About Contributing Parts

Contributing parts are the components of your model that participate in the simulation. Excluding components from the assembly simplifies the simulation and allows it to run faster.

This page discusses:

Consider excluding any components that are not expected to contribute to the structural response of your product; for example, explicitly modeled bolts, decorative elements, or components that are far away from the applied loads and restraints. Simulation features, such as loads and restraints, cannot be applied to an excluded component.

The app hides excluded components from view.

Tree View

The Contributing Parts dialog box displays a tree view of your model structure that indicates the components included in your assembly. You can use the check boxes to display excluded parts and to exclude and include components or entire subassemblies.

Multibody Parts

When you define the contributing parts for a model with a multibody part, you can exclude either all of the bodies of the part or none. You cannot exclude a subset of the part's bodies from the simulation.

Frequency Simulations

For frequency simulations, consider excluding any components that are not expected to contribute to the frequency response of your product. Restraints cannot be applied to an excluded component.

Thermal Simulations

For thermal simulations, consider excluding any components that are not expected to contribute to the thermal response of your product. Thermal conditions cannot be applied to an excluded component.