General Preprocessing: Chapter Three

Chapter Three
General Preprocessing
General Preprocessing Procedure
Chapter Overview Training Manual
• In this chapter, performing analyses without the use of the
ANSYS Workbench – Simulation

Wizards will be covered:
– Geometry
– Contact
– Meshing
– Named Selections
– Coordinate Systems
• The capabilities described in this section are generally

applicable to the ANSYS DesignSpace Entra licenses and
above and are noted in the lower-left hand tables.
ANSYS License Availability

DesignSpace Entra x August 26, 2005
DesignSpace x
Professional x Inventory
Structural x #002265
Mechanica l/Multiphysics x 3-2
Introduction Training Manual
• In the previous chapter, the Simulation GUI was introduced

by the use of the Simulation Wizards
• In this chapter, navigating through the GUI without the
Wizards will be covered.
August 26, 2005

Inventory
#002265
Model shown is from a sample Mechanical Desktop assembly.
3-3
… Introduction Training Manual
• The Outline Tree is the main way of setting up the analysis

– The Context Toolbar, Details View, and Graphics Window
update, depending on which Outline Tree branch is selected
– Use of the Outline Tree will be emphasized in this chapter
Use of the Outline Tree is

the means by which
users navigate through
the Simulation GUI.
August 26, 2005

Inventory
#002265
3-4
A. Geometry Branch Training Manual
• After importing a model either (a) directly

from a supported CAD system or (b) from
the Context Toolbar in a blank database, the
Geometry branch lists available parts.
• In Simulation, there are three types of bodies
which can be analyzed.
– Solid bodies are general 3D or 2D
volumes/areas/parts.
– Surface bodies are only areas.
– Line bodies are only curves.

DesignSpace x
… Types of Bodies Training Manual
• Solid bodies are geometrically and spatially 3D or 2D:

– 3D solids are meshed with higher-order tetrahedral or
hexahedral solid elements with quadratic shape functions
– 2D solids are meshed with higher order triangle or
quadrilateral solid elements with quadratic shape functions
• Currently 2D geometry can be obtained from:
• DesignModeler, ProEngineer, Solid Edge, SolidWorks and
Unigraphics
– Each node has three translational degrees of freedom (DOF)
for structural or one temperature DOF for thermal
Geometry Interface Availability

DesignModeler x
Pro/ENGINEER x
Unigraphics x
SolidWorks x
Inve ntor x
Solid Edge x
Mechanical Desktop x
CATIA V4 x August 26, 2005
CATIA V5 x
ACIS (SAT) x Inventory
Parasolid x #002265
IGES x 3-6
• Considerations for 2D Geometry:

– Geometry must consist of surface models lying on the XY
plane
– The “2D” switch must be set on the Project page prior to
import
– Geometry type cannot be changed from 2D to 3D (or vice
versa) after import
– Plane stress, plane strain and axisymmetric behaviors are
supported
– Be sure to consult the Simulation documentation for all details
regarding 2D analysis
August 26, 2005

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#002265
3-7
• Surface bodies are geometrically 2D but spatially 3D:

– Surface bodies are meant to represent structures which are
thin in one dimension (through-thickness), so that thickness is
not explicitly modeled but supplied as an input value.
– Surface bodies are meshed with linear shell elements
– Each node has three translational and three rotational DOF for
structural applications but one temperature DOF for thermal

DesignModeler x
Pro/ENGINEER x
Unigraphics x
SolidWorks x
Inve ntor
Solid Edge x
Mechanical Desktop
CATIA V4 x August 26, 2005
CATIA V5 x
ACIS (SAT) x Inventory
Parasolid x #002265
IGES x 3-8
• Line bodies are geometrically 1D but spatially 3D:

– Line bodies are meant to represent structures which are thin
in two dimensions compared to the length, so the cross-
section is not explicitly modeled.
– Currently, only DesignModeler supports creation of line
bodies since it can define cross-sections and orientations of
lines.
– Line bodies are modeled with linear beam elements
– Each node has three translational and three rotational DOF for
structural analysis and one temperature DOF for thermal

