Practical guide · 5 min read
The CAD-to-simulation preparation checklist
A practical sequence for geometry, materials, contacts, boundary conditions, and readiness review.
Start with the engineering question
Write down what you want to learn before changing the model. Specify the analysis type, relevant operating conditions, and the decisions the simulation will support. A model prepared for stiffness evaluation may need different detail from a model prepared for local fatigue assessment.
Confirm the geometry and units
Record the CAD format, revision, model units, and assembly configuration. Check for missing components, disconnected bodies, gaps, and unexpectedly small features. Distinguish the physical product from cosmetic or manufacturing details that may not affect your analysis.
Simplify with a reason
Review small holes, fillets, threads, and repeated components in the context of the target physics. A feature that is irrelevant to a global deformation study may be essential to a local stress study. Document what you remove and why.
Review materials and interfaces
Every active body needs appropriate material properties for the intended analysis. Check contacts and connections rather than assuming touching parts are automatically bonded. Thermal and structural analyses require different property sets and interface assumptions.
Make the boundary conditions explicit
Record loads, constraints, temperatures, pressures, inlets, or outlets as appropriate. Confirm their units, directions, reference frames, and application surfaces. Ask whether the constraints represent the real support conditions or accidentally make the model too stiff.
Plan the mesh and the verification
Identify curvature, thin regions, contact surfaces, and areas where gradients are expected. Define a mesh refinement and convergence plan. A clean initial mesh does not by itself establish that a result is accurate.
Approve the handoff
Resolve missing definitions and preserve a record of assumptions before solver execution. Engineers remain responsible for checking the solver configuration and independently assessing the resulting simulation. SimreadyAI helps organize preparation; it does not remove that responsibility.
Educational guidance. Select methods and validate results with qualified engineering judgment for your specific application.