore these.
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To import designs
1. Click the Import designs button. An Open dialog will be displayed. 2. Select the desired file, and click Open. 3. The design data will be displayed in the Evaluation Methods Manager. This is a read-only display of the data, which means that it cannot be directly edited. If you wish to edit the data, see Editing design data on page 346.
Important: Using the Import option will replace any existing data in the Evaluation Methods Manager with the newly imported data. If you want to keep the existing designs and add more designs, use the Add more designs feature.
How errors are displayed

Invalid designs will be displayed in red and will not be used by HEEDS MDO. A variable values that is outside of its range (based on the Min/Max definitions on the Variables tab) will be underlined and the entire row will be displayed in red. If a value for a particular variable or response is not found in the import file, it will be displayed in the Modeler as No data.
Adding more designs

Sometimes the design data you want to include in your Evaluation study may not all be located in the same file. Using the Add more designs option, you can include design data from multiple files to create a single set for HEEDS MDO to evaluate.
To add more designs

1. Click the Add more designs button. An Open dialog will appear. 2. Select the desired file, and click Open. The design data will be added after the designs that are already listed there and numbered sequentially.
Editing design data

You cannot directly edit the design data within the Methods Manager. However, you can export the design data to a comma-delimited file, make the desired changes, and then reimport the data into HEEDS MDO.
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To make changes/edits to the design data

1. In the Evaluation Methods Manager, click the Export designs button. A Save As dialog will appear. 2. Save the data to a comma-delimited file (.dat). 3. Using a text editor or Excel, edit the design data. 4. Save the file. 5. Click the Import designs button to bring the design data back into HEEDS MDO.
Clearing all designs from the Methods Manager

To clear all designs, click the Clear All button. This option clears all of the data from the Evaluation Methods Manager without affecting the original data file(s).
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Part 5 Running the Project
22. Running Your Project

After your project is defined and assembled, you are ready to run it. Projects can be run either from within the Modeler or by communicating with the Solver from the command line. It is usually easier to run them from the Modeler. In this chapter, we will explain how to select your run options for a single-processor project. Multi-processor projects, which require additional setup, are discussed in the HEEDS PARALLEL and Q Users Guide.
Selecting Run Options

The run options allow you specify the names of the results files, the directories where the Solver will store your evaluations, and which design directories are saved. Some options are set at the agent level and some at the agent group level. All of these options have default settings that are adequate for most jobs. But, you may change them to suit your needs, if you wish, before you run your project.
Defining run options for each agent

For each agent in your project, you can specify where you want the Solver to perform the evaluations and also which design directories you want to save after the Solver finishes evaluating the designs.
Changing the evaluation directory location or name

The evaluation directory is where the Solver performs the evaluations and saves the design directories. By default, the evaluation directory resides in the project directory, which is where the project file is located. The default name for the evaluation directory is HEEDS_i, where i is the agent ID (for example, HEEDS_1). You may change the name or location of the evaluation directory to suit your purposes. To change the evaluation directory, you must enter the full path to the directory (including the drive letter on Windows systems) PLUS the name of the directory where you want to store the evaluations.
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The following entry would create a subdirectory for your evaluations called Coarse_Agent in the project directory: c:\HEEDS MDO\CBeam\Coarse_Agent The following entry would store the evaluations in the HEEDS MDO_0 folder in the Temp directory on a Windows system: c:\Temp\HEEDS_0 The following path would store the evaluations in the Coarse_Agent folder in the Run 1 subdirectory of the Beam Problem directory on a Windows system: c:\Beam Problem\Run 1\Coarse_Agent
To change the evaluation directory

1. On the Assembly tab, select the agent in the Agent Graph. 2. Either tab to or click twice on the Evaluation Directory Path field. The current value will be highlighted.
3. Type the new directory name and path in the field. It will replace the current value.
Important: If you are running in Windows and your path has spaces in it, do not enclose the path in
quotes. HEEDS MDO Solver takes care of this internally.
To restore the default evaluation directory

1. On the Assembly tab, select the agent in the Agent Graph. 2. Delete the current entry from the Evaluation Directory Path field. 3. Either click on another field or press Tab or Enter. The original valuedefaultwill be restored in the field automatically.
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Running Your Project
Saving design files

HEEDS MDO Solver can save the files that were used in performing the design evaluations. There will be one directory for each design. The Saved Designs field allows you to exercise some control over which design folders are saved. The design folders are saved in the evaluation directory you specify.
Note: The Saved Designs field only determines whether or not the directory containing the files
used in the evaluation of a given design is retained after a run. You can still retrieve the values used for the evaluation from the .RES file (see page 430) even if the files for the design were not saved.
Parameter optimization agents For parameter optimization agents, you have the following choices for saving files:
Option Latest Best Description Saves all of the input and output files from the last best design that HEEDS MDO Solver finds during the run. At any time during the run, the files for the best design so far will be available. Saves all of the best designs. Each time that HEEDS MDO Solver finds a design that is better than any it has found before, it saves the input and output files. Saves the input and output files for all designs that are evaluated in the run.
All Best All
The Latest Best is the default and is a good choice if you have limited disk space. If you have enough disk space, you may want to save All Best or All instead. Then you will be able to examine files for more than one design and compare them with each other and/or look at them in the post-processing tools provided by your analysis package.
Note: If you are using MO-SHERPA, you should be aware that the designs saved are based on
performance and not the Pareto front, so the designs in the final Pareto front are not necessarily included in the best designs.
To select the saved designs option for a parameter optimization agent

1. Select the agent in the Agent Graph. 2. Click on the in the Saved Designs field to display the list of choices:
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3. Select your choice from the drop-down list. DOE and robustness and reliability agents For DOE agents and robustness and reliability agents, you have the following choices for saving files:
Option None All Description Does not save any design input and output files. Saves input and output files for all designs.
If you have use for the actual output files generated as a result, you may want to save them. If you only care about the post-processing results from the HEEDS MDO run, there is no reason to save the designs.
To select the saved designs option for DOE and robustness and reliability agents
1. Select the agent in the Agent Graph. 2. Click on the in the Saved Designs field to display the list of choices:
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3. Select the choice you want from the drop-down list.
Defining run options for agent groups

The agent group runtime attributes set runtime options that affect the agent group as a whole.
Changing the state file prefix

The state files are the files that hold the information HEEDS MDO Solver writes out during the run (e.g., plot files, graph files, etc.). The default file prefix for these files is HEEDS. The number is the ID number assigned to the agent: HEEDS0.plot HEEDS0.gph HEEDS1.dat You may change this prefix to one of your preference. The maximum length is six characters. You may, for example, want to use a prefix that specifies the name of the process, project, agent group and/or agent, so you can tell where the files came from. This prefix is used instead of HEEDS. Here are some examples:
Prefix Truss 3x3Plt 6x6Plt File Name Truss0.plot 3x3Plt0.gph 6x6Plt1.dat
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To change the state file prefix

1. On the Assembly tab, select the Agent Group. 2. Click twice on the State File Prefix field. The current value will be highlighted:
3. Type the new prefix in the field. It will replace the current value.
To restore the default HEEDS MDO prefix

1. On the Assembly tab, select the Agent Group. 2. Delete the current entry in the State File Prefix field. 3. Click on another field (or press Tab or Enter). The default valueHEEDS MDOwill be restored in the field automatically.
Saving restart data

The Save restart data after each evaluation option saves restart information at the end of each evaluation instead of at the end of a cycle. This enables you to restart the project from where it left off if you need to terminate it for some reason or an unexpected shutdown (e.g., a power failure) interrupts the run. Saving after each evaluation does not noticeably slow down most projects and is generally recommended. If your evaluations run very quickly, you may notice some slowdown.
To set the Save restart data after each evaluation option

Check or uncheck the Save restart data after each evaluation check box to set the option you want:
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Setting Checked Unchecked
Description The restart data will be saved after every design evaluation. The restart data will be saved only at the end of each cycle, which is a set of designs.
Skipping the first evaluation results check

By default, HEEDS MDO Solver stops if the first evaluation is unsuccessful. (An evaluation is considered unsuccessful if results could not be extracted.) For most projects, this is a good idea because an unsuccessful first evaluation usually means that there were errors in the project setup. However, some projects (notably those with a wide range of variables) can generate a larger number of unsuccessful evaluations, even though the project is set up right, because there is a greater chance for illogical variable combinations. For projects such as these, you can have HEEDS MDO Solver skip the first evaluation results check so the run will continue, in case the first evaluation is one of the unsuccessful ones.
To set the Skip first evaluation results check option

Check or uncheck the Skip first evaluation results check option to set the option you want:
Setting Checked Unchecked Description The first evaluation results check will be skipped. The first evaluation results will not be skipped.
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Note: A small number of unsuccessful evaluations do not affect the search algorithm adversely in any
way. However, a larger number of unsuccessful evaluations will affect the search because fewer designs will be evaluated.
Note: The other options in the Agent Group Manager have special uses for different types of runs
and will be discussed later.
Manually post-processing results when designs fail

If you are running a DOE or R&R study with the Skip first evaluation results check option enabled, and none of the designs fail, then the post-processing will be completed automatically at the end of the HEEDS MDO study. However, if some of the designs do fail, there are steps you can take to manually generate the post-processing data for the project, and then the post-processing results can be viewed in the Modeler.
Important: You can only use the following process if you have chosen All under the Save designs
option in the Agent Manager.
To manually generate post-processing data

1. Navigate to the directory where all of the designs were evaluated. 2. Locate the folders for the failed designs. HEEDS MDO Solver renames all failed designs by appending ERROR to the end. For example, if design 5 failed, then the folder will be renamed to Design5-ERROR. 3. Fix the errors that caused the design(s) to fail and re-evaluate them manually. You will need to do this for all of the failed evaluations. 4. Rename the failed design folders by deleting ERROR from their names. 5. Open a command prompt and change directory to the project directory, where all of the project files are stored. 6. Execute HEEDS MDO Solver from the command line, and use the postNoEval option: C:\HEEDS\MDO\Ver6.1\heeds_v6.1.exe i=Agent_Group_1.in postNoEval The postNoEval option will extract all of the responses, execute the post-processing calculations, and then write out the HEEDS MDO Solver output files. 7. View the post-processing results in the HEEDS MDO Modeler, if desired.
Files Created Before and During a Run

Whenever you save your project, HEEDS MDO creates a set of files that are needed for the execution of the run. You do not need to do anything with them, but you may be interested in their contents. The following files are created for all projects:
File Definitions.in Description This file contains information about all the project variables defined in the project. There will be only one Definitions.in file for a project. This file contains the project variables that are being used by a particular representation. The n represents the ID of the representation file. This number must be unique and can be any integer. Single-agent projects will have only one file. Multi-agent projects may have up to one for each agent. This file contains the information associated with the responses being used by a particular agent. The n represents the ID of the agent and can be any integer. This number must be unique. Single-agent projects will have only one file. Multi-agent projects may have up to one for each agent. This file contains information about all the agents used in the project and how data is shared among them. There will be only one Assembly.in file for a project. This file defines the variable mapping between agents that share designs. There will be only one Mapreps.in file for a project. This file only appears if there are linked agents in your project. This file contains the information about the process and all the analyses defined in that process. The n represents the ID of the process and can be any integer. This file controls the execution of a HEEDS MDO Solver run for an agent group. There will be one file for each agent group in the project. If you have renamed your agent groups, the file name will be the same as the name you gave agent group instead of Agent_Group_n. This file contains tagging information related to marking for the specified file. This file contains tagging information related to the portal definition for the specified file. This is a script file created for reading a response tagged using scripting, where response is the name of the response.
Representationn.in
Performancen.in
Assembly.in
Mapreps.in
Processn.in
Agent_Group_n.in
M_inputfilename P_inputfilename response.hs
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These files are placed in your project directory, which is the directory where you saved your HEEDS MDO project. While HEEDS MDO Solver runs, it creates a number of working files, most of which you do not need to interact with. However, the ones of interest are as follows:
File HEEDSn.plot Description Contains the results for the best designs found by agent n. HEEDS MDO Solver starts by writing the first design to the file. Then each time it finds a design that is better than the last, it adds that design to the file. At any time during the run, the last entry will be the best design found so far. In addition to the best designs, HEEDS MDO Solver also writes out any unsuccessful designs (designs for which the Solver was unable to extract the results) to this file. Contains the performance rating, the values of the project variables, and the values of the responses for all best designs. Contains the results for every evaluation that is performed during the run. It includes the performance rating, the values of the project variables, and the values of the responses.
HEEDSn.gph HEEDSn.res
If more than one agent is used during the run, there will be a set of files for each agent. You can examine these files during a run, for more detailed information about how the run is progressing, as well as after the project ends.
Important: While the run is in progress, these files should only be opened in a text editor that does not lock the file from being written to (e.g., Notepad, Wordpad, Vi, Gvim, and Textpad). Do NOT use Excel or other tools with similar behavior, as this will stop the run.
Running a Project from the Modeler

The easiest way to run a project is from the Run tab. You also have the options to back up previous results, continue a run, or extend a run.
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Running a project for the first time

