Femap Commands

FEMAP
Commands
Version 10.3

Proprietary and Restricted Rights Notice
This software and related documentation are proprietary to Siemens Product Lifecycle Management Software Inc.
2011 Siemens Product Lifecycle Management Software Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Siemens and the Siemens logo are registered trademarks of Siemens AG. NX is a trademark or registered trade-
mark of Siemens Product Lifecycle Management Software Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and in other
countries. All other trademarks, registered trademarks or service marks belong to their respective holders.
The following copyright refers only to the bmp2raster.exe executable distributed with FEMAP:
NeuQuant Neural-Net Quantization Algorithm
Copyright (c) 1994 Anthony Dekker
NEUQUANT Neural-Net quantization algorithm by Anthony Dekker, 1994.
See "Kohonen neural networks for optimal colour quantization" in "Network: Computation in Neural Systems"
Vol. 5 (1994) pp 351-367 for a discussion of the algorithm.
See also http://members.ozemail.com.au/~dekker/NEUQUANT.HTML
Any party obtaining a copy of these files from the author, directly or indirectly, is granted, free of charge, a full and
unrestricted irrevocable, world-wide, paid up, royalty-free, nonexclusive right and license to deal in this software
and documentation files (the "Software"), including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, pub-
lish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons who receive copies from any
such party to do so, with the only requirement being that this copyright notice remain intact.
Siemens PLM
Web: http://www.femap.com
Customer Support
Phone: (714) 952-5444, (800) 955-0000 (In US & Canada)
Web: http://support.ugs.com
Conventions
This manual uses different fonts to highlight command names or input that you must type.
Throughout this manual, you will see references to Windows. Windows refers to Microsoft

Windows XP, Win-
dows Vista, and Windows 7 (32-bit and 64-bit versions). You will need one of these operating environments to run
FEMAP for the PC. This manual assumes that you are familiar with the general use of the operating environment.
If you are not, you can refer to the Windows Users Guide for additional assistance.
Similarly, throughout the manual all references to FEMAP, refer to the latest version of our software.
a:setup Shows text that you should type.
OK, Cancel Shows a command name or text that you will see in a
dialog box.

1Table of Contents
Proprietary and Restricted Rights Notice
1 Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. File Manipulation
2.1 Opening a Model File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
2.1.1 File, New... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
2.1.2 File, Open... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
2.1.3 File, Close... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
2.1.4 File, Close All . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
2.2 Saving the Model File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
2.2.1 File, Save... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
2.2.2 File, Save As... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
2.2.3 File, Save All . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
2.2.4 File, Timed Save... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
2.3 Importing/Exporting Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
2.3.1 File, Import Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
2.3.2 File, Export Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
2.3.3 File, Analyze... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
2.4 Using Notes and References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
2.4.1 File, Notes... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
2.4.2 File, References... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
2.5 Using Print, Copy, and Paste . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-10
2.5.1 File, Page Setup... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-10
2.5.2 File, Print... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-12
2.5.3 File, Printer Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-15
2.5.4 File, Picture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-15
2.5.5 File, Messages Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-19
2.6 Using Rebuild and Preferences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-20
2.6.1 File, Rebuild... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-20
2.6.2 File, Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-20
2.7 Using File, Recent Models - 1,2,3,4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-49
2.8 Exiting FEMAP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-49
3. Geometry
3.1 Creating Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
3.1.1 Geometry, Point... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
3.2 Creating Curves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
3.2.1 Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
3.2.2 Arcs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
3.2.3 Circles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-11
3.2.4 Splines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-15
3.2.5 Curves from Surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-19
3.3 Creating Surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-27
3.3.1 Sketch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-28
3.3.2 Boundary Surfaces... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-28
3.3.3 Surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-32
3.3.4 Midsurface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-41
3.4 Creating Solids/Volumes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-43
3.4.1 Volumes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-43
3.4.2 Solids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-47
3.5 Copying Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-61
3.5.1 Geometry, Copy Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-61
3.5.2 Geometry, Radial Copy Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-62
3.5.3 Geometry, Scale Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-63
3.5.4 Geometry, Rotate Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-63
3.5.5 Geometry, Reflect Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-64
TOC-2 Table of Contents
3.6 Modifying Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-64
3.6.1 Curve Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-64
3.6.2 Moving Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-70
3.6.3 Edit/Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-76
3.6.4 Advanced Updates - Modify, Update Other Commands . . . . . . . . . . . 3-78
3.7 Deleting Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-79
4. Finite Element Modeling
4.1 Creating Coordinate Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
4.1.1 Model, Coord Sys... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
4.2 Creating Finite Element Entities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
4.2.1 Model, Node... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
4.2.2 Model, Element... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4
4.2.3 Model, Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-15
4.2.4 Model, Property... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-26
4.2.5 Model, Layup... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-43
4.3 Creating Loads And Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-49
4.3.1 Create/Activate Load Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-49
4.3.2 Load Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-50
4.3.3 Finite Element Loads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-52
4.3.4 Geometric Loads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-62
4.3.5 Load Analysis Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-69
4.3.6 Load Set Manipulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-75
4.3.7 Activate/Create Constraint Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-79
4.3.8 Constraint Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-80
4.3.9 Finite Element (Nodal) Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-81
4.3.10 Geometric Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-83
4.3.11 Constraint Set Manipulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-85
4.4 Creating Connections and Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-87
4.4.1 Connect, Automatic... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-87
4.4.2 Connect, Surfaces... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-89
4.4.3 Connect, Connection Property... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-90
4.4.4 Connect, Connection Region... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-110
4.4.5 Connect, Connector... (Contact Pair) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-113
4.4.6 Connect, Fluid Region... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-114
4.4.7 Connect, Bolt Region... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-116
4.4.8 Connect, Rotor Region... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-117
4.5 Creating Aeroelastic Entities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-118
4.5.1 Model, Aeroelasticity, Panel/Body... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-118
4.5.2 Model, Aeroelasticity, Property... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-122
4.5.3 Model, Aeroelasticity, Spline... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-124
4.5.4 Model, Aeroelasticity, Control Surface... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-127
4.6 Using Optimization Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-129
4.6.1 Goal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-129
4.6.2 Vary - Design Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-129
4.6.3 Limit - Design Constraints. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-130
4.7 Working with Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-130
4.8 Modifying FEA Entities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-133
4.8.1 Moving FEA Entities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-133
4.8.2 Edit/Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-141
4.8.3 Advanced Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-145
4.9 Deleting FEA Entities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-154
4.10 Preparing for Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-157
4.10.1 Defining a Analysis Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-159
4.10.2 Running the Analysis with an Analysis Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-163
5. Meshing
5.1 Meshing on Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1
5.1.1 Mesh, Geometry Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1
5.1.2 Mesh, Mesh Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
5.1.3 Mesh, Geometry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
5.2 Non-Geometry Meshing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-45
5.2.1 Mesh, Between... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-45
5.2.2 Mesh, Region... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-50
5.2.3 Mesh, Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-51
5.2.4 Mesh, Transition... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-53
Table of Contents TOC-3
5.3 Modifying a Mesh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-54
5.3.1 Mesh, Editing Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-55
5.3.2 Mesh, Remesh Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-56
5.3.3 Mesh, Edge Members... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-62
5.3.4 Mesh, Smooth... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-63
5.4 Copying a Mesh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-65
5.4.1 Mesh, Copy Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-65
5.4.2 Mesh, Radial Copy Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-68
5.4.3 Mesh, Scale Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-68
5.4.4 Mesh, Rotate Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-69
5.4.5 Mesh, Reflect Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-70
5.5 Meshing by Extruding, Revolving, and Sweeping . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-70
5.5.1 Mesh, Extrude Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-71
5.5.2 Mesh, Revolve Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-79
5.5.3 Mesh, Sweep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-80
6. Viewing Your Model
6.1 View Activation, Management, and Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
6.1.1 View, Create/Manage... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
6.1.2 View, All Views... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
6.1.3 View, Background... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
6.1.4 View, Visibility... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
6.1.5 View, Select and View, Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-13
6.1.6 View, Advanced Post . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-32
6.2 Modifying the View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-33
6.2.1 View, Rotate Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-33
6.2.2 View, Align By Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-39
6.2.3 View, Autoscale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-39
6.2.4 View, Magnify... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-40
6.2.5 View, Zoom... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-41
6.2.6 View, UnZoom... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-42
6.2.7 View, Center... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-43
6.2.8 View, Pan... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-43
6.2.9 Deleting Views (Delete, View command) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-44
6.3 Window Menu Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-45
6.3.1 Manipulating Multiple View Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-45
6.3.2 Redrawing Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-48
6.4 Groups and Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-50
6.4.1 Differences Between Groups and Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-51
6.4.2 Layer Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-51
6.4.3 Group Menu Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-52
6.4.4 Deleting Groups (Delete, Group command). . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-71
6.4.5 Renumbering Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-71
7. Modeling Tools
7.1 Undo and Workplane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
7.1.1 Undo and Redo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
7.1.2 Tools, Workplane... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2
7.2 Dockable Panes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5
7.2.1 Tools, Model Info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7
7.2.2 Tools, Meshing Toolbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7-24
7.2.3 Tools, PostProcessing Toolbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7-49
7.2.4 Tools, Entity Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7-67
7.2.5 Tools, Data Surface Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7-69
7.2.6 Tools, Entity Info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7-89
7.2.7 Tools, Data Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7-90
7.2.8 Tools, Programming, API Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7-97
7.2.9 Tools, Programming, Program File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-101
7.2.10 Tools, Other Windows, Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-113
7.2.11 Tools, Other Windows, Status Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-115
7.3 Tools, Toolbars... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-116
7.3.1 Standard Toolbars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-116
7.4 Other FEMAP Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-140
7.4.1 Tools, Parameters... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-141
7.4.2 Tools, Convert Units... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-142
7.4.3 Entity Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-144
7.4.4 Measuring Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-147
7.4.5 Checking Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-152
7.4.6 Tools, Stress Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-166
7.5 List Menu Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-169
7.5.1 List, Tools Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-169
7.5.2 List, Geometry Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-170
7.5.3 List, Surface... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-173
7.5.4 List, Connection Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-175
7.5.5 List, Model Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-176
7.5.6 List, Output Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-186
7.5.7 List, Group... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-187
7.5.8 List, View... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-188
7.5.9 List, Model Info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-189
7.5.10 List, Destination... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-189
7.6 Model Style (View, Select command) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-190
7.6.1 Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-190
7.6.2 Hidden Line Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-190
7.6.3 Free Edge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-190
7.6.4 Free Face . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-190
8. Post-Processing
8.1 Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
8.1.1 Reading Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
8.1.2 Selecting Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
8.1.3 Changing Options (View Options) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2
8.1.4 Manipulating/Listing Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2
8.2 Types of Views - View Select... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2
8.2.1 Selecting Data for a Model Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3
8.2.2 Choosing Deformed and Contour Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3
8.2.3 Choosing an XY Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-19
8.3 View Options - PostProcessing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-21
8.3.1 Post Titles... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-22
8.3.2 Deformed Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-22
8.3.3 Vector Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-22
8.3.4 Animated Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-23
8.3.5 Deformed Model... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-24
8.3.6 Undeformed Model... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-24
8.3.7 Trace Style... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-24
8.3.8 Contour Type... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-24
8.3.9 Contour/Criteria Style... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-24
8.3.10 Contour/Criteria Levels... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-25
8.3.11 Contour/Criteria Legend... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-28
8.3.12 Criteria Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-28
8.3.13 Criteria - Elements that Pass/Fail... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-29
8.3.14 Beam Diagram... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-30
8.3.15 IsoSurface... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-30
8.3.16 IsoLine... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-30
8.3.17 Streamline... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-30
8.3.18 Contour Vector Style... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-30
8.3.19 XY Titles... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-31
8.3.20 XY Legend... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-31
8.3.21 XY Axes Style... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-31
8.3.22 XY X Range/Grid... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-32
8.3.23 XY Y Range/Grid... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-32
8.3.24 XY Curve 1 through XY Curve 9... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-32
8.3.25 Freebody options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-32
8.4 Specialized Post-processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-33
8.4.1 View, Advanced Post, Contour Model Data... . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-33
8.4.2 View, Advanced Post, Animation... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-34
8.4.3 View, Advanced Post, Dynamic Cutting Plane... . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-35
8.4.4 View, Advanced Post, Dynamic IsoSurface... . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-36
8.4.5 View, Advanced Post, Dynamic Streamline... . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-36
8.4.6 View, Advanced Post, Beam Cross Section... . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-37
8.5 Output Manipulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-41
8.5.1 Model, Output, Create Manage/Set... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-41
8.5.2 Model, Output, Vector... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-42
Table of Contents TOC-5
8.5.3 Model, Output, Define... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-42
8.5.4 Model, Output, Fill... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-43
8.5.5 Model, Output, Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-43
8.5.6 Model, Output, Calculate... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-55
8.5.7 Model, Output, From Load... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-55
8.5.8 Model, Output, Transform... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-56
8.5.9 Model, Output, Extrapolate... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-58
8.5.10 Model, Output, Global Ply... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-60
8.5.11 Model, Output, Convert Complex... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-60
8.5.12 Model, Output, Expand Complex... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-60
8.5.13 Model, Output, Forced Response... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-60
8.6 Listing Output (List, Output Menu) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-65
8.6.1 List, Output, Query... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-65
8.6.2 List, Output, Compare... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-66
8.6.3 List, Output, Summary to Data Table.... . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-67
8.6.4 List, Output, Results to Data Table... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-70
8.6.5 List, Output, Nodal Changes to Data Table... . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-72
8.6.6 List, Output, Unformatted... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-72
8.6.7 List, Output, Standard... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-73
8.6.8 List, Output, Use Format... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-75
8.6.9 List, Output, Force Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-77
8.6.10 List, Output, Force Balance to Data Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-77
8.6.11 List, Output, Force Balance Interface Load. . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-77
8.6.12 List, Output, Force Balance Interface Load to Data Table . . . . . . . . . . .8-77
8.6.13 List, Output, XY Plot... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-78
8.6.14 List, Output, Format... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-78
8.7 Deleting Output (Delete, Output Menu) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-78
8.7.1 Delete, Output, All... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-79
8.7.2 Delete, Output, Set... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-79
8.7.3 Delete, Output, Vector... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-79
8.7.4 Delete, Output, Entry... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-79
8.7.5 Delete, Output, Format... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-79
9. Help and Non-Menu
9.1 Help Menu Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-1
9.1.1 Help Topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-1
9.1.2 Help, Toolbars... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
9.1.3 Help, Dockable Panes... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
9.1.4 Help, NX Nastran . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
9.1.5 Help, Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
9.1.6 Help, Whats New . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
9.1.7 Help, Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
9.1.8 Help, Using Help... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
9.1.9 Help, Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
9.1.10 Help, Basic Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
9.1.11 Help, Tip of the Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
9.1.12 Help, FEMAP on the Web . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
9.1.13 Help, Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
9.1.14 Help, About... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
9.2 Non-Menu Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
9.2.1 Previous Command... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
9.2.2 Dialog Function Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
1. Introduction
FEMAP is finite element modeling and post-processing software that allows you to perform engineering analyses
both quickly and confidently. FEMAP provides the capability to develop sophisticated analyses of stress, tempera-
ture, and dynamic performance directly on the desktop. With easy access to CAD and office automation tools, pro-
ductivity is dramatically improved compared to traditional approaches.
FEMAP automatically provides the integration that is necessary to link all aspects of your analysis. FEMAP can be
used to create geometry, or you can import CAD geometry. FEMAP provides powerful tools for meshing geometry,
as well as applying loads and boundary conditions. You may then use FEMAP to export an input file to over 20
finite element codes. FEMAP can also read the results from the solver program. Once results are obtained in
FEMAP, a wide variety of tools are available for visualizing and reporting on your results.
Geometry
FEMAP can directly import geometry from your CAD or design system. In fact, FEMAP can directly import a
solid model from any ACIS-based or Parasolid-based modeling package. If your modeling package does not use
either of these geometry engines, you can use the FEMAP IGES or STEP reader. If you are using I-DEAS, you can
bring a single part into FEMAP by exporting a Viewer XML (IDI) file from I-DEAS. These files can be read and
then stitched together to form a solid. This typically requires using one command.
If you do not have CAD geometry, you can create geometry directly in FEMAP using powerful wireframe and
solid modeling tools. Solid modeling directly in FEMAP uses the robust Parasolid modeling engine. You can build
or modify solid models using the Parasolid engine, and then export the geometry out of FEMAP. This is very con-
venient if you need to export geometry to CAD packages that are Parasolid-based.
Finite Element Modeling
Regardless of the origin of your geometry, you can use FEMAP to create a complete finite element model. Meshes
can be created by many methods ranging from manual creation, to mapped meshing between keypoints, to fully
automatic meshing of curves, surfaces and solids. FEMAP can even work with your existing analysis models. You
can import and manipulate these models using the interfaces to any of the supported analysis programs.
Appropriate materials and section properties can be created or assigned from FEMAP libraries. Many types of con-
straint and loading conditions can be applied to represent the design environment. You can apply loads/constraints
directly on finite element entities (nodes and elements), or you can apply them to geometry. FEMAP will automat-
ically convert geometric conditions to nodal/elemental values upon translation to your solver program. You may
even convert these loads before translation to convince yourself that the loading conditions are appropriate for your
model.
Checking Your Model
At every step of the modeling process, you receive graphical verification of your progress. You need not worry
about making a mistake because FEMAP contains a multi-level undo and redo capability.
FEMAP also provides extensive tools for checking your model before you analyze it to give you the confidence
that you have properly modeled your part. It constantly examines input to prevent errors in the model, and provides
immediate visual feedback. FEMAP also provides a comprehensive set of tools to evaluate your finite element
model and identify errors that are often not obvious. For example, FEMAP can check for coincident geometry, find
improper connections, estimate mass and inertia, evaluate your constraint conditions, and sum your loading condi-
tions. Each of these methods can be used to identify and eliminate potential errors, saving you considerable time
and money.
Analyzing Your Model
When your model is complete, FEMAP provides interface to over 20 popular programs to perform finite element
analysis. You can even import a model from one analysis program and automatically convert it to the format for a
different analysis program.
1-2 Introduction
The NX Nastran for FEMAP solver is a general finite element analysis program for structural and thermal analysis
that is integrated with FEMAP.
Post-processing
After your analysis, FEMAP provides both powerful visualization tools that enable you to quickly interpret results,
and numerical tools to search, report, and perform further calculations using these results. Deformation plots, con-
tour plots, animations, and XY plots are just some of the post-processing tools available to the FEMAP user.
FEMAP supports OpenGL, which provides even more capability for post-processing, including dynamic visualiza-
tion of contours through solid parts. You can dynamically rotate solid contoured models with one push of your
mouse button. Section cuts and isosurfaces can be viewed dynamically by simply moving your cursor.
Documenting Results
Documentation is also a very important factor with any analysis. FEMAP obviously provides direct, high quality
printing and plotting of both graphics and text. Frequently, however, graphics or text must be incorporated into a
larger report or presentation. FEMAP can export both graphics and text to non-engineering programs with a simple
Windows Cut command. You can easily export pictures to popular programs such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft
Power Point, and Adobe Framemaker. You can export to spreadsheets, databases, word processors, desktop pub-
lishing software, and paint and illustration programs. These links enable you to create and publish a complete
report or presentation, all electronically, right on your desktop.
With support for AVI files, you can even include an animation directly in your Power Point Presentation or Word
document. FEMAP also supports VRML and JPEG format so anyone can easily view results with standard view-
ers.
FEMAP Documentation
FEMAP comes with a set of three printed manuals: FEMAP Examples, the FEMAP User Guide, and the FEMAP
Commands reference manual.
The FEMAP online help includes the contents of these manuals, as well as several additional books. The complete
set includes:
FEMAP Examples: Step-by-step examples for new users.
FEMAP User Guide: General information on how to use FEMAP, including an overview of the finite element
modeling process. Also contains reference information for the FEMAP analysis program and geometry inter-
faces.
FEMAP Commands: Detailed information on how to use FEMAP commands.
FEMAP API Reference: Information on how to write your own applications that work with FEMAP.
Whats New: New features for this release.
When NX Nastran for FEMAP is installed, online help includes all of the above, as well as a full set of current NX
Nastran documentation, to assist you during the solving portion of the analysis process.
2. File Manipulation
This topic describes the File menu commands. These commands work with new or existing FEMAP models. They
can produce printed or plotted hard copy, and transfer both text and graphics to other Windows and analysis pro-
grams.
The commands on the File menu are described in the following sections:
Section 2.1, "Opening a Model File"
Section 2.2, "Saving the Model File"
Section 2.3, "Importing/Exporting Files"
Section 2.4, "Using Notes and References"
Section 2.5, "Using Print, Copy, and Paste"
Section 2.6, "Using Rebuild and Preferences"
Section 2.7, "Using File, Recent Models - 1,2,3,4"
Section 2.8, "Exiting FEMAP"
2.1 Opening a Model File
This section contains three commands, File, New, which opens a new FEMAP model file, File, Open, which allows
you to access an existing FEMAP model file, and File, Close, which allows you to close any active model. The
FEMAP model file is a binary database of everything contained in the FEMAP file. You can have multiple model
files open in a given FEMAP session. All three commands are discussed further below.
2.1.1 File, New...
... starts a new, empty model. All new models are named Untitled. When you save a model, FEMAP will prompt
you give the model a name. (For information on how to save your current model, see Section 2.2, "Saving the
Model File".) The FEMAP main window title bar will change to show the model name once saved.
When you start FEMAP without specifying a model file name on the command line or the ? command line
option, you begin with a new, empty model. This is just like using the File, New command.
2.1.2 File, Open...
... accesses an existing FEMAP model. File, Open uses the standard file access dialog box to request the file name
of the model you wish to use. The default file name extension is *.MODFEM. Legacy *.MOD files may also be
opened. Multiple FEMAP models can be open in the same FEMAP session. Click the title tabs at the top of the
graphics window to switch between open models and views.
The title bar for the FEMAP main window shows the file name of your active model. When you open a model, it
returns to the screen with the same graphics windows active (and in the same position) as when you saved the file.
When multiple views are open in one model, the view names will appear on title tabs above the FEMAP graphics
window. When multiple models are open, the title tabs will show the file name of the model and the view name in
the following format, File Name.modfem : View Name.
Note: If you are having a problem opening a file, check to confirm that the file has only one extension. Files
with two extensions may have difficulty being opened due to the Windows file structures and default
parameters. Also, you may want to remove any spaces in the file name. Spaces are typically not a prob-
lem, but may cause difficulty on certain file systems.
Shift+F4
2-2 Finite Element Modeling
If you start FEMAP and specify a model file name on the command line, FEMAP will open that model just as if
you opened the file using this command. You can also start FEMAP using the ? command line option. This will
display the standard file access dialog box just like File, Open.
You can also open an existing FEMAP model by dragging and dropping a FEMAP model file (*.MODFEM or
*.MOD file) from an existing directory window onto an open FEMAP interface. If the model is from the current
FEMAP version, it will simply open the model. If the model is from an older version, FEMAP will alert you and
ask if it OK to import a FEMAP neutral file. (See Section 2.3.1.4, "File, Import, FEMAP Neutral..." for more
details on the FEMAP neutral file).
2.1.3 File, Close...
... allows you to close the model file that is currently active in FEMAP. If only one model is open, File, Close will
close the model, but FEMAP will remain running without a model until a new model is started using File, New, an
existing model is opened using File, Open, or FEMAP is shut down using File, Exit. When multiple models are
open, this command will only close the active model and the associated views, leaving the other open models run-
ning for continued use. FEMAP will always prompt you to save your model when the last open view is being
closed.
2.1.4 File, Close All
... closes all currently open models in your FEMAP session with one command. Only available when multiple
models are open in the same FEMAP session. FEMAP will prompt you to save each model individually when this
command is used.
2.2 Saving the Model File
FEMAP also has four commands which allow you to save the FEMAP binary database (model file). They are:
File, Save, which saves the file under the existing name,
File, Save As, which allows you to change the model filename,
File, Save All, which saves all the open files under their existing names,
File, Timed Save, which allows periodic saving of the model file automatically.
2.2.1 File, Save...
... writes a copy of your active model to the permanent file you specify. If your active model is Untitled, this
command asks for a filename by calling File, Save As. You must specify a file name, or you cannot save an Unti-
tled model. Whenever you are working on an active named model, File, Save simply writes to the same model file
- without prompting for a file name. Your model will be named if you open an existing model file, or if you had
previously saved the model. If you want to write to a different file, use File, Save As.
When to Save
When you work on a FEMAP model, all changes are retained in memory, and in a temporary disk file. Your origi-
nal model will not be updated until you save the data. This can be a mixed blessing. If you make a mistake, you can
simply use File, Open to revert to your original model file. You will be right back to where you did your last save.
On the other hand, if you accidentally turn your computer off, or forget to save your changes, they WILL be lost.
In general, you should save whenever you make a significant change to your model and you are certain the change
is correct. It usually does not take long to save the model, and the benefits can be well worth the time. Alterna-
tively, you can use the File, Timed Save command to save your model automatically, at a time interval that you
specify.
F4
File, Save As... 2-3
2.2.2 File, Save As...
... is identical to File, Save, except that it always displays the standard file access dialog box to ask for the name of
the file to write. File, Save automatically calls File, Save As if you are working on an Untitled model. You should
only use this command when you want to save your model with a different file name.
2.2.3 File, Save All
... saves all currently open models in your FEMAP session with one command. Only available when multiple mod-
els are open in the same FEMAP session. FEMAP saves the models in the order in which they were open, so the
first model opened will be the first model saved and so on.
2.2.4 File, Timed Save...
... instructs FEMAP to save all open models automatically either at a specified time interval or after a number of
commands have been performed. It allows you to turn timed save on or off and set the time between automatic
saves. The default settings for this option can be set in File, Preferences, Database.
You also can request FEMAP to notify you prior to automatically
saving your open models. If you choose this option, you can skip a
timed save by canceling FEMAP's notification. Even if you cancel,
however, timed save is still active and will notify you again when
the interval expires. To disable timed save, you must turn it off with
File, Timed Save.
If you are working with an 'Untitled' model, you must specify a file
name before the model can be saved. This follows the normal pro-
cess, just like the File, Save As command. If your open models are
not named, they will be saved to specified file names.
Unlike some other programs, FEMAP does not interrupt your com-
mands to save your open models. After the interval has expired,
FEMAP waits until the end of your next command to save your open
models. This means that FEMAP will never automatically save your
open models unless you are actively working on a specific model. If
you are not accessing any FEMAP commands, Timed Save will be inactive; however, the timer will continue to run.
In many cases, you will find that Timed Save will save your open models after the next command that you access.
2.3 Importing/Exporting Files
The next menu commands under the File command allow you to both import and export data. FEMAP works as a
general pre and post-processor for finite element analysis. You may also import and export geometry, as well as
analyze your model if you have loaded one for the many solver programs that can be automatically executed by
FEMAP. The commands under this area of the menu are explained more fully below.
2.3.1 File, Import Menu
The File, Import commands enable you to import information from CAD packages as well as other FEA codes.
There are four commands based upon the type of information to import. You can import geometry from CAD pack-
ages, the analysis model from other FEA codes, the results from FEA solver codes, or a FEMAP neutral file. Each
command is further explained below.
2.3.1.1 File, Import, Geometry...
... is the interface between FEMAP and other CAD programs. When you select this command, you will see the
standard Windows file section dialog box. There are many types of geometry files which FEMAP can import:
ACIS Solid Model Files - *.SAT files (up to version 16)
Parasolid Solid Model Files - *.X_T files (up to version 20)
IGES Files - *.IGS files (4.0 to 5.3)
STEP Files - *.STP files (AP203 and AP214 geometry)
Stereolithography Files - *.STL files
Wireframe Files - *.DXF files.
CATIA V4 Models - *.MDL files (version 4.1.9 to 4.2.4)
CATIA V4 Express Files - *.EXP, *.DLV files
CATIA V5 Files - *.CATP files (up to CATIA V5 Version 18)
I-DEAS Files - *.IDI files
Pro/ENGINEER Models - *.PRT and *.ASM files (versions 16 to Wildfire 4.0)
Solid Edge Models - *.PAR, *.PSM, *PWD, and *ASM files (up to Solid Edge with Synchronous Technology)
Unigraphics Models - *.PRT files (versions 11 to 18 and NX 1 - NX 6)
In each of these cases, simply select the file to import. Normally FEMAP will display all of the files that it knows
how to read, using the most common file name extensions for these formats. If your file uses a different extension,
you may rename it, or simply drop down the file type list, choose the appropriate format, then specify the file name.
If you do not use the standard extensions for each of the formats, and you are use the default All Geometry type,
FEMAP may choose the wrong format to read the file, which will result in errors. Depending upon the type of file
you choose, FEMAP may display information in the Messages window and then prompt you with one or more
additional dialog boxes where you can set various options. For more information on the options contained in the
dialog boxes, see Section 9, "Geometry Interfaces" in the FEMAP User Guide.
You can also import some types of geometry into FEMAP by dragging and dropping a geometry file of a cur-
rently supported format (*.X_T; *.SAT; *.IGES or *.IGS; and *.STEP or *.STP only) from an existing directory
window onto an open FEMAP interface.
FEMAP will bring up a dialog box asking you if it is OK to Start New Model with dragged and dropped geom-
etry or if you would like to Add the geometry to Current Model. Click Yes to create a new model or No to add
it to the current model.
File, Import, Analysis Model... 2-5
2.3.1.2 File, Import, Analysis Model...
This command allows you to import an analysis model from many
popular FEA codes. FEMAP has support for over 20 finite element
solvers. By default, FEMAP will only show certain interfaces for
solvers whose translators are currently being maintained. Once you
select this command, you will see the Import From dialog box.
Simply select the appropriate code, and FEMAP will then prompt
you for the name of the input file. You may be asked other questions
based upon the format you have chosen. For a more details, see Sec-
tion 7, "Translation Tables for Analysis Programs" and Section 8,
"Analysis Program Interfaces" in the FEMAP User Guide.
You can also import analysis models from some solvers into FEMAP by dragging and dropping an analysis file
of a currently supported format from an existing directory window onto an open FEMAP interface.
Currently supported analysis input files drag and drop include *.DAT and *.NAS for NASTRAN programs;
*.INP for ABAQUS; and *.ANS for ANSYS. All of these file types can be read in for the version of the solver cur-
rently supported by the FEMAP translators. (For a more details, see Section 7, "Translation Tables for Analysis
Programs" and Section 8, "Analysis Program Interfaces" in the FEMAP User Guide.)
FEMAP will bring up a dialog box asking you if it is OK to Start New Model with dragged and dropped anal-
ysis input file or if you would like to Add the input file to Current Model. Click Yes to create a new model or
No to add it to the current model.
2.3.1.3 File, Import, Analysis Results...
... allows you to read results from an analysis you have performed, so you can then use FEMAPs powerful post-
processing capability. When you choose this command, you will see the same dialog box as the File, Import, Anal-
ysis Model. Simply select the appropriate format and then enter the file name. For more information on the individ-
ual solver codes supported, see Section 7, "Translation Tables for Analysis Programs" and Section 8, "Analysis
Program Interfaces" in the FEMAP User Guide.
You can also import analysis results from some solvers into FEMAP by dragging and dropping an results file of
a currently supported format from an existing directory window onto an open FEMAP interface.
Currently supported analysis results files for drag and drop include *.OP2, *.F06, and *.XDB for NASTRAN
programs; *.FIL for ABAQUS; and *.RST for ANSYS. All of these file types can be read in for the version of the
solver currently supported by the FEMAP translators. (For a more details, see Section 7, "Translation Tables for
Analysis Programs" and Section 8, "Analysis Program Interfaces" in the FEMAP User Guide.)
After the file is dropped onto the FEMAP interface, FEMAP will bring up all dialog boxes which would nor-
mally appear when importing analysis results from a certain solver with the exception of the Import Results From
Note: All import options can be made visible by going to
File, Preferences..., choosing the Interfaces tab and
turning on the Enable Old Analysis Interfaces option.
This is not recommended as the translators for the
solvers not listed by default are no longer maintained
and the FEMAP may no longer read some required
entities.
Note: As with File, Import, Analysis Model, all import options can be made visible by going to File, Pref-
erences..., choosing the Interfaces tab and turning on the Enable Old Analysis Interfaces option.
This is not recommended as the translators for the solvers not listed by default are no longer main-
tained and the FEMAP may no longer read some required entities.
Ctrl+Shift+T
dialog box. FEMAP is able to skip the Import Results From dialog box because it has recognized which solver the
results file has come from already
2.3.1.4 File, Import, FEMAP Neutral...
... translates a FEMAP neutral file into a binary FEMAP database file. Once the FEMAP neutral file is read, you
can save this file as a FEMAP *.modfem file. Because the FEMAP neutral file is compatible across all platforms, it
is the recommended format for long term storage. For more information on the FEMAP neutral file, see Section
8.1.2, "Reading a FEMAP Neutral File" in the FEMAP User Guide.
You can also import a FEMAP neutral file into FEMAP by dragging and dropping a neutral file (*.NEU) from an
existing directory window onto an open FEMAP interface. The FEMAP neutral file MUST have been created with
either the current release or a previous release of FEMAP for import to be successful.
FEMAP will bring up a dialog box asking you if it is "OK to Start
New Model" with "dragged and dropped" neutral file or if you
would like to "Add" the entities "to Current Model". Click Yes to
create a new model or No to add it to the current model.
There are also options to Read individual parts of the neutral file
instead of the whole thing. The individual parts are Geometry
Model, Analysis Model, Output, Groups, and Views.
2.3.2 File, Export Menu
The File, Export menu allows you to export geometry, analysis model, or a FEMAP neutral file. Each of these areas
are described below.
2.3.2.1 File, Export, Geometry...
...provides export capability for FEMAP solid models. FEMAP cur-
rently supports various types of geometry export.
ACIS Solid Model Files - *.SAT files
Parasolid Solid Model Files - *.X_T files
STEP Files - *.STP
IGES Files - *.IGS
Stereolithography Files - *.STL files
VRML Files
The ACIS SAT interface will take geometry inside FEMAP and
generate a .SAT file using an Parasolid to ACIS converter. The STEP interface will allow you to export a Parasolid
entity to a STEP AP203 solid via a conversion from the Parasolid modeling kernel into the STEP standard. Simi-
larly, the IGES interface will allow you to export Parasolid geometry to an IGES file. The stereolithography file is
only applicable for a meshed model. FEMAP will export a faceted representation of your model using the FEA
mesh as the basis of this file. The final option, VRML, allows easy viewing of solid or meshed models in many
standard viewing programs. You can even save a deformed, contour plot in VRML format.
Note: You should always import analysis results into an existing model containing those nodes and elements.
If you read information for entities that do not exist in your model, FEMAP will provide a warning.
This could mean that you have read the results into the wrong (or modified) model.
File, Export, Analysis Model... 2-7
2.3.2.2 File, Export, Analysis Model...
This command is used to start the translation to a analysis
input file for a selected solver. FEMAP will display the
Export Method dialog box which allows the user to trans-
late using a Analysis Set or translate using the manual
method, specifying the analysis parameters each time the
active model is translated.
Activate Analysis Set: The list box will contain any
previously created Analysis Sets. If a Analysis Set has
already been activated then that set will automatically
be selected. Once you choose the Analysis Set you
wish to translate from, press the OK button to create
the input file.
Create/Edit Set: If you have not previously created a Analysis Set, pressing this button will bring you to the
Model, Analysis command so that you can create or edit a existing Analysis Set. See Section 4.10, "Preparing
for Analysis" and Section 4.10.1, "Defining a Analysis Set"
Other Interfaces: Pressing this button will bring up the Export To
dialog box. When you select this command, you will see the
available analysis programs for export include the FEMAP Neu-
tral file, SINDA/G, CAEFEM, PATRAN, I-DEAS, and Comma-
Separated file. Simply select the appropriate format. Unlike File,
Import, Analysis Model, however, you will need to select the
appropriate analysis type (Static, Normal Modes/Eigenvalue,
etc.), when required. These are the only programs FEMAP can
export a file to unless the Enable Old Analysis Interfaces
option is checked on the Interfaces tab of the Preferences dialog
box.
For a more complete description of the options available for each analysis program, see Section 8, "Analysis Pro-
gram Interfaces" in the FEMAP User Guide.
2.3.2.3 File, Export, FEMAP Neutral...
... allows you to store the FEMAP model file as a neutral file. Because the FEMAP neutral file is compatible across
all platforms, it is the recommended format for long term storage. For more information on the FEMAP neutral file,
see Section 8.1.1, "Writing a FEMAP Neutral File" in the FEMAP User Guide.
Note: The preferred method of exporting an analysis model is to use the Analysis Set Manager. Support for
new features or expanded solver support will only be added to the Analysis Set Manager. For solvers
supported by the Analysis Manager see: Section 4.10, "Preparing for Analysis"
When you create an Analysis Set all the options necessary for solving are defined once and saved with
the model or in a library. This enables the user to reuse the Analysis Sets and for FEMAP to create the
input file without user interaction
Note: To translate using the old method of specifying the analysis parameters by prompting you to
fill in the necessary options (for ALL supported solvers) you must use File, Preferences...,
choose the Interfaces tab and turn on the Enable Old Analysis Interfaces option. With this
option turned on, the Export To dialog box from FEMAP versions 9.1 and before will appear.
This is not recommended as the translators for ALL solvers (including Nastran, ANSYS, and
ABAQUS) using the old method are no longer maintained and any option added to or fixed in
a translator after FEMAP version 8.0 will likely not be included in the input file generated.
Ctrl+T
2.3.3 File, Analyze...
File, Analyze works similarly to File, Export, Analysis Model except if a Analysis Set is active then femap will sim-
ply write the model and try to launch the solver without user input. If an Analysis Set is not Active then the Export
Model dialog box will be displayed so that the user can create an Analysis Set or translate using the Manual method
by pressing the Manually Create Analysis Model button. If Manual creation of the input file is used then FEMAP
will determine the analysis program and analysis type from the settings that you chose in File, Preferences, Inter-
faces.
In the cases where FEMAP can run the analysis program, this command will also optionally begin the analysis.
2.4 Using Notes and References
2.4.1 File, Notes...
The File, Notes command pro-
vides a method of attaching notes
to your model as well as translate
lines to your model input file.
When you select this command,
the Model Notes and Text for
Translation dialog box will
appear.
This command is most often used
to provide identifying characteris-
tics to your model, such as date,
program, creator etc.
You may also provide information
for translation by selecting the
Translation Text option. You can
choose to include the translation
text in an output file by selecting
the Include During Write Transla-
tion option. When these com-
mands are selected, FEMAP will
automatically write this informa-
tion to the heading area (i.e. where
FEMAP automatically writes its
own date/time information) of
your active model.
2.4.2 File, References...
The File, References command allows you to insure that you are using the most current version of certain entities in
a given model. A single model can contain references for any number of imported files (Geometry, analysis mod-
els, and analysis results sets). References can be added or removed manually or FEMAP can be set up to create
them automatically based on settings in the File Reference Options in the Interface Preferences dialog box (See
Section 2.6.2.7, "Interfaces").
Note: Be careful when using the Translation Text option. The information included in the Notes area must
have the appropriate syntax for the type of translation you are performing. FEMAP will not perform
any checks on this syntax. It will simply write the information as you input it; therefore, improper syn-
tax could cause a fatal error in your analysis run.
File, References... 2-9
If FEMAP is generating references automatically, they will appear after the geometry, analysis model, or analysis
results have been imported and reference a path to a particular file. FEMAP uses the time stamp on the file to
determine if the reference is up to date or not.
A check mark in a green circle will appear if the date of a reference file has not changed.
When the date of a file that is being referenced has been changed, a x in a red circle will appear next to the refer-
ence.
There are a few methods to bring a reference up to date:
Read File - Allows you to read in the updated file from the location currently specified in the reference.
Update Reference - Allows you to manually bring a reference up to the current date. This allows to continue to use
the model without being alerted that the reference is not up to date, even though you did not read the new file in to
FEMAP. A check mark in a yellow circle will appear next to the reference after the date has been updated.
If the file is changed again after the Update Reference command has been used, FEMAP will again alert you that
the reference is no longer valid. You can then make the decision to use the Read File command or simply update
the reference once again.
Locate File - If the reference file has moved to a different directory, this command allows you to browse and spec-
ify the path to the moved file in order to update the reference.
Remove All - Allows you to remove all references from the list at once and FEMAP will no longer check any ref-
erences for that model.
Remove Reference - Allows you to remove a reference from the list and FEMAP will no longer check to make
sure that this reference is up to date.
Add Reference - Allows you to manually add a reference to the FEMAP model for geometry, analysis models, and
analysis results sets.
Note: Depending on the type of geometry file that was referenced (.x_t, .sat, .igs, .stp, etc.) and the extent the
geometry was changed can have a substantial effect on the usability of the mesh and any geometry-
based loads and boundary conditions that are currently in the model. Be sure to verify all loads and
boundary conditions in the model are correctly applied after new geometry file has been read into
FEMAP.
The same can be said about analysis models and results files as node and element numbering, loads and
boundary conditions can also change and cause continuity issues.
2.5 Using Print, Copy, and Paste
The commands under this section of the menu involve exporting information to a printer, or to documentation pro-
grams for reporting. FEMAP is a true Windows program, which greatly simplifies the transfer of data from
FEMAP to other Windows programs such as Microsoft PowerPoint or Word. The commands in this section involve
different methods of transferring this data to programs such as Microsoft Word, or to a printer. Each of the five
commands available in this section are explained more fully below.
2.5.1 File, Page Setup...
... specifies headers, footers, margins, position and other parameters. These items will be used when printing/plot-
ting either text or graphics using the File, Print command. The sections of the Page Setup dialog box include:
Page Header and Footer
The Header and Footer text are printed in the top and bottom margin of every page. This text uses the Default
Fixed Pitch Font for the selected printer/plotter. You can specify any other font by selecting Other Font, and then
specifying the typeface and point size that you want to use.
Other Printed Text
FEMAP uses these options when you print listings (with the List, Destination command). They are never used for
printing/plotting graphics nor for printing the Messages and other text windows. Just like headers and footers, this
text uses the Default Fixed Pitch Font. Again, you can select any other available font.
Note: If you are using True Type, or other scalable fonts, you will often see only one size in the Point Size list,
and it will usually be a very large: 50 point or larger. Since the font is scalable, you can choose any size
that you want; you just have to type it manually.
Hint: If the display looks fine on the screen, but characters are improperly printed, it is likely that your Win-
dows printer driver does not support the selected font. Simply change the font both in this dialog box as
well as under View Options, Label, Entities, and Colors, Label Parameters to a supported font.
Hint: FEMAP listings will not be as easy to read if you select a proportionally spaced font. Selecting a fixed
pitch font will properly align all columns in the listing.
Shift+F3
File, Page Setup... 2-11
Page Margins
These margins identify the distance from the four edges of the page where you want printing to occur. When you
are printing listings, printing will start at the top-left margin. The bottom and right margins will be used to compute
the line length and number of lines on the page. For graphics printing, FEMAP combines the margins with the
options in Plot Position and Size to compute the actual size and position of the graphics image.
Often printers and plotters cannot print closer than some minimum distance from the edge of the paper. Check your
printer documentation for information on these minimum values. Setting a margin smaller than those minimums
can result in FEMAP trying to print to an inaccessible region of the paper. This should not cause any unrecoverable
problems, but you will not see the portion of the print that is in the inaccessible regions.
Plot and Metafile Style
The four options in this group allow you to control some specific details regarding the appearance of a graphics
plot. FEMAP uses these options when you print a graphic image using File Print, or place an image from an XY
Plot in a Metafile the File, Picture, Copy command. When Draw Border is active, a single line border will be
drawn around the image. The location of this border is equivalent to the on-screen window border.
In FEMAP's default configuration, graphic windows have black or shaded backgrounds, with white or colored
images. In many cases, you may want to retain the white background of the paper and print with black lines - even
though it does not match the image on the screen. In Render Mode, FEMAP will swap the black or shaded back-
ground to white and change any white entities to black, when a window is printed. When in Non-Render mode, set-
ting Swap Black and White will automatically reverse the black and white colors during your print, resulting in the
print style described. This option has no effect on other colors, which will always be printed as shown on the
screen. This option also controls color swapping for Metafiles that you transfer to the Clipboard using File, Picture,
Copy.
If you are printing to a black and white printer like a laser printer, you may find that certain colors that are dis-
played on the screen do not show up very well (or at all) when you print them. This is caused by the method Win-
dows uses to shade colors on the monochrome printer. To overcome this problem, you can change all your model
colors to black and white so they can print well, or just turn on the Monochrome switch. In this case, colors will still
be displayed on the screen, but all colors (except color 0, which is black) will be converted to white when they are
printed. You can combine Monochrome with the Swap Black and White setting to print all black lines on a white
background.
While the Monochrome option can quickly make a print look much better, it must be used with caution. Since it sets
all colors but background to a single color, it can result in a picture which is totally illegible. For example, you
should never use it if you are using a color other than color 0 for the background. If you try, nothing will be visible.
Similarly, any plot with filled areas is not usually a good candidate for Monochrome. Contour plots, which rely
heavily on color shading, will not work well.
Setting Transparent Background will simply skip plotting the background. For printing on white paper, you will
still want to use Swap Black and White. Otherwise, you will get white lines on your white paper! Transparent Back-
ground is most often used when creating a Metafile of an XY Plot to be transferred into another application. Here,
you may want just the graphic image, and rely on the other application to supply the background. This creates an
image that can be overlaid on top of other text/graphics without erasing them.
Plot Position and Size
These options control the shape, size and position of a graphics image that you print. Choosing Maintain Window
Aspect Ratio will force the height-to-width ratio of a printed image to match the shape of the screen or window that
you print. If you choose this option, the resulting print will be the largest possible rectangle, with the specified
height-to-width ratio that fits inside the margins and size options that you specify. Choosing this option will gener-
ally result in a smaller printed image, but one that more closely resembles what you see on the screen.
Integer Scaling is a further limitation to the mapping of the screen image to the printed page. When this option is
on, the pixels in the on-screen window are scaled by the largest integer (whole number) scale factor that fits inside
the margins and size specifications. Scaling occurs both horizontally and vertically. If the option is off, the scale
factor used is a real number (whole + fractional number) that exactly fits the margin and size specifications. Setting
this option usually results in a smaller printed image. When printing using bitmap formats however, you should
always specify this option for the best quality print. If you do not, FEMAP stretches the bitmap (by the fractional
portion of the real scale factor) to fit the margins. The stretching operation results in distortions that degrade the
appearance of the image.
Fill Printer Margins and Custom Size control the size of a printed graphic image. Choosing Fill Printer Margins
simply calculates the printable area by subtracting the margins from the size of the paper. Custom Size allows you
to specify the height and width that you want. Always make sure that you specify a size that is smaller than the
margins that you choose. No matter which size option you pick, the print may still be reduced from that size if you
selected either Maintain Window Aspect Ratio or Integer Scaling.
The final option sets (Top, T/B Center, Bottom, Left, L/R Center or Right) control the position of the printed image
within the margins. If you choose to fill the margins (and none of the other options reduce the image size) your
choice here will not matter: FEMAP fills the margins. Whenever the image does not fill the margins however, these
options control the alignment. For example, choosing Top and Left will result in an image that has its top and left
borders aligned with the top and left margins. By combining these alignment options with the margins, you can
position an image anywhere on the page.
Reset and Permanent
Permanent allows you to save your Page Setup options, so that they will be the defaults for all future models and
sessions. Reset deletes the saved options, and returns you to the normal FEMAP defaults.
2.5.2 File, Print...
This command produces a printed or plotted hardcopy of your model.
The Print dialog box allows you
to choose what will be printed and
in what format. You will see two
command buttons, Page Setup and
Printer Setup, which provide you
with further control of printing
parameters. These buttons simply
invoke the File, Page Setup and
File, Printer Setup commands,
respectively.
Print to File
This button allows you to print
directly to a file rather than to
your printer. It can be used to cre-
ate files in a native printer format
(for example, Postscript). When
you press OK, an additional dialog
box will ask you for the name of
the file that you want to create.
Header and Footer
These options provide a quick
way to set the headers and footers that will be placed at the top and bottom of the page. They can also be set via the
File, Page Setup command. In fact, you must use Page, Setup if you want to change fonts or other options.
Page Preview
This section of the dialog box shows a symbolic graphical representation of your printed page. It quickly lets you
know if your page and printer setup options are correct. You do not need to waste a piece of paper, or the time
required to make a print. The outer black border represents the paper on which you will print. FEMAP calculates
the size and orientation of this boundary (and the paper) from your Windows printer configuration. You can change
these settings using Printer Setup.
Inside this border you will see four lines (Top, Bottom, Right and Left) that represent relative margin positions. You
also may see shorter horizontal lines located inside the top and bottom margins. These lines represent the locations
where the page headers and footers (specified in Page Setup) will be printed. They are only visible if the header
and/or footer is not blank. Finally, located inside the margin lines, is a filled rectangle. This rectangle represents the
size and position of your printed image. If the printed image is smaller than you expected, FEMAP may have auto-
F3
Printed Image
Header Footer
Image Orientation
File, Print... 2-13
matically reduced the size due to your Page Setup choices. Maintain Window Aspect Ratio and Integer Scaling are
especially important.
What to Print
These options specify what will be printed or plotted.
Selecting Active View will print a picture of your model as it currently appears in your graphics window. If you
currently have multiple graphics windows open (from one or multiple models), only the top-most (the one
that you last selected in the active model) window will be printed.
If you do have multiple windows, and want to print them all as they are positioned on your screen, choose the
Layout option.
Choosing Desktop will print an image of the FEMAP Desktop - the gray area underneath the Graphics win-
dow. This includes all windows: the Graphics window, dialog boxes, even non-FEMAP windows. This option
is only available if you choose the Screen option in the Resolution section.
Other print options allow you to print text/messages that are in the Messages, Program File, Entity Info, or API
Program Dockable Panes. If you do not want to print all of the text in one of these Panes, you can select the
lines that will be printed. For instructions, see Section 2.5.5, "File, Messages Menu". When you are printing
messages, the Resolution setting and the shape of the active graphics window do not matter. When you choose
this option, you will see the printed image disappear from the Page Preview area. Dont worry; this is normal
behavior, because the position of the printed messages is just based on the margin settings.
Using the Data Table option will print out all of the rows that currently appear in the Data Table. When the
Data Table is printed out, all of the columns for the rows will also be printed out. Since the columns in the Data
Table will often be wider than the screen (or a sheet of paper), FEMAP will print out as many columns as it can
for the current rows, then continue with the next set of columns for those rows directly below the first set of col-
umns. This will continue until all of the columns for all of the current rows have been printed. To make the
printed tables easier to read, the ID of the entities will appear as the first column in the printed table.
The print out will look like this:
Resolution
You have three choices for the print resolution mode: Printer, Screen, or Scaled Screen.
Hint: FEMAP can only print a multi-window layout as it is arranged on the screen with the Layout or
Desktop options. Best results are usually obtained with Layout if you turn off the graphics window
title bars. Otherwise, you will see gaps between the printed windows that represent the areas occu-
pied by the title bars. In Layout mode, the Page Preview diagram shows one overall rectangle that
surrounds all of your windows. Individual windows are not shown. For even more printing flexibil-
ity, you can transfer FEMAP graphics to other Windows programs which will allow you to print
other page layouts.
Hint: You can also print messages by using the File, Messages, Copy command and copying them to
another Windows application, or by setting the List, Destination to your printer and then using any
of the list commands.
ID Prop ID Type Topology Orientation Node Orientation Vector
1 1..Angle Stiffener BEAM Line2 0 0., 1., 0.
97 2..Upper Wing Skin PLATE Quad4
ID Color Layer Formulation C1 C2 C3 C4
1 124 1 0 6 322
97 124 1 0 6 322 197 7
When you select Printer resolution, FEMAP recomputes the image at the resolution of the printer. The resulting
printed image is almost always of much higher quality, but can take significantly longer for complex images.
Screen resolution directs FEMAP to use the on-screen bitmap and copy it to paper. The bitmap will be scaled
and stretched, as required, to fill the desired margins and print size. However, the resolution of the screen image
determines the ultimate print quality. This option may not be available for some older printers.
Scaled Screen resolution is much the same as Screen resolution, except the resolution is scaled by a factor
which is specified using the File, Preferences command, choosing the Views tab, then pressing the Resolution
button. The resolution may be scaled up (using any value above 1.0) or scaled down (using any value between
0.0 and 1.0), but typically it is not a good idea to scale the resolution down.
See Section 2.6.2.2, "Views" for more information about setting the Print Resolution scale factor.
Orientation
You have two choices for the orientation of the printed image: portrait and landscape.
Portrait positions the selected images or text in the center of a piece of paper with the longer length going from
top to bottom.
Landscape positions the selected images or text in the center of a piece of paper with the longer length going
from left to right.
Options
Copies - If your printer/plotter supports making multiple copies, you can use this option to request the number
of copies you need. If you choose multiple copies, and your printer does not support this option, you will
receive a warning. Then, you will only get one copy of your print. For many printers, you can set this feature
permanently using the Setup option under Printer Setup.
Print to File - Creates a print file (.prt file) which can then be used later and sent to a local printer.
Printing Tips
Review the following items for some additional hints on printing:
Use the Page Setup and Printer Setup options on this dialog box instead of the commands on the File menu.
They graphically show the results of your settings in the Page Preview diagram.
If you want a quick draft hardcopy, print using Screen or Scaled Screen resolution. For final, high-quality out-
put, always use Printer resolution.
When you are printing the active view using Screen resolution, you will get a better quality (higher resolution)
print if you enlarge the window. Choose the Maximize button in the Window title bar to enlarge it to full-screen
size prior to choosing File, Print.
Printing high-resolution images (especially color images) takes a lot of memory and/or disk space. You will
need to make sure that your TEMP environment variable specifies a disk with plenty of room if you are going
to print large models. Windows writes temporary files to this disk as it is printing. These files can often require
many megabytes.
You cannot print when the active window is animating.
If you are having printing problems, make sure you have recent printer drivers and all windows updates.
If you want to print a contour plot on a monochrome printer, you may want to adjust the contour palette before
printing. In particular, choose the View Options command. Then select the Post-processing category and the
Contour/Criteria Levels option. Press Set Levels..., then press Reset Gray. Choose OK twice to accept the gray-
scale contour palette. With the grayscale palette loaded, your prints should come out much cleaner. If you are
having trouble distinguishing contour levels on the print, you can adjust the individual colors in the palette. One
good approach is to change every other color so that it uses a cross-hatched color instead of a solid color. This
will result in contours that alternate between solid and the various hatch patterns.
Note: FEMAP can only print a bitmap in render mode. FEMAP performs operations to provide more detail
than the standard bitmap export, but it still may not be as clear and sharp as a Windows Metafile.
File, Printer Setup 2-15
2.5.3 File, Printer Setup
This command directly sets and modifies
printer-related options. It also displays a
list of the active printers.
Printers that you installed, but did not acti-
vate, will not be shown. To choose a
printer for use in FEMAP, select it from
the list. To change the setup for the printer
you have selected, press Setup. Depending
on the printer, you will see one or more
additional dialog boxes. These let you
establish options like the active printing
mode (i.e., 75, 150 or 300 dots/inch), por-
trait or landscape paper orientation, fonts,
colors and many more.
The dialog boxes that you see when you
choose Setup are not really part of
FEMAP. They are part of the printer driver
that you loaded when you installed the printer for Windows. You also can modify all of the same settings using the
Windows Control Panel. Refer to the Windows documentation and the documentation for your printer for further
advice on setting options for particular printers.
Using Control Panel, you can also install or activate additional printers. You can even make changes while FEMAP
is still running. The next time you choose the Print or Printer Setup command, it will recognize any control panel
changes that you have made.
When you change certain printer settings, like the paper orientation (landscape vs. portrait) or paper size, it is usu-
ally good to review the Page Setup options. This will give you the opportunity to make any changes to margins,
plot sizes or positions that are appropriate for your new printer settings.
2.5.4 File, Picture
The commands on this submenu let you transfer a copy of your graphics to the Windows clipboard and then to
other applications, or to a file. You can also redisplay graphics files.
2.5.4.1 File, Picture, Copy...
... transfers a copy of the image in the active graphics window to the Windows clipboard. No additional input is
required. By default, FEMAP transfers the image in Bitmap and Windows Device Dependent Bitmap (DDB) for-
mats. By producing these formats, you have great flexibility when you transfer the image to many other software
packages.
When you transfer a device independent bitmap to the clipboard, the black and white colors can be swapped. This
is useful for changing a picture with white lines on a black background into black lines on a white background. The
Swap Black and White option, in the File, Page Setup command, controls color swapping. If this option is on,
FEMAP will swap the colors. The File, Page Setup, Monochrome option can also be used to convert to a mono-
chrome image. These options have no effect on regular device dependent bitmaps which are copied to the clip-
board. Additional Page Setup options control the background for Metafiles.
The File, Picture, Copy command will be disabled if the current window is animating. You cannot transfer anima-
tions to the clipboard.
Note: Ctrl+C can be used as a general copy command. FEMAP takes into account which window or dockable
pane is currently active. When the main graphics window is active, Ctrl+C will perform the File, Pic-
ture, Copy command.
Ctrl+Shift+C
Transferring Graphics to Other Applications
After you use File, Picture, Copy to load your graphics to the clipboard, simply switch to the application that you
want to receive the image. For most Windows applications that accept graphics input from the clipboard, you will
find a Paste command somewhere in the menu (often under Edit). Pressing Ctrl+V (or Shift+Ins) will usually
invoke that command, or you can simply choose it from the menu. The Paste command should immediately load
the image into the other application.
Some applications (like Windows Paint) sometimes require you to choose Paste twice. Other applications require
you to define a region or area where the graphics will be placed prior to pasting. Refer to the documentation for the
receiving application for more information.
2.5.4.2 File, Picture, Copy Layout...
... is the same as File, Picture, Copy, except that instead of simply saving the active graphics window, this com-
mand transfers a copy of all views currently visible in the graphics area of the active instance of FEMAP to the
Windows clipboard. No additional input is required. By default, FEMAP transfers the image in Palette, Windows
Device Dependent Bitmap (DDB), and Windows Metafile or Picture formats.
2.5.4.3 File, Picture, Copy Desktop...
...is the same as File, Picture, Copy, except that instead of simply saving the active graphics window, this command
saves the entire screen to the Windows clipboard. No additional input is required. By default, FEMAP transfers the
image in Palette, Windows Device Dependent Bitmap (DDB), and Windows Metafile or Picture formats.
2.5.4.4 File, Picture, Save...
... transfers a copy of the image in the active graphics window to a file. The standard file access dialog box allows
you to specify the name of the file to create.
In addition to the normal fields in the file access dialog, there are more options that specify the picture format:
Bitmap
Bitmap Series
Video for Windows - AVI
GIF
Animated GIF
JPEG
TIFF
PNG
Metafile (GDI Graphics Only - No Longer Available)
Placeable MF (Metafile) (GDI Graphics Only - No Longer Available)
All formats are not available for all types of pictures.
Using Bitmaps
If you select Bitmap, which is available for all views, the default file extension is .BMP, and the file will be saved
as a Windows Device Independent Bitmap. Bitmap files contain only the array of pixels currently displayed in the
window and are therefore equivalent to the size of the window. When you choose this format, FEMAP will ask if
you want to compress the bitmap. Compressed bitmaps usually take up significantly less disk space, but are incom-
patible with some Windows programs. Check the documentation for your other applications, or try transferring a
compressed bitmap to see if your other applications can support it. If you only plan to replay your bitmaps using
FEMAP, you should always use the compressed format.
Using GIFs
There are several options available when saving a GIF or Animated GIF file. These may be set in the Views tab of
the FEMAP Preferences by pressing the GIF Options button. For more information, see the GIF Options Button
portion of Section 2.6.2.2, "Views" under File, Preferences.
Ctrl+F3
File, Picture, Save Layout... 2-17
Using Metafiles (Obsolete for File, Picture, Save)
If you select either Metafile or Placeable MF, the default file extension is .WMF. Both options save the picture as a
Metafile. Metafile chooses the Windows Metafile format, while Placeable MF chooses the Placeable Metafile For-
mat that is used by many Windows applications. Most often you will want to use the placeable Metafile for more
reliable transfer to other programs.
Metafiles contain commands that draw graphics into the current window. For this reason, when you load a Metafile
into another application, you can scale and stretch it. The Metafile will redraw itself for the new shape. If you plan
to load your pictures into another Windows application, you should refer to the documentation for that application
to find advice on choosing the best format for that application. The Metafile and Placeable Metafile options are not
available in Render mode.
Just like for the File, Picture, Copy command, the colors black and white can be swapped when you save a Metafile
or device independent bitmap. You can control color swapping with the Swap Black and White option under the
File, Page Setup command. FEMAP will also convert all colors to a black and white image if the Monochrome
option is on.
Saving Animations
If your active graphics window is animating, FEMAP will let you choose either a bitmap, bitmap series, animated
GIF, or AVI format. The single bitmap animation file format is very similar to the standard bitmap format, but will
be incompatible with most (if not all) Windows applications other than FEMAP. Likewise, you will not be asked to
choose compression. FEMAP uses the .BMP default file extension for animation files just like for standard bit-
maps. Depending on the number of animation frames, the size of your animating window and the number of colors
supported by your graphics board, these files can be very large. Unlike standard bitmaps or Metafiles, the various
Page Setup options do not change animations. They are always saved just as they appear on the screen.
You can also save animations as a Bitmap Series: a series of static bitmaps, one per animation frame with sequen-
tially numbered file names. This format can be used with other tools to create video (AVI) files.
If you choose Bitmap Series, FEMAP will save each frame in the animation as a series of bitmaps, under the names
*n.bmp, where n ranges from 0 to n-1 frames. If you want to save an animation to replay in FEMAP, you should
save the entire animation as one bitmap, not a series of bitmaps. This format is strictly for programs which can play
a series of bitmaps.
You can also simply save the animation as a Video for Windows (AVI) file. AVI files can be imported directly into
most Windows applications.
When saving an animation from FEMAP as an Animated GIF, you will have some choices to make. First, like static
GIF files, you will need to choose a Color Optimization option. You may choose from Network, Octree, or Color
Diffusion (Dither). Next, you may specify a Frame Delay in milliseconds. Finally, by checking the Save GIF
Frame Series box, the series of GIF files used to create the Animated GIF will also be saved.
2.5.4.5 File, Picture, Save Layout...
... is the same as File, Picture, Save, except that instead of simply saving the active graphics window, this command
saves all views currently visible in the graphics area of the active instance of FEMAP to the file you specify. As
always, FEMAP uses the standard file access dialog. Unlike File, Picture, Save however, the layout can only be
saved in bitmap, JPEG, PNG, GIF, or TIFF format.
2.5.4.6 File, Picture, Save Desktop...
... is the same as File, Picture, Save, except that instead of simply saving the active graphics window, this command
saves the entire screen to the file you specify. As always, FEMAP uses the standard file access dialog. Unlike File,
Picture, Save however, the desktop can only be saved in bitmap, JPEG, PNG, GIF, or TIFF format.
2.5.4.7 File, Picture, Save JT...
... saves the FEMAP Graphics window as a *.JT file (Teamcenter Visualization file). Only entities visible in the
active graphics window will be saved in the JT file. As always, FEMAP uses the standard file access dialog. After
JT file has been named, there are a few JT Options which can be selected for the file.
Hint: When saving an AVI file, you must have a color resolution > 256 colors. if you have 256 colors or less,
you will not be able to successfully import the AVI files into other applications.
First, select one of the automatically generated names or Unti-
tled from the Name drop-down list. Another option is to type a
name directly in the field.
Second, choose your JT File Version. The default version is 8.1,
which was the first JT version to support a contoured image. You
will want to use the same version of JT or a lower version than
your visualization product is currently using.
Third, select JT File Units by selecting a unit of length from the
drop-down list. Any unit may be selected and the JT File will be
exported using that unit for length. For example, if Inch is
selected, anything with a length of 1 unit in FEMAP will be 1
inch in the JT File. FEMAP will attempt to determine the correct
unit based on the option set for Solid Geometry Scale Factor on
the Geometry/Model tab of File, Preferences. If using the Other
option for Solid Geometry Scale Factor, FEMAP will use the
entered value to determine the correct unit.
A Hierarchal tree control will be created in Teamcenter Visualization depending on which options are checked.
The hierarchy can also be changed by using the Move Up and Move Down buttons.
Each category selected will add a level of hierarchy in the tree. You can choose how many branches will be in your
tree structure by selecting different categories. There will also be several options for each category type depending
on the category type that is chosen.
For example, Model will have options for deformed and undeformed as well as others. Entity Type will separate
Geometry into Surfaces, Curves, and Points and Finite Element Data into Nodes and Elements. Entity Subtype will
add different element types to the tree such as line elements, plates, solid elements, and other element types as well
as individual section cuts and isosurfaces. Layer, Property, and Material will add branches for different Layers,
Properties, and Materials currently visible. Curve & Surface ID will create branches under Curve and Surface
respectively for each Curve and Surface currently shown on the screen.
2.5.4.8 File, Picture, Replay...
... displays graphics that you have saved in files. Just like File, Picture, Save, you will use the standard file access
dialog box to select the graphics format and file that you want to display. FEMAP will create a new window to dis-
play the bitmap image, Metafile or animation. For bitmaps, animations, and placeable Metafiles, the initial size of
the replay window will be the same size as the window that you saved. If that size is too large to fit on the screen,
the size will be automatically reduced.
The replay window does not have a command menu, but does have a system menu. You can use the system menu,
or the window borders to move and resize the window. If you resize the window, FEMAP will stretch a bitmap or
scale a Metafile to fit in the new window.
FEMAP adds an additional command, Original Size, to the system menu. This command will automatically return
the window to its default size and position.
FEMAP also adds an Animation command to the system menu. This command is identical to the View, Animation
command in FEMAP. It is used to control the replayed animations. You can also stop and start replayed animations
simply by clicking in the window. To stop the animation, press the left mouse button while the cursor is anywhere
inside the replay window. To restart the animation, press the right mouse button. You will find that animations work
Note: A different default JT File Version may be set using
the JT File Version option in the Views tab of File,
Preferences (Section 2.6.2.2, "Views")
Note: Loads and Constraints will NOT appear in a JT file even if they are on screen when the JT file is cre-
ated. They may be available in future versions of FEMAP.
Note: Line elements which have a symbol associated with them, such as springs and gaps will be shown as a
line between two positions with a dot on the line. Mass elements will be shown as a single dot and
any offsets will be designated with a red line representing the offset.
Alt+F3
File, Messages Menu 2-19
best if you leave the window at the original size. If you change the size, the animation will slow down dramatically
since FEMAP must do many more calculations for each animation frame. If you do change the size, you can
always use the Original Size command to restore the window.
Replaying Pictures Outside of FEMAP
When you choose the File, Picture, Replay command, FEMAP actually runs a separate Windows program
(REPLAY.EXE). At any time you want to view a picture, you can run that program yourself without running
FEMAP. When you run REPLAY by itself, you may choose a file from the standard File Open dialog box.
Alternatively, you can specify the full file name on the command line, for example:
REPLAY PICTURE.BMP
You can also run REPLAY directly from DOS with:
WIN REPLAY PICTURE.BMP
REPLAY automatically determines the type of file that you are specifying from the data in the file. It does not rely
on the file name extension, so you can specify any name.
The commands shown above assume that both Windows and REPLAY are in directories along your PATH. If they
are not, you must add the names of the appropriate directories to these commands.
2.5.5 File, Messages Menu
The commands on this submenu allow you to transfer text from the Messages window. You can copy the text to a
file or to the Windows clipboard and then to other applications.
By default, these commands transfer all lines of text from the Messages window to the selected file, or to the clip-
board. This includes all lines of text that are visible in the window, and the lines of text that can be retrieved by
scrolling. You cannot copy text that has scrolled out of FEMAP's buffer. You can set the number of lines saved in
the buffer using File, Preferences, Database.
Selecting Messages
If you do not want all of the text, you must select the lines that FEMAP will copy prior to invoking these com-
mands. To select messages, point to the line that you want to select with the cursor. Press the left mouse button and
drag the cursor to the last (or first) line that you want to select. As you do this, the color of the selected lines will
change. Now release the button. Don't worry if some lines appear to be missed as you drag the cursor. When you
release the mouse button, FEMAP will select all lines between the two points. Simply clicking on a line with the
left mouse button selects just that line. Clicking anywhere in the Messages window with the right mouse button
cancels any lines that you have selected. If you want to change your selection, just repeat the process. You do not
have to cancel your previous selection.
2.5.5.1 File, Messages, Copy...
... copies the selected (or all) lines of text from the Messages window to the Windows clipboard. No additional
input is required.
Note: FEMAP will never close the replay window. You must do that manually by choosing Close from the
system menu or clicking on the X in the upper right corner of the FEMAP Replay window. By leav-
ing the window open, you can continue to work in FEMAP and display many simultaneous pictures just
by replaying different files. The only limitation is the amount of memory available for Windows. You
must be careful if you are running FEMAP or any other application maximized to the full screen. When
you choose the next FEMAP command, your replay window or windows will disappear behind the
maximized FEMAP window. It is very easy to forget about these extra windows. While they do no
harm, they are using system resources (especially if they are animating!) that may be better applied to
FEMAP or some other ongoing process. Therefore, you should always close the window as soon as you
are finished looking at it.
Note: Ctrl+C can be used as a general copy command in FEMAP. FEMAP takes into account which window
or dockable pane is currently active. When the Messages pane is active, Ctrl+C will perform the File,
Messages, Copy command.
Ctrl+Alt+Insert
2.5.5.2 File, Messages, Save...
... transfers a copy of the selected (or all) lines of text from the Messages window to a file. The standard file access
dialog box allows you to specify the name of the file to create. If you select an existing file, you will be given an
option to overwrite, or append to, that file. The default filename extension is *.LST.
2.6 Using Rebuild and Preferences
This section of the File menu pertains to rebuilding your model file and setting default parameters (preferences) for
your model files. Each of these menu commands are described further below.
2.6.1 File, Rebuild...
... verifies the integrity of your current active model and can be used to reduce the size of a model where you have
deleted entities. You will be asked to choose between two levels of rebuilding. The quickest method simply checks
whether all entities that are referenced by other entities exist. For example, all nodes and properties that are refer-
enced by elements must exist. You will receive messages informing you of any missing entities. This level of
rebuilding is called automatically every time you use one of the read translators to input a model. It verifies the
completeness of the model that you read.
The more thorough level of rebuilding (fully rebuild) does everything that the quick method does and also recon-
structs many internal database details. If you experience a power failure while a database is being written or run out
of disk space, your model file may become corrupted. This level of rebuild will recover any data that is still present.
Whenever you delete entities from a FEMAP model, the space that they occupied is marked as empty. The space is
still retained in the model file. When you create new entities, FEMAP will reuse this empty space before allocating
any new space. Therefore, as long as you plan to add to your model, the space will not be wasted - it will be reused.
If you have a shortage of disk space, or if you have done a large amount of deleting, such as deleting sets of output
data, you may want to choose the full rebuild option and allow it to compress your model. This will remove all of
the empty space and reduce the size of your model file.
Rebuilding is not usually required, but it is non-destructive so you can use it any time you have a question about the
integrity of your model. Instead of using Rebuild, you can also use the FEMAP neutral file translator to export a
neutral file, and then and import it to a new FEMAP database. The new database will also be free of empty space.
2.6.2 File, Preferences
This command allows you to customize the operation of FEMAP. These options control how certain commands
will operate, set defaults, and define disks or files to be used. This command bring up a tabbed dialog box with
10 tabs, each tab representing the type of entity you want to modify. FEMAP will remember the tab used most
recently and the Preferences dialog box will open with that tab active.
For more information on each individual preference tab, see Section 2.6.2.1, "Messages", Section 2.6.2.2, "Views",
Section 2.6.2.3, "Render", Section 2.6.2.4, "User Interface", Section 2.6.2.5, "Database", Section 2.6.2.6, "Geome-
try/Model", Section 2.6.2.7, "Interfaces", Section 2.6.2.8, "Library/Startup", Section 2.6.2.9, "Color", Section
2.6.2.10, "Spaceball"
The Reset All button permanently resets all changes that you have made back to the FEMAP default configuration.
You will be asked to confirm this command before FEMAP resets all options. The only preferences which will not
be changed are any shortcut keys you have defined.
Note: Remember that the Windows clipboard only holds one image or one set of text. Every time you choose
this command, you automatically overwrite the previous contents of the clipboard.
Hint: Be careful when changing preferences labeled startup preferences. These preferences cannot be mod-
ified for the active session, and will be saved when OK is clicked. For these settings to have any impact
on how FEMAP is operating, you must close your current session of FEMAP completely. The next time
you initialize FEMAP the options will be set as you selected them.
Ctrl+Shift+P
Messages 2-21
2.6.2.1 Messages
These options control text displayed in the Messages window. When you select the Messages tab, the Preferences
dialog box will display the options for messages. These options are partitioned into two types: Max Text Lines and
Fonts and Colors.
Max Text Lines
This option controls the maxi-
mum number of lines of text
that can be retained in the Mes-
sages window. The default
value is 100,000. There is no
set maximum number of lines
that can be set, but the higher
the number of max lines, the
more memory will be used and
this could effect the perfor-
mance of FEMAP.
Max Repeated Errors
Limits the number of errors of
the same type which will be
listed to the Messages window.
Default is 100. This is useful if
you have executed a command
which causes the same error
for each instance of a particu-
lar entity type, and you have
selected a large number of
entities. Set this value to 0 to
have all errors listed to the
Messages window, regardless
of how many times it will be
repeated.
Message Font, Listing
Font and Size
Message Font chooses the font
for display of messages and feedback from FEMAP. Listing Font chooses the font for display of text written to the
Messages window from any listing command in FEMAP.
You can choose any Message Font, Listing Font, or size that you like for text display. In general, you should always
choose a fixed-pitch font. If you choose a proportionally spaced font, none of the FEMAP reports or listings will be
properly aligned and they will be harder to read.
Program Font and Size
Program Font chooses the font for display of text which has been recorded or written in the Program File window.
You can choose a size specifically for the Program Font which is independent of the Message Font and Listing
Font size.
Colors
These options let you choose the colors of text to be displayed. You can enter a numeric color value, or choose the
Palette button to select the color from the standard color palette. For these options, you must select solid colors
(Colors 0 to 149). You cannot select any cross-hatching or patterned lines. You should also make sure that you do
not choose a color for the background which matches any of the text colors, or you won't be able to see the text.
Furthermore, you can choose to make the font Bold Face by clicking the Bold check box next to the Palette button.
For best results, you should always pick a background color that results in filled areas and lines being the same
color. If you do not, the background may be a different color behind the text than it is to the right of the text.
2.6.2.2 Views
When you select the Views tab, the Preferences dialog box will display the options for views.
The Views tab of the Preferences dialog box is partitioned into four areas:
Startup View (from View Library)
Picture Copy
Background Bitmaps (Render Only)
Picture Save Defaults
Options
View and Dynamic Rotation
Startup View (from View
Library)
The Startup View area
includes:
The View Number option lets
you change the view that
FEMAP uses when you start a
new model, or when you cre-
ate a new view. When this
value is set to 0, FEMAP uses
its normal defaults. If you
want a different view, use the
View Visibility dialog box to
store a view in the library, then
set View Number to the ID of
that view as it is stored in the
library. The first view in the
library has an ID of 1, the sec-
ond is 2, and so on. You can
also use the Browse button (...)
to select a view from the View
library. When you start a new
model, that view will be used
as the default.
Picture Copy
When Include Text for XY
Plots option is on, FEMAP
will include a table of values
representing the XY Plot as
text along with the picture for-
mats when an XY Plot is cop-
ied to the clipboard. When text is included, it will be used as the default when importing into Microsoft Office
applications. If you always want to paste the actual picture of the XY Plot, not the underlying data used to create
the XY Plot, then this option should be off.
When the Include Metafile Format option is on, FEMAP will send Metafile format pictures of XY Plots to the clip-
board, which may then be pasted into other applications. Certain applications will paste the Metafile in by default,
which may or may not be desired. If you do not want or need Metafiles, then simply uncheck this option and only
bitmaps will be sent to the clipboard.
Note: If the XY Axes Style in the PostProcessing category of View Options is set to anything other than
0..Rectilinear, you will get 2 sets of values. The first data pair set represents the actual values, the
second represents actual-log(Y-Axis), log(X-Axis)-log(X-Axis), or log(X-Axis)-actual values.
Views 2-23
Background Bitmaps (Render Only)
The Background Bitmaps area includes two different paths which can be to specified to use bitmap images in the
background of the main FEMAP graphics window (Render Mode Only):
Background - Allows you to specify a directory path or browse directories to designate a bitmap to be used as
the background of the main FEMAP graphics window. The bitmap will only be shown when either option
7..Bitmap or 8..Stretched Bitmap is chosen in the Window Background portion of the Window Background dia-
log box (see Section 6.1.3, "View, Background...").
Logo - Allows you to specify a directory path or browse directories to designate a bitmap to shown in a partic-
ular location in the FEMAP graphics window. The bitmap will only be shown when Show Bitmap is checked in
the Logo section of Window Background dialog box (see Section 6.1.3, "View, Background...").
There are two options for resolution which will be applied to any bitmaps which have been assigned, Screen or
Printer. Screen will show the bitmap on the screen the actual size of the bitmap, while Printer will show the bitmap
at a size that is determined by the actual size of the bitmap multiplied by the Render Res Factor, which can be
found in the Plot and Metafile Style section of the Page Setup dialog box (see Section 2.5.1, "File, Page Setup...").
Picture Save Default Format
These options control set defaults file format when using the File, Picture, Save; File, Picture, Save Layout; and
File, Picture, Save Desktop commands.
Picture
Sets the default file format when using any of the File, Picture commands, while the display is NOT animating.
Choices are Bitmap (*.BMP), JPEG (*.JPG), GIF(*.GIF), PNG(*.PNG), or TIFF (*.TIF).
Animation
Sets default file format when using the File, Picture, Copy command, only when the display is animating. Choices
are Bitmap (*.BMP), Bitmap Series (*.BMP), Video for Windows (*.AVI), or Animated GIF (*.GIF).
Resolution button
Allows you to set the default values for Print Resolution, Copy/Save Resolution, Pen Width, and Logo and Back-
ground Bitmap Scaling.
Print Resolution
There are three options when choosing a Print Resolution. For more information see the Resolution portion of
Section 2.5.2, "File, Print..." A value other than 1.0 is required for Screen Scaled By to be different than Screen.
Copy/Save Resolution
When copying/saving a picture from the screen, you may want more detail than is provided by the Screen resolu-
tion. To output at higher than screen resolution, use the Screen Scaled By option. FEMAP creates an off-screen bit-
map, renders your image to that bitmap, then copies that bitmap to the clipboard or saves it using a specified picture
file format. The factor that you specify in this option is simply multiplied by the screen resolution to compute the
size of the off-screen bitmap. Therefore, if you specify 2, you get a copied/saved image that uses twice the screen
resolution. Be careful not to specify a number that is too large. It will take quite a large amount of memory, and
may take a very long time to copy or save.
You can also use Screen Scaled With Width to set a width in number of pixels used to scale the image, Screen
Scaled With Height to set a height used to scale the image, or Fixed Size, which scales the image to a particular size.
Pen Width
Choose Auto or Manual Factor. When Manual Factor is selected, this factor is used for plotting directly to a printer
and Metafiles. In FEMAP, graphics are normally drawn as single-pixel-width lines - that is they are only one dot
wide. For high resolution printers, like typesetters, this type of line may appear very faint due to the small size of
each pixel on these devices. By increasing the value of the Manual Factor, the width of each line is multiplied by
this factor to obtain a print with fatter lines. This option has no effect on screen display. The value should be
between 1 and 10 (2 is the default).
Logo and Background Bitmap Scaling
Set the scale factor for a bitmap image being used as a Logo or Background. You may want to set different scale
factors depending on the destination of your image. There are options for Screen Scale (Default = 1), Print Scale
(Default = 2), and Copy/Save Scale (Default = 1).
GIF Options button
Sets default options when saving a GIF or Animated GIF file. For GIF files, choose from Network, Octree, and
Color Diffusion (Dither). Turning on the Optimized option will remove infrequently used colors in the picture first
when reducing to 256 colors. In addition, the Frame Delay may be set for animated GIFs (milliseconds) and an
option exists to Save GIF Frame Series. Depending on your machine and other applications where you might be
placing saved pictures, one of these formats may produce a better image than the other two or similar image quality
using a smaller file size.
JT File Version
Sets the default value displayed for JT File Version in the JT Options dialog box when saving a picture as a JT
file (see Section 2.5.4.7, "File, Picture, Save JT..."). Determining the proper JT File Version for software pack-
ages which support JT files is up to the user. Available file versions are 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 9.0, 9.1, 9.2, 9.3, 9.4, and 9.5.
Options
These options control various operational features of FEMAP views.
Alternate Fill Mode
FEMAP fills polygons whenever you turn on element fill or do a hidden line plot, a contour plot, or a criteria plot.
Windows provides two different techniques for drawing a filled polygon, both of which should be equivalent for all
cases in FEMAP. Unfortunately, some graphics adapters and their drivers have trouble filling polygons with one
method or the other. Notably, some of the more advanced Windows accelerator boards like the Number Nine,
Matrox, and other S3-based boards will often forget to draw a polygon when using the standard filling method. If
you see missing spots/polygons when you draw a model (especially a contour plot), try switching the fill method. If
that solves the problem, save this option when you exit Preferences so it will be used for all models.
Workplane Never Visible in New View
This option allows you to turn the workplane off when starting a new model. If this option is not checked, FEMAP
will use the setting for the startup view to determine whether the workplane is visible in a new model. If this option
is on, FEMAP will automatically turn the workplane off, even if the settings in the startup view call for it to be on.
Hint: For best image results, use a solid background when creating GIF files. This is due to the 256-color
limitation of GIF files.
Hint: Saving a test image once in each format will help you determine which option should be used with
your machine and other applications.
Render 2-25
Color Palette
Use this option to select one of the Standard Color options available in the Contour/Criteria Levels view option.
Choose from 0..Standard, 1..No Magenta, 2..Temperature, 3..Red Yellow Green, or 4..Gray. See Section
8.3.10.3, "Level Modes" for more information.
Open Views of Existing Models
By default, when you open an existing model, the view of that model automatically opens. Sometimes, however,
opening graphics in a corrupt model file can cause a crash. To open a model file without the graphic view of the
model, turn off the Open Views of Existing Models option. Once the file is open, you can work on solving the prob-
lem, perhaps by writing out a neutral file. You can manually open the view by using View, Activate or View, New.
Aspect Ratio for New Views
When a new view is created, the aspect ratio is normally set to 1.0. The geometry is not stretched either horizon-
tally or vertically for display in that window. An aspect ratio of 2.0 would cause a square to be displayed two times
as high as it is wide. Changing this value only sets the default for new views. You can use View, Options to update
the aspect ratio for any existing window, and turn off the AutoAspect feature.
View and Dynamic Rotation
These options control the rotation of views in your model when using the View Toolbar commands as well as when
you access the View, Rotate command.
Delta
This is the default angle of rotation when you click in the scroll bars in the View, Rotate command or when you use
the Rotate buttons on the toolbar. It must be specified in degrees.
Dynamic
This option chooses the method that will be used for displaying your model during the Dynamic Rotate/Pan/Zoom
command from the toolbar. If you experience flashing when you perform a dynamic rotation, set this option to a
different mode to remove the problem. This option has no impact on dynamic rotation.
Dynamic Speed
Allows you to increase the speed a model will rotate in the graphics window based on the distance the mouse is
moved across the screen. The number must be between 1 and 10 and the higher the number, the greater number of
full rotations will occur as the mouse is dragged from side of the graphics window to another.
Rotation Angles
These options allow you to define three view orientations which can be accessed using the View, Rotate command
buttons. The default views are Isometric, Dimetric and Trimetric. In addition to the rotation angles you can also set
the button text. Place an ampersand (&) in front of the letter that you want to be able to access using the Alt+Letter
keyboard combination.
2.6.2.3 Render
Render mode is a high-speed graphics mode that uses the OpenGL graphics language (It is the default graphics
mode in FEMAP). The Render tab lets you control Render graphics options and the level of functionality that you
have while in Render mode.
The dialog box has four areas:
Render Options
Include in Dynamic Rotation
Textures
Advanced/Debug Options
Render Options
These options control how Render will be implemented.
Note: FEMAP often performs better when using the default settings for OpenGL graphics cards. Issues may
sometimes occur when using settings optimized for other applications, especially with animations.
Hardware Accel (startup only)
This option controls whether you use hardware acceleration while in the Render mode or if the rendering is to be
done by software in Windows. This will be defaulted to on, but will only work when a hardware acceleration board
has been installed in your computer. If a board has been installed and you do not wish to use hardware acceleration,
you can uncheck this option. You must save this preference and restart FEMAP for this option to take effect.
Use Midside Nodes
If this option is selected, FEMAP will use the midside nodes when drawing rendered plots. This increases the com-
plexity of the graphics, decreases the speed of drawing the graphics window, and increases memory usage.
Memory Optimization
When this option is selected,
FEMAP doesnt use as much
memory when drawing. This
may or may not be helpful,
depending on the size of your
model:
In very large models that
require memory swapping, turn-
ing on this option will improve
display performance.
In small/medium-size models
that dont require memory
swapping, turning on this option
may slow down display perfor-
mance.
For small models, you may find
this option helpful in viewing
arrowheads that represent
boundary conditions. If the
option is on, the arrowhead will
display flat on the screen as the
model is rotated. If the option is
off, the orientation of the arrow-
head will rotate with the model.
Multi-Model Memory
If this option is on (default) then
FEMAP will use memory for
the active window of each
model currently open in the interface. This improves performance when graphically clicking from one model to
another, but uses more of your machines memory. When turned off, only the active view from the model currently
active in the FEMAP interface will be using memory. This will decrease performance when graphically switching
between models, but use less memory. For users with a relatively low amount of memory dealing with very large
models, this option should be turned off.
Beam Facet Edges
This option controls how a cross section is displayed on a
beam element. When on, the cross section extends along
the length of the element. When off, the cross section is
drawn only at the ends of the beam element.
Note: This option does not effect performance when clicking between different views of one model.
On Off
Render 2-27
Smooth Lines
When this option is on, FEMAP uses OpenGL anti-aliasing to draw smooth lines. This can enhance wireframe dis-
plays but can be computationally expensive.
Auto Regenerate
If this option is chosen, a graphics regenerate automatically occurs after virtually every command. The graphics
will always reflect the current model status. For large models, this can be expensive and the option should be
switched off. By default, this option is off.
Fast Render Picking
When selected, picking uses in memory data to pick nodes, elements, points, and surfaces. This results in much
faster picking with large models. If you switch this option off, or use Pick Query or Pick Front, the standard pick-
ing algorithms are used. You should leave this option on.
XOR Picking Graphics
XOR picking effects how entities are highlighted when graphically picking in FEMAP. This was the only picking
graphics method in FEMAP before version 10. With the advent of Windows Vista, picking was not able to draw to
the screen image directly which made XOR picking much less efficient (slower) on some graphics cards. If XOR
picking is off, FEMAP basically draws a bitmap of the screen image and then determines the color that is the
XOR of the entity color and draws the entity twice, once with the XOR of the entity color but larger or thicker
and once with the entity color. Un-highlighting is done by redrawing the bitmap of the screen. In non Vista hard-
ware, turning XOR picking on will likely give better clarity but for Vista, performance is better with it off.
Edges Using Lines
Some graphics cards currently have poor quality support for the standard OpenGL method FEMAP uses to draw
element and surface edges. Selecting this option forces all edges to be drawn as simple lines. This is not as efficient
and may cause the edges to have a stitched appearance. You should use this option if element edges are not drawn
correctly.
Dialog Refresh
With certain graphics cards, the view will not be redrawn behind open dialog boxes, thus if the dialog box is moved
after the model has been dynamically rotated the display may not be correct. When this option is on, FEMAP
will force a redraw of the graphics window.
Vertex Arrays
If your graphics card has good support of vertex arrays, you can get significant performance improvement by
selecting vertex arrays. FEMAP provides three levels of support (No, Partial and Full) to account for different
graphics cards:
Full Vertex Arrays uses vertex arrays for all graphics. We have seen problems with this level of support on some
graphics cards including severe system crashes.
Partial Vertex Arrays uses vertex arrays for all filled entities such as elements and surfaces, but does not use
vertex arrays for element and surface borders.
No Vertex Arrays does not use vertex arrays at all.
You should use the level that gives the best performance without any problems.
Block Size
The block size determines the size of blocked data in collectors used by FEMAP internally. If you have a few
large collectors, a larger block size should provide better performance. On the other hand, if you have a large
number of small collectors (i.e., often happens with laminates), you might use a great deal of memory with too
large a block size, so selecting a smaller block size should be beneficial.
Search Depth
To optimize memory usage, FEMAP internally groups entities which are exactly the same (same element type,
property, material, layer, AND color) together. These like entities are stored in collectors in the FEMAP graph-
Hint: If you switch it on in Render Options, you can switch it off in Include In Dynamic Rotation to improve
dynamic rotation performance.
ics data structures. Every time a new entity is created, FEMAP will search all of the existing collectors to see if the
new entity can be placed into one of them.
The Search Depth value refers to how many collectors FEMAP should search when a new entity is created before
creating a new collector. By default, the value is 10, which means that FEMAP will search through the 10 most
recently used collectors and only create a new one if a collector does not exist with the entitys same type, layer,
color, and other attributes (i.e., property on an element). When Search Depth is set to 0, FEMAP will search all
collectors for matching attributes before creating a new collector. This will create the least number of collectors in
the model.
In general, searching all the collectors in a model is not an issue, but if you have a model with many different (typ-
ically in the hundreds or thousands) entity types, properties, materials, layers, and colors, this can slow down the
graphics significantly as FEMAP looks for an existing collector in which to place the new entity.
If you are using the Auto Transparency option available for Transparency in the Tools and View Style section of
View Options (see Tools and View Style category, Transparency option of Section 6.1.5.3, "View, Options..."), it is
likely that a Search Depth of 0 is recommended and will likely produce the best image.
Include in Dynamic Rotation
These options let you select the entities that will be included in dynamic rotation. By deselecting some of these
entities, you can improve display performance. In large models, you may see dramatic performance improvements
when you turn off options such as Fill, Shading, Filled Edges, and Undeformed.
If you turn Workplane off, some additional entities will also not appear during dynamic rotation. These entities
include the Axisymmetric Axis, View Legend, View Axis, Origin, Workplane and Rulers, and Workplane Grid from
the Tools and View Style category of View, Options as well as the Post Titles, Trace Locations (Trace Style), and
Contour/Criteria Legend from the PostProcessing category of View, Options.
If you select Elements as Free Edge, elements will be drawn as free edge only during dynamic rotation. This will
greatly improve graphics performance for large models.
Connections will turn off Connection Regions and Connectors
If you deselect Element Symbols, elements that are drawn as symbols will not be drawn during dynamic rotation.
This will greatly improve graphics performance for models that contain a large number of mass, mass matrix, link,
gap or DOF Spring elements.
Textures
These options enable you to control the texture maps used by post processing displays.
2D mapping
If you select this option, 2 dimensional texture maps will be used; otherwise, 1 dimensional texture maps will be
used. Different graphics cards have different levels of support of 1 and 2 dimensional texture maps.
Smooth Textures
This option is available for 1 or 2-Dimensional texture maps. It can provide better quality smooth contours.
Note: An example of when you might want to change the Search Depth is:
A NASTRAN input deck has been imported into FEMAP with a large number of CELAS2 elements
(spring elements which also contain spring property data on each connection entry). Since these ele-
ments are not associated with a property using a property ID, FEMAP is forced to create a property
for each CELAS2 element. Each spring element is now a different property, causing FEMAP to place
each one into its own collector. If there where 28000 springs in the model, FEMAP would have to
search through 28000 collectors each time a new entity is created and this is not efficient for the
FEMAP graphics data structures. Changing the value of Search Depth to a lower number can increase
graphics performance by searching the collectors far less often and creating a new one only if no match-
ing collectors can be found.
Hint: Remember, you can also use View, Options or View, Visibility to control which entities are displayed.
User Interface 2-29
Force All Triangles
This option forces quadrilateral elements to be split into 4 triangles for contouring purposes, instead of only 2. This
is especially useful when looking at symmetric results on coarsely meshed models. Some plots may take longer.
Also, some graphics cards split quadrilateral graphics primitives differently when they intersect the edge of the
window. This can cause the contours on a model to move on an element face when the model is dynamically
rotated while intersecting the edge of the window. If you select this option, all quadrilaterals are split into triangles
and this gives consistent contours. The vertex colours are always correct: it is only the internal color pattern of an
element face that is impacted.
Max Size
FEMAP tries to use the largest texture map possible. However, some graphics cards do not enable the maximum
size to be determined. If you have problems with contour display colors, set this number lower and try again.
Advanced/Debug Options
These options help you work with FEMAP Support to resolve Render graphics display problems that may be
unique to your graphics card driver.
Print Debug Messages
If you turn this option on, FEMAP will write print debug messages to the Messages window. FEMAP Support may
request this information to help you resolve a graphics display problem. The Elapsed Time option reports
elapsed times of various operations related to FEMAP graphics. Turning on the All option will report quite a
bit more information, but will also be slower. OpenGL Errors will report any errors specifically related to
OpenGL. If there are no OpenGL errors, then nothing different will be reported. This option is off by default as it
takes additional time to query FEMAP for these types of errors.
Bitmap Alignment
This option controls the way that bitmaps are stored. The default setting is 4. Changing this setting may cause
severe display problems. Do not change this setting unless instructed to do so by FEMAP Support.
Pixel Format
This option controls graphics descriptors. The default setting of 0 instructs FEMAP to use the optimal pixel format
for your graphics board. Changing this setting may cause severe display problems. Do not change this setting
unless instructed to do so by FEMAP Support.
BitBlt Delay
If you are seeing split images in your FEMAP graphics window, you may need to enter a value for BitBlt Delay.
In some low-end graphics cards, GDI and OpenGL graphics are not synchronized correctly, which can result in
split images appearing inside the FEMAP graphics window. This is due to the picture capture of the screen
occurring while the graphics are still in the swap buffer. In order to correct this problem, a value for the BitBlt
Delay can be placed into FEMAP to allow extra time (in milliseconds/Megapixal) for the graphics to come out of
the swap buffer and the screen image to be captured properly. The time it takes certain graphics cards to get
OpenGL and GDI in sync appears to be proportional to the number of pixels in the window. If your graphics win-
dow is bigger than 1 Mega Pixels (MPix), the delay will be multiplied by how many mega pixels your screen occu-
pies. This allows users to switch between monitor resolutions without having to change this value.
2.6.2.4 User Interface
When you choose the User Interface tab, the Preferences dialog box will display options for the how the different
facets of the FEMAP User Interface (menus, toolbars, dockable panes, tooltips, etc.) will function.
This User Interface tab is partitioned into seven categories:
Menus and Dialog Boxes
Graphical Selection
Mouse Interface
Note: Usually, a delay of 10 ms/Mpix or 20 ms/Mpix, will correct the issue. If these values do not help, we
suggest starting with 100 ms/Mpix and moving back towards 0 ms/Mpix by increments of 10 ms/Mpix
until the problem reappears.
Meshing Toolbox
Dockable Panes
Model Info
Show Entities Defaults
Toolbars
Any options in the Menus and Dialog Boxes, Graphical Selection, or Mouse interface sections can be changed for
a given session.
Menus and Dialog Boxes
Alternate Color Scheme
If this option is on, the menus, toolbars, and dockable pane borders will appear as a gray color instead of a shaded
color regardless of which color is set for dialog box appearance in Windows. FEMAP appears more like pre-Ver-
sion 9 releases when the Alternate Color Scheme is turned on.
Autorepeat Create Com-
mands
If this option is on, all entity
create commands will auto-
matically repeat until you
choose Cancel. This allows
you to continue creating enti-
ties without repeatedly choos-
ing the same command.
Remember Dialog Posi-
tions
When this option is on,
FEMAP will remember the
last screen location for each
dialog box. If you move a dia-
log box then pick the com-
mand again later, FEMAP will
place the dialog box in the
position you chose rather than
in the default position.
FEMAP will remember the
dialog box locations only for
the current FEMAP session.
To restore dialog boxes to their
original positions, use the
Reset Dialog Positions button.
Alternate Accelerator
Keys for Views
When on, changes the way
several Accelerator Keys
(hard-coded shortcut keys) function in FEMAP to give quick access to orient the view. Ctrl+B becomes View,
Rotate, Bottom; Ctrl+T becomes View, Rotate, Top; Ctrl+F becomes View, Rotate, Front; Ctrl+L becomes View,
Rotate, Left; and Ctrl+I becomes View, Rotate, Isometric. These accelerators mimic Solid Edge and FEMAP must
be restarted in order for this preference to take effect.
Ask for Confirmation Before Delete
Unchecking this box will cause FEMAP to no longer show Confirm Delete dialog boxes throughout the program. If
you check the Dont confirm delete again box in any Confirm Delete dialog box, the Confirm Delete dialog
boxes will no longer appear when you delete an entity and this option will now be unchecked. If you would like to
turn the Confirm Delete dialog boxes back on, simply check this option.
User Interface 2-31
Fast Output Delete
This option can be used to dramatically increase the speed of deleting a large amount of output by eliminating the
ability to Undo after the output is deleted. There are 3 options:
Confirm - every time output is deleted, FEMAP will ask OK to Delete Results without Undo? Deleting with-
out Undo can be significantly faster. Click Go Fast button to move forward without Undo or Preserve Undo.
Fast (No Undo) - Always eliminates Undo after output has been deleted
Preserve Undo - Preserves Undo after output is deleted.
This option will be set automatically to whatever option is chosen if the Dont confirm again box is checked in
the Confirm Fast Results Delete dialog box.
Recently Used Files
This option sets the number of recently used files that will be listed at the bottom of the File menu.
Graphical Selection
Track Mouse Picking
This option activates dynamic selection tracking. When you move the cursor through the graphics window to select
nodes, elements or other geometry, FEMAP dynamically highlights the entity that will be selected if you click the
mouse button. This makes accurate selection much easier in complex models.
Pick All Inside
This option controls selection of entities when screen area (using box or circle) picking is used to select entities
whose position is defined by other multiple entities (i.e. elements by their nodes, curves by their points). If this
option is on, all entities which comprise the selected entity must be inside the selected area (i.e. for an element, all
of its nodes must be in the selected area for it to be picked). If it is off, only one entity must be selected (i.e. for an
element, only one node must be in the selected region when this option is off).
Pick Method
This option controls the default Pick Method for Entity Selection dialog boxes. Choices are Pick Normal, Pick
Query, and Pick Front. See Section 4.3.1, "Entity Selection" for more information about the Pick Methods.
Tooltip Delay
Allows you to set the amount of time before a tooltip will appear after an entity has been highlighted by the cur-
sor. The number is in tenths of a second and can be from 1 to 1000. For example, the default value is 10 tenths of
a second (i.e., 10 x 0.1 seconds = 1 second after an entity has been selected, a tooltip will appear).
Tooltip Duration
Allows you to set the amount of time a tooltip will be visible after it appears. The number is in tenths of a second
(For example, the default is 100 tenths of a second, therefore, 100 x 0.1 seconds = 10 seconds that the Tooltip
will be visible). If you want to set the Tooltip to remain visible until the cursor is no longer selecting that entity, you
can set the value to 0 (zero).
Mouse Interface
Reverse Mouse Wheel Direction
By default, when the mouse wheel is used to zoom in and out inside the main FEMAP graphics window, spinning
the mouse wheel up (away from the user) will zoom out, while spinning the mouse wheel down (towards the user)
will zoom in on the model. When this option is checked, the direction of the mouse wheel will be reversed for the
FEMAP graphics window only (the mouse wheel will work normally in any other Dockable Pane), therefore spin-
ning the mouse wheel up (away from the user) will zoom in, while spinning the mouse wheel down (towards the
user) will zoom out on the model
Shift for Pan, Ctrl for Zoom
By default, when the Shift key is held down along with the left mouse button (or mouse wheel is pressed when a
dialog box is open) moving the mouse up or down will allow you to dynamically zoom in and out of the model.
Also, when the Ctrl key is held down along with the left mouse button (or mouse wheel is pressed when a dialog
box is open) moving the mouse up, down, left or right will allow you to dynamically translate the model around the
screen in the corresponding direction. When this option is checked, the functionality of holding Shift or Control
down along with the left mouse button and moving the mouse around will be swapped (i.e. Shift for Pan, Control
for Zoom).
Meshing Toolbox
Expand Active Tool Only and Auto Remesh
Sets the defaults for Expand Active Tool Only and Auto Remesh in the Meshing Toolbox. Both on by default.
Dockable Panes
Animate Fly-out
This option is used when a Dockable Pane is in the retracted state (Retracted means that the pane is only visible
as a tab and will fly-out when the curser is placed on the tab). This preference, when on, will animate the fly-out
from the tab to full extension of the pane. The Retraction (when the pane goes from being fully extended back to
tab only) will also be animated. When this preference is off, the pane will just pop-up to full size and then mini-
mize to tab only instead of you viewing it extend and retract. This is a start-up only preference, therefore it the
preference must be saved and FEMAP reopened in order for it to take effect.
Captions Always on Top
This option will force the Title Bar of any docked dockable pane to always be on the top of the pane, regardless
of where the pane is currently docked. By default, dockable panes which are docked on the top or bottom of the
graphics area will have the title bar displayed on the left side of the pane to use less space vertically.
Alternate Docking Symbols
This option simply allows you to choose which Docking Position Indicators are displayed in FEMAP. See below.
Model Info
Max Entities
Limits the number of items of each category which will be shown in the Model Info tree. This can significantly
improve performance if you have thousands of entities of one type. Options are added to the tree to show the next
or previous group, whenever less than the full number of entities are displayed. The default value is 2000.
Create Automatic Titles
When on (default), FEMAP will create titles automatically for Materials and Properties based on the type of Mate-
rial or Property being created. When off, Materials and Properties will be untitled.
Show Entities Defaults
These options are the same options for highlighting entities that are found in the Window, Show Entities... com-
mand. For more information, see Section 6.3.2.3, "Window, Show Entities...".
FEMAP will use these default settings for all new models and until the any of the options are changed by the user
manually. The options can be changed using the Window, Show Entities... command, the Show When Selected icon
in the Model Info tree, or the Show When Selected icon in the Data Table.
Default Indicator
Alternate Indicator
Database 2-33
Toolbars
Save Layout
When the Save Layout button is pushed, FEMAP will prompt you to save your
User Interface layout to a *.LAYOUT file in a directory of your choice. You will
be prompted to choose which portions of the current installations User Interface
(Menu and Toolbars, Panes, Shortcut Keys, and User Commands) to save to the
*.LAYOUT file. The *.LAYOUT file can be used to bring a specific User Inter-
face layout to a different installation of FEMAP.
Load Layout
When the Load Layout button is pushed, FEMAP will prompt you to select a
*.LAYOUT file from a directory of your choice in order to load a User Interface
layout from an existing installation of FEMAP. This allows one layout to be used
by multiple users.
Reset User Interface
Resets the FEMAP User Interface to the original configuration when the product was installed, by deleting all of
the registry settings associated with FEMAP toolbars, dockable panes, menus, shortcut keys, and user-defined
commands. When this command is used, the following message will appear:
OK to Reset Interface? Resetting the user interface will lose all customization. You must exit and restart to com-
plete the reset.
If you click Yes, all toolbars or menus that have been changed (icons and commands added, moved, removed); all
altered icons; all toolbar positions, all custom toolbars; all dockable pane positions, pinnings, and stackings; all
user-defined shortcut keys; all custom commands that have been created; and all toolbar options which were cho-
sen will be changed back to the defaults and can not be recovered unless you have saved them in a Toolbar layout
(*.LAYOUT file). You must exit and restart FEMAP for this command to take effect.
Reset Dialog Positions
Resets the FEMAP dialog box positions to the original positions when the product was installed. This command
only has an effect if you have the Remember Dialog Positions option checked in the Menus and Dialog Boxes por-
tion of this dialog box.
2.6.2.5 Database
The options on the Database tab control certain database options, including memory management and location of
scratch files. All of these options, with the exception of those labeled immediate, are only used at startup. You
must therefore restart FEMAP after changing any of these option to have them take effect.
The Database tab of the Preferences dialog box is partitioned into four areas:
Database Options
Database Performance
Timed Save
Scratch Directory
Hint: Saving the toolbar layout to a *.LAYOUT file is a good idea before using the Reset User Interface
command, as it will allow you to return to custom commands and shortcut keys if you need them in the
future. You can always load them for use and then use the Reset User Interface command to get the
defaults back again.
Note: Using the *.LAYOUT file is a good way to recreate a customized FEMAP interface in a particular ver-
sion of the software. If a *.LAYOUT file is loaded into a newer version of the software, the Shortcut
Keys and User Commands will be updated, while Menus and Toolbars and Panes will not.
For FEMAP 10.3 and above, User-defined Toolbars will be imported into newer versions. If you
want to bring in a customized version of a standard toolbar, it is probably best to create your a User-
defined toolbar with the same commands, then customize that User-defined toolbar so it will be
brought into the new version without overwriting any existing menus or toolbars.
Each area is discussed more fully below.
Database Options
These options control how FEMAP
interacts with the FEMAP model file
(binary database).
Backup before Save
When this option is on and your model
has been saved previously, FEMAP will
keep a backup copy of your model in
the file modelname.BAK (where mod-
elname.MODFEM is the name of your
model). Only one backup copy is saved,
so the .BAK file will be updated and
overwritten every time you save. By
default this option is disabled, and no
backup copies are saved.
Unlike the other options in this dialog
box, changes to the backup option are
effective immediately. You do not have
to save them permanently. The backup
option is ignored whenever Use Model
Scratch File is off. In this state, you
directly update the model file during
every command, not just when you
choose Save. Therefore, FEMAP does
not attempt to make a backup when you
save.
Delete Model Scratch File
When this option is on, FEMAP will
automatically delete your scratch file
whenever you begin a new model or
exit FEMAP. The option is selected as a default.
Preserve Next ID during Rebuild
By default, FEMAP will reset the Next ID for all entities to the lowest available ID after the File, Rebuild com-
mand has been used. When this option is on, FEMAP will maintain the Next ID defined for all entities prior to
the Rebuild operation. This will prevent FEMAP from back-filling empty IDs that may exist in a model that
has been somehow partitioned using entity IDs.
Low Disk Warning
When this option is on, FEMAP will issue a warning when free space on the scratch files disk drops below the
amount specified.
Undo Levels
Controls how many commands (0-99) that you will be able to undo. Setting this to a larger number gives you
greater flexibility in being able to backup your commands, but can take a significant amount of disk space. All files
are placed in the specified Scratch Directory.
Database Performance
These options control how FEMAP uses your computers RAM. Setting these properly can greatly improve perfor-
mance.
Database Memory Limit
The Database Memory Limit sets the maximum amount of system memory that FEMAP will use to hold parts of
your model and results in memory. If your model is larger than the amount of memory that you choose, FEMAP
will automatically read data from your disk as it is needed, replacing data that is not being used. While this Swap-
Database 2-35
ping process can slow down overall performance, it does let you work with much larger models than would other-
wise fit into your available memory.
The Database Memory Limit DOES NOT control the total amount of memory that FEMAP will be using. FEMAP
uses memory for many different operations this is just one of them. Almost every command temporarily uses
some small amount of additional memory. Some commands, like meshing, node merging and reading results can
temporarily use fairly significant amounts of memory. Other operations, like loading large amounts of data into the
Data Table require memory for a longer period of time in this case as long as the data is in the table. Finally, the
largest use of additional memory, and one which normally persists the entire time you have a model open is for
drawing your model. For optimal performance, FEMAP uses OpenGL graphics, and keeps copies of the data to be
drawn in memory at all times. You must always have sufficient free memory available for all of these uses, or the
operations will not be able to execute properly. In the very worst case scenario, running out of memory could cause
FEMAP to crash. It is for this reason that the default Database Memory Limit is set fairly low 20% of the memory
in your computer (The 32-bit version is also restricted by the 2 GByte limit for any program). This does not mean
that you can not increase the limit beyond its default, but the further into the yellow and red zones you push the
slider, you are increasing the chance of running out of memory.
Using the Control
The slider control allows you to choose the amount of memory to
use for the database. Move the slider to the left to reduce the limit,
to the right to increase it. As you move the slider, the memory limit
is updated and displayed above the slider.
The colored bar below the slider gives you an indication of the risk
of running out of memory if you use this setting. The yellow and
red regions should be used with caution since there is a good
chance of causing problems with other operations like meshing and graphics. The small line along the top edge of
the green section indicates the default memory limit. It is simply displayed to make it easy for you to go back to
that limit if you try other settings. The blue bar along the bottom edge indicates the amount of memory that the
database is currently using.
With this option, you are simply setting the maximum amount of memory available for the database. If you are
working with a smaller model, FEMAP will not use memory that it does not need and the blue bar will not extend
the entire way to the slider setting. If you look at this control with an empty model, or if you have a small model
and a large amount of memory in your system, the blue bar may not be visible because it is too short to be seen
along the bar.
Max Cached Label
Sets the largest label that FEMAP will reserve memory for. This option must be set to a ID higher than any entity in
the model. Default value is 5,000,000.
Blocks/Page
This value sets the page size. The optimum setting of this number often depends on the speed of your disk and
controller.
Open/Save Method and Read/Write Test button
The Open/Save Method option should only be used if you are experiencing VERY slow opening/saving FEMAP
model files. On certain hardware, switching to option 2..64K widows I/O may make a dramatic difference in the
Note: Changing the Database Memory Limit does not change the amount of memory used for the current ses-
sion. For this selection to take effect, you must exit and restart FEMAP.
Note: The blue bar in the above figure shows the amount of memory used by a 1,000,000 element model (4-
noded plate elements) on a 32-bit machine with 2 GB of RAM. Most potential problems with exceeding
the 2 GB memory limit only occur with very large models.
Note: The default value of 4 was determined via testing to produce the best performance over a wide range
of values for Database Memory Limit and using the default settings for a number of different types of
disk drives. You may want to try other values from 1 to 15 if you have changed any speed/caching set-
tings on your drive or have high-speed drives to determine if performance is improved.
time a model takes to open/save. Essentially, what option 2 does is copy to (opening) and from the scratch directory
(saving) in 64K blocks instead of allowing the hardware to choose the size. Options 1 and 3 are simply other
alternatives to try.
The Read/Write Test may be used to determine which Open/Save Method should work best on your machine. It
reads and writes a series of 12 100 MB files using various block sizes to determine the method. ( . When finished,
results of the test will be written to the Messages window and the recommended setting will be displayed in the
Open/Save Method drop-down.
Timed Save
On and Notify
The selected option specifies if FEMAP should notify you when it hits a preset limit or if it should just automati-
cally save the model.
Interval and Commands
The Interval sets the time in minutes between automatic saves, while the number of Commands set the number of
commands performed before FEMAP notifies you that it has performed an automatic save.
Scratch Directory
This option determines where temporary files will be placed. Both the Model Scratch file and the Undo Files will
always be saved in the same directory.
The Model Scratch file is always turned on. The scratch file is a duplicate of your model file and therefore is the
same size.
The size of the Undo Files depends upon how many levels of undo you choose and the FEMAP commands that
you execute. They can be large.
The model scratch file is not deleted (unless you request deletion using the Delete Model Scratch File option,
which is the default), when you exit FEMAP, but all other files are deleted.
For Windows XP and Vista the directory path to the Scratch Directory should be complete path names. If the path
is not specified these files are stored, by default, in the directory specified by the TEMP environment variable.
Recover Scratch Directory
As FEMAP models, it creates temporary files in the Scratch Directory. These files are necessary so FEMAP can
keep track of changes to the FEMAP database during the modeling process, but in general can not be used for any-
thing on their own. When you the File, Save command is used in FEMAP, the model information is first dumped
to the scratch directory, then the model file is opened in its saved location and the updated information is trans-
ferred to that location. If for some reason (usually running out of disk space), FEMAP crashes during the File, Save
command and the information has been dumped to the scratch directory and the model file has been corrupted or
disappeared, then the model can be recovered by clicking this button. When this happens, FEMAP should automat-
ically prompt you to perform this action the next time FEMAP is started after the issue occurred.
Note: You will need 1.2 GB of free disk space to run the test properly. If FEMAP detects you have less than
this, it will only perform the test with 4 100 MB files (64KB and 100MB for both Windows and C I/O).
Note: The Recover Scratch Directory command is not designed to recover the model from any crashes that
occur during the modeling process. It is strictly for use when the model has been corrupted during the
File, Save command. As always, it is recommended that you save your model as often as possible.
Geometry/Model 2-37
2.6.2.6 Geometry/Model
The Geometry/Model tab contains geometry options such as choosing the Geometry Engine for solid modeling, the
Solid Geometry Scale Factor, and how Construction Geometry will be handled after it has been used.
There are also options for Load Expansion on Midside Nodes of elements, specifying defaults for Element Quality
and Output Orientation, and several options for Meshing and Properties. Each of these are described below.
Geometry Engine (startup only)
FEMAP can perform solid modeling with the Parasolid Solid Modeling engine. This option controls the default
geometry engine upon entering FEMAP. If you do not plan to export a solid model, you may use the FEMAP stan-
dard geometry engine to create wireframe and volume geometry.
When importing solid geometry, FEMAP will automatically switch to the Parasolid geometry engine. In particular,
when ACIS solid geometry is read into FEMAP, it will automatically invoke the ACIS-to-Parasolid converter and
all geometry modification and creation inside of FEMAP will be done using the Parasolid engine.
Solid Geometry Scale Factor
The Internal Scale Factor is used to reduce the size of the part in the FEMAP database. The internal engine of
Parasolid requires all positions be in a box of +/- 500. If you have entities outside of this box, Parasolid cannot per-
form operations on them. By using an internal scale factor, FEMAP can scale the part internally to prevent the part
from extending beyond this box. You will not see changes in the dimensions of the part since FEMAP will do all
scaling internally. This option allows the input of very large dimensions for the model, without exceeding the limits
of the Parasolid geometry engine.
By default the Solid Geometry Scale Factor is set to 0..Inches, which automatically sets a value of 39.37 (i.e.,
inches to meters conversion) and this factor is applied internally in FEMAP so that a part of 1.0 on the desktop will
be stored as 0.0254 in the database. The default factor of 39.37 will allow you to import and model parts that are +/
- 19,685 units. Without the scale factor the geometry would be outside of the Parasolid modeling limits and would
become corrupt. The default of 39.37 is chosen since it allows you to import a part that was modeled in inches in
CAD software, and continue to work in inches without manually having to scale the part. You can also choose to
set the Scale Factor to 1..Meters (value of 1.0), 2..Millimeters (value of 1000.0), or 3..Other, which allows
you to specify a value of your choice.
This is a startup preference; therefore, you must save the preference and exit FEMAP for it to take effect.
Construction Geometry - when used
Allows you to choose how construction geometry will be handled in FEMAP after the construction geometry has
been used by another geometry command. In simplest terms, construction geometry is a curve used to create a
surface using certain methods on the Geometry, Surface... menu (Edge Curves, Aligned Curves, Ruled, Extrude,
Revolve, and Sweep) or a surface or boundary surface used to create a solid via extruding or revolving. Construc-
tion geometry also includes any curves used by a construction surface and all points on construction curves.
FEMAP has three options for handling construction geometry:
0..Delete (default) - All construction geometry will be automatically deleted from the model after use by one
of the geometry commands specified above.
1..Move to NoPick Layer - Moves all construction geometry to layer 9999..Construction Layer. Layer
9999 is always the default NoPick Layer. When an entity is on the NoPick Layer and that layer is visible,
entities can be seen but not selected from the graphics window. You will need to change the NoPick Layer to
0..None in order to select these entities graphically if you would like to use them again for any reason.
2..Do Nothing - Construction geometry will not be moved to Layer 9999..Construction Layer and will also
not be deleted from the model. All construction geometry will remain in the model on the original layer and
be available for graphical selection when the layer containing the geometry is visible.
Automatically Adjust Geometry Scale Factors
Adjusts the solid geometry scale factor of imported geometry to match the scale factor of the model. For instance,
if you read in geometry with a scale factor of 1 it will be imported and sized in FEMAP with a scale factor of 1,
then adjusted to whatever is set as your Solid Geometry Scale Factor in the Preferences. Having geometry with the
same Solid Geometry Scale Factor is very helpful when modifying or creating additional geometry in FEMAP.
Load Expansion on Midside Nodes
This section sets the defaults for modification of the distribution of nodal loads (such as force and moment) on par-
abolic elements. To obtain an even distribution of force across a parabolic element, most programs require a larger
portion of the force be assigned to the midside nodes. You can set the factors Along Edges, On Tri-Face, or On
Quad-Face to represent the amount of the total load on the element which will be applied to the midside node.
You will typically want to use the default values above, as well as use the Midside Node Adjustment Default. If you
have further questions on the distribution required for your solver program, please consult the reference documen-
tation for your analysis program.
Note: The only option available for construction geometry in FEMAP prior to version 10, was 1..Move to
NoPick Layer, so set this option to have FEMAP handle construction geometry as it has in the past.
Geometry/Model 2-39
Element Quality...
This dialog box allows you to set default values used when check-
ing element quality. Also, choose which element checks will be
on by default when using Tools, Check, Element Quality.
