Optimisation Workflow in CADFEKO

Select the Optimisation Method

The following optimisation methods are available::

• Simplex (Nelder-Mead)
• Particle swarm optimisation (PSO)
• Genetic algorithm (GA)
• Adaptive response surface method (ARSM)
• Global response surface method (GRSM)
• Grid search

Select the Model Parameters

The model parameters are the variables defined by the user with which certain characteristics of the model can be varied, for example, its length, spacing between parts, and height. In this step of the workflow, the variables used in the optimisation are selected from a drop-down list.

Define the Parameter Range

Define the range over which each selected parameter varies by specifying the Min value, Max value and optionally the Start value.

Define an Optimisation Mask

This step is optional. An optimisation mask is a set of user-specified values that form a continuous line to which the optimal solution is fitted to. The optimised solution is specified to be either less than, equal or greater than the mask. During the calculation of the optimal solution, the goal values are compared to the mask. If the mask criterion is satisfied, the values are added to an array of values.

Define the Optimisation Goal

Define the goal(s) that specify the desired state of the model that the optimisation process should attempt to achieve by varying the specified model parameters.

Run the Optimisation (OPTFEKO)

Run OPTFEKO to calculate the optimum solution for the specified parameters.

View the Optimum Model

After the optimisation completed, a CADFEKO model is created with the optimum parameters. The file is given a “_optimum” suffix.