The first time you run a project there will be no existing results, so you do not have to be concerned about overwriting them.
To run your project for the first time from the Modeler
1. On the Assembly tab, in the Agent Group Manager, leave the Backup existing results check box unchecked, as there are no results to back up. 2. If you have more than one agent group, this option must be set separately for each group. 3. Save your project so the latest run files will be generated.
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4. Display the Run tab, and click the Run button to start the project. A command prompt window will appear for each agent group. Single-processor projects usually have only one. 5. After you start the project, you can close the Modeler if you want or work on another project. You can reopen the running project at any time to view the progress.
Warning! Do not close the command prompt window or the run will stop. If you need to get the
command prompt window out of the way, click minimize it. in the upper right corner of the window to
Automatically saving the project before each run

On the Run tab within HEEDS MDO Modeler, the Automatically save project before run option is enabled by default. This ensures that any changes made to the project are saved prior to each run. When this option is enabled, the runtime files are overwritten with each run. If you deselect this option, any changes made since the last save will be ignored, and HEEDS MDO Solver will perform the design study on the runtime files that were generated the last time the project was saved. Occasionally, you may find yourself working with a project that requires you to manually edit the HEEDS MDO runtime files and then Run the project from the Modeler. In this case, you can prevent HEEDS MDO Solver from overwriting the runtime files by deselecting the Automatically save project before run option.
Running a project again

If you have run a project previously, and you want to rerun it after you have made changes to it, you can simply run the project again. If you have not made changes to your project but want to see different results, you can change the random seed. With a different random seed, HEEDS MDO Solver will take a different path in its search for good regions of the design space and evaluate different designs.
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Note: The random seed only affects certain parameter optimization methods and robustness and
reliability projects. For other types of projects, it is ignored.
When you run a project again, the previous results are ignored. However, you can save your previous results to reexamine them if necessary. The Backup existing results option takes the results from your previous run and moves them to a backup folder in the project directory.
Note: Backed up results files are never overwritten. Each time you choose to back up results, they
are written to a different directory. The folder name contains the date and time the files were backed up.
To run a project again

1. If you have not made changes to the project but want to see different results, change the random seed value in the Agent Group Manager. 2. If you want to back up your existing results files, check the Backup existing results option in the Agent Group Manager. 3. Save your project so the latest run files will be generated. Otherwise, the files may not contain your latest changes. 4. Select the Run tab, and click the Run button to start the project: If you chose Backup existing results, a command prompt window will appear for each agent group. If you did not choose to back up your previous results, you will see the following message:
5. Click one of the following:

Button Yes Description To continue the run without backing up the results. The run will start and you will see the command prompt window.
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Button No
Description To abort the run. The run will be aborted so you can choose Backup existing results before continuing.
6. After you start the project, you can close the Modeler if you want or work on another project. You can reopen the running project at any time to view the progress.
Warning! Do not close the command prompt window or the run will stop. If you need to get the
command prompt window out of the way, click minimize it. in the upper right corner of the window to
Note: If you have not made changes to the project and do not change the random seed, your results
will not be noticeably different from the previous run.
Restarting a run
There may be occasions when you want or need to restart a run. By using one of the Restart options instead of simply rerunning the project, you can make use of the results from the previous run instead of restarting from scratch. When you restart a run, the current results will be backed up automatically. The results for that run will be used but only the results for the new run will appear in the results files in the project directory. To restart a project run, you have two optionsContinue or Extend: If your run is terminated before completion, you can continue the run from the evaluation where it left off using the Continue option. Continuing a run is only available for parameter optimization, DOE, and robustness and reliability projects. In some cases, you may run a parameter optimization project to completion but think it could still find better designs if it ran a little longer. In this case, you can use the Extend option to extend the current run instead of starting a new run from scratch. This option is only available for parameter optimization projects using SHERPA, Genetic Algorithm, or MO-SHERPA. You cannot extend DOE or robustness and reliability projects.
Continuing a run
The Continue option allows you to restart a run from where it left off after an interruption (for example, if you accidentally closed the command prompt window). When you continue a run, the Solver skips to the evaluations that have not been performed yet, but uses the results from the evaluations that have already run.
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In most instances, you will use the Continue option to simply finish a run that has been interrupted. If this is the case, do not change your project setup (unless you want to increase the number of evaluations).
Note: If you change the number of evaluations, HEEDS MDO Solver will complete that many evaluations for the project. For example, say that you set up a project to run 100 evaluations. If the run terminates with only 21 evaluations done, and you leave the number of evaluations set to 100, 79 evaluations will be performed when you continue the run. If you change the number of evaluations to 150 before continuing the run, 129 evaluations will be performed (the 79 remaining from the original run plus the 50 more you added).
The Continue option may also be used to rerun a project using the previous results. In such cases, you may want to make changes to the search method, the number of evaluations, or the random seed:
You may change the Number of evaluations or any parameters having to do with the number of evaluations. Search method. Random seed (not recommended for continued runs). Do not change Variable or response definitions. The state file prefix. Process definitions or tagging.
Important: Do NOT change the random seed if you are continuing a run that was interrupted, as it
will not be the same HEEDS MDO Solver run, even if you dont change anything else. The random seed should be changed only in cases where you choose to rerun a project to get different results, but still want to use the results from a previous run.
To continue a run
1. Make any changes you want to make to the project. Only the following can be changed: Number of evaluations or values that determine the number of evaluations (e.g., number of cycles for the Genetic Algorithm method). Search methods (parameter optimization only). Random seed (not recommended for continued runs).
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Note: This first step is optional. If you simply want to finish the run that terminated, skip to step 2.
2. In the Agent Group Manager, check the Restart box. The Backup existing results option will be checked automatically, and the Continue and Extend radio buttons will become available for selection:
3. Select Continue. 4. Save and run the project. A warning message may appear (depending on how the first run was stopped):
To run the project, click Yes. If you decide not to continue the run, click No. 5. If you click Yes, a command prompt will appear. The project will continue from the evaluation where it left off.
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Extending a run
You may want to extend a run that has been completed to find better results. If your project is a parameter optimization project using SHERPA, Genetic Algorithm, or MO-SHERPA, you can use the Extend option. While Extend is specifically designed to extend a run that has already been completed, it may also be practical to use it to continue a run in cases where a large number of evaluations have been completed. In such cases, it is often faster to extend a run than continue it because all of the HEEDS MDO Solver calculations will have already been made and the unsuccessful evaluations will be skipped. Before a run can be extended, one cycle needs to be completed from the previous run. To determine if one cycle has been completed, open the project directory and see if the .ckp file exists. If it does, you can extend the run.
Important! When you extend a run, you cannot make any changes to your project except for the
number of evaluations.
To extend a run
1. In the Agent Group Manager, check the Restart check box. The Backup existing results check box will automatically be checked and the Continue and Extend radio buttons will become active:
2. Select the Extend radio button.
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3. In the Methods Manager (on the Assembly tab), enter the number of additional evaluations you want to do in the extended run for each agent in the group. 4. Save and run your project.
Hint: If your parameter optimization run uses something other than the SHERPA, Genetic Algorithm, or MO-SHERPA methods, or if you want to extend a DOE run, you cannot use Extend. However, you can simulate an extension with Continue.
To extend a run with Continue, do the following:
1.
2. 3.
Increase the number of evaluations by the number you want to extend by (e.g., if you want to run 50 more evaluations and your original number was 100, enter 50 and HEEDS MDO Solver will do 50 more evaluations for a total of 150). Select the Restart and Continue options. Save and run your project.
IMPORTANT: Do not change the random seed or the method.
Monitoring a Run
The command prompt window can be used to monitor the status of your run. While a project is running, each evaluation event is logged on the screen. From this screen, you can determine if your project is running and approximately where it is in your run.
Note: You can also monitor the in-process results of your run through the Run tab displays (see
page 368). For some projects, looking at the post-processing results may also be helpful.
Stopping a run
If you want to abort a running project, you must do so from the command prompt window. You can stop a run at any time. You may wish to do this if you are satisfied with the results, if the results so far indicate that the design should be reconfigured, or if you do not have time to let the run flow to completion. You can also pause a run and then choose whether to continue it or not. Usually, it is best to pause the run first, even if you intend to abort it.
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Note: For projects with more than one agent group, each agent group needs to be stopped
individually to stop a HEEDS MDO Solver run.
To pause a run
1. Make the command prompt window active by clicking on the title bar. 2. Press Esc. The run will pause after the current evaluation is done. 3. Two options will be displayed on the screen:
4. You may keep the run paused for as long as you need to. While it is paused, you can look at the results so far on the Run or Post tab or look at the results files. When you are ready to continue, type the option you want E1 stops the run. E2 continues the run. 5. Press Enter.
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To stop a run that was initiated from within the Modeler without pausing it
1. Display the command prompt window if you have minimized it. 2. Click the in the upper right corner to close the window. When the window is closed, the run will stop.
Note: If a run is terminated without using the Esc key, any evaluations that are in progress will
continue to run. You will need to abort the evaluations manually if you do not want to wait for them to terminate.
Viewing the Runtime Plots

Through the HEEDS MDO Modeler, you can monitor the progress of your project run. You can do this regardless of whether you started your project from the Modeler or from the command line. You should note, however, that it may take time for any results to appear at all. No plot data is available until after a successful evaluation is completed. If your evaluations each take approximately an hour to run, it could be as long as one hour before you see any results.
To view project runtime plots

1. Reopen the project you want to view in the HEEDS MDO Modeler. 2. Click on the Run tab. 3. Follow the instructions below to view the plot you want.
Viewing the performance plots

For parameter optimization projects, you can view performance results during the run. The plot shows the number of design evaluations completed and the progression of the performance rating. Performance is a composite sum of the normalized objective(s) and any constraints that are violated. Violated constraints reduce the performance of a design. Constraints that are satisfied do not affect the performance of the design. This information is not available for DOE or robustness and reliability projects, as they do not track design performance.
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To view the performance plot

1. If you have a variable or response selected in the Variables or Responses list on the right, remove the . 2. Click the Update button on the Run tab. A thumbnail plot will appear on the Opt_Agent button:
3. If you have more than one agent, each agent will have its own thumbnail:
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4. To view the full-scale performance plot for a given agent, click on the thumbnail. The plot will appear below:
The line shows how well the objective(s) are doing and how close the constraints are to being satisfied. If you are trying to minimize an objective, the value should get progressively lower. If you are trying to maximize it, it should get higher.
Note: To view updated results you must click the Update button.
Displaying the variable plots

All types of projects display variable plots. The variable plot shows the value selection for a given variable as the run progresses. You may view the plot for any variable during the run.
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To view a variable plot

1. Select the variable you want to view from the Project Variables list. A button for the variable will replace the Performance button. 2. Click the Update button on the Run tab. A thumbnail plot will appear on the button:
3. To view the full-scale plot for the variable, click on the thumbnail. The plot will appear below:
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The dots in the plot represent the values of the selected variable for each design. For DOE and robustness and reliability projects, only the variable selection is shown. For parameter optimization projects, the value of the selected variable for the best design so far will be plotted. For continuous variables, you will also see lines representing the maximum and minimum values and the baseline. If your project has more than one agent, a thumbnail plot will appear for each agent that contains the variable. When you click Update, all the thumbnails will update. To view the fullscale plot for the variable for a particular agent, click on the thumbnail for that agent. If the variable is not used for a given agent, the button will be blank.
Displaying the response plots

The response plots are similar to the variable plots. They track the response values for each response as the run progresses.
To view a response plot

1. Select the response you want to view from the Project Responses list. A button for the response will replace the Performance button. 2. Click the Update button on the Run tab. A thumbnail plot will appear on the button:
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3. To view the full-scale plot for the response, click on the thumbnail. The plot will appear below:
The dots in the plot represent the response values for each design. No other information appears for DOE and robustness and reliability projects. For parameter optimization projects, the value of the response from the best design found is plotted. Plots for constraint responses also display a line showing the constraint. If your project has more than one agent, a thumbnail plot for the response you select will appear for each agent in which it is used. When you click Update, all the thumbnails will update. To view the full-scale plot for the response for a particular agent, click on the thumbnail plot for that agent.
Displaying the agent group message (.MES) files

You can also view the agent group message files from the Run tab. Each agent group has a separate file. This file contains information about the run and error messages if errors occur during the run. The initial information will be available shortly after the project starts running. Then, as each evaluation completes, a line logging the start time and completion of each evaluation will be added. This is the same information that is displayed in the command prompt window.
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To display the message file

1. Click Update. 2. Click on the agent group. The file will appear below:
3. To read the data, use the scroll bar on the right.
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23. Troubleshooting
Certain types of problems prevent HEEDS MDO Solver from running at all. Usually, these are setup related. If results cannot be extracted from the first evaluation, HEEDS MDO Solver will stop, unless you have enabled the Skip first evaluation results check option in the Agent Group Manager, because it assumes that the problem was caused by a user error. However, as long as it is able to extract data from the first evaluation, HEEDS MDO Solver will continue to run, regardless of whether any subsequent evaluations were successful. Any unsuccessful evaluations are logged in the agent group message file (the .MES file displayed on the Run tab). You should check the message file periodically to make sure that your evaluations are running correctly.
Note: If you are running a project with more than one agent group, the groups will work
independently, so if one agent group does not run, the others are not affected. Troubleshoot each agent by following the procedures below.
If your project does not run . . .

