Prepare Your Model for Design Variables
Before you add design variables, you may want to perform the following preliminary procedures:
• Assign more meaningful names to any dimensions for which you plan to create design variables. You can assign dimension names either when you create design variables or when you work with your part in
Creo Parametric. For information on naming dimensions, see
Strategy: Changing Dimension Names.
• Create
Creo Parametric relations that tie dimensions together to produce the desired dimension relationship. In
Creo Simulate, you use relations to make several dimensions move together. See
Example: Relations and
Guidelines for Using Relations.
• If you plan to create a design variable using a Creo Parametric parameter, be sure that the Creo Parametric parameter is independent.
Although you can select any numeric Creo Parametric parameter, this type of application will not result in a model change unless the Creo Parametric parameter is fully independent. If the Creo Parametric parameter ever appears on the left—or dependent—side of any relation, Creo Simulate will be unable to alter the parameter value.
• Observe Creo Simulate conventions when naming Creo Parametric parameters that you plan to use as design variables.
Creo Simulate limits design variable names to 36 characters. You can use alphanumeric characters and underscores only. Names must always start with alphabetic characters.
Because Creo Simulate uses the Creo Parametric parameter name as the design variable name, always observe these naming conventions when creating the Creo Parametric parameters you plan to use as design variables. If your Creo Parametric parameter name is too long, the software will truncate it.
• Check the Pro/Program file for dynamically suppressed or added features.
You can add conditional statements to the Pro/Program file that dynamically suppress or add features. If your Pro/Program file contains conditional statements that affect features associated with design variable, the Structure engine may be unable to optimize your part effectively due to large stress discontinuities inherent in adding or suppressing features on the fly. For more information on Pro/Program, see the Part Modeling area of the Creo Parametric Help Center.
If you are simply running a regeneration analysis, dynamically adding or suppressing features should not cause a problem. For more information on using regeneration analyses, see
Regeneration Analysis.
If you want to keep the conditional statements in place and still use Creo Simulate to determine the effects of the design variable, you can run a global sensitivity study. As you look at the resulting graphs, you typically will see a sudden change in the curve at the point where the feature was added or suppressed.
Therefore, be sure to review the file before creating design variables to determine whether you should remove any conditional statements.