Open Design Optimization Platform (ODOP) - Coil spring design app; mechanical springs; compression spring, extension spring, torsion spring
This topic covers various points that may allow a better user experience with the ODOP software.
At a high level, the process is to modify an existing design to reflect the requirements of the application at hand. Specifically, the user is expected to modify one of the startup designs by use of the Fix feature, set constraints as required by the application and then run Search.
Operation of the AutoFix feature (enabled by default) makes it a good practice to run Search frequently. This practice makes it easier to identify if (when!) specifying additional values has caused the design problem to become over-specified.
The various tutorial and demo sessions provide additional insights.
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Optimization software like ODOP offers considerable leverage over a calculator approach. If you find that you are repeatedly entering trial values of Independent Variables and then examining the corresponding values of Dependent Variables it is likely that you are missing out on the power that the ODOP software has to offer. You should be expressing your goals for the design by establishing the values for constraints and FIXes and then using the Search and Seek features.
The Tutorial and Demo features offer multiple examples of the best way to utilize the Search and Seek features.
A design investigation may evolve through a sequence of preliminary or candidate designs. As each candidate design is established, it can be marked with a File : Properties comment and saved into the design library with File : Save As. In particular, it may be desirable to save the current design before selecting a new standard size or catalog item.
The design library is a database physically located on an Internet server, a.k.a. "in the cloud". Design information stored in the design library does not appear on the local storage of your computer. In order to save designs into the design library it is necessary to sign into an ODOP user account. See: User Accounts.
The ODOP app can export the state of the current design as a download into a file in the local file system. By default, the file is placed in the user's download folder (directory) with a file name extension of ".json". Use browser settings to control the default download folder or be prompted to specify a folder every time.
The File : Import menu item will restore a previously exported design as the current design.
It is generally possible to open two tabs in the same browser session with an ODOP design session in each. With a widescreen monitor, two independent browser sessions can provide a non-overlapping side-by-side positioning of two separate ODOP sessions thus facilitating comparison of two designs. Adjustments the browser's font size or "zoom" scale may be necessary for best results.
One of the two ODOP sessions can be the current design. The other session can open a saved design or import a previously exported design for comparison.
One of the two ODOP sessions can keep a current most desirable design. The other browser session can continue forward with additional trial designs. The side-by-side aspect of the screen layout can help quickly identify the preferred design.
The AutoSave feature can provide a before / after comparison for Search, Seek and Trade.
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The on-line documentation (Help) is based on a "theme" that is responsive to the available width of the window. If the window is sufficiently wide, the header and trailer information appears on the left. As the width of the window is reduced, the header and trailer information will move to top and bottom. While somewhat counter-intuitive, a reduced width window actually allows greater width for the content. Several places in the ODOP Help topics have images and tables that will benefit from the greater width.
If you see "NaN" where you expect to see a number, it is likely because the software has encountered a computational issue like division by zero. It is possible that a single calculation problem will propagate NaN into many output values.
The Alerts facility (Alerts button) provides warning messages for physically impossible designs that may be the source of NaN and other computational difficulty. So, if you encounter NaN where you expect a numeric value, examine the Alerts for additional messages.
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Unfortunately, using the browser Reload a.k.a. "Refresh" function with a single page web app such as ODOP will likely result in a complete reset of the main page and potential loss of a user's work since the previous Save operation. Similarly, use of the browser "Back" function followed by "Forward" will likely result in reset of the main page.
The AutoSave feature can partially mitigate the consequences of an unintended browser reset (refresh).
Note: The on-line documentation pages (Help) are not subject to the same concerns about browser refresh and browser back / forward.
The AutoFix feature automatically sets Fixed status on variables modified by the user. It is enabled by default.
AutoFix applies only to future changes. It does not affect any existing variables in Fixed status.
The AutoFix feature may be enabled / disabled via the checkbox to the right of the Alerts feature on a main page (Advanced View or Calculator View) or via the preference value "enable_auto_fix" in File : Preferences.
The AutoFix feature is helpful in that it eliminates the surprise experienced by new users when Search modifies a value that they thought they had established. The downside of AutoFix is that tends to create over-specified design situations which can be difficult to recognize. Specifically, the AutoFix feature may contribute to unintentionally placing Independent Variables in Fixed status.
