Define the structure options Material ID Mode, Lay Down in Current Domain, and Keep Current Objects / Structure.

Material ID Mode

The Material ID Mode pull-down menu allows selecting between applying the Material ID based on the materials or the types of objects (fibers) present in the fibrous structure.

Assigning a Material ID is part of the GeoDict Material Database concept, in which objects in the structure are ascribed to an individual material (e.g. glass, cellulose, PET) with specific physical properties.

If selecting Material ID per Object-Type, every object type selected under the Fiber Options tab is assigned to a different Material ID. Otherwise, the chosen material defines the Material ID. Consider for example four fiber types are chosen, where two of them should be of material cellulose and two should be manual. Then, with Material ID per Material selected, the resulting paper structure consists of only two solid Material IDs.

Lay-Down in Current Domain and Keep Current Objects / Structure

When checking Lay Down in Current Domain, the parameters of the domain currently in memory are used for the generation of a new structure. Additionally, when Keep Current Objects / Structure is checked, the structure in memory is kept and combined with the newly generated paper structure.

Observe the effect that Create in Current Domain and Keep Current Objects / Structure have on the generation of a paper structure. A woven structure is already in memory (left image) and fibers are laid down in the Z+ direction.

When Lay Down in Current Domain is checked but Keep Current Objects / Structure is left unchecked (middle image), the yellow fibers fall on the weave, but the weave is deleted after the lay-down operation.

When Lay Down in Current Domain and Keep Current Objects / Structure are both checked (right image), the gray woven structure is kept, and the yellow fibers are laid over it.

Notice that the domain parameters cannot be modified when Lay Down in Current Objects / Structure is checked, because they are kept from the structure already in memory.

Lay Down in Current Domain and Keep Current Objects / Structure are useful tools when generating paper structures that are composed by several parts or layers. The previously generated structure is kept, and then, other layers or parts of the structure are added. The size of the final layered structure in the lay-down direction is adjusted automatically.