A parameter is a numerical or other measurable factor that helps to define a particular system. A parameter is linked to a data model property within an application. You can have input and output parameters. Parameter values can be numeric or non-numeric (string or Boolean). Non-numeric parameters are ignored for charting purposes. An input parameter can be modified at the project level and drives a change within the data model. The value of an output parameter is set by the application, based on the current results or state.
Input parameters define the geometry or inputs to the analysis for the system under investigation. Input parameters have predefined values or ranges that may be changed. These include CAD parameters, analysis parameters, and DesignModeler parameters. CAD and DesignModeler input parameters include length and radius. Analysis input parameters include pressure, material properties, and sheet thickness.
Output parameters result from the geometry or are the response outputs from the analysis. These include volume, mass, frequency, stress, velocities, pressures, forces, and heat flux.
Custom Parameters are project-level parameters that are not
directly associated with a data model property. They can be a custom input or custom
output parameter that is defined by a constant value, such as 12.5
[cm] or sin(pi/2). Or, they can be a derived
parameter, defined by an expression of other parameters, such as
P2+3*P3. For more information, see Expressions, Functions, Quantities, and Units.
All parameters have a quantity, preferably with a quantity name. The quantity name is used to define preferred and available units for the quantity. If the value does not have a quantity name defined, Workbench displays the value without units.
You can add parameters to or delete them from the current project. However, this may set existing design points and design exploration systems to an out-of-date state and can result in several hours of recalculation time, depending on the project. Be aware that deleting a parameter referenced in the expression of another parameter invalidates the driven data model, resulting in an error.
Note:
Negative dimension values can invert the direction vector of SpaceClaim operations with which they are associated. This change is applied to the current and subsequent design point updates. As a result, when a Workbench input parameter is used as a driving dimension for a SpaceClaim geometry, negative dimension values can result in unexpected geometric changes.
When dimensional geometry parameters are imported into Workbench from SpaceClaim or a bi-directional CAD interface, design point updates may fail when dependencies exist between the parameters or when the parametric update in the CAD system or SpaceClaim cannot be realized with the parameter values specified in Workbench.
When you define a derived parameter in the Parameter Set bar, Workbench keeps the unit specified at the moment of its creation as the native unit. You can select > to see the native unit. For example, if meter is the unit specified when a derived parameter is created, meter is the native unit. If you want the derived parameter to use inch as the native unit, you must specify inch before you create the derived parameter.