Introduction to Generative Design
Generative design is an emerging technology that leverages computation and optimization algorithms to automate the design process for parts and products. Instead of starting with an initial design and incrementally refining it, generative design does the opposite - it starts with design goals and constraints and then explores thousands of design options to achieve the optimal solution.
The concept originated in academia and research in the 1980s and 1990s, but has become much more accessible and practical with recent advances in computing power, artificial intelligence, and simulation technologies. With generative design, engineers can define performance objectives like weight, strength, or flexibility, specify constraints like material type or manufacturing methods, and set the boundary conditions that limit the design space. Sophisticated algorithms then generate and analyze structural designs that aim to maximize performance while satisfying the specified requirements.
So rather than spending hours manually iterating on CAD models, engineers can leverage the immense computing power of the cloud to automate much of the exploration process. The software generates design geometries and topologies and runs analytical simulations to evaluate each one’s performance. It rapidly filters through weaker designs to hone in on high-performing solutions that an engineer likely wouldn’t have considered on their own. This allows product development teams to assess a wider range of innovative design options in much less time compared to traditional methods.
Generative design is increasingly being adopted by leading manufacturing companies across industries like aerospace, automotive, medical, consumer products, and more. Continued advances in AI, computational power, and 3D printing capabilities will further increase the technology’s ability to automate and enhance the engineering design process.
Benefits of Generative Design
Generative design provides several key benefits for engineering design workflows:
Explore More Design Alternatives
Generative design allows you to rapidly explore thousands of design alternatives that meet your requirements. Rather than manually modeling each option, the generative design tool automatically generates and analyzes alternatives. This opens up the design space to identify solutions you may not have considered.
Optimizes Designs for Multiple Constraints
With generative design, you can define performance goals and engineering constraints. The software then optimizes to find solutions that best meet those goals within the constraints. For example, you may want to minimize weight while meeting strength and manufacturability requirements. Generative design will identify high-performing options optimized for these competing needs.
Automates Repetitive Design Tasks
Generative design automates much of the repetitive, manual work involved in the concept generation phase. You define the design space and requirements, and the tool produces optimized solutions that meet them. This frees up engineers to focus their efforts on strategic goals rather than manual modeling and analysis. The automation provides time savings and faster results.
Generative Design in Solidworks
Solidworks offers several tools and capabilities for incorporating generative design into your workflow. Generative design features are included with Solidworks Premium and Solidworks 3DEXPERIENCE Works.
The main generative design tools available in Solidworks include:
Function Driven Generative Designer - Used for creating mechanisms and exploring motion. Allows you to define kinematic objectives and constraints to generate design concepts that achieve desired motions and functions.
Structural Generative Designer - Focuses on designing lightweight structural components. Define load cases, boundary conditions, target weight reduction, and manufacturing constraints. The software explores design alternatives that meet strength and stiffness requirements.
Flow Driven Generative Designer - Optimizes components where fluid flow is critical like pipes, valves, pumps, and heat exchangers. Set flow parameters, pressure drop, and geometry constraints. It generates design options optimized for fluid flow.
Topology Optimization - Available as the Structural Generative Engineer in
from a design space while maintaining critical load paths.
To access generative design tools in Solidworks:
Open a new study and select the desired tool like Generative Shape Design, Generative Motion, or Generative Structural Analysis.
Define the design goals, constraints, and parameters to drive the generative study.
Run the study to generate design alternatives optimized for the defined criteria.
Evaluate, compare, and select the optimal designs from the results.
With the right setup, generative design tools in Solidworks provide automated exploration of the design space to uncover innovative solutions you may not have considered.
Getting Started with Generative Design
Getting started with generative design in Solidworks is straightforward once you understand the basic workflow. Here are the key steps for your first generative design study:
Define the Design Space
The first step is to define the design space - the area or volume where your design geometry can exist. This space should encompass the full range needed to meet your design intent. Be sure to leave some margin around the critical areas. The software will generate solutions that fit entirely within this space.
Set Design Goals and Requirements
Next, specify your design goals and requirements. These are the objectives that the generated solutions must achieve, such as target weight, strength, cost, performance metrics, etc. The more design requirements you add, the more focused and optimal your results will be.
Apply Necessary Constraints
You'll also need to apply any required constraints, such as symmetry, clearance, connectivity, manufacturing methods, and material specifications. This ensures your designs are feasible to produce.
