Force Load—Generative Design
You can create force loads on surfaces in your model.
To Define a Force Load
1. Click > . The Force Load dialog box opens.
2. Specify a name for the load, or use the default name. Optionally click the color swatch adjacent to the Name box to change the color of the icon, the distribution, or the text displayed for the load.
3. Select a surface to which you want to apply the force load. Your selection appears in the References collector.
4. Select one of the following load distribution options:
◦ Total force—Define the total force for all the selected references. The system will distribute the force relative to the size of each reference. For a single vertex, this is the only load distribution option available.
◦ Total load at point—Define a distributed load that is statically equivalent to a load applied to a single remote point. Select a point on the model at which the total load is to be calculated, and then select Deformable or Rigid as the behavior.
5. The default coordinate system of the model is the reference coordinate system and is displayed in the
Coordinate system collector. If the model does not have a default coordinate system, then the
button is not available and the
Coordinate system collector is empty. You can select any coordinate system, or create a UCS (user coordinate system) and designate it as the default coordinate system.
You can also select an alternative reference coordinate system from the Model Tree or graphics window.
Click
to return to using the default coordinate system of the model.
6. Select one of the following options to define the magnitude and direction of the load:
◦ Magnitude and direction—Specify the value of the unit vectors for direction by typing a value of 0, 1, or -1 in the X, Y, or Z field.
Alternatively click
and select a linear edge or planar surface to specify the direction of the load. The value of the unit vector is displayed in the
X,
Y, or
Z field.
Specify the magnitude of the load in the Magnitude entry box.
◦ Directional components—Specify the components of the load for each coordinate direction X, Y, or Z. The resultant direction and magnitude of the force is determined from the values you specify for each coordinate. If you enter a positive value the force is applied in the same direction as the vector. If you use a negative value, the direction of the load opposes the vector.
7. Select units of force from the list or accept the default units.
8. Click OK to create the load and save it.