A.2.4: Hints on Reducing Computation Time

Karamba3D spends most of its time solving for the deflections of a model. The time needed depends on the number of degrees of freedom $n$ of the structural system and how many connections exist between the nodes. In the theoretical case that each node is connected to all others computation time grows with $n^3$. If each node is connected to $n_{neigh}$ others and the overall structure has a main axis along which it is oriented (i.e. there are no connections between distant nodes), then computational effort increases approximately with $0.5 \cdot n \cdot n^2_{neigh}$. Karamba3D makes use of multiple processors so having more than one saves time. Using trusses instead of beams more than halves computation time.

When doing optimization with e.g. Galapagos the continuous display updates slow down things considerably. For better performance disable the preview of all components or minimize the Rhino window.

The rendering of results as meshes can be sped up considerably by joining the meshes before displaying them.