The objective functions define the objective of your optimization. The objective function is extracted from a design response, such as the lowest eigenfrequencies or the minimum stress. The objective function can be formulated from multiple design responses. If you specify that the objective functions minimize or maximize the design responses, the Optimization module calculates the objective function by adding each of the values determined from the design responses. In addition, you can specify a weighting factor (the default weighting factor is 1.0). For the most common optimization formulations you do not need to change the default value of the weighting factor. However, in some cases you may have to change the weighting factor to balance the effect of an objective function that is dominating the optimization. You should be aware that changing the weighting factor can have a significant impact on the final design. In addition, a design response that is dominant at the start of the optimization may have less effect as the Optimization module modifies your model. For more information, see Creating objective functions, and Objectives and constraints.