Hello,
I wanted to ask how the overhang constraint is defined (within the Topology optimisation design variable card) within Altair HyperMesh when running a topology optimisation.
I am designing a part for metal 3D printing and the printer cannot print within 30 degrees of the build plate, as shown in number 3. However the documentation states
"Orientation angle for the Overhang Constraint. This angle is measured from the build direction, and a larger angle implies more design freedom."
Therefore 1 or 2 (I think 2 from the wording of the documentation) must be how the angle is defined. However setting this overhang constraint severely slows down the topology optimisation run when compared to runs without it, sometimes doubling the required ram and requiring far more time per iteration, which makes me think that the angle I am setting, 60, must be incorrect and over constraining the model, preventing it from finding a way to fulfil this criteria.
In my models, point 1 and 2 have been defined roughly as shown below,
