Starting an Optimization
Before optimizations can be run in RAM Concept , the user must be signed into the CONNECTION client and a project must be associated with the model.
A new optimization can be started by selecting the
Optimize Tendons tool (
also found at
). This will start a preprocess that performs
a series of checks, and splits the tendon and profile polyline objects (if
necessary). If this preprocess changes the file, you will be prompted with a
Save As dialog to have the
opportunity to keep the original version as well as the modified version. Then
the
Start Optimization dialog will open.
It is possible to start a series of parallel optimizations on the same file, with each of these optimizations called a scenario.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Optimization Regions | This box identifies each optimization region (by name, if any) and the number of optimization properties associated with it. If no optimization regions are defined, "whole slab" will appear of the region name. |
| Number of Trials | This slider tells the optimizer how hard to look for the best solution, with the left end representing a less intensive search with the lowest usage cost, and the right end representing the most intensive search with the highest usage cost. For most situations, the slider can be placed at the default location in the center with a good chance of finding the optimal solution at a low cost. |
| Seed with model’s current parameters | This option tells the optimizer to use the current tendon and profile parameters as a starting point in the optimization. This may reduce the total number of iterations needed to complete the optimization. You could check this if you have manually iterated to what you think is a good design and you want the optimizer to see if it can improve it. |
| Maximum Number of Iterations | This value tells RAM Concept to stop the optimization after the specified number of search iterations, even if the given convergence criteria has not been met. This parameter could be used to stop a model that is struggling to converge and running indefinitely. Most models will converge in less than about 100 iterations, so this should not normally be a factor. |
| Number of Non-Improvement Iterations | This value tells the optimizer the range over which to measure the % change for convergence purposes. For example, a value of 20 tells the optimizer to take the percentage change between the best solution found through this iteration and the best solution found 20 iterations ago when testing against the Improvement Tolerance. |
| Improvement Tolerance (%) | This value tells the optimizer when to stop because it thinks it has converged upon an optimum solution. The percent change is measured over the number of non-improvement iterations value. Setting this number very small could cause the optimizer to calculate a large number of iterations with little improvement, driving up the cost of the optimization. |
| Maximum ACU Consumption |
This value tells the optimizer to stop when a specified number of ACUs are consumed. When the threshold is reached and the optimization is stopped, the Edit button can be used to increase the specified maximum value. The optimization can then be continued by clicking Resume. |
Clicking OK on this dialog will start the optimization.