DesignModeler x
Pro/ENGINEER
Unigraphics
SolidWorks
Inve ntor
Solid Edge
Mechanical Desktop
CATIA V4 August 26, 2005
CATIA V5
ACIS (SAT) Inventory
Parasolid #002265
IGES 3-9
… Multibody Parts Training Manual
• For many applications, bodies and parts are the same. In

DesignModeler, however, multibody parts are possible.
• Support of mixed surface and solid bodies in the same part is not
supported for most CAD systems. An assembly may contain
surfaces and solids, but a single part cannot.
– In DesignModeler, multiple bodies can be joined together to
form a multibody part. This means that if the parts share
common boundaries, the nodes are shared at that interface.
• No contact is needed in these situations if the nodes are shared.

DesignModeler x
Pro/ENGINEER
Unigraphics
SolidWorks
Inve ntor
Solid Edge
Mechanical Desktop
CATIA V5
Parasolid #002265
IGES 3-10
… Multibody Parts Training Manual
• Multibody parts allows the user to define bodies with

common nodes, as shown below:
Multibody parts made of

surface and line bodies
share nodes at common
boundaries.
This allows modeling of
shells with stiffeners.
Multibody parts made of

solid bodies share nodes
at common boundaries.
Material properties can be
different for each body.
DesignModeler x
Pro/ENGINEER
Unigraphics
SolidWorks
Inve ntor
Solid Edge
Mechanical Desktop
CATIA V5
Parasolid #002265
IGES 3-11
… Material Properties Training Manual
• To assign material properties to a body,

select that body from the tree and select a
“Material” from the pull-down menu
– Materials can be selected from external XML
files
– New material data can be added or imported
in the “Engineering Data” application. The
new material will then be available from the
pull-down menu.
– For surface bodies a thickness needs to be
supplied as well
• Thicknesses will import directly
from DesignModeler, if defined.

DesignSpace x
… Geometry Worksheet Training Manual
• A summary of bodies and assigned materials is available

– Select “Geometry” branch and then the “Worksheet” tab

DesignSpace x
B. Contact Training Manual
• When multiple parts are present, a means of defining the

relationship between parts is needed.
– Contact regions define how solid and/or shell parts interact
with each other.
– Spot welds provide a means of defining shell assemblies.
• Without contact or spot welds, parts will not interact with

each other
– In structural analyses, contact and spot welds prevent parts
from penetrating through each other and provide a means of
load transfer between parts.
– In thermal analyses, contact and spot welds allow for heat
transfer across parts.
• Contact will be introduced first, then spot welds.

DesignSpace Entra August 26, 2005
DesignSpace x
… Solid Body Contact Training Manual
• When an assembly is imported, contact surfaces are

automatically detected and created
– The mating relationships are not used from the CAD software.
Proximity of surfaces is used instead to define contact.
– Tolerance for contact detection is available under the
“Contact” branch as a slider bar in “Tolerance Slider”

DesignSpace x
Mechanica l/Multiphysics x
Model shown is from a sample SolidWorks assembly.
3-15
– Contact elements, which act as a ‘skin’ on the surface of the

contacting regions, provides the relationship between parts.
– Each part maintains a separate mesh. This means that one
small part will not drive mesh density of the entire assembly
and/or the user can make parts of interest have a finer mesh
than other parts
Note the non-matching mesh at the

interface between parts.
Mix of hexahedral elements
contacting tetrahedral elements is
possible.

DesignSpace x

When a contact region is
highlighted in the “Contact”
branch, parts are made
translucent for easier viewing
– Selecting a contact pair
makes the other bodies not
involved in that contact
region translucent
– Amount of translucency is
controlled via “Tools >
Options… > Simulation: The contacting bodies are partially
transparent.
Contact: Transparency”. Bodies not in the contact region are
Transparency can be turned more fully transparent.
off in the Details view of the The contacting surfaces which are
oriented with surface normals
“Contact” branch pointing towards the view are opaque
for easier viewing.