The Element Quality checks are:
Aspect Ratio
Taper
Alternate Taper
Internal Angles
Skew
Warping
Nastran Warping
Tet Collapse
Jacobian
Combined
Explicit Time Step
The values set in this dialog box will be used for element quality
every time FEMAP is opened. If you change the values while FEMAP is open, those values will persist until that
session of FEMAP has been closed. Pressing the Permanent button when using the Tools, Check, Element Quality
command will update these default values. See Section 7.4.5.6, "Tools, Check, Element Quality..." for details.
Output Orientation...
This dialog box allows you to choose the default orientation of the X
direction for different types of output for different element types. The
options set in this dialog box will be the default values set for all new
models. These options can be changed on the fly for a particular
model when using the Model, Output, Transform command (see Sec-
tion 8.5.8, "Model, Output, Transform...") or when using the Trans-
formation functionality of the View, Select command (see Section
8.2.2.2, "Selecting Data for a Deformed or Contour Style").
The Current Output Orientation dialog box contains the default out-
put orientation for both Plate and Solid elements. For plane elements,
there is an option for each type of output data to transform (Stress,
Strain, and Force), for each plane element shape that may appear in
the model (Tria3, Tria6, Quad4, and Quad8).
Defaults are for Nastran. Consult your analysis programs documenta-
tion concerning the original coordinate system definition. There are
two options for triangular elements (0..First Edge or 1..Midside
Locations) with the default being 0..First Edge
First Edge Midside Locations
Node 2 Node 1 Node 1 Node 2
0..First Edge orients the element X-direction to a vector between Node 1 and Node 2 of the element, while
1..Midside Locations orients the element X-direction to a vector from the midpoint between Node 1 and
Node 3 to the midpoint between Node 2 and Node 3.
There are three options for quadrilateral elements (0..First Edge, 1..Midside Locations, or 2..Diagonal Bisec-
tor) with 2..Diagonal Bisector being the default.
0..First Edge orients the element X-direction to a vector between Node 1 and Node 2 of the element, while
1..Midside Locations orients the element X-direction to a vector from the midpoint between Node 1 and
Node 4 to the midpoint between Node 2 and Node 3. 2..Diagonal Bisector orients the X-direction of the
elements to a vector originating from the point where a line from Node 2 to Node 4 intersects a line from
Node 1 to Node 3 and extends out following a vector which bisects the angle from Node 2 to the Intersec-
tion point to Node 3.
For solids, there are three orientation options (0..Material Direction, 1..Global Rectangular, or 2..Element)
for different material types associated with solid properties (Isotropic, Anisotropic, and Hyperelastic). See the Solid
Element Properties portion of Section 4.2.2.3, "Volume Elements" for more details.
Pressing the Reset button when the Current Output Orientation dialog box is accessed through the Preferences will
reset all of the output orientation options to the default values set when FEMAP is first installed.
Meshing and Properties
Surface Meshing in Memory
This preference determines whether additional memory will be allocated by the FEMAP boundary mesher. If this
option is selected, FEMAP will allocate new memory to create the mesh. If it is not selected, FEMAP will utilize
the memory allocated in the database to perform the mesh. By allocating new memory, the FEMAP mesher can run
significantly faster than if it is limited to the database memory. Therefore, this option should almost always be
turned on. The only reason to turn this option off is if the available memory on the current machine is low enough
that allocation of new memory is extremely limited.
Use Fast Tri Mesher
The fast tri-mesher option uses a method to create triangles that generally produces fewer triangles with better
aspect ratios. When this option is on, the FEMAP surface mesher will use the fast tri-mesher by default. You can
also control the tri-mesher from the Automesh Surfaces dialog box (see Section 5.1.3.3, "Mesh, Geometry, Sur-
face...").
Alternate Section Property Calculation
Uses an alternate Alternate Section Property Calculator to determine the section properties for a Beam element
property.
For more information about the Alternate Section Property Calculator see Special Note about the Alternate Sec-
tion Property Calculator in Section 4.2.2.1, "Line Elements"
Pre-v10 Tet Meshing and Pre-v10 Surface Meshing
The tetrahedral and surface meshing in FEMAP has dramatically changed for version 10. You will find in the
options of several of the Mesh, Geometry... commands, there are check boxes to use the pre-v10 meshers.
These two switches in the preferences allow you to always use the pre-v10 tetrahedral and/or surface meshing if
you feel more comfortable with these meshers and the associated default values they use.
Node 2 Node 1 Node 1 Node 2 Node 1 Node 2
Node 3 Node 3 Node 3
Node 4 Node 4 Node 4
First Edge Midside Locations Diagonal Bisector
Interfaces 2-41
Mesh Sizing
FEMAP has three options for mesh sizing, Parametric, Equal Length, and Parametric/Equal Length. The
default is Parametric/Equal Length.
When set to Parametric, FEMAP mesh sizing along curves is done in the parametric space of curves. In many
cases this is desirable resulting in finer mesh in areas of high curvature. In some cases however (such as unstitched
geometry or geometry that has curves with unusual parameterization), Equal Length based spacing will yield
much better results. Especially when dealing with unstitched geometry, length based sizing will produce meshes
with matching nodal locations far more reliably than parametric spacing.
Parametric/Equal Length sizes all curves using the Parametric option, then determines an average distance
between each of the mesh locations on each curve. If the distance between any of the mesh locations is more than
1% different than the average distance, then that curve is resized using Equal Length sizing.
2.6.2.7 Interfaces
This section controls defaults for interfaces to other programs. When you select the Interfaces tab, the following
options will appear in the Preferences dialog box:
The Interfaces tab of the Preferences dialog box is partitioned into five areas:
Interface defaults (Specify default Solver, Analysis Type, Interface Style, etc.)
Analysis Monitor Options
File References Options
General Solver Options
Note: Using Length Based Sizing can be very helpful for setting up mesh sizing if your geometry has come
from Catia. The parameterization coming from Catia is often much different than what other CAD
packages produce, therefore our parameter based mesh sizing is not as effective with this geometry.
Nastran Solver Options
Detailed descriptions for each of the available options is provided below.
Interface
This option simply chooses the default analysis program that FEMAP will display for the File, Import (or Export)
Analysis Model, and File, Import, Analysis Results commands. You should set this option to the interface that you
use most often.
Analysis Type
This option chooses the default type of analysis that will be performed. Set this to the type of analysis you perform
most often.
Non-FEMAP Neutral Version
To export a FEMAP model to some external analysis programs (CAEFEM, CDA/Spring, CFDesign, SINDA/G),
you use a neutral file. If your external program requires a previous version as input, use this option to set the neutral
file version. For example, an older version of CAEFEM may require a FEMAP version 6 neutral file rather than the
current version.
Neutral Digits
Use this command to set the number of significant digits for real numbers in the neutral file.
Interface Style
These options mask commands for users of some analysis programs. The two thermal options will configure
FEMAP in a thermal mode only, changing many dialog boxes. Many structural options will be hidden, and you will
no longer have access to them. The thermal options are is only recommended when performing modeling specific
to thermal analysis and exporting to a thermal specific program.
Structural makes all commands visible. Most users should use this option.
Thermal displays only thermal properties in material dialog boxes. This option can be used by structural analy-
sis program (such as Nastran) users who are performing thermal analyses.
Advanced Thermal displays only thermal properties in material dialog boxes, and limits the element types avail-
able. This option is for SINDA/G users only.
Enable Old Analysis Interfaces
When this option is on, interfaces to ALL solvers supported in FEMAP will be shown when importing or exporting
analysis files.
Analysis Monitor Options
Automatically Load Results: This option will set FEMAP to automatically read results when using the Analysis
Monitor.
Max Lines to Monitor: Sets the default for the number of lines that are monitored from the Analysis Monitor.
File Reference Options
Check References on Open: Toggles on and off checking the selected references (found in File, References)
when a model is opened.
Create Geometry References: When this option is on, a geometry reference will be created automatically for
each piece of geometry when it is imported.
Create Analysis Model References: When this option is on, an analysis model reference will be created auto-
matically for each analysis model when it is imported.
Create Analysis Results References: When this option is on, an analysis results reference will be created auto-
matically for each analysis result set when it is imported.
All options are off by default. For more information on references, see Section 2.4.2, "File, References..."
Note: The Enable Old Analysis Interfaces should not be used as these interfaces are no longer maintained
and have not been updated since FEMAP version 8.0. Please see Section 2.3, "Importing/Exporting
Files" for more information on using the Analysis Set Manager.
Interfaces 2-43
General Solver Options
Run Analysis using VisQ
Turn on this option to use VisQ, the Visual Queue Manager for FEMAP, to run an analysis. This option will check
the Run Analysis using VisQ option by default in the Analysis Set Manager.
Skip Comments when Exporting
When this option is on, FEMAP will not write any comments into the input file. Comments include FEMAP names
and IDs for corresponding groups and sets. Header information indicating the version of FEMAP used and the date
the file was written will also not be written.
Compute Principal Stress/Strain
When this option is on and you read analysis results, FEMAP will automatically compute principal, Von Mises,
max shear and mean stresses and strains if they have not been read, and if all required XYZ components of stress/
strain have been read. You can turn this option off if you do not want to post-process these output quantities. Turn-
ing this option off can result in substantial speed improvements during the final phases of reading results.
You may also want to turn this option off if your analysis program already computes these values. FEMAP does not
compute new values if results exist already, but the checking procedure for these vectors will take some time, espe-
cially in extremely large models.
Assume Engineering Shear Strain
Turn on this option to assume that the shear strain read from the solver results is engineering shear strain rather than
actual shear strain. Since shear strain is used to calculate the principal stress/strain values, its important to specify
the shear strain method.
Nastran Solver Options
Using MSC/MD Nastran 2004 or later
Must be turned on when using MSC Nastran 2004, 2005, 2007, or any MD Nastran version in order to make sure
that Nastran creates a compatible binary results file (.op2) that can be read into FEMAP correctly. It is a good idea
to select this option if you are always using MSC Nastran 2004 or above for analysis.
Improve Single Field Precision
When this option is on, FEMAP will write all values specified using scientific notation or longer than 8 charac-
ters to the Nastran input file without the E designation. For instance, a value such as 4.86111E-4 in FEMAP
would appear in the Nastran input file as 4.8611-4 when this option is on instead of 4.861E-4. Small field only.
Write Alternate Line Continuation
When this option is on, FEMAP will write all Nastran line continuation markers to + only. The only exception is
for the Basic Cylindrical and Basic Spherical coordinate systems written out to every Nastran file by default.
Previous versions of FEMAP would write descriptive continuation markers, which can be turned on again by
turning off this option.
Output Set Titles
When this option is set FEMAP will use the specified type of Nastran title when reading output from the .op2 or
.xdb results files. Options available are TITLE, SUBTITLE, and LABEL.
Solver Memory (Mb 0=Auto)
Allows you to allocate the amount of memory for Nastran to use when solving. If you leave this field blank, Nas-
tran will use the value currently set in your Nastran Resource file (Nast*.rcf located in the conf directory for NX
Nastran 4.0, 4.1, or 5.0), which by default is often set to memory = estimate (NX Nastran will try to determine
how much memory the job requires). This is usually recommended.
Note: If you are using multiple versions of MSC/MD Nastran (Any MD, 2007, 2005, 2004, 2001, 70.7, 70.5,
etc.) you may want to use the options available in the MSC/MD NASTRAN Version section of the NAS-
TRAN Executive and Solution Options dialog box found in the Analysis Set Manager to choose the spe-
cific MSC/MD Nastran version on a case-by-case basis
Note: This option is not available when importing results from the .f06 results file.
The mechanism FEMAP uses to set this option is to add a command line option (memory = VALUE mb) when the
job is submitted. This will override the value currently set in your Nastran Resource file.
Scratch Directory
Allows you to select the Scratch Directory for NX Nastran to use:
Nastran Default: Directory chosen during installation to use for creating NX Nastran scratch files.
Femap Scratch: Directory specified in the Database tab of the Preferences dialog box, where the FEMAP has
been directed to place the FEMAP scratch file.
Output Directory: Directory specified by the Direct Output To option on this tab of the Preferences dialog box.
The Include Database Files in Scratch Option will make sure the Nastran files (i.e., *.DBALL, *.MASTER,
*.OBJSCR, *.SCR300, *.SCRATCH, etc.) are also written to the specified Scratch Directory for Nastran. This is
accomplished by using the dbs Nastran command line option when running the analysis.
Direct Output To
Allows you to select the directory to direct all Nastran output:
Current Directory: Last used directory by FEMAP. If a model has been saved to a directory, the output will be
directed to that directory when this option is on. If you have opened a model, imported geometry, or imported a
FEMAP neutral file from a directory, then that is now the current directory.
Model File Directory (default): The directory where the model file currently being used in located. All output
will go into this directory until the model is saved somewhere else. Importing geometry or neutral files from
other directories has no effect on where the output will be sent. If you are working on a model that has not been
saved, the output will be directed to a temporary directory until the model is saved.
Specified Directory: This option allows you to send all NX Nastran output to a directory that you have speci-
fied. You can us the ... browse button to select a directory. This can helpful because your output will always
be in the same place if you need to view the files or clean-up leftover output files from old analysis runs.
Use ILP 64-bit NX Nastran
If you have NX Nastran installed on a 64-bit system, this option will instruct NX Nastran to solve using the ILP
version of 64-bit Nastran. ILP is able to allocate more memory than regular 64-bit Nastran by using a 64-bit
word size and 64-bit memory pointer, while integers are 64-bits and floating point uses one 64-bit word.
Write All Static Load/BC Sets
When this option is on, FEMAP will write ALL loads and constraint sets to the Nastran input file for Linear Static
Analysis. This essentially forces FEMAP to write out Nastran input files for SOL 101 the way it has in all versions
before FEMAP 10.1.
Read Comments as Titles
When you write out a Nastran file from FEMAP, you can write out titles (such as property or material names) as
comments. Turn on this option to read in these comments when you import the Nastran results back into FEMAP.
This option works best reading in comments as material and property titles. It may not read in comments as func-
tion, load set, or constraint set titles.
Note: Please refer to NX Nastran documentation for more information on setting the correct memory value
for the solver. Allocating more memory than your machine has can cause the solver to fail and setting
this value too low can cause the solver to be less efficient.
Note: If you are using the Model File Directory option, and you have a model that has never been saved (i.e.,
open FEMAP, create a model, then run in NX Nastran without saving), then the output files will be
directed to the FEMAP Scratch directory specified on the Database tab of the Preferences dialog
box. This is only the case for completely unsaved models.
Note: If you are using the Specified Directory option, it is a good idea to create a directory specifically for this
purpose only, such as C:\Output.
Interfaces 2-45
Read DirCos for Solid Stress/Strain
This option can be used when you wish to retrieve the direction cosines for solid stress/strain post-processing infor-
mation from your analysis program. Previous versions of FEMAP would ask you if you wanted to read this data
during the results import process. This is off by default since the direction cosine information can be quite large and
most users do not use this information.
Delete Read Synthetic Load Sets
When importing a Nastran input file, several additional load sets are sometimes created to facilitate combinations
of structural, thermal, and dynamic loads. FEMAP allows different types of loads to be in a single load set, so often
these additional load sets are not required after they have been assembled. When this option is on, FEMAP will
simply delete these component load sets, as they are no longer needed.
Create Groups from INCLUDE files
This option will automatically create groups based on INCLUDE statements found in imported Nastran input files.
Each INCLUDE statement points to a different Nastran input file. The entities found in each unique input file will
be placed into a separate group. INCLUDE statements may point to files which also contain INCLUDE statements,
creating a nested hierarchy. If this is the case, FEMAP will create a Referenced Group containing groups (reg-
ular or referenced) automatically created from INCLUDE statements. Therefore, it may be possible to have a ref-
erenced group which references any number of other referenced groups or regular groups. This is all done to
try and keep the hierarchy of the original Nastran input file in place via groups in FEMAP.
Auto Answer Post Questions button
Pressing this button will display a dialog box which will
allow you to toggle Auto Answer check boxes for a variety
of questions which may appear in dialog boxes during import
of Nastran results from .f06 file. One additional General
Question may also be auto-answered with regard to read-
ing Nonlinear Stresses and Strains from the .f06 and .op2
files.
When the check box next to an option is checked, FEMAP
will Auto Answer the dialog box question related to that
option with the answer specified in the drop-down menu
(0..No or 1..Yes) to the right of the option. If the check
box is not checked, FEMAP will display the question in a
dialog box and await manual response from the user.
Here is a detailed description of each option:
Output Contains QUADR Elements - When importing
results following analysis with MSC Nastran where XY PLOT info has been written to the .f06 file, FEMAP will
ask Is Output on QUADR/TRIAR elements?. If you have QUADR/TRIAR elements in your model, then you
should answer this question with Yes, if not, answer No. It is very important to make sure this question is
answered correctly. If not, the imported XY output data will not be given the correct title, and in certain cases,
entire functions will not be read into FEMAP.
Output Contains Corner Output - When importing results following analysis where XY PLOT info has been
written to the .f06 file, FEMAP will ask Does Output Contain Corner Data?. If you have requested corner data
for any elemental output from the analysis, then you should answer this question with Yes, if you have not, then
answer No. It is very important to make sure this question is answered correctly, because if you have requested
corner data and answer No, or have not and answer Yes, the imported XY output data will not be given the cor-
rect title, and in certain cases, entire functions will not be read into FEMAP..
Read PSD/Freq functions - When importing results following Random Response analysis, FEMAP will ask OK
to read PSD vs. Frequency Functions?. If you have requested this type of output using the NASTRAN Output for
Note: If you have NO output types checked in the Elemental section of the Nastran Output Requests dia-
log box in the Analysis Set Manager, then you do NOT have corner data output in your model. If you
have any output requested in the Elemental section, then the Element Corner Results option in the
Customization section of the Nastran Output Requests dialog box determines whether the resulting
output file contains corner data (checked) or not (unchecked).
Random Analysis dialog box in FEMAP or directly in the Nastran input file, this data is always imported from the
.f06 file, even if the rest of the results reside in an .op2 file.
Read Corner Output - If Element Corner Results were requested when an analysis job was run, FEMAP will
ask OK to read plate element corner stresses? or OK to read solid element corner stresses? when importing
results using a .f06 file into a model containing various plane or solid elements. By answering Yes, FEMAP will
import all of the additional output related to the element corner results. This corner data is always imported when
using .op2 files.
Hide f06 Warning Dialog - When checked, FEMAP will NOT display the Message Review dialog box. This
dialog box allows you to simply Continue with importing of results or Show Details which consists of fatal
errors, warning messages, and information messages written to the .f06 file during analysis. Once reviewed, the
results may then be imported.
Read Nonlinear Output - When a nonlinear analysis is run using Nastran, both Nonlinear stresses/strains and
regular stresses/strains are available in the output file. An Output Set in FEMAP can only contain the Nonlinear
OR the Regular stresses/strains, not both. Checking this option will always read in the Nonlinear stresses/strains
from the output file of a nonlinear analysis. If this option is not checked, which is the default, FEMAP will bring up
a dialog box during the import of results which allows you to choose which stresses/strains to read (Yes = Nonlin-
ear, No = Regular).
2.6.2.8 Library/Startup
This section allows you to
define the default libraries to
be used for several different
types of entities in FEMAP
and define a startup prefer-
ence.
For any of the libraries, you do
not have to specify a complete
path as long as the file is in a
directory which is along your
DOS PATH. FEMAP first
searches your current directory
and then along your path until
it finds the file.
You can also use the Browse
button to search for a specific
directory where a FEMAP
library file might be found. By
using Browse (...), a number of
users can share one common
set of FEMAP library files, as
long as those users have appro-
priate access and permissions
to the directories where the
shared library files are located.
The View Library contains
views that can be loaded into
your model. This file must
exist if you are going to use the
Load View or Save View but-
tons in the View Visibility dia-
log box (Ctrl+Q).
Library/Startup 2-47
The Material, Property, Layup, Connection Property, Function, Analysis, and Format libraries are files which
contain data that can be accessed via the Save and Load buttons on the creation (or list) commands. You must
specify the name of an existing file if you plan to use the Load option; however, Save will create a new file if
one does not currently exist.
The Material Type Definition file contains the dialog box titles as well as the record formats for Other Types of
materials. This file can be modified to include additional material types, but modifications are only suggested
when accessing FEMAP information from a FEMAP neutral file since dedicated translators such as ABAQUS
or LS-DYNA will not recognize these user materials. Materials contained in the mat_scr.esp file installed with
FEMAP are supported by the specific dedicated translators.
Deleting Individual Entries and Views from Libraries
Any individual entry saved in a Material, Property, Connection Property, Function, Analysis, or Format library in
FEMAP can be deleted using the Delete, Library ... commands. These commands allow you to delete entries one at
a time from the library currently set in the Library/Startup tab of the Preferences dialog box.
Also, any individual view can be deleted from the View library specified in the Library/Startup tab of the Prefer-
ences dialog box using the Delete, Library, View command.
Startup Program File/Basic Script/Executable and Custom Tools
Custom Tools Path
The Custom Tools Path allows you to specify a custom commands and tools directory to be used every time
FEMAP is initialized. You can select the directory by using the Browse button (...).
FEMAP contains a toolbar called Custom Tools. This toolbar allows you to choose a directory on your machine
where you can store all custom commands and tools. Custom tools can be recorded Program Files (.PRO or
.PRG files), FEMAP Basic scripts (usually .BAS files), or other executable (for instance, a Visual Basic script
compiled into a .EXE file). The Custom Tools toolbar will take any of those file types it locates in the specified
directory and automatically place them into a menu structure which drops-down from the Custom Tools toolbar.
Program
Allows you to choose a Program File, FEMAP Basic Script, or other executable (for instance, a Visual Basic
script compiled into a .EXE file) to run every time FEMAP is initialized or every time the File, New... command is
used to create a new FEMAP model. You can select the appropriate file by using the Browse button (...) to locate
the file in a particular directory.
Run for Every New Model
When the Run for Every New Model option is checked, FEMAP will run the Startup Program every time a new
model is created. If unchecked (default), it will only run the Startup Program when FEMAP is initialized.
Note: If you are using more than 1 or 2 custom commands or tools, this saves a great deal of time because
in versions of FEMAP prior to 9.3, each command would have to be added to the user commands one at
a time and then placed into menus and/or toolbars.
2.6.2.9 Color
This section outlines the options located on the Color tab of the Preferences dialog box.
You can control the default colors for all entities.
The Reset Colors button on this dialog box changes all colors back to the FEMAP defaults.
You can choose the Color Palette to use for these colors. These colors will be used whenever you start a new
model. You must save these changes if you want them to have any effect
You can also choose the User Contour Palette which contains the user-defined contour palette colors. This file
must exist if you are going to choose the user-defined palette in the View Options command.
Note: The Color Palette is stored with the model in FEMAP versions 9.3 and above. This means if you have
loaded or altered a Color Palette in a model, that Color Palette will be available when the model is
opened and also if the model is transferred into a newer version of FEMAP via a FEMAP Neutral File.
You can alter the current Color Palette or load a different Color Palette in any command in FEMAP
that brings up the Color Palette dialog box (i.e., Modify, Color, Node).
Note: The User Contour Palette can be specified for each view in a model. This can be done using the View,
Options command, PostProcessing Category, Contour/Criteria Levels Option. Clicking the Set Levels...
button and then the User Palette... button will allow you to specify the User Contour Palette. See Sec-
tion 8.3.10.4, "User-Defined Contour Palette" for more information about the User Contour Palette
Spaceball 2-49
2.6.2.10 Spaceball
This section outlines the options located on the Spaceball tab of the Preferences dialog box:
The six values in Scale Factors enable you to control the relative sensitivity of each degree of freedom.
For example:
if rotation about the screen x-
axis is slow, increase the x rota-
tion scale factor. If you increase
it too much, the motion in that
degree of freedom will not be
smooth.
if zooming is too fast, reduce
the z translation scale factor. If
you reduce the value too far, it
will take a long time to zoom in
or zoom out in the model
Sometimes, when moving the
spaceball in one degree of free-
dom, it is difficult to prevent
motion in another degree of
freedom.
On the 3Dconnexion driver dia-
log, you can switch Dominant
Axis on. This suppresses all
motion except the largest. If this
is off, you can effectively con-
trol the same thing with the
Directional Sensitivity slider.
Moving the slider to the right
makes the largest axes dominant
and moving the slider to the left
allows all the axes to effect the
motion. The default position is
in the middle.
Print Debug Messages
If you turn this option on, FEMAP will write print debug messages to the Messages window. FEMAP Support may
request this information to help you resolve a graphics display problem involving a Spaceball device.
2.7 Using File, Recent Models - 1,2,3,4
The four most recently edited model files are listed on the File menu to enable you to more rapidly select them. If
you choose one of these files, FEMAP will automatically open this model file, but only after asking you if you
would like to save the current model file.
2.8 Exiting FEMAP
The File, Exit command allows you to leave FEMAP. You will be given a chance to save all current models that are
open in this FEMAP session if you have made any changes since your last save. If you have just started a new Unti-
tled model, you will always be asked whether you want to save the model even though it might be empty. If your
model is untitled, the standard file access dialog box will be displayed so you can specify a file name for the model.
Alt+F4
3. Geometry
Geometry provides the framework for most finite element meshes. Therefore, it is necessary to have robust tools
for creating geometry. FEMAP has the capability to build geometry from simple points to complex 3-D solids.
Generally, you can create, copy, or modify geometry. The geometry section of this manual is separated into six
main sections, which are listed below.
Section 3.1, "Creating Points" (on the Geometry menu)
Section 3.2, "Creating Curves"(on the Geometry menu)
Section 3.3, "Creating Surfaces"(on the Geometry menu)
Section 3.4, "Creating Solids/Volumes"(on the Geometry menu)
Section 3.5, "Copying Geometry"(on the Geometry menu)
Section 3.6, "Modifying Geometry" (on the Modify menu)
Section 3.7, "Deleting Geometry" (on the Delete menu)
3.1 Creating Points
Points are used for constructing other geometry or finite element data. You may also apply loads and constraints to
points, and FEMAP will automatically apply them to nodes attached to the points. Points are similar to nodes in
that they are simply located at a specific location. Unlike nodes, however, they are not a finite element entity and
are not translated to analysis programs. Instead, they are used for defining geometry. Just as elements reference
nodes, curves reference points.
3.1.1 Geometry, Point...
... uses the standard coordinate definition dialog boxes (described in the FEMAP User Guide) to create points.
Choosing the Parameters button will display the Geometry Parameters dialog box, where you can set the active
layer or point color.
3.2 Creating Curves
Curves form the basis from which you can create surfaces, and they can also be generated from surfaces. They ref-
erence points to define their location. You can apply loads and constraints directly to curves, and FEMAP will auto-
matically convert them to nodal/elemental values on the attached FEA entities.
The Curve section of the Geometry menu has five submenus:
Curve -Line
Curve - Arc
Curve - Circle
Curve - Spline
Curve - From Surface
3.2.1 Lines
Lines are simply straight lines connecting two points. The Geometry, Curve-Line menu is partitioned into three sec-
tions:
The top portion creates lines in the workplane. Any locations that are specified in 3-D space will be automati-
cally projected onto the workplane.
3-2 Geometry
The second section consists of the Rectangle command. This command creates a rectangle in the workplane. It
is separated from the commands above because it creates four lines at once.
The bottom portion of the menu contains commands that are used to create lines in 3-D space. These commands
do not project the inputs onto the workplane.
3.2.1.1 Geometry, Curve-Line, Project Points...
... creates a line between two locations, which you specify using the standard coordinate definition dialog boxes.
Before creating the line, this command projects
the coordinates that you specify onto the work-
plane. Therefore, the line that is created always
lies in the workplane. The coordinates are pro-
jected along a vector that is perpendicular to the
workplane. If you want to create a line between
coordinates in 3D space (i.e. not in the work-
plane), use the Curve - Line, Coordinates com-
mand.
3.2.1.2 Geometry, Curve-Line, Horizontal...
... creates a line, centered around one location. The line is oriented along the X axis of the workplane. The name of
this command comes from the fact that in the default XY view, before you reorient the workplane, the workplane X
axis is horizontal on the screen.
This command uses the standard coordinate definition
dialog boxes to specify the coordinates of the required
location. The location is automatically projected onto the
workplane, along a vector which is perpendicular to the
workplane. The projected location is used as the center of
the line.
The length of the horizontal line in either direction from
the center is controlled by the Horizontal/Vertical Line
Length parameter. You can adjust this length by pressing
the Parameter button on the standard coordinate dialog,
and entering a new value prior to defining the center location.
3.2.1.3 Geometry, Curve-Line, Vertical...
... works just like Curve - Line, Horizontal, except the line will lie along the workplane Y axis. In the default XY
view with the original workplane orientation, this will be vertical on your screen.
Hint: You can use this command to create a 2D projected image of 3D geometry. Just set up the workplane so
the workplane normal is along the direction that you want to project, and pick the end points of the
existing lines (using Snap To Point). New lines will be created in the workplane.
Hint: Since control of the line length is somewhat difficult using this method, but positioning the line is very
quick, this method is often used for creating initial construction geometry which you then plan to mod-
ify with trim, join or break commands.
Workplane
Original
Coordinates
Projected
Coordinates
Workplane
Original
Projected
Xw
Yw
Coordinates
Coordinates
Geometry, Curve-Line, Perpendicular... 3-3
3.2.1.4 Geometry, Curve-Line, Perpendicular...
... creates a line in the workplane that is perpendicular to another curve. Three inputs are required for this method,
the origin of the new line, the original curve, and a location to specify direction. The origin projected along the
workplane normal vector, onto the workplane.
The total length of the line to be created is
based on the Horizontal/Vertical Line Length
parameter. You can change the length by press-
ing the Parameter button to change the length
in the Geometry Parameters dialog box. The
line to be created will start at the base location
(projected onto the workplane), will be ori-
ented perpendicular to the selected curve, and
will move in the direction of the location spec-
ified as the last input to this command.
3.2.1.5 Geometry, Curve-Line, Parallel...
... creates a line in the workplane that is parallel to another line. The required input for this command is the original
line and an offset distance. The line that you choose does not have to lie in the workplane. If it does not, it will be
projected onto the workplane (along the workplane normal) and the new line will be parallel to the projection. The
Offset distance is measured in the workplane, perpendicular to the original line.
When you press OK, you will see the standard
coordinate definition dialog box, asking for a
location on the side of the original line where
you want the offset curve to lie. Although you
can specify the coordinates in any manner, typ-
ically the best way is to point at the appropri-
ate side of the line, and click with the mouse.
The actual coordinates do not matter, just their
relationship to the original curve. The new line
will be offset toward the side of the line that
you specify.
The length of the new line is identical to the length of the original line that you choose
Note: If you choose a curve that does not lie in the current workplane, the selected curve will first be projected
into the workplane, then the perpendicular to the projection will be determined. The projection method
will work fine for lines, but if you choose an arc or circle that is not oriented parallel to the workplane,
the resulting line will not be perpendicular to the projection. Rather, it will go through the projection of
the original arc/circle center point.
Workplane
Original
Projected Base
Coordinates
Coordinates
Original Curve
Original Curve
Offset Distance
Coordinates
chosen on this
side
measured in the
workplane
Workplane
3-4 Geometry
3.2.1.6 Geometry, Curve-Line, Midline...
... creates a line in the workplane that is the center
line between two existing lines. To create a mid-
line, choose two other lines. If they do not lie in
the workplane, they will be automatically pro-
jected along the workplane normal.
The resulting line will lie halfway between the
respective end points of the two lines that you
choose.
The length of the midline is determined by the rel-
ative positions of the lines you choose.
3.2.1.7 Geometry, Curve-Line, At Angle...
... creates a line in the workplane at a specified angle from the workplane X axis. Initially, you must specify the
base coordinates of the line using the standard coordinate entry dialog boxes. The coordinates that you specify are
projected onto the workplane, along a vector which is normal to the workplane.
Finally you specify the angle from the workplane X
axis to the line. Positive angles are measured from
the positive workplane X axis toward the positive
workplane Y axis. Negative angles are measured
toward the negative workplane Y axis.
The total length of the line to be created is based on
the Horizontal/Vertical Line Length parameter. You
can change the length by pressing the Parameter
button to change the length in the Geometry Param-
eters dialog box.
3.2.1.8 Geometry, Curve-Line, Angle to Curve...
... is similar to the Geometry, Curve-Line, At Angle command, except that instead of specifying the angle from the
workplane X axis, you select a curve, and specify the angle measured from the curve direction.
Just like the At Angle command, the first data required is the base location, specified with the standard coordinate
entry dialog boxes. The location that you specify is again projected onto the workplane along the workplane normal
vector.
Next, you choose both the curve to measure from, and the angle from that curve. You can choose any location for
this command. It is not necessary for the base location to lie along the curve that you measure.
Workplane
Original Curve
Original Curve
Workplane
Original
Projected
Xw
Yw
Coordinates
Coordinates
Positive Angle
Workplane
Original
Projected
Coordinates
Coordinates
Positive Angle
Original Curve
Geometry, Curve-Line, Point and Tangent... 3-5
If the curve that you select is not a line however, the base location will be projected (in the workplane) onto the
curve and the base direction (zero angle) will be along the positive tangent to the curve.
3.2.1.9 Geometry, Curve-Line, Point and Tangent...
.... creates a line in the workplane through a point and tangent to a selected arc or circle. The first input for this
command is the curve.
After selecting the curve, you will see the standard coordinate dialog box. Here you must specify the location of the
end point of the line. This defines the end of the line opposite the end that will be tangent to the curve. You can
specify any location, but if you specify a location that is not on the workplane, those coordinates will be projected
along the workplane normal, to a location which is on the workplane.
The only restriction on the end point location is that it must lie outside of the arc/circle that you chose. No tangent
can be formed which passes through an interior point to the curve.
Finally, the standard coordinate dialog is displayed again. This time you must specify a location on the side closest
to the tangent that you want to use. Since there are two tangents that can be formed through any exterior point, this
allows you to choose the one that you want. There is no need for precise coordinates in this dialog. You must sim-
ply choose a location which is closer to one tangent point than the other; typically, a location on the appropriate
side of the circle.
For this command FEMAP considers arcs to be the same as circles. That is, you can still form a tangent to a portion
of the arc that lies outside of the arc end points. FEMAP ignores the end points, just as if the arc were a full circle.
For this reason, you must still choose the near location for an arc, even though there may only be one tangent
possible that falls within the end points.
3.2.1.10 Geometry, Curve-Line, Tangent...
... creates a line in the workplane which is tangent to two arcs or circles. First, you must choose the two curves that
you want to use.
Note: If you choose an arc or circle that does not lie in the workplane, FEMAP will project the key points of
that curve onto the workplane, and use the arc/circle defined by those projected locations to calculate
the tangent. If the curve was parallel to the workplane, this will not cause any problems. However, if the
curve normal is not parallel to the workplane normal, the resulting tangent will be calculated based on a
circle with a projected radius. Use this option carefully.
Projected
Coordinates
Tangent to Curve
Original
Curve
Projected End Point
Coordinates
Selected Curve
Use Point of
Tangency on
this side of Curve
All in Workplane
3-6 Geometry
You can choose any arcs or circles, but neither curve can lie completely inside the other. If it did, no tangents could
be computed.
When you have selected the curves, FEMAP will ask for a location using the standard coordinate dialog boxes.
This location does not have to be specified precisely, but is used to select which tangency points will be used.
Typically, as shown above, when you select two circles, there could be four possible tangents - one above, one
below and two crossing tangents. You must choose a location near the end point on the first curve (the From
curve) of the tangent that you want to create. The location is not used to compute the tangent. It is just used to select
from the four choices.
3.2.1.11 Geometry, Curve-Line, Rectangle...
... automatically creates four lines in the workplane that form a rectangle. The only input required are the coordi-
nates of two diagonally opposite corners of the rectangle. You will specify these locations using the standard coor-
dinate definition dialog boxes
FEMAP takes the locations that you specify and projects them, along the workplane normal, to equivalent locations
which lie on the workplane. The rectangle is formed from these projected locations. The sides of the rectangle are
always oriented along the workplane X and Y axes. Therefore, by changing the orientation of the workplane, you
can use this command to create rectangles in various orientations.
3.2.1.12 Geometry, Curve-Line, Continuous...
... creates a series of connected line segments between locations specified in three-dimensional space. The specified
locations are not projected onto the workplane, however, coordinates that you pick graphically will still always be
located in the workplane. This is usually the best command to use whenever you must create a boundary, since it
requires very little input.
Selected
All in Workplane
Pick near here
to create tangent
or, Pick near here
to create crossing tangent
as shown
Selected
From Curve
To Curve
Workplane
Projected
Coordinates
Xw
Yw
Projected
Coordinates
Original
Corner Locations
Geometry, Curve-Line, Points... 3-7
The standard coordinate definition dialog boxes are
used to specify the line segment end points. The first
line will be created after you specify the second end
point. Then, another line will be created after each
additional location that you specify. These lines will
connect the previous location to the one that you just
specified. As each line is created, it will appear in
your graphics windows.
You can continue to specify coordinates and create
lines for as long as you like. There is no limit on the
number of lines you can create in a single command. When you are done, press Cancel to stop creating lines. If you
press Cancel after having created two or more lines, you will be asked whether you want to close the lines. If you
choose Yes, a final line will be created joining the last location that you specified to the first location - thus creating
a closed polygon.
3.2.1.13 Geometry, Curve-Line, Points...
... creates a single line between two existing points. Unlike the other line creation commands, this command can
only be used when you already have point entities that you want to connect. The primary use for this command is to
connect end points of other curves.
To request the points that you want to connect, you can enter
the point IDs or choose them with your mouse, but the points
must already exist. Since the new line simply connects these
existing points, it does not lie in the workplane, unless both
points you select happen to be located in the workplane.
3.2.1.14 Geometry, Curve-Line, Coordinates...
... creates a single line in three dimensional space between two coordinate locations that you specify using the stan-
dard coordinate definition dialog box. This command is very similar to the Geometry, Curve-Line, Continuous
command, except that it requires two end points for each line that is created. You should use this command when
you have a series of lines to create, but the lines are not connected at their end points.
3.2.1.15 Geometry, Curve-Line, Offset...
... creates a line offset, in three dimensional space from another line. You first select the line from which you want
to offset. You may only choose lines for this command.
When you have selected the existing curve,
you will see the standard vector definition
dialog box. The vector that you specify will
be used to compute the offset location of the
new line. You do not have to specify the base
of the vector at either end point, nor at any
other specific location. The vector compo-
nents are simply used to offset the end points
of the original line. The length of the vector
that you specify will be the offset distance.
Hint: If the lines that you need to create are not coincident at their end points, use the Geometry, Curve-Line,
Coordinates command instead of this command.
End point Locations
Optionally
create line
to close
Point
Point
F9
Original Curve
Offset along
this vector
3-8 Geometry
3.2.1.16 Geometry, Curve-Line, Vectored...
... creates a three dimensional line using the standard vector definition dialog boxes. This command gives you
access to the many special vector definition methods (along axis, components, normal, bisect,...) when creating
lines. The line that is created will go from the base to the tip of the vector that you specify.
Even if you just use the basic vector definition methods, like locate, when you choose the base and tip of the line
graphically, you have the benefit of seeing the line/vector dynamically drawn with the cursor before you choose the
end points.
3.2.2 Arcs
You may also define circular arcs with FEMAP by using the commands under the Geometry, Curve-Arc menu. This
submenu is broken into two sections. The commands at the top of the menu (above the separator line) all create arcs
which lie in the current workplane. The other commands can create arcs anywhere, including in the workplane.
All of the methods can be used to create equivalent arcs. The various commands are merely for convenience in
specifying the input.
3.2.2.1 Geometry, Curve-Arc, Center-Start-End...
... creates an arc in the workplane by specifying the location of the center and two end points of the arc. The stan-
dard coordinate definition dialog boxes are used to define all three locations.
The locations that you specify are first projected onto the workplane along the workplane normal, and are then used
to define the arc. As shown in the figure, the center location and start point are used to define the radius of the arc.
The end point does not have to lie on the perimeter, but the arc will terminate along the line that goes from the cen-
ter to the end point.
The arc will always be created in a counter-
clockwise direction in the workplane. That is,
the arc will go from the start point, in the direc-
tion from the workplane X axis toward the
workplane Y axis. As shown in the figure, if
you reverse the workplane normal, the same
start and end points create complimentary arcs.
Similarly, just swapping the start and end points
produces the same results.
3.2.2.2 Geometry, Curve-Arc, Radius-Start-End...
... creates an arc in the workplane by specifying two end points and the desired radius. To use this command you
must first specify the starting and ending locations of the arc using the standard coordinate entry dialog boxes. You
can specify any three-dimensional locations, but they will be projected onto the workplane, along the workplane
normal.
Hint: If you need to offset multiple curves along the same vector, including curves that are not lines, use the
Geometry, Copy, Curve command instead.
Start point
All in Workplane
Center of Arc
End point
Xw
Yw
radius
Start point
All in Workplane
Center of Arc
End point
Xw
Yw
Geometry, Curve-Arc, Angle-Start-End... 3-9
After specifying the end points, you will be asked for the radius. If you specify a positive radius, the resulting arc
will always have an included angle less than 180 degrees. A negative radius will choose the complimentary or
major arc (always greater than 180 degrees).
This command creates arcs that go in a counter-clockwise direction (relative to the workplane axes) from starting to
ending points. The figure shows several possibilities:
Reversing the direction of the workplane normal has the same effect as swapping the end points, as shown in the
figure.
3.2.2.3 Geometry, Curve-Arc, Angle-Start-End...
... creates an arc in the workplane by specifying two end points and the included angle of the arc that connects
them. This command works just like the Geometry, Curve-Arc, Radius-Start-End command, except that you spec-
ify the included angle instead of the radius.
The shape and orientation of the arc to be created follows the convention shown for the Radius-Start-End method.
If you specify a positive angle, the arc will go in a counterclockwise direction (relative to the workplane X and Y
axes) from the start to the end point. A negative angle goes in a clockwise direction. This agrees with the normal
conventions for two-dimensional polar coordinates.
Start point End point
Xw
Yw
Positive Radius
Negative Radius
All in Workplane
Positive Radius
Start point
End point
Negative Radius
Xw
Yw Positive Angle
Positive Angle
All in Workplane
Start point
End point
Negative Angle
Start point
End point Negative Angle
3-10 Geometry
3.2.2.4 Geometry, Curve-Arc, Angle-Center-Start...
... creates an arc in the workplane by defining the location of the center, the starting location and the included angle.
If the locations that you specify do not lie in the workplane, they will be projected along the workplane normal to
new locations that are in the workplane.
This command is very similar to the Geometry, Curve-Arc, Angle-Start-End command. Instead of specifying an
ending location, however, you specify the center. The arc radius is automatically determined from the distance
between the center and starting locations. The end point is determined by rotating the start point through the speci-
fied angle.
If you specify a positive angle, the arc will be drawn in a counter-clockwise direction relative to the workplane
axes. A negative angle will create a clockwise arc. For an example of this convention, refer to the figure for
"Geometry, Curve-Arc, Angle-Start-End...".
3.2.2.5 Geometry, Curve-Arc, Chord-Center-Start...
... creates an arc in the workplane by defining the location of the center, a starting location and the length of the arc
chord. The standard coordinate definition dialog boxes are used to define both the center and starting locations.
Both of these locations will be projected onto the workplane, if required. The relative positions of these projected
locations determines the arc radius.
All arcs created by this command are drawn in a counter-clockwise direction (relative to the workplane XY axes).
If you specify a positive chord length, the arc will always have an included angle less than 180 degrees. Specifying
a negative angle creates a complimentary arc with an included angle that is larger than 180 degrees. By definition,
the chord length must always be shorter than twice the radius (the distance from the center to starting point).
3.2.2.6 Geometry, Curve-Arc, Points...
... creates an arc which passes through three locations on the perimeter. This arc does not have to be in the work-
plane. It will be drawn through any three locations that you define.
The standard coordinate dialog boxes will be displayed three
times during this command. The first coordinate is used for
the start of the arc, the second for any point along the arc, and
the third for the ending location. Since the arc is drawn from
the start, to the middle, to the ending locations, there are no
clockwise/counter-clockwise conventions. The direction is
simply based on the relative positions of the three locations.
3.2.2.7 Geometry, Curve-Arc, Center and Points...
... creates an arc which is defined by its center, start and ending locations. The arc created by this command does
not have to lie in the workplane. It is oriented by the locations that you define.
The standard coordinate dialog boxes will be displayed four times during this command. The first three coordinates
are used to define the center, starting and ending locations. The arc radius is defined by the distance from the center
to the start location. The ending location is used to determine the included angle. The end of the arc will always lie
Start point
Center
Xw
Yw
Positive Chord
Start point
Center
Negative Chord
All in Workplane
Chord Length
Chord Length
Ctrl+F9
Start
Other Location
End
Geometry, Curve-Arc, Start-End-Direction... 3-11
along the line connecting the center and the ending location that you specify. Since the arc radius is constant how-
ever, the arc will not necessarily end at the location you specify. The only time it will end exactly at that location is
if the distance from the center to the end is identical to the distance from the center to the start.
After you specify the first three locations, the standard coordinate dialog box will be displayed a fourth time. The
fourth location can be specified anywhere, but it is used to determine which of the two possible arcs will be created.
Since there is no clockwise/counter-clockwise convention for this three dimensional arc, the arc will be drawn in
the direction from the start to the end that causes it to pass nearest to this fourth position.
3.2.2.8 Geometry, Curve-Arc, Start-End-Direction...
... creates an arc that is defined by two end points and the tangent vector at the starting location. This arc does not
have to lie in the workplane. It is oriented by the locations of the end points and the direction of the tangent.
The two end points are defined first, using
the standard coordinate dialog boxes. There
is no restriction on the positions of these
coordinates, but they must not be coinci-
dent. Finally, the standard vector definition
dialog boxes are used to define the starting
tangent. The tangent vector can be defined
relative to any convenient location. It does
not have to be based at the starting location
of the arc. Only the direction of the vector is used to define the initial tangent direction of the resulting arc.
3.2.3 Circles
There are several methods of creating circles in FEMAP. The Geometry, Curve-Circle submenu is partitioned into
two sections. The commands at the top of the menu (above the separator line) all create circles which lie in the cur-
rent workplane. The other commands can create circles anywhere, including in the workplane.
All of the methods can be used to create equivalent circles, the various commands are merely for convenience in
specifying the input.
Points on a Circle
No matter which command is used, five points will be created for each circle - one at the center, one at the starting
location on the perimeter, and three more every 90 degrees around the perimeter from the starting location. The
radius of the circle is determined by the distance from the center to the starting location. The other points are
merely for your convenience in defining other geometry. For example, you can easily snap a cursor selection to any
of these locations by choosing the Snap To Point method.
If you are modifying (moving, rotating...) points, you must be careful. If you do not move all of the points for each
curve, the circle radius may change, and the other points will no longer lie on the perimeter. In general you should
always use the curve modification commands, rather than the point modifications if you wish to preserve the origi-
nal geometry.
Note: The only restriction on the vector direction is that it must not be parallel to the line connecting the start-
ing and ending locations. If it were, it could not be an arc tangent. Similarly, it is relatively unusual to
choose vectors that are very close to being parallel. They will result in arcs with very large radii.
Start
End
End
Center
Other Location
Other Location
Start
Center
Start
End
End Start
Tangent Vector
can be located
anywhere
Tangent
3-12 Geometry
3.2.3.1 Geometry, Curve-Circle, Radius...
... creates a circle by specifying the two end points of a
radius. That is, a location at the center and one on the
perimeter. This circle will always lie in the workplane.
If you specify coordinates that are not in the workplane,
they will be projected onto the workplane prior to defin-
ing the circle.
The standard coordinate definition dialog boxes will be
displayed twice. First for the center, then for the starting
point. As shown in the figure, the points on the perime-
ter are oriented relative to the line between the center
and starting locations. They are not based on the work-
plane X or Y axes.
3.2.3.2 Geometry, Curve-Circle, Diameter...
... creates a circle in the workplane, by specify-
ing two locations at opposite ends of a diameter.
This command is similar to Geometry Curve-
Circle Radius, but instead of defining the cen-
ter, you specify a point on the opposite side of
the perimeter. Again, this command projects the
locations that you specify onto the workplane
before creating the circle.
3.2.3.3 Geometry, Curve-Circle, Center...
... creates a circle in the workplane by specifying a location at the center, and the length of the radius. The center
location is defined using the standard coordinate definition dialog boxes. The location that you define is first pro-
jected onto the workplane before being used as the center of the circle.
Unlike the Curve-Circle Radius and Diameter
commands, this command does depend on the
orientation of the workplane X and Y axes to
orient the circle. The starting location is always
positioned in the direction of the positive work-
plane X axis relative to the center. If you spec-
ify a positive radius, the first point (at 90
degrees along the circle) is located in the direc-
tion of the positive workplane Y axis. If you
specify a negative radius, it is located in the
direction of the negative workplane Y axis.
3.2.3.4 Geometry, Curve-Circle, Two Points...
... creates a circle in the workplane which
passes through two locations and has a
specified radius. This command is similar
to the Geometry, Curve-Circle, Diameter
command in that you first specify two
points on the perimeter of the circle using
the standard coordinate dialog boxes. In
this case, however, the locations are not at
opposite ends of a diameter. The first point
is still used as the start of the perimeter.
Center
Start
radius
Other points
Xw
Yw
Start
diameter
Other point
Xw
Yw
End
Other point
of diameter
of diameter
Center
Start
radius
Xw
Yw
Positive Radius
Negative Radius
Starting location
Other location
radius
Starting location
Other location
radius
Xw
Yw
Negative Radius Positive Radius
Geometry, Curve-Circle, Point-Tangent... 3-13
The second point is used to orient the circle, but does not determine the radius/diameter. Rather, an additional dia-
log box is displayed which asks for the length of the radius.
As shown, if you specify a positive radius, the center of the circle will be chosen so that the circle will be drawn in
a counter-clockwise direction relative to the workplane X and Y axes. A negative radius chooses the center so that
the circle is drawn in a clockwise direction.
3.2.3.5 Geometry, Curve-Circle, Point-Tangent...
... creates a circle by specifying a center location and choosing a tangent arc, circle or line. This command always
creates circles in the workplane. You specify the center coordinates using the standard coordinate dialog boxes, but
they will be projected onto the workplane before being used to define the circle.
Next, you will be prompted for the curve
ID. This allows you to choose the curve
that will be tangent to the new circle. You
can choose any line, arc or circle. You can-
not choose a spline. No matter what curve
you choose, it will be considered to be
infinite when computing the tangency.
That is, lines will extend to infinity, and
arcs will be considered to be full circles.
If you choose an arc or circle, there would
be two possible points of tangency. This
command will always choose the one that is closest to the center of the new circle. You cannot use this command to
create a circle which envelops another circle. You can, however, create circles which are tangent to either the inte-
rior or exterior of another arc or circle.
The starting point of the new circle will always be located at the point of tangency.
3.2.3.6 Geometry, Curve-Circle, Tangent to Curves...
... creates a circle, of a specified radius, in the workplane which is tangent to two other curves.
Only the dialog box show here is required for this command.
The circle to be created will be tangent to the two curves that you select. If you are choosing two lines, make cer-
tain they are not parallel. The radius can be any value, but must be large enough to make the double tangency pos-
sible. For example, if you are choosing two circles that are separated by 10 inches, a 1 inch radius cannot possibly
be tangent to both.
Center
Start automatically
Xw
Yw
positioned at point
Original Curve
of tangency
Curve 2
Curve 1
Xw
Yw
Pick Curve 2 graphically
in this quadrant to create
Other possible tangent
circles. Center Near
chooses which one will
be created
this circle
3-14 Geometry
The coordinates that you specify for With Center Near are simply used to choose from among the several possible
tangent circles that could be created. Only the circle which has its center closest to the location that you specify will
be created. For convenience, you can change the coordinate system in which this location is specified.
If you are using your mouse to select the curves graphically, the With Center Near coordinates will automatically
be set to the location where you choose the second curve. If you are careful, when you select this curve, you will
not have to respecify any additional center coordinates.
3.2.3.7 Geometry, Curve-Circle, Concentric...
... creates a circle in the workplane which has the same
center as another circle or arc. You can specify any
radius for the new circle. This is a very quick method for
creating a series of circles which have the same center.
Simply select the curve and input the radius. The curve
must be an arc or circle. The starting location of the new
circle will be in the same direction from the center as it is
for the original curve that you select.
3.2.3.8 Geometry, Curve-Circle, Points on Arc...
... creates a circle which passes through three specified
locations. This command is just like the Geometry,
Curve-Arc, Points command, except that it creates a full
circle rather than an arc. The resulting circle does not
have to lie in the workplane, it is completely oriented by
the three locations that you specify.
3.2.3.9 Geometry, Curve-Circle, Center and Points...
... creates a circle specified by its center, a starting location on
the perimeter and one other location. This command is just
like the Geometry Curve-Arc Center and Points command,
except that it creates a full circle rather than an arc. In addi-
tion, one less location is required since there is no end point
for a circle.
The Other Location does not have to lie on the perimeter of
the circle. It is only used to determine the positive direction
around the circle from the starting location. The radius of the
circle is determined from the distance between the center and
starting locations.
Note: You can choose any type of original curves for this command, however, they should lie in the current
workplane. If they do not, they will be projected onto the workplane prior to computing the tangency
and you may not get the results that you expected. Similarly, because of inaccuracies in computing off-
set splines (which are used in the tangency calculations), you may find that if you choose one or more
splines, the resulting circle does not actually touch the spline. For this reason, this command is not rec-
ommended when you are working with splines.
Original
Xw
Yw
radius
Circle
Start
Other
Final Location
Location
Start
Other
Center
Location
Splines 3-15
3.2.4 Splines
FEMAP has the capability to produce splines containing from between four to 110 points. Splines created in
FEMAP with four points will be stored as cubic Bezier curves. Splines created through the Ellipse, Parabola,
Hyperbola, Equation, Tangents, and Blend suboptions will automatically contain four points and be stored as cubic
Bezier splines. Splines created with the remaining commands with more than four points will be stored as B-
Splines. In addition, Non-Uniform Rational B-Splines (NURBS) can be imported through the IGES translator.
Splines are created from their control points. The actual curve passes through the first and last control point, but
does not pass through the intermediate points. FEMAP does have methods which allow you to input a spline based
upon points on the spline, however, FEMAP will use these points to calculate the control points, and then store the
spline with its control points.
The control points of a spline determine the direction of the spline.
In addition to direction, distance between control points influences curvature of the spline. The further the control
point is pulled from the previous control point, the more the spline is pulled toward the intermediate point, and
the curvature is increased.
Displaying Splines
Splines are computed internally with full double precision accuracy. For display purposes however, splines are dis-
played as a series of line segments. If you want to change the accuracy of the display, either to make it more accu-
rate (but slower), or less accurate (but faster), use the View Options command. Choose the Tools and View Style list,
and the Curve and Surface Accuracy option. Then set the Max% Error value. A smaller number makes the display
more accurate.
The Geometry, Curve-Spline submenu is partitioned into three sections: splines in a workplane, splines from ana-
lytics (also in the workplane), and splines in 3-D space. Each of the commands on these menus are discussed below
3.2.4.1 Geometry, Curve-Spline, Project Control Points...
...creates a spline in the workplane specifying the location of the control points. The standard coordinate definition
dialog boxes will be displayed as many times as required (up to 110 times) to allow you to define the control points.
If you create a spline with four points, it will be a Bezier spline. More points will force the curve to be a B-spline.
If the locations you choose are not in the current workplane, they will be projected onto the workplane before the
spline is created.
Note: The Cancel button on the dialog box is utilized to both cancel the creation of the spline, as well as cre-
ate it. If less than four points have been chosen, the Cancel button will enable you to terminate the pro-
cess without creating a spline. Once four points have been defined, however, the Cancel button is used
to terminate input of more points and a spline is created. If you make an input error after four points
have been defined, you cannot cancel the procedure without creating the spline. Simply use the Tools,
Undo command to remove the spline if it is inaccurate. This is true for all procedures that enable you to
create B-splines.
Final Control
Intermediate
Point
Control Points
Final Tangent
Starting Tangent
Final Tangent
Starting
First Control
Point
Tangent
3-16 Geometry
3.2.4.2 Geometry, Curve-Spline, Project Points...
... is similar to the Geometry, Curve-Spline, Project Control Points command, except that instead of defining the
control points, you specify four or more points on the spline. The control points are computed automatically so that
the spline passes through the points that you specified.
The standard coordinate dialog boxes are used to define the points, and the locations are, as usual, projected onto
the workplane. The spline will go through the points in the order that you define them - from first to last.
This command is typically used to create two-dimensional splines to fit a curve through known locations. It lets
you precisely control points to lie along the spline. Some care should be taken, however, when choosing those
points. If you choose points that are extremely close together, it can result in control points at great distances from
the spline.
3.2.4.3 Geometry, Curve-Spline, Ellipse...
... creates four splines, in the workplane, that together form an ellipse. Each spline represents one quadrant of the
full ellipse. When you choose this command you will be asked for the center location using the standard coordinate
dialog boxes. The center will be projected onto the workplane whenever necessary. Next, the standard vector defi-
nition dialog boxes are used to specify the orientation of the principal axis from the center, as shown in the figure
The base location and length of the axis vector are unimportant, only the orientation is used. You must be careful to
specify a vector that is not perpendicular to the workplane, since the vector must be projected onto the workplane.
It is the projection that orients the ellipse.
Finally, you will specify the two radii. The first, or Vector Radius, is the radius of the ellipse along the vector that
you just specified. The other radius is the radius along the other principal axis of the ellipse. If you specify equal
radii, the splines will approximate a circle.
3.2.4.4 Geometry, Curve-Spline, Parabola...
... creates a spline in the workplane that is one side of a parabola. This command requires three sets of coordinates.
Each location is defined using the standard coordinate dialog boxes, and is projected onto the workplane before
being used to create the spline.
Note: Since the underlying mathematics of the spline are based on a parametric cubic equation, the resulting
splines cannot precisely represent a circle or ellipse. For most FEA analyses, however, the approxima-
tion is close enough. Given the four spline layout created by this command, with equal radii, the maxi-
mum deviation from a true circle would be 0.027% of the radius. If this is not close enough, use arc/
circle commands to create precise geometry.
First Point
Fourth
Second Point
Third Point
Computed
Computed
All in Workplane
Control Point
Point
Control Point
Principal Axis Vector
Vector Radius
Other Radius
can be major or minor
axis.
All in Workplane
Geometry, Curve-Spline, Hyperbola... 3-17
The first location is the vertex of the parabola. The
spline will start from this location. The next location
is the focus of the parabola. These coordinates
(along with the vertex) are used to determine the
focal length and focal direction of the parabola. Nei-
ther the spline nor its control points are actually
located at the focus. For reference, however, an extra
point is created at this location. The final location is
an approximate end for the spline. These coordinates
do not have to be specified precisely. They do not
have any impact on the shape or orientation of the parabola, they simply define where you want the parabola to
end.
3.2.4.5 Geometry, Curve-Spline, Hyperbola...
... creates a spline in the workplane that is one side of a hyperbola.
The first input required is the location of the ver-
tex of the hyperbola. The standard coordinate dia-
log boxes are used to specify this location. The
spline will start from this location. The standard
vector dialog boxes are then used to define a vec-
tor toward the focus. The origin and magnitude of
this vector are not important, only the direction is
used to orient the hyperbola. Next, you must
specify the vertex height and asymptote angle, as
shown in the figure. These values determine the
shape of the hyperbola. Finally, an approximate
end for the spline/hyperbola is required. These
coordinates do not have to be specified precisely.
They do not have any impact on the shape or orientation of the hyperbola, they simply define where you want the
curve to end.
3.2.4.6 Geometry, Curve-Spline, Control Points...
... creates a spline by specifying its control points. This command is exactly like the Geometry, Curve-Spline,
Project Control Points command, except that the locations that you define are not projected onto the workplane.
Therefore, the spline created by this command does not necessarily lie in the workplane, and in fact may be nonpla-
nar.
Hint: This command always creates a parabola which extends completely to the vertex. If you need some
other segment of a parabola, you can still use this command to create a basic curve, then use the Modify,
Trim command to cut away the portions that you do not need.
Note: Even though the spline is defined by a parametric cubic equation, the representation of a parabola is
precise. Unlike ellipses and hyperbolas, there is no deviation from a true parabola.
Hint: This command always creates a hyperbola that extends completely to the vertex. If you need some other
segment of a hyperbola, you can still use this command to create a basic curve, then use the Modify,
Trim command to cut away the portions that you do not need.
Note: Since the underlying mathematics of the spline that this command creates is a parametric cubic equa-
tion, it cannot precisely represent a hyperbola. For most finite element applications, however, the devi-
ations are acceptable. The exact deviations are dependent on the geometry specified, but even extreme
cases will be very accurate.
Vertex
Focus
Specified
End Point
Focal Direction
All in Workplane
Specified
End Point
V
e
r
t
e
x
Asymptote Angle
Asymptote
Vertex
Vector toward Focus
All in Workplane

H
e
i
g
h
t
3-18 Geometry
3.2.4.7 Geometry, Curve-Spline, Points...
... creates a spline by specifying four points along the spline. This command is exactly like the Geometry, Curve-
Spline, Project Points command, except that the locations that you define are not projected onto the workplane.
Therefore, the spline created by this command does not necessarily lie in the workplane, and in fact may be nonpla-
nar.
3.2.4.8 Geometry, Curve-Spline, Equation...
... creates a spline by specifying the coefficients of its parametric cubic equations. This is a rather cumbersome way
to create a spline, but provides complete control over the resulting curve.
The parametric equations are shown in the dialog box with blanks for the coefficients. Leaving a coefficient blank
effectively eliminates that term from the equation. If you leave all coefficients for one of the x, y or z equations
blank, the spline will be planar in the corresponding global plane.
3.2.4.9 Geometry, Curve-Spline, Tangents...
... creates a cubic Bezier spline by specifying starting and ending tangent vectors. The standard vector creation dia-
log box is displayed twice so you can define the two vectors.
For this command it is important to define the vector direction, location, and magnitude. The base location of each
vector is used as the starting and ending locations of the spline. The direction and magnitude are used to position
the intermediate control points.
This method can be very powerful when you use the advanced vector definition (tangent, bisect, normal...) meth-
ods.
3.2.4.10 Geometry, Curve-Spline, Blend...
... creates a spline that connects and blends the ends of two existing curves. The resulting spline will be tangent to
the respective ends of the two curves. This command offers only limited control of the interior of the spline but
enforces both connectivity and tangency at the end points.
Here you select the two curves, and two coordinate locations. The coordinate locations are only used to determine
which end of each curve that you want to select. You do not have to specify precise coordinates. In fact, if you
choose the curve graphically the coordinates will be automatically specified to the location you were pointing to
when you picked the curve. Therefore, be sure to point near the end of the curve that you want to use when you
make the selections.
Final Tangent
Starting Tangent
Base of vector
Magnitude and direction
of vector defines
intermediate control
is end point of
spline
points
Geometry, Curve-Spline, Midspline... 3-19
The other required input is the Blend Factor.
This factor is the only control over the interior
shape of the spline. By specifying a larger num-
ber, the spline will closely follow the ending tan-
gents for a larger distance, typically causing
more curvature near the center of the spline.
Smaller numbers make the tangency weaker,
therefore, most of the curvature will be near the
ends of the spline. The figure shows some possi-
bilities.
If you specify a blend factor which is too large,
or too small, you can create splines that have
loops, or extreme curvature.
3.2.4.11 Geometry, Curve-Spline, Midspline...
... creates a spline which is midway between two curves. Any two curves can be used for this command. The only
input required is the two curves. FEMAP will automatically create a spline which is midway between the two
curves.
3.2.4.12 Geometry, Curve-Spline, Offset...
... creates a spline that is offset from another spline along a
direction parallel to the workplane. This does not necessarily
create splines in the workplane - it just offsets them in a direc-
tion which is parallel to the workplane. The offset is however a
planar offset. Three dimensional (nonplanar) splines cannot be
offset in multiple directions along their length.
The first input required for this command is the ID of the origi-
nal curve (which must be a spline), and the offset distance.
Then, using the standard coordinate dialog box, you will specify
a location on the side of the original curve (relative to the current
workplane) where you want the offset curve to be created. The
coordinates are not important, just which side of the original curve you want.
3.2.4.13 Geometry, Curve-Spline, Multiple Curves...
...creates a single spline along multiple, connected curves. The spline points and control
points will be created automatically. The only input for this command is a list of curves. The
curves must be continuously connected in a single branch loop. The loop does not have to be
closed. If possible FEMAP will use exact replicas of the selected curves, and simply create a
new continuous curve. If the curves are from mixed geometry engines, or cannot be dupli-
cated, FEMAP will create a FEMAP engine spline that closely approximates the selected
curves.
3.2.5 Curves from Surfaces
FEMAP can create curves directly from surfaces. This capability is most often used to create a curve at a specific
location on a surface, or at the intersection of two surfaces. You can imprint curves onto a surface to provide addi-
tional controls on your meshing procedures. You can define the mesh size on these curves, as well as load or con-
strain them, just like any other curve in FEMAP. This can be very useful to obtain nodes at specific locations.
Note: Cubic Bezier splines (ones with only four points) cannot be offset precisely, due to the underlying math-
ematics. You will find that the offset curve is not a constant distance from the original - sometimes by a
significant deviation. This is especially true when the spline is nonplanar. Offset B-splines are modified
by adding control points to improve how well the offset spline tracks the original curve. If you need pre-
cise offsets, you cannot use splines. Instead, use a series of arcs, since arcs can be offset precisely.
Note: Take care to avoid sharp corners, as the resulting spline will not be able to match the geometry cor-
rectly.
Blend Factor = 1.0 Blend Factor = 1.5 Blend Factor = 0.5
Offset
Original Curve
Offset to this
side of original
3-20 Geometry
This menu is partitioned into three segments. The first portion of the menu contains one command, Geometry,
Curves - from Surface, Update Surfaces. This command does not perform any calculations. It simply applies the
curve operations in the second and third segments of the menu to the surfaces, and therefore allows imprinting of
these curves onto the surfaces. The second and third portions of the menu contain the actual commands.
This entire menu of commands is not available in the standard geometry engine.
3.2.5.1 Geometry, Curve - From Surface, Update Surfaces
... toggles the update surfaces between on and off. As mentioned above, this command does not perform any oper-
ations directly. It simply controls how the remaining Geometry, Curves - from Surface commands are implemented.
If this option is on, which is the default, a check mark will be visible next to the command. When any of the other
commands on this menu are then performed, FEMAP will automatically update the surfaces with these curves.
This is a very easy method of imprinting curves onto surfaces to customize the meshing procedure. If this option is
off, (no check mark), curves are created/manipulated using the surface, but the surface itself is not updated.
3.2.5.2 Geometry, Curve - From Surface, Intersect...
... creates a curve at the intersections of surfaces. The only inputs required for this command are the two solids.
FEMAP will create curves at all intersections of these bodies, and update the surfaces at the intersections if this
option is on (see Section 3.2.5.1, "Geometry, Curve - From Surface, Update Surfaces").
3.2.5.3 Geometry, Curve - From Surface, Project...
... projects curves onto selected surfaces. You must first select the surfaces, and then select the curve(s) which you
want project. FEMAP will automatically project the curves onto the selected surfaces. This command will automat-
ically project normal to the surface.
This command is very useful for imprinting one surface, composed of its bounding curves, onto the surface of a
solid. You must have the Geometry, Curves - from Surface, Update Surface on to imprint the curves onto a surface
of the solid (see Section 3.2.5.1, "Geometry, Curve - From Surface, Update Surfaces").
Geometry, Curve - From Surface, Project Along Vector... 3-21
3.2.5.4 Geometry, Curve - From Surface, Project Along Vector...
... is identical to Geometry, Curves - from Surface, Project, except you define a vector, using the standard vector
definition dialog box, to project along and the curves will be projected onto the selected surfaces as many times as
they find the surfaces along the projection vector..
3.2.5.5 Geometry, Curve - From Surface, Parametric Curve...
... creates a curve along a surface in either the u or v parametric direction. After selecting this command, you must
input a location for the curve, using the standard coordinate definition dialog box. FEMAP will then prompt you to
choose between the u direction or the v direction. FEMAP will create the curve along the surface, through the point
you input, in the surface direction you chose.
When Update Surfaces is on (see Section 3.2.5.1, "Geometry, Curve - From Surface, Update Surfaces"), you can
quickly partition a surface into several segments, which is often useful for loading and meshing purposes.
3.2.5.6 Geometry, Curve - From Surface, Slice...
... requires you to define a plane, using the standard plane definition dialog box, and the solid to slice. FEMAP will
create curves which will form the slice through the solid. If Update Surfaces is on (see Section 3.2.5.1, "Geometry,
Curve - From Surface, Update Surfaces"), the affected surfaces will also be partitioned by the slice.
3-22 Geometry
3.2.5.7 Geometry, Curve - From Surface, Split at Locations...
... requires you to choose a face to split and then choose a start and an end location to split the selected face with a
parametric curve. If Update Surfaces is on (see Section 3.2.5.1, "Geometry, Curve - From Surface, Update Sur-
faces"), the affected surface will also be partitioned by this command.
3.2.5.8 Geometry, Curve - From Surface, Offset Curves/Washer...
... this command has two modes, Washer and Offset Curves. Washer mode should only be used for circular holes
on planar surfaces, while Offset Curves is a more general mode that can be used for oblong holes, slots, and other
general shapes on many different types of geometric surfaces.
In either mode, once you click OK in the Define Washer or Offset Curves dialog box, FEMAP will ask you to select
the appropriate curves to offset. For Washer mode, only curves that make up circular holes will be eligible for
selection and only one curve per hole is required. In Offset Curves mode, all types of curves are eligible for selec-
tion and you will want to select all curves to be offset.
Clicking Cancel in the Entity Selection - Select Edges dialog box FEMAP will return you to the Define Washer or
Offset Curves dialog box. You can now change the mode and size options, then click OK and choose different
curves. Click Cancel in the Define Washer or Offset Curves dialog box to exit the command.
Washer Mode
In Washer mode you will first want to enter an Offset, then choose whether or not to Save Split Lines. By saving the
split lines, a line will be created from the end points of each curve in the circular hole to the end points of the new
offset curves, which will create an individual surface set-up for mapped meshing..
With Save Split
Lines Checked
Without Save Split
Lines Checked
Geometry, Curve - From Surface, Offset Curves/Washer... 3-23
Offset Curves Mode
In Offset Curves mode you also enter an Offset, but in this mode you have more choices. Again, you can choose
whether or not to Save Split Lines, but this time every selected curve will get an individual surface set-up for
mapped meshing.
AutoSelect Surfaces will automatically offset the selected curves to ALL of the surfaces connected to those curves.
If you would like to choose which surfaces get the new offset curves, uncheck AutoSelect Surfaces. You will be
prompted for the surfaces after you have selected the curves and clicked OK.
When Extend Splits is on, FEMAP will try to extend all offset curves that do not meet up with another offset curve
to the closest edge of the surface onto which the curve was offset. In most cases, this should be checked if Save
Split Lines has not been checked.
Without Save Split
Lines Checked
With Save Split
Lines Checked
With AutoSelect
Surfaces checked
With AutoSelect
Surfaces unchecked
and only top surface
selected.
With Extend Splits unchecked
Curve does not extend
Enough to break surface fully.
3-24 Geometry
If Update Surfaces is on (see Section 3.2.5.1, "Geometry, Curve - From Surface, Update Surfaces"), the affected
surface will also be partitioned by this command.
3.2.5.9 Geometry, Curve - From Surface, Pad...
... requires you to choose a circular edge on a surface to create a pad
pattern around a hole. The pad pattern essentially creates a square a
specified distance away from the center of the circular edge and then
connects the midpoints of each line of the square to four points on the
circle (usually located at 0, 90, 180, and 270 degrees). The distance
the curves of the pad are positioned from the selected hole is deter-
mined by the Pad Size Factor.
The Pad Size Factor uses the diameter of the hole to calculate the size
of the pad. If it is set to 1, the pad will extend out half the length of
the diameter (the radius) in all directions. When set to 1.25, the
lines are created 0.625 times the radius in all directions, while 0.75 will create the lines 0.375 times the radius.
When Setup Mapped Meshing is on, the four newly created surfaces will automatically have a Four Corner mesh
approach set on them. For more information on mesh approaches, see Section 5.1.2.15, "Mesh, Mesh Control,
Approach On Surface".
The orientation of the pad can specified 3 separate ways. Auto Align will simple use a circular curves existing
points and extend out from them. Vector Align allows you to specify an orientation vector so the pad can be posi-
tioned in a certain orientation. Finally, Tangent Align will prompt you to select an additional curve and then create
a pad which has an outer edge aligned tangent to the selected curve.
Note: Due to the process used in the Offset Curves mode, the specified Offset can not be larger than the radius
of any of the chosen curves. If you receive the message Error sweeping along edge curves, offset not
possible, try again using an Offset value reduced the by 25%.
Also, many times a larger offset can be used in conjugation with the Save Split Lines option turned on.
With Extend Splits checked
Curve extends to
fully break surface
Pad Size Factor = 0.75 Pad Size Factor = 1.25 Pad Size Factor = 1.0
Geometry, Curve - From Surface, Point to Point... 3-25
If only a portion of a hole has been selected (a curve which is not 180 degrees or a full 360 degree curve), you will
also be prompted for a Pad/Width Length, select a point as the Pad Center, then specify a Pad Alignment Vector.
3.2.5.10 Geometry, Curve - From Surface, Point to Point...
... creates a parametric curve along a surface by choosing a start point and an end point.
Pads With Auto Align Pads With Vector Align
(aligned to displayed Vector)
Pads With Tangent Align
(Aligned using closest curves)
3-26 Geometry
3.2.5.11 Geometry, Curve - From Surface, Point to Edge...
... creates a parametric curve along a surface by choosing a point and then a curve on the same surface. The location
of the newly created point on the chosen curve is created by projecting the chosen point onto the selected curve
using the shortest possible distance.
3.2.5.12 Geometry, Curve - From Surface, Edge to Edge...
... creates parametric curves along a surface by choosing a single curve (To Curve) on a surface and then a choosing
any number of curves also on that surface (From Curves). The locations of the newly created points on the From
Curve are created by projecting the end points of all the To Curves onto the From Curve using the shortest
possible distance and then joining the two sets of points with parametric curves.
Selected Curve
To Curve
From Curves
Creating Surfaces 3-27
3.3 Creating Surfaces
There are several types of surfaces in FEMAP. The following table summarizes those types, and the commands
that create them.
You do not have to worry about which type of surface is being created. All surfaces can be used equally well for
meshing or other purposes. This information is just provided so you can understand the various methods that are
being used.
Surface Parameters
When you are creating surfaces, you will see numerous dialog boxes with a Parameter button. Choosing this but-
ton lets you set various options which control the surfaces that you will create. You will see the Geometry Parame-
ters dialog box
All of the parameters of interest are in the Surface section. You can choose the ID of the next surface to be created,
although it is usually not of great concern. You can also choose a color for the surface - either by typing its number
or by pressing the Palette button and choosing from the standard palette. If you do not set a color, you can always
change the color later with the Modify, Color, Surface command
Surface
Type
Commands Characteristics
Boundary Sketch, Boundary Sur-
face
Bounded by curves on all edges and can contain
voids (holes). Typically used for planar meshes and
as basic framework for solid model generation.
Bilinear Corners, Edge Curves,
Plane
Bounded by lines on all edges. Surface is defined by
bidirectional linear interpolation between the edges.
Ruled Edge Curves, Ruled,
Extrude, Sweep, Cylin-
der
Bounded by any curves on two opposing edges, with
lines joining the end points. Surface is defined by
linear interpolation between the two edge curves.
Revolution Revolve, Sweep, Cylin-
der, Sphere
Surface is defined by revolving a curve through
some angle. Original defining curve can be of any
type.
Coons Edge Curves Surface bounded by three or four curves of any type.
Interior is defined as a bidirectional cubic interpola-
tion.
Bezier Aligned Curves Surface defined by 16 control points (arranged in a
four by four array). The surface only passes through
the control points at the corners.
Face all of the above Complex trimmed surfaces obtained from solid
model Boolean operations or imported from IGES
files.
Note: When you use these commands in the FEMAP standard geometry engine to create surfaces, you cannot
perform Boolean operations on these surfaces. They can be used for meshing as well as creating vol-
umes, but not for intersection or Boolean solid operations.
3-28 Geometry
Surface Divisions
The final surface parameters are the number of divisions. When surfaces
are displayed, intermediate curves are drawn to show you the shape of the
interior of the surfaces. They have no impact on the actual shape of the
surface or on the position of any location on the surface, they are purely
for display purposes. By changing the number of divisions, you will con-
trol how many curves will be drawn for each surface. Typically, very
curved surfaces will need more divisions, planar surfaces need fewer.
You can independently control the divisions along the two parametric sur-
face directions (shown as s and t). By setting the parameters to different
values in the two directions, you can very quickly see (by counting the
number of curves) the orientation of the surface directions. This can be of
assistance when setting mesh sizes on surfaces.
You can modify the number of divisions on surfaces that you have already
created using the Modify, Update Other, Surface Divisions command.
Commands
There are four commands/menus in the surface area of the Geometry
menu. The first two, Sketch and Boundary Surface, create a boundary sur-
face, while the third listing, surfaces, is actually a submenu of several
commands for creating surfaces. Each of these commands will be dis-
cussed in more detail below. The major difference between a boundary
surface and a surface is that a boundary surface is typically planar, while a
surface is typically 3-dimensional. Also, surfaces can be readily mapped mesh, while boundary surfaces require a
free-mesher. The forth category is Midsurface which contains a number of commands to create and modify mid-
surface geometry created from solids.
3.3.1 Sketch
The Sketch command provides a quick method to create boundary surfaces. This command essentially combines
the capability of the individual geometry creation commands under the Geometry menu with the Geometry, Bound-
ary Surface command. When you first select this command, the following window will appear, and the right hand
toolbar will be switched to one of the geometry toolbars.
You can then use the toolbars, as well as the menu commands to create geometry. Once you
create the geometry for your boundary surface, simply press Finish Sketch on the above
Window, and FEMAP will automatically create a boundary surface from the geometry you
just created. Until you select Finish Sketch, the individual geometry which you just created
contains no association between the geometric entities. If you press Cancel, the geometry
you just created will remain, but a boundary surface will not be created.
If you have accessed this command through the Solids toolbar, you will also have the option to Extrude or Revolve.
When you select one of these options, FEMAP will automatically create the boundary surface and then move to the
Solids Extrude/Revolve menu.
3.3.2 Boundary Surfaces...
There are two basic ways to create boundary surfaces - by selecting the boundary curves, or by combining existing
solid faces. The following section describe these methods.
3.3.2.1 Geometry, Boundary Surface, From Curves...
is used to create boundaries that will be used with the Mesh, Geometry, Surface command. A boundary is a series of
connected curves that enclose an area that you want to mesh. A boundary is most often used to define planar areas
for meshing that have more than four sides, and which are easier to define as curves than as faces of solids.
Alt+F11
Geometry, Boundary Surface, From Curves... 3-29
Choosing Curves for a Boundary
To define a boundary you simply select the curves that you want using the standard entity selection dialog box. The
curves that you pick must form one or more closed loops, that are connected end-to-end. There cannot be any gaps,
or multiple connections (branches) in the loops. In addition, the curves should never cross or intersect. If you are
selecting multiple loops, one of the loops must completely contain all of the others. That is, the other loops are
actually representing holes in the outer loop.
The curves do not have to be connected to the
same end points, but the end points must be coin-
cident. If they are coincident, the end points will
be merged when you create the boundary.
You can select the curves that form your bound-
ary in any order, and you can even box or cir-
cle pick to select all the curves with one
selection. FEMAP will automatically order your
selections to put them in boundary order. This
feature makes it extremely easy to use the area
cursor picking methods to choose all of the
curves in an area as part of your boundary. You may only select up to 750 curves to define a boundary (including
holes).
Adding Holes to Boundaries
Holes are areas inside the boundary that you do not want this boundary to mesh. They may or may not represent
physical holes in your structure. The procedure for defining a hole is identical to that for defining the outer bound-
ary. Simply pick all curves around the boundary of the hole at the same time you are selecting the outside boundary.
FEMAP will automatically sort the curves and determine which ones are associated with the hole(s), and which
curves form the outer boundary.
The same restrictions (single, closed loop...) apply to curves that represent holes. In addition, as you might expect
holes cannot overlap (or touch) each other, and they must be totally inside the outer boundary but outside all other
holes.
You can define as many holes as you like in the boundary, but the total count of all curves that define the boundary
and the holes cannot exceed the 750 curve limit.
Note: You may also map a boundary onto a surface to obtain a non-planar mesh. For
details, see Section 3.6.4.6, "Modify, Update Other, Boundary on Surface...".
Good - Single Closed Loops Bad - Not Closed Bad - Crossing
Bad - Branching, Multiple Loops
Good, multiple holes Bad, holes overlap Bad, holes inside
each other
3-30 Geometry
Improving Meshing Speed
While you can define and mesh very large, complicated boundaries, it is often more productive to break them into
multiple smaller pieces. Typically, the boundary mesh command will be able to mesh two smaller boundaries faster
than one large one. In addition, you have some extra control over the mesh. The figure shows a typical example.
Obviously there is a trade-off between the time you might save when making the mesh, and the time it takes to split
the boundaries. In general, it is probably worthwhile if you can make the splits by just adding a line or two, like the
figure. Otherwise, it is probably faster to mesh the entire boundary. On the other hand, you may still want to add the
extra splits to get the extra control of the mesh. With the extra curves, you can specify exactly the number of
nodes along those splits.
Another area of concern is meshing boundaries that are set to Map onto Surface. They can take substantially longer
than meshing boundaries that just use the boundary curves. This delay is caused by the extra mapping required to
insure that the mesh lies on the surface.
3.3.2.2 Geometry, Boundary Surface, From Surfaces on Solid...
Unlike the method of creating boundary surfaces by picking the boundary curves, this command lets you pick adja-
cent faces of a solid using the entity selection dialog box. You will want to create this type of boundary surface
when the surface geometry that you have does not lend itself to creating a good mesh.
For example, if you have a number of surfaces that are somewhat skewed, it can result in a mesh that is also
skewed, if the surfaces are meshed individually. By combining these surfaces into a single boundary, the mesh can
often be improved.
Original Boundary Two, Simpler Boundaries
Original geometry showing multi-surface
Meshed as Multi-surface Boundary Meshed as four individual surfaces
boundary covering four surfaces
Geometry, Boundary Surface, Update Surfaces 3-31
When building multi-surface boundaries, it is important to understand how FEMAP will use them in meshing, and
the limitations of this method. FEMAP simply takes the surfaces that you select, and uses the enclosing outer
curves to form a regular boundary surface. This means that the surfaces that you select must be stitched into a solid.
When you select stitched surfaces, the outer boundary curves will form the closed loop that is necessary to create a
boundary, and the interior curves can be properly identified. Although the order of your selection is not important,
you must select surfaces that create a single region. You cannot select surfaces that are disconnected, or that only
join at a single point. If you want to create multiple regions, you must do this in multiple commands. Just as bound-
aries can have holes, you can select surfaces that surround holes (or simply surround other surfaces that you do not
select).
When you mesh a multi-surface boundary, FEMAP will mesh it as a planar boundary. It is therefore very important
that you do not combine surfaces that contain too much curvature. Best results will be obtained if you combine sur-
faces that are nearly planar, or have moderate curvature from the average plane. There is no checking to prevent
you from combining surfaces that have a very large curvature (even greater than 180 degrees), but the resulting
mesh quality will surely suffer if you do this. Taken to the extreme, the resulting boundary surface will not be
meshable.
Although the surface is meshed as a planar boundary, the resulting mesh is projected and smoothed back to the
original surfaces. This is much like the Modify, Project Mesh onto Solid command. This is very different than what
happens when you use the Modify, Update Other, Boundary on Surface command to attach a boundary to a surface.
In that case, the mesh is created in the parametric coordinates of the surface.
Any features (curves or surfaces) in the interior of the boundary will simply be meshed over. Interior does not, in
this case refer to holes which are still on the inside of the boundary. It refers to curves and surfaces that are com-
pletely surrounded by surfaces that have been combined. Therefore, if you combine things like fillet surfaces into
other adjacent surfaces, they will be meshed over. Some nodes may still lie on the fillet, but there is nothing to
retain the basic shape of the fillet. Similarly, if you combine two surfaces that are not tangent at their intersection,
the mesh will simply blend over this intersection. There will not be any distinctive break between the surfaces.
When you create multi-surface boundaries, FEMAP does several things automatically to help you in later meshing
of your surfaces. First, the underlying surfaces that you select are moved to the no-pick layer, and they are feature
suppressed. This means that when you later select surfaces or solids for meshing, the underlying surfaces will not
be meshed, nor will they even be pickable.
If you are creating many multi-surface boundaries, it can sometimes be difficult to tell which surfaces have been
selected, and which boundary contains the surfaces. If you go to the Modify, Color, Surface command and choose
the boundary surfaces, you will be asked if you want to randomize the colors. Doing this will update the color of
the surfaces, in each selected boundary, to be a distinct, but different color.
Working with Unstitched Geometry
This command only works with stitched surfaces. If you are unable to stitch the surfaces that you want into a single
solid, you will not be able to use this command. You may, however, still be able to accomplish the same meshing
result. The first step is to create a boundary using curves around the outside of the region of interest. You may need
to make additional curves, if the curves that you have are not joined at their end points. Then, mesh the boundary
surface as normal, and go to the Modify, Project Mesh onto Solid command to project the mesh back onto the orig-
inal unstitched surfaces.
3.3.2.3 Geometry, Boundary Surface, Update Surfaces
This command is used when the underlying surfaces that you used to create a multi-surface boundary change due to
later modeling operations. When you create a multi-surface boundary, you select the surfaces that you want to rep-
resent. At that time, the boundary curves are extracted, and the boundary is created. If you then update the underly-
ing surfaces (slice them, cut a hole in them...) the already defined boundary will not reflect those changes. If you
simply select this command, and choose the boundary surfaces to update, the boundaries will be recreated from the
current definition of the underlying surfaces, any changes to this point will then be included.
3.3.2.4 Geometry, Boundary Surface, Edit Surfaces
...is used to modify the underlying surface definition of a multi-surface boundary. Choose this command if you
want to add or remove surfaces from a boundary that you have already defined via the From Surfaces on Solid
command. If you are adding surfaces, the rules for which surfaces can be added follow the same guidelines as if
you were defining the surface originally.
3-32 Geometry
3.3.3 Surfaces
These commands enable you to create surfaces in the standard geometry engine or the Parasolid geometry engine.
3.3.3.1 Geometry, Surface, Corners...
... creates a surface by defining the location of three or four corners. This command also creates lines along the
edge of the surface which connect the corners.
The standard coordinate definition dialog boxes are
used to specify the corner locations. The locations
you specify are not projected in any way, they are
simply used to define the surface.
To create a triangular surface, choose Cancel for
the fourth corner (specify a fourth location and
choose OK to create a quadrilateral surface). You
will then be asked whether you want to make a tri-
angle. Choose Yes to make the surface, No to abort.
You can create quadrilateral surfaces with coinci-
dent corners to form triangular surfaces, but it is not
advisable. When you mesh these surfaces, you will
get quadrilateral elements with coincident nodes. If
you create proper triangular surfaces, they will
automatically mesh with triangular elements at the
tip.
3.3.3.2 Geometry, Surface, Edge Curves...
... creates a surface by choosing three or four existing curves which define its boundaries or edges. The edge curves
must be coincident at their respective end points so that they form a continuous, closed boundary. They do not have
to physically connect the same points, but if not, they must connect coincident points (which will be merged auto-
matically by this command). The dialog box will be used to choose the edges:
Corner 1
Corner 2
Corner 3
Surface s Direction
Direction
Corner 4
Surface t
Corner 1
The third corner is
Corner 2
Corner 3
Surface s Direction
Surface t Direction
the tip of the triangle
Shift+F9
Geometry, Surface, Aligned Curves... 3-33
First, you should choose the desired surface shape - 3 or 4 sided. Then choose the curves that you want to use either
graphically or by specifying their IDs. You must choose the curves in order, going around the boundary. You cannot
choose the curves in a random order.
You can choose any type of curve as an edge. In addition, the curves can be in any orientation, so long as they are
all coincident at the end points. The curves do not have to form a planar surface. However, you should not create
surfaces with extreme warping, or extreme corner angles. These will be fine as surfaces, but when you apply the
finite element mesh you may create very distorted elements. If you do have these extreme types of surfaces, they
should be meshed with triangular elements to minimize element distortions.
3.3.3.3 Geometry, Surface, Aligned Curves...
... has two different capabilities based upon the geometry engine in use. You can use this command to create a
FEMAP standard geometry engine surface or a Parasolid surface.
Standard Geometry Engine
The FEMAP standard geometry engine creates a quadrilateral surface defined by four control curves which are
aligned in the same parametric direction. This type of surface gives you control over the shape and curvature of the
interior of the surface. It is somewhat more difficult to use however, since the control curves do not actually lie on
the surface, they are simply used to control its shape. The only places that the surface touches the control curves are
at the corners.
You must select the curves in sequential order, along the increasing parametric (surface t) direction. In general, you
will want to select splines for this surface, but you can pick any type of curve. If you are going to use other types of
curves however, it is often simpler to use one of the other surface commands.
As shown, this command creates two additional edge curves that connect the ends of the four control curves. These
edge curves do not really define the surface, but are helpful in visualizing the control net for the surface. Be careful,
however, if you move one or more of the end points of the control curves, they will no longer lie along the edge
curves. This does not hurt anything, but can be confusing visually.
In the figure above, you can see how the surface follows the shape of the control curves, but the curves do not lie on
the surface. This is especially true for curves which have significant changes in curvature in comparison to the
adjacent curves - like Curve 4 above. The actual surface will be blended between the control curves which causes
larger deviations in areas of rapidly changing curvature.
Note: Since this surface does not coincide with the curves along its edges, it can be difficult to join it with sur-
faces of other types. It will join properly with another aligned surface that uses the same edge. As
shown in the figure, if you have a linear edge (the bottom edge), the surface will coincide with the con-
trol curve, so you can join the surface to other surface types.
Surface s Direction
Surface t Direction
Curve 2
Curve 1
Curve 3
Curve 4
Curve 1
Curve 2
Curve 3
Curve 4
Surface s Direction
Surface t Direction
Automatically creates
two edge curves
3-34 Geometry
Parasolid Geometry Engine
The advanced geometry engine allows you to fit a lofted surface between a series of curves. It differs from the stan-
dard aligned surface in that you can use any numbers of curves to define the surface, and the curves will be on the
surface that is constructed. This is a very powerful method to create surfaces with varying curvature simply by
defining curves at critical locations.
3.3.3.4 Geometry, Surface, Ruled...
... creates a quadrilateral surface between two curves. The surface is formed by linear interpolation between corre-
sponding parametric locations along the selected curves. The only inputs for this command are the two curves.
After you select the curves, two additional lines are created which join the end points of the original curves. These
new lines do not control the surface, but do help to show its boundaries.
Ruled surfaces are very easy to create. You can choose any type of curves, in any orientation. They do not have to
lie in the same plane. In addition, the resulting surface is usually fairly uniform parametrically and yields very good
finite element meshes.
3.3.3.5 Geometry, Surface, Extrude...
... creates surfaces by extruding one or more curves along a vector. Each curve that you choose creates a separate
ruled surface. This command allows you to quickly convert a two dimensional profile of curves into three dimen-
sional surfaces.
All input for this command uses standard dialog boxes. You select the curves to extrude using the standard entity
selection dialog box. You can choose these curves in any order, but it is usually best to choose them in the order of
a continuous profile or boundary.
When you have selected all of the curves, you will define the vector that you want to extrude them along, using the
standard vector definition dialog box. You can choose any vector, but most extrusions should be relatively perpen-
dicular to the original curves. If it is not, some surfaces may be badly shaped for meshing. The same vector is used
for all curves that were selected, so if you need to extrude in different directions, you must repeat this command.
The vector that you define can be based at any location. Only the vector components and magnitude are used. The
components define the direction of the extrusion. The magnitude defines the length of the extrusion.
Note: The curves used for this command with the Parasolid engine must always be in the same direction.
FEMAP will not automatically reverse the direction. Therefore, if you are having difficulty defining the
surface, you should check the direction of the curves by using the View Options, Tools and View Style,
Curve and Surface Accuracy option to turn Directions on. This will enable you to confirm that all
curves are formed in the same direction. If the directions are not aligned, FEMAP will ask you if you
want to try and create a surface through the interpolated points of the curves. You can try this or change
the direction of the curves.
Surface s Direction
Surface t Direction
Automatically creates
edge lines
Curve 1
Curve 2
Geometry, Surface, Revolve... 3-35
As an example, the picture shows a boundary that was extruded.
More curves were created (but not shown) at the opposite side of the surfaces. Other curves were created to connect
the end points of the original curves to the new curves.
3.3.3.6 Geometry, Surface, Revolve...
... is similar to Geometry, Surface, Extrude, except that instead of extruding curves along a vector, this command
revolves them through an angle around a vector - the axis of revolution.
Just like the Extrude command, you select the curves to revolve using the standard entity selection dialog box.
Next, specify the vector along the axis of revolution using the vector definition dialog boxes. The location and
direction of this vector are important; the magnitude is not. Finally, enter the rotation angle: specify the angle
through which the curves will be revolved.
Some Special Cases
Typically, this command creates four-sided surfaces; however, there are a few special cases. If a curve has one end
point that lies on the axis of revolution, a triangular (three-sided) surface will be automatically created. Since all
surfaces must have either three or four sides, you cannot revolve any curve that has both end points on the axis of
revolution. This limitation includes arcs and splines where intermediate points along the curve do not lie on the axis
of revolution. If you want to revolve this type of curve, use the Modify, Break command to split it into two curves,
then revolve both of those curves.
Another special case arises if the axis of revolution intersects the curve that you are revolving. In this case, the
resulting surface will be twisted and effectively unusable for meshing. Although you can create these surfaces, you
should avoid this situation.
3.3.3.7 Geometry, Surface, Sweep...
... allows you to create surfaces by moving or sweeping one or more curves along a path defined by other curves.
The required input for this command is minimal. You simply select the curves that define the cross section that you
want to sweep, using the standard entity selection dialog box. Then with a second entity selection dialog box, you
select the curves that make up the path along which you will sweep the cross section.
Selecting the Path
Even though you choose it after the cross section, it is important to understand the implications of choosing a path
before you define the cross section. The curves that you select for the path must form a single continuous loop -
either closed (the end is also connected to the start) or open. They must not branch, or have any gaps. They do not
have to be connected to the same points, but must have coincident end points.
Extrusion direction
Selected Curves
and magnitude
Selected Curves
Surface s Direction
Surface t Direction
Selected Curves Selected Curves
Axis of Revolution
Surface t Direction
Surface s Direction
3-36 Geometry
If, in addition to being coincident, all curves along the path are also tangent at their end points, the sweeping oper-
ation will maintain a constant cross section as it traverses the path. On the other hand, if you include nontangent
curves, the corners will be automatically mitred to the half angle between the tangents of the curves. This, however,
will result in a nonuniform cross section, and in some cases a cross section that is somewhat distorted.
Choosing Splines in the Path
You can use any type of curves in the path; however, if you are using the standard FEMAP geometry engine, this
command cannot create a single swept surface along a spline. If you choose splines in the path, they will be broken
into multiple line segments, and the cross section will be swept along these segments rather than the true spline.
This will result in multiple surfaces. You can control the number of line segments by setting the mesh size along the
spline prior to sweeping using the Mesh, Mesh Control, Size Along Curve command.
Selecting the Cross Section
Just as for the path, you can choose any curves that you want for the cross section. You do have to be aware, how-
ever, of the relationship between the path and the cross section.
Here are some general rules to follow:
1. The curves in the cross section must be positioned in space at the appropriate location relative to the path. This
command simply extrudes and revolves the cross section along vectors which are defined by the curves you
select as the path. It is up to you to properly locate the starting position of the cross section. The surfaces created
by this command will be located wherever you start the cross section. All offsets from the path to the cross sec-
tion will act as rigid links as the cross section is swept around a curve.
2. If your path contains arcs, make sure that your cross section does not protrude further than the arc radius to the
inside of the path. If it does, the resulting surfaces will be twisted as they are swept around the arc.
3. Typically you will want to create the curves for the cross section in a plane that is normal to the ending tangent
of the path. If you do not, the cross section that you sweep will be a projection of the true cross section.
4. If the cross section that you choose contains arcs or circles, and your path contains curves that are not tangent to
one another, the arcs and circles will be converted to equivalent splines before they are swept. This is not a pre-
cise representation, but it is fairly accurate. It is required because of the automatic mitred corners that will be
generated between the nontangent curves. The cross section at those corners will no longer be circular, it will be
elliptical (which must be represented by a spline).
Selected Curves Selected Curves
Axis of Revolution
Surface t Direction
Surface s Direction
Geometry, Surface, Plane... 3-37
3.3.3.8 Geometry, Surface, Plane...
... automatically creates a rectangular, planar surface using the standard plane definition dialog boxes. The base of
the plane is used for the first corner of the surface. After choosing the appropriate plane, you will be prompted for
the width (along plane X) and height (along plane Y) of the plane.
The width and height of the plane are combined with the orientation of the plane to determine the other three cor-
ners. While limited to rectangular surfaces, this command offers great flexibility in positioning of planar surfaces.
3.3.3.9 Geometry, Surface, Cylinder...
... makes surfaces which represent the curved lateral faces of
a cylinder, cone or tube and optionally the planar endcaps.
The first input required is the orientation of the object that
you will create. You will use the standard vector definition
dialog box to define the location and orientation of the cen-
terline of the object. The magnitude of the vector that you
specify is also used as the object length. By choosing the
various vector definition methods, you can either explicitly
specify the length, or automatically determine it from the
end points of the vector.
After you have defined the centerline vector, the standard
vector dialog box will appear again. This time you must specify a vector which points toward the circumferential
location where you want the lateral curved surfaces to begin. Just as the centerline positioned and oriented the sur-
faces in space, this vector orients the surfaces by rotating them around the centerline. This is fairly obvious when
you are going to generate a partial cylinder (< 360 degrees), but is also necessary for full cylinders. If you really
dont care where the surfaces start, you can choose any nonzero vector that is not parallel to the centerline.
Finally, the following dialog box is used to specify the remaining parameters:
Cross Section Curve
Path Curves
Front View - Before Isometric View - Before
Front View - After Isometric View - After
Mitred corner where
path was not tangent
Path Curves
Centerline vector
Start vector
Bottom radius
3-38 Geometry
The shape controls the type of object that will be created. Cones and cylinders only have one lateral (curved) sur-
face, but tubes have two, an inner and outer surface. The various radii must be specified to define the object size.
Unnecessary radii for each shape will be grayed and disabled. The inner radii are only available for tubes. They
must always be greater than zero, but less than the respective outer radius. The bottom radii are applied at the base
of the centerline vector. The top radii are used at the tip of the centerline vector.
The default angle (360 degrees) creates a full cylinder/cone/tube. If you only want to create a partial object, specify
a smaller angle. The resulting surface(s) will subtend the selected number of degrees of arc around the centerline.
By default, the Make cap surfaces box is not checked. In this case, only the lateral or curved surface is created. If
you check the box, however, this command will also automatically make planar capping surfaces at the top and bot-
tom of the cylinder/cone/tube. Planar lateral surfaces will also be made. When you do not specify an angle of 360
degrees, these surfaces are required to close the sides of the object. With a 360 degree angle, these surfaces are
actually inside the object, but will be needed if you later want to use the Geometry, Volume, Surfaces command.
They are also useful if you want to make elements in a cross section that you can revolve into a mesh.
3.3.3.10 Geometry, Surface, Sphere...
... creates a spherical surfaces. You will always be creating a full sphere. This command will create more than one
surface to complete the sphere.
The first dialog box that you see will be the standard
vector definition dialog box. Here you must define
the vector which goes from the center of the sphere
to the upper (north) pole of the sphere. The base is
used as the center of the sphere, and the vector com-
ponents orient the sphere in space. The magnitude
of the vector is also used as the default radius, how-
ever you will have an opportunity to change this
radius later.
Next, another vector is required, which is used to
position the origin of the spherical surfaces. Just as
the first vector oriented the sphere in space, this vector controls the rotation of the surfaces around the polar vector.
If you do not care how the surfaces are rotated, just choose any nonzero vector that is not parallel to the polar vec-
tor.
Finally, you will see this dialog box:
Note: If you are creating a Parasolid surface, you can only choose from a cylinder or a cone. Make cap sur-
faces will not be available.
End Cap
Partial Cylinder
with capping surfaces
Cylinder
Partial Cone
Tube with
capping surfaces
Lateral Cap
Pole Vector
Start Vector
-90 degrees longitude
0 degrees longitude
0 degrees latitude
Longitude angles
Latitude angles
Geometry, Surface, Offset... 3-39
3.3.3.11 Geometry, Surface, Offset...
....create a new surface by offsetting an existing surface. This command requires you
to select the surfaces to offset, and enter a distance to offset. The normals of the sur-
face are used as the offset direction. The offset surface may expand or contract
depending on the curvature of the surface and the offset direction.
3.3.3.12 Geometry, Surface, Convert...
This command converts a surface generated with the standard FEMAP geometry engine to a Parasolid surface.
Generally, you will use Convert to update FEMAP legacy geometry so that you can use it with a newer version of
FEMAP.
3.3.3.13 Geometry, Surface, Remove Hole...
This command removes interior holes from surfaces by selecting a curve or curves related to that hole. This com-
mand works for Surfaces (Sheet Solids) as well as Solids.
Remove Hole is looking for loops to remove from the geometry. You select which loops to remove by selecting
the a single curve of an interior hole. FEMAP then tries to walk around a loop (starting with the selected curve)
and if the loop or chain of curves are continuous, the hole will be removed from the surface.
If this command is used on a component surface of a solid, not only will the hole be removed from that surface, but
the feature associated with that loop and any associated geometry more interior than the loop will be
removed. Very similar to the way Mesh, Mesh Control, Feature Suppression operates. (For more on how that com-
mand works, see Section 5.1.2.16, "Mesh, Mesh Control, Feature Suppression...")
Examples
Hint: You can use the On Surface selection method (Entity Selection dialog box for curves) to remove all of
the internal holes from a surface. FEMAP will ignore the curves making up the outline of the surface
and send a message to the Messages pane. A similar technique can be used on for solids by using the On
Solid selection method
Surface with several interior holes
Choose one curve on each
interior hole and all of the
curves making up the loop
will be found and removed
from the surface
All internal holes have been
removed from the surface
3-40 Geometry
3.3.3.14 Geometry, Surface, NonManifold Add...
...is the only command in FEMAP which allows you to create Non-Manifold Solid Geometry, an option in the
Parasolid modeling kernel which creates General Bodies as opposed to regular solids (FEMAP solids) and sheet
solids (FEMAP surfaces). The command allows you to Boolean Add sheet solids to one another, as well as add
sheet solids to Parasolid solids.
The use of Non-Manifold Geometry can be very useful in creation of mid-surface models with T-Junctions, mod-
els where shell elements (2-D) and solid elements (3-D) need to be connected and portions of the shell mesh are
embedded into the solid mesh, and solids with internal surfaces used in certain types of analysis.
3.3.3.15 Geometry, Surface, Recover Manifold Geometry...
...essentially the opposite of the Geometry, Solid, NonManifold Add command. The command will take all selected
general bodies in your model and separate them into component Manifold parasolid solids (FEMAP solids)
and sheet solids (FEMAP Surfaces). Once the Manifold solids and sheet solids have been recovered, the com-
mands on the Geometry, Solid... menu will be available to modify and operate on the geometry again.
Note: Any Nonmergeable Curves will be ignored in the command. If you would like to designate curves as
nonmergeable, use the Modify, Update Other, Nonmergeable Curve command.
Note: When bodies have been added together using NonManifold Add, many of the other commands on the
Geometry, Solid... menu will not function as they did before the geometry was changed from regular
geometry to general body geometry. A good idea is to have both the surfaces and solids ready to go
before using the NonManifold Add command.
If you need to stitch or add more bodies into those that have been put together with this command, you
will want to use the Geometry, Surface, Recover Manifold Geometry command (see Section 3.3.3.15,
"Geometry, Surface, Recover Manifold Geometry...") to recover component solids and sheet solids,
which will allow you to use the commands on the Geometry, Solid... menu.
Note: To break a general body into individual sheet solids for each and every surface, use the Geometry,
Solid, Explode command.
Original Solid Part with stepped hole Curve chosen for loop in Remove Face
Resulting Solid Geometry
Midsurface 3-41
3.3.4 Midsurface
The midsurfacing commands are available when using the Parasolid geometry engine. They are useful for generat-
ing surfaces from thin-walled solid geometry. The midsurfaces can then be used as the basis of plate meshes. Care
must be taken to make certain that the resulting plate mesh adequately represents the model.
3.3.4.1 Single in Solid...
...creates a single midsurface between two surfaces of a solid. The surface is trimmed by the solid so that it is com-
pletely contained within the solid. This command requires you to select the two surfaces. Not all surface pairs can
be midsurfaced. The command will simply return if the midsurface operation fails.
3.3.4.2 Single...
...creates a single sheet surface between two surfaces. The resulting surface will be larger than both of the selected
surfaces. Not all surface pairs can be midsurfaced. The command will simply return if the midsurface operation
fails.
3.3.4.3 Trim to Solid...
...trims a surface with a solid. It deletes any parts of the surface which lie outside the volume of the solid. This com-
mand requires you to first select the surface to trim, and then the solid to use for trimming.
3.3.4.4 Trim with Curve...
....trims/breaks a surface using a curve. First pick the surface to be trimmed/broken and then pick the curve(s) to
trim with. The curves are extended in both directions past the ends of the surface if necessary.
3.3.4.5 Extend...
....extends a surface by using one of a surfaces edge curves and extending the surface using a specified Extend
Shape method (Linear, Continuous Curvature, or Reflective) to a target Solid (or Sheet Solid), location in space,
or simply by a distance.
Whether or not the curves will be imprinted onto the target solid or sheet solid is determined by the Geometry,
Curve - From Surface, Update Surfaces flag setting. If the flag is on, they will be imprinted (burned) into the tar-
get surface.
3.3.4.6 Automatic...
...runs the three steps of semi-automatic midsurfacing (Generate, Intersect, and Cleanup below) at once. The com-
mand requires you to select the surfaces and specify a Target Thickness (midsurface tolerance). You may want to
click the Distance icon button to use FEMAPs measuring tool to specify an effective target thickness. Any sur-
faces with a distance between them of less than the target thickness will have a midsurface generated. The com-
mand then intersects all created midsurfaces with one another and lastly, deletes all small free floating surfaces.
Note: If Parasolid cannot extend a surface properly, FEMAP will return an error and let you know that surface
cannot be extended using the current parameters. You may want to try a different Extend Shape
method or Extend To option.
=
Pick this curve
two surfaces
3-42 Geometry
3.3.4.7 Offset Tangent Surfaces...
...is for use on solids of constant thickness only. You will be prompted for a seed surface, then a tangency toler-
ance. All of the surfaces tangent to the seed surface within the tangency tolerance will be chosen and high-
lighted. Next a Mid-Surface Tangent Offset value needs to be entered. This value is the distance used to offset the
selected surfaces towards the middle of the solid part. FEMAP will attempt to calculate this value automatically
and will fill the value in if successful. The offset surfaces will be automatically stitched together and finally you
will be asked if you want to delete the original solid.
3.3.4.8 Generate...
...automatically creates all possible midsurfaces from selected surfaces. This command requires you to select the
surfaces for generation and enter a midsurface tolerance. Any surfaces with a distance between them of less than
the midsurface tolerance will have a midsurface generated.
3.3.4.9 Intersect...
...automatically intersects/splits all selected surfaces with one another. The only input to this command is the sur-
faces to intersect.
3.3.4.10 Cleanup...
...automatically determines which surfaces can be deleted by checking for small free floating surfaces. You enter
the surfaces to check. It does not delete these surfaces, but rather places them on a separate layer so they can be
reviewed before they are deleted.
3.3.4.11 Assign Mesh Attributes...
...automatically creates and assigns properties to selected midsurfaces based on the thickness of the solid from
which they were created. The original top and bottom surfaces must be separated by a constant thickness. This
command will not create properties which vary in thickness along a surface. You will be prompted with a question
asking OK to Consolidate Properties by Thickness?. If you answer No, each selected surface will have an indi-
vidual property created representing the thickness of that portion of the model and assigned to that surface only. If
you answer Yes, you will also be prompted for a thickness percentage tolerance and any surfaces which have the
same thickness, within the specified tolerance, will have a single property created for all of them, then assigned.
Along with the property information, the mesh options on each surface will set to use the Quad surface mesher.
Note: The thickness percentage tolerance is set to a very small number (.1% or .001) in order for the most
accurate model to be created. This tolerance can be raised to create less properties, but this may not pro-
duce the most accurate finite element model.
Surface selected as Seed Surface
Original geometry
Tangent Surfaces Selected
Resulting midsurface geometry
(original Geometry deleted)
Creating Solids/Volumes 3-43
3.4 Creating Solids/Volumes
The last commands for geometry creation in the Geometry menu involve creation of 3-D solids and volumes. In
FEMAP, there is a distinct difference between volumes and solids.
Solids are formed by using the Parasolid modeling engine to form complex 3-D shapes. Boolean operations can be
performed with these solids, and they can have voids, or holes in them. The number of faces (or surfaces) to a solid
is not limited. Solids provide an excellent method to form complex 3-D shapes, and can be automatically meshed
with tetrahedrals, or if care is taken, semi-automatically meshed with hexahedrals.
Volumes are formed from analytics as well as joining selected surfaces. Volumes generated from surfaces require 4-
6 surfaces which form a complete enclosed volume. Voids (or holes) are not permitted in volumes. The restrictions
on number of surfaces and no voids limits the usefulness of volumes. They are typically only created when you
must model a very regular pattern volume (with no holes), and brick or wedge meshes are essential.
3.4.1 Volumes
The Geometry, Volume menu allows you to create volumes which can be used for meshing of solid elements. All
volumes in FEMAP are essentially the same, although you can create volumes with several different shapes. In
this case, shapes refers to the number of surfaces that are used to bound the volume. The following table summa-
rizes those shapes.
You can choose any of these volume shapes that you need to fill the portion of your model that you want. In fact,
the shapes shown are just the basic outlines if you used regular, planar surfaces. In fact, any surfaces can be used
and the shapes really refer more to the overall topology than the actual shape of the volume.
Volume Parameters
When you are creating volumes, you will see numerous dialog boxes with a Parameter button. Choosing this but-
ton lets you set the ID and color of the volume. The ID is not usually of great concern. You can choose a color for
Shape Characteristics
Brick
Six quadrilateral surfaces
Wedge
Five surfaces, top and bottom are triangular,
others are quadrilateral
Pyramid
Five surfaces, bottom is rectangular, others are
triangular
Tetra
Four triangular surfaces
3-44 Geometry
the volume either by typing its number or by pressing the Palette button and choosing from the standard palette. If
you do not set a color, you can always change the color later with the Modify, Color, Volume command.
Displaying Volumes
The display of volumes is largely based on displaying the surfaces that are used to define the volume. The only
thing actually drawn for the volume is an outline around the surface boundaries. You can control the overall display
by adjusting the surface divisions and surface display options.
Geometry, Volume Menu
The Geometry, Volume menu is partitioned into three sections based upon the method of creation. The first section
of commands (Corners, Surfaces, Between), create volumes from framework geometry of points, surfaces, or both.
The second section (Extrude, Revolve) perform operations on a surface to create a volume. The final section (Cylin-
der, Sphere) involve analytical volumes. Each command on the Volume menu is discussed further below
3.4.1.1 Geometry, Volume, Corners...
... creates volumes simply by specifying the coordinates of the corners. You do not need any existing geometry to
use this command - it creates all of the required points, lines and surfaces.
All of the input for this command uses the standard coordinate definition dialog boxes. Each corner is defined using
a separate dialog box. To create volumes having different shapes, simply choose Cancel when all of the required
corners have been defined. You will be asked whether you want to cancel, backup, or create a volume with that
number of corners. If you press Cancel at a point when a volume cannot be created, you will be given a chance to
backup or abort. This is an ideal way to update incorrectly specified coordinates before you finish the command.
The following table shows the number of corners that are allowable when creating volumes:
The convention for defining corner locations
is shown in the figure.
It is always best to follow the conventions
shown for specifying the order of the corner
locations; however, FEMAP does check the
locations that you specify to see if they match
the correct shape. If they do not, FEMAP will
automatically change the selection order and
attempt to create a valid volume. This fix-
up will often create the correct volume even
if you specify the corners in a different order,
but there is no guarantee.
The same volume will be created no matter
what coordinate system or systems you use to
define the corner locations. Straight lines will
be used to connect all of the corners, and all
surfaces will be bilinear.
3.4.1.2 Geometry, Volume, Surfaces...
... allows you to select and combine existing surfaces to form a volume. The only dialog box required is the follow-
ing one:
Shape Corners Press Cancel when Defining
Brick 8 Never
Wedge 6 Corner 7
Pyramid 5 Corner 6
Tetra 4 Corner 5
Brick Wedge
Pyramid Tetra
1 2
3 4
5 6
7 8
1
2 3
4
5 6
1
2
3
4
1
2
3 4
5
Alt+F9
Geometry, Volume, Between... 3-45
Here you select the shape of the volume that you want to create (brick, wedge, pyramid or tetra) and the surfaces
that will define the volume. You can select any type of surface, but you must follow these guidelines:
The surfaces that you choose must have the appropriate shape (triangular or quadrilateral) to define the shape of
volume that you choose. The required shapes are listed in the table at the beginning of this section for the
Geometry, Volume menu.
All surfaces must have coincident edges. The surfaces do not have to use the same edge curves, but they must
use exactly coincident curves, so that there are no gaps between the edges. If the surfaces do not use the same
edges, the curves will be automatically merged by this command. This insures that the surfaces that you choose
form a complete closed volume.
You do not have to choose surfaces that have their parametric directions aligned, nor do you have to choose the
sides in any particular order. The volume parametric directions are based on the parametric directions of the first
surface that you select. The first and second (s and t) volume directions are aligned with the parametric directions
of the bottom surface. The third parametric volume direction (u) goes from the bottom to the top surface. If these
directions do not form a right-handed coordinate system, then the s and t directions are reversed (negated, but still
along the same direction).
3.4.1.3 Geometry, Volume, Between...
... creates a volume between two surfaces, or
between a surface and a point. When you choose
the 2 Surfaces option, both surfaces must have the
same shape - either triangular or quadrilateral.
Quad surfaces form a brick volume, while tri sur-
faces create a wedge.
The Surface and Point option is used to create the
other volume shapes. With this option, choose a
quadrilateral surface to create a pyramid, or a trian-
gular surface to form a tetra.
.If you are using the 2 Surfaces option, you simply
choose the two surfaces which form the top and
bottom of the brick or wedge. All of the side sur-
faces are automatically created between the respec-
tive edges of these surfaces. The same approach is
followed for the Surface and Point option, but
instead of specifying a top surface (To Surface),
you will specify a top point. The point must
already exist, you cannot specify coordinates.
Again the required side surfaces and curves are
automatically created.
Note: You can choose any type of surface for a volume, but you will probably not want to choose any Bezier
surface that was created by the Geometry, Surface, Aligned Curves command. Since this type of surface
does not typically follow its edge curves exactly, any volume that you create may have gaps along its
edges and you will not be able to use it for meshing.
Side
Bottom
Top
Side
s direction
t direction
u direction
2 Surfaces Surface and Point
From Surface
To Surface
From Surface
To Point
3-46 Geometry
3.4.1.4 Geometry, Volume, Extrude...
... creates volumes by moving or extruding one or more
surfaces along a vector. You simply select the surfaces to
extrude using the standard entity selection dialog boxes,
and the vector to extrude along, using the vector defini-
tion dialog boxes. One volume will be created for each
surface that you select.
The vector that you choose can be located anywhere, but
the direction and magnitude are used to define the direc-
tion and length of the extruded volumes.
All quadrilateral surfaces will extrude into brick vol-
umes. Triangular surfaces extrude into wedge volumes.
Other volume shapes cannot be created with this command.
3.4.1.5 Geometry, Volume, Revolve...
... is similar to the Geometry, Volume, Extrude command described above. In this case the volumes are created by
revolving the original surfaces around a vector (the axis of revolution), instead of extruding them along the vector.
In addition to selecting the surfaces to revolve with the standard entity selection dialog box, and specifying the axis
of revolution with the vector definition dialog boxes, you must also define the angle of revolution. This is the angle
through which the surfaces will be rotated around the axis of revolution vector to form the volumes. As the surfaces
are revolved, all of the additional curves and surfaces which define the volume will be created automatically.
When you are specifying the axis of revolution vector, the location and direction are important, the magnitude is
not. The location and direction are needed to define the rotation.
You should never specify an axis of revolution that crosses any of the surfaces that you are revolving. If you do, the
resulting surfaces and volumes will be twisted, and will be useless for meshing.
In addition, there are several special cases that can arise when you revolve surfaces that have one or more points or
edge curves that lie on the axis of revolution. For example, if you revolve a triangular surface that has one point on
the axis, you will create a pyramid-shaped volume. If you revolve a triangular surface with one edge on the axis,
you will create a tetra. There are similar cases with quadrilateral faces.
