Frequently Asked
QUESTIONS
Everything you need to know about using SimuLeopard
Getting Started
How do I create an account?
You can create an account in two ways: use your Google email/account for quick signup, or create a new account with your email and password. Click 'Sign In' in the top navigation, then choose your preferred method.
What do I get with the free trial?
First-time users automatically receive a free trial that includes 3 custom simulation generations or design generations, 10 simulation runs with parameter testing, up to 5 AI-generated visualizations (5 image credits), up to 2 cinematic video generations (2 video credits), Python code output, dual-graph analysis (results + sensitivity), and export of all data and media. This gives you a complete experience to test SimuLeopard's simulation capabilities before subscribing.
Where do I start creating my first simulation?
After signing in, navigate to the 'Create Simulation' page from the Start Simulating button on the landing page or the top-right navigation drop-down menu under your username. This is where you'll enter prompts, upload diagrams, and generate your first engineering simulation.
Are you simulating leopards?
No we are not. But it would be pretty cool if we were.
Why are you simulating leopards?
We aren't simulating leopards. But if we were simulating leopards, it would be because we want to make them into fun imaginary pets.
Subscriptions & Billing
What subscription options are available?
We offer three main options: a Free Trial ($0/7 days) for risk-free testing with 3 custom simulation or design generations, 10 simulation runs, 5 image credits for up to 5 visualizations or renders, and up to 2 video generations, plus core features like document exports and dual-graph analysis. The Regular plan ($99/month) is ideal for solo engineers and small startups, offering 30 AI-generated simulations or designs per month, 150 simulation runs with full parameter control, 100 image credits for up to 100 technical visualizations, renders, or diagrams, and 50 video credits for up to 50 production-ready video generations, plus custom Python code with first-principles modeling, interactive sensitivity analysis, multi-modal inputs, results tables with actionable insights, exports for whitepapers/docs/marketing, and email support. The Premium plan ($299/month) suits engineering teams and advanced R&D, providing 150 AI-generated simulations or designs per month, 750 simulation runs for extensive testing, 500 image credits for up to 500 high-quality visualizations, 200 video credits for up to 200 cinematic video generations, priority email support, and early access to new features. Simulation/Design credits can also be applied toward manufacturability and materials research workflows. Image credits can also be applied toward 3D rendering. Visit the Pricing page for full details.
How do I subscribe or change my plan?
Visit the Pricing page from the hamburger menu in the top navigation. Click your desired plan, and a secure Stripe payment window will open. You can also manage your subscription from the 'Subscription' page in your user dropdown menu (top-right corner).
Where can I monitor my usage and subscription status?
Click on your username in the top-right corner and select 'Subscription' from the dropdown menu. This page shows your current plan, usage statistics (like simulation runs and video credit usage), billing history, and options to manage your subscription.
Do you offer enterprise or institutional pricing?
Yes! Larger engineering teams, research labs, and educational institutions can get custom enterprise pricing with flexible licensing for multiple users. Perfect for collaborative R&D, classroom simulations, or scaled manufacturing testing. Contact us at sales@simuleopard.com for tailored solutions.
Creating Simulations
Do I need to fill in all the fields when creating a simulation?
No, you don't need to fill every field. The only required input is the simulation prompt describing your engineering problem or process. However, adding details like key parameters, constraints, and example data or including detailed images will help generate more precise and useful models.
Can I edit or rerun past simulations?
Yes! Access your simulations dashboard from the top navigation to view all saved simulations. From there, edit prompts or parameters, rerun with new values, or fork simulations for variations. All runs are saved with full history for easy iteration.
Creating Designs
What is First Principles Design?
First Principles Design is our AI-powered engineering design workflow that applies rigorous physics-based reasoning to your design challenges. The AI deconstructs your problem to fundamental truths, analyzes the underlying physics, and synthesizes optimal solutions with specific dimensions, materials, and configurations. Each design includes engineering analysis, dimensional parameters, material choices, and professional black-and-white engineering schematics.
How do I create a new design?
Navigate to the 'Create Design' page from the top navigation menu. Describe your engineering challenge in the prompt field—for example, 'Design a lightweight drone frame for 500g payload' or 'Create a heat dissipation system for a 100W LED array.' You can optionally upload reference images to guide the visual style. The AI will generate a comprehensive engineering analysis with first-principles reasoning, material recommendations, dimensional parameters, and a technical schematic.
Can I iterate on my designs?
Absolutely! After generating an initial design, you can request iterations with specific feedback. Tell the AI what you want to improve—better efficiency, different materials, modified dimensions, or alternative approaches. Each iteration builds on previous analysis, maintaining what works while evolving the design based on your direction. The system tracks scores for efficiency, feasibility, and novelty across iterations.
