CAEA v17 Update Seminar ACT Topo Optimization

Application
Customization
Toolkit
Jim Kosloski
What is ACT?
ANSYS ACT is the unified and consistent tool

for the customization and expansion of
ANSYS products.
Using ACT, you can create vertical apps or
extensions to tailor ANSYS Workbench,
Mechanical, Fluent, and Electronics Desktop
and other products to meet your application-
specific and multi-physics simulation needs.
Many Apps already exist from ANSYS and

from CAEA
The use of binary extensions does not

require a license
Scripting and compiling extensions is now

included in the Enterprise license.
www.caeai.com 2
What Can ACT Do?
ACT provides 3 main resources to the user

Feature Creation
Process Compression
Workflow Integration
www.caeai.com 3
ACT Implementation
Custom ACT features function just like regular Workbench tools, items are
added to the tree and the settings can be modified in the details pane:
Little or no instructions are needed to use ACT extensions
If you know how to use WB, you can use the extensions.
www.caeai.com 4
ACT Development
ACT Extensions are created by a combination of XML files and Python

Scripts.
www.caeai.com 5
ACT in v17
New ACT start page makes it easy to install and manage apps:
www.caeai.com 6
ACT v17 Improvements
New access and documentation for almost the entire Mechanical tree
structure.
In previous versions ACT was limited to adding new features (specialized

loads, postprocessing).
Now ACT can be used to automate existing functionality:

Add mesh controls
Define coordinate systems
Add any existing load/boundary conditions.
www.caeai.com 7
ACT Wizards
Act wizards are used to build an entire analysis system.

They can run at the project page or inside of applications or combination of
both.
www.caeai.com 8
ACT Extensions
ANSYS Inc has many pre-

developed ACT extensions
available for your use.
Available on the customer
portal
https://support.ansys.com
/AnsysCustomerPortal/en
_us/Downloads/Extension
+Library
www.caeai.com 9
ACT Extension Development
CAEA has developed several extensions as well.

CSVPLOT: Plot data in WB from a comma separated values file
PLSERR: Plot mesh discretization error measure of SMXB, SDSG in WB
Mechanical
SPRING6DOF: Insert a 6 DOF spring between 2 remote points in WB
Mechanical
UPCOORD: Provide the functionality of the APDL UPCOORD command in WB
Mechanical. Now available directly in Mechanical no app needed.
RotateView: Rotate view by specified angle about screen normal.
All of these are available in the Resource Library section of our website:
www.caeai.com/resources
At CAE Associates we have the expertise to develop ACT extensions to

help you improve your efficiency in modeling and performing complex
analyses in WB.
Please contact us if you would like to discuss the development an ACT
extension.
www.caeai.com 10
Topological
Optimization using
Mechanical
Pat Cunningham
ANSYS Topological Optimization
ANSYS topological optimization ACT extension for Workbench

The extension provides an easy-to-use interface which allows the user to setup
structural optimization problems, post-process them, and export the data within
ANSYS Mechanical.
www.caeai.com 12
Topology optimization: Basic steps

Drag and drop the ANSYS Topology Optimization tool from the Toolbox onto
the Model cell of a static analysis system.
In ANSYS Mechanical, add design optimization controls through the ANSYS

Topology Optimization toolbar. This toolbar allows the user to:
Define Design Regions

Define Optimization Objectives
Define Optimization Constraints
Specify Manufacturing constraints
www.caeai.com 13
Topology optimization: Basic steps

After the topology optimization is solved, the user can post-process the results
to show optimized topology density isosurface plots.
Export the optimized structure to a STL file.
Can generate solid geometry in SpaceClaim
www.caeai.com 14
ANSYS Topological Optimization Procedure
1. Install the ACT extension
www.caeai.com 15
2. Activate the extension.
www.caeai.com 16
3. Drag and drop a Static Structural analysis system into the project.
4. Drag and drop the ANSYS Topology Optimization extension onto the
Model row of the Static system.
www.caeai.com 17
5. Attach geometry and open Mechanical.
www.caeai.com 18
6. Set up the static analysis in the standard fashion (assign materials,

connections, mesh controls, loading and supports).
7. Solve and verify the results.
www.caeai.com 19
8. Set up the Topological Optimization using toolbar:

Use the Design Space pulldown to define the Design Region and any
Exclusion Regions.
www.caeai.com 20
8. Set up the Topological Optimization using toolbar (continued):

Define any manufacturing constraints (size minimums, symmetry).
www.caeai.com 21
8. Set up the Topological Optimization using toolbar (continued):

Define an optimization objective and constraints.
www.caeai.com 22
9. Solve
10. Use The Capped IsoSurface display to view the resulting shape.
www.caeai.com 23
11. Export the mass optimized shape to an STL file.
www.caeai.com 24
12. Import the STL data into ANSYS SpaceClaim to reverse engineer the
geometry.
www.caeai.com 25
Reverse Engineering in SpaceClaim:

Create a plane through the center of the part.
Repair > Fit Curves to the cross section.
www.caeai.com 26
Reverse Engineering in SpaceClaim:

Use Repair to Fix Curves or replace with sketch entities.
www.caeai.com 27
Create a surface by filling the edges.

Delete unwanted surfaces.
www.caeai.com 28
Select the outer perimeter and use the Pull feature with Copy Edge to
create the outer flange surface.
www.caeai.com 29
Pull the outer flange 6 mm and the inner face 3 mm.

Turn on the faceted mesh view to compare.
www.caeai.com 30
Create fillets with the Pull feature.

Add flanges using the sketch and pull features.
www.caeai.com 31
Bring the reverse engineered geometry into Mechanical and analyze.
www.caeai.com 32
Any further design adjustments required are easily accommodated by the

ANSYS SpaceClaim modeler.
www.caeai.com 33

CAEA v17 Update Seminar ACT Topo Optimization

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Application

ANSYS ACT is the unified and consistent tool

Many Apps already exist from ANSYS and

The use of binary extensions does not

Scripting and compiling extensions is now

ACT provides 3 main resources to the user

ACT Extensions are created by a combination of XML files and Python

In previous versions ACT was limited to adding new features (specialized

Now ACT can be used to automate existing functionality:

Act wizards are used to build an entire analysis system.

ANSYS Inc has many pre-

CAEA has developed several extensions as well.

At CAE Associates we have the expertise to develop ACT extensions to

ANSYS topological optimization ACT extension for Workbench

Topology optimization: Basic steps

In ANSYS Mechanical, add design optimization controls through the ANSYS

Define Design Regions

Topology optimization: Basic steps

1. Install the ACT extension

2. Activate the extension.

5. Attach geometry and open Mechanical.

6. Set up the static analysis in the standard fashion (assign materials,

8. Set up the Topological Optimization using toolbar:

8. Set up the Topological Optimization using toolbar (continued):

8. Set up the Topological Optimization using toolbar (continued):

11. Export the mass optimized shape to an STL file.

Reverse Engineering in SpaceClaim:

Reverse Engineering in SpaceClaim:

Create a surface by filling the edges.

Pull the outer flange 6 mm and the inner face 3 mm.

Create fillets with the Pull feature.

Bring the reverse engineered geometry into Mechanical and analyze.

Any further design adjustments required are easily accommodated by the

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