Parameter sensitivities provide a powerful means of indicating how a performance objective will change when a specific parameter in the CAD model is perturbed. They are most often used for gradient-based optimization methods for minimizing an objective function. Computing the sensitivities in a CAD model can be cumbersome since this requires a large number of parametric updates and careful tracking of the changes in the CAD model geometry and topoology.

CAPRI CAE Gateway provided the Finite Element Modeling Group (FEMG) at the Queen’s University Belfast an efficient and reliable platform to compute parameter sensitivites to optimize the design of CAD models. The project involved optimizing the shape of an automotive duct geometry. A key benefit of using CAPRI was that it was easily included in the automated workflow, and reduced the process time from 8+ hrs to 20 mins over traditional scripting methods. In addition, CAPRI also provided more functionality than traditional CAD scripting (e.g. tracking boundary movement due to parametric change) on a CAD-independent platform.

“Typically our research requires access to a range of geometric and topological information which can sometimes be difficult to access (and manipulate) using traditional CAD methods.  The CAPRI CAE Gateway provides a neutral platform to enable us to easily access this information for a number of CAD systems.”

– Dr. Trevor Robinson