Ansys Discovery for Geometry Prep

Getting Started

2023 R2
Overview

Ansys Discovery is now the primary geometry application to create, import and prepare geometry
for simulation in Ansys Mechanical, Ansys Fluent and other Ansys flagship tools

Like SpaceClaim, Discovery allows you to create, modify, and cleanup your geometry, but with a
progressive user interface and more powerful editing tools

Ansys Discovery is a direct modeler, with capabilities to capture & replay the history of modeling &
preparation and bidirectionally associate to native CAD software

Ansys Discovery is accessed like SpaceClaim; Discovery is a standalone application with its own
licenses & installers & is also bundled with certain flagship licenses & Installers.

Ansys SpaceClaim is now in maintenance mode (2023R2); it will continue to be released and have
critical bug fixes, but all development and enhancements will be in Discovery
 Table of contents
License & Installation o Model Tree o Transfer to Workbench, Mechanical,
o Licensing o Hex-Halo-HUD Fluent
o Download o HUD (Heads Up Display)
o Materials Simulation
Launching Discovery o Overlay Help
o Windows Start Menu o Discovery Simulation
o Workbench Selection and Views o Stage Selector
o CAD Interface o Groups, PowerSelect & Parameters o Live Physics Simulation
o Double Click Drag-n-drop o PowerSelect and Named Selections o Result Monitors
o View Arc o Results Arc
Startup o Saved Scenes o Easy to Transfer to Expert Tools
o Welcome Screen
o Home Page Modeling Closing Info
o Interactive Tours o Direct Modeling vs Feature-based o More Help
o Settings Modeling
o Creating a Parameter o Learning Resources
o Themes o Technical Support
o Model Stage o Setting up a Parameter
o Units o Sketching
o History Tracking
User interface o Beams & Shells
o Overview o Shared Topology
o Ribbon
Licensing
Replaces Ansys SpaceClaim & Ansys
• Ansys Discovery Modeling
DesignModeler license
‐ Discovery (geometry prep only)
‐ SpaceClaim
‐ DesignModeler
Includes geometry prep + live physics
• Ansys Discovery Simulation
simulation in Discovery
‐ Discovery (geometry prep + live physics)
‐ SpaceClaim
‐ DesignModeler
Use existing licenses to run Discovery
• Mechanical, CFD, Electronics license bundles
& SpaceClaim for geometry prep
‐ Discovery (geometry only)
‐ SpaceClaim
‐ Example: Ansys Mechanical Enterprise, Ansys CFD Enterprise etc

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 Download Download.Ansys.com

• Download.ansys.com
‐ Discovery
‐ Structures
‐ Fluids
‐ ISO Images
‐ For shared/network licenses

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 Launching Discovery

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Windows Start Menu

Discovery can be launched from the Windows Start menu Right Click to Pin to
by Searching or Browsing All apps Start menu/Taskbar

Quickly launch
recent projects
Workbench

Discovery can be launched from within Workbench

Right click on the Geometry

cell in an Analysis System

Also available as a
standalone Component
 Bidirectional Associative CAD Interface

Discovery can be launched

from within a CAD tool

Requires appropriate
CAD interface license
& configuration

Autodesk Inventor shown

Double-Clicking & Drag-n-Drop
Double-Click on DSCO file
from Windows Explorer
to Open in a New Discovery

Drag-n-Drop into an open Discovery

From Windows Explorer, Outlook
(DSCO or any other supported file)
 Startup

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 Welcome Screen
The Welcome Screen provides short videos and
other content to help you get started with Discovery

Click “X” to exit

Welcome Screen

Click “>” to go to
the next section

Click here to disable Welcome Screen on start up

Table of contents
Home Page
The Home Page appears on startup and
can be accessed from the file menu

Home Page
Home Page The Home Page is the first place where you can import
CAD files, access recent files and learning content
Import CAD files
New design Learning content

Recent files
 Interactive Tours
Interactive Tours are integrated step-by-step, immersive
tutorials that help you get familiar with Discovery