3.4.1.6 Geometry, Volume, Cylinder...
... is identical to the Geometry, Surface, Cylinder command except that it creates the volume, in addition to the sur-
faces. Since you will be creating a volume, capping surfaces will always be created. Otherwise, the volume would
not be closed.
For more information, see Section 3.3.3.9, "Geometry, Surface, Cylinder...".
3.4.1.7 Geometry, Volume, Sphere...
... is identical to the Geometry, Surface, Sphere command except that it creates the volume, in addition to the sur-
faces. Since you will be creating a volume, capping surfaces will always be created. Otherwise, the volume would
not be closed.
For more information, see Section 3.3.3.10, "Geometry, Surface, Sphere...".
Selected
Extrusion Vector
Surfaces
Axis of
Angle of
Selected
Surfaces
Revolution
Revolution
Solids 3-47
3.4.2 Solids
These commands provide tools for building solid models in FEMAP. They are available when the Parasolid geom-
etry engine is active.
The Solid menu is partitioned into six major segments:
Activate - select and or name the active solid
creating/editing- Add/Remove Material, Extrude, Revolve, Primitives, Stitch, Explode
modifying - Fillet, Chamfer, Shell
Boolean operations - Add, Remove, Common, Embed, Intersect
slicing/face operations - Slice, Slice Match, Slice Along Face, Embed Face
Cleanup - cleanup the active solid
The functionality of these commands are explained in more detail below.
3.4.2.1 Geometry, Solid, Activate...
... is used to change between active solids, change the title of the highlighted solid, or to make no solid active.
When you select this command, the Solid Manager dialog box appears.
Update Title
Allows you to rename the highlighted solid.
None Active
Choose this option to deactivate all solids.
3.4.2.2 Geometry, Solid, Add/Remove Material...
... does not perform any functions; however, it does set the defaults for the commands below. If this option does not
have a check mark next to it, the default will be Add. If there is a check mark, the default will be Remove.
Note: Unlike other similar Manager commands, such as Model, Load, Create/Manage Set and Model, Con-
straint, Create/Manage Set, you cannot create a new solid by inputting an unused ID. You must cre-
ate a new solid by using one of the commands under the Solid menu which actually forms the solid
and select New Solid. FEMAP will then automatically create a new solid with the title you input.
Clear Title Filter Title Filter
3-48 Geometry
This is a convenient method to toggle between defaults if you are performing many additions, then removals. How-
ever, you can still toggle between Remove and Add once you get into the command itself. Therefore, you are not
required to change this option.
3.4.2.3 Geometry, Solid, Extrude...
... allows you to move a boundary or surface through a vector, and either create a new solid from the extrusion,
remove material or add material. When you invoke this command, you will see the following dialog box:
The dialog box is separated into four major sections: Material, Direction, Length, and option buttons.
Material
This section controls the type of action to perform. The default will be based upon the Add/Extrude Material option
(see Section 3.4.2.2, "Geometry, Solid, Add/Remove Material..."), or the last previous operation. You can create a
new solid, add to the current solid (Protrusion), or remove from the current solid (hole). The Add and Remove com-
mands are similar to the Geometry, Solid, Add and Remove commands, except you do not have to form an addi-
tional solid to add or remove. You simply move a boundary or surface along a vector to add or remove material.
Direction
This option controls whether you extrude in the negative, positive, or both directions. You will see a small white
arrow along the surface or boundary denoting the current direction. If you switch from positive to negative, the
direction of the arrow will switch.
FEMAP can extrude both planar and non-planar surfaces, but it can only extrude planar boundaries. For all planar
entities, FEMAP will automatically choose the normal to the entity as the vector along which to extrude. If you
want to extrude a non-planar surface, or want to extrude along a vector other than the normal, you must select the
extrusion vector by pushing the Along Vector... button.
Length
You can extrude to a particular depth along the vector, to a specific location, or through all of the solid(s) along the
vector direction. If you select the location option, you must input the location using the standard coordinate defini-
tion dialog box after pressing OK on the Extrusion Options dialog box.
Options Buttons
These buttons allow you to change the defaults for the extrusion.
Active Solid...
...allows you to change the active solid which will be used in the extrude operation. When you select this option, a
list of the available solids will be provided (the same dialog box that is used in the Geometry, Solid, Activate com-
mand). Simply select the appropriate solid.
Along Vector...
... uses the standard vector definition dialog box to define the vector along which to extrude. If you do not select
this option, FEMAP will automatically extrude along the normal vector for all planar surfaces. If you attempt to
extrude a nonplanar surface, you must use this option to define the extrusion vector. You cannot use this option to
extrude boundary surfaces. Boundary surfaces area always extruded normal to their definition plane.
Note: You cannot extrude a FEMAP base (standard) surface, or a nonplanar boundary surface.
Geometry, Solid, Revolve... 3-49
Pattern...
... allows you to create multiple extrusions from a single surface or boundary extrusion. This is an extremely useful
option when multiple holes, in a symmetrical pattern are required through a solid. You can simply define one
boundary/surface, and then choose Pattern. When you choose this command, the Patterns dialog box will appear.
None
The default option is None. A single extrusion will be performed with
this option.
Rectangular
This option allows you to identify the number and spacing in Y. If you
are planning to use this option, the workplane must be aligned with the
pattern. Also, the original surface/boundary you create should be at the
most negative position on the workplane. FEMAP will automatically
move in the positive X and Y workplane directions (unless you specify a
negative distance) to create additional entities in the pattern. The spacing
values input must be the distance form center to center of the boundary/
surface you are extruding.
Radial
This option is very similar to Rectangular, except it defines a radial pat-
tern. You input the center, the number, and the total angle, and FEMAP will create these extrusions into or through
the solid.
Examples
Below you will find two examples of a pattern definition.
Rectangular Pattern
The first example uses a rectangular pattern of 3 in X and 3 in Y with the same spacing for both. The origin is spec-
ified as the center of the circle in the workplane in the bottom left corner. FEMAP then uses the X spacing and Y
spacing to form the 9 holes in the solid.
Radial Pattern
The Radial Pattern is similar, except a number of 6 and a total angle of 360 degrees was specified.
Surface
This option lets you to select the surface to extrude.
3.4.2.4 Geometry, Solid, Revolve...
... is very similar to Geometry, Solid, Extrude except it revolves around an axis of revolution instead of extruding
along a vector. When you select this command, you must input the axis of revolution using the standard vector def-
inition dialog box. The Revolve Options dialog box then appears. This dialog box is almost identical to the Extrude
Options dialog box above (Geometry, Solid, Extrude), except for a few modifications (see Section 3.4.2.3, "Geom-
etry, Solid, Extrude...")
The Material (New Solid, Add, or Remove) and Directions (Positive, Negative, or Both) sections are identical, and
the Length section has options for Angle, To Location, and Full 360 degrees instead of Depth, To Location, and Full
360. The only other difference is you can choose to change your axis of revolution (instead of the Extrusion Vector)
by selecting the axis of revolution option.
Rectangular Pattern Radial Pattern
3-50 Geometry
3.4.2.5 Geometry, Solid, Primitives...
... can be used for such
geometry primitives as cyl-
inders, blocks, and cones.
This command can be used
to form a new solid or to
add/remove material from
an existing solid. When you
select this command, the
Solid Primitives dialog box
appears.
This dialog box is very
similar to the Extrude
Options and Revolve Options dialog boxes. Each of these areas are discussed below.
Material
You can create a new solid, add to, or remove from an existing solid just as in the Extrude/Revolve commands
above. For this particular command, however, you also have the option to form a new solid from common areas of
the primitive you are about to create and the current active solid.
Direction
You may also choose to move in a positive or a negative direction, just like the commands above.
Origin
You simply specify a location for the origin of the primitive. If you plan on using a rectangular pattern, you should
use the origin of the primitive which is in the most negative position in the workplane, since FEMAP will always
move in the positive direction to create the pattern.
Primitive
This section defines the actual primitive to be created. You can create a block, cylinder, cone, or sphere. For the
block, you can input the origin at the center or corner of the block. You must then specify the distances in the X, Y
and Z directions. These directions are all relative to the workplane. For a cylinder you simply input a height and
radius. A cone requires a top and bottom radius as well as a height. There are two options for sphere, Sphere
requires only a radius for input and creates a sphere with 8 three-sided surfaces, while Sphere - Alt requires only
a radius and creates a sphere from 6 four-sided surfaces.
Options
You may also change the active solid (Active Solid) or choose to create a Pattern (see Section 3.4.2.3, "Geometry,
Solid, Extrude...").
3.4.2.6 Geometry, Solid, Stitch...
... creates a solid from a series of surfaces. The only inputs required for this command are the surfaces themselves,
a stitching tolerance, and whether mergeable curves should be cleaned up. The tolerance can be adjusted to facil-
itate the closing of gaps between surface edges. This is a very useful command when reading trimmed surfaces
from an IGES file. You can read an IGES file, and then use this command to generate a Parasolid solid from the
IGES surfaces. You can then manipulate this solid just like any other solid you would have created in FEMAP.
Sphere
Sphere - Alt
Geometry, Solid, Explode... 3-51
When Cleanup Mergeable Curves is on, which is the default, FEMAP will remove all internal curves which are
redundant. The stitched geometry will contain as few surfaces as possible by removing curves which are not
needed to define the overall topology of the geometry. When off, all of the surfaces being stitched together will
remain in the geometry.
3.4.2.7 Geometry, Solid, Explode...
...creates independent surfaces from a solid. The underlying solid no longer exists. The only input for this com-
mand is a solid. This command is quite useful because it allows you to modify surfaces on solids, then, if desired,
stitch them back into a solid.
3.4.2.8 Geometry, Solid, Fillet...
... allows you to create fillets on a solid model. When using this command, you must be careful to select the appro-
priate curve for filleting. This command works slightly different than the Modify, Fillet command in that you are
modifying a solid, not individual curves. Therefore, you must select an edge of the solid, and that edge will become
rounded based upon the radius you input.
The input for this command is simply the curve(s)/edge(s) to fillet, and the radius of the fillet. Below are a few
examples of filleting a solid.
Examples
3.4.2.9 Geometry, Solid, Chamfer...
... operates identically to Geometry, Solid, Fillet except it produces a chamfer instead of a fillet. Input for this com-
mand is simply the solid edge (curve) and the chamfer length. Examples of this command are shown below.
Original Geometry
Stitched Geometry
Cleanup Mergeable
Curves On
Stitched Geometry
Cleanup Mergeable
Curves Off
Fillet Top Curve
Fillet Top + Side Curves
3-52 Geometry
Examples
3.4.2.10 Geometry, Solid, Shell...
... allows you to hollow out a solid. Simply select the surfaces to pierce (the surfaces on the solid to be hollowed
out), and the thickness of the solid shell. FEMAP will automatically remove the interior portion of the surface and
leave an outer thickness equal to the input of the thickness and then move through the solid, normal to the surface,
and remove material until it reaches within a thickness value of the opposing surface. To shell a solid completely
and remove all material in the interior, simply choose two opposing surfaces.
Examples
3.4.2.11 Geometry, Solid, Thicken...
... allows you to thicken or thin out (depending on the selected options) an existing solid using a component
surface or surfaces or thicken a surface (sheet solid) into a solid by extruding in one specified normal direction or
both.
Offset
The In and Out Offset directions are determined by the normal direction of the surface, with the Out direction
being in the normal direction. For solids, the Out direction will always face away from enclosed volume.
Chamfer Top Curve
Chamfer Top + Side
Pierce One Surface
Pierce Two Surfaces
Geometry, Solid, Thicken... 3-53
When using thicken on a surface (sheet solid) not associated with any solid, you simply choose the surface(s) to
thicken, choose an offset direction (In and/or Out), and enter a value.
Options
These options are used to control the way the thicken command behaves. Some are only available in certain situ-
ations.
Auto Cleanup - Runs a portion of the Solid, Cleanup command to make sure any new solids that have been created
are valid solids and also tries to remove any extraneous material (slivers, hanging edges) from the thicken pro-
cess. This option is on by default and is a recommended every time this command is used.
Thick Individually - Creates an individual solid for each surface that was selected to thicken. Doing this allows
you to pick and choose which newly created solids to boolean (add, embed, etc.) or use in other operations.
Delete Original Surfaces - Simply deletes the Original Surface that was used to thicken. Is on by default, but
may be turned off if you would like to use the surface for additional geometry operations (extrude, revolve, etc.)
Auto Boolean
When using thicken to alter a solid by choosing surfaces associated with the solid, you will have some additional
options. These options allow you to combine the thicken operation with FEMAP Boolean operations.
Essentially, the geometry will be thickened and then the selected Boolean operation will occur. Only thickened
surfaces from a particular solid can be booleaned with that solid (i.e., you can NOT take a surface from a solid,
thicken it, and then boolean it into a different solid).
Note: You can turn on the Surface normals using the View, Options command. Once in the View Options
dialog box, choose the Tools and View Style category, then choose Curve and Surface Accuracy from
the Options list. Change the option in Parametric Directions to either 1..Show All Arrows of
3..Show Surface Arrows.
Note: You can reverse the normal direction of a surface (sheet solid) using the Modify, Update Other, Surface
Normal command.
Two Surfaces with opposite Normals
Surfaces showing Normals
Solids created using Out and
a value of 3 units
3-54 Geometry
None - The new geometry will be created with no effect to existing geometry in the model, even if the new solid
created with thicken overlaps the original surfaces associated solid.
Add - The new geometry will be added to the solid after the thicken operation. This option is good to use when
you want to thicken a portion of your model.
Subtract - The new geometry will be subtracted from the solid after the thicken operation. This option is good
to use when you want to thin out a portion of your model as natatorial will be removed.
Embed - The new geometry will be embedded into the solid after the thicken operation. This Boolean is a
good option to select when you need multiple elements through the thickness and can be used in conjunction
with adjacent surface matching to create a continuous mesh of this type.
See the examples below for how the thicken command can be used with Boolean operations.
Examples:
3.4.2.12 Geometry, Solid, Remove Face...
... allows you to Remove a face from a solid. Simply select the surfaces to remove (surfaces that create fillets,
chamfers, holes, bosses, tabs, cut-outs, etc.), and the faces will be removed from the solid. FEMAP will automati-
cally fill-in or remove the portion of the solid that was represented by the chosen face. For example, a hole can
Hint: You can reduce the diameter of a hole by choosing all the surfaces of the hole, selecting the Out offset
direction, and the Add Auto Boolean Option.
Hint: You can increase the diameter of a hole by choosing all the surfaces of the hole, selecting the In offset
direction, and the Subtract Auto Boolean Option.
Hint: You can create a cylindrical region for meshing around a hole by choosing all the surfaces of the hole,
selecting the In offset direction, and the Embed Auto Boolean Option.
Reduce Radius using a
combination of Out
Offset and Add Boolean
Increase Radius using
a combination of In
Offset and Subtract
Choose a single surface
and use the Out Offset and
Add Boolean to thicken
a portion of your solid
Choose a single surface and
use the In Offset and
Subtract Boolean to thin
out a portion of your
solid
Boolean
Create Mesh Region
using combination of
In Offset and Embed
Boolean
Choose all of the outside
surfaces, the In Offset,
and the Embed Boolean
for two elements
through the
thickness mesh
to partition the solid
Geometry, Solid, Add... 3-55
be removed (material will be added to fill-in the hole) by choosing to remove the interior faces that make up the
sides of the hole or a boss can be removed (material is taken away) by choosing to remove a surface that makes
the side of a boss.
Examples
3.4.2.13 Geometry, Solid, Add...
... forms one solid from multiple, connected solids. The only input required for these commands are the solids
which are selected through the standard entity selection dialog box. FEMAP intersects all selected solids to form
one solid composed of the volumes of all selected solids.
Example
Note: If a solid is not connected to any of the other chosen solids, it will not be added and will remain as a
separate entity.
Remove the two inner faces of a hole
The hole has been removed and the block is solid again
Remove the faces that are fillets
The fillets has been removed from the geometry
+
=
3-56 Geometry
3.4.2.14 Geometry, Solid, Remove...
... modifies one solid by subtracting other solids from it. First select the base solid (the one to be modified), and
then select the solids to subtract. FEMAP removes material common to the solids from the first solid (the base
solid). The subtracted solids are removed from the model.
Example
3.4.2.15 Geometry, Solid, Common...
... is very similar to Geometry, Solid, Add except it creates a solid from the shared volumes between two solids
instead of the total volumes of both.
Example
3.4.2.16 Geometry, Solid, Embed...
...similar to the common command except that it forms multiple solids: one from the shared volumes of each
embedded solid and one from the remaining volume of the base solid. You are first asked to pick the base solid,
then any number of solids to embed.
Example
=
-
=
Common
=
Embed
Pick this solid first
Geometry, Solid, Intersect... 3-57
3.4.2.17 Geometry, Solid, Intersect...
...automatically breaks surfaces on selected solids at their intersections.
The figure shows the surfaces of two solids before and after intersection.
3.4.2.18 Geometry, Solid, Slice...
... forms two solids by using a cutting plane to slice through a solid. This command simply requires you to select
the solid, and define the cutting plane using the standard plane definition dialog box. FEMAP will then slice the
solid and form two individual solids from the first solid.
3.4.2.19 Geometry, Solid, Slice Match...
...similar to the solid slice command, but it will leave matching faces on both solids. The faces can then be matched
for meshing using the mesh size commands. This command is useful for making multiple solid meshes (tetrahe-
drons or hexahedrons) that can be sewn together using the coincident nodes command.
Hint: This command is extremely useful when importing CAD files of symmetrical parts. Most solid mod-
els in CAD systems will be of the entire model to generate drawings. You can use this command to
slice the part through its plane(s) of symmetry and produce a much smaller and efficient model for
meshing and analyzing. If you need to mesh the entire model due to non-symmetric loading condi-
tions, simply mesh the sliced portion and then reflect the mesh. You will be able to produce a much
better mesh in less time, than if you attempt to mesh the entire part. You will also be guaranteed to
obtain a symmetrical mesh
Surfaces Before Intersect Surfaces After Intersect
+
=
3-58 Geometry
3.4.2.20 Geometry, Solid, Slice Along Face...
...similar to the slice match command but a face of the solid is selected instead of a plane. The face can be planar or
curved.
3.4.2.21 Geometry, Solid, Embed Face...
...extrudes a face into a new solid and embeds it into the solid that
contained the face. You must first select a face, then you will have
several optional methods that you can use to embed the face. Usu-
ally you will simply want to use the defaults, by pressing OK.
Embedding Direction and Distance
The direction that the face will be embedded can be determined or
specified in a number of ways. If you are embedding a planar face,
the direction can be automatically determined from the plane nor-
mal. If you choose Automatic, the surface normal will be used as the embedding direction, and the face will be
embedded through your entire solid. If you choose Specify Direction, you will be asked for a vector to use for both
the direction and the distance to embed. If you choose Specify Offset, you will simply be asked for an offset dis-
tance. The surface will be offset through that distance and embedded. If you use this method with non-planar sur-
faces, the resulting embedded solid will not be a simple extrusion. The sides of the solid are projected normal to the
original surface.
Curves
In most cases, you will want to embed the entire face. That means choosing the Outline Only mode, where only the
outline of the face is used - holes are ignored. If you choose All Curves, curves on holes will also be used, so any
geometry that is inside the holes will be sliced out of the embedded solid.
If a planar face is selected FEMAP uses the face normals as the extrusion direction. If you select a curved surface,
FEMAP will ask you for a direction vector to use for the extrusion.
+
=
Pick this face
Geometry, Solid, Cleanup... 3-59
3.4.2.22 Geometry, Solid, Cleanup...
... is used to cleanup a solid. This command will check the solid, and
remove any extraneous features which are not part of the actual solid, but
may have developed during export from a CAD package or from Boolean
operations on it. If a portion of your solid appears inaccurate, or drawn
incorrectly, use this command to see if you can remove it.
Remove Redundant Geometry
Redundant geometry is geometry that is not required to define the volume
of the solid. Examples of this could be curves that have been imprinted in a
face to split it into regions, points used to split curves, or multiple surfaces
that are all really part of the same underlying geometric surface. If you
check this option, this geometry will be removed, resulting in a simplified
solid.
Remove Sliver Surfaces
Slivers are small faces that are created because of numerical inaccuracies in Boolean or other solid modeling
operations. Typically these faces are much smaller than the other faces that define your solid. While they are small,
they can cause great difficulties in meshing. They will often completely prevent a part from being hex meshed. This
option removes these surfaces and attempts to restitch your solid without them. This option is only available with
Parasolid geometry.
Check Geometry
Once you have cleaned geometry, especially if you removed sliver surfaces, it is often good to check it to be confi-
dent that it is still a good, usable solid. You may even want to do this without any of the other options just to check
the validity of a solid that you are creating.
Match Model Scale Factor
If you have a model containing geometry in more than one scale factor, this command will take all selected geome-
try and adjust the geometrys internal scale factor to the Solid Geometry Scale Factor that is currently set in File,
Preferences under the Geometry preference.
Advanced Cleanup
If you press the Advanced Cleanup button, you will see a list of alternate ways that you can attempt to repair your
geometry. These options give you more control over repairing specific problems.
In most cases in the dialog box, you will see a check box to turn a specific cleanup option on or off, along with an
associated tolerance (if appropriate), to specify the characteristic size where you want cleaning to take place.
Cleaning Options
Repair Edges allows you to specify a tolerance which will be used to repair the edges of your solid. If Smooth or
Split Discontinuities is checked, then surface or curve G1 discontinuities will be removed. If the discontinuity has
a change in tangent of less than the tolerance that you specify then the discontinuity will be smoothed. If the change
Note: Do not use this option if you have imprinted curves or performed some of the matching commands
since imprinted curves are considered extraneous and will be removed.
=
two solids
pick circular face
3-60 Geometry
in tangent is greater than the tolerance then the face or edge will be split at the surfaces or curves discontinuity. If
a surface contains self-intersections, which lie outside its face boundaries then this portion of the surface will be
removed by splitting the surface, if you check Remove Surface Self Intersections. This may result in the surface
being split into several surfaces. If you are concerned that surface geometry be preserved at all costs, and repairs
should be confined to getting face boundaries repaired as far as possible, then turn off Allow Surface Modifica-
tions - this will leave surface geometry unchanged.
Small Feature Options
Remove Spikes attempts to heal surface trim-
ming curves that have spikes as shown. Remove
Small Edges removes very short edges which are
below the length that you specify. Similarly,
Remove Small Faces removes small faces. A
small face is defined as any face, no matter what
shape, that fits completely within a sphere of the
radius that you specify in this option. Remove
Sliver Faces also removes insignificant faces,
however in the case of slivers, they may only be
small in one direction and long in the other. These
are faces with high aspect ratios, and small area.
Geometry Simplification Options
If Convert to Analytic Geometry is on, B-Spline
curves and surfaces are converted, whenever pos-
sible, to simplified analytic geometry. Curves can
be simplified to lines, circles or ellipses. A sur-
faces can be simplified to a plane, cylinder, cone,
sphere or torus. The original B-Spline geometry
must match the analytical representation within
the specified tolerance or it will not be converted.
Edge Healing Options
These options attempt to heal inaccuracies in the edges of a solid or sur-
face. They repair edge and vertex geometry by recalculating geometry that
does not meet precisely. The tolerance you specify is the tolerance to
which the edges will be recomputed to meet the other constraints imposed
by the model - for example, surface tangency. This option will also repair
misalignment between the axes of analytical surfaces - for example, two
very nearly coplanar surfaces are made planar. Likewise, very small mismatches between the radii of cones, cylin-
ders, spheres and torii are corrected. If Merge Edges is on, then after healing the inaccurate edges, any redundant
edges in the model will be removed.
Surface Heal and Stitch Options
These options allow you to stitch surfaces into a solid, or automatically explode and restitch an existing solid. In
addition to simply stitching, if you turn on Heal Surfaces, then additional cleaning options are performed before
stitching - self intersections of curves will be removed, and self-intersections in sharp corners of 3-sided surfaces
will be removed. If Smooth or Split Discontinuities is checked, G1-discontinuities in curves and surfaces will be
removed, and closed geometry is made periodic. If Replace Missing Geometry is on, then an attempt will be
made to fit surfaces in any remaining holes in the model to close it into a solid.
spike
tangential
surfaces
repaired
surfaces
Copying Geometry 3-61
3.5 Copying Geometry
FEMAP provides robust tools to make duplicates of existing geometry. There are five commands which can be
used to make duplicates of existing geometry:
Copy
Radial Copy
Scale
Rotate
Reflect
These operations can be performed with any geometry, including points, curves, surfaces, volumes, and solids.
When you copy geometry that is comprised of other geometry (such as surfaces which are comprised of curves),
FEMAP will automatically copy these framework entities, and then connect them properly to form the new cop-
ies. Each of these capabilities is described in more detail below.
3.5.1 Geometry, Copy Commands
You can use the copy commands to duplicate existing points, curves, surfaces, volumes, or solids. All Geometry,
Copy commands require the exact same input, independent of the geometry you are copying. After selecting the
appropriate command for the type of entity you want to select, the standard entity selection dialog box will appear.
Simply choose the desired entities, and FEMAP will display the following dialog box.
After you set the Generation Options and press
OK, you will see the standard vector definition
dialog box. This vector defines both the direction
and distance from the selected entities to the first
copy. If you specify multiple repetitions, each
additional copy will be located along the same
vector, at the same distance from the previous
copy. Optionally, you can specify a new vector
for each repetition by selecting the Update Every
Repetition option.
Specifying Generation Options
The generation options control how many copies FEMAP will make, and choose what is transferred from the orig-
inal entities to the resulting entities. You have the following choices:
Match Original:
Used to choose what is transferred from the original entities to the new copied entities.
Color and Layer - when this option is on, the copied entities will have the same Color and Layer as the original
entities. Otherwise, the copied entities will use the Active Color and Layer in the model for that specific entity
type. The Active Layer and Color can be controlled using the Tools, Parameters command. This is the same as if
you had created new entities using the geometry creation commands (for example, Geometry, Point).
Mesh Sizes, Loads, Constraints... - When this option is on, the copied entities will have identical mesh sizing,
geometry-based loads, and geometry-based constraints applied. FEMAP will automatically create local coordinate
systems to define the loads and boundary conditions properly, if necessary.
Repetitions:
By default this option is one. One repetition will create one copy of each selected entity. If you want multiple cop-
ies, set this option to the number desired.
Note: When using Geometry, Copy, Curves, the Mesh Sizes, Loads, Constraints option is not available. If
the original curves have a mesh size applied, then the copied curves will as well. No curve-based loads
or constraints will be applied to the copied curves.
3-62 Geometry
Update Every Repetition:
When this option is off, FEMAP will only ask you for one vector that will be used to position the copies. In this
mode, FEMAP will always offset the position of the current repetition from the position of the previous repetition,
based on the direction and length of the vector that you define.
If you select the Update Every Repetition option however,
FEMAP will ask you for a new vector before every repeti-
tion. This new vector will be used to offset from the origi-
nal entities you selected, not from the previous repetition.
You will want to check this option whenever you want to
create multiple copies that do not lie along a single vector.
Copy in Same Location:
Creates a copy of the selected entities without specifying a
vector to move them (i.e., creates coincident entities).
Copying in Non Rectangular Coordinates
FEMAP always creates copies along the vector that you
specify, that is along a straight line. You can specify the
vector in any convenient coordinate system. You cannot however, use it to create a copy in a rotated location by
choosing the angular direction in a cylindrical coordinate system. You must use the rotation commands to create
rotated copies.
3.5.2 Geometry, Radial Copy Commands
The commands on this menu provide an alternative to the Geometry, Copy commands. Instead of copying all enti-
ties along a constant vector, as those commands did, the Geometry, Radial Copy commands use a different, radial
vector for each entity to be copied.
When you choose one of these commands, you will be asked to select the entities to be copied, and to define the
generation options. This portion of the process is identical to the normal copy commands. FEMAP will ask a ques-
tion:
Clicking Yes allows you to choose a location which defines the center of the radial pattern. Clicking No
prompts you to choose a vector for constant offset. Finally, you must specify the Radial Copy Length, the radial
distance between each original and the associated copy.
When using the Move Around Point/Spherical method, FEMAP will com-
pute a direction vector for each entity which runs from the center that you
chose, to the entity, as shown here.
In a three dimensional case, these commands are actually a spherical copy,
since the copy vector is computed from the center of the sphere.
For more information regarding the specifics of using the various generation
options refer to Section 3.5.1, "Geometry, Copy Commands"
Note: This command is not available for solids. Also, surfaces/curves created using the Parasolid modeling
engine can also not be selected. It is used most often to copy arcs and other basic geometry. You must
also be careful when using this command with arcs. You should typically use the center of the arc as the
center of the radial pattern, otherwise the arc formed by the copy may be significantly different than you
would expect.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Original Points
Make 3 copies
along this vector
Center
Radial Vectors
Offset
Original
Copy
Geometry, Scale Commands 3-63
3.5.3 Geometry, Scale Commands
The Geometry, Scale commands are very similar to the Geometry, Radial Copy commands. They create one or
more copies of selected entities, offset from a center location. In this case however, instead of specifying a constant
offset from the original, the new copy is formed by scaling the distance from the center to the original.
These commands start by selecting the entities to be copied, and defining the generation options. This portion of
the process is identical to the normal copy commands. Just as in the Geometry, Radial Copy commands, you next
choose a location which defines the center of the pattern. Finally, you must specify the scale factors. Scaling can be
done in one or more directions. By specifying the same scale factor in all three directions, a spherical copy can be
made. A cylindrical copy can be accomplished by specifying the same factor in two directions, and a unit (1.0)
scale factor in the third direction - along the axis of the cylinder. For this type of operation, a coordinate system can
also be chosen if the axes of the desired cylinder do not coincide with the global axes.
FEMAP will compute a direction vector for each entity which runs from
the center that you chose, to the entity, as shown here.
In these commands, both the direction and magnitude of these vectors is
used. The direction is used to determine the original copy vector compo-
nents. These components are multiplied by the scale factors to calculate
the final offsets from the center location of the copy. If you use different
scale factors in different component directions, the copy will not lie along
the vector from the center to the original.
For more information on using various generation options, see Section
3.5.1, "Geometry, Copy Commands". For information on specifying scal-
ing factors, see Section 3.6.2.7, "Modify, Scale Menu".
3.5.4 Geometry, Rotate Commands
Like the Geometry, Copy commands, these commands create duplicate copies of model entities. Instead of copying
along a vector, these commands rotate the duplicate copies around a vector.
FEMAP displays the standard entity selection dialog box to allow you to select the entities you want to copy. This
is followed by the same Generation Options dialog box. All of the options in this box are used just as in the Geom-
etry, Copy command.
Following the Generation Options dialog box, you will see the standard vector definition dialog box. This vector is
used to specify the axis that you want to rotate around to generate the copies. Unlike the copy command, you do not
have to specify a length for this axis. Instead, after you choose the vector, FEMAP displays one additional dialog
box that asks for the Change per Repetition.
You can specify both a Rotation Angle and a Translation Distance. Each copy is rotated around the axis of rotation
vector by the specified angle (following right-hand rule conventions), and is translated along the axis vector by
specified distance. If you specify a nonzero translation distance, you will be creating a spiral.
Note: If you use a scale factor of 1.0, the resulting copy will be located at the same location as the original in
that coordinate direction. Scale factors of (1.0, 1.0, 1.0) will result in a completely coincident copy of
the originals.
Center
Original
Copy
Scale=2.0
Scale=2.0
Axis of Revolution
One original node
Spiral created by rotating
with a nonzero translation
distance.
Circle created by rotating
with translation distance
set to zero.
3-64 Geometry
3.5.5 Geometry, Reflect Commands
The commands on this menu allow you to generate a portion of your model by reflecting or flipping existing points,
curves, surfaces, volumes, and solids across a plane.
As always, you will use the standard entity selection dia-
log box to choose the entities to be reflected. Then
FEMAP will display the Generation Options dialog box.
(See Section 3.5.1, "Geometry, Copy Commands"). All
options work just like they do for Geometry, Copy com-
mands, except that you cannot choose multiple repeti-
tions.
In addition, you can specify a Trap Width in the Genera-
tion Options dialog box. FEMAP will not make a copy of
any selected point or curve if it is closer to the reflection
plane than the trap width that you specify. If you set the
trap width to zero, all of the entities that you select will be reflected. This option is used most often when reflecting
elements, and will usually be zero when reflecting geometry.
Next, FEMAP will display the standard plane selection dialog box, so you can define the reflection plane. You can
choose any plane that you want. It does not matter how your selected entities are oriented with respect to the plane.
They can be on one side, or they can be on both sides of the plane. Just remember that the reflected entities will be
located on the opposite side of the plane from the original.
3.6 Modifying Geometry
The last major sections of commands involve the modification of geometry. Geometry commands explained above,
under the Geometry menu, were used to create new geometric entities, either from scratch or as some type of
duplicate from existing geometry. This section deals with the actual modification of geometry, not its creation. It is
often easier to modify geometry by using commands to trim or fillet curves, than it is to create the curves from
scratch in every model.
All these commands are contained under the Modify menu. These commands can be separated into four specific
areas for the purpose. They are:
curve operations (Trim, Extend, etc.)
move geometry operations
edit/parameters
advanced updates
These commands are all contained on the Modify menu. The curve operation commands are contained on the top
section of the Modify menu, while the move geometry commands are contained in the middle section. The bottom
section of the Modify menu contains the edit/parameters commands (Edit, Color, Layer), and the advanced updates
(top portion of the Modify, Update Other menu). Each of these areas and their commands are discussed more thor-
oughly in the sections below.
3.6.1 Curve Operations
The top portion of the Modify menu contains commands that will modify existing curves. These commands essen-
tially perform Boolean operations on curves. Other Boolean operations are performed directly on the solids menu.
The commands on the first section of the Modify menu are specifically designed to manipulate only curves.
Several commands also require input of a Near location. When trimming or joining curves, several possible solu-
tions may be obtained. By inputting a Near location, you specify which option to select. The easiest method to
use this option is to position the cursor so it will select the appropriate curve, but also so it is near the proper loca-
tion. When you press the mouse button to select the curve, FEMAP will automatically select the curve, and input
the coordinate location in the Near inputs. If you make a mistake, you can always set the input back to the center
location and pick new coordinates.
These curve operations cannot be performed on curves that define a surface or solid. The available commands are:
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9
10
11 12 13
14 15 16
17 18 19
20
Reflection Plane
Original Points Reflected Points
Modify, Trim... 3-65
Modify
Trim
Extend
Break
Join
Fillet
Chamfer
Each of these commands are explained below.
3.6.1.1 Modify, Trim...
... cuts curves at the locations where they intersect other curves. The curves you want to trim must actually inter-
sect. This command does not project curves onto a plane before intersecting - it uses the three dimensional curve
definition.
To trim, you must select the curves that will be used as the cutting edges using the standard entity selection dialog
box. You can choose as many cutting curves as you like.
Choosing the Curve to Trim
After you choose the cutting curves, you will see the following dialog box:
You must select the curve you want to trim and define a location (Remove Near) near the portion of the curve that
you want to eliminate. Assuming they intersect, the cutting curves always divide the curve that you are trimming
into at least two sections, and possibly more. The portion of the curve closest to the Remove Near location you
specify will be removed. This could be one of the ends of the curve, or a segment on the interior. The location must
be specified relative to the coordinate system shown, but other than this, the coordinate system has no impact on
this command.
When you have selected the curve and location you want to trim, you can press OK or More. Choose OK if this is
the only curve that you want to trim with the selected cutting curves. Press More if you want to trim more curves
without selecting new cutting curves.
By far, the easiest way to use this command is to use your mouse to graphically select the curve. While input is set
to the ID field, point at the portion of the curve that you want to remove and click the left mouse button. This will
select both the ID and the Remove Near location. If you double-click the mouse instead, it will also automatically
press the OK button and trim the curve.
The extended trim option controls how the cutting curves are used. With extended trim on, cutting curves extend
past their end points toward infinity. Trimming intersections can be found anywhere along these extended curves. If
extended trim is off, the cutting curves stop at their end points and intersections can only be found between the end
points.
Note: These curve operations cannot be performed on curves that define a surface or a solid. You must delete
any entities that reference these curves before you can perform any of these curve operations.
Ctrl+i
3-66 Geometry
Examples
3.6.1.2 Modify, Extend...
... moves the end points of one or more curves to a specified location. This command can either lengthen or shorten
the curves depending upon the chosen location. If the location does not lie along the curve, the curve is extended
along its length to the location that is closest to the coordinates you specified.
This command only uses standard dialog boxes. You choose the curves to extend using the standard entity selection
dialog. You then specify the location using the standard coordinate dialog boxes. As described above, any curves
and any location can be chosen. The location is simply projected onto each curve at the point of closest proximity.
This command always modifies the end of the curve that is already closest to the specified location.
You can also use this command to extend or shrink B-Spline curves.
3.6.1.3 Modify, Break...
... splits one or more curves into two pieces at a location that you specify. If the location is not along the length of a
curve, it is projected to the closest location on the curve, and the curve is split at that location.
The location that you choose, or its projection, must fall within the current end points of the curve that you are try-
ing to break. You cannot use this command to extend the existing curve beyond its end points.
Only standard dialog boxes are used for this command. You select the curves to break using the standard entity
selection dialog box. Then, you choose the location with the standard coordinate dialog boxes.
Normally, breaking a curve does not change its type. You just end up with two new curves of the same type, that
together, make up the original curve. The only exception is when you break a circle. In this case, you end up with
two arcs (a different type of curve) that represent the original circle.
Curve to Trim
if Remove Near is
at this end
if Remove Near is
at this end
if Remove Near is
in the middle
Curve to Trim
Remove Near
Curve to Trim
Remove Near
Cutting Curve
Ctrl+K
Modify, Join... 3-67
Examples
3.6.1.4 Modify, Join...
...combines the capabilities found in the trim
and extend commands to allow you to
quickly connect two intersecting curves. If
an intersection is found the selected curves
are either extended or shortened to that com-
mon location. This command cannot be used
to create a third curve from the two selected
curves. It simply extends or shrinks the
curves so they will intersect.
Only one dialog box is required for this command. Here you select the two curves, and a location near the intersec-
tion where you want to join the curves. If you are joining lines, you can specify any location that you want since
there will only be a single intersection. For other curve types, where multiple intersections are possible, the curves
are joined at the intersection that is closest to the location you specify. The coordinate system can be used for con-
venience in specifying the location, but is not used otherwise.
The Update 1 and Update 2 options control whether the respective curves will be extended (or shortened) to the
join location. If you turn one of these off, that curve will not be updated, but the other curve will still be extended to
the join location. Do not turn both off - nothing will be updated.
This command cannot work, if the curves, or the extensions of the curves past their end points, do not intersect. If
the selected curves intersect within their original length, the Near location is used to determine which portion of the
Extend to here
Extended Curves
Closest to
specified location
Original
Extend (shrink) to here
Extend to here
Curves
Break here
Original Curves
Original Circle
Break here
Starting location
of circle
Two arcs
Ctrl+J
3-68 Geometry
curves will be kept after they are updated. Just like Modify, Fillet, the portion of the curve closest to the Near loca-
tion is kept.
Examples
3.6.1.5 Modify, Fillet...
... connects two curves with an arc of a specified radius. The lengths of the original curves can be adjusted so that
they just meet the ends of the fillet arc. The arc is positioned so that it is tangent to both original curves at its end
points.
Just like the Modify, Join command, only one dialog box is required for this command. You must choose the two
curves to fillet, and a location that is near the center of the desired fillet. Since even at a line-to-line intersection
there are four possible quadrants for the fillet, this location is always important. It must lie in the quadrant where
you want the fillet arc. For other curve types, it also chooses between the many possible intersection locations. The
examples below will show you how to specify this location.
If you are filleting intersecting curves, like lines, you can choose any fillet radius that you want. If you are filleting
non-intersecting curves, like two arcs or circles, the fillet radius must be large enough to span the gap between the
curves.
As long as the Trim Curve options are on, the end points of the respective curve will be adjusted to be coincident
with the ends of the fillet arc. If you just want to add an arc, but not trim the curves, turn one or more of these
options off.
If you are having trouble creating the arc that you want, check the location and alignment of your workplane. The
coordinates that you pick are typically in the workplane and if it is skewed relative to the curves that you are fillet-
ing, the point you choose may not be in the quadrant that you expected. It is always best to do filleting in a view
where the curves and the workplane are normal to the screen.
Join these curves
These portions
have been removed
Join these curves
Only update
this curve
Only one curve
extended to join location
Join these curves
These portions
have been removed
Near
Near
Ctrl+F
Modify, Chamfer... 3-69
Examples
Limitations
You may encounter the following limitations when you are attempting to fillet curves:
If you are going to fillet an arc, circle or spline, the other curve should lie in the same plane. If it does not, the
fillet that is created will probably not be tangent to both curves, or no fillet will be created. Fillet expects the
geometry to be planar.
If you attempt to fillet splines, the fillet arc will probably not be tangent to the spline. Since splines cannot be
precisely offset, the center location of the fillet arc is not calculated precisely. You will have to adjust the posi-
tion manually or use another technique.
3.6.1.6 Modify, Chamfer...
... trims two intersecting lines at a specified distance from their end points and connects the trimmed ends with a
new line. This command is very similar to the Modify, Fillet command, but you must choose lines (not arcs, circles
or splines).
Just like the Modify, Fillet command, only one dialog box is required. You must choose the two lines to chamfer,
and a location that is near the center of the desired chamfer. Since even at a line-line intersection there are four pos-
sible quadrants for the chamfer, this location is always important. It must lie in the quadrant where you want the
chamfer line. The figure shows you how to specify this location.
You can choose any chamfer lengths that you want, and
you can independently control the chamfer length along
each curve. The lengths that you specify are the distances
along the curves as shown here.
As long as the Trim Curve options are on, the end points of
the respective line will be adjusted to be coincident with
the ends of the chamfer line. If you just want to add a line,
but not trim the original lines, turn one or more of these
options off.
Original Curves
Fillet Arc
Both curves trimmed
or extended to the
fillet locations.
Center Near here
Pick the center
location in the
quadrant where
you want the fillet.
Original Curves
Original Curves Original Curves
Fillet added
without trimming
original circles
Pick here
for this fillet
Curve 1
Curve 2
Chamfer Length 1
Chamfer Length 2
Chamfer Line
Choose location
near here
3-70 Geometry
If you are having trouble creating the chamfer that you want, check the location and alignment of your workplane.
The coordinates that you pick are typically in the workplane and if it is skewed relative to the lines that you are
chamfering, the point you choose may not be in the quadrant that you expected. It is always best to do chamfering
in a view where the lines and the workplane are normal to the screen.
3.6.2 Moving Geometry
FEMAP also has robust tolls for moving geometry. When you move geometry, any geometry that reference that
geometry is also moved. Therefore, if you move a point that is referenced by a curve on a surface, you are actually
modifying that surface. These move commands, therefore, give you the power to make large scale changes to the
model with only a few changes to the geometry. These commands are also very useful when assembling parts from
different models into one large model.
The move commands can be separated into five major categories:
Project
Translate (Move)
Rotate
Alignment
Scale
Both the Translate and Rotate categories have two capabilities based upon whether you move/rotate to a given
position (Move To and Rotate To) or move along or rotate around (Move By and Rotate By) a vector. Each of the
individual commands is described in more detail below.
3.6.2.1 Modify, Project Menu
The Project commands update the locations of points by moving them onto a selected curve or surface. These com-
mands are only used for points (or nodes with finite element data).
In all of these commands, the projection direction will typically be normal to the curve or surface that you are pro-
jecting onto. Actually however, these commands move the entities to the closest location on the curve or surface.
For the purposes of these commands, curves extend past their end points toward infinity, or in the case of an arc,
they extend a full 360 degrees. Likewise, surfaces extend past their edge curves, but not to infinity. Even though
possible, you should avoid projecting onto a surface outside of its defined boundaries. Depending on the surface
type, this may or may not result in the coordinates that you expected.
Modify, Project, Point onto Curve...
... moves one or more points onto a curve. The standard entity selection dialog box is used to choose the points that
you want to project. You then select the curve for the projection.
You can choose any curve, and all of the selected points will be projected onto it. For more information on how the
projection will be done, see Section 3.6.2.1, "Modify, Project Menu".
Note: These commands cannot be used to move entities of solids. You must use the commands under the
Geometry, Solids menu to perform manipulations on solid entities. You can move an entire solid, how-
ever.
Modify, Project Menu 3-71
Modify, Project, Point onto Surface...
... moves one or more points onto a surface. The standard entity selection dialog box is used to choose the points
that you want to project, and then you must select the appropriate surface.
You can choose any surface, and all of the selected points will be projected onto it. For more information on how
the projection will be done, see Section 3.6.2.1, "Modify, Project Menu".
Modify, Project, Point along Vector...
...similar to Modify, Project, Point onto Surface except it allows you to use a vector to specify a projection direction
instead of always using the surface normal direction. This can be helpful if you are projecting points in a plane onto
a surface with a high level or curvature and want to keep the spatial relationship between the points intact.
FEMAP will ask if it is OK to Project in Both Directions along Vector (No = Positive Only)?. Clicking Yes will
extend the vector in both directions, which is helpful in cases where the vector was defined in the wrong direction.
Modify, Project, Point onto Vector...
... similar to Modify, Project, Point onto Curve except it allows you to specify a vector (using any method in
FEMAP) representing a straight line between two coordinates to project to instead of an existing curve.
Modify, Project, Point onto Plane...
... similar to Modify, Project, Point onto Surface except it allows you to specify a 2-D plane (using any method in
FEMAP) to project to instead of an existing planar surface.
Original Locations
Projected Locations
Points projected onto
extended curve
Projected Locations
Point projected onto
extended arc
Original
Locations
Original Points
Surface
Projected Points
3-72 Geometry
3.6.2.2 Modify, Move To Menu
The Move To commands update the location of some portion of your model. Although there are only commands to
move coordinate systems, points, and nodes, you can use these commands to move your entire model. For example,
when you move a point, the geometry entities (curves, surfaces, etc.) that reference the point, are also updated.
The basic philosophy behind each of these commands is to specify a new coordinate to which selected entities will
be moved. Since it is relatively useless to move multiple entities to a single location (they would all be coincident),
each command allows you to limit the movement to any subset of the three coordinates. For example, you can just
update the X coordinates, leaving all Y and Z coordinates in their original locations. By specifying a non-rectangu-
lar coordinate system, you can also move to a selected radius or angle.
Each command on this menu displays the standard
entity selection dialog box so you can choose the
entities to move. When you press OK, the standard
coordinate definition dialog box appears to specify
the location to Move To. Finally, after you choose a
location, you will see the Move To dialog box to
select which coordinate (in a specific coordinate
system) to update. Only those coordinates that are
checked will be updated. In most cases, you will not
want to check all three coordinates unless you are updating a single point.
For example, you could use the Move To, Point command to move all nodes to be in a specific plane (i.e. same
value of X).
Modify, Move To, Coord Sys...
... is the most powerful Move To command. Not only does it update the location of the coordinate systems that you
select, but it can also move all points, nodes and other coordinate systems that are defined relative to those coordi-
nate systems.
If you just want to move the coordinate systems that
you selected, do not choose Move CSys, Nodes and
Points... If you did select that option, FEMAP would
move the coordinate systems you selected plus the
dependent entities.
All of the coordinate systems that you select are
updated as you requested. Other dependent entities
are moved as a rigid body based on the transforma-
tion of the definition coordinate systems. If a coordi-
nate system is both selected and dependent on other selected coordinate systems, it is updated based on your
request, since you selected it. For more information, see Section 3.6.2.2, "Modify, Move To Menu"
Before After
Select all points and
change X coordinates
to this location.
Modify, Move By Menu 3-73
.
If your model was built in a hierarchical manner, using multiple coordinate systems, this command can quickly
move large, related portions of your model. If you want to update the location of a coordinate system but leave the
entities that reference it in their original positions, you can also use the Modify, Update, Coord Sys command.
Modify, Move To, Point...
... moves selected points to a specified coordinate. Curves and any other geometry that reference the selected points
will also be moved. For more information, see Section 3.6.2.2, "Modify, Move To Menu".
3.6.2.3 Modify, Move By Menu
These commands are similar to those found on the Move To submenu. The significant difference is that for these
commands you specify a vector instead of coordinates. All of the entities that you select for modification are
moved along (or by) that vector.
This command only uses two dialog boxes. First, the standard entity selection dialog box is displayed. You should
select the entities to be updated. Then, the standard vector definition dialog box will be displayed. The vector you
specify must contain both a direction and magnitude. All of the selected entities, and the entities that reference
them will be moved by that vector. This essentially means that the location of the selected entity is updated by add-
ing the components of the vector.
Move By in Non-Rectangular Coordinate Systems
The Move By commands always move along a vector (i.e. along a straight line). You can define the vector in any
convenient coordinate system, but it will always represent a straight line. You can not use the Move By commands
to rotate your model by specifying a vector in the angular direction of a cylindrical coordinate system. Use the
Rotate commands to rotate your model.
Modify, Move By, Coord Sys...
... just like the Modify, Move To, Coord Sys command, will move all of the selected coordinate systems, and any
points, nodes, or other coordinate systems that reference a selected system. This can be very powerful if your
model is constructed with multi-level coordinate systems. Again, dependent entities are moved as a rigid body.
Selected coordinate systems are all moved by the vector that you define. For more information, see Section 3.6.2.3,
"Modify, Move By Menu".
x
y
z
3
x
y
z
4
x
y
z
3
x
y
z
4 These nodes
relative to CSys 3
CSys 3 moves
and so do nodes
defined
Move By vector
Select these nodes
3-74 Geometry
Modify, Move By Point, Curve, Surface, Volume, Solid...
... moves the selected points, curves, or surfaces and all geometry that references them, by the specified vector. For
more information, see Section 3.6.2.3, "Modify, Move By Menu".
When you move points that are connected to curves, those curves will be moved also. If you only move some of the
points which are attached to a curve, the shape and size of the curve will probably change. Be especially careful
when moving points that define arcs or circles. Small movements can sometimes lead to large changes in the curve
definition.
Modify, Move By, Point; Modify, Move By, Surface; Modify, Move By, Solid
3.6.2.4 Modify, Rotate To Menu
The commands on this menu rotate selected entities. Unlike the Modify, Move To commands, these commands treat
the selected entities as a rigid body. All of them are rotated by the same angle.
The Modify, Rotate To commands require four dialog boxes. First, the standard entity selection dialog box is dis-
played. You can select all of the entities that you want to rotate. Then, the standard vector definition dialog box
defines the axis of rotation. Only the location of the base and the direction of this vector are important. The length
is not used. Finally, the standard coordinate definition dialog box is displayed twice. The first time, you must define
the coordinates of the starting point of the rotation. The second time, you must define the ending point of the rota-
tion. Using these coordinates, and the axis of rotation, FEMAP will determine the rotation angle.
Modify, Rotate To, Coord Sys...
... just like the Modify, Move commands, will rotate all selected coordinate systems. Points and other coordinate
systems that reference a selected system are also moved as a rigid body. Their movement is based on the motion of
their definition coordinate systems. This can be very powerful if your model is constructed with multi-level coordi-
nate systems. For more information, see Section 3.6.2.4, "Modify, Rotate To Menu".
Modify, Rotate To Point, Curve, Surface, Volume, Solid...
... rotates selected geometry, and all other geometry that references them, around the specified vector. For more
information, see Section 3.6.2.4, "Modify, Rotate To Menu".
Modify, Rotate To, Point; Modify, Rotate To, Surface; Modify, Rotate To, Solid
3.6.2.5 Modify, Rotate By Menu
These commands are similar to the commands on the Modify, Rotate To menu but you must specify a rotation angle
instead of locations. You can also specify an optional Translation Distance with these commands. By combining
both rotation about, and translation along the axis of rotation, you can move entities along a screw-thread or helix
shaped path.
Axis of rotation
Rotate from here
Rotate to here
Modify, Align Menu 3-75
Simply select the entities, chose a vector, and define the Rotation Angle and the Translation Distance.
The selected entities will be rotated (following right-hand rule conventions) around the axis of rotation by the spec-
ified angle. Simultaneously, they will be translated, along the same vector, by the specified distance. The actual
length of the vector is not used. If you specify a zero rotation angle, these commands will simply translate along the
vector - much like the Modify, Move By commands.
Modify, Rotate By, Coord Sys...
... just like the Modify, Rotate To commands, will rotate all of the selected coordinate systems. Points or other coor-
dinate systems that reference a selected system are also moved as a rigid body. Their movement is based on the
transformation of the selected coordinate systems. This can be very powerful if your model is constructed with
multi-level coordinate systems. For more information, see Section 3.6.2.5, "Modify, Rotate By Menu".
Modify, Rotate By Point, Curve, Surface, Volume, Solid...
... rotates the selected points, and all geometry that references them, around the specified vector. For more informa-
tion, see Section 3.6.2.5, "Modify, Rotate By Menu"
When you rotate points that are connected to curves, those curves will rotate also. If you only select some of the
points which are attached to a curve, the shape and size of the curve will probably change. Be especially careful
when rotating points that define arcs or circles. Small movements can often lead to large changes in the curve defi-
nition.
Modify, Rotate By, Point; Modify, Rotate By, Surface; Modify, Rotate By, Solid
3.6.2.6 Modify, Align Menu
These commands combine the capabilities of the Modify, Move and Rotate commands to provide a simple way of
aligning portions of your model. Only three dialog boxes are necessary.
First, you select the entities that you want to align using the standard entity selection dialog box. Next you need to
specify two vectors using the vector definition dialog boxes. The first vector defines the original position and orien-
tation that will be aligned. The second vector defines new or desired position and orientation. FEMAP will first
move the entities that you selected from the origin of the first vector to the origin of the second vector. Then,
FEMAP will rotate the entities to the new orientation. This is accomplished by a rotation based on the angle
between the vectors.
Axis of rotation
Align these elements From this vector
To this vector,
along these other
elements
Aligned elements
3-76 Geometry
If you simply want to use this command as an alternate method of rotation, make sure both vectors have the same
origin. If you do not, the entities will be translated before they are rotated
Modify, Align by CSys...
... is just like the Move and Rotate commands. It will align all of the coordinate systems that you select, plus the
entities that are defined relative to those systems. No option is available to skip alignment of the referencing enti-
ties.
Modify, Align Point, Curve, Surface, Volume, Solid...
... aligns the selected geometry, and all geometry that references them, using the two vectors. For more information,
see Section 3.6.2.6, "Modify, Align Menu".
3.6.2.7 Modify, Scale Menu
These commands are used to change the size of your model. You specify a relative scaling factor and a point to
scale around. FEMAP will adjust the selected coordinates appropriately. Like other modification commands, enti-
ties which reference the selected entities which you have selected to scale will also be scaled. Coordinate systems
cannot be scaled.
The first dialog box used by these commands is the standard entity selection dialog. You must select all of the enti-
ties that you wish to scale. After you press OK, FEMAP will display the standard coordinate definition dialog box.
FEMAP will scale your model relative to these base coordinates. The equation used for the scaling is:
Finally, FEMAP displays the Scale dialog box which requires input of a coordinate system as well as scale factors.
You can specify three different scale factors, one for each coordinate direction. For any coordinate direction that
you do not want to scale, you must use a scale factor of 1.0. Scale factors that are larger than 1.0 increase the phys-
ical size of your model. Scale factors smaller than 1.0 decrease its size. You can use a negative scale factor to
reflect the entities about the base location. Similarly, a scale factor of 0.0, will move all entities to the base coordi-
nate, just like the Modify, Move To commands
All scaling is done in the coordinate system that you select. The coordinate directions are along the axes of this sys-
tem. If you select a non-rectangular system, you can scale your model radially or tangentially.
3.6.3 Edit/Parameters
The first three commands in the third section of the Modify menu (Edit, Color, and Layer) enable you to change
specific items in the geometry. Each of these commands are described below.
3.6.3.1 Modify, Edit Commands
The commands on the Modify, Edit menu are used to edit or recreate entities in your model. These commands are
typically used when you need to perform modifications to a single or a few entities. You will be prompted for input
for each entity selected. Therefore, to use this command to modify hundreds of entities, can be quite time consum-
ing. For these type of gross changes to the model, please see the other Modify commands in this section of the Mod-
ify menu (Color, Layer, Update Elements and Update Other commands). For geometry, this command can only be
used to modify points and surface boundaries (and coordinate systems).
Each command first asks you to select the entities you wish to edit. As always, the standard entity selection dialog
box is used. Following your selections, FEMAP simply displays the same dialog box (or boxes) used by the related
command in the Geometry menu which you used to originally create the entities. In this case however, all of the
X { }
New
X { }
Old
X { }
Base
X { }
Old
( ) X { }
Scal eFact or
( ) + =
Original Model
After Scale Factor of 2.0
in Horizontal Direction Only
Modify, Color Commands 3-77
data fields default to the current values for the selected entities. For example, if you choose Edit Point and then
select points 1, 3 and 5, three additional dialog boxes will be displayed, one at a time. The first dialog box will dis-
play the coordinates of point 1. You can change them, or just press OK to accept the current values. Then dialog
boxes for points 3 and 5 will be displayed. If you press Cancel at any time, you will immediately return to the
FEMAP menu. Any entities that you had previously changed (and pressed OK) will still be changed.
3.6.3.2 Modify, Color Commands
The commands on this submenu are used to modify the color of one or more selected entities of a specific type. All
of these commands work in a similar fashion. Each of these commands uses the standard entity selection dialog box
to select the entities to be modified. Then the standard Color Palette dialog box is displayed. You can pick a color,
which will be applied to all of the entities that you selected. The default color, will be the current color of the
selected entity with the minimum ID.
For more information on the Color Palette, see Section 4.3.5, "Color Palette" of the FEMAP User Guide.
You can also use the Modify, Edit commands to change colors, but these commands will be much quicker if you are
changing multiple entities to the same color.
Modify, Color, Point; Modify, Color, Curve; Modify, Color, Surface
Modify, Color, Solid; Modify, Color, Coord Sys
3.6.3.3 Modify, Layer Commands
The commands on this submenu are used to modify the layer of one or more selected entities of a specific type.
These commands are very much like those on the Modify, Color menu. First, you select the entities you want to
modify using the standard entity selection dialog box. Then, instead of selecting from the Color Palette, FEMAP
will prompt you to choose a new layer number from the list of available layers. All of the selected entities will be
modified to the specified layer.
Again, Modify, Edit can be used to change layers, but this command is faster for multiple entities.
Modify, Layer, Point; Modify, Layer, Curve; Modify, Layer, Surface
Modify, Layer, Solid; Modify, Layer, Coord Sys
3.6.3.4 Modify, Renumber Menu
The commands on this submenu are used to renumber
the IDs of one or more selected geometry (points, curves,
surfaces, volumes and solids).
Each of these commands uses the standard entity selec-
tion dialog box to select the entities to be renumbered.
After you press OK, the Renumber To dialog box is dis-
played. You select a new Starting ID and Increment. The
first entity to be renumbered is changed to the starting
ID. The increment is then added to the starting ID before
each subsequent entity is renumbered. Refer to Section
4.8.2.5, "Modify, Renumber Menu" for more informa-
tion.
3-78 Geometry
Modify, Renumber, Point; Modify, Renumber, Curve; Modify, Renumber, Surface
Modify, Renumber, Solid; Modify, Renumber, Coord Sys
3.6.4 Advanced Updates - Modify, Update Other Commands
The commands on this menu are used to update parameters which are referenced by one or more selected entities.
Unlike the commands on the Modify, Color and Modify, Layer menus, the parameters that are updated by these
commands are only applicable to one entity type.
All of these commands work in a similar fashion, but since the parameters that they update vary, each command is
documented in its own section.
3.6.4.1 Modify, Update Other, Point Definition CSys...
... works just like Modify, Update CSys, Definition CSys, except that you select points to update instead of coordi-
nate Systems. If you want to create a new coordinate system while using this command, simply click the Coordi-
nate System Icon Button in the Select Coordinate System... dialog box.
3.6.4.2 Modify, Update Other, BSpline Order...
... is used to change the order of B-Spline curves. B-Spline curves created in FEMAP will automatically default to
an order of 3. Higher order splines can provide some shape smoothing, but may also cause sharp fluctuations for
splines that have been driven through particular points. This command should be used with some care in these cir-
cumstances. The maximum order for any B-Spline is either the number of points (a mathematical limit) or ten (a
FEMAP limit), whichever is smaller.
3.6.4.3 Modify, Update Other, BSpline Knots...
... is used to insert control points on the selected B-Splines. This command provides you with a powerful tool to
modify the curvature and smoothness of a particular curve by inserting control points at precise locations. You sim-
ply select the curve(s) to update and then enter the location of the Knot (control point).
3.6.4.4 Modify, Update Other, Reverse Curve...
... enables you to reverse the direction of a curve. This command cannot be used on any curves that are referenced
by surfaces, therefore no solid curves can be reversed. This option can be useful when creating curves to model
entities that require a certain direction of the curves (for example, curves for an ABAQUS rigid surface). The only
input to this command is the curves to reverse.
3.6.4.5 Modify, Update Other, Nonmergeable Curve...
... allows you to designate curves as non-mergeable, meaning the curves will not be merged into a surface or
solid and deleted during a clean-up operation. Clean-up operations will often occur as a part of stitching a solid,
performing certain solid boolean operations, or using the Geometry, Solid, Cleanup command. This command can
also be used to move split-points on fully circular curves to more desirable positions. In order for this to be effec-
tive, manipulate the curves until the break points are positioned, designate the curves as non-mergeable, then use
the stitch, boolean, or clean-up commands to have the new positions be used for split lines in a feature (i.e. a hole).
3.6.4.6 Modify, Update Other, Boundary on Surface...
... is used to map a boundary surface, which is typically planar, onto a surface. This command enables you to pro-
vide curvature to any boundary surface. When you select this command, you will be asked if it is OK to map onto a
surface. If you say Yes, you must then select the surface and the boundary will be mapped to it. If you say No, any
connections to a surface which the boundary had previously are removed. Therefore, you can use this command to
either attach a boundary surface to a surface, or remove a connection.
3.6.4.7 Modify, Update Other, Surface Normal...
... is used to reverse the normal of sheet solids. To begin, you simply select the sheet solid where you want to
reverse the normal, using the standard entity selection dialog box. Then FEMAP will reverse the surface normal
without further user input. This command works on solid surfaces only.
Modify, Update Other, Solid Facetting... 3-79
3.6.4.8 Modify, Update Other, Solid Facetting...
... can be used to specify parameters in FEMAP which will control the number of facets on solids in your model.
The values which appear in the Update Solid Facetting dialog box are the default values for facetting. Angle Error
is a measure of the angle between the tangent of each facet at the point it touches the edge of the solid and the chord
of each facet. Chord Error is a measure of the length of the chord of each facet to the distance it is away from the
edge of the solid at the middle of the chord. Curve Factor is used to improve the curve accuracy of attached curves
to the surfaces. Essentially, FEMAP takes the values specified for solid facetting and changes the curve accuracy to
be the Curve Factor value times more accurate. This allows you to create very accurate curve representations with-
out having to drive the solid facetting up to far, which could impact performance. The Cross Hatching options
allow you to specify the number of cross-hatching lines will be seen on each surface of the solid when in Wire-
frame mode. To improve performance, you may want to raise the values of Angle Error and/or Chord Error, while
making them lower will improve facet accuracy to the geometry.
3.7 Deleting Geometry
The commands on the Delete, Geometry menu are all used to delete entities. All commands will delete entities
from your model. Since most of the commands on this menu work in a very similar fashion, the documentation for
the entire menu is given in this section.
Deleting From Your Model
If you want to delete any type of entity in your model, all you need to do is select the appropriate command (based
on the entity type) from this menu. The standard entity selection dialog box will then be displayed to let you select
the entities you wish to delete. When you complete your selection, and press OK, you will be asked to confirm that
you really want to delete the entities. This final question will also let you know how many entities have been
selected. Answering Ye, will delete the entities. Choosing No will simply cancel the command.
You may also use the Delete, All or Delete, Geometry All command to remove all geometry from the model. When
you choose this command, FEMAP will ask you to confirm that you really want to delete all geometry (and analy-
sis model if you select Delete All). If you answer Yes, all geometry will be removed from the model. If you answer
No, the command is canceled. The Delete, Geometry All command is useful for removing geometry from a meshed
model when it is no longer of use (assuming you do not want to constrain or load geometry). No checking is per-
formed to see if any entities are considered non-deletable since all geometry is removed.
Non-Deletable Entities
Sometimes when you try to delete, you will receive a message that a number of non-deletable entities have been
skipped. These entities are skipped because FEMAP protects you from deleting entities which are needed by other
entities in your model. For example, a point is non-deletable if it is connected to one or more curves. Similarly a
curve is non-deletable if it has a load attached to it. To delete these non-deletable entities, you must first delete all
of the entities which reference them.The following table lists the entities that can cause an entity to be non-dele-
table:
When you are
trying to delete...
Could be referenced by...
Point Curves, loads, (solids)
Curve Surfaces, loads, (solids)
Surface Solids, volumes, surfaces, curves, loads
Hint: You can use this feature to great advantage in cleaning up a model. For example, if you want to get rid
of all of the unused points, simply choose Delete, Point, and select all points. This may seem danger-
ous, but in fact only those points which are not referenced by any other geometry or loads will be
deleted. If you attempt to delete an entity, and FEMAP says it is non-deletable, and you believe that
there are no connections to it, perform a File, Rebuild. This will check all connections in the model, and
verify whether there are connections to this entity.
3-80 Geometry
Deleting Geometry Icons
Delete, Geometry, Point...; Delete, Geometry, Curve...; Delete, Geometry, Surface...
Delete, Geometry, Solid...; Delete, Model, Coord Sys...
After You Delete
When you delete entities from a FEMAP model, the space that they occupied is simply marked as empty and avail-
able for reuse. The model file does not decrease in size. Normally, as long as you are going to create additional
data, this is not a problem since the space will be reused. In some cases however, when you delete a lot of data you
may want to immediately remove that empty space from your model and reduce the size of your model file.
The File, Rebuild command can do just that. Choose the File, Rebuild command, then press Yes to perform a full
rebuild and compact the model. If you had blocks of empty space, they will be removed and your model will
decrease in size. You should only use this option after you delete large blocks of data (i.e., Output). FEMAP cannot
usually compact space if you have only deleted one or two scattered entities, and the savings will not be worth the
time it takes to perform the command.
4. Finite Element Modeling
The Model menu provides the basic commands for creating finite element information in your model. It also lets
you set up an analysis case for certain solvers.
This topic describes how to use the sub-menus and commands under the Model menu. It includes these sections:
Section 4.1, "Creating Coordinate Systems" (Coordinate systems are separated from the finite element informa-
tion in this structure because they are applicable for both geometry and finite element information.)
Section 4.2, "Creating Finite Element Entities" (on the Model menu)
Section 4.3, "Creating Loads And Constraints" (on the Model menu)
Section 4.4, "Creating Connections and Regions" (on the Connect menu)
Section 4.5, "Creating Aeroelastic Entities" (on the Model menu)
Section 4.6, "Using Optimization Analysis" (on the Model menu)
Section 4.7, "Working with Functions" (on the Model menu)
Section 4.8, "Modifying FEA Entities" (on the Modify menu)
Section 4.9, "Deleting FEA Entities" (on the Delete menu)
Section 4.10, "Preparing for Analysis" (on the Model menu)
For information on the Model, Output sub-menu, see Section 8.5, "Output Manipulation".
4.1 Creating Coordinate Systems
Coordinate systems are applicable for both finite element information and geometry. In general, coordinate systems
can greatly simplify input to your model. They are also a convenient way to update the position of geometry and
finite elements. If you use the Modify, Move commands to move coordinate systems, all geometry defined in that
coordinate system will move with it - even other coordinate systems. In this manner, you can create a hierarchy of
coordinate systems which greatly simplify movement of geometry. The methods of creating coordinate systems are
explained below.
4.1.1 Model, Coord Sys...
... allows you to define coordinate systems for coordinate, vector or plane entry or to align nodal degrees of free-
dom or material axes. Coordinate Systems 0 (Global Rectangular), 1 (Global Cylindrical), and 2 (Global Spherical)
are always defined. You can create any additional coordinate systems that you need for your model with this com-
mand.
When you choose this command you will see the Define Coordinate System dialog box, which allows you to define
numerous parameters which determine the type of coordinate system to be created.
ID, Title, Color/Palette and Layer
These options set parameters for the coordinate system to be created. Titles can be up to 79 characters long.
Ref CSys
The coordinate system you create will be defined in this coordinate system. This will also be the default coordinate
system for coordinate or vector definition - although you can change that system when those dialog boxes are dis-
played. The reference coordinate system is utilized to create a hierarchy of coordinate systems which can be used in
later Modify, Move commands.
Type
Determines the type of coordinate system that will be created. Coordinate specification for each of the types is
shown in Section 4.3.2, Coordinate Definition in the FEMAP User Guide.
4.1.1.1 Angles Method of Creating Coordinate Systems...
... allows you to specify coordinates using the standard coordinate definition dialog boxes to define the coordinate
system origin.
The orientation of the coordinate system is then specified by three rotation angles, around the reference coordinate
system directions. All angles are entered in degrees. Rotations about multiple axes are interpreted as a rotation
about the reference coordinate system X-axis, then the rotated Y-axis and finally the rotated Z-axis, as shown here.
4.1.1.2 Workplane Method of Creating a Coordinate System
This method of creating a coordinate system simply creates a coordinate system by placing the X-Y axes at the X-
Y axes of the current workplane. The Z axis is created as the positive normal to the workplane. Since this command
uses the current workplane, no additional input is required.
4.1.1.3 Coordinates Method of Creating a Coordinate System
There are three methods to create a coordinate system using coordi-
nate locations. Each of these methods requires you to define three
sets of coordinates using the standard coordinate definition dialog
boxes. The first set of coordinates defines the coordinate system ori-
gin. The final two sets orient the coordinate system axes. The meth-
ods are titled XY Locate, YZ Locate, and ZX Locate. These names
correspond to the orientation axes that you define. For example, for
XY Locate, you specify coordinates on the X axis and coordinates in
the XY plane. The final axes are calculated from the three locations
that you define.
Z
Y
X
y
z
x
x
Z
Y
X
y
z
x
y
Z
Y
X
y
z
x
z
rotate around x then around rotated y
then around doubly rotated z
Z
Y
X
y
z
x
Origin
X Axis
XY Plane
Axes Methods of Creating Coordinate Systems 4-3
4.1.1.4 Axes Methods of Creating Coordinate Systems
Just like the Locate methods, the Axes methods require three inputs.
Again you specify coordinates for the origin. Then instead of loca-
tions on the axes, you specify vectors in the direction of the axes,
using the standard vector definition dialog boxes. The methods are
titled XY Axes, YZ Axes, and ZX Axes, which correspond to the ori-
entation axes that you define. Again, just like for XY Locate, for XY
Axes, you specify a vector along the X axis and a vector in the XY
plane.
4.2 Creating Finite Element Entities
These commands allow creation of finite element entities for your model. There are five commands contained
under this section: Node, Element, Material, Property, and Layup. These commands are grouped together because
four of these entities (all except Layups) are normally required to create a finite element in FEMAP. The relation-
ship between these five entities is described below:
Node - define physical position of element in space (See Section 4.2.1, "Model, Node...")
Element - references nodes and property. (See Section 4.2.2, "Model, Element...")
Material - contains physical parameters of material. (See Section 4.2.3, "Model, Material")
Property - contains physical characteristics and references a material. (See Section 4.2.4, "Model, Property...")
Layup - contains physical characteristics of plies for laminate properties. (See Section 4.2.5, "Model, Layup...")
These commands allow you to create these entities one at a time. Many times it is much easier to use the automatic
meshing tools available under the Mesh menu to generate nodes and elements for the model. In this case, you can
generate your individual properties, materials, and layups with these commands, then use the automatic meshing
tools to create the finite element mesh.
4.2.1 Model, Node...
... allows you to define nodes by entering their coordinates using the standard coordinate definition dialog boxes.
Just like all other coordinate locations, you may use any of the available methods and/or snap modes, along with
keyboard or mouse input to define the location of a node. Even so, this command creates nodes one at a time. Much
more powerful methods are available through the various Generate commands.
Specifying Node Parameters
When you are creating a node, choosing the Parameters command button will display the Node Parameters dialog
box. The use of output coordinate systems and permanent constraints varies substantially between various analysis
programs.
For more information on how these features are supported for your program, see Section 8, "Analysis Program
Interfaces" in the FEMAP User Guide.
Output Coordinate System
Here you can set the output coordinate system for the node. This is the coordinate system in which displacements,
degrees of freedom, offset connections for line elements and constraints are defined.
Increment, Color, Palette, Layer
The Increment is added to the Node ID, which you create to determine the default ID for the next node to be cre-
ated. The Color and Layer options define these parameters for the node to be created.
Hint: Always specify meaningful titles. They are shown
along with the ID in the drop-down list boxes used for
selection throughout FEMAP.
Note: In general, you can use any convenient method of entering the coordinates or vectors to define coordi-
nate systems. However, you can not enter colinear or coincident coordinates or vectors, since they
would not fully specify the coordinate system orientation.
Z
Y
X
y
z
x
X Vector
XY Plane
Ctrl+N
Superelement ID
The Superelement ID can be set for each node using this field. The Superelement ID is the only method available to
define Superelements for Nastran in FEMAP.
Type
This option is almost always set to Node. You can change this option to Scalar Point or Extra Point for other node
types, but this is not used for most analysis programs.
Permanent Constraints
Permanent constraints, like other constraints are defined relative to the output coordinate system. Unlike con-
straints that can be defined in multiple sets, there is only one group of permanent constraints per node. The six
degrees of freedom which can be constrained are the X, Y and Z translations (TX, TY, TZ) and the X, Y and Z rota-
tions (RX, RY, RZ). The permanent constraints are combined with the constraint sets that you request for analysis.
4.2.2 Model, Element...
....displays one of the element creation dialog boxes based on the
active element type. You can set the active element type from any of
the element creation dialog boxes (or any of the property creation
dialog boxes) by choosing the Type button. This will display the Ele-
ment/Property Type dialog box, where you can choose the type of
elements to create.
There are four main element types which often have to do with the
shape or topology of elements
Line Elements (See Section 4.2.2.1, "Line Elements")
Plane Elements (See Section 4.2.2.2, "Plane Elements")
Volume Elements (See Section 4.2.2.3, "Volume Elements")
Other Elements (See Section 4.2.2.4, "Other Elements")
For any of the plane or volume elements, other than Plot Only, you
can choose the Parabolic Elements option to create elements with
nodes at the middle of each edge. For other element types, you can
only create linear elements - nodes at the corners only. For details on
the full FEMAP element library, see Section 6, "Element Reference"
in the FEMAP User Guide.
For further information on how each element type is translated to the
various analysis programs, see Section 7, "Translation Tables for
Analysis Programs" in the FEMAP User Guide. You should review
those sections prior to creating elements. This will ensure that you
choose the correct element types to represent your structure, and ele-
ment types that are supported by your analysis program.
Ctrl+E
Model, Element... 4-5
Element Material Orientation
For planar and axisymmetric elements, you can also define an ele-
ment material orientation. Pressing this button will display an
additional dialog box that lets you set the material orientation
direction or angle for all elements that are created until you
change to a different orientation.
This includes elements that are created using the various genera-
tion techniques. For more information, see Section 4.8.3.13,
"Modify, Update Elements, Material Angle...". Proper specifica-
tion of material angles is extremely important if you are using
nonisotropic materials.
.
.
Formulation
If you are exporting to NASTRAN, ABAQUS, LS-DYNA, ANSYS,
or MARC, you should also select the element formulation. These
programs have several different subtypes, or formulations, for the
same basic element. When you select Formulation..., the Element
Formulation dialog box will appear. You will be able to set options
for NASTRAN, LS-DYNA, ABAQUS, ANSYS, and MARC.
The inputs to the dialog box will be slightly different based upon the
current element type, but all element types will have separate inputs
for NASTRAN, DYNA and ABAQUS/MSC.MARC/ANSYS. The
element formulation for LS-DYNA is exported on the *SECTION
cards as part of the property definition, while most options for
ABAQUS and MSC.MARC change the name/number of the ele-
ment.
Each element type has a different formulation which is stored as a
global variable. Once the formulation is set, all elements of that type
created from that point on will have that formulation. To change to a
different formulation for future meshes, simply enter the element
formulation dialog box with the appropriate element type active, and
select from the available options
.
.
.
.
Common Features of All Element Dialog Boxes
There are quite a few different dialog boxes used for creating the various element types in FEMAP. The major dif-
ference between them is the changing number of nodes required to define the various element types. Most other
features are identical. Near the top of each dialog box, you will notice a group of controls which are used to set var-
Note: If you do not set the formulation before meshing, or would like to change the formulation, you can
use the Modify, Update Elements, Formulation command to change the formulation of a few ele-
ments, or an entire mesh. To determine which formulation is best for your analysis, consult your
analysis program documentation. For instance, the hybrid option in ABAQUS and MARC is typi-
cally used for large elastic (hyperelastic) materials. For more information on the different available
formulations, see Section 6, "Element Reference" in the FEMAP User Guide. Each element has a
section on their formulations.
ious parameters for the element to be created. The Type button, used to choose a new element type can be found
here also.
ID, Color/Palette and Layer:
These options set parameters for the element to be created. Every time you create an element, the default ID will be
automatically incremented.
Property:
This drop-down list allows you to choose the property to be referenced by the element. A few element types (plot,
rigid, etc.) do not require a property, but most do. For your reference, all properties that are defined in your model
will be shown in the list. You must choose one which is of the same type as the element that you are creating. You
can make your choice by typing an ID, choosing from the list, or by graphically selecting an existing element
which references the property that you want. If you do not specify a property (leave the option blank or 0), when
you press OK, you will be given a chance to automatically create a new property. You can also create a new prop-
erty by click the Property icon button next to the Property drop-down list. This is the same as using the Model,
Property command, except that the Define Element dialog box is still visible and the resulting property ID will
automatically be entered into the list.
Selecting Nodes for your Elements
No matter what element type you use, you will see text boxes which allow you to select the nodes to define the ele-
ment. The number of these boxes corresponds to the number of nodes required for the type of element which you
are creating. You can choose nodes either by typing an ID or by selecting a node from any graphics window with
the cursor. Alternatively, you can leave one or more of the node IDs blank (or 0). When you press OK, you will be
given a chance to automatically create new nodes for each of the blank entries. Using this technique, you can effec-
tively create elements using specific coordinates, without having to first create nodes.
The order of the text boxes in the dialog box matches the order of nodes shown for the various FEMAP element
types. You should try to specify the nodes in their proper sequence. For example, for plane elements, the required
nodes proceed either clockwise or counter-clockwise around the corners of the element (followed by the midside
nodes for parabolic elements). You should enter the nodes in this order. Every time you create an element however,
FEMAP checks its shape. If you do specify the nodes in a different order, FEMAP will attempt to reorder them so
that they result in the shape you were trying to create. This technique can untwist planar elements, and switch faces
on solid elements. You will receive a warning if FEMAP had to change the order.
Some element types require you to specify a shape, in addition to the nodes. For plane elements, you must choose
either a triangular or quadrilateral shape. For volume elements, your choices are a brick, wedge or tetrahedron. As
you change the shape, you will see the number of required nodes change also. Because of the automatic node cre-
ation feature described above, you can not define a triangle with the shape set to quadrilateral and then only enter-
ing three nodes. If you try this, FEMAP will ask you to create the fourth node.
Parabolic plate and solid elements allow you to pick nodes at the midsides of each element edge in addition to the
corner nodes. You can however skip the midside nodes by leaving them as blank or 0. For this reason, the automatic
node creation feature can only be used with the corner nodes of parabolic elements, not with the midside nodes.
4.2.2.1 Line Elements
All line element types (Rod, Tube, Curved Tube, Bar, Beam, Link, Curved Beam, Spring/Damper, DOF Spring,
Gap, and Plot) connect two node points. Proper choice of the type depends upon the structural behavior that you
want to represent. For all of these elements, however, you will see one of two possible dialog boxes. The first, and
simplest, creates all elements except the bar, beam, and curved beam. In addition to the standard parameters, it just
requires two nodes to define the element.
For the bar, beam, and curved beam however, you will see a more complex dialog box. This dialog also requires
two nodes, but lets you define element offsets, orientation and releases.
Line Elements 4-7
Offsets:
Offsets are used to move the end of the element a specified distance
from the node. The End A and End B command buttons will display
the standard vector definition dialog boxes to let you define the off-
set at each end of the element. Both the magnitude and direction of
this vector are used to define the offset. If the element has a constant
offset at both ends, you can simply define the offset at End A, then
press End B=End A to copy the offset to End B. If you have already
defined offsets, and want to delete them, press No Offsets. When off-
sets have been defined, the titles of the End A and End B buttons will
change to End A... (On) and End B... (On) to reflect the status. By
default, after you define an element with offsets, the next element
will use the same offsets. You can turn them off with No Offsets.
Checking the Use Reference Point box will offset the nodes at both
ends of the element to the location of the specified Reference Point
selected in the Beam Property - Cross Section Definition dialog box.
Orientation:
Each of these element types requires that you orient the cross section of the element. The element X axis is always
along the length of the element (between the nodes). The orientation defines the Y and Z axes. FEMAP provides
two methods of orientation. You can either specify another node or a vector. If you specify an Orientation Node, the
element XY plane will be defined by the element X axis and the vector from the first element node to this orienta-
tion (or third) node. If you specify a vector orientation, that vector, along with the element X axis will define the
XY plane. You can enter the orientation node directly into the dialog box, or choose the Vector Orient command
button to orient using a vector. The standard vector definition dialog boxes are used. If you attempt to specify both
a vector and an orientation node, only the orientation node will be recognized.
When you define a vector, FEMAP will update the button title to Vector Orient... (On) to reflect the status. The
default orientation is the same as the orientation that you specified on the last element that you created.
Releases:
In some cases you do not want an element to be structurally connected to all six degrees of freedom at each node.
You can choose the Releases command button to specify the degrees of freedom that you do not want to connect.
By default, all degrees of freedom are connected. The Element Releases dialog box lets you choose the transla-
tional (TX,TY,TZ) and rotational (RX,RY,RZ) degrees of freedom to release at each end of the element. When you
specify releases, FEMAP changes the button title to Releases... (123456/123456), or some variation of those num-
bers. The numbers one through six correspond to the six elemental degrees of freedom (TX, TY,..., RZ). The num-
bers before the slash represent the releases on the first end of the element. The numbers after the slash represent the
second end. Just like offsets and orientations, FEMAP remembers the releases that you define and uses them as the
defaults for your next element.
Note: The number of inputs in the Define SPRING/DAMPER Element dialog box changes depending on
the Type specified for the Spring/Damper property currently selected in the Property drop-down list.
When the Type is set to CBUSH, there are additional inputs for Orientation and Offsets. When the
Type is set to Other (NASTRAN CROD/CVISC), the dialog box simply asks for two nodes.
B
A
2
Offset B
Plane 1 (XY)
Cz
Third Node, or
Cy
1
Offset A
Ye
Xe
Plane 2 (XZ)
Ze
Bar / Beam Elements
Orientation Vector
4.2.2.2 Plane Elements
Standard Plane elements are created using one of two dialog boxes depending on whether you are creating linear or
parabolic elements. The only difference between these two boxes is the addition of midside nodes for the parabolic
elements.
For either of these dialog boxes you must choose either a triangular or quadrilateral shape. As you choose the
shape, the number of required nodes will also change. For parabolic plate elements, midside nodes can be speci-
fied, but they can also be blank. This feature allows elimination of some elemental degrees of freedom and can be
used to join linear and parabolic elements, or for transitioning between varying mesh densities. Since midside
nodes are not required and the automatic node creation feature only works for required nodes, you must specify an
existing node or it will be left blank.
If the plane element you are creating is a Axisymmetric Shell then the dialog boxes will be more like the line ele-
ment.
Axisymmetric Shells are defined as lines with two nodes for linear and a third midside node for a parabolic type.
Offsets can also be defined for the shells.
4.2.2.3 Volume Elements
Just like plane elements, volume elements use one of two dialog boxes depending on whether you are creating lin-
ear or parabolic elements.
Also, just like plane elements, you must specify a shape (Brick, Wedge, Tetra) and parabolic midside nodes can be
skipped.
4.2.2.4 Other Elements
Masses
The mass and mass matrix element types require no input other than a single node to locate the element.
Stiffness Matrix
Stiffness matrix elements connect two nodes and use the same dialog box described above for the simpler line ele-
ments.
Other Elements 4-9
Rigid and Interpolation
Rigid and Interpolation elements are different than other types. Typically, these elements have the degrees-of-free-
dom (DOFs) of a single node connected or related to the DOFs of a number of other nodes. A less commonly used
connection element, the RBE1, can also be created using this element type. Also, a different type of connection
element, called an RSPLINE, can be created using a formulation. The RSPLINE is for Nastran solvers only.
The dialog box contains a tab for each distinct type of rigid or interpolation element. The names of the tabs cor-
respond to the names of the Nastran bulk data entries which will be created upon export.
Some common controls seen on various tabs are:
Use the DOF check boxes to choose which DOFs of the nodes selected using the Nodes button should be included
in the appropriate Independent or Dependent list. You may use the process of specifying DOFs, then selected nodes
as often as required to define an element.
Use the Delete button to remove any number of entries in the multi-select list or the Reset button to remove the
entire list. Update can be used to update the DOFs (RBE1 and RBE3) and/or Factor for all highlighted nodes in a
list (RBE3 only).
RBE1
Defines a rigid element which is connected to an arbitrary number of nodes. Specify DOFs and select nodes for
both the Dependent and Independent sections.
There is a stipulation for RBE1 elements. The total number of DOFs for the Independent section MUST equal six.
For example, both these would be valid:
6 nodes - T--Z DOF (DOF 3) only on each node. All 6 nodes could each have a different DOF specified as well.
4 nodes - TXYZ DOF on Node A, T--Z DOF on Node B, T-Y- DOF on Node C, and T--Z DOF on Node D.
RBE2
Defines a rigid element with a single Independent node which is rigidly connected to the DOFs and Nodes speci-
fied in the Dependent section.
You must specify at least one degrees of freedom to be rigidly connected between the Independent node and the
Dependent nodes. The DOFs are the same between the Independent node and ALL Dependent nodes
If you would like FEMAP to create a new node at the center of all the selected Dependent nodes based on the
coordinates of the selected nodes, choose the New Node At Center option in the Independent section. This is a help-
ful option when creating a spider rigid element at the center of a hole.
Other Elements 4-11
RBE3
Interpolation elements are used to define the motion at the Dependent node as the weighted average of the
motions at the Independent nodes.
For interpolation elements, you may specify one set of DOFs for the Dependent node, then specify different DOFs
and a Factor for each Independent node.
If you would like FEMAP to create a new node at the center of all the selected Independent nodes based on the
coordinates of the selected nodes, choose the New Node At Center option in the Dependent section.
The UM DOF button displays the Define Rigid Element UM DOF dialog box, which allows you to specify addi-
tional DOFs for RBE3 elements. The UM can be used to eliminate some dependency issues inherent to rigid ele-
ments in Nastran. For more information, see the Nastran Quick Reference Guide entry for RBE3.
The Distance Weighting option in the Update Interpolation Element dialog box, offers the ability to create varied
interpolation factors based on distance from the Dependent Node and the specified factor
When you highlight a node in the list, it will highlight in the graphics window, based on the current settings of the
Window, Show Entities command. See Section 6.3.2.3, "Window, Show Entities..." for more details.
A coefficient of thermal expansion for any Rigid element can either be entered directly into the Coefficient field
or copied from a defined material using the Material... button in this dialog box. Currently, a CTE on the Rigid ele-
ment is only supported for NX Nastran, MSC/MD Nastran, and ANSYS (only when using the 2..MPC184
Lagrange Multiplier formulation).
Note: In FEMAP, the use of the CTE for rigid elements is OFF by default in all Nastran Analysis Types. In
order for the CTE to be used during an analysis, you must turn on (check) the Rigid Element Thermal
Expansion option in the Plate, Beam, and Rigid Options section of the NASTRAN Bulk Data Options
dialog box. This dialog box can be reached by creating an Analysis Set for NX Nastran or MSC Nastran
using the Model, Analysis command. See Section 8.7.1.3, "Bulk Data Options" for more information.
Convert may be used to convert from a RBE2 to a RBE3 (Interpolation) element and vice versa. If you have rota-
tional degrees of freedom specified for on the RBE2 tab, FEMAP will ask OK to Convert only Translational
Degrees of Freedom?. Answering Yes will only add TX, TY, and/or TZ (based on the DOFs currently on) to the
Independent list, while answering No will send all currently selected DOFs to the Independent list.
The Single button will bring up a different dialog box which can be useful when creating RBE2 elements between
an Independent node and a single Dependent node. All DOF and Thermal Expansion options are available.
RSPLINE
When defining Rigid elements for NASTRAN you have a two formulations available. Using the RSPLINE formu-
lation for NASTRAN will display the following dialog box which allows you to pick multiple dependent and inde-
pendent nodes.
The RSPLINE is defined by selecting the nodes in the order they appear along the interface of the two regions
being connected. A term of the RSPLINE is created by first selecting the type of term to be added (Dependent or
Independent) then if a dependent term is being created then select the degrees of freedom which you would like to
include.
A term can be added dynamically to the list by placing the cursor in the Node field then simply picking the appro-
priate node. Multiple terms of the same type and dof can be defined by first selecting the appropriate options and
pressing the Multiple button.
The First and Last term in the list must be independent and FEMAP will present a error until this requirement is
satisfied.
Independent terms are graphically shown as a filled in square and dependant terms are shown as open squares.
First term is Independent
Last term is Independent
Dependent terms
Other Elements 4-13
Slide Lines
Slide elements are used to define contact and sliding conditions between nodes on surfaces. The master and slave
nodes are selected by choosing the appropriate button. The Standard Entity Selection box will appear to choose
nodes. Once nodes have been chosen, the button for the chosen nodes will contain (on). Otherwise, only the head-
ings Master Nodes... and Slave Nodes... appear. A node may not be chosen as both a master and a slave.
You may select as many master and slave nodes as you need, but the order that you select them defines the order
that they will be included into the element. Slide lines should have their master and slave nodes selected in reverse
order compared to each other. If you select them in the same order, you will be asked whether you want to automat-
ically reverse the order of the slave selection.
Weld/Fastener
This element allows you to specify a weld element (CWELD) or a fastener element (CFAST) for use with NX Nas-
tran and MSC Nastran and is defined using the WELD/FASTENER Element dialog box.
Weld Types
There are several different Weld and Fastener Types to choose from:
Elem to Elem (ELEMID) - Weld is defined from shell element to shell element and a Weld Location must be
defined manually using either the Projection or Axis Define methods (see Weld Location Definition Methods
later in this section for more information)
Elem to Elem Vertex (ELEMID) - Weld is defined from shell element to a single vertex of another shell ele-
ment (node on the element) and a Weld Location will be normal to the selected element vertex (node).
Elem Vertex to Elem Vertex (ALIGN) - Weld is defined from a single vertex of a shell element (node on an
element) to the single vertex of another shell element and the Weld Location will be between the two selected
element vertices (nodes).
Patch to Patch (ELPAT) - Weld is defined in the same manner as Element to Element (from shell element to
shell element and a Weld Location must be defined manually using either the Projection or Axis Define meth-
ods). The difference is MSC Nastran will determine if the diameter of the weld overlaps onto additional ele-
ments, based on the welds location, then automatically connect the nodes on those additional elements to the
weld.
Prop to Prop (PARTPAT) - Weld is defined from all elements of one shell property to all elements of another
shell property and a Weld/Fastener Location must be defined manually, which determines where the weld will
intersect the properties
Nodes to Nodes (GRIDID) - Weld is defined from a number of nodes (8 Maximum) on shell elements to a
number of nodes (8 Maximum) on shell elements and the Weld Location must be defined manually using either
the Projection or Axis Define methods
Nodes to Elem Vertex (GRIDID) - Weld is defined from a number of nodes (8 Maximum) on shell elements to
a node on shell element and the Weld Location will be normal to the selected element vertex (node).
Elem to Elem (CFAST, ELEM) - Fastener is defined from shell element to shell element and a Weld/Fastener
Location must be defined manually using either the Projection or Axis Define methods.
Prop to Prop (CFAST, PROP) - Fastener is defined from all elements of one shell property to all elements of
another shell property and a Weld/Fastener Location must be defined manually, which determines where the
fastener will intersect the properties.
Weld/Fastener Location Definition Methods
A Weld/Fastener Location must be defined manually for Elem to Elem, Patch to Patch, Prop to Prop, and Nodes to
Nodes. There are two different Weld/Fastener location Definition Methods to choose from:
Projection - Weld/Fastener Location is defined by a single node and sometimes a defined vector direction. The
vector from the node along the vector direction must pass through both element or nodal patches in order for the
weld to function properly.
Axis - Weld/Fastener Location is defined using 2 nodes to represent the positions and direction. Both nodes
must fall within the boundaries of the element or nodal patches for the weld to function properly.
Note: Take care when selecting the nodes when using Weld Types 5..Nodes to Nodes and 6..Nodes to
Elem Vertex. The nodes must be chosen as you would choose nodes when creating a shell element (i.e.
clockwise or counter-clockwise from the first node to the 3rd or 4th node). If you are using 6 (triangle)
or 8 nodes (quad) to define your patch, you must first select the 3 or 4 corner nodes then select the
mid-side nodes starting with the node between the first selected corner node and the second selected
corner node and so on. Not ordering the nodes properly will likely cause an error in NX Nastran.
Using the Projection Method
Using the Axis Method
Weld Location Methods
Model, Material 4-15
4.2.3 Model, Material
FEMAP supports eight types of materials:
Isotropic (See Section 4.2.3.1, "Isotropic Materials...")
2-D and 3-D Orthotropic (See Section 4.2.3.2, "Orthotropic Material Formu-
lation"
2-D and 3-D Anisotropic (See Section 4.2.3.3, "2D and 3D Anisotropic Mate-
rials...")
Hyperelastic - Mooney-Rivlin/Polynomial form (See Section 4.2.3.4, "Hyper-
elastic Materials...")
Fluid (See Section 4.2.3.5, "Fluid Materials...")
Other Types (See Section 4.2.3.6, "Other Types...")
These material formulations allow you to simulate different material character-
istics. FEMAP allows any element/property type to reference any of the avail-
able material types. However, if you plan to use any type but Isotropic, see
Section 8, "Analysis Program Interfaces" in the FEMAP User Guide. This topic describes how each type is trans-
lated to your analysis program.
In general, the 2D material types should only be used by plane (and axisymmetric) elements and the 3D formula-
tions should only be used by solid elements. For some analysis programs, however, the 3D formulations are used to
add transverse properties to plate elements. If you do reference a material type that is not supported by the transla-
tor, FEMAP will convert it to a supported type (after giving you a warning) but the converted type might not cor-
rectly represent the material characteristics that you intended.
Common Features of All Material Dialog Boxes.
Even though the material definition dialog boxes are quite different from each other, there are numerous features
that appear in all of them. Near the top of each box you will see controls which allow you to define the ID, Title,
Color and Layer for the material. The ID will automatically increment after each material you create. The ID can
not match the ID of any other existing material. You should always specify a meaningful title (up to 79 characters)
because it will help you to identify the material later in drop-down lists throughout FEMAP. The Type button is
also found near the top of dialog box and lets you choose the material type that you want to create. There is also a
Function icon button at the bottom of the dialog which can be used to conveniently create a new Function.
Copying Materials
If you need to create a material that is similar to another in your model, you do not have to enter all of the material
values manually. Pressing the Copy button will display a list of all existing materials. When you choose a material
from the list, the material values will be copied from that material and displayed in the current material creation
dialog box. You can then modify those values in any way you want, or even change your mind and copy a different
material, before pressing OK to create the new material.
If you copy a material of one type into a material of a different type, FEMAP automatically converts the material to
the new type. The material constants are converted to a form which represents the material which you copied. For
example, copying an isotropic material to a 3D orthotropic material will result in stiffness values which are identi-
cal in all three directions, that is isotropic. If you copy the other direction, 3D orthotropic to isotropic, there is no
way to represent the orthotropic nature of the material and that information will be lost. You should review care-
fully any materials which you copy between different types.
Working with Material Libraries
Material libraries allow you to create standard materials that you can use over and over again in many different
models. When you press Save, the current material is added to the material library file. Pressing Load will display a
list of the materials in the library and let you choose one to be loaded into the material creation dialog box. Just like
Copy, you can then modify the values before pressing OK to create the material. Also, just like Copy, when you
load a material of a different type it is automatically converted. The material ID, Color, Layer and Coordinate Sys-
tem are not saved in the library, nor updated when a material is loaded from the library. For more information on
libraries, see Section 2.6.2.8, "Library/Startup" and Section 4.3.6, "Library Selection" of the FEMAP Users Guide.
4.2.3.1 Isotropic Materials...
... are the simplest and most widely used material type. They can be used for any element type. Materials of this
type exhibit constant properties in all directions. Therefore all properties (stiffness, thermal, stress limits...) are
specified with a single value, which is directionless.
Properties that are not required for your analysis may be left blank (or 0.) For example, there is no need to specify
any of the thermal properties if you do not plan to do a thermal analysis. Typically, you can always leave one of the
three stiffness parameters (E, G, nu) blank also. FEMAP will maintain its value as zero, but most analysis programs
recognize this situation and automatically calculate the third parameter from an isotropic formulation:
4.2.3.2 Orthotropic Material Formulation
Care must be taken when specifying structural properties for orthotropic materials. Various analysis programs use
different conventions regarding how they refer to the properties, and which properties they require. FEMAP uses
the following stress-strain relationship:
G
E
2 1 + ( )
-------------------------- - =
Orthotropic Material Formulation 4-17
...where the bold constants in the shaded area are the ones that you enter. During translation, these terms are con-
verted to the other ones, if required by the analysis program.
2D and 3D Orthotropic Materials...
... define different, in-plane, material characteristics in 2 or 3 primary directions, respectively. These materials are
typically used by planar or axisymmetric elements.
The Limit Stress/Strain section allows you to specify limits for tension and compression as well as a shear limit
value. Either Stress Limits or Strain Limits may be input (for 2-D only). These values are typically used in conjunc-
tion with the laminate property for failure calculations.
When exporting solid elements which use a 3-D orthotropic material for NX Nastran, FEMAP will create MAT11
and MATT11 (if needed) bulk data entries. For the same combination in NEi Nastran, FEMAP will create MAT12
and MATT12 (if needed) bulk data entries.
12
23
13
)

`

1
E
1
------
21
E
2
-----------
31
E
3
----------- 0 0 0
12
E
1
-----------
1
E
2
------
32
E
3
----------- 0 0 0
13
E
1
-----------
23
E
2
-----------
1
E
3
------ 0 0 0
0 0 0
1
G
12
--------- 0 0
0 0 0 0
1
G
23
--------- 0
0 0 0 0 0
1
G
13
---------
12
23
13
)

`

=
4.2.3.3 2D and 3D Anisotropic Materials...
...are a more general form of the 2-D and 3-D orthotropic materials. In this case, material parameters are specified
as a general 3 x 3 matrix (2-D), or 6 x 6 (3-D) matrix.
4.2.3.4 Hyperelastic Materials...
...define properties for materials subject to large displacement, both translational and rotational, such as rubber.
Fluid Materials... 4-19
You can input both the Distortional and Volumetric Deformation Constants and the Strain Energy Polynomial
Order, or input stress/strain test data in the Experimental Data Functions area to allow the analysis program to cal-
culate these constants. These data functions must be defined as vs. stress type FEMAP functions with stress as the
X value and strain as the dependent Y value.
4.2.3.5 Fluid Materials...
... defines material properties for fluids, including liquids and gases. This material type is not normally used in a
structural analysis, but is used in heat transfer and flow analyses.
The properties on the fluid material type are similar to the heat transfer properties on other material types, however
additional fluid specific properties are also available.
4.2.3.6 Other Types...
... defines material properties that do not fall directly under the previous categories. These materials are unique in
that the dialog box wording can be modified. When you select this option, you will see the above dialog box. The
inputs to the dialog box will change based upon the material type that you choose. The values are then stored with
that material type in the FEMAP database. The actual dialog box contents are read from a library file which con-
tains the appropriate information for each material, including type of input, storage area, limits (if any), and dialog
box text. This library file can be set in File, Preferences, Libraries. A default library file with the supported materi-
als is shipped with FEMAP.
Note: Many solvers do not support hyperelastic materials and those that do have restrictions. Please investi-
gate the applicability/rules of hyperelastic materials in the analysis program that they plan to utilize.
Note: When using the Experimental Data Functions with Nastran, a Type: 13..Stress vs. Strain function
should be used with X = Stretch Ratio values, not Strain and Y = Stress values. In general, Stretch
Ratio values = Strain values + 1.0.
Note: When entering the hyperelastic material constants, Di, be careful. They are translated directly for Nas-
tran and ANSYS, but for ABAQUS the values written are 1 / Di.
Input can include real numbers, integers, and functions. They may also have input limits associated with them.
Function values are designated by the 0..None value when first entering a new material. You will need to input an
existing function ID for these fields (or leave it at None). Simply press Ctrl+F to see a list of available functions
when in the field.
The hyperelastic materials for NX Nastran Advanced Nonlinear Analysis (SOL 601 & 701) can be specified using
this material type. The hyperelastic materials supported for SOL 601/701 are the Mooney-Rivlin, Hyperfoam,
Ogden, Arruda-Boyce, and Sussman-Bathe. Each material has a distinct set of parameters which can be entered and
these materials are then written to the MATHE entry for NX Nastran. Support for the Mullins Effect (writes
MATHEM) and Viscoelastic effect (writes MATHEV) is also available for all SOL 601/701 hyperelastic materials.
A non-hyperelastic material with viscoelastic effect (writes MATVE) can be specified using Material Type NX
Nastran Viscoelastic (Sol 601).
This dialog box is also used to specify the Gasket Material (MATG) for NX Nastran Advanced Nonlinear Analy-
sis (SOL 601 only). The MATG can only be used with 6-Noded (Wedge) and/or 8-noded (Hex) Solid elements.
There should only be one layer of elements in the direction of gasket thickness. This material requires a loading
curve and at least one unloading curve (up to 10 can be specified) to properly define the Pressure-Closure
Relationship for the gasket (Closure is defined as the change in gasket thickness/ original gasket thickness).
These curves should be defined using functions in FEMAP.
A Fluid Material can be created for use with Solid Elements only to represent a fluid volume in Nastran
(MAT10). The Bulk Modulus must equal the Speed of Sound (squared) multiplied by the Mass Density.
A Shape-Memory Alloy (for example, nitinol) can be defined for use in SOL 601. Material properties should be
entered for both the austentite phase and martensite phase in order for this type of material to behave correctly. This
type of material cannot be used with beam elements. Use Material Type NEi Nastran NITINOL to create a shape-
memory material for use with NEi Nastran.
Note: The Membrane Material ID, Yield Pressure, Tensile Modulus, and Transverse Shear Modu-
lus MUST be defined for NX Nastran to be able to process the material. Also, the Yield Pressure
MUST match a point on the loading curve.
Note: In order to review Gasket Results in FEMAP, you must request results in the .op2 file from NX
Nastran. To do this in FEMAP, you must set your Results Destination to 2..PostProcess Only or
3..Print and PostProcess in the Nastran Output Results dialog box of the FEMAP Analysis Set Man-
ager. (See Section 8.7.1.8, "Output Requests" for more information on Nastran Results)
Function Dependent Materials 4-21
An Equivalent Laminate Material, which writes multiple MAT2 entries with IDs higher than 99,999,999, can be
created for Nastran. When exported, the material ID in FEMAP will have 100,000,000 added to it for Membrane,
200,000,000 for Bending, 300,000,000 for Transverse Shear, and 400,000,000 for Membrane-Bending Cou-
pling. Typically, these materials created by a Nastran run and are only used on planar elements.
This material type is also often used to define LS-DYNA materials instead of using the isotropic, orthotropic, and
anisotropic defaults, but FEMAP also supports special Hyperelastic materials for MSC/MD Nastran, ABAQUS
and MARC. The default library file shipped with FEMAP contains these material types. If you are only using NX
Nastran, MSC/MD Nastran, ABAQUS or MARC materials, you can edit the library file to remove other materials
for easy reference, but do not to modify any numbers of materials you want to use. You can modify the text in
quotes, but all other data must remain the same.
You can also create your own materials by adding to the current list. FEMAP will store the information in the
appropriate data fields. For information on how to create your own materials, refer to the MS Word file, neu-
tral.doc, installed with the FEMAP executable. Creating materials in this manner, however, is only useful for pro-
grams that access FEMAP through a neutral file since our dedicated translators will not recognize them.
Next and Prev
FEMAP supports over 200 inputs on the material card, but only 24 at a time can be displayed in the dialog box.
When you press Next or Prev, the dialog box will scroll to show the other entities that can be input for the specific
material model
4.2.3.7 Function Dependent Materials
You will notice that many of the material dialog boxes have a tab marked Function References. This tab allows you
to assign function references to the various material properties.
The Function References tab contains all of the same properties as the General tab of the particular material type.
Instead of entering a material constant, here you may select from a list of already defined functions from a drop-
down list.
You do not have to choose a function for each property, however, any items that you leave blank will simply be
considered as a constant value (not varying with any function).
Although they are not shown here, the Function References tabs for the other material types also contain the same
fields found on the General tab of each material type.
A new function can be conveniently created while defining a material using the Function icon button located in
the lower left hand corner of the Define Material dialog box. This is the same as using the Model, Function com-
mand, except that the Define Material dialog box is still visible and the resulting function ID will automatically be
entered into the list.
4.2.3.8 Nonlinear Materials
All materials but Hyperelastic, Fluid, and Other Types have a Nonlinear tab. This allows you to add material con-
stants which are normally required for nonlinear analysis. To begin, you must select the type of nonlinearity that
you are trying to model.
Nonlinear elastic and plastic materials are defined by a stress-strain curve, which is defined by a vs. stress function
and selected in the Function Dependence property. The function for nonlinear elastic materials should be defined in
the first and third quadrants to accommodate different uniaxial tension and compression properties. Nonlinear elas-
tic properties can only be defined for isotropic materials. Nonlinear elastic materials can be made temperature
dependent by referencing a 5..function vs. temp function instead of a vs. stress function, where the Y value is the
ID of the Stress vs Strain curve and the X value is the corresponding temperature at which that curve is valid.
Elasto-plastic materials use the linear constants coupled with the plasticity modulus, H. This is the work hardening
slope, and is related to the tangential modulus, E
T
(the slope of stress vs. plastic strain) by the following:
Hint: All functions that you select for a material must be of the same type. For example, you can not choose
a time function for one value and a temperature function for another.
Note: The preferred method for creating functionally dependent materials (especially temperature depen-
dent materials) is to enter the actual desired material values into the function itself, then use the corre-
sponding field on the General tab of the material as a scalar, which many times should be 1.
See Nastran Translation Note 28 in Section 7.1.3, "NASTRAN Translation Notes" for more informa-
tion regarding certain types of analysis.
Nonlinear Materials 4-23
If you have already defined Youngs Modulus (E), you may press Compute from Tangent Modulus. By selecting
this feature, you can simply input the tangential modulus, E
T
, and FEMAP will use E to calculate the plasticity
modulus, H.
The Yield Criterion option contains information on the yield types to be used. This box is only relevant for elasto-
plastic and plastic nonlinearity types. Four yield criterion are available (von Mises, Tresca, Mohr-Coulomb, and
Drucker-Prager). Von Mises and Tresca require input of the initial yield stress, while Mohr-Coulomb and Drucker-
Prager require input of 2*cohesion and angle of internal friction.
Nonlinear Materials - Extended Material Model
The Extended Material Model button enables you to define further information for the nonlinear material model.
This is currently only available for the von Mises and Drucker-Prager yield criterion.
Von Mises
When you select Extended Material Model, and Von Mises is
specified, the following dialog box will appear.
Drucker-Prager
When you select Extended Material Model, and Drucker-Prager is specified, the following dialog box will appear.
You can input both the dilitancy angle and stress ratio for the
Drucker-Prager model and specify the type of stress-strain data
that you are providing in the Nonlinear Function Dependence.
Furthermore, you can provide the initial yield stress and can
make this yield stress a function of temperature or strain rate.
The function dependence must be of a consistent type with the
type of function supplied in the Function Dependence under
Nonlinear Properties. By proper selection of these functions,
you can generate yield and plastic region information as a func-
tion of temperature, strain rate, or both.
If the yield criterion is von Mises, all the required information
can be input in the Nonlinear Properties dialog box except for
yield function dependence on temperature and/or strain rate.
You may make the yield stress function dependent by selecting
the Extended Material Model, and a selection box will appear
which will enable you to choose the appropriate function.
Note: The Initial Yield Stress in the Define Nonlinear
Material dialog box must be set to 1.0 for this to
work properly when using this to define tempera-
ture dependent materials with a 5..Function vs.
Temp function.
Note: Support of the extended material model by analysis programs is limited. You should verify that both the
FEMAP translator and the code itself supports the extended material model.
Function Dependence Yield Function
Resulting Stress - Strain
Curve(s)
vs. Stress Not Used Single Curve
Function vs. Temperature vs. Temp Temperature Dependent
Function vs. Strain Rate
1. vs. Stress
vs. Strain Rate Strain Rate Dependent
H E
T
1 E
T
E ( ) =
4.2.3.9 Defining Creep Material Properties
You will note that many of the material types have a Creep tab. This enables you to define properties for creep anal-
ysis. Creep properties can be defined even if no other nonlinear/plasticity properties have been defined.
Two creep formulations are available: Empirical Model, and Tabular Model. For the Empirical Model, the Thresh-
old Strain, Reference Temp, and Temp Dependent Rate must be defined as well as the Empirical Creep Law and
Coefficients. Two classes of empirical creep law are available. They are:
The appropriate law and coefficients are defined by their equations in the dialog box. All inappropriate information
will be grayed.
Function vs. Strain Rate
2. Function vs. Temperature
vs. Strain Rate
TempFunction vs.
Strain Rate
Strain Rate and Tempera-
ture Dependent
Function Dependence Yield Function
Resulting Stress - Strain
Curve(s)
c
t , ( ) a
b
t
d
=
c
t , ( ) A ( ) 1 e
R ( )t
[ ] K ( )t + =
Creep Law Class 1:
A ( ) a
b
or ae
b
R ( ) ce
d
or c
d
K ( ) e f ( ) sinh [ ]
g
or ee
f
where
Creep Law Class 2:
Defining Thermo-Optical Material Properties 4-25
The second creep formulation is tabular model which requires only function inputs under the Tabular Creep Law
section. You must define FEMAP function types vs. stress for the three coefficients Kp, Cp (primary creep) and Cs
(secondary creep) of the uniaxial rheological model.
4.2.3.10 Defining Thermo-Optical Material Properties
Isotropic and ortho-
tropic materials have
the ability to also
specify thermo-opti-
cal properties of the
material. These prop-
erties are used for
heat transfer analyses
in programs like
TMG. They are not
used by Nastran,
ANSYS, ABAQUS
or any of the other
structural programs
where FEMAP sup-
ports heat transfer
analyses.
All of the fields are
function dependent.
You should specify
the constant value in
the field to the left,
which is applied as a
multiplier to any
function you select
from the lists. If you
do not select a func-
tion, the values are
simply constants. The Front Side and Reverse Side for InfraRed and Solar properties refer to planar elements,
where the Front is the face in the direction of the element normal.
4.2.3.11 Defining Phase Change Material Properties
All materials but Fluid and Other Types have a Phase tab. This allows you to add material constants which are nor-
mally required for heat transfer and thermal analysis that involve a phase change (i.e. solid-to liquid, liquid-to-gas).
The phase change material model is primarily available for Nastran and ABAQUS. It can also be used for custom
programs or programs that access the FEMAP neutral file. Reference enthalpy need not be specified when using
ABAQUS.
Note: Similar to hyperelastic materials, support of nonlinear and creep material properties by analysis pro-
grams is limited. You should verify that both the FEMAP translator for your analysis code and the code
itself supports creep material properties.
4.2.4 Model, Property...
...creates a new property. Properties are used to define additional analysis information for one or more elements.
Most property data is geometric (thicknesses, areas, radii, etc.), but properties also specify mass and inertia and
select the materials to be used. The available property types match the available element types. For an element to
reference a property, both the property and the element must be the same type. The only exception is that there is no
distinction between linear and parabolic properties. In fact both linear and parabolic elements can reference the
same property.
Line Elements Properties (See Section 4.2.4.1, "Line Element Properties")
Plane Element Properties (See Section 4.2.4.2, "Plane Element Properties")
Volume Element Properties (See Section 4.2.4.3, "Volume Element Properties")
Other Element Properties (See Section 4.2.4.4, "Other Element Properties")
Common Features of All Property Dialog Boxes
There are many different dialog boxes used for creating the various property types since different values are
required for nearly every element type. Near the top of each dialog box however, you will notice a group of con-
trols which are used to set various parameters for the property to be created. The Elem/Property Type button, used
to choose a different property type, can be found here also. This button will display the same dialog box as
described in the Model, Element command.
ID, Color/Palette and Layer:
These options set parameters for the property to be created. Every time you create a property, the default ID will be
automatically incremented.
Title:
This option allows you to provide a title of up to 79 characters for the property. You should always specify descrip-
tive titles because they will appear in the drop-down selection lists and will help you identify the property. If you do
not specify a title, FEMAP will create a title automatically based on the type of Property created (format is Prop-
erty ID.. Property Type property). For example, if you create a Plate Property without a title, FEMAP will sim-
ply title it 1..PLATE property.
Material:
This drop-down list allows you to choose the material to be referenced by the property. A few property types (mass,
stiffness matrix...) do not require a material, but most do. For your reference, all materials which are defined in
your model will be shown in the list. For details on how various material types translate to your analysis program,
see Section 8, "Analysis Program Interfaces" in the FEMAP User Guide.
In general, for plane element/property types you should pick either an isotropic, orthotropic 2D, or anisotropic 2D
material. Similarly isotropic, orthotropic 3D or anisotropic 3D materials should be used with solid elements. Some
analysis programs however, support 3D orthotropic materials for plate elements to add transverse properties. You
can make your choice by typing an ID, choosing from the list, or by graphically selecting an existing element
which references the material that you want. If you do not specify a material (leave the option blank or 0), when
you press OK, you will be given a chance to automatically create a new material. You can also click the Material
icon button next to the Material drop-down list to create a new material. This is the same as using the Model,
Material command, except that the Define Property dialog box is still visible and the resulting material ID will
automatically be entered into the list.
Copying Properties
If you need to create a property that is similar to another in your model, you do not have to enter all of the property
values manually. Pressing the Copy button will display a list of all existing properties. When you choose a property
from the list, the property values will be copied from that material and displayed in the current property creation
dialog box. You can then modify any of these values, or even change your mind and copy a different property,
before pressing OK to create the new property.
Copying is only useful when you copy properties of the same or similar type. When you copy properties of the
same type, all values are directly transferred to the new property. If you copy a property of one type into a property
of a different type, FEMAP converts the property to the new type, but many of the property constants may be
Line Element Properties 4-27
meaningless. If the property types are similar, like a bar and beam, the similar properties will be copied. If you
attempt to copy a plate property to a beam, or vice versa, you will get meaningless constants. You should review
carefully any properties which you copy between different types.
Working with Property Libraries
Property libraries allow you to create standard properties that you can use over and over again in many different
models. When you press Save, the current property is added to the property library file. Pressing Load will display
a list of the properties in the library and let you choose one to be loaded into the property creation dialog box. Just
like Copy, you can then modify the values before pressing OK to create the property. Also, just like Copy, when you
load a property of a different type it is automatically converted. The property ID, Color, Layer and Material are not
saved in the library, nor updated when a property is loaded from the library. For more information on libraries, see
Section 2.6.2.8, "Library/Startup" and Section 4.3.6, "Library Selection" of the FEMAP Users Guide.
4.2.4.1 Line Element Properties
Rod Element Properties
Rod elements require cross-sectional properties - area and the torsional stiffness. Distributed, nonstructural mass
(per unit length) can also be specified. The coefficient for torsional stress is used in the calculation for torsional
stress as follows:
Tube Element Properties
The tube element cross section is circular. It is defined by the outer and inner tube diameters. Distributed, nonstruc-
tural mass (per unit length) can also be specified. In addition, for certain analysis programs, you can use the Tube
element to model pipe behavior, specifying an internal pressure and whether or not the ends of the element are
closed.
Curved Tube Element Properties
Curved tube element properties are the same as the tube, with the addition of a bend radius.
Bar Element Properties
In addition to the cross sectional area, numerous inertia properties must also be defined for the bar element. These
properties are identical to those required for beam properties except that beam elements contain additional inputs.
For more information, see "Beam Element Properties"
Beam Element Properties
Beam properties are identical to bar properties except that you can specify different properties at each end of the
beam, and you can define a neutral axis offset from the shear center. You must turn on the Tapered Beam option if
you want to enter different properties at the second end of the beam. If this option is off, the properties at the second
end will be equal to the first end.
Care must be taken in properly specifying these properties with respect to the element axes. For FEMAP, I1 is the
moment of inertia about the elemental Z axis, which will resist bending in the outer fiber in the elemental Y direc-
tion. Some people look at this as the moment of inertia in Plane 1, the plane formed by the elemental X and Y axes.