Run the Generative Design Study
Once your design space, goals, and constraints are defined, run the generative design study. The software will iterate through many solutions that meet your criteria. The length of study depends on the complexity of the design space and requirements.
Review and Select the Optimal Designs
Finally, browse through all the design alternatives and select your optimal solution(s). Compare how each option meets your different requirements. You may need to rerun your study with tweaks to further refine the results.
With these basic steps, you'll be ready to leverage the power of generative design in Solidworks for your next project. As you gain experience, you can take on more complex design scenarios and objectives.
Tips for Generative Design Studies
Start simple
When first getting started with generative design in Solidworks, it's best to begin with a simple design space and limited requirements. This will allow you to become familiar with the process and build confidence before tackling more complex projects. Define a basic geometric volume for the design space, and start with just 1 or 2 design goals or constraints. Once you have a handle on interpreting and utilizing the results, you can gradually increase the complexity.
Validate designs
One of the most important parts of working with generative design is validating the results through simulation studies, prototyping or other testing methods. Don't assume the generated designs will perform exactly as intended. The software is optimizing based on the criteria you provide, but there may be real-world factors it can't account for. Thoroughly test a few of the highest performing options to confirm they meet requirements before finalizing a design.
Iterate
View generative design as an iterative process, not a one-shot solution. After validating initial results, you will likely want to adjust the inputs and rerun the study. Change the design goals, modify constraints, or expand the design space to generate new and innovative options. Compare new results against previous iterations to land on the optimal design. Set up the process so you can quickly make changes and re-run generative studies.
Case Studies: How Companies Are Using Generative Design
Generative design is revolutionizing product development across industries by helping companies explore more design options, reduce development costs, and create higher performing products. Here are some real-world examples of how leading manufacturers are using generative design tools in Solidworks:
Automotive - Reducing Vehicle Weight at Toyota
Toyota used generative design to redesign the structure connecting the roof to the body of the Toyota Camry. By optimizing the shape and topology, they were able to reduce weight by 28% while maintaining the required stiffness. This is significant as reducing vehicle weight improves fuel efficiency and performance.
Aerospace - Developing a 3D-Printed Rocket Engine at NASA
NASA used generative design to create the injector for a 3D printed rocket engine. The optimized design contains complex geometries not possible with traditional manufacturing. 3D printing enabled creation of tiny features and passages to improve mixing and combustion. Generative design allowed rapid iteration to meet performance targets.
Consumer Goods - New Balance Midsole Design
New Balance applied generative design to develop a 3D printed customized cushioned midsole that matched the pressure map of an individual runner. By optimizing stiffness in high pressure areas and cushioning in low pressure areas, generative design enabled a midsole tailored for personalized comfort and support.
Industrial Equipment - Stronger, Lighter Forklift Mast at Linde
Linde Materials Handling used topology optimization to redesign the interior structure of a forklift mast. By removing unnecessary material, they created a design that was 20% lighter but maintained the strength and stiffness required. The generative design process provided engineering insight that human designers could not match.
These examples demonstrate the value of generative design across industries. By leveraging the power of algorithms and computation, companies are developing high-performance, optimized designs faster than ever before. The future possibilities as the technology advances are endless.
Comparing the Solidworks Generative Design Tools
Solidworks offers several tools for generative design that each have their own strengths and ideal applications:
Function Driven Generative Designer
Used for generating design alternatives for mechanisms and motion studies
Allows engineers to define kinematic relationships between components
Optimizes designs to meet requirements like range of motion, strength, and manufacturability
Useful for automating design of assemblies with moving parts
Structural Generative Designer
Optimizes the shape and internal lattice structure of parts for strength and weight reduction
Ideal for reducing material usage and part weight while maintaining strength
Applicable to static components and structures under defined loads and boundary conditions
Flow Driven Generative Designer
Optimizes the shape of components like pipes, valves and pumps for fluid flow
Minimizes flow losses by smoothing fluid flow paths and removing unnecessary material
Useful for designing components like air ducts, water pipes, and hydraulic manifolds
Topology Optimization
A more advanced tool that can generate organic, freeform shapes for structures and components
Removes unnecessary material by applying physics-based simulation of loading conditions
Produces lightweight, efficient designs suited to additive manufacturing methods like 3D printing
Validating and Improving Your Generative Designs
Once you've completed a generative design study and have multiple design options to choose from, you'll want to validate and refine the designs before finalizing your selection. There are a few techniques for doing this in Solidworks:
Simulation Studies
One of the best ways to validate your generative designs is by running simulation studies on them. This allows you to test how the different designs will perform under real-world conditions. For example, you can run stress analysis to see how they handle expected loads or thermal studies to evaluate heat dissipation. The simulation results will provide quantitative data to compare the options.
