There are two unit systems that are interconnected and of importance for Material Designer: the Material Designer analysis unit system and the SpaceClaim length units.
Material Designer Analysis Unit Systems
The Material Designer analysis unit system specifies the units in which Material Designer can perform analyses:
Macroscale units – s, m, kg
Microscale units – s, mm, t
The stiffness results are subsequently either calculated in Pascal (Pa) or in Megapascal (MPa) depending on whether the macro- or microscale units are active, for example.
By default, the microscale units are activated for UD composites, random UD composites, chopped fiber composites and user defined RVEs. Macroscale units are activated for lattice structures and woven composites. If microscale units are active, the top right corner of the Material Designer interface will display a red µm or nm symbol.
SpaceClaim Length Units
The choice of SpaceClaim length units will determine whether the macroscale or microscale units are used for Material Designer.
| Material Designer Analysis Unit System | SpaceClaim Length Units | |
| Metric | Imperial | |
| Microscale units (s, mm, t) | Nanometers | Mils |
| Micrometers | ||
| Macroscale units (s, m, kg) | Millimeters | Inches |
| Centimeters | Feet | |
| Meters | Feet & Inches | |
Note: The Material Designer Analysis Unit System will be used when displaying results. The Spaceclaim length unit will be used for entering values into Material Designer fields. When you change the Spaceclaim length units, it automatically changes Analysis Unit System to the corresponding entry in the table above.
Changing the Unit System
You can manually change the unit system in an empty analysis with the following procedure:
Choose the RVE Type.
Click > > .
Select the length unit.
Note: Changing the unit system can lead to problems with creating or meshing geometry due to tolerances. Switching the Material Designer unit system for a microscale based RVE is not advised. A change in unit system is often necessary for the User Defined RVE.