For more information on the element directions, see Section 6, "Element Reference" in the FEMAP User Guide
where
is the torsional stress
C is the coefficient of torsional stress,
J is the torsional stiffness, and
M
is the torsional moment.
C M
J
------------------ =
The figure will give some examples of cross sections, their orientations and relative inertias.
Distributed, nonstructural mass (per unit length) can also be specified.
You can specify up to four stress recovery locations in the plane of the element cross section. If you just specify the
first location, and leave the remaining ones blank or zero, FEMAP will automatically assign the remaining three
locations with positive and negative combinations of the location that you specified. This feature automates stress
recovery for the four corners of a rectangular cross section.
The neutral axis offsets should be specified in the local beam coordinate system, based upon the orientation node or
vector for the particular elements. This offset is only used to offset the neutral axis from the shear center. The offset
of the shear center (and neutral axis) from the vector between the two nodes defining the beam is input on the beam
Element command, not the beam Property command.
Shape - Section Property Generator
A graphical cross section property generator is available for this property type (as well as bar and curved beam).
FEMAP can automatically compute the cross section properties and stress recovery locations for common or arbi-
trary shapes. The common shapes include rectangular, trapezoidal, circular, and hexagonal bars and tubes, and
structural shapes such as I, C, L, T, Z and hats. Required input for these standard shapes is shown in the follow-
ing figure.
Vectors show the elemental
Small I1, Large I2 Large I1, Small I2 Large I1, Small I2
Y axis, which is the
orientation direction.
An arbitrary shape requires creating a surface before entering Model, Property, and then selecting General Section,
pushing the Surface button, and selecting the surface. Whether you select a common or arbitrary shape, you can
Rectangular Bar
Width
Height
Rectangular Tube
Width
Height
Thickness
Trapezoidal Bar
Width, Bot
Height Width, Top
Trapezoidal
Width, Bot
Height
Thickness
Width, Top
Circular Bar
Radius
Circular Tube
Radius
Thickness
Hexagonal Bar
Radius
Hexagonal Tube
Radius
Thickness
I-Beam or Wide
Flange (W)
Height
Width, Bot
Width, Top
Thickness
Thick, Bot
Thick, Top
Channel (C)
Section
Width, Bot
Height
Thickness
Thick, Top
Width, Top
Thick, Bot
Angle (L)
Section
Width
Height
Thick, Bot
Thickness
T Section
Width, Top
Height
Thick, Top
Thickness
Z Section
Width, Top
Width, Bot
Thick,
Height
Thick,
Thickness
Bot
Top
Hat Section
Height
Width, Bot
Width
Thickness
have FEMAP draw the cross section by pressing Draw. An error in the input will prevent drawing of the cross
section. This dialog box can also be used to define the stress recovery locations and orientation vector direction.
Stress Recovery and Reference Point
The Stress Recovery section of this dialog box allows the selection of stress recovery locations at standard points on
the cross section. By pressing the Forward Arrow button, FEMAP will move the location to the next standard
point, while pressing the Back Arrow button will move the location to the previous standard point. Whether you
specify stress recovery locations here or not, you still have the option to input values directly in the Define Property
- BEAM Element Type (previous) dialog box.
The Reference Point is only used when mesh attributes are assigned to a curve (Mesh, Mesh Control, Attributes
Along Curve). The reference point provides an easy method to automatically define the shear center/neutral axis
offset for beams that are automatically meshed onto a curve.
Any of the Stress Recovery or Reference Point locations can be turned on and off using the check boxes. FEMAP
will remember the positions of the Stress Recovery and Reference Point locations even if they have been altered
from the defaults (version 9.0.1 and above).
When a curve is meshed containing mesh attributes, and the offsets method has been set to Location, FEMAP will
place the reference point on the line joining the two nodes, and then calculate the offset of the shear center from this
point. The result is stored on the element record as the shear center/neutral axis offset.
Note: Clicking the ? icon on the title bar of this dialog box will bring up the cross-section dimension dia-
grams for reference purposes. FEMAP will bring up the appropriate diagrams based on whether Stan-
dard or NASTRAN are selected at the top right of the Cross-Section Definition dialog box.
The Attributes Along Curve command also has the capability to place the reference point at a distance from the line
joining the two nodes of the beam by setting y and z values. For more information, see "Mesh, Mesh Control,
Attributes Along Curve".
Orientation Direction
This section simply allows you to specify the direction of the orientation vector. This is very important since an
inappropriate direction of the vector with respect to the beam mesh will result in erroneous results. The Cross Sec-
tion Definition dialog box provides a visual representation of the required direction of the orientation vector for the
beams.
Change Shape
This option is only available when editing a cross section for which properties have already been calculated. This
option must be turned on before any properties can be changed. Once this option is selected, FEMAP will use the
cross section generator to calculate new properties when exiting this dialog box via the OK button. If you simply
want to edit stress recovery locations or orientation, FEMAP will use stored values to calculate any change in prop-
erties instead of creating an entire new set. This can save some time when making these simple changes.
If you wish to convert beam sections to have no shape (but retain the property values), you can use the Modify,
Update Elements, Shape... command.
Compute Shear Center Offset, Compute Warping Constant
These options are only available for beam properties. They are not available for bar or curved beam properties
since they are not supported by most analysis codes for these types of elements.
If Compute Shear Center Offset is on, FEMAP will use its cross section generator to compute the offset of the neu-
tral axis from the shear center and store the result on the property record. This is on by default since this offset can
be important with certain cross sections and such programs as Nastran, ABAQUS, and ANSYS provide support for
these offsets.
If Compute Warping Constant is on, FEMAP will calculate the warping constant for the cross section. This is off by
default since warping is often not important in beam analysis and there is limited support among the analysis pro-
grams for warping.
Section Evaluation
This option allows you to choose the method FEMAP will use to calculate the cross-section property values. When
Standard is selected in the top right corner of the dialog box, there are two methods: Original and Alternate. In
many cases, Original is the only option you will ever need. However, there may be times when Original will calcu-
late negative shear area values for certain thin-walled sections. If this is the case, use the Alternate option. There is
a third option available when NASTRAN is chosen, which is PBEAML/PBARL. This option will calculate the
section property values using the same algorithm Nastran uses during the solving process when evaluating PBARL
and PBEAML bulk data entries. This option is helpful when using PBEAML or PBARL properties because
FEMAP will calculate the exact same values as Nastran will when the model is solved.
Poissons Ratio, Nu
Allows the user to enter a value for Poissons ratio to be used with the Alternate Section Property Calculator.
Note: The offset stored on the element record calculated from the reference point moves both the neutral axis
and shear center from the line joining the two nodes of the beam. The offset stored on the property
record and calculated when Compute Shear Center offset is checked offsets the Neutral Axis from the
Shear Center.
Special Note about the Alternate Section Property Calculator.
The alternative method is selected by going to File, Preferences..., choosing the Geometry/Model tab and checking
Alternate Section Property Calculation. If the alternative method is selected, a poissons ratio keyin is available on
the Cross Section Definition dialog box.
In FEMAP version 9 and above, changes have been made to the Beam Section Property Evaluation. The original
algorithm has been found to generate negative shear area values for some thin walled beam sections. For example,
I beams with the following dimensions have a negative shear area:
Height >4.023
Width, Top 1.0
Width, Bottom 1.0
Thick, Top 0.1
Thick, Bottom 0.1
Thickness 0.1
Apart from the one negative shear area, all other properties for the above dimensioned I beams are correct. Cur-
rently no problem can be found with the algorithm and it gives excellent values for all solid sections and low aspect
ratio thin-walled sections.
To overcome this issue, the original algorithm has been adapted and an alternative algorithm added. The original
algorithm is still the default algorithm to ensure compatibility with files from previous versions of FEMAP.
The original algorithm assumes an internal poissons ratio value of 0.3. Changing the internal value of poissons
ratio value to zero prevents negative shear areas. However, this would not provide section property values consis-
tent with previous versions of FEMAP. In order to provide the best compatibility and to prevent bad shear area, in
FEMAP 9 the algorithm runs with an initial poissons ratio of 0.3 and if that results in a negative shear area or a
shear area greater than the area, an error is issued and the algorithm is rerun with a poissons ratio of zero.
While investigating this problem, an alternative and newer method of evaluating shear area was found (1,2).
Instead of using deflection curvature to determine shear area via Timoshenkos equation (3); the new method
equates internal to external shear energy. The resulting shear areas are always positive and well behaved, but they
do not exactly match classical values (4) when the poissons ratio is not zero. For example, consider a high aspect
ratio rectangular beam. The original algorithm calculates a shear area in both directions that matches the equation
for a rectangular section (4) with a poissons ratio of 0.3:
The alternative algorithm satisfies the above equation when poissons ratio is zero, but unlike the original algo-
rithm, it calculates different shear areas in the two directions when poissons ratio is not zero. This does not agree
with the classical equation above where aspect ratio in not included. However, applying shear load to a tall, thin
beam is likely to be less effected by poissons ratio than applying the same load to a wide, shallow beam. It is there-
fore almost intuitive that the two shear areas for a high aspect ratio rectangle should be different.
The choice between original and alternative is subjective. The original method calculates one bad shear area for
high aspect ratio thin-walled beam sections but matches classical values for solid sections and gets good properties
for low aspect ratio thin-walled sections. The alternative method gets good shear area values for all aspect ratios,
but does not match classical values for solid sections with non-zero poissons ratio.
Note: The following section contains information about the Alternate Section Property Calculator. This
portion of the documentation is intended for any user who would like to know how FEMAP is calculat-
ing Beam Section Property values and why FEMAP now has two separate methods for performing this
calculation. Users who model with thin-walled beams may find the information in this section very use-
ful in creating more accurate finite element models.
For more information on the theory used to develop the Alternate Section Property Calculator, please
consult the references listed at the end of this section.
A
10 1 + ( )
12 11 +
-----------------------
\ .
| |
where A = Area and Poissons Ratio =
1) Analysis and Design of Elastic Beams
By Walter D. Pilkey
Published by Wiley
2) Shear Correction factors in Timoshenkos beam theory for arbitrary shaped cross-sections
By F. Gruttmann and W. Wagner
Computational Mechanics 27 (2001) Springer-Verlag
3) Elastic Shear Analysis Of General Prismatic Beams
By William E. Mason Jr. and Leonard R. Herrmann
Journal of the Engineering Mechanics Division
Proceedings of the American Society of Civil Engineers
August 1968
4) Formulas For Natural Frequency And Mode Shape
By Robert D. Blevins
Published by Robert E. Krieger
Nastran PBEAML (and PBARL) Sections
FEMAP also enables you to create Nastran PBEAML (and PBARL) sections. Although FEMAP evaluates the sec-
tion properties and stress locations for these sections, if the translator writes PBEAML (or PBARL) Nastran cards,
these properties are ignored and only the dimensions are written. In this situation, Nastran evaluates the section
properties and stress locations and generates replacement PBEAM (or PBAR) cards.
You can suppress the writing of PBEAML (and PBARL) cards when writing a Nastran deck using options on the
Bulk Data and Bulk Data Options dialogs. If you do this, FEMAP evaluated properties will be written to the
PBEAM and PBAR cards.
Required input for the Nastran sections is shown in the following figure.
Note: The property values evaluated by Nastran can differ from those evaluated be FEMAP. FEMAP uses a
general section property evaluation tool. Nastran may be using different assumptions such as thin wall
theory. Some values for some sections, especially warping values, differ considerably.
Note: The definition axes for the Nastran sections is different to the standard FEMAP sections. For the stan-
dard FEMAP sections, y is to the right and z is up on the dialog box. For the Nastran sections, y is up
and z is to the right - this is to be consistent with Nastran documentation.
ROD
Dim1
TUBE
Dim1
Dim2
L
Dim1
Dim2
Dim3
Dim4
I
Dim1
Dim2
Dim3
Dim4
Dim5
Dim6
Link Element Properties
Link element properties are used to define 5 different types of elements which link one node to another. When set
to Structural, specify the stiffness values, in all six degrees of freedom, at each end of the element. The Structural
link element is rigid between the ends.
CHAN
Dim1
Dim2 Dim3
Dim4
T
Dim1
Dim2
Dim3
Dim4
BOX
Dim1
Dim2
Dim3
Dim4
BAR
Dim1
Dim2
CROSS
Dim1/2
Dim2
Dim3
Dim4
H
Dim1
Dim2/2
Dim3
Dim4
T1
Dim1
Dim2
Dim3
Dim4
I1
Dim1/2
Dim2 Dim3
Dim4
CHAN1
Dim1
Dim2
Dim3
Dim4
Z
Dim1
Dim2
Dim3
Dim4
CHAN2
Dim1
Dim2
Dim3
Dim4
T2
Dim1
Dim2
Dim3
Dim4
BOX1
Dim1
Dim2
Dim3
Dim4
Dim6 Dim5
HEXA
Dim1
Dim2
Dim3
HAT
Dim1
Dim2
Dim3 Dim4
HAT1
Dim1
Dim2
Dim3
Dim4
Dim5
The other options are all used to set up thermal boundary conditions between nodes. There are options for Conduc-
tion, Convection, Advection, and Radiation.
Curved Beam Element Properties
The curved beam element properties are just like those for the bar element (see previous paragraphs), and similar to
the beam property (except neutral axis offsets from the shear center and warping are not supported) except that you
must also specify a bend radius. All elements which reference this property will use this constant radius.
Spring/Damper Element Properties
The FEMAP spring element is a combined linear spring and damper, which connects either translational (axial) or
rotational (torsional) degrees of freedom. There are two Types of Spring/Damper elements, CBUSH (Nastran only)
and Other (NASTRAN CROD/CVISC). When the default solver is set to any of the available Nastran solvers, the
default is CBUSH, while Other is the default for all other solvers.
You can specify both stiffness and damping values for the same elements, however, some analysis programs do not
support the damping values.
Nastran BUSH Property Values
These properties are used to define the options for the Nastran PBUSH property. The PBUSH property allows you
to define Stiffness, Damping, and Structural Damping for each individual DOF. Stress/Strain Recovery coefficients
in the translational and rotational DOF can also be defined.
The Spring/Damp Loc option defines where the Spring/Damper is located along the line between the nodes defin-
ing the element. If the option is off FEMAP will write a blank in Nastran to use the default. The Orientation Csys
option defines the BUSH element csys for the element referencing this property. If the Orientation Csys option is
off, then Nastran will determine the element csys from the orientation defined on the element.
Note: For Nastran solvers, stiffness and damping can only be specified on the same property when Type is set
to CBUSH. When Type is set to Other, entering a Stiffness value for Axial or Torsional will create an
equivalent PROD/CROD property/element combination to represent the appropriate spring stiffness.
Entering a Damping value for Axial or Torsional will create a PVISC property.
Note: Previous to FEMAP 10.3, an element formulation was required to correctly export CBUSH elements
with a PBUSH property. This is no longer required and only setting Type to CBUSH for the Spring/
Damper Property is required to write CBUSH/PBUSH entries to the Nastran input file.
Nonlinear/Freq Resp
This button allows you to define the frequency dependent or stress dependant properties for the BUSH element.
For a Frequency Response analysis you can define Stiffness vs. Frequency, Force/Velocity vs. Frequency, and Struc-
tural Damping vs. Frequency in each DOF. For a Nonlinear analysis, Force vs. Displacement can be defined for
each DOF.
DOF Spring Element Properties
Unlike the spring element which acts along the line between the elemental end points, the DOF Spring connects
two nodal degrees of freedom - independent of their orientation relative to each other. You choose the degrees of
freedom via the buttons at the left of the dialog box. Like the spring however, you can specify both stiffness and
damping.
In addition, you can add both nonlinear behavior and frequency dependence to the spring by defining and choosing
one or more functions. The Force vs Displacement function allows you to specify a nonlinear behavior for the
spring as it extends. The Force vs Frequency and Damping vs Frequency functions allow you to control the
behavior of the spring in a frequency analysis. A Force vs. Frequency function may also be specified for the
Damping value.
Plane Element Properties 4-37
Gap Element Properties
For gap elements you can specify an initial gap distance, tension, compression and transverse stiffness and friction
constants. You should carefully review which of these options are supported by your analysis program before using
gap elements.
For zero length gaps (coincident node gaps), you can specify a coordinate system for orientation. Additional Nas-
tran options include limits on Penetration, and Adjustment, as well as an Adaptive option.
For ABAQUS, gap properties are also used to define properties of interface elements, and you can specify the
interface normal and width/area.
4.2.4.2 Plane Element Properties
Shear Element Properties
Shear panel properties are limited to element thickness and distributed nonstructural mass. For some analysis pro-
grams, you can also specify effectiveness factors which provide for treatment of the effective extensional area of
the shear panel. Effectiveness Factors F3 and F4 are for use with NEi Nastran only.
Membrane, Bending, Plane Strain and Plate Element Properties
These property types are all variations of plate element properties. They all require the thickness property, but the
plate type allows you to vary the thickness at each element corner. Be careful, though, these corner thicknesses will
be applied to each element that references this property.
The stress recovery locations are measured from the neutral axis of the plate toward the top fiber. These are not off-
sets, they are simply the location where stresses are recovered. By default, these are off, which writes a blank
field to Nastran solvers. A blank in Nastran returns the results at +T/2 for Top and -T/2 for Bottom.
NASTRAN Options
The Bending Stiffness (12I/T**3) and Transverse Shear Thickness/Element Thickness (Ts/T) properties are used by
Nastran to simulate non-isotropic or sandwich material behavior. In addition to these options, FEMAP now sup-
ports choosing different materials for the bending, transverse shear, and membrane-bending coupling behavior. By
default, the plate will use the material that you select at the top of the dialog box, however, you can disable any of
these properties, or select a different material simply by choosing the options in the lists.
NEi Nastran Tension Only...
This button is used to define options for
the NEi/Nastran tension only shell.
Specify the Component Direction to
define which element stress Component
Direction will be used to determine ele-
ment failure and the appropriate max
Compression Allowable.
The Shell Type After Reversion drop-
down allows you to choose which type
of element you are creating, whether it is
a Tension Only Shell or a Shear Panel.
For the Tension Only Shell, X and Y
Compression Factors are used to deter-
mine the stiffness when the element fails.
For the Shear Panel, Effectiveness Factors F1 through F4 can be defined to specify treatment of the effective exten-
sional area of the shear panel.
Plane Element Properties 4-39
Laminate Element Properties
Properties of this type are different than those for any other type of element. In this case, the normal material refer-
ence (at the top of the dialog box), is not used. It is unavailable in this dialog box. Rather, you must choose a pre-
described Layup for your laminate property.
Laminate Definition
Layup
A Layup has information containing the material, physical thickness, and orientation angle for each ply in the
laminate, as well as any Global Ply information. If a Layup does not exist in your model, you can create a new
Layup by clicking the Layup icon button next to the Layup drop down menu.
Offset Bottom Surface
Specifies a distance from the reference plane to the bottom surface of the laminate. If the check box for this
option is NOT checked, the default value will be -0.5 * the overall thickness of the specified Layup. If the check
box is checked and the value is 0, FEMAP will align the bottom surface of the laminate with the reference plane.
Options
Symmetric
In general, you must list all plys in your laminate in your Layup. If you are using Nastran or ANSYS, and your lam-
inate is symmetric, you can choose the Symmetric option and only enter one half of the layers.
Membrane Only (Nastran)
This Nastran option on the PCOMP entry simulates a derived PSHELL entry with only membrane terms being
computed. (MID1 on the derived PSHELL).
Bending Only (Nastran)
This Nastran option on the PCOMP entry simulates a derived PSHELL entry with only bending terms being
computed. (MID2 on the derived PSHELL)
Smear (Nastran)
This Nastran option on the PCOMP entry ignores the stacking sequence, sets MID1=MID2 on the derived
PSHELL entry, and the MID3, MID4, Ts/T, and 12I/T**3 terms are all set to zero. Also, when this option is used,
your stress and strain output will be returned in Top and Bottom shell format instead of Ply by Ply.
Smear - Core (Nastran)
This Nastran option can be used when creating a laminate which has Face Sheets and a Core. The last ply of
the Layup will be used to represent the Core. Half the overall thickness of the other plies that make up the Face
Sheets will be placed above the Core and the other half below the Core. The stacking sequence of the Face
Sheet plies is ignored. Also, when this option is used, your stress and strain output will be returned in Top and
Bottom shell format instead of Ply by Ply.
Laminate Properties and Failure Theory
Many programs support the failure theories listed. You must specify the bond shear allowable, along with strength
allowables on the materials if you want to use the failure theory calculations. For NEi Nastran, four additional
options for Failure Theory are available. STRESS = Maximum Stress theory, LARC02 = NASA LaRC theory,
PUCK = Puck PCP Theory, and MCT = Multicontinuum Theory.
Axisymmetric Shell Properties
The axisymmetric shell property contains only 1 property value for the thickness.
4.2.4.3 Volume Element Properties
Axisymmetric Element Properties
Actually, axisymmetric elements do not have any property values. The FEMAP property for these types is simply
used to reference the desired material.
Solid Element Properties
Unlike the plane elements, which orient their material axes using an angle on each element, solid element proper-
ties can reference a coordinate system to align the Material Axes. This difference is due to the fact that solid ele-
ments require orientation of all three principal directions. Plane elements always have their Z direction normal to
the plane and can therefore be oriented with a single rotation angle. You can also choose to orient solid elements
based on the directions defined by the element's corner nodes.
4.2.4.4 Other Element Properties
Mass Element Properties
FEMAP mass elements support differing mass and inertia properties in three principal directions. Many analysis
programs do not support differing X, Y and Z masses. In this case FEMAP just uses the X mass that you defined.
As an input convenience, if you leave My and/or Mz blank (or zero) they will be automatically set equal to the Mx
value. If you really want almost no mass value in one of these directions, you must set the value to a small nonzero
number like 1E-10. FEMAP can also align the principal mass directions to any coordinate system and offset the
mass from a node. Check to see if your analysis program supports these options before using them.
Use the Effective Diameter field for mass elements that are part of a model to be solved with FEMAP Thermal. The
solver will use the implied area of a sphere with the specified diameter to calculate the relevant conductances.
Mass and Stiffness Matrix Element Properties
Properties for mass matrix and stiffness matrix elements are input as a symmetric 6x6 matrix. Since mass matrix
elements are only connected to one node, this fully defines all six mass degrees of freedom for that node.
Stiffness matrix elements connect two nodes, and hence 12 degrees of freedom. The 6x6 stiffness matrix is simply
replicated to form a 12x12 matrix in this case.
The following form is used (A is the 6x6 matrix you specify):
Slide Line Element Properties
You must define the interaction property values for the slide line element which include the slide line plane, width
of surfaces, and stiffness and frictional conditions. Both symmetrical penetration and unsymmetrical penetration
(for the slave nodes only) are available. No material reference is required for slide line element properties.
Weld/Fastener Element Properties
Weld/Fastener connector elements are only available for NX Nastran and MSC Nastran. Only isotropic materials
(MAT1 entries in NASTRAN) can be used as the material for a weld/fastener element. First choose if you are cre-
ating a CWELD or a CFAST property in the Weld Type section.
Note: This formulation does not take into account any geometric transformations required to connect non-
coincident nodes, so care should be taken when using this element type.
A A
symmetric A
Other Element Properties 4-41
CWELD
There are a few options to choose in the Define Property - WELD/FASTENER Element Type dialog box when
CWELD is used.
Diameter - This value represents the diameter of the weld. The diameter, length, and material are used to calculate
the stiffness of the connector in 6 directions.
Spot Weld - When this option is on, SPOT is written to the TYPE field on the PWELD entry. This causes the
actual length of the weld element to be ignored and instead the stiffness is calculated using an effective length (L
e
).
L
e
= 1/2 (t
a
+ t
b
), where t
a
and t
b
are the thicknesses of the shell elements A and B which are being connected with
the weld.
Eliminate M-Set DOF - When this option is checked, it writes out OFF for the MSET field on the PWELD entry
in the Nastran Bulk Data File. With MSET = OFF, the 2x6 constraint equations are built into the stiffness matrix of
the CWELD element thereby condensing the 2x6 degrees of freedom of the nodes used to create the weld connec-
tion. This option is available for 0..Elem to Elem, 1..Elem to Elem Vertex, 5..Nodes to Nodes, and 6..Nodes to Elem
Vertex weld types (ELEMID and GRIDID) only.
CFAST
Options in the Define Property - WELD/FASTENER Element Type dialog box when CFAST is chosen.
Diameter - This value represents the diameter of the virtual fastener, which is used to locate the virtual grids
(nodes) on the shell element patch.
Mass - Mass of the fastener.
Struc Damping - Structural damping of fastener
Material CSys - Material Coordinate System in which translational (KTX, KTY, and KTZ) and rotational stiffness
(KRX, KRY, and KRZ) are applied. This option is unchecked by default and Nastran uses a predefined method to
determine the x, y, and z-axis of the fastener element. Please see Note below
Absolute - When checked, specifies the Material Coordinate System is an Absolute Coordinate System.
Unchecked specifies the Material Coordinate System is a Relative Coordinate System.
KTX, KTY, and KTZ - These values represent the translational stiffness of the fastener in the x, y, and z-axis
specified for the element.
KRX, KRY, and KRZ - These values represent the rotational stiffness of the fastener in the x, y, and z-axis speci-
fied for the element.
Plot Only and Rigid Element Properties
There are no properties required for these element types, so they are not normally defined. You can however create
properties of these types if you want to use them in any of the other generation / meshing commands.
Note: When unchecked, the x-axis of the fastener element will be colinear to a vector from the location the
fastener intersects Patch 1 (Element ID or Property ID) to the location the fastener intersects Patch
2, which is defined when creating the element. The y-axis will then be perpendicular to the element x-
axis and oriented to the closest basic coordinate axis (in case of identical proximity, basic x-axis first,
then y, then z will be chosen for orientation). Finally, the z-axis is the cross product of the element x-
axis and z-axis.
Model, Layup... 4-43
4.2.5 Model, Layup...
...creates a new layup. Layups are used to define the make-up of a laminate property, ply by ply. You can choose a
material ID, physical thickness, and orientation angle for each ply in the laminate. There is also an optional Glo-
bal Ply which can be defined. The plies can be sorted by attribute (Ply ID, Material, Thickness, Angle, etc.) in the
list by clicking the appropriate column header.
The total thickness of the entire layup is displayed above the list of individual plies and is updated each time a ply
is added to the layup. Also, a graphical representation of the layup can be viewed by clicking the Layup Viewer
button next to the New Ply button.
Layup Features
ID and Title:
These options set the ID and Title for the layup to be created. Every time you create a layup, the default ID will be
automatically incremented. Title allows you to provide a title of up to 79 characters for each layup.
Global Ply ID (optional):
This option can be used to save a particular ply of one layup for use in other layups in your model. If a Global Ply
is set for each and every Ply in a Layup, FEMAP will write out a PCOMPG as the Property for NX or MXC/ND
Nastran. Otherwise, FEMAP will write a PCOMP as the Property. See below for additional uses of the Global
Ply concept in Post-Processing.
The Global Ply concept can also be used for Post Processing purposes by allowing you to choose any ply of any
layup to be the same Global Ply as any ply of a any other layup. For instance, a model has two layups, Layup 1
has 7 plies and Layup 2 has 9 plies. If you wanted to post process the results of a particular output vector on the
middle ply of the model, the middle ply for Layup 1 would be ply 4, while the middle ply for Layup 2 would
be ply 5. Once these plies have been designated with the same Global Ply ID, you can use the Laminate Options
functionality of View, Select to create a contour/criteria plot using a the results of the Global Ply.
You can create a new Global Ply by clicking the Global Ply Icon Button next to the drop down list. In the Global
Ply Definition dialog box, you may create a new global ply using the New Ply button. In the New Global Ply dialog
box, you may enter a Title (up to 79 characters), and optionally choose a Material, and/or enter a Thickness.
Once you have at least one global ply, you may highlight any ply from the list and then use Edit Ply to change the
Title, Material, and/or Thickness, Renumber to renumber the selected ply, or Delete to delete the selected ply,
Delete All will simply delete all of the global plies in the model, while Show will highlight all of the elements in the
graphics window which are currently using the Global Ply.
Material, Thickness and Angle:
The Material drop-down list allows you to choose the material to be referenced for each ply. If you want to create a
new material, simply click the Material Icon Button next to the Material drop-down list.
Thickness allows you to enter the physical thickness of each ply. Angle is used to enter the orientation angle of each
ply. The angles are specified relative to the material axes which were defined for the element. If you did not specify
a material orientation angle, these angles are measured from the first side of the element (the edge from the first to
the second node). They are measured from the rotated material axes otherwise.
Layup Editor Buttons
There are several buttons in the Layup Editor that allow you to perform different functions. Some buttons are avail-
able all the time, while other require that certain fields be filled, one row highlighted, or multiple rows highlighted.
Note: A Global Ply can only be referenced in a Layup one time. If you use a Global Ply more than once in a
Layup, the most recently entered instance of the Global Ply will have the Global Ply designation.
Copy to Clipboard
Paste
Model, Layup... 4-45
Each button or group of buttons is explained in greater detail below.
New Ply
Once you have a Material, Thickness, and Angle specified, click this button to add the ply to the layup. By default,
it will add this ply to the Top of the List (Designated in the dialog box above the list of plies with Top of Layup).
If you have a ply highlighted in the list, the new ply will be added UNDER the highlighted ply (i.e., closer to the
Bottom of Layup). If you have multiple plies highlighted, this button is not available
Layup Viewer button
Clicking this button will bring up the Layup Viewer window. For a more detailed description of the Layup Viewer,
see Section 4.2.5.1, "Layup Viewer".
Update buttons
Once a ply has been added the list, the definition of that ply can be updated using the Update Global Ply, Update
Material, Update Thickness, or Update Angle buttons. These commands are available when one or more plies are
highlighted in the list of plies (except Global Ply, which can only be used for one ply at a time). Once the desired
plies are highlighted, enter the new value for Material, Thickness, and/or Angle, then click the appropriate button to
update all highlighted plies with the new value.
Duplicate
Available when one ply or multiple plies are highlighted. Simply highlight the plies you would like duplicated in
the list of plies, click the Duplicate button, and the duplicated plies will be added to the top of the list of plies.
Delete
Available when one ply or multiple plies are highlighted. Simply highlight the plies you would like delete in the list
of plies, click the Delete button, and the plies will be deleted from the list of plies
Symmetry
Available only when multiple plies are highlighted. Simply highlight the plies you would like to mirror in the list
of plies, click the Symmetry button, and the mirrored plies will be added to the top of the list of plies in reverse
order as the were originally in the list.
Reverse
Available only when multiple plies are highlighted. Simply highlight the plies you would like to reverse in the
list of plies, click the Reverse button, and the order of the selected plies will be reversed in the list based on the
original position (i.e., the selected ply which was closest to the Bottom of Layup will now be closest to the Top
of Layup in the list).
Move Up and Move Down
Available when one ply or multiple plies are highlighted. Simply highlight the plies you would like moved up or
down in the list of plies, click the Move Up or Move Down button, and the selected plies will be moved closer to the
Top of Layup (Move Up) or Bottom of Layup (Move Down) one ply at a time.
Rotate
Available when one ply or multiple plies are highlighted. Simply highlight the plies you would like to rotate (alter
angle) in the list of plies, click the Rotate button, and the Angle of the selected plies will updated by adding or
subtracting the number entered in the Rotate Ply By dialog box. Enter a negative number to subtract from the cur-
rent angle.
Compute
Always available once a single ply has been added to the layup. This command will calculate the equivalent
mechanical properties for the layup. These values will be sent to the Messages dockable pane.
Note: If you have the Entity Info window open while creating or modifying a Layup, the equivalent properties
will be calculated live every time a ply is added or modified. This is a great way to create a layup
which will behave as expected in your model.
The calculated equivalent laminate property values include:
Total Thickness
In-Plane Properties (2-D orthotropic)
Modulus of elasticity (X and Y directions)
Shear Modulus (XY)
Poissons Ratio
Coefficient of thermal expansion (X,Y, and XY)
Bending/Flexural Properties (2-D orthotropic)
Modulus of elasticity (X and Y bending)
Shear Modulus (XY bending)
Poissons Ratio
Coefficient of thermal expansion (X,Y, and XY bending)
Compliance Matrices - These are provided for advanced users
working with composites. The inverse are also provided for
your convenience.
A Matrix (extensional stiffness)
B Matrix (coupling stiffness)
D Matrix (bending stiffness)
A-Inv Matrix
B-Inv Matrix
D-Inv Matrix
Copy, Copy to Clipboard, and Paste
Copy allows you to copy all plies of an existing Layup in the
model by simply selecting a Layup from a selection dialog box.
The Copy to Clipboard icon button is only available when one ply or multiple plies are highlighted. Simply high-
light any number of plies in the list of plies, click the Copy to Clipboard icon button, then the selected plies will be
placed on the clipboard.
Clicking the Paste icon button will Paste the plies into the current layup at the top of the list of plies. You can now
reposition the plies using the Move Up and Move Down buttons.
Working with Layup Libraries (Save and Load buttons)
The layup library allows you to create standard layups that you can use over and over again in many different mod-
els. When you press Save, the current layup is added to the Layup library file. Pressing Load will display a list of
the layups in the library and let you choose one to be loaded into the layup editor dialog box. You can then modify
the values before pressing OK to create the layup. The layup ID is not saved in the library, nor updated when a
layup is loaded from the library. For more information on libraries, see Section 2.6.2.8, "Library/Startup" and Sec-
tion 4.3.6, "Library Selection" of the FEMAP Users Guide.
4.2.5.1 Layup Viewer
The Layup Viewer allows you to graphically visualize the current layup being created or edited. Each ply currently
in the layup will be shown and labeled with Ply Number, Thickness, Orientation, and Material in the Layup Viewer.
The ply at the top of the viewing area always represents the top of the layup. Initially, all of the plies are shown in
the viewing area, with all plies being scaled based on the size of the largest ply. In layups with a large number of
Note: The copied plies will remain on the clipboard until over-written by another copy operation from a
windows program. If you desire, you can copy from a layup, then open another layup (new or exist-
ing) and paste those plies into that layup.
Layup Viewer 4-47
plies or plies with large variation of thickness, this can create a somewhat cluttered display. The entire Layup
Viewer can be resized and the viewing area scaled and scrolled to allow in-depth examination of specific plies.
General Controls and Options
The layup display can be scaled using the Scale slider bar. When the slider is all the way to the left, this represents
the default display and the middle of the layup will always be returned to the middle of the display area.
Once the layup has been scaled, you can explore different sections of the layup by moving the scroll bar up and
down on the right side of the Layup Viewer.
There are several options in the Layup Viewer which enable you to choose how the layup should be displayed.
Also, the display can copied to the clipboard then pasted into other windows programs.
The options are explained in greater detail below.
Thickness
Allows you to choose if each ply should be displayed based on a scaled representation of the ply thickness or if
each ply should be shown with a Constant thickness.
Ply Angles
When this box is Checked, the ply orientation angles will be displayed graphically on each ply. This option is ON
by default.
Titles
When this box is Checked, the Title of the ply material will be displayed instead of only the ply material ID. This
option is OFF by default.
Display Color
Material Color - Uses the material color assigned to each material. If you have not specified any special mate-
rial colors, all of your plies will be the same color.
Note: When using the scroll bar, you will notice that the top line of the top ply and the bottom line of
the bottom ply will stop at the middle of the display area.
Note: The constant thickness is determined by dividing the available display area height by the number of
plies (when the layup display is NOT scaled).
Random Color - Assigns a random color to each material in the model for Layup Viewer purposes only. If you
have not defined material colors, this is an easy way to see differentiation between layers of different properties.
Monochrome - Changes the layup display to Monochrome (Grayscale) which can be useful if copying the
layup display to another program for printing purposes.
Copy to Clipboard button
Copies the layup display to the clipboard. By default, the Visible Only option is checked, which means only the
plies currently in the display area will be copied to the clipboard. When unchecked, the entire layup will be copied
to the clipboard.
Note: On 32-bit operating systems, if the image of the entire layup becomes larger than 13,500,000 pixels,
the Visible Only option will NOT be available to uncheck and can NOT be turned OFF. You will still
be able to copy the visible portion of the layup, but not the entire thing at once.
In certain cases, another program (such as Microsoft Word) may not be able to paste the image from
the clipboard. If this is the case, try scaling the image less. One way to do this and still get a useful
image of the layup may be to use the Constant Thickness option.
This is not a restriction when running FEMAP on 64-bit operating systems.
Creating Loads And Constraints 4-49
4.3 Creating Loads And Constraints
This section describes methods to load and constrain your model. Loads and constraints are applied in a similar
manner. Both are input as part of sets. Therefore, you can define multiple load and constraint sets for your analysis.
You can apply loads and constraints to geometry and/or FEA entities. You can even copy or combine sets for either
loads or constraints. The sections that follow will first explain the application of loads, and then move on to con-
straints.
4.3.1 Create/Activate Load Set
4.3.1.1 Model, Load, Create/Manage Set...
... displays the Load Set Manager. This menu command is also available on the tray at the bottom right portion of
the graphics window, as well as by choosing New from the Loads object context-sensitive menu in the Model Info
tree. The Load Set Manager can be used to create new load sets; update the title of an existing load set; renumber,
delete, or copy the active load set; as well as define Nastran LOAD Combination sets for Nastran.
To activate a load set that already exists, simply highlight it from the Available Load Sets... list. When a new load
set is created, it will automatically become the Active load set. To deactivate all load sets, press None Active.
Creating New Load Sets
To create a new load set, press the New Load Set button.
Note: When a combined load set is Active, no loads will be visible in the FEMAP graphics window,
regardless of options set in the Visibility dialog box (View, Visibility) and Model Info tree.
Ctrl+F2
Create new load set
Renumber highlighted
Update the title of an
existing load set
Load Set
Delete highlighted
Load Set
Delete all Load Sets
Copy highlighted
Load Set
Define Nastran LOAD
Deactivate All Load
Sets
Combination Set
Clear Title Filter
Title Filter
The next available load set ID will automatically be entered in the ID field when creating a new load set, but any
load set ID not currently being used in the model may be entered. You may also enter a Title. As always, you should
choose a descriptive title. The titles are displayed, along with the IDs, in the Available Load Sets - Selected Load
Set is Active list of the Load Set Manager. Press OK to create a load set or press More to create a load set, then be
prompted to make another.
Load Set Type
You may choose a Set Type for the new load set. A Standard load set is any combination of Load Definitions, Body
Loads, and Other Loads used to define the loading conditions for that load set.
A Nastran LOAD Combination is a special type of load set which is a combination of referenced Standard load
sets in the model. When used, all of the selected Standard load sets referenced by a Nastran LOAD Combination
Set are written to the Nastran input file and combined by Nastran via a LOAD entry also written to the input file.
Once a Nastran LOAD Combination has been created, highlight it from the list in the Load Set Manager and press
the Referenced Sets button. The Referenced Load Sets for Nastran LOAD dialog box will appear:
Highlight any number of Standard load sets from the list of Available Sets. Click Add Referenced Set to have them
placed in the Referenced Sets list. By default, each load set placed into the Referenced Sets list will be included with
a Scale Factor of 1.0. If desired, the For Referenced Set Scale Factor can be changed before pressing the Add
Referenced Set button and all highlighted load sets will be placed in the Referenced Sets list using that Scale Factor.
These scale factors will be written to the appropriate Si fields of the Nastran LOAD entry for each load set.
Update Scales Factors will update the scale factors of all sets currently highlighted in the Referenced Sets list,
while the Remove Referenced Set button is used to remove highlighted load sets from the Referenced Sets list.
Also, an Overall Scale Factor may be entered for the entire set, which is written to the S field of LOAD entry.
4.3.2 Load Definitions
Every time a load is created on finite element entities (i.e., Model, Load, Nodal; Model, Load, Nodal on Face; and
Model, Load, Elemental) or geometry (Model, Load, On Point; Model, Load, On Curve; Model, Load, on Surface)
a Load Definition will also be created in FEMAP. A Bolt Preload will also create a Load Definition. These Load
Definitions will appear in the Loads branch of the Model Info tree and can be given a title.
Each Load Definition will contain all of the individual loads which were created at the same time using a Model,
Load... command. Load Definitions can then be edited, listed, and deleted and all individual loads contained in that
Load Definition will be edited, listed, or deleted.
Note: Only Forces, Moments, Pressures, loads on Scalar points (SPOINTS), Rotational Velocity Body Loads,
and Gravity Loads may be combined using the LOAD entry. Also, Nastran LOAD Combinations in
FEMAP are only used when performing a Static Analysis.
Note: A Referenced Load Sets command may be added to any menu or toolbar using the Tools, Toolbars, Cus-
tomize command. This command is located in the Additional Commands category on the Commands
tab of the Customize dialog box..
Load Definitions 4-51
For example, if you chose to put a Force load of 1 unit on 5 selected nodes, a single Load Definition would
appear in the Model Info tree. In this case, if the Load Definition were to be edited, 5 individual loads would be
modified using one command.
Load Definitions can be removed at any time using the Remove Definition command on the context sensitive menu
in the Model Info tree and the individual loads from that Load Definition will be moved under the appropriate head-
ing in the Other Loads branch. The Other Loads branch contains headings for On Geometry, On Mesh, Bolt Pre-
Load, Nodal Temperatures, and Elemental Temperatures.
Also, a Load Definition can be created from any number of loads of the same type (i.e., any number of Nodal
Forces, Elemental Pressures, or Displacements on Curves, etc) by highlighting them in the Model Info tree and
using the Create Definition command from the context sensitive menu. If you choose loads of various types and
then use the Create Definition command, FEMAP will create a Load Definition for each separate type of load that
was highlighted.
The Auto Create Definition command goes one step further and will create load definitions based on load type, load
value, and additional loading parameters (i.e., element face where load applied). For instance, if you choose 10
pressure loads from the list of Other Loads which all have the same values and are all applied to the same element
face, this command will create a single load definition. If instead, you choose 10 pressure loads, 5 with one value
and 5 with a different value, this command would make two separate load definitions.
Note: All of the commands for listing, deleting, and modifying individual loads are still available in FEMAP.
For more information about the Remove Definition and Create Definition commands, along with the process of
combining Load Definitions, please see Section 7.2.1, "Tools, Model Info" under Loads and Constraints in the
Model Info Tree
4.3.3 Finite Element Loads
FEMAP allows you to create loads directly on finite element entities. These types of loads will be exported directly
to the solver on translation, assuming that the translator supports the type of loading input. Loads can be applied to
the entire finite element model (Model, Load, Body command), to individual or groups of nodes (the Model, Load,
Nodal, the Model, Load, Nodal, and the Model, Node, Nonlinear Force commands), and to individual or groups of
elements (the Model, Load, Element command). Each type of load and its command is discussed in more detail
below.
4.3.3.1 Model, Load, Body
Body loads act on all elements of your model and represent global motions, accelerations or temperatures. You
must activate the body loads that you want prior to defining load values, by checking the various Active boxes.
Body loads can be separated into acceleration, velocity, and thermal.
A Coordinate System other than Global may be specified for all body loads in a particular load set. This coor-
dinate system will be written out to the CID field of the GRAV and/or REFORCE entires for Nastran.
Time and Frequency Dependence can be specified for Translational and Rotational Accelerations, as well as, Rota-
tional Velocity by selecting an existing FEMAP function from the drop-down list. You can also create a new func-
tion by clicking any of the Function icon buttons next to the Time/Freq Dependence drop-down list boxes.
Translational Accel/Gravity and Rotational Acceleration
These body loads represent translational and/or rotational acceleration. Input must always be in the global direc-
tions. Translational accelerations are often used to represent gravity loads. Watch the units however, these are not
specified in gs.
Rotational Velocity
This type of body load represents a rotational velocity and the resulting loads which are caused by centripetal
acceleration.
Center of Rotations
This specifies the location of the center of rotation for the rotational body loads (rotational velocity and rotational
acceleration). You can graphically select the Center of Rotations graphically by highlighting one of the fields in this
portion of the dialog and then clicking in the graphics window. To select a precise position, you may want to use
Snap to Grid, Snap to Point, or Snap to Node mode.
Model, Load, Nodal 4-53
Thermal
The Default Temperature is the temperature of all nodes/elements which are not given a specific temperature in this
load set by nodal or elemental temperature loads. This option can be used to quickly assign a temperature for the
entire model.
Rotating Around Vector... button
This utility allows you to specify a Rotation Vector (using any vector
method in FEMAP) for all rotational body loads in a particular load
set. Once you select the vector, FEMAP allows you to enter a value for
Velocity and Acceleration around this specified vector. Clicking OK will
return you to the main Body Loads dialog box and the transformed
values for the entered Velocity and Acceleration will now appear in the
appropriate X, Y, and Z components.
4.3.3.2 Model, Load, Nodal
Creating nodal loads is a two step process. First, you must select the nodes where the load will be applied. As
always, this is done using the standard entity selection dialog box. After you select the nodes, you will see another
dialog box which defines the load.
The first selection you should make is the type of load you wish to create. FEMAP supports eleven (11) types of
nodal loads for various types of thermal and structural analysis - forces, moments, displacements, enforced rota-
tions, velocities, rotational velocities, accelerations, rotational accelerations, nodal temperatures, nodal heat gener-
ation and nodal heat fluxes.
The last 10 load types available are Fluid specific and are only accessible through the FEMAP neutral file.
As you choose a load type, FEMAP will disable or hide any controls in the load definition dialog box which are not
required. After choosing a load type you can proceed to define the other load parameters and values.
Title:
Allows you to enter a title for the Load Definition being created. If you do not enter a title, a default title will be
created based on the type of load which was created.
For example, if you create a Force on a selected node or nodes, the default title will be Force on Nodes.
Color/Palette and Layer:
These controls define parameters for the load to be created.
Coordinate System:
This option is only available if you select the Components method for direction for non-thermal load types. The
components are defined relative to the selected coordinate system. If you select a cylindrical or spherical system,
the true direction of the loads also depends on the location of the node where it is applied. For example, a positive
radial force goes in a different direction if the node is at 0 degrees, than if it is at 180 degrees.
Direction:
All non-thermal load types are vector quantities which require a direction. FEMAP provides five methods to define
the direction of a load: Components, Vector, Along Curve, Normal to Plane, and Normal to Surface. The Compo-
nents method simply requires input of components in the three directions. For all methods except Components, you
must check the Specify button to either define the vector (FEMAP standard vector definition dialog box will
appear), select the curve, define the plane (FEMAP standard plane definition dialog box will appear), or select the
surface. These methods provide great flexibility for defining the direction of the loads.
Choosing a Load Creation Method
There are three methods available to create loads on the nodes that you selected. The simplest, and default method,
is to assign a constant load value to each of the nodes. As an alternative, you can define an equation which defines
the value at each node. If you choose this method, you must select a variable (default is i - must select Advanced
under Variable to change it) which will be updated to contain the ID of the node where loads are being defined.
Then, instead of entering a numeric value for the loads, enter an equation in Value which uses the variable. You will
find the XND(), YND() and ZND() functions very useful in defining loads in terms of the locations of the nodes
that you are loading.
If instead of entering an equation, you enter a numeric value, that value will be assigned to every node, just as if
you had specified a constant. Conversely, if you enter an equation, but also set Constant, the equation will be eval-
uated prior to load definition and the constant result will be assigned to all selected nodes.
For example, if you choose to enter an equation in Value such as:
10*(xnd(!i)-xnd(1))+50
each node will receive a load which is equal to fifty, plus ten times the length in the X direction between that node
and node 1.
Note: Since these loads are created on the nodes themselves, the actual method of computing the direction is
not stored. FEMAP calculates the direction from the method, and then stores the result in component
form. This enables you to modify or remove any geometry that was created to specify the direction
without changing the load direction. If you attempt to edit or list the load, the values listed will be in
component form. Only loads attached directly to geometry store any information regarding the direction
method.
Hint: When choosing the Along Curve or Normal to Surface options, be careful that the nodes fall within the
length of the curve or the area bounded by the surface. If the curve is anything but a line, FEMAP will
attempt to project the position of the nodes onto the curve to determine the direction of the curve at that
location. A similar projection is also required for the Normal to Surface method. If the projection falls
well outside the curve or surface actual bounds, unexpected values for the direction may result.
Note: The XND(), YND(), and ZND() functions will use a loads definition coordinate system. For example,
in a cylindrical coordinate system, XND() would be the radial coordinate of the node, YND() would be
theta coordinate of the node, and ZND() would be the coordinate in the Z-axis of the node.
Note: The equation is evaluated at each node, and the actual calculated value of the load is stored as a nodal
load. The equation, itself is not stored. Equations are only stored for geometric loads.
Model, Load, Nodal On Face... 4-55
A third method is available in FEMAP 9.3 and above, and this method is to use a Data Surface. There are several
different types of Data Surfaces which can be created and in most cases, a Data Surface allows you to vary a value
based on specific parameters of an entity (i.e., XYZ coordinates; Node or Element ID; spatial locations - 1-D, 2-D,
or 3-D; mapped results from different mesh; parametric locations on geometry). These Data Surfaces can be cre-
ated prior to load creation using the Data Surface Editor (For more information on the Data Surface Editor, see
Section 7.2.5, "Tools, Data Surface Editor"). You can also click the Data Surface Icon button in the Create Loads
dialog box and choose from the list of available Data Surfaces to create a new one.
Time, Temperature or Frequency Dependent Loads
If the loads that you are creating are constant, simply set this option to 0..None. However, if your loads vary with
either time, temperature or frequency, you can choose the appropriate function to define that dependence. Prior to
creating your loads, you must use the Model, Function command to create the functions, so that they can be
selected from the list. The Y values of the function are used to multiply the constant values that you specify in this
dialog box. Do not confuse frequency dependence of the load value (specified here) with frequency dependence of
the phase (specified at the bottom of the dialog box for frequency analyses).
Creating Component Loads (Forces, Moments, etc.)
For component of non-thermal loads (forces, moments, displacements, enforced displacements, velocities, rota-
tional velocities, accelerations, and rotational accelerations) you must activate the various load components, using
the option boxes, prior to setting the load value. There is no load applied to any component which is not activated.
For forces, moments, velocities, rotational velocities, accelerations, and rotational accelerations, this is equivalent
to activating the component and then applying a zero (or blank) load. For displacements and enforced rotations,
however, these two alternatives are not equivalent. With the component deactivated, that component is free to
move (displace) freely. Activating the component and then specifying a zero displacement (or a blank), prevents all
movement of that component. This is similar to a constraint.
As just described, FEMAP will allow you to activate load components which have a zero (or blank) load value.
You may not however, have all load values equal to zero. If you want to use displacement loads as pseudo-con-
straints, you must specify at least one small nonzero value, like 1E-10 or smaller. You should never have to create a
zero force or acceleration, since it will have no effect.
Phase:
Non-thermal loads also allow you to specify a phase. This value is only used for frequency analyses. In addition,
for frequency response analyses, you can make the phase frequency dependent by selecting an additional function.
4.3.3.3 Model, Load, Nodal On Face...
... is the same as Model, Load, Nodal, except that instead of directly selecting the nodes where the loads will be
applied, here you select the faces of elements. You will first use the standard entity selection dialog box to select
the elements which reference the nodes where you want to place loads. Then, the face selection dialog box (as
described later in Model, Load, Elemental) is used to limit the nodal selection to specific element faces. When you
have selected the element faces, FEMAP will automatically determine the nodes where loads will be defined, and
this command will continue, just like the normal Model, Load, Nodal command.
4.3.3.4 Model, Load, Elemental...
...is used to create elemental loads. The process is very similar to Model, Load, Nodal. You must first select the ele-
ments where the load will be applied using the standard entity selection dialog box. Then, another dialog box
allows you to define the load type and values similar to the Create Loads on Nodes dialog box. The one major dif-
ference is that you will not be able to specify a direction. All elemental loads have a certain prescribed direction
(typically normal to face of application).
There are seven types of elemental loads in FEMAP: distributed loads on line elements, pressure, temperature, and
four types of heat transfer loads - heat generation, heat flux, convection and radiation. Again, just like nodal loads,
Note: This command can be a convenient method of specifying nodal loads on complex models, especially on
solid models where you can use the adjacent faces approach (see Section 4.3.3.2, "Model, Load,
Nodal"). This is an alternative to creating geometric loads and can be very useful to create loads on a
portion of a surface.
you should select the load type first. This choice will disable or hide all controls which are not necessary for the
type of load you are defining. Finally, specify the other load parameters and values.
You can also make elemental loads function dependent, just like nodal loads, as well as input a constant or variable
load. You will find the XEL( ), YEL( ), ZEL( ), XEF( ), YEF( ) and ZEF( ) functions very useful in defining loads
in terms of the locations of the elements and element faces that you are loading. If instead of entering an equation,
you enter a numeric value, that value will be assigned to every element, just as if you had specified a constant. Con-
versely, if you enter an equation, but also set Constant, the equation will be evaluated prior to load definition and
the constant result will be assigned to all selected elements.
Creating Distributed Loads
Distributed loads are forces applied along the length of line elements (bars, beams...). Their load values are speci-
fied as a force per unit length.
You can specify a different value at each end of the element. If you want a constant load along the length, you must
specify the same End A and End B values. If you leave End B blank, zero load will be applied at that end.
In this case the same function dependence will apply to the loads at both ends of the element.
Distributed Load Direction
After you specify the load magnitude and phase, press OK. You
will be prompted for the load direction, which can be along any of
the elemental or global axes. You can not specify an arbitrary
direction or the axis of any other coordinate system. The elemen-
tal axes are determined by the element orientation. For elements
that do not require an orientation (rods, axisymmetric shells...)
you should always use the global directions.
Creating Pressure Loads
Elemental pressure loads always act normal to an element face or edge. For this reason, you can only apply pres-
sure to plane or solid elements. You may not apply pressure to line, or other element types.
Just like distributed loads, you first define the load magnitude and phase, then any function dependence. You have
the option to input the pressure at corners. This will require input of four values and enables you to specify a vary-
ing pressure load across an element. This capability is most useful when defining a variable pressure load across a
surface.
You also have the option to specify the direction of the pres-
sure. When this option is selected FEMAP will prompt you
for the direction of the pressure using coordinates or a vector.
Specifying a direction for pressures is only supported for
Nastran. If pressures are defined in this manner for other
solvers FEMAP will simply create pressures normal to the
selected element face.
.
.
.
Specifying Face IDs
For pressures, when you press OK, you will be presented with the following dialog box to choose the face or faces
where the pressure will be applied:
Note: Not all analysis programs support pressures at the corners of elements. If you translate to a
program that does not support corner pressures, FEMAP will automatically average the
corner pressures and output a centroidal value.
Model, Load, Elemental... 4-57
This provides four ways to select
the faces. The most obvious is to
simply choose Face ID and
select the ID of a face. For
details on how face numbers for
plane and solid elements are
defined, see Section 6, "Element
Reference" in the FEMAP User
Guide. Alternatively, you can
simply choose the face graphi-
cally by moving the cursor near
the center of the face and clicking the left mouse button. The selected face will be highlighted. If you chose an
unexpected face, simply move the mouse and click again until you get the face you want. Also, you have the option
to select the Front Face or the Back Face when choosing the face of a plate element. This is strictly a way to
choose a particular face without having to rotate the model.
While this method is easy to understand, it has the disadvantage of applying the loads to the same face number on
all selected elements. If the elements where you need to apply loads are oriented randomly, this method is not very
effective. You will either need to use one of the other methods, or in some cases you can reorient the elements (see
Section 4.8.3.12, "Modify, Update Elements, Reverse/Orient First Edge..."
In most cases, loads on plane elements will be applied
to face 1. In this case positive pressure acts in the
same direction as the face normal (as determined by
the right-hand rule). Conversely, if loads are applied
to face 2, their positive direction will be opposite to
the face normal. Therefore a positive pressure on face
2 is equivalent to a negative pressure on face 1. If you
need to apply edge loads, they can be applied to faces
3 through 6 as shown. Their positive direction is
inward, toward the element center.
Choosing Faces Near a Surface
If you have used geometry to define your elements, or if you just have surfaces in your model, you can apply loads
to element faces which are close to a selected surface. When you choose Near Surface, you must also choose a sur-
face and specify a tolerance. Loads will be applied to the faces of the selected elements that are closer than your
specified tolerance from the surface. This method can only be used to apply pressure to Face 1 of planar elements
(not to the edges).
Choosing Faces Near a Plane
The Near Coordinates method is very similar to Near Surface. Instead of specifying a surface, however, you
choose a coordinate system, direction and position. This defines a planar surface, which is used along with the tol-
erance to find the closest faces.
Choosing Adjacent Faces
The final and most powerful method for choosing faces, especially for complex solid and planar element models, is
Adjacent Faces. You choose just one initial face (and the associated element ID). This can be done very easily by
graphically selecting the face. You then specify a tolerance angle. FEMAP will search all selected elements for
faces that are connected to the face that you chose and that are within the specified tolerance from being coplanar
(colinear for planar elements) with an already selected face. This can be used to find all faces on an outer surface
(or edge) of a solid (or planar) - regardless of the shape. By selecting the option Matching Normals Only you can
further limit the faces selected by allowing only elements with matching normals to be selected.
1 2
3
4
F3
F4
F5
F2
Triangular elements do
not have a face 6.
F6
Element
Normal
F1
In the picture above, loads could have been applied to all exterior faces, including those inside the hole, by choos-
ing a tolerance greater than 90 degrees. Loads could have been applied just in the hole by selecting a face inside the
hole and specifying a fairly low tolerance.
As with Face ID, you have the option to select the Front Face or the Back Face when choosing the face of a
plate element. This is strictly a way to choose a particular face without having to rotate the model.
Choosing Faces Model Free Faces
The Model Free Faces method simply applies the load to every free element face in your model.
For more information about determining Free Faces see Section 7.6.4, "Free Face".
Pressures on Axisymmetric shells
Axisymmetric shell elements only have a top and bottom surface.
With the top defined as the positive normal direction from node 1
to 2. You have the choice of loading either the top or bottom sur-
face.
NOTE:
Since these elements do not have a orientation the direction of the
pressure is not known. or viewing purposes use the Axisymmetric
Axis view option to set the orientation required by the analysis package.
Creating Elemental Temperatures
For temperature loads, you can specify a single Temperature value. This value is assigned to all selected elements.
You may also specify a Gradient value which will be also simply be assigned to the element and will vary the tem-
perature by this amount between the top and bottom face of the element. No face specification is required for tem-
peratures, they apply to the entire element.
Creating Loads for Heat Transfer
All of the loads for heat transfer analysis are created similarly to pressure and temperature loads, the only differ-
ence is the parameters that need to be specified.
Heat Generation
For heat generation, only a single constant is required - the generation rate.
Heat Flux
Elemental heat flux is applied normal to an element face. You must specify the rate of flux, and, just like pressure,
apply the flux to a specific face.
Alternatively, you can define a directional heat flux. In this case, you must also specify a surface absorptivity and
temperature for the selected face.
And, after pressing OK, you must specify a flux direction. The direction is defined either as a constant by giving the
components of a vector in the direction of the flux, or as a time varying vector, by choosing three functions which
contain the components defined as a function of time. In either case the components must be specified in global
rectangular coordinates.
Selected
Loads on
Adjacent Faces
Face
Model, Load, Elemental... 4-59
Finally, after defining the direction, you will choose the face(s) where the fluxes will be applied. For more informa-
tion about choosing faces, see "Creating Pressure Loads".
Convection
Free convection loads require the convection coefficient and the film temperature, along with the face where the
convection is acting. As always, the face is chosen after you press OK, in the standard fashion. For more informa-
tion about choosing faces, see "Creating Pressure Loads".
Forced convection loading is also supported, although only for a 1-D type analogy. In this case you must specify
the flow rate and diameter along with the temperature, so the proper coefficients can be calculated. For this type of
analysis, you will also have to specify numerous fluid properties in the Model, Loads, Body command described
earlier.
Special Case - Forced Convection Over a Plate or Surface
For Nastran, forced convection loads can also be used to model one or more flows over a plate. This is a very spe-
cialized capability and requires a thorough understanding of Nastrans thermal capability before you attempt to per-
form this type of analysis.
To model this condition you must follow these steps:
1. Model the plate. You can use any general mesh, however a rectangular mapped mesh will be much easier to
understand, and will more accurately represent the flow.
2. Model flow tubes. Since Nastran only has forced convection along line elements, i.e. a 1-D case, you must
define a series of tube elements that represent the flow location and direction. These are typically placed at some
location above/below the plate.
If you are going to have more than one discreet flow, place all tube elements from each flow on a separate layer.
Use the Create Layer command to create a layer, then choose that layer when creating the elements, or use the
Modify, Layer command to change it later.
Unlike most general modeling techniques in FEMAP, tube elements are required for this special capability. In
most cases, where these tubes are simply a modeling convenience and do not represent a physical tube with ther-
mal properties, you will not want them to be written to your Nastran model. In that case, just define both the
inner and outer diameters of the tube property as 0.0 - this indicates that you want the tube to be skipped during
translation. If you do want the tube to be translated, just specify nonzero diameters.
If you need to use tube elements in your model that are not being used to represent flow tubes, you MUST place
them on a layer that is not used by any of the forced convections that you will later apply to the plate elements. If
you do not, FEMAP may create improper links that do not represent the situation that you are attempting to rep-
resent.
3. Model the mass flow. The mass flow is modeled by applying forced convections to each of the flow tube ele-
ments. For all of these loads you must check the Disable Convection option. This will result in a load that simply
models the mass/energy transfer down the flow stream, and not the convection effects. You must specify a flow
diameter on these loads. Even though it is not required for the mass transfer equations, it is necessary to properly
connect the convections from the plate. Typically you will want to specify a value that is near (or at least the
same order of magnitude) the flow diameter for the plate convections.
4. Model the convection on the plate. Next, apply forced convections to the plate elements where the flow is occur-
ring. All forced convections on plate elements are placed on Face 1, flowing from the middle of the first edge of
the plate to the middle of the third edge (to the opposite node for triangular plates). If you created your elements
in a manner where this does not really represent the direction of your flow you should use the Modify, Update,
Reverse command, and the Align First Edge to Vector option to realign your plates so that the flow is properly
represented. This is the step that can become very difficult if you have an arbitrary (non-rectangular or non-
mapped) mesh. It is very important that as they are displayed, all of these convections on the plate point along
the general flow direction.
On all of these plate convections you should check the Disable Advection option. This will effectively eliminate
the mass transfer, and indicate that you are trying to associate this load with a flow tube. You must also specify
the flow diameter (hydraulic diameter). This diameter will be used in the calculation of the Reynolds number. In
addition, when you check this option you will see an additional option displayed that is titled Area Factor. If you
do not specify anything here, FEMAP uses the plate areas to compute coefficients in the heat transfer equation.
By specifying a value you can scale that computation to allow for fins or any other area correction that you wish
to apply.
If you are working with multiple discreet flows, once again you must use the FEMAP layer capability to assign
these convections to a flow number. Set the convection load layer to the same ID as that of the associated flow
tubes.
Specify additional fluid/heat transfer options. Go to the Model, Load, Body command and choose the Heat
Transfer button. This will display a dialog box where you can specify the fluid properties and other flow param-
eters. Currently only one fluid and set of parameters can be specified.
5. Translate to Nastran. When you translate these loads to Nastran, the translator creates Plot-Only elements to rep-
resent the CHBDY elements that are required, and also create the links shown above. These links represent how
each of the convection only plates are linked to the advection only flow tubes. Also, during the translation
you will be asked to specify a factor that is used to disable the convection and advection. Since Nastran really
has no way to disable these portions of the problem, we simulate this effect by scaling the appropriate compo-
nents downward by the scale factor that you specify. Make sure that you always specify a small number (<< 1),
otherwise advection and convection will not be properly disabled.
Radiation
Two forms of radiation can be defined: radiation to space, and enclosure radiation. For radiation to space, you must
specify the surface emissivity, absorptivity and temperature, as well as a view factor from the surface (element
face) to space.
For enclosure radiation only an emissivity is required. The absorptivity is assumed to be equal to the emissivity,
and the view factor will be automatically calculated by the analysis program (currently only supported for NX Nas-
tran or MSC.Nastran). Optionally, you can speed up the view factor calculations by limiting calculations to sur-
faces which can shade or can be shaded by other surfaces.
If you are working on a single enclosure problem, make sure that you set the same layer on all of the radiation
loads.
4.3.3.5 Model, Load, Nonlinear Force...
... is used to define nonlinear transient loads that apply forces to a node based upon displacement and/or velocity at
one or two other nodes. You must define the type of relationship, the node and degree of freedom for the applied
force, and the node(s), degree of freedom, and value (displacement / velocity) that the force will be based upon..
Note: Enclosure radiation problems also require a cavity/enclosure number - even if you are using only a sin-
gle cavity. Surfaces in each cavity are totally independent of other cavities. They neither shade nor radi-
ate to any surfaces other than the ones in their own cavity. To provide maximum flexibility in viewing
and verifying cavity definition, FEMAP uses the layer number that is defined with each radiation load
(not the layer for the element), as the specification of the cavity number. In this way, you can turn on/off
as many cavities/layers as you want to visually verify the loading that you have defined.
Flow Tube
with Advection
Links Created
by Nastran
Translator
Convection
on Plate
Model, Load, Enforce Motion 4-61
Relationship defines the type of nonlinear transient loads to be created. As shown in the table, four types are avail-
able.
The other options simply
define the arguments to
these equations. In all
cases, you must specify a
scale factor. The X(t) argu-
ments represent the dis-
placement or velocity at
node/DOF j (the first node)
or k (the second).
For Tabular Function
loads, you must define and
select a force vs. displace-
ment/velocity function
which will be used by the
analysis program to calcu-
late the force. Since
FEMAP does not currently
contain a vs. Force func-
tion, any function type can be used, but it should contain the appropriate force values. The nodal degrees of free-
dom must be specified as 1 through 6. For the Positive and Negative Power relationships, power is the exponent, A,
of the equation shown.
4.3.3.6 Model, Load, Enforce Motion
...enables you to define a base acceleration. This option creates a base mass, links it to a set of base nodes in your
model with a rigid element, and applies an equivalent base force.
To begin you specify coordinates for the base mass using the standard coordinate definition dialog box. A node will
be automatically created at this location. The next dialogue box is the standard entity selection box, which asks you
to choose the nodes on the base. A rigid element is then created with the newly generated node as the independent
node and the selected nodes as the dependent nodes. Next you define the base acceleration using the standard load
creation dialog box. The type of load to create will be limited to either acceleration or rotational acceleration. You
must choose a time or frequency dependent function to associate with the acceleration.
The final required input is the mass and the acceleration scale factor. They are utilized to generate a nodal force
(force = base mass * specified acceleration) at the independent node of the newly created rigid body. The values are
automatically computed based on your current model and the acceleration that you chose. The default for the mass
value is several orders of magnitude larger than the mass of the current model so the large mass will drive the rest
of the model. You can either simply press OK to accept them, change them here, or edit the force later with the
Modify, Edit commands.
Relationship Definition (F=Force, X=Disp/Vel)
Tabular Function
Product of Two
Variables
Positive Variable
to Power
Negative Variable
to Power
F
i
t ( ) Scale Table X t ( ) ( ) =
F
i
t ( ) Scale X
j
t ( ) X
k
t ( ) =
F
i
t ( )
Scale X
j
t ( ) [ ]
A
where X
j
t ( ) 0 >
0 where X
j
t ( ) 0
=
F
i
t ( )
Scale X
j
t ( ) [ ]
A
where X
j
t ( ) 0 <
0 where X
j
t ( ) 0
=
4.3.4 Geometric Loads
As an alternative, and/or supplement to finite element loads, FEMAP allows you to create loads on geometry. Since
analysis programs require loads directly on nodes and elements, FEMAP will convert these loads to nodal and ele-
mental upon translation. Defining loads by geometry can greatly simplify load input, especially in complex solid
models. It also provides a convenient method of load distribution, since a many times you will know the total load
on a surface. FEMAP will automatically distribute that load over the surface based upon the area of the elements.
Geometric loads also offer the advantage of storing equations and methods of direction. When you create a variable
geometric load, FEMAP will store the equation and evaluate it upon translation. You can also request to expand
geometric loads to individual nodal or elemental loads for visual verification or permanently (see Section 4.3.4.4,
"Model, Load, Expand...").
The geometric load section contains four commands, based upon the type of load to create. They are On Point, On
Curve, On Surface, and Expand. The first three commands enable you to create a load on the selected geometric
entity, while the fourth command allows you to convert between FEA (nodal/elemental) and geometric (point/
curve/surface) loads. Each of these commands are discussed in more detail below.
4.3.4.1 Model, Load, On Point...
... allows creation of loads directly on points. The type of loads available are identical to those that are available
through the Model, Load, Nodal command. All loads are converted directly to nodal loads upon translation or
expansion. Most often you may want to simply use Model, Load, Nodal to create nodal loads directly.
There are two major advantages of using this method over the Model, Load, Nodal command. The first is the ease
of picking the correct entities. Points will typically be one of the first entities created in your model, even before
any FEA entities are created, which will make selecting the points relatively simple. Also, you will generally have
fewer points than nodes in your model, which again simplifies the selection process. The second advantage is that
you can create a variable load which stores the equation and can then be easily modified.
4.3.4.2 Model, Load, On Curve...
...creates loads on curves, which are then converted to nodal or elemental loads (based upon the type of load) upon
translation or expansion. This section documents unique features of loads on the curves. It does not go into detailed
explanation of the input values for each type of load. For more detailed information on the specific inputs for each
load type, see Section 4.3.3.2, "Model, Load, Nodal" or Section 4.3.3.4, "Model, Load, Elemental...".
FEA Attachment
All loads on curves must be eventually expanded to nodal or elemental loads when translated to a finite element
analysis program. When FEMAP expands the loads on curves into elemental or nodal loads, it creates loads for
nodes or elements that were originally from that curve during a meshing procedure (or manually attached). This
procedure is relatively simple for nodal loads. FEMAP determines which nodes are attached to the curve and cre-
ates the loads on these nodes. The only item which may alter this calculation is if you have turned on Midside Node
Adjustment (see "Midside Node Adjustment").
For loads converted to elemental loads, only 2-D elements can be attached to the curve. For an element to be
attached to the curve, all nodes on a face of an element must be attached to that curve. If a parabolic element is
along a curve, but the midside node has been detached from that curve for some reason, the element is not consid-
ered to be on the curve.
Load Types
There are 33 loads available for loads on curves. Many of the load types, such as force, force per length, and force
per node are just different input methods for the same nodal load type (force). These different input methods enable
FEMAP to distribute loads along the curve.
Model, Load, On Curve... 4-63
The listing in the dialog box of the load type are separated into four sections:
structural loads, temperature, heat transfer loads, and fluid loads.
All structural loads except pressure are converted to nodal loads.
Temperature is converted to a nodal temperature while elemental temperature
obviously is an elemental load.
The heat transfer loads include loads which will be converted to nodal loads (heat
flux, heat flux per length, heat flux at node, and heat generation) or elemental
nodes (element heat flux, convection, radiation, and element heat generation).
There are 10 fluid loads that are scalar quantities and can only be accessed
through the neutral file for use in analysis.
Load Input Values
There are also three basic types of load input values: Total, Per Length, and Per
Node. The total loads include force, moment, and heat flux. Input is a total load
that is then automatically distributed along the nodes attached to the curve. The
distribution will be based upon the total length associated with each node. Total
loads must be input as constant. They cannot be variable.
Loads input as per length loads (force per length. moment per length, and heat
flux per length) are very similar to total loads. The load is distributed identically
to a total load, except the values are then multiplied by the length along the curve associated with each node. The
sum of all these loads is simply the input value multiplied by the total length of the curve. These types of loads
must also be input as constant.
All other loads are input on an per node basis. These include force per node, moment per node, heat flux per
node, and translational and rotational displacements, velocities, and accelerations. These values are applied directly
to the node with no distribution. This load type is most commonly used for displacements, as well as variable load-
ing conditions for forces. If you have a load which varies along the length of the curve, this type of load input will
allow you to describe an equation or function to simulate that loading condition.
Total Load
Only available for Force and Moment load types applied to curves. Allows you to enter the Total Force or
Moment to be applied over all selected curves, not applied to each curve. Uses curve length to spread the load out
proportionally. Total Load is the default for these load types when more than one curve has been selected.
Direction
Structural loads (i.e. force, force/length, etc.) which are converted to nodal loads upon expansion require input of
the direction. The direction is identified identically to the specification of nodal load direction (see Section 4.3.3.2,
"Model, Load, Nodal") with two small differences. The first is that the Direction method is saved. FEMAP does not
convert the loads into components until you expand or translate. Therefore, if you list or modify these loads, you
will see the same direction method you originally specified. Secondly, if you choose the Along Curve method, you
cannot specify the curve. FEMAP will automatically use the curve(s) to which the loads are applied.
Method
The Method allows you to choose between a constant or variable load. If constant loading is required, simply
choose Constant and input the values. If Variable loading is required (not available for total and per length
loads), you must select Advanced, which allows you to define the type of definition for your variable load: Equa-
tion, Function, or Interpolation.
Equation
Equation allows you to specify a variable loading in terms of the x, y, and z positions of the nodes or elements.
Each of these values may be used in the equation definition, preceded by an !. For example
4.35*!x - 2*!y
would multiply the x coordinate of each node (or element) and then subtract the product of 2 and the y coordinate.
The x, y, and z coordinates are in the coordinate system defined in the main load dialog box. For instance, if you
were working in a cylindrical coordinate system, x would be the radial coordinate, y the theta coordinate, and z the
coordinate in the Z-axis. FEMAP will store the equation, and evaluate it only upon translation or expansion. The
variable i is not used for loading on geometry, therefore all functions such as XND, and XEL are not applicable and
should not be used.
Function
The second type, Function, allows you to define a function to describe the loading. This function must be created
before defining the load by using the Model, Load, Function command. Two types of functions are acceptable for
variable loads on curves: vs. curve length, and vs. curve parameterization. Simply create this type of function with
the load value as Y, and the X value as either the length along the curve, or the parameter value.
By creating a function, you can model any irregular load pattern over the curve. FEMAP will use the position of the
node, element face centroid, or element centroid and linearly interpolate a value at that position from the function.
FEMAP does not perform any extrapolation of these values. Therefore, if a load occurs over the entire length of the
curve, you should take care to define the values of the curve at the beginning and end points.
Interpolation
The third type, Interpolation, is really a shortcut version of Function. When you select Interpolation, the Locate 1
and Locate 2 areas become accessible. You can then select Locate for 1 and 2 and the standard coordinate definition
dialog box will appear. You simply define the two locations and then define the load values associated with them.
FEMAP will interpolate between these values to obtain loads on the nodes or elements attached to the curve. Once
again, FEMAP will perform no extrapolation. This is a useful method for defining loads on a segment of a curve.
FEA Attachment
All loads on curves must be eventually expanded to nodal or elemental loads when translated to a finite element
analysis program. When FEMAP expands these loads, it creates loads for nodes or elements that were originally
Note: A variable load is only available for elemental loads and nodal loads that are per node. Nodal loads
that are total (i.e. force, moment, etc.) and per length (force per length, etc.) must be constant.
Note: The node locations are used to evaluate the equation for all loads converted to nodal loads. The position
of the centroid of the elemental face attached to the loaded curve is used for all elemental face loads
while the centroid of the element is used for non-face loads such as elemental temperature and elemen-
tal heat generation. The only exception is FEMAP will use the node locations to calculate pressure if
the At Corner option for pressures is selected.
Model, Load, On Surface... 4-65
generated from that curve during a meshing procedure (or manually attached). This procedure is relatively simple
for nodal loads. FEMAP determines which nodes are attached to the curve and creates the loads on these nodes.
The only item which may alter this calculation is if you have turned on Midside Node Adjustment (see "Midside
Node Adjustment").
For loads converted to elemental loads, both 2-D and 3-D elements can be attached to the Surface. IF FEMAP finds
faces of 2-D and 3-D elements that are identical, FEMAP will expand the load on the 2-D element, and issue a
warning message. The only exception to this procedure is if the 2-D elements are plot-only planes.
For an element to be attached to the surface, all nodes on a face of an element must be attached to that surface. If a
parabolic element was created on a surface, but midside nodes have been detached from that surface for some rea-
son, the element is not considered to be on the curve.
Midside Node Adjustment
Some methods such as force/length and force distribute the loads over the entire length. For many parabolic ele-
ments, you cannot simply distribute the force evenly and obtain an even displacement result. You must apply a
larger value to the midside nodes than the corner nodes, and this value is in excess of 1/2 the value of the total load
on the element.
You can specify the factor you want on the midside nodes under File Preferences, Geometry, on the Edge Factor.
This value defaults to 2/3, which is standard for many programs. This means that 2/3 of the load will be applied to
the midside node, and 1/6 to each corner node. If your results are inappropriate for your analysis program, please
consult the documentation for your program. You can also remove the option to adjust for midside nodes by click-
ing this option off.
4.3.4.3 Model, Load, On Surface...
...creates loads on surfaces, which are then converted to nodal or elemental loads (based upon the type of load)
upon translation or expansion. This section documents unique features of loads on surfaces. It does not go into
detailed explanation of the input values for each type of load. For more detailed information on the specific inputs
for each load type, see Section 4.3.3.2, "Model, Load, Nodal" and Section 4.3.3.4, "Model, Load, Elemental...".
FEA Attachment
All loads on surfaces must be eventually expanded to nodal or elemental loads when translated to a finite element
analysis program. When FEMAP expands these loads, it creates loads for nodes or elements that were originally
generated from that surface during a meshing procedure (or manually attached). This procedure is relatively simple
for nodal loads. FEMAP determines which nodes are attached to the curve and creates the loads on these nodes.
The only item which may alter this calculation is if you have turned on Midside Node Adjustment (see "Midside
Node Adjustment").
For loads converted to elemental loads, both 2-D and 3-D elements can be attached to the surface. If FEMAP finds
faces of 2-D and 3-D elements that are identical, FEMAP will expand the load on the 2-D element and issue a
warning message. The only exception to this procedure is if the 2-D elements are plot-only planes. Since plot only
elements are not translated as structural elements, loads cannot be applied to these elements.
For an element to be attached to the surface, all nodes on a face of an element must be attached to that surface. If a
parabolic element was created on a surface, but midside nodes have been detached from that surface for some rea-
son, the element is not considered to be on the curve.
Load Types
There are 35 loads available for loads on surfaces. Many of the load types, such as force, force per area, and force
at node are just different input methods for the same nodal load type (Force). These different input methods enable
FEMAP to distribute loads along the surface.
Two load types, Bearing Force and Torque are only available when applying loads to surfaces. Both use the Mid-
side Node Adjustment and Total Load options by default. These options are explained in greater detail below.
Note: Loads are not expanded on plot-only planar elements since these elements are not translated as struc-
tural elements. Loads cannot be applied to these elements.
When creating a Bearing Force, enter a Magnitude, Load Angle (specifies the area in which the bearing is in con-
tact, entered in degrees. 180 is the default), and Phase (if needed), then specify a vector to represent the direction of
the load. Additionally, there is an option to have the Bearing Force be Normal to Surface (on by default), which
will apply the loads radially to cylindrical surfaces. Also, the load may be a Traction Load (off by default), which
will essentially have the load pull on a surface instead of push.
For example, the 4 copies of a block with a hole geometry are all loaded with bearing forces using different
options:
When expanded, Bearing forces will have varying values:
When creating a Torque load, enter a Magnitude and Phase (if needed), then specify a vector representing the axis
the load acts about.
Bearing Force on single
Bearing Force on multiple
surfaces with Total Load
and Normal to Surface
options On
Bearing Force on multiple
surfaces with Total Load,
Normal to Surface, and
Traction Load options On
surface with Normal to
Surface option On
Bearing Force on single
surface with Normal to
Surface option Off
Vector used to define
bearing force
Vector used to define
bearing force
Bearing Forces from above shown Expanded
(Load values and mesh not shown clarity)
Model, Load, On Surface... 4-67
The listing in the dialog box of the load type are separated into four sections:
structural loads, temperature, heat transfer loads, and fluid loads. All structural
loads except pressure are converted to nodal loads. Temperature is converted to a
nodal temperature, while elemental temperature obviously is an elemental load.
The heat transfer loads include both nodal (heat flux, heat flux per length, heat
flux at node, and heat generation) and elemental nodes (element heat flux, con-
vection, radiation, and element heat generation). There are 10 fluid loads that are
scalar quantities and can only be accessed through the neutral file for use in anal-
ysis.
Load Input Values
There are also three basic types of load input values: Total, Per Area, and Per
Node. The total loads include force, moment, and heat flux. Input the total load
value, and FEMAP will automatically distribute it over the surface. The distribu-
tion will be based upon the total area associated with each node. Total loads must
be input as constant. They cannot be variable.
Loads input as per area loads (force per area, moment per area, and heat flux per
area) are very similar to total loads. The load is distributed identically to a
total load, except the values are then multiplied by the area associated with each
node. The sum of all these loads is simply the input value multiplied by the total
area of the elements. These types of loads must also be input as constant.
All other loads are input on a per node basis. These include any per node loads as well as translational and rota-
tional displacements, velocities, and accelerations. These values are applied directly to the node with no distribu-
tion. These are most commonly used for displacements and variable loading conditions. If you have a load which
varies over a surface, this type of load input will allow you to input an equation to simulate the loading condition.
Total Load
Only available for Force, Bearing Force, Moment, and Torque load types applied to surfaces. Allows you to enter
the Total Force, Bearing Force, Moment, or Torque to be applied over all selected surfaces, not applied to each
surface. Uses surface area to spread the load out proportionally. Total Load is the default for these load types when
more than one surface has been selected. When used, Total will appear in the default Load Definition title.
Direction
Structural loads (i.e. force, force/length, bearing force, etc.) which are converted to nodal loads upon expansion
require input of the direction. The direction is identified identically to the specification of nodal load direction (see
Section 4.3.3.2, "Model, Load, Nodal") with two differences. The first is that the Direction method is stored.
FEMAP does not convert loads into components until you expand or translate. Therefore, if you list or modify
these loads, the same direction method is shown. Second, if you choose the Normal to Surface method, you cannot
specify the surface. FEMAP will automatically use the surface(s) to which the loads are applied.
Method
The Method allows you to choose between a constant
load or a variable load. If a constant load is required,
simply choose Constant and input the values. If a vari-
able load is required (not available for total and per
length loads), you must select Advanced and select the
Equation method. The Function and Interpolation meth-
ods are not available for loads on surfaces.
Equation
Equation allows you to specify a variable loading in terms of the x, y, and z positions of the nodes or elements.
Each of these values may be used in the equation definition, preceded by an !. For example
4.35*!x - 2*!y
Note: A variable load is only available for elemental loads and nodal loads that are per node. Nodal loads
that are total (i.e. force, moment, etc.) and per area (i.e. force per area, etc.) must be constant.
would multiply the x coordinate of each node (or element) and then subtract the product of 2 and the y coordinate.
The x, y, and z coordinates are in the coordinate system defined in the main load dialog box. FEMAP will store the
equation, and evaluate it only upon translation or expansion. For instance, if you were working in a cylindrical
coordinate system, x would be the radial coordinate, y the theta coordinate, and z the coordinate in the Z-axis. The
variable i is not used for loading on geometry, therefore all functions such as XND, and XEL are not applicable and
should not be used. FEMAP stores the equation and only evaluates it when the load is expanded upon translation or
when the Model, Load, Expand command is used.
Midside Node Adjustment
Some loads such as force/area and force distribute the loads on the nodes over the entire area. For many parabolic
elements, you cannot simply distribute the force evenly and obtain an even displacement result. You must apply a
larger value to the midside nodes than the Corner nodes, and this value is in excess of 1/2 the value of the total load
on the element.
You can specify the factor you want on the midside nodes under File, Preferences, Geometry. There are two factors
available for Midside Node Adjustment, Tri-Face and Quad-Face factors. These value represent the percentage of
the load on each midside node. The values default to 1/3. which means for tri-faces, no loads are applied to the cor-
ner nodes, and a -1/12 factor is applied to quad-face corner nodes. These values are standard for many programs. If
your results are inappropriate for your analysis program, please consult the documentation for your program. You
can also remove the option to adjust for midside nodes by clicking this option off.
4.3.4.4 Model, Load, Expand...
...enables you to visualize the nodal and elemental loads which will be created from geometric loads. This com-
mand operates only on the current active load set. When this command is selected, you will see the following dia-
log box.
The Model, Load, Expand command can be used to either expand or
compress the geometric loads. When using it to expand loads, you
have the option to specify which loads to expand (On Point, On
Curve, On Surface) or to expand the entire set (All in Set). If you
select an option other than All in Set, the standard entity selection
box will appear. When compressing loads, individual types of loads
cannot be selected. Compression is always performed on the entire
set.
If a load has already been expanded, and you select to expand it
again, or expand the entire set, an error message will be supplied and
the load will not be expanded a second time. This procedure pre-
vents duplication of loads. When translating to an FEA model, to
prevent duplication, and to evaluate all loads with their current
equation, all loads used in the translation will be compressed, then expanded through the translator, and finally
compressed again after translation. Therefore, any expanded geometric loads which appear as elemental or nodal
loads before expansion, will be converted back to geometric loads.
Convert To Node/Elem
This option allows you to permanently convert the selected loads to nodal/elemental loads. Be careful when using
this option, because you cannot convert back to the original geometric loads. This option can be useful when a load
is mostly constant (or easily described as an equation) over a surface, except at a few nodes (or elements). You can
permanently expand the load, and then use the Modify, Update Other, Scale Load command to change individual
loads.
Note: The location of the nodes are used to evaluate the equation for all loads converted to nodal loads. The
position of the centroid of the elemental face is attached to the loaded curve is used for all elemental
face loads. The position of the centroid of the element is used for non-face loads such as elemental tem-
perature and elemental heat generation. The only exception to the above is FEMAP will use the position
of the nodes to calculate pressure loads if you select the At Corner option for pressures.
Model, Load, Bolt Preload... 4-69
Combined Nodal Loads
When FEMAP expands multiple geometric loads, it will attempt to combine all similar nodal loads into one load
for each DOF. Many analysis programs require only one load on a DOF. With loads such as forces and moments,
FEMAP will add the components. The only exception is if the loads contain either different vs. time/temp/freq ref-
erence functions, different phases, or different freq reference functions for the phase. In these cases, the loads will
remain separate and a warning message will be written.
For loads such as displacement or acceleration, FEMAP will not add values for the same DOF. It will keep these
values separate and provide a warning message that two different values were found for the same DOF. You will
need to modify the input to obtain the desired values at the nodes. The option to permanently convert to nodal loads
could be used in this case to expand and then modify the displacements on the nodes.
4.3.4.5 Model, Load, Bolt Preload...
...creates a load representing a Bolt Preload for NX Nas-
tran. The Bolt Preload is available for use in Linear Static
Analysis, Modal Analysis, Buckling, and Advanced Nonlin-
ear Analysis (Solution 601).
The Create Bolt Preload dialog box allows you to enter a
title which will used as the Load Definition title and assign a
color and layer for each Bolt Preload.
Each Bolt Preload must be associated with a Bolt Region.
The Bolt Region can be created prior to creating the Bolt Pre-
load, or elements can be chosen in this dialog box and the
Bolt Regions will then be created automatically.
You must choose the entity type (Bolt Region(s) or Ele-
ment(s)) and specify the Preload value before you can actually choose the entities to apply the load.
Currently, Bolt Preloads can only be applied to Beam and Bar elements. If you choose multiple elements to apply
Bolt Preloads, FEMAP will combine any selected elements which are connected into a single bolt region. This is
actually very useful when creating Bolt Preloads as you can choose all of the Beam or Bar elements in a model oth-
erwise consisting of solid or shell elements. In this case, each connected set of beam/bar elements will become
and individual Bolt Region with appropriate Bolt Preload.
4.3.5 Load Analysis Options
These three commands enable you to set options for different analysis types. Three commands are available, based
upon the type of analysis required: heat transfer analysis, dynamic analysis, and nonlinear analysis. These com-
mands are not used to put loads onto the model. Rather, they simply define certain parameters which are required
for the analysis type. The options contained in each of these commands are discussed below. These commands are
not used if you are performing simple static or modal analysis.
4.3.5.1 Model, Load, Nonlinear Analysis...
...defines the information that is typically required to perform a nonlinear analysis. While this information does not
typically represent a load, it is included in the load menu because it does relate to the other loading conditions and
how they will be applied. Each load set to be used in a nonlinear analysis must have the appropriate solution type
activated.
Note: FEMAP will allow you to choose ANY type of element when selecting elements for applying a Bolt
Preload. If any of those elements are not the right type of element (Bar and Beam elements ONLY
for FEMAP 9.3 and NX Nastran 5), they will not be added to the list and an error message stating
Skipped # of Elements which have invalid types for this command will be sent to the Messages
window.
Solution Type
The solution type determines the type
of solution that will be performed for
the particular load set. Available
options are Static, Creep, and Tran-
sient. Only appropriate control infor-
mation in the remainder of the window
will be available based upon the type
of solution you choose.
Basic
These values provide the time and iter-
ation control information for the non-
linear analysis steps. They control the
Number of Increments and the Time
Increment to be used, as well as the
Maximum Iterations for each step. No
time increment is used for static analy-
sis.
Stiffness Updates
This specifies the number of iterations
to be performed before the stiffness
matrix is updated, as well as the update Method. Five different update methods are available, but not all are appro-
priate for all each solution type. If an inappropriate method is selected, the translator will provide an error message
and automatically choose the default method.
Output Control
Output Control information allows you to request or eliminate output at intermediate steps (static and creep) or
request Output Every Nth Step (transient).
Convergence Tolerances
The type of Convergence Tolerances (Load, Displacement, and/or Work) as well as the tolerance values themselves
are defined in these boxes.
Solution Strategy Overrides
This area provides you with the capability to further control the strategy that will be employed to converge toward
a solution.
Defaults
When you first choose this command, all values will be zero. By pushing this button, nonzero default values will be
entered for all properties. You can then modify these defaults as appropriate.
Copy
Copy allows you to duplicate the nonlinear analysis information from any other load set in the current model.
Advanced
This button enables you to access additional nonlinear analysis options as well as damping inputs for nonlinear
transient analysis. For most problems, the nonlinear options are not required, but they are available for experienced
analysts to modify the default solution controls. The damping values for nonlinear transient analyses can be input
here or under Model, Load, Dynamic Analysis.
Model, Load, Dynamic Analysis... 4-71
Using Advanced Options with
NASTRAN
The options in the Advanced Group,
when written to Nastran, are used to
define the parameters on the
NLPARM statement. In general,
FEMAP does not distinguish
between blanks and zeros when you
enter values into dialog boxes, there-
fore, when the values are written to
Nastran it is normally not possible to
control whether a blank or a zero
will be written. For some of these
fields however this distinction is
important, therefore several special
cases have been implemented. If you
specify a blank, or zero, in the dialog
box for any of these cases, you will
get a blank in your Nastran file. If
you specify a negative value for
Quasi-Newton Vectors, or for Max
Line Searches/Iter, you will get a
0. Similarly, if you specify a value
that is less than -10, for Max Bisec-
tions / Increment, you will get a zero. Values less than -10 were chosen because values down to this value are valid
for that field.
4.3.5.2 Model, Load, Dynamic Analysis...
...provides the solution type and control information for dynamic analyses. Each load set to be utilized in a dynamic
analysis must have the appropriate solution method activated. In addition, a dynamic analysis load is required for
nonlinear transient analysis to define structural damping.
Solution Method
The solution method chooses the type of dynamics solution to be performed. Four available options exist: Direct
Transient, Modal Transient, Direct Frequency, and Modal Frequency. The inappropriate boxes for each Solution
Method will be grayed automatically.
Equivalent Viscous Damping
This box provides damping information for the structure. The Overall Structural Damping Coefficient is input for
all four solution methods, while the Modal Damping Table is utilized for only the two modal methods. The Modal
Damping Table requires a function to define damping information as a function of frequency. Three types of
FEMAP functions can be chosen: Viscous Damping vs. Frequency, Critical Damping vs. Frequency, and Amplifica-
tion vs. Frequency. You can create a Function directly from this dialog box by clicking the Function Icon Button.
Equivalent Viscous Damping Conversion
Information for both system damping and element damping is provided in this box. These values are only input in
direct and modal transient Analysis. These values provide the conversion from the frequency domain, in which
damping is usually defined, into the time domain. The Frequency for System Damping (W3 - Hz) is divided into the
overall damping coefficient (for Nastran and ANSYS), or the material damping values for each material (for
ABAQUS and LS-DYNA) and then multiplied by the stiffness to obtain element (or stiffness) damping. The Fre-
quency for Element Damping (W4 - Hz) is used in combination with the material damping values to obtain struc-
tural damping in Nastran, and mass damping in ABAQUS, ANSYS, and LS-DYNA.
Response Based On Modes
For the modal solution methods, these options allow you to choose the number and/or range of modes to include in
the frequency response or transient formulation.
Transient Time Step Interval
For transient analyses, these options control the number of steps, size of steps, and the output interval. If this load is
to be used in a nonlinear transient analysis, these options are overridden by the nonlinear transient time step input.
Frequency Response
The Solutions Frequencies table is chosen in this section. This table defines the frequencies to be analyzed for both
direct and modal frequency analysis. The frequency table is just a function with a list of frequencies in the X posi-
tion. The y position is irrelevant and will be ignored. A solution frequency table can be automatically created by
pressing the Modal Freq button. If you are using Nastran, you may also select the Advanced option to define the
range of solution frequencies. You can create a Function directly from this dialog box by clicking the Function Icon
Button.
Random Analysis Options
This option allows you to define a Power Spectral Density (PSD) function to be used for random analysis. You sim-
ply use the Model, Function command to define the PSD values as a function of frequency (a vs. frequency func-
tion type), and then select this function under Random Analysis Options. This option is used only for random
response analysis. You can create a Function directly from this dialog box by clicking the Function Icon Button.
Modal Freq
If you have previously performed a modal analysis on your
model, and have the solution information in the current model,
you can automatically create a solution frequencies function/
table from that output. Simply press Modal Freq, and you will
see the following:
The modal frequency in each output case will be selected for
the Solution Frequency table. Additionally, frequencies in a
band near each modal frequency can be chosen by using the
Additional Solution Frequency Points. The Number of Points
per Existing Mode defines the number of frequencies to be
included for each modal frequency, while the Frequency Band
Spread defines the placement of the additional frequencies.
Choosing only one point per mode will select just the modal
frequencies. Choosing three points per mode will select the
Model, Load, Dynamic Analysis... 4-73
modal frequencies and two additional frequencies at the modal frequency plus and minus the spread value. The
number of points must always be odd so that the modal frequencies are selected.
Enforced Motion
Pressing the Enforced Motion button enables you to define a base acceleration. This option creates a base mass,
links it to a set of base nodes in your model with rigid elements, and applies an equivalent base force.
To begin you specify coordinates for the base mass using the standard coordinate definition dialog box. A node will
be automatically created at this location. The next dialogue box is the standard entity selection box, which asks you
to choose the nodes on the base. A rigid element is then created with the newly generated node as the independent
node and the selected nodes as the dependent nodes. Next you define the base acceleration using the standard load
creation dialog box. The type of load to create will be limited to either acceleration or rotational acceleration. You
must choose a time or frequency dependent function to associate with the acceleration.
The final required input is the mass and the acceleration scale factor. They are utilized to generate a nodal force
(force = base mass * specified acceleration) at the independent node of the newly created rigid body. The values are
automatically computed based on your current model and the acceleration that you chose. The default for the mass
value is several orders of magnitude larger than the mass of the current model so the large mass will drive the rest
of the model. You can either simply press OK to accept them, change them here, or edit the force later with the
Modify, Edit commands.
Advanced
As with nonlinear analysis, an Advanced button is provided to give experienced analysts more control over the
solution strategy. The following dialog box is provided to enable choices for Mass Formulation and Dynamic Data
Recovery.
You can also specify addition analysis inputs for Solution Frequencies and Random Response Analysis.
Solution Frequencies / Additional Frequencies
This option provides an alternative method to the Solution Frequencies function on the main Dynamic Analysis dia-
log box. The Solution Frequencies section defines the first set of frequencies defined on a FREQi card. An addi-
tional set of frequencies with all the same options as in the first frequency set can be defined in the Additional
Frequencies section. If additional frequencies are defined, then a second FREQi card will be used. This is currently
only supported for Nastran.
If you have selected a direct frequency analysis, only the Default List and the Frequency Range (Min, Max, No. of
Intervals) options will be available, although logarithmic interpolation can also be employed for the frequency
range. If you select Modal Frequency as the analysis type, additional types to determine the solution frequencies
from the natural modes will be available. These are Cluster around Modes, which corresponds to the Nastran
FREQ3 card, and Spread Around Modes (Nastran FREQ4 card). Cluster around Modes will also have a logarithmic
interpolation option.
Random Analysis
There are currently two options supported for random analysis. The first is the ANSYS PSD type: ANSYS has the
capability to input acceleration (in g2/Hz or acc units2/Hz, displacement, velocity, or force). By simply changing
this option, the type of input on the PSD Function in the main Dynamic Analysis dialog box is modified. The sec-
ond is Nastran PSD Interpolation: Nastran has the ability to define the PSD table in the following four formats...
(Log, Log), (Linear, Linear), (X Log, Y Lin), (X Lin, YLog). By simply changing this option, the type of Interpola-
tion used on the PSD table input (Nastran TABRND1) in the main Dynamic Analysis dialog box is modified.
Mass Formulation
Specifies the solver to use Lumped or Coupled Mass Formulation in Dynamic Analysis. By default, Nastran gener-
ates Lumped mass matrices (PARAM,COUPMASS,-1). Choosing Coupled instructs Nastran to generate Cou-
pled mass matrices for elements with coupled mass capability (PARAM,COUPMASS,1)
Copy
This selection allows you to copy dynamic analysis options from any other load set in the current model.
4.3.5.3 Model, Load, Heat Transfer Analysis
This command enables you to define
heat transfer constants, thermal char-
acteristics for convection, and select
the type of formulation to use for
different types of heat transfer prob-
lems.
Radiation
If you are going to perform a radia-
tion analysis, you must specify the
temperature difference between
absolute zero and zero in the temper-
ature system that you are using, and
the Stefan-Boltzmann constant.
Free Convection
For free convection analysis, you
can choose between two alternative
forms of the free convection temper-
ature exponent. They are
The Convection Exponent is the value shown as EXPF in the above equations. These options are currently used for
NX Nastran and MSC.Nastran only.
Forced Convection
The forced convection values specify the properties and behavior of the fluid to be analyzed. These options corre-
spond directly to the options on the Nastran PCONVM and MAT4 commands. Refer to the Nastran documentation
for more information about the proper values for these options.
q h u
CTRLND
T T
AMB
( )
EXPF
T T
AMB
( ) =
q h u
CTRLND
T
EXPF
T
EXPF
AMB ( ) =
Standard
Alternate
Load Set Manipulation 4-75
4.3.6 Load Set Manipulation
This section of the menu works to create either additional load sets or new loads from output. There are four com-
mands available: Copy, Combine, From Output, and From Freebody. Each command is briefly discussed below.
4.3.6.1 Model, Load, Copy...
... duplicates the active load set. All loads, including body, nodal elemental, and geometric loads are copied to the
new set. If you do not want to duplicate all of them, use the Delete, Model, Load commands to remove the ones that
you do not want from the new set.
Input for this command is minimal. Simply specify the ID of the load set that you want to create. This new set must
not exist. FEMAP will create a duplicate copy of the active set with the ID that you specify. After the copy has been
made, FEMAP will ask whether you want to activate the new set. Answer No if you want to continue working with
the original load set. Answer Yes to work with the new copy.
4.3.6.2 Model, Load, Combine...
... enables you to combine two or more load sets into one new load set based upon the following formula
Choose any number of load sets
from the From list (Hold the
CTRL key when you click to
choose multiple load sets one at a
time or the SHIFT key to choose a
range of Load Sets), then enter a
Scale factor (Default is 1), then
select an existing Load Set to
place the load combination when
finished (or use the default
0..New Set to create a new load
set). If you are creating a new load
set, you can give the new com-
bined Load Set a title.
Once the Load Set(s) are selected
from the From list, the scale factor
and To are set, click Add Combi-
nation to add the selected Load
Sets to the Combinations list.
You will notice that the scale factor will proceed the Load Set number and title when placed in the list. You can use
the Remove Combination button to remove any number of load combinations from the Combinations list.
Temperature loads will not be linearly combined. FEMAP will simply copy the nodal and elemental temperatures.
If conflicting temperatures exist for the same node or element in the individual load sets, FEMAP will use the last
temperature. Also, If loads exist on the same node or element in different sets that are combined, the resulting set
will simply obtain multiple loads on that node or element, which can then be combined with Tools, Check, Coinci-
dent Loads.
4.3.6.3 Model, Load, From Output...
... lets you convert output data from one or more output vectors into various load types.
The loads are always created in the active load set. When you choose this command, FEMAP displays a dialog box
to let you choose the type of load you want to create. After you make a selection, and press OK, the Create Loads
From Output dialog box will be displayed. If you are creating nodal or elemental temperatures, pressures or heat
transfer loads, you will be able to specify an output set and output vector which contains the temperature data. For
other types of loads, six vectors can be selected.
Hint: You may want to use the Model, Load, Create/Manage Set command to modify the title of the new
copy. FEMAP will always create it with the same title as the original set that was copied.
Load A
1
Load
1
A
2
Load
2
A
n
Load
n
+ + + =
Data from the six vectors will
be converted to the six loading
degrees of freedom. If you leave
any vectors blank (or zero), no
loads will be created in that
direction. You must always
specify at least one vector.
When creating elemental pres-
sures, or many of the elemental
heat transfer loads, you must
also specify a Face ID where
the load will act. You cannot
create output on different element faces at the same time with this command. Also, all loads are created in global
rectangular coordinates, therefore the output must also be in global rectangular. You can choose the Color and
Layer for all new loads.
Finally, after you complete these options and press OK, the standard entity selection dialog box will be displayed.
You must select the nodes or elements where loads will be created. You can either select your entire model, in
which case all output will be converted, or limit the conversion to some selected portion of your model. In either
case, loads will only be created if output exists for a particular node or element.
Why Create Loads from Output?
The primary reason to convert output data to load data is for use in future analyses. For example, you may want to
convert that data to temperature loads from a heat transfer run in a structural analysis. Similarly, you might want to
use displacement, force or acceleration output from one structural analysis as a loading condition for further analy-
ses.
Converting Between Nodal and Elemental Temperatures
Another reason to use this command is to convert nodal to elemental temperatures, or vice versa. If you have
defined temperatures and need to convert them to the opposite type, this command can be combined with several
others to accomplish that task. First, convert your current temperatures to output data using Model, Output, From
Load command. Then use Model, Output, Convert to create an additional output vector of the opposite type.
Finally, use Model, Load, From Output and select the vector created with Model, Output, Convert.
4.3.6.4 Model, Load, Map Output From Model...
... lets you map certain output data from 2-D elements on one model (Source) onto another (Target). The two
models can have completely different meshes and FEMAP gives you a few options for the method used to map
the output.
There are a few things required for this command to be used effectively:
1. You must have both the Source and the Target models open in the same instance of FEMAP
2. The Source model must have output which can be mapped onto the nodes of a Target model. Output
which can be mapped is restricted to the output types listed in the Nodal or Elemental drop-down lists for 2-D
elements only (Quad and Triangular elements)
3. The Source model must have a group containing all the elements which have output data to be mapped onto
the nodes or elements of the Target model.
Model, Load, Map Output From Model... 4-77
Output to Map
All fields must have values for this command to
function properly. You will know you have enough
data in your Source model if all the drop-down
menus have selectable values.
From Model
This menu allows you to choose a Model to use as
your Source model for the mapping process. If
you have more than 2 models open inside one
instance of FEMAP, all of the other models except
the current model will appear in the From Model
drop-down menu.
Results on Group
This menu allows you to choose a Group in the
Source model to use for the mapping process.
If you have multiple groups in your Source
model, all of the groups will appear in the Results
on Group drop-down menu. The group can only
contain 2-D elements (Quad and Triangular ele-
ments)
Output Set
This menu allows you to choose an Output Set in
the Source model to use for the mapping process. If you have multiple output sets in your Source model, all
of the output sets will appear in the Output Set drop-down menu.
Output Vector
This menu allows you to choose an Output Vector in the Source model to use for the mapping process. Only
available Output Vectors in the Source model will appear in the Output Vector drop-down menu.
Values for Locations with No Map
This menu allows you to choose a mapping option for entities which do not have a one-to-one mapping from
the Source to the Target. When a node is not mapped it is because a Target nodes normal projection does
not fall within any Source Element. The options for nodes that are not mapped:
0..Set to Zero - Sets all entities without a direct map to the value of zero (0.0)
1..Set to Value - Sets all entities without a direct map to a specified value. The value can be specified as a
constant or in X, Y, and Z components.
2..Extend Closest - Extends the value to the closest Target Entity.
3..Interpolate - Does a linear interpolation using the source values. (Default)
4..No Output - Applies no output values to any entities which do not have a direct map. FEMAP will also
automatically create a group of Target nodes which have not been mapped.
Map Tolerance
When a Target location is projected onto the Source data surface and the distance to a discrete data point is less
than the tolerance, the Source value of the "coincident" location is directly mapped to the Target without inter-
polation. If multiple nodes fall within this tolerance, then the first one encountered numerically will be directly
mapped. Default value is the "Merge Tolerance" of the "Target model.
Target
You can choose to Map Output to the target model using either the To Model Loads or To Data Surface method.
When the To Model Loads option is used, loads of the chosen type (Forces, Displacements, or Temperatures on
Nodes; Pressures or Temperatures on Elements) will be created directly on the target models nodes or elements in
the current load set.
When To Data Surface is used, FEMAP will create a new Data Surface to be used in any loading condition of the
current model. The only input additional input for the To Data Surface method is Data Surface Name, which is
optional, but recommended.
The following figure shows an example of a common use for this command:
4.3.6.5 Model, Load, From Freebody...
...creates loads directly from a freebody display. You must have a Freebody entity defined in the model. Use the
Sum Data on Nodes option in the Freebody tool of the PostProcessing Toolbox to display exactly what will be cre-
ated in the Active Load Set. Depending on the Display Type of the selected Freebody entity, Freebody or
Interface Load, the inputs after Freebody entity selection will be different.
If Display Type = Freebody, the only additional input will be selecting nodes to create loads.
If Display Type = Interface Load, two questions will be asked, OK to Create Freebody Resultant Load? and
OK to Create Freebody Individual Loads?.
If you choose to only create Resultant loads, there are no additional inputs and loads will be created on a new
node at the Location of the Total Load Vector. If you choose to create only Individual loads or both types, then
selection of nodes is required to specify where to create the Individual loads.
Course Thermal model with
Temperature output
Fine Structural model receives mapped
Nodal Temperatures as a Load from
Course Thermal model (temperature loads
not displayed in figure for clarity)
Temperature Loads converted to Output
for viewing of Mapping to closest node.
Nodal Temperature Loads could also be
used to perform Thermal Stress analysis
Fine Structural Model with
Nodal Temperatures displayed
as output
Activate/Create Constraint Set 4-79
4.3.7 Activate/Create Constraint Set
All nodal constraints, constraint equations, and geometric constraints are created in the active constraint set. There-
fore, you must always activate a constraint set prior to creating either of them.
4.3.7.1 Model, Constraint, Create/Manage Set...
...displays the Constraint Set Manager. This menu command is also available on the tray at the bottom right portion
of the graphics window, as well as by choosing New from the Constraints object context-sensitive menu in the
Model Info tree. The Constraint Set Manager can be used to create new constraint sets; update the title of an exist-
ing constraint set; renumber, delete, or copy the active constraint set; as well as define SPCADD/MPCADD sets
for Nastran.
To activate a constraint set that already exists, simply highlight it from the Available Constraint Sets... list. When a
new constraint set is created, it will automatically become the Active constraint set. To deactivate all constraint
sets, press None Active.
Creating New Constraint Sets
To create a new constraint set, press the New Constraint Set button.
The next available constraint set ID will automatically be entered in the ID field when creating a new constraint set,
but any constraint set ID not currently being used in the model may be entered instead. You may also enter a Title.
As always, you should choose a descriptive title. The titles are displayed, along with the IDs, in the Available Con-
straint Sets - Selected Constraint Set is Active list of the Constraint Set Manager. Press OK to create a constraint set
or press More to create a constraint set, then be prompted to make another.
Note: When a combined constraint set is Active, no constraints will be visible in the FEMAP graphics
window, regardless of options set in the Visibility dialog box (View, Visibility) and Model Info tree.
Shift+F2
Create new Constraint
existing Constraint Set
Constraint Set
Delete highlighted
Constraint Set
Delete all Constraint
Copy highlighted
Constraint Set
Define SPCADD/
MPCADD Set
Deactivate All
Constraint Sets
Set
Sets
You may choose a Set Type for the new constraint set. A Standard constraint set is any combination of Constraint
Definitions and Other Loads used to define the boundary conditions for that constraint set.
A Nastran SPCADD/MPCADD Combination is a special type of constraint set which references any number of
existing Standard constraint sets in the model. When used, all of the selected Standard constraint sets referenced by
a particular Nastran SPCADD/MPCADD Combination are written to the Nastran input file and combined by Nas-
tran via a SPCADD entry when dealing with normal constraints or a MPCADD when dealing with constraint equa-
tions.
Once a Nastran SPCADD/MPCADD Combination Set has been created, highlight it from the list in the Constraint
Set Manager and press the Referenced Sets button. The Referenced Constraint Sets for Nastran SPCADD/
MPCADD dialog box will appear:
Highlight any number of Standard constraint sets from the list of Available Sets. Click Add Referenced Set to have
them placed in the Referenced Sets list.
4.3.8 Constraint Definitions
Every time a constraint is created on finite element entities (i.e., Model, Constraint, Nodal; Model, Constraint,
Nodal on Face; and Model, Constraint, Equation) or geometry (Model, Constraint, On Point; Model, Constraint,
On Curve; Model, Constraint, on Surface) a Constraint Definition will also be created in FEMAP. These Con-
straint Definitions will appear in the Constraints branch of the Model Info tree and can be given a title.
Each Constraint Definition will contain all of the individual constraints which were created at the same time using
a Model, Constraint... command. Constraint Definitions can then be edited, listed, and deleted and all individual
constraints contained in that Constraint Definition will be edited, listed, or deleted.
For example, if you chose to put a constraint for Degrees of Freedom TX, TY, and TZ on 5 selected nodes, a single
Constraint Definition would appear in the Model Info tree. In this case, if the Constraint Definition were to be
edited, 5 individual constraints would be modified using one command.
Constraint Definitions can be removed at any time using the Remove Definition command on the context sensitive
menu in the Model Info tree and the individual constraints from that Constraint Definition will be moved under the
appropriate heading in the Other Constraints branch. The Other Constraints branch contains headings for On
Geometry, On Mesh, and Equations.
Note: A Referenced Constraint Sets command may be added to any menu or toolbar using the Tools, Toolbars,
Customize command. This command is located in the Additional Commands category on the Com-
mands tab of the Customize dialog box..
Note: Each Constraint Equation created will also create a new Constraint Definition. These Constraint Defini-
tions can then be combined.
Note: All of the commands for listing, deleting, and modifying individual constraints are still available in
FEMAP.
Finite Element (Nodal) Constraints 4-81
Also, a Constraint Definition can be created from any number of constraints of the same type (i.e., any number of
Nodal Constraints, Constraints on Curves, or Constraint Equations, etc) by highlighting them in the Model Info tree
and using the Create Definition command from the context sensitive menu.
If you choose constraints of various types and then use the Create Definition command, FEMAP will create a Con-
straint Definition for each separate type of constraint that was highlighted.
For more information about the Remove Definition and Create Definition commands, along with the process of
combining Constraint Definitions, please see Section 7.2.1, "Tools, Model Info" under Loads and Constraints in
the Model Info Tree
4.3.9 Finite Element (Nodal) Constraints
FEMAP allows you to apply constraints directly to nodes or create constraint equations which provide a relation-
ship between DOFs of nodes. There are three commands which apply constraints directly to the nodes: Nodal,
Nodal on Face, and Equation. Each of these commands is discussed below.
4.3.9.1 Model, Constraint, Nodal...
Nodal constraints are used
to prevent movement in
one or more nodal direc-
tions (degrees of freedom).
Creating nodal constraints
is a two step process: (1)
select the nodes to be con-
strained using the standard
entity selection dialog box,
and (2) choose the degrees
of freedom, or component
directions, at each of these nodes, which will be constrained. The same constraints will be applied to all of the
nodes that you select in a single command.
Title:
Allows you to enter a title for the Constraint Definition being created. If you do not enter a title, a default title
will be created based on the type of constraint which was created.
For example, if you create a constraint on a selected node or nodes, the default title will be Constraint on Node.
Color/Palette and Layer:
These controls define parameters for the nodal constraint to be created.
Coordinate System:
This list allows you to choose a coordinate system which will define the nodal degrees of freedom, and hence the
constraint directions, for all selected nodes. You can also choose -1..Use Nodal Output System to use the coordi-
nate system that was selected as the nodal output coordinate system (see Section 4.2.1, "Model, Node..."). If the
coordinate system that you choose is different from your previous selection, you will be asked to confirm that you
want to overwrite the previous selection for all selected nodes.
Note: If you combine multiple constraint equations into one constraint definition, you will be prompted to edit
each constraint equation one at a time.
Note: Be careful when you change the output coordinate system. If you have other constraints defined on the
same node, even in other constraint sets, you are implicitly changing their orientation every time you
change the output coordinate system. These changes can result in modeling errors which FEMAP can
not detect. Remember, you can only have one output coordinate system per node. All constraints, in all
sets, as well as everything else that references nodal degrees of freedom, are specified relative to that
coordinate system.
Specifying Degrees of Freedom
Any combination of the six nodal degrees of freedom (TX, TY, TZ, RX, RY and RZ) can be selected using the
check boxes. In many cases however, standard combinations of degrees of freedom will be needed. For these situa-
tions, you can quickly select the combination by pressing the appropriate command button.
The following table shows the combinations which are available. In the table, * indicates a constrained degree of
freedom.
Simply choose the command button you need, followed by OK, to create the constraint.
Other Uses for Nodal Constraints
In most cases, you will want to create nodal constraints to do exactly what their name implies - constrain your
model. For some types of analysis (usually modal analysis) other sets of degrees of freedom can be used. One typi-
cal example of this is the analysis set (Nastran ASET, ANSYS M set, STARDYNE GUYAN set) which is often
used for reduced modal analysis. FEMAP's translators support these additional, non-constraint sets. All you have to
do is create an additional set, just like you specified your constraints, which contains the nodal degrees of freedom
that you want. It is a good idea to specify a title that will help you to properly identify the set. Then when you trans-
late your model, simply choose this set for its intended purpose, instead of translating it as a constraint set.
Quick Constraint Icons
These icons create specific types of nodal constraint combinations on a selected set of nodes:
...Fixed - constrains all six degrees-of-freedom
...Pinned - constrains the three translational degrees-of-freedom
...No Rotation - constrains the three rotational degrees-of-freedom
4.3.9.2 Model, Constraint, Nodal on Face...
...works just like Model, Constraint, Nodal, but instead of directly selecting the nodes where constraints will be
applied, you select elements and element faces. FEMAP then automatically finds all of the nodes on those faces
and applies the specified constraints. For more information, see Section 4.3.3.3, "Model, Load, Nodal On Face...".
4.3.9.3 Model, Constraint, Equation...
...relates the motion or displacement of two or more (up to 70) nodal degrees of freedom. When you create a con-
straint equation, you must specify all of the terms in the following equation:
Command
Button
TX TY TZ RX RY RZ
Fixed * * * * * *
Free
Pinned * * *
No Rotation * * *
X Symmetry * * *
Y Symmetry * * *
Z Symmetry * * *
X AntiSym * * *
Y AntiSym * * *
Z AntiSym * * *
where
A
j
are the equation coefficients, and
u
j
are the nodal degrees of freedom
0 A
j
u
j
=
Geometric Constraints 4-83
Equation coefficients are directly specified in the constraint equation definition dialog box:
Add, Multiple Nodes, Replace, Delete:
Nodal degrees of freedom are identified by selecting
a node number and selecting the degree of freedoms
(see table below). To input one node at a time,
define the coefficient, select the degrees of freedom,
and then select/input the node and press Add. This
will add it to the constraint equation.
You can also add multiple nodes, if you have multi-
ple nodes in the constraint equation that have identi-
cal degrees of freedoms and coefficient. Simply
input the coefficient, select the degrees of freedom,
and then press the Multiple Nodes button. You will
then see the standard entity selection dialog box.
Select the appropriate nodes and press OK. This will
add these nodes with the selecting degrees of free-
dom and coefficient to the constraint equation.
You can also modify your selections by highlighting
a selection in the dialog box. When a selection is highlighted, you can remove it by pressing Delete, or change it to
your current pick by pressing Replace.
As always, the nodal degrees of freedom are in the X, Y and Z directions defined by the nodal output coordinate
systems.
ID, Color, Layer:
In addition to the equation terms, you must define an equation ID. This ID must be unique within each constraint
set, and is used only to identify the equation within FEMAP. The ID will automatically increment each time that
you create a new equation. You can also specify a Color and Layer for each equation.