If your HEEDS MDO project does not run, there are three likely reasons: (1) the project was not completely defined, (2) the command to execute (which is a concatenation of the Execution File and Command Line Options fields in the Analysis Manager) is wrong, or (3) errors exist in the baseline files. Some projects may not run simply because the first design was bad. To find the problem, do the following: 1. Display the message file from the Run tab (see page 373) or open it in any word processor or text editor. If you choose to do the latter, you will find the file in the project directory. It will have the name of the agent group as the file name and the extension .mes (e.g., Agent_Group_1.mes, 2DAgent.mes). 2. Scroll past the header information. If you see a message similar to the following, either the command to execute was wrong or there is a problem with the input file: The first design evaluation for agent 0 was unsuccessful. 3. Following the message, you will see the list of values, labeled measure 1, measure 2, etc. At the end of those lines, the error messages will start. Take a look at the first message:
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4. The output file in the message indicates where the error occurred. Continue troubleshooting with step 5. 5. Check the Command To Execute for the analysis that produces the output file to make sure it is correct. a. Be sure to check for misspellings and errors in the path to the executable. b. If the command line is incorrect, correct the error(s) and run the project again. c. Otherwise, continue with step 6.
6. If the command line has no errors, check to make sure you have included all input files needed for the evaluation. a. All input files used for your baseline design are required, even if they do not contain any project variables. The M_ (marking), P_ (portal) versions of your tagged input file(s) and all untagged files must be in the project directory. If any are missing, add them to the appropriate analysis and rerun the project. b. Otherwise, continue with step 7. 7. If the problem is not in the evaluation definition, go to the evaluation directory and open the design folder mentioned in the error message. (If you are only saving the latest best design, the folder may be named Design1-ERROR). a. Open the different analysis folders and check the output files (if any) for clues as to what might be causing the problem with the input files. b. For further information, check the Tooln_out.msg file for possible clues. This file contains the messages that would be written out to a command prompt window if you were running the project manually.
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8. If you find a problem in any of the input files, you will need to update the files. After you make your changes to the original input file, go to the Tagging tab and update the file (see page 135 if you do not know how). Then, save the project and run the project again. 9. If you find no problems, it could be that the first evaluation was unsuccessful for other reasons than an erroneous setup. Examine the input file for the design to determine if the problem was caused by an illogical combination of variable values: If it was not, the error is probably in the input file. Fix the error as directed in step 5 and run the project again. If it was, enable the Skip first evaluation results check in the Agent Group Manager and run the project again. Monitor evaluations and stop the run if there are no successful evaluations after a small number have run.
If problems occur during the run . . .

If the first evaluation is successful or if you chose to skip the first evaluation results check, HEEDS MDO Solver will continue to run. Errors are logged in the project message file. If problems occur with a given evaluation during a run, HEEDS MDO Solver will not terminate. If an evaluation is not successful and HEEDS MDO Solver is not able to extract the required results, it realizes that that was a bad design and continues with the next one. You should check the message file after the run starts and periodically after that to make sure it is progressing successfully. The .RES file contains a column which indicates whether the design was classified as feasible, unfeasible, or error (unsuccessful). You can check the file to find out if there are an unusual number of error designs. Unsuccessful designs are also reported in the .PLOT and .DAT files for parameter optimization projects, along with the best designs. They will have a performance rating of -1.0e99. If you have a few bad designs here and there, it is nothing to be concerned about. The most likely cause is the random selection of an illogical value combination (e.g., a hole with a diameter of 6" in a plate with a width of only 5"). If there are very few successful evaluations, however, you should check the input files and output files for the bad designs to see if the problem is set up correctly.
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Part 6 Post-Processing
24. Viewing Your Results

HEEDS MDO provides several ways for you to view your project results. Post-processing plots are displayed on the Post tab (fig. 1) of the HEEDS MDO Modeler. The types of plots displayed depend on the type of agents your project contains.
Fig. 1. Post tab
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Viewing results
You can view the contents of the run results files themselves and the contents of any input files and output files that were saved for your designs. You can also view the postprocessing results for all project types except DOE projects at any time during the run. You do not have to wait until the run is completed. DOE projects do not display any results until the project is completed. Post-processing plots can be viewed from within the Modeler for any project. Simply reopen the project in the Modeler and click on the Post tab.
Copying and pasting plots

In addition to viewing the plots, you can copy them to the clipboard and paste them into documents or save them as bitmap files through a bitmap graphics program.
Parameter Optimization Plots

There are four different types of post-processing plots for parameter optimization projects. The performance plot shows the performance of the best designs throughout the run. The agent variable plots trace the value selection for each variable The agent response plots trace the values for each response. These plots are fundamentally the same plots that are displayed on the Run tab and contain the same information. However, from the Post tab, you can copy the plots to the clipboard, which permits you to place them in documents, save them as bitmap files and/or print them. The fourth plotthe parallel plotcontains a composite view of the variable and response values for all designs evaluated. The plot has two filters you can use to narrow down the evaluations that are included and to select the variables and responses you want to view in the plot. In addition to the four plots, the Post tab contains information about the best designs found during the run. The designs are ranked based on performance.
The performance plot

The performance plot is located on the Performance tab of the Parameter Optimization Post Processor. It is the default plot displayed for an agent:
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Viewing Your Results
You can also open the plot in a separate window. This is useful if you want to keep it open while you look at another plot for the project or even another project.
To open the plot in a separate window

1. Right-click on the plot to display the menu. 2. Select Open from the menu. The plot will open in a separate window. 3. To close the window, click in the upper right corner.
The variable plots

You can view a plot of the variable value selection for each agent variable in the project. The post-processing variable plots show the same information as the plots used to monitor your run on the Run tab.
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To view a variable plot

1. Click on the Agent Variables tab. A display containing a thumbnail plot for each variable will appear:
2. Find the variable you want to look at. If they do not all fit on one page, use the Next and Back buttons in the bottom right corner to page through them. 3. Right-click on the thumbnail for the variable you want to view to display the pop-up menu. 4. Select Open from the menu and the full-size plot will appear in a window:
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5. To close the window, click
in the upper right corner.
The response plots

You can view a plot of the response values for the run for each agent response in the project. They contain the same information as the response plots on the Run tab.
To view a response plot

1. Click on the Agent Responses tab. A display containing a thumbnail plot for each agent response will appear:
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2. Find the response you want to look at. If they do not all fit on one page, use the Next and Back buttons in the bottom right corner to page through them. 3. Right-click on the thumbnail for the response you want to view to display the pop-up menu. 4. Select Open from the menu and the full-size plot will appear in a window. 5. To close the window, click in the upper right corner.
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The designs
The Designs tab contains information about the best designs found during the run. Information is displayed for up to 100 designs:
The designs are ranked in order from 1 to 100 based on performance. For each design, it displays the following information: Evaluation number Design flag Design source Performance rating Values returned by the responses Values assigned to the variables The evaluation number corresponds to the number of the design folder in the evaluation directory that contains the input files used and output files generated (see page 432).
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The Parallel plot

The Parallel Plot tab contains a composite view of the variable and response values for all designs evaluated:
Each line in the plot represents one design. When you first display the plot, you will see all designs. You can show how a design compares to the others by selecting the evaluation number from the Evaluation list:
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The design and its associated variables and responses will be highlighted in the plot:
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You can control the evaluations that are included and the variables and responses that appear in the plot with two filtersthe Evaluation Filter and the Response/Variable Filter: The Evaluation Filter for all weighted-sum parameter optimization methods allows you to filter the evaluations into one of three subsets (classes)feasible, infeasible, and error. For projects using the Genetic Algorithm method, you can also filter designs by cycle number. The Response/Variable Filter allows you to select specific variables and/or responses to view in the plot. You can also change their order and range. These two filters work together to narrow down the display to the results you want to view in the plot.
Note: MO-SHERPA optimization projects have additional filtering options, which are explained on
page 409.
Using the Evaluation Filter

If you dont want to view all designs, you can set the Evaluation Filter to narrow down the evaluations that will be included in the display. After you set your filter options, the Evaluation list will contain only those evaluations allowed by your filter.
To filter designs using the Evaluation Filter

1. Select the set of designs you want to view from the Class list:
Select All to view all design evaluations. Select Feasible to view all designs that meet the constraints.
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Select Infeasible to view all designs that did not meet one or more of the constraints. Select Error to view designs for which results could not be extracted. 2. For parameter optimization projects using the GA method, select the cycle number from the Cycle Number list:
3. To view all cycles, select All. 4. After you select your filters, click either of the Replot buttons. The designs you filtered will be displayed in the plot:
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The evaluation list under Selection will display only the evaluations allowed by the filter. 5. Select the evaluations you want to view from the Evaluation list.
Limiting the variables and responses

The Responses/Variables Filter allows you to select specific variables and responses to view in the plot and specify the order in which you want them to appear in the plot.
To filter the variables and responses

1. Unless you plan to include most of the variables and responses listed, check the check box next to Name to uncheck all variables and responses:
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2. Select the variables and responses you want to include by doing any or all of the following: Check the check boxes next to the variables and responses you want to view:
Remove the check from any you do not want to include. Click the box in front of Name to recheck all the variables and responses in the list. 3. Click one of the Replot buttons. Only the selected variables and/or responses for the evaluations allowed by the Evaluation Filter will be displayed in the plot. 4. Select the evaluations you want to see from the Evaluation list.
To change the response/variable list display

1. Select the Checked radio button to display to only the checked variables and/or responses. 2. Select the All radio button to redisplay all the variables and responses. 3. These display options only affect what you see in the list. They do not affect what is displayed in the plot.
To change the order of the displayed variables or responses

1. Select the Checked radio button to display only the checked variables and/or responses in the list.
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2. Click on the name of the variable or response you want to move. You will see a next to the selected variable or response: 3. Right-click anywhere in the table to display the context menu:
4. Select one of the following options: Raise to move the selected variable or response up in the list. Lower to move the selected variable or response down in the list. 5. After you have finished rearranging your variables and responses, click one of the Replot buttons. The new order will be displayed in the plot:
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Your rearranged order will remain displayed in the plot until you leave the Post tab: If you select the All radio button, the variables in the list will be displayed in their original order but the plot display will not change. When you select Checked, the display order will return. If you display another plot on the Post tab and return to the parallel plot, the variable/response order will be redisplayed exactly as you left it. When you leave the Post tab, the original order will be restored.
To return the plot display to its original order without leaving the Post tab
1. Select the All radio button.
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2. Uncheck all variables by removing the check in front of None. 3. Recheck None. This will recheck all variables and place them in the correct order.
Changing a variable/response range

The default Upper and Lower values are the highest and lowest values that were selected or returned during the run. You can change the range of a variable or response to further control what you will see in the plot. When you change the range, only evaluations allowed by your Evaluation Filter that contain variable or response values within the range you specify will be listed in the Evaluation list. You can change the range of more than one variable or response. If you do this, the displayed evaluations will need to meet the range limitations of all the changed variables or responses. Since the Evaluation Filter is also applied, the number of evaluations you see may be quite small. If no evaluations appear, there are no designs that meet your criteria. If you are filtering the range of several variables, you may want to apply a less restrictive Evaluation Filter to start with to make sure designs that fall within your range exist.
To change a variable or response range

1. Click in the Lower value field of the variable or response you want to change to highlight the default value:
2. Replace the Lower value with the value you want to set as the low end of the range. 3. Click in the variable or responses Upper value field to highlight the default value. 4. Replace the Upper value with the value you want to set as the high end of the range.
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5. Click one of the Replot buttons. The new range for that variable or response will be displayed in the plot and only designs with values that fit within that range will appear. 6. To reset the default range values, do one of the following: To reset the ranges of all variables and responses, click All. To reset a specific variable or response, select the variable or response, and click Selected:
Projects with more than one agent

If your project has more than one agent, they will be listed in the Agents list on the left:
The currently displayed agent will be highlighted. Each agent has its own set of plots.
To display the plots for a selected agent

1. Select the agent you want to display from the agent list. 2. The Performance plot for the selected agent will appear. 3. To view one of the other plots, select the appropriate tab.
Pareto Optimization (MO-SHERPA)

Parameter optimization projects that use the Pareto optimization method MO-SHERPA have all the plots that standard parameter optimizations have. If there are only two objectives, a Pareto front plot will also appear. The parallel plot for Pareto optimization projects has more filtering options than it has for weighted-sum optimization projects.
The Pareto front plot

The Pareto front plot allows you to display the Pareto front that was archived for each cycle. The front for the last cycle contains the optimal set of designs for the project. The plot shows a dot for each design on the Pareto front. The maximum number will be the number you specified as the archive size in the Methods Manager. The performance and the best designs based on the weighted combination of all the objectives are also calculated for a Pareto optimization, although the designs are not used in determining the values for subsequent designs. However, if your normalizing coefficients are reasonable, the results might give some added useful information. If any designs in the Pareto set for the last cycle also appear in the best designs, they are probably worth looking at. When you first display the Pareto front plot, all designs that have been included in the Pareto front for every cycle that has run will be displayed in the plot. All ranks will be included. If you access the plot earlier in the run, the dots will be scattered across the chart. As the run progresses, more of the dots will converge along a typical Pareto front curve:
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Filtering the evaluations by cycle

