Lecture 4:

Geometry Modeling
16.0 Release

Introduction to ANSYS DesignModeler

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Overview
In this lecture we will learn about:
DesignModeler Concepts
How to create a 3D geometry?
How to modify/transform a geometry?
Part Management
Concepts in DM from meshing perspective

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Preprocessing Workflow
Import/
Geometry
Creation

Geometry
Modifications

Sketches and Planes

3D Operations
Booleans,
Decompose, etc.

3D Operations
Extrude, Revolve,
Sweep, etc

Geometry Cleanup
and Repair

Geometry Import
Options

Automatic
Cleanup

Bi-Directional
CAD/ Neutral

Simplification,
Mid-surface,
Fluid Extraction

Meshing

Meshing Methods
Hybrid Mesh: Tet,
Prisms, Pyramids
Hexa Dominant,
Sweep meshing
Assembly
Meshing

Global Mesh
Settings
Local Mesh Settings
Sizing, Controls,
etc.

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Solver

Important DM Concepts
Body Types In DesignModeler

Line body

Has length and consists of points as lower entity

Surface body
Has surface area and consists of points & edges as lower entities
Solid body
Has volume and consists of points, edges & faces as lower entities
Bodies are listed in the Tree Outline identified by default names and
icons

Line body
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Surface body

Solid body

Important DM Concepts
Body States
Active
Active bodies merge automatically with bodies in contact or overlapping.

By default, DM creates Active bodies. To avoid active bodies or parts to merge

together, use Add Frozen wisely.

Frozen
Active State: Single body after two
feature creation operations
Frozen bodies remain independent
Why to use Frozen bodies?
If Meshing requires bodies to be decomposed
If Solver requires different boundary & continuum conditions to be applied
to different areas of the model
Unfreeze can be used to Selectively convert Frozen bodies to Active State

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Frozen State: Two bodies (one frozen)

after two feature operations

3D Features
Tools for creating new bodies or modifying existing bodies
Used to create bodies
Requires lower dimensioned geometry as base objects
Result is a line/surface/solid body

Applies blend/chamfer on edges/faces of existing bodies

Used to modify existing bodies

Results in modified or new bodies

Quick creation of primitive shapes (without sketch)

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Extrude
Extrude Details
Geometry

Preview of the
operation

Sketch

Can be a valid Sketch, selected face or Named

Selection
Operation
Allows Add Material, Add Frozen, Cut Material,
Imprint Faces, Slice Material
Direction Vector
Default option is Normal
Other options are Reversed, Both-Symmetric and
Both-Asymmetric
Plane axes, geometric edges and faces can be used
to specify direction

Direction - Symmetric

Direction Asymmetric

Extent - Fixed

Extent Type
Resultant
body
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Fixed, Through All, To Next, To Faces, To Surface

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Extent - To Next

Options for Operation

Add Material
Creates new body and unites with existing active bodies in contact or overlap

Add Frozen:
An independent body is created, with separate faces and edges

Cut Material:
Create holes or modify existing bodies by removing material

Imprint Faces:

Sketch
Imprints the sketch on the faces of existing body. This only works for Active bodies

Slice Material:
Slice out resultant body from the existing Frozen body
Add Material
Add Frozen
Cut Material

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Imprint Faces

Slice Material

Sweep
Sweep Details
Selected profile is swept along selected path to

create bodies
Profile
Profile could be any sketch or entity to be swept

Path
Path could be a sketch or edge (open or closed)

Alignment

Alignment - Path
Tangent

Path Tangent OR Global Axes

Swept
Model

Path

Profile
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Alignment - Global
Axes

Skin/Loft Feature
Skin/Loft Details
Takes a series of profiles and creates a body
fitting through them
All profiles must have the same number of
edges

Multiple
sketches

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Thin/Surface
Thin Surface Details
Creates Thin Solid or Shell (Surface)
Creation based on Selection Type; Faces to Keep/Faces
to Remove/Bodies Only
Faces to Keep: Selected faces used to form the thin
solid or surface
Faces to Remove: Unselected faces used
Bodies Only: All faces used
Specification of zero thickness will create a surface
body (can specify offset)
Direction for generation of thickness can be inward,
outward or both (midplane)

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Inward

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Outward

Midplane

Fixed Radius Blend

Fixed Radius Blend Details
Creates a blend of specified radius on
face/edges

Face Selection

Edge Selection
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Pattern
Pattern Details
Creates multiple copies of selected features
in selected direction(s)
Types of Pattern
Linear, Circular and Rectangular

Select Geometry (A Feature or bodies)

Specify Direction, Axis, Offset/Angle, Copies
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Body Tranformation
Body Transformation Tools
Contains 5 tools for transforming bodies

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Move
Translate
Rotate
Mirror
Scale

Body Operation: Move

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Moves and aligns selected bodies

Select body or bodies
Select option to Preserve Bodies
Set Source and Destination Planes
Example Aligning two bodies using
corresponding source and destination planes on
each body respectively

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Body Transformation: Mirror

Creates a mirror image body reflected in

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selected plane
Used for creating a full model from partial
model which is Symmetrical
Set Mirror Plane
Select body/bodies to be mirrored
Original body deletion controlled by Preserve
Bodies option
Example Mirroring car body in the XY Plane
preserving the original

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XY Plane

Body Operation: Scale

Scale selected body or bodies
Select body or bodies
Set Scaling origin
World Origin : Global coordinate origin
Body Centroids: Centroid of the bodies selected
Point: Selected Point

