Hello,

I am trying to run a 'light' simulation on an auto crane. The school assignment is about the driveline of the crane system (electromotor, hydraulics, etc). I like Solidworks but I should not deviate too much from the real subject.

The problem is I'm guessing the simulation is taking too much time. Guessing is all I can since I'm a solidworks rookie.

I've read things about solidworks not taking advantage of multiple cores, contact sets not the right connectors for simulation, applying mesh control which tend to use more than one core amongst other things. Settings for this simulation are mesh controls of 15mm at the hinge parts and load bearing welds around the flanges at both sides. I put the global mesh at approximately 300mm (large beam parts mostly). I selected direct sparse for solver. Also, my sense is that I don't need a fixed point at the foot of the column (under the slewing ring). Two bearing features as assigned should be okay, as they are under real life conditions. Am I correct?  I calculated on paper that 25mm pins through the forked hinge parts should be good for the applied weight. Can someone knowledgeable look at my setup and comment please?

Thanks maurits