: Approaches that represent designs using smooth CAD-standard curves , ensuring the optimized shape is practical to manufacture.
: Adjusts the specific dimensions of individual members, such as beam thicknesses or cross-sectional areas, without changing the overall geometry. ### Key Computational Techniques
: Fine-tunes the contours and boundaries of a structure to reduce high stress concentrations and maximize performance.
: Techniques like the virtual load method that calculate how small changes in design variables affect the overall structure's performance.
Modern structural design relies on three distinct but interconnected levels of optimization to refine concepts from initial sketches to final manufacturing:
: Iterative methods capable of handling thousands of design variables, often used for large-scale linear elastic structures.