Learning Forum

[102gab]

Please explain your responses (location of settings, where to change something, etc). I am new to ANSYS.

I designed a part in Solidworks, uploaded it to ANSYS (Student Edition 2020) Static structural and applied my loads and supports and calculated my maximum von-mises stress in my part (A 3D printed cast)

I then used Topology optimization in order reduce the mass of my object. The Toplogy was sucessful and I was left with a pretty messy object, which is know is expected and should be cleaned up with other tools.

I then return to Workbench and right click on my Topology results in order to "Transfer to Design Validation System" and then I update my results, but I do NOT get a new "geometry" under my new Static Structural tab. I try to update model (and open the model) under the new static structural and I receive this error. (Ignore the red x in my figure, those are just test)

"Update failed for the Model component in Static Structural.  Cannot refresh component Model in system Static Structural. The upstream component Results in system Topology Optimization has not generated a smoothed model file to consume." 

 

 I have tried looking everywhere and I cannot find this same error anywhere on the internet.

Alternate attempt

I converted the part to an STL file and cleaned it up using Spaceclaim's Facets--> Shrink-wrap feature and it removed random rough edges and floating particles on my part. There was no "impossible" geometry on the model, and it all looked in 1 piece. 

I then use the cleaned up geometry and upload it to a Static Structural, hit update, and then double click on Model. I try to Mesh the model and I get this error

"The mesh generation did not complete due to poor quality elements or incorrect input. Please try meshing with another mesh method or different mesh options. "

For this attempt, I also tried the "EXPORT SMOOTH STL" option as well as right clicking the geometry in Spaceclaim and clicking "SUPRESS FOR PHYSICS". When ever I use the supress for physics and try to open the model, I get these errors

 

PLEASE HELP. I have been looking up possible solutions for hours! I just want to find the maximum von mises stress for my optimized part (for either the smooth or smoothed). 

These are the mesh settings for the "non suppressed for physics"

 

EDIT: I tried using very basic geometry (flat bracket) to see if the complexity was causing the problem. I am still getting the same error "has no generated a smoothed model file to consume". What could possibly be wrong

 

[brei]

Hi I am having exactly the same problem. I can't find any solution anywhere. Was wondering if you have worked out how to solve it. 

Thanks

[102gab]

No solution. I ended up recreating my model in my preferred CAD software, making it similar to the topology optimization output (very rough sketch).

[paupv6]

Hi all,

I was trying to Validate the Topology Optimization results with the "Transfer to Design Validation System" option but kept having the error:

"Update failed for the Model component in Static Structural.  Cannot refresh component Model in system Static Structural. The upstream component Results in system Topology Optimization has not generated a smoothed model file to consume." 

You will see in the Properties of the Model of the Post Static Structural analysis that you don't have the option to choose a Smoothed Model in the Design Validation option:

To be able to select your Topology Optimization result, you need to change the "Export Topology (STL File)" option to Yes. (I think that the default value of this variable should be Yes instead of No but that's another topic)

After doing this little change you will be able to select your results (see first image) and refresh the Model:

Once this problem is solved, you might be in the situation I am right now - I am not able to generate a mesh of the results and I keep obtaining this error:

The STL generated is a surface body instead of a solid body and I think it could be the reason why the mesh is not generated. I tried different mesh parameters but nothing worked.

Let me know if you can export correctly the results and if then you are able to generate the mesh or not.