Follow Along: Running a Field Optimization

This follow-along is going to be based on running a field optimization with the objectives and constraints and parametric FE model that we have defined in the prior two follow-alongs. To begin running our field optimization, I’ll simply navigate to my Beta Tab and to the field optimization section, and select Field Optimization.

Once I do that, I can see that I have three inputs here: one for each of my model, my objective, and my constraints that I already have defined. I’ll simply drag my volume constraint, my optimization objective, and my parametric FE model into these inputs and leave default values for everything else. Once I drag these, I can see that our field optimization will begin running, where I can see some of the progress in the bottom left of my screen. Another place that I can see the progress of my field optimization is by coming to the bottom right of my screen and saying, “Show Bottom Panel,” where I can see real-time updates of which iteration I’m on, as well as the objective, constraint, and max change.

If I want to see a more detailed view, I can choose to view my block details located in the Field Optimization block, and I can see a graph of my total objective as well as my constraint here. I can see that our constraint has reached our defined value, and we are going to begin minimizing our total objective.

As my field optimization continues to progress on my screen, I can again see further updates in this bottom left or in my hidden panel below, but I can also use my heads-up display located on my screen to view real-time results. Right now, I’m viewing all components, and I’m viewing the implicit view, and I can even begin to see some changes in the lattice on my screen. If I want to see some more information about this lattice, I can choose to go to my Component Zero and then navigate to my property or my state fields. In each one of these, I can then choose between viewing our beam thickness or our cell size values. And with our property fields, I can view information such as our relative density, our density, our Poisson’s ratio, our Young’s modulus, and our shear modulus as well.

Just right there, if you caught it on my screen, we can see updates every five increments because we have a specified save increment of five here on the left of our screen. If I wanted to view every iteration, then I could choose this to one instead of five as well.

Now that our field optimization is complete, we can finish our workflow. I can see that it’s finished after 73 iterations here at the bottom of the screen. To finish this, my first step is going to be right-clicking and making this a variable that I’ll entitle Field Optimization. To get our optimized results out of this block, I can come in, navigate to my properties, to my optimized model, and then to my parametric FE components, and then view this list of bodies. I’ll drag this list into my notebook, and I’ll entitle this Finished Components. If I view this, this is now a list of implicit versions of my finished parts. The absolute final step here would then to be a Boolean Union, and I’m searching for by hitting the hotkey S while hovering in my notebook, deleting this bodies list, and dropping our B’s list in. When I entitle this Final Union by making it a variable, I have now completed my midsole and outsole optimization workflow in nTop.