The All option gives you an overall picture of the run, but it is not particularly useful in determining which designs are your best options. The Evaluation Filter allows you to view the Pareto front for a given cycle.
To view the Pareto front for a given cycle

1. Select the cycle from the Cycle Number list:
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2. Select All from the Rank list to view all designs for that cycle. During the early stages of a run, the front will have a more random pattern. There will usually be dots from rank 2 or below, as well as the dots from rank 1. If there are not enough nondominated designs from rank 1, rank 2 designs will be added. If the number of nondominated designs in rank 2 does not fill the archive size, then rank 3 will be used, etc. Each rank has a corresponding color, which is shown in the Plot Visualization box:
If you click on cycle 0 or 1, you might see something like this:
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As the run progresses, the front will converge into a typical Pareto front curve and there will be fewer designs from ranks 2, 3, etc. In the last few cycles, most or all of the designs will be from rank 1. The final cycle contains the final Pareto front:
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Filtering by rank
The Evaluation Filter also allows you to filter your designs by rank. Once you select the cycle number and rank, the filtered designs will be displayed in the chart.
To filter designs by rank

1. Select the cycle number from the Cycle Number list. 2. Select the rank from the Rank list:
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3. The designs for that cycle and rank will be displayed in the plot:
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The Evaluation list

When you select a cycle, the designs that were included in the Pareto front for that cycle will appear in the Evaluation list. When you view the last cycle after the run is finished, the list will contain the optimal design set. To look at where a particular design falls on the front, select that evaluation number from the Evaluation list:
A black asterisk will appear on the chart to show the values:
One of the objectives will be represented on the horizontal axis and the other on the vertical axis. Usually, the designs with the best tradeoffs are found around the knee of the curve. The designs at the ends of the curve are more optimal for one objective but are only adequate for the other.
Note: For projects with more than two objectives, you will need to look at the .PTO file to get this
information (see page 431).
You can sort the evaluations in the list by selecting one of the Sort by radio buttons under Selection:
x-axis sorts the evaluations according to their position on the x-axis. For example, if you sort by x-axis and use the arrow keys to move down the evaluation list, you will see the black asterisk progress from left to right across the plot, moving from one evaluation to the next:
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Eval sorts the evaluations numerically. This is useful when you are looking for a specific design. Since the evaluations are in numerical order instead of the order in which they appear on the curve, the black asterisk will move around the plot as you select evaluations:
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The Freeze Plot Scales option

The plot scales will scale automatically so all of the plotted points for each cycle are visible on the chart. Therefore, the plot scales can differ depending on the cycle. There may be times, however, when you want to compare how the Pareto front changes between cycles. You can use the Freeze Plot Scales option to keep the scale the same for all cycles while you are comparing them.
To use the Freeze Plot Scales option

1. Select All or the cycle number with the scale you want to freeze from the Cycle Number list. 2. Check the Freeze Plot Scales checkbox:
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3. Filter and select the evaluations you want to compare and look at them in the plot.
Note: Only the designs that can be plotted on the frozen scales will be plotted. If no designs can be
plotted for a given cycle, no plot will appear.
The MO-SHERPA parallel plot

The MO-SHERPA parallel plot contains a composite view of the variable and response values for all designs evaluated:
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The plot looks just like the weighted-sum (non-MO-SHERPA) parameter optimization plots. Each line in the plot represents one design. When you first display the plot, you will see all designs. As with the non-MO-SHERPA parallel plots, you can show how an evaluation compares to the others by selecting an evaluation number from the Evaluation list:
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Like the parallel plots for weighted-sum optimization projects, you can control the evaluations that are included and the variables and responses that appear in the plot with the same two filtersEvaluation and Response/Variable. However, there are more options available for the Evaluation Filter.

The Evaluation Filter allows you to filter the designs by Cycle Type, Class, Cycle Number, and Rank. For MO-SHERPA projects, there are two views of the results: The Pareto type displays the Pareto set results for each cycle. The Evaluation type displays all of the evaluations performed in a cycle. Because the Pareto set includes the non-dominated designs for each cycle, it is likely that some of the included designs for the Pareto cycle type were evaluated in a previous cycle. For this reason, a relatively good design that was evaluated early in the run could be in the Pareto set for a number of (or even all) cycles. The Evaluation cycle type, on the other hand, will include only designs that were actually evaluated in the selected cycle. There will be no duplicate evaluations from cycle to cycle.

1. Click the in the Cycle Type field to display a drop-down list:
2. Select the cycle type: To view designs in the Pareto set for a given cycle, select Pareto. To view all designs that were evaluated in a given cycle, select Evaluation. 3. Select the class of designs you want to view from the Class list:
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To view all design evaluations, select All. To view all designs that meet the constraints, select Feasible. To view all designs that did not meet one or more of the constraints, select Infeasible To view designs for which results could not be extracted, select Error. 4. Select the cycle number from the Cycle Number list or All to view all cycles:
5. Selecting All for both the class and cycle number will show all designs, regardless of cycle type. 6. If you selected Pareto as the cycle type and selected a cycle number, select the rank from the Rank list or All to view all designs in the Pareto front for the cycle:
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Rank is not active for the Evaluation cycle type. 7. After you select your filter options, click either of the Replot buttons. The designs you filtered will be displayed in the plot:
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Using the Response/Variable filter

The Response/Variable Filter is identical to the one used for non-MO-SHERPA plots. It allows you to select specific variables and/or responses to view in the plot and change their order and range. For more information on using the Response/Variable Filter, see pages 390394.
Note: Because the evaluation filter for MO-SHERPA is more restrictive than for other parameter
optimization parallel plots, you may find very few or even no designs when you narrow down the range of values. You may want to make your filter less restrictive to start with.
DOE Post-Processing Plots

There are eight different plots for DOE studies: Pareto Chart, Main Effects, Interaction Effects, MARS Response Surface, Quadratic Response Surface, Linear Response Surface, Response Surface Fit and Parallel Plot. The first seven examine the project responses to determine how much influence a given factor had on the response. The parallel plot shows a composite view of the variable and response values for all designs evaluated. It should be noted that you usually will not see all of these plots for your DOE study. The plots that are available depend on the DOE method type used. If a plot does not appear, that information was not collected for your study.
The Pareto chart

The Pareto chart tells you which factor or factor interaction affected a particular response the most. Values that have less than a 1% influence are not shown. Note that everything is relative in this plotall of the factor influences add up to 100%. There is one Pareto chart for each agent response. The Pareto chart may not appear for some DOE methods.
To display the Pareto chart for a response

1. Select the Pareto Chart tab.
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2. Select the response that you want to view from the Agent Responses list. The Pareto chart for that response will appear:
To view the plot in a separate window

1. Display the plot you want to view. 2. Right-click on the plot to display the pop-up menu. 3. Select Open from the menu. 4. To close the window, click in the upper right corner.
Main effects plots

The main effects plots show the effect on a particular response as the factors go from their low value to their high value. For three-level DOEs, the mid value is also plotted. All plots have the same scale. The slopes directly correspond to the sizes of the bars in the Pareto chart. The higher the slope, the more effect it has on the response.
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To view a main effects plot

1. Select the Main Effects tab. 2. Select the response that you want to view from the Agent Responses list. A thumbnail plot for each factor will appear on the screen:
3. Find the factor you want to view. If all the factors do not fit on the page, use the Next and Back buttons in the lower right corner to page through them. 4. Right-click on the thumbnail for the factor you want to view to display the menu. 5. Select Open from the menu and the plot will appear in the window:
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6. To close the window, click the
in the upper right corner.
Interaction effects plots

The interaction effects plots show the effect of two factors working together. They appear for two-level DOE studies only. Interaction effects are not computed for three-level DOEs. As in the main effect plots, the slope of the plot is related to the size of the bar in the Pareto chart. The number of interactions that can be computed depends on the number of evaluations that are performed. In a full-factorial DOE, all of the interaction effects can be computed. In a DOE with fewer evaluations, fewer interactions can be computed. If no interactions can be computed, this plot will not appear.
To view an interaction effects plot

1. Select the Interaction Effects tab. 2. Select the response that you want to view from the Agent Responses list. A thumbnail plot for each factor combination that was computed will appear on the screen:
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3. Find the factor combination you want to view. If all the thumbnails do not fit on the page, use the Next and Back buttons in the lower right corner to page through them. 4. Right-click on the thumbnail for the factor you want to view to display the pop-up menu. 5. Select Open from the pop-up menu and the plot will appear in the window:
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6. The response is always represented on the y-axis of the plot and one of the factors is represented on the x-axis. The two lines represent the high and low values of the second factor: The blue line represents the high value. The red line represents the low value. They show the effect on the response when the two factors interact. 7. To close the window, click in the upper right corner.
The response surface plots

The three response surface plotsMARS, quadratic, and linearallow you to look at twodimensional slices of your design space and experiment with the effects of variable changes on your design. Which plots are available for a given DOE depends on the complexity of the DOE. For two-level DOEs, there is only enough information for a Linear Response Surface.
To view response surface plots

1. Click on the tab for the plot you want to view: If the tab page is blank, that response surface was not calculated for the DOE. If the response surface was calculated, you will see plots similar to those below:
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There is a plot for each response. The response is the y-axis. The Agent Variables (factors) are listed at the left. Select the factor for the x-axis by clicking the corresponding radio button. The variable name will appear on the plots. To see the effects of changes to the other variables on the responses, move the slider to adjust the value. To view a larger version of a given plot, right-click on the plot you want to view and select Open from the pop-up menu. The plot in the window is dynamic and will reflect any changes you make to the variables on the response surface tab.
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Response surface fit

The Response Surface Fit tab shows the reliability of response surfaces that are plotted for the DOE. Information is available for each response.
To display the response surface fit

1. Click on the Response Surface Fit tab. Information for the first response will appear on the screen. 2. From the Agent Responses list, select the response whose information you want to view. Plots for each of the response surfaces will appear:
3. The 45-degree line shows the ideal condition, which would occur if the response surface prediction exactly matched the results from an actual evaluation. The dots show the actual versus the predicted values: If the actual values line up close to the line, the response surface is a reliable fit. If most of the actual values do not line up alongside the line, the response surface is not a good representation of the design space. 4. To view a larger version of the plot, right-click on the plot, and select Open from the pop-up menu.
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The parallel plot

The Parallel Plot appears for all DOE projects. Like the plots for parameter optimization, it contains a composite view of the variables and responses for all designs evaluated:
Note: If your Post tab contains tabs for all available plots, you will not see the Parallel Plot tab until
you click the arrows at the end of the row.
Each line in the plot represents one design. When you first display the plot, you will see all designs. You can show how an evaluation compares to the others by selecting the evaluation number from the Evaluation list:
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You can control the evaluations that are included and the variables and responses that appear in the plot with the Evaluation and Response/Variable filters. These filters are identical to the ones found in parameter optimization projects, except that the filtering classes are different.
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The Evaluation Filter allows you to select the class of the evaluations you want to view. For DOE projects, there are three optionsAll, Successful, and Error. After you set your filter, the Evaluation list will contain only those evaluations allowed by the filter.

1. Select the class of the designs you want to view from the Class list:
Select All to show all designs. Select Successful to show all the good designs. Select Error to view designs for which results could not be extracted. 2. After you select your class, click either of the Replot buttons. The designs you filtered will be displayed in the plot:
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The Response/Variable Filter allows you to select specific variables and/or responses to view in the plot. You can also change their order and range. It is the same filter that is available for the parameter optimization parallel plots. For more information on using the Response/Variable Filter, see pages 390394. You can use this filter effectively to view all designs that were assigned the lower value for a given variable or all designs that were assigned the upper value by assigning a value that excludes the end of the range you dont want to see (a higher value for the Lower and a lower value for the Upper). To view all designs that were assigned the mid value, assign Lower and Upper values that will filter out the high and low values for the variable.
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Note: If you do not see any designs for a two-level DOE after you set and replot your range, you
may have accidentally filtered out your high and low values for one of the variables.
Robustness and Reliability Post-Processing Plots

The Robustness and Reliability Post Processor displays a probability distribution plot for each response and a parallel plot, which displays the variables and responses for all designs evaluated.
The probability distribution plots

The probability distribution plot is basically a histogram, with all of the designs put into 15 bins. This plot should be viewed both during the run and after the run is completed. During the run, the shape of the histogram should not change too much. The more stable the shape of the histogram is during the run, the more confidence you will have in the end results. After the run is completed, you should examine the mean and standard deviation, which are displayed at the top of the plot. The values that you are looking for depend on the problem. In general, the smaller the standard deviation, the more robust your design is to variable perturbations.
To display the probability distribution for a response

1. Select the response that you want to view from the Agent Responses list. 2. The probability distribution plot for that response will appear:
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To monitor the histogram during a run

1. Return to the Run tab. 2. Switch back to the Post tab. This will force the data to update.
Note: The post-processing plot data updates when you first click on the Post tab and whenever you
redisplay it.
To view the plot in a separate window

1. Display the plot you want to view. 2. Right-click on the plot to display the pop-up menu. 3. Select Open from the menu. 4. To close the window, click in the upper right corner.
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Hint: A good way to monitor the histogram for a response during the run is to open the plot in a window the first time you view it on the Post tab. The plot in the window does not update, so you can
compare it to the current view. You can also open other periodic samples during the run if you wish.
The Parallel plot

The Parallel Plot contains a composite view of the variables and responses for all designs evaluated:
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Each line in the plot represents one design. When you first display the plot, you will see all designs. You can show how an evaluation compares to the others by selecting an evaluation number from the Evaluation list:
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You can control the evaluations that are included and the variables and responses that appear in the plot with the Evaluation and Response/Variable filters. The available options are identical to the ones for DOE studies.

The Evaluation Filter allows you to select the class of the evaluations you want to view. For robustness and reliability projects, there are three optionsAll, Successful, and Error. After you set your filter, the Evaluation list will contain only those evaluations allowed by your filter.

1. Select the class of the designs you want to view from the Class list:
Select All to show all designs. Select Successful to show all the good designs. Select Error to view designs for which results could not be extracted. 2. After you select your class, click either of the Replot buttons. The designs you filtered will be displayed in the plot. The evaluation list under Selection will display only the evaluations allowed by the filter. 3. Select the evaluations you want to view from the Evaluation list.

The Response/Variable Filter allows you to select specific variables and/or responses to view in the plot. You can also change their order and range. It is the same filter that is
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available for the parameter optimization and DOE parallel plots. For more information on using the Response/Variable Filter, see pages 390394.
Copying Plots to the Clipboard

Copying a plot to the clipboard enables you to place the plot in a document or in a presentation. You can also import it into any raster graphics program (e.g., a paint program) and save it as a bitmap file for later use. The way you copy a plot depends on whether or not it is first displayed as a thumbnail.
To copy a plot that is not displayed as a thumbnail

1. Right-click on the plot to display the pop-up menu. 2. Select Copy to Clipboard from the menu. 3. Import the clipboard copy into the application of your choice.
To copy a plot that is displayed as a thumbnail

1. Open the plot in a window. 2. Right-click in the plot window to display the pop-up menu. 3. Select Copy to Clipboard from the menu. 4. Import the clipboard copy into the application of your choice.
Note: You can also open a plot that does not appear as a thumbnail in a window before you copy it,
but it is not necessary to do so. However, if the plot is displayed as a thumbnail, you must open it in a window first. If you click Copy to Clipboard on a thumbnail, all of the thumbnails on the tab will be copied.
Results Files
While HEEDS MDO Solver runs, it creates a number of working files. The ones of interest will be the .PLOT and .RES files. These files are found in the project project directory. They are kept for all projects, whether they are single-processor or multi-processor projects.
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Note: You can also examine all saved designs in the evaluation folders (see page 432).
The PLOT and RES files

The .PLOT and .RES files contain an ongoing set of entries of design information:
File HEEDS MDOn.plot Description Contains the results for the best designs found by Agent n. HEEDS MDO Solver starts by writing the first design to the file. Then each time it finds a design that is better than the last, it adds that design to the file. At any time during the run, the last entry will be the best design found so far. In addition to the best designs, HEEDS MDO also writes out any unsuccessful designs (designs for which HEEDS MDO was unable to extract the results) to this file. Contains the results of every evaluation that is performed. This file includes the values of the variables used for the design and the values of the responses, as well as the performance rating.
HEEDS MDOn.res
If you have changed the State File Prefix for an agent group, these files will have the prefix you assigned instead of HEEDS MDO. For example, if you changed your prefix to CBEAM, the names would be: CBEAMn.plot CBEAMn.res If you have only one agent, you will have one .PLOT and one .RES file, and n will always be 0: HEEDS0.plot CBEAM0.res If you have more than one agent, there will be a .PLOT and a .RES file for each agent and n will correspond to the agent ID. To find out which agent is associated with a given .PLOT or .RES file, open Assembly.in in any word processor or text editor:
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The information for each agent is preceded by the header *AGENT. The agent name will appear directly underneath. Check the agent number (see above). That number is the agent ID and will correspond to the .PLOT and .RES file ID.
Opening results files in Excel or a text editor

While a project is running, you should only open the .plot, .res, and .gph files in a text editor that does not lock the file from being written to (e.g., Notepad, Wordpad, Vi, Gvim).
Note: Do not use Excel to open these files during the run, or the run will stop.
After the run is over, you can the look at the .plot files for a summary of the best designs found during the run and the .res file for information on all designs that were evaluated. The .res file is already in a comma-delimited format, so if you wish to open it in Excel, simply change the file extension (RES) to CSV (comma-separated values).
Pareto optimization (MO-SHERPA) results

The main results of a Pareto optimization are stored in the .PTO file. It contains the archived designs from the Pareto front for each cycle. The number in the set for each cycle is the number you entered as the Archive Size in the MO-SHERPA methods manager. The last cycle in the file contains the final Pareto front set for the run. The archived designs for a given cycle are the designs that appear as points on the Pareto front plot for that cycle after the run is completed for two-objective projects. For projects with more than two objectives, this is where you get the results.
The .PLOT and .RES files (and the other results files) are also available for Pareto optimizations. The .RES file, which contains information for all designs in the run, may be of some use. The .PLOT file contains the ten best designs based on performance, which is calculated with the objectives weighted. This is the same information that appears on the Designs tab on the Post page.
The Evaluation Directories

Evaluation directories for projects (not using HEEDS Q) are located in the project directory. There will be one evaluation directory for each agent. If you renamed the evaluation directories for your agents (see Running Your Project), the evaluation directories will have the names you gave them. Otherwise, they will have the name HEEDS_n, where n is the agent ID number: HEEDS_0 HEEDS_1
This number corresponds to agent ID. You will need to open Assembly.in (see page 430) to determine the IDs for the agents in your project. The evaluation folder contents depend on what results you chose to save for that agent (see Running Your Project). You may examine the input and output files while the project is running, as well as at the end of the run.
Parameter optimization agents

If you chose to save the Latest Best Design, there will be one folder labeled Best Design containing the files for that design. During the run, you will also see a second folder, which contains the design currently being evaluated. If you chose to save All Best Designs, there will be a folder for each saved design. They will be identified as Designn, where n is the design number. While the project is running the last folder will contain the current evaluation. It is retained if the design is the best so far and deleted if it is not. If you chose to save All Designs there will be a folder for each design in the project. They will be identified as Designn, where n is the design number.
DOE and robustness and reliability agents

If you chose to save All Designs there will be a folder for each design in the project. They will be identified as Designn, where n is the design number. If you chose to save no results, the evaluation folder will be empty.
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Part 7 Multiple-Agent Projects
25. Using Multiple Agents

In your project, each agent is associated with a process and performs the analyses that are defined for that process. Each project must have at least one agent. However, multiple agents (up to 99) can be used. The simplest HEEDS MDO problems use a single agent to search for a design and a single analysis tool to run the evaluation. More complex problems can employ multiple analysis tools and/or multiple search agents, using multiple computers if necessary to maximize search efficiency. All of this can be specified easily within the HEEDS MDO Modeler. This brings some astonishingly large problems within the range of automated optimization. The ability to use multiple agents is unique to HEEDS MDO. The value of using multiple agents depends upon the type of study and its complexity. Some types of parameter optimization projects definitely benefit from several agents. Multiple related DOE studies may be executed simultaneously using multiple DOE agents. Robustness and reliability projects will typically have only one agent, because these studies are performed on a single design candidate. Each agent controls an independent design exploration study. Within each agent, you can independently specify the number of variables and their representation, the objective and constraint functions, the search algorithms to be used, the analysis model(s) to be evaluated, and more. As good designs or design features are found by one agent, they can be shared with other agents to improve both the effectiveness and the speed of the search for an optimal design.
Multiple agents in parameter optimization

Some types of parameter optimization projects can benefit by using more than one agent. The agents can be linked and share designs. With multiple agents, you can change the nature of the search and take different approaches to solving the same problem. One agent could, for example, be used to refine the search of another by assigning the variables a higher resolution than was used by the first agent. Agents can also be used to break a large problem up into several smaller sub-problems, with each agent working with a subset of the variables or a subset of the objectives and/or constraints.
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Using Multiple Agents
Multiple agents in DOE

While most DOE studies use a single agent, projects with a large number of factors requiring analysis may benefit by using multiple agents. If the number of factors exceeds the number that can be handled by a single DOE, breaking the project up and using several agents can make the project tractable. Care must be taken, however, to make sure that you separate the factors in a way that does not affect interaction among them. Even major interactions among factors will not be detected if those factors are assigned to separate agents. It should be noted that, for DOE studies, using multiple agents is no different from running multiple projects. DOE agents work totally independently and they cannot share designs with each other. HEEDS DOE studies using SHERPA, MO-SHERPA, DOE and R&R can also often benefit from using multiple processors (HEEDS Q). Enabling a project as a multi-processor design allows the individual evaluations to be spread out across your network and run on more than one machine. This approach will generally speed up the run. For more information about HEEDS Q projects, see the HEEDS PARALLEL and Q Users Guide.
Multiple agents in robustness and reliability

For robustness and reliability studies, multiple agents generally do not produce better results. They cannot share designs, so using multiple agents would be like running two different projects that do not relate to each other. For this reason, robustness and reliability projects generally use only one agent and therefore have only one agent group.
Adding, Deleting, Naming and Moving Agents

This section offers instructions for adding, deleting, naming and moving agents.
To change the position of an agent

When you add more than one agent, you may want to reposition your agents after you add them so they do not cover each other: 1. Click on the agent you want to move as shown below. Hold your left mouse button down and drag your mouse to the new position. A rubber band line will appear:
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2. Release the mouse button and the agent will move to its new location. The agent group button will expand to accommodate the moved agent.
Note: If you have difficulty aligning your agents precisely using the mouse, you can use the arrow
keys on your keyboard to nudge the agent into the desired position.
Agent Coloring
If you have more than one agent, Agent Coloring can help you find out which process, files, variables, and responses are associated with a given agent. If you have more than one agent group, you can use Agent Coloring to help you locate the processes, files, variables, and responses associated with a given agent group.
To locate agent attributes using Agent Coloring

1. Open the Colors menu and select Agent Coloring:
2. To find out which attributes are associated with a given agent, select the agent from the Agents tree or Agents Graph.
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3. To find out which variables are tagged within a given agent, select Variables. The variables and the input files that are associated with the agent will be highlighted.
4. To find out which responses are tagged within a given agent, select Responses:
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The responses and the output files that are associated with the agent will be highlighted.
Note: The agent coloring for your selection appears on all tabs, not just the Assembly tab. If you select Variables, for example, the variables will be highlighted on the Variables tab and the Tagging tab.
Using Agent Groups

A single-processor project typically groups all of its agents in one agent group. The agents share processing time and only one agent is in control at a given time.
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Note: if you have more than one machine available to run your project, multiple agent groups can be beneficial. This configuration allows agents to run in parallel, potentially speeding up the run. For more information, see the HEEDS PARALLEL and Q Users Guide.
How agent groups work

The agents in an agent group run in series. Only one agent can be in control at a given time. When Agent 1 finishes a cycle, control is handed off to Agent 2, which then runs its next cycle before handing control to Agent 3, etc. When all agents have completed one cycle, the process starts again with the next. In separate agent groups, they could run at the same time. The number of agent groups you use depends on how your project can be split up. Ideally, it would seem that placing each agent in a different group would be the best way to go. However, this is not always the case. In a parameter optimization project, if it is important that one agent completes its cycle before another agent runs, they would need to be placed in the same group. On the other hand, if the order in which they run does not matter, you can place them in different agent groups. Depending on the project you are running, having multiple agent groups can speed up your run. Another limiting factor is the number of licenses you have for the external tool(s) used for your analyses. If you only have one license for a tool, all agents that run analyses with that tool would need to be placed in the same agent group. Because the agents in an agent group run in series, using one agent group ensures that only one software license is checked out at a time. If, for example, you had three agents and all of them used the same analysis tool for which you had only one license, they could not run simultaneously because they all would need to use the tool at the same time. Therefore, they could not be placed in separate agent groups. If they were placed in the same group, they would take turns, so only one license would be needed.
To add an agent group

1. Select Add Agent Group from the Agent Installation options:
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2. Click anywhere in the Agent Graph. The new agent group will be added in approximately the same place as you clicked:
3. No agents are added to the new group by default. You will need to add them yourself. For instructions on adding a new agent, see Adding Agents on page 229.
To change an agent group name

1. Click twice in the Name field to highlight the default name:
2. Type the new name for the group. It will replace the highlighted value. 3. Click on another field (or press Tab or Enter or click in the Agent Graph). The new agent group name will appear on the agent group button in the Agent Graph and also in the Agents tree.
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To remove an agent group you have added

1. Right-click on the agent group you want to remove to display the pop-up menu. Make sure you click on the agent group button and not one of the agents. 2. Select Delete from the pop-up menu.
To locate agent group attributes