Part Design, Model Preparation & Beams and Shells Interactive

Tours are specific to geometry creation and preparation

Interactive Tours are accessible from

the Home Page, Overlay Help & the Welcome Screen
Interactive Tour
Model Preparation Interactive Tour
Navigation Menu

Interactive Tours use the Overlay Help system which

can be used for Tool & UI help while modeling

Video & Steps

These Interactive Tours supplement any other training
content and will accelerate Discovery learning
Settings
The Settings panel can be
accessed from the file menu

Changes to settings are

saved instantaneously
and automatically

“Options” in SpaceClaim
Themes Light theme

Change color
scheme if desired

Dark theme (default)

Stages
The Model Stage streamlines the user
experience for geometry prep and creation
Ribbon

Depending on your license, Discovery might startup in Explore stage

Model tree

If Explore is the default stage,

switch to Model for geometry prep

View arc
Stage
Stage
selector
selector
Default Stage
Discovery can launch directly into any of
the 3 stages, Model, Explore & Refine

Set default stage to Model for

Discovery to start in this Stage

Recommended if you intend to use Discovery

primarily for geometry prep and creation
Units

Default Units for New Documents

are changed in Settings

Units for the loaded model are changed in the

Quick Measurement settings panel
 User interface

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Overview
Ribbon

Model Tree HUD

Saved Scenes

Groups, Named
Selections &
PowerSelect
View Arc
Stage selector
 Ribbon The Ribbon in Discovery is like SpaceClaim with
organizational workflow enhancements

Ribbon Bar
Sketch tab is combined with Overlay Help (F1) can answer many
Design tab in Discovery questions on the Ribbon and Tools
Model Tree Enhanced Model Tree
in Discovery

More object controls

at your fingertips
History Tracking started
from Model Tree
Show/hide

Color Model Level Lines for

visualizing hierarchy

Include/exclude
from simulation

Assigned Materials
in the Physics Tree

Include/exclude
from simulation
Hex-Halo-HUD (Heads Up Display)
The HUD starts with the Hex which exposes a Halo of
common Modeling, Selection and Simulation tools

Click on the Hex to expose

the Halo of common tools Tools can also be accessed
using the Ribbon or Hotkeys

Example: “F” for Fill

HUD Color/Transparency
The right side of the HUD initially
changes Color and Transparency

Can also change color

in the Model Tree

Can also change transparency

in the View Arc
HUD Basics
The HUD expands on both sides
when a tool is activated Click “X” to hide options panel
Click to
expand/collapse
options panel

Mouse over icons

for information
Blue highlight indicates
enabled options

Color/Transparency not available

in HUD while tools are activated
HUD Tool Guides and Tool Options
The left side of the HUD are the Tool guides and
right side are the Tool options from SpaceClaim

Tool guides Tool options

Tool guides

Tool guides guide you through the steps of

the tool or allow for the selection of alternate
references to guide the tool’s behavior

Tool options

Tool Options typically change the behavior or

result of a tool based on a specific selection.
HUD Location
The HUD naturally moves to your selection, unless you
Click and drag to re-position the HUD with this icon
HUD Settings

Compact

3 settings for HUD size

Comfortable
(default)

Wide
HUD Materials Apply material assignments
from HUD by selecting bodies

Must be in Select Tool

Materials appear
in Physics Tree

Granta Materials Settings

found under Physics
Overlay Help
New embedded Overlay Help system
provides instant answers to questions Additional help
menus here

Mouse over for

F1 to activate/exit
more information
overlay help or
“?” in upper-right

Some Tools have

1 or more Videos
that change with
the setup
Switch tools using keyboard shortcuts
w/out closing Overlay Help
 Selection and views

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Groups, PowerSelect & Parameters/Driving Dimension
Groups and PowerSelect
relocated to the bottom

Groups, Named
Parameter/Driving Dimensions Selections &
PowerSelect
PowerSelect + Named Selections
PowerSelect searches the model for
similar geometry based on the selection

