SCULPTOR TUTORIAL I

(level: basic)
Learn how to import a CAE model in Sculptor and modify its shape, produce
and export shape variants directly in the CAE native format.

This tutorial is based on the CFD model of a duct internal flow, and focus on
the shape optimization of the elbow in order to reduce the pressure loss at
a given mass flow rate.

Time to complete the Tutorial: 20’

Data folders store the Sculptor Project along its evolution. (i.e. find Sculptor project as it looks
like at the end of Chapter 3 by access “Sculptor_Tut_I/Chapt_3”).

Elbow duct CFD model provided for the following solvers:

• Fluent (elbow.cas)
• CFX (elbow.uns)
• Star-CD (elbow.vrt)
• Star CCM+ (elbow.ccm)
• other formats available under request

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Contents
1. Import the mesh/CFD model ................................................................................................
................................ ................................... 3
2. Defining an Arbitrary Shape Deformation (ASD) volume around the area to deform ............ 4
3. ASD volume refinement ................................................................................................
................................ ........................................... 8
4. Fit the ASD volume to the mesh volume ...............................................................................
............... 11
5. Freezing the ASD volume, performing fast modifications and exporting shape variants ..... 15

Find important things faster:

Basic concept

Remind how to / Tips

In the pictures:

Left Mouse click

Left Mouse double-click

Right Mouse click

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1. Import the mesh/CFD model
In this chapter:

Sculptor Graphical User Interface

Import the mesh to be
b deformed

This chapter introduces the Sculptor Graphical User Interface. Start to

work immediately by importing into Sculptor the CFD model to be modified.
modified
Save your Sculptor project.

1. Start Sculptor by clicking into the Sculptor shortcut. The Sculptor Graphical User
Interface pops up:

Top bar drop-down

drop menus

Standard views
Rotate – zoom –
for objects in
pan for objects
the canvas
in the canvas

Pict 1

Floating toolbar Canvas

with quick access options
buttons

By staying a few seconds with

ith the mouse pointer on any button,
button, a brief description will appear

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 2. The geometry to be morphed should be imported into Sculptor. Select the proper file
format and load the file provided with this tutorial, “elbow.*”:
“

2 Select the proper

mesh/CAE model format

Pict 2

clicking in the canvas, select Visibility Regions to choose the region of the mesh to
Right-clicking
be displayed. Select the ones that are useful to be seen to set up the zone to be modified.

2. Defining an Arbitrary
rbitrary Shape Deformation (ASD) volume around
the area to deform
In this chapter:

Create an ASD volume

Adapt the ASD volume to the geometry to deform

This chapter will describe the creation of the initial ASD volume. Begin
modifying the ASD volume to fit the imported geometry.

Arbitrary Shape Deformation (ASD) is the core technology of Sculptor. It allows to deform any
volumetric mesh or geometry.

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 1. Enter the “Create Volume” dialog box:

Pict 3

2. Enter the ASD volume number of control points, its size and its centroid. Select “Apply”
to preview it, then “OK” to confirm and exit the dialog box.

1
Number of control points in each
direction of the ASD volume (prism):
2x2x2
Pict 4
2
Dimensions of the ASD volume to be
created 8 x 2.2 x2.2
created:

3 Centroid of the ASD volume to be

created 4, 0 ,0
created:

5 4

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 3. See below
w how the ASD volume looks like:

Control Point

S Pict 5

T
The ASD volume, 2x2x2
control points, as requested

Sculptor uses Bezier curves technology to define the ASD volume by control points.

4. To begin enclosing the geometry inside of the ASD volume, enter the “Modify Volume”
dialog box.

Pict 6

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 5. Select the “t,u #2” plane by left clicking on the that plane. Notice the yellow highlighted
control points. Select the “Rotate” tab, below the “Planes” list box. Move the slider in
the “Z(Deg)” box until the text box reads “-90”
“ or type “-90”
90” into the text box.:

1
Select ASD volume plane t,u#2
2 (see yellow nodes)…

Pict 7

4 Keyboard :
ENTER
NTER

6. How it should look like after pressing ENTER after the rotation specification:

Undo last operation

Pict 8

Undo all operations

Redo last discarded operation

Accept modifications and exit Undo all modifications and exit

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 7. Select the “translate” tab,, with the plane “t,u#2” still selected, to adjust it:

Pict 9

8. Perform two independent translations, one along X (enter( “-1”)) and one along Y (enter
(
“-7.02”” after having resized the limit below to -8), then select
ect “OK” to accept and exit.
exit
Save the Sculptor project as “”Elbow_2”.