What outputs do I get from a design?
Each design generates: a comprehensive first-principles analysis (fundamental assumptions, underlying physics, constraints, tradeoffs, optimization opportunities), detailed design descriptions with key features and dimensional parameters, material choices with justifications, engineering details including calculations and failure mode analysis, and a professional black-and-white engineering schematic. You can also generate 3D renders, run BOM analysis, and export to manufacturability workflows.
Using BOM Analysis
What is BOM Analysis?
BOM (Bill of Materials) Analysis is a powerful feature that breaks down your design into a comprehensive list of components with cost estimates, sourcing recommendations, and make-vs-buy decisions. It's available for both prototype builds (1-3 units) and production scaling (100 to 10,000+ units), helping you understand exactly what you need to build your design.
What's included in the Prototype BOM?
The Prototype BOM includes: a complete component list with specifications and quantities, cost estimates (low/high range) for each part, suggested suppliers (McMaster-Carr, Amazon, Grainger, etc.) with lead times, make-or-buy recommendations with rationale, tools required for fabrication, step-by-step fabrication instructions with skill levels and time estimates, labor estimates, risk factors with mitigations, and testing recommendations.
What's included in the Production BOM?
The Production BOM provides manufacturing-focused analysis including: unit cost estimates at different volumes (100, 1,000, 10,000 units), detailed make-vs-buy analysis with break-even volumes and vertical integration scores, tooling investment estimates with amortization, supplier recommendations with MOQs and quality tiers, assembly analysis with automation potential, supply chain strategy recommendations, quality control procedures, a scaling roadmap for different production volumes, and cost reduction opportunities.
How do I access BOM Analysis?
From any design iteration, click the 'BOM Analysis' button in the design viewer. Choose between 'Prototype' mode for small-batch builds or 'Production' mode for manufacturing scale analysis. The analysis typically takes 30-60 seconds to generate and can be exported as a PDF report.
Manufacturables Workflow
What is the Manufacturables workflow?
The Manufacturables workflow transforms your design and BOM into actionable manufacturing outputs. It analyzes each component to determine the optimal manufacturing method (3D printing, CNC, laser cutting, purchasing), generates STL files for 3D-printable parts, and creates a complete manufacturing plan you can follow to build your prototype.
What manufacturing methods are supported?
The system analyzes parts for: 3D printing (FDM/SLA with filament recommendations like PLA, PETG, ABS, Nylon, TPU), metal 3D printing for complex geometries, CNC milling and turning for precision metal parts, laser cutting for sheet materials, vacuum forming, sheet metal bending, and identifies which parts should be purchased off-the-shelf (fasteners, bearings, electronics, standard extrusions).
How do I get STL files for 3D printing?
After running the Manufacturables analysis on your BOM, the system identifies which parts are suitable for 3D printing. For each printable part, it generates a technical schematic optimized for 3D printing, then converts that to a downloadable STL file. Each STL includes recommended print settings: layer height, infill percentage, support requirements, orientation, and estimated print time.
What's in the Manufacturing Plan?
The Manufacturing Plan is a complete guide to building your prototype. It includes: an overview with total parts count, estimated print time, and difficulty level; detailed print settings for each 3D-printed part; step-by-step instructions for in-house manufacturing; a purchase list with specifications and suppliers; assembly sequence with tools needed and time estimates; critical fit tolerances between parts; quality control inspection points; and tips and warnings for successful builds.
Can I choose different scales for my prototype?
Yes! The Manufacturables workflow supports multiple scales: full size (1:1), half scale (1:2), quarter scale (1:4), 1:10 scale, and custom scale factors. Scaling is useful for creating desk models, fit-check prototypes, or reducing material costs during early development. All dimensions and STL files are automatically adjusted to your chosen scale.
Materials Research
What is First-Principles Materials Discovery?
First-Principles Materials Discovery is an advanced research workflow that deeply analyzes materials at the atomic and molecular level. Starting from any material in your design, the AI conducts real research using web search to find actual data from materials databases (Materials Project, NIST), recent papers, and manufacturer specifications. It challenges assumptions about why specific materials are used and can even propose novel material compositions.
What kind of analysis does it provide?
The analysis includes: atomic/molecular decomposition (crystal structure, bonding types, electronic structure, lattice parameters), thermodynamic properties (melting point, heat capacity, thermal expansion), mechanical behavior (deformation mechanisms, fracture modes, fatigue resistance), research summaries with actual sources and URLs, physics equations relevant to the material behavior, and comparative analysis between candidate materials.