Groups saves the current selection

for future use as Named Selections
View Arc
Enhanced view and
rendering controls
Saved Scenes
Save and recall different
views and visibility

Saved Scenes
 Modeling

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 Direct Modeling vs Feature-based Modeling
Direct Modeling
Direct Modeling capability
• Quick and easy changes to existing
designs
• Good for exploring multiple designs
• Seamlessly connect between any CAD
system (even feature-based ones)
Feature-based Modeling
• Utilizes constraints and parent/child
relationships to link features together
• Good for customizable variants of
complex assemblies of parts
Creating a Parameter
Parameter icon is
different in Discovery
SpaceClaim
Setting up Parameters
Parameter setup is streamlined to Ruler and a New
and Improved Geometric Parameter Tool in the
HUD

Ruler
Geometric
Parameter

The Geometric Parameter Tool replaces Measure,

Mass Properties and the Dimensions tools

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Sketching Access sketching tools through the Design Tab
on the Ribbon, HUD or Keyboard shurtcuts

HUD
History Tracking

Record, edit, parameterize & replay direct modeling

geometry preparation operations and workflows

Connect Bi-directionally to CAD software to import and

update parameters, named selections & materials

Create history-driven parametric models with sketch

constraints and relationships for simulation

Record and replay Discovery Geometry and/or

Discovery Simulation, or connect to Ansys flagship tools
Beams & Shells/Midsurfaces Enhanced reduced order modeling
extraction for Beams & Shells (Midsurfaces)

Updated Midsurface
grouping in the tree

Overlay Help shown

 Shared Topology Tools
Streamlined Shared Topology tools
provide a guided, logical workflow

Pre-Check to identify
potential geometry issues
Component icon
shows shared status NEW and simplified Review to clearly
visually shared/unshared geometry

Pre-check, Share, Review, then Retry on not shared

using Dynamic Tolerances, replacing Force Share.

Consolidated visibility
and coloring options

This Shared Topology workflow modifies the geometry and is best used
at the end of History Tracking if parametric updates are needed
Table of contents
46
 Shared Topology
Component level Shared Topology found in the
HUD properties panel upon component selection
Component icon
shows shared status

Components can be selected for shared topology

from the model tree, or from the design space
using the Select tool or Parent Select

Component icons
show shared status
Transfer to Workbench, Mechanical, Fluent
Directly launch Workbench, Mechanical, Fluent
 Simulation

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 Discovery Simulation

Simulation Types
Topology
Optimization
Structural
Discovery Simulation
Fluid
license required to
CHT
And more! See links in access simulation
Modal
closing section stages
Antenna
Stage Selector
Switch to Explore stage for
Live Physics simulation

Switch to Explore or Refine

stage for simulation
Explore: Live Physics Simulation
GPU powered real-time simulation available in the
same user interface (structural, fluids, thermal)

Use Explore to
quickly iterate on
designs
Result Monitors
Track and display multi-physics results during live
simulation

Choose
result type
Automated results

Watch transient
response
Results Arc

Utilize the Results Arc to explore visualizations of

the physics in your design
Easy Transfer to Expert Tools

Geometry & physics transfer

 Closing info

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Getting more help

• Ansys Learning Hub: Ansys Discovery | 3D Product Simulation Software

• Ansys Innovation Space: 3D Design Courses | Ansys Innovation Courses
• Ansys Discovery Forum: Discovery Family: Tutorials - Live and AIM Tutorials -
Ansys Discovery Forum
Customer learning resources

discoveryforum.ansys.com Ansys Learning Hub

No cost to access

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Customer technical support

• Floating license customers

‐ Customer Portal (Siebel) support
‐ Support for Discovery simulation
‐ Support for geometry prep for simulation in Flagship solvers

• Named User license customers

‐ Discovery Forum based support only
‐ discoveryforum.ansys.com
‐ Support for Discovery simulation
‐ Does not include support for geometry prep in Flagship solvers

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