4.3.10 Geometric Constraints
You may also create nodal constraints in FEMAP by constraining geometry. FEMAP will automatically transfer
these constraints to nodes attached to the constrained geometry upon translation or expansion. There are two types
of geometric constraints - standard and advanced. Standard geometric constraints only allow you to specify either
all translations (DOF 123 - Pinned), all translations + all rotations (DOF 123456 - Fixed), or all rotations (DOF 456
- No Rotation). These combinations do not require setting or changing the nodal output coordinate systems during
translation, and can therefore be defined in any number of constraint sets, in any combination. Advanced geometric
constraints give you full control of the degrees of freedom to constrain, but require more care when you are speci-
fying them. Since analysis programs only support one output coordinate system per node, it is possible to specify
combinations of advanced geometric constraints that can not be solved in a single analysis.
Geometric constraints are expanded to nodal constraints upon translation or expansion. If you have already defined
nodal constraints for nodes on the geometry, FEMAP will combine the constraints. In this manner, you could pin
nodes on a curve, and then create a no rotation condition on one of the nodes through Model, Constraint, Nodal,
and the combined result would be a pinned surface with one node as fixed.
Number DOF
1 TX, X Translation
2 TY, Y Translation
3 TZ, Z Translation
4 RX, X Rotation
5 RY, Y Rotation
6 RZ, Z Rotation
The geometric constraints, similar to the geo-
metric loads, are divided into four com-
mands: On Point, On Curve, On Surface, and
Expand. Whether you are defining con-
straints on points, curves or surfaces, you
will see the same dialog box. The Standard
constraint types are available at the top of the
dialog box. The Advanced types are at the
bottom of the box.
Advanced Constraints
There are three available approaches to
defining advanced geometric constraints.
Arbitrary in CSys is available for points,
curves and surfaces. Surface is available
for all surface constraints. Cylinder/Hole is
only available if you select one or more
cylindrical surfaces.
The first, Arbitrary in CSys, gives you full
control over the six nodal degrees of freedom
in any coordinate system you specify. You
can either pick a coordinate system from the
list, or choose Use Nodal Output Sys. If
you pick a coordinate system, all nodes will
have their output coordinate systems
changed to that system, and the constraints
will be applied. If you choose Use Nodal Output Sys, only the constraints will be applied - it is up to you to man-
ually define the nodal output coordinate systems so that the degrees of freedom are properly interpreted.
Surface constraints are intended to automatically select the degrees of freedom necessary to match certain physi-
cal conditions. In all of these cases, new coordinate systems will be created, as necessary, and assigned as nodal
output coordinate systems, to create the selected conditions. Sliding along Surface will constrain the direction
perpendicular to the surface, and if Include Rotational DOF is checked, the rotational degrees of freedom around
the two axes that result in rotations out of the surface. Move Normal to Surface does just the opposite, constrain-
ing the in-surface translations and optionally the in-surface rotations. If you choose Sliding in Specified Direc-
tion, degrees of freedom normal to that direction will be constrained. In this case, you will also be asked to specify
the sliding direction, which is used to align the resulting output coordinate systems.
Cylinder/Hole is very much like Surface, except that they can only be applied to cylindrical surfaces. In this
case the output coordinate system will be aligned with the axis of the cylinder/hole, and you can constrain any com-
bination of the three directions.
Expanding Advanced Constraints
Any time you expand advanced geometric constraints, the nodal output coordinate systems will be created and
assigned. This will happen whether you use the Expand command, or simply translate the model for analysis.
These output coordinate systems will not be removed if the expanded constraints are compressed. In the case of
translation for analysis, the output coordinate systems are needed for proper interpretation of the analysis results.
As stated before, some care must be taken when applying advanced geometric conditions. Because of the restric-
tion in analysis programs of a single output coordinate system per node, there are many conditions that can not be
represented in a single analysis. For example, lets assume that you wanted to analyze one condition that con-
strained some arbitrary set of DOF in a specified coordinate system (using Arbitrary in CSys), and you also
wanted to analyze another condition that specified Sliding in Surface. Even if you defined two constraint sets,
this will not in general be possible, since the output coordinate system specified for the first condition may not
match the one required for the second. If you attempt to do this, FEMAP will do attempt to match the second con-
dition as closely as possible to your request, but you should carefully check your model to see that it is what you
want. To investigate this a little further, it is good to understand the process FEMAP uses to expand these con-
straints. FEMAP will first attempt to define the output coordinate systems for each node. Starting with the first con-
straint set required/selected, the required coordinate directions at the nodes will be defined. The process will
Model, Constraint, On Point... 4-85
continue until all coordinate directions at each node have been defined. This may allow proper matching of more
than one constraint request - for example constraining sliding in surface, really only requires one direction be spec-
ified - the normal to the surface - both of the in-surface directions will be constrained, and can therefore be arbi-
trarily specified, as long as they are in-surface. This allows FEMAP to also properly handle another constraint
request that might require a specific in-surface direction. Once the coordinate systems have been computed and
assigned, then FEMAP will start the process of actually assigning constraints. At this time, the desired constraint
directions are considered individually. If they match with the coordinate directions of the output coordinate system,
as all should if they meet the single output coordinate system restriction, they are simply applied to the nodes. If
multiple requests force the coordinate system to be improperly defined, then request will not precisely match the
coordinate system - in this case every degree of freedom that is partially constrained will be fully constrained.
4.3.10.1 Model, Constraint, On Point...
...allows you to apply constraints directly to points, which are then transformed to nodal constraints upon transla-
tion or expansion. This command can ease the entity selection process since you will typically have many more
nodes than points in your model, however, it is often just as easy to apply the constraints directly to the nodes with
the Model, Constraint, Nodal command.
4.3.10.2 Model, Constraint, On Curve...
...allows you to apply constraints directly to curves. You simply select the curves through the standard entity selec-
tion box, and then select the type of constraint. Nodes attached to that curve will then be constrained upon transla-
tion or expansion.
4.3.10.3 Model, Constraint, On Surface...
...allows you to apply constraints directly to surfaces. You simply select the surfaces through the standard entity
selection box, and then select the type of constraint. Nodes attached to that curve will then be constrained upon
translation or expansion.
4.3.10.4 Model, Constraint, Expand...
...is used to expand or compress geometric constraints. It operates
identically to Model, Load, Expand. You can select individual types
to expand, or an entire set. You can also compress an entire set.
If you choose Convert to Nodal, the geometric constraint will be
removed and be replaced by nodal constraints. Just like with the
Model, Load, Expand command, be careful when converting to
nodal. This conversion is permanent. You cannot go back to the
original geometric load.
.
.
4.3.11 Constraint Set Manipulation
This section contains command to copy or combine entire constraint sets.
4.3.11.1 Model, Constraint, Copy...
...duplicates the active constraint set. All nodal constraints and constraint equations are copied to the new set. If you
do not want to duplicate all of them, use the Delete, Model, Constraint - Definition or Delete, Model, Constraint -
Individual commands to remove unwanted constraints from the new set.
Input for this command is minimal. Simply specify the ID of the constraint set that you want to create. This new set
must not already exist. FEMAP will create a duplicate copy of the active set with the ID that you specify.
After the copy has been made, FEMAP will ask whether you want to activate the new set. Answer no if you want to
continue working with the original constraint set. Answer yes to work with the new copy.
4.3.11.2 Model, Constraint, Combine...
... enables you to combine two or more constraint sets into one new constraint set. This option works much like
Model, Load, Combine, (See Section 4.3.6.2, "Model, Load, Combine...") except there is no scale factor input, and
you have the option to Combine or Overwrite constraints for each set that you add to the Combinations list. A +
in front of the Load Set name designates Combine, while an O designates Overwrite.
Hint: You may want to use the Model, Constraint, Create/Manage Set command to modify the title of the
new copy. FEMAP will always create it with the same title as the original set that was copied.
Creating Connections and Regions 4-87
4.4 Creating Connections and Regions
The commands under the Connect menu are used to create connections usually by creating all of the different enti-
ties required to set up contact conditions. How these contact conditions are used depends on the selected options
and the Finite Element solver being used to perform the analysis.
There are basically three steps in creating contact for these programs. They involve three different entity creations:
Connection Property
Connection Region
Connectors
This type of contact is currently supported for NX Nastran, ABAQUS, ANSYS, MARC, LS-DYNA, and NEi/Nas-
tran. In most cases, the solver you are using determines which Connection Property will need to be used to create
appropriate contact conditions.
The top portion of the Connect menu aids in the creation of connections based entirely on geometry. FEMAP has a
command to automatically determine which geometric bodies will come into contact with one another based on
some factors and automatically generate the Connection Regions, Connection Properties, and Connectors. There is
also a command which allows you to set-up contact conditions by choosing specific surfaces (or sets of surfaces) to
use as Connection Regions, then selecting a Connection Property which is used to create a Connector between the
Connection Regions.
The middle portion of the Connect menu allows you to create each separate type of entity required to set up contact
conditions. These commands allow you to use nodes, elements, or property information to generate Connection
Regions, as well as geometry. Also, depending on your solver, curves can sometimes be used to create analytical
rigid surfaces for use with axisymmetric models.
Connection regions are usually geometry, element, or node-based regions for contact, but the same concept can be
used to create regions for other types of analysis conditions.
The bottom portion of the Connect menu may be used to create three specialized types of regions useful for Nastran
users, Fluid Regions, Bolt Regions (used to apply a Bolt Pre-load in NX Nastran only), and Rotor Regions (used to
define rotors for Rotor Dynamics in NX Nastran only)
A Fluid Region allows you to create a region of elements to simulate either a finite volume internal fluid (i.e. a
fluid in a contained area) or an infinite volume external fluid (i.e., ship floating in a body of water). The regions
can be created in a similar manner to Connection Regions by using element IDs and face numbers OR elements
associated to the positive or negative side of a surface. Along with defining the physical regions that can be
affected by the fluid, there are additional options which can be set up for creating the MFLUID entry for the Nas-
tran solver.
A Bolt Region is used to create a region of elements where you would like to apply a bolt preload. The preload
is a specified torque which has been translated into an axial load, arising from components in an assembly being
bolted together. Each Bolt Region represents a bolt and there can be multiple bolts in a single model, all with
unique preloads. When analyzing preloaded bolts, you may be interested in obtaining the stresses due to the
preload condition alone or due to a combination of the bolt preload and additional loading conditions.
A Rotor Region is used to create a region of nodes which you would like to specify as a rotor for Rotor Dynamics
in NX Nastran. There are also options to set the rotation axis, damping values, and individual rotor load sets.
FEMAP gives you the ability to enable and disable Fluid, Bolt, and Rotor Regions which can be very useful
when trying different numbers of MFLUIDs, Bolt Preloads, and Rotors in different analysis runs.
4.4.1 Connect, Automatic...
...creates connections automatically based on the proximity of geometric entities selected in your model using a
number of parameters. These parameters include specific values for Tolerance (distance between bodies) and Angle
Tolerance, as well as choice of a Detection Strategy (Minimal to Aggressive) and options for the way multiple
Connection Regions will be combined on the same solid.
FEMAP will automatically create Connection Regions, a specific Connection Property (or use one that has already
been defined), and Connectors between bodies which are within the tolerance values and fit the Detection Strategy
criteria. If you would like to create these entities one at a time, please see Section 4.4.3, "Connect, Connection
Property...", Section 4.4.4, "Connect, Connection Region...", and Section 4.4.5, "Connect, Connector... (Contact
Pair)"
Coincident Surface Detection
Tolerance
Essentially, the Tolerance value is a distance between bodies that
FEMAP will use to determine if automatic connections should be
generated between surfaces. The default value for Tolerance is set
to be 5 times the default node merge tolerance in FEMAP.
In some cases, you may need to change this value to have FEMAP
detect more or less surfaces for auto-connection.
Angle Tolerance
The Angle Tolerance can be used to allow FEMAP to detect con-
nections between surfaces on bodies which are not planar to one
another. By default, FEMAP will only create contact between surfaces which are within 1 degree of being planar
to one another.
Many times you will only want to create contact conditions between the surfaces of bodies which are somewhat
planar to one another. This is especially the case for setting up Glued/Bonded contact.
Look For
Two different types of connections can be created automatically in FEMAP, Face-to-Face connections (usually
between multiple solids or stacked surfaces) and Edge-to-Face connections (usually between non-manifold
junctions of multiple surfaces, i.e., a t-junction). This option specifies what type of connections the command
should be looking for in the model. Choose to find Face-Face Only (default), All Connections, or Edge-Face Only.
Detection Strategy
FEMAP gives you 5 different options for Detection Strategy. Depending on the Detection Strategy you choose
FEMAP will go from detecting a minimal amount of connections using a limited number of geometric entities to
actually swelling bodies (internally, the geometry will not actually be changed in the model) and attempting to
Boolean them together for the purpose of finding the maximum number of surfaces for use in creating connections.
As you move from left to right, you are adding methods of detection. For example, if you are on Detection Strategy
2, FEMAP will actually perform Detection Strategy 1 and then Detection Strategy 2. If you are on Detection Strat-
egy 5, Detection Strategies 1-4 will be attempted and then Detection Strategy 5.
Here is a little more information on each option going from Left (Minimal) to Right (Aggressive)
Analytical - Planes Only (Minimal) - FEMAP will only create connections between planar surfaces on bod-
ies within the Tolerance and Angle Tolerance detection criteria.
Analytical - Cylinders, Spheres, Cones, and Toroids (Default) - In addition to creating connections between
planar surfaces, FEMAP will also look for connections between sets of cylindrical, spherical, conical, and
toroidal surfaces. This is the default setting for FEMAP and will often find the most appropriate surfaces for
creating connections.
Note: FEMAP determines the default node merge tolerance
based on overall model size. The number is 1/10000
of the model box diagonal (think of the model box
being an invisible box that completely encapsulates
every entity in the model).
You can override the default node merge tolerance by
specifying a value in Tools, Parameters.
Note: Only certain FEA solvers support Edge to Face contact, so be sure to see if a particular solver sup-
ports Edge to Face contact. If not, be sure Look For is set to 1..Face-Face Only.
Connect, Surfaces... 4-89
Boolean - FEMAP will create Connections using adjacent surfaces on bodies which could be Booleaned
together if you were using a command such as Geometry, Solid, Add... and are within the other criteria.
Swell, then Boolean - FEMAP will actually swell all of the selected solids by 1/2 the value specified in Tol-
erance and then attempt to Boolean the swelled solids together. If after swelling a Boolean can take place,
Connections will be created between the surfaces on those bodies which fulfill the detection criteria.
Intermittent Swelling, then Boolean (Aggressive) - FEMAP will actually swell all of the selected solids by
intermittent values based on the Tolerance value and then attempt to Boolean the swelled solids together after
each iteration. If after swelling a Boolean can take place, Connections will be created between the surfaces on
those bodies which fulfill the detection criteria.
Check for Connections in same Solid
When this option is on, FEMAP will search for surfaces on the same solid which fulfill the detection criteria and
then create a connection between those surfaces. This can be helpful if you are performing an analysis on a part
(often times a circular part) where the two ends will be clamped together or a rubber boot which may contact
itself in many places as it is displaced. This option is off by default.
Combine all Connections between Solids
When this option is on, FEMAP will combine all Connection Regions it has created automatically on a single solid
into a single Connection Region for that particular solid. This limits the number of Connection Regions which will
be created in an assembly model containing a number of solids. This option is on by default but if you turn it off
you will be able to see exactly which surfaces FEMAP is detecting to create Connection Regions and which sets of
Connection Regions are being connected with Connectors automatically.
Connection Property
This portion of the of the Auto Detection Option for Connections dialog box allows you to create a new default
Connection Property or choose an existing Connection Property to use when automatically creating connections.
Contact - Creates a new Connection Property using 0..Contact as the Type and will enter the same default
values which are entered when the Defaults button is used in the Define Connection Property dialog box
Glued - Creates a new Connection Property using 1..Glued as the Type and will enter the same default values
which are entered when the Defaults button is used in the Define Connection Property dialog box
Property - Allows you to choose any previously created Connection Property from a from a drop-down list.
4.4.2 Connect, Surfaces...
...allows simple creation of a connection between two single surfaces, a set of surfaces and a single surface, or
two sets of surfaces. Basically, it allows you to create 2 separate Connection Regions then a automatically creates a
Connector between those Connection Regions using a specified Connection Property.
Note: If you dont know which settings to use for Automatic Detection, it is better to start with the default val-
ues for the Tolerance and Angle Tolerance and the Minimal Detection Strategy options. FEMAP will
not overwrite any Connections or create duplicate Connections which have been created, so you can use
larger Tolerance settings and more Agressive Detection Strategies to have FEMAP detect additional
connections.
Also, connections will not be created between surfaces linked with Adjacent Surface Matching.
Note: You may want to turn this option off when using the Check for Connection in same Solid option in order
for FEMAP to create Connectors between surfaces on the same solid, which some analysis codes will
require in order to create self-contact conditions on the same part.
Connect Surfaces
Master (Target) - Creates a new Connection Region using a selected surface or surfaces if Multiple has been
chosen to be used as the Master in a Connector.
Slave (Source) - Creates a new Connection Region using a selected surface or surfaces if Multiple has been
chosen to be used as the Slave in a Connector.
Connection Property
FEMAP allows you to choose an existing Connection Property to use when creating this connection. There is also
an option to create a new Connection Property.
Search for Related Surfaces
When this option is turned on, FEMAP will search for Related Surfaces to also put into the Master or Slave Con-
nection Region. A Related Surface is defined as a surface which was created from the same underlying geometry
to the selected surface(s). This option is on by default.
For example, if a cylindrical surface is split into two periodic faces by Parasolid (which is common), and one of the
faces is selected for the Slave Connection Region, the other face would also be included in the Slave Connection
Region when this option is turned on. Other examples include surfaces split using imprinted curve or surfaces sep-
arated by a Boolean operation such as Geometry, Solid, Remove.
4.4.3 Connect, Connection Property...
Connection Properties
You must define interface information for the Connector with a Connection Property. When you define a Connec-
tion Property, you will see the Define Connection Property dialog box for contact pairs.
The typical entity information contained in FEMAP: ID, Color, Layer and Title are available for the Connection
Property. It is important to give each Connection Property a descriptive title so you may easily select one from the
drop-down property list when defining a Connector.
Connect Type is a specialized entry for the Connection Property and allows you to choose between 0..Contact and
1..Glued. When Connect Type is 0..Contact, almost all contact options are available for all solvers. When Connect
Type is set to 1..Glued, only the options required to create Glued or Bonded contact are available.
Also common to the Define Connection Property dialog box, regardless of what Tab is chosen, are the Defaults,
Load, Save, and Copy buttons.
Clicking the Defaults button will insert a different set of Default values on each tab. These are recommended val-
ues for each solver and/or type of analysis and FEMAP fills them in on all tabs at once.
Load is used to load a saved Connection Property from the Connection Property Library (conprop.esp file, usually
located in the FEMAP directory) and Save is used to store a new or modified Connection Property in that same
library. A Title is required in order to save the a Connection Property to the Connection Property Library and all
Note: Connect Type has no effect on the MARC, DYNA, or NEi Nastran tabs.
Extruded from boundary surface -
If either top surface is selected,
there are no related surfaces
Would NOT be Related
Primitive with Boolean cut-out -
If either top surface is selected,
there are related surfaces
Would be Related
Connect, Connection Property... 4-91
values on all tabs will be stored together. For more information on libraries, see Section 2.6.2.8, "Library/Startup"
and Section 4.3.6, "Library Selection" of the FEMAP Users Guide.
Copy allows you to copy the values from an existing Connection Property in your model to a new Connection
Property. You must have a least one Connection Property in your model for Copy to be available.
The rest of the dialog box is separated into 8 tabs. Each tab has the required input for a particular solver and/or
analysis type.
The first 3 tabs are used for creating contact conditions for different solution sequences in NX Nastran. NX Linear
(SOLs 101, 103, 111, and 112 for Linear Contact, all solution sequences except SOLs 144-146, 601, and 701 for
Glued Contact), NX Advanced Nonlinear (SOL 601), and NX Explicit (SOL 701) each have a tab containing dif-
ferent options associated with a particular analysis type.
Each of the other 5 tabs contain options required to set up contact conditions for a particular solver. Each tab cre-
ates program specific input for one of the following solvers: ABAQUS, ANSYS, MARC, LS-DYNA, or NEi/Nas-
tran. The options available for each solver are discussed in greater detail below
Note: FEMAP will use the information you have set on the Interfaces tab of the Preferences dialog box to set
which tab of the Define Connection Property dialog box should be active by default.
For example, if you have your Interface set to 16..ABAQUS, when you use the Connect, Connection
Property command, the ABAQUS tab will be active until you select a different tab. If you were to
then change your Interface to 45..NX Nastran and your Analysis Type to 22..Advanced Nonlinear
Static, the NX Adv Nonlin tab would be active until changed.
4.4.3.1 NX Nastran Linear and Glued Contact Properties (NX Linear tab)
The linear contact property for NX Nastran contains options for linear contact which is available in Linear Statics
(SOL 101), Modal Analysis (SOL 103), Modal Frequency Response (SOL 111), and Modal Transient Response
(SOL 112). It also contains options for Glued Contact, which is available in all NX Nastran solution sequences
except SOL 144-146 (Aeroelasticity) and SOL 701 (Explicit Transient Dynamics). The glued option for SOL 601
can be found on the NX Adv Nonlin tab. These options can be reached by pressing the NX Linear tab in the Define
Connection Property dialog box.
Contact Pair (BCTSET)
The options in this portion of the dialog box can be set individually for each Connector (contact pair) that is created
in the model. These options will be written out to the BCTSET entry for each individual contact pair. Each contact
pair will be designated in the graphics window with a single line going from one Connection Region to another and
this line is a contact element.
Friction - Enters a value in the FRICi field on the BCTSET entry. Designates the Static Coefficient of friction for
contact pair i.
Note: In general, if different friction values are NOT needed then the contact pairs should all reference the
same contact property.
NX Nastran Linear and Glued Contact Properties (NX Linear tab) 4-93
Min Contact Search Dist - Enters a value in the MINDi field on the BCTSET entry. Designates the Minimum
search distance for contact pair i.
Max Contact Search Dist - Enters a value in the MAXDi field on the BCTSET entry. Designates the Maximum
search distance for contact pair i.
Contact Property (BCTPARM)
These options need to only be defined once for a contact analysis, regardless of how many Connectors (contact
pairs) are defined in the model. Each Connector has an ID assigned to it and can reference a different Connection
Property. FEMAP will use the Connection Property referenced by the Connector with the lowest ID to define the
BCTPARM entry for the entire model. For example, if a model has 2 Connectors (contact pairs) with ID numbers
101 and 102, the Connection Property values defined in the property associated with Connector ID 101 would be
used for the analysis.
Max Force Iterations - Creates the MAXF field on the BCTPARM entry. Designates the maximum number of
iterations for a force (inner) loop (Default = 10).
Max Status Iterations - Creates the MAXS field on the BCTPARM entry. Designates the maximum number of
iterations for a status (outer) loop (Default = 20).
Force Convergence Tol - Creates the CTOL field on the BCTPARM entry. Designates the Contact Force conver-
gence tolerance (Default = 0.01).
Convergence Criteria and Num For Convergence - Together, these two values create the NCHG field on the
BCTPARM entry. The value and type of number (real or integer) entered for Num For Convergence depends on the
option set for Convergence Criteria:
0..Number of Changes - When this option is set, Num for Convergence must be an integer > 1. This value
defines the allowable number of contact changes.
1..Percentage of Active - When this option is set, Num for Convergence must be entered as a percentage
(between 1 and 99, which will appear as 0.01 to 0.99 in the NX Nastran input file). The solver treats this value
as a percentage of the number of active contact elements in each outer loop of the contact algorithm. The num-
ber of active contact elements is evaluated at each outer loop iteration.
Min Contact Percentage - Creates the MPER field on the BCTPARM entry. Designates the Minimum Contact Set
Percentage (Default = 100).
Initial Penetration - Creates the INIPENE field on the BCTPARM entry. Controls how Nastran handles initial gap
or penetration of the generated contact elements (Default = 0).
0..Calculated - Use the value calculated from the grid coordinates. In the case of penetrations, a model may
experience press fit behavior when using this option.
2..Calculated/Zero Penetrations - Same as 0..Calculated, but if penetration is detected, set the value to zero.
3..Zero Gap/Penetration - Sets the penetration/gap to zero for all contact elements.
Shell Offset - Creates the SHLTHK field on the BCTPARM entry. Shell Thickness Offset flag. (Default = 0)
0..Include shell thickness - Include half shell thickness as surface offset.
1..Do not include thickness - Does not include thickness offset.
Avg Methods - Creates the AVGSTS field on the BCTPARM entry. Determines the averaging method for contact
pressure/traction results (Default = 0).
0..Include All Elements - The averaging of Pressure/Traction values for a contact grid will include the results
from ALL contact elements attached to the grid regardless of whether they are active or inactive in the contact
problem
Note: The minimum distance can be negative and used for an interference fit condition modeled as overlap-
ping surfaces.
Note: The max distance must be defined for all contact problems. This is the distance that NX Nastran will
search for contact from the element normal.
1..Include Active Elements - The averaging of the Pressure/Traction values for a contact grid will exclude those
contact elements which are not active in the contact solution and thus have a zero Pressure/Traction value.
Contact Status - Creates the RESET field on the BCTPARM entry. Flag to indicate if the contact status for a spe-
cific subcase is to start from the final status of the previous subcase. (Default =0)
0..Start from Prev Subcase - Starts from previous subcase.
1..Start from Init State- Starts from initial state.
Contact Inactive - Creates the CSTRAT field on the BCTPARM entry. When set to 1..Restrict From Inactive,
prevents all of the contact elements from becoming inactive.
0..Can Be Inactive (Default) - All contact elements can become inactive
1..Restrict From Inactive - Solver will reduce the likelihood of all of the contact elements becoming inactive.
Shell Z-Offset - Allows you to choose if the Z-Offset on shell elements should be included in determining Glued
Contact. Creates ZOFFSET field in BGPARM entry and gives you 2 choices for the corresponding Value field:
0..Include Z-Offset (Default) - Z offset of shells is included for determining glued surfaces.
1..No not Include Z-Offset - Z offset of shells is NOT included for determining glued surfaces.
Adaptive Stiffness - This is a flag to indicate whether adaptive stiffness is activated. Creates PENADAPT field on
BCTPARM entry (Default=0). When not checked, it places a 0 (No Adaptive adjustment) into the PENADAPT
field, when checked places a 1 (Adaptivity adjusts contact stiffness) into the PENADAPT field.
Penetration Factor - Creates the PENETFAC field on the BCTPARM entry (Default = 1.0E-4). Designates the
penetration factor for adaptive penalty stiffness adjustment. Only used when Adaptive Stiffness is on and should
usually only be set to a lower value to reduce the amount of penetration allowed to occur in an analysis.
Common Contact (BCTPARM) and Glue (BGPARM) Parameters
This section contains options for Glued contact and several options available for both Glued Contact and Linear
Contact.
Glue Type - Creates the GLUETYPE field on the BGPARM entry. Specifies the glue formulation.
1..Spring - Normal and tangential springs will be used to define connections. May use the Auto Penalty Factor
or a combination of values for Normal Factor and Tangential Factor.
2..Weld (Default) - A weld like connection will be used to define the connections. Only uses the Glue Factor.
Eval Order - Determines the number of Linear Contact or Glue Points for a single element on the source region.
Creates INTORD field in BCTPARM or BGPARM entry and gives you 4 choices:
0..Default - Does NOT write the INTORD field or corresponding value field to the BCTPARM or BGPARM
entry. Simply uses the default value for Linear or Glued contact built into the NX Nastran solver.
1..Low - Lowest order of points on source region.
2..Medium - Medium order of points on source region. This is the default.
3..High - Highest order of points on source region.
The higher the integration order, the longer the solve will take.
Refine Source - Determines if the source region is refined for the Linear or Glued Contact solution. Creates
REFINE field on the BCTPARM or BGPARM entry and gives you 2 choices for the corresponding Value field:
0..Do Not Refine - Does not refine the Linear Contact/Glue source region based on target surface definition.
Note: Under certain conditions, all of the contact elements could become inactive which may lead to singular-
ities. Setting the parameter to 1..Restrict From Inactive will reduce the possibility of this happening.
Note: The Defaults button will automatically fill in the dialog box with the default values suggested by NX
Nastran. It may be helpful to try and run the analysis with the defaults and then run it again if any mod-
ifications are needed to create more accurate results or achieve convergence.
NX Nastran Linear and Glued Contact Properties (NX Linear tab) 4-95
1..Refine Source to Target (Default) - Refines the Linear Contact/Glue source region based on target surface
definition.
2..NXN 7.0 Method - Refines the Linear Contact/Glue source region using the NX Nastran 7.0 method.
Penalty Factor Units - Creates the PENTYP field on the BCTPARM or BGPARM entry. Specifies how contact
element stiffness is calculated.
When setting penalty factors for linear contact or glued contact when Glue Type = 1..Spring (GLUETYPE=1)
1..1/Length (Default) - Normal Penalty Factor (PENN) and Tangential Penalty Factor (PENT) are entered in
units of 1/Length.
2..Force/(Length x Area) - Normal Penalty Factor (PENN) and Tangential Penalty Factor (PENT) are entered in
units of Force/(Length x Area).
When setting penalty factors for glued contact when Glue Type = 2..Weld (GLUETYPE=2)
1..Scale Factor - Glue Factor (PENGLUE) is a unitless value.
2..F/L^2 - Glue Factor (PENGLUE) has the units of F/Length squared.
Auto Penalty Factor - This is a flag to indicate whether normal and tangential penalty factors will be automati-
cally calculated. When this box is checked in FEMAP, no special field will be written to the BCTPARM. This is the
default for NX Nastran.
Normal Factor - Creates the PENN field on the BCTPARM or BGPARM entry. Designates the penalty factor for
the normal direction (Default = 10.0 for BCTPARM, 100 for BGPARM).
Tangential Factor - Creates the PENT field on the BCTPARM or BGPARM entry. Designates the penalty factor
for the tangential direction (Default = 1.0 for BCTPARM, 100 for BGPARM).
Glue Factor - Creates the PENGLUE field on the BGPARM entry (Default = 100). Designates the penalty factor
when Glue Type is set to 2..Weld (GLUETYPE=2).
Glued Contact Property (BGSET)
A brief description of Glued Contact:
An option to Glue elements together during a solution is available in NX Nastran version 4.1 and above. Glue
definitions can be used in all solution sequences except SOL 144-146 (Aeroelasticity) and SOL 701 (Explicit Tran-
sient Dynamics). The Glue option creates stiff springs or a weld like connection to connect pre-defined Con-
nection Regions and prevents relative motion in all directions (these springs and weld like connections are
essentially glue elements).
Glue elements are created from the free face of one Connection Region to another if the regions are within the
specified separation distance (Search Distance) for gluing to occur. Many different glued connections can occur in
the same model and all of the connections will be placed in the same Glue Set (BGSET entry) in the NX Nastran
input deck.
Search Distance - Enters a value in the SDISTi field on the BGSET entry. Designates the Search Distance for the
contact pair i. Essentially, this is telling NX Nastran that if the Connection Regions of the Connector (contact
pair) are within this distance, which they should be, then Glued contact will be active for this contact pair.
Note: Glued contact works differently in NX Nastran SOL 153 than any other solution sequence. Only
GLUETYPE=1 may be used. Please see the NX Nastran Quick Reference Guide for more information.
Note: In Linear Statics (SOL 101), both Glued Contact AND Linear Contact can be defined in the same sub-
case. Also, the Glued Contact must be set up in the first subcase for all solutions sequences except in
SOL 101, when Linear Contact is defined. In this case, Glued Contact can be defined in any subcase.
Note: Glued contact is currently NOT available when using the Element Iterative solver in NX Nastran.
Note: By setting the value of search distance to a value larger than the largest distance between connection
regions using Glued Contact, only one Glued Contact property is needed per model. Even if you have
several different properties created for Glued Contact, FEMAP will automatically combine them all in
to one BGSET entry in NX Nastran.
4.4.3.2 NX Nastran Contact Property Options - Advanced Nonlinear Analysis (NX Adv Nonlin tab)
For NX Nastran Solution 601, more than 1 Connector (contact pair) can be defined and each pair can have a differ-
ent Connection Property. For each Connection Region, ALL of the values defined on the NX Adv Nonlin tab of the
Define Connection Property dialog box are used for each respective Connector (contact pair).
Advanced Nonlinear Analysis has two NXSTRAT solver parameter dialog boxes in the Analysis Case Manager.
For more information, see Section 8.7.1.23, "Advanced Nonlinear Analysis (NX Nastran Only)".
Glued Contact Property (BGSET)
Extension Factor - Enters a value in the EXTi field specified on the BGSET entry for the contact pair i. Speci-
fies an extension factor for the target region. The extension value sent to the solver is calculated by multiplying
the Extension Factor (EXTi) by the largest element edge in the source and target region. (Value must be between
0.0 and 0.25, Default = 0.01)
General
Contact Type - Lets you choose the contact algorithm type and writes the TYPE field on the BCTPARA entry. You
get to choose between 0..Constraint Function, 1..Segment Method, or 2..Rigid Target. Depending on the contact
algorithm, some portion of the dialog box will be available, while other portions are grayed out.
Double Sided (check box) - This is a flag for single or double-sided contact. Creates NSIDE field on BCTPARA
entry. When not checked, it places a 1 (Single-sided contact) into the NSIDE field, when checked places a 2 (Dou-
ble-sided contact) into the NSIDE field.
NX Nastran Contact Property Options - Advanced Nonlinear Analysis (NX Adv Nonlin tab) 4-97
Initial Penetration - Flags how initial penetrations are handled. Writes the Initial penetration option to the
INIPENE field on the BCTPARA entry. You can choose between:
0..Eliminate - Initial penetrations are eliminated
1..Eliminate/Print - Initial penetrations are eliminated and the list of penetrating nodes is printed
2..Ignored - Initial penetrations are ignored. In successive steps, each contractor node is allowed to penetrate the
target up to its initial penetration
3..Specify with Gap Distance - Initial penetrations or gaps are overridden by specified Gap Distance. This
option is not available for rigid target algorithm
Gap Distance - Specifies a constant gap distance (GAPVAL) between the source region (contactor) and the target
region when The Initial Penetration option is set to 3..Specify with Gap Distance. A Negative Gap Distance
means initial penetrations which will be eliminated.
Penetration Depth - Penetration Depth for single-sided contact (NSIDE=1). Write PDEPTH field on BCTPARA
entry. If PDEPTH > 0.0, then Penetration is detected when penetration is less than or equal to PDEPTH, and if Pen-
etration > PDEPTH, penetration is deemed not to occur.
Segment Normal - Indicates whether a continuous (interpolated) contact segment normal is used for the contact
surfaces. Creates the SEGNORM field on the BCTPARA entry. You can choose:
0..Default - SEGNORM = 1 if NSIDE = 1, SEGNORM = -1 if NSIDE = 2
1..Used - Continuous segment is used
-1..Not Used - Continuous segment is not used
Offset Type - Type of offset for contact regions. Creates the OFFTYPE field on the BCTPARA entry. Choose
from:
0..Single Sided - Use specified offset of NSIDE=1, use offset value of 0.001 for NSIDE=2
1..Single/Double-Sided - Use specified offset for NSIDE=1 or NSIDE=2
2..Half Shell Thick - Half the shell thickness is used for contact regions on shell elements and no offset for is
used otherwise
Offset Distance - Default offset distance value for contact regions. Creates OFFSET field on BCTPARA entry.
Birth Time - Birth time for contact set. Creates TBIRTH field on BCTPARA entry (default = 0.0).
Death Time - Death time for contact set. Creates TDEATH field on BCTPARA entry (default = 0.0). If TDEATH
is less than or equal to TBIRTH, it is ignored.
Constraint Function Contact Algorithm (Contact Type = 0..Constraint Function only)
Normal Constraint - Parameter for normal constraint function, w. Creates EPSN field on BCTPARA entry
(Default = 1.0E-12).
Frictional Constraint - Parameter for frictional constraint function, v. Creates EPST field on BCTPARA entry
(Default = 0.001, must be greater than 0).
Compliance Factor - Compliance Factor. Creates CFACTOR1 field on BCTPARA entry. (Default = 0.0).
For more information about using contact with NX Nastran Solution 601, see Nonlinear Analysis Theory and Mod-
eling Guide.
Standard Contact Algorithm (Contact Type = 0..Constraint Function or 1..Segment Method)
Disp Formulation - Selects the displacement formulation used for this contact set. Creates the DISP field on the
BCTPARA entry. Choose from:
0..Use NXSTRAT CTDISP - Use the formulation selected by CTDISP in NXSTRAT entry (Default)
Note: OFFTYPE = 2 can only be used with rigid target algorithm (TYPE=2).
Note: For TYPE=0 or TYPE=1, individual offset distances can be specified for each contact region using the
BCRPARA entry to override the default offset distance specified here
1..Small Disp Formulation - Use small displacement formulation (contact conditions are not updated)
2..Large Disp Formulation - Use large displacement formulation (contact conditions are updated)
Consistent Stiffness (check box) - This is a flag to indicate whether consistent contact stiffness is used. Creates
CSTIFF field on BCTPARA entry (Default=0). When not checked, it places a 0 (Consistent contact stiffness is not
used) into the CSTIFF field, when checked places a 1 (Consistent contact stiffness is used) into the CSTIFF field.
Tied Tolerance (check box and field) - The check box is a flag to indicate whether contact regions in each contact
pair are tied together. Creates TIED field on BCTPARA entry (Default=0). When not checked, it places a 0 (Not
tied) into the TIED field, when checked, places a 1 (Tied) into the TIED field.
The field is the actual Tied Tolerance value used to determine whether contactor nodes are tied to the target region
when TIED=1 is specified. A contactor node is tied to its target region if the distance between them is less than or
equal to TIEDTOL. Creates the TIEDTOL field on the BCTPARA entry. (Default=0.0)
Init Penetration Duration - Time to eliminate initial penetrations (Must be greater than of equal to 0.0, default
=0). Creates TZPENE field on BCTPARA entry. If TZPENE=0.0, and INIPENE=0 or 1, then the initial penetra-
tions are eliminated in the first time step. This may cause convergence difficulties for certain problems. By using
TZPENE > 0.0, the initial penetrations are eliminated gradually over time TZPENE.
Surface Extension Factor - Factor for extending contact surfaces beyond their boundaries. The amount of exten-
sion is given by this factor multiplied by the length of the contact segments. Creates EXTFAC field on BCTPARA
entry. (Values must range from 1.0E-6 to 0.1; Default = 0.001)
Friction Model - Allows you to choose the type of friction model using a drop down menu. Creates an integer
from 0 to 13 (except 10 and 11) in the FRICMOD field on the BCTPARA entry to indicate which friction type is to
be used.
You can choose from the following friction types:
0..Default (Param 1) - Constant coefficient of friction specified for each contact pair (FRICi field(s) on BCT-
SET entry).
1..Constant (Param1) - Constant coefficient of friction specified by FPARA1 (FPARAi refer to Friction Param-
eter 1-5 below).
12..Modified Model 1(1,2) - Modified Friction Model 1; uses FPARA1 and FPARA2.
13..Modified Model 2(1,2,3) - Modified Friction Model 2; uses FPARA1, FPARA2, and FPARA3.
2..Model 1 (1,2) - Friction Model 1; uses FPARA1 and FPARA2.
3..Model 2 (1,2,3) - Friction Model 2; uses FPARA1, FPARA2, and FPARA3.
4..Static/Dynamic (1,2,3) - Use different static and dynamic friction coefficients; uses FPARA1, FPARA2, and
FPARA3.
5..vs Sliding Velocity (1,2,3) - Friction coefficient varies with sliding velocity; uses FPARA1, FPARA2, and
FPARA3.
6..Anisotropic (1-5) - Anisotropic friction model; uses FPARA1, FPARA2, FPARA3, FPARA4, and FPARA5.
7..vs Contact Force (1,2) - Friction coefficient varies with consistent contact force; uses FPARA1 and FPARA2.
8..vs Time (1,2,3) - Friction coefficient varies with time; uses FPARA1, FPARA2, and FPARA3.
9..vs Coordinate (1-5) - Friction coefficient varies with coordinate values; uses FPARA1, FPARA2, FPARA3,
FPARA4, and FPARA5.
Friction Param 1 - Friction parameter A1. Creates FPARA1 field on BCTPARA entry.
Friction Param 2 - Friction parameter A2. Creates FPARA2 field on BCTPARA entry
Note: Currently, the tied contact option assumes small rotations of the contact regions.
NX Nastran Contact Property Options - Advanced Nonlinear Analysis (NX Adv Nonlin tab) 4-99
Friction Delay - Creates FRICDLY field on BCTPARA entry. When checked, FEMAP will specify a 1 in the
value field for the corresponding FRICDLY field. This indicates that the application of friction will be delayed,
meaning friction is applied on a node one time step after the node comes into contact. The delay of friction may
improve convergence of the solution. (Default = 0...unchecked in FEMAP).
Rigid Target Options (Contact Type = 2..Rigid Target only)
This Contact Type is not applicable for 2D contact. You should only enter values in either the Current Algorithm
section or Old Algorithm section, not both.
Common Options
Normal Modulus - Normal contact Modulus. Creates NCMOD field on BCTPARA entry (Default=1.0E11)
Current Algorithm (RTALG=0 on NXSTRAT)
Max Tensile Contact Force - Maximum tensile contact force allowed for a converged solution. Creates TFORCE
field on the BCTPARA entry. Value must be greater than or equal to 0.0 (Default=0.001)
Max Sliding Velocity - Maximum sliding velocity used in modeling sticking friction. If velocity is less than this
value, sticking is assumed. If the velocity is higher, sliding is assumed. Creates SLIDVEL field on BCTPARA
entry (Default=1.0E-10)
Oscillation Check - Specifies whether oscillation checking is performed and when it is done. Creates OCHECK
field on BCTPARA entry. This value must be an integer greater than zero (Default=5). When set to 0, oscillation
checking will not be performed, otherwise oscillation checking will be performed after each OCHECK value
equilibrium iteration. For example, if set to 3, oscillation checking will occur after every third iteration.
Contact Gap - Contact is detected when the distance between the target and contactor (accounting for any offsets)
is less than this value. Creates GAPBIAS field on BCTPARA entry (Default=0.0)
Offset Method - Selects the method used for the implementation of offsets. Creates OFFDET field on BCTPARA
entry. (Default=0.0)
0..Default - NX Nastran chooses the implementation based on the shape of the target surfaces.
1..Sphere - Creates a sphere with a radius equal to the offset around each connector node on the source. Contact
is detected between the sphere and the target surface.
2..Surface - Two surfaces are constructed for each source surface (an upper and a lower surface). The surfaces
are constructed using the offsets and the averaged source normals. Contact occurs between points on the con-
structed surfaces and the target surface.
Note: If you are using the values in the Old Algorithm (RTALG=1 on NXSTRAT) section, you will need to
also check the Use Old Rigid Target Algorithm box in the NXSTRAT Iteration and Convergence
Parameters dialog box of the Analysis Set Manager (see Section 4.10, "Preparing for Analysis").
Old Algorithm (RTALG=1 on NXSTRAT)
Penetration Tolerance - Penetration Tolerance which gives the maximum penetration allowed into a rigid target
surface. Creates PENETOL field on the BCTPARA entry. (Default=1.0E-8)
Tangential Modulus - Tangential contact Modulus. Creates TCMOD field on BCTPARA entry (Default=0.0)
Min Tensile Freeing Force - Minimum tensile contact force required to change the state of a contact node from
node in contact to free node. Creates RFORCE field on BCTPARA entry. For instance, if the normal tensile
force is greater than RFORCE, a node in contact becomes a free node. (Default=0.001)
Max Total Freeing Force - Limit (Maximum) for the sum of all contact forces for nodes changing from the stat of
node in contact to free node. Creates LFORCE field on BCTPARA entry. If the absolute value of the sum of
the forces is larger than LFORCE, then automatic time stepping (ATS) method will be activated to subdivide the
current time step into smaller time increments (Default = 1.0)
Penetration Cutback and Max Penetration - Specifies whether penetration will be checked against the specified
maximum allowable penetration. Creates RTPCHECK field (Default=0) and RTPMAX field (Default=0.001) on
BCTPARA entry.
0..No Checking - Penetration is not checked. This creates the possibility that the rigid target surface may pene-
trate the source excessively
1..Max Pen*Model Length - Penetration is checked and subdivision of the time step occurs if the penetration
exceeds the value specified in the Max Penetration * the maximum model length.
2..Max Penetration - Penetration is checked and subdivision of the time step occurs if the penetration exceeds
the value specified in the Max Penetration.
eling guide.
NX Nastran Contact Property Options - Explicit Transient Dynamics (NX Explicit tab) 4-101
4.4.3.3 NX Nastran Contact Property Options - Explicit Transient Dynamics (NX Explicit tab)
General
For NX Nastran Solution 701, more than 1 Connector (contact pair) can be defined and each pair can have a differ-
ent Connection Property. Like solution 601, ALL of the values defined on the NX Explicit tab of the Define Con-
nection Property dialog box are used for each respective contact pair.
Contact Type - Lets you choose the contact algorithm type and writes the XTYPE field on the BCTPARA entry.
You get to choose between 0..Constraint Function, 1..Penalty Method, or 3..Rigid Target. Depending on the contact
algorithm, some portion of the dialog box will be available, while other portions are grayed out
Double Sided (check box) - This is a flag for single or double-sided contact. Creates NSIDE field on BCTPARA
entry. When not checked, it places a 1 (Single-sided contact) into the NSIDE field, when checked places a 2 (Dou-
ble-sided contact) into the NSIDE field.
Initial Penetration - Flags how initial penetrations are handled. Writes the Initial penetration option to the
INIPENE field on the BCTPARA entry. You can choose between 0..Eliminate (Initial penetrations are eliminated),
1..Eliminate/Print (Initial penetrations are eliminated and the list of penetrating nodes is printed), or 2..Ignored (Ini-
tial penetrations are ignored. In successive steps, each contractor node is allowed to penetrate the target up to its
initial penetration).
Note: Advanced Nonlinear Explicit has a NXSTRAT solver parameter dialog in the Analysis Case Manager.
For more information, see Section 8.7.1.24, "Advanced Nonlinear Explicit (NX Nastran Only)".
Penetration Depth - Penetration Depth for single-sided contact (NSIDE=1). Write PDEPTH field on BCTPARA
entry. If PDEPTH > 0.0, then Penetration is detected when penetration is less than or equal to PDEPTH, and if Pen-
etration > PDEPTH, penetration is deemed not to occur.
Segment Normal - Indicates whether a continuous (interpolated) contact segment normal is used for the contact
surfaces. Creates the SEGNORM field on the BCTPARA entry. You can choose 0..Default (SEGNORM = 1 if
NSIDE = 1, SEGNORM = -1 if NSIDE = 2), 1..Used (Continuous segment is used), or -1..Not Used (Continuous
segment is not used)
Offset Type - Type of offset for contact regions. Creates the OFFTYPE field on the BCTPARA entry. Choose from
0..Single Sided (Use specified offset of NSIDE=1, use offset value of 0.001 for NSIDE=2), 1..Single/Double-Sided
(Use specified offset for NSIDE=1 or NSIDE=2), or 2..Half Shell Thick (Half the shell thickness is used for contact
regions on shell elements and no offset for is used otherwise).
Offset Distance - Default offset distance value for contact regions. Creates OFFSET field on BCTPARA entry.
Friction - Static coefficient of friction for contact pair i. Creates FRICi field on BCTSET entry.
Time Activation
Birth Time - Birth time for contact set. Creates TBIRTH field on BCTPARA entry (default = 0.0).
Death Time - Death time for contact set. Creates TDEATH field on BCTPARA entry (default = 0.0). If TDEATH
is less than or equal to TBIRTH, it is ignored.
Standard Contact Algorithm (Contact Type = 0..Constraint Function or 1..Penalty Method)
Surface Extension Factor - Factor for extending contact surfaces beyond their boundaries. The amount of exten-
sion is given by this factor multiplied by the length of the contact segments. Creates EXTFAC field on BCTPARA
entry. (Values must range from 1.0E-6 to 0.1; Default = 0.001)
Init Penetration Duration - Time to eliminate initial penetrations. Creates TZPENE field on BCTPARA entry.
(Default = 0.0)
Penalty Contact Algorithm (Contact Type = 1..Penalty Method only)
Penalty Stiffness Criteria - This drop-down menu selects the criterion for evaluation of normal penalty stiffness.
Creates the XKNCRIT field on BCTPARA entry. There are 2 choices:
0..Program Calculated - NX Nastran calculates the normal penalty stiffness.
1..User Defined - User specifies the normal penalty stiffness (XKN).
Normal Stiffness - Creates the XKN field on the BCTPARA entry. Specifies the normal penalty stiffness when
1..User Defined is specified for Penalty Stiffness Criteria (XKNCRIT = 1)
Tangential Stiff Criteria - This drop-down menu selects the criterion for evaluation of tangential penalty stiffness.
Creates the XKTCRIT field on BCTPARA entry. There are 2 choices:
0..Program Calculated - NX Nastran calculates the tangential penalty stiffness.
1..User Defined - User specifies the tangential penalty stiffness (XKT).
Tangential Stiffness - Creates the XKN field on the BCTPARA entry. Specifies the tangential penalty stiffness
when 1..User Defined is specified for Tangential Stiff Criteria (XKTCRIT = 1)
Note: OFFTYPE = 2 can only be used with rigid target algorithm (TYPE=2).
Note: For TYPE=0 or TYPE=1, individual offset distances can be specified for each contact region using the
BCRPARA entry to override the default offset distance specified here
Note: If there is no duration for initial penetration (TZPENE = 0.0) and Initial Penetration (INIPENE) is set to
0 or 1, then the initial penetrations are eliminated in the first time step. This may cause convergence dif-
ficulties for certain problems. By using TZPENE > 0.0, the initial penetrations are eliminated gradually
over time TZPENE.
NX Nastran Contact Property Options - Explicit Transient Dynamics (NX Explicit tab) 4-103
Damp Coefficient Method - This drop-down menu selects whether damping will be used and whether or not the
damping used will be a factor or critical damping. Creates the XDAMP field on the BCTPARA entry. There are 3
choices:
0..Not Used - Damping is not used. Damping Coefficient (XNDAMP) is ignored.
1..As Crit Damping Factor - Damping is used and is a factor of the critical damping (i.e., the damping coeffi-
cient, specified in XNDAMP, is multiplied by the critical damping). This is the recommended choice if damp-
ing is used.
2..Directly Defined - Damping is used and the Damping Coefficient (XNDAMP) is specified directly.
Damping Coefficient - Specifies the relative or absolute damping coefficient (for normal penalty stiffness) when
the penalty explicit contact algorithm is used and the Damp Coefficient Method is 1..As Crit Damping Factor or
2..Directly Defined (XDAMP = 1 or 2).
Old Rigid Contact Algorithm (Contact Type = 3..Rigid Target only)
Penetration Tolerance - Penetration tolerance which gives the maximum penetration allowed into a rigid target
surface. Creates PENETOL field on BCTPARA entry (Default = 1.0E-8).
Tangential Modulus - Tangential contact modulus. Creates TCMOD field on BCTPARA entry (default = 0.0).
Current Rigid Contact Algorithm (Contact Type = 3..Rigid Target only)
Max Sliding Velocity - Maximum sliding velocity used in modeling sticking friction. If velocity is less than this
value, sticking is assumed. If the velocity is higher, sliding is assumed. Creates SLIDVEL field on BCTPARA
entry (Default=1.0E-10)
Contact Gap - Contact is detected when the distance between the target and contactor (accounting for any offsets)
is less than this value. Creates GAPBIAS field on BCTPARA entry (Default=0.0)
Offset Method - Selects the method used for the implementation of offsets. Creates OFFDET field on BCTPARA
entry. (Default=0.0)
0..Default - NX Nastran chooses the implementation based on the shape of the target surfaces.
1..Sphere - Creates a sphere with a radius equal to the offset around each connector node on the source. Contact
is detected between the sphere and the target surface.
2..Surface - Two surfaces are constructed for each source surface (an upper and a lower surface). The surfaces
are constructed using the offsets and the averaged source normals. Contact occurs between points on the con-
structed surfaces and the target surface.
eling guide.
Note: If you are using the values in the Old Rigid Contact Algorithm section, you will need to also check the
Use Old Rigid Target Algorithm box in the Contact Control portion of the NXSTRAT Solver Parame-
ters dialog box of the Analysis Set Manager (see Section 4.10, "Preparing for Analysis").
4.4.3.4 ABAQUS Contact Properties (ABAQUS tab)
The ABAQUS-specific section allows you to specify parameters found on the *CONTACT PAIR option and the
*FRICTION entry, as well as the thickness/area for input for 1 or 2-D contact.
This dialog box is broken into three separate segments, Friction Values, STEP Controls, and Other.
Friction Values
...are included on the
*FRICTION card in
ABAQUS. Some interest-
ing options include Fric-
tion Type, Slip Value
(dependent on Friction
Type), and Decay Exp
(parameter allows separate
static and dynamic (kinetic)
friction coefficients with a
smooth transition zone
defined by an exponential
curve).
STEP Controls
...Max Slide Distance and
Approach, are input to the
*CONTACT PAIR option.
Max Slide Distance limits
finite sliding in 3D deform-
able contact. Approach
activates automatic vis-
cous damping for a contact
pair.
On this dialog box, the
STEP Control options
apply to the load set. To
turn on these options in a
time step, you must specify
them on the ABAQUS
STEP Options dialog box.
For a detailed process, see
Section 8.2.1.1, "Preparing
the Model for Analysis" in
the FEMAP User Guide.
Other
Typically, the most important input in this section is the Critical Penetration (HCRIT in ABAQUS). This value
defines the maximum allowable penetration of a slave node into a master surface. Penetration values above this
value will cause ABAQUS to abandon the current increment and start again with a smaller increment. This value
can greatly affect convergence and accuracy of the overall solution.
Surface to Surface Contact (TYPE=SURFACE TO SURFACE) must be specified for shell thicknesses to be
included during contact instead of using nodal locations (default). This option is only available when the Small
Sliding and/or Tied options are also turned on.
For a description of the other parameters, see the ABAQUS Standard and Explicit Users Manuals.
Note: If Connect Type is set to 1..Glued a good idea is to click the Defaults button at the bottom of the
Define Connection Property dialog box. This will turn on the Tied and Adjust options that are typically
used in conjunction when created Tied contact in ABAQUS.
ANSYS Contact Properties (ANSYS tab) 4-105
4.4.3.5 ANSYS Contact Properties (ANSYS tab)
The ANSYS-specific section allows you to specify the real constants on the TARGE169 (2-D), TARGE170 (3-D),
CONTA171 (2-D), CONTA172 (2-D with midside nodes), CONTA173 (3-D), and CONTA174 (3-D with midside
nodes). Contact surface elements are associated with target segment elements through a shared set of real constants,
and ANSYS only looks for contact between surfaces with the same real constant set. Only contact elements and tar-
get elements of the same dimension (2-D or 3-D) can be in contact with each other.
For complete definitions of these real constants, see the ANSYS Element Reference Guide as well as the ANSYS
Structural Analysis Guide.
This dialog can be used to specify additional contact parameters. All of these parameters correspond to KEYOPT
entries on the ANSYS contact and target elements. These are more advanced options used to create contact models
which require additional parameters.
The check boxes in the KEYOPT Overrides section of the dialog box allow you to toggle between two options for
KEYOPTs (2), (4), (5), (8), and (11). The pull-down boxes in the lower portion of the dialog box correspond to
KEYOPTs (7), (9), and (12), which offer additional options that can be chosen to create a more realistic contact
model.
Be sure to review the ANSYS Element Reference Guide as well as the ANSYS Structural Analysis Guide before
beginning any type of nonlinear contact analysis.
Note: If Connect Type is set to 1..Glued a good idea is to click the Defaults button at the bottom of the
Define Connection Property dialog box. This will choose an appropriate setting for Surface Behavior
that will create Bonded contact in ANSYS.
4.4.3.6 MSC.MARC Contact Properties (MARC tab)
Pick the MARC tab to specify parameters found on the *CONTACT and *CONTACT TABLE options.
Contact Options
This section contains all property inputs for the *CONTACT TABLE option. They will also be used in the *CON-
TACT option if the property is chosen. For details, see Section 8.6, "Marc Interfaces" in the FEMAP User Guide.
You can specify the tolerance for contact (when two bodies are considered touching), the separation force to sepa-
rate a node from a body, and an interference closure amount. In addition, if you choose No Relative Contact Disp,
the glue option will be invoked.
Stick-Slip Model, Rigid Plasticity, Friction Values, Contact Checking, Separation Checking
The remaining contact parameters are only relevant if the contact property is chosen in translation to be output to
the *CONTACT option. In most cases, the defaults will be chosen if none of the options are selected for the contact
property.
Refer to your MARC Program Input Manual for descriptions of these options.
LS-DYNA Contact Properties (Dyna Tab) 4-107
4.4.3.7 LS-DYNA Contact Properties (Dyna Tab)
Usually, the most important option is the Type (found in the General section) of contact you want to define. You
can select from 13 different types of contact including Automatic, Eroding, Constraint, Rigid, Tied, etc. If you
select an option that requires additional information beyond the standard inputs, you must determine the options
needed and enter this information. If not, errors may result, or at minimum your analysis will run with all defaults,
which may or may not be appropriate.
The General portion of the dialog box also contains options to choose ONE_WAY contact for those types of con-
tact that support this (default is two-way contact between surfaces). An offset for TIED contact types can be tog-
gled on and off, as well as a toggle to use a penetration formulation, which can also be based on the shortest
diagonal.
This rest of the options found on the DYNA tab allow you to specify additional contact parameters for LS-DYNA.
The Friction, Scale Factors, Thickness Overrides, Time Activation, and Output sections are pertinent for all contact
types. If no values are input or set, the defaults will be used.
The Rigid, Tiebreak, and Eroding sections of the dialog box contain information specific to certain contact types. If
you have selected one of these options from the Type drop-down in the General section, you will want to specify
the appropriate information. Refer to your LS-DYNA Users Manual for more information for each of these
options.
The Optional ABCD button will display the LS-DYNA Contact ABCD dialog box.
This dialog box has a slider control at the top of the dialog box which allows you to choose what level of ABCD
contact you would like to be using. As the slider is moved from left (Off) to right (A to AB to ABC to ABCD), dif-
ferent areas of the dialog box become available. Again, please refer to your LS-DYNA Users Manual for more
information for each of these options.
NEi/Nastran Contact Properties (NEiNastran tab) 4-109
4.4.3.8 NEi/Nastran Contact Properties (NEiNastran tab)
Pick the NEi/Nastran tab to specify fields found on the BSCONP entry for NEi/Nastran. Please consult your NEi/
Nastran documentation to determine the correct usage of Connection Region and contact property cards before
beginning contact analysis.
Static Friction Coefficient, Frictional Stiffness for Stick, Stiffness Scale Factor
These parameters need to be set for you to attain accurate results from contact analysis from NEi/Nastran. These
factors will be entered on the BSCONP entry of your NEi/Nastran input file.
Penetration Type
There are several options when choosing the penetration type for NEi/Nastran.
1..Unsymmetric
2..Symmetric
3..Unsymmetric weld
4..Symmetric weld
5..Unsymmetric bi-directional slide
6..Symmetric bi-directional slide
7..Unsymmetric rough contact
8..Symmetric rough contact
9..RBE3 element
10..Offset welded contact
Please refer to NEiNastran documentation to determine which Penetration Type will work best for your analysis.
Other Penetration Factors
These parameters need to be set for you to attain accurate results from contact analysis from NEi/Nastran. These
factors will be entered on the BSCONP entry of your NEi/Nastran input file. Either a value for MAXAD or values
for MAXNAD and/or MAXRAD may be entered for each Connection Property.
4.4.4 Connect, Connection Region...
The Connect, Connection Region command creates the individual segments for contact. When you access this com-
mand, you will see the Connection Region dialog box.
This dialog box is partitioned into four major sections: standard entity information, Defined By, Type, and Output.
Each of these sections are described more fully below. In addition, Add includes one item, Multiple allows you to
select multiple entities, Reverse swaps positive side/negative side for surfaces or Face 1/Face 2 for ele-
ments, Delete removes the highlighted items from the list, and Reset removes the entire list.
4.4.4.1 Entity Information
This section includes the typical entity information contained in FEMAP: ID, color, layer and title. It is important
to give each Connection Region a descriptive title so you may easily select them when defining a contact pair. You
will be able to graphically select them, but often these segments will be very close to one another, making it diffi-
cult to accurately pick them. By using the titles, you can simply select these from a list when creating the contact
pair.
4.4.4.2 Segment Definition
The Defined By group in the Connection Region dialog box creates the Connection Region. You can select sur-
faces, curves, elements, nodes, or properties for the contact. Although there are five entities shown, there are really
two methods available: Property/Part Contact, which allows selection of only FEMAP properties, or standard con-
tact, which allows selection of the other four entities, but not properties.
Property/Part Contact
This type of definition allows input of FEMAP properties only. The Output options of Nodes, Elements, or Curves
will also be disabled. FEMAP automatically exports all elements referencing that property as the contact body for
Note: An entity is not selected until it appears in the large window on the right of the dialog box. Thus, an
item manually entered in the entry area (shown as Surfaces above) will not be included if you enter the
entity and press OK. You must select <<Add before exiting for single entity input.
Note: Once an entity is in the selection window, clicking on the entity will highlight the entity in the graphics
window. The default is to show the entity using transparent highlight, but if you have another option
selected in the Windows, Show Entities command or in the Show When Selected command in the Data
Table or Model Info tree, that option will be used instead.
Segment Definition 4-111
ABAQUS and MARC. For LS-DYNA, the actual Part ID (typically the FEMAP property ID) will be selected for
contact. NX Nastran, ANSYS and NEi/Nastran do not support this option.
Since a larger number of elements could be associated with the property, FEMAP also provides the capability to
limit the number of elements with the contact box definition.
When selecting the Property/Part Contact option, the dia-
log box changes to allow specification of a contact box. If
you pick the Contact Box... button, the standard coordinate
definition dialog box will appear. Simply specify two
points, which are the corners of a box. Only elements refer-
encing the chosen property that have centroidal values
inside the box will be considered in contact. This is a very
convenient method of limiting contact to certain regions,
thus potentially decreasing execution time dramatically. If
you create a contact box and then later want to remove all restrictions, simply push the Delete button.
The points on the contact box are exported directly to LS-DYNA as a *DEFINE_BOX, which is then referenced on
the *CONTACT option for the referenced segment. For ABAQUS and MARC, only elements with centroidal val-
ues in the box will be exported.
Standard Contact
This contact method allows selection of both geometry (Surfaces and Curves) and finite element entities (Nodes
and Element Faces).
Select the type of entity, enter the ID, and press <<Add; press Multiple... to chose multiple entities. You can select
both geometric and FEA entities in the same Connection Region.
Geometry Selection
When selecting geometry for contact, simply select the appropriate entities. There will also be a check box for pos-
itive side. This is used to determine if the top or bottom face of plates is in contact when attached to a surface. It is
not currently implemented for curves.
The conversion from geometry to export of FEA entities is very similar to expanding geometric loads. When
exporting the model, FEMAP determines all nodes that are attached to the particular geometry.
With Output set to Nodes, the nodes will be exported. For edge-to-face glued contact in NX Nastran, set this
for the Edge Region, which must also be as the Source in the Connector. The same is true for 2-D contact
of axisymmetric elements in NX Nastran solution 601. For NEi/NASTRAN, output must be set to nodes as
well. Pure node sets are not supported for MARC.
With Output set to Elements, FEMAP determines which element faces are attached to the geometry. For an ele-
ment face to be selected, all of its nodes must be attached to the curve (for edges of planar elements) or surface
(for planar and solid elements). FEMAP exports element faces to ABAQUS, SEGMENTS (corresponding to
the element faces) to LS-DYNA, and elements to MARC. FEMAP will also export the CONTACT NODE
option to MARC to limit contact to the face nodes attached to the geometry. This option is not available for
NEi/Nastran.
With Output set to Curves, the only option for geometric selection will be curves (for analytical rigid surface
definition).
FEA Selection
You can also select the FEA entities directly. Nodes are selected by the standard picking method. For elements, ele-
ment faces are actually chosen. You must pick both the element and its face number.
Note: You cannot limit contact in segments for ABAQUS and MARC to element faces or nodes when using
part contact. Only the elements will be exported. If you want to limit contact to certain faces, or nodes,
you must use standard contact.
Note: Connection Regions defined by surfaces require the element normal and the surface normal to be facing
the same direction. This happens automatically when FEMAP meshes as surface, but the user can man-
ually flip the element normal or surface normal. In this case, this is no longer is valid and FEMAP
will default face selection to Face 1 of the elements.
When you press the Multiple command with Elements chosen, a procedure identical to element loading is followed.
First, pick the elements, and then you will see the Face Selection dialog box. Select the method, then graphically
select an element and its face.
For more information on these methods, see Section 4.3.3.4, "Model, Load, Elemental...".
Region Options
Allows for an offset distance to be entered for use with NX Nastran Solutions 101, 601 and 701. Creates the OFF-
SET field on the BCRPARA entry for NX Nastran.
4.4.4.3 Type of Segment
FEMAP supports both deformable and rigid contact segments. Rigid contact segments are not currently supported
for NEi/Nastran or MARC, and will be written as deformable. For deformable segments, no other input is required
in this section. For rigid segments, however, you must define the Ref Node (rigid body reference node).
FEMAP also supports the writing of an analytical rigid surface for ABAQUS. For this type of segment, you must
define a rigid body reference node and set the output selection to Curves.
Ref Node (Rigid Body Reference Node)
The Ref Node is used to apply constraints and motions to the rigid segment. Constraints and motions (displace-
ments, velocities, etc.) assigned to the reference node will be assigned to the rigid segment.
For NX Nastran, in both 2-D and 3-D contact the Ref Node will written to the MGP field of a BCRPARA entry
along with a corresponding RIGID in the TYPE field.
For ABAQUS, the reference node is exported, with all the motions and constraints on the node itself. ABAQUS
will automatically assign these conditions to the rigid body or analytical rigid surface defined by curves.
In ANSYS, the FEMAP reference node is the pilot node in the TSHAP definition. You can apply nodes and con-
straints to this node as in ABAQUS.
LS-DYNA, does not contain a reference node, but references the rigid body directly on its
*PRESCRIBED_MOTION_ and *LOAD_ options for motions and loads, as well as constraints on the
*MAT_RIGID material. FEMAP will automatically assign all displacements and velocities on the reference node
to the rigid body exported to LS-DYNA. Constraints will be exported to the *MAT_RIGID material for this rigid
body.
Note: You can use the OFFSET field to analyze an interference fit problem in SOL 101 if unconnected ele-
ments are modeled coincident. The offset value can represent the theoretical interference of these faces.
Note: A Connection Region used for Linear Static Analysis for NX Nastran has the same definition as
Advanced Nonlinear except Type cannot be set to Rigid and the Ref Node is not available. For 3-D con-
tact in Advanced Nonlinear (SOL 601 and 701), the Rigid Type can only be used for a target Connec-
tion Region when the Contact Type is set to Rigid Target in the Connection Property. Finally, For 2-D
Contact in SOL 601, the Rigid option can also only be used on target regions and allows you to use
Ref Node to specify a rigid reference node.
Note: For motion, constraints, and loads of a reference node to be exported as rigid body values, two condi-
tions must be met: Property/Part Contact must be used, and the material referenced on the property
must be a *MAT_RIGID type (FEMAP Other Type No. 20).
Output 4-113
4.4.4.4 Output
You must also specify the type of output for the segment.
If you select Elements, you will not be able to pick nodes for the definition. FEMAP will then export the appro-
priate elements to the contact entity when exporting. For ANSYS, you should always use Elements as output.
If you select Nodes, FEMAP will export nodal lists for contact to NX Nastran, ABAQUS, LS-DYNA, and NEi/
NASTRAN. Contact segments defined by nodes are not supported for MARC and an error message will occur
on export. ANSYS does not support nodal output.
The option for Curve output is only available for ABAQUS. When this is selected, FEMAP will write out an
analytical rigid surface definition.
If you select Property/Part Contact under Define By, the Output option will be disabled and FEMAP will export
parts for LS-DYNA and elements for ABAQUS and MARC.
4.4.5 Connect, Connector... (Contact Pair)
The Connect, Connector menu selection brings up the Define Contact Connector - Select Connection Regions dia-
log box:
You can pick the master and slave Connection Regions graphically, or use the drop-down box to select from a list
of Connection Regions. You must specify both a Master (Target) and a Slave (Source). If you want to specify self-
contact (or single surface contact in LS-DYNA), select the same segment for both the Master (Target) and the
Slave (Source). You must also specify a Connection Property, where you can input values such as static and
dynamic friction, as well as other properties and limits on the contact.
In addition to selecting existing Connection Regions, you can also define a new segment or edit an existing seg-
ment for use in this connector. Define Region simply accesses the Connection Region option to create a new Con-
nection Region, while Edit Master or Edit Slave access the Modify, Edit, Connection Region command.
For NX Nastran, ABAQUS, ANSYS, LS/DYNA, or NEi/Nastran, you will need to specify a Connector to have
contact occur in your model. Connection Regions are not placed into contact in these programs unless a Connector
(basically, a contact element) is created. In MARC, you only specify a Connector when you want to limit contact to
just certain Connection Region pairs. If no connectors exist in the model, all Connection Regions will be able to
contact one another.
Hint: It is usually best to use Property/Part Contact with LS-DYNA in combination with the Box Definition,
and Element output for ABAQUS and MARC. These options will limit contact to certain areas,
decreasing analysis time. By selecting Elements as output for ABAQUS and MARC, you limit the num-
ber of nodes checked for contact to the appropriate faces. Also, when using rigid contact segments, it is
best to create a separate node that is not part of the structural model to be the reference node, and to
define the output as Elements for ABAQUS and Property/Part Contact for LS-DYNA.
Note: For both ABAQUS and DYNA, you will need to specify Connectors to have contact occur in your
model. Connection Regions are not placed into contact in these programs unless a Connector is created.
For MARC, you only specify a Connector when you want to limit contact to just certain Connection
Region pairs. If no Connectors exist in the model, all Connection Regions will be able to contact one
another.
4.4.6 Connect, Fluid Region...
The Connect, Fluid Region command is very similar to the Connect, Connection Region command. The difference
is that instead of creating regions for Contact purposes, this command creates individual segments representing
incompressible fluid volume regions used for the purpose of generating a virtual mass matrix (MFLUID entry in
Nastran input files). This capability is available in FEMAP supported Nastran Solution Sequences 103 (Modal
Analysis), 107 through 112 (Complex Modal Analysis and Dynamic Analyses), 129 (Nonlinear Transient Analy-
sis), and 200 (Optimization).
Although the methods used for selecting elements and surfaces are identical to Connect, Connection Region, (See
Section 4.4.4.2, "Segment Definition" for more details) there are additional parameters which may be entered in the
Fluid Options portion of the Fluid Region dialog box. These options are very important to creating the MFLUID
properly.
Plate elements which have 1 face wetted by the fluid will be placed into and ELIST with a unique ID in Nastran
and this ID is used in the ELIST1 field on the MFLUID. If Both faces of the element are wetted then these ele-
ments will be placed into an ELIST with a different ID in Nastran and this ID is used in the ELIST2 field.
Entity Information
to give each Fluid Region a descriptive title so you may easily select them from the Model Info tree if they need to
be edited.
Fluid Options
These options fill out particular fields on the MFLUID entry in Nastran.
CSys
Coordinate System to be used to specify the orientation of the free surface of the fluid and any planes of symmetry.
This coordinate system MUST be a rectangular Coordinate System, as any other type will cause a Nastran fatal
error. Represents the CID field on the MFLUID entry in Nastran.
Choosing the coordinate system properly is very important. It can be useful to create a Local Rectangular coordi-
nate system for each Fluid Region. Make sure the Z axis of the user-defined coordinate system is facing in the nor-
mal direction of the plane you would like to represent the Free Fluid Surface, as any elements or surfaces that are
in the Fluid Region AND in the below the XY plane of the user-defined coordinate system will be filled with
fluid.
For example, in the figure below there are two fluid regions, the Shallow Section and the Deeper Section. The
Free Fluid Surface for the Shallow Section is defined by coordinate system 3, while the Free Fluid Surface for
the Deeper Section is defined by coordinate system 4. In this case, these Fluid Regions would be filled because
all of the entities that make up the Fluid Region lie below the XY plane of the coordinate systems used to set the
Free Fluid Surface
Note: For NX Nastran, Connectors are available for glued and linear contact in many solution sequences.
Also, Advanced Nonlinear Analysis (SOL 601) and Explicit Transient Dynamics (SOL 701). For Nonlin-
ear Analysis (SOL 106) you must use gaps or slideline elements to create any type of nonlinear contact.
Connect, Fluid Region... 4-115
.
Z Free Surface
Intercept of the free surface on the Z-axis of the Coordinate System specified in CSys. If the Z Free Surface is set to
Zero, then the free surface will be in-plane with the XY Plane of Fluid Region Coordinate System. Represents the
ZFS field on the MFLUID entry in Nastran.
For Example:
If the Fluid Region Coordinate System is at the Bottom of a the Fluid Region and Z Free Surface is set to 0.0,
then there is effectively no fluid acting on the structure.
If the Coordinate System is again at the Bottom of the Fluid Region, but the Z Free Surface is set to 2.0, then
the fluid will reach a height of 2.0 Units from the Bottom of the Fluid Region.
On the other hand, if the Fluid Region Coordinate System is at the Top of a the Fluid Region and Z Free Surface
is set to 0.0, then the fluid will reach the Top of the Fluid Region.
There is a Check box which enables you to turn the Z Free Surface OFF completely, so no value is written out to
Nastran for the ZFS field. When the Z Free Surface is completely OFF and the XY Plane and YZ Plane fields are
NOT set to Antisymmetry, Nastran will treat the MFLUID card as a special form of external fluid. In this special
case, the user should define a coordinate system with the origin located as close to the center of the enclosed vol-
ume as possible in order for this type of MFLUID to behave properly. This special case is only available for Nas-
tran Solution Sequence 103 (Modal Analysis), as well as, SOLs 107 through 112 (Complex Modal Analysis and
Dynamic Analyses).
Fluid Density
Density of the fluid. Value is written to the RHO field on MFLUID entry in Nastran.
Shallow Section
Deeper Section
Coordinate System 4
Coordinate System 3
Shaded Elements represent Fluid Regions, while Thick, Dark Lines represents Fluid Level
CSys at Bottom of Region
Z Free Surface in 0.0
Fluid does not act on
Fluid Region
CSys at Bottom of Region
Z Free Surface in 2.0
Fluid reaches Height of 2.0
Units from Bottom of Region
CSys at Top of Region
Z Free Surface is 0.0
Fluid reaches Top
of Fluid Region
XZ Plane and YZ Plane
Allows you to choose symmetry conditions for the fluid region using the XZ Plane and/or YZ Plane of the Fluid
Region Coordinate system. The three options are 0..None, 1..Symmetry, or 2..Antisymmetry. Based on what is
selected in the drop down list, FEMAP will place a N, S, or A in the PLANE1 (XZ Plane) and PLANE2 (YZ
Plane) fields in the MFLUID entry in Nastran. These options are not available when using NEi Nastran.
If you are using these symmetry options, make sure to define the coordinate system to the appropriate plane of
symmetry with regard to the structure.
For example, the figure below shows the appropriate position for the Fluid Region Coordinate Systems for a model
which is using a YZ Plane Fluid Symmetry condition.
Region Options
Characteristic Length - Interactions between elements with separation
that is greater than this number are neglected. Value is written out to the
RMAX field of the MFLUID entry. Not available for NEi Nastran.
Exact Integration Factor - Exact integration is used if the distance
between two elements is less than this number multiplied by the square
root of the area of the larger element. Otherwise, center point integration
is used by default. Value is written out to the FMEXACT field on the
MFLUID entry. Not available for NEi Nastran
Fluid-Structure Pressure Output
When a Fluid Region is present in your model, FEMAP provides an Output Request (Nastran only) called Fluid
Pressure which will return an elemental fluid-structure pressure along with any other requested results. This
fluid-structure pressure will only be retrieved from Nastran when using the 1..Print Only (.f06 file), 2..PostPro-
cess Only (.op2 file), 3..Print and PostProcess (.op2 and .f06 files), or 5..Punch and PostProcess (.op2 file) options
for Results Destination in the Nastran Output Requests dialog box.
4.4.7 Connect, Bolt Region...
The Connect, Bolt Region command creates individual regions of a single element or multiple elements where you
would like to apply a bolt preload. Bolt preload is only supported in FEMAP supported Nastran Solution
Sequences 101 (Linear Static Analysis), 103 (Modal Analysis), 105 (Buckling Analysis), 107 through 112 (Com-
plex Modal Analysis and Dynamic Analysis) and 601 (Advanced Nonlinear Analysis). For all these solution
sequences except SOL 601 (Advanced Nonlinear Analysis), only 1 element should be in each bolt region.
Each region represents a bolt and there can be multiple bolts in a single model, all with unique preloads. The
preload is a specified torque which has been translated into an axial load, arising from components in an assem-
bly being bolted together. In FEMAP, the preload is created using the Model, Load, Bolt Preload command.
To create multiple bolt preloads at once, it is often easier to use the Model, Load, Bolt Preload command, set the
Apply To option to Element(s), then choose the elements.
When analyzing a model with preloaded bolts, you may be interested in obtaining the stresses due to the preload
condition alone or due to a combination of the bolt preload and additional loading conditions.
Connect, Rotor Region... 4-117
Entity Information
to give each Bolt Region a descriptive title so you may easily select them from the Model Info tree if they need to
be edited.
Defined By
Currently, only Beam and Bar elements can be used to define a Bolt Region. Bolt Regions can be defined using
either Curves (selects Beam and Bar elements associated with the selected curves) or Elements (element IDs). Both
curves and elements can be used at once to define a single Bolt Region. The IDs of the elements in the Bolt Region
will be written out to the EIDi field(s) of the Nastran BOLT entry.
Curves and Elements can be selected from the graphics window one at a time in the main Bolt Region dialog box.
In addition, their IDs can be typed into the appropriate field and added to the list using the <<Add button. If you
would like to choose multiple curves or elements at one time, clicking the Multiple... button will bring up the
appropriate Entity Selection dialog box for the selected entity type.
Curves and Elements can be deleted one at a time from the list in the Bolt Region dialog box by highlighting an
entity in the list and clicking the Delete button. If you would like to delete all of the Bolt Region entities at once,
you can simply click the Reset button.
4.4.8 Connect, Rotor Region...
The Connect, Rotor Region command creates individual regions of nodes to be used as individual rotors in rotor
dynamic analysis in NX Nastran. Rotor Dynamics is only supported in FEMAP supported Nastran Solution
Sequences 110 (Complex Modal Analysis) and 111 (Modal Frequency Response Analysis).
Entity Information
to give each Rotor Region a descriptive title so you may easily select them from the Model Info tree if they need to
be edited. Also, if any Rotational Force has been applied to the rotor, you may want to include that information in
the title. The ID of each Rotor Region is written out as the RIDi field on the ROTORD entry.
Defined By
Only nodes can be used to define a Rotor Region. The IDs of the nodes in each Rotor Region will be written out to
the GRIDi field(s) of the Nastran ROTORG entry.
Rotor Options
These options fill out particular fields on the ROTORD entry in Nastran.
Note: FEMAP will allow you to choose ANY type of element when selecting elements for a Bolt Region. If
any of those elements are not the right type of element, they will not be added to the list and an error
message stating Skipped # of Elements which have invalid types for this command will be sent to
the Messages window.
Rotation Axis (Z Axis)
Coordinate System to be used to specify the rotation axis for the current rotor. The Axis of rotation coincides
with the Z-Axis of the selected coordinate system. Writes out to the RCORDi field on the ROTORD entry for each
Rotor Region.
Freq for Overall Damping (W3)
Reference frequency for structural damping set by PARAM,G in NX Nastran for the current Rotor Region. Writes
out to the W3_i field on the ROTORD entry for each Rotor Region.
Freq for Material Damping (W4)
Reference frequency for structural damping set for each unique material in NX Nastran for the current Rotor
Region. Writes out to the W4_i field on the ROTORD entry for each Rotor Region.
Rotation Force Applied
Allows you to choose a Load Set with a prescribed Rotational Velocity only, which is then applied to the current
rotor. Different Load Sets can be used to apply different Rotational Velocities for each rotor in your model. Writes
the ID of the Load Set to the RFORCEi field of the ROTORD entry for each Rotor Region.
4.5 Creating Aeroelastic Entities
The commands under the Model, Aeroelasticity menu are used to create entities required to perform Static
Aeroelastic analysis (SOL 144) and Aerodynamic Flutter analysis (SOL 145) with Nastran solvers. An underlying
finite element model is also needed to properly run an aeroelastic analysis. Typically, this underlaying structural
model consists of only beam and/or shell elements.
There are 4 different types of aeroelastic entities supported for Nastran:
Aero Panel/Body
Aero Property
Aero Splines
Aero Control Surfaces
The various Aero entities interact with one another in several ways. Every Aero Panel/Body is required to have
an appropriate Aero Property assigned. Several Aero Panels/Bodies may reference the same Aero Property.
Next, each Aero Spline must reference an Aero Panel/Body and a group of structural nodes in the model. The
Aero Spline entities connect the aeroelastic model to the underlying structural model. Any number of aerody-
namic boxes (Aero Mesh) may be selected from the referenced Aero Panel/Body.
Finally, each Aero Control Surface needs to reference at least one aerodynamic box (Aero Mesh) on an Aero
Panel/Body set to Aero Panel.
Once all the Aero entities have been defined, additional options for Static Aeroelasticity and Aerodynamic Flutter
will need to be set using the Analysis Set Manager (see Section 4.10, "Preparing for Analysis").
4.5.1 Model, Aeroelasticity, Panel/Body...
...creates an Aero Panel or Aero Body (Slender Body and/or Interference Body). The dialog box changes depending
on what is specified for Aero Body Type. When Aero Body Type is set to 0..Aero Panel (CAERO1), then FEMAP
is making an Aero Panel, which will be written to Nastran as a CAERO1 entry. When Aero Body Type is set to
1..Aero Body (CAERO2), then FEMAP is making a Slender/Interference Body, which will be written to Nas-
tran as a CAERO2 entry. Each Aero Body Type contains different inputs, will be discussed in greater detail later.
Note: For Complex Modal Analysis, the PARAM, G value can be set in the NASTRAN Modal Analysis dia-
log box of the Analysis Set Manager. For Modal Frequency Response Analysis, this value can be set
using the Model, Load, Dynamic Analysis command. Simply change the Solution Method to Modal
Frequency in the Load Set Options for Dynamic Analysis dialog box and enter a value for Overall
Structural Damping Coefficient (G).
Note: Material Damping can be set in the Define Material dialog box for each material in the model.
Model, Aeroelasticity, Panel/Body... 4-119
The ID, Title, Color, Layer, and Property fields are common to both Aero Body Types, as well as the Orientation
CSys and IGID fields in the Options section.
Select an existing Aero Property from the Property drop-down. The Type on the Areo Property must correspond to
the Aero Body Type on Aero Panel/Body (i.e., Type must be Aero Body (PAERO2) on the Aero Property used by
an Aero Panel/Body with Aero Body Type set to 1..Aero Body (CAERO2)). If an Aero Property does not cur-
rently exist, click the Create Aero Property icon button to create one on-the fly.
Orientation CSys is used to orient the locations of Point 1 and Point 4 (Aero Panel Only) and is written to the CP
field of the CAEROi entry, while IGID designates the Interference Group ID and writes out the IGID field to
CAEROi entry (aerodynamic elements with different IGIDs are uncoupled).
Aero Body Type = 0..Aero Panel (CAERO1)
This Aero Body Type will create an Aero Panel. The values represent two leading edge locations and the length
of two side chords. The number of divisions for chord and span are also entered to define the Aero Mesh.
Typically, the panel will have 4 corners, but can have 3 by setting the length of one side chord to 0.0.
Surface
Point 1 - XYZ values of the first leading edge location in the Orientation CSys. Enter values directly as text,
click in X, Y, or Z field and select a location from the graphics window, or use the Specify Location icon button.
Writes values to the X1, Y1, and Z1 fields on the CAERO1 entry.
Point 4 - XYZ values of the other leading edge location in the Orientation CSys. Same options as Point 1, except
writes values to the X4, Y4, and Z4 fields on the CAERO1 entry.
Edge Chord 1-2 - Specifies the side chord length from Point 1 to Point 2 in the X-direction of the Orienta-
tion CSys. Writes value to X12 field of CAERO1 entry.
Note: The ID value for Aero Panel will increment by 1000 automatically. This is due to to the fact that
each Aero Panel/Body has a Mesh Control section which defines the Aero Mesh (Number Chord
* Number Span for an Aero Panel, Number of Body Elements for Aero Slender Body) and each
Aero Element must have a unique ID. FEMAP numbers the Aero Mesh using the Aero Panel/
Body ID as a prefix. For example, an Aero Panel with ID of 2000 has Number Chord set to 10
and Number Span set to 5 for a total of 50 Aero Elements. They are numbered 2000 to 2049 for
this Aero Panel.
Note: To change the IGID value on multiple Aero Panel/Body entities all at once, use the Modify, Update
Other, Aero Interference Group command.
Mesh Control
Number Chord - Specifies the number of evenly spaced divisions used to represent the Aero Mesh (Aero
Boxes) from Point 1 to Point 2 (Point 4 to Point 3) on the Aero Panel. Writes value to NCHORD field on
the CAERO1 entry.
Number Span - Specifies the number of evenly spaced divisions used to represent the Aero Mesh (Aero Boxes)
from Point 1 to Point 4 (Point 2 to Point 3) on the Aero Panel. Writes value to NSPAN field on the
CAERO1 entry.
Custom option - Alternatively, to specify a custom set of division points for the Chord or Span, turn on the
Custom option, then click the (0) Defined button to open the Create Panel Divisions dialog box.
When Division Spacing is set to Custom, enter text values
directly into the Location field or click the Specify Location
icon button to select from the graphics window. Values
MUST be between 0.0 and 1.0 and the list MUST include 0.0
and 1.0 to create a valid aero mesh.
Click the Add button to add the current value in Location to
the list of values.
Once a value is in the list, it can ben highlighted and the loca-
tion will be shown in the graphics window. Click Update but-
ton to change a highlighted value to the value currently in the
Location field or click Delete button to remove the value
from the list. The Reset button can be used to clear all values
from the list.
The Copy button can be used to copy the custom panel divi-
sion list from another Aero Panel/Body in the current model.
The Copy to Clipboard and Paste from Clipboard icon but-
tons can be used to copy/paste the current list of values to/
from the clipboard.
The Apply button will show the current divisions on the Aero
Panel in the graphics window.
When Division Spacing is set to Bias, enter a Number, choose a type of Bias (Bias Equal, Bias at Start, Bias
at End, Bias at Center, or Bias at Both Ends) and a enter a Bias Factor (if needed). Once these parameters
have been specified, click the Add button in the listing section to add values.
Copy to Clipboard Paste from Clipboard
Model, Aeroelasticity, Panel/Body... 4-121
When Custom is used for Number Chord, an AEFACT entry will be written to Nastran and the ID of the
AEFACT will be referenced by the LCHORD field on the CAERO1. When Custom is used for Number Span, the
AEFACT is referenced by the LSPAN field of the CAERO1.
Some example Aero Panels - Point 1 at (0.0, 0.0, 0.0), Point 4 at (2.0, 10.0, 0.0), Edge Chord 1-2 = 5, Edge Chord
4-3 = 3, Orientation CSys = Basic Rectangular:
Aero Body Type = 1..Aero Body (CAERO2)
This Aero Body Type will create an Aero Slender/Interference Body. The values required are a location for the
start of the body and the length of the body. The number of divisions for Slender Body is also entered to define
the Aero Mesh. Additionally, a value for the number Interference Body divisions needs to be entered.
Only the divisions along the length of the Slender/Interference Body are specified using this dialog box. The val-
ues for the Slender Body Radius, Interference Body Radius, and the Theta Arrays are defined using the Aero
Property with Type set to Aero Body (PAERO2).
Surface
Point 1 - XYZ values of the first start of the Slender/Interference Body in the Orientation CSys. Enter values
directly as text, click in X, Y, or Z field and select a location from the graphics window, or use the Specify Location
icon button. Writes values to the X1, Y1, and Z1 fields on the CAERO2 entry.
Mesh Control
Number Body Elements - Specifies the number of evenly spaced divisions used to represent the Aero Mesh
(Aero Boxes) on the Slender Body from Point 1 to Point 2 on the Slender Body. Writes value to NSB field
on the CAERO2 entry.
Number Chord = 4, Number Span = 8 Number Chord (Custom) = 4, Bias at Start, BF = 4
Number Span (Custom) = 8, Bias at Both Ends, BF = 2
Number Interference Elements - Specifies the number of evenly spaced divisions used to represent the Interfer-
ence Body from Point 1 to Point 2. Writes value to NINT field on the CAERO2 entry.
Custom option - Alternatively, to specify a custom set of division points along the length of the Slender Body
or Interference Body, turn on the Custom option, then click the (0) Defined button to open the Create Panel Divi-
sions dialog box. For more information on using the Create Panel Divisions dialog box, see the Custom option
portion of the Aero Body Type = 0..Aero Panel (CAERO1) section above.
When Custom is used for Number Body Elements, an AEFACT entry will be written to Nastran and the ID of the
AEFACT will be referenced by the LSB field on the CAERO2. When Custom is used for Number Interference
Elements, the AEFACT is referenced by the LINT field of the CAERO2.
4.5.2 Model, Aeroelasticity, Property...
...creates an Aero Property for an Aero Panel or an Aero Body (Slender Body and/or Interference Body). The dia-
log box changes depending on what is specified for Type. When Type is set to Aero Panel (PAERO1), then
FEMAP is making a Aero Panel property, which will be written to Nastran as a PAERO1 entry. Other than ID,
Title, Color, and Layer, there is nothing else to enter for an Aero Panel property.
When Type is set to Aero Body (PAERO2), then FEMAP is making a Slender/Interference Body property,
which will be written to Nastran as a PAERO2 entry. Along with the ID, Title, Color, and Layer fields, there are
several other values which many be entered and effect the display and behavior of all Aero Body entities which ref-
erence a particular Aero Property. These additional options are described in greater detail below.
Common
Reference Radius - Is the reference half-width of Slender Body and the half-width of the constant width Inter-
ference Tube. Writes the WIDTH entry to the PAERO2 entry.
Aspect Ratio (h/w) - Aspect Ratio of interference tube (height/width). Writes the AR field to the PAERO2 entry.
Number of Body Elements = 6
Number of Interference Elements = 6
Reference Radius on Aero Property = 2.5
Shown in Wireframe Display Mode
Number of Body Elements = 8
Number of Interference Elements = 8
Reference Radius on Aero Property = 2.5
Slender Body Division Radius list on Aero Property
0, 1.111, 1.778, 2, 2, 2, 2.5, 2.5, 2.5
Model, Aeroelasticity, Property... 4-123
Slender Body Properties
Orientation - Specifies the type of motion allowed for bodies. The selected direction (Z, Y, or ZY) is in the speci-
fied aerodynamic coordinate system for the analysis. Writes Z. Y, or ZY to the ORIENT field of the
PAERO2 entry.
Slender Body Division Radius - When on, allows you to enter a list of slender body half-widths at the end
points of the slender body Aero Elements. When off, the half-width of the entire slender body is specified by the
Reference Radius value in the Common section. Click the Custom List... button to enter values in the Create Cus-
tom Cross Section dialog box. See Create Custom Cross Section dialog box section below for more details.
Interference Body Division Radius - When on, allows you to enter a list of slender body half-widths at the end
points of the interference body Aero Elements. Click the Custom List... button to enter values in the Create Cus-
tom Cross Section dialog box. See Create Custom Cross Section dialog box section below for more details.
Note: In FEMAP, the aerodynamic coordinate system is defined using the Analysis Set Manager
(Model, Analysis command). When Analysis Type is set to 25..Static Aeroelasticity, the aero-
dynamic coordinate system is specified by the Aerodynamic CSys drop-down in the NASTRAN
Aerodynamic Data (AEROS) dialog box. When Analysis Type is set to 26..Aerodynamic Flutter,
it is specified by the Aerodynamic CSys drop-down in the NASTRAN Aerodynamic Data (AEROx,
MKAEROx) dialog box.
Note: The number of Radius values entered for the Aero Property MUST correspond to the number of
divisions specified Number Body Elements (constant or custom) on the Aero Body. Therefore, if
there are 8 constant divisions, you need to enter 9 Radius values (1 value for the start of the aero
body, 7 for each division location, and 1 value for the end).
Note: The number of Radius values entered for the Aero Property MUST correspond to the number of
divisions specified Number Interference Elements (constant or custom) on the Aero Body. There-
fore, if there are 8 constant divisions, you need to enter 9 Radius values (1 value for the start of
the aero body, 7 for each division location, and 1 value for the end).
Create Custom Cross Section dialog box
Used to enter list of custom Radius (half-width) values for the
slender body and interference body.
When Divisions is set to Custom, enter text values directly
into the Radius field. Values must be above 0.0.
Click the Add button to add the current value in Radius to the
list of values. To add a value to a specific place in the list,
highlight a value, enter the new value, then click Add and the
value will be added above the highlighted line.
Once a value is in the list, it can ben highlighted. Click
Update button to change a highlighted value to the value cur-
rently in the Radius field or click Delete button to remove the
value from the list. The Reset button can be used to clear all
values from the list.
The Copy button can be used to copy the custom divisions
from another Aero Property in the current model.
The Copy to Clipboard and Paste from Clipboard icon but-
tons can be used to copy/paste the current list of values to/
from the clipboard.
The Apply button will show the current radius values at each
division on the Aero Body in the graphics window.
When Divisions is set to Bias, enter a Number, choose a
type of Bias (Bias Equal, Bias at Start, Bias at End,
Bias at Center, or Bias at Both Ends) and a enter a Bias Factor (if needed). Once these parameters have been
specified, enter a Radius value, then click the Add button in the listing section to add values from 0.0 to the Radius
value based on the type of bias selected.
Interference Body Theta Array 1 and Interference Body Theta Array 2
Divisions - use the Define Div... button to open the Create Body Theta Locations dialog box, where you can then
enter a list of theta divisions for the interference body. The Create Body Theta Locations dialog box is very simi-
lar to the Create Custom Cross Section dialog box described above. The only difference is that you are entering
Angle values instead of Radius values. The Angle values must be between 0 and 360 degrees.
The Divisions set in the Interference Body Theta Array 1 will be written to an AEFACT entry in Nastran which is
referenced by the LTH1 field of the PAERO2 entry. The Divisions set in the Interference Body Theta Array 2 will
be written to an AEFACT entry in which is referenced by the LTH2 field of the PAERO2 entry.
The portion of the Interference Body Theta Array 1 section where you can enter 3 different Interference Element 1
and Interference Element 2 ranges of aero body elements is used to define THIi (first aero element) and THNi
(last aero element) entries on the PAERO2 entry. Up to 3 ranges can be specified. All aero body elements specified
in these ranges will use the Divisions of Interference Body Theta Array 1, while all other aero body elements refer-
encing this Aero Property will use the Divisions of Interference Body Theta Array 2.
See figures in Aero Body Type = 1..Aero Body (CAERO2) portion of Section 4.5.1, "Model, Aeroelasticity,
Panel/Body..." for examples of various Slender Body and Interference Body options specified on the Aero Property.
4.5.3 Model, Aeroelasticity, Spline...
...creates an Aero Spline, which connects an Aero Panel/Body entity to nodes on the underlying structural
model. This is done by interpolating motion (displacement) and/or forces from the aeroelastic analysis.
There are two spline types, Surface Spline and Beam Spline. Regardless of Spline Type, each Aero Spline must
reference an existing Aero Panel/Body and must reference a FEMAP Group containing nodes on the structural
model. Also, at least 2 aerodynamic points (aero elements/aero boxes) from the referenced Aero Panel/Body
must be selected.
Copy to Clipboard Paste from Clipboard
Model, Aeroelasticity, Spline... 4-125
The ID, Title, Color, and Layer fields are common to both Spline Types.
Type
Spline Type - choose between 0..Surface Spline and 1..Beam Spline. When using 0..Surface Spline the Aero
Spline will be written as a SPLINE1 entry to Nastran and additional entries for the SPLINE1 may be specified in
the Surface Spline section. A 1..Beam Spline will be written as SPLINE2 and additional entries for SPLINE2
may be specified in the Beam Spline section.
Spline
CAERO ID - used to enter the ID of an existing Aero Panel/Body entity. The ID may be entered in manually or an
Aero Panel/Body may be chosen from the graphics window. The Show When Selected icon button will highlight the
specified Aero Panel/Body in the graphics window, while the Select Aero Panel icon button will allow you to
choose an Aero Panel/Body from a list. This value will be written to the CAERO field on the SPLINEi entry.
Structural Grid Group
ID - used to specify the ID of a Group in FEMAP containing nodes on the structural model. The Show When
Selected icon button will highlight nodes in the group in the graphics window. The Quick Group icon button will
open the Quick Group dialog box, which can be used to create a new Group or edit an existing one.
In the Quick Group dialog box, click New Group
to create a new group.
Highlight the new group or an existing one, then
click Edit Group to Add, Remove, or Exclude
nodes to/from the group. Since these groups
only need to contain nodes, the only thing which
can be selected using this dialog box is nodes.
You can rename any group by highlighting it in
the list, then clicking Rename.
To Show the highlighted group in the graphics
window, click Show. When done looking at the
Group, press Hide. Click Done to exit the Quick
Group dialog box.
The selected group will be written to as a SET1 entry to Nastran which is referenced by the SETG field of the
SPLINEi entry.
Aerodynamic Points
Box1 - enter the ID or select an aero element (aero box) from the screen to be the first aero element in a range of
aero elements where motions (displacements) will be interpolated. Click the Select Aero Mesh for Aero Spline
icon button to bring up a dialog box which may make graphical selection of the aero element easier. This value will
be written to the BOX1 field on the SPLINE1 and to the ID1 field of the SPLINE2 entry.
Box2 - similar to Box1, but is last aero element in a range of aero elements where motions (displacements) will
be interpolated. This value will be written to the BOX2 field on the SPLINE1 entry and to the ID2 field of the
SPLINE2 entry .
All Boxes button - when chosen, places the aero element with the lowest ID on the referenced Aero Panel/Body
into the Box1 field and the one with the highest ID in the Box2 field.
Usage
Determines if the Aero Spline applies to Force transformation, Displacement transformation, or Both. Writes
FORCE, DISP, or BOTH to the USAGE field for the SPLINEi entry.
Surface Spline
These options are only used for Aero Spline entities with Spline Type set to 0..Surface Spline and will be written
to the appropriate field on the SPLINE1 entry.
Attachment Flexibility - specifies the linear attachment flexibility. Value written to the DZ field on SPLINE1
Nelem- number of structural elements along the local spline x-axis if using 2..FPS option for Spline Fit Method.
Value written to NELEM field on SPLINE1
Melem - number of structural elements along the local spline y-axis if using 2..FPS option for Spline Fit Method.
Value written to MELEM field on SPLINE1
Spline Fit Method - designates which spline fit method to use for the Aero Spline. Choose between 0..IPS (Harder-
Desmarais Infinite Plate Spline), 1..TPS (Thin Plate Spline), or 2..FPS (Finite Plate Spline). Writes IPS, TPS, or
FPS to METH field on SPLINE1
Beam Spline
These options are only used for Aero Spline entities with Spline Type set to 1..Beam Spline and will be written to
the appropriate field on the SPLINE2 entry.
Attachment Flexibility - specifies the linear attachment flexibility. Value written to the DZ field on SPLINE2
Torsional Flexibility - specifies the torsional flexibility ratio (EI/GJ). Value written to DTOR field on SPLINE2.
Use 1.0 for aero bodies.
X Rot Flex - specifies the rotational attachment flexibility about the splines x-axis (in-plane bending rotations) is
specified in Y CSys. Not used for aero bodies, only aero panels. Value written to DTHX field on SPLINE2.
Y Rot Flex - specifies the rotational attachment flexibility about the splines y-axis (torsion) is specified in Y CSys.
May be used for slope of aero bodies. Value written to DTHY field on SPLINE2.
Y Csys - Rectangular coordinate system where the y-axis defines the axis of the spline. Not used for aero bodies,
only aero panels. Only rectangular coordinate systems will be available for selection. Value written to DCID field
on SPLINE2.
For display purposes, each Aero Spline will be drawn on top of the selected aero mesh of the referenced Aero
Panel/Body. In addition, straight connection lines will be drawn from each node in the referenced Structural Grid
Group to the centroid of the referenced Aero Panel/Body.
Note: The values for Attachment Flexibility, X Rot Flex, and Y Rot Flex are used for smoothing. Flexibil-
ity values of 0.0 in these fields imply rigid attachment (i.e., no smoothing). Negative values for X
Rot Flex and Y Rot Flex imply infinity, therefore, no attachment.
Model, Aeroelasticity, Control Surface... 4-127
For example, an aero panel and an aero body are shown on the left. The corresponding Aero Splines for these
Aero Panel/Body entities are shown on the right.
4.5.4 Model, Aeroelasticity, Control Surface...
...creates an Aero Control Surface, which is used to specify an aerodynamic control surface. Each Aero Control
Surface uses ranges of aero elements on aero panels (not aero bodies) to represent the aerodynamic control sur-
face. Two ranges of aero elements may be specified on each Aero Control Surface, with each control surface
range able to use a different hinge orientation coordinate system.
The ID, Title, Color, and Layer fields work as the do for other entities.
Usage
These options allow you to create an easy to recognize label which will be written to the Nastran input file and
effect how each Aero Control Surface is used in the aeroelastic analysis.
Label - specifies the name of the control surface. Limited to 7 characters. Text written to the LABEL field on
AESURF.
1 aero panel and 1 aero body Same aero panel and aero body
shown with corresponding aero splines
Linear Downwash/No Linear Downwash - specifies if Linear DownWash is computed as part of the database
(Linear Downwash) or if the effects of the control surface must be entered by the user directly (No Linear Down-
wash). Writes LDW or NOLDW to the LDW field on AESURF.
Effectiveness - specifies the control surface effectiveness, which cause forces to be modified by this value (i.e., to
achieve 40% reduction of effectiveness, specify this value as 0.6). Value written to EFF field on AESURF entry.
Ref Chord Length - specifies the reference chord length of the control surface. Value written to CREFC field on
AESURF entry.
Ref Surface Area - specifies the reference surface area of the control surface. Value written to CREFS field on
AESURF entry.
Deflection Limits
Specifies the Lower and Upper deflection limits for the control surface in radians. Values written to PLLIM and
PULIM fields on AESURF entry.
Hinge Moment Limits
Specifies the Lower and Upper hinge moment limits for the control surface in force-length units. Values written to
HMLLIM and HMULIM fields on AESURF entry.
Deflection Limits vs Pressure
Allows you to choose functions to specify Lower and Upper deflection limits for the control surface as a function
of dynamic pressure. Functions written as TABLED1 entries to Nastran then referenced by TQLLIM and TQULIM
fields on AESURF entry.
Control Surface 1 and Control Surface 2
Specify a rectangular coordinate system as the Hinge Orientation CSys (writes CIDi to AESURF entry), then click
the Aero Mesh... button to choose aero panel elements using a typical Entity Selection dialog box. The selected
aero mesh in each section will be written as an AELIST to Nastran, then referenced by the corresponding ALIDi
field(s) on the AESURF entry
Aero Control Surfaces are displayed on top of the aero panel elements.
A complete Aero model shown below with Aero Control Surfaces:

RUDDER (single control surface on Aero Control Surface entity)
AILERON (both defined on same Aero Control Surface entity)
Using Optimization Analysis 4-129
4.6 Using Optimization Analysis
This command defines the goals, variations, and limits for Optimization analysis. This capability is currently only
supported for Nastran. The result of an optimization analysis is values for the design variables which enable the
structure to stay within the design limits. These results are stored as XY functions in FEMAP that demonstrate the
history of the design variables over the requested number of cycles.
When you select this
command, the Design
Optimization dialog box
will appear. This dialog
box has three sections:
Goal, Vary (design vari-
ables) and Limit (design
constraints). The allow-
able inputs will change
based upon your active
selection. Those items
that are selected for
either Vary or Limit will
appear in the large win-
dow on the left of the
dialog box when you
select that option. Each
of the these areas is dis-
cussed more fully below.
At the bottom left of the
dialog box, the Add but-
ton adds one entity, Mul-
tiple allows you to select
multiple values, and Edit
allows you to change the selected entity. Delete will remove a single entity from the list, while Reset will delete the
entire list.
4.6.1 Goal
When this option is selected, the Goal Design Objective portion of the dia-
log box is active. The only design objective currently supported is Mini-
mize Weight. You will not be able to change this selection. The only input
available input for this option is maximum number of design cycles.
4.6.2 Vary - Design Variables
This section defines design variables in the analysis. Currently, you can select Rod Area and Torsion, Bar Area,
Torsion, I1, and I2, and Plate Thickness.
You must specify the specific item to vary by selecting the Attribute and asso-
ciated Property. Maximum and Minimum inputs (Value or Percent of original
value) can then be specified, with a limit on the max allowable change per
iteration. Once the values are input, select the <<Add. The specific item is not
selected unless it appears in the window to the left of the dialog box. To select
multiple entities, enter the design variable information, select Multiple, then
select the properties.
4.6.3 Limit - Design Constraints
This section defines the constraints on the analysis. These values define limitations on the response of the structure.
They are typically displacements, stresses, and strains.
To select a specific limit, select the type of Response, and input the Maxi-
mum and Minimum values. Once this is complete, enter a Node or Element
ID. Press <<Add if you only want to add a single item, or press <<Multiple
to select multiple nodes or elements. The values will then appear in the
window of the left of the dialog box.
The analysis program will then cycle through the analysis attempting to
limit the response to the design constraints, while modifying the design
constraints to Minimum Weight.
4.7 Working with Functions
Functions can be created using the Model, Function menu command.
Functions allow you to input tables of parameters that are used to describe loading, material, or property behavior.
Functions are created using the Model, Function command. Their most common use is to define time or frequency
dependent loading for transient/frequency response analyses, as well as nonlinear material properties (including
temperature dependence). You must always create the function first before referencing it when creating a load or
material property. Some commands in FEMAP that commonly use functions will have a function icon button
which will allow you to create a function during another command.
When you assign a function to a material property or a load, the Y function values are used to multiply the constant
values that are defined by those entities.
As values are entered or removed for a function, a graph of the function will be plotted in the dialog box. You can
change the scale used by the X axis and/or Y axis to logarithmic by checking the X Axis Log Scale and/or Y
Axis Log Scale options.
Working with Functions 4-131
The Function Definition dialog box includes the following fields:
ID and Title
These options simply specify a unique ID and a Title by which the function can be identified.
Type
Currently, 34 types of functions are available: Dimensionless (0), vs. Time (1), vs. Temperature (2), vs. Frequency
(3), vs. Stress (4), Function IDs vs. Temp (5), Structural Damping vs. Freq. (6), Critical Damping vs. Freq (7), Q
Damping vs. Freq (8), Strain Rate (9), Function IDs vs. Strain Rate (10), vs. Curve Length (11), vs. Curve Parame-
terization (12), Stress vs. Strain (13), Stress vs. Plastic Strain (14), Function vs. Value (15), and Function vs. Criti-
cal Damping (16), vs. Angle of Incidence (17), vs. Direction of Incidence (18), vs. Temp (TABLEM1 Linear,
Linear) (19), vs. Temp (TABLEM1 Log, Linear) (20), vs. Temp (TABLEM1 Linear, Log) (21), vs. Temp
(TABLEM1 Log, Log) (22). You define functions of each of these types in an identical manner. The type simply
determines how the X values will be interpreted. Types 19, 20, 21, and 22 are for Nastran only. The final 11 func-
tion types (23-33) are used for output functions created by the Model, Output, Forced Response command.
For Types 5, 9, and 15, the Y values are the IDs of other functions (typically vs. Stress functions). The X values are
the temperatures or strain rates that will be assigned to each function.
Data Entry Options
These options are used to define the XY function.
You can specify single values in the table by choosing Single Value and filling in the X and Y values.
If you want to define equally spaced points along a linear function, choose Linear Ramp. Then fill in the X, Y,
To X and To Y values, along with the Delta X value. All data points between X and To X will be linearly interpo-
lated at every multiple of Delta X.
For more complex relationships choose Equation. In this case, just like the Linear Ramp, fill in the X, To X and
Delta X options. However, for Y, type in any equation (in terms of the X Variable - !x by default) that defines the
function that you want to represent. A typical example, might be setting Y to sin(!x). If you do not want to use
the !x variable, you can change it, but make sure that you use the new variable in your equations.
If you need to replicate a portion of a function, you can
choose periodic. In this case, the input options switch to those
shown. You specify X and To X as the range of the existing
function that you want to replicate. Specify Inc X as the value
that you want to add to the original X function values for each
copy that you are going to make. Specify Copies as the num-
ber of additional copies of the function range that you want to
create. The Y values are unchanged by this command. After
creating the copies, you can use the Edit Magnitude option to
update those values.
The XY table of values will always be shown (and used) in sorted order based on ascending values of X. You do
not, however, need to input the values in that order - they will be automatically sorted as they are defined.
If you want to define a step function, you can define multiple Y values with the same X value. In this case, they will
be added to the function in the order that you specify them, and will not be reordered by the sorting.
Editing Options
The Edit Phase and Edit Magnitude options allow you to modify the data that you have already defined. After
selecting either of these choices, specify the range of data points that you want to edit by first entering the X and To
X values, then entering Scale and Add values. All data between X and To X will be multiplied by Scale, then be
increased by the Add value. The Edit Phase option modifies the X values. The Edit Magnitude option modifies Y.
Add, Update, Delete, and Reset buttons
These buttons allow you to manage the list of data points in the function.
Add will add the point or points that you are currently defining to the function.
Hint: It is very important to identify the proper type for the function that you are trying to define; otherwise, it
will not be properly used when you try to analyze your model.
Update will update the data point currently highlighted in the list with the values specified for X and Y. Only the
Single Value Data Entry option may be used to update a highlighted data point.
Delete removes a selected point from the function. To use this option, first select the point from the list that you
want to remove, then press Delete.
Reset simply clears all data from the function.
Copying Functions and Creating Functions from FEMAP XY plots
If you have another function in the current model that is similar to the one that you are trying to create, you can
press the Copy Function button. This will display a list of all functions in the model. When you choose a function
from the list, all data from that function will be loaded into the current function. You can then add or delete addi-
tional items as you choose.
The Get XY Plot Data button is only available when a XY Plot is being displayed in FEMAP. When only one curve
is being plotted, that data will be used to populate the XY list of the Create Function dialog box. When multiple
curves are being plotted, the curve with the lowest ID will be used to populate the XY list. Additional points may
be added or existing points deleted from the XY list before pressing OK to create the function.
Working with Function Libraries
Function libraries allow you to create standard functions that you can use in many different models. When you
press Save to Library, the current function is added to the function library. Pressing Load from Library displays a
list of the functions from the library and lets you choose one to be loaded into the current function.
For more information on libraries, see Section 2.6.2.8, "Library/Startup" and Section 4.3.6, "Library Selection" of
the FEMAP Users Guide.
Working with Other Programs
Since functions are just general XY data, they are easy to work with in other programs like spreadsheet and graph-
ing applications. To move functions between programs, you can use the Paste from Clipboard and Copy to Clip-
board buttons. Copy to Clipboard copies the current function to the clipboard. Paste from Clipboard retrieves
clipboard data into the current function. The clipboard format that is used is simply a free format, one XY data
point per line table. The Copy to Clipboard button places a TAB character between the X and Y characters, but
Paste from Clipboard can interpret any space, comma or TAB separated values.
Modifying FEA Entities 4-133
4.8 Modifying FEA Entities
This section describes commands which are available to perform modifications to FEA entities. They can be sepa-
rated into three major areas:
moving entities: in the second partition of the Modify menu
edit/parameters: in the bottom partition of the Modify menu
advanced updates (Modify, Associativity and Modify, Update commands)
Each of these commands are discussed more fully below.
4.8.1 Moving FEA Entities
The following commands allow you to move the location of nodes. Certain commands also allow movement of
coordinate systems as well as elements. There are several commands under this section, but they all involve some
type of movement, whether it be projection, rotation, or translation. Each of these menu commands are described
below.
Many of these commands are also applicable to geometric entities. For more information, see Section 3.6, "Modi-
fying Geometry".
4.8.1.1 Modify, Project Menu
The Project commands update the locations of points or nodes by moving them onto a selected curve or surface.
When you project points or nodes, any geometry, elements or other entities that reference those points/nodes are
also moved.
In all of these commands, the projection direction will typically be normal to the curve or surface that you are pro-
jecting onto. Actually however, these commands move the entities to the closest location on the curve or surface.
For the purposes of these commands, curves extend past their endpoints toward infinity, or in the case of an arc,
they extend a full 360 degrees. Likewise, surfaces extend past their edge curves, but not to infinity. Even though
possible, you should avoid projecting onto a surface outside of its defined boundaries. Depending on the surface
type, this may or may not result in the coordinates that you expected.
Modify, Project, Node onto Curve...
... moves one or more nodes onto a curve. The standard entity selection dialog box is used to choose the points that
you want to project. You then must select the curve. You can choose any curve, and all of the selected nodes will be
projected onto it.
For more information on projection, see Section 4.8.1.1, "Modify, Project Menu".
Original Locations
Projected Locations
Points projected onto
extended curve
Point projected onto
extended arc
Original
Projected Locations Locations
Modify, Project, Node onto Surface...
... moves one or more points onto a surface. The standard entity selection dialog box is used to choose the points
that you want to project. Then, simply select the surface.
You can choose any surface, and all of the selected points will be projected onto it. For more information on projec-
tion, see Section 4.8.1.1, "Modify, Project Menu".
Modify, Project, Node along Vector...
... similar to Modify, Project, Node onto Surface except it allows you to use a vector to specify a projection direc-
tion instead of always using the surface normal direction. This can be helpful if you are projecting nodes in a plane
onto a surface with a high level or curvature and want to keep the spatial relationship between the nodes intact.
FEMAP will ask if it is OK to Project in Both Directions along Vector (No = Positive Only)?. Clicking Yes will
extend the vector in both directions, which is helpful in cases where the vector was defined in the wrong direction.
Modify, Project, Node onto Vector...
... similar to Modify, Project, Node onto Curve except it allows you to specify a vector (using any method in
FEMAP) representing a straight line between two coordinates to project to instead of an existing curve.
Modify, Project, Node onto Plane...
... similar to Modify, Project, Node onto Surface except it allows you to specify a 2-D plane (using any method in
FEMAP) to project to instead of an existing planar surface.
Modify, Project, Mesh onto Solid...
... moves a mesh onto a solid or group of surfaces. The standard entity selec-
tion dialog box is used to select the nodes (on the mesh) that you want to
project onto the solid, then the Project Onto dialog box is displayed.
With this dialog you can either directly pick a solid, or choose to project onto
surfaces. If you choose surfaces, you will be asked to choose the surfaces
after you press OK to close this dialog. Projecting onto a solid will simply use
all of the surfaces of that solid for the projection. If you want to limit the pro-
jection to a certain group of surfaces, then you must choose them explicitly.
Projected Nodes
Original Nodes
Surface
Modify, Move To Menu 4-135
The method used to project your mesh is to find the closest
point on the solid/surfaces to the initial node in the mesh. If
you select smoothing of the projected mesh, the mesh is
repeatedly smoothed and re-projected onto the surfaces. In
general, because of the closest location projection, it is usu-
ally best to start with your mesh somewhere close to the final
surfaces, especially if there is a large amount of curvature in
the surfaces. As you can see in the graphic, in areas of high
curvature, you will probably still have some cleanup to do
using this approach, but the closer you can start the mesh to the
final surface, the better your results will be.
4.8.1.2 Modify, Move To Menu
The Move To commands update the location of some portion of
your model. Although there are only commands to move coor-
dinate systems, points, and nodes, you can use these com-
mands to move your entire model. For example, when you
move a node, the elements, constraints and loads that reference the node are also updated.
The basic philosophy behind each of these commands is to specify a new coordinate to which selected entities will
be moved. Since it is relatively useless to move multiple entities to a single location (they would all be coincident),
each command allows you to limit the movement to any subset of the three coordinates. For example, you can just
update the X coordinates, leaving all Y and Z coordinates in their original locations. By specifying a non-rectangu-
lar coordinate system, you can also move to a selected radius or angle.
Each of the commands on this menu displays the standard entity selection dialog box, so you can choose the enti-
ties that you want to move. When you press OK, this will be followed by the standard coordinate definition dialog
box. The entities that you selected will be moved to the location that you specify. Finally, after you choose a loca-
tion, you will see the Move To dialog box. Here, you can choose the coordinates to update (X, Y and/or Z) and the
coordinate system to use for the modification. If you choose any coordinate system other than Global Rectangular,
the location you chose previously is transformed into that system, before the entities are moved. Only those coordi-
nates that are checked will be updated. In most cases, you will not want to check all of the coordinates, unless you
are updating a single entity.
Modify, Move To, Coord Sys...
