Welcome to July of our Ask an Applied Engineer series! Each month, our engineers answer your most pressing questions.
Whether you’re troubleshooting software challenges or seeking industry advice, our team is here to help you succeed.
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This month, we’re answering questions about STAR-CCM+ meshing and NX assembly structure.
Question #1
Q: My question is for STAR-CCM+. How can I reuse the same mesh setup across different design versions without starting over each time?
A: It depends on the extent of the design change and how the simulation has been set up. STAR-CCM+ contains a per-part meshing workflow, allowing the user to control meshing parameters and remesh individual regions while leaving the mesh of other regions unchanged. Additionally, local meshing can be used within the Automated Mesh operation, specifying individual areas of the domain to be remeshed.
However, both of these methods work best for small design changes (e.g., changing the spoiler design of a car, changing airfoil geometry) rather than large-scale design changes. A valuable tutorial demonstrating this approach can be found under the “Tutorials>Mesh>Parts-Based Meshing External Aerodynamics” in the STAR-CCM+ tutorial documentation.
Answered by Jaymes Dionne, PhD, Application Engineer at Applied CAx
Question #2
Q: I’m working on a new product variant that uses an existing large subassembly, but I need to modify a few of its internal components. What’s the best way in NX to duplicate the entire assembly structure, including its subassemblies and parts, so that the new assembly references new, copied components instead of the original files?
A: The perfect command for this scenario is Create Clone Assembly.
The Cloning feature allows you to duplicate an assembly and its structure. It gives you fine control over which components are copied and remain linked to the original. This is precisely what you need to create a new version of an assembly in which most components are shared, but specific ones are modified or replaced.
During the cloning process, you can:
- Establish default actions for the components (e.g., “Copy and Rename” or “Reuse”).
- Set exceptions for the components you plan to modify (e.g., ensuring they are copied to new files).
Cloned assemblies are always created from the last saved assembly file. After the operation, a cloning log file is generated, which you can save for future reference.
Answered by Lon Waggoner, NX Applications Engineer at Applied CAx
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