CAE Model Preparation

Improve CAE Model Preparation and Editing

SpaceClaim Engineer improves simulation productivity by giving engineers complete control of model preparation, editing, and optimization. With SpaceClaim, engineers gain the freedom to:

• Easily prepare CAD models for meshing and analysis.
• Quickly improve and manipulate designs.
• Seamlessly share design changes with the CAD team.
• Fix STEP, IGES, and other imported CAD files.

 

Directly Match Products to Engineering Objectives

The need to compromise on designs no longer exists. SpaceClaim’s 3D Direct Modeling technology lets simulation engineers directly match products to engineering objectives, such as weight, strength, and cost, regardless of the original constraints in CAD. SpaceClaim’s unique modeling tools enable engineers to easily explore different ways of optimizing a design by directly modifying parts and adding new driving dimensions for closed-loop iteration with analysis tools.  
 

Features

Unique De-Featuring Technology

SpaceClaim’s defeaturing capabilities put speed and flexibility in the engineer’s hands.

• Remove stubborn rounds, including those that overlap or have complex intersections.
• Automatically detect and remove small holes and faces, and other irrelevant geometry.
• Chop off geometry unrelated to your simulation.  
• Split models according to symmetry.  
• Automatically calculate midsurfaces for thin-walled parts and extract volumes for CFD.

 

State-of-the-Art Direct Modeling Tools

Direct Modeling is the only way to create and edit solid models, regardless of the originating CAD system. SpaceClaim uniquely delivers direct modeling to engineers who aren't CAD experts.

• Add or remove from the design using the Pull tool.
• Modify the design with the Move tool.
• Merge and cut solids with the Combine tool.
• Remove and patch geometry with the Fill tool.
• Use custom dimensions to precisely edit the model.

 

Streamline the Pathways between CAD and CAE

No need to wait hours or days for the CAD team to make engineering changes.  

• Open native data from all major CAD systems and edit it as if it were originally created with SpaceClaim.(Supported Formats)
• Powerful clean-up tools clean data from legacy systems, custom code, or surface modelers that don’t produce watertight solids.
• Special tools remove features irrelevant to analysis, such as round and small holes.
• Sophisticated algorithms detect midplanes and extract volumes to get solids ready for specialized meshes.  
• Specify improvements to the CAD team with an accurate solid model and automatically track changes.

 

Engineering Analysis Partnerships

SpaceClaim has partnered with leading engineering analysis vendors, including:

• ALGOR, a design, analysis, and simulation tool innovator. The partnership between SpaceClaim and ALGOR offers complete design-to-analysis solution that makes CAE workflow smooth and efficient. Together, our bundled products provide a robust solution to prepare models for analysis and edit geometry to optimize designs in your environment and in your own time frame. Read more about this joint solution with ALGOR.
• ANSYS, a global innovator of simulation software for optimizing product development processes. The partnership between SpaceClaim and ANSYS provides our customers a combined solution that analysts can use to simplify master CAD models for faster pre-processing and cycle times, independent of the original CAD system. Read more about this joint solution with ANSYS.
• Blue Ridge Numerics, provider of CFdesign. The partnership between SpaceClaim and Blue Ridge Numerics makes it possible for engineers without CFD (computational fluid dynamics) expertise to successfully study flow and thermal product performance before resorting to costly and time-consuming physical prototypes. Read more about this joint solution with CFdesign.
• COMSOL, a leader in multiphysics modeling and simulation, and SpaceClaim also work closely together to ensure our joint customers can succeed using our two products together.

Prepare Your Designs for Analysis Rapidly

By working in a 3D environment, engineers are able to optimize their designs for engineering analysis quickly and efficiently. The following example illustrates a typical process for preparing, optimizing, and communicating changes to a shelf bracket.

Example: Preparing, Optimizing, and Communicating Changes
to a Bracket

1	The original CAD file loading in SpaceClaim, with small holes, and rounds that can be removed before simulation.
2	SpaceClaim makes it easy to remove the unnecessary features without worrying about the model's history.
3	Some types of analysis work best off of midplanes. SpaceClaim can quickly calculate midplanes from thin-walled solids.
4	Extra copies of the original rib strengthen the design.
5	To optimize material and strength, new driving dimensions permit the analysis tool to drive the rib size.
6	The final analysis model with optimized ribs.

 

Once analysis has optimized the model, SpaceClaim returns an accurate solid and a
marked-up version specifying the changes.