Reuse SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Study Setup by Means of Templates

Virtual product testing using simulation tools have become a core strategy to meet evolving needs of the product development processes. Therefore, it is critical to improve simulation productivity by capturing and reusing the simulation data and process. When it comes to testing product performance for different designs using SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation, a project template can be created to re-use analysis definitions.  This will speed up the process of performing fluid flow and heat transfer analysis by allowing users to apply the existing data specifications from General Settings, Global Mesh, Calculation control options and units dialog boxes.

Template contains all general project settings that can be used as a basis for a new project. These settings (problem type and physical features, fluids, solids, initial and ambient flow parameters, wall condition, geometry and result resolution, unit settings) can be specified under General Settings, Calculation Control Options, Global Mesh and Units.

To create a Flow Simulation template, users can simply right mouse click on an existing project name on the Flow Tree and select “Create Template” or navigate to main ribbon (menu bar) to select Tools > Flow Simulation > Project > Create Template.  A unique name can be provided for the template.

The template contains the project data that can be specified under the Input Data folder such as the Computational Domain settings, Boundary Conditions, goals, and a wide range of the engineering device models.

When it comes to creating a Flow Simulation project, a user defined Template can be used by clicking on “New” instead of the Wizard.  Once the Project Name is entered, the required Configuration can be selected – “Use Current, Select, Create New”.  Flow Simulation uses configurations as a geometry basis for the projects.

In the dialog boxes for General Settings, Calculation control options, Global Mesh, units, information required for a new project can be specified. In addition to the fluid flow analysis project data, a template may include the results processing features.

While cloning a Flow Simulation project allows users to copy the project setup to a different configuration of the same solid model, templates can be used for any solid model. Obviously, the definitions will have to be modified when the parts in the model are different. Using templates to reuse simulation data will speed up the fluid flow analysis for different designs.  Once multiple Fluid flow projects are quickly setup they can be run simultaneously (Batch Run) as needed.

By leveraging these time saving options in SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation, it is possible to democratize fluid flow or heat transfer simulation and make fluid flow analysis (CFD) model definitions available to designers and non-experts.