Keyboard :
1
ENTER
Pict 10
3 Keyboard : ENTER
E

2 Keyboard :
ENTER

3. ASD volume refinement

In this chapter:

Add new control points to the Volume that should adapt to the part
geometry

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 Learn how to define more
ore control points,
points needed to adapt the ASD volume
to the geometry and to produce smooth deformations.
Any geometry outside of the ASD volume will not be deformed after the ASD volume is frozen

1. Enter the “Insert plane” dialog box:

Pict 11

2. Insert a new plane in the ASD volume between actual t,u#1 and t,u#2:

“t,u#1”
1

2
3

Pict 12
4

5
“t,u#2”

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 3. Now the new plane has been added as “t,u #2”.
“t,u#1”

Pict 13
“t,u#2”

“t,u#3”

4. Now add another plane between actual “t,u#1” and “t,u#2”, by left clicking them in the
“Groups” list and then pressing “Insert” (as done in Pict 12, check all the checkbox are
tuned as in Pict 12). This is what appears, with the new plane names:

“t,u#1”

“t,u#2”

Pict 14
“t,u#3”

“t,u#4”

5. Insert another plane between actual “t,u#2” and “t,u#3” by left clicking them in the
“Groups” list and then pressing “Insert”. Going on this way, repeat the same operations
adding two new cross sections inside the ASD volume, first between the current “t,u#4”
and “t,u#5” and then between the new current “t,u#4” and “t,u#5” again. Check the ASD
volume, that should appear as like in the picture. Accept the plane insertions by clicking
OK, that closes the Plane Insertion window and brings back to the main action window.

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 “t,u#1”

“t,u#2”

“t,u#3”

Pict 15
“t,u#4”

“t,u#5”

“t,u#6”

“t,u#7”

6. Save the Sculptor

lptor project as “Elbow_3”

Pict 16

4. Fit the ASD volume to the mesh volume

In this chapter:

Fit ASD volume to include the mesh to be deformed

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11

Use Shrink-Wrap
Wrap function

Learn how to fit the refined ASD to the volume mesh volume to be
deformed, in order to produce smooth deformations.

Any geometry outside of the ASD volume will not be deformed after the ASD volume is frozen

The ASD has to be modified so that it encloses completely the duct outer surface . To do so, it is
possible to use all the “Modify Volume” operations,
operations until it fits the duct surface.

The “shrink wrap” button helps in doing most of the moves in just one click. Save your project
before using it, since it cannot be undone!

1. “Shrink wrap” moves the ASD volume to match the shape in the direction that
contains the most ASD planes.
planes In this case the ASD volume has more “t,u” planes,
planes so
the shrink wrap function will move the ASD volume perpendicular to the t,u planes plane
to adjust them to match the profile of the geometry. Below, the way the ASD volume
looks like after the shrink wrap.
wrap. Still, some adjustments are needed, since the ASD
volume doesn’tn’t enclose completely the duct. Press
P the Isometric View button to change
view and better visualize such areas (see Pict 18).

Pict 17

Such duct portion’s mesh cells have to be enclosed inside the ASD volume, or deformations
would not affect them and generate gaps.

2. Access again the “Modify Volume” window (clicking ). Double-left click the plane
“s,u#2” from the “Groups” menu to
o expand it with its list of the control points. Left
L

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 clicking “s,u#2”
,u#2” once again to deselect it.
it Then, select the wanted control points
(adjacent to the area to fix),
fix) hence the Columns from 2 to 6, with left-clicks:
clicks:

3
2 Select the proper columns
of control points in the Pict 18
s,u#2 plane by left clicking,
from column2 to column6.
Check that such points are
yellow-marked
marked in the ASD
volumes, such as in this
picture

3. Translate such points

oints in the XY plane direction: drag the slider towards positive X (say
0.2002) with “Slave” checkbox
chec enabled for the Y axis.