DesignSpace x
• If a geometric entity is highlighted, use right-mouse button

in the Graphics window to quickly select associated
contact
– The right-mouse pop-up menu allows the user to select the
corresponding body in the “Geometry” branch or highlight all
associated contact regions under the “Contact” branch

DesignSpace x
• Defining a contact pair involves selecting “contact” and

“target” surfaces.
– In ANSYS DesignSpace, the distinction between “contact” and
“target” is unimportant. Select surfaces for one body as
“contact” and choose the surfaces for the other as “target”.
– Using “Contact” from the Context Toolbar allows manual
definition of contact regions
Selection of contact and target

surfaces is performed in the
“Details” view.
The contact bodies associated
with selected surfaces will be
listed below. Ensure that unique
bodies are for each “Contact” and
“Target” body.
The “Contact” surfaces will be
shown in red while “Target”
surfaces will be displayed in blue.

DesignSpace x
… Selection Planes Training Manual
• Selection planes allow for users to easily select surfaces

which are hidden from view by other surfaces.
– User selects a plane; if more planes lie directly underneath the
cursor, selection planes appear. Selection planes are color-
coded with the same color as its parent part and are ordered
by depth from the cursor.

DesignSpace x
… Selection Planes Training Manual
• The use of selection planes streamlines the identification of

contact regions
– Example below shows two surfaces selected from two parts.
Selection Point
When moving the cursor over
selection planes, those surfaces will
get highlighted.
Use of wireframe mode may make
visualization easier.
One can select a particular surface
or even use Ctrl-select to select
multiple surfaces.
In this example, two surfaces
highlighted on the screen are
selected to define a contact pair
manually. Without selection planes,
the selection of the specific surfaces
would be tedious.

DesignSpace Entra / August 26, 2005
DesignSpace x
… Renaming Contact Regions Training Manual
• Select the “Contact” branch and right-click and select

“Rename Based on Geometry” to rename all contact pairs
based on part names

DesignSpace x
… Verifying Contact Regions Training Manual
• Although Simulation automatically detects contact, one

should review each contact pair to ensure that contact is
properly defined.
In this example, because of the tolerance used by

automatic contact detection, some fillets shown here are
included in the contact definition. The user may wish to
remove the fillets from the contact region definition,
ANSYS License Availability especially in the case of bonded contact, in order to
DesignSpace Entra
DesignSpace x
prevent spurious behavior. August 26, 2005
… Advanced Solid Body Contact Training Manual
• For ANSYS Professional licenses and above,

advanced contact options are available.
– Auto detection dimension and slider
– Asymmetric contact
– Contact results tool
– More contact formulations available
– Pinball control (see next page)

DesignSpace
… Advanced Solid Body Contact Training Manual

The Pinball region represents a contact detection zone:
– Contact calculation/detection occurs when contact gap is within the
pinball radius
– The pinball radius dimension may be entered to ensure that bonded
contact is established for a large clearance or gap
– Pinball radius is displayed as a sphere in the graphics window
The pinball region enables

the user to verify that
contact is detected for a
large gap.
DesignSpace
. . . 2D Solid Body Contact Training Manual
• Surface contact for solids composed of 2D plane geometry

is defined on edges rather than faces
August 26, 2005

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3-26
… Surface Body Contact Training Manual
• For ANSYS Professional licenses and above, mixed

assemblies of shells and solids are also supported

DesignSpace
• Shell contact includes edge-to-face or edge-

to-edge contact
– Shell contact is not turned on by default.
– Tolerance controls absolute search distance

for detecting contact. Useful for shell
assemblies with gaps.
– User can turn on detection of face-to-edge
or edge-to-edge contact
– Priority can be set to prevent multiple contact
regions from being formed in a given region
by setting priority.

DesignSpace
• Another example of the use of the pinball region is below:

– Surfaces represent midplanes of thin structure. At the “T”
intersection of two shells, a gap is present
– If the pinball region is large enough, bonded contact can be
established between the shells despite the gap.
– For bonded regions the radius should be set large enough to
fill any ‘gap.’
– The default Pinball region is based on the size of the
underlying mesh (solid body) or thickness (surface body).
If needed, use the “Label” button on the

Graphical Toolbar to move the “Contact
Region” label & pinball sphere to a
location which may be more convenient.
DesignSpace
… Spot Weld Training Manual
• Spot welds provide a means of connecting shell

assemblies at discrete points
– Spot weld definition is done in the CAD software. Currently,
only DesignModeler and Unigraphics define spot welds
supported by Simulation
– Spot welds can be created in
Simulation manually at
discrete vertices.

