This is a post by Chad Jackson on the Tri Star Site.
In recent years, much has been made about the relevance of direct modeling on simulation activities. Somewhere along the way, many have forgotten how parametric modeling is just as important. In this post, we’ll take a look at why simulation activities need to be enabled by both.
Direct Modeling for Preparation and Iteration
A troublesome activity in the simulation process, at least to this point, has been the abstraction and simplification of detailed design models. Such modifications remove or replace geometric details that might lead to challenges in creating a mesh, and other aspects of the model not relevant to the simulation at hand.
The reason this has been so difficult lies in the fundamental nature of parametric modeling. An interdependent history of features can be a fragile thing. The removal of one piece of geometry might cause a cascade of feature failures throughout the rest of the model. Analysts rarely have the skills, knowledge and time to deal with such issues.
That’s where direct modeling is a great boon. Many CAD applications with such capabilities ignore the interdependencies between features. They allow the user to manipulate the geometry directly with simple and easier tools, avoiding failures that plague parametric modeling methods.
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