... is the most powerful Move To command. Not only
does it update the location of the coordinate systems that
you select, but it can also move all points, nodes, and
other coordinate systems that are defined relative to
those coordinate systems.
If you just want to move the coordinate systems, do not
choose Move CSys, Nodes and Points.... If you did select
that option, FEMAP would move the coordinate systems
you selected plus the dependent entities.
Coordinate systems that you select are updated as you requested. Other dependent entities are moved as a rigid
body based on the transformation of the definition coordinate systems. If a coordinate system is both selected and
dependent on other selected coordinate systems, it is updated based on your request, since you selected it.
For more information on other options, see Section 4.8.1.2, "Modify, Move To Menu".
All of the coordinate systems that you select are updated as you requested. Other dependent entities are moved as a
rigid body based on the transformation of the definition coordinate systems. If a coordinate system is both selected
and dependent on other selected coordinate systems, it is updated based on your request, since you selected it.
If your model was built in a hierarchical manner using multiple coordinate systems, this command can quickly
move large, related portions of your model. If you want to update the location of a coordinate system but leave the
entities that reference it in their original positions, you can also use the Modify, Update Coord Sys command.
Modify, Move To, Node...
... moves selected nodes to a specified coordinate. Elements, loads, constraints and any other entities that reference
the selected nodes will also be moved.
For more information, see Section 4.8.1.2, "Modify, Move To Menu".
4.8.1.3 Modify, Move By Menu
These commands are similar to those found on the Move To submenu. The significant difference is that for these
commands you specify a vector instead of coordinates. All of the entities that you select for modification are
moved along (or by) that vector.
This command only uses two dialog boxes. First, the standard entity selection dialog box is displayed. You should
select the entities to be updated.
Next, the standard vector definition dialog box will be displayed. The vector you specify must contain both a direc-
tion and magnitude. All of the selected entities and the entities that reference them will be moved by that vector.
This essentially means that the location of the selected entity is updated by adding the components of the vector.
Move By in NonRectangular Coordinate Systems
The Move By commands always move along a vector, that is, along a straight line. You can define the vector in any
convenient coordinate system, but it will always represent a straight line. You can not use the Move By commands
to rotate your model by specifying a vector in the angular direction of a cylindrical coordinate system. Use the
Rotate commands to rotate your model.
Modify, Move By, Coord Sys...
...just like the Modify, Move To, Coord Sys command, this command will move all of the selected coordinate sys-
tems, and any points, nodes, or other coordinate systems that reference a selected system. This can be very power-
ful if your model is constructed with multi-level coordinate systems.
x
y
z
3
x
y
z
4
x
y
z
3
x
y
z
4
CSys 3 moves
and so do nodes These nodes
defined
relative to CSys 3
Move By vector
Select these nodes
Modify, Move By Menu 4-137
Again, dependent entities are moved as a rigid body. Selected coordinate systems are all moved by the vector that
you define. For more information, see Section 4.8.1.3, "Modify, Move By Menu".
Modify, Move By, Node...
... moves the selected nodes, and all parts of the model that reference them, by the specified vector. For more infor-
mation, see Section 4.8.1.3, "Modify, Move By Menu".
Modify, Move By, Element...
... is identical to Modify, Move By, Node, except that you choose elements. FEMAP will automatically move all
nodes which are connected to those elements. For more information, see Section 4.8.1.3, "Modify, Move By
Menu".
The Modify, Move By, Element command, unlike the other commands in this menu, will also update the orientation
nodes, orientation vectors and offsets of any line elements that you select. This allows you to move those elements
as a rigid body.
Modify, Move By, Radial Node...
Modify, Move By, Radial Node will move the selected nodes along a
vector directed from either a single point or from a specified vector.
After the nodes to move are selected, FEMAP will ask OK to Move
Around Point/Spherical (No=Around Vector/Cylindrical). Once the
question has been answered, FEMAP will prompt you for either a
Point (answer = Yes) or a Vector (answer = No).
When this command is used with the point method on a set of pla-
nar nodes, the nodes will be moved in the plane the r distance from the
point to move about.
.
Modify, Move By, Radial Element...
...is identical to Modify, Move By, Radial Node, except that you choose elements. FEMAP will automatically move
all nodes that are connected to those elements by the radial length. For more information, see "Modify, Move By,
Radial Node...".
Modify, Move By, Offset Element...
...is somewhat different than the other commands on this menu. In
fact, in function, it is very similar to the Mesh, Extrude, Element
command. It is intended for use with planar elements. You simply
select the elements that you want to offset, then choose the offset
method.
If you choose Vector, you will simply be prompted for a vector (just
like an extrusion vector), and the elements will be offset along that
vector. Using the command with this option is equivalent to using
the Modify, Move By, Element command. All elements are simply
moved by a constant amount.
Note: Moving radial around a vector is a great way to increase or decrease the radius of a hole in a solid mesh.
One thing to remember when increasing the radius of solid elements is to make sure you are not moving
the selected nodes past other nodes of the same element. This could lead to elements being inside out,
which will cause most solvers to not be able to use the elements properly.
r Point to move about
New Position
The other two options are more interesting. If you choose
the Normals or Normals with Thickness Correction
options, you will be asked for the offset distance. In this
case, however, each element will be offset along its nor-
mal direction. For most cases however, you will want to
choose the Normals with Thickness Correction option.
For more description of these two options and the effect
of using thickness correction, see "Mesh, Extrude, Ele-
ment...".
Using this command with this option can be a simple
way to create midsurface meshes in constant thickness
parts. You simply mesh one of the sides of the thin
walled solid. Whether it is the outer or inner surface
really does not matter. You then use this command to off-
set the element by half the thickness to the midsurface.
When doing this, you will normally need to use a nega-
tive offset value. Since all solid surfaces have normals
that point outward, the planar elements meshed on those
surfaces will also have elements that point outward. By
specifying a negative offset distance, you will move the
elements toward the interior of the solid. Parts with mul-
tiple constant thicknesses can be handled by using this
command several times and selectively moving the ele-
ments.
Modify, Rotate To Menu
The commands on this menu rotate selected entities. Unlike the Modify, Move To commands, these commands treat
the selected entities as a rigid body. All of them are rotated by the same angle.
The Modify, Rotate To commands require four dialog boxes. First, the standard entity selection dialog box is dis-
played. You can select all of the entities that you want to rotate. Then, the standard vector definition dialog box
defines the axis of rotation. Only the location of the base and the direction of this vector are important. The length
is not used. Finally, the standard coordinate definition dialog box is displayed twice. The first time, you must define
the coordinates of the starting point of the rotation. The second time, you must define the ending point of the rota-
tion. Using these coordinates, and the axis of rotation, FEMAP will determine the rotation angle.
Modify, Rotate To, Coord Sys...
...just like the Modify, Move commands, this command will rotate all of the selected coordinate systems. Points,
nodes, or other coordinate systems that reference a selected system are also moved as a rigid body. Their movement
is based on the motion of their definition coordinate systems. This can be very powerful if your model is con-
structed with multi-level coordinate systems.
For more information, see "Modify, Rotate To Menu".
Original elements on outer surface
Elements offset to half
of solid thickness
Axis of rotation
Rotate from here
Rotate to here
Modify, Rotate By Menu 4-139
Modify, Rotate To, Node...
... rotates the selected nodes, and all parts of the model that reference them, around the specified vector.
Modify, Rotate To, Element...
... is just like the Modify, Rotate, To Node command, except that you choose elements. FEMAP will automatically
rotate all nodes that are connected to those elements.
The Modify, Rotate To Element command, unlike the other commands in this menu, will also update the orientation
nodes, orientation vectors and offsets of any line elements that you select. This allows you to move those elements
as a rigid body, and retain their original characteristics.
4.8.1.4 Modify, Rotate By Menu
These commands are similar to the commands on the Modify, Rotate To menu. Instead of using a starting and end-
ing location, however, you must specify a rotation angle. You can also specify an optional translation distance with
these commands. By combining both rotation about, and translation along, the axis of rotation, you can move enti-
ties along a screw-thread or helix shaped path.
This time, only three dialog boxes are necessary. The first is the standard entity selection dialog box. As always,
you should select all of the entities that you want to rotate. Next, the standard vector definition dialog box will be
displayed. This defines the axis of rotation. As in the Modify, Rotate To commands, only the location and direction
of this axis are important. The length is not used. Finally, the Rotation and Translation dialog box will appear. You
must specify the Rotation Angle and the Translation Distance.
The selected entities will be rotated (following right-hand rule conventions) around the axis of rotation by the spec-
ified angle. Simultaneously, they will be translated along the same vector by the specified distance. If you specify a
zero rotation angle, these commands will simply translate along the vector - much like the Modify, Move By com-
mands.
Modify, Rotate By, Coord Sys...
...just like the Modify, Rotate To commands, this command will rotate all of the selected coordinate systems. Points,
nodes, or other coordinate systems that reference a selected system are also moved as a rigid body. Their movement
is based on the transformation of the selected coordinate systems. This can be very powerful if your model is con-
structed with multi-level coordinate systems.
For more information, see Section 4.8.1.4, "Modify, Rotate By Menu".
Modify, Rotate By, Node...
... rotates the selected nodes, and all parts of the model that reference them, around the specified vector.
Axis of rotation
Modify, Rotate By, Element...
... is just like the Modify, Rotate By, Node command, except that you choose elements. FEMAP will automatically
rotate all nodes which are connected to those elements.
The Modify, Rotate By, Element command, unlike the other commands in this menu, will also update the orienta-
tion nodes, orientation vectors and offsets of any line elements that you select. This allows you to move those ele-
ments as a rigid body, and retain their original characteristics.
4.8.1.5 Modify, Align Menu
These commands combine the capabilities of the Modify, Move and Rotate commands to provide a simple way of
aligning portions of your model. Only three dialog boxes are necessary. First, you select the entities that you want
to align using the standard entity selection dialog box. Then you need to specify two vectors using the vector defi-
nition dialog boxes. The first vector defines the original position and orientation that will be aligned. The second
vector defines new or desired position and orientation. FEMAP will first move the entities that you selected from
the origin of the first vector to the origin of the second vector. Then, FEMAP will rotate the entities to the new ori-
entation. This is accomplished by a rotation based on the angle between the vectors.
If you simply want to use this command as
an alternate method of rotation, make sure
both vectors have the same origin. If you do
not, the entities will be translated before they
are rotated.
Modify, Align, Coord Sys...
... is just like the Move and Rotate commands. It will align all of the coordinate systems that you select, plus the
entities that are defined relative to those systems. No option is available to skip alignment of the referencing enti-
ties.
Modify, Align, Node...
... aligns the selected nodes, and all parts of the model that reference them, using the two vectors.
For more information, see Section 4.8.1.5, "Modify, Align Menu".
Modify, Align, Element...
... is just like the Modify, Align, Node command, except that you choose elements. FEMAP will automatically align
all nodes which are connected to those elements.
The Modify, Rotate By, Element command, unlike the other commands in this menu, will also update the orienta-
tion nodes, orientation vectors and offsets of any line elements that you select. This allows you to move those ele-
ments as a rigid body, and retain their original characteristics.
For more information, see Section 4.8.1.5, "Modify, Align Menu".
4.8.1.6 Modify, Scale Menu
These commands are used to change the size of your model. You specify a relative scaling factor and a point to
scale around. FEMAP will adjust the selected coordinates appropriately. Only points and nodes can be scaled. You
Note: The Modify, Align Element command, unlike the other commands in this menu, will also update the ori-
entation nodes, orientation vectors and offsets of any line elements that you select. This allows you to
move those elements as a rigid body, and retain their original characteristics.
Align these elements
From this vector
To this vector,
along these other
elements
Aligned elements
Edit/Parameters 4-141
can also choose to scale curves or elements, but FEMAP will just automatically select the proper points or nodes
for you. Like other modification commands, entities which reference the selected points and nodes will also grow
or shrink with them. Coordinate systems cannot be scaled.
The first dialog box used by these commands is the standard entity selection dialog. You must select all of the enti-
ties that you wish to scale. After you press OK, FEMAP will display the standard coordinate definition dialog box.
FEMAP will scale your model relative to these base coordinates. The equation used for the scaling is:
You can specify three different scale factors,
one for each coordinate direction. For any
coordinate direction that you do not want to
scale, you must use a scale factor of 1.0. Scale
factors that are larger than 1.0 increase the
physical size of your model. Scale factors
smaller than 1.0 decrease its size. You can use
a negative scale factor to reflect the entities
about the base location. Similarly, a scale fac-
tor of 0.0 will move all entities to the base
coordinate, just like the Modify, Move To commands.
All scaling is done in the coordinate system that you select. The coordinate directions are along the axes of this sys-
tem. If you select a non-rectangular system, you can scale your model radially or tangentially.
Modify, Scale, Node...
... scales the selected nodes, and all parts of the model that reference them, along the specified directions.
For more information, see Section 4.8.1.6, "Modify, Scale Menu".
Modify, Scale, Element...
... is just like the Modify, Scale, Node command, except that you choose elements. FEMAP will automatically scale
all nodes which are connected to those elements.
For more information, see Section 4.8.1.6, "Modify, Scale Menu".
4.8.2 Edit/Parameters
Four commands in the third section of the Modify menu (Edit, Color, Layer, and Renumber) enable you to change
specific items for the FEA information. Each of these commands are described below.
4.8.2.1 Modify, Edit Menu
The commands on the Modify Edit menu are used to edit or recreate entities in your model. These commands are
typically used when you need to perform modifications to a single or a few entities. You will be prompted for input
for each entity selected. Therefore, to use this command to modify hundreds of entities can be quite time consum-
ing. For these type of gross changes to the model, see the other Modify commands in this section of the Modify
menu: Color, Layer, Update Elements, and Update Other.
Each command first asks you to select the entities you wish to edit. As always, the standard entity selection dialog
box is used. Following your selections, FEMAP simply displays the same dialog box (or boxes) used by the related
command in the Model menu which you used to originally create the entities. In this case however, all of the data
fields default to the current values for the selected entities.
X { }
New
X { }
Base
X { }
Old
X { }
Base
( ) X { }
ScaleFactor
( ) + =
Original Model After Scale Factor of 2.0 in
Horizontal Direction Only
For example, if you choose Edit, Node and then select nodes 1, 3 and 5, three additional dialog boxes will be dis-
played, one at a time. The first dialog box will display the coordinates of node 1. You can change these values or
just press OK to accept the current values. Then dialog boxes for nodes 3 and 5 will be displayed. If you press Can-
cel at any time, you will immediately return to the FEMAP menu. Any entities that you had previously changed
(and pressed OK) will still be changed.
4.8.2.2 Modify, Color Menu
The commands on this submenu are used to modify the color of one or more selected entities of a specific type. All
commands work in a similar fashion. Entities to be modified are selected with the standard entity selection dialog
box. The standard Color Palette dialog box is displayed. You can pick a color, which will be applied to all of the
entities that you selected. The default color, will be the current color of the selected entity with the minimum ID.
For more information on the Color Palette, see Section 4.3.5, "Color Palette" of the FEMAP User Guide.
Modify, Edit can be used to change the colors of entities, but this command is much faster for multiple entities.
Modify, Color, Region; Modify, Color, Coord Sys; Modify, Color, Node
Modify, Color, Element; Modify, Color, Material; Modify, Color, Property
4.8.2.3 Modify, Transparency Menu
The commands on this submenu are used to modify the transparency of one or more selected entities of a specific
type. All commands work in a similar fashion. Entities to be modified are selected with the standard entity selec-
tion dialog box. A Transparency dialog box is displayed. You can enter a number from 0 to 100, with 0 being
Opaque (Not Transparent) and 100 being Clear (Completely Transparent). The default transparency level is 0.
4.8.2.4 Modify, Layer Menu
The commands on this submenu are used to modify the layer of one or more selected entities of a specific type.
These commands are very much like those on the Modify, Color menu. First, you select the entities you want to
modify using the standard entity selection dialog box. Then, instead of selecting from the color palette, FEMAP
will prompt you to choose a new layer number from the list of available layers. All of the selected entities will be
modified to the specified layer.
Again, Modify, Edit can be used to change layers, but this command is faster for multiple entities.
Modify, Layer, Region; Modify, Layer, Coord Sys; Modify, Layer, Node
Modify, Layer, Element; Modify, Layer, Material; Modify, Layer, Property
Note: When modifying multiple Loads of the same type (nodal forces, elemental pressures, etc.) using the
Modify, Edit, Load... command, FEMAP will ask a question OK to Update All Selected Loads with
same values? after you have modified the first selected load. Clicking Yes will change all selected
loads to the value specified for the first load, while clicking No will allow you to modify each load indi-
vidually.
A similar question relating to constraints is asked when using the Modify, Edit, Constraint... command
and works in a similar manner.
Modify, Renumber Menu 4-143
4.8.2.5 Modify, Renumber Menu
The commands on this submenu are used to renumber the
IDs of one or more selected entities of a specific type, sets
(load, constraint, and output sets), or groups.
Each of these commands uses the standard entity selection
dialog box to select the entities to be renumbered. After
you press OK, the Renumber To dialog box is displayed.
You select a new Starting ID and Increment. The first entity
to be renumbered is changed to the starting ID. The incre-
ment is then added to the starting ID before each subse-
quent entity is renumbered.
If an entity which is not being renumbered has an ID which
conflicts with the renumbering, that ID will be skipped.
The increment will simply be added extra times until an
unused ID is found. If you choose Verify Renumbering, a
list of the existing and new IDs will be created in the Mes-
sages window, and you will be asked to confirm that you
wish to renumber the selected entities.
Your choice of sorting options determines the order that FEMAP will use to renumber the selected entities. These
sorting options are identical to those used by the corresponding list commands. The specific sort options which are
available for each command are shown in the following table.
Layups, Load Sets, Constraint Sets, Analysis Sets, Output Sets, and Groups can only be renumbered using the
Original ID and Selection Order sort options.
Original ID...
...keeps the original entity order. The IDs will change, but not the relative sequence of entities within your model.
This option is the default. It is most often used to do a simple renumbering from one ID range to another.
Selection Order...
... is the most flexible option, but the one which requires the most work from you. Entities are renumbered in the
sequence that you have chosen them in the original standard entity selection dialog. You can force FEMAP to
renumber into any sequence that you want, simply by choosing them in that order. This option is usually not appro-
priate for renumbering large numbers of entities, but can be very useful for making specific changes to a portion of
your model.
Color or Layer...
... both use the data on the entity records to sort the renumbered entities. These options will group entities with the
same color or layer in the same ID range.
Sorting
Options
Connect
Prop
Region Connector CSys Node Elem Matl Prop Function Layer
Original ID * * * * * * * * * *
Selection Order * * * * * * * * * *
Color * * * * * * * * *
Layer * * * * * * * x
Type * * * * *
Definition CSys * *
Property *
Material *
Min Node ID *
X * * *
Y * * *
Z * * *
Type...
... is only available for elements, properties and materials. Just like renumbering by color, this option uses the entity
type to renumber similar entities into the same ID range. You can use this option in models which use many differ-
ent element types. It will group each type into similar IDs.
Definition CSys...
... is only available when you renumber coordinate systems or nodes. It is just like renumbering by color or type,
except that it uses the entity definition coordinate system.
Property or Material...
... are also just like renumbering by color or type. These options sort based on the element property reference or the
property material reference.
Min Node ID...
... finds the minimum node ID on each element. The renumbered elements will be in the order of the minimum
node ID which the element references.
X, Y or Z...
... will renumber entities based on their coordinates in your model. If you are renumbering nodes, the X, Y, or Z
nodal coordinates are used to determine the renumbering sequence. Coordinate systems use the coordinate system
origin, and elements use the center of the element.
When you choose any one of these options, you must also choose a coordinate system. The entities coordinates are
transformed into the coordinate system that you choose prior to being sorted for renumbering. By defining and
choosing different coordinate systems, you can implement many different renumbering sequences. For example, if
you choose a cylindrical coordinate system, and renumber by X (or R) you can renumber entities based on their
radial distance from the origin of the coordinate system.
When renumbering by coordinates, you can also check Absolute Value if you want FEMAP to ignore the sign (pos-
itive or negative) of the coordinate value. If this option is not checked, negative values will be different, and numer-
ically less than positive values.
Ascending/Descending
You can choose to either renumber entities in Ascending or Descending order. Ascending order is the default, and
will sequence entities from the lowest to the highest value of the sort option that you select. Descending order will
reverse that sequence.
Constant Offset
If you select this option, all Sort Renumbered Order by options are grayed, and you can only choose the Starting ID
and the Verify Renumbering option. FEMAP will simply change the lowest ID value to the starting increment. It
will then add the constant difference between the original lowest ID and the new starting increment to all other IDs.
No sorting will take place, and no gaps will be filled. This is an easy method to maintain a numbering structure
while shifting it to another level (such as changing all IDs from 1-1000 to 10,000-11,000).
Renumbering Based on Multiple Options
Sometimes, you may want to renumber your model based on more than one of the options. FEMAP cannot do this
in one command, but it is very easy to do. If for example, you wanted all of your node IDs to be sorted based on
their X, then Y (for all identical X) then Z (for all identical X and Y) position, you should use Modify, Renumber,
Node three times, selecting the sort options in reverse order. The first time you would sort based on Z. The second
time based on Y, then finally based on X.
Multiple options can always be used, not just with X, Y, and Z. You must just remember to choose the sort options
in reverse order.
Modify, Renumber, Region; Modify, Renumber, Coord Sys; Modify, Renumber, Node
Modify, Renumber, Element; Modify, Renumber, Material; Modify, Renumber, Property
Advanced Updates 4-145
Modify, Renumber, Layup; Modify, Renumber, Load Set; Modify, Renumber, Constraint Set
Modify, Renumber, Analysis; Modify, Renumber, Group; Modify, Renumber, Layer
Modify, Renumber, Aero Panel; Modify, Renumber, Aero Property;
Modify, Renumber, Aero Spline; Modify, Renumber, Aero Control Surface
4.8.3 Advanced Updates
The commands on the Modify, Update menus are used to update parameters which are referenced by one or more
selected entities. Unlike the commands on the Modify, Color and Modify, Layer menus, the parameters which are
updated by these commands are only applicable to one entity type.
These commands are separated into three major areas: Associativity, Update Elements, and Update Others. All
Modify, Update commands work in a similar fashion, but since the parameters that they update vary, each com-
mand is documented in its own section
4.8.3.1 Modify, Associativity...
There are two separate sections under Modify, Associativity. The first section contains the Automatic command
which is designed to automatically associate a solid mesh with solids or shell mesh with surfaces (sheet solids),
while the second section allows you to choose either nodes or elements to Detach From or Attach To a specific geo-
metric entity.
Automatic
...will attempt to associate the nodes of selected elements
with selected solids (Tet or Hex Elements) or surfaces/sheet
solids (Shell Elements). In addition to the nodes and ele-
ments being associated to the main entity (solids or sur-
faces/sheet solids), they will then also be associated to the
surfaces of solids, curves on those surfaces, and points on
those curves allowing you to use geometry based commands
in FEMAP (i.e., Loads and Constraints on geometry, any
selection method using a geometric entity, etc.).
There are a few options in the Automatic Geometry Associa-
tivity dialog box. The Search Tolerance is used as a toler-
ance for attachment. If a node from a selected element is not
within this distance to any of the selected geometry, it will
not be attached. By default, the Search Tolerance is the
Merge Tolerance set in Tools, Parameters.
The Remove All Previous Associativity is on by default and should be on if you are taking an entire finite element
model and trying to attach it to selected geometric entities.
Check Solid Element Containment in Multiple Solids is only available
when tet or hex elements have been selected. This first runs a check of
all the element centroids to determine which elements are inside
which solid. FEMAP then goes about attaching the nodes of those ele-
ments to each solid one at a time. On by default and should probably
remain on when you have chosen multiple solids, although command
will run faster when this option is off.
Attach Midside Nodes Even if not in Tolerance option will attach any
midside nodes on elements that have been attached, even if these mid-
side nodes are not within the distance specified in Search Tolerance.
Group Nodes/Elements not Associated will create a group with all of the selected nodes and elements which were
NOT attached to any geometry during the command and turning on Detailed Associativity Summary will create a
summary of the attached entities to the Messages window.
This command is very useful if you have an analysis model and the original geometry from which the model was
created. Also, if you try to attach nodes and elements to geometry which is completely different, chances are the
command will not be very successful.
Node/Element
... allows you to attach or remove nodes and elements from geometry. This
can be a very useful command to eliminate some areas of a mesh from a
curve or surface to prevent geometric loading from applying to them. You
have the option to choose automatic, nodes, or elements.
When you select this command, you will see the Geometry Associativity
dialog box. You must choose between Detach From or Attach To. You must
also choose the type of geometry from which you wish to detach. If you
select Any, you can remove all attachments. If you select a specific type of geometry, you must also input (or graph-
ically select) the ID of the geometric entity.
Interior Nodes Only
The Interior Nodes Only option is available when you are removing geometry from curves, surfaces, or solid/vol-
umes. FEMAP uses a hierarchal system of attachment. Nodes on a surface, for example, include nodes attached
directly to the surface, nodes attached to the curves that define the surface, and nodes on the points that define the
curves. If you select the Interior Nodes Only option, the attachments directly to the surface will be removed, but the
curve and point attachments will remain. You will still be able to load or constrain the curves. If you do not select
Interior Nodes Only, all attachments will be removed.
4.8.3.2 Modify, Update Elements, Type...
... updates the type of one or more selected elements. You can never change elements to an incompatible type. For
example, you cannot change a beam to a plate, or vice versa. You can, however, use this command to change
between various line element types or between the plane element types.
Before you choose this command, you may use Model, Property, or any other available method, to make a property
of the type you want to use for the elements. When this command is used, you will be asked to select the elements
to be updated using the standard entity selection dialog box. Then you will be presented with a list of available
properties. If you want to create a new property while using this command, simply click the Property Icon Button
in the Select Property for New Element Type dialog box.
Choose a property of the type that you want for the selected elements. When you press OK, all of the element types
will be changed along with the properties that the elements reference. You will receive messages if any of the ele-
ments are incompatible with the property you selected.
If you are changing from a line element type that does not require an orientation to a type that does, FEMAP will
automatically call the Modify, Update Elements, Orientation command. This allows you to properly orient the ele-
ments that you just modified. You should always specify the orientation that you want. If you do not however,
Hint: You will typically want to use this command with nodes only.
Attach/detach of elements will only affect certain picking
options. Expansion of geometric loads onto finite elements is
always performed on a nodal basis. An element is considered on
a surface for geometric loads if all nodes from an elements face
are attached to the surface. Therefore, you can effectively
remove an element from a surface by simply detaching one of
its nodes.
Note: When attaching nodes, they must not have any other attachments to geometry. You also will not be able
to develop the hierarchy that FEMAP creates automatically when meshing.
Modify, Update Elements, Formulation... 4-147
FEMAP will automatically assign an orientation to each of the updated elements. Review any of these automatic
assignments very carefully.
4.8.3.3 Modify, Update Elements, Formulation...
...enables you to specify the element formulation for a selected set of elements. You must select the elements to
change, and then the Element Formulation dialog box will appear to set the formulation. All elements must be of
the same type. FEMAP will then reassign the chosen element formulation to the selected elements.
For more details, see: Section 4.2.2, "Model, Element..." of the FEMAP Commands manual or Section 6, "Element
Reference" in the FEMAP User Guide
4.8.3.4 Modify, Update Elements, Property ID...
... works just like Modify, Update Element, Type, except that you must choose a property of the same type as the
elements. You cannot change the element type using this command.
4.8.3.5 Modify, Update Elements, Material ID...
... updates the material that is referenced by one or more selected properties. You first select the properties to be
updated, and then choose a new material from a list of the available materials. If you want to create a new material
while using this command, simply click the Material Icon Button in the Select Material for Update dialog box.
Some property types, such as masses, do not require material definitions. If you attempt to update one of these, you
will receive a warning message. Similarly, the many materials referenced by laminate plate properties cannot be
updated using this command - use Modify, Edit, Property instead.
4.8.3.6 Modify, Update Elements, Line Element Orientation...
... updates the element orientation for various line (bar, beam, curved beam) elements. You must first select the ele-
ments to be updated using the standard entity selection dialog box. Then you can select whether to update the ele-
ments using an orientation Node ID or a Vector. If you choose Node ID, you must also specify the node to use. If
you choose Vector, the standard vector definition dialog box will be displayed after you press OK.
Your orientation will be applied to all elements you selected, and it must not be colinear with any of the elements.
Also, remember that you may be specifying different orientation directions for each element when you choose
Node ID, since the orientation direction is based on the location of the first node on the element.
A third option, Equivalent Vector Orientations, can also be selected. This option allows you to convert elements
which are oriented using third nodes to vector orientations. No additional input is required. An orientation vector,
in the direction of the third node, is simply computed for each element. This option has no effect if the element was
already oriented by a vector.
4.8.3.7 Modify, Update Elements, Line Element Offsets...
... updates the offsets for various line (bar, beam, curved beam) elements. You must first select the elements to be
updated using the standard entity selection dialog box. Then the Update Element Offsets dialog box is displayed.
You can choose to Update End A offsets and/or Update End B offsets. If you enable the Set EndB=EndA option, the
offset at the first end (A) of the elements is automatically applied to the second end (B) of all selected elements.
Note: When using this command, if you have chosen to update the type of ALL the elements on a geometric
entity which has meshing attributes currently assigned, the property portion of the meshing
attributes will be automatically updated. If you have only chosen a portion of elements on a geometric
entity, the meshing attributes will not be updated.
Note: When using this command, if you have chosen to update the property of ALL the elements on a geo-
metric entity which has meshing attributes currently assigned, the property portion of the meshing
attributes will be automatically updated. If you have only chosen a portion of elements on a geometric
entity, the meshing attributes will not be updated.
After you press OK, the offsets are defined using the standard vector definition dialog boxes. Updating the offsets
at one end will require only one vector definition. Updating both offsets requires two vectors. The default vectors
will be the current offsets from the selected element with the minimum ID.
Radial Offset around Point/around Vector
If you want to offset beams in a radial pattern, from the center
of a sphere, choose the Radial Offset around Point option. You
must then enter a distance to offset the element endpoints from
the node. When you press OK, you will be asked for the coordi-
nates of the center of a sphere. The offset directions lie along
the lines connecting this center location and the individual
nodes. All offsets, at both ends of the elements are set to the
same size, only the directions change. Radial Offset around
Vector essentially works the same, but instead of choosing a sin-
gle point as the center of a sphere, the beams are offset from a
defined vector which represents the center of a cylinder.
Move to Reference Point
Instead of specifying offsets for the element, you can also use
the Reference Points that can be defined in the Section Property Generator (Section 4.2.4.1, "Line Element Proper-
ties") to automatically define the offsets. First, define your element properties using a shape, and set the reference
point to the location in that shape that you want to be located at the nodes. Then, when you use this command, sim-
ply press Move to Reference Point (the other settings are not used), and the appropriate offsets will be generated
for each element to move the reference point to the associated node.
Offset from Reference Point
Much like Move to Reference Point, but instead of moving the model to the actual Reference Points, you will be
able to enter a Y and/or a Z value which will position the nodes of the beam the specified offset distances away
from the Reference Points.
4.8.3.8 Modify, Update Elements, Line Element Reverse Direction...
... allows three different options for reversing the direction of line elements.
Reverse Direction simply swaps the first and second ends of line elements to
reverse each elements direction. Use this carefully, since the resulting ele-
ment orientations may also need to be updated.
Align to Element allows you to choose 1 line element in the model, which is
used to determine a vector direction from End A to End B. All selected ele-
ments will then either have their ends reversed or remain the same based on
the determined vector.
Align to Vector allows you to specify a vector. All selected elements will then either have their ends reversed or
remain the same based on the specified vector.
4.8.3.9 Modify, Update Elements, Beam/Bar Releases...
... updates the releases for various line (bar, beam, curved beam) elements. You must first select the elements to be
updated using the standard entity selection dialog box. Then, the Define Element Releases dialog box allows you to
choose any combination of the six degrees of freedom at each end of the element to release. You should make cer-
tain, however, that your element is still capable of supporting any load you may want to apply.
The default degrees of freedom will be the current releases from the selected element with the minimum ID.
Note: If the determined or specified vector is exactly perpendicular to an element, then that element will not
be updated.
Modify, Update Elements, Beam Warping... 4-149
4.8.3.10 Modify, Update Elements, Beam Warping...
... adds or updates the Nodes/SPOINTS that are defined for Warping on Nastran beam elements. You must first
select the elements to be updated using the standard entity selection dialog box. Then, the Define Beam Element
Warping dialog box allows you to choose how the points will be created.
None: Removes warping points from the ends of the selected beams.
Continuous: Creates Nodes/SPOINTS at ends of the beam so that the warping is continuous throughout the ele-
ments selected.
All Continuous: Creates Nodes/SPOINTS at the ends of the selected beams so that warping is continuous through-
out the elements selected as well as any other beam elements connected to the originally selected beams.
Discontinuous: Creates Nodes/SPOINTS at the ends of the selected beams so that the warping is discontinuous
across each of the selected elements.
Edit: Choose a single element to update to enable the editing of the warping points at the ends of that beam.
4.8.3.11 Modify, Update Elements, Remove Cross Section...
...updates the selected beam or bar properties to have no section shape defined. All the property values and stress
location values are retained but the section shape is set to None. One use for this command is to convert any
PBEAML or (PBARL) cards that were read from a Nastran Deck into standard PBEAM (or PBAR) data.
4.8.3.12 Modify, Update Elements, Reverse/Orient First Edge...
... switches the normal direction of selected planar and solid elements. After selecting the elements to reverse/ori-
ent, you will given be the option to reverse the normals, align normals either outward or inward, or if you want to
align planar elements to a vector.
For plane elements, the connections are swapped to reverse the direction of the element normal. For solid elements,
the top and bottom faces are swapped, turning the element inside-out. In either of these last two cases, the direc-
tion of any applied pressure loads will change. Choosing this option a second time for the same elements will effec-
tively undo the reversal.
If you choose to align the edges of planar elements to a vector, all planar ele-
ments are reconnected so that their first edge is closest to the direction that
you specify. The element normal is actually unchanged in this operation, only
the order in which the nodes are connected is changed. This can be used to
rotate a group of elements so that their first edge lies along a model boundary.
Line and solid elements are unchanged by this operation.
The All Normals Outward and Inward options apply only to planar elements,
but provide a very easy way to make all normals consistent. If the elements
that you selected form one or more complete shell (like the outside of a solid
model), all normals can be automatically adjusted to the direction you chose.
If there are interior features/panels (like internal bulkheads), FEMAP will make the directions consistent, but the
concept of inward/outward may not be maintained. You will also receive a warning if the elements you select do
not form a complete shell (i.e. they have free edges). FEMAP can still usually align the normals.
Reverse these elements
Before After
4.8.3.13 Modify, Update Elements, Material Angle...
... updates the element material orientation angle for planar and axisymmetric elements. You set the default mate-
rial orientation angle in the Element/Property Type dialog, which can be accessed from any of the element or prop-
erty creation commands. This default is applied to all new elements that you create. If however, you want to change
the material angle for existing elements, use this update command.
You will choose the elements to update using the standard entity
selection dialog box. Then the Element Material Orientation dia-
log box will appear. This is the same dialog box used to define
the default orientations. Updating orientations using this com-
mand does not however change the default values that you have
currently defined.
You have four basic choices for setting the orientation. You can
choose None, which will turn off the material orientation. This
will typically result in material axes that are oriented along the
default elemental axes. If you choose Set Angle using Vector
Direction and press OK, FEMAP will display the standard vector
definition dialog box. You then assign a vector direction.
FEMAP will automatically calculate the material angle values
for each element which will align the primary (X) material direction with the vector you specified.
When you choose Set Angle using Coordinate Direction, the vector and resulting angle are simply defined along a
coordinate direction at the first node of each element. This method is especially useful if you want to align the
material axes to the radial or tangential direction in a cylindrical or spherical coordinate system. In most other
cases, Set Angle using Vector Direction is preferred. The final option, Angle Value, allows you to directly define the
orientation angle value. FEMAP does no further calculations with this angle value.
Before choosing any of these methods, be sure to refer to your analysis program documentation to see how material
orientation angles are used and to find any limitations.
When to Set a Material Angle
Most analysis programs have two basic uses for this type of orientation angle. The first is to align the principal
directions of a non-isotropic material. Whenever you are using orthotropic or anisotropic materials, you should
probably be defining a material angle for all of your planar elements. If you do not, the default orientation, along
the vector between the first two nodes of the element is used. This will typically produce a different alignment for
each element and can give meaningless analysis results.
The second use for material angles can be equally important. If you are going to recover and post-process elemental
normal stresses (i.e., X Stress, Y Stress, XY Shear, etc.), they are usually reported relative to the elemental coordi-
nate system. That coordinate system is aligned by the material angle. Again, if you do not align all of your elemen-
tal axes, the X Normal Stress for one element may not be in the same direction as the X Normal Stress for the
next element. Refer to your analysis program documentation to see how your stresses are reported. You may not
have to set angles if stress output is reported relative to some other coordinate reference.
Viewing Material Angles
You can see the material angles that you have defined for your planar elements by using the View Options com-
mand. Choose the Element - Orientation/Shape option, and turn on Show Orientation. This will display a small
vector at the center of each element where an angle has been defined. The orientation of the vector shows the angle
Note: Not all programs will report analysis results automatically in the material angle coordinate system. You
should check the documentation of your analysis program to determine whether you can force the anal-
ysis program to output results in the material angle coordinate system, and what commands are required
to do this.
Hint: You may define a material angle after you have analyzed a model to transform the normal stresses to a
different coordinate system. Set the material angle using Modify, Update Elements, Material Angle,
then use the Model, Output, Transform command to convert the stresses.
Modify, Update Elements, Split Quads... 4-151
that you chose. Generally, you will want to see that all of the vectors are parallel - then your elements will be
aligned.
4.8.3.14 Modify, Update Elements, Split Quads...
... changes quadrilateral elements into triangles. This command asks for the elements to be split. You may choose
any element types or shapes - only quadrilateral elements (with or without midside nodes) will be changed. The
elements can have loads applied. Those loads will automatically be applied to one or both of the new triangular ele-
ments - whichever is appropriate. New nodes will be added at the element center if you are splitting elements with
midside nodes.
FEMAP will automatically split the quad elements to form the best triangles that it can. You cannot control the
direction of the split, other than by the initial shape of the quad elements.
4.8.3.15 Modify, Update Elements, Adjust Plate Thickness/Offset...
... enables you to adjust the thickness or the offsets of the selected plate elements. When you select this command,
you will be asked to select the elements to update, and you will then see the following dialog box.
Update
These options control whether FEMAP will update the thickness or the offsets for the selected plates. If you are
updating thickness, new plate properties will be written for each thickness value calculated. New properties are not
required when you vary offsets. Currently defined offsets and thicknesses have no bearing on this command.
Method
These options control the calculation of the thickness/offset values. You can choose to calculate variable values
based upon nodal position (Vary Between Nodes option), an equation, or constant value.
For the Vary Between Nodes option, you must input the first node, last node, and values at each of these nodes.
FEMAP will then compute values for all other nodes attached to the selected elements based upon their relative
distance between the From and To nodes. This option provides an easy way to gradually vary the thickness/offsets
of plates which are in a patterned series.
The other option, Equation or Constant, lets you input an equation or constant value for the thickness/offsets. If an
equation is chosen, the i variable will represent elements for offsets, and nodes for thickness values.
The final option in this area, Average for each Element, will average the nodal thickness for each plate, and assign
this constant thickness to all corner nodes on the plate. Otherwise, each corner of the plate will most likely have a
After - Quads Split Before
different value. This option has no effect when modifying plate offsets because these offsets are already calculated
on an elemental basis, not on a nodal basis.
Limits
This section enables you to define the Tolerance, Maximum, and Minimum values to be used in the update. You can
limit the number of significant digits to be retained as a unique thickness or offset by specifying a tolerance value.
This is especially convenient if you want to limit thicknesses or offsets to an increment of a specific value (like
0.001, for example) You may also limit the minimum and maximum allowable values, which is especially useful
when defining equations.
4.8.3.16 Modify, Update Elements, Linear/Parabolic Order...
... changes linear elements to parabolic
elements and vice versa. You will be
asked to choose the direction.
Pressing Yes will update linear elements
to parabolic ones. Pressing No will
update parabolic elements to linear
ones.
After making your selection, choose the
elements to be updated using the stan-
dard entity selection dialog box. You
can choose any elements in your model,
but this command only recognizes plane and volume types. In addition, only elements which are currently of the
selected order are updated. For example, if you are converting linear to parabolic elements and choose a mixture of
linear and parabolics, only the linear ones will be updated.
Converting from linear to parabolic elements creates new nodes automatically at all element midside locations.
Current nodal parameters (next ID, definition and output coordinate systems, permanent constraints, etc.) are used
for these nodes. This command always creates new nodes. It makes no attempt to find current nodes in your model
at the correct locations. You can use the Check Coincident Nodes command to remove any duplicates.
When you convert parabolic to linear elements, midside nodes are no longer needed for the converted elements, but
are not deleted. You can use Delete, Node to remove them.
4.8.3.17 Modify, Update Elements, Midside Nodes...
... moves nodes to the midpoint of element
edges.
Only parabolic elements are considered and
only the nodes which are referenced as mid-
side nodes are moved. If you select non-
parabolic elements, they will simply be
ignored.
Input for this command is minimal. You
just select the elements to be updated using
the standard entity selection dialog box.
When you press OK, the position of all midside nodes will be checked and moved to the midside of their respective
element edges.
4.8.3.18 Modify, Update Elements, Rigid Thermal Expansion...
... allows you to change the Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE) for existing rigid elements in your model.
First select the Rigid elements to update and then enter the CTE in the dialog box. You may also specify the CTE
by clicking the Material... button and choosing a material from the list. This will take the CTE defined for that
material and assign the same value to the selected rigid elements.
Note: Only REB2 rigid elements (non-interpolation) can have CTEs in Nastran, so if any chosen elements are
not RBE2s, they will be skipped.
Before - Linear Plates After - converted to Parabolic
with Midside Nodes
Before After - Midside nodes moved
Modify, Update Other, CSys Definition CSys... 4-153
4.8.3.19 Modify, Update Other, CSys Definition CSys...
... chooses a new definition coordinate system for one or more coordinate systems. You must select the coordinate
systems to be updated using the standard entity selection dialog box. Then, another dialog box will be displayed
which will contain a list of all available coordinate systems. You can choose any coordinate system from the list. If
you want to create a new coordinate system while using this command, simply click the Coordinate System Icon
Button in the Select Coordinate System... dialog box. You will receive an error message, however, if you choose
one of the systems that is being updated, since a coordinate system cannot reference itself.
This command does not move the coordinate system location. Rather, it redefines the system so that it is in the
same location and orientation relative to the new definition coordinate system.
4.8.3.20 Modify, Update Other, Node Type...
... updates the node type for a set of nodes. First select the nodes, then choose a type from the drop-down list.
The four Node Types are 0..Node, 1..Scalar Point, 2..Extra Point, and 3..Fluid Point.
4.8.3.21 Modify, Update Other, Node Definition CSys...
... also works just like Modify, Update Other, CSys Definition CSys, except that you select nodes to update instead
of coordinate systems. If you want to create a new coordinate system while using this command, simply click the
Coordinate System Icon Button in the Select Coordinate System... dialog box.
4.8.3.22 Modify, Update Other, Output CSys...
... works just like Modify, Update Other, Node Definition CSys. First, you select the nodes to be updated, and then
choose a coordinate system from a list of available systems. In this command, however, the nodal output coordinate
system is updated instead of the definition coordinate system. If you want to create a new coordinate system while
using this command, simply click the Coordinate System Icon Button in the Select Coordinate System... dialog
box.
4.8.3.23 Modify, Update Other, Perm Constraint...
... updates the permanent constraints on one or more selected nodes. You select the nodes to be updated using the
standard entity selection dialog box. You may then select the appropriate DOFs to constrain permanently through
the Update Nodal Permanent Constraints dialog box. You can choose any combination of the six permanent con-
straints to be applied to all selected nodes.
4.8.3.24 Modify, Update Other, Superelement ID...
... updates the Superelement ID of a set of nodes. First select the nodes and then enter an integer to specify a Super-
element ID. This is an easy way to create a number of Superelements in a model that already exists. Each new inte-
ger entered becomes a Superelement with a new ID for Nastran.
4.8.3.25 Modify, Update Other, Aero Interference Group...
... updates the IGID value for a set of selected Aero Panel/Body entities.
4.8.3.26 Modify, Update Other, Load Phase...
... updates the phase of loads. When you invoke this command, you will be asked whether you wish to update
nodal, elemental, point, curve, or surface loads. After you select the type of load, you must choose the entities
where the loads will be updated. The standard entity selection dialog box is used. When you press OK, you will see
another dialog box that will let you specify the new load phase.
Only loads from the active load set will be updated by this command. If there are multiple loads at a single entity in
the same load set, they will all be updated.
4.8.3.27 Modify, Update Other, Scale Load...
... allows you to modify the values of existing loads. When you invoke this command, FEMAP will ask you to
identify the type of loads that you want to update. Then, depending on the load type, you will identify the entities
where the loads will be updated.
When you have identified the entities to update, FEMAP will ask for two factors. The current load values are mul-
tiplied by the first factor, then following the multiplication, the second factor is added. The default factors do not
change the load values.
If you use this command to update temperatures, some care must be taken. This command will just scale the tem-
perature value. Since structural loads are determined by the difference between the specified and reference temper-
ature, you will also have to adjust the reference temperature appropriately to get the desired loads. FEMAP does
not change the reference temperature when you use this command.
Only loads from the active load let will be updated by this command. If there are multiple loads on an entity in the
active load let, they will all be updated.
4.8.3.28 Modify, Update Other, Load Function ID...
... allows you to update the function referenced by loads. This is very convenient when you need to change the
function reference for a load condition on a large number of entities.
This works very similar to Modify, Update Other, Scale Load. FEMAP will ask you to identify the type of loads
that you want to update. You will then be prompted by several questions to determine which function references on
the loads to update (for instance, a force can have both a function for the magnitude and phase). You simply need to
select the function for each update. If you select Yes to update, FEMAP will provide a list of functions from which
to pick. Answer No to those functions you do not wish to update.
4.9 Deleting FEA Entities
The commands on the Delete menu are all used to delete entities. All commands will delete entities from your
model. Since most of the commands on this menu work in a very similar fashion, the documentation for the entire
menu is given in this section.
Deleting From Your Model
If you want to delete any type of entity in your model, simply select the appropriate command (based on the entity
type) from this menu. The standard entity selection dialog box will then be displayed to let you select the entities
you wish to delete. When you complete your selection, and press OK, you will be asked to confirm that you really
want to delete the entities. This final question will also let you know how many entities have been selected.
Answering Yes will delete the entities. Choosing No will simply cancel the command.
Using Delete Mesh allows you to delete any finite element entity by simply selecting an element. This command
will delete the selected element and any other entities that are associated with it, such as nodes of the element not
being used by any other elements and loads that are defined on elements or associated nodes. Also, Output on any
of the selected elements will be deleted. Delete Mesh on Nodes is the essentially the same command, only nodes
are chosen instead of elements. When using this command, all elements associated with selected nodes will be
deleted. This command can also be used to delete orphan nodes which have loads and/or constraints applied.
You may also use the Delete, All or Delete, Model All commands to remove the entire model or all FEA model enti-
ties and output. When you select either of these commands, you will be prompted to confirm your request. Answer-
ing Yes will delete all appropriate entities, while answering No will cancel the command. Neither of these
commands perform any checking to see if any of these entities are non-deletable. They are simply deleted.
Note: If you use this command to update heat transfer loads with multiple inputs (i.e. radiation with absorptiv-
ity, emissivity, view factor, and temperature), FEMAP will ask whether you want to update each input.
Say Yes to those you want to update.
Deleting FEA Entities 4-155
NonDeletable Entities
Sometimes when you delete entities, you will receive a message that a number of nondeletable entities have been
skipped. These entities are skipped because FEMAP protects you from deleting entities which are needed by other
entities in your model. For example, a point is nondeletable if it is connected to one or more curves. Similarly, a
curve is nondeletable if it has a load attached to it. To delete these nondeletable entities, first delete all entities
which reference them. The following table lists entities that can cause an entity to be nondeletable.
Deleting From a Set
The Delete, Model, Load -Individual and Delete, Model, Constraint - Individual commands delete entities out of
the active load or constraint set. When deleting nodal or elemental loads, the normal confirmation Ok to Delete
Loads only applies to the temperature loads. You will then also be asked to confirm whether to delete the temper-
atures. If you have multiple temperature loads defined on the same node or element in the same load set, they will
all be deleted.
The Delete, Model, Load - Definition and Delete, Model, Constraint - Definition commands will also only delete
from the active load or constraint set, but you can delete from any set using the context-sensitive Delete commands
in the Model Info tree.
Deleting body loads also works with the active load set. In this case there is nothing to select; you are just asked to
confirm the deletion.
Deleting Finite Element Entity Icons
Delete, Model, Mesh...; Delete, Model, Coord Sys...; Delete, Model, Node...
Delete, Model, Element...; Delete, Model, Material...; Delete, Model, Property...
Delete, Model, Layup...; Delete, Model, Load - Set...; Delete, Model, Load - Definition...;
Delete, Model, Load - Individual...; Delete, Model, Constraint - Set...;
Delete, Model, Constraint - Definition...; Delete, Model, Constraint - Individual...
Delete, Model, Analysis Set...; Delete, Function...
When you are trying
to delete...
Could be referenced by...
Node Elements, loads, constraints
Element Loads
Property Elements
Material Properties
Coordinate System Points, nodes, coordinate systems, loads, constraints,
properties, materials
Function Loads, materials
Connection Property Connector
Connection Region Connector
Hint: You can use this feature to great advantage in cleaning up a model. For example, if you want to get rid
of all of the unused nodes, choose Delete, Node, and select all nodes. This may seem a little scary, but in
fact only those nodes which are not referenced by any elements, loads or constraints will be deleted.
Deleting Connection Entity Icons
Delete, Connection, Connection Property...; Delete, Connection, Connection Region...
Delete, Connection, Connector...
Deleting Aeroelastic Entity Icons
Delete, Model, Aero Panel/Body...; Delete, Model, Aero Property...
Delete, Model, Aero Spline; Delete, Model, Aero Control Surface
After You Delete
When entities are deleted from a FEMAP model, the space that they occupied is marked as empty and available for
reuse. The model file does not decrease in size. Normally, this is not a problem because new entities will reuse this
space. In some cases, however, when you delete a lot of data (output, for example), you may want to immediately
remove empty space from your model and reduce model file size. The File, Rebuild command does just that.
Choose the File, Rebuild command, and press Yes to perform a full rebuild and compact the model. Blocks of
empty space are removed, and your model decreases in size.
Preparing for Analysis 4-157
4.10 Preparing for Analysis
The Analysis Set Manager dialog box lets you create analysis sets that define the analysis parameters, set boundary
conditions, and select output for an analysis. Once you have defined an analysis set, you can use it as input to an
analysis program such as NX Nastran, ANSYS, or ABAQUS. Analysis sets are saved in the model file, unlike the
parameters that you define when you use the File, Export or File, Analyze commands. You can also save analysis
sets in FEMAP analysis libraries.
For more information, see Section 4.10.1, "Defining a Analysis Set" and Section 4.10.2, "Running the Analysis
with an Analysis Set".
Supported Solvers
NX Nastran (See Section 8.7, "Nastran Interfaces"of FEMAP User Guide)
MSC/MD Nastran (See Section 8.7, "Nastran Interfaces" of FEMAP User Guide)
NEi Nastran (See Section 8.7, "Nastran Interfaces" of FEMAP User Guide)
ABAQUS (See Section 8.2, "ABAQUS Interfaces" of FEMAP User Guide)
ANSYS (See Section 8.3, "ANSYS Interfaces" of FEMAP User Guide)
LS-DYNA (See Section 8.5, "LS-DYNA Interfaces" of FEMAP User Guide)
MSC MARC (See Section 8.6, "Marc Interfaces" of FEMAP User Guide)
FEMAP Structural
The Analysis Set Manager dialog box has two areas: the analysis set list and buttons that enable you to control data
stored for an analysis set.
Analysis Set List
The Analysis Set Manager list area lets you easily view the parameters for your analysis set: solver name, type of
solve, options, master output requests and boundary conditions, and cases. To work with the list:
Use the plus and minus buttons to collapse and expand the analysis set hierarchy. If you hold down the Alt key
while clicking a +/- box to expand/collapse a branch of the tree, all of the sub-branches of that branch will
also be expanded/collapsed.
Double-click on an item to bring up a dialog box that lets you define or modify the item. For example, if you
double-click on Solver, the Analysis Set dialog box opens. You can then modify the analysis program or analy-
sis type.
You can use a combination of list items and buttons to perform actions. For example, to copy an analysis set,
pick the analysis set and then click the Copy button.
Analyze
The Analyze button begins the analysis using the active analysis set. Once you enter a file name, the analysis will
start. Before this option will work properly, you may need to setup VisQ or one or more environment variables that
let FEMAP know how to find your solver. Refer to the User Guide documentation for your solver for more infor-
mation on preparing to run an analysis.
Analyze Multiple
Allows you to use a multi-select dialog box to choose any number of analysis sets to run one after another. Hold the
Ctrl key down and select the analysis sets one at a time with the left mouse button or hold down the Shift key to
select a range of analysis sets by highlighting the first and last desired entities from the list.
Export
Export will write the analysis input file without trying to run the analysis.
Active
The active analysis set is the set that will be sent to the analysis program or saved in the analysis library. The Anal-
ysis Set Manager dialog box displays the active analysis set in the title bar. Use the Active button to make a differ-
ent analysis set active.
Preview Input
This command allows you to preview the input file that will be sent to the solver for the active Analysis Set. The
input will be displayed in the format of the solver specified in the active Analysis Set (does not work for FEMAP
Structural). If there is no active Analysis Set, then this option will not be available.
Edit Preview: By selecting this option you enable editing in the preview window and subsequently when the
Analyze or Export commands are selected, FEMAP will write the input exactly as it appears in the preview
window (including any editing that has been done).
Analyze: This button runs the analysis if FEMAP has been set up to run a analysis automatically.
Defining a Analysis Set 4-159
Export: Exports the input file without running the analysis.
MultiSet
Use MultiSet to automatically create cases for every combination of load set and constraint set that you have
defined for your model. You can then review the list of cases and delete those that you dont want to include in the
analysis.
Copy
Use Copy if you need to create an analysis set or case that it similar to one that already exists. From the analysis set
list, pick the set or case to use, then pick Copy. You can copy cases from one analysis set to another.
Delete
Use Delete to remove analysis sets or cases from the analysis set list. Pick the set or case, then pick Delete.
...you can also delete Analysis Sets using Delete, Model, Analysis Set
Load/Save
Use Load and Save to work with analysis libraries. An analysis library is an external file that lets you store analysis
sets. Analysis libraries let you create standard analysis sets that you can use in many different models.
Pick Load to use an analysis set from a library. Pick Save to save the active analysis set to the library file. For more
information on libraries, see Section 2.6.2.8, "Library/Startup" and Section 4.3.6, "Library Selection" of the
FEMAP Users Guide
The default analysis library file name is analysis.esp. To change the name, use File, Preferences.
New
Use New to create a new analysis set or case. Pick an existing set or case, then pick New.
Edit
Use Edit to modify analysis sets. Pick an item from the analysis set list, then pick Edit.
Done
When you are finished creating analysis sets, pick Done. The analysis sets are stored in the model file.
4.10.1 Defining a Analysis Set
The general process for defining an analysis set is:
1. Pick the first item on the list, then pick New. (You can also double-click the item.)
2. On the Analysis Set dialog box, enter the Title.
3. Choose the Analysis Program and Analysis Type. This information determines the remaining options and
parameters that youll define.
4. The best way to define an analysis set is to pick Next to work through the dialog boxes in order. Alternatively,
you can pick OK to close the dialog box. From the analysis set list, you can then double-click on a parameter to
bring up the dialog box. (You can also click the item and press Edit.)
For details on the dialog boxes, see the following topics:
Section 4.10.1.1, "Analysis Set"
Section 4.10.1.2, "Options"
Section 4.10.1.3, "Master Requests and Conditions"
Section 4.10.1.4, "Boundary Conditions"
Section 4.10.1.5, "Output Requests"
Section 4.10.1.6, "Cases"
Note: If the Edit Preview option is unchecked then FEMAP will use the options in the active Analysis
Set when writing the input file and any changes made to the preview window will be discarded.
4.10.1.1 Analysis Set
The Analysis Set dialog box lets you define the Title, Analysis Program, and Analysis Type. Pick Next to continue
setting up the analysis. The options on the remaining dialog boxes are dependent on analysis program and type.
Run Analysis Using VisQ
If this option is set Femap will launch the analysis using VisQ when the user selects Analyze from the Analysis
Manager or from the File menu. If this option in not selected, Femap will launch the analysis using the local set-
tings. Before this option will work properly, you may need to setup VisQ or one or more environment variables that
let FEMAP know how to find your solver.
For more information setting up Femap to launch the solver, see: Section 4.10.2, "Running the Analysis with an
Analysis Set" in the FEMAP Command Guide
For more information on analysis program interfaces, see:
Section 8, "Analysis Program Interfaces" in the FEMAP User Guide
4.10.1.2 Options
Use the Options dialog boxes to define specific information required by your solver.
For example, the NX Nastran options include solution parameters (specific to analysis type), solver parameters,
and files.
For more information, see:
Section 4.10, "Preparing for Analysis" in the FEMAP User Guide
4.10.1.3 Master Requests and Conditions
In an analysis, the master requests and conditions are the default output requests and boundary conditions (loads
and constraints). The analysis will generate one output set for the master requests and conditions, unless you define
a case. (For more information, see Section 4.10.1.6, "Cases".)
On the Master Requests and Conditions dialog box, you can enter a Title and Manual Control options. Once you
have entered this data, pick Next to set up the boundary conditions.
The Manual Control options include:
Skip Standard: If this switch is on, the interface does not write text to the input file. If Start and End Text have
been defined, they will still be written to the input file.
Boundary Conditions 4-161
Start Text: Pick this option to add text to the beginning of the input file.
End Text: Pick this option to add text to the end of the input file.
4.10.1.4 Boundary Conditions
The Boundary Conditions dialog box lets you select the loads and constraints to apply to your analysis. You can
apply boundary conditions as both master boundary conditions or in cases. Once you have entered this data, pick
Next to continue setting up the analysis.
Primary Sets
Depending on your analysis type, you can select constraints and loads.
Constraints: pick a constraint set for your model.
Loads: pick a load set for your model.
Initial conditions: for some solvers, you can pick a load set to use for initial conditions.
Constraint equations: pick a constraint set to define constraint equations.
Other DOF Sets
You can select constraint sets to use as various types of DOF sets.
The Master/ASET field lets you use a constraint set to define a FEMAP Structural master DOF set or a Nastran
ASET.
The Kinematic/SUPORT field lets you use a constraint set to define a FEMAP Structural kinematic DOF set or
a Nastran SUPORT set.
The remaining DOF set names let you define other Nastran DOF sets.
For heat transfer analyses, you will notice that constraint sets are not used. Rather, loads and constraints are both
selected from a load set. FEMAP translates nodal temperatures, in the same set as the other thermal loads, as ther-
mal constraints (boundary conditions).
Note: If your analysis requires multiple load or constraint sets, you must create cases.
4.10.1.5 Output Requests
Use the Output Requests dialog box to identify the types of output that you want from the analysis. The type of out-
put that you can request will depend on the analysis program and analysis type.
You can define output requests as both master output requests or as part of a case.
4.10.1.6 Cases
Cases let you perform multiple analyses with different load and/
or constraint sets. You can also specify output requests for each
case. The analysis program will generate one output set for each
case.
Use the Analysis Case dialog box to enter a Case ID and Title
for a case. For Linear Static Analysis in Nastran, you have the
choice of creating a Standard Case or a SUBCOM, which is
a combination of other Subcases defined in your model. For
more information on the SUBCOM, see Section 8.7.1.6, "Mas-
ter Requests and Conditions" of the FEMAP User Guide
For some analysis programs, you can also enter manual control
text. Once you have entered this data, pick Next to continue set-
ting up the analysis. (The master requests and conditions pro-
vide the defaults for the cases.)
The Manual Control options include:
Skip Standard: If this switch is on, the interface does not write text to the input file. If Start and End Text have
been defined, they will still be written to the input file.
Start Text: Pick this option to add text to the beginning of the input file.
End Text: Pick this option to add text to the end of the input file.
Hint: One easy way to create cases is to use the MultiSet button on the Analysis Set Manager. Multi-Set cre-
ates one case for each combination of loads and constraints.
Running the Analysis with an Analysis Set 4-163
4.10.2 Running the Analysis with an Analysis Set
When you are ready to solve your model:
1. Check the title bar for the active set. If the correct set isnt active, pick Active, then the analysis set to analyze.
2. Pick Analyze.
3. Depending on the solver youre using, you may need to enter a name for the file that will be written to the
solver.
Once the analysis is complete, the output sets will be loaded into FEMAP. You can examine the results using
FEMAPs post-processing capabilities.
4.10.2.1 Run Analysis Using VisQ / Local Settings
Analyze Using VisQ:
If the Analysis Set option Run Analysis Using VisQ is selected then Femap will use the VisQ to launch the anal-
ysis. VisQ provides the user with a graphical interface to submit a file for analysis on a remote machine and then
monitor the job, and retrieve the results when complete.
VisQ consists of two components. The first is the VisQ Server that is installed on the PC that contains the analysis
solver. The second is the VisQ Client program that is installed on the local users PC.
The VisQ Client must be installed in the FEMAP directory in order for Femap to launch the VisQ program. The
VisQ Client must be configured with the location of where on the network the VisQ Server is located.
VisQ Server must be initially setup with the location of the analysis solver and the command line required to
run that specific solver.
For more information setting up the VisQ Client and VisQ Server, see: Section 4.10.2, "Running the Analysis with
an Analysis Set" in the FEMAP Command Guide
Analyze Using Local Settings:
If the option Run Analysis Using VisQ is not selected then Femap will try to Analyze the model using local set-
tings defined below.
Before the Analyze option will work properly, you may need to setup one or more environment variables that let
FEMAP know how to find your solver. Refer to the User Guide documentation for your solver for more informa-
tion on preparing to run an analysis. For example, the following variables need to be defined to launch these solv-
ers. Each variable must point to the executable of their respective solver before this method will work.
Solver Environment Variable
NX Nastran NXNAST_EXE
MSC/MD Nastran MSCNAST_EXE
NEi NASTRAN NENAST_EXE
ABAQUS ABAQUS_EXE
Marc MARC_EXE
ANSYS ANSYS_EXE
4.10.2.2 Analysis Monitor
The Analysis Monitor is used to monitor an
analysis that has been launched using the
environment variable method defined above.
Much like the Entity Editor, Model Info tree,
Data Table, and the enhanced Messages Win-
dow, when the Analysis Monitor is open it
appears in a Dockable Pane. This dock-
able pane can be un-docked and placed any-
where in the active FEMAP interface. It can
also be undocked and then re-docked into
another pre-determined dock position by
dragging the dockable pane onto one of the
docking indicators (blue arrows which
appear when dragging a dockable pane
around the active FEMAP interface) and
releasing the left mouse button. (Picture of
Analysis Monitor shown undocked)
Status: The Status section is automatically
updated to reflect the current status of the
analysis. When analyzing with NX Nas-
tran or MSC/MD Nastran you have the
option to view the .log, .f04 or .f06 files
by choosing the appropriate radio button.
If analyzing with MSC.Marc Femap will
monitor the .log file. For NX Nastran 6.0
and above, you can also get additional
feedback when you have the Extended
Solution Status Monitoring option
checked in the NASTRAN Executive and
Solution Options dialog box of the Analy-
sis Set Manager. The type of feedback
available depends on the type of analysis.
Update Monitor: When this option is selected the Monitor will be updated every few seconds. Turning off this
option will stop updating the Monitor with the data from the monitored file, when the Update switch is turned
back on the Monitor will be updated to include the latest entries from the monitored file.
Automatically Load Results: When this option is selected FEMAP will automatically load the results from the
appropriate file when the analysis completes.
Kill Job: Allows you to kill the job process that is running.
Clear Queue: Allows you to clear the Internal System Solver Queue if you are running multiple analysis sets
using the Analyze Multiple functionality of the Analysis Set Manager or Analyze from Multiple models open in
FEMAP.
Load Results: This option allows you to manually load the results from a complete analysis into FEMAP. This
is typically done when you have turned off the option to automatically load the results.
Max Lines: Is the number of lines of text from the monitored file that you want to be displayed. This number
can be set as a Femap Interface Preference
Note: The Analysis Monitor is only available for analyses performed by NX Nastran, MSC/MD Nastran,
or MSC Marc
5. Meshing
This topic describes the many automatic meshing tools available in FEMAP. The Model, Element command can be
used to generate one element at a time, but most often, you will be using the commands under the Mesh menu to
automatically generate a finite element mesh.
The commands on the Mesh menu are partitioned into five categories based upon the type of meshing. They are:
Section 5.1, "Meshing on Geometry" - commonly used tools for surface/solid meshing
Section 5.2, "Non-Geometry Meshing" - specific tools
Section 5.3, "Modifying a Mesh" - allows you to copy, rotate, reflect, or scale a mesh
Section 5.4, "Copying a Mesh" - copy commands
Section 5.5, "Meshing by Extruding, Revolving, and Sweeping" - used to convert a 2-D mesh that has a con-
stant third dimension into a 3-D mesh
Each of these areas and their associated commands will be discussed below.
5.1 Meshing on Geometry
This portion of the Mesh menu contains a command for preparing difficult geometry for meshing (Geometry
Preparation) and two major submenus (Mesh Control and Geometry). The Mesh Control menu allows you to spec-
ify mesh size, as well as customize the meshing procedure. The Geometry menu is used to produce the actual mesh
on the selected geometry.
5.1.1 Mesh, Geometry Preparation
...uses a set of parameters to find situations in geometry which typically result in poor element quality, then uses a
combination of automatic curve/surface splitting, creation of Combined Curves/Boundary Surfaces, and feature
suppression to likely improve mesh quality. In addition, this command will prepare some parts to a degree which
will allow FEMAP to successfully mesh the part.
In most cases, this automatic process will be all that is need to produce a good quality mesh. However, even if it
cannot fully automatically produce an acceptable mesh, it will still provide a good starting point for using the other
interactive geometry cleanup tools, and greatly reduce the amount of work required.
Note: If FEMAP is successful when meshing a solid with acceptable mesh quality for your application, then
using Mesh, Geometry Preparation is probably not necessary. Also, please be aware when using this
process, it is quite common for certain small features to be ignored or removed completely.
Note: It is recommended to use the Mesh, Geometry Preparation command BEFORE manually creating
additional Combined Curves /Boundary Surfaces for meshing purposes.
5-2 Meshing
Surfaces and Curves which have loads or boundary conditions applied will be ignored.
By default, the command goes through two steps, Prepare Geometry and Mesh Sizing. You can choose to skip
either step by simply un-checking the box next to Prepare Geometry or Mesh Sizing. The value for size shown for
both Prepare Geometry and Mesh Sizing is the Default Mesh Size calculated by FEMAP (uses the same algo-
rithm as "Mesh, Geometry, Solids").
Prepare Geometry
The value for Prepare Geometry is simply used as a baseline value for the various Prepare Options. Therefore, it is
typically a good idea to change the Prepare Geometry value instead of the individual Prepare Options values.
Prepare Options button
Opens the Geometry Preparation Options dialog box. In general, the "Prepare Geometry" process has been devel-
oped to function most effectively using the default values in the "Maximum Sizes and Angles" section and all of
the "Preparation Options" set to "on", except "Combine Small Surfaces". These values should only be changed
and/or options turned off if you run into a problem.
Surfaces, Curves and Points to Ignore - allows you to choose a group containing Surfaces, Curves, and/or Points
to exclude from the "Prepare Geometry" process.
Maximum Sizes and Angles - allows you to specify percentage of prepare size and angle tolerances to help con-
trol the Prepare Geometry process. There are 5 values to set:
Narrow Region Factor (default = 10%) - If distance between two locations on a region of a surface is less than
n% of "Prepare Size", the surface will be split. The locations where distance is checked are automatically deter-
mined by faceting the curves based on a percentage of "Prepare Size" (the faceting percentage cannot be
changed by the user).
For example, this simple part has a narrow region. Without going through the Prepare Geometry process, the
worst elements in the resulting mesh have a Tet Collapse Ratio of 16.437 and a Jacobian of 0.8386167..
Mesh, Geometry Preparation 5-3
Zoomed-in view of narrow region at the corner of the part:
After the Prepare Geometry process using the defaults, the narrow region has been split from the original sur-
face, then combined with surfaces from the base. Also, two short curves at the split locations have been sup-
pressed. Finally, 2 Combined Curves have been created to allow larger elements in an area that used to be restricted
by the narrow region Worst elements now have Tet Collapse Ratio of 5.67 and Jacobian of 0.694.
Close-up of narrow region split
Close-up of Combined Curve and
Split Curve is suppressed
Boundary Surfaces at Corner
5-4 Meshing
A surface which has a narrow region that connects two other larger regions is also a good candidate for splitting,
then combination to other surfaces. A surface may be split multiple times if needed to isolate the narrow region.
Curve Suppression Factor (default = 5%)- If curve is less than n% of "Prepare Size", it will be suppressed.
Also, if all curves on a surface are less than n% of "Prepare Size", the surface will also be suppressed and the
surface "collapsed to a single point".
Narrow Angle (default = 15 degrees) - If a surface has a narrow region, but the tangent vectors of the bounding
curves at the locations where the "narrowness" occurs are not within this value, then the split will not occur.
See description of "Detect Close Points" in the "Preparation Options" section for some exceptions.
Feature Edge Angle (default = 15 degrees) - If angle of a feature is more than this value, then the "Prepare
Geometry" process will look for other surfaces which are not above this threshold to combine with surfaces
which will benefit from being combined. If no other suitable surface can be located, then surfaces which are
over this value may still be combined when needed.
Combined Curve Angle (default = 30 degrees) - If angle if larger than this value, curves will not be combined.
Unlike combining curves via the Meshing Toolbox, which has the option to create boundary surfaces while cre-
ating combined curves, this command only deals with combined curves. This is because the surfaces to com-
bine have already been determined earlier in the "Prepare Geometry" process.
Preparation Options - allows you to toggle 6 different options of the Prepare Geometry process on/off.
Geometry Cleanup - When on, applies a subset of options found in the "Geometry, Solid, Cleanup" command to
attempt cleanup of any numerical issues which may exist in the geometry. Many times, these types of issues
arise during translation of the geometry.
Detect Close Points - When on, detects when a point between two bounding curves of a surface is very close to
a location on a third bounding curve on the surface (i.e., "knife edge"), then splits the surface at these locations
and suppresses the "split curve". Using the default values for "Narrow Region Factor" and "Narrow Angle",
this case would be ignored.
For example, the angles of the curves at the narrow region location on the part below are not within the Narrow
Angle tolerance value. If Detect Close Points is off, this portion of the geometry will not be prepared..
Before Prepare Geometry process
When meshed, Worst Tet Collapse = 15.72
Worst Jacobian = 0.793
After Prepare Geometry process
When meshed, Worst Tet Collapse = 4.642
Worst Jacobian = 0.458
Detect Close Points Set to Off Detect Close Points Set to On
Nothing split or suppressed Surface split and split line suppressed
Mesh, Geometry Preparation 5-5
Cut Slivers - When on, will review all surfaces considered "slivers" and determine if they should be "cut" again
to allow for more effective combining with adjacent surfaces.
Process Blends - When on, attempts to combine small fillet surfaces in a "fillet chain" to larger surfaces in the
"fillet chain" to create Boundary Surfaces in hopes of creating a better surface mesh.
For example, this simple part has a fillet chain with a small surface near larger surfaces:
Combine Small Surfaces - In many cases, suppressing very small surfaces entirely is a better option, therefore
this option is off by default. When on, attempts to combine very small surfaces to surrounding surfaces instead
of suppressing them.
Delete Previous Mesh - When on, deletes any existing surface and/or solid mesh currently on the solid which
was selected for the "Prepare Geometry" process.
Mesh Sizing and Sizing Options button
The value for Mesh Sizing and the options found when the Sizing Options button is pressed are mostly the same as
options found in the "Mesh, Mesh Control, Size on Solid" command (see Section 5.1.2.5, "Mesh, Mesh Control,
Size On Solid..."). The one exception is that Max Size of Small Feature is entered as a percentage of the Mesh Siz-
ing value entered in the Geometry Preparation and Sizing dialog box instead of being entered as an actual value.
Interior Growth Factor
Same as Growth Factor in the Surfaced Interior Mesh Growth section of the "Mesh, Mesh Control, Surface" and
"Mesh, Mesh Control, Solid" (see Section 5.1.2.4, "Mesh, Mesh Control, Size On Surface..."). Value (1.0 by
default) may be changed using the slider bar or by manually typing in a value (must be between 1.0 and 10.0).
Sync Prepare and Size
When on (default), the values for Prepare Geometry and Mesh Sizing will change at the same time to the same
value when the slider is moved left or right or the value is entered manually into either field.
Suppress Internal Voids
When on (default), suppress any volumes which are completely contained within the solid (for example, a cube
with an internal sphere).
Remove Combined Curves/Surfaces
When on (default after Mesh, Geometry Preparation command has been used once), will remove Combined
Curves/Boundary Surfaces on the geometry currently selected before starting the "Prepare Geometry" process.
Sizing Type
Same as "Sizing Type" of the "Mesh, Mesh Control, Surface" and "Mesh, Mesh Control, Solid" commands (see
Section 5.1.2.4, "Mesh, Mesh Control, Size On Surface..."). "2..Parametric/Equal Length" is the default.
Remove Previous button
Removes all Combined Curves/Boundary Surfaces, along with any "surface splits" created by the most recent use
of the "Mesh, Geometry Preparation" command on the selected geometry. Exits the command after completion.
Note: There is no "limiting size" on an internal void, so if you have a mostly hollow structure (i.e., pressure
vessel or fully enclosed tank), and this option is on, the entire internal void will be suppressed.
Before Prepare Geometry process After Prepare Geometry process
Smaller fillet surface combined to
larger surface in Fillet chain
5-6 Meshing
5.1.2 Mesh, Mesh Control
This menu contains the commands to control your meshing. This menu is separated into seven sections:
default size
size on geometric entities (points, curves, surfaces, solids)
interactive sizing
customization
attributes
approaches
feature suppression
Each of these areas and their associated commands are explained below.
5.1.2.1 Mesh, Mesh Control, Default Size...
... is used to define the default element size. The default size is used for all
geometry where you did not define a specific size or number of elements. It
is always important to set the default size to a value that matches your
model. If you only need a uniform mesh, this will be the only value that
you need.
Only two inputs are required for this command: Size and Min Elem. The
size is specified in model units. In addition to the size, you can also specify
a minimum number of elements along a curve. This number is only used along curves where no other curve or
point sizes have been defined. FEMAP first calculates the number of elements along these curves using the default
size, then increases the number if it is below the minimum. Use this option if you have some small features (short
curves) in your model compared to the default mesh size that you are using. This will allow you to add refinement
(more elements) along those curves without impacting your overall mesh size.
5.1.2.2 Mesh, Mesh Control, Size At Point...
...specifies the element size at a point. This size is used to define the mesh size along any curve that references that
point as an end point, and does not have a specific mesh definition along the curve. After choosing the points where
you want to set a mesh size, define the size in model units.
To turn off or delete a point mesh size that you have already defined, simply choose the point again and specify a
mesh size equal to zero.
5.1.2.3 Mesh, Mesh Control, Size Along Curve...
...defines the number and spacing of elements along selected curves. When you set the mesh size using this method,
it overrides all point and default sizes. After you select the curves, you will see the Mesh Size Along Curve dialog
box. This dialog box includes the following:
Mesh Size
This section of the dialog box contains the options to determine the mesh size along the curve. If you choose a
Number of Elements, then every curve that you selected will be meshed with that number of elements. If you spec-
Note: The first four categories above all pertain to setting the size of mesh that you will generate. In all of
these commands, there are three basic ways that mesh sizing is specified: along a curve, at a point or
globally. If you set the size along a curve, the other two methods are ignored, even if you specify them.
If you do not set sizes along a curve, then point mesh sizes are used wherever they are defined. Global
mesh sizes are only used when neither curve nor point mesh sizes apply.
Note: This command does nothing when surfaces are part of solids or already have a mesh size assigned to
curves that end at a point. You must remove mesh sizes by using the Mesh, Mesh Control, Size Along
Curve, click Reset, and then this command will function properly. It also does NOT work on solid
edges, only curves and surface edges and will only function when end points of curves are selected.
Shift+F10
Mesh, Mesh Control, Size Along Curve... 5-7
ify an Element Size, that size is used, along with the curve length, to determine the number of elements that will be
on each curve. Since fractional elements are not allowed, the nominal size that you specify is adjusted to the closest
size that will fit evenly into each curve length. If you are using this method, there are several additional options that
will allow you to further control the mesh sizing.
You can set the Min Elem on Lines to ensure that each straight line in your model will have at least a specified num-
ber of elements. Similarly, Min Elem on Closed Edges sets the minimum number of elements that will be placed
along any closed edge, like an arc or circle. Min Elem on Other Edges applies to curves that are neither straight
lines or closed edges, like splines. These options are not typically used if you are setting the mesh size on a single
curve. What they allow you to do, however, is use a single command to select many curves (possibly your entire
model), specify a fairly large mesh size, and still obtain some mesh refinement around desired curves.
Node Spacing
The Node Spacing section of the dialog box allows you to bias the mesh along a curve. You can chose no biasing
(Equal), linear biasing (Biased), or logarithmic biasing (Geometric Bias). If you select a bias, you must also specify
the Bias Factor and where the small elements will be located (i.e. which location to bias towards). The Bias Factor
controls the spacing of nodes. Setting it to a value of 2.0 with linear bias will make the last element twice as big as
the first if you select Small Elements at Start. The first element refers to the element at the first end point of the
curve. The diagram shows a sample surface mesh using different biases on the curves. By using biases appropri-
ately, you can create a fine mesh in the regions of most interest, as well as provide a smooth transition to regions of
less importance.
Parametric vs. Length Spacing
In addition to the biasing methods, you can also choose whether mesh locations will be located in parametric or
length coordinates along the curve. For lines, arcs and circles, these options make no difference since the paramet-
ric and length coordinates are equivalent. For spline curves however, the parametric coordinates are typically much
different.
In most cases, choosing parametric spacing is the preferred method. It results in a finer mesh in areas of high curva-
ture, which is often desirable. However, if you have two spline curves side by side, which happen to have different
parametric coordinates, Equal Length spacing will allow you to match the meshes on those two curves (this can
Edge 1 - 5 elements, no bias
Edge 2 - 6 elements, bias=2.0
Edge 3 - 4 elements set,
5 elements created, bias=2.0
6 elements created, bias = 2.0
Small Elements at Start
Small Elements at End
5-8 Meshing
also be accomplished using a matched custom mesh size on one of the curves - see (Section 5.1.2.7, "Mesh, Mesh
Control, Custom Size Along Curve...")
5.1.2.4 Mesh, Mesh Control, Size On Surface...
...is another way to set the mesh size
along all curves that are used to
define selected surfaces. This com-
mand can be used to override mesh
sizing on curves associated to that
surface, or to define a mesh on all
curves that do not currently have a
mesh size. After you select the sur-
faces, the Automatic Mesh Sizing
dialog box will appear. Just as if you
were specifying the size along
curves, specify a nominal Element
Size, which is adjusted to fit evenly
into each curve. You also have the
opportunity to further control the
mesh sizing using the other options.
.
Replace Mesh Sizes on All Curves
If you choose this options, all curves on the surfaces will be sized. If you do not, only curves that do not currently
have mesh sizing will be updated. Normally, this option should be checked, since if you do not size all curves
simultaneously, other options like Mapped Meshing Refinement may be less effective.
Min Elements on Edge
This option specifies the minimum number of elements along any curve on the selected surfaces. Normally, 1 is the
correct setting, and the number of elements are just determined by the sizing. You can set higher numbers if you
want to force some degree of refinement.
Max Angle Tolerance
This is one of the most important options for controlling mesh sizes. It allows specification of a fairly large mesh
size, while still accurately represent geometry that has high curvature. With this option enabled, the software deter-
mines a nominal size based on the input nominal size. The curve tangent vector is then compared to the vector that
connects adjacent mesh locations. If the angle between those vectors is larger than the angle that you specified, the
elements are added to the curve until it meets the requirement that you specified.
Small Feature Adjustments
Instead of increasing the number of elements, these options limit the number of elements placed around small
features to the Max Elem on Small Feature input. It prevents a large concentration of elements along small features
that may not be needed in your model. By default, the size for a Small feature matches the specified Element
Size, but when checked it can be changed to a size you specify.
Note: Equal Length based spacing is slower for display and meshing than parametric spacing. Parametric
spacing should therefore be used whenever possible.
Tangent
Vector to next mesh location
Angle
Mesh, Mesh Control, Size On Surface... 5-9
This number is not a curve length. It is compared to the length of the perimeter around any closed loop of curves
divided by PI (the effective diameter of the loop). If the effective diameter of the loop of curves is less than the size
you specified, then the number of elements around that loop will be limited to the maximum number you choose.
Vertex Aspect Ratio
Turn this option on to optimize mesh spacing on geometry that has both short and long curves that join at common
vertices. This is especially useful if you are specifying a mesh size that is large compared to the length of your
shorter curves. In this case, without this option you may find that at points where long curves join short curves, the
long curves will have a fairly large mesh size right beside a short mesh size on the short curve. By turning on this
option, the longer mesh sizes will be biased and shortened at the ends where they join small mesh sizes. The aspect
ratio that you specify controls the maximum variation between adjacent mesh sizes.
Suppress Short Edges
In addition to the other options in Initial Sizing, you can also access a feature normally found in Section 5.1.2.16,
"Mesh, Mesh Control, Feature Suppression..." to automatically suppress short edges in your mesh. Turning on this
option, and eliminating short edges can significantly improve the reliability of meshing by automatically skipping
over small features whether they were created intentionally or unintentionally by small mismatches in adjacent
geometry. The percentage value that you specify is a percent of the specified element size. Curves that are shorter
than this length will be automatically suppressed and ignored during meshing.
Mapped Meshing Refinement
This option provides final adjustments to be made to the mesh sizes that favor mapped meshing. It only applies to
surfaces that are 3 or 4 sided (mapped-meshable). If curves on opposite sides of these surfaces have different
lengths, they will often get different numbers of elements, preventing them from being mapped meshed. If you use
this option, the sizes on opposite sides will be adjusted so that they match, if the adjustment will not change the
mesh size too much (factor of 2 from nominal, unless you defined a mapped meshing approach, in which case the
sizes will be matched regardless of size).
Sizing Type
When this option is set to 0..Parametric, all sizing along curves is done in the parametric space of the curves. In
many cases this is desirable resulting in a finer mesh in areas of high curvature. In some cases however - with
unstitched geometry, or geometry that has curves with unusual parameterization - 1..Equal Length spacing along
the curves will yield much better results. Especially when dealing with unstitched geometry, equal length spacing
will produce meshes with matching nodal locations far more reliably than parametric spacing. The default is
"2..Parametric/Equal Length", which sizes all curves using the "Parametric" option, then determines an "average
distance" between each of the "mesh locations" on each curve. If the distance between any of the mesh locations is
more than 1% different than the "average distance", then that curve is resized using "Equal Length" sizing.
Surface Interior Mesh Growth
The Mesh Growth factor is simply a factor that is multi-
plied by the average size of the elements around the
perimeter of the surface. This value is used as the target
size of all the elements in the interior of the surface. If
you wish to decrease the size of the elements in the inte-
rior of the surface, use a number between 0 and 1 and a
value above 1 to increase the size of the elements formed
in the interior of the surface
Curvature-Based Mesh Refinement
Curvature Based Mesh Refinement will reduce the size of elements in areas of a surface with a high amount of cur-
vature. When Curvature Based Mesh Refinement is selected, FEMAP first meshes the surface at the initial element
size. It then calculates the ratio of Chord Height to Chord Length for each element. If this ratio is larger than the
value specified, then FEMAP will automatically reduce the element size and remesh the surface with the new siz-
ing. This will continue until all the elements on that surface do not exceed the ratio.
Factor = 0 Factor = 5 Factor = 0.2
5-10 Meshing
5.1.2.5 Mesh, Mesh Control, Size On Solid...
.... provides the same basic options as Mesh, Mesh Control. Size on Surface. It has additional options that pertain
primarily to multi-solid and hexahedral meshing.
See Section 5.1.2.4, "Mesh, Mesh Control, Size On Surface..." for information about the controls that you can spec-
ify in the Basic Curve Sizing, Surface Interior Mesh Growth, and Curvature Based Mesh Refinement sections.
Auto Boundary Small Surf
This option automatically identifies surfaces whose areas are under a user-defined percentage multiplied by the
area of a one mesh size by one mesh size rectangular surface for a given mesh size. Once these small sur-
faces have been identified, they will be combined with neighboring surfaces to create a meshable boundary sur-
face. FEMAP uses an algorithm which attempts to combine the small surface with a neighboring planer face, and
if a planer face is not available, the small surface will be combined with any surface tangent or nearly tangent
with it to create a meshable boundary surface.
For instance:
Mesh size, M=2 units; Percentage, P=5%; Area of one mesh size by one mesh size surface, A=(M*M)=4 unit
2
.
In this case, surfaces with an area smaller than 0.2 units
2
(P*A = 0.05 x 4 = 0.2) will be identified as small sur-
faces. These small surfaces will then be combined with neighboring surfaces to create a meshable boundary sur-
face using an algorithm which attempts to combine the small surface with a neighboring face or faces. The same
concept is used by the Boundary Surface, From Surfaces on Solid...command, except this option automatically
chooses the surfaces to be combined. See Section 3.3.2.2, Geometry, Boundary Surface, From Surfaces on
Solid... for more details on composite surface meshing.
Chord Length
Chord Height
Original mesh locations
Mesh, Mesh Control, Size On Solid... 5-11
Tet vs. Hex Meshing
Choose the option that is appropriate to the type of meshing that you want to do. Depending on your choice how-
ever, the mesh sizing that is generated can be significantly different.
If you choose Tet meshing, the resulting sizes are similar to those created if you had simply set mesh sizes on the
individual surfaces. Tet meshing does not require any additional adjustments to the mesh sizing.
Preparing for hex meshing however, requires very specific mesh sizing. Many surfaces must be mapped meshed so
that the hex mesh can be generated. In addition, surfaces across multiple solids must be consistently sized and
meshed so that the resulting hex mesh will be compatible. Due to this extra checking that must be done, hex mesh
sizing takes much more time than tet mesh sizing. For more information about hex mesh sizing, see Section 5.1.3.4,
"Mesh, Geometry, HexMesh Solids...".
Assembly / Multi-Solid Sizing
These options are used to automatically specify mesh approaches
(which can be defined manually using the Mesh, Mesh Control,
Approach On Surface command).
Adjacent Surface Matching
If you are specifying sizes on multiple solids at the same time,
this option will set a slaved mesh approach on surfaces that are
adjacent to each other and which are the same size. For example,
in the figure, the cylinder is contained in a box with a cylindrical
hole. The outer surface of the cylinder is adjacent to the similar
surface of the hole through the box. To mesh these parts, you
must ensure that the meshes on these two surfaces are identical.
Setting one of the surfaces as a slave to the other insures a consis-
tent mesh. This option automatically finds surfaces which are adjacent between multiple solids and slaves them to
each other.
Hint: If you are preparing for hex meshing, you MUST select all solids that you plan to mesh in a single com-
mand. If you try to select them one at a time, there is no way to guarantee that the meshes will be com-
patible across different solids.
Adjacent
Surfaces
5-12 Meshing
Remove Previous Slaving
This option removes all slaving from surfaces in the solids that you are sizing before proceeding with the new sizes.
You will always want to leave this option on unless you have manually defined some slaved surfaces that you want
to keep slaved. Turning this option off however can interfere with the proper operation of hex mesh sizing.
Adjust Colors
This option simply changes colors of surfaces during the mesh sizing process to give more information about how
they were processed. It is often difficult to see all of the surfaces in a solid assembly; however, this is particularly
important when you are slicing a solid in preparation for hex meshing. If you enable this option, surface colors will
be adjusted as follows:
You must be displaying your model in solid, shaded Render mode for the best effect of these colors. After sizing,
you can graphically see which surfaces were detected and slaved as adjacent, to make sure that all of the surfaces
that you expected were found. You can also easily see which solids need to be further simplified to allow hex mesh-
ing.
Skip Sizing on Slaved Surfaces
Turning on this option allows surfaces that have been slaved to other surfaces to be skipped during mesh sizing.
You will want to turn this on when you are incrementally updating the mesh sizes of one solid in a group of adja-
cent solids. In this case, you may have slaved surfaces between the solids, that must maintain the same mesh sizing.
If you are just updating one of the solids, the slaved surfaces must not be updated or the slaved meshing will fail.
5.1.2.6 Mesh, Mesh Control, Interactive
... allows you to interactively modify existing mesh sizes along one or more curves.
This command can be used in three different modes, as follows:
Always choose the mode and numbers before beginning. Then, simply click on the curve you want to change, and
the mesh size is adjusted. As you keep clicking on curves they are changed appropriately. Switch modes at any time
to make a different type of modification.
5.1.2.7 Mesh, Mesh Control, Custom Size Along Curve...
... allows you to set custom sizes along the curve. This is extremely useful when you require nodes at specific loca-
tions along curves due to either stress concentrations, or connections to other parts in an assembly. When you select
this command, you will be asked to select the curve and then the Custom Mesh Spacing Along Curves dialog box
will appear.
Color Description
Dark, Transparent Blue Free surfaces that were successfully sized.
Light Solid Blue Surfaces that were successfully sized and which
are adjacent to another surface.
Red Surfaces of solids that can not be hex meshed
Mode Result
Add The current curve mesh size is increased by the number of elements specified
Subtract The current curve mesh size is decreased by the number of elements specified. It is not reduced below 1.
Set To The curve mesh size is set to the number of elements specified
Hint: You may want to try the Mesh Sizing tool in the Meshing Toolbox. It incorporates many of the options in
this command along with some other capabilities which can be used to update the mesh dynamically.
See Section 7.2.2.7, "Mesh Sizing Tool" for more information.
Mesh, Mesh Control, Custom Size Along Curve... 5-13
In this dialog box, the Mesh
Definition window shows
the locations of the mesh
points. The options under
this window serve to mod-
ify or fill the entire win-
dow. The options under
Mesh Point Data, as well as
the buttons on the side,
work on editing, adding, or
deleting one entry at a time.
Mesh Definition
The Mesh Definition area
shows the location of nodes
and the number of elements
and the bias on the mesh.
You can set the mesh between specific locations to guarantee that certain locations will be present in the mesh. In
the example above, nodes will be placed at locations 0, 0.333, 0.667 and 1.0 (Nodes are always placed at the begin-
ning and end of curves). A total of three elements will be created in a uniform fashion (Bias of 1).
The four buttons at the bottom of the Mesh Definition section provide capability to make changes to the Mesh Def-
inition window (as compared to the options on the right side of the dialog box which work on one location at a
time).
Equal
This option asks for the number of elements that you want along the curve, then computes the mesh locations so
that there will be that number of equal length segments along the curve. It does not matter whether you specify
parametric or length spacing for this approach, you always get equal length divisions. Each division is created with
1 element and no bias.
Fill
Fill is used to fill between mesh points. You would typically select this option after defining one or more mesh
points. When you select this option you will be prompted for the mesh size. This mesh size will be used to fill inter-
mittent points between the current mesh points. This command does not change the number of points in the win-
dow. It simply updates the number of elements between each point to as closely as possible match the size you
specify.
Expand
This command simply takes all locations that have more than one element assigned, and expands it to each individ-
ual location. This is again a quick method to set an overall mesh size (using Fill and/or Equal), expand to each indi-
vidual location, and edit certain points if they are not at the exact location you require.
Match
This option simply allows you to match the mesh locations of one or more other curves. This command is very use-
ful when you have similar curves, such as a symmetric configuration. You can define the mesh size on one curve,
and then use Match on each additional curve to copy the mesh locations. The only input required for this option is
to select the curves you wish to match. Each of the mesh locations on the original curves is projected onto the target
curve.
Match Mesh
This option allows you to create matching node locations of a mesh that already exists. This command is useful for
connecting a mesh where the surrounding mesh has already been defined. Select the curve you want to have match
the existing mesh locations then press the Match Mesh button. Then select the nodes of the adjacent mesh and
FEMAP will project each node to the curve and create a matching location.
Mesh Point Data
This section of the dialog box contains the definition of the actual location, as well as any biasing. The Bias and
Spacing portions of the dialog box are identical to those found in the Mesh, Mesh Control, Size on Curve dialog box
5-14 Meshing
(see Section 5.1.2.4, "Mesh, Mesh Control, Size On Surface..."). The bias itself cannot be used with the automatic
methods (Fill and Equal).
Location, Num Elements
This option allows you to input the location along the curve (1e-08 to 1.0) at which you want a mesh location
(node). You must also specify the number of elements required between this location and the previous location on
the curve (if no previous location is specified, it is the beginning of the curve). These options must be used when
you need to specify a biased mesh. The automatic methods (Fill and Equal) are not available.
Locate, Move, Add/Edit, and Delete Options
These options control the transfer of data from input to individual mesh locations. The results will appear in the
Mesh Definition window.
Locate
Often you will not know the percentage distance along a curve for a mesh point, but you will know the coordinate
location. In this case, simply use the Locate button. The standard coordinate definition dialog box will appear, and
you can input the coordinates with any of the standard methods. Be careful when inputting the location, however. It
must be along the curve, or at least be able to be projected onto the curve.
Once you select the location, it will automatically be converted to the location on the curve, and the value will be
added to the mesh points in the Mesh Definition window.
Move
The Move option is identical to the Locate option, except it replaces the highlighted entity in the Mesh Definition
window instead of creating a new entity.
Add/Edit
This button simply adds the location and number of elements contained in the Location and Num Elements boxes to
the list of mesh locations. If the value under Location is already contained in the list, FEMAP will edit the list, oth-
erwise it will simply add it to the list.
Delete
This option removes the highlighted entry in the Mesh Definition window from the list.
When you have finished defining the mesh points, simply press OK to set the mesh size, or press Cancel to abort
the mesh sizing.
5.1.2.8 Mesh, Mesh Control, Mapped Divisions on Surface...
... allows you to specify divisions for a mesh on 3 and 4-sided sur-
faces. When you select this command, you will be prompted to
select the surfaces. After surface selection, you will see the Mesh
Size on Surface dialog box.
This dialog box allows you to define the number of elements, as
well as a bias, for the s and t directions. The s direction is denoted
by an arrow that is drawn at one of the corners of the surface. This
command will allow you to define a mapped mesh grid for rectan-
gular and triangular surfaces.
5.1.2.9 Mesh, Mesh Control, Mesh Points on Surface...
... defines specific locations on a surface where nodes will be created when the surface is meshed. To begin, you
simply select the surface where you want to define mesh locations. You will then see the Custom Mesh dialog box.
Here you have several options. If you have already created points on the surface at the locations that you want,
choose Use Existing Points. When you press OK, you will be asked to select the points that you want to use.
Mesh, Mesh Control, Attributes At Point 5-15
If there are already nodes on the surface at the desired locations, choose Use Exist-
ing Nodes and select the ones you want. This method is useful when you have an
existing mesh that intersects the middle of a surface and you want to match that
mesh. Note that even if you choose these nodes, it is not actually the nodes that are
attached to the surface. Instead, FEMAP automatically creates points at those
node locations and uses the points as mesh locations.
If you have neither points nor nodes, choose Create Points. You will be prompted to
specify the mesh locations and points will be automatically created and attached as
mesh locations.
If you have already defined mesh locations on a surface, you use this same com-
mand to remove them. Simply choose Remove All Points to delete all of the mesh locations for this surface. If you
want to selectively remove one or more points, choose Use Existing Points instead. You will see the standard selec-
tion dialog, but it will be filled with the list of points that you already selected. To remove the points that you no
longer need, you can use the Delete button or the Remove/Exclude picking in the selection dialog box.
This command is used for placing mesh locations in the interior of a surface. It does not place locations along or
very near the bounding curves. To do that, use the Mesh, Mesh Control, Custom Size Along Curve command.
5.1.2.10 Mesh, Mesh Control, Attributes At Point
... is used to assign meshing attributes (properties) to one or more points. Before you begin this command, you must
have one or more properties defined that correspond to mass, or other point element types. You will be asked for
the points where you want to assign attributes, and the property to assign.
Once attributes have been defined, these points can be meshed with elements which will automatically use the
assigned properties.
5.1.2.11 Mesh, Mesh Control, Attributes Along Curve
... is used to assign meshing attributes along one or more curves. Unlike Point Mesh Attributes, Curve Mesh
Attributes contains more information than just a property. They also specify the element orientation, releases and
offsets that will be used when the curve is meshed.
Once attributes have been defined, curves are easily meshed with elements, properties, offsets, orientations and
releases all automatically assigned. You can create, orient and position all cross sections on the geometry and then
Note: For most surface types, the points that you specify do not really need to be on the surface. FEMAP will
project the points onto the surface and use the projected location. For multi-surface boundaries, how-
ever, you must locate the points on the surface. They will not be projected.
Hint: When FEMAP meshes a surface, it creates the original mesh without the hard mesh points. It then
moves the node closest to each hard point to the hard point location. FEMAP then resmooths the mesh.
This technique works very well when there are a significant number of nodes in the mesh (and a reason-
ably fine mesh) in comparison to the number of hard points. If there are not many more nodes than hard
points, this technique will not produce good meshes. For this type of mesh, it is best to imprint a curve
or surface on the surface (see Section 3.2.5, "Curves from Surfaces"), and then define the mesh size on
it. This will use a different technique in the FEMAP surface mesher, and a better mesh will result.
5-16 Meshing
mesh all curves in one easy operation. If the resulting mesh needs to be changed, simply delete the mesh, adjust the
mesh sizes and remesh all of the attribute information is still retained. The Reverse Element Direction option even
allows you to flip the section if the curve is pointed in the opposite direction.
Property
You must select a property that corresponds to a line element such as a bar or beam. If you do not have the property
that you need, you can press New Prop to create a new property.
Orient Using and Releases
These options are similar to the options in the Model, Element command. You simply define the orientation and
releases that you want applied. When you press OK in this dialog box, you will either be asked for a vector, or a
location (not a node) to define the orientation. This orientation will be used for all elements along the curve.
Releases are specified immediately, when you press the Releases button. Releases specified on attributes apply to
connections at the first end of the curve (End A Releases) and the last (End B Releases). Element connections to
internal nodes along the curve are not released.
Offsets
Like orientations and releases, offsets closely follow the Model, Element counterparts. The main differences here
are in the three methods used to define the offset.
The Vector method is identical to the Model, Element method. You define a vector at each end, and the offsets cor-
respond to those vectors. Just like releases, the ends here refer to the start and end of the curve (not the start and end
of each element). Using the vector method, offsets vary linearly along the curve from the End A vector to the End
B vector.
The Location method uses the Reference Point that you can choose when creating a property from a standard or
general shape. If you choose this method, offsets are defined in the YZ plane of the cross section, not in global
coordinates. In this case a zero offset locates the shape so that the reference point lies on the curve at every location.
Even if you want to specify a zero offset, you must still specify the End A and End B offsets or the reference point
will not be used.
The Radial method allows you to choose a center location and offset distance. All of the offsets will be created as
radial vectors pointing away from the center (assuming a positive offset distance) along the line connecting the cen-
ter to the nodal location.
If you are editing the attributes on a curve that already has offsets defined, you will not be able to change the defi-
nition method. You must first press No Offsets to delete the existing offsets, then redefine them using the new
method.
The Use Reference Point button may be used to automatically set the Offsets method to Location, turn on End A
Offset and End B Offset and set them both to Y Loc on Curve = 0 and Z Loc on Curve = 0.
Note: To use any of these options, first choose the method, then you MUST press End A Offset (or one or
more of the other offset buttons) to define actual offsets. Simply choosing the method does not define
an offset. Similarly, if you define the End A Offset, but do not choose either End B Offset, or End B =
End A, then the End B offset is zero.
Mesh, Mesh Control, Attributes On Surface 5-17
5.1.2.12 Mesh, Mesh Control, Attributes On Surface
... is used to assign meshing attributes to one or more surfaces. Simply choose a surface element property to be
assigned to the surface(s) and specify the desired mesh options. The mesh options are identical to the ones which
can be specified when using the Mesh, Geometry, Surface command (See Section 5.1.3.3, "Mesh, Geometry, Sur-
face..." for descriptions of the meshing options). Press the New Property icon button if you have not already cre-
ated the property that you need.
Once attributes have been defined, surfaces can be easily meshed with elements, as properties (thicknesses, materi-
als...) will be automatically assigned.
If you want to assign offsets to the planar elements (typically plates only), specify an option in the Offset portion of
this dialog box. You can offset the mesh to align the Top Face (Face 1) of the elements to the surface, align the
Bottom Face (Face 2) to the surface, or enter an offset from the Centerline directly (Positive values offset the
mesh towards Face 1, negative values offset towards Face 2).
By default, both the property and mesh options will be set for all of the selected surfaces. If you only want to
change the property of a number of surfaces but leave each surfaces meshing options intact, make sure that Update
Property is checked and Update Other Attributes is unchecked. Vice versa, if you only want to change the
mesh options, but leave the properties assigned to each surface intact, uncheck Update Property and check Update
Other Attributes.
If you would like to clear all of the attributes from the selected surface(s), click the Remove Attributes button.
5.1.2.13 Mesh, Mesh Control, Attributes On Volume
... is used to assign meshing attributes to one or more volume. This command is identical to Mesh, Mesh Control,
Attributes On Solid, described below, except that it applies to volumes.
5.1.2.14 Mesh, Mesh Control, Attributes On Solid
... is used to assign meshing attributes to one or more solids. In this case, you simply select the solids where you
want to assign attributes, then select the property that you want. You may create the property before using this com-
mand or on-the-fly using the New Property icon button.
Once attributes have been defined, solid can be meshed and properties (primarily material information) will be
automatically assigned.
5-18 Meshing
5.1.2.15 Mesh, Mesh Control, Approach On Surface
... is used to specify the type of mesh to be created on a surface. Normally, without specifying an approach,
FEMAP will decide whether to create a free/boundary mesh or a mapped mesh on each surface. This command
gives you control over that selection, and allows you to define additional information so that mapped meshes can
be created on surfaces that could otherwise not be mapped meshed.
After selecting surfaces where you want to specify the approach, you will see the Surface Mesh Approach dialog
box. There are many different approaches to choose from, in addition to Not Specified. If you choose Not Specified,
FEMAP will decide which mesh is appropriate based on geometry, mesh sizing and resulting mesh quality.
The Preview icon button may be used to highlight points in the graphics window which have been chosen for the
three Mapped options or highlight the selected surface for the Matched - Link Surface option.
Free - Parametric
This approach tells FEMAP to always try a free mesh on the surfaces. Even if mesh spacings allow a mapped mesh,
a free mesh is always created. In some cases, the free mesh may look like a mapped mesh, but it is created using the
free meshing technique. Specifying this approach usually has little effect since it uses the same approach that is
most commonly taken by FEMAP anyway. This is called Free-Parametric because surfaces are meshed in their
parametric coordinates.
Free - Planar Projection
This approach is similar to Free-Parametric, except the mesh is created on a plane and is projected onto the sur-
face. This approach is never used automatically, but can help to overcome problems with meshing surfaces that
have problems in their parametric representation. Most notably these would be cones or caps of spheres, where sur-
faces normally have an undefined pole in the parametric coordinates. This technique can only be used for sur-
faces that do not have too much curvature. If your surface is too curved, split it into several pieces and mesh them
using this approach.
Fast Tri - Parametric
This approach applies a free mesh to the surfaces using the FEMAP Fast Triangle mesher. The Fast Triangle
mesher uses a different method when creating surface triangles that is faster and produces triangles with better
aspect ratios. This is called Fast Tri-Parametric because surfaces are meshed in their parametric coordinates.
Fast Tri - Planar Projection
This approach is similar to Fast Tri-Parametric, except the mesh is created on a plane and is projected onto the sur-
face. This approach is never used automatically, but can help to overcome problems with meshing surfaces that
have problems in their parametric representation. Most notably these would be cones or caps of spheres, where sur-
faces normally have an undefined pole in the parametric coordinates. This technique can only be used for sur-
faces that do not have too much curvature. If your surface is too curved, split it into several pieces and mesh them
using this approach.
Mapped - Four Corner
This approach creates a mapped mesh on the surface, between four corners that you select. When you select this
approach, the right hand side of the dialog box allows you to select four points for the corners of the mesh. These
Mesh, Mesh Control, Approach On Surface 5-19
points can be specified in any arbitrary order, but you must choose four different points. The edges of the mesh
are all of the curves that lie between the points that you choose.
In this example, the corner points have been defined at the locations of the dots. In addition, the total number of ele-
ments specified on the three outside curves equals the number of elements on the arc. This is a requirement.
If you do not specify mesh sizes that are compati-
ble with the mapped meshing approach, you will
still get a free mesh, even if you specified Four
Corner.
When specifying the mesh corners, you do not
have to specify points on the surface where you
are setting the approach. FEMAP will automati-
cally find the closest points on the surface to the
ones you selected, and use those. This eliminates
problems in knowing which points to pick when
surfaces are adjacent with each other. It can also
be used to your advantage if you need to set
approaches on a series of parallel or similar sur-
faces. You may be able to define them at once by
picking the points on one surface and letting
FEMAP automatically select the others.
If you do not select any corners, FEMAP will attempt to choose appropriate corners on certain types of sur-
faces. This includes surfaces with more than four points.
Example surfaces where corners likely do not need to be selected to achieve mapped mesh:
Mapped - Three Corner
This approach is similar to the Four Corner approach; it
simply defines three corner locations. The resulting mesh
can be an all quadrilateral mesh on the three cornered
surface. Depending on the geometry however, the result-
ing mesh can be severely warped.
Mapped - Three Corner Fan
This method is similar to Three Corner, but the resulting
mesh has triangles at the first corner location. This is the
only point that must be specified in a particular order.
Just as in the four corner methods, the points in these three corner methods do not need to lie on the selected sur-
faces.
Matched - Linked to Surface
This final approach does not directly define a new type of mesh. Rather, it simply instructs FEMAP to make the
mesh on the selected surface match the one on the surface that you link it to. This approach is primarily used to
insure compatible meshing in a single solid for hex meshing, and to insure compatible meshes between adjacent
surfaces of multiple solids. You can use it for certain other situations, but care must be taken:
Free
Four Corner
Surfaces with all points shown Automatically selected mesh corners shown with
resulting mesh
Three Corner Three Corner Fan
5-20 Meshing
1. Surfaces to be linked must either be on the same solid, or must be adjacent/coincident in space, or must at least
be closely aligned.
If surfaces are on the same solid, they can be anywhere in space. They do not have to be parallel or aligned in
any particular fashion, but they can only be linked if the other curves on the solid directly connect the two sur-
faces. In this mode, linking surfaces is intended to be used with hex-meshable solids only. That is, solids that are
essentially extrudable. If you have more complicated geometry, you will still be able to link the surfaces, but
meshing the linked surface will fail.
If surfaces are not on solids, or are on different solids, then they are meshed by matching the closest points on the
surfaces. For this reason, to mesh properly, the surfaces must be positioned and aligned so that the points on the
curves that are closest to each other result in the proper mapping between the surfaces. Surfaces that are rotated
arbitrarily in space relative to each other will usually not meet this criteria. Again, this mode is primarily
intended for matching adjacent surfaces between multiple solids.
2. Surfaces to linked must also have the same mesh sizing, or they will not mesh properly. In order for a linked sur-
face to be meshed, it must have the same mesh sizing as the master surface.
3. You cannot to define circular references. You can only slave surfaces in one direction, that is if A is linked to B,
then B must be independently meshable, it can not be linked to A.
5.1.2.16 Mesh, Mesh Control, Feature Suppression...
... enables you to remove features from the model when meshing. When a CAD part is imported into FEMAP, it
may contain many small features that are unimportant to the finite element model. With this tool you can suppress
these features so that FEMAP will mesh the part as if they did not exist. In many circumstances, the resulting mesh
will be much smoother.
When small single or connected edges are sup-
pressed, FEMAP will treat them as a single node
during meshing. One node is used for all vertices
attached to the suppressed edge. The end result
will be an excellent surface and subsequent solid
mesh.
The figure shows the geometry and the resulting
mesh when several of the short edges are sup-
pressed. Without suppressing the edges, the
mesher would have generated sharp sliver ele-
ments on those edges.
The Feature Suppression dialog box offers two
methods of feature suppression: Automatic and
Manual.
Automatic
The Automatic feature is a good
method for cleansing a part with a
significant number of small fea-
tures. Select the feature criteria and
enter their values. Features in your
model that are under this size will
be removed. The three options
under Automatic are explained
below.
Smaller Than
This option removes loops from the
model that are smaller than the
specified size. This command
walks along the entire loop. If the
loop length is smaller than the value entered, the entire loop will be removed from the part. In some cases, such as
Mesh, Mesh Control, Feature Suppression... 5-21
a very long but small-radius cylinder, the total length of the feature may be longer than the specified value. Because
the end portion of this feature is smaller than the tolerance, FEMAP will remove the entire loop.
Face Area Less Than
This option removes any faces in the model that have an area less than the tolerance value you specify. This option
is useful for removing small sliver faces, but you must be careful that the area you specify is not so large that signif-
icant faces are removed from your model, which can harm the integrity of the solid model. This option does not
check for any loops in the model.
Edges Shorter Than
This option removes any edges in the model that are shorter than the tolerance value that you specify. Be careful
that the length you specify does not cause removal of important edges, which can harm the integrity of your model.
This command does not check for any loops in the model.
Manual
By switching to Manual operation, you can specify individual features in your model to remove. This command
has both Remove and Restore options. You can remove/restore edges, loops, and faces. Removal of key areas may
result in loss of integrity of the solid.
Edges
Edges lets you remove specific edges from the model. This option is most useful when you have many small edges,
but only want to remove a few of them.
Loops
Loops lets you remove features from your model. Select a curve on the loop, and the entire loop will be removed.
This can be very useful for removing small holes that run through the model.
Examples
Surfaces
Surfaces lets you to remove specific faces from the model. This option is most useful when you have many small
surfaces, but only want to remove a few of them.
will be found and Suppressed
from the surface for meshing
suppressed from the surface
for meshing purposes only
Original Solid Part with stepped hole
Curve chosen for loop to Suppress
Resulting Solid Mesh
5-22 Meshing
Suppressed Color
This section of the dialog box lets you define colors for your suppressed curves and surfaces. The entity colors of
the curves or surfaces will not change, only how the surface appears in the graphics window. This enables FEMAP
to use the original colors of curves and surfaces when restored. The default for suppressed is typically a dark color,
which makes it easy to distinguish these curves and surfaces from the rest of the model. You should always use a
distinguishing color to remind yourself which features have been suppressed.
Restore All Features...
This button provides an easy method to restore all features in the model.
5.1.3 Mesh, Geometry
The Geometry menu provides the tools for automatically meshing geometry. The menu is partitioned into five sec-
tions based upon the type of entities to mesh. You can create meshes on points, curves, and surfaces. The last two
sections deal with solids and volumes. The first allows you to hex mesh solids and the last performs tet meshing in
volumes and solids. Each of the commands are described below.
Before using these commands, you will often want to use the Mesh, Mesh Control commands to define the mesh
sizes for the geometry you wish to mesh. If you are meshing a solid model, FEMAP will give you an additional
opportunity to define the mesh size before proceeding. Most other commands will simply use the mesh size which
you have already defined (or the default mesh size if you have not defined a mesh size).
5.1.3.1 Mesh, Geometry, Point...
... is the most basic of automatic meshing commands. It will simply generate nodes (or elements and nodes) at the
selected points. When you choose this command, you must select the points through the standard Entity Selection
dialog box. You will then see the Geometry Mesh Options dialog box, where you choose to generate either just
nodes or nodes and elements. One of the point element types (mass) must be selected if you are going to generate
elements.
5.1.3.2 Mesh, Geometry, Curve...
.... creates a mesh of nodes and 1-D elements along a curve. When you select this option, you will be asked to select
the curves through the standard entity selection dialog box. Once you select the curves, you will see the Geometry
Mesh Options dialog box. It includes the following:
Node and Element Options
These options allow you to specify the beginning node and element IDs, the coordinate system (to set the definition
coordinate system of the nodes, and the property. You must choose a line element property for this command. You
may also use the New Prop button to define a new line element property if you have not already defined one, as
well as change the node and element parameters.
Using Meshing Attributes
If the curves that you are meshing have mesh attributes defined, you will see an additional property (0..Use Mesh-
ing Attributes) in the list. If you choose that property, FEMAP will use the attributes to define the property, orienta-
tion, offsets and releases for the elements that will be created. To ignore the attributes, simply pick or create a
different property.
Mesh, Geometry, Surface... 5-23
Generate
This option controls whether you generate Nodes or Elements and Nodes.
Element Shape
This section of the dialog box will be grayed, since
lines elements do not have a shape. This section is
available for some of the non-geometry-based meshing
commands (for example, Mesh Between).
If you are meshing with elements that require an orien-
tation (bars, beams, etc.), the standard vector definition
dialog box will be used to define an orientation vector.
You cannot orient using a third node, but you can mod-
ify the orientation later. The single vector that you
define is used for all elements that are generated, so it
must be specified carefully.
5.1.3.3 Mesh, Geometry, Surface...
... creates nodes and planar elements on a selected set of surfaces. Before choosing this command, you must define
the mesh sizes using the various Mesh, Mesh Control commands. Once a surface has been meshed, the mesh
attributes are automatically set on that surface. See the Using Mesh Attributes section below for more details.
Controlling the Mesh
If you simply specify sizes and then mesh surfaces, FEMAP will decide which type of mesh to create based upon
what it can do automatically. Normally this will result in a free/boundary mesh; however, mapped meshes will be
created whenever possible. If you want to control this process, for example to force a mapped mesh onto surfaces
with more than four boundary curves, use the Mesh, Mesh Control, Approach on Surface command to define the
meshing approach for your surfaces.
When you select the Mesh,
Geometry, Surface command,
you must select the surfaces
to mesh. After they are
selected, the Automesh Sur-
faces dialog box appears.
After choosing the appropri-
ate property, you can decide
to press OK to accept default
options or click the More
Options button to set up addi-
tional meshing controls. See
More Options section below.
The Mesher section allows you to choose between meshing the surfaces with quadrilateral surface elements, where
possible (Quad option), or all triangular surface elements (Tri option). When using the Tri option, you may choose
to use Auto, which will examine each surface one at a time and attempt to choose the Tri mesher which will create
the best overall triangular mesh on each individual surface. If you want FEMAP to use a particular Tri mesher,
uncheck Auto and choose one of the three triangle meshers. See the "Element Shape" section below for details.
Checking the Midside Nodes option will create parabolic surface elements instead of linear surface elements, while
turning the Mapped Meshing Options will attempt to create a mapped mesh on the surface, if possible using the
options currently set
Curves
Beam Elements generated
along curves with cross section
shown.
Shift+F11
5-24 Meshing
.
These options control parameters that are assigned to the nodes and elements that you will create. The CSys option
does not control the mesh in any way. It is just assigned as the definition coordinate system of each node. The prop-
erty is most important. You must choose a property which corresponds to a planar element.
Using Meshing Attributes
If the surfaces that you are meshing have mesh attributes defined, you will see an additional property (0..Use Mesh-
ing Attributes) in the list. If you choose that property, FEMAP will use the attributes to define the property, type
of elements that will be created, and which meshing options will be used during the meshing process. If you wish to
ignore the attributes, simply pick a different property from the drop-down list or create a new property.
If you wish to use the property specified in the attribute, but set different meshing options, check Mesh with
Attribute Property but Different Options, which is only available when Property is set to 0..Use Meshing
Attributes.
More Options
When the More Options... button has been pressed, the Automesh Surfaces dialog box will expand to offer many
more meshing options. Depending on which options are selected in the Mesher section, certain portions of the dia-
log will gray and un-gray to only allow you to choose appropriate options for the selected Mesher.
Note: In many cases, you will only want to mesh a geometric surface one time with 2-D elements. Suppose
you have already meshed a few surfaces in a model and now want to mesh the rest of the surfaces.
Instead of having to choose all the non-meshed surfaces individually to avoid creating overlapping ele-
ments, FEMAP allows you to select all the surfaces in the model, then choose whether you would like
to create overlapping elements on the already meshed surfaces or skip over these surfaces during the
meshing process.
FEMAP will bring up a dialog box asking OK to Mesh Already Meshed Surfaces? Meshing these sur-
faces again will result in coincident meshes. Pressing Yes will create an overlapping mesh on the
already meshed surfaces. Pressing No will mesh only the surfaces which are not currently meshed, skip-
ping all of the previously meshed surfaces. Pressing Cancel ends the command entirely.
Mesher
The Mesher section allows you to choose between meshing the surfaces with quadrilateral surface elements, where
possible (Quad option), or all triangular surface elements (Tri option). When using the Tri option, you may choose
to use Auto, which will examine each surface one at a time and attempt to choose the Tri mesher which will create
the best overall triangular mesh on each individual surface. If you want FEMAP to use a particular Tri mesher,
uncheck Auto and choose one of the three triangle meshers. See the "Element Shape" section below for details.
Pre-v10 Meshing
The surface meshing in FEMAP has dramatically changed for version 10. This switch allows you to use the pre-
v10 surface meshing if you feel more comfortable with pre-version 10 meshers. This box will be checked by
default if you have Pre-v10 Surface Meshing checked on the Geometry/Model tab in the Preferences dialog
box (See Section 2.6.2.6, "Geometry/Model").
Node Options
Midside Nodes
Checking the Midside Nodes option will create parabolic surface elements instead of linear surface elements. By
default, midside nodes are created along the element edge between the corner nodes of an element. You project
the midside nodes onto the geometry by using the Move to Geometry option. In some cases, you may want to limit
the distortion of elements created by projecting the midside nodes. If this is the case, check Max Distortion Angle
and enter the max allowable distortion angle.
Connect Edge Nodes
When this option is turned on, FEMAP will use existing nodes on edges of adjacent surfaces instead of creating
new nodes when at least one of the adjacent surfaces has already been meshed. This option is only applicable when
the adjacent surfaces are stitched together to form a solid (or sheet solid) or joined together into a general body
using Geometry, Surface, Non-Manifold Add
Smoothing
These options are the same as those described in the Mesh, Smooth command. After an initial mesh is generated, it
is automatically smoothed to reduce element distortions. You will usually just want to accept the default values for
these options. For more information, see Section 5.3.4, "Mesh, Smooth...".
Offset
Allows you to automatically offset the surface mesh so the Top Face (Face 1) or Bottom Face (Face 2) of shell ele-
ments will be aligned with the surface(s) currently being meshed. There is also an option to simply offset the mesh
away from the Centerline of the elements (default) a specified amount. Entering a positive number will offset the
Note: Only options available is versions of FEMAP before version 10 will be available when Pre-v10 Mesh-
ing is checked. Notice, Quad Edge Layers is now set in the Automesh Surfaces dialog box when using
the Mesh, Geometry, Surfaces command instead of in the Automatic Mesh Sizing dialog box, which
appears when using the Mesh, Mesh Control, Size on Surface command.
Three Surfaces stitched together using
Geometry, Solid, Stitch command
Surfaces 1 and 3 meshed at the same time
Free Edge Plot of existing mesh on
Edges surface 2 shares with previously
meshed adjacent surfaces 1 and 3
Surfaces 1 and 3
Free Edge Plot after meshing surface 2 with
Connect Edge Nodes turned ON
Free Edge Plot after meshing surface 2 with
Connect Edge Nodes turned OFF
5-26 Meshing
mesh towards the Top Face (Face 1) of the elements, while entering a negative value will offset towards the Bottom
Face (Face 2).
For Example, the thicker Black lines represent a Surface. Elements are shown with Normal Vectors on.
Mapped Meshing Options
When Mapped Meshing is set to Off, FEMAP will simply mesh the selected surface(s) with a free mesh, unless a
Mapped Meshing Approach is set. If Mapped Meshing is On, FEMAP will attempt to create a Mapped Mesh.
FEMAP uses the values set for Max Angle Deviation and Min Corner Angle to determine corners it can use to
attempt a mapped mesh on surfaces.
There are several other options available:
Equal Sides Only - FEMAP will only attempt a mapped mesh on surface(s) with equal mesh sizing on opposing
sides of the surface(s). The sides are the curve(s) between the corners the mesher locates.
Map Subdivisions - As the subdivision meshers subdivide the geometry during the meshing process, the
mesher will determine if each subdivision can by mapped meshed. If possible, that portion of the surface will
be mapped meshed and then smoothed using the current Smoothing settings to create the overall surface
mesh.
Split Quad Map - Only available when using the Tri option in the Mesher section. FEMAP will actually create a
quad mesh first and then split the quads into the best possible triangles using the same approach as the Modify,
Update Elements, Split Quads command. See Section 4.8.3.14, "Modify, Update Elements, Split Quads..."
Alternate - Only available when using the Tri option in the Mesher section. The mesher will attempt to alternate
the direction of triangles which are side by side instead of having them all go in one direction.
Note: The best way to determine which face is the Top Face and which face is the Bottom Face is to view the
normal direction of the elements. This can be accomplished by setting options for the Element - Direc-
tion option in the Labels, Entities and Color category of the View, Options command (See Section
6.1.5.3, "View, Options..."). To see the normal vector on each element, choose 1..Normal Vectors
from the Normal Style list, check the box next Show Direction and then click Apply or OK. The arrow
representing the normal vector points towards the Top Face of the element.
Mesh with no offsets
Mesh Offset so Top
Face of elements Aligned
with Surface
(Centerline of Elements
Aligned with Surface)
Mesh Offset so Bottom
Face of elements Aligned
with Surface
Mesh Offset from element
Centerline a specified
positive distance from
surface
Curved Geometry Default Triangle Mesh
Triangle Mesh using Split
Quad Map Option
Right Bias - Only available when using the Tri option in the Mesher section. The mesher uses the opposite
direction to start when choosing the direction of the triangles.
Subdivision Options (Tri Mesher set to Subdivision, Quad Mesher only)
These options control the size and shape of the mesh inside the boundary. The elements along the boundary edges
are defined by the mesh sizes that you choose and are unaffected by these settings. Those mesh sizes also have sub-
stantial impact on the interior of the mesh, but these options give you additional control.
Post-Meshing Cleanup
This option, which is on by default, attempts to eliminate specific patterns in a mesh in an effort to create an
overall higher quality mesh. It also does additional element checking in an attempt to eliminate meshing situations
which may cause problems with surface and/or solid meshing.
Additional clean-up includes inserting extra mesh points on long cylindrical surfaces with course mesh sizing. This
eliminates the possibility of elements bridging the gap resulting in a collapsed hole.
Here are a few examples of mesh patterns which will be recognized and the resulting mesh after the clean-up.
Quad Edge Layers
This option specifies the number of layers of quadrilateral elements that FEMAP will attempt to place around every
boundary curve on a surface. You can choose to have either 1, 2, or 3 layers of quads around each boundary curve
of a surface, including internal curves from the drop-down list. Additionally, you may enter a number higher than 3
directly into the field and the mesher will attempt to create the specified number of quad element layers. If there is
not enough room for the requested number of layers based on the mesh size, FEMAP will try to put as many layers
Note: In almost all cases, this option should be turned on, as it will usually create a better overall mesh. The
only potential drawback to using this option is the possibility that the clean-up will replace patterns
with less elements and therefore create a slightly courser mesh than expected.
Subdivision
Fast Tri
3-D Tri
Triangle Mesher Mapped Off Mapped On
Mapped On
Alternate On
Mapped On
Right Bias On
Mapped On
Alternate and
Right Bias On
Diamond elements eliminated
Patterns
Original After Clean-up
5-28 Meshing
of quads in as possible. The process goes one layer at a time, meaning that one layer of quads will be placed around
all boundary curves (external curves first, internal curves second) before a second layer of quads will be attempted.
In many cases, more layers will produce a higher quality mesh, but on some pieces of geometry using only 1 or 2
layers may produce better overall mesh quality than using 3 or more layers.
Min Elements Between Boundaries
As a boundary is being meshed, groups of elements are often generated between two opposite edges of a boundary.
Sometimes, the mesh sizes that you have defined are large enough that a single element will span the distance
between surfaces. Since this may not be enough refinement for the model that you are creating, you can control this
behavior by setting a minimum number of elements that must be created between any boundary edges.
Setting this parameter does not guarantee that you will get that number of elements between every edge. But wher-
ever possible (based on compatibility with your surface mesh sizes) that number of elements or greater will be cre-
ated.
It is usually best to leave this parameter set to 1 initially, then if the results are undesirable, undo the mesh and try it
again with the number increased. Setting this number greater than 1 can greatly increase the number of elements
that are generated.
You will usually only have to set this option if you are meshing a
surface that is long and thin relative to the mesh size, or one that has
long, thin appendages, as this example demonstrates.
Max Element Aspect Ratio
Like the Min Elements setting described above, this option controls
the elements inside the mesh. In this case however, control over the
number of elements is only a secondary effect of this option. Prima-
rily, this number is used as a guideline for how long elements can
be relative to their width. You must always specify a value that is greater than or equal to 1.0. Smaller numbers
usually create slightly more uniform meshes with elements that are better shaped. Large numbers can lead to
severely distorted elements. If you make a mesh that contains long, thin or distorted elements, try again with a
smaller aspect ratio.
Quick-Cut boundaries with More Than n Nodes (n = 300 by default)
Meshing large non-uniform surfaces can often take some time. Turning this option on shortens the time required
while usually having minimal impact on the overall mesh quality. If you want the best possible mesh, and are will-
ing to wait, turn this option off. You can also control the threshold by setting the number of nodes to a smaller or
larger number. Do not reduce the number of nodes too much, or mesh quality will substantially decrease.
Cut Quads with Angle Deviation Above n deg (n = 60 degrees by default)
Typically, quadrilateral elements with an angle deviation above 60 degrees will have poor element quality. Trian-
gles are created wherever a quadrilateral would be severely distorted. You can override the default 60 degree allow-
able distortion with any value that you want. Lower distortion values will result in more triangles in your mesh.
2 Layers 1 Layers 0 Layers
3 Layers 5 Layers
Min Elements = 3 (or 2)
Min Elements = 1
Element Shape
Quad Mesher
Although the mesher is called Quad, it is physically impossible on some surfaces with certain mesh sizing to create
a mesh using all quads without some being highly distorted. The Quad option will generate quadrilateral ele-
ments whenever possible using a subdivision approach in the parametric space of each surface being meshed.
Tri Meshers
These options control the creation of triangular elements in your mesh. If you want to create all triangles (Tri
option), you may choose from the Subdivision, Fast Tri, or 3-D Tri options. Use the Auto option to have FEMAP
choose which Tri meshing option should be used on each surface.
Subdivision - FEMAPs original triangle mesher. It creates triangle elements by making subdivisions of a sur-
face based on parametric space. It works very similar to the Quad mesher, but instead of making 90 degree
splits to create quadrilateral elements, it makes 60 degree splits to make triangles. In a few cases, it may
produce better quality mesh than the Fast Tri or 3-D Tri meshers.
Fast Tri - creates large triangles in 2-D parametric space of a surface (U and V directions) then creates the
final mesh through a process of splitting and improving the shape of the triangles based on where they are posi-
tioned in each surfaces parametric space. The Fast Tri mesher generally produces fewer triangles with better
aspect ratios than the Subdivision mesher. This technique works particularly well if you have a long thin surface
with holes.
3-D Tri - uses the facets of each surface as a triangular seed mesh, then uses a similar splitting and
improving triangle shape technique as the Fast Tri mesher, except it evaluates the shape of the triangles in true
3-D space instead of the surfaces parametric space. Also, the nodes are constantly projected back to each
surface to match the actual shape of the surface as closely as possible. In many cases, this will produce the best
quality mesh and is the recommended option for meshing boundary surfaces created from surfaces which are
part of a solid or stitched sheet solid.
Meshing a surface which has already been meshed
If you choose a surface to mesh which has already been
meshed, FEMAP will give you three options:
Delete Existing Mesh and Remesh - Simply deletes the
mesh and remeshes the surface.
Skip Meshed Surfaces - If you have chosen a number of sur-
faces to mesh, some of which have already been meshed,
only the surfaces which currently are not meshed will be
meshed.
Create Duplicate Meshes on Meshed Surfaces - Usually
used when you want to skin a solid mesh with a shell mesh.
Note: You must always get at least one triangle if you specify an odd number of nodes on the surface.) Trian-
gles are created wherever quadrilaterals cannot meet the specified boundary mesh sizes and wherever a
quadrilateral would be severely distorted.
Note: One of the only drawbacks to using the 3-D Tri mesher, is when trying to mesh surfaces which wrap
around with a large amount of curvature over a short distance. When using a relatively course mesh
size on this type of surface, the mesher may create elements which do not follow the curvature of the
surface properly, as a better shaped element can be created without following the curvature based on the
positions of the nodes in 3-D space.
5-30 Meshing
Examples
The following pictures show sample meshes created using this command.
These suggestions can help you use the free meshing commands more effectively:
Specify mesh sizes that transition gradually along the edges. Do not have large changes in size from one curve
to the next.
Use default generation settings first, then undo and try again with modified settings if you do not like the
results. If that does not work, consider changing some mesh sizes.
Try to map a boundary to a surface (Modify, Update Other, Boundary on Surface) whenever it is nonplanar.
If most of a mesh looks good, but there are a few distorted areas, use the remesh option in the Mesh, Refine
command to clean-up the distorted elements or use the Mesh Locate tool in the Meshing Toolbox. See Sec-
tion 7.2.2.9, "Mesh Locate Tool" for more information.
The nodal locations along all edges can vary due to the shape of the surface and biasing. Biasing along edges can be
varied independently. It will not be ignored along the third and fourth edges, even in the mapped meshing case.
This command can generate either a mapped or a free/boundary mesh. If you have the same number of divisions
along opposite edges of the surfaces, a mapped mesh can be automatically generated. If not, FEMAP will create a
boundary mesh. You can further control this process by specifying a mesh approach using the Mesh, Mesh Control,
Approach on Surface command. (See Section 5.1.2.15, "Mesh, Mesh Control, Approach On Surface")
You could use the Min Elements option
to increase the number of elements in this area
Simultaneous generation in two boundaries
Outer boundary
with circular hole
Inner, circular
boundary
Edge 1 - 5 elements, no bias
Edge 2 - 6 elements,
5 elements created, bias=2.0
bias=2.0
Edge 4-
3 elements set,
6 elements created
bias=0.5
Free Mesh Mapped Mesh
Surface
Surface
Elements
Requires 4-corner mapped approach on surface
Surface Elements
5-32 Meshing
Controlling the Interior of a Mesh
In many cases, the surface boundaries alone are not sufficient to generate the precise mesh that you may need to
properly locate connection points in your mesh. For this, you need to control key features inside the surfaces.
FEMAP provides two approaches to this problem.
Specifying Precise Mesh Locations
There are some cases where you need to have a node located at some precise location. For example, you may need
nodes at bolt locations where some other component attaches to your model. These cases can be handled using
mesh points, as described in Section 5.1.2.9, "Mesh, Mesh Control, Mesh Points on Surface...". You simply create
points or nodes at the locations you need, select them as mesh points, and they will be incorporated into the mesh.
Matching Interior Curves
Sometimes just matching individual locations is still not sufficient and you need to make sure that an entire curve is
reproduced in the mesh. This is often a case where you need to match edges of other surfaces that happen to inter-
sect the interior of a surface. To handle these situations, you need to imprint the curves that you need into the sur-
face. You can do this using the commands on the Geometry, Curve-From Surface menu. Make sure you turn on
Update Surfaces, and then use one or more of the other commands to imprint the curves you need onto the sur-
faces. Once the curves have been imprinted, they are part of the surface - you do not need to do any further associ-
ation using the Mesh Control commands - they will be automatically considered when the mesh sizing is defined.
When the mesh is created, elements will not cross these imprinted curves, therefore the mesh will properly repre-
sent the curves along element edges. FEMAP supports many different configurations of imprinted curves. You can
have individual curves floating in the interior of the surface, curves connected to the outer boundary or curves con-
nected to or joining interior holes. In addition floating curves can intersect each other, however in this case you
must break the curves at their intersection location(s).
Multi-Surface Meshing
When you mesh surfaces, the shape of the mesh is strongly controlled by the shape of the underlying surfaces. All
of the surface boundaries become boundaries in the mesh. In many cases however, surfaces may be split at places
Mesh, Geometry, HexMesh Solids... 5-33
that you really do not need, or even want, to split the mesh. Multi-surface boundaries address this problem. You can
use the Geometry, Boundary Surface, From Surfaces on Solid command to create boundary surfaces that span mul-
tiple underlying surfaces. In this case, the mesh will only conform to the outer boundary of the surfaces that you
combine, inner surface boundaries and features will be lost. For more information on creating multi-surface bound-
aries, see Section 3.3.2.2, "Geometry, Boundary Surface, From Surfaces on Solid...".
If you create a multi-surface boundary, you can still use the other features, such as mesh approaches, and mesh
points on surface to customize the mesh on the boundary. If you want to create mesh points on a multi-surface
boundary, they must be on the surface. Other surfaces will work with the projected mesh location, however for
multi-surface boundaries, the mesh locations must be on the surface.
5.1.3.4 Mesh, Geometry, HexMesh Solids...
... creates a hexahedral mesh in a selected set of solids. Before choosing this command, you must define the mesh
sizes using the Mesh, Mesh Control, Size on Solid command and choose the Hex Meshing option.
To create a hex mesh in solids, you must follow a fairly strict procedure.
1. Subdivide your model into hex meshable solids.
2. Set the mesh sizes using Mesh, Mesh Control, Size on Solid, with the hex meshing option.
3. Verify that all solids are hex meshable, and are properly linked to adjacent solids. If not, return to step 1, and
continue dividing your solids.
4. Hex mesh using the Mesh, Geometry, Hex Mesh Solids command.
Each of these steps is extremely important if you are going to succeed in creating a complete, correct hex mesh.
Multi-Surface Boundary with
mapped mesh. Note how
boundaries of interior
surfaces are ignored
Individually Meshed Surfaces
Geometry
Geometry (dark outlines show edges of multi-surface boundaries
interior hatching shows boundaries of individual surfaces)
Mesh - follows boundary outlines, but not surfaces
5-34 Meshing
Hex Meshable Solids
The first, most important, and often most difficult step in the hex meshing process involves dividing your part
(which we assume is one arbitrarily shaped solid) into simpler hex meshable solids. FEMAP can only hex mesh
extrudable solids, therefore if you have a part that is more complex, you must break/slice it into multiple, simpler
solids that can be meshed. While we use the word extrudable here, the actual solids that FEMAP can mesh are
much more complex than simple, straight extrusions. To give you some ideas of the types of solids that FEMAP
can and can not mesh, look at the following pictures:
The pictures represent some general solids that can be meshed. FEMAP can mesh solids where it can identify a
base and top surface that are connected by all four-sided, mapped meshable surfaces. The base and top surface
can be any shape, including surfaces with holes, and do not even have to be geometrically similar (although the
mesh quality may suffer depending upon how different they are). The base and top surfaces do have to have similar
connectivity, that is, the same number of edges.
During the process of hex meshing sizing, FEMAP identifies the base and top surfaces and automatically matches
(slaves) the mesh on the two surfaces. This is required for successful hex meshing. The base and top surfaces must
produce the same surface mesh, not necessarily the same shape, but the same number of nodes and elements with
the same connectivity.
The lateral or side surfaces (everything but base and top) control the mesh along the length of the extrusion. In
the simplest case, all are four sided surfaces with one edge on the base and the opposite edge on the top surface.
Often more complicated connections exist but many can still be meshed. In general, the requirement is that all lat-
eral surfaces must be four-sided. There must also be a single path through the lateral surfaces from each edge of
the base surface, to a corresponding edge on the top surface. If you combine all paths, they must cross the lateral
surfaces once and only once, and there cannot be any surfaces that are missed. Some examples of solids that do not
meet these requirements follow
Examples of Solids that can be automatically Hex Meshed
Additional Examples of Solids that can be automatically Hex Meshed
Mesh, Geometry, HexMesh Solids... 5-35
The corner of this solid creates three five-sided faces. You can split this
solid into three six-sided solids.
You cannot mesh solids with holes in faces other than the base and top
without subdividing the model into hex meshable solid.
The split on the top faces, combined with the five-sided face, prevents
identifying a top and a bottom surface. To mesh this part, simply split it into
two solids along the line.
You cannot mesh solids that have partial depth holes, without embed-
ding the partial hole through the remainder of the solid.
You cannot mesh revolvable, but not extrudable, solids. In this case, the
holes force the left and right sides to be the base and top, but they are con-
nected with 3-sided, not 4-sided, surfaces. To mesh, split the solid near the
point inside the hole.
The other main problem that leads to non-meshable solids is sliver surfaces. These are small surfaces that are
usually generated by inaccuracies in the solid modeling process. If you have sliver surfaces, you will have to
5-36 Meshing
remove them before proceeding. The Geometry, Solid, Cleanup, or Explode and Stitch commands can often be used
to remove these surfaces.
Commands for Subdividing Solids
Most real solids will have to be subdivided before they can be hex meshed. The various Geometry, Solid, Slice and
Embed commands are the primary tools that you have for cutting your solid. For more information, see Section
3.4.2.18, "Geometry, Solid, Slice...", Section 3.4.2.19, "Geometry, Solid, Slice Match...", Section 3.4.2.21, "Geom-
etry, Solid, Embed Face...", and Section 3.4.2.16, "Geometry, Solid, Embed...".
In addition, another approach that is often helpful, especially with complicated solids, is to use the Geometry, Solid,
Explode command to explode the solid into a set of disconnected surfaces. You can then use the surface modeling
tools to add internal surfaces to divide the region, and use Geometry, Solid, Stitch to reassemble the pieces. This
technique can also be used to remove undesirable portions of your part.
Hex Mesh Sizing
The Mesh, Mesh Control, Size on Solid command (with the Hex Meshing option selected) is the primary mecha-
nism to setup the necessary mesh sizing for successful hex meshing. In addition to properly subdivided solids, con-
sistent mesh sizing is mandatory for hex meshing. Since many surfaces on your solids must be mapped meshed,
curves on opposite sides of those surfaces must have the same number of element divisions. Similarly, this consis-
tent sizing must propagate through the model, across the multiple solids that you have created.
Once you have properly subdivided your part, the Size on Solid command handles all sizing automatically. Simply
specify a nominal size. If you need further mesh grading or want to modify the sizes that Size on Solid has created -
you must use great care. If you manually change the mesh size along a curve, you must also manually change the
mesh sizes (to the same settings) on all of the other curves in your solids that must match the first curve to maintain
mapped meshable surfaces. If you do not, FEMAP will not be able to hex mesh your solids. While you are doing
this process, you must make sure that you pick ALL of the curves. In particular, at the common boundaries where
you have sliced solids, there will be duplicate curves - one on each solid. All of these curves must get the same
mesh size.
Hex Meshing
When you choose this command, you will first be asked to define a material for the mesh (if you have not defined
meshing attributes on your solids). This will use the standard material creation dialog boxes (see Section 4.2.3,
"Model, Material"). You will then see the Hex Mesh Solids dialog box.
Most node and element options were explained in Section 5.1.3.2, "Mesh, Geometry, Curve...". For this meshing
procedure, select a solid property, or create a solid property with the New Prop... button. If you do not have any
properties defined in your model, FEMAP automatically creates a solid property that references the active material.
The Options button controls more advanced meshing options. The Options dialog box is identical to those
described in Section 5.1.3.7, "Mesh, Geometry, Solids...". Most of the options are unimportant for hex meshing,
other than the Midside Nodes options, which are important if you are meshing with elements that have midside
nodes.
Mesh Generation
The options in this section of the dialog box control the actual meshing procedure. If you choose Surface Mesh
Only, only surface elements will be created, not solid elements on the interior. Choose Midside Nodes if you want
to create solids that have midside nodes.
If you choose Merge Nodes on Slaved Surfaces, all nodes on the surfaces that lie between sliced solids will be
merged. This should result in a single fully connected mesh. You should always use the free face and free edge dis-
Mesh, Geometry, HexMesh from Elements... 5-37
play, and examine them carefully for any disconnections. In some cases, if surfaces are too far apart, nodes will fall
outside of the automatic merge tolerances and you could have gaps in your model. If this happens, use the Tools
commands to merge your nodes with a larger tolerance.
If you are not meshing all of your solids at once, you will have to manually merge the nodes. FEMAP only merges
nodes on the solids you are meshing. You can choose to turn off Merge Nodes on Slaved Surfaces if you want to
connect surfaces using other means (like the Mesh Connection command), or to simulate contact conditions.
In most cases FEMAP automatically chooses a mesh smoothing method that produces a good mesh. If the solid that
you are meshing has a high degree of curvature (especially with a small number of elements) and you want a more
evenly spaced mesh, or if you are getting messages that FEMAP can not produce a valid hex mesh, you might want
to try turning on Alternate Smoothing. This method also requires the meshes on the base and top surfaces be
mapped meshes - so you might have to divide your solid further before trying it. Finally, be aware that the alternate
smoothing method is significantly slower than the normal smoothing approach - but it can solve problems that are
otherwise not possible.
The figure shows a solid with three slices and the resulting hex mesh.
5.1.3.5 Mesh, Geometry, HexMesh from Elements...
HexMesh From Elements provides two ways to create a hex mesh out of mapped surface quads. A hexahedral mesh
can be created from a fully enclosed outer bound of mapped surface quads or between a bottom and top mapped
region that is connected with straight lines.
Top and Bottom:
To mesh hexahedral elements between two mapped surfaces, you will be asked to select the elements on the base of
the mesh and then the elements that form the top of the mesh. After the bottom and top of the mesh have been
defined, FEMAP will ask you if you would like to automatically match the top and bottom meshes. In most cases
FEMAP will be able to automatically match the top and bottom mesh. By saying No you will be able to choose a
node on the bottom set of elements and a matching node on the top set of elements. This will ensure the extrusion
Hint: Take advantage of any symmetry in your geometry when you are slicing. First divide your solid along
the lines of symmetry. Then you only need to further subdivide one of the symmetric pieces. When you
are done subdividing, you can either reflect the solids to recreate the entire part, or reflect the resulting
mesh.
5-38 Meshing
matches the top region of elements. The last question defines how many layers of elements should be created
between the top and bottom regions.
Elements Enclosing the Volume to Hex Mesh:
For hex mesh regions that do not have straight lines that connect the top and bottom regions, you will have map
mesh all of the surfaces that enclose the volume to hex mesh.
In this case you will first select the elements that form the mapped base region. Then you will be prompted to select
all of the elements that form the remainder of the enclosing volume.
5.1.3.6 Mesh, Geometry, Volume...
... creates nodes and solid elements in a selected set of volumes. Before choosing this command, you must define
the mesh sizes using the various Mesh, Mesh Control commands.
Since this command uses a mapped meshing technique, the number of nodes/elements along opposite faces of a
volume must always be equal. Biasing can vary independently along each edge of the volume.
The volumes are selected using the standard entity selection dialog box. Additional meshing options are then spec-
ified using the Geometry Mesh Options dialog box.
Hint: It is helpful to place the solids that must be manually hex meshed into their own group in order to sim-
plify the selection of surface elements. Use Group, Operations, Generate Solids.
Bottom Region
Top Region
Base Region
Mesh, Geometry, Solids... 5-39
For details, see Section 5.1.3.2, "Mesh, Geometry, Curve...".
The only options not described in this section are the Element Shape options. You can specify bricks, wedges, and
tetra elements, and the type of bias for wedges and tetras. The Bias options are explained in more detail in Section
5.2.1, "Mesh, Between...".
Examples
5.1.3.7 Mesh, Geometry, Solids...
... produces a 3-D solid tetrahedral mesh in a solid part. The solid must
either have been imported from an ACIS (*.SAT) file, a Parasolid
(*.x_t), or built directly inside of FEMAP. When you select this com-
mand, if you have only one solid in your model, FEMAP will automat-
ically select it. If you have multiple solids, you will be prompted to
select the solids to mesh.
If you have already defined mesh sizes for all of the curves and sur-
faces in your model, FEMAP will ask you to update them. If you say
Yes, or if you have surfaces/curves which do not have defined mesh
sizes, the Automatic Mesh Sizing dialog box will appear. For details on
this dialog box, see Section 5.1.2.5, "Mesh, Mesh Control, Size On
Solid...".
Hint: Volume meshing is typically only used if you have a very regular part and require a mapped mesh of
bricks and wedges. For all other solid parts, it is best to use Mesh, Geometry, Solids, or Mesh, Geome-
try, Solids from Surfaces, or Mesh, Geometry, Solids from Elements. The solid tetra mesher provides
much more flexibility and robustness than the volume mesher.
Volume Elements
5-40 Meshing
FEMAP will compute a default mesh size for your part based upon characteristic lengths in your part. Many times
this will be a very good initial guess. If you mesh the part and are unhappy with the sizing, delete the original mesh,
and then use a different element size.
Once you select OK on the Automatic Mesh Sizing dialog box, you will either be prompted to input a material for
the solid (if no materials are defined in your model), or you will go straight to the Automesh Solids dialog box
shown.
If the tet mesher fails, FEMAP will ask OK to Update Selector and Data Table with # nodes causing errors? If
you answer Yes, the problem nodes will be sent to the selection list and Data Table for easy identification using
the Show When Selected tool in the Model Info tree and Data Table.
Most of the node and element options were explained in Section 5.1.3.2, "Mesh, Geometry, Curve...". For this
meshing procedure, you must select a solid property, or create a solid property with the New Prop... button. If you
do not have any properties defined in your model, FEMAP will automatically create a solid property which refer-
ences the active material. The Options button provides more advanced meshing options (see "Options").
Update Mesh Sizing...
Allows you to change the mesh on solids which have already been sized for tetrahedral meshing. It will bring up
the same Automatic Mesh Sizing dialog box, the same dialog as the Mesh, Mesh Control, Size on Solid command.
For more information about the Automatic Mesh Sizing dialog box, see Section 5.1.2.5, "Mesh, Mesh Control, Size
On Solid...".
Mesh Generation
These options control different aspects of the mesh. Each of these options are described below.
Surface Mesh Only
The Surface Mesh Only option provides an easy method to mesh all of the surfaces related to a solid, but not mesh
the solid itself. You can then use these surfaces for analysis if you actually have a thin part modeled as a solid, or
you can review the surface mesh before going to a full solid mesh. Simply review and modify the surface mesh as
appropriate, and then use the Mesh, Geometry, Solids from Elements command to create a solid mesh from this
modified surface mesh.
Allow Mapped Meshing
In some cases, a mapped triangle mesh on a surface will actually create worse tetrahedrals than a free mesh when
sent to the tetrahedral mesher. When this option is on, surfaces will be mapped meshed, if possible. When off, all
surfaces will be meshed with free triangle meshes.
Midside Nodes
The Midside Nodes option controls whether or not midside nodes are generated in the tetrahedral mesh. Turn this
option on to create midside nodes. You can further control their placement (at the exact midside, or on the surfaces
of your solid model) by choosing Options (see "Options").
Hint: You should almost always leave this option on. Four-noded tetrahedral elements can give inaccurate
results. Therefore, unless your analysis program does not support 10-noded tetrahedral elements, this
option should always be checked.
Merge Nodes
This option allows you to choose how nodes will be merged between solids, using the default merge tolerance, after
solids have been meshed with tetrahedrals. The default option is 0..Off, which will not merge any nodes between
solids. 1..New Nodes will only merge nodes between solids which were meshed during the current command.
Finally, 2..All Nodes will run a node merge on all nodes in the model.
Tet Growth Ratio
The Tet Growth Ratio allows you to modify the size of the tetrahedral elements based upon the size of elements in
the surface mesh. If the tet growth factor is set to 1, the size of tetrahedral elements formed will be approximately
the same as the surface mesh elements. If this value is set below 1 (minimum of 0.5), the length of the tetrahedral
elements formed by the solid mesher will be smaller than the surface mesh elements. If this value is above 1 (max-
imum of 100), the tetrahedral elements will be larger than the surface elements. If you need to form larger or
smaller tetrahedral elements than this ratio will allow, simply remesh the surfaces of the solid with a finer or
coarser mesh.
Initial Size Ratio
The Initial Size Ratio is another meshing control you can use to change the number of elements the tetrahedral
mesher creates. The default value of 0.5001 should give you the best mesh quality with the least number of ele-
ments possible.
Options
This button allows you to access some advanced meshing options for the solid mesher in the Solid Automeshing
Options dialog box. Details of the solid tetrahedral mesher are controlled here. In general, you should use the
default settings. They have been chosen based on experiences in developing the solid mesher.
These options are segregated into two major
sections: Solid Meshing Options, and Status
Options. The functionality associated with each
of these options is described in the following
sections.
Solid Meshing Options
These options control the actual meshing pro-
cedure.
Check Surface Elements
This option checks the surface elements that
are input to the solid mesher. Several checks
are performed including:
element normal directions face in the same
direction, inward or outward
no free edges
that there are no interior walls/bulkheads in
the model. It is not possible for the volume
mesher to fill a volume that is not completely
closed.
Delete Surface Elements
This option controls whether or not the surface elements that have been generated are deleted after completion of
the solid mesh. If you leave this option off, the surface mesh will be retained, and you will have both planar and
solid elements in your part.
Note: This option will only delete Plot Only Plate elements. All other surfaces elements will remain even if
this option is turned on.
5-42 Meshing
Pre-v10 Tet Meshing and Pre-v10 Surface Meshing
The tetrahedral and surface meshing in FEMAP has dramatically changed for version 10. These two switches allow
you to use the pre-v10 tetrahedral and/or surface meshing if you feel more comfortable with these meshers and
the associated default values they use.
Adjust Nodal Precision
This option allows you to round-off nodal locations from the surface mesh prior to sending them to the solid
mesher. This option is on by default. When it is turned on, coordinates of nodes in the surface mesh are truncated to
6 significant digits. This can help to eliminate small deviations between nodes on surfaces.
Mesh All Regions Including Voids
When this option is checked, the mesher will fill all internal voids in the geometry with solid tetrahedral elements
as well as mesh the actual geometry.
Recovery Mesher (use only if Standard Mesher fails)
This option should ONLY be checked if the standard mesher has already failed. The tet-mesher contains a special
boundary recovering mesher which will attempt to create a volume mesh starting from extremely poor quality
surface mesh (almost flat triangles on the surface, high density propagation, extreme aspect ratios, etc.) which fail
with the standard mesher. The resulting volume mesh will likely have a very poor quality and this mesher should
only be used when a volume mesh is absolutely required, regardless of element quality,
Smooth Solid Elements/Smooth Tolerance:
These options will automatically smooth the tetrahedral elements generated in a solid mesh to the tolerance speci-
fied. (For details on smoothing, see "Mesh, Smooth...") Basically, smoothing will move the interior nodes of a solid
mesh to try to maximize the smoothness of the elements. This command does not have to be invoked here in the
automatic meshing process, but can be executed from FEMAP at any time after automatic meshing
Midside Nodes on Surface/Limit Distortion/Max Angle:
This option controls whether or not the midside nodes of parabolic tetrahedral elements are moved onto the edges
and surfaces of your solid model, or simply created at the geometric center of the two adjacent corners of the ele-
ment. It is best demonstrated with a simple example.
In the case on the left, midside nodes were projected onto the surfaces and edge curves. Notice the accurate repre-
sentation of the cylindrical portion of this model since the midside nodes are actually on the radius of the cylinder.
Without midside node projection, the cylindrical portion is more faceted, as shown on the right.
You can also specify an angular limit to the midside node projection to limit distortion. If the limit distortion option
is on, you must specify an angular limit to the distortion. FEMAP will calculate the position of the midside node on
the surface, and then compare the resulting angles with the two corner nodes. If either of these angles is above the
specified limit, FEMAP will recompute a new position for the node on the line between the exact midside position
Note: When Pre-v10 Tet Meshing is checked, you may want to change the Tet Growth Ratio to 1.5 to get the
same mesh you would have gotten in pre-v10 versions of FEMAP.
Note: If the surface mesh is invalid or not watertight (it contains holes, overlaps, gaps, self intersections, etc.)
this boundary recovering mesher will not repair the surface mesh and not create a volume mesh.
Hint: In general, the solid mesher produces nicely shaped tetrahedral elements so there is no need for smooth-
ing. This option should almost always be turned off. You can invoke this command later if required sim-
ply by using the Mesh, Smooth command.
Projected Onto Surface
At Midside
and the position on the surface, which creates an angle equal to the limit angle. The following diagram shows an
example of this
Max Elem to Allocate (0=Automatic)
This option controls the allocation of memory for the solid mesher. Larger meshes will require more memory. If
you set this value to 0 (the default), FEMAP will automatically estimate the amount of memory required. If the
estimate is not large enough, FEMAP will retry two more times, each time doubling the memory. The minimum
amount of memory allocated for any mesh is equivalent to 50,000 elements. Therefore, most meshes will proceed
without any difficulty.
If you specify a number of elements (minimum of 5000), FEMAP will use this number to allocate memory. If this
amount of memory is insufficient, FEMAP will ask you to increase the number or cancel. You can continue in this
loop until you obtain a mesh.
FEMAP will also check the available physical memory to prevent large allocations of unavailable memory. If the
memory allocation exceeds the amount available, FEMAP will ask you if you want to reduce memory allocation
(which will reduce the number of elements you can create), or go with the current value (which will require swap-
ping to disk and may significantly slow the process).
Improve Collapsed Tets
When this option is on (default), the mesher will locate elements with a Tet Collapse Ratio higher than the
specified value (default is 100), then attempt to improve the mesh quality by moving internal nodes to new loca-
tions. Once the nodes have been moved, the new triangular seed mesh is sent through the tet mesher again.
Status Options
Both of the options in this section control the output of messages and files that can be used in the rare event that
there is a problem generating a particular automatic mesh.
Detailed Status Messages:
Controls output of additional status messages from the tetrahedral meshing engine to the FEMAP Messages win-
dow. These messages can help pinpoint exactly where in the automatic meshing process that a problem has arisen.
Update Data Table with Mesh Quality:
The Data Table needs to be open in FEMAP for this option to be available. If the Data Table is locked, FEMAP
will ask if you want to unlock it when leaving the Solid Automeshing Options dialog box. When this option is
checked, every element created in the current meshing operation will be added to the Data Table along with corre-
sponding values for Tet Collapse and Jacobian element quality checks. For more information on how FEMAP
calculates element quality, please see Section 7.4.5.6, "Tools, Check, Element Quality...".
Note: Consult the documentation for your particular analysis program regarding the placement of midside
nodes on parabolic tetrahedral elements. Some codes have limits on the included angle between the two
node to node segments of each edge of the element. An angle that is too severe can cause significant
discrepancies in calculated stresses for that element. It is up to you to ensure that the limit angle is
within the tolerance imposed by your solver.
Note: The FEMAP default calculations will work for almost all meshes. When overriding the defaults, you
should be careful to specify a large enough number of elements to finish the mesh. If you want to limit
the mesh to a specific number of elements but FEMAP cannot finish the mesh simply change the Tet
Growth Ratio, or remesh the surfaces with a coarser mesh.
Angle Exceeds
Angular Limit
Limit Angle
Position on Surface
Final Position
Exact Midside Position
Corner Node
Corner Node
5-44 Meshing
Completing the Mesh
Once you have set the desired options, simply press OK and the solid mesher will produce a tetrahedral mesh of
your part. FEMAP will produce status messages while the tetrahedral meshing is occurring and provide feedback
on element numbers and quality.
The table in the Surface Mesh Quality section of the listing displays the number of elements which fall into each
range of values using FEMAPs Minimum Angle element quality check, while the table in the Tetrahedral Mesh
Quality section contains similar listings of values for Tet Collapse and Jacobian. For more information on how
FEMAP calculates element quality, please see Section 7.4.5.6, "Tools, Check, Element Quality...".
The following is a sample of a typical status message list sent to the Messages window during the tetrahedral mesh-
ing process:
If you have an assembly of parts, or one part with different materials, you can mesh the different sections as differ-
ent solids, and then merge the meshes to obtain one mesh. The solid tetrahedral mesher maintains the original
meshes on the surface. Therefore, if you use the same surface meshes to generate solid meshes on different sides of
a surface, the two meshes will be coincident at that location. You may also use this feature if you have difficulty
obtaining a mesh on one large solid. You can slice this solid into two or more sections, mesh the sections separately,
and then merge the meshes when you have completed the solid mesh.
5.1.3.8 Mesh, Geometry, Solids from Surfaces...
... operates identically to the Mesh, Geometry, Solids command, except the initial input is the surfaces which
enclose a volume instead of a solid. This is a useful tool if you need to mesh a volume enclosed by surfaces, but
which do not form faces of a solid. For information on the solid meshing procedure, see "Mesh, Geometry, Sol-
ids...".
5.1.3.9 Mesh, Geometry, Solids from Elements...
... also operates identically to the Mesh, Geometry, Solids command, except the initial input is FEMAP planar ele-
ments enclosing a volume instead of a solid. This is a useful tool if you created finite elements without geometry to
enclose a volume, and need to create a solid mesh. One special option, Allow Void Regions, is available to allow
meshing enclosed volumes with internal voids. For information on solid meshing, see "Mesh, Geometry, Solids...".
Non-Geometry Meshing 5-45
5.2 Non-Geometry Meshing
This section of the Mesh menu contains tools for meshing without geometry. Most often you will automatically cre-
ate meshes using geometry and the command on the Mesh, Geometry menu. However, FEMAP does have specific
tools for non-geometry based meshing which can be very useful in certain circumstances.
You can generate an automatic mesh between locations (Mesh, Between), create a ruled region of nodes and ele-
ments (Mesh, Region), automatically create line elements, rigid elements, or constraint equations between two sec-
tions of your model (Mesh, Connection commands), and generate a free mesh between existing nodes. Each of
these options is discussed in more detail below.
5.2.1 Mesh, Between...
... creates a mapped mesh of nodes and elements between corner locations that you specify. This is one of the sim-
plest ways to create a mesh. There are no requirements to start this command. You do not need existing geometry,
nodes or elements - everything can be done directly with this command.
All options for this command are specified through the following dialog box:
These options establish the basic parameters that will be assigned to each node or element as it is created.
Node ID and Elem ID
These are the IDs of the next node and element that will be created. Usually you can ignore these numbers, but if
you want to start with specific IDs, you can define them here.
CSys and Gen Clockwise
The CSys option chooses the coordinate system in which the generation will take place. The most important aspect
of this parameter is whether you choose a rectangular, cylindrical or spherical coordinate system. Generating
between corners in nonrectangular systems is different (but sometimes very useful!), than generating in rectangular
systems. For example, in cylindrical coordinates, you can generate between four corners to create a cylinder instead
of a rectangle.
The Gen Clockwise option is only used when you are working in a cylindrical or spherical coordinate system. It
controls whether generation will be done in a clockwise (negative theta) or counter-clockwise (positive theta)
direction. Examples of using these options are given later in this section.
Property and New Prop
The property that you choose is extremely important when you use this command. First, it is the property that will
be assigned to any elements you create. More importantly, however, the type of property that you select controls the
type of elements that will be generated. If you choose a plate property, plate elements will be generated. Choosing
a solid property will generate solid elements. Furthermore, if you chose a parabolic element/property type when
Ctrl+B or F11
Choose or create
property first. It controls the
setup for the dialog box
5-46 Meshing
you created the property, this command will generate parabolic elements with midside nodes. If you did not, linear
elements will be created. If you do not have any properties, or if you do not have the correct property, just press the
New Prop button to create a new property.
Node and Elem Param
These buttons allow you to set additional parameters for the nodes and elements that you will create. They access
the same dialog boxes as the Parameter buttons found in the Model, Node and Model, Element commands. For
more information, see Section 4.2.1, "Model, Node..." and Section 4.2.2, "Model, Element...").
Generate Options
For any generation, you can choose one of the three available options - nodes, elements, or both. When you choose
Nodes or Both, you will specify the corner locations that you want to generate. When you choose Elem, you do not
choose corner locations. Instead, you will choose a starting Node ID, and the Node Increments. Elements will sim-
ply be created based on the ID numbers of the existing nodes. This approach can be used if you had previously cre-
ated nodes with this command, or if you have other nodes that follow the same ID pattern. It is usually easiest to
use the default option, Both.
Corners
Use this option to choose the type of generation pattern that you want. The available options will be based on the
type of property that you have selected. The following table shows the available patterns:
The shapes above are all typical for rectangular coordi-
nates. In spherical coordinates, the shapes are
warped or mapped to follow the principal coordi-
nate directions. For example, a quadrilateral can
become a cylindrical surface if you work in cylindrical
coordinates.
Hint: If the default property shown is not the one you want, you should always change (or create) the property
first. It controls the activation of many of the other options in this dialog box.
Patterns for Generate Between Corners
Property
Type
Available
Corners
Shape and Corners
Line 2 line
Planar 3 triangle,
4 quadrilateral
Solid 4T tetra,
5 pyramid,
6 wedge,
8 brick
1
2
1
2 3
1 2
3 4
1
2 3
1
2 3
5
4
6
1 2
3 4
8 7
5 6
1 2
3 4
5 4
Rectangular
Coordinates
Cylindrical
Coordinates
1
2
3
4
1
2
3
4
Y
X
Z
Mesh, Between... 5-47
Mesh Size
The Mesh Size parameters determine the number of nodes and elements that will be generated between your cor-
ners, and their spacing.
# Nodes
The # Nodes options define the number of nodes that will be created in each direction between the corners. If you
are generating between two corners, only the first box (Dir 1) will be active. For three or four corners, the first two
(Dir 1 and Dir 2) will be active. The solid generation patterns require all three numbers. Remember, this is the num-
ber of nodes, not the number of elements. The numbers must include the nodes at the corners. For linear elements,
the number of elements in each direction will be one less than the number of nodes that you choose. If you are
going to create parabolic elements, you must always specify an odd number of nodes. The number of parabolic ele-
ments will be half the number of linear elements.
Here are some examples:
Bias
If you want your nodes and elements to be equally spaced between the corners, just leave the Bias options blank, or
specify a bias of 1.0. To control the spacing such that elements at one end of a pattern are smaller than at the other
end, use these options. If you specify a bias of 0.5, the last element along that direction will be one half the size of
the first element. Use a bias of 2 if you want the last element to be twice the size of the first element. In the figure
above, the effect of biasing on a four cornered, quad mesh is shown. If you want to use an alternate logarithmic
bias, check the geometric bias option (provides a smoother transition).
Node Increment
These options are only available when generating planar or solid elements on existing nodes, by choosing the
Elems button. In this case, the generation logic will looks for existing nodes that start with an ID that you specify.
The ID increment in the first direction is equal to the nodal creation increment. This value is normally one, but you
can change it by pressing the Node Param button. If you do not specify additional increments, the direction incre-
ment is used to calculate required node IDs in other directions. If your node numbering does not follow the required
pattern, simply specify a different increment in each direction.
For example, if you wanted to generate plate elements on this pat-
tern, you would have to specify that you had a pattern of 5 nodes
by 5 nodes, the starting node was 1, the regular node increment
was 1, and the Node Increment in the second direction was 10. This
last entry accounts for the vertical numbering pattern in the picture
(1,11,21,31,41 - an increment of 10).
Element Shape
This group of options controls the shape of the elements that you
will create. Only those shapes that correspond to the type of ele-
ments that you are creating will be available. For more information on the available shapes for each element type,
see Section 4.2.2, "Model, Element...".
If you choose to generate quad or brick elements, you will still create some triangles, wedges or tetras unless you
are generating between four corners for the quads or between eight corners for the bricks. These other elements are
required to fill the tips of the triangular generation patterns.
2
3 4
1 2
3
1
Dir 1 (5 nodes, 0.5 bias)
Dir 2
(7 nodes)
Dir 1 (6 nodes)
Dir 2
(4 nodes)
Triangular elements
are created at the
tip of a 3 cornered
mesh.
3 Corners 4 Corners
(3.0 bias)
1 2 3 4 5
11 12 13 14 15
21 22 23 24 25
31 32 33 34 35
41 42 43 44 45
5-48 Meshing
If you choose the Tri, Tetra or Wedge options, you have further con-
trol over the pattern of elements that will be generated. The figure
shows how the Right, Left, and Alternate options control these ele-
ments.
Control for the solid elements is similar; however, you cannot alter-
nate tetra elements.
Corner Nodes
The corner nodes will be used as the location of the corners of the
mesh that you are going to generate. You will see as many text
fields here as you are selecting corners. You have two choices. You
can either choose existing nodes here for the corners, or you can
leave these corners blank. For each corner that is still blank when
you press OK, FEMAP will display the standard coordinate definition dialog box. This allows you to specify any
coordinate location as the corner - including selecting an existing node.
Whether you use the corner node fields, or the coordinate dialog boxes, you must specify the corners in the order
shown for each generation pattern (see "Corners"). If you use other patterns, FEMAP will attempt to untwist and
fix up the corners that you choose, but the results can be unpredictable. It is always best to follow the default pat-
terns.
If you make a mistake, or change your mind, when you are using the coordinate dialogs to define corner locations,
you can backup to the previous corner by pressing Cancel when the next dialog box is displayed. You cannot
backup after you press OK for the last corner. The mesh will already be generated.
First Corner Node
When you are generating elements on existing nodes, the lower portion of the dialog box will change to allow you
to specify the starting node ID in the pattern, rather than the corner nodes. You can either enter the ID, or select it
graphically, but you cannot leave it blank - the coordinate dialog boxes cannot be used for this method.
All-Quad Meshing Option
Normally when you choose the 3, 4T (tetra), 5 or 6 cornered
options and a quadrilateral or brick element shape, mapped
meshing requires that you add some triangular (or wedge/tetra)
elements to finish the pattern.
That is the case with this command also, unless you meet the
following conditions:
You must have an odd number of nodes along each paramet-
ric direction. All #Nodes entries must be odd numbers. The
only exception to this is along the third direction of a mesh
between 6 corners. In that direction, you can have either an
odd or even number of nodes.
Biasing is not allowed. All entries must be blank or 1.0.
Generation must be done in a rectangular coordinate system.
You must generate nodes and elements simultaneously. You cannot use this approach unless you select the Both
option.
If you follow these guidelines, a final question will be displayed (after you have pressed OK for the final corner)
that asks if you want to use mesh with all quadrilateral elements. If you answer no, the normal mixed quad/tri, or
brick/wedge/tetra mesh will be created. If you answer yes, however, you will get a mesh that contains only quadri-
lateral or only brick elements. For planar elements, the mesh will resemble the picture shown above. The mesh for
solid elements is similar, it just extends into three dimensions.
Hint: Since the Between Corners dialog box is rather large, it is often best to leave the corner nodes blank,
even if you are going to select an existing node. The coordinate definition dialog boxes will not occupy
as much of the screen and it may be easier to select the nodes graphically using that approach.
Right, Not Alternating Left, Not Alternating
Right, Alternating Left, Alternating
1 2
3 4
1 2
3 4
1 2
3 4
1 2
3 4
1 2
3
9 by 9 mesh between
3 corners using
All-Quad meshing
Mesh, Between... 5-49
Some Examples
The following pictures show some examples of meshes created with this command.
In Rectangular Coordinates
In Cylindrical Coordinates
Generating between corners in cylindrical
coordinates works just like rectangular except
the primary coordinate directions are not X, Y
and Z, but R, theta and Z. The typical reason
for generating in cylindrical coordinates is to
create a cylindrical mesh. As shown in the this
example, this usually involves specifying cor-
ners that vary in the angular (theta) direction. It
is often helpful to visualize these cylindrical
sections as an unwrapped or flat-pattern.
In Spherical Coordinates
Working in spherical coordinates is the same as cylindrical, you just have to remember the orientation of the coor-
dinate directions. Probably the only time that you will want to use spherical coordinates is to mesh a spherical
dome.
Generating Line Elements
When you generate line elements, like bars and beams, in addition to the connectivity, you must define the orienta-
tion of the cross section. Because of this, if you generate between two corners, you will see the standard vector def-
inition dialog box for these and other element types. You cannot generate these elements referencing a third node,
but you can always change the orientation with the Modify, Update Elements, Orientation command.
Mixed Solid Elements
between 4 corners
Brick Elements
between 6 corners
using All-Quad meshing
1
2
3
4
5
1 2
4
3
8 Corners
(1,0,0), (1,180,0),
(0.6,180,0), (0.6,0,0),
(1,0,2), (1,180,2),
(0.6,180,2), (0.6,0,2)
8 Corners
same as other
side, just set
Gen Clockwise
3 Corners
(1,90,0), (1,90,360), (1,0,0)
First and Second corners
are coincident, automatically
implies full 360 degree rotation
Corner 3 at the pole
4 Corners
(1,120,0), (1,120,60),
(1,60,60), (1,60,0)
5-50 Meshing
5.2.2 Mesh, Region...
... creates a ruled region of nodes and/or elements between patterns of existing nodes. These patterns can take any
shape, but must be compatible with the type of elements you are attempting to generate between the patterns.
The standard entity selection dialog box is displayed twice to select the nodes in each pattern. Although these are
the standard dialog boxes, you must use them in a slightly different manner. In addition to selecting the nodes, you
must follow these guidelines:
Both patterns must contain the same number of nodes, therefore you must select the same number of nodes for
each dialog box.
Nodes must be selected in order. This command simply generates nodes and elements from nodes in the first
pattern to nodes in the second. Node IDs do not matter, but selection order does. The first node is connected to
the first, the last to the last. This restriction makes it practically impossible to use area graphical selections,
unless both patterns are in the same ID order. Individual graphical selections, however can easily be used.
After you select the node patterns, you will see the dialog box shown here The top of this dialog box is identical to
the generation options used for the Mesh, Between command (see Section 5.2.1, "Mesh, Between...") Just remem-
ber that the property should always be chosen first as it sets up many of the other options in the dialog box. Also,
the GenClockwise option controls the direction of the generation between the two end patterns selected.
Generate
These options allow you to choose whether to generate nodes or both nodes and elements between the selected
node patterns. Usually you will want to generate both nodes and elements, but if you choose nodes, the node IDs
that are generated are compatible with the requirements of the Mesh, Between command for generating just ele-
ments on existing nodes. You can use that command to add elements to the nodes at a later time.
This command always generates a coincident set of nodes on top of the original nodes in your patterns so node
numbering will be consistent with the Mesh, Between command.
Between Ends
The #Nodes option specifies how many nodes will be generated in the direction between the selected node patterns.
This number includes the nodes already in the selected patterns, not just the nodes between the patterns. For exam-
ple, if you specify #Nodes as 3, this means the two nodes in the patterns and one additional node between the pat-
terns. Bias controls the spacing of the generated nodes between the patterns. As in Mesh Between, a 1.0 (or 0.0)
bias chooses equal spacing. Values less than one mean that the last element (closest to the second pattern) will be
smaller than the first. Values greater than one reverse that spacing.
Element Shape
These options are just like those for the Mesh, Between command (see Section 5.2.1, "Mesh, Between..."). You will
note, however, that you cannot choose a line shape since line elements cannot be generated with this command.
End Nodes
By default, this command is setup to generate planar elements. By choosing a solid element property, you can also
use this command to create solid elements, if the original nodes formed four-cornered patterns. In this case how-
ever, you must specify additional information about the patterns of selected nodes. The Dir 2 and Dir 3 options
define the layout of those patterns. Specify the number of nodes along the first edge of the pattern as, and number
Mesh, Connection 5-51
of nodes along the other pattern direction as Dir 3. Dir 2 times Dir 3 must equal the total number of nodes in the
pattern.
Other Example
When generating planar elements using this command, follow the conventions shown here.
Note that the patterns can be any shape, but are chosen in order along an edge. If you choose them in random order,
this command will not work.
5.2.3 Mesh, Connection
These menu commands enable you to automatically create connections in your model, typically either rigid ele-
ments, line elements, or constraint equations between sets of nodes. These commands are very useful for simulat-
ing rigid links as well as providing a simple method of loads transfer from one section of the model to the next. The
major difference in each command is how the sets of nodes are created, and what type of entities can be created.
The specifics for each command will be provided under the individual descriptions below, but first we will examine
the commonalities among these commands.
All four commands use the identical dialog box shown here, although the Connection Type may change based upon
the command. The Node and Element Options contain the standard information for any meshing procedure.
If you select Constraint Equations or Rigid Elements, you must select the DOFs to connect. One constraint equa-
tion will be created for each DOF checked with a coefficient values of 1 and -1 for the primary and secondary node,
respectively. For Rigid Elements, only one rigid element will be created for each node pair since this one element
Start Pattern
End Pattern
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
12
11
10
Numbers show
selection order,
not node IDs
Choose Solid property
Set #Nodes = 5,
Dir 2 = 3 and Dir 3 = 4
Start Pattern
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
1
2
3
4
5
6 7
End Pattern
4 nodes along
generation direction
Numbers show
selection order,
not node IDs
5-52 Meshing
can reference any combination of DOFs. The effect of either of these options is the same; therefore, you should
check your analysis program to see if rigid elements and/or constraint equations are supported to select the type.
When creating a Rigid Element connection, the Reverse Direction option will be available. This option creates a
Rigid element with the master and slave nodes reversed. This is often necessary since some solvers do not support
multiple master nodes connected to the slave nodes.
The Line Element selection does not require DOFs to be chosen (in fact they will be grayed), but you must select a
Line Element under Property. If you do not have a line property in your model, simply press New Property icon
button to create one. When exiting this command via OK, FEMAP will create line elements between the nodes by
using the property that you select. The type of element created is based upon the line property.
As mentioned above, the major difference between the commands on the Mesh, Connection menu is the method to
obtain the nodes to generate the connections. Each of these four commands, Closest Link, Multiple, Unzip, and
Coincident are explained below.
5.2.3.1 Mesh, Connection, Closest Link...
... enables you to choose two sets of nodes, and FEMAP will automatically generate line elements, constraint equa-
tions, or rigid elements between each node in the first set of nodes (the Generate From selection) to the nearest
node in the second set of nodes (the Generate To selection). This is a useful method to automatically generate a
series of connections between two patterns of nodes or between a pattern of nodes and a single node.
5.2.3.2 Mesh, Connection, Multiple...
...is identical to Mesh, Connection, Closet Link
except instead of inputting two lists of nodes, you
simply pick each pair of nodes individually with
the Connection Nodes dialog box. This is conve-
nient when the distances between nodes are such that the Closest Link command would create improper connec-
tions. The Connection Nodes dialog box will continue to repeat, enabling you to create multiple connections, until
you press Cancel.
5.2.3.3 Mesh, Connection, Unzip...
... works differently than the previous connection commands in that it actually disconnects a mesh by creating new
nodes, and then either connects the nodes with constraint equations, rigid elements, DOF spring elements, spring
elements, gap elements, or leaves the mesh unzipped. This command is very useful when a mesh has been
merged but you need to simulate an interface resistance or force between two sections of the mesh.
The inputs to this command are the elements on the primary side of the mesh and the nodes to unzip. FEMAP cre-
ates new nodes that are coincident with the selected nodes, and then modifies all elements connected to the selected
node to use the new node except for those that are on the primary side of the interface as chosen above. This has the
effect of unzipping the mesh at these locations.
Hint: To create a Rigid Spider element, first select the nodes which will be dependent (multiple nodes) and
click OK. Then select the independent node (single node) in the next dialog box.
From Nodes
To Nodes
Mesh, Connection, Coincident Link... 5-53
The type of connections
available for this command
are slightly different than the
previous commands. You can
choose None, at which point
the mesh will remain com-
pletely unconnected. You can
choose constraint equations
or rigid elements (with their
DOFs) just like the Closest
Link and Multiple com-
mands. If you select Rigid
Elements, the Master Node
will be the original node
selected and the Slave Node
will be the new node that was
created.
You will notice, however, that if you are limited in the type of line element to specify for the connection. Since the
nodes are coincident, you must select an element that can be zero length, such as a DOF spring, spring (when using
the CBUSH formulation), or gap element. If you choose any of these options, you must also pick a corresponding
property. If you select Spring Elements or Gap Elements, you will also need to define an orientation vector.
5.2.3.4 Mesh, Connection, Coincident Link...
... is very similar to the Mesh, Connection, Unzip command described above, except it is used on meshes that have
not been merged, or have been previously unzipped. You simply selects a group of nodes and a Coincident Toler-
ance value below which nodes are considered coincident. FEMAP will create the requested entities at any coinci-
dent nodes.
The choices for the type of connection are identical to the Unzip command above (except for the None option)
since this command again forms connections that are zero length.
5.2.4 Mesh, Transition...
... is an alternate way to generate a free mesh without having geometry. Instead of using geometry, this command
meshes between existing nodes or coordinates - hence the name transition.
Since you are not selecting any surfaces or other geometry, this command is limited to creating the types of meshes
that would be created on a boundary that maps to the boundary curves (typically planar). Mapping to a surface is
not available.
When you begin this command, you will see the Transition Boundary dialog box.
It is used to define a pseudo-boundary, by selecting the nodes that you want the transition mesh to join. The sim-
plest way to use this dialog is to follow these steps:
1. Choose the first two nodes you want on the boundary.
2. Set Number equal to 1 and press More.
3. Pick the next node on the boundary as the To node. You will notice that the last node you selected has moved to
the From position and cannot change. Press More to repeat this step and add nodes to the boundary. After you
specify the last node, leave To blank and press Close Boundary to join the boundary back to the starting node -
do not select the starting node twice.
Ctrl+F11
5-54 Meshing
If all of the nodes along the boundary do not exist, you have several other options. If you leave the To (or From)
node blank, when you press More, the standard coordinate definition dialog box will be displayed. You can then
create a node using any of the available methods. This new node will be automatically added to the boundary.
Alternately, if the missing nodes lie along a straight line between other nodes, you can use the Elements Along
Edge options to generate one or more additional nodes between the From and To nodes. This is most helpful if you
are using this command to generate a separate mesh that does not connect to existing nodes. You can then just
choose the corner nodes and create additional nodes along the edges without specifying each one individually.
These options work just like the Mesh, Mesh Control commands. You can either specify a number of elements
between the corners or an element size. The size will not be used unless the number is zero or blank. The distance
between the corners is used with the size to compute the required number of elements. Biasing works just like all
other generation commands. A bias of 1.0 implies uniform spacing. A bias less than one puts the smallest elements
at the To node. A bias greater than one puts the smallest elements at the From node. If you specify both a bias and a
size, the size will be adjusted slightly to keep the correct number of elements with the desired bias.
Generation Options
After you choose Close Boundary, you will see the same options dialog used for the Mesh, Geometry, Surface com-
mand (see Section 5.1.3.3, "Mesh, Geometry, Surface..."). As before, you probably will just want to use the default
options and press OK.
Examples
These figures show some typical uses of this command. While you could conceivably use this command to gener-
ate very complex areas, it is intended to handle these simpler tasks. If you need very complicated boundaries, it is
usually simpler to define geometry.
5.3 Modifying a Mesh
Previous commands on the Mesh menu contained commands for creating a mesh. This section of the menu contains
command for modifying a mesh, whether it be to refine, unrefine, smooth, or remesh particular elements. These
tools can be very useful to smooth or remesh small areas of meshes, especially if the original mesh was produced
Hint: If you are selecting nodes for the boundary graphically, just point and double-click them (instead of sin-
gle-clicking). This will select the node and automatically press More so you can go on and select addi-
tional nodes.
Nodes along boundary
Transition elements
Nodes along boundary
Multiple elements generated
along edges by setting
Number=3 when
picking top and bottom
nodes
Mesh, Editing Menu 5-55
over a large area. In general, smoother meshes will be obtained, and remeshing will produce excellent results when
small areas of the mesh are connected.
5.3.1 Mesh, Editing Menu
The Mesh, Editing menu contains two commands for modifying quadrilateral or triangular elements: Interactive
and Splitting. Both commands let you break these elements into smaller elements.
5.3.1.1 Mesh, Editing, Interactive...
...lets you split a single linear or parabolic quad element into smaller quads or triangles. You can also split a single
triangular element into four triangles.
As you select an element, you can control the orientation of
the element split pattern.
The new elements will have the same material angles and
geometry associativity as the original elements. Surface
loads will be updated to reflect the new mesh, but nodal
loads will not.
To use the command:
1. On the Mesh Editing dialog box, pick the pattern for the element splitting.
2. Move your cursor over the model. As the cursor passes over an element, the command will preview the split.
Move the cursor inside the element to change the orientation of the split, as shown in the figure.
3. Click on the element to immediately split it with the displayed orientation.
Options on the Mesh Editing dialog box include:
Undo: Unlike other FEMAP commands, the Interactive command applies the changes to the element before
you exit the dialog box. Use the Undo button to remove unwanted splitting.
Merge: Pick this option to automatically merge all coincident nodes in the model after you pick Done.
5.3.1.2 Mesh, Editing, Split...
...lets you split multiple linear or parabolic quad elements
into smaller quads or triangles. You can also split triangu-
lar elements into smaller triangles.
The new elements will have the same material angles and
geometry associativity as the original elements. Surface
loads will be updated to reflect the new mesh, but nodal
loads will not.
To use the command:
1. On the Mesh Editing dialog box, pick the pattern
for the element splitting.
2. Press Pick Elements. Use the standard entity
selection box to select the elements for splitting.
3. Press Done.
Options on the Mesh Editing dialog box include:
V1 V1
V1 V1
5-56 Meshing
Warping: Pick this option to automatically split elements with a warping factor higher than the value that you
enter. Elements with a lower warping factor will not be split.
Merge Nodes: Pick this option to automatically merge all coincident nodes in the model after you pick Done.
5.3.2 Mesh, Remesh Menu
This menu contains commands to take existing nodes and produce a new mesh with the same boundaries. The
menu is partitioned into three segments:
The first section contains three commands which are very similar for either refining, updating, or unrefining
your mesh.
The second section contains commands for removing small edges and slivers from your model.
The final section contains tools for large scale remeshing which are most often used to remesh large surface
meshes in preparation for solid meshing.
5.3.2.1 Mesh, Remesh: Refine... , Update..., Unrefine...
... all operate in a very similar manner. These commands take existing nodes and planar elements and produces a
new mesh with the same boundaries. You can either remesh with the same boundary nodes, include additional
boundary nodes to refine the existing mesh, or unrefine the existing mesh.
These commands can be used very effectively to clean-up meshes that were generated with other surface and
transition meshing commands. When working with large complex areas, those commands will sometimes generate
elements in a certain area that are distorted. You can use these command to select that area and remesh it. In many
cases the result will be significantly improved compared to the original.
When you choose this command, you will see the standard entity selection dialog box asking for the elements to
remesh or refine. You can choose any group of elements, but they must meet the following requirements:
All selected elements must be planar type elements.
The elements should all lie in one plane. Unlike surface meshing, the redefined mesh cannot be mapped onto a
surface. If you pick a nonplanar group of elements, the remeshed elements may not follow the same surface
contours as the original elements.
After picking the elements to refine, you will see the dialog box shown here. The command originally chosen will
be the default, but you could change your mind at this point and select one of the other options.
Refining a Mesh
If you choose the Refine elements option, additional nodes are added between nodes you choose later. The Refine-
ment Ratio determines how many nodes are added. The default of 2 means one new node is created between each
Hint: You can still use this command on elements that are nonplanar, especially over small areas. After you
have remeshed, the new locations will most likely not be on the surface. Simply use Modify, Project,
Node Onto Surface to move these nodes back to the surface. If you have remeshed a small region, the
mesh should contain little or no distortion from this projection.
Mesh, Remesh: Refine... , Update..., Unrefine... 5-57
node you select for refinement. This doubles the number of elements. Choosing 3 will add two nodes, and switch
from 1 to 3 elements.
After you choose OK, you will see the standard entity selection dialog box so you can choose the nodes on the
edges to refine. Additional nodes will only be added between selected nodes. Typically, you will want to choose
nodes on a free boundary since the refined mesh will not join with any adjacent mesh.
Update/Remesh
The remeshing option is used in the same way as the refine option, except that you do not specify any nodes for
refinement. All nodes on the original boundary will be matched 1 to 1 by the nodes in the updated mesh. The
only time that you will want to use this option is when attempting to clean-up an existing mesh.
Unrefining a Mesh
The Unrefine option allows you to automatically coarsen an existing mesh. For this option, you must specify both
the Refinement Ratio and the Break Angle. For example, a refinement ratio of 2, means that the mesh will be halved
(i.e. times 2) in refinement. A refinement ratio of 3 will remove every third node. During the unrefinement process,
FEMAP will remove every other node around the periphery of the elements selected. To insure that no important
features, like corners, are removed in this process the Break Angle must be set.
FEMAP will automatically retain any nodes on the boundary where the angle between the edges of the adjacent
element edges exceeds the Break Angle. As a simple example, a square would exhibit an edge angle of 90 degrees
at the corners, and zero everywhere along the sides. If you set the break angle less than 90 degrees FEMAP would
automatically find and keep all of the corner nodes during the remeshing.
Finally, you will be asked to select the nodes where
unrefinement will take place. This gives you the option
of biasing the remeshing, that is unrefining along one
or more edges while keeping other parts of the selected
area at the same mesh density. If global coarsening is
desired, simply selecting all nodes will apply the
coarsening to the entire selected mesh.
Unrefine provides an automatic way to unrefine a
mesh. If you want to manually control which nodes are
removed from the mesh, first choose the Remesh
option - not Unrefine. You must then press the Exclude
Nodes from Boundary button, where you will be asked
to choose the nodes to remove using the standard selection dialog box. You can select any nodes in the model dur-
ing this process, but only nodes that lie on the outer boundary of the selected mesh will actually impact the remesh-
ing/coarsening process.
You can combine the manual and automatic methods by proceeding as if you were using the automatic method
(select Unrefine) and then in addition, pressing Exclude Nodes from Boundary to manually remove any additional
nodes that you do not want in the final mesh.
Note: When you refine an edge, the new nodes are placed along a straight line between the original edge
nodes. If you are trying to refine a curved edge, you must use the Modify, Project, Node commands to
adjust the position of the new nodes after they are created.
Original Refined
Refine 4 elements
Choose these nodes
Original nodes and
elements were deleted
for 2 to 1 refinement
Initial Mesh
Coarse Mesh
after 3:1Unrefine
5-58 Meshing
Other Options
If Delete Original Nodes... is set, the nodes and elements that you selected for refinement will be automatically
deleted after the new mesh is created. You will usually want to leave this option on. If you do not, the new mesh
will be coincident with the old one and you must manually delete some of the elements.
The Exclude Nodes from Boundary button allows you to adjust the boundary that is defined by the elements that
you select. You will use this option only rarely (if ever). When you push the button, you will see the standard entity
selection dialog box. Here you can choose nodes that you want to remove from the boundary. By default, all nodes
that are on the free edges of the element you chose are considered to be on the boundary. The nodes you select here
are then removed. Great care must be used in selecting these nodes or you could cause a portion of the existing
mesh to be skipped when you are remeshing.
Generation Options
After you choose the refinement options and nodes you will see the same options dialog that is used for the Mesh,
Geometry, Surface command (see Section 5.1.3.3, "Mesh, Geometry, Surface..."). All options are exactly the same
for this command. As before, you probably will just want to use the default options and press OK.
For this command, you may want to adjust these options to reduce the allowable aspect ratio and turn off Quick-
Cut. Even when you are remeshing, you can change these options. Remeshing just maintains the same mesh den-
sity along the boundaries, not necessarily between the boundaries.
5.3.2.2 Mesh, Remesh, Convert Facets...
...lets you convert triangular facets for displaying graphics
into triangular elements. This command should only be
used as a last resort when all other meshing techniques fail.
Once you have generated the elements, you can then use
commands on the Mesh, Remesh menu to refine your mesh.
For example, the part in the figure was meshed with the
following steps:
1. Pick Mesh, Remesh, Convert Facets to generate ele-
ments from the parts facets. (To preview the facets, use
View, Select and pick the Quick Hidden Line display.)
2. Use Mesh, Remesh, Build Meshing Regions to take the
faces of the initial mesh and group them into regions for
remeshing.
3. Use Mesh, Remesh, Mesh Remeshing Regions to gener-
ate the mesh.
5.3.2.3 Mesh, Remesh, Cleanup Slivers...
... provides the capability to remove small features from
the mesh. This can be very useful when you have meshed a
solid/surface model with very small features. This com-
mand will remove them based upon the tolerances you
choose.
When you select this command, FEMAP will display the
standard entity selection box. You must choose the ele-
ments to check. The Sliver Removal dialog box will then
appear. This dialog box contains statistical information for
both angles and lengths of the selected elements.
X
Y Z
V1
X
Y Z
V1
X
Y Z
V1
1
2
3
Mesh, Remesh, Edge Removal... 5-59
You can choose to cleanup based upon angle and/or edge length. Simply specify the tolerances for Min Angles and/
or Min Edge Length, and FEMAP will remove these edges from the model. When a short or flat edge has been
identified, the cleanup routine will keep the most significant node of this edge and delete the less significant one.
This will help maintain the most accurate representation of the shape of the part.
5.3.2.4 Mesh, Remesh, Edge Removal...
... is used to manually delete edges in the surface
mesh. Edge Removal lets you quickly remove fea-
tures that are too small compared to the rest of the
mesh (or in the case of stereolithography files,
future surface and solid meshes that will be gener-
ated). Consider the sample Stereolithography file
above.
You will notice several facets of the STL mesh that
contain extremely short edges. Unless you intend to mesh the overall part to this level of refinement, they must be
removed. The Mesh, Remesh Edge, Removal command can be used to remove the short edge at the tip of our sam-
ple model.
The AutoRemesh Delete Edges dialog box
prompts you for two nodes. Select the node
that you want to keep first (as the From
Node), and then select the node to be
deleted (as the To Node). FEMAP will
delete the second node, the two elements that were attached to that edge, and close the gap, updating all affected
elements to reference the first node.
The results of removing the edge at the tip of this model is:
By deleting more of the short edges the model can quickly be transformed to:
While this process is not difficult, it can still be very time consuming in a model with many short edges. This pro-
cess, however, is automated by the Mesh, Remesh, Cleanup Slivers command where you simply specify an edge
length and angle value and all edges below those values are automatically deleted.
Short
Edge
5-60 Meshing
5.3.2.5 Mesh, Remesh, Build Remeshing Regions...
... automatically takes the face of your initial mesh and groups them into regions for remeshing. The only input
required is the angle tolerance for grouping of adjacent faces. All flat or nearly flat areas of your model are always
grouped together by Build Remeshing Regions. The remaining faces are grouped based on the angle tolerance that
you select.
The most important factor when selecting an angle tolerance is that the angle should closely match the faceting
angle of your original mesh. If you are working on an STL mesh, most CAD systems make it possible to control the
faceting of your original solid model, and some even let you directly specify the angle tolerance used in creating
the STL facets. If the angle tolerance you specify is too high, the curved areas of your model will lose geometric
accuracy during remeshing. Again consider our example problem. By specifying a high angle tolerance for region
construction, facets in the curved area of the model are grouped together too coarsely:
In the region identified in the figure at the top left above, a high angle tolerance has grouped together four facets of
the original mesh in the region of interest. Subsequent remeshing of these regions results in elements that deviate
significantly from the original surfaces. By using a smaller angle tolerance, this region will be split in the middle,
and the resulting surface mesh will more closely approximate the original faceted surface definition (as shown to
the right).
The Build Regions command will automatically place elements of each region in their own layer. Once Build
Regions has been completed, FEMAP will also change the display to a full hidden line plot with element fill turned
on, and with the elements colored by their respective layer. This brightly colored, segmented representation of your
model may not be pretty, but it does enable you to quickly identify how the individual regions are being grouped.
You can further explore the grouping by turning on layer numbers (View Options, Element Number by Layer ID) or
by selectively displaying only certain layers using the View, Visibility capabilities for layers.
5.3.2.6 Mesh, Remesh, Edit Remeshing Regions...
... allows you to adjust the regions that were created automatically in the Build Remeshing Regions command
described above. This command is used to adjust the regions to ensure a better surface mesh. The Build Remeshing
Regions command attempts to build the best possible regions for remeshing, but occasionally you might want to
adjust these regions manually.
The best example for wanting to use Edit Remeshing Regions is when a region contains only a single triangular
face from the original mesh. In this case, during remeshing, the FEMAP boundary mesher will be presented with a
triangular area to remesh. Triangular regions with a fairly steep aspect ratio will remesh with poorly shaped ele-
Resulting Surface Meshes
High Angle Tolerance Smaller Angle Tolerance
Better Representation of Curved Area
Region of Interest
Mesh, Remesh, Mesh Remeshing Regions... 5-61
ments. Another example (although less frequently encountered), is when a relatively large, rectangular region has a
single sliver face protruding from, or into one of its edges. In this case, it is usually helpful to move the sliver into
the adjacent region.
When you choose this command, you will see the AutoRemesh Edit Regions dialog box. First, you should choose
the element that you want to move to a new region (Move Elem), then select any element that is in the region that
you want to move into (To Region with Elem). You can only select regions that are already adjacent to the element
that you are trying to update. This prevents accidentally creating regions that are not connected.
1. Labels, Entities, Colors category: Select the Label Parameters Option, and change the Color Mode to option 2,
Entity, Erase Background.
2. Again from the Labels, Entities, Color category: Select the Element option, and change the Label Mode to
Option 1, ID. Press OK in the View Options dialog box to return to STL Remesh.
All elements will now be drawn with their ID readily visible. When picking elements in the Edit Regions com-
mand, aim for the element number. Just like all FEMAP picking commands, the centroid is the deciding factor in
selection, and the label is drawn at the centroid of the element.
5.3.2.7 Mesh, Remesh, Mesh Remeshing Regions...
...takes the regions identified in the previous steps and uses the FEMAP boundary mesher to remesh them with
better shaped triangular elements. You will be required to specify a mesh density that will be used to split any long
edges of regions. The top face of our example STL file serves as an excellent demonstration of this command.
Both Build Remeshing Regions and Mesh Remeshing Regions will create and keep elements associated with each
region on their own unique level in FEMAP. This makes it possible to use the Layers tab View, Visibility command
or the Visibility check boxes for Layers in the Model Info tree to isolate discrete regions of your model if you
wish to manipulate the face mesh manually before moving on the meshing the interior with solid elements.
Hint: The discrete regions of your original mesh will be displayed in different colors, but it is often difficult to
pick the exact elements you wish to modify with the Edit Remeshing Regions command. To make this
easier, use View Options, and change the following options to make element picking and visualization
easier:
Before Remeshing After Remeshing
5-62 Meshing
5.3.3 Mesh, Edge Members...
... creates line elements along the free edges of selected planar elements, or planar elements on the free faces of
solid elements. This command provides a convenient way for framing plate or beam structures with beam or other
line elements, and for paving the surface of solid structures with plates or membranes.
You must select the elements that you want to frame using the standard entity selection dialog box. You do not have
to specify one contiguous group of elements. FEMAP uses the same logic that it uses for a free edge/face plot to
determine the locations where elements will be created. In fact, you can use this method to make a preliminary
check. Just select the elements to be framed into a group, select the group for display and choose a free edge or
face plot. The edges/faces you see will create elements.
If you select planar elements, FEMAP will automatically attempt to create line elements as edge members.
If you select solid elements, planar edge members will be created. You should not select both planar and solid ele-
ments in the same command.
After you select elements to be framed, FEMAP displays a list of existing properties for you to select one. This
property is assigned to all elements that will be created, and also defines the type of elements to be created. Before
you invoke this command, you must have an existing property in your model that defines the type of elements that
you want to create. There is no option for changing type, or automatic property creation in this command. If you do
not have the correct property already in your model, use the Property Icon Button in the Select Property for Edge
Members dialog box to create one.
If you chose to create elements that require an orientation, FEMAP will display the standard Vector Locate dialog
box so you can define an orientation vector. It is usually best to orient the vector normal to the plane of the elements
that you are framing. Using this approach will eliminate the possibility of placing orientation vectors along the
length of the elements.
If you want to specify a nodal orientation, offsets, releases, or other element options, use the appropriate Modify,
Update Element commands after you create the line elements. Finally, you will see the standard entity selection box
again. This time, however, you must select the nodes where you want the edge members to be generated.
If you want edge members around all of the elements that you selected, select all nodes and press OK. If instead
you just want edge members in one area, just select the nodes in that area. This is especially important if you are
generating planar elements on free faces of solids. You should select all of the nodes on the surface where you want
to generate the planar elements. Box picking is often very convenient for doing these selections.
Note: In order to create an line edge member element on the edge of a planar element, BOTH nodes
of the prospective edge member element must be included. This is a change from FEMAP
version 9.2 to version 9.3 and above.
Original Plate
Elements
Beam Edge Members
Offsets have been
added for clarity in
this picture
Mesh, Smooth... 5-63
5.3.4 Mesh, Smooth...
... is used to adjust the locations of element corners (nodes) to reduce distortions in those elements. This procedure
is performed automatically by all free-meshing commands described above, but you can use it to smooth any pla-
nar or solid element mesh.
After you select the elements to be smoothed using the
standard entity selection dialog box, the Mesh Smooth-
ing dialog box is used to define the smoothing parame-
ters.
Choosing a Smoothing Method
There are two different smoothing algorithms from which to choose. Laplacian smoothing pulls a node toward the
center of surrounding nodes directly connected to that node along an element edge. Centroidal smoothing pulls a
node toward the element-area-weighted centroid of the surrounding elements.
Typically, the Laplacian method will produce the mesh with the least element distortion. It is also the faster
method. Centroidal smoothing usually produces a mesh that has more uniform element sizes. Both methods pro-
duce good results with free meshes.
Note: If you only want to create 2-D plates on one side of a set of solids, select interior nodes (i.e. no
corners on the free edges). If you select these nodes, FEMAP will create faces on the correspond-
ing free faces along that boundary. In the example above, only the 9 interior face nodes where
selected, not all 25 nodes.
Plate Edge Members
along the top surface of
solid elements. Element
Shrink used for clarity.
Laplacian Centroidal
Node moves toward center of
surrounding nodes
Node moves toward center of
area weighted element centroids
5-64 Meshing
Smoothing Iterations
Both of the smoothing methods use an iterative procedure to converge toward a smoothed mesh. All nodes are
smoothed according to one of the techniques shown above. Then the smoothing is reevaluated with the updated
nodal locations. This process continues until the maximum number of iterations has been exceeded, or no node is
moved by a greater distance than the specified tolerance.
Using the default values, you will often see a message stating that the smoothing did not converge in the allowed
number of iterations. This does not mean that anything was wrong. It simply means that in the last iteration, at least
one node was moved farther than the tolerance. The maximum distance that a node was moved is given in the mes-
sage. You can decide whether this distance is acceptable. If you decide to do additional smoothing, you can start
with the already partially smoothed mesh. You do not have to revert to the original.
Fixing Nodes
If you are smoothing a mesh that contains some interior nodes that must stay in the present location, press Fix
Nodes. You can then add those nodes to the list of nodes on the boundary, using the standard entity selection dialog
box. You can also remove boundary nodes from the list to allow them to move from their current position.
If you fix the positions of some nodes in this manner, the mesh will not be fully smoothed. The elements around
those nodes may still have substantial distortions.
Copying a Mesh 5-65
5.4 Copying a Mesh
This section of the Mesh menu allows you to produce duplicate copies of a mesh (nodes and/or elements). These
commands are very useful when you have portions of your model which are symmetrical. It is often easier to mesh
a small portion of your model, and then reflect or rotate the mesh to produce other areas of your model, as opposed
to generating one large mesh. Separating your model into smaller areas will give you more control over the mesh
without having to use many of the Mesh Control capabilities. For more information, see Section 5.1.2, "Mesh,
Mesh Control".
This can be extremely valuable for symmetric parts which may require full modeling due to non-symmetric load-
ing. Simply mesh 1/2 or 1/4 of the part (if 1/2 or 1/4 symmetry exists) using the meshing commands above, and
then use these commands to produce the rest of the mesh
There are five basic commands based upon the type of copy you need to make:
Copy
Radial Copy
Scale
Rotate
Reflect
These commands are very similar to the commands contained on the Geometry menu, except they work with nodes
and elements instead of geometry (points, curves, etc.). The functionality of each of these commands is described
below.
5.4.1 Mesh, Copy Menu
You can use the copy commands to duplicate existing nodes or elements. These commands are similar to the Mesh,
Rotate and Mesh, Reflect commands. Here, the entities are copied along a vector that you specify.
5.4.1.1 Mesh, Copy, Node...
... makes one or more copies of a selected set of nodes. To copy nodes, you must complete three dialog boxes. First,
you select the nodes that you want to copy using the standard entity selection dialog box. Then, the Generation
Options dialog box is displayed.
When you are copying nodes, only the Parameters, Match Loads, Constraints..., Update Every Repetition, Copy in
Same Location and Repetitions controls are active. The other controls are used by the Mesh, Copy, Elements com-
mand. Finally, after you set the options, and press OK, you will see the standard vector definition dialog box. This
vector defines both the direction and distance from the selected nodes to the first copy. If you specify multiple rep-
etitions, each additional copy will be located along the same vector, at the same distance from the previous copy.
Optionally, you can specify a new vector for each repetition by selecting the Update Every Repetition option.
Specifying Generation Options
The generation options control how many copies FEMAP will make, and choose parameters for the resulting
nodes. You have the following choices:
Parameters:
These two choices select the parameters that will be assigned to the nodes that are generated. These include the def-
inition coordinate system, output coordinate system, permanent constraints, color and layer. If you select Use Cur-
rent Settings, the node parameters will match the active node parameters. This is the same as if you had created new
5-66 Meshing
nodes using the Model, Node command. If instead, you choose Match Original Entities, each new node will exactly
match the parameters of the node that was copied to create it.
Repetitions:
By default this option is one. One repetition will create one copy of each selected node. If you want multiple cop-
ies, just set this option to the number you want.
Match Loads, Constraints:
If you turn on this option, any loads or constraints that are attached to the selected nodes will also be copied and
attached to the newly created nodes. If it is off, only the nodes will be copied.
Update Every Repetition:
When this option is off, FEMAP will only ask you for one vector that will be used to position the copies. In this
mode, FEMAP will always offset the position of the current repetition from the position of the previous repetition,
based on the direction and length of the vector that you define. If you select the Update Every Repetition option
however, FEMAP will ask you for a new vector before every repetition. This new vector will be used to offset from
the original nodes that you selected, not from the previous repetition. You will want to check this option whenever
you want to create multiple copies that do not lie along a single vector.
Copy in Same Location:
Creates a copy of the selected entities without specifying a vector to move them (i.e., creates coincident entities).
Copying in NonRectangular Coordinates
FEMAP always creates copies along the vector that you specify, that is along a straight line. You can specify the
vector in any convenient coordinate system. You cannot however, use it to create a copy in a rotated location by
choosing the angular direction in a cylindrical coordinate system. You must use the rotation commands to create
rotated copies.
5.4.1.2 Mesh, Copy, Element...
... is very similar to the Mesh, Copy, Node command. Here however, FEMAP will make one or more copies of
existing elements.
The first dialog box displayed by this command is used to select the elements to copy. When you have chosen the
elements that you wish to duplicate, FEMAP will display the Generation Options dialog box. This is the same dia-
log box displayed by Mesh, Copy, Node (and shown above), but now several additional options are available. The
options are:
Element Options:
This category of options allows you to use Mesh, Copy, Element in two completely different ways. If you check the
Use Existing Nodes box, FEMAP will simply copy the selected elements to other already existing nodes. In this
case you also must specify the Node Increment and Node Offset values, and all of the required nodes must already
exist.
The Node Increment is added to ID of each node before each repetition. For example, if an element is connected to
node 50, and you specify an increment of 100, the first copy will be connected to node 150, the second copy to
node 250, and so on. If the nodes that you want to copy to have IDs that are not an equal increment from the current
node numbering on the elements, you can also specify a Node Offset. This offset, is only applied to the first copy.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Original Nodes
Make 3 copies
along this vector
Mesh, Copy, Element... 5-67
For example, if an element is connected to node 50, and you want to make copies connected to nodes 1050, 1150,
1250, and so on, you would specify an increment of 100 (the difference between each repetition) and an offset of
1000 (the difference from the current numbering to the first repetition).
If you do not check Use Existing Nodes, FEMAP will copy the elements that you selected, along with all nodes that
they reference. FEMAP will display the standard vector definition dialog box, just like in Mesh, Copy, Node to let
you define the direction and distance that you want to offset each copy. You do not have to create any nodes before
using this option. Further, unlike copying to existing nodes, it is independent of node or element numbering.
You probably will want to use this technique most of the time. When you do copy elements using this technique
however, each repetition gets its own set of nodes. This can result in duplicate, but coincident nodes, and a model
that is disconnected. You can connect the elements and eliminate the duplicate nodes with the Tools, Check, Coin-
cident Nodes command.
Parameters:
These options work just as they do in the Mesh, Copy, Node command. If you choose Use Current Settings, the
nodes and elements that are created will match the currently active parameters. For elements, this includes the
property ID, element type, color and layer. The one exception to this is if the active element type or active property
is incompatible with the elements that you are copying. In this case, the element type or property will still match
the original elements.
For example, if the active element type is a beam, and you are copying plates, FEMAP cannot make the plates into
beams and therefore makes the copies as plates - even though you specified Use Current Settings. If you choose
Match Original Entities, the copied element parameters will match the elements that were used to create them.
Repetitions:
By default this option is one. One repetition will create one copy of each selected element. If you want multiple
copies, just set this option to the number you want.
Match Loads, Constraints:
If you turn on this option, any loads or constraints that are attached to the selected elements (or associated nodes)
will also be copied and attached to the newly created mesh. If it is off, only the mesh will be copied.
1
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4
5
6
7
8
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1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
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12
Original Elements
Make 2 copies
onto existing nodes
with the Node Increment
set to 5.
13
14
15
16
Original Elements
39
40
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42
43
44
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46
47
48
17
18
19
20
Make 2 copies
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
1
2
3
4
along vector
5-68 Meshing
Update Every Repetition and Copy in Same Location:
For more information, see Section 5.4.1.1, "Mesh, Copy, Node...". These options are not available when you check
Use Existing Nodes.
5.4.2 Mesh, Radial Copy Menu
The commands on this menu provide an alternative to the Mesh, Copy commands. Instead of copying all entities
along a constant vector, as those commands do, the Radial Copy commands use either a single location (creates a
different radial vector for each entity to be copied) or a defined vector (entities to be copied are offset using a con-
stant value from the vector).
When you choose one of these commands, you will be asked to select the entities to be copied, and to define the
generation options. This portion of the process is identical to the normal copy commands. FEMAP will ask a ques-
tion:
Clicking Yes allows you to choose a location which defines the center of the radial pattern. Clicking No
prompts you to choose a vector for constant offset. Finally, you must specify the radial offset length, the radial dis-
tance between each original and the associated copy.
When using the Move Around Point/Spherical method, FEMAP will com-
pute a direction vector for each entity which runs from the center that you
chose, to the entity, as shown here.
In a three dimensional case, this actually produces a spherical copy, since the
copy vector is computed from the center of the sphere
When you choose the Mesh, Radial Copy, Elements command, the radial vec-
tors are computed to each of the defining nodes. The copied nodes are then
simply reconnected to create the copied entities.
For more information regarding the specifics of using the various generation
options, see Section 5.4.1, "Mesh, Copy Menu".
5.4.3 Mesh, Scale Menu
The Mesh, Scale commands are very similar to the Mesh, Radial Copy commands. They create one or more copies
of selected entities, offset from a center location. In this case however, instead of specifying a constant offset from
the original, the new copy is formed by scaling the distance from the center to the original.
These commands start by selecting the entities to be copied, and defining the generation options. This portion of
the process is identical to the normal copy commands. Just as in the Mesh, Radial Copy commands, you next
choose a location which defines the center of the pattern. Finally, you must specify the scale factors.
Scaling can be done in one or more directions. By specifying the same scale factor in all three directions, a spheri-
cal copy can be made. A cylindrical copy can be accomplished by specifying the same factor in two directions, and
a unit (1.0) scale factor in the third direction - along the axis of the cylinder. For this type of operation, a coordinate
system can also be chosen if the axes of the desired cylinder do not coincide with the global axes.
FEMAP will compute a direction vector for each entity which runs from the center that you chose, to the entity, as
shown here.
In these commands, both the direction and magnitude of these vectors are used. The direction is used to determine
the original copy vector components. These components are multiplied by the scale factors to calculate the final
offsets from the center location of the copy. If you use different scale factors in different component directions, the
copy will not lie along the vector from the center to the original.
Copy
Original
Center
Offset Radial Vectors
Mesh, Rotate Menu 5-69
When you choose the Scale Elements, the associated nodes are scaled.
The scaled nodes are then simply reconnected to create the copied enti-
ties.
For more information regarding the specifics of using the various genera-
tion options, see Section 5.4.1, "Mesh, Copy Menu". For more informa-
tion on specifying scaling factor, see Section 5.4.3, "Mesh, Scale Menu".
5.4.4 Mesh, Rotate Menu
Like the Mesh, Copy commands, these commands create duplicate copies of model entities. Instead of copying
along a vector, these commands rotate the duplicate copies around a vector.
5.4.4.1 Mesh, Rotate, Node...
... is similar to Mesh, Copy, Node in its operation. FEMAP displays the standard entity selection dialog box to allow
you to select the nodes to copy, followed by the same Generation Options dialog box. All of the options in this box
are used just as in the Move command.
Following the Generation Options dialog box, you will see the standard vector definition dialog box. This vector is
used to specify the axis that you want to rotate around to generate the copies. Unlike the Copy command, you do
not have to specify a length for this axis. Instead, after you choose the vector, FEMAP displays one additional dia-
log box that asks for the Change per Repetition. Following the Generation Options dialog box, you will see the
standard vector definition dialog box. This vector is used to specify the axis that you want to rotate around to gen-
erate the copies. Unlike the copy command, you do not have to specify a length for this axis. Instead, after you
choose the vector, FEMAP displays one additional dialog box that asks for the Change per Repetition.
You can specify both a Rotation Angle and a Translation Distance. Each copy is rotated around the axis of rotation
vector by the specified angle (following right-hand rule conventions), and is translated along the axis vector by
specified distance. If you specify a nonzero translation distance, you will be creating a spiral.
5.4.4.2 Mesh, Rotate, Element...
... is similar to Mesh Copy Element. In fact, if you choose the
Use Existing Nodes option there is no difference at all. If instead
you want to create rotated copies of nodes and elements, this
command follows the conventions of the Mesh, Rotate, Node
command.
It asks for a rotation axis, an angle and a translation distance, and
makes copies in rotated locations.
Note: If you use a scale factor of 1.0, the resulting copy will be
located at the same location as the original in that coordi-
nate direction. Scale factors of (1.0, 1.0, 1.0) will result in
a completely coincident copy of the originals.
Copy
Original
Scale=2.0
Center
Scale=2.0
Axis of Revolution
Spiral created by rotating
with a nonzero translation
distance.
One original node.
Circle created by rotating
with translation distance
set to zero.
3 copies rotated
90 degrees each
around the normal
to this view
Original Elements
5-70 Meshing
5.4.5 Mesh, Reflect Menu
The commands on this menu allow you to generate a portion of your model by reflecting or flipping existing nodes
or elements across a plane.
5.4.5.1 Mesh, Reflect, Node...
... creates one copy of selected nodes by reflecting
them across a plane. You will use the standard entity
selection dialog box to choose the nodes to be
reflected. FEMAP will then display the Generation
Options dialog box (shown in the Mesh, Copy, Node
command). All options work identical to Mesh, Copy,
Node and Mesh, Rotate, Node commands, except you
cannot choose multiple repetitions.
In addition, you can specify a Trap Width. FEMAP
will not make a copy of any selected node if it is
closer to the reflection plane than the trap width that
you specify. If you set the trap width to zero, all of the
nodes that you select will be reflected. This option is used most often when reflecting elements (to join nodes on
the reflection plane), and will usually be zero when you reflect nodes.
Next, FEMAP will display the standard plane selection dialog box, so you can define the reflection plane. You can
choose any plane that you want. It does not matter how your selected nodes are oriented with respect to the plane.
They can be on one side, or they can be on both sides of the plane. Just remember that the reflected node will be
located on the opposite side of the plane from the original.
5.4.5.2 Mesh, Reflect, Element...
... is similar to the Mesh, Reflect, Nodes command described above. Here however, you will select elements to be
reflected across a plane. You must select the elements to be reflected, the reflection options, and the reflection
plane.
You can reflect onto existing nodes rather than across a plane by choosing the Use Existing Nodes option. This
option is somewhat misnamed however, since the generated copy is really not a reflection since its position is based
purely on the position of the nodes that you reflect onto - not on any position of the original elements. The only
difference between using this command and Mesh, Copy, Elements with existing nodes is that elements will have
their normals reversed just as if you had reflected the elements and nodes.
If you choose to reflect elements and nodes (by not turning on Use Existing Nodes), you can set the Trap Width to a
nonzero value to automatically join the new elements to the old. This will only work if some nodes from the origi-
nal elements lie within the Trap Width from the reflection plane.
5.5 Meshing by Extruding, Revolving, and Sweeping
The commands on the Extrude, Revolve, and Sweep menus allow you to convert a 2-D model (curves, elements or
element faces) into a 3-D model of planar or solid elements. They are very useful for 3-D solid parts which have a
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9
10
11 12 13
14 15 16
17 18 19
20
Reflection Plane
Original Nodes Reflected Nodes
Reflection Plane
Original Elements Reflected Elements
Trap Width
Mesh, Extrude Menu 5-71
consistent third dimension (whether it be an axis of rotation or a length). Details on these commands are explained
below.
5.5.1 Mesh, Extrude Menu
The Mesh, Extrude menu allows you to select curves, elements or element faces, and then move (extrude) along a
specified vector to form the new elements. Extruding curves will form FEMAP planar (2-D) elements, while
extruding elements or element faces will form either planar elements (if 1-D elements or faces are extruded) or
solid element (if planar elements or faces are extruded).
5.5.1.1 Mesh, Extrude, Curve...
... creates planar elements by moving curves along a vector, radially, or along a curve. Before you choose this com-
mand, you must define the mesh size, using the Mesh, Mesh Control, Size Along Curve command for the curves
you select. The mesh size will determine the number of elements created by each curve.
To begin, select the curves to extrude using the standard entity selection dialog box. Any type of curve can be
selected, and the curves do not have to form a closed or ordered boundary, however, the generated elements will
only be connected to each other at locations where the original curves were connected. Therefore, if you are trying
to generate a connected group of elements (with no coincident nodes) it is always best to select a connected bound-
ary in an ordered sequence around the boundary.
After you select the curves, you will see the Generation Options dialog box. This dialog box provides two separate
two modes of operation for creating your elements: (1) Standard, which simply uses this dialog box, and (2)
Advanced, which is accessed by pressing the Advanced>> button. Each of these choices are discussed below.
Standard and Radial Extrusion
Standard extrusions have two Methods. The first method is Vector, which is used to simply extrude the curves a
constant distance along a vector. The other method is Radial and will create elements a constant radial distance
from a specified point in space or defined vector.
In both methods, you must choose the property to be used for the planar elements and the total number of Elements
along Length as shown in the above dialog box. The type of elements that are created is based on the type of prop-
erty that you select. For example, choose a plate property to create plate elements, a laminate property to create
laminate elements, and so on. If you do not have any planar element properties, click the New Property icon but-
ton to create one. Specify the number of elements that you want along the extrusion vector in the Elements along
Length box before you press OK. You can also set a Bias which will create smaller elements (values > 1.0) or larger
elements (values < 1.0) near the start of the extrusion, which is the Base of the vector for Vector method or
closest to the specified point in space or defined vector for the Radial method.
Once you press OK, FEMAP will prompt you for different inputs, depending on which Method was chosen.
For the Vector method, you will be asked to specify the extrusion vector using the standard vector dialog boxes.
The vector can be located anywhere but must have the direction and magnitude that you want for the extrusion. The
length of this vector will be the total length of the extruded elements. Also remember, the same vector will be used
for all selected curves so in general it should be relatively normal to the plane of the curves (although the curves
do not have to be planar).
5-72 Meshing
The figure shows one example of extruding a connected set of curves.
For the Radial method, you will be asked a question:
Clicking Yes allows you to choose a location which defines the center of the radial extrusion. Clicking No
prompts you to choose a vector for constant extrusion of all elements from that vector. Finally, you must specify the
radial offset length, the radial distance between the original curve and the end of the extrusion.
When using the Extrude Around Point/Spherical option, FEMAP will compute an extrusion vector for each ele-
ment which runs from the center that you chose, to the entity.
In a three dimensional case, this actually produces a spherical extrusion, since the extrusion vector is computed
from the center of the sphere
When using the Around Vector/Cylindrical option, FEMAP will compute an extrusion vector for each element
which runs from the closest point on the defined vector, to the entity.
The figure shows one example of extruding a set of stacked curves
Note: If you have a number of stacked curves which you would like extruded to create stacked parallel
layers of elements, you will want to use the Radial Method with the Around Vector/Cylindrical option.
Extrusion Vector
Mesh Size
along curves
Original Curves Extruded Elements
Three Curves extruded
using the Radial Method
Around Point/Spherical
Three Curves extruded
using the Radial Method
Around Vector/Cylindrical
Option
Option
Mesh, Extrude, Curve... 5-73
Advanced Extrusion
The Advanced>> button provides access to the Generation Options dialog box for advanced extrusions. This dia-
log box controls the different methods of extrusion. Each area of the dialog box will be explained more fully below,
but first a quick explanation of the overall procedure is necessary.
Operation
The Advanced option can be used to extrude along one or more vectors or curves. You can specify mesh biasing for
the extrusion, as well as offsets from the original curves. The Offset and Along areas next to OK and Cancel pro-
vide status information on their current settings. If no method (Along or Follow Curve) has been specified, the OK
option will be grayed and Along will show Must Specify, as seen above.
The sample below shows a rectangle which was extruded into plate elements by extruding along a spline. You will
notice that the mesh both follows the spline, as well as gets finer in the area of curvature due to the specified mesh
sizing on the spline.
You can even do multi-level extrusions with different properties. The dialog box will continue to repeat each time
you press OK. Once the first extrusion is created, FEMAP will automatically update the offset so that it corre-
sponds to the location of the end of the previous extrusion. If you need to make several levels of extrusions with
different properties, simply input the appropriate parameters for each extrusion and pick a different property.
Property
For each extrusion, you must choose a planar property. If you do not have a planar property in your model, you can
press the New Property icon button to create one. You can create a multi-level extrusion of different properties
simply by picking a different property for each extrusion pass.
Extrusion Vectors
The four options in this section of the dialog box allow you to specify the vector for extrusion. There are two modes
of extrusion: Along a vector and Follow Curve. If you choose Along a vector, you must specify the vector through
the standard Vector Definition dialog box. The Follow Curve option requires selection of a curve.
The vector option provides access to the Extrusion Distance and Elements section of the dialog box to define the
length and mesh sizing. When you extrude along a curve, however, these options are grayed. The distance and
Note: FEMAP does not automatically merge coincident nodes of multi-level extrusions. There are times when
you may want to keep coincident nodes to simulate contact or other interface conditions. If you do want
to merge all coincident nodes, simply use the Tools, Check Coincident Nodes command after the extru-
sion is complete to merge the extrusions together.
Curve for Extrusion Path
Mesh Size Along Curves
Original Curves to Extrude
Extruded Plate Elements
5-74 Meshing
mesh sizing for the extrusion is obtained from the curve you selected to follow and its mesh spacing. Therefore, it
is very important to define the mesh size on the selected curve before performing the extrusion to guarantee that
you get the desired mesh.
The Offset option allows you to specify an offset via the standard Vector Definition dialog box. This offset defines
the vector from the original curves to the start of the extrusion. Normally you will not specify offsets manually,
unless your curves are not located where you want to start the extrusion. If you are creating a multi-level extrusion,
the offsets will be automatically updated at the end of each individual extrusion, so that the next one starts where
the last one ended. If you want to create a discontinuous mesh, you can update the offsets manually before extrud-
ing again. If you want to remove any offset, simply press Reset Offset.
Extrusion Distance and Elements
If the extrusion is to take place along a vector, the Extrusion Distance and Elements area of the dialog box must be
specified. This section determines the overall length and mesh sizing of the extrusion. The mesh sizing is defined
similar to any mesh sizing on a curve. Simply specify the total number of elements and a bias factor. Setting the
Bias to a value > 1.0 will create smaller elements near the start of the extrusion, while a value < 1.0 will create
larger elements at the start of the extrusion.
There are three options available to define the total length of the extrusion:
1. Use Vector Length - uses the length of the vector that you defined for the total extrusion length.
2. Locate - The extrusion length is calculated from start of the extrusion to a defined location. If you choose this
method, you will be asked to define the location (with the standard coordinate dialog) when you press OK to cre-
ate the extrusion. If the location that you specify is not along the extrusion vector, it is projected onto that vector,
before the length is computed. This method is a good one to use if you are trying to match another existing mesh,
or geometry. You can simply pick nodes or points for the location to extrude to, without worrying about the
actual dimensions.
3. Distance - this method requires direct specification of the extrusion length. The vector length is ignored, in favor
of the distance you specify here. This method is a good one if you have a series of extrusions, along the same
vector, and you know the distances or stations where you want the extrusions to end. You never need to rede-
fine the vector, just keep specifying new distances.
5.5.1.2 Mesh, Extrude, Element...
... creates elements by extruding existing elements of a different type. Any line element or planar element can be
extruded. Line elements will extrude into quadrilateral plane elements. Triangular and quadrilateral plane elements
extrude into wedge and brick solids respectively. If you choose parabolic planar elements, they will create para-
bolic solids. Each element that you select will create one element at each step along the extrusion length.
The required input and procedure are similar to the Mesh, Extrude, Curve command. There are two modes of oper-
ation:
(1) Standard, which simply
uses the Generation Options
dialog box shown here, and
(2) Advanced, which is
accessed through the
Advanced >> button. In
either case, you must first
select the elements to
extrude, then specify the
extrusion parameters. Each
of these methods is
explained below.
Note: This command always creates linear elements, you cannot create parabolic elements simply by select-
ing a parabolic property. You can however convert the linear elements to parabolic elements after they
are created by using the Modify, Update Elements, Order command.
Mesh, Extrude, Element... 5-75
Standard and Radial Extrusion
You may only select one type (line or planar) of elements for this command. The property that you select or create
New Property icon button must be of the correct type for the elements that you will create. Remember, if you
selected line elements you will need a property for planar elements. If you selected planar elements you will need a
property for solid elements. The Elements along Length parameter sets the number of elements that each original
element will produce. You can also set a Bias which will create smaller elements (values > 1.0) or larger elements
(values < 1.0) near the start of the extrusion, which is the Base of the vector for Vector method or closest to
the specified point in space or defined vector for the Radial method.
The new elements will use the color and layer of the original elements that you are extruding if you choose Match
Original Entities. If you choose Use Current Settings they will use the active color and layer. You also will want to
check the Delete Original Elements option if you want to automatically delete the original elements that are being
extruded.
Once you press OK, FEMAP will prompt you for different inputs, depending on which Method was chosen.
For the Vector method, you will be asked to specify the extrusion vector using the standard Vector Definition dialog
box. The selected elements will be extruded along this vector direction. The magnitude of the vector will be the
extrusion length.
These pictures show two extrusions, one of line elements, the other of planar elements. Both used the same extru-
sion vector. All elements are shown with element shrink turned on, so that you can see both the original and gen-
erated elements. Also remember, the same vector will be used for all selected curves so in general it should be
relatively normal to the plane of the curves (although the curves do not have to be planar).
For the Radial method, you will be asked a question:
Clicking Yes allows you to choose a location which defines the center of the radial extrusion. Clicking No
prompts you to choose a vector for constant extrusion of all elements from that vector. Finally, you must specify the
radial offset length, the radial distance between the original curve and the end of the extrusion.
When using the Extrude Around Point/Spherical option, FEMAP will compute an extrusion vector for each ele-
ment which runs from the center that you chose, to the entity.
In a three dimensional case, this actually produces a spherical extrusion, since the extrusion vector is computed
from the center of the sphere.
When using the Around Vector/Cylindrical option, FEMAP will compute an extrusion vector for each element
which runs from the closest point on the defined vector, to the entity.
Extrusion vector
Extrude as Solids
Original Plate Elements
Extrude as Plates
5 elements
along length
4 elements
along length
5-76 Meshing
Normal Extrusion Methods (plane elements only)
When you are extruding planar elements, you will have two additional methods available: extruding along the ele-
ment normal directions, and extruding along the element normal directions with thickness corrections. Both of
these methods use the normal vectors at each node to determine the extrusion direction. As shown here, this can be
used to quickly take a surface model and turn it into a solid element model
The element normal method simply extrudes along the element normals by the extrusion length that you specify.
This method will result in the distance between all inner and outer nodes being equal to the extrusion length. In
areas where the planar elements are not coplanar however, the resulting element thicknesses will not be constant,
and in general will be less than the extrusion length. For this reason, it is usually best to choose the final method
that includes thickness corrections.
By choosing the Normals with Thickness Correction method, FEMAP attempts to adjust the extrusion length at
each node to make the resulting element thicknesses at that node equal to the extrusion length. This will typically
result in the distance between the inner and outer nodes being greater than the distance you specified.
If your plates are at the midplane of where you want the solids, you will have to use this command twice. One time,
you will specify a positive extrusion length (along the positive element normal). Then use a negative extrusion
length (along the negative element normal).
Note: It is up to you to prepare your plate elements with all of their normals pointing in a consistent direction
prior to using this command. FEMAP assumes you want to use the normal direction that you defined.
You can use Modify, Update Elements, Reverse or Tools, Check, Normals to adjust element normals.
The View Options command can be used to display normal vectors.
Original Planar Elements
Extruded with
Thickness Correction
with thickness
without thickness correction
correction
Extrude
Mesh, Extrude, Element... 5-77
Advanced Extrusion
The Advanced>> option provides access to the Generation Options dialog box for advanced extrusions which con-
trols the different methods of extrusion. Each area of the dialog box is explained more fully below, but the overall
procedure is explained first.
Operation
The Advanced option can be used to extrude along a vector or curve. You can also specify mesh biasing for the
extrusion, as well as offsets from the original curves. The Offset and Along areas next to OK and Cancel provide
status information on their current settings. If no method (Along or Follow Curve) has been specified, the OK
option will be grayed and Along will show Must Specify, as seen above.
The sample shows a rectangular plate mesh which was extruded into solid elements by extruding along a spline.
You will notice that the mesh both follows the spline, as well as gets finer in the area of curvature due to the speci-
fied mesh sizing on the spline.
You can even do multi-level extrusions with different properties. The dialog box will continue to repeat each time
you press OK. Once the first extrusion is created, FEMAP will automatically update the offset so that it corre-
sponds to the location at the end of the previous extrusion. If you need to make several levels of extrusions with dif-
ferent properties, simply input the appropriate parameters for each extrusion and pick the selected property.
Parameters
You can select whether the new entities will use current settings or match the values for the original entities. For
each extrusion, you must also choose a property. This must be either a planar property if extruding line elements, or
a solid property if extruding plate elements. If you do not have an appropriate property in your model, you can
press New Property icon button to create one. You can create a multi-level extrusion of different properties sim-
ply by picking a different property for each extrusion pass.
Extrusion Vectors
The four options in this section of the dialog box allow you to specify the vector for extrusion. There are two modes
of extrusion: along a vector and Follow Curve. If you choose Along a vector, you must specify the vector through
the standard Vector Definition dialog box. The Follow Curve option requires selection of a curve.
Note: FEMAP does not automatically merge coincident nodes of multilevel extrusions since there are times
when you want to keep coincident nodes to simulate contact or other interface conditions. If you do
want to merge all coincident nodes, simply use the Tools, Check, Coincident Nodes command after the
extrusion is complete to sew the extrusions together.
Solid Extruded Elements
Planar Elements
Curve for Extrusion Path
Mesh Size on Curve
5-78 Meshing
The vector option provides access to the Extrusion Distance and Elements section of the dialog box to define the
length and mesh sizing. When you extrude along a curve, however, these options are grayed. The distance and
mesh sizing for the extrusion is obtained from the curve you selected to follow and its mesh spacing. Therefore, it
is very important to define the mesh size on the selected curve before performing the extrusion to guarantee that
you get the desired mesh.
The Offset option allows you to specify an offset via the standard Vec-
tor Definition dialog box. This offset defines the vector from the origi-
nal curves to the start of the extrusion. Normally you will not specify
offsets manually, unless your curves are not located where you want to
start the extrusion. If you are creating a multi-level extrusion, the offsets will be automatically updated at the end of
each individual extrusion, so that the next one starts where the last one ended. If you want to create a discontinuous
mesh, you can update the offsets manually before extruding again. If you want to remove any offset, simply press
Reset Offset.
Extrusion Distance and Elements
If the extrusion is to take place along a vector, the Extrusion Distance and Elements area of the dialog box must be
specified. This section determines the overall length and mesh sizing of the extrusion. The mesh sizing is defined
similar to any mesh sizing on a curve. Simply specify the total number of elements and a bias factor. Simply spec-
ify the total number of elements and a bias factor. Setting the Bias to a value > 1.0 will create smaller elements near
the start of the extrusion, while a value < 1.0 will create larger elements at the start of the extrusion. There are
three options available to define the total length of the extrusion:
1. Use Vector Length - uses the length of the vector that you defined for the total extrusion length.
2. Locate - The extrusion length is calculated from start of the extrusion to a defined location. If you choose this
method, you will be asked to define the location (with the standard coordinate dialog) when you press OK to cre-
ate the extrusion. If the location that you specify is not along the extrusion vector, it is projected onto that vector,
before the length is computed. This method is a good one to use if you are trying to match another existing mesh,
or geometry. You can simply pick nodes or points for the location to extrude to, without worrying about the
actual dimensions.
3. Distance - this method requires direct specification of the extrusion length. The vector length is ignored, in favor
of the distance you specify here. This method is a good one if you have a series of extrusions, along the same
vector, and you know the distances or stations where you want the extrusions to end. You never need to rede-
fine the vector, just keep specifying new distances.
5.5.1.3 Mesh, Extrude, Element Face...
... creates elements by extruding faces of existing elements. Operation of this command is essentially the same as
Mesh, Extrude, Element described in the previous section. You pick the element faces, then edge faces are extruded
into planar elements, and planar faces are extruded into solid elements.
The primary difference between this command and simply extruding elements is the selection of the element faces.
You will see a dialog box similar to the following:
Hint: You can tell the current offset value and extrusion method by examining values of Offset and Along.
These values are dynamically updated every time you or FEMAP changes the information. The Offset
will either be No Offset, or the offset vector (x, y, z Global). The Along option will be Must Specify, the
extrusion vector (x, y, z Global), or the Curve ID. If Must Specify is the Along option, the OK button
will be grayed until you choose Along or Follow Curve to specify the extrusion method.
Mesh, Revolve Menu 5-79
This dialog box allows you to select the faces that you want to extrude. You can simply graphically pick faces one
at a time and they will be added to the list, or you can press Multiple and choose multiple faces in the same ways
that you can when applying loads to element faces (refer to Section 4.3.3.4, "Model, Load, Elemental..." for more
info). Delete and Reset allow you to remove faces from the list. Before pressing Delete, select the face you want to
remove. You may not select more than one face type - you can not select both planar faces and edges in the same
command.
Once faces have been selected, other options are the same as for extruding elements and plot-only elements created
during command are always deleted after the extrusion has been completed.
5.5.2 Mesh, Revolve Menu
The Mesh, Revolve commands are very similar to the Mesh, Extrude commands - they take existing curves, ele-
ments or element faces and create additional planar or solid elements. In this case however, the original elements
are rotated (revolved) around an axis vector, rather than being translated along the vector as in the Extrude com-
mands. The other major difference is that there are no Advanced options available for the Mesh, Revolve com-
mands.
5.5.2.1 Mesh, Revolve, Curve...
... creates planar elements by revolving curves around a vector. Before you choose this command, define the mesh
size along the curves that you will select. The mesh size will determine the number of elements created by each
curve. Use the Mesh, Mesh Control, Size Along Curve command to define these sizes.
To begin, you select the curves to revolve using the standard entity selection dialog box. Any type of curve can be
selected, and the curves do not have to form a closed or ordered boundary. However, the generated elements will
only be connected to each other at locations where the original curves were connected. Therefore, if you are trying
to generate a connected group of elements (with no coincident nodes) it is always best to select a connected bound-
ary in an ordered sequence around the boundary.
You should not select any curves that cross the vector that you plan to revolve around. If you do, those curves will
generate twisted elements since each end of the curve would revolve in a different direction. This command makes
no allowance for generating triangular elements in the middle of a curve to eliminate this restriction. You can, on
the other hand, choose curves that have endpoints on the axis of revolution. These curves will automatically create
triangular elements (instead of quadrilaterals) at those endpoints.
After you have selected the curves to revolve, you must specify the generation options. This is identical to the
Mesh, Extrude, Curves command (see Section 5.5.1.1, "Mesh, Extrude, Curve..."). Next, the standard vector dialog
box is used to define the axis of revolution. Unlike the extrude commands, the magnitude of this vector is not
important, but its location and direction are important. The relationship between the location of the vector and the
curves you selected determines how the elements will be created.
Finally, you must specify the angle of rotation and the distance to translate along the axis of revolution. These val-
ues are just like those specified for the Mesh, Rotate commands, except you specify the total angle and total dis-
tance, not the values per iteration. The picture shows the result of revolving a series of curves (no translation
distance was specified).
Quadrilateral Elements
Mesh Size controls
elements along curves
Axis of Revolution
Triangular
Elements
Original curves
9 elements along length
of revolution
5-80 Meshing
5.5.2.2 Mesh, Revolve, Element...
... creates planar or solid elements by revolving existing elements around a vector - the axis of revolution. Line and
planar elements can be revolved, but you can only choose one type in a single command. Line elements will create
planar elements and planar elements will create solids as they are revolved.
Using this command is essentially the same as the Mesh, Revolve, Curve command. First, choose the elements to
revolve. Second, set the generation options using the dialog box shown in the Mesh, Extrude, Elements command.
