About Analyzing Wall Thicknesses  

  The Wall Thickness Analysis capability analyzes and provides a graphical feedback of the thickness of a part.

The capability thus provides you with a way of ensuring that the thickness fits the requirements of the manufacturing process the part will undergo. you can therefore anticipate and fix potential manufacturing problems.
  The Wall Thickness Analysis dialog box is divided into four tabs:

Inputs Tab

This tab allows you to measure thicknesses using these options:

Analysis Method

You can choose between two analysis methods:
 

  • Sphere: defines the thickness of the body at a given point as the diameter of the largest sphere that can be included inside the part at this point (default option).
     
  • Ray: defines the thickness of the body at a given point of a ray that starts at the considered point, that is oriented along the normal to the solid boundary and that points inside the material.
     

The part under study determines the method you need to chose.

Tolerance

  • Tolerance: lets you specify how precise the analysis result will be. For example, if you set the tolerance value to 0.1mm, and the capability calculates 8mm at a given point, the exact thickness is comprised between 7.9 mm and 8.1mm
  • Sag: is the maximum distance between the geometry and the triangles. Increasing of decreasing the sag value changes the distance of the triangle to the surface. If the sag value is low, the triangles are generated closer to the surface, the tessellation error reduces, but the number of triangles increases on curved surfaces. This results in higher accuracy of thickness values but the computation time will be higher.
     
  • Step: controls the length of the triangle. Increasing or decreasing the step value changes the size of the triangles. A low step results in smaller triangles. Consequently, the number of triangles and vertices increases, making the thickness analysis more accurate but slower.
     

Thread/Tap Analysis

The Include Thread/Tap analysis option lets you integrate the threads or taps in the analysis. If the analyzed body contains threaded/tapped holes, their specifications such as type or dimension will be taken into account.

Options Tab

This tab allows you to measure thicknesses using these options:

Thin Areas

Clicking this button restricts the display to the minimum threshold value and shares it out among the first ranges of the color scale, clears the display boxes for the upper ranges. Consequently, we only visualize the thinnest thicknesses through a few colors.

Thick Areas

Clicking this button restricts the display to the maximum threshold value and shares it out among the first ranges of the color scale, clears the display boxes for the lower ranges. Consequently, we only visualize the thickest thicknesses through a few colors.

You can edit the thresholds after selecting the checkboxes. If these are cleared, the system computes the thresholds.

Thin areas and Thick areas offer a quick wall thickness analysis which may produce visual imperfections.

On the Fly

This option lets you dynamically display thickness values as you move your cursor on the part.

Display Sphere

This option is available when On the fly is selected. It shows the sphere under the cursor. The sphere diameter is equal to the analysis value on the point.

By default, Display sphere is cleared.

Display Ray

This option is available when On the fly is selected. It shows an arrow representing the ray under the cursor.

Discrete

This option is available when On the fly is selected. It shows calculated values only, which ensures accurate results.

Smooth

This option is available when On the fly is selected. It shows all values whatever your cursor position. The displayed thicknesses are interpolated values, which may lead to some inaccurate results.

Transparency

If selected, this option makes all range colors transparent. Selecting the Display sphere option will automatically make it transparent whenever you move the curser on geometry.

No sharp edge

This option is available when Sphere is selected as a computation mode in the Inputs tab. It is selected by default: this option filters out the areas close to edges and whose thickness is less than the value set in the corresponding value field. You can change this default value by selecting No sharp edge check box.

Reset Visual Properties

This option restores the default values of all of the parameters of the Options and Colors tabs.

Colors Tab

This tab allows you to measure thicknesses using these options:

Autoscale

Provides dynamic range scaling for the different values. When the option is selected, you therefore cannot define the different values yourself. By default, Autoscale is selected.

If you prefer to define the different thickness values, just clear the option. This makes the value fields available.

Number

Sets the number of values you want to define the number of ranges. For n values, there are n+1 ranges.

Sections Tab

This tab allows you to measure thicknesses using Dynamic Sectioning functionality.

Section Cut

Clicking the Section cut displays a section plane parallel to absolute coordinates XY. The center of the plane is located at the center of the bounding sphere around the geometry in the selection you defined. A plane has limits and its own local axis system. The letters U, V and W represent the axes. The W axis is the normal vector of the plane.

You can manipulate the plane in a variety of way: re-dimension, move, and rotate it.

By default, this option is cleared.

Fill Section Cut

This option is enabled when sectioning is on and transparency is off. It allows you to see the volume cut section as a plain section or to see inside the volume, through the section.

Fill section cut is selected

Fill section cut is not selected

Specified Location

If the On the fly option is selected in the Options tab, the specified location is the location of the displayed indicator. Otherwise, the point will be under the cursor. In both cases, the Add section at specified location option stores the section position as well as the the computed thickness at the specified location and the analysis mode (sphere or ray).

If you modify the pad, the section cut thickness is updated when activating the Update option. In case the section point is outside the pad, the section cut status becomes Unresolved and no thickness is applied to this cut. This only happens when you add a section at a specified location.

Add Section

You can create a section through the Add section option. This section then appears in the Sections list. This option is only available if the Section cut functionality is activated.

If you add a section through this option, the section will not have any specific related thickness.

Remove Section

Clicking Remove section deletes any section selected in the Sections list.

Reframe on Section

You can use Reframe on section if you find it difficult to locate a displayed section and you want a 3D view to be reframed on it.

Show the Pickable Sections

This option is only visible when the Section cut is activated. It allows you to see all the sections you have created. You can also see the created sections when the Section cut option is deactivated by simply hovering the mouse over the pad.