2.10.1. Topology Density

The Topology Density result produces nodal averaged results. Go directly to a section topic using the following links:

Application

One Topology Density object is added automatically to the optimization analysis system. You can add additional objects by selecting Topology Density from the Results group on the Solution Context tab or by right-clicking the Solution folder (or in the Geometry window) and selecting Insert>Topology Density.

Note: You can further analyze your optimized model, through continued simulation or by performing a design validation by exporting your results and making them available to a new downstream system.

The Solution object property Export Topology (STL file) enables you to automatically export your results in Standard Tessellation Language (STL) and in Part Manager Database (PMDB) file format, archive the files in zip file format, and then place the zipped file in the Solver Files Directory. This option is set to Yes by default.

In order to make the optimized results available to a downstream system, you need to create the new system on the Workbench Project Schematic and link the Results cell of your Structural Optimization analysis to the Geometry cell of a new downstream system, either a Geometry component system or the Geometry cell of another analysis system. Refer to the Design Validation section for additional details about this process.

Display Limitation

This result type does not support the display options available from the Geometry drop-down menu on the Result Context tab and that include the following views: Exterior, IsoSurfaces, Capped IsoSurfaces, and Section Planes.

Result Smoothing

The Topology Density result offers the Results group option Smoothing from the Solution Context Tab. You can also insert a Smoothing object using the context (right-click) menu options Insert > Smoothing. This result generates an STL (Stereolithography) file based on the Topology Density result that you can need modify to move nodes of the geometry to refine your part and as desired, save for use in downstream validation systems. Multiple Smoothing objects can be added for each Topology Density result.

Note: Smoothing is not supported on the Linux platform.

Specify Properties

Using the properties of the Details pane, define results.

Category	Properties/Options/Description
Scope	Scoping Method. The options for this property include: Optimization Region (default): This option indicates that the design region is applied to the specified Optimization Region. When you select Optimization Region for the Scoping Method, the Optimization Region property displays. Geometry Selection: This option indicates that the design region is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen using the graphical selection tools. When you specify Geometry Selection for the Scoping Method, the Geometry property displays. In this case, use selection filters on the Graphics Toolbar to pick your geometric entities (body and element selection only), and then click Apply. Once complete, the property displays the type of geometry (Body, Element, etc.) and the number of selected geometric entities (for example: 1 Body, 12 Elements). Named Selection: This option indicates that the design region is applied to a Named Selection. When you specify Named Selection for the Scoping Method, the Named Selection property displays. This property provides a drop-down list of available user-defined Named Selections (only body-based and element-based Named Selections are supported).
Definition	Type: Read-only field that describes the object - Topology Density. By: Read-only field that displays "Iteration". Iteration: The default setting is Last. You can specify an iteration number to obtain results for the specified iteration (displayed in the Result category). Note: The animation of Topology Density results occurs over all iterations for which the intermediate results are computed as well as saved during solution. The intermediate results are computed based on the setting of the Store Results At property of the Output Controls (Analysis Settings object) and the intermediate results are saved to disk based on the setting of the Max Num of Intermediate Files property. Retained Threshold: This property is controlled by a slider that represents the range from minimum to maximum for the result. The default value is `0.5`. The supported range is `0.01` to `0.99` (greater than zero and less than 1). Once you evaluate the result, use the slider to view the optimized topology in the graphics view. The application computes and displays the values for the Original Volume, Final Volume, Percent Volume of Original, Original Mass, Final Mass, and Percent Mass of Original properties. Exclusions Participation: Yes (default) or No. When set to Yes, the application uses the excluded elements to compute the Original Volume, Final Volume, Percent Volume of Original, Original Mass, Final Mass, and Percent Mass of Original properties. When set to No, excluded elements are not considered. Suppressed: Include (No, default) or exclude (Yes) the result.
Results	Minimum: Read-only field that displays minimum density value of the result. Maximum: Read-only field that displays maximum density value of the result. Original Volume: Read-only field that displays, per scoping, the computed original volume. Final Volume: Read-only field that displays, per scoping and the Retained Threshold setting, the optimized volume. Percent Volume of Original: Read-only field that displays the value of the Final Volume divided by the Original Volume. Original Mass: Read-only field that displays, per scoping, the computed original mass. Final Mass: Read-only field that displays, per scoping and the Retained Threshold setting, the optimized mass. Percent Mass of Original: Read-only field that displays the value of the Final Mass divided by the Original Mass. Note: If elements are excluded from the optimization, then volume/mass contribution from those elements will not be included in the Original Volume/Original Mass computation.
Visibility	Show Optimized Region: This property is used to control graphical view changes only. The options for this property include: All Regions: This option displays all of the regions selected by the Scoping Method. Three color bands are shown: Remove (Red), Marginal (Yellow), and Keep (Gray). Remove indicates a Retained Threshold value of 0 to 0.4, Marginal indicates a value of 0.4 to 0.6, and Keep indicates a value greater than 0.6. Retained Region (default): When Retained Region is selected, then the Retained Threshold value is used from the details view to show the region which must be kept. Removed Region: This option displays what will be removed.
Information	Iteration Number: Read-only field that displays the converged iteration step number.