De signSpace Entra
De signSpace x
Professional x
Structural x
Mecha nical/Multiphysics x
De signMode le r x
Pro/ENGINEER
Unigra phics x
SolidW orks
Inventor
Solid Edge
Mecha nical Desktop
CATIA V5
Pa rasolid #002265
IGES 3-30
… Contact Worksheet Training Manual
• The “Worksheet” tab of the “Contact” branch provides a

summary of various contact and spot weld definitions:
Right-click on the spreadsheet to

hide/show specific columns.

DesignSpace x
C. Meshing Training Manual
• The nodes and elements of the mesh participate in the

finite element solution
– A “default” mesh is automatically generated during initiation
of the solution
– The user can “preview” the mesh to check whether it is
adequate or not for his/her needs
• Note: previewing a mesh will create the nodes and elements. A
solve following a preview will not require re-meshing.

DesignSpace x
Mechanica l/Multiphysics x
Model shown is from a sample Inventor assembly.
3-32
… Meshing Training Manual
• The user needs to balance the computational cost with the

numerical accuracy of the mesh
– A finer mesh produces more precise answers but also
increases CPU time and memory requirements
– Ideally, having a solution not dependent on the mesh density
is what users want (i.e., answers do not change appreciably as
mesh is refined)
• Convergence controls (discussed later) aid in this
– A finer mesh does not compensate for incorrect assumptions
and inputs, however!
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… Global Meshing Controls Training Manual
• Basic meshing controls are available under the

“Mesh” branch
– With “Global Controls” as “Basic” (default), user
has control with a single slider bar
• “Relevance” setting between –100 and +100
Relevance = -100 Relevance = 0 Relevance = +100

Nodes: 9968 Nodes: 19040 Nodes: 40764
Elements: 5808 Elements: 10909 Elements: 24687

DesignSpace x
• User can change to “Advanced” global controls

• Five options are available to user:
– “Element Size” defines average element edge size
– “Curv/Proximity” places more elements near curvature or
proximity of edges to each other
• Set slider bar from –100 to +100. If “Element Size” left to “Default”,
“Curv/Proximity” behaves the same as “Relevance”
– “Shape Checking” defines element shape quality tests used
• Standard: For linear analyses
• Aggressive: For nonlinear or field type analyses

DesignSpace x
• Five options are available to user (cont’d):

– “Solid Element Order” allows users to toggle
between lower- or higher-order solid elements.
• Higher-order solid elements are default
– “Initial Size Seed” controls what geometry the mesh seeding

is based on
Assembly-Based Mesh Seeding Part-Based Mesh Seeding

Nodes: 13,001 Nodes: 52,484
Elements: 5,666 Elements: 19,816
(Mesh seeding is more uniform (Mesh seeding is based
between parts) on parts, so less uniform
between parts)

DesignSpace x
… Solid Element Shape Training Manual
• The “Method” control provides the user

with options as to how solid bodies are
meshed:
– “Auto Sweep if Possible”: sweeps volumes
using brick or wedge shaped elements
– “All Tetrahedrons”: meshes all volumes
with tetrahedral elements
– “Hex Dominant”: attempts to mesh using
brick shapes but will contain some pyramid
and tet shapes. (only available with ANSYS
Structural licenses and above)

DesignSpace x
Mechanical/Multiphysics x 3-37
… Solid Element Shape Training Manual
• Sweep Meshing:

– Sweep-meshable volumes will have hex (and
possible wedge) elements. Other volumes will
be meshed with tet elements.
– Sweep-meshing is done in cases where a volume has the
same topology in one direction.
– Right-click on “Mesh” branch gives user ability to see what
volumes may be ‘swept’ with “Preview Sweep”. Sweepable
solid bodies will be selected.
For model shown on right, the solid body

in middle is swept-meshed with
hexahedral (and pentahedral) elements,
whereas other volumes are meshed with
tetrahedral elements.