Direct Modeling
You can use Solidworks' direct modeling capabilities to make tweaks and refinements to your generative designs. The geometry modification tools let you quickly edit the shape while preserving the overall design intent. This allows you to customize and optimize the design to your specific needs. You may want to simplify the geometry for manufacturability or adjust certain features based on other design constraints.
Adjust Requirements and Rerun Study
Often the initial generative design study won't produce the optimal result on the first try. You can tweak the goals, requirements, and constraints and re-run the study to generate new options. Then compare the new designs to previous iterations to determine which option is best suited for your needs. This iterative process allows you to zero in on an optimal solution.
By leveraging simulation, direct modeling, and rerunning studies, you can thoroughly validate and refine your generative designs to end up with the best possible solution. The generative design tools in Solidworks give you an automated starting point, while these techniques allow you to optimize and finalize the design manually.
Resources for Learning Generative Design in Solidworks
There are many great resources available to help you learn and master generative design in Solidworks:
Solidworks Documentation and Tutorials
The Solidworks help documentation includes detailed information on all the generative design tools and capabilities. There are also step-by-step tutorials included to walk you through the process of setting up studies and interpreting the results. The tutorials cover topics like function-based generative design for mechanisms, structural optimization with topology studies, lightweight design with the generative structural tool, and more.
Training Courses
Solidworks authorized training centers offer comprehensive courses on generative design. These courses provide in-depth instruction on how to utilize the tools, set up studies, work with the results, and apply generative design to real-world projects. Training courses allow you to learn from Solidworks certified instructors and collaborate with peers.
Video Tutorials
There are many video tutorials available through the Solidworks YouTube channel and other online sources. These videos walk through generative design workflows and feature examples of how companies are leveraging the technology. The videos are a great way to visually see generative design in action.
Blogs and Webinars
Solidworks resellers like GoEngineer regularly publish blogs and host webinars focused on generative design topics and best practices. These are a great way to stay up to date with the latest tips, tricks, and use cases. The blogs often include free downloadable resources like eBooks and toolkits.
Hands-on Practice
Ultimately, the best way to get comfortable with generative design is through hands-on practice. Start by applying it to simple models and components, and then gradually increase the complexity as you gain experience. Experiment with different goals, constraints, studies, and design spaces to become proficient.
Future of Generative Design
Generative design is an emerging technology that is rapidly evolving and becoming more capable. Here are some key trends we expect to see in the future development of generative design:
Deeper Integration with Simulation and Optimization Tools
As generative design matures, we will see much deeper integration with simulation tools like finite element analysis and computational fluid dynamics. This will allow for more accurate analysis of the generated design options to identify optimal performance. Tighter integration with optimization algorithms will also improve the design space exploration.
Accessibility to Non-Experts
Generative design software will become easier to use for non-experts. Improvements in UX and automation will open up the technology to designers and engineers who don't have advanced simulation skills. Pre-built templates and workflows will make it faster to get started for new users.
Real-Time Generative Design
Advances in computing power, cloud technology and AI will enable real-time generative design. Rather than waiting hours or days for results, generative design iterations will be produced instantly. This will significantly accelerate design workflows.
Generative Design in the Cloud
As computing moves to the cloud, generative design will follow. Web-based and cloud-hosted generative design tools will become more common, removing hardware limitations and allowing easy collaboration across locations.
AI-Driven Automation
AI capabilities will grow, allowing more automation in defining design parameters and constraints from high-level goals. This will reduce the manual inputs needed from engineers to drive generative design. The AI assistant will take care of the details.
New Applications
As generative design matures, new applications will emerge across industries like consumer products, footwear, architecture, manufacturing, and more. It will move from niche uses in aerospace and medical to mainstream adoption. The possibilities are endless.
The future looks bright for continued innovation and expanded use of generative design technology! It will fundamentally transform how we approach design across many fields.
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