Define Assembly

You can indicate that certain components of your assembly should not participate in the simulation. Suppressing components in the assembly simplifies the simulation and allows it to run faster.

You should consider suppressing any components that are not expected to contibute to the structural response of your product; for example, explicitly modeled bolts, decorative elements, or components that are far away from the applied loads and restraints. Simulation features such as loads and restraints cannot be applied to a suppressed component.

Note: The Define Assembly action applies only to models consisting of an assembly of components. Simulation on assemblies is available only with a license for the DesignSight Structure Plus product.

Simulation Features

There are no simulation features associated with the Define Assembly action.

To suppress a component, click on the component in your model. All suppressed components are displayed in gray; active components are displayed in green. To restore a component to the assembly, click it again.

When defining an assembly, it is often necessary to select components that are inside other assembly components or obscured by other assembly components. You can use the F7 key to temporarily render a component translucent, allowing you to see through it and select a component behind it; see Digger Selection for more information.

You can also use the Review Panel to display a tree view of your model structure. Use the check boxes to suppress and restore components or entire subassemblies. See Review Panels for more information.

Status Criteria

By default, all visible components in your assembly will participate in the simulation. The Define Assembly action is considered complete unless all components in the assembly have been suppressed.