Smoothing

Creates a Stereolithography (STL), Part Manager Database (.pmdb), or Mechanical APDL common database (.cdb) file from the parent Topology Density result. Available via the Topology Density result object.Once inserted, you can create the Smoothed STL file of the optimized topology that is extracted from the optimization run. This object includes a Move Limit property that you can use to achieve your desired smoothing. No smoothing is performed if the Move Limit property is set to zero (0).

The Smoothing feature uses an algorithm that is different than the one used by the parent Topology Density result object to extract isosurfaces. Therefore, the results presented by the Smoothing object may be slightly different than those of the parent result. This is especially noticeable for Retained Threshold values (that approach 0 or 1) as well as thin Member Size values.

Multiple Smoothing objects can be added for each Topology Density result. In addition, you can use the STL geometry file or the Part Manager Database (.pmdb) file for downstream validation systems.

Additional Related Information

Object Properties

The Details Pane for this object includes the following properties.

Category Properties/Options/Descriptions

Category	Properties/Options/Descriptions
Definition	Move Limit: You use this property to specify how much each node is allowed to move (in length units). The default value is `0`. You can specify any value greater than `0`. As the value increases, the application further smooths the design, but at the same time, it increases the difference between the optimal design. Therefore, you need to find a reasonable compromise between smoothing and maintaining your optimal design. Note: To make sure that results remain realistic, this entry cannot be greater than the size of an element (Element Size property of the Mesh object). The smoothing process stops as soon as one node meets the limit. File Name: Displays the temporary folder location the application uses to save the STL geometry file.
Display	Color: Select a graphics display color. Statistics (Triangles): Read-only property that displays the number of triangles included in your STL geometry.

Definition

Move Limit: You use this property to specify how much each node is allowed to move (in length units). The default value is 0. You can specify any value greater than 0. As the value increases, the application further smooths the design, but at the same time, it increases the difference between the optimal design. Therefore, you need to find a reasonable compromise between smoothing and maintaining your optimal design.

Note: To make sure that results remain realistic, this entry cannot be greater than the size of an element (Element Size property of the Mesh object). The smoothing process stops as soon as one node meets the limit.

File Name: Displays the temporary folder location the application uses to save the STL geometry file.

Display

Color: Select a graphics display color.

Statistics (Triangles): Read-only property that displays the number of triangles included in your STL geometry.

Tree Dependencies

Valid Parent Tree Object: Topology Density object.
Valid Child Tree Objects: No supported child objects.

Insertion Methods

With a Topology Density result object selected:

Select the Smoothing option from the Results group of the Solution Context Tab.
Right-click, and select Insert > Smoothing.

Right-click Options

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

Insert > Smoothing
Duplicate Without Results
Evaluate

API Reference

See the Smoothing section of the ACT API Reference Guide for specific scripting information.

Additional Related Information

See the following sections for more information: