Simpler, Smaller, and Smarter: 3 S’s That Make a Big Impact

As humans, we are a people of motion.  We are built to excel, to brave new heights, to do great things. I’ve spoken with many customers who are new to simulation and have the burning desire to jump into the most physically complex problem that their organization is facing. That’s great! You want your simulation team to be passionate and take on big challenges.  However, there’s times where taking a smarter and more deliberate step can have a greater impact on products and the business.   

Don’t Skip Building Your Foundation 

Have you ever been to the gym and thought to yourself “you know, I bet I could lift those 50lb dumbbells” without starting at a more responsible weight?  I certainly have!  But what I learned was that when you skip building the core foundation, whether it’s your body or in simulation, you could do more harm than good.  And while you won’t pull a muscle trying to simulate very complex problems, you aren’t going to build key skills that will make you a great simulation engineer.  The temptation exists online to find that 5-minute tutorial video on how to set up a conjugate heat transfer model or an explicit dynamics drop test.  “But I can learn it in five easy minutes!”  Yes, you may understand the what of the problem, but not the why.  Here’s some quick thoughts to think about: 

If you find yourself struggling with the basics, it’s best to take a step back and build up to that big problem you want to solve first.  You can review some material on the Ansys Learning Hub (ALH) which has a lot of great content from live training, to workshops, to everything in between to get you going.  Learning takes time, there are no shortcuts.  Just like at the gym, you have to put in the effort and gradually build up to the big stuff.  If you are finding yourself under a big time constraint, reach out to us at Rand Simulation where we can help upskill you through one of our many enablement offerings including mentoring hours, 101 training, or Fast Start Programs.   

Simplifying Your Problem Is Actually Smarter Than You Think 

Complexity does not equal accuracy.  For every layer of physics complexity that is added to your simulation, you need to understand it and control it.  If you don’t, the model inherently becomes less accurate.  For this reason, it’s best to start simple and gradually add complexity to that model as you understand the impact it has.  The reality is that some of the best simulation engineers in the industry are the ones that know how to strike a balance between model simplicity and complexity.  In the 80/20 Rule, 80% of the outcomes come from 20% of the causes.  Likewise in simulation, the most meaningful insights to be gained can stem from simplified models that don’t require tons of complex physics to be captured.   For example, if you are in the conceptual stage of design, your simulation models will naturally be faster and less complex.   

As your product evolves in fidelity throughout the PD process, so should your simulations. 

Remember, in design concepting stages of product development, you are trying to eliminate poor designs so you can financially and developmentally focus on the best design(s) for production.  Likewise, when you are ready to take a design to production and/or certify the product, higher fidelity modeling with more physical complexity requirements will be critical.  Leveraging the right tool for where you are at in the development process will expedite the design insights gained while ensuring the product is robust enough for when it gets into customers’ hands.