Utilize the edit model workspace

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Utilize the edit model workspace.

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After completing this video,

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you'll be able to create a connector obstacle feature,

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replace components with primitives or volumes, remove features and faces,

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remove components and create a clone of a generative model.

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In fusion 360 we begin with the supply data set internal combustion

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engine dot F 3D.

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We want to begin by navigating to the generative design workspace.

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Once here, we're going to select structural component.

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But the structural component will note that inside of the browser,

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we've got generative model four

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which contains study one of our structural component.

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Nothing has been added to this design yet,

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but it automatically creates a load case for us which includes gravity.

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What we want to do is we want to focus our attention on edit model.

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Edit model is a workspace inside of generative design that allows us to make

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changes to our design without affecting the

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original design and the design workspace.

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This can be used to simplify models used for obstacles or

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preserve regions as well as completely remove bodies and components.

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Let's first get started by expanding our model components

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and note that we have a crank holder component.

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We have a solider component

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and we have our crank assembly.

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The crank assembly contains our crank

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connecting rod,

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the small end and big end bushing as well as the piston.

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Let's first begin by focusing our attention on the cylinder

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from the modify menu.

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We have a handful of tools that we don't often see in the design workspace,

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remove features, remove faces and replace with primitives.

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Let's begin by taking a look at remove features.

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When we select a body,

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it's going to analyze the design based on the default settings.

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The feature size will be square in the middle of the slider

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and select all will be enabled. So it's looking for things like filets

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holes, champers, extrude revolve and other

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things that fall in the other category,

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oftentimes are features like threads in a design.

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As we take a look at this,

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the colorization on the screen is gonna indicate what's going to be removed.

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We can deselect the select all option and focus our attention just on a single item.

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If we wish,

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if we want to look only at smaller filets, we can move the slider down.

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If we want to look at all filets, we can increase it.

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If we select the delete option,

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all of these filets will be removed from the model and replaced with square corners.

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This can be extremely helpful to minimize the geometry

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that's being used during the generative design solve.

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We oftentimes want to replace complex geometry with simplified geometry.

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Whenever possible to reduce the calculation times,

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once those features have been removed,

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it will constantly relook through the model to

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look at other features that can be removed.

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When we include,

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select all you'll note now that we see things like the

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coolant passages in the cylinder and larger holes also being included.

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If we select delete,

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once more fusion will go through with all of the selections we

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see on the screen and it will begin deleting and patching those.

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Whenever we're working inside of the edit model workspace,

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we do have history captured,

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which means we can roll back the timeline or

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remove these features at any point in time.

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It is important to note. However, that while we do have capture history,

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we will not be using things like joints for mechanical motion,

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there'll be no capture position that happens inside of the edit model workspace.

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Once all those features have been removed,

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we can also take a look at using the manual feature selection option.

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For example, if we want to get rid of this pocket here,

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we can deselect the select all option

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and we can focus our attention just on a single specific feature.

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This can take a little bit of time.

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But using these tools can simplify an object that you want

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to keep around as a preserve or an obstacle region.

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We also have the option to do things such as removing faces.

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If we select individual faces notice that it's taking a look at this entire feature.

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And if we select delete, it's able to remove and patch that geometry,

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remove faces will enable us to remove specific geometry that

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maybe the remove features was not able to capture adequately.

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There are still some potential problems with this design.

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But overall, we were able to remove a lot of detail from the cylinder.

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Another option that we have is to use the replace with primitives.

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We can select the body that we're interested in.

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We can determine the primitive shape. In this case, a cylinder

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and we can determine its axis. In this case, y

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one potential problem we have when using this option is it's looking at

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the bounding box or the general area of the object that we're replacing.

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So in the case of a cylinder like this,

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where the geometry is offset to one side for a timing chain,

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the cylinder is not going to be centered on the piston in the crank.

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So while this is a great option for certain geometry,

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it doesn't work for everything.

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So make sure that you do take a look at these

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options when determining whether or not you can work with.

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What's there,

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replace it with a primitive or potentially

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start from scratch and draw your own obstacles

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for the cylinder. We actually don't need it for what we're doing.

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So we're going to right click and select, remove,

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removing it once again is going to put a feature in the timeline.

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So at any point in time, we can delete, suppress or roll back before that point.

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Now that we've taken a look at using some of the modified tools to remove features,

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remove faces and replace with primitives.

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Let's talk about the connector obstacle tool.

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The connector obstacle tool is a great way

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for us to represent hardware in our design.

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That way we can account for things like the head of a bolt as well as tool axis.

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There are some things that we need to understand about this.

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And first, what we wanna do is remove any obstacles that are in the way

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we'll note with this that there is a small end bushing

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that is not going to be needed during the generative solve.