DesignSpace x
… Local Mesh Controls Training Manual
• Sizing:

– “Element Size” specifies average element edge length
– “Number of Divisions” specifies number of elements on edge(s)
– “Sphere of Influence” elements within the sphere have a given average
element size
– Available options above depend on which entities are scoped:
Entity Element Size # of Elem. Division Sphere of Influence

Bodies x x
Faces x x
DesignSpace Entra x Edges x x x August 26, 2005
DesignSpace x
Professional x
Vertices x Inventory
Scoped to single surface

“Sphere of Influence”
(shown in red) has been
defined. Elements lying in
that sphere for that scoped
entity will have a given
average element size.
• Sphere center located

using local coordinate
system
Scoped to 3 surfaces
• All scoped entities within
sphere are affected by size
settings

DesignSpace x
• Contact Sizing provides a way of generating

similar-sized elements on contact faces
– An “Element Size” or “Relevance” can be specified
for a given contact region
In this example, the contact

region between the two parts
has a Contact Sizing specified
(by Element Size). Note that
the mesh is now consistent at
the contact region.
DesignSpace x
• Element refinement divides existing mesh

– An ‘initial’ mesh is created with global and local
size controls first, then element refinement is
performed at the specified location(s).
– Refinement level of “1” is recommended. This
breaks up the edges of the elements in the ‘initial’
mesh in half.
For example shown, the left side has

refinement level of 1 whereas the right
side is left untouched with default
mesh settings.

DesignSpace x
… Mapped Face Meshing Training Manual
• Mapped Face Meshing allows for the generation

of structured meshes on surfaces:
– In example below, mapped face meshing on the
internal cylindrical face provides a more uniform
mesh pattern.
– If surface cannot be mapped mesh for any reason, meshing

will continue and this will be shown in Outline Tree with icon:
DesignSpace x
… Mapped Face Meshing Training Manual
• Mapped quad or tri mesh also available for surface bodies

DesignSpace x
. . . Match Face Meshing Training Manual

Matches mesh pattern on symmetry faces to facilitate
cyclic symmetry analyses typical of rotating machinery
• For cyclic symmetry the nodal locations on each cut
face must be identical except for the offset (see below)
Cut Boundaries
Matched Faces
August 26, 2005

Inventory
Full Model Cyclic Symmetry Model #002265
3-45
. . . Match Face Meshing Training Manual
• Procedure:

– Insert “Match Face Meshing” control under Mesh branch
– Identify faces of symmetry boundary
– Identify the coordinate system (Z axis is rotation axis)
Rotation CS August 26, 2005

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3-46
• Part Relevance allows controlling mesh by parts

– Control is given with a slider (-100 to +100)
Part Relevance=+100
Part Relevance=-100

DesignSpace x
… Part Proximity Training Manual

Part Proximity specifies that the proximity of
small lines to each other will affect mesh density
– Degree is controlled by global “Relevance” or
“Curv/Proximity”
Default Mesh Default Mesh w/ Part Proximity

DesignSpace x
… Hex-Dominant Meshing Training Manual
• Advanced Structural Meshing introduction:

– The hex-dominant meshing algorithm creates a quad-
dominant surface mesh first, then pyramid and tetrahedral
elements are filled in as needed.
• “Hex Dominant” option for the “Element Shape” branch is only
available with ANSYS Structural licenses and above
• “Control Messages” will appear to warn user if volume may not be
suitable for hex-dominant meshing

DesignSpace
Professional Inventory
… Hex-Dominant Meshing Training Manual
• Example of hex-dominant mesh shown below:

– 10,918 brick (39%)
– 6,289 tetra (23%)
– 907 wedges (3%)
– 9,631 pyramids (35%)

DesignSpace
Professional Inventory
… Meshing Failures Training Manual
• If the mesher is not able to generate well-shaped elements,

an error message will be returned:
– The problematic geometry will be highlighted on the screen,

and a named selection group “Problematic Geometry” will be
created, so the user may review the model.

