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A common mistake I see new simulation users making is related to how they apply their loads and constraints. So the other day, during a flight enroute to Toronto, I set out to demonstrate some simulation best practices using a skateboard model. Before you direct your focus on materials (often plywood, which is not the best for FEA),  I want you to think about the forces that are exerted to it. The typical load a board would experience is the weight of a rider, applied to the board top in foot-like shapes.

The problem is that when you design the board, the top won’t include those “foot-like” shapes so some addition work needs to be put in for the simulations sake. In the following QUICK TIP, I’ll show you a couple of ways you can more closely represent these areas, and at the same time, we’ll look to constrain it with similar techniques.

After discussing techniques to limit the load area, such as face limits and split faces, I also demonstrate what happens when you use a single load across multiple faces. This is something that gets overlooked quite often, but is crucial to getting high quality results needed to make informed decisions.

Anyway, check out the video here:

I hope that helps! Have a great week everyone!

~Aaron