When validating your product design simulation results, SOLIDWORKS Simulation users can take advantage of ‘Compare Test Data’ feature. This allows one to compare reference data to simulation data at select locations. The referenced data can be field measurements or other external sources including another simulation study.

Here is a video that shows the Compare Test Data feature in action.

Currently the type of studies available for this comparison are Static, Nonlinear, Thermal and Drop Test.  These studies should be solved, and results of selected study type should include results associated with the reference data.

Multiple studies can be used for comparison.  The referenced data is expressed as Channel where each channel is defined by location, result parameter and value or a study.  These channels can be defined manually or automatically by importing a text or Excel (*.csv) file.  Preselected locations can be vertices, reference points or three cartesian coordinates and nodal results from simulation study results.

To import an Excel or text file the data should be entered per the following sequence:

• The first row contains arbitrary header information. Each other row represents a channel, with columns containing information as follows:
  • Column 1: Channel name
  • Column 2: Component
  • Column 3: Reference Value
  • Column 4: units of measured value
  • Column 5: time (used for drop test, force and displacement control nonlinear, and transient thermal)
  • Columns 6, 7, 8: X-, Y-, and Z-coordinates of the location of measurement
  • Column 9: units of X-, Y-, and Z-coordinates