Creating a new specimen using CAD Geometry

Creating a new specimen using CAD Geometry

1. We will start by selecting "Define the specimen" under the "Tools" tab.



2. Select CAD File






Let it be noted that the most common file format used will be Stereolithography (*.stl)


3. Checking the box for "Reset coordinate system origin to CAD centroid" will center the CAD file with the model.  You may not want to check this if you are using multiple CAD files in one simulation and the CAD files were exported using a common coordinate system which has already defined their desired relative positions.

4. Select the CAD Units.  The CAD formats supported by NDSim contain only numeric coordinates without units, so you must specify the units associated with the CAD file.  As a reference, basic information about the geometry, such as its overall size in each dimension, is provided to the right of the 3D rendering.  The numeric values displayed should help you identify suitable units.

5. Select the Material



   You can either create a new material by clicking on the pencil and entering your units.
   Or you can click on the folder and open a material file (.material)

   










6. You can then click save in the lower right corner.  This will prompt you for a file-save location and name.  The resulting .specimen file can then be added to the list of specimens within the main NDSim window.

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