Essentials - 02 Material Concept and Material Database

The tutorial “Material Concept and Material Database” provides a practical introduction to the material concept in GeoDict and demonstrates how materials can be defined, managed, and modified in digital 3D structures. Using a fiber structure generated with FiberGeo as an example, the tutorial explains how material IDs are linked to different materials and how the Constituent Materials dialog can be used to access and define their properties. It also introduces the three material types Solid, Fluid, and Porous Solid and explains their different characteristics.

The tutorial focuses on the workflow from selecting existing materials and manually defining material properties to creating custom materials in the GeoDict Material Database. It demonstrates how properties such as density or mechanical parameters can be defined and how custom materials can be saved for later use. Finally, ProcessGeo is used to demonstrate how materials and material IDs can be reassigned or replaced within an existing structure. The tutorial is particularly suitable for GeoDict users who want to define material properties for their structures and simulations and integrate custom material data into their workflows.

• Fundamentals of the material concept in GeoDict: Understanding material IDs and their assignment to materials within a digital 3D structure, as well as an introduction to the material types Solid, Fluid, and Porous Solid. 
• Generate a structure: Create an example structure with FiberGeo as the basis for subsequent material assignment and editing. 
• Assign materials: Open the Constituent Materials dialog, select existing materials, and assign them to the individual material IDs of a structure. 
• Understand material types and properties: Distinguish between solid, fluid, and porous solid materials and learn about the corresponding material properties used in simulations. 
• Define materials manually: Enter custom material properties using the Manual option without permanently adding the material to the database. 
• Create custom materials: Add a new material to the Material Database, select its material type, and define properties such as density or mechanical parameters. 
• Save and reuse materials: Save newly created materials to the database for future projects and assign them to material IDs in the current structure. 
• Reassign materials and material IDs: Use ProcessGeo – Reassign to merge material IDs, replace materials, or assign a different material to a specific material ID. 
• Practical application in GeoDict: Build a fundamental workflow for managing, customizing, and reusing materials and their properties in subsequent GeoDict simulations.