The Simulation study tree organizes an analysis study. Its functionality is similar to the FeatureManager tree. You can use the menu system or the Simulation study tree to manage analysis studies.
Document windows have two panels:
| Simulation study tree |
A structured browser appearing below the FeatureManager design tree that organizes all aspects related to design analysis and displays a schematic representation of your input and the program output. |
| Graphics area |
Where you operate on different documents and/or windows. |
Because of its compact intuitive representation of design studies and context-sensitive right-mouse menus, the Simulation study tree is the preferred interface option. Each study is represented by a Simulation study tab at the bottom of the graphics area.
All factors defining a study are represented by folder icons or item icons. For example, each structural study has a folder for the components, a Connections folder, a Fixtures folder, an External Loads folder, and a Mesh folder. Fixtures and load conditions are represented by unique icons in the Fixtures and External Loads folders, respectively, and contact conditions appear in the Connections folder. In addition, the right-mouse menus provide a list of relevant options.
Drag and drop (or copy and paste) and Duplicate help you define multiple studies quickly.
The Simulation study tree makes it easy to:
- Define and manage design scenarios.
- Access related options by right-clicking a folder or item’s icon.
- Organize fixtures, loads, and connectors into folders.
- Assign materials and apply loads and fixed restraints.
- Define global and local contact conditions.
- Set mesh options, define mesh control, and mesh the model.
- Run the analysis and export the finite element model.
- Create result items and control their settings.
- Filter the Simulation study tree.
- Click-pause-click an item to rename it.
- Review or modify an item definition by right-clicking its icon in the Simulation study tree and selecting Edit Definition.
- Edit common data for connectors of the same type.
- Save images, animate, and generate study reports.
After a successful run of a study, the software creates result plots in the Results 
folder as specified in result options, or updates existing result plots.