DesignSpace x
… Meshing Failures Training Manual
• Meshing failures can be caused by a number of things:

– Inconsistent sizing controls specified on surfaces, which
would result in the creation of poorly-shaped elements
– Difficult CAD geometry, such as small slivers or twisted
surfaces
– Stricter shape checking (“Aggressive” setting in Mesh branch)
• Some ways to avoid meshing failures:

– Specify more reasonable sizing controls on geometry
– Specify smaller sizing controls to allow the mesher to create
better-shaped elements
– In the CAD system, use hidden line removal plots to see sliver
or unwanted geometry and remove them
– Use virtual cells to combine sliver or very small surfaces
– This option will be discussed next
DesignSpace x
… Virtual Topology Training Manual
• Virtual Topology allows users to combine surfaces for the

purposes of meshing
– “Virtual Topology” branch can be added under the “Model”
branch
– A “Virtual Cell” is a surface defined by a group of adjacent
surfaces. Select surfaces first, then add “Virtual Cell”
– Interior lines of original surfaces will no longer be honored by
meshing process
– For other operations such as applying Loads and Supports, a
virtual cell can be referenced as a single entity

DesignSpace x
• When creating virtual cells, select surfaces first, then add a

virtual cell:
• Only after Simulation determines that surfaces can be joined will a
new Virtual Cell branch be created.
– When a virtual cell is added, the entities cannot be changed
• Details View will show the “Geometry” field as grey (unmodifiable)
• Since surfaces need to be evaluated before the virtual cell is
defined, the surfaces cannot be changed afterwards
• A “Model” branch containing a “Virtual Topology” branch cannot
be duplicated or copied

DesignSpace x
… Virtual Topology Example Training Manual
• Consider the example below:

The small chamfer
Original model contains a
causes a finer
small cylindrical surface,
element mesh near
which forms the chamfer
cylindrical area.
Virtual cell (red) of two

surfaces (top surface Resulting mesh is
and chamfer surface) not driven by
created small features
anymore.

DesignSpace x
… Virtual Topology Example Training Manual
• Keep in mind that topology changes slightly, however!

– Because chamfer is added to top surface in virtual cell, the
interior lines are not recognized anymore.
– Because of this, the position of the mesh is slightly lower than
originally expected, and the topology changes slightly.
On the right, the higher-order

element’s edge is shown as a solid
yellow line. The contour of the
original chamfer and top surface is
shown as a dotted blue line.
The midside node of the element is
projected onto the top surface, but
the chamfer representation is no
longer present because no nodes
lie on the boundary between the
chamfer and top surface.

DesignSpace x
• Typical error messages which may be encountered:

– Surface normals differ
significantly, preventing
creation of virtual cell:
– More than one surface needs to be selected:
– Adjacent surfaces need to be selected:
– Virtual cells containing other virtual cells

cannot be created:

DesignSpace x
D. Named Selections Training Manual
• The Named Selection Toolbar provides functionality for

grouping together geometric entities:
Create Defined Names Manipulate Show/Hide Supress/Unsuppress
– Named Selections allow users to group together vertices,

edges, surfaces, or bodies together
– Named Selections can be used for defining mesh controls,
applying loads and supports, etc.
– Provides an easy method to reselect groups that will be
referenced often
• Defining contact regions
• Scoping results
• Etc.

DesignSpace x
… Defining Named Selections Training Manual
• To create Named Selections:

– Select the vertices, edges, surfaces, or bodies of
interest, then click on the “Create Selection
Group” icon
– Enter a name in the dialog box
– The new group will appear in the Named
Selection Toolbar as well as in the Outline Tree
• Note:
– Only one type of entity can be in a particular
Named Selection. For example, vertices and
edges cannot exist in the same Named Selection.
– Named Selection groups can be imported from
some CAD systems (see Chapter 10)

DesignSpace x
… Using Named Selections (1) Training Manual
• For mesh controls and loads/supports, Named Selections

can be referenced directly:
– In the Details view, change “Method” from “Geometry
Selection” to “Named Selection”
– Select the “Named Selection” from the pull-down menu
• Simulation will filter non-applicable types of Named Selections.