1. Open the Colors menu and select Agent Coloring:
2. On the Assembly tab, select an agent group from either the Agent Graph or the Agents tree. The variables, responses, processes, and files associated with the selected agent group will be highlighted.
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Copying agents and agent groups

You can also add agents and agent groups by copying them. This is quite useful if you want to duplicate an agent that has all or most of the same attributes or duplicate an agent group to run the same analyses on a different processor. When you copy an agent or an agent group, you create a clone and not an identical copy. Unlike processes and analyses, copied agents and agent groups are independent objects, so you can make changes to the attributes of the copy without affecting the original and vice versa. When you copy an agent, the copy is renamed with a default name because no two agents in a project can have the same name. When you copy an agent group, the copy is renamed because agent group names must also be unique. The agents in the copied group are also renamed.
To copy an agent
1. Right-click on the agent you want to copy and select Copy from the pop-up menu:
2. Right-click anywhere in the agent group button where you want to place the copy and select Paste Clone from the pop-up menu. The copied agent will be placed in the selected agent group. The name will be changed so it does not duplicate the name of an existing agent:
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3. The copied agent will be positioned on top of the existing agents. You may want to move it so it does not cover the others. To do this, use the arrow keys on your keyboard.
To copy an agent group

1. Right-click on the agent group you want to copy and select Copy from the pop-up menu:
2. Right-click anywhere in the Agent Graph to display the pop-up menu, and select Paste Clone. The copied agent group will appear in approximately the place you clicked. The names of the copied agent group and its agents will be changed so they do not duplicate the originals:
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Changing the position of an agent group

If you have more than one agent group, you can change the location of the groups in the Agent Graph. It works in much the same way as changing the position of an agent.
To change the position of an agent group

1. Click anywhere in the agent group button and drag your mouse pointer to the place where you want to move the group. A rubber-band line will appear. 2. Release the mouse button and the agent group will move to the new location.
Note: You can also use the arrow keys on your keyboard to nudge the agent group to the desired
position.
Moving agents to different groups

After you complete your project assembly, you may decide that you want to change your agent group structure. However, by this time, each agent is associated with a process and its variables and responses have been defined. You can effectively use the cut and paste functions to rearrange your agents so you dont have to redefine their attributes. You will, however, need to restore the name of any agent you move, as it will be renamed with a default name. You will also have to redefine your links, as links among agents in different agent groups are not preserved.
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To move an agent to another agent group

1. Right-click on the agent you want to move to display the pop-up menu. 2. Select Cut from the pop-up menu. The agent will be removed from its current group and placed on the clipboard. 3. Right-click on the agent group you want to move the agent to and select Paste Clone from the pop-up menu. The agent will be moved to the selected group and be given a new default name. 4. Restore your original agent name or give it another one if you wish. 5. Redefine your links as needed.
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Appendices
Appendix A: Modeler Input

Some aspects of a HEEDS MDO Modeler project may be defined within a text file and imported into the Modeler. The purpose of this document is to describe the format of this text file. Once the text file has been created, it can be brought into the Modeler using the following steps: 1. From within the Modeler, select File Import Model Data... 2. A file browser will open with a filter set to show all files with an .IN extension. If the text file has a different extension, it can be viewed by changing the filter to All Files. 3. Select the file that contains the data. 4. Click Open. The data that was in the import file will now exist in the Modeler. It should be noted that data can be imported into the Modeler just after a new project has been created or once a project has already been partially defined.
*VARIABLES
Purpose: Define variables Continuous Variables
Variable Type Name String Type String Min Real Baseline Real Max Real Distribution Name String Print Format String Comment String
Discrete Variables
Variable Type Name String Type String Baseline Real Discrete Set Name String Print Format String Comment String
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Dependent Variables
Variable Type Name String Type String Formula Real Distribution Name String Print Format String Comment String
Numeric Parameter Variables

Variable Type Name String Type String Baseline Real Distribution Name String Print Format String Comment String
Text Parameter Variables

Variable Type Name String Type String Baseline String Distribution Name (not used) Print Format String Comment String
Variable Name The name of the variable.
Description
The variable type. This field must be one of the following options: CONTINUOUS DISCRETE DEPENDENT NUMERIC_PARAMETER TEXT_PARAMETER
Type
Min Baseline Max
The minimum real value that can be used for this variable (continuous variables only). The baseline value that can be used for this variable (continuous, discrete, numeric parameter and text parameter variables only). The maximum real value that can be used for this variable (continuous variables only). The name of a distribution that is defined within the same file or exists in the Modeler already (continuous, dependent, and numeric parameter variables only). The name of a discrete set that is defined within the same file or exists in the Modeler already (discrete variables only).
Distribution Name
Discrete Set Name
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Variable Formula Print Format Comment
Description The formula that defines this variable (dependent variables only). The name of a print format that exists in the Modeler already (all variables). A description of the variable.
*DISCRETE_SETS
Purpose: Define discrete sets, which can be used to define the possible choices of discrete variables.
Variable Type Name String Ordered Set String # of items Integer List of items String
Variable Name Ordered Set # of items List of items The name of the discrete set
Description
Flag depicting whether the discrete set is in order or not. This field must be one of two options: Yes or No The number of choices that exist within the discrete set. All of the choices, with each field separated by a comma. Note: Any spaces after the delimiting comma will be treated as part of the discrete set choice that follows.
*DISTRIBUTIONS
Purpose: Define distributions, which can be used to define the stochasticity of variables.
Variable Type Name String Type String Stochasticity % Real
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Variable Name Type The name of the distribution.
Description
The type of distribution. This field must be one of two options: UNIFORM or GAUSSIAN For types UNIFORM and GAUSSIAN, this field is defined as a percentage of the baseline of the variable to which the distribution is assigned. If the type is UNIFORM, this field refers to the extent of the distribution on either side of the mean (baseline). If the type is GAUSSIAN, this field refers to one sigma on either side of the mean (baseline).
Variation
*ANALYSES
Purpose: Define analyses, including any associated input and output files. CARD 1 (Define one card for each analysis)
Option Variable Type 1 Name String 2 # input Files Integer 3-n Input Files String n+1 # Output Files Integer n+2-m Output Files String
Variable Name # input Files Input Files # Output Files Output Files The name of the analysis. The number of analysis input files.
Description
The input filenames, with each one separated by a comma. If the filename does not include a directory, it is assumed to exist in the project directory. The number of analysis output files. The output filenames, with each one separated by a comma. If the filename does not include a directory, it is assumed to exist in the project directory.
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*TAGS
Purpose: Define marked tags for variables and responses. CARD 1 (Define one card for each analysis)
Variable Type Filename String Analysis Name String # of tags Integer Delimiters String
CARD 2 (Define one card for each tagged file within an analysis)
Variable Type Tag Type String Var. Name String Line # Integer Position # Integer
Variable Filename Analysis Name # of tags
Description The name of the file where the tags are to be placed. The name of the analysis that contains the tagged file. The number of tags that are to be placed in the file. The delimiters in the file that are used to display the tagged file in cells. The delimiters should be enclosed between /* and */. Note that spaces are automatically assumed to be delimiters. The type of tag used to define the variable. Currently, this field may only contain the following: MARKING The name of the variable which is to be tagged in the file. The row number of the file where the variable is to be tagged. The column number of the file where the variable is to be tagged.
Delimiters
Tag Type Var. Name Line # Position #
Example File
*VARIABLES Var1, CONTINUOUS, 1.0, 1.5, 3.6, , , ,
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Var2, DISCRETE, , , , Var3, DISCRETE, , MatChoices, Default, 10 Var4, DEPENDENT, 2*Var1, Dist_1, , , Var5, NUMERIC_PARAMETER, 10.4, , PrintForma_2, , Var6, TEXT_PARAMETER, Set2, , PrintFormat_1 $ *ANALYSES Analysis1, 1, Input_file.in, 0, Analysis2, 2, C:\Proj\sample.inp, C:\Proj\example1.txt, 1, sample.dat $ *TAGS sample.inp, Analysis2, 2, /*,*/ MARKING, Var1, 1, 3 MARKING, Var1, 2, 3 Input_File.in, Analysis1, 1, /*,;TAB*/ MARKING, Var2, 2, 1 $ *DISCRETE_SETS MatChoices, No, 4,Steel,Aluminum,Glass-Epoxy,Cast-Iron $ *DISTRIBUTIONS Dist_1, UNIFORM, 5.0 $
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Appendix B: Running Projects from the Command Line

There may be occasions when you want to run your project from the command line instead of from the Modeler. To do this, you must enter the command to execute the HEEDS MDO Solver from your project directory (the directory where your .hds file is located). In case you arent familiar with command prompts, you can change directories by entering the change directory command (cd) and the directory path. Here is an example for Windows: cd C:\HEEDS MDO\Ver6.1\MyProjects\Plate You can run the project from the command line with or without the overwrite option. The overwrite option determines whether or not existing results files are backed up before the run is started. You can also continue or extend a run just as you can from the Modeler. The latter two options, however, require specific settings in the Modeler. There are also some additional options you can use that are not available from the Modeler.
Note: When you run from the command line, your Backup existing results setting in the Modeler
is ignored.
Running a project with the overwrite option

When you run HEEDS MDO Solver with the overwrite option on, the results from the previous run are overwritten without being backed up first. The syntax is: heeds_vx.x i=AgentGroupName.in overwrite where heeds_vx.x is the name of the HEEDS MDO executable and AgentGroupName is the name of the agent group (e.g., Agent_Group_1). The old results will be overwritten and no backup files will be created. This command is the same as running from the Modeler with the Backup existing results option disabled.
To run the project from the command line without backing up the results
1. Save your project in the Modeler so the latest run files will be generated.
2. Open a command prompt window. 3. Change to your project directory. 4. Enter the command to execute HEEDS MDO Solver at the command prompt (see above). For the current version of HEEDS MDO installed in the default directory, you would enter: heeds_v6.1 i=Agent_Group_1.in overwrite 5. If you have given your agent group a different name, the Agent_Group_1.in file will have the name you gave the group instead: heeds_v6.1 i=AG_CoarseAgent.in overwrite 6. Press Enter and the run will start.
Warning! Do not close the command prompt window during the run or the run will stop. Note: If you have more than one agent group in your project, you will need to start each group
separately. Most single-processor projects do not have multiple agent groups, so this is not usually a matter of concern.
Running a project without the overwrite option

If you want to save the results from the previous run, you must run without the overwrite option. The syntax is: heeds_vx.x i=AgentGroupName.in where heeds_vx.x is the name of the HEEDS MDO executable and AgentGroupName is the name of the agent group (e.g., Agent_Group_1). This command is the same as running from the Modeler with the Backup existing results option enabled. When you run the project without the overwrite option, your previous results will be saved to a backup folder in your project directory, just as they are if you run from the Modeler.
To run the project from the command line and back up results files
1. Save your project in the Modeler so the latest run files will be generated. 2. Open a command prompt window. 3. Change to your project directory.
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4. Enter the command to execute HEEDS MDO Solver at the command prompt. For the current version of HEEDS MDO installed in the default directory, you would enter the following: heeds_v6.1 i=Agent_Group_1.in 5. If you have given your agent group a different name, the Agent_Group_1.in file will have the name you gave the group instead: heeds_v6.1 i=AG_CoarseAgent.in 6. Press Enter. Your previous results will be copied to a backup folder in your project directory and the run will start.
Warning! Do not close the command prompt window during the run or the run will stop.
Continuing a run from the command line

If your run aborts, you may continue it from the command line instead of rerunning the project from scratch, just as you can in the Modeler. To do this, you use the useHistory option: heeds_v6.1 i=Agent_Group_n.in useHistory The useHistory option executes the same command as Continue does in the Modeler.
To continue a run from the command line

1. Open a command prompt window (unless it is still open). 2. Change to your project directory, if necessary. 3. Enter the command to execute HEEDS MDO Solver at the command prompt. For the current version of HEEDS MDO installed in the default directory, you would enter: heeds_v6.1 i=Agent_Group_1.in useHistory 4. If you have given your agent group a different name, the Agent_Group_1.in file will have the name you gave the group instead: heeds_v6.1 i=AG_CoarseAgent.in useHistory 5. Press Enter and the run will start.
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Note: If you want to change the random seed, the method, or the number of evaluations, you must
do it from within the Modeler. You cannot do it from the command line.
Important: You cannot use useHistory to continue a run if you have the Extend option set in the Modeler. If your project does not run, check your Agent Group settings in the Modeler and make sure you have not set the Extend option.
Extending a run from the command line

You can extend a run from the command line, but you must set your Extend option and the number of evaluations from within the Modeler first. Then you run the project from the command line without the overwrite option. As with running from the Modeler, only parameter optimization projects that use the SHERPA, Genetic Algorithm, or MO-SHERPA method can be extended.
To extend a run from the command line

1. Do the following in the Modeler: Enter the number of additional evaluations you want to perform. If you have more than one agent, be sure to set this value for all agents. Select the Restart and Extend options. Save the project. 2. Enter the command at the command prompt without the overwrite option. For the current version of HEEDS MDO installed in the default directory, you would enter: heeds_v6.1 i=Agent_Group_1.in 3. If you have given your agent group a different name, the Agent_Group_1.in file will have the name you gave the group instead: heeds_v6.1 i=AG_CoarseAgent.in 4. Press Enter and the run will start.
To stop a run that was initiated from a command prompt

