Chapter 6: The User Interface

The controls in Setup > Setup Tasks and Results > Results Tasks invoke specific task modes that are the fundamental steps in the Autodesk Simulation CFD process. Several commonly-used controls related to the active task are placed in an additional context-sensitive panel on the right side of the ribbon.

For example, when the Materials task is active on the Setup tab, the Materials context panel appears:

When the Planes task is active on the Results tab, the Planes context panel appears:

The active context panel is accessible when the View and Get Started tabs are selected as well. This provides uninterrupted access to essential controls after leaving the Setup or Results tabs.

Context toolbars provide convenient access to frequently-used functions specific to the current task. To open a context toolbar, click the left mouse button.

Setup tasks (except Meshing)

• To assign or modify settings, click Edit (a).
• To deselect an entity, click Remove (b).

Meshing task

• To assign or modify settings, click Edit (a).
• Apply Automatic Sizing (b), construct Refinement Regions (c), run Diagnostics (d), and Suppress (e) or Resume (f) parts:

For more about meshing...

Plane task (in Results)

• Left click on the active result plane.
• Orient the plane (a).
• Modify appearance (b).
• Open Plane tools: Control, Traces, XY Plot, Bulk (c).

For more about results planes...

The quick edit dialog is the primary tool for specifying parameters and values for model set up and result extraction. Every task has a unique quick edit dialog that contains fields for task-specific settings. They are an essential workflow element of Autodesk Simulation CFD.

They are several ways to open quick edit dialogs:

• Left click on an entity, and click the Edit icon on the Context Toolbar.
• Right click on an entity, and select Edit....
• In the Design Study bar, right click on a setting or entity, and select Edit....
• In the Design Study bar, double click on a setting or task branch.
• Click Edit on the Ribbon Context panel.

The ViewCube is a graphical navigation tool located in the upper right corner of the Graphics window. It is a convenient way to control the orientation of the model. Use it to perform the following tasks:

• Orient the model in any of 26 pre-set orientations.
• Rotate the model about the Cartesian axes.
• Reset the model to its default orientation.

The Selection List displays items that have been selected in the Setup tasks. This is especially helpful for knowing exactly which items are selected.

In the Planes and Iso Surfaces Results tasks, the Selection List displays the list of existing planes or iso surfaces, respectively. In the Wall Calculator, Parts, and Points Results tasks, use the Selection List to interact with the controls of the current task.

To control the display of the Selection List, click the toggle in the Quick Access toolbar:

The Setup tasks all follow a similar workflow. There are several ways to work with the model. You should use the method that is most comfortable.

To begin, select the task from either the Setup tab (A) or from the Design Study bar (B):

To select and define settings with the Ribbon:

1. Left click on the model entity (surface or part).
2. Click Edit on the context panel.
3. Specify settings in the quick edit dialog.

To select and define close to the model:

1. Left click on the model entity (surface or part).
2. Click the Edit button on the context toolbar.
3. Specify settings in the quick edit dialog.

To select and modify from the Design Study bar:

1. Right click on the model entity or existing setting in the Design Study bar.
2. Click Edit...
3. Specify settings in the quick edit dialog.

To define and assign:

1. Open the quick edit dialog. Alternatively, right click on Material or Boundary Condition in the Design Study bar, and click New material... or New BC..., respectively.
2. Specify the settings in the quick edit dialog, and click Apply.

3. Drag the unassigned setting from the Design Study bar onto the model entity.