DesignSpace x
… Using Named Selections (2) Training Manual
• Named Selections can be used in other situations where

geometry must be picked:
– Select “Geometry” from the Details view to enter picking mode
– Toggle the Named Selection to select from the Toolbar
– Select the applicable choice:
• “Select Items in Group”, “Add to Current Selection”, “Remove from
Current Selection”
– Then, click on “Apply” in the Details view
2
1

DesignSpace x
… Named Selections and Bodies Training Manual
• Named Selection groups can be hidden or suppressed:

– If surface Named Selections are hidden, the associated bodies
will be hidden graphically. Show/hide and
Suppress/Unsuppress functionality work on bodies, not
individual lines or surfaces.

DesignSpace x
E. Coordinate Systems Training Manual
• The Coordinate Systems branch is usually not displayed by

default, but it can be added from the Model tree
– Coordinate systems can be used for mesh controls, point

masses, directional loads, and results
• Initially the “Global Coordinate
System” is added, based on
the origin of the CAD model.
• Local Coordinate Systems can be
imported from some CAD systems
(see Chapter 10)

DesignSpace x
… Coordinate Systems Training Manual
• Coordinate Systems can be defined by

selecting “Coordinate System” icon from
the Context toolbar
– “Type” (Details view), can be cartesian or
cylindrical.
– Local coordinate systems are defined by
selecting geometry to specify the origin
– The orientation can then be changed by
selecting “X/Y/Z Direction” and selecting an
appropriate surface to define the direction
• Reversing the direction can be done in the
Graphics window after selecting a surface.

DesignSpace x
… Coordinate Systems Training Manual
• Coordinate systems can be used from pull-down menus in

the Details view for appropriate operations
Sizing w/ Sphere of Point Mass

Influence Option
Force Load Directional Results

(Directional Load)

DesignSpace x
F. Workshop 3 – Mesh Control Training Manual
• Workshop 3 – Mesh Control

• Goal:
– Use the various DS mesh controls to
enhance the mesh for the crankshaft
model.
August 26, 2005

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General Preprocessing: Chapter Three

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General Preprocessing: Chapter Three

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Chapter Three

• In this chapter, performing analyses without the use of the

ANSYS Workbench – Simulation

• The capabilities described in this section are generally

ANSYS License Availability

• In the previous chapter, the Simulation GUI was introduced

ANSYS Workbench – Simulation

August 26, 2005

• The Outline Tree is the main way of setting up the analysis

ANSYS Workbench – Simulation

Use of the Outline Tree is

August 26, 2005

• After importing a model either (a) directly

ANSYS Workbench – Simulation

ANSYS License Availability

• Solid bodies are geometrically and spatially 3D or 2D:

ANSYS Workbench – Simulation

Geometry Interface Availability

• Considerations for 2D Geometry:

ANSYS Workbench – Simulation

August 26, 2005

• Surface bodies are geometrically 2D but spatially 3D:

ANSYS Workbench – Simulation

Geometry Interface Availability

• Line bodies are geometrically 1D but spatially 3D:

ANSYS Workbench – Simulation

Geometry Interface Availability

• For many applications, bodies and parts are the same. In

ANSYS Workbench – Simulation

Geometry Interface Availability

• Multibody parts allows the user to define bodies with

ANSYS Workbench – Simulation

Multibody parts made of

Multibody parts made of

• To assign material properties to a body,

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• A summary of bodies and assigned materials is available

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• When multiple parts are present, a means of defining the

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• Without contact or spot welds, parts will not interact with

• Contact will be introduced first, then spot welds.

• When an assembly is imported, contact surfaces are

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– Contact elements, which act as a ‘skin’ on the surface of the

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Note the non-matching mesh at the

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• If a geometric entity is highlighted, use right-mouse button

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• Defining a contact pair involves selecting “contact” and

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Selection of contact and target

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• Selection planes allow for users to easily select surfaces

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