Simulation

GWS50

I have a Box Section Frame made with the Frame Tool which generates a composite part when a cut list is created.

My question is - Simulation wont run on a composite part so do I have to create the assembly with Fasten/Fixed Mates in order to run the simulation or is there a work around?
Seems like a lot of extra work to create the assembly rather that just using the Composite Part.

wayne_sauder

@GWS50
 I have discovered the same thing, along with this is the fact that with assembly the calculation time can get very long. 
 For frames, I often try to create them in such a way that I can boolean all parts into one at the very end then after I'm done with the simulation I delete the boolean. 
 Submit a improvement, I'll vote it up. 

S1mon

With the simulation tools, Onshape sells the idea that you can just do everything in the main assembly of the same document. While technically true, I find that it’s often better to have at least a separate part studio and assembly where you derive the things you need and do whatever special fixtures or in this instance Boolean addition in there. You can go a step further and make a separate document. Real world assemblies are often way more complex than what you need to simulate and don’t have the needed ground parts to constrain things. 

wayne_sauder

@GWS50
 I have discovered the same thing, along with this is the fact that with assembly the calculation time can get very long. 
 For frames, I often try to create them in such a way that I can boolean all parts into one at the very end then after I'm done with the simulation I delete the boolean. 
 Submit a improvement, I'll vote it up. 

GWS50

Thank you, I thought I was missing something. Boolean sounds like a good workaround, I had considered exporting/importing a STEP to see if that might work….but I’m not sure it would.

S1mon

With the simulation tools, Onshape sells the idea that you can just do everything in the main assembly of the same document. While technically true, I find that it’s often better to have at least a separate part studio and assembly where you derive the things you need and do whatever special fixtures or in this instance Boolean addition in there. You can go a step further and make a separate document. Real world assemblies are often way more complex than what you need to simulate and don’t have the needed ground parts to constrain things. 

GWS50

Having a separate parts studio seems a nice way to keep things simple from the main design
thank you both for your guidance

GWS50

Playing around a bit more......Rigid Parts seems to work and I've also tried to incorporate Configurations to simplify the simulation.
Configurations are OK as long as you don't have too many parts to configure, a separate part studio does make things nice and separate though