Hints and Tips

Short list of hints and tips to get you started with SimSolid Cloud.

SimSolid has unique numerical solution methods to eliminate many of the limitations found in traditional FEA. With SimSolid, there is no meshing and geometry handling is much easier.

Use CAD geometry as is: SimSolid Cloud is capable of analyzing all geometric detail including fillets, rounds, holes, imprints and other small features. Even surface construction complexity such as odd face transitions and small splinter surfaces are OK to leave in unaltered. SimSolid Cloud is tolerant of imprecise geometry.
Don't merge assemblies: Most traditional FEA applications recommend this step in order to help the meshing process. With SimSolid Cloud this is not recommended. It actually reduces accuracy and slows down the solution process. Always keep all CAD parts separate.
Don't be afraid of large assemblies: With SimSolid Cloud, it is acceptable to leave in small parts such as bolts, nuts and washers. SimSolid Cloud's unique adaptive solution process works efficiently on models with hundreds or even thousands of parts.
Try tutorials: SimSolid Cloud comes with several introductory Tutorials Tutorial Videos. These include both models and workflow instructions.

Troubleshooting FAQ

This addresses some common questions that arise with SimSolid Cloud.

Modeling


Question	Answer
When creating connections, I get the message, “Last task was completed with messages” and the message reads “Warning: Assembly has XX disconnected groups of parts”. What do I do?	Not all parts are connected. Go to the Connections panel in the part explorer and do Actions > Show disconnected groups of parts. This highlights where the missing connections are. Right-click the disconnected part on either the screen or in the Assembly panel and select Edit Connections. Pick the parts to manually connect, specify the gap and penetration tolerances and the resolution level then Find Connections. Repeat as necessary to complete all connections. Finally, to one more Show disconnected groups of parts to ensure that everything is now connected.
When reading in the model geometry, I get the message, “Warning: a part imported from the file has been skipped” . What do I do?	SimSolid Cloud checks for duplicate parts in the same physical location. It skips any that are found. So, in most cases, this eliminates the issue. Still, the best practice is to avoid this altogether. Go back to the geometry file and look for duplicates, so that the geometry is corrected.
I try to load my geometry file and it says it is too large. What do I do?	Currently, SimSolid Cloud is our Standard edition and as such is limited to solving assemblies with 250 parts and/or 500,000 total part facets. For larger models, please use SimSolid on the desktop. This edition has no model size limits.

Analysis


Question	Answer
When solving the analysis, I get the message, “Error: Unable to solve equation system (status 17, 20, 3286). The model may not be sufficiently constrained.”	The model has some rigid body motion. This can be caused by either (1) insufficient constraints that allow the entire model to move (translate and/or rotate) globally or (2) a local mechanism at a connection which allows one part of the model to move (translate and/or rotate) relative to another part. To diagnose the problem, run a free-free (unconstrained) modal analysis. There should be exactly 6 rigid body modes. Additional modes indicate a mechanism is present. This can happen on connection areas that are very thin (such as edges of sheet metal plates) or when trying to connect parts of large size differences (very large to very small). Increase the stiffness in the connection to fix. Manually, recreate the connection and increase the Resolution level.

Results


Question	Answer
How do I display my results?	Select the Results branch in the Analysis tree. The result dialog opens and you can select the desired result quantities.
When I display result contour of displacements, all values in the legend are zero?	The result output format is set to Engineering and there are not enough digits of precision given. For example, with only 4 digits of precision, the displacement 0.000005 mm is displayed as 0.0000. Go to the Settings > Units tab and either add more decimal places or switch to the Scientific or Concise output formats.
My stresses do not look smooth enough. What can I do?	In SimSolid Cloud, solution quality is controlled by the Solution Settings. Try using the Detailed setting. See the Solution Settings for more info on how to adjust them. Remember that forces are continuous at part boundaries but stresses are not. It is expected that there should be some discontinuity in these locations. Also note that SimSolid Cloud solves a set of high order functions and then maps these values back onto external part surfaces facets to display stresses in post-processing. In certain cases, this mapping may be a bit rough. Simply consider the average values in these areas.
When animating my results the frame rate is too slow/fast. What can I do?	On the result dialog open the Deformation options, panel and adjust the Speed slider (faster to the right, slower to the left).
When I stop my animation, my result values looks wrong?	The animation scales the values between min and max. If you stop somewhere in the middle those scaled values are displayed. To get back to the max values, simply slide the animation slider all the way to the right.
Can I move the results legend in the graphics area?	Yes; hover the mouse just above the legend and the Legend title bar appears. Drag the title bar to reposition the legend location.
I did an unconstrained modal analysis and got more than 6 rigid (0 frequency) modes. What did I do wrong?	Most likely, some connection was not properly applied. For example, animate the 7th rigid mode and examine which parts are moving. This should highlight areas with weak or nonexistent connections. Either add a connection, if missing, or increase the connection resolution level, for cases where the connection is there but weakly connected.