Add New Things to Your Model One at a Time

Beyond the Model Series #3

You might be new to analysis, or you might have been running analyses for years and want to expand your capabilities. Here is one of the most important pieces of advice: add new things to your model one at a time.

If you're just starting

One of the first concepts you'll encounter is linear vs. nonlinear analysis. In general, there are three main sources of nonlinearity: geometric, material, and contact.

Many engineers make the same mistake — adding all nonlinear effects to the model at once.

The right approach:

• Start with a linear model
• Understand its behavior
• Then introduce nonlinear effects one by one

If you're more experienced

The same principle still applies. For example:

• Trying a new material model → test it on a simple test specimen first
• Using a new connector element → check its load transfer and degrees of freedom
• Run a simple static and modal analysis → understand the fundamental behavior

The biggest mistake

Adding multiple tools and features at once, then asking "why does the result look like this?"

The better approach: don't try to explain the result at the end — discover it step by step from the beginning.