The Future of SolidWorks Simulation?

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a simulation blog as I’ve been busy looking after my new daughter. As proof, here’s a picture showing just what a fan of SolidWorks she’s already become :-).

So enough about me, let’s get back into the swing of things with a couple of insights this week.

Firstly I received this fantastic video of a flow simulation showing a timing sequence of valves in an engine manifold.

I particularly like the simplicity with which the pressures can be switched on and off using the dependency button. Very impressive.

Up next, as part of our SolidWorks 2010 launch we have been showing some of the great new motion simulation features.

One of the main reasons for using motion simulation is to know the loads that your mechanism experiences when its moving. After all, as the mechanism moves, the loads will change at each moment in time putting varying strains on your design. How do you know if you have tested the worst case?

In 2010 we have a new tool, called stress recovery (because that is what it does). Notice the three new buttons on the motion dashboard…

The first button on the left provides a dialog allowing you to choose which components you want to see stressed, and of course which period of the motion you are interested in (perhaps the entire motion just in case you can’t decide when the worst case is!).

Having defined this and run a motion study as normal to generate the loads, the middle button    then launches the structural solver to calculate the displacements and stresses on your chosen part at each time step.

And the final button on the right let’s you pick which contour you want plotted.

So, with hardly any effort, and moving from right to left through these new buttons, it is simple to generate a proper understanding of the response of your mechanism to the changing loads generated in a motion study.