Get peace of mind with the SOLIDWORKS 2020 Simulation Evaluator

Few things grind an analyst’s gears like setting up a long study to run overnight, and then returning the following morning only to find that the study failed after 25 minutes due to storage limitations in the results folder. Luckily, this will be another one of those “when I was your age…” kinds of problems, thanks to the new Simulation Evaluator tool available in SOLIDWORKS Simulation 2020. This tool provides peace of mind that you aren’t starting a lengthy simulation only to have it fail due to a common, and easily avoidable, source of error. The SOLIDWORKS Simulation Evaluator focuses on the assigned results folder, the assigned materials, and the mesh validity.

Access the Simulation Evaluator directly from the Simulation Tree

The first section of the Simulation Evaluator indicates the paths of the model and results folder, as well as the capacity of the drive. A hyperlink to the Study Properties is included, making it easy to change the results folder if needed. This section of the tool is also helpful for troubleshooting if the link between study and results is lost.

The Simulation Evaluator provides a detailed summary of the storage conditions related to the study

The SOLIDWORKS Simulation Evaluator also provides an easy to skim overview of which materials are assigned to which parts. Reviewing this information in a dedicated table is significantly easier than digging through a narrow Simulation Tree, allowing users to quickly verify that all materials are assigned correctly. Hovering over the material cells brings up a callout with the relevant mechanical properties, such as Elastic modulus, density, and Tensile strength. Again, having all this information in one place is much more streamlined than opening the material editor for several bodies in order to check yield strengths.

Quickly verify that all bodies have the correct materials applied, and even check their properties from the fly-out

The third facet of the Simulation Evaluator is its mesh volume comparison. This section tabulates the mesh volume, body volume, and percent difference for each body in the analysis. Significant discrepancies between mesh and body volume will have a significant impact on the accuracy of an analysis, and being able to identify this prior to waiting for results can save designers from time-intensive re-runs.

The Simulation Evaluator’s tabular comparison of the body and mesh volumes makes it easy to spot areas needing mesh refinement

With the new SOLIDWORKS Simulation Evaluator tool, you can quickly double check your study setup to assist with getting accurate results on your first run.

See a Demo

The SOLIDWORKS Simulation Evaluator provides you with a single location to verify and update or re-attach simulation results, check simulation study setup, verify materials and mesh.

This tool functions as a great sanity check, but it is no substitute for having an expert between the keyboard and chair. Luckily, Javelin’s SOLIDWORKS Simulation training classes will help both novices and seasoned analysts get the most out of SOLIDWORKS Simulation.