DesignModeler Familiarisation

In this tutorial, we will gain a familiarisation with the software DesignModeler, which is one of the tools provided in Ansys Workbench for creating geometry. We will introduce the window layout of DesignModeler, how to work in different planes in the x, y, and z coordinate space, the creation of 2D sketches that can be extruded into 3D objects, and how to change the dimensions of geometrical elements. We will also introduce the idea of “frozen” material and tools for selecting different parts of a geometry. These concepts will be presented by following step to create simple shape – a cylindrical pipe. The tutorial is not designed to be exhaustive. It is simply a familiarization exercise to allow you to become acquainted with the interface, workflow and some of the functions of DesignModeler.

Time to complete: 15 minutes.

Pre-requisite tutorials: Ansys Workbench Familiarisation

Opening DesignModeler

Ansys Workbench has a number of different geometry creation tools. In certain versions, DesignModeler is the default and in others it is not. When you create a Geometry component in the workbench, you can select which geometry creation software to use from the options in version you have installed. DesignModeler is the oldest tool in the Ansys suite, so it is available on all versions (at the time of writing) but is also the least modern in terms of user experience and capability.

Step 1:Open Ansys Workbench and drag a Geometry component system onto the project schematic (the instructions for performing these tasks are on the Ansys Workbench Familiarisation Tutorial. On the 2nd row of the Geometry component, right click and select New DesignModeler Geometry... . The DesignModeler software should open in a new window.

DesignModeler Interface

As with most of the Ansys software, DesignModeler consists of a series of panels inside the main window. These can be pinned, repositioned and docked to the user’s preferences. In this tutorial, we will use the default layout. If the default layout is lost, either by mistake or by experimenting with how it can be adjusted, it can be restored from with “View”, “Windows”, “Reset Layout” options from the top menu.

The DesignModeler interface consists of the following panels:

• At the top of the window is a set of drop down menus, with options such as “File” and “Create”.
• Below that are a series of icons for performing various geometry creation functions. Hovering the cursor over any of these icons will reveal a short description of what it does.
• To the left hand side is the “Tree Outline”. All the geometry items created a represented here, and items can be nested into a “tree”. This panel can be switched between Modelling and Sketching using the tabs at the bottom of the window. When “Sketching” is clicked, the panel displays the “Sketching Toolboxes”. When “Modelling” is clicked, the Tree Outline is displayed.
• Below this window is the “Details” View. In this panel, details of items selected in the Tree Outline or the Sketching Toolboxes are displayed. When attributes of a selected object need to be adjusted, it can be done here.
• The main panel “Graphics”, is where graphical objects are displayed, manipulated and selected. This is where most of the interactions with your graphics will occur.

Bodies, Parts and Sketches

DesignModeler allows you to create sketches and bodies.

• Bodies, which can either be 2D or 3D, are pieces of geometry onto which mesh elements can be applied. Bodies can be collected together into “parts”. Only bodies and parts will be passed from DesignModeler to the meshing software.
• Sketches, which are normally 2D and have to be created on a “plane”, are not objects onto which mesh elements will be applied. They are constructed as a base from which a bodies can be created. For example, a sketch can be used to create a complex shape which can be extruded into a prismatic body of the sketch’s cross section. Sketches in DesignModeler are not transferred into the meshing software.

Manipulating the Graphics window and selecting a plane

At the bottom of the Graphics window, there is black ruler in the centre and an XYZ triad to the right. These items help with orientation and scale. Before any geometry is created, there is no way to know the extent the Graphics window is zoomed in. The ruler is very helpful in this scenario.

Step 2:We will be building a circular

In order to build a sketch, a 2D plane needs to be selected. A user defined plane can be created, but three are provided by default. These are XY, ZX and YZ

Selecting and deleting bodies

Congratulations on reaching the end of this tutorial. In summary, you have learned to:

1. Open the Ansys Workbench Software
2. Understand the software layout
3. Understand component and analysis systems
4. Build simple simulation systems in the Project Schematic.
5. Reset the window layout
6. Save and Open Ansys Workbench project files