Option to for Uniform or Non-uniform Scaling

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Scale up : 2x

Body Operation
Body Operation Tools
Contains 6 tools for manipulating bodies

Options vary depending on whether the bodies are Active or Frozen

Cut Material is not available if all bodies are Frozen

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Body Operation: Slice Material

To Slice out one body from the another body

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Boolean
Unite, Subtract and Intersect
Unite: Merges two or more bodies
Subtract: Target Body subtract Tool Body
Intersection:

Tool Bodies

Union of All Intersections: Regions shared by

two or more Tool Bodies
Intersection of All Bodies: Regions shared by
all Tool Bodies

Intersect all bodies

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Union of all intersections

Union of all intersections

preserving input bodies

Slice Operation under Create

Slice Options
Slice By Plane

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Model is sliced by selected plane

Slice Off Faces
Selected faces are sliced off and separate bodies are created from them
Slice Off Edges
Selected edges are sliced off and separate bodies are created from them
Slice by Surface
Selected surface is used as a slicing tool to slice
Slice by Edge Loop
Selected edge loop is used as a slicing tool

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Slice Off Faces

Suppression
Suppressing Bodies

Behaviour of Suppressed Body

Will not be exported or transferred to other

Workbench modules
Not visible in Graphics view
Identified by cross sign in Tree Outline
How to Suppress or Unsuppress?
Select the body to be suppressed, right click
and select Suppress Body
Select the body/bodies to be unsuppressed,
right click and select Unsuppress Body

Please note: Suppressing & unsuppressing bodies may

change some features in tree, wherever they were
used.
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Suppressed

Visibility
Hiding Geometry

Behaviour of Hidden Bodies

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In Tree Outline, Hidden body is identified

by transparent tick-mark sign
Hidden bodies are transferred to other
Workbench modules and can also be
exported
Useful when working with complex models
How to Hide or Unhide?
Select the body or face to hide, right click
and select Hide Body OR Press F9
Right click Show Body to restore view

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Hidden

Named Selections
What are Named Selections?
Any number of entities grouped together under one
name
These can be used to:

Group Entities together for display purposes

Define boundary conditions
Apply Mesh Settings
Define Meshing Order

Can be created using one of two ways

Select an entity or a group of entities, click RMB, select

Named Selection from the context menu or
Select an entity or a group of entities, click on Tools
menu and select Named Selection

Named Selections can be assigned to groups points,

lines, surfaces or solids.

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Single and Multi-Body Parts

Working with Parts

By default, DM places each body into one

part by itself
Single-body parts : Individual parts are
meshed separately

Single-body Parts

Multi-body Parts

Non-conformal mesh at interface

Multi-body part : Two or more bodies in a

single part
Conformal mesh at interface if Shared
Topology set to Automatic

Bodies can be grouped into a part in 2

ways :
Select bodies. Click RMB and select Form
New Part
Select bodies. Go to Tools Form New Part
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All bodies in a
single part

Single and Multi-Body Parts

Case 1: In DM: 3 parts, 3 bodies consisting of 3 solids
Result of transferring this geometry to Meshing

Contains: 3 solids, 3 bodies

Each solid is meshed independently
Nodes are not shared and do not line-up
No connection between the 3 mesh regions for fluid flow and/or heat
transfer
Contact pairs are automatically created between parts/bodies in
ANSYS Mechanical to transfer loads
DM

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Mesh

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DM

Mesher

Single and Multi-Body Parts

Case 2: In DM: 1 multi-body part, 3 bodies/solids
Result of transferring this geometry for Meshing
Contains: 1 multi-body part, 3 bodies/solids
Each solid meshed independently but node connectivity
among solids is preserved
Contains internal face which can be used for Post Processing
No contact pair is created in ANSYS Mechanical
DM

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Mesh

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DM

Mesher

Shared Topology

Shared Topology can be completed manually using

Uses of Shared Topology

For getting Conformal mesh
Imprinting for Contacts or Interface definition

Options
For generating a conformal mesh for a Multibody Part, Shared Topology
needs to be completed with Automatic setting
If conformal mesh is not required between two bodies in Part, but imprints
of faces of one body on other are required (for defining contacts in
Mechanical or Interface in Fluent), Shared Topology needs to be completed
with Imprint setting
For non-conformal, non-imprinted mesh on a body, Shared Topology
setting needs to be kept None

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Shared Topology can be set

through its Form

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OR Shared Topology can be

set for individual Part
manually

Custom Shared Topology

This option allows users to Selectively keep
some bodies disconnected within same Part
For Example: T-Joint formed by Two plates
Welded Together

Objective: To Make mesh conformal between Weld and Both

Plates, but mesh should be non-conformal between plates

Non-conformal
Here

Weld 1
Plate 2
Weld 2
Plate 1

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Custom Shared Topology: Steps

Form a part with all four bodies and Keep Shared Topology Automatic for Part
For One of the plates (blue one), keep Custom setting of Shared Topology to None
This will keep plate disconnected with remaining bodies, even when in same Part
Use Connect operation Post Shared Topology to connect this body to both welds
Black line here shows
disconnected faces

Geometry Connectivity after Shared Topology

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Non-conformal mesh between two plates

Conformal everywhere else

Summary
What have we learnt in this session?
Important Concepts in DM such as Body Types & Body States

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3D modelling tools in DM

Geometry Transformation tools

Visibility, Suppression and Part Management
Conformal Meshing and Shared Topology

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Workshop 4.1 Modeling

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