1. Press Ctrl + C.
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2. The run will stop immediately and a message will appear indicating the program was aborted due to a control-C event:
Other command line options

In addition to the run options discussed above, there are several other options that you can append to the command line:
Command i=InputFileName checkPerformance Extract Value Modeler Option Description This is where you specify the agent group file. All options except checkPerformance require this. This option extracts responses as a test of tagging. nd Requires the performance ID as a 2 switch to run. Mutually exclusive with the i=InputFileName option. useHistory overwrite Restart > Continue Reads the designs that were performed in the last run from the HEEDS MDO0.hst file (which is binary). Overwrites past Solver run files. Deletes HEEDS directory, and MDO0.*, HEEDS MDO_0 Agent_Group_1.mes files for a single agent (HEEDS nd MDO1.* for the 2 agent, etc.). Also deletes all post files made for DOE and R&R agents, if applicable to the new run starting. If this option is not used, the Solver automatically takes all past results files and puts them into a RESULTS_<date> folder before starting the new set of evaluations.
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Command reEvalErrDesigns
Modeler Option
Description Only valid when useHistory is invoked. Any designs stored in the HEEDS MDO0.hst file that failed and were marked as ERRORs will be reevaluated. This is useful if you changed your analysis parameters slightly to encourage convergence, or if a license server went down during the run, which would cause all your evals to fail. This option causes the Solver to do just one evaluation, the baseline, and then stop. You may want to do this just to make sure that the setup is correct.
checksetup
skipEvalCheck
Skip first evaluation results check
This option skips the first evaluation check. This option overrides the setting that was entered in the Modeler. Note that it does not change the setting in the Modeler files. For DOE and robustness and reliability projects only. If this option is used, HEEDS MDO Solver will create the entire evaluation directory with all of the design directories inside but will not run the project. You can then run the design evaluations manually. You may want to do this if you want to perform the evaluations on different machines and are not licensed for HEEDS Q. For DOE and robustness and reliability projects only. This is usually used after designFilesOnly. Once you have manually run all of the designs for a DOE or robustness and reliability run and the results are back in the original directories that HEEDS MDO Solver created, this option will extract all of the responses, do the post processing, and write out the HEEDS MDO output files.
designFilesOnly
postNoEval
The syntax is the same as running with the other options: heeds_v6.1 i=Agent_Group_n.in Option where Option is the command line option you want to run: heeds_v6.1 i=Agent_Group_1.in Checksetup
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Index
A
Abaqus Input Portal, 167 Abaqus Output Portal, 195 Defining field output, 197 Aborting a run single-processor projects, 36769 Acceptable range, 249, 253 Adams Output Portal, 204 Add Analysis, 55 Add Constraint, 254 Add Curve from File, 109 Add Curve Manually, 109 Add more designs, 347 Add Objective, 250 Add Process, 58 Agent Coloring, 437 Agent groups, 439 adding, 440 copying, 443 moving in agent graph, 445 naming, 441 removing, 442 runtime attributes, 350, 354 viewing the message file, 374 Agent Installation, 230 Agent links when moving, 445 Agent responses DOE projects, 3045 parameter optimization projects, 245 robustness and reliability projects, 33536 Taguchi RPD, 319 Agent variables, 236 continuous variables, 236 DOE projects, 305, 3089 parameter optimization projects, 241 robustness and reliability projects, 336 Taguchi RPD, 319 Agent_Group_n.in, 358 Agent_Num, 94 Agents, 229 about, 4 adding, 230
assigning processes to, 233 copying, 443 defining agent responses, 236 defining agent variables, 236 DOE, 299 finding agent ID, 431 moving in agent graph, 436 moving to different groups, 445 naming, 232 parameter optimization, 241 removing, 232 runtime attributes, 350 search methods, 234 using multiple agents in DOE projects, 299 in robustness and reliability projects, 331, 436 All Best, 352 Analyses, 32 adding, 55 analysis tools, 34, 35 copying, 59 defining, 33 input files, 47, 51, 53 output files, 50, 53 removing, 57 sharing data between, 56 sharing files between, 57 using multiple analyses, 55 Analysis Manager Command Line Options, 38 Define Success Requirement, 40 Execution File, 38 Analysis tools, 34, 35 ANSYS Workbench Input Portal, 169 ANSYS Workbench Output Portal, 206 Assembly tab, 229 Assembly.in, 358 Automatically save project before run, 27, 361
B
Backing up existing results from the command line
460
Index
single-processor projects, 45556 from the Modeler single-processor projects, 362 Backup existing results, 360 Baseline design, 9 Batch Add Responses, 121 Batch Add Variables, 96 Batch Delete Responses, 122 Batch Delete Variables, 96 Batch Edit Responses, 121 Batch Edit Variables, 96 binout file, 213
C
CAD Export Format NX, 37 Checksetup option, 459 Collaborative optimization. cancelling submission, 265 creating a design set, 258 exporting a design set, 266 importing designs into a set, 259 manually adding designs to a set, 262 removing a design set, 266 submitting designs, 264 viewing the Log, 265 Coloring process coloring, 138 Command Line Options, 38 Compression Line Type, 118 Constraint responses, 245 acceptable range, 253 adding, 254 deleting, 257 editing, 256 normalizing factor, 253 performance calculation, 255 Constraints, 7 Contents of Selected Cell, 176, 211 Continuing a run single-processor projects from the command line, 456 from the Modeler, 363 Continuous variables, 65, 236 applying stochastic distributions to, 76
Baseline, 75 defining, 74 defining the resolution, 242 discrete, 65 in DOE projects, 299 in robustness and reliability projects, 331 Min and Max, 74 stochastic, 66 Copy Mark Tags, 146 Crossed orthogonal arrays, 297 Crossover Rate, 277 Crossover Type, 277 Curve Fit Definition, 108, 110, 111 Cutoff Frequency, 113
D
Define Success Requirement, 40 Definitions.in, 358 Dependent variables, 85 creating, 86 dependent, 67 entering formulas, 87 in DOE projects, 300 in robustness and reliability projects, 331 Design feasibility, 6 Design of experiments. See DOE projects Design performance rating, 4 Design_Num, 94 Design_Path, 94 designFilesOnly option, 459 Deterministic value, 66 Digital data filters, 111 Discrete sets assigning to a variable, 83 creating, 80 deleting, 85 ordered non-numeric, 82 ordered numeric, 82 removing values from, 85 Discrete Sets tab, 80 Discrete variables, 67, 79 defining, 83 discrete sets creating, 80 removing, 85
461
in DOE projects, 299300 in robustness and reliability projects, 331 Distributions Gaussian, 78 Uniform, 78 Distributions tab, 77 DOE projects, 8, 296302 agent responses, 3045 agent variables, 305 agents, 299 custom setup, 309 factor levels 2-level, 31213 3-level, 313 central composite method, 314 selecting factors, 31011 selecting method type, 311 directed setup, 305 selecting method type, 3078 DOE matrix, 308 examples, 300302 factors, 3089, 31011 fitting response surface to design data, 316 methods custom setup, 311 directed setup, 3078 post processing, 413 interaction effects plots, 41618 main effects plots, 41416 parallel plot, 42125 Pareto charts, 41314 response surface fit plot, 420 response surface plots, 41819 response surface DOE, 298 responses, 300 saving designs for, 35354 screening DOE, 296 Taguchi RPD, 297, 319 factor levels 2-level, 324 3-level, 326 variables in, 299300
Evaluation control, 275 Evaluation directories changing, 350 single-processor projects, 433 Evaluation Directory Path, 351 Evaluation Filter, 389 Evaluation projects, 9 adding more designs, 347 agent variables and responses, 342 assembling, 342 editing design data, 347 importing designs, 347 method, 346 Evaluations evaluation directories, 350 saving design evaluation files, 352 saving restart data for, 35556 skipping first evaluation results check, 356 Excel Input Portal, 173 Contents of Selected Cell, 176 security settings for macros, 173 Excel Output Portal, 208 Contents of Selected Cell, 211 security settings for macros, 209 Execution File, 38 Export designs, 348 Expressions window, 188, 190, 225 Extending a run single-processor projects from the command line, 457 from the Modeler, 363, 366 Extract Value, 133 Extraction commands, 154
F
Factors defining levels 2-level, 31213, 324 3-level, 313, 326 central composite, 314 selecting, 31011 Fast Save, 28 Feasible designs, 6 Field delimiters in files parsed for marking, 142
E
Enable Fast Save, 28
462
Index
in files used for scripting, 154 Field output Abaqus Output Portal, 197 Filter Definition, 112 FLC Type, 116 FLD, 114 FLD Definition, 115 Forming Limit Diagram, 114 Formula Definition editor, 87 Freeze Plot Scales, 406
G
Gaussian distribution Standard Deviation, 79 Genetic algorithm method, 27478 crossover method, 276 evaluation control, 275 Mutation Rate, 276 Mutation Type, 276 Selection Type, 277 Goal, 327
Import Model Data, 448 Importing model data, 62 Include Tab, 143 Input files, 32, 47, 51 adding, 47 marking, 143 removing, 53 replacing, 51 tagging, 132 Input Files Manager, 47 Location To Copy From, 49 Interaction effects plots, 41618
J
Job_Name, 94
L
Latest Best, 352 Location To Copy From, 49, 57 LS-DYNA Input Portal, 176 LS-DYNA Output Portal, 212 ASCII Data Files, 214 binout file, 213
H
HEEDS MDO Modeler, 15 saving projects, 27 screen, 1718 starting, 15 tables, 21 HEEDS Modeler opening projects when another file is loaded, 29 pop-up menus, 19 starting projects when another file is loaded, 29 HEEDS Scripting Language (HSL), 149 HEEDSn.gph, 359 HEEDSn.plot, 359 HEEDSn.res, 359 History output Abaqus Output Portal, 201
M
M_inputfilename, 358 Macro Excel, 36 Main effects plots, 41416 Map variable values based on resolution, 261, 264 Mapreps.in, 358 Mark tagging mode, 132 Marking, 132, 142 Marking input files, 143 Marking output files, 144 MARLAB Input Portal, 216 MATLAB Additional Variables, 181 MATLAB Engine Memory storing variables and responses, 181 MATLAB Input Portal, 178 Maximum Variation, 79 MES file
I
Import designs, 347
463
displaying, 374 use in troubleshooting, 376, 378 Message file, 374 Methods, 234 DOE, 235 DOE projects, 305 custom setup, 309 directed setup, 305 evaluation, 235 parameter optimization, 235 parameter optimization projects, 240, 26794 genetic algorithm, 27478 MO-SHERPA, 27074 multi-start local search, 28687 Nelder Mead Simplex, 291 particle swarm, 287 quadratic programming, 27880 response surface, 28385 simulated annealing, 280 Robustness and reliabiliity, 235 robustness and reliability projects, 33640 selecting, 267 Methods Manager DOE custom setup, 309 directed setup, 305 parameter optimization, 26869 robustness and reliability, 33640 Monitoring a run single-processor projects, 367 MO-SHERPA method, 27074, 352 post processing results, 397 parallel plot, 40713 Pareto front plot, 397406 results files, 432 Multi-start local search method, 28687
(NLSQP), 278 Normalizing factor, 248, 253 Number of Points to Average, 113 NX Input Portal, 184
O
Objective responses, 245 acceptable range, 249 adding, 250 defining, 248 deleting, 257 editing, 256 minimizing or maximizing, 248 normalizing factor, 248 performance calculation, 252 Objectives, 7 Opening projects when another file is loaded, 29 Output files, 33, 50 adding, 50 marking, 144 removing, 53 replacing, 51 tagging marking, 132 portals, 165 scripting, 147 Output Files Manager, 50 Overwrite option single-processor projects, 45456
P
Parallel plots DOE projects, 42125 evaluation filter DOE projects, 42324 MO-SHERPA projects, 41013 parameter optimization projects, 38991 robustness and reliability projects, 429 MO-SHERPA projects, 40713 parameter optimization projects, 38796 response/variable filter, 389 changing display order, 39295 changing variable and response ranges,
N
Naming conventions, 20 Nastran Input Portal, 182 Nastran Output Portal, 220 Nelder Mead Simplex optimization method, 291 search control, 292 starting design selection, 293 Non-linear sequential quadratic programming
464
Index
39596 list display, 392 selecting variables and responses, 39192 robustness and reliability projects, 42730 Parameter optimization projects, 8, 239 agent responses, 245 agent variables, 241 agents, 241 extending a run, 363 methods genetic algorithm, 27478 MO-SHERPA, 27074 multi-start local search, 28687 quadratic programming, 27880 response surface, 28385 simulated annealing, 280 Methods Manager, 26869 multiple objective, 240 post processing, 381 best designs, 386 MO-SHERPA projects, 397 parallel plot, 40713 Pareto front plot, 397406 parallel plot, 38796 performance plot, 38182 plots for multiple agents, 396413 response plot, 38496 variable plot, 38284 responses constraint responses defining, 245 objective responses defining, 245, 248 prerequisite responses defining, 246 saving designs for, 35253 MO-SHERPA projects, 352 selecting a search method, 240, 26768 Parameter variables, 68, 90 absolute numeric, 90 in DOE projects, 300 in robustness and reliability projects, 331 numeric parameter, 69 stochastic numeric, 91 text parameter, 69, 92 Pareto charts, 41314
Pareto front plot, 397406 Pareto optimization. See MO-SHERPA method Parsing Delimiters, 142 Particle swarm optimization method, 287 specifying how search is performed, 289 specifying swarm (population) size, 289 Paste Mark Tags, 146 Performance Calculation, 252, 255 Performance plots post processing parameter optimization projects, 38182 runtime, 369 Performance value, 4 Performancen.in, 358 PLOT files, 43033 Plot types, 13 Point Average, 113 Pop-up menus, 19 Portal tagging mode, 165 Abaqus Input Portal, 167 Abaqus Output Portal, 195 Adams Output Portal, 204 ANSYS Workbench Input Portal, 169 ANSYS Workbench Output Portal, 206 enabling portals, 35 Excel Input Portal, 173 Excel Output Portal, 208 LS_DYNA Input Portal, 176 LS-DYNA Output Portal, 212 MATLAB Input Portal, 178, 216 Nastran Input Portal, 182 Nastran Output Portal, 220 NX Input Portal, 184 SolidWorks Input Portal, 189 SolidWorks Output Portal, 224 SolidWorks Simulation Input Portal, 190 SolidWorks Simulation Output Portal, 225 supported portals, 165 untagging, 166 Post processing copying plots to clipboard, 430 DOE projects, 413 interaction effects plots, 41618 main effects plots, 41416 parallel plot, 42125 Pareto charts, 41314
465
response surface fit plot, 420 response surface plots, 41819 parameter optimization projects, 381 best designs, 386 MO-SHERPA projects, 397 parallel plot, 40713 Pareto front plot, 397406 parallel plot, 38796 performance plot, 38182 response plot, 38496 variable plot, 38284 robustness and reliability projects, 42527 parallel plot, 42730 probability distribution plots, 42527 postNoEval option, 459 Prerequisite responses defining, 246 Print Formats, 70 Probability distribution plots, 42527 Process Coloring, 138 Process Graph, 34 Process Installation Add Analysis, 55 Add Process, 58 Processes, 32 adding, 58 adding analyses to, 55 assigning to agents, 233 changing position in process graph, 62 copying, 61 order of analyses in, 56 removing, 61 removing analyses from, 57 using multiple, 57 Processes tree, 130, 137 Project responses about, 103 adding, 104 creating, 104 removing, 121 tagging in output files marking, 132 portals, 165 scripting, 147 Project Responses window, 105, 130 Project variables, 65, 69
adding, 69 deleting, 95 tagging in input files, 132 Project Variables window, 130 Projects assembling, 12 exiting, 30 opening projects, 16 when another file is loaded, 29 running, 12 single-processor projects, 350 saving, 27 setting up, 11 starting projects, 16 when another file is loaded, 29 switching, 28 types of projects, 8
Q
Quadratic programming method, 27880
R
Random seed changing for a project, 36163 effect on a continued run, 364 Remove Output File, 54 Replace File, 51 Representationn.in, 358 Re-read File, 136 RES files, 43033 Resolution, 242 Response goals, 327 Response plots post processing, 38496 runtime, 373 Response surface fit plot, 420 Response surface method, 28385 Response surface plots (DOE projects), 41819 response.hs, 358 Response/Variable Filter, 424 Responses adding to project, 104 agent responses DOE, 3045
466
Index
parameter optimization, 245 robustness and reliability, 33536 Taguchi RPD, 319 batch adding, 121 batch deleting, 121 batch editing, 121 checking your tagging, 133 constraint, 245 determined by a curve fit, 107 determined by a filter, 112, 115 determined by a formula, 106 determined by a HEEDS response surface model, 119 determined by an FLD, 114 determined by forming limit criteria, 114 extracted from a file, 105 extracting values, 133 in DOE projects, 300 in parameter optimization projects, 245 in robustness and reliability projects, 33132 objective, 245, 248 prerequisite, 246 process coloring with, 138 removing from project, 121 tagging in output files marking, 132 portals, 165 scripting, 147 Restart data, 35556 Restart option continuing a run, 363 extending a run, 363, 366 Results viewing, 12 Results files, 43033 finding agent ID, 431 MO-SHERPA projects, 432 PLOT files, 43033 RES files, 43033 saved designs, 352 Retagging, 136 RMS, 108 Robustness and reliability projects, 9 agent responses, 33536 agent variables, 336 examples, 332
methods, 33640 post processing, 42527 parallel plot, 42730 probability distribution plots, 42527 responses, 33132 saving designs for, 35354 variables in, 331 Root mean square (RMS), 108 RS Model, 119 Running a project, 12 backing up existing results from the command line single-processor projects, 45556 from the Modeler single-processor projects, 362 changing random seed, 36163 effect on a continued run, 364 command line options Checksetup option, 459 overwrite option, 45455 SkipEvalCheck option, 459 useHistory option, 456 continuing a run from the command line single-processor projects, 456 from the Modeler single-processor projects, 363 displaying the MES file, 374 extending a run from the command line single-processor projects, 457 from the Modeler single-processor projects, 363, 366 monitoring a run single-processor projects, 367 running from the command line options, 458 single-processor projects, 45459 with overwrite option, 45455 without overwrite option, 45556 syntax single-processor projects, 454, 455 running from the Modeler, 36163 runtime attributes, 350 runtime plots, 369 stopping a run
467
single-processor projects, 36769 troubleshooting single-processor projects, 376 Runtime attributes, 350 agent attributes, 350 agent group attributes, 354 evaluation directories, 350 saving design results, 352 saving restart data, 35556 skipping first evaluation results check, 356 state file prefix, 354 Runtime plots, 369 performance plots, 369 response plots, 373 variable plots, 371
S
SAE 6487, 113 Save, 27 Save As, 28 Save restart data after each evaluation, 355 Saving projects, 27 Script Editor, 148 Script tagging mode, 147 copying scripts, 161 entering scripts, 150, 156 extracting vectors, 158 extraction commands, 154 sample scripts, 162 script commands, 150 tagging a column of values, 163 tagging a value in a fixed-format file, 162 tagging a value in a free-format file, 162 tagging a vector of values from more than one location, 163 testing scripts, 159 troubleshooting scripts, 160 using loops, 157 Scripting. See Script tagging mode Search methods, 240, 26768 selecting a search method, 267 Search String, 137, 141 Select solver to enable portal(s), 35 Selecting a search method, 267 Selection Type, 277
Sharing data among analyses, 56, 68 SHERPA method, 240, 267, 268, 269 Show Internal Variables, 93 Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), 298 Simulated annealing method, 280 Single-processor project runtime attributes, 350 Single-processor projects running from the command line, 45459 running from the Modeler, 36163 stopping a run, 36769 Skip first evaluation results check, 356 SkipEvalCheck option, 459 SNR, 298 SolidWorks Input Portal, 189 SolidWorks Output Portal, 224 SolidWorks Simulation Input Portal, 190 SolidWorks Simulation Output Portal, 225 Specify response values, 261, 263 Standard Deviation, 79 Starting projects when another file is loaded, 29 State file prefix, 354 Stochastic distributions assigning to variables, 79 creating, 77 enabling at the agent level, 243 with continuous variables, 76 with parameter variables, 91
T
Tables, 21 adding items, 21 changing column width, 26 changing window height, 26 copying and pasting values, 24 editing values, 24 entering values, 22 list box cells, 25 text box cells, 22 removing items, 22 replacing values, 23 selecting values with keyboard, 25 viewing data, 26
468
Index
Tagging retagging, 136 Tagging files, 12, 130 copying and pasting mark tags, 146 input files, 132 marking, 132 output files, 132, 150, 156 re-reading tagged files, 136 through portals, 165 untagging files. See Untagging files, See Untagging files using the search function, 137, 141 with scripts, 147 copying scripts, 161 entering scripts, 150, 156 sample scripts, 162 script commands, 150 testing scripts, 159 troubleshooting scripts, 160 using loops, 157 Tagging tab Parsing Delimiters, 142 Processes tree, 130, 137 Taguchi RPD, 297, 319, See DOE projects, Taguchi RPD Crossed orthogonal arrays, 297 reponse goals, 327 Signal-to-Noise (SNR), 298 Target Curve, 110 Time Interval Between Data Points, 113 Tools.in, 358 Topology optimization projects saving design results, 352 Troubleshooting single-processor projects, 376
untagging individual values, 134 untagging values, 145 Update File, 136 Use Existing Designs, 316 Use global min/max definitions, 312 UseHistory option single-processor projects, 456
V
Variable and Response Attributes Discrete Sets tab, 80 Distributions tab, 77 Print Formats tab, 70 Target Curves, 109 Variable plots post processing, 38284 runtime, 371 Variables adding to project, 69 agent, 236 agent variables DOE, 305, 3089 parameter optimization, 241 robustness and reliability, 336 Taguchi RPD, 319 batch adding, 96 batch deleting, 96 batch editing, 96 continuous variables, 65, 74 creating, 69 deleting, 95 dependent, 67 dependent variables, 85 discrete variables, 67, 79 in DOE projects, 299300 factors, 3089, 31011 2-level, 31213, 324 3-level, 313, 326 central composite, 314 in robustness and reliability projects, 331 internal variables, 93 parameter, 68 parameter variables, 90 print format, 70 process coloring with, 138
U
Uniform distribution Maximum Variation, 79 Untagging files, 145 all files, 135 files tagged through portals, 166 files tagged with scripts, 164 individual files, 135 untagging entire files, 135
469
project variables, 65
tagging in input files, 132
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How HEEDS MDO Judges Designs .......................................................................... 4

