Copying Simulation Tree Definitions Between Studies

Once you have defined a simulation study, you can drag definitions from one study tree to another quickly and efficiently. In the simulation study tree, select the items you want to copy and drag them to a new simulation study tab.

Rules

  • You can drag materials, loads, fixtures, connections, mesh control, and results. You can drag folders (including all definitions under a folder), a single definition, or a group of definitions.
  • The software does not let you copy definitions from one study to another when this action creates invalid input for the target study. For example, you can drag material folders from one study to another, but you cannot drag an External Loads or a Fixtures folder from a thermal study to a structural study (static, frequency, or buckling) or vice versa.
  • When you drag definitions from a source study to a target study, the source study remains the active study.
  • Although temperatures are valid for both thermal and structural studies, the software does not let you drag temperatures from a thermal study to a structural study or vice versa.
  • You can only drag result plots from one study to another study of the same type. For example, you can copy a stress plot only from a static study to another static study.
    Simulation Entities to Copy between Studies Notes
    Parts folder (all or selected definitions) Valid for structural and thermal studies (copies materials)
    External Loads folder (all or selected definitions) Valid for compatible studies only (compatible mesh types)
    Fixtures folder (all or selected definitions) Valid for compatible studies only (compatible mesh types)
    Connections folder (all or selected definitions) Valid for compatible studies only (compatible mesh types)
    Results folder (all or selected definitions) Valid for the same type of study only
    Mesh folder Validity depends on compatibility of contact options
    Mesh control items  

Organization of Bodies

You can apply simulation features easily by organizing bodies into folders. Cut lists for beams and sheet metal bodies appear in the Simulation study tree.

To create sub-folders, right-click a folder in the Simulation study tree and select Create New Folder. You can then drag entities into the new folder.

All options under the parent folder are available for a newly created sub-folder, for example:

  • You can assign the same material properties to the bodies in a sub-folder under the Parts folder.
  • You can drag existing pressure loads to a sub-folder under the External Loads folder.