Assistant

The Assistant is a panel that displays a set of actions that you can perform, in roughly the order presented, to complete a simulation.

The Assistant is available in most SIMULIA native apps. It is similar to other panels in native apps; you can move, resize, and dock it. You can also hide it, and you can display it again by selecting Assistant from the standard area of the action bar.

The Assistant organizes actions, commands, and user assistance into two areas. Actions are provided in the top half of the panel while commands and user assistance are provided in the lower half. Icons indicate the status of each action.

This page discusses:

Actions

Actions are categories of tasks (for example, restraints) that you perform to define and run a simulation. Actions are presented in a logical order; however, you do not always need to perform the actions in the order by which they are listed. In addition, some actions have prerequisite actions while other actions might be entirely optional.

In the following example from the Structural Validation app, all of the actions through the Restraints action are complete. With the Loads action selected, the load-related commands and associated user assistance appear in the Commands section.

To improve the display speed as you add, remove, and edit items for large models, the Assistant does not display the number of actions. In addition, Connections are always optional , and Parts are complete if at least one part is contributing to an assembly. You can define the size of your model in Preferences > App Preferences > Physics Simulation > Common Model > Large Model Threshold.

Status Icons

Icons next to each action indicate the current status of each action:

The required action is available but has not been started.
The optional action is available but has not been started.
The action is not available because there are prerequisite actions that have not yet been completed.
There is a problem with the action (for example, the minimum requirements are not complete, the action failed, or the action includes invalid features).
The minimum requirements for the action have been completed.
The action is available. This type of action starts an automated tool or process that requires minimal user input.
The action is not available because you are viewing the results of a previous simulation.
The action is being performed.
The action is locked and cannot be edited.
Warning: Completing the minimum preprocessing requirements does not guarantee that a simulation will run successfully. The specification of physically meaningful and realistic simulation parameters can vary from model to model.

Commands

The lower half of the Assistant provides easy access to commands related to your current action.

When you click any action in the upper half of the Assistant, the lower half of the panel displays options related to that action. For example, when you click the Mesh action in the upper half, the lower half displays a set of mesh-related commands.

User assistance is provided in four sections:

  1. The first line shows that the mesh has been applied successfully. If this step was not complete, the status would be marked incomplete with a red circle icon and would indicate how you can complete the step; for example, "Mesh must be applied."
  2. The general category description appears next, describing what actions you must perform to complete the step. This description might also include an overview of how the tools in the commands list can help you satisfy those criteria.
  3. A set of commands appears under the general category description.
  4. Some categories might also include a tip at the bottom of the panel. Tips provide supplemental information that is not critical for your completion of the step. They can provide background and recommendations that help you make more informed choices as you define the components of your simulation.

Updating the Product Geometry and Mesh Information

The Assistant provides shortcuts to several utility commands, including Update . You might need to use this command to repair database relationship problems between your product geometry and mesh.

When you run your simulation, the app might warn you to use the Update command to repair your model. For example, you might need to repair your model if a part loses its underlying connection in the 3DEXPERIENCE platform database.

  1. From the upper-right corner of the Assistant, click Update .
    Tip: You can also select Update from the standard area of the action bar.
  2. Follow the instructions given in the PLM Update Wizard.

    For a disconnected part, the Reconnect Assistant opens, in which you can select and repair the problem.

    For more details, see the following topic:

    Simulation | Multidiscipline and Multiscale | Mesh Creation | Managing PLM Updates