I am working on a simple design that needs its length variable so we can see what stress distribution is like if we vary the length. I use Solidworks for the design. I see that if I change the length, I can export various STEP files and import them into the same .pmx file in prepomax and the surfaces will be recognized as the same apparently. However I have to re-mesh, so all the mesh parts under FE Model have to be updated manually. I want to keep a .pmx file per Length change.
Do I save the .pmx, close out, change the step file, open and then do a “regenerate”?
That’s what I had planned to do this morning as a theory, not sure if it actually reads the STEP file again or not. it was just a guess.
It seems to be looking for the past 10 models I tried before finally having a model that gave me reasonable results…that one I want to repeat. But I supposed I can re-do that one in a clean go and then this should work.
In cases of simple models, the Regenerate using other files is OK. It basically repeated all user clicks. So it also repeated all user meshing commands. So if you played with the mesh and started meshing multiple times, this will be repeated during regeneration. This might take some time.
That is why there is another option. First, you import the new geometry into the existing PrePoMax model. Then you select the old and new geometry parts; Right-click and select Swap Part Geometries. After that, select the newly imported geometry, mesh it, and the selections in the Model tab will be applied to it.
If you have SOLIDWORKS, why not use optimization feature of the SOLIDWORKS Simulation? It is available even in SOLIDWORKS Xpress, which is a part of any SOLIDWORKS version. Even if you have to use PrePoMax for some reason, it would be good to compare results obtained using two different FEA programs.
Because the SOLIDWORKS simulation thing is only elastic and the optimization I’m looking for is in the plastic region. Moreover, SOLIDWORKS has no incentive to correct their software after I purchased it and I want to have access to my results at home and hopefully 10 years from now when SOLIDWORKS might have a different name. Nobody remembers Pro/e or Wildfire these days lol, what a sorry company PTC is. Anyway, been there, done that. Meanwhile, I got the gimp in all my computers since1999?. And the thing still works. There’s something very powerful to be said about software that constantly excels and improves.
PrePoMax capable to import a model based on geometry of CAD (iigs,stp) and mesh FE (unv, inp ). In case the parametric model is complex enough I.e large multipart contact surface , it mostly depends on consistency of CAD geometry constructed.
Alternatively, working in parametric could be better using mesh based model. All node and surface names can be predefine by user to keep the model consistent from current to previous one.
There"s many external software available e.g Gmsh and Salome can do both modeler and nesher.
In this case, I would suggest directly controlling the parameters from the input files. The way I have done this is by creating a main .inp file and changing the nodes, elements, and sets in separate files. Thus, you can automate their generation using something like gmsh from Python or through meshio.
lol, what a sorry company PTC is. Anyway, been there, done that. Meanwhile, I got the gimp in all my computers since1999?. And the thing still works. There’s something very powerful to be said about software that constantly excels and improves.