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If we right click and remove this,

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we'll note that the diameter inside of the connecting rod

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is actually larger than the diameter in the piston.

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And this is because it's accounting for that bushing that should be there.

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In order to account for this, we either need to create our own obstacle

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or we can use the connector obstacle and then add additional geometry to it.

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This is something that you will come across if you're using the connector obstacle

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and you run into a situation where the whole size is

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different from one size to the other on your components.

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But we can still make use of this connector obstacle.

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We just need to get a little bit more creative with how we use it.

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The basic approach to using the connector obstacle is to select the starting point

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and the end point of the geometry you're trying to create.

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In this case, we can also include things like the head of a bolt

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and place this on both sides

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and then we can add tool clearance on both sides as well.

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All this geometry can be adjusted and manipulated.

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But there is one interesting problem that we've run into here.

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If we cancel this,

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the chamfer and the recess for the circlip is going to be problematic

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for us when we're talking about creating that geometry for our obstacle.

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So the first thing that we want to do because

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the piston itself is not really of interest to this design

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is we want to remove some of those features.

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We can do this using remove faces or remove features.

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Let's go ahead and select the champ for first delete it.

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And then we're gonna select the inside face of this counter bore

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note that it's trying to remove it all the way to the inside.

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And if we say, OK, it will completely remove that as a whole.

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We're gonna do control Z to undo.

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And we want to take a look at using the removed features.

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We're gonna select the piston

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and then we're gonna use the manual feature selection.

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We wanna grab this champ

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and we wanna go ahead and remove the champ.

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And then we want to see if we can remove the geometry here

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by moving the slider to the left.

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You'll note that it doesn't actually make any adjustment.

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So this tells me that we're going to leave this recess

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here unless we want to do some additional manual work.

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So what I wanna do is move around to the other side

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and we'll remove the champ over here as well.

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Once the cham is gone, this will simplify the selection process.

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When creating our connector obstacle,

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we're gonna go from one side of the piston

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to the other side of the piston.

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We're gonna include a bolt head

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and in this case, the head diameter is gonna be 12 millimeters.

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We're gonna add it to both sides and then

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we'll add tool clearance to both sides as well.

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Once we have this connector obstacle, I'm gonna hide the piston

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and I want to create another connector obstacle inside the connecting rod.

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For this one,

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what we're going to be doing is we're going to be selecting both

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sides of the connecting rod but not adding bolt head or tool clearance.

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This will create two obstacles for us and these can

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be joined together by using the modify and combined tool.

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So we're gonna select both of these,

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we'll combine them together

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and we'll say, OK,

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now we've got one single solid body that will represent the

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connector obstacle going through the upper portion of the connecting rod

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this can be done and carried on throughout the rest of your design to make

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sure that you set up all the obstacles and the preserve regions that are needed.

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The next thing that we want to talk about is cloning our generative model.

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At this point,

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we've created our obstacle and we've also removed a

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couple of other components that were not needed.

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In order to create another version of this, we can do what's called cloning.

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So we're going to right click on generative model

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four and we're gonna select clone generative model.

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This will allow us to bring in any study settings

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that have already been placed inside of that generative model.

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So if you spent the time to define things like your loads and constraints,

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the study settings like your manufacturing methods, your materials,

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all that information can be carried over into this clone.

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The reason that you might clone a generative model is

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because you want to explore a different geometry option,

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but you want to maintain all of the

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same loads and constraints that you did previously.

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This typically is done when you want to add things like

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a starting shape to a generative design or additional obstacles.

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We also have another option where we can create a new generative model.

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Creating a new generative model will take it back to the original assembly.

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You'll notice the timeline doesn't contain any of those features that we added

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where generative model four and five contain all of the remove features,

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the remove as well as the connector obstacles.

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When we finish edit model,

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all of these generative models will be seen in our browser.

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When we take a look,

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each of them will contain study one which was a copy of that original study.

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And we can see the differences between each of the studies

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based on the geometry that was left in the design.

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Because this new generative model was created,

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it doesn't contain the study information.

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So once we activate it,

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we'll be prompted to determine whether or not it's

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a structural or a fluid generative design study.

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Understanding when to use cloning of a generative model in the edit model,

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workspace is important for you to save the

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time you've spent setting up a generative study.

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Keep in mind that multiple studies can be contained underneath a generative

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model that will allow you to review things like different starting shapes,

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different obstacle geometry, different load cases,

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manufacturing methods and objectives.

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But if you want to take a look at doing different geometry, for example,

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adding or removing additional obstacles,

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you need to make sure that you have a clone of what you've done.

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So that way you can modify the geometry, but keep all that set up work

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after you're done making changes,

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go ahead and make sure that you save the design before moving on.