Can it suggest alternative materials?
Yes! The system identifies alternative materials that could work for your application, complete with pros/cons analysis, property comparisons, cost estimates, and suitability scores. It searches real databases to find materials with the properties you need—whether that's higher strength-to-weight ratio, better thermal conductivity, lower cost, or improved corrosion resistance.
What are Material Inventions?
Beyond finding existing alternatives, the AI can propose novel material compositions that don't currently exist but are theoretically sound. Each invention includes: the exact proposed composition (e.g., 'Ti-6Al-4V-0.5Y2O3'), predicted properties with confidence levels, the theoretical basis for predictions, a Technology Readiness Level (1-9), a development roadmap, and estimated costs. This feature is useful for R&D teams exploring cutting-edge solutions.
Can I iterate on materials research?
Yes! Like designs, materials research supports iterative deepening. Each iteration can focus on specific aspects—addressing open questions from previous research, refining material inventions, exploring manufacturing considerations, or developing more detailed synthesis pathways. The system tracks research history across iterations for comprehensive documentation.
Outputs & Exports
What outputs does each simulation provide?
Every run delivers Python code, interactive parameter controls, dual graphs (primary results and sensitivity analysis), data tables, and technical summaries. Generative visuals like technical illustrations or videos based on the simulation results are optional.
How do I download my results?
From the simulation viewer or dashboard, use the download buttons for individual assets: code files, CSV tables, graph images, generated illustrations, or videos. White paper, journal article, and PDF exports are available for specific simulation runs, accessible by clicking the runs buttons on the simulations dashboard page and then clicking the export button on the individual simulation run cards.
Can I generate videos or cinematic visuals?
Absolutely. After running a simulation or creating a design, use the visualization tools to create detailed technical illustrations or cinematic videos animating processes or scenarios. In the simulation workflow, you can upload guide images or generate brand new visualizations from scratch. You can download detailed labeled diagrams, stylish contemporary renders, wireframe drawings, and download high-quality MP4s of videos for use in presentations. The design workflow interface lets you create renders in over 20 styles, capturing the essence of many popular industrial design aesthetics. You can also transform any design render you create into a detailed, cinematic video.
How do I download 3D renders?
From any design iteration, you can generate 3D renders in the style of any still image render you have previously generated for that design. Once generated, renders can be downloaded as GLB files suitable for embedding in web pages (using three.js or similar libraries). 3D renders can also be used to create immersive videos or other animated content. An additional cinematic video file is produced and is immediately downloadable for 3D renders created with the Trellis model workflow.
How do I get STL files for 3D printing?
STL files are generated through the Manufacturables workflow. After running BOM Analysis on your design, navigate to the Manufacturables section and run the manufacturability analysis. The system identifies which parts are 3D-printable, generates optimized schematics for each part, and converts them to downloadable STL files. Each STL includes recommended print settings and can be downloaded individually or as a batch.
What PDF reports can I export?
SimuLeopard supports PDF export for multiple report types: BOM and Cost Analysis reports (prototype or production), Manufacturability reports with complete manufacturing plans and assembly instructions, and Materials Research reports documenting first-principles analysis, material candidates, and novel material inventions. All PDF reports are professionally formatted and include full technical details, making them suitable for stakeholder presentations, documentation, or archival purposes.
Support & Advanced Features
What kind of support is available?
All plans include email support. Premium and Enterprise users get priority response times and dedicated onboarding. For complex integrations or custom workflows, contact our engineering team directly.
Is the code editable and extensible?
We offer AI-powered code editing and bug-fixing tools for smarter, faster iterations, and we're actively improving these features. Full code editing and code management capabilities are coming soon.
How secure is simulation execution?
We use a secure, sandboxed environment with no file I/O, network access, or dangerous operations. Only approved libraries like NumPy and SciPy are used, ensuring safe, production-ready code for your engineering needs.
How Simulations Work
From prompt to prototype in four simple steps
Prompt Your Idea
Describe your engineering challenge and upload diagrams
AI Generates Code
Grok creates editable Python models with first-principles accuracy
Run & Analyze
Tweak parameters, view graphs, and get sensitivity insights
Visualize & Export
Generate visuals/videos and download for prototypes or reports
Editable Code
Modify Python models manually or with AI-powered editing and bug-fixes
Interactive Runs
Dashboard for reruns, edits, and simulation history management
Rich Exports
Download code, data, graphs, images, videos, STL files, and PDF reports
Still Have
QUESTIONS?
Can't find what you're looking for? Our engineering support team is ready to help accelerate your simulations.