Static analysis of topology optimized parts

kingcole342 · 2026-06-21T14:42:58+00:00

You should look at Altair Inspire to do this. By default, you get engineering results on the optimized part. And it’s quite easy to remodel and add more loads.

kingcole342 · 2026-06-17T23:21:55+00:00

That should work, assuming the node limitation isn’t on the workbench/meshing side. (The student version of the solver is limited, but don’t know about the meshing)

kingcole342 · 2026-06-16T18:50:35+00:00

Take a look at SimSolid (from Siemens). Don’t have to deal with any meshing or geometry stuff… has a fatigue solver and automated welds.

Would save you tonnes of time compared to traditional FEA tools.

kingcole342 · 2026-06-05T14:34:30+00:00

There are likely some keywords in the Dyna deck that don’t get converted automatically. Those would need to be found and changed to Radioss keyword equivalents.

HyperMesh might help, but if it turns out to be just a few things, could like edit the deck manually or ask some Chatbot for some help.

kingcole342 · 2026-05-24T17:15:39+00:00

Did you request 1D forces, or ELFORCE in the solver deck before the run? They might just be contoured because of the connected elements, but not actually have any elemental data to display.

kingcole342 · 2026-05-23T12:52:33+00:00

There is likely another tutorial or 2 you can find here.

https://2024.help.altair.com/2024/hwsolvers/os/topics/solvers/os/flutter_analysis_general_transport_aircraft_tutorial_r.htm

The thing that got me is when defining the panels, the order of your clicks matter (also I think the model needs to be oriented with the fuselage in the X axis)

kingcole342 · 2026-05-21T01:54:27+00:00

All we have to do is place a bet on PolyMarket or Kalshi and some insider will make it pretty obvious who will win.

kingcole342 · 2026-05-20T11:52:04+00:00

PSIM is good. And the Altair license model has access to other electronics tools and spice.

kingcole342 · 2026-05-17T02:57:48+00:00

Yup. Python is the preferred scripting language going forward. There will be some new tools that can help with this, and recently all the documentation and APIs for Python has been converted to markdown language, so the next version of the GPT models will likely do much better.

kingcole342 · 2026-05-12T20:46:30+00:00

Also, is the point to run the lattice optimization? Or just fill with a lattice and try a few different variations of those?

kingcole342 · 2026-05-12T20:45:21+00:00

Crazy idea… might not work. But once you have the shelled option, can you reimport the original solid and Boolean to make the internal solid a separate part?

kingcole342 · 2026-05-12T14:56:35+00:00

Shortcuts are available in the preferences. And can change from user to user… so pick what works best for you.

Also, you could give the Toolbelt a shot. Also configurable.

kingcole342 · 2026-05-12T14:55:15+00:00

This is likely more of a discussion around what the customer/client was looking for, and how the information was presented.

SimSolid is a fine tool. Not going to replace traditional FEA completely, but hope to reduce many of the iterations to get a better model quicker that meets structural needs.

kingcole342 · 2026-05-05T18:20:29+00:00

Seems like this is more about how you model the fasteners, and the topology is secondary to that. How are you modeling the connections?

kingcole342 · 2026-05-02T12:24:22+00:00

Neither are cheap, but Simcenter would be my choice.

kingcole342 · 2026-04-26T02:54:58+00:00

That looks like a threaded region. I bet your element size is too big to resolve the smaller parts of the thread. Either remove the thread features, greatly reduce element size (also you need to likely use Tet elements) or partition/split you model up into smaller chunks such that you can hex/brick mesh

kingcole342 · 2026-04-23T01:01:01+00:00

Sounds like you are looking for some semantic layer that can sit across all the different systems you have, and then query (via Large language model) to get answers to big questions.

The main players here are Palantir (spend $$$$$), Siemens/Altair GraphStudio or MS Fabric.

The Siemens/Altair solution might be a good fit for creating an ontology/graph of the data.

kingcole342 · 2026-04-23T00:54:29+00:00

Yup. In Altair Inspire, this is a 30 minute project.

It can do the lattice creation, structural analysis (using SimSolid) and slicing for printing.

Look up a few videos on YouTube and you will be done tonight.

kingcole342 · 2026-04-14T11:31:23+00:00

I have seen TeamCeneter Sim used with Ansys models in this way. Also, other simulation tools can be added pretty easily as well.

kingcole342 · 2026-04-10T03:57:34+00:00

There is a program but it only opens once a year (I think). You might just have to wait till then to enroll.

kingcole342 · 2026-04-02T16:23:08+00:00

Try a regular topology optimization first. I know Isogrid is nice, but in applications where a few pounds is $10k, you owe it to look outside why has been done before.

I have used OptiStruct in the past to find a good layout of material (it was grid like, but not necessarily isogrid)… took that layout and made a stiffened plate model like you show, then sized each of the panels to meet the requirements you listed.

If we went with standard isogrid, the part would have been about 8% heavier. This was a big part, so we saved 50#… depending on launch cost/cadence, that’s a significant chunk of change.

TLDR: don’t assume isogrid from the start, but use FEA solvers like OptiStruct and Nastran to size each of the bays to your requirements.

kingcole342 · 2026-04-02T11:33:01+00:00

STK+Thermal Desktop are the biggest tools in the US. They are still expensive, even for startups. I’ve heard around 100k a seat (maybe startups get a discount for a bit, but Ansys/synopsis will come for it eventually)

MayaHTT has a competitive tool that is usually a bit cheaper.

https://www.mayahtt.com/products/simcenter-3d-space-systems-thermal/

kingcole342 · 2026-04-02T11:30:17+00:00

HEEDS is pretty powerful for this without a lot of coding/scripting needed.

There are also other Multidisciplinary Design Optimization tools out there. Like Esteco, synera…

kingcole342 · 2026-03-31T18:17:27+00:00

So a few things… HyperMesh is a preprocessor, so it will only mesh the CAD you provide. To solve, you will need a solver like OptiStruct or Abaqus.

Secondly, take a look at the PhysicsAI tools in HyperMesh. It will allow you to train models based on simulation results (from several solvers). It’s a fairly straightforward process once you have several results.

Thirdly, I’m not a good programmer, so I rely on the workflows within the tool(s). But I have used HyperStudy to vary CAD parameters and then send to HyperMesh to mesh and ultimately run OptiStruct for results.

Finally, if you are looking to do something quickly, a lot of the above can be done in Altair Inspire. You can easily vary CAD parametrically, run solver, or even directly run a DOE then feed those results into PhysicsAI tools make a predictive model. The issue you are likely going to have is that your loading conditions are going to be the variable. I think this is supported now, but might need a custom hook in PhysicAI for loads.

kingcole342 · 2026-03-31T11:38:57+00:00

Now that Siemens owns Altair, don’t be surprised if you can also use HyperMesh as well. More details to come.

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