2 Keyboard : ENTER
E Pict 19

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13
 4. Expand the ASD volume alo ong its two sides on the Z directions,, to fix the small gaps
there. First, translate the “s,t#2” plane in positive Z direction,
direction of 0.02:

De-select
select previous control points
by left- clicking any blue or grey
Pict 20
line. Left-click
click on “s,t#2”. Desired
control points should be yellow
marked ,see picture
2

3 Un--check “Slave” for Y

Apply to “s,t#2” an independent

Keyboard : ENTER
translation along positive Z, say +0.02

5. Click the “Back View” button to have a look at the “s,t#1” face, and translate it
towards Z negative direction of -0.02,, in order to enclose completely the duct volume.
volume
Then, press the OK button to accept all the applied ASD volume adaptations:

Pict 21

De-select previous control points

by left- clicking any blue or grey
line. Left-click on “s,t#1”. Desired
2 control points should be yellow
marked ,see picture

3
Apply to “s,t#1” an independent
translation along negative Z, say -0.02
Keyboard : ENTER

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 6. Go back to the “Front
nt View” by pressing the button, then save the project as ““Elbow_4”

Pict 22

5. Freezing the ASD volume

olume, performing fast modifications and
exporting shape variants
In this chapter:

Freeze the ASD volume

Perform mesh deformations

Export shape variants’ model/mesh files

Learn how to deform the model and to export shape variants, ready to be
passed to the CFD solver tool, to be evaluated.

By “Freezing” the ASD volume, the imported CAE mesh nodal points (or CAD geometry) are
associated with it.

This operation might require

uire from a few seconds up to minutes, depending on the mesh size,
number of ASD volume control points and hardware. Once the ASD volume is “frozen”, the
imported model will deform when the deformation volume is stretched by moving control
points, in real time. Therefore, creating several new meshes is almost instantaneous.
No mesh deformation is possible without freezing the ASD volumes.

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15
.
1. Press the Freeze ASD button, and wait the few seconds that Sculptor needs to perform
the operation. Then, change view to Isometric:

2
1

Pict 23

2. The true ASD

D volume disappears by default,
default when frozen. Start deforming the mesh by
moving one or more control points: press “Deform Geometry by by Control Point” button
and enter the menu. Note the control points in the t,u#4 plan.

“t,u#4”
Pict 24

3. As an example, in order to reduce the pressure loss, the cross section of the elbow duct
corresponding to the plane “t,u#4” could be increased in terms of area and modified in
terms of shape, from a circle to an ellipse. To do so, all the control points of the “t,u#4”
“t,u#
should be scaled along the XY plane. This can be done entering the “Scale” menu,
selecting all the t,u#4 plane by left-clicking
left clicking it, and then locking Y as slave and applying a

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 a positive scaling to X (and hence also to Y, thanks to the “Slave” option) of say +2.5,
hence an expansion. Note the shape deformation, and accept it pressing OK.
Select all the t,u#4 plane control
points (yellow marked ,see picture)
picture

2
Pict 25

Scale t,u#4 control points along

3 XY of a +2.5 (amplification)

4 Keyboard : ENTER
E

4. It is possible to visualize the deformed surface mesh by right-clicking

right clicking in the canvas and
activating the visibility for Face Edges, as shown below. Note the mesh deformation:

Pict 26

Morphing take place almost instantaneously on the whole volumetric mesh.

5. To visualize the deformed volumetric mesh along a section plane, click on the “Element
Quality” button, select “Plane” on the pop-up
up window and scroll with the Z-axis
Z slider till
the deformed mesh cells on the midplane are shown. Deformation here seems
acceptable, hence close the window and prepare to export the new configuration.

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 4

Pict 27

6. Expand the File  Export menu. Select CFD native format to write the new model file
into,, and call it “Elbow_Expansion” (the
he menu is sensitive to the original model
imported).. The new mesh/model is then ready to be analyzed by your solver. Save also
the Sculptor deformed ASD volume as “Elbow_Expansion”.

Pict 28

7. Another mesh variant can be easily created by clicking again the press “Deform
Geometry byy Control Point” button . This case, first press the “Restore” button to come
back to the initial undeformed elbow duct. Then repeat the operations of this chapters’
point 3,, but applying a 0.5 (contraction) coefficient along the XY plane, then accept the

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 modification. Mesh should appear as below. Create a new CFD model and save the
Sculptor project as “Elbow_Contraction”.

Pict 29

Next Tutorial: SCULPTOR TUTORIAL II (level: mid)

Learn how to handle morphing of multiple zones, check and fix deformed
mesh quality, manage shape constraints…on the racing car rear wings test-
case.

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