Body from Deformed Shape

You can save the true deformed shape of a part or assembly resulting from running a static or nonlinear study. You can save the deformed geometry as a new configuration, or a new SOLIDWORKS document. Use the generated geometry for simulation or manufacturing purposes. This functionality works for solid, shell, and mixed meshes with solids and shells, and is available in SOLIDWORKS Simulation Professional and above.

You cannot save the deformed geometry of models with sheet metals or beams.

For linear static studies, you can use this functionality to control the shape of the deformed model. For example, consider a planar plate subjected to a uniform pressure p. If you save and manufacture the deformed shape of the plate under a uniform pressure -p, the plate will be planar when the pressure p is applied.

Save Body As

Configuration in this model Save the deformed shape of a part or assembly as a new configuration.
  Configuration Name Type the name of the new configuration.
New Part file Save the deformed shape of a part or assembly in a new document. For nonlinear studies, the deformed shape of the last solution step is saved.
  Part Name Type the name of the new document.

Advanced Export

You can save the deformed geometry directly to a SOLIDWORKS part, or to alternative formats that can help you to re-create geometry from the deformed shape.
  SOLIDWORKS body

Saves the deformed shape of a part or assembly in a SOLIDWORKS part document. The deformed geometry is shown as Imported body in the FeatureManager design tree.

Deformed shapes of assembly documents are saved as multibody parts.
  Tessellated body The program divides the deformed shape into smaller elements to create a closed volume that faithfully maintains the shape of the deformed body. A tessellated body is comprised of quadratic geometric surface mesh elements in deformed regions of the model while maintaining as much of the original geometry as possible in slightly deformed regions of the model.
  Surfaces Select in instances where Solidworks geometry cannot be created from the deformed shape in simulation, because the individual surface deformations are such that they cannot be "stitched" back together. The surfaces option creates as many individual surfaces as possible to represent the deformed body.
In many instances the edges of the surfaces may not properly line up with the edges of adjacent surfaces to create a closed volume. Use this option to re-create the deformed shape using the generated surfaces as a guide.
  Mesh Exports the mesh created in Simulation.
When the calculated deformation of the body is below the minimum tolerance that the program accepts to save a body as deformed shape, the undeformed geometry is actually saved. For the create a body from deformed shape function, the minimum tolerance for which the program detects a face as deformed with respect to its original shape (and as a result it reconstructs the face internally through surface stitching) is 10e-5 of the characteristic length of the body.

Creating a Body from a Deformed Shape

To create a body from deformed shape:

  1. Run a static or nonlinear study.
  2. Right-click the Results folder and select Create Body from Deformed Shape.
  3. In the PropertyManager, click Save as Configuration or Save as New Part part.png Button.
  4. Type a configuration name or a new document name.
    The new document is saved in the location of the original part or assembly.
  5. Click .
    You cannot save the deformed geometry of models with sheet metals or beams.