What NoviPath does and what you need

NoviPath is a plugin for GrabCAD Print that predicts how a printed part will behave under load, taking the actual toolpaths into account. It builds a finite-element mesh of the part, maps the material orientation from the toolpaths onto that mesh, applies the loads and restraints you define, and reports displacement, stress and a failure index for the part as it will be printed.

A few facts shape everything that follows. Keep them in mind while you work; each is explained further in the article linked.

• One part per tray. NoviPath simulates a single part. If several models are on the tray, only the first model added is analyzed (Tutorial: your first simulation).
• All lengths are in millimetres, including the meshing parameters (How NoviPath meshes your part).
• Loads and restraints are entered in the tray (global) X, Y, Z system, never along a face normal. Resolve tilted loads into tray components before typing them in (Loads are defined in tray XYZ, not surface normal).
• The mesh is the model. Loads and restraints act on the nodes of the finite-element mesh, and a finer mesh costs more time and memory. The suggested mesh settings are chosen so the part solves comfortably on a computer with 8 GB of RAM (Controlling mesh size with edge factors).
• Results are linear elastic. The Safety card reports Max FI, the safety factor SF = 1 / Max FI, and a failure load obtained by scaling the applied loads by 1 / Max FI (Reading your first result).
• Everything is saved in the project bundle folder. Reopen a project through its *.noviproj file; results are also written as .vtp files you can open in ParaView (The project bundle and its files).

Ready to start? Install the plugin (Install the NoviPath plugin for GrabCAD Print), then follow The four-step workflow.