2. Designing Your Study .................................................................................................7

3. Working in the HEEDS MDO Modeler Environment ........................................... 15

Part 2 Defining the Project Components

4. Defining Processes and Analyses..........................................................................32

Using Multiple Analyses ........................................................................................... 55

Using Multiple Processes ........................................................................................ 57

Importing Model Data .............................................................................................. 62

5. Defining Project Variables .......................................................................................64

Creating Project Variables ....................................................................................... 69

6. Defining Project Responses ................................................................................. 103

Part 3 Tagging Your Files

7. Overview of Tagging .............................................................................................. 129

8. Marking .................................................................................................................... 141

Entering a Script .................................................................................................... 155

Sample Scripts ...................................................................................................... 161

Untagging Responses with Scripts ........................................................................ 163

10. Tagging with Portals: Overview ......................................................................... 164

11. Input Portals: Tagging Variables ........................................................................ 166

ANSYS Workbench (WB) Input Portal ................................................................... 168

Excel Input Portal .................................................................................................. 172

Tagging a variable in the Excel portal ......................................................................... 174

LS-DYNA Input Portal ............................................................................................ 175

MATLAB Input Portal ............................................................................................. 177

Nastran Input Portal .............................................................................................. 181

NX Input Portal ...................................................................................................... 183

SolidWorks Input Portal ......................................................................................... 188

SolidWorks Simulation Input Portal ....................................................................... 189

12. Output Portals: Tagging Responses ................................................................. 194

Adams Output Portal ............................................................................................. 203

ANSYS Workbench Output Portal ......................................................................... 205

Excel Output Portal ............................................................................................... 207

LS-DYNA Output Portal ......................................................................................... 211

MATLAB Output Portal .......................................................................................... 215

Nastran Output Portal ............................................................................................ 219

SolidWorks Output Portal ...................................................................................... 223

SolidWorks Simulation Output Portal ..................................................................... 224

Part 4 Assembling Your Project

13. Working with Agents ............................................................................................ 228

Defining Agent Search Methods ............................................................................ 233

Part 4a Assembling a Parameter Optimization Project

14. About Parameter Optimization Projects ........................................................... 238

Projects with Multiple Objectives ........................................................................... 239

15. Assembling a Parameter Optimization Project................................................ 240

Collaborative Optimization ..................................................................................... 256

Parameter Optimization Methods .......................................................................... 266

Part 4b Assembling a DOE Project

16. About DOE Projects ............................................................................................. 295

The Components of a DOE Project ....................................................................... 298

Sample DOE Scenarios ......................................................................................... 299

17. Assembling a Screening or Response Surface DOE Project ....................... 302

18. Defining a Taguchi Robust Parameter Design Project ................................... 318

Part 4c Assembling a Robustness and Reliability Project

19. About Robustness and Reliability Projects ..................................................... 330

20. Assembling a Robustness and Reliability Project .......................................... 333

Part 4d Assembling an Evaluation Project

21. Assembling an Evaluation Project..................................................................... 341

Evaluation Method ................................................................................................. 345

Part 5 Running the Project

22. Running Your Project ........................................................................................... 349

Running a project again ............................................................................................... 360 Restarting a run ........................................................................................................... 362

Monitoring a Run ................................................................................................... 366

Viewing the Runtime Plots ..................................................................................... 368