Tutorial: Design Table

Tutorial Level: Intermediate Learn how to create design iterations on the fly using a design table, where you can quickly modify and set thresholds for the various parameters of a model, without having to dig through construction history. You can export the file (model with design table) to HyperStudy to test and explore design alternatives.

Open the File

  1. Browse to your personal assets folder. The default location of this folder on Windows is here: C:\Users\yourname\Documents\Altair\InspireStudio\Assets\Scenes.
  2. Open the design_table.istudio file.
  3. The scene is loaded.


Use the Design Table

  1. On the ribbon, click the Analysis tab.
  2. Click the Design Table icon.
  3. In the table, the Variables section lists the parameters of the design that can be edited. For this tutorial, we will start with two existing variables:
    • Cap_pattern@Copies Along U: Controls the Copies along U parameter of the Cap_pattern object.
    • Sphere#1@Diameter: Controls the Diameter parameter of the Sphere #1 object.
    Note: When no objects are selected, the Available Variables column is empty.
    1. For the Cap_pattern@Copies Along U variable, click the Value text box and change the value to 10.
      The pattern on the cap is updated.

    2. For the Sphere#1@Diameter variable, click the Value text box and change the value to 1.5 cm.
      The pattern on the cap is updated again.

Modify Variables

  1. Select the body of the bottle.
  2. In the Browser, select the Main_body object.
  3. The Design Table is populated with the Available Variables for the selected object. This is a replicate object.
    • Select Copies along U and click the >> button to add this variable.
    • Or you can drag and drop variables between the lists.
  4. The Min and Max bounds can be used to control the variable value.
    1. Click the Min text box and enter 2 and, for Max, enter 6.
    2. Edit the Value of this variable to 5 and notice the changes.
    3. To remove a variable, select it and click << or drag it back into the Available Variables list.

Add the Remaining Variables

Repeat the steps performed earlier to add the following variables:
  • Extrusion length of the cap
  • Draft angle of the cap
  • Phi Angle of the three section curves
  • Diameter of the circle used to sweep the 3 pipes on the main body
Note: Select multiple objects in the scene to populate all available variables for the selection.

Export to HyperStudy

  1. In the Design Table, click the Export button.
  2. Save the file with desired name.
    A file (model with design table) is saved in .hstp format.
You can open the file in HyperStudy to test and explore design alternatives.