Zone naming¶

Zones are the named surfaces inside a Part. Template Cases select zones by matching their names against regular expressions, and forces are reported per zone. Kinematic Setups also rely on zone names to find moving parts such as wheels. A consistent naming scheme is what lets Bramble configure your simulations automatically. See geometry for the background.

Where zone names come from¶

Rules Bramble enforces¶

A zone name entered on upload must:

• start with one of your Account's zone keywords, for example fw in fw-main
• contain no spaces

Until the zone is valid, the file's Start button is disabled with the message "Enter a valid zone".

Zone keywords¶

Each Account has its own list of zone keywords. To view or change it, click the edit button next to the Zones column heading in the Upload Parts dialog, then Add or remove keywords and click Confirm. The list applies to every User in the Account.

Keywords can contain letters, digits, _ and -, and must not start with a digit.

Default keywords¶

New Accounts start with these keywords:

body · fw · rw · uf · fr-susp · rr-susp · fr-wh · rr-wh · diff · eb · toint

Restore Default Zone Patterns in the keyword editor resets the list to these keywords, except toint. Add toint back afterwards if you use it.

Some conventions below use prefixes that aren't default keywords, such as fr-int, rr-int and the cycling prefixes. Add those to your Account's keywords before uploading files that use them.

Side tokens¶

Bramble reads a zone's side (left or right) from a side token in its name. It uses the side when reflecting geometry and kinematics from one side of the model to the other, so a zone meant for one side must carry a recognised token.

A token is only recognised when it isn't directly next to a letter. Hyphens, other special characters, digits, and the start or end of the name can all sit next to it. The token doesn't have to be at the end.

Naming conventions¶

Bramble's rules are deliberately loose. These conventions are what Bramble's Template Cases and kinematic models are built around. Follow them unless your Template Case author has agreed a different scheme.

Structure¶

Name every zone <zone>-<description>, adding a side suffix where the model has a left and a right:

• Characters: letters, numbers and hyphens only. No spaces or underscores.
• Zone: one of the prefixes below.
• Description: what the surface is, for example main, flap1, rim.
• Side: lhs (left-hand side) or rhs (right-hand side), placed last by convention, for example fr-wh-rim-lhs. Bramble recognises other forms too; see side tokens.

Automotive and motorsport¶

Getting the wh / int split right matters. Wheel rotation is applied to *-wh-* zones, while *-int-* zones follow the wheel's position (steer, suspension travel) without spinning.

toint zones¶

toint (short for "to interior") marks regions that aren't solid walls. They are used to define or measure flow inside the model:

Cycling¶

Bicycle models use their own prefixes. Apart from fr-wh and rr-wh, add them to your Account's keywords first.

General advice¶

Put the component first, then the detail. Template Cases usually match the start of a name, so fw.* catches fw-main and fw-flap1.

Keep variants identical. A modified Part should use the same zone names as the Part it replaces. Then the same Template Case treats both the same way, and the results compare like-for-like.

Use modifiers your Template Case understands. A Template Case can look for words inside a name to change how the zone is meshed. For example, the Template Case in the first simulation tutorial recognises:

Modifiers are defined by each Template Case, not by Bramble. Check yours before relying on them.

Watch out for broad patterns. .* matches every zone, and fw.* matches anything starting with fw. Choose names so each pattern catches exactly the zones you intend.