Generated Support

Generates a support structure consisting of finite elements for Additive Manufacturing simulations. Elements are generated between the part geometry and the base plate geometry based on an existing mesh and the criteria set in Support Group.

After inserting this object, select element faces of the part under which you want elements to be generated. Then right-click and select Generate Support Bodies to generate the elements. Elements are generated straight down from there to fill the gap between the part and the base plate.

Additional Related Information

Object Properties

The Details Pane properties for this object include the following.

Category	Properties/Options/Descriptions
Scope	Scoping Method: Options include Geometry Selection (default) and Named Selections. Geometry: Displays when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry Selection. Using the Element Face selection filter on the graphics toolbar, select the desired element faces and click Apply. Named Selection: Displays when the Scoping Method is set to Named Selection. It provides a drop-down menu. Only element face-based Named Selections are displayed in the drop-down menu.
Definition	Nonlinear Material Effects: Options include Yes (default) and No. This property applies nonlinear material effects to the finite element body. Mode: Indicates whether you manually specified the Geometry Selection or whether it was detected using the options of the Support Group object. Important: Only automatically generated supports are affected by the Generate on Remesh property of the Support Group object Visible: Show or hide the generated finite element body wherever the mesh is displayed (using the Show Mesh option or when the mesh object is selected).
Support Material Settings	Support Type: Options include User Defined (default) and Block. When you select the Block option, the following properties become the only visible properties. Wall Thickness: Enter a thickness value (illustrated by T length below). Wall Spacing: Enter a spacing value (illustrated by L length below). Multiplier Entry: Options include All (default) and Manual. Material Multiplier All Setting When the Multiplier Entry property is set to All, the Material Multiplier property displays. The Material Multiplier property applies the same value to all of the material multipliers listed below. The multiplication factors are homogenization factors and, in each direction, reflect the ratio of the support area projected onto the area of a fully solid support. Manual Setting When the Multiplier Entry property is set to Manual, the following multiplier properties display: Elastic Modulus Multiple in X/Y/Z Shear Modulus Multiple in XY/YZ/XZ Density Multiple Thermal Conductivity Multiple in X/Y/Z
Statistics	Nodes: Read-only property that displays the nodes of the added finite-element body. Elements: Read-only property that displays the elements of the added finite-element body. Volume: Read-only property that displays the volume of the added finite-element body.

Tree Dependencies

Valid Parent Tree Object: Support Group, which is under AM Process object.
Valid Child Tree Objects: None.

Insertion Methods

Select the AM Process object and then select the Generated Support option from the AM Process Context Tab.
Right-click the AM Process object and then select the Insert > Generated Support.
Select the Support Group object and then select the Generated Support option from the AM Process Context Tab.
Right-click the Support Group object and then select the Insert > Generated Support.

Right-click Options

In addition to common right-click options, relevant right-click options for this object include:

Insert
Create Named Selection of Generated Elements
Hide Support
Hide All Other Bodies
Generate Support Bodies
Clear Generated Data

API Reference

See the Generated AM Support section of the ACT API Reference Guide for specific scripting information.