Design Variables
A design variable is a model feature on which you can instruct Creo Simulate to perform one of the following actions:
• vary within a specified range in a sensitivity or optimization design study
• change to a specified setting in a standard design study
You can create a design variable for:
• dimensions
• Creo Parametric parameters
• beam section dimensions
• material properties
• laminate layup shell properties for shell models
The following buttons are used to add or delete a design variable in the Variables table.
• 
—Click to select and add available dimensions from the model.
|  If sketched beam sections are present in your model, clicking opens the Dimension Selection dialog box. |
• 
—Click this button to select and add a
Creo Parametric parameter from the
Select Parameter dialog box.
| When you select a Creo Parametric parameter with a negative value, be sure that the value is valid. For example, you would not specify a length as a negative number, but you could specify an angle as a negative number. If you specify a negative value where you should not, the software will be unable to regenerate the part during design studies or shape animation. |
| For a design study of an assembly, you can select parameters that are created at the top-level assembly level, but you cannot select parameters that are created at the individual part level. |
• 
—Deletes the variable row that you select.
For more information on using design variables when creating laminate layup shell properties for shell models, see
Design Variables with Laminate Layup.