Adams Basic Package > Adams View > Adams View > Dialog box - F1 help > A - D > Create/Modify Design Variable

Create/Modify Design Variable

Ribbon menu → Design Exploration Tab -→ Design Variable Container → Create/Modify a Design Variable
or
(Classic Interface) Build → Design Variable → New/Modify
Creates or modifies a design variable.
Learn more about Using Design Variables.
 
For the option:
Do the following:
Name
Enter the name of the design variable.
Type
Select Real, Integer, String, or Object.
If you selected the type Real, you have the option:
Units
Optionally, select the type of units.
If you selected the type Real or Integer, the following four options appear:
Standard Value
Enter or change the default value for the design variable.
Value Range by
Set the one of the following and enter the limits in the Min/Max or +/- Delta text boxes:
■Absolute Min and Max Values - Specifies a value range (an upper and lower limit)
■+/- Delta Relative to Value - Specifies increments relative to the standard value.
■+/- Percent Relative to Value - Specifies percentage increments relative to the standard value.
If only a certain range of values is possible, use absolute limits to keep the variable within that fixed range. Otherwise, use relative or percent relative limits to include a reasonable amount above and below your initial value. Relative and percent-relative limits tie the range to the value of the variable, so if you change the value of the variable, the limits automatically change with it.To learn more about the choices, see Preparing for Parametric Analyses.
- Delta/Min Value
Enter the lower limit for the range or the relative amount or percentage below the standard value.
+ Delta/Max Value
Enter the upper limit for the range or the relative amount or percentage above the standard value.
Allow Optimization to ignore range
If you want to allow an optimization to use any value for the variable, select Allow Optimization to ignore range.
Selecting Allow Optimization to ignore range does not disable the range for a Design study or Design of experiments (DOE). The range is used for a design study or DOE only if a list of values has not been specified or is to be ignored.
List of allowed value
If you want to specify a list of values, select List of allowed values and enter the values in the text box that appears. This lets you to use unequally spaced values or always use the same set of values. By default, the list of values takes precedence over the range in a design study or DOE.
Note: The Value Range setting also affects the allowed values you enter. For example, if you have selected a Value Range of percent relative, then Adams View interprets your entered allowed values as percentages relative to the standard value.
If you selected List of allowed values, the following two options appear:
Generate
Creates a list of values for you automatically.
Allow Design Study to ignore list
To keep the list of values and still use the range for a design study and DOE, select Allow Design Study to ignore list. By selecting Allow Design Study to ignore list, you can switch back and forth between using the range and the list of values without re-entering the list each time.
If you selected String, the following option appears:
String value
Enter the alphanumeric string for the design variable.
Note: Object names not to be used for string value. Adams does not handle any change in Object name for string type design variable.
If you selected Object, the following option appears:
Object value
Enter the database object for the design variable (for example, .model_1.part_1). For more on objects and their database name, see Getting Object Names and Data Dictionary in the Adams View Function Builder online help.
Select to add any comments about the variable to help you manage and identify it. See Comments.
 
Note:  
Now that you have created a design variable, you’ll need to reference it in your model. You can enter the design variable directly, using the Reference Design Variable command, or you can type it into a text box. You can also use the Function Builder to create a more complex expression using the design variable. When you reference your design variable, Adams View places parentheses () around the variable because you are creating a simple expression that references the value of the design variable.