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The ODOP software offers a basic AutoSave feature. See AutoSave for details.
Designs created by Seek will have violated constraints.
Small violations of multiple constraints is expected behavior. In fact, it is an indication that Seek is operating properly and leaving no "slack" remaining in any relationship that can help achieve a more favorable result.
Seek is balancing the "reward" gained by violating constraints with the penalty for violating those constraints.
If the remaining constraint violations are undesired, run Search. Search will find a nearby feasible design. Yet another Seek may (or may not) find a design with slightly smaller constraint violations than the first Seek.
Finally, if the remaining constraint violations are a problem, try offsetting (tightening) the constraint levels by an amount similar to the violation. Run Seek again. The result should be close to the desired target.
Off-line operation is not currently supported.
If a design session is in progress when network connectivity is lost, it is possible that design activity can continue but it will not be possible to save into the design library or open new designs from the library until network connectivity is restored. It should be possible to use the File : Export menu to save designs to local storage even after a loss of network connectivity.
It is possible to save a couple clicks in opening the app. Bookmark (or create a favorite):
https://odop.springdesignsoftware.org/
Use File : Save As or File : Export to preserve the current state of a design in progress. Sign out by using "Sign Out" on the menu bar (positioned right of the ODOP icon and left of the File menu). Finally, close the browser tab or browser window containing the ODOP app.
Use your existing username (email address) and password to Sign In at:
https://dev-729070.okta.com
After sign in, drop down the menu in the upper right that displays your first name and then use the Change Password section of the Settings page.
If you don't remember the current password, select "Forgot password?" under "Need help signing in?" on the Sign-in page,
Do not expect the ODOP:Spring app to appear on Okta's list of apps and do not be concerned about a "You don't have any apps." message on your personal Okta home page. Once you have established a password, simply launch the ODOP:Spring app and click the "Sign In..." button in the upper left in order to get to the sign-in page. It is also possible to launch the app from the SpringDesignSoftware.org home page, Getting Started page or any of the three spring type pages.
As a "responsive" web app, the ODOP software will change its screen layout and input behavior in response to the capabilities of the user's device. Specifically, as available screen width diminishes, sections on the right of the Advanced View main page will reposition to the bottom of the page. This means that more vertical scrolling will be required but font sizes will remain legible, even on a small screen device such as a smartphone. Note that while operation on a small screen device may be possible, the scrolling necessary to accommodate screen size limitations may impact productivity. For that reason, establishing initial impressions with a full size monitor, keyboard and mouse is recommended.
Once familiar with the ODOP screen layout and operations on a large screen, two File : Preferences settings may be used to facilitate operation on a small screen. Specifically, changing show_units to a value of 0 will suppress display of the Advanced View main page units column and changing show_violations to 0 will suppress display of the violations column.
These settings are saved along with the design.
The Report pages offer a Print button that directly invokes the printing features of your browser. In order to print Advanced View main page or Calculator View main page, you must manually invoke the print features of your browser.
Depending on the browser and operating system, it may be possible to "print" into a local .PDF file. Again, depending on the browser, operating system, selected paper size, and web page (Advanced View main page or Calculator View main page versus Report pages), it may be necessary to adjust the print scale to obtain optimum results. For example, with Chromium based browsers like Google Chrome and Microsoft Chromium Edge, when US letter size paper is selected, a print scale of 79% may produce the best results for the Advanced View main page or Calculator View main page.
In order to set print scale with Chromium Edge use the sequence: Settings and more / Print / Printer = Microsoft Print to PDF / More settings / Scale (%) = 79.
The term "migration" refers to the process of upgrading designs created in a previous version of the software to the format required by the current version. See: MIGRATION
Entries in the provided extension spring catalog (previously MS24586, now SAE-AS24586) run toward the low side of the initial tension range targeted by ODOP:Spring's default constraints. If experiencing difficulty in selecting springs from the supplied catalog, try setting the Calculation Input named SI_Range to a value of "Special_Request".
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The preferred pronunciation is the individual letters O-D-O-P, not a single word like O-dop.
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