Next, define the axis of revolution using the vector definition dialog boxes. Remember, only the location and direc-
tion of this vector are important for this command.
It is important to specify an axis that is properly positioned relative to the elements you selected. In general, it
should be defined so elements will be revolved normal to their current positions. If you choose other locations or
directions, it can result in badly shaped elements. In extreme cases like revolving plates in their own plane, this
command will fail and will not create new elements.
Finally, set the total rotation angle, and the translation distance (along the axis of revolution). Both of these quanti-
ties are input as the total values for the entire revolution.
5.5.2.3 Mesh, Revolve, Element Face...
... creates elements by revolving faces of existing elements. Operation of this command is essentially the same as
Mesh, Revolve, Element described in the previous section. You pick the element faces, then edge faces are
extruded into planar elements, and planar faces are extruded into solid elements.
Refer to the Mesh, Extrude, Element Face command for more information on picking the faces to be revolved.
5.5.3 Mesh, Sweep
The Mesh, Sweep menu allows you to select curves, elements or element faces, and then sweep them along one or
more curves to form the new elements. Sweeping curves will form FEMAP planar (2-D) elements, while sweeping
elements or faces will form either planar elements (if 1-D elements are swept) or solid elements (if planar elements
are swept).
Like the Advanced, Follow Curve option for the Mesh, Extrude commands, the curves or elements are swept along
a curve. The Mesh, Sweep commands, however, keep the edge of the new elements tangent to the curve. The edges
of elements generated with the Mesh, Extrude commands remain parallel to the edge of the curve but are not tan-
gent to it.
Revolve into Plates Line Elements
Revolve into Solids Plate Elements
Axis of
Revolution
Axis of
Revolution
Quads revolve
into Bricks
Triangles revolve
into Wedges
Quads on axis revolve
into Wedges
Quads with one
corner on axis
are split into
two triangles
and revolve
into 4 tetras
Mesh, Sweep 5-81
The menu includes three commands:
Mesh, Sweep, Curve: Any type of curve can be selected, and the curves do not have to form a closed or ordered
boundary. The generated elements, however, will only be connected to each other at locations where the origi-
nal curves were connected. Therefore, if you are trying to generate a connected group of elements (with no
coincident nodes) it is always best to select a connected boundary in an ordered sequence around the boundary.
Mesh, Sweep, Element: Any line element or planar element can be selected. Line elements will be swept into
quadrilateral plane elements. Triangular and quadrilateral plane elements sweep into wedge and brick solids,
respectively. If you choose parabolic planar elements, they will create parabolic solids. Each element that you
select will create one element at each step along the length of the curve.
Mesh, Sweep, Element Face: This command is very similar to Mesh, Sweep, Element but instead of selecting
entire elements, only element faces are selected. Refer to the Mesh, Extrude Element Face command for infor-
mation on face selection.
Sweeping Curves and Elements
Use the following procedure to sweep curves and elements:
1. Before you pick the Sweep command, define the mesh size using the Mesh, Mesh Control, Size Along Curve
command for the curves (both the curves to sweep and the curve to sweep along). The mesh size will determine
the number of elements created for each curve.
2. Pick the Mesh, Sweep, Curve or Mesh, Sweep, Element command.
3. Select the curves or elements to sweep using the standard entity selection dialog box.
4. Select the curve(s) to sweep along.
5. You will next see the Generation Options dia-
log box. To use the active element color and layer
for the new elements, pick Use Current Setting.
To use the color and layer of the original elements
that you are sweeping, pick Match Original Enti-
ties.
6. Pick the Property for the elements that will be
created. For curves and line elements to sweep,
pick a plane element property. For plane elements
to sweep, pick a solid element property.
7. If the curve to sweep along is planar, you do not
need to pick any additional options. If the curve to
sweep along is not planar, you can pick an Align-
ment Curve. Once you pick OK, you will be
prompted for the curve. If you dont choose an alignment curve, you will prompted to pick a reference point. The
X
Y
Z
X
Y
Z
X
Y
Z
V1
X
Y
Z
V1
5-82 Meshing
elements will be oriented toward either the point or curve(s) that you select. For examples, see "Sweeping Along
a Non-Planar Curve".
Sweeping Along a Non-Planar Curve
If you are sweeping along a non-planar curve, you must use either a reference point or alignment curve to orient the
elements along the curve.
The figure shows how two curves are swept along an out of plane curve. Note how the orientation of the elements
stays relative to the alignment curve.
Sometimes you may prefer to use a reference point. However, poor placement of either an reference point or align-
ment curve can cause problems with the element orientation. In the example below, note how the element orienta-
tions are twisted.
X
Y
Z
V1
X
Y
Z
V1
Curves to Sweep
Alignment Curve
X
Y
Z
V1
X
Y
Z
V1
Twisted Elements Reference Point
Curves to Sweep
6. Viewing Your Model
In addition to the numerous pre-and post-processing options provided by FEMAP, FEMAP also provides a wide
array of viewing options that play a key role in increasing your FEA productivity. The options and methods for
controlling how your model is displayed on screen can be divided into two broad categories:
View and Window menu commands
groups and layers
Each of these areas and their associated commands are discussed more fully below.
The commands on this menu control the display of your model on your computer monitor, on printed/plotted out-
put, and in graphical data which is saved or transferred to other applications. Additionally, these commands help
you to create and manage the graphical windows on your screen.
FEMAP uses the term view to refer to the combination of the graphics window and all of the options that define
what, how, and where your model will be displayed. FEMAP Views are stored with your model database. They can
be either active or inactive. Active views are associated with an on-screen window. Inactive views are not currently
displayed on your screen, but can be activated at any time you choose. Only non-iconic active views can be modi-
fied.
The View menu is separated into five partitions. The first partition contains commands pertaining to creating and
activating vies and multiple view manipulation. The second partition is view selection and options. Each of these
areas is described more fully below. See Section 6.1, "View Activation, Management, and Options"
The third through fifth sections all involve modifying the view, whether it be through magnification, rotation, etc.
These topics are discussed further in Section 6.2, "Modifying the View".
6.1 View Activation, Management, and Options
These commands allow you to:
set which view is the Active View in FEMAP and whether the Active View or All Views will be updated
by other view command.
set the Background colors and options
manage visibility of various entity types, labels, groups, layers, etc. in your FEMAP model
instruct FEMAP what type of plot to show (XY Plot, Deformation, Contour, Free Edge Plot, Model Only, etc.)
control viewing options for individual entity types (Labels, Colors, Show/do not show, etc.), tools and view
styles (Filled Edges, Transparency, View Axes and Legend, etc.), and Postprocessing (Deformed Style, Con-
tour/Criteria Levels and Legend, Beam Diagrams, XY Plot options, etc.)
use advanced post-processing options (Control Animations, Dynamic Cutting Plane, Dynamic IsoSurface, etc.)
6.1.1 View, Create/Manage...
... displays the View Manager, which allows you to create a new view using the New View button. The new view
will become the active view when created. The Update Title, Delete View, and Copy View buttons can be used to
update the name, delete, or copy the view currently highlighted in the Available Views - Selected View is Active list.
The Title Filter and Clear Title Filter icon buttons can be used to filter the existing views appearing in the list by
Title.
In order to view any or all of the views in the list, use the Window, New Window command, select Load Views
option, then select the view(s) you would like be visible (To select multiple views, hold down the Ctrl key while
picking from the list). Once these views are visible, you can toggle between the views by clicking on the view tab
of a particular view. You can also use the Window, Tile Horizontal; Window, Tile Vertical; and Window, Cascade
commands to position multiple views on the screen at once.
6-2 Viewing Your Model
Please refer to Section 6.3.1.1, "Window, New Window...", Section 6.3.1.3, "Window, Tile Horizontal", Section
6.3.1.4, "Window, Tile Vertical", and Section 6.3.1.5, "Window, Cascade" for more information on these com-
mands.
6.1.2 View, All Views...
... alternately turns the All Views switch on and off. When the All Views switch is on, a check mark will appear in
the menu beside this command. No input is required for this command.
When All Views is off, only one window, the active one, will be redrawn or modified. The active window is always
the one that you last selected. If you do nothing else, the last window that you activated will still be active. Simply
clicking with the left mouse button in a graphics window will select it as the active graphics window. You can also
click the View tab of any view to make it the active view.
When All Views is on, FEMAP will redraw all of the on-screen windows. Similarly, the other view-related com-
mands will update all of the on-screen windows. You can therefore limit updates to a selected set of windows by
closing views you do not want updated. After you make the changes you want, you can load the views back into the
model using Load View(s) option of the Window, New Window command.
Instead of using this command, the same All Views switch can also be controlled from the various dialog boxes
which are displayed by the other View commands. You will see a check box named All Views in the upper right cor-
ner of each dialog box. If the box is checked, All Views is on - all of the currently loaded views will be updated.
6.1.3 View, Background...
... controls the background color of the on-screen window.
Using the View, Background command
you can set the background color for your
graphics windows.
You can select a solid background color. In
this case, the color that you select fills the
entire window background prior to draw-
ing your model. You should normally pick
a color for your background which is a
solid (non-dithered) color. You can pick
any color, but dithered colors can make it
difficult to see your model. New models
created with FEMAP models and Neutral
files from previous versions (version 8.3
and below) will be brought in with their
exiting background colors.
The default setting for new models is the shaded background (option 0..Vertical). There are 9 different options for a
shaded back ground in FEMAP:
Vertical - The background color is shaded smoothly from the selected Top Color to the selected Bottom Color.
Horizontal - The background color is shaded smoothly from left to right using the selected Top Color (left) to the
selected Bottom Color (right).
Diagonal Up - The background color is shaded smoothly from lower left corner to upper right corner using the
selected Top Color (lower left corner) to the selected Bottom Color (upper right corner).
Diagonal Down - The background color is shaded smoothly from upper left corner to lower right corner using the
selected Top Color (upper left corner) to the selected Bottom Color (lower right corner).
Alt+F7
View, Background... 6-3
Square Spot - The background color is shaded smoothly from a square spot at the center of the screen (Top Color)
to the 4 corners of the window using an X shape that stretches to each corner.
Circular Spot - The background color is shaded smoothly from a circular spot at the center of the screen (Top
Color) to the outer edges of the graphics window.
Horizon - The background color is shaded smoothly from the top of the screen (Top Color) to the bottom of the
screen (Bottom Color) with the middle of the screen being the Middle Color. The position of the middle color is
determined by the horizon % (The horizon percentage goes from 0-100% with 0% at the top of the screen and
100% being the bottom of the screen).
Bitmap - The background color is solid (Top Color) and the Bitmap image selected in the Background field of the
Background Bitmaps section of the View and Graphics Preferences dialog box. The bitmap is centered and shown
in the resolution selected in the Background Bitmaps section of the View and Graphics Preferences dialog box. For
more information, see Section 2.6.2.2, "Views".
Stretched Bitmap - The Bitmap image selected in the Background field of the Background Bitmaps section of the
View and Graphics Preferences dialog box is stretched to fit the entire graphics window. For more information, see
Section 2.6.2.2, "Views"
Hidden line displays will use the average color for the fill color. This option is only available in Render Mode
graphics. If you print the screen using swap black and white and printer/plotter resolution, the background will not
be shaded in the printed version.
Logo
This section allows you to show a bitmap logo anywhere in the graphics window.
Show Bitmap - When on, shows the Bitmap image specified in Logo field of the Background Bitmaps section of
the View and Graphics Preferences dialog box in the chosen position in the main graphics window. For more infor-
mation, see Section 2.6.2.2, "Views".
Logo Location - Allows you to position the logo anywhere in the graphics window, by selecting a position for the
center of the bitmap. The entire logo will always be shown, so positioning the logo in the corner of the graphics
window is accomplished by clicking at any point close to the desired corner.
Note: FEMAP will try to make the background of the logo bitmap transparent. In order to do this, FEMAP
takes the color of the pixel located in lower left corner of the logo and makes that color transparent for
the entire logo. If you would like the background of your logo to appear (as in the picture above),
change the pixel in the lower left corner to a color that is not in the logo.
Location of Pixel
which determines
color of logo
transparency
View, Visibility... 6-5
6.1.4 View, Visibility...
... allows you to control visibility of Entity Types, Entity Labels, Groups (one or multiple), Layers, Load Sets, Con-
straint Sets, individual pieces of Geometry (Solids, Sheet Solids, and General Bodies), Connection entities (Con-
nection Regions and Connectors), Coordinate Systems, Aero entities, Freebody entities, and sets of Elements based
on Element Shape, Element Type, associated Material, and/or associated Property.
Each tab of the Visibility dialog box controls different aspects of what is displayed in the FEMAP graphics window.
Combinations of settings on multiple tabs give the user a vast array of options for creating the desired display.
The two buttons at the bottom of the dialog box, Reset All and Done are available while in any tab. Done closes the
Visibility dialog box, while Reset All returns the model to the default display configuration of FEMAP, which is:
All Entity Types, Geometry, Connection entities, and Coordinate Systems displayed
Labels on for Coordinate Systems, all Constraints (including Permanent and Equations), and all Loads
View All Layers option set on Layer tab, Show Full Model option set on Group tab.
View Active Load Set and View Active Constraint Set options set on Load/Constraint tab.
All Element Shapes, Element Types, and Elements associated with all Properties and Materials displayed
Note: When post-processing with a logo in a corner, the contour legend can be positioned and shrunk using
the View, Options command so the logo and the contour legend do not overlap. For more information,
see Section 8.3.11, "Contour/Criteria Legend..."
Note: Only tabs of entities which currently exist in the active model will be shown in the Visibility dialog box.
Ctrl+Q
Title Filter Clear Title Filter
The number and functionality of buttons on the right side of the dialog box changes for each tab.
Once displayed, certain entities may or may not be available for selection based on the visibility options.
For instance, if Elements are turned off on the Entity/Label tab, no Groups are being viewed (i.e., Show Full Model
option), all Layers are currently visible, and all Element shapes, Element types, and elements associated with all
Materials and Properties are also displayed, then elements are still available for selection in the graphics window.
On the other hand, only entities in displayed Groups, on visible Layers, and Elements of types, shapes, and associ-
ated to Properties and Materials which are currently checked on in the Visibility dialog box or the Model Info tree
are available for selection from the graphics window.
Filter/Clear Filter buttons
The Filter and Clear Filter buttons are available for use in the Group, Layer, Material, Property, and Geometry
tabs of the Visibility dialog box. Simply enter text into the field, then click the Filter button. The list in that tab will
be reduced to only those entries that contain the text you specified. You can now enter additional text, and press the
Filter icon button again to further reduce the list. Press Clear All Filters icon button to return to the full list and
start again. This can be especially useful in models which contain a large number of groups and layers.
Quickly Choosing Visibility
In addition to using the Visibility icon on the View Toolbar or using Ctrl+Q, you can also access the Visibility dialog
box directly from the Quick Access menu. Simply press the right mouse button with the cursor anywhere inside
any graphics window, and select Visibility.
Entity/Label tab
There are times that you will want to quickly toggle on/off the overall visibility of entire entity types and/or the
labels for various entity types. The Entity/Label tab of the Visibility dialog box provides a single place to perform
both of these actions.
When Draw Entity is selected above the lists of entity types, visibility of each entity type is controlled by the check
box next to the entity type name. When Labels is selected, visibility for the entity type labels is controlled by the
Note: The Visibility settings on the Entity/Label, Group, Layer, and Load/Constraint tabs apply to the Active
View only. Settings on the Element, Material, and Property tabs apply to All Views in the model.
check box. Visibility and/or labels for portions of the list can be turned on/off using the special check box next to
any entity type header (Geometry, Mesh, Connections, Constraints, and Loads).
Two additional options exist when the Labels option is selected. When Entity Color is checked, all labels will be
displayed using the same color as the entity. When Erase Background is checked, FEMAP will erase the area
where the label will be drawn, prior to drawing the label. If you are labelling filled areas, it is often good to choose
this option, as they are easier to read.
The table describes the functions performed by each of the command buttons:
Group tab
This tab enables you to specify visibility options for groups which allow you to display only a portion of your
model. Groups are essentially subsets of the model based on entity IDs, rules to include entities related to other
entities already in the group (i.e., nodes on elements currently in the group), or limited by clipping regions.
There are 4 visibility options for groups:
Entity/Label Button Function
All On Turns Draw Entity or Labels check box on for all entities.
All Off Turns Draw Entity or Labels check box off for all entities.
Selected On Turns Draw Entity or Labels check box on for selected entities.
Selected Off Turns Draw Entity or Labels check box off for selected entities.
Selected Only Turns Draw Entity or Labels check box on for selected entities, while turning
all unselected entities off.
Entity Colors Changes Color mode to Entity Colors for all options.
View Colors Changes Color mode to View Colors for all options.
Note: The following buttons change the entire view (selections, alignment, magnification, etc.), not
just the view options.
Load View Updates the current view by restoring from the View library.
Save View Store the current view in the View library
Reset View Resets the entire view to FEMAP defaults.
Group Set to Show
Groups Set to Hide
Referenced Group
Set to Show
Show Full Model - Groups are not currently being used to only display a portion of your model.
Show Active Group - The active group will be used to only display a portion of your model. The active group
can be changed by selecting a different group from the drop-down list.
Show Single Group - Any single group can be chosen from the drop-down menu and used to display only a por-
tion of the model.
Show/Hide Multiple Groups - Any number of groups can be set to Show (Green Circle with +), Hide
(Red Circle with -), or Clear (no marker in box) to create the desired display.
By default, the Group option is set to Show Full Model, therefore the entire model will be displayed. Activating an
existing group will not change the display, but will allow you to graphically select entities from your entire model
to place into the group. If you want to display only a portion of your model, switch this option to Show Active
Group, Show Single Group, or Show/Hide Multiple Groups. Then only the entities which are in the appropriate
group(s) will be displayed.
The Show/Hide Multiple Groups option gives you the most flexibility when creating a display. Show All will
change the Show/Hide flag of all groups to show, while Clear All will change the flag for all groups to Clear.
You may also highlight any number of groups from the list, then click Show Selected (set flag for all selected
groups to Show), Hide Selected (set flag to Hide), Clear Selected (set flag to Clear), or Show Selected Only
(sets flag of selected groups to Show, while setting flags of unselected groups to Clear).
For Example:
In this model, there are 11 total groups. Individual groups exist for the elements of each color (7 groups). Also, one
group containing both the blue and green elements, one group containing the red, yellow, and cyan elements, one
group containing the top two rows of elements, and one L-shaped group.
Here are a few visibility scenarios involving the Groups in this example model:
Note: When Show/Hide Multiple Groups is set and ALL Groups are Clear, the whole model will be visible.
Green and Blue
Red, Yellow, and Top 2 Rows L-Shaped Group
Cyan Group Group
Group
All Groups Clear
(Whole Model shown)
Orange and Purple
set to Show
Blue and Green and Top
2 Rows set to Show
Layers tab
Controls which layers will be displayed in the model. Also allows you to specify the Active Layer as well as the
NoPick Layer.
The default setting is View All Layers. If you want to only view selected layers, change to View Multiple Layers,
then check the layers you would like to see in the view. The All On and All Off buttons simply check or
uncheck all of the layers in the model. Selected On will check the highlighted layers, while Selected Off will
uncheck them. Selected Only will check the selected layers while also unchecking all of the non-highlighted
layers. As you check or uncheck the boxes next to various layers, the display in the graphics window will
update on-the-fly.
In addition to controlling your display, visible layers may also be used to control entity selection. Only entities on
visible layers and which are not on the NoPick Layer can be selected graphically. With the Active Layer option, you
can also select the layer that will be used for entity creation. You may also use the New Layer icon button next to
the Active Layer drop-down list to create a new layer in your model.
Cyan, Top 2 Rows and
L-Shaped set to Show,
Yellow, Top 2 Rows, and
Blue and Green set to Show
Red and Blue set to Hide Blue set to Hide
New Layer
icon button
.
Load/Constraint tab
Here you can choose the load set and/or constraint set that will be displayed in the view.
By default, View Active Load Set and View Active Constraint Set are the selected options, therefore the active load
set and active constraint set will be displayed. You can change the active Load Set and/or Constraint Set using the
appropriate drop-down list. You may eliminate loads and/or constraints from the display by choosing the View No
Loads and/or View No Constraints options. Also, you can select a particular set for display whether or not it is
active by using the View Selected Load Set and/or View Selected Constraint Set options and selecting an existing set
from the appropriate drop-down list.
Geometry tab
This tab allows you to control the visibility of individual geometric parts in your model including Solids, Sheet Sol-
ids (single surface and multiple surfaces stitched together), and General Bodies. All surfaces, curves, and points
related to a geometric entity which has visibility set to off will also no longer be visible in the display.
The icon next to the title designates the type of geometric entity. A cylinder by itself represents a Solid, a cylinder
and a surface represents a Sheet Solid, while a cylinder with a connected surface represents a General Body.
Only geometric entities which are currently checked will be available for selection in the graphics window. This
can make it very easy to perform box, circle, polygon, or freehand picking of geometric entities.
Note: By default, entities used for solid geometry construction (such as a boundary surface for an extrusion)
are automatically deleted after being used. On the Geometry/Model tab of the File, Preferences dialog
box, you can change the Construction Geometry... when used option to 1..Move to NoPick Layer.
When this option is set, the construction geometry will be moved to 9999..Construction Layer, which
is the default for the NoPick Layer. This can be used to prevent construction geometry from being
selected for load or constraint application. If you need to access this geometry, change the NoPick
Layer to 0..none and you will be able to graphically select these entities. Be careful when doing this
however, since this geometry may occupy the identical space as a solid face or edge.
.
This table describes the functions performed by each of the command buttons when in the Geometry tab:
Connection, Coord Sys, Aero Panel/Body, Aero Spline/Control Surface and Freebody tabs
In the Connection, Coord Sys, Aero Panel/Body, and Aero Spline/Control Surface tabs, you can toggle visibility on/
off for both individual Connectors, Connection Regions, Coordinate Systems, Aero Panel/Body entities, Aero
Splines, and Aero Control Surfaces.
In the Freebody tab, you can toggle visibility on/off for individual Freebody entities while postprocessing. An
overall on/off toggle for Freebody display is available in the Freebody tool of the PostProcessing Toolbox.
This table describes the functions performed by the command buttons when in the tabs mentioned above:
All On Checks boxes for ALL geometric entities in the list.
All Off Unchecks boxes for ALL geometric entities in the list.
Selected On Checks boxes of highlighted geometric entities in the list.
Selected Off Unchecks boxes of highlighted geometric entities in the list.
Selected Only Checks boxes of highlighted geometric entities in the list, while unchecking
boxes of geometric entities which are not currently highlighted.
All On Checks boxes for ALL entities in the list(s) of a particular tab
All Off Unchecks boxes for ALL entities in the list(s) of a particular tab
Selected On Checks boxes of highlighted entities in a list of a particular tab
Selected Off Unchecks boxes of highlighted entities in a list of a particular tab
Selected Only Checks boxes of highlighted entities in a list of a particular tab, while uncheck-
ing boxes of entities in a list of a particular tab which are not currently highlighted.
General Body
icon
Solid icon
Sheet Solid
icon
Element, Material, and Property tabs
These tabs allow you to control the visibility of elements based on Element Shape and/or Element Type (Element
tab) and elements associated with specific Materials or Properties in your model.
The number of elements of each type or shape is listed after the type name or shape name when in the Element tab.
A special check box exists in the Material tab which allows you to toggle visibility on/off for Elements with No
Material which include plot only, link, spring/damper, DOF spring, gap, laminate (reference several materials, not
one), mass, mass matrix, rigid/interpolation, stiffness matrix, and slide line elements. A similar box exists in the
Property tab for Elements with No Property which include plot only and rigid/interpolation elements.
The Nodes On option is actually one option shared by the Element, Material, and Property tabs. When off
(default), the nodes of hidden elements will also be hidden and not available for selection. When on, the nodes
of hidden elements will be visible and available for selection.
This table describes the functions performed by each of the command buttons when in the Element, Material, or
Property tab:
Note: Element visibility using the Element, Material, and Property tabs applies to All Views in the model, not
just the Active View like the Entity/Label, Group, Layer, and Load/Constraint tabs.
All On Checks boxes for ALL element shapes/types, materials, or properties (includes
box for Elements with No Material/Property).
All Off Unchecks boxes for all element shapes/types, materials, or properties (includes
box for Elements with No Material/Property).
Selected On Checks boxes of highlighted element shapes/types, materials, or properties.
Selected Off Unchecks boxes of highlighted element shapes/types, materials, or properties.
Selected Only Checks boxes of highlighted element shapes/types, materials, or properties, while
unchecking boxes of shapes/types, materials, or properties which are not currently
highlighted.
View, Select and View, Options 6-13
Only elements of shapes/types or associated with materials or properties which are currently checked will be
available for selection in the graphics window. This can make it very easy to perform box, circle, polygon, or
freehand picking of certain element types/shapes, materials, or properties.
6.1.5 View, Select and View, Options
This section of the menu contains two of the most often used commands in FEMAP: View, Select and View,
Options. View, Select controls the top level display options. With View, Select, you can control whether your model
is displayed in hidden line or plain wireframe mode, turn on and off stress contours, animations, and deformed
plots, etc.
View, Options provides detailed control over how entities are displayed, i.e. what color elements are drawn with,
whether or not labels for nodes are displayed, whether or not perspective is turned on, etc. View, Options also pro-
vides extensive control over post-processing display options that are more fully described in the post-processing
section of this manual.
6.1.5.1 View, Select...
... chooses what will be displayed in a view. You can select both the type of display and the model or postprocess-
ing data which will be displayed.
The View Select dialog box is basically divided into two halves:
The XY Style and Model Style radio buttons comprise the first half of the View Select dialog box. These options
choose the method for display. You can choose any one option from these two groups of styles. If you choose a
Model Style, your model will be displayed in the view, using all of the other specified visibility and display
options. If instead you choose an XY Style, the view will contain a 2D, XY plot of the selected output data or
function. XY styles are only available when you have output data available for post-processing or functions.
The XY Data button displays an additional dialog box with options for XY plotting of Output Data, while XY
Functions provides options for the XY plotting of functions.
For information on Model Style, see Section 6.1.5.2, "Choosing a Model Style". For information on XY Style, see
Section 8.2.3, "Choosing an XY Style", Section 8.2.3.1, "Selecting Data for an XY Style" and Section 8.2.3.2,
"Quickly Choosing XY Data".
The second half of the dialog box consists of the Deformed Style and Contour Style option buttons. Here you
can choose one option from each category to define the type of post-processing display. The default settings
(None-Model Only) are used to create a normal model display which does not use any output data for post-pro-
cessing. The settings of these options are ignored if you choose an XY style. The Deformed and Contour Data
button displays an additional dialog box that allows you to select the output data that will be used when creating
a post-processing display.
For more information, see Section 8.2.2, "Choosing Deformed and Contour Styles" and Section 8.2.2.2, "Selecting
Data for a Deformed or Contour Style".
Ctrl+S or F5
6.1.5.2 Choosing a Model Style
FEMAP provides numerous styles in which you can display your model. Each style provides certain benefits.
Choice of the best style depends upon what you need to accomplish. The following table describes all of the styles,
their advantages and disadvantages:
The pictures, below, show examples of the various model styles.
Although the hidden line removal options do require substantial calculations, and are therefore somewhat slower,
they can often be the best approach to understanding a complex model. This is especially true for 3D models. After
Style Description Advantages Disadvantages (GDI Graphics) Render
Draw
Model
Simply displays all
entities.
Fast. Everything visible.
Usually best working
mode. Good for screen
selection.
Complex 3D models can be hard to
visualize. Entities drawn on top of
each other may make it difficult to
locate a particular detail.
Yes
Features Draws all entities.
Lines of the same
color, which overlap,
alternately draw and
erase themselves.
Fast. Results in a plot
which only shows color
boundaries. With proper
color assignments can
show property or mate-
rial boundaries.
Not usually appropriate for screen
selection. Resulting display
depends on your color choices.
Not Used
Quick
Hidden
Line
Sorts all elements,
then displays from the
back of view. Only
shows entities which
are visible - hidden
lines are removed.
Good for final display
and visualization of com-
plex 3D models. Can be
helpful for screen selec-
tion in complicated mod-
els.
Fairly Slow. Not usually best for
picking - many entities are not visi-
ble. Does not properly remove hid-
den lines for some elements (see
Full Hidden Line).
Yes
Full
Hidden
Line
Same as Quick Hid-
den Line, but does
additional checking to
properly remove all
hidden lines.
Same as Quick Hidden
Line.
Slow. Same as
Quick
Hidden
Line
Free
Edge
Finds and displays all
element edges which
do not join to another
element.
Can quickly point out
holes or disconnections
in your model.
Not appropriate as a working mode.
Really just intended for checking
your model.
Yes
Free
Face
Finds and displays all
element faces which
do not join to another
element.
Can quickly point out
disconnections between
solid elements. Reduces
complexity of solid
model plots. Can help to
find duplicate plate ele-
ments.
Usually not used for a working
mode. Intended for checking
model.
Yes
Hidden Line Draw Model
Free Face Free Edge
View, Options... 6-15
you make the first hidden line display, FEMAP retains a display list of the sorted information. This dramatically
speeds up redrawing hidden line views.
For more information, see Section 6.3.2.1, "Window, Redraw..." and Section 6.3.2.2, "Window, Regenerate...".
For solid element models, you can also use the Free Face option to simulate a hidden line
view. In fact, you can even use this mode to show hidden lines in a different line style (like
dashed), instead of removing them. To remove backfaces, use the Fill, Backfaces and Hid-
den option, in the View, Options command, and chose one of the Skip methods. Choose the
Show All Faces method to show hidden lines as a different color/style, then go to the Free
Edge and Face options and set the Free Edge Color to Use View Color. Finally, choose the
color and line style you want to use.
The XY Function button is used to select the function(s) that will be displayed when you choose the XY of Function
display style. Even though this is obviously an XY plot, you must choose the function(s) to be displayed from
Select Multiple Functions for View dialog box because it is a display of model information, not always post-pro-
cessing information like other XY plotting styles. Up to 9 different functions can be displayed at one time.
Choosing Deformed and Contour Styles
When you want to graphically post-process model output, you must choose one of the deformed or contour styles,
in addition to a model style. Choosing None for either of these options disables that type of postprocessing. You
will use None any time you just want to display your model. If you want to display a combined post-processing
view, for example, a Deformed Contour, just choose both a deformed and a contour style. For more information on
the options available and overall general post-processing capability, see Section 8, "Post-Processing".
6.1.5.3 View, Options...
...controls how your model (or XY plot) is displayed in a view.
Ctrl+O or F6
Choose category
to change between
option lists
Choose option
to display or
change settings
Scroll down for
more options
You can control whether entities are displayed, labelling, colors, and hundreds of other options. You can also con-
trol the display of non-model entities, such as the view origin, workplane, and snap grid. Finally, this command
controls all of the graphical post-processing options.
All of these different options are controlled from the View Options dialog box. There are three basic parts to this
dialog box. The Category option buttons choose the type of view options that you want to update. When you
choose a category, the Options list is automatically updated. This list displays all View options that you can update
for each category. You may have to scroll through the list, using the scroll bar, to see all of available options.
To modify an option, simply select it from the list. You can do this either by pointing at it with the cursor and click-
ing the left mouse button, or by pressing the direction keys. As you select an option, the right side of the dialog box
is updated. It displays various controls which allow you to set the option. The current option settings are loaded as
the defaults.
The Standard View Option Settings
There are eight standard controls which appear in the right side of the View Options dialog box. If the option you
select does not need a particular control, that control will not be visible. In fact, none of the options use all eight
controls, and most only use a few.
The titles of the controls change depending on the option being updated. Each control however, has a similar func-
tion for all view options. We will therefore describe them in terms of overall titles. You can refer to the table at the
end of this section for more detailed information on the settings that can be chosen for each option. That table also
shows the titles for any controls that do not control the standard functions that are described here.
In order, from top to bottom, down the right side of the dialog box, the controls are:
Draw Check Box:
If this control is checked, the related entities will be drawn, otherwise they will be skipped. Some view options use
this control to turn something else on or off. Examples include label prefixes, line elements in a free edge check,
element shrinking, and filling.
Double-clicking the associated item in the Options list will toggle this control on and off.
Label List:
This list box is usually used to choose the labelling mode for entities. You can choose to turn all labels off, to label
by ID, and many other settings. For certain view options, this list is used for other label-related options. Examples
include font selections, label or legend positioning, and symbol sizing.
Color Mode List:
This list box controls how an entity color will be chosen. If you pick Entity Colors, the colors that you assigned to
each entity will be displayed. If you pick Use View Color, the single color that you specify in the View Color con-
trol will be used. Choosing Use Layer Color will result in each entity being displayed with the color of the layer
that it references. Depending on the view option you are updating, other settings are also available. Still other view
options use this list to control settings like the legend style, XY curve style, or light source position for shading.
View Color and Palette:
Typically, this text box defines a single color for the selected entity option. To use this color, you must also choose
the Use View Color setting from the Color Mode list. You can either type a color ID in the text box, or press Palette
to select the color graphically.
Additional Text Boxes:
Below the View Color controls, there are two additional controls which are used to specify other numeric settings.
Examples of this include scale factors, animation frames, shrink and lighting percentages, minimum and maximum
criteria limits, and the view aspect ratio. Most options do not use these text boxes.
Command Button:
A few view options display an additional command button (located directly above Apply). Pushing this button will
display other dialog boxes. The options that use these buttons are described later in this section.
Setting Multiple View Options
Updating a view option is simple. You choose the category and option that you want to modify, and then change the
available settings in the other controls. To modify other view options, just repeat the process. Pick a new Category,
if necessary, and a new Option. Then change those settings. You can repeat this as many times as you want.
Previewing and Cancelling Your Selections
If you would like to see the effect of your changes, press Apply. This will redraw the current view, using the new
settings. If you decide that you did not like the changes, just press Cancel to leave the dialog box. This will auto-
matically restore all view options to their prior settings. To save your changes, you must press OK.
View Options Categories
As described above, FEMAP splits the view options into three categories. Each category contains related options.
The Labels, Entities, and Color category contains all of the options that control the display of model entities. With
these options, you choose whether entities will be drawn, if and how they will be labeled, and what colors will be
used. Entity label sizes and styles are further controlled by the Label Parameter option that is also in this category.
Other entity-related view options can also be found here. For example, you can control the display of element
direction arrows, offsets, and orientation vectors, among others.
The Tools and View Style category contains the options that control whether tools, like the workplane and snap grid,
will be displayed. This category also contains options that control the style of the view. For example, you can
choose, free edge settings, element filling, shading, perspective, and stereo options. Each of these will change the
overall style of the view. Finally, you will find options in this category to control view-related items, such as the
legend, origin, and view axes.
The final category, PostProcessing, controls all of the graphical postprocessing options. These include all of the
options for deformed, animated, vector, contour, criteria, and XY plots. None of these options has any impact,
unless you have selected one of the post-processing options through the View, Select command.
Additional Comments on View Options
Options that are not self-explanatory are described in the following paragraphs. Post-processing related items will
be further explained in Section 8, "Post-Processing".
Labels, Entities and Color Options
Label Parameters
This option controls the format of all labels in your view. If you turn the prefix on, entity labels will be preceded by
a single letter prefix which will identify the entity type. For example, Node 1 will be labeled N1, Element 23 will
be labelled E23. With the prefix turned off only the number will be used. You can choose any of the listed fonts.
Larger fonts can be easier to read for simple models, but often obliterate each other on complex models. The font
must be available to Windows before you can use it.
The first two color mode options, Entity Colors and Use View Color, just draw the label. Label colors either match
the entities that they are labelling, or else all labels are drawn using the single view color. The final two options,
Entity, Erase Back and View, Erase Back, choose the label color, in the same way as the first two options. If you
pick one of these options however, FEMAP will erase the area where the label will be drawn, prior to drawing the
label. If you are labelling filled areas, it is often good to choose one of the Erase Back options - they are easier to
read. In fact if you do not, you will not be able to see any labels that use the same color as the filled area.
Render Offset enables you to control how much labels are pulled forward. As OpenGL uses depth buffering, labels
can be covered or partially covered by other drawn entities. The Render Offset is a multiple of the font height. A
value of 1 will correctly label elements that have a slope of up to 45 degrees to the screen. If elements have a
steeper slope to the screen, a higher value may be required.
Coordinate System...
... controls the display of user defined coordinate systems only. This is not used for the global (or view) axes. Use
the View Axes display option to update those axes.
There are several options for displaying user-defined coordinate systems using the Label and Color modes. Labels
can be shown for the axes, coordinate system ID, both (default), or no labels at all. The axes can be shown as lines
without arrows (default), with arrows, or as Solid arrows. There are four color options for each arrow option,
Entity Color (default), View Color, Layer Color, or RGB (Red, Green, Blue). Here are some examples.
Point, Curve, Combined Curve, Surface, Boundary, Volume,...
... controls the display of these entities. You can choose a color mode, label mode (typically ID or Mesh Attributes),
and whether to draw the entity.
Note: If the labels appear fine on the screen but are not printed properly, it is probably because your Windows
printer driver does not support that font. Simply change the font and reprint.
ID and Axes Labels, Entity Color Line ID Labels only, View Color Arrow
No Labels, Layer Color Arrow Axes Labels only, RGB Solid
Points can also be labelled with their definition coordinate system or defined mesh size. In the case of Mesh Size,
any point that has a size defined will be labelled with the size value. Points which have no size defined will not be
labelled. Points can be drawn as + symbols or dots - refer to the Symbols options.
Curve - Mesh Size...
... controls the display of mesh symbols and labels along curves. The default setting, Symbols Only, will only dis-
play symbols on curves which have a mesh size defined along the curve. If a mesh size is implied from point or
default mesh sizes, it will not be shown.
The second labelling option, Size and Bias, works similarly. In this case however, numeric values for the number of
elements along the curve and the bias are shown. The bias value is not displayed when it is 1.0 (a uniform mesh).
The third labelling option, Symbols (all curves), will display symbols on every curve. If no mesh size is defined
along the curve, the size will be determined from point and default sizes. The final labeling option, Symbols and
Count will show symbols as well as a numeric value for the number of elements for all curves that have a mesh size
set.
Curve and Surface Accuracy
This option allows you to view the directions of curves and surfaces using the Parametric Directions options. An
arrow is placed at the end of each curve, and arrows are shown on the surface divisions to designate the s direction
of the surface. The directions canvery useful when meshing or defining Connection Regions.
Text...
... controls the display of text. You can eliminate certain types of text from the view by choosing one of the visibil-
ity settings.
Node...
... controls display of nodes. Nodes can be drawn as either an X symbol or as dots - refer to the Symbols options.
Nodes can be labeled using ID, Definition Coordinate System, Output Coordinate System, or Superelement ID.
Node - Perm Constraint...
If you have permanent constraints applied to one or more of your nodes, these settings will determine whether or
not they are displayed. If the Constraint view option is also on, permanent constraints will be combined with the
nodal constraints at any node where both exist. You will be unable to distinguish graphically which degrees of free-
dom are permanent constraints, and which are nodal. To make that determination, you must turn one of the options
off.
Element...
... controls the display of elements. There are several different options for labeling (ID, Property, Material, Type,
ID/Property/Material, and Layer), and color (Entity, View, Layer, Property, and Material) modes. Refer to the next
several options for additional information on elements.
Element - Directions
If this option is turned on, FEMAP will display an arrow-
head on one element side, or a vector normal to the ele-
ment (planar elements only). If you choose the Right-
Hand Rule Normal Style, the arrowhead indicates the
direction of the element connectivity. For line elements,
the arrowhead points at the second node. For planar ele-
ments, the arrow is always located on the last edge, and
points at the first node. For solid elements, the arrow is
located on the last edge of the first face, again, pointing at
the first node.
Face normals can be determined by using the right-hand rule in conjunction with the direction arrows. The normal
points in the positive, right-hand rule direction. You may want to turn on Shrink Elements to see the relationships
between arrowheads and elements.
Note: To specify the number of digits displayed for any displayed bias factor value, enter a value other
than 0 in the Digits field of the Contour/Criteria Style option in View Options. To display bias
factor values using an exponential format, change the Label Mode of the Contour/Criteria Legend
option in View Options to one of the Exponent options.
Directions on legs of rigid elements will always be shown as arrows pointing from dependent node(s) to inde-
pendent node(s).
If instead, you choose the Normal Vector style, vectors will be drawn at the center of planar elements to indicate the
positive normal direction.
Element - Offsets/Releases...
... controls whether element offsets will be displayed. If this option is on, FEMAP will draw lines from the nodes to
the offset locations, and then draw the element connecting the offset locations. FEMAP always draws offsets to
their actual lengths. If you have very small offsets, you might not see them, even though they are displayed.
You can use the Release Labels option to display the degrees of freedom that are released. When this option is set,
FEMAP will label each released degree of freedom at the appropriate end of the beam. FEMAP uses the numbers
one to six to represent the six elemental degrees of freedom.
Element - Orientation/Shape
If this option is on, FEMAP will draw a vector in the direction of the element orientation. For beams and other line
elements, this vector will either point toward the third node, or in the direction of the vector orientation that you
specified. For plane elements, that have rotated material axes, FEMAP will draw the vector in the direction of the
material axes. Element - Beam Y-Axis is very similar to this option.
The second list box, Element Shape, allows you to change how line and plane elements will be displayed. In the
default setting, Line/Plane Only, these elements will simply be drawn connecting the nodes. Line elements will just
be a single line, plane elements will be a triangle or quadrilateral. Switching to either of the other options lets you
see more information for these elements.
Line elements can be shown with a rectangular
cross section, the actual input cross section, or a
box denoting the stress recovery location. These
options only affect line elements. There is no dif-
ference for solid or plate elements between Show
Fiber Thickness, Show Inertia Ratio, Show Cross
Section or Show Stress Recovery Locations. The
Show Fiber Thickness and Show Inertia Ratio set-
tings display the cross section as a rectangle. For
bar and beam elements, if you choose Show Fiber
Thickness, the size of the rectangle is based on the
stress recovery locations. If you choose Show Inertia Ratios, the rectangular cross section is based on the area and
cross-sectional inertias (I1 and I2). Since the cross section may not really be a rectangle, the height and width of the
rectangle shown may not be correct, but it will be representative of a rectangular cross section with the same inertia
ratio (I1/I2). The area, I1 and I2 values must all be nonzero or no cross section will be shown.
456 Offsets
Released Degrees
of Freedom
Centerline of Beam
Orientation On
Offset Beams with
Orientation Vectors
Plates with Material
Orientation Vectors
Element Shape On
Offset Beams
Plates
Show Cross Section draws the cross-section of the
beams based upon the input to the FEMAP cross sec-
tion property generator. This can be an arbitrary sur-
face shape or a standard shape. This sample shows the
difference between drawing the beam cross section
and just line representations. The beam cross section
picture provides a much better physical representation
of the actual model.
Show Stress Recovery Locations will be identical to
Show Cross Section, except it will draw a rectangular
cross section based upon the stress recovery locations
for all beams that do not have a defined cross section.
As stated above, for all other element types, these four
options produce identical results. For tubes and rods,
the cross-section is based on the radius. Other line ele-
ments can not display a cross section. Planar elements
will be expanded to show their thicknesses. If you have specified top and bottom fiber distances, these will be used.
If you have not, or the element type does not support fiber distances, the element thickness will be used and will be
centered about the nodal plane.
There are many benefits to using this option. It allows you to graphically see your property data, find errors, and it
provides a more realistic display. For beam/bar elements, it also helps you to determine if you have properly speci-
fied the beam orientations. Since the rectangular cross section rotates with the orientation vector, you can see how
your beam is oriented. By choosing these different options, you can graphically check beam cross sections.
Element - Beam Y-Axis...
... is similar to Element - Orientation. Instead of drawing the vector toward the third node, or vector orientation that
you specify, this option will draw a vector in the true element Y-Axis. FEMAP will calculate cross products, using
the element X axis and the element orientation to determine the Y-Axis. If the orientation that you specified is per-
pendicular to the element X-Axis, it will always be equivalent to the Y-axis. This option is only used for line ele-
ments.
Element - Coordinate System...
... displays the local element coordinate system of solid elements only. The local system will be displayed with
the origin of the local system at the centroid of each element
Element - Weld...
... allows you to turn the diameter on and off for all of the weld elements in your model. The diameter for each weld
is determined by the Weld property used by each element.
Element - Rigid...
... has a toggle which allows you to turn on symbols indicating the independent and dependent nodes for all of the
Rigid Elements in your model. Independent nodes are displayed as filled-in Square symbols at the nodal loca-
tions, while dependent nodes are displayed as outline only square symbols.
You can also turn on the degrees of freedom for the independent nodes (all rigid element types) and dependent
nodes (RBE3 interpolation and RSPLINE elements only) using the Label Mode
Note: Although possible, you should not display element thicknesses when you are doing contour plots.
FEMAP does not adjust the contour data to the surfaces of the thickened elements and the resulting
picture can be confusing.
Note: The local element coordinate system displayed is determined using Nastran methodology, therefore
this may not be applicable for other solvers.
Load Vectors...
...controls the length of the displayed vectors on the screen. You can choose a Uniform style or Scale by Magnitude,
which scales the vector length based upon the magnitude. You may also specify the magnitude which controls the
length of the largest load. All other loads are scaled accordingly. Each load type is scaled separately. To prevent
visual loss of small loads in a large model, you may also specify a Minimum Scale. All loads which would fall
below this minimum are then scaled to the minimum.
Load - Body...
...controls the display of translational acceleration (straight solid arrow), rotational acceleration (curved solid arrow
with 2 arrowheads), and rotational velocity (curved solid arrow with 1 arrowhead) body loads in the graphics win-
dow. Labels, Location for the rotational body loads, and Color may also be set.
By default, when only one of the above body loads is being applied in the Active load set, the corresponding
symbol for that load will appear in the middle of the View Axis, oriented to the XYZ of the View Axis.
RBE2 - No Symbols
RBE3 - Symbols
and DOF Labels
and No DOF Labels
RBE2 - Symbols
and No DOF Labels
RBE2 - Symbols
and DOF Labels
RSPLINE - Symbols
and DOF Labels
Translational Acceleration Rotational Acceleration Rotational Velocity
(-1 in Y-direction) (100 about X-axis) (20 about X-Axis)
When more than one body load is being applied, translational acceleration will be displayed in the YZ plane, rota-
tional acceleration in the ZX plane, and rotational velocity in the XY plane of the View Axis.
Changing the Location from 0..View Axis to 1..Model, will only affect the position of rotational body loads. They
will be shown with the same symbol, but will also show a dotted-line representing the rotation axis of the load
within the model itself.
Load - Force, Moment and Torque, Temperature, Distributed Loads, Pressure, Acceleration,
Velocity, Enforced Displacement, Nonlinear Force, Heat Generation, Heat Flux, Convection, Radi-
ation, Bolt Preload, Fluid Tracking, Unknown Condition, Slip Wall Condition, Fan Curve, Periodic
Condition...
... independently control the display of each load type. For forces, moments, accelerations, velocities, and enforced
displacements, you can choose to display either the resultant load vectors or the load components. If you choose
either Color/Component Mode option 0 or 1, FEMAP will display one vector for each load in the direction of the
resultant load. If you choose option 2 or 3, FEMAP will display the components of the load. This will draw up to
three vectors which are aligned with the global rectangular directions. It does not matter what coordinate system
you used to define the load, the components are always drawn in global rectangular. In either case, the vectors will
be colored based on the entity or view color, as is typical for all of the other view options.
Bolt Preloads are for NX Nastran only (version 5.0 and above).
The Fluid Tracking, Unknown Condition, Slip Wall Condition, Fan Curve, and Periodic Condition load types are
for use with the FEMAP Flow product only.
Note: To specify the number of digits displayed for any displayed load value, enter a value other than 0
in the Digits field of the Contour/Criteria Style option in View Options. To display load values
using an exponential format, change the Label Mode of the Contour/Criteria Legend option in
View Options to one of the Exponent options.
When displayed, the various nodal forces are drawn as shown as in the diagram.
Elemental loads are drawn very much like nodal loads, but are located at the center (or along) the element face
where they are applied. Directional elemental loads (like direction heat flux and distributed loads) also represent
the direction in which the load will be applied.
Function dependent loads can be labelled with both the load value and the function ID that has been selected. The
function ID is shown in parenthesis.
Curve and Surface-Based loads can be Total Loads or individual loads. This is designated by a T prefix for the
Total Loads.
L1
Force Moment
Acceleration Temperature
Velocity Rotational
Velocity
Enforced
Displacement
Enforced
Rotation
Rotational
Acceleration
Heat
Flux
Heat
Generation
or Torque
Heat
Generation
Pressure
Radiation
Temperature
Convection
Heat
Flux
Distributed Load
2.
2.(1)
Constant Load
Load Dependent on
Function 1
Total Loads on Surfaces and Curves with T prefix
Individual Loads (Value Only)
Surface-based Bearing Forces are shown with these symbols.
Bolt Preloads appear as a nut and bolt symbol on a bolt region.
Constraint and Constraint Equation...
... control the display of nodal constraints and constraint equations. If you also have permanent constraints in your
model, see "Node - Perm Constraint...". Also note that you can label both the degree of freedom, and the coeffi-
cients for constraint equations.
Note: Be careful in determining whether a Bolt Region actually has a bolt preload applied as the symbol for
the Bolt Region is a Bolt without a nut
Bearing Force with Normal to Surface option On Bearing Force with Normal to Surface option Off
Nodal Constraints
with DOF labels
Nodal Constraints
Pins, DOF labels
Nodal Constraints - Arrows
with No labels Nodal Constraints
Triangles, DOF labels
You can draw constraints as either default (single triangle), pins (with circular tips), arrows (head of arrows is fac-
ing away from node) that are oriented in the direction of the degree of freedom, or triangles (points on triangle are
pointed towards the node). This can give a better indication of constraints if local or non Cartesian displacement
coordinate systems are used. You use the Label Mode to select this option. Also, when using pins, arrows, or trian-
gles, the color mode can be switched to RGB mode in which constrained X Degrees of Freedom (DOF) will be
shown in Red, constrained Y DOF in Green, and constrained Z DOF in Blue.
Connector...
...controls whether connectors are visible, the color mode, and whether the label ID is plotted.
Region...
...controls whether regions are visible, the color mode, and whether the label ID is plotted.
Combined - Eliminated Points...
...controls whether points eliminated from display by combined/composite curve(s) and/or combined/boundary sur-
face(s) are visible.
Combined - Eliminated Curves...
...controls whether curves eliminated from display by combined/composite curve(s) and/or combined/boundary
surface(s) are visible.
Combined - Eliminated Surfaces...
...controls whether surfaces eliminated from display by combined/boundary surface(s) are visible.
Aero Panel...
...controls whether Aero Panel/Body entities are visible, the color mode, and whether the label ID is plotted.
Aero Mesh...
...controls whether the lines representing the divisions of Aero Panel/Body entities are visible, the color mode of the
lines representing the divisions (default is 3..Contrasting Colors), and whether the IDs are plotted for Aero Ele-
ments (also called Aero Boxes), Aero Nodes, Aero Elements and Nodes, or No Labels on the Aero Mesh.
Aero Interference...
...controls whether the interference body of Aero Panel/Body (Aero Body Type = 1..Aero Body) entities are visi-
ble, how the interference body is displayed: Lines, Symbols (default), or Lines and Symbols, and the color mode.
Aero Splines...
...controls whether Aero Spline entities are visible, the color mode, and whether the label ID is plotted.
Aero Control Surfaces...
...controls whether Aero Control Surface entities are visible, the color mode, and whether the label ID is plotted.
Tools and View Style Options
Free Edge and Face
This option is only used for free edge and free face displays. If All Elements is selected, line elements will be con-
sidered in the search for free edges, and plane elements will be considered in the search for free faces. Otherwise,
only plane and volume elements are used in free edge calculations, and only volume elements are used in free face
calculations. With All Elements active, a plate made of planar elements and framed with beams would have no free
edges. If All Elements were off, the beams would not be considered. The same framed plate would have all of its
outer edges free.
The Parabolic Edges options are similar. If you skip midnodes, FEMAP only checks the corner nodes of parabolic
elements. In this case, edges of linear elements that connect to parabolic elements will not be considered free edges.
Similarly, only the corners of element faces are used in the free face calculations. If you use midnodes, FEMAP
requires that all nodes on an edge or face must match. Otherwise, the edge or face is free. In general, you should
Note: To specify the number of digits displayed for any coefficient of a constraint equation, enter a value
other than 0 in the Digits field of the Contour/Criteria Style option in View Options. To display
coefficient values using an exponential format, change the Label Mode of the Contour/Criteria
Legend option in View Options to one of the Exponent options.
always use the midnodes. This insures that you do not miss a true disconnection at the midnodes between two par-
abolic elements.
The Free Edge/Backface Color options are primarily for free edge displays. However, if you choose Use View
Color, backfaces in free face displays will use the Free Edge View Color. By adjusting this color, you can often get
a better understanding of the front and back portions of your model. You can even create a pseudo hidden line plot
with dashed lines by changing the View Color to a dashed line style.
If you would like to display the free edges along with the remainder of your model, so that it is easier to locate
them, choose the View, Draw Model option. The default Free Edge View color has been chosen so that they will still
be visible with most element displays.
Shrink Elements
If this option is on, all elements will be reduced in size, by the percentage that you specify. A size of 100% means
that the elements will not be reduced. A size of 0% reduces the elements to a point at their centroid.
Fill, Backfaces and Hidden
If Fill is on, elements in your model will be filled with color.
Whenever it is off, just the boundaries of the entities will be
drawn. For more information, see "Filled Edges".
Fill can be used to fill elements with color for line contour and
line criteria displays. If you choose filled contours or filled cri-
teria, that will override this switch, since each element can only
be filled once.
The Backfaces option allows you to automatically remove some
element faces from the display. FEMAP calculates the normal (based on the right hand rule around the face) of
each element face. If it faces forward, out of the screen, that face is not drawn when backfaces are being skipped.
Since this removes information, and takes some additional computations, this option is normally off, i.e. Show All
Faces.
When you define solid elements, they are automatically constructed so that the faces on the back of each ele-
ment, will be properly defined backfaces. Therefore, you can safely turn on the first level, Skip Solid Backfaces,
and be reasonably sure that you will not lose any meaningful information. On the other hand, the final two options
must be used very carefully. Since you determine the orientation of normal to planar elements by the way you con-
nect them, the backface option may discard faces of planar elements which lie on the front of your model. It all
depends on how you define their normals. If you do want to use these options, you must build your model so that
all planar elements are defined with their normals pointing either inward or outward from the center of the
model. Then choose the appropriate option to remove the elements that you want.
The Hidden Line Option selections control how hidden line calculations will be done for solid elements. By
default, FEMAP will calculate the free faces of all solids, and just display them in a hidden line view, along with
faces from all planar and line elements. If you just want to see the solid elements, choose Free Faces Only, or if you
want to see all faces being drawn - including interior ones - choose Draw All Faces. Be aware, however, that Draw
All Faces is substantially slower, and will result in the same final picture unless you have element shrink turned on.
You can combine the Free Face plot style and Skip Solid Backfaces to do a fairly quick, and accurate hidden line
plot of complex solid element models.
Shrink On
Reveals Line Elements
that were hidden with
Shrink Off
Shrink Off
Element Fill On
Filled Edges
When elements, or other entities are filled, the normal entity color fills the interior. If this option is on, the bound-
aries will also be drawn. The color of those boundaries is determined by the color mode set for this option. If you
choose entity colors, you may not be able to see the border, since it will probably match the filled area. Contrasting
colors are also based on the entity color, but FEMAP automatically chooses a color which does not match that
color. If you want to draw just the filled areas, with no edges, turn this option off.
The Filled Edges on/off switch is used any time you turn on the Fill Element option, or for contour and criteria dis-
plays. The only exception is line criteria displays where the switch is ignored since turning off the edges would
eliminate the criteria information.
The Filled Edges color is only used when you set Fill Element on. It is not automatically used for contour and cri-
teria displays. Instead, the colors currently chosen by the element option are used.
The Section Cut Edges options determine whether element edges will be draw on section cutting planes. If dis-
played, these edges are drawn with the Filled Edge view color.
Render Options
Controls the viewing of surfaces and curves on solid models, as well as midside nodes for parabolic elements.
These options have no effect unless you are in Render mode (see Section 6.1.5.1, "View, Select...").
The Curve Transparency controls whether curves are viewed even when hidden in hidden line mode. This
option is typically off. Turning it on will enable you to view all curves even in hidden line mode. This can be
helpful when you are previewing mesh settings.
You may use the Hatch Surfaces option to show parametric (or hatch) lines on the surface. This option is avail-
able for Draw Model and Hidden Line modes when in Render mode. The default is to show surfaces only (no
hatching).
The Parabolic Edge/Face allows you to view or skip midside nodes while in Render mode. If you use midside
nodes for viewing purposes, it can increase drawing times while in Render mode. If drawing time is signifi-
cantly increased, you may want to skip midnodes when viewing and orienting your model, and use midnodes
only when examining deformed plots. The skipping of midside node information on deformed plots may lead to
misinterpretation of results.
Offset Factor and Offset Units control how element edges and surface edges are displayed in a solid model. If
the values are both 0 (not the default), the element edges will have a stitched appearance, since they drawn in
the same location as filled triangles. The Offset Factor is a percentage (0-200%) that defines how much the ele-
ment edges will be pulled forward in the display. The Offset Units value is also a percentage that controls the
appearance of the element edges on filled triangles when the model is displayed at an angle. (This value applies
to Render mode only.)
Generally, you should use the default values. You can adjust these values to improve the display for your graph-
ics card. The recommended range of values is 25 - 150.
Transparency
Allows you to set the level of Auto Transparency in the model. This number must be set between 0 and 100, 0
being fully opaque and 100 being completely transparent. The default value is 75%.
This option is used to set the transparency level for use with the Transparency option on the View Style menu. This
setting is also used when using the Transparent Highlight option found in the Window, Show Entities command, as
well as, the menu of the Show When Selected icon found in the Model Info Tree and the Data Table dockable panes.
For best results when using Auto Transparency, the value for Search Depth on the Render tab of the FEMAP
Preferences dialog box should be set to a value of 0. For more information, please see the Search Depth portion
of Section 2.6.2.3, "Render".
Shading
When this option is on, FEMAP incorporates lighting effects into the display based on its models orientation to the
light source and the location and type of the light source. You can perform shading in all graphics modes. However,
some lighting effects are only available in certain graphics modes.
You can use the Shading Mode options to shade either filled areas, lines or both.
FEMAP can incorporate up to three lighting effects dependent on graphics mode: ambient, diffuse and specular.
Ambient light is considered to be directionless. All surfaces are equally lit. On a very cloudy day, there is very little
directional light from the sun and there are no shadows. There is still plenty of light. The light falling on and being
reflected by an object is independent of its orientation and the location of the viewer. The level of ambient light is
controlled by %Ambient. A value of 0% means that any entity not lit by diffuse or specular light will be completely
dark. A value of 100% means that the ambient light will saturate the whole model and no diffuse or specular light-
ing will be visible.
Diffuse lighting is directional. It comes from one direction but is reflected equally in all directions. The illumina-
tion of a surface is only dependent on the orientation of the light to the object. The location of the viewer does not
alter the lighting. Diffuse lighting is common with matt surfaces.
Specular lighting is directional. It is important for shiny objects. The level of illumination is dependent on both the
orientation of the light and the viewer.
The Light Location/Type option controls the light location and type. There are six options and their behavior
depends on the graphics mode selected:
Basically, Render mode graphics supports all lighting locations and types. Windows GDI Mode graphics does not
support specular lighting, but does support viewer, model and screen locations. Viewer location means that the light
is located with the viewer. Model location means that the light is located at a point relative to the model origin and
therefore moves with the model as the model is rotated. Screen location means that the light is positioned relative to
the screen center (x to the left, y up and z towards the viewer). A screen location light does not move as the model
is rotated. Screen and model locations are entered by pressing the Light command button.
For plane elements, FEMAP does not consider the direction of the face normal when calculating the angle to the
light source. Co-planar elements which have face normals pointing toward and away from the light source will be
shaded identically. This will result in bright areas on the back-side of a plate model. It is necessary however,
since FEMAP does not restrict the direction of plate normals. For solid elements in Windows GDI mode, where
FEMAP controls the face normals, backfaces will receive only ambient light. Render mode will highlight back-
faces, but hidden line mode will hide them.
Perspective
When this option is on, FEMAP will display a perspective projection of your model, otherwise axonometric (paral-
lel) projections are drawn. You can control the distortion in the perspective projection by modifying the distance.
Smaller values result in more distortion.
Light
Location/Type
Render Mode
Windows GDI
Mode
Viewer Diffuse light at
viewer location
Diffuse light at
viewer location
Screen Diffuse light at
screen location
Diffuse light at
screen location
Viewer Spot Specular light at
viewer location
Diffuse light at
viewer location
Screen Spot Specular light at
screen location
Diffuse light at
screen location
Model Diffuse light at
model location
Diffuse light at
model location
Model Spot Specular light at
model location
Diffuse light at
model location
Note: Because Windows cannot dither lines, many graphics boards will be unable to properly shade the lines
in your view. You should therefore turn on the appropriate fill options along with shading. FEMAP and
Windows will properly shade the resulting filled areas. If your graphics board supports a large number
(>256) of colors, you will still be able to shade lines. If you try to shade lines on graphics boards with
less colors, Windows will map the shaded color to one of its available colors. This can look strange on
the screen. If you make a hardcopy on a color printer that can print a large number of colors, the lines
will be properly shaded, even though they might look strange on your screen.
Perspective drawings can result in more realistic images, but take longer to draw. Additionally, because of the non-
parallel transformations involved, FEMAP must fully rebuild the display lists whenever you zoom, pan, center, or
magnify a perspective view. This is not required for non-perspective views.
Finally, although it may work, perspective views are not usually the best to use for graphical selection. Graphical
selection is inherently two-dimensional. Since perspective projections distort any two dimensional object which is
not perpendicular to the projection, you may be surprised at what is selected. If you do make graphical selections
from perspective views, you should review what was really selected before you proceed.
Axisymmetric Axis
The Axisymmetric Axis shows the axisymmetric axis of revolution and the radial direction. This provides you with
a visual cue for the plane and orientation of your axisymmetric model. You should use the direction that matches
your solver (See 6.3.1 in the User Guide). The axisymmetric axis is also used to compute the orientation of loads on
axisymmetric shell elements.
There are several options for displaying the Axisymmetric Axes using the Color/Draw mode. The axes can be
shown as lines without arrows (default), with arrows, or as Solid arrows. There are two color options for each
arrow option, View Color (default), or RGB (Red, Green, Blue). See the View Options section on Coordinate
System for examples of the different options.
View Legend
The view legend identifies the load (prefixed by L) and constraint (C) sets, the group (G), and the view (V) that are
displayed in a window. You can choose to display either the IDs or titles of these items. There are 2 additional
labeling options, 2..Titles and Model Name, which will include the titles as well as the file name of the model,
including full directory path and 3..Titles, Model Name, Date which will also include the current time and date. You
can also move the legend to any of the eight positions.
View Axes
The view axes represent the orientation of the global axes. They are normally displayed in the lower left corner of
the view, but you can specify a new position by pressing Position. Here you can simply enter the location in per-
centages of the graphics window (from top left) where you want the axes to appear. You can also select the position
graphically by pointing with the mouse and clicking the left button.
There are several options for displaying the View Axes using Show As and Color/Draw modes. Labels can be
shown for the axes or no labels at all. The axes can be shown as lines without arrows (default), with arrows, or as
Solid arrows. There are two color options for each arrow option, View Color, or RGB (Red, Green, Blue). See
the View Options section on Coordinate System for examples of the different options.
Perspective Off Perspective On
X
Y
Z
V: Default XY View
L: 100 psi Pressure Loading
C: Fixed Edges and Symmetry
G: Plate Elements View Legend
View Axes
with
Titles
Origin
The origin of global coordinates is indicated by a circular symbol. This option can be used to turn this symbol on or
off.
Workplane and Rulers
When this option is on, the workplane will be visible. The workplane is always present and active - even if it is not
visible.
For rulers to be drawn, the Show Rulers option must be on, and the appropriate ruler options must be set in the
Tools Snap To command. The color of both the workplane and the rulers is chosen by the view color. If the Fill
Plane option for Plane Fill is selected, the workplane is drawn filled in. If a color is selected that is almost transpar-
ent, the workplane triangle is drawn transparent and the edges and rulers are drawn ignoring the transparency. This
gives a good visual cue for the workplane location in complex models. This only works in Render Mode graphics.
Workplane Grid
If this option is on, the snap grid will be drawn, in the workplane. The style of the grid is controlled by the Tools
Snap To command. If you define an Invisible grid in that command, you will not be able to see it, even though you
turn this option on. You do not have to be snapping to the grid for it to be visible.
Group Clipping Planes
If you turn this option on, and you are displaying a group which uses one or more clipping planes, the clipping
planes will be drawn.
Symbols
Controls the size and color of symbols. This includes the symbols drawn for points, nodes, constraints, loads and
many more. Choosing a larger size makes the symbols larger. The Preview Color is used for the symbols (dots, vec-
tors, planes...) which are drawn when you press the Preview buttons that can be found on many dialog boxes.
You can control whether symbol elements are drawn. Symbol elements are gap, mass, mass matrix, link and DOF
spring elements. If your model has a large number of these elements, graphics performance can be impacted and
the screen can be cluttered. Preventing the drawing of these elements can improve performance and image clarity.
An alternative way to handle this issue is to use layers.
You can also choose whether nodes, points, and curve mesh size will be drawn as their normal symbols, or as single
dots. If you choose the dot option, a single pixel is drawn - if you go to a printer or Metafile they will still be a sin-
gle dot in the device resolution.
The Load Len and Other Vec options allow you to customize the length of vectors that are displayed. If you want to
display shorter vectors, reduce the numbers below the 100% default value. Larger numbers result in longer vectors.
Load Len is used for all loads. Other Vec is used for everything else.
Preview
... controls the symbol size and color of the marker used to show a location when the Preview button is used in
any dialog box where a location may be specified.
Note: You may use the Render tab in File, Preferences to prevent symbol elements being drawn during
dynamic rotation.
Note: You may also use the Load Vectors option under Labels, Entities and Colors to scale the load lengths as
well as use a Uniform or scaled distribution.
X
Y
Z
X
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Y
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Workplane
Rulers
Workplane Grid
View Aspect Ratio
... controls how FEMAP will distort your model as it is drawn on the screen. With AutoAspect on, FEMAP will
gather information about your display from Windows and will calculate an internal aspect ratio. This automatic cal-
culation will attempt to correct for differences between graphics boards. It adjusts the aspect ratio, so that the true
shape of your model is shown. For example, circles are drawn as circles, not ellipses.
If you turn AutoAspect off, you can specify an Aspect Ratio that you can use to eliminate any remaining distortions,
or to intentionally distort a view of your model. Aspect ratios that are larger than 1.0 will make your model appear
taller than normal. Aspect ratios less than 1.0 will make it appear wider. You should never specify very large aspect
ratios - the severe distortion introduces other display problems for coordinate system triads and other symbols. The
default Aspect Ratio can be set using the File, Preferences command.
Model Clipping Plane
This option can be used to set up a clipping pane that affects all entities in the model, without the use of any groups.
To use the Model Clipping Plane, check the Enable option and select an option for Clipped Side (Positive or Nega-
tive). When Clipped Side is set to Positive, ALL entities on the Positive side of the defined plane, based on normal
direction, will be removed from the graphics window. Negative removes entities on the other side of the plane.
The default Model Clipping Pane for all new models is the Global YZ Plane in the Basic Rectangular coordinate
system. If you want to change the plane, click the Clipping Plane button and use the Plane Locate - Define Clip-
ping Plane dialog box.
When the Model Clipping Plane is enabled, the plane can be dynamically moved perpendicular to the defined
plane by holding down the Alt key and spinning the Mouse Wheel backward or forward.
For picking, if an entity is partially visible, it should be eligible to be selected from the screen. Also, quick access to
Model Clipping Plane options are available on the View Style menu of the View Toolbar. See Section 7.3.1.2,
"Tools, Toolbars, View".
PostProcessing Options
See Section 8.3, "View Options - PostProcessing"
6.1.6 View, Advanced Post
These commands provide special animation capability. The View, Animation command provides controls for your
animating plot. The Contour Model Data command allows you to view element quality or material/property values
as contour, criteria, or beam diagram plot. The other four commands provide special move through viewing using
OpenGL for post-processing. For more information, see Section 8, "Post-Processing".
Note: FEMAP and Windows adjust the aspect ratio based on the normal aspect ratio of pixels for your graph-
ics board. There is no way to determine the effect of the horizontal and vertical size settings on your
monitor. For this reason, AutoAspect may not result in a true correction. You can either adjust your
monitor sizes, or specify an aspect ratio manually.
Note: If the Model Clipping Plane passes through the middle of an entity, such as a surface or element, a par-
tial entity will be displayed. Also, entities will not appear capped based on the plane, so it is normal
for entities to appear hollow.
Geometry displayed in Wireframe
Cube with Sphere removed
Plane not Enabled
Geometry displayed in Solid
Plane Enabled
Clipping Side set to Positive
Mesh displayed in Solid
Plane moved to an XY Plane
Clipping Side set to Negative
Modifying the View 6-33
6.2 Modifying the View
The last three sections of commands on the View menu all involve modifying the active view. These commands
provide capability to rotate, pan, zoom, and align your model. They can be very helpful to orient your model in dif-
ferent positions for both checking and entity selection purposes. Many times, however, it is easier to use the
Dynamic Rotate, Pan, and Zoom capability to quickly manipulate the view. In Render mode you can access this
capability simply by holding down the left mouse button, while the View Toolbar buttons provides this capability in
Windows GDI mode. This is especially convenient since this command is available while in another menu com-
mand, except other View commands. An explanation of these menu commands are provided below.
6.2.1 View, Rotate Menu
The commands on this menu provide two basic capabilities to rotate the view of your model. View, Rotate, Model
provides precise control of rotation angles, coordinate systems to rotate around and quick access to predefined
views. View, Rotate, Dynamic provides flexible interactive manipulation of the view.
6.2.1.1 View, Rotate, Model...
... rotates the current view. If you have multiple views open in the model, this command will only update one view
at a time, unless you have the All Views option checked. When All Views is checked, the first action taken in the
View Rotate dialog box will sync the views, then the views will move in unison until All Views is unchecked.
This command displays the View Rotate dialog box, which is very interactive. The current view orientation will be
loaded as the default orientation. In Render mode, which is the default graphics mode in FEMAP, as soon as you
make a change, FEMAP will always redraw your current view. This gives you instantaneous feedback on whether
you have made the correct choice. If the new orientation is not what you want, you can immediately make a new
selection. FEMAP always draws the entire model when you choose one of the standard orientation push buttons.
In GDI graphics mode, FEMAP lets you abort any redraw by simply pressing a key, or the left mouse button. That
selection will abort the previous redraw, update the orientation, and begin redrawing again. This allows you to
decide how much of the redraw you want or need to see before you make your next selection.
Using Rotate Around
You may choose any defined coordinate system in FEMAP to Rotate Around (default is 0..Basic Rectangular).
This includes local coordinate systems and the chosen coordinate system will be used by both the scroll arrows and
the standard orientation buttons described below.
You may also choose -1..Screen Axes to have rotation via the scroll arrows occur using the screen axes where the
screen X axis is always horizontal to the right, Y is always upward and Z is always a vector perpendicular to your
monitor (i.e., out of the screen). When -1..Screen Axes has been selected, the standard orientation buttons default
to using 0..Basic Rectangular.
Using the Scroll Arrows
The three sets of scroll arrows, located near the left side of the dialog box, are used to rotate your view from its
present position.
As you click the scroll arrows, the view will rotate by the number of degrees currently defined in the Delta Angle
text field. The axis of rotation is based on the scroll arrow you selected, and the selected coordinate system speci-
fied in Rotate Around. When -1..Screen Axes is selected in Rotate Around, rotations will be around the screen axes.
Clicking the left scroll arrow rotates around the negative axis direction. The right scroll arrow rotates around the
positive axis direction.
You can accomplish the same rotations using the keyboard. First, you must select the desired set of scroll arrows.
Press the Tab key until the appropriate set of scroll arrows is highlighted (essentially, press Tab once after the
appropriate value field of the desired rotation axis has been highlighted). Then press the left arrow to rotate by
Ctrl+R or F8
Delta Angle around the negative axis direction, or right arrow to rotate around the positive direction. PageUp and
PageDown rotate by 45 degrees.
When using the scroll arrows, remember:
If you want the rotation to go faster, specify a larger Delta Angle.
The standard orientation buttons that are described later in this section automatically update the value of Delta
Angle. The first six buttons change it to the value specified in the Delta field on the View tab of the File, Prefer-
ences dialog box (default is 10 degrees). The last three change it to 90 degrees. These automatic changes allow
you to quickly select a starting point using these buttons, and then use the scroll bars to update that orientation.
In GDI graphics mode only, to quickly rotate your model around one axis multiple times, you must repeatedly
press and release the left mouse button. FEMAP does not abort redraws if you just hold the button down in this
graphics mode. Unless your model is small, the redraw time will significantly slow down your rotations.
Typing Rotation Angles
Occasionally, you may know the rotation angles that produce the orientation that you want. If you do, you can type
the angles into the three text boxes located just to the left of the scroll arrows. Remember, these angles are rotations
about X axis, then the rotated Y axis, then the doubly rotated Z axis. They are not direction cosine angles. For more
information on rotation angles, see Section 4.1.1, "Model, Coord Sys...".
Selecting Standard Orientations
Near the center of the dialog box you will see nine command buttons. These buttons will instantly switch your ori-
entation to the appropriate predefined orientation. The first six buttons, XY Top, Bottom, YZ Right, Left, ZX Front,
and Back, always align the view with one of the principal planes of the coordinate system selected from the Rotate
Around drop-down list. You can use these to quickly look at your model from six orthogonal directions in relation
to the chosen coordinate system.
The last three buttons, Isometric, Dimetric, and Trimetric, define three additional orientations. We have chosen ori-
entations for these three buttons that are frequently used and correspond to their names. If you would like to use
other orientations, you can use the File, Preferences command. Once the Preferences dialog box is open, click the
Views tab to redefine the names and orientations of all three buttons in the View and Dynamic Rotation section.
Mag, Zoom, and Pan
These command buttons are shortcuts to the View Magnify, Zoom, and Pan commands. If you are updating a view,
it is often more convenient to use these buttons than to press OK and then choose the command from the menu.
Pressing any of these buttons automatically accepts any changes you have made - just as if you had pressed OK.
6.2.1.2 View, Rotate, Dynamic...
...allows you to dynamically rotate, pan and zoom your model curves and elements. When you choose this com-
mand, you will see the following dialog box:
If you are not in Render mode, your model will automatically switch to a wireframe, single color display of the
curves and elements. All other entities will temporarily disappear. If you are in Render mode, the model will look
the same. Whether you are in Render mode or not, the operations for the View, Align By, Dynamic operate the same.
All operations (rotate, pan or zoom) are done by pressing and holding the left mouse button in the active graphics
window, and then dragging the mouse either horizontally or vertically. For example, to rotate around the screen Y
axis:
Note: When -1..Screen Axes has been selected in Rotate Around, the standard orientation buttons default to
using 1..Basic Rectangular.
View, Rotate, Dynamic... 6-35
The following mouse actions are recognized, with the left button down:
For the Rotate Axis mode, moving the mouse to the right rotates counter-clockwise about the axis (right-hand rule),
and moving left rotates clockwise.
The dynamic mode can be chosen in several ways. The most obvious is to select one of the available buttons. Alter-
natively however, you can simply hold down the Alt key as you press the left button down to rotate around the Z
axis. Press Ctrl to pan, or press Shift to zoom. Press Alt and Ctrl to rotate around the predefined axis. You do not
have to hold the key as you drag the mouse, just make sure it is down before you press the mouse button.
When you let go of the left mouse button, your model will begin to redraw in whatever mode that you have
selected. That is with all entities and post-processing options. If you are not satisfied with the view, or need to do
more transformations, simply press the button down again and drag it further.
If you have a three button mouse, you can use the middle mouse button instead of the left mouse button to dynami-
cally rotate the model if a dialog box is open. This is only available in Render mode.
FEMAP supports 3Dconnexion input devices (such as SpaceBall, SpaceNavigator, and SpaceTraveller) for
dynamic rotation in Render mode. Sensitivity of motion can be controlled using the 3Dconnexion driver dialog box
or from within FEMAP in the File, Preferences dialog on the Spaceball tab. For more information, see Section
2.6.2.10, "Spaceball".
Hint: These dynamic rotation commands can also be accessed at any time in Render mode simply by holding
the left mouse button in the graphics window. You will then be able to rotate around XY. If you hold the
Alt, Ctrl, or Shift keys down when first pressing the left mouse button, you can rotate about Z, pan, or
zoom, respectively. Holding down Alt+Ctrl and pressing the left mouse button allows you to rotate
around another axis that you define. No dialog box will appear. Also, if you have previously selected
one of the buttons for Rotate Z, Rotate Axis, Pan, or Zoom, FEMAP will automatically default to this
mode when you next access dynamic rotation.
X
Y
Z
X
Y
Z
Press Left Button
Drag Mouse
Release Button
Rotate Around +Y Rotate Around -Y
Rotate Around -X
Rotate Around +X
Rotate Around -Z
Rotate Around +Z
Rotate XY Mode Rotate Z Mode
Pan Right Pan Left
Pan Up
Pan Down
Zoom Out (smaller)
Zoom In (larger)
Pan Mode Zoom Mode
Options...
If you choose the Options button, you will see a menu that provides further control over the
dynamic alignment command.
Single Axis
Controls how model XY rotations will be done. If you refer back to the previous diagram,
dragging horizontally rotates around Y, dragging vertically rotates around Z. Normally, it is
easiest to accomplish compound rotations by dragging along one axis for a while, then
dragging along the other. Since it is very difficult to drag the mouse along a precisely hori-
zontal or vertical axis however, the Single Axis option limits rotations to the single direc-
tion in which you are moving the greatest distance. Small deviations from horizontal or vertical will be ignored. If
you turn this option off however, moving the mouse diagonally will perform a rotation about a diagonal vector.
Model Axes
Controls whether rotations will be around the default screen axes or around the model axes. If you are rotating
around model axes, mouse movements are the same, they just apply to the corresponding model axes instead of the
screen axes.
AutoCenter
In a three dimensional model, you will occasionally find that your model is rotating off of the screen as you move it
with this command. You can either choose pan to bring it back, or press AutoCenter. AutoCenter is just like the
View, Autoscale... commands, in that it calculates a new model center, but it does not change the scale at which the
model is displayed.
Use Rotation Center
This menu item is simply a toggle that turns on and off every time you choose it. When it is checked, all rotations
will be about the center of rotation that you specify with the Rotation Center command. If it is off, rotations will be
around the View Center.
Rotation Center...
Allows you to specify a center of rotation to be used for future rotations. This does not change the location of the
model on the screen like View Center does; it simply allows rotation around another location. When you choose
this command, Use Rotation Center is automatically turned on.
Rotation Axis...
Allows you to specify a vector that will be used as the rotation axis, if you are in the Rotate Axis mode (Alt+Ctrl
keys). When you specify a rotation vector, the base of the vector is automatically used to update the rotation center,
so all rotations will be about that point. When you choose this command, Use Rotation Center is automatically
turned on.
Limitations
While the dynamic display capability will work with any graphics adapter (you do not need any special accelera-
tion or 3D hardware), Render mode can provide significantly increased dynamic rotation speed and drawing with
an OpenGL accelerator board. Following are some limitations of dynamic display:
Render mode on or off:
The model is drawn in various styles depending on the View Style that is active and the type of elements in your
model. For example, if you rotate a free-edge view, the free edges will be rotated.
Render mode off:
The display is limited to a single color - depending on the color you choose for the window background.
Note: This command does not account for any perspective that you have specified. It is usually best therefore
to turn off Perspective before using this command.
Note: All rotations are performed around the view center (or the rotation center, if you have turned on this
option). If you only move the mouse slightly and a large rotation occurs, it is because that portion of the
model you are rotating is well away from the center of rotation - possibly in the direction that is perpen-
dicular to the screen. To avoid this, position the view center (or rotation center) on the geometry/mesh
you are trying to rotate.
View, Rotate, Single Axis 6-37
There are limitations on the total number of nodes, and faces that can be displayed. Depending upon your
model, and available memory you should be able to display models of around 3000-4000 faces. If your model is
larger, you will still be able to use this function, but only the first 3000-4000 faces will be displayed - still prob-
ably more than enough to orient your model. If you are working with very large models, consider either activat-
ing a group to reduce the number, and choose the elements that will be displayed. Alternatively you can switch
to a free edge display.
Hidden line removal can not be done during dynamic display.
Improving Performance of Dynamic Display
FEMAP provides three different methods to redisplay your model during this command. Again, these methods are
only applicable when you are not in Render mode. Depending on your computer, graphics adapter and graphics
drivers, any one of these three methods may result in best performance. You should always experiment with these
methods to find the one that works best on your system. The methods are selected using the Dynamic option of the
File, Preferences command.
Experiment with both small and large models to see which works best for you. In some cases the performance dif-
ferences will be dramatic, depending upon the capabilities of your graphics adapter. When you have found the
method that you like, remember to choose the Permanent button in File, Preferences to save your selection for
future models.
6.2.1.3 View, Rotate, Single Axis
This menu item is simply a toggle that turns on and off every time you choose it. For a further explanation of Single
Axis, please refer to the Single Axis heading under View, Rotate, Dynamic... in Section 6.2.1.2, "View, Rotate,
Dynamic...". This command can also be accessed from the Options menu on the Dynamic Rotations dialog box.
6.2.1.4 View, Rotate, Model Axis
This menu item is simply a toggle that turns on and off every time you choose it. For a further explanation of Model
Axis, please refer to the Model Axis heading under View, Rotate, Dynamic... in Section 6.2.1.2, "View, Rotate,
Dynamic...". This command can also be accessed from the Options menu on the Dynamic Rotations dialog box.
6.2.1.5 View, Rotate, Rotate Around View Center
This is the default Rotate Around mode in FEMAP. This menu item simply highlights when chosen and instructs
FEMAP to rotate around the current View Center location in the Active View. The View Center is set using
the View, Center command (See Section 6.2.7, "View, Center..."). The View Center is also reset to the center of
the graphics window anytime a View, Autoscale... command is used (See Section 6.2.3.1, "View, Autoscale, All",
Section 6.2.3.2, "View, Autoscale, Regenerate All", and Section 6.2.3.3, "View, Autoscale, Visible").
The Rotate Around View Center mode can be also be accessed using View, Rotate, Dynamic... (Section 6.2.1.2,
"View, Rotate, Dynamic..."). In order for this mode to be set, the Use Rotation Center option must NOT be
checked in the Options menu in the Dynamic Rotations dialog box.
6.2.1.6 View, Rotate, Rotate Around Rotation Center
This menu item simply highlights when the Rotate Around Rotation Center mode is chosen. When it is checked,
all dynamic rotations will be about the center of rotation that you specify with the Rotation Center... command (See
Section 6.2.1.8, "View, Rotate, Rotation Center..."). It will be no longer be highlighted when the Rotate Around
mode in FEMAP is changed to Rotate Around View Center or Rotate Around Rotation Axis.
Method Description
Fast Redraw Usually fastest for small models, but not good for large models unless your
graphics adapter can draw vectors very rapidly. Some screen flicker.
Reduced Bitmap Fast on most systems. Little or no flicker.
Full Bitmap Basically the same as Reduced Bitmap. Will usually be slower - but not
always.
The Rotate Around Rotation Center mode can be also be accessed using View, Rotate, Dynamic... (Section
6.2.1.2, "View, Rotate, Dynamic..."). In order for this mode to be set, the Use Rotation Center option must be
checked in the Options menu in the Dynamic Rotations dialog box.
6.2.1.7 View, Rotate, Rotate Around Rotation Axis
This menu item simply highlights when the Rotate Around Rotation Axis mode is chosen. When it is checked, all
dynamic rotations will be about the rotation axis that you specify with the Rotation Axis... command (See Section
6.2.1.9, "View, Rotate, Rotation Axis..."). It will be no longer be highlighted when the Rotate Around mode in
FEMAP is changed to Rotate Around View Center or Rotate Around Rotation Center.
The Rotate Around Rotation Axis mode can be also be accessed using View, Rotate, Dynamic... (Section 6.2.1.2,
"View, Rotate, Dynamic..."). In order for this mode to be set, click the Rotate Axis radio button in the Dynamic
Rotations dialog box.
6.2.1.8 View, Rotate, Rotation Center...
...allows you to specify a center of rotation to be used for future dynamic rotations. This does not change the loca-
tion of the model on the screen like View Center does; it simply allows rotation around another location. When you
choose this command, the Rotate Around Rotation Center mode is automatically set (See Section 6.2.1.6, "View,
Rotate, Rotate Around Rotation Center")
This rotation center can also be specified using View, Rotate, Dynamic... (Section 6.2.1.2, "View, Rotate,
Dynamic...") by choosing Rotation Center... from the Options menu on the Dynamic Rotations dialog box.
6.2.1.9 View, Rotate, Rotation Axis...
...allows you to specify a vector that will be used as the rotation axis for dynamic rotation. When you specify a rota-
tion vector, the base of the vector is automatically used to update the rotation center, so all rotations will be about
that point. When you choose this command, the Rotate Around Rotation Axis is automatically set.
The rotation axis can also be specified using View, Rotate, Dynamic... (Section 6.2.1.2, "View, Rotate,
Dynamic...") by choosing Rotation Axis... from the Options menu on the Dynamic Rotations dialog box.
6.2.1.10 View, Rotate, Standard Orientation Views (Top, Bottom, Right, Left, Front, Back, Isomet-
ric, Dimetric, and Trimetric)
...these allow you to quickly access the standard orientation views specified in the View, Rotate, Model com-
mand in FEMAP. They are also available on the View Orient toolbar. See Section 6.2.1.1, "View, Rotate, Model..."
for more information.
Quick View Icons - Appear on the View Orient toolbar
...XY view ...XY view (reverse)
...YZ view ...YZ view (reverse)
...ZX view ...ZX view (reverse)
...Isometric view ...Dimetric view
...Trimetric view
View, Align By Menu 6-39
6.2.2 View, Align By Menu
The commands on this menu are alternatives to the View, Rotate command. They are also used to orient your model
within a view. These commands are usually used when you want to orient the view relative to some geometry or
other entities in your model. You can also use these commands to define an initial orientation, and then use View,
Rotate to update the view relative to that starting point.
6.2.2.1 View, Align By, Coord Sys...
... automatically aligns the view to the XY axes of a coordinate system. This command displays a standard dialog
box so you can select a coordinate system. The view will be rotated so that the coordinate system axes are aligned
with the screen axes. That is, X horizontally to the right, Y up, and Z out of the screen.
6.2.2.2 View, Align By, Surface...
... automatically aligns the view using the normal vector of a selected surface. The view will be positioned so the
normal vector points out from the screen towards the user.
6.2.2.3 View, Align By, Along Vector...
... aligns the view to a specified vector. The standard vector definition dialog box defines the alignment vector.
When you specify the vector, the view will be aligned so the vector you selected will be pointing into the screen. In
the resulting view, your model will be oriented so that you are looking from the base of the vector, toward the tip.
Since a vector really only defines one of the orientation axes, the rotation of your model about the orientation vec-
tor is undefined. This is the rotation about the screen Z axis (out of the screen). In general, FEMAP will align one
of the global coordinate axes with the screen X (horizontal) axis. If you want to update this orientation, just switch
to the View, Rotate command, and rotate the view about the Z screen axis. This will retain the vector orientation,
but will rotate about that vector.
6.2.2.4 View, Align By, Normal to Plane...
... automatically aligns the view using the normal vector of a specified plane. Uses the standard Plane Locate dia-
log box. The view will be positioned so the normal vector points out from the screen towards the user.
6.2.2.5 View, Align By, Workplane...
... immediately aligns the view to the current workplane. No additional input is required. The workplane axes are
aligned with the screen axes. The X axis is horizontal (to the right), Y is up, and Z is out of the screen.
6.2.3 View, Autoscale
This menu provides several ways to automatically scale and move your model so that it is visible in your window.
6.2.3.1 View, Autoscale, All
...automatically centers and magnifies your model in the view. No additional input is required. To determine the
automatic scale and center, FEMAP finds the maximum dimensions of your model in all three global directions.
Hint: You can choose any of the available vector definition methods. This will enable you to easily orient
your view relative to different entities in your model. You can also use the various snap modes to select
the vector.
Hint: If you want to align your view normal to a plane in your model, you can use
View, Align By, Along Vector, or this command. To use this command, you
must first use the Tools, Workplane command to align the workplane to the
desired orientation. This approach allows you to use all of the standard plane
definition methods for selecting the orientation plane.
Ctrl+F8
Shift+F7
Shift+F7
This essentially puts your model inside a box. FEMAP sets the center of the view to the center of that box. The
scale is adjusted, so that you can rotate your model to any orientation without parts of it going out of the window. It
is based on the longest, diagonal of the box, and the smallest window dimension.
Depending on the real shape of your model, the shape of the window, and the orientation you have currently cho-
sen, you may feel that the autoscaled magnification is too small. This can be especially true for long, thin models in
non-square windows. If you need to enlarge the model use either the View, Zoom or View, Magnify command.
Since no dialog box is displayed, you cannot choose between autoscaling one, or multiple views, during this com-
mand. Before you choose View, Autoscale, you must use the All Views command to select the views that you want
to modify.
6.2.3.2 View, Autoscale, Regenerate All
If AutoScale All does not work, then...
FEMAP maintains overall size information about your model in your database. This information is used to properly
autoscale your model into the active window. If you have created some entities which were positioned at a large
distance from your model, and then deleted or moved those entities, the autoscale calculations may still be based on
the larger overall model size. This will result in scaling which is too small, and typically not centered, relative to
your window. If you see this behavior, you can force FEMAP to recalculate all of the autoscaling information by
choosing this command, or pressing Shift+Ctrl+A (instead of just Ctrl+A). This combination should restore your
scaling to the proper size and centering.
6.2.3.3 View, Autoscale, Visible
...works just like the View, Autoscale, All command, except that it only uses considers the portions of the model that
are displayed when doing the centering and scaling computations. This means that if you are only displaying geom-
etry, then the nodes and elements in your mesh will not be used for the scaling (and therefore may be outside of the
window). Likewise, the current group and layer settings are also considered. If you are displaying a group that only
contains one corner of your model, then that corner will be scaled to fill the window and moved to the center.
Using Autoscale for XY-Plots
If you have selected any of the XY-plot styles, View, Autoscale will set both the XY X Range/Grid and XY Y Range/
Grid options to Automatic. These selections display the entire XY-plot. The axis extents are determined from the
data you have selected.
6.2.4 View, Magnify...
... adjusts the scale of your model in the active view.
This command displays the View, Magnify dialog box. The current view scale is shown in the Magnification Factor
edit control. If you know the scale factor you want, you can type it in this control and press OK. This method is also
useful when you want to set All Views to the same scale factor
Ctrl+Shift+A
Ctrl+A
Ctrl+M or Ctrl+F7
Original Down 50% Up 50%
View, Zoom... 6-41
Magnification factors are relative to the size determined by the View, Autoscale command. A magnification factor
of 1.0 is always used for an autoscaled view. This does not mean that one inch in your model equals one inch on the
screen. Larger magnification factors make your model appear larger in the view.
The buttons near the center of the dialog box provide another method of adjusting the magnification. They adjust
the magnification relative to the current setting. Up 10% and Up 50% make your model appear larger. Down 10%
and Down 50% make your model appear smaller. When you press any of these buttons, or type a new factor,
FEMAP will magnify around the center of the view.
The Fill View button is similar to the View, Autoscale command. It too bases its calculations on the overall model
dimensions. However, this button only considers the current orientation of your model. It projects the overall
dimensions into the current view and then adjusts the magnification factor to attempt to fill the screen. This will
always result in a larger image than View, Autoscale. If your model geometry is non-rectangular, or has cutouts, this
option still might not fill the view. Unlike the other View, Magnify options, but just like the View, Autoscale com-
mand, the Fill View button will automatically adjust the centering of your model.
Rotate, Zoom, and Pan
These command buttons are shortcuts to the View, Rotate, Zoom, and Pan commands. If you are updating a view, it
is often more convenient to use these buttons, than to press OK and then choose the command from the menu.
Using Magnify for XY-Plots
If you have selected any of the XY-plot styles, View, Magnify will set both the XY X Range/Grid and XY Y Range/
Grid options to Max Min. The minimum and maximum axes values are also adjusted to magnify the curves. For
XY-plot styles, pressing Fill View results in the same image as the View, Autoscale command. You cannot type a
magnification factor for XY-plot styles.
6.2.5 View, Zoom...
... simultaneously updates the scale and centering of your model in the active view. The update is based on a rectan-
gular area that you define relative to the window.
This command displays the View Zoom dialog box. You must choose between two zooming directions: Zoom In
and Zoom Out. When you zoom in, FEMAP will enlarge the rectangular area that you define to fill the entire win-
dow. Zoom Out does just the opposite. The magnification is reduced, so that the portion of your model that had
filled the entire window now only fills the rectangular zoom area.
The four text boxes near the center of the dialog box are used to define two diagonal corners of the zoom rectangle.
It does not matter whether you choose the upper-left and lower-right corners, or the upper-right and lower-left cor-
ners. It also does not matter which corner you specify first. The corner locations are specified in percentages of the
window. The upper-left corner of the window is (0%,0%). The lower-right corner is (100%,100%). Upper-right is
(100%,0%).
F7
The easiest way to specify the zoom rectangle is to use your mouse. First, make sure one of the Corner 1 text boxes
is active. Then move the mouse, in the graphics window, to point at the first corner of the rectangle. Press the left
mouse button. Then move the mouse to point at the diagonally opposite corner. As you do this, you will see the
rectangular zoom area in your graphics window. Position it wherever you want and press the left mouse button
again. Double-click the button instead, if you want to automatically select OK.
If you have any of the cursor snap modes enabled, (Snap To Grid, Snap To Node,...) they may change the location
you pick with the mouse. You can use this feature to your advantage if you want to use a node or point as the corner
of the zoom rectangle. For more information on graphical selection, see Section 4, "User Interface" in the FEMAP
User Guide.
You can also just type the locations of the corners using the keyboard. If you choose this method however, you do
not have the advantage of using the dynamic zoom box to position the zoom area.
Previewing the Zoomed View
After you define the zoom area, you can press Apply to zoom, and redraw the view. This is just like pressing OK,
except that the View Zoom dialog box is still present. You can still press Cancel to revert to the original view, or you
can define additional zoom areas to further update the view.
Rotate, Mag, and Pan
These command buttons are shortcuts to the View Rotate, Magnify, and Pan commands. If you are updating a view,
it is often more convenient to use these buttons, than to press OK and then choose the command from the menu.
Using Zoom for XY-Plots
If you have selected any of the XY-plot styles, View Zoom will set both the XY X Range/Grid and XY Y Range/Grid
options to Max Min. The minimum and maximum axes values are adjusted based on the zoom area that you spec-
ify. This is probably the easiest way to choose particular sections of a complex XY plot. The zoom area that you
choose should be inside the graph area - although it does not have to be.
6.2.6 View, UnZoom...
... returns you to the previous magnification and centering, after you have changed them with a zoom, magnify,
pan, or center command. Choosing this command a second time will return to the original view. This provides a
quick way to alternate between full-model, and detailed views. It also allows you to change your view to see other
parts of your model, and quickly return to the original settings.
Note: Only one level of previous zoom is saved. That means, for example, if you press the Pan buttons on the
toolbar more than once, or you center, then magnify, you will only be able to back up one step - not
return to the original position before you changed the view.
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3
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5
6
7
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10
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12
13
14
15
16
6
7
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Zoom Area
View, Center... 6-43
6.2.7 View, Center...
... chooses the model coordinates that will be located at the center of the view. This command does not change the
magnification or orientation of the model. It just moves the specified coordinates to the center of the view.
The standard coordinate definition dialog boxes are used to define the center coordinates. The center is entered in
three dimensions because FEMAP will use this location as the center of rotation for the View, Rotate command. By
precisely specifying the location you want, you can later rotate a view about any location in your model. Alterna-
tively, if you just want to quickly center the current view, and you do not care about later rotations, the coordinate
perpendicular to the screen can be given any value (or just skipped). It is unimportant.
You can use the mouse to choose the center of the view. It will work just like any other graphical coordinate selec-
tion. If you just want to move something to the center of the screen, this may be the easiest way to accomplish it.
Just point at the location with the mouse, and press the left mouse button. This will move the location you chose to
the center of the view. Remember however, that the depth, into the screen, will be chosen in the workplane. As
described in the previous paragraph, this might not be the point you want to rotate around.
If you want to center about an existing node or point, you can enable the appropriate snap mode prior to your
graphical selection. In this case, the center coordinates will be equal to the coordinates of the entity you snapped
to.
If you really want to specify a three-dimensional center, you may want to use the keyboard. You can choose any of
the standard coordinate definition methods, and enter the coordinates manually. You can also graphically select
coordinates, and then update one or more of them prior to pressing OK.
Using Center for XY-Plots
If you have selected any of the XY-plot styles, View, Center will set both the XY X Range/Grid and XY Y Range/
Grid options to Max Min. The minimum and maximum axes values are adjusted based on the location that you
specify. The magnification is unchanged. The location that you choose is just moved to the center of the graph.
Instead of the standard coordinate definition dialog boxes, XY-plots display the View Position dialog box. These
coordinates are specified as a percentage of the window. The location (0%,0%) is in the upper-left corner of the
window. The lower-right corner is (100%,100%). It is usually best to use the mouse to graphically select the new
center. This is especially true since the required coordinates are relative to the window and not the graph area.
6.2.8 View, Pan...
... is similar to the View, Center command. It adjusts the position of your model within a view, without changing the
magnification or orientation.
Shift+F8
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5
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8
9
10
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14
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16
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2
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Center on this point
Ctrl+P or Alt+F8
This command provides two different methods to position your model. You can just press the Left, Right, Up, or
Down buttons to move your model in the indicated direction. This method moves the amount specified by Percent,
which indicates a percent of the window. The other positioning method requires two locations. Within the view, the
model is moved from the first location to the second.
You will probably find that the easiest method of panning with the second method is to choose the two locations
graphically. Point to the location that you want to move from, and press the left mouse button. Then point to the
location you want to move to. As you move, you will see an arrow moving with the cursor. The arrow indicates the
direction and distance of the pan.
You can also pan the view by typing coordinates. The two pan locations are specified in percentages of the window.
The location (0%,0%) indicates the upper-left window corner. The lower-right corner is (100%,100%), and the
upper-right corner is (100%,0%).
Previewing the Panned View
After you define the pan locations, you can press Apply to pan, and redraw the view. This is just like pressing OK,
except that the View Pan dialog box is still present. You can still press Cancel to revert to the original view, or you
can define additional pan locations to further update the view. If you use the Left, Right, Up, or Down buttons, they
will automatically redraw the view.
Rotate, Mag, and Zoom
These command buttons are shortcuts to the View Rotate, Magnify, and Zoom commands. If you are updating a
view, it is often more convenient to use these buttons, than to press OK and then choose the command from the
menu. Pressing any of these buttons automatically accepts any changes you have made - just as if you had pressed
OK.
Using Pan for XY-Plots
If you have selected any of the XY-plot styles, View Pan will set both the XY X Range/Grid and XY Y Range/Grid
options to Max Min. The minimum and maximum axes values are adjusted based on the pan locations that you
specify. If you have magnified an XY-plot, this is an easy way to move it around to see different portions of the
curves. The pan locations that you choose should be inside the graph area - although it does not have to be.
It is usually best to use the mouse to graphically select the pan locations. This is especially true since the required
coordinates are relative to the window and not the graph area.
6.2.9 Deleting Views (Delete, View command)
Views, just like other FEMAP entities, can be deleted from the model. Simply use the Delete View command, and
select the number of the views you wish to delete. You may also simply click on a view if it is currently visible to
select it. FEMAP will ask if it is OK to delete this view. If you say yes, the view(s) will be deleted. If you say no,
the command will be canceled.
Views have no entities which are dependent upon them, so they are therefore always deletable. Although it is often
times just as easy to de-activate a view than delete it, there are specific instances when deleting a view is recom-
mended. Specifically, if you have trouble working with a view, certain items do not appear, or you get Abort mes-
sages, it may be due to a corrupted view (especially if this model had experienced an abnormal termination
previously). If you suspect a view is corrupt, simply delete the view and create a new one with the View, New com-
mand. You should also then perform a File, Rebuild to restructure the database. This should remove the corruption
from the model.
Window Menu Commands 6-45
6.3 Window Menu Commands
The commands on this menu control the display of your the different FEMAP windows on your computer monitor,
these commands help you to create and manage the graphical windows on your screen. The commands on the Win-
dow menu work in conjunction with many of the commands on the View menu, and vice versa, therefore we will
often refer to the graphical windows as view windows.
FEMAP uses the Window menu to place commands to the create, modify, and position FEMAP graphics windows.
FEMAP Windows are stored with your model database. They can be either active or inactive. Active view win-
dows are associated with an on-screen window. Inactive view windows are not currently displayed on your screen,
but can be activated at any time you choose.
The Window menu is separated into five partitions. The first partition involves creating new view windows, making
copies of existing view windows, loading currently closed view windows, and closing view windows. The second
is contains multiple view window positioning commands, while the third contains a flag to toggle on and off the
view window tabs. The fourth contains commands to redraw and regenerate the entire view window, as well as
highlight specific entities in the active view window. The final portion of the menu holds a list of the views that are
currently loaded (up to the ninth view). Each of these areas is described more fully below.
6.3.1 Manipulating Multiple View Windows
This section involves creating, sizing, and activating multiple view windows. Each active view window in FEMAP
corresponds to a given graphics window which can be sized or changed similar to any standard graphics window.
In addition, FEMAP supplies automatic tools for activating, creating, and sizing single or multiple graphics win-
dows (view windows).
6.3.1.1 Window, New Window...
... creates new tabbed view windows in your model, and automatically activates them by opening new graphics
windows.
This command uses the New Window dialog box. Your most basic choice is to select the number of new views and
the window layout that you want to create. The dialog box shows you six possible alternatives to create between
one and six new views. The pictures show the window layout that will be created. Each rectangle represents a win-
dow that will be created. The black (or darkest) rectangle indicates the graphics window which will initially be
active.
If the Default View option is chosen, when new views are created, the view options and selections will be set to
match those of the default view. This is the view that is created automatically when you start FEMAP with an
unnamed model. If Copy View is chosen, the new views are created to match the view that you select from the list.
Whenever you create multiple views, the orientation of the views is automatically defined to provide multiple
planes (XY, YZ, and ZX) and isometric views. The view represented by the black rectangle is always set to an XY
view if you use the Default View option, or to the orientation of the view that you are copying if Default View is off.
The following table shows the orientations of the views which are created for each layout.
Use Open View(s) to open existing views that have been closed using the Window, Close command, Close on the
drop-down menu from the view tab, or the X in the upper right hand corner of the graphics window area. Choose
a view from the list of existing views, then click OK to open a view. If you would like to open multiple views at one
time, there are two separate methods:
1. You can hold the Ctrl key down to select each view from the list individually
OR
2. You can hold the Shift button down and select a range of views to open by selecting a first view and the last
view of the range, which will highlight all the views you want to open at once.
The ID and Title are used to set the ID and view title for the window represented by the black rectangle. View titles
are displayed in the title bar of the window. Titles are automatically assigned to the other views in any multi-view
layout that you create. These automatic titles describe the view orientation.
When the Close Existing Windows check box is checked, it will close all existing graphics windows and deactivate
the associated views once the OK button is pressed. You need to check this box before you press OK, if you want
the new views to be the only ones which are active.
6.3.1.2 Window, Close
... This command closes the active view. If you try to close the last remaining open view of a model (or if there is
only one view currently open), FEMAP will ask if you want to save your model at that time.
6.3.1.3 Window, Tile Horizontal
... resizes and arranges all of the active graphics windows to fit horizontally in the FEMAP workspace. The win-
dows are arranged so that the contents of each window are visible, and so that no windows overlap.
The current size and position of the FEMAP main window, and the FEMAP Messages window combine to deter-
mine the overall area that Window, Tile Horizontal can use. Tile uses the largest available rectangular area which is
inside the main window and which is not obscured by the Messages window, other Dockable Panes (Entity Editor,
Model Tree, and Data Table), or the toolbars. If you do not change any of these, and only have one graphics win-
dow, Window, Tile Horizontal will restore it to the size and position of the default graphics window.
If you reposition or resize/reshape the Messages window, you can use Window, Tile Horizontal to automatically
make your graphics windows as large as possible without having any overlapping windows. In general, overlap-
ping windows are not desirable since they can cause additional redrawing to reveal obscured information. To make
a view the active view, you can either click inside the window or click the corresponding tab at the top of the graph-
ics window (if Window, Toggle Tabs flag is turned on)
Layout View Rotations Layout View Rotations
1 Default (XY or copy) 4 XZ,
XY,
YZ,
Default (XY or copy)
2V, 2H XY,
6 Isometric (-23,34,0 rotation),
XZ,
XY,
YZ,
Isometric (60,0,60 rotation),
3 XZ,
XY,
Window, Tile Vertical 6-47
6.3.1.4 Window, Tile Vertical
resizes and arranges all of the active graphics windows to fit horizontally in the FEMAP workspace. The windows
are arranged so that the contents of each window are visible, and so that no windows overlap.
The current size and position of the FEMAP main window, and the FEMAP Messages window combine to deter-
mine the overall area that Window, Tile Vertical can use. Tile uses the largest available rectangular area which is
inside the main window and which is not obscured by the Messages window, other Dockable Panes (Entity Editor,
Model Tree, and Data Table), or the toolbars. If you do not change any of these, and only have one graphics win-
dow, Window, Tile Vertical will restore it to the size and position of the default graphics window.
If you reposition or resize/reshape the Messages window, you can use Window, Tile Vertical to automatically make
your graphics windows as large as possible without having any overlapping windows. In general, overlapping win-
dows are not desirable since they can cause additional redrawing to reveal obscured information. To make a view
the active view, you can either click inside the window or click the corresponding tab at the top of the graphics win-
dow (if Window, Toggle Tabs flag is turned on)
6.3.1.5 Window, Cascade
... resizes and arranges all of the active graphics windows to fit in the FEMAP workspace. The windows are
arranged starting in the upper left corner of the main window workspace. Each window's title remains visible, so
that you can identify the active windows, but only one graphics window will be fully visible.
Like the Tile commands Window, Cascade chooses the available area as the largest rectangular area within the main
window that is not obscured by the Messages window, other Dockable Panes (Entity Editor, Model Tree, and Data
Table), or the toolbars. Window, Cascade is only available when you have multiple active graphics windows.
Cascading windows are not generally recommended since they can result in additional redrawing of the graphics
windows.
6.3.1.6 Window, Toggle Tabs
... toggles the view window tabs on and off. You can move from view window to view window by clicking the
tabs. You can also position the curser over any view window tab and click the right mouse button to select from a
helpful context sensitive menu which allows you to access the View, Create/Manage; Window, New; and Window,
Close commands, as well as, change the color of the tab and toggle the tabs on and off.
When the view window tabs are visible, the tabs show the current view window name. If multiple models are open
they show the model name and then the view name in the following convention:
Model Name : View Name
6.3.1.7 Window, Toggle Title Bars
... only available when multiple views are open in FEMAP. Toggles the Title Bars in ALL views on and off. This
can be very helpful when trying to show multiple views at once because it saves space on screen in each view.
6.3.2 Redrawing Windows
This section includes commands for redrawing of your model. There are two different commands for redrawing:
Window, Redraw and Window, Regenerate. In addition, you can show particular entities in a view, as well as apply
all changes to all views of the active model using View, All Views.
6.3.2.1 Window, Redraw...
... forces FEMAP to redraw or redisplay the active graphics window. You can redraw your graphics at any time.
Graphics windows are redrawn automatically whenever required by Windows. Additionally, if you select the
Autoplot option under the File, Preferences, Views command, all entities that are created or modified will be drawn
automatically. This option is on by default. Unlike Window, Redraw, the Autoplot option only draws entities you
created or modified, not the full view.
For more information, see 6.1.1.2 Section Window, Regenerate
Redrawing Multiple Windows
If you have multiple graphics windows on your screen, and All Views is set, they will all be redrawn. In addition, no
matter how All Views is set, you can redraw all active windows by pressing Ctrl+Shift+D.
For more information, see Section 6.1.2, "View, All Views...".
Aborting a Redraw
Drawing your model can take a significant amount of time, depending on the size of your model and the options
you choose. In some cases, you may not want to wait for the view to be completely redrawn before you choose
your next command. In these cases, you can abort the display simply by choosing your next command.
Ctrl+D or F12
Ctrl+Shift+D
Window, Regenerate... 6-49
When FEMAP is redrawing your display, the graphics cursor will change to an hourglass behind a pointer. This
shape indicates that FEMAP is busy with your current command, but the current command will be aborted auto-
matically if you make a new selection. Actually, FEMAP just watches the keyboard and mouse. The command is
aborted whenever you press any key, or mouse button. These are the actions that you have to do to choose the next
command anyway. When FEMAP is done with the current command, the hourglass will disappear and the cursor
will return to its normal pointer or crosshair shape.
Since FEMAP automatically aborts whenever you press a key or the left mouse button, you can never press either
of them before a redraw is complete, unless you want to abort. If you abort a redraw, you should still be able to
graphically select any of the entities which have been displayed. You may not be able to select entities which have
not been displayed. Extensive graphical selections should always be done in a view which has been completely
redrawn.
6.3.2.2 Window, Regenerate...
... is just like the Window, Redraw command. It forces FEMAP to redraw either the active graphics window, or all
graphics windows (if All Views is set).
When FEMAP draws your model for the first time, certain view dependent data is retained in your model. Saving
this data speeds up future redraws. For all types of displays, FEMAP will save a display list of transformed coordi-
nates. This eliminates the need to continually transform from your three-dimensional model, to the orientation you
choose on the two-dimensional screen. For hidden line displays, FEMAP also saves a sorted list of the entities
which you displayed. Once this list has been calculated, it can be redisplayed without additional hidden line calcu-
lations. Similarly, for free edge and free face displays, lists of the free edges and faces are retained. If you are using
the Quick Display capability, even more information is saved.
If you choose the Window, Redraw command, these saved lists will be used, whenever they are available. Window,
Regenerate will throw away all of the lists and then call Window, Redraw. This forces FEMAP to regenerate all of
the information from your model. If the display lists were never created, Window, Redraw and Window, Regenerate
are identical.
FEMAP will automatically discard the display lists whenever you change alignment or close/deactivate a view.
FEMAP will also update the transformed coordinates whenever you move a node or point. FEMAP will not update
or destroy the hidden line or free edge display lists, since rebuilding them involves significant computations. It is
up to you to choose the Window, Regenerate command whenever you want FEMAP to calculate a new hidden line
or free edge display. Conversely, for many modifications (zoom, pan, color, layer, small position changes...) you
can still choose Window, Redraw and save a large portion of the time required for these displays.
Regenerating Multiple Windows
If you have multiple graphics windows on your screen, and All Views is set, they will all be regenerated. In addi-
tion, no matter how All Views is set, you can regenerate all active windows by pressing Ctrl+Shift+G.
6.3.2.3 Window, Show Entities...
... provides a way to graphically query your model. Although there are many possible uses for this command, there
are two primary reasons you might want to choose it:
What is the ID of this element (or node...)?
The first potential use occurs if you have a model displayed on the screen with no labels (because the picture is too
complicated with them). You can choose Window, Show Entities and graphically pick one or more entities. With the
labelling option turned on, FEMAP will display the IDs of the entities that you choose.
Where is element (or node...) number 10?
The second use involves finding certain entities in a complicated model. If you need to find a certain entity, you can
just type its ID, rather than selecting it graphically. FEMAP will highlight the entities that you have chosen and
Hint: If you are redrawing your model and something does not look correct, always try to do a regenerate
before looking for other problems.
Ctrl+G or Ctrl+F12
Ctrl+Shift+G
Shift+F12
optionally add labels. If you autoscale your model before using this command, the entity will be visible on your
screen.
Selecting Options
The Window, Show Entities command requires input of the type of entity to show. You can only select one type of
entity each time you use this command.
Style
If you select Erase Background First, the window will be erased before the selected entities are shown, otherwise
the entities will just be added to the current picture.
Transparent Highlight will highlight the selected entities, but will make all non-selected entities temporarily trans-
parent as well.
The Label with ID option controls whether IDs will be added to the selected entities. If entity labels are already on,
they will be drawn even if this option is off. If they are normally off however, turning this option on insures that the
entities that you show will be labelled with their ID.
Turning Show Normals on will show the element normals for the selected elements.
By default, Show Color is selected. This will cause all selected entities to be drawn in the color listed to the right.
You can change this color by typing a different ID, or by pressing Palette to choose a color from the palette dialog.
The default show color has been chosen to highlight the entities that you choose. If you just want to add IDs to the
selected entities, you may want to switch to entity colors. This will display the entities in their normal colors.
Selecting the Entities to Show
After you choose the desired options, and press OK, you will see the standard entity selection dialog box. The type
of entities that are selected by this box depends on the entity type option that you chose. Just like other commands,
you can use any combination of keyboard and graphical input to select the entities that you want to show. Press OK
to show the entities that you have selected.
6.3.2.4 Window, Open Views - 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9
The nine most recently opened views are listed on the bottom of the Window menu. If there are multiple models
open in the same FEMAP session, they are listed using a number model name : view name convention. For
example: 1 Wing.MODFEM : Stringers.
6.4 Groups and Layers
The previous section concentrated on the View menu command to manipulate the view. The other major area to
modify what you see in a view involves groups and layers. By using groups and layers, you can segment your
model into smaller, more manageable, discrete pieces. These pieces can then be used to minimize the amount of
information presented in the view window, or in printed reports by specifying which group(s) will be seen or used
to create a report. Groups and layers also make it easier to manipulate, update, and apply loads to your model.
This section will describe the differences between groups and layers, commands pertaining to layering, which are
scattered throughout the FEMAP menu, and the Group menu.
Note: The level of transparency used in the Transparent Highlight option can be adjusted using a global value
for all entities using View, Options; Category: Tools and View Style; Transparency option.
Hint: The Window, Show Entities command is also very useful to show connections between FEA entities and
geometry. For example, to see what nodes are attached to a surface, select Node as the option. When the
standard entity selection dialog box appears, change the method to On Surface, and select the desired
surface. FEMAP will then highlight all nodes that are attached to that surface.
Differences Between Groups and Layers 6-51
6.4.1 Differences Between Groups and Layers
Groups and layers provide a convenient method of segmenting a model, however, there are some key differences
between groups and layers. Some main points about groups and layers are summarized in the table below.
By creating multiple groups, and using multiple layers, you can create an infinite number of visual combinations
for your model. This greater flexibility also provides the disadvantage of more methods to hide things in your
model. If you do not see an entity which you created, it is a good bet that either it is not in the group(s) you are cur-
rently displaying, or it is not on a visible layer.
Groups are designed to mimic how FEA models were numbered and arranged when they were built by hand. For
example, in the aircraft industry, a model of a complete aircraft would be carefully numbered. All the nodes and
elements at a frame at a particular location along the fuselage would be numbered in such a manner as to clearly
identify them as belonging to that frame. FEMAP grouping makes it very easy to isolate portions of a finite element
model that are numbered in such a manner. You may also easily group elements using a particular property or mate-
rial, by element type, attached to solid geometry, or currently on a particular layer.
Layers, on the other hand, are designed similar to layering in most CAD systems. The name layer comes from the
clear sheet of paper analogy for CAD layering, where all the entities associated with a given layer would be drawn
on a clear sheet of paper, and only the active clear sheets being overlaid would produce a visual image.
6.4.2 Layer Commands
There are several commands associated with layers which are scattered through the FEMAP menu. They can be
separated into two major areas: creating a layer and viewing layers, which are discussed below. Other commands
involve deleting layers, modifying layer reference on entities, and the Group, Layers command. Brief explanations
are also provided for these entities.
6.4.2.1 Creating a Layer (Tools, Layers command)
The Tools, Layers command is used to define layers in your model. By themselves, layers cannot be displayed.
Rather, all entities in FEMAP are placed on the layers that you create with this command. See Section 7.4.3.2,
"Tools, Layers..." for more information.
6.4.2.2 Viewing Layers (View, Visibility... command)
The Layer tab of the View, Visibility command or the visibility check boxes for Layers in the Modal Info tree
allows you to control which layers are active for the display. You may View All Layers (default setting) or View
Multiple Layers. You may check any number of layers to make them visible. For more information, see the Lay-
ers tab portion of Section 6.1.4, "View, Visibility...".
6.4.2.3 Related Layer Commands
Other commands related to layers include the Modify, Layer menu, Delete, Tools, Layers, and Group, Layers. Each
of these commands are described in more detail in their appropriate sections. A brief description, however, is pro-
vided below.
Modify, Layer
The Modify, Layer commands actually make no changes to the layers themselves. Instead, you can use these com-
mands to move entities from one layer to another. This is a much easier method of changing the layer of a large
number of entities in comparison to Modify, Edit, which requires input for each entity you selected. See Section
Groups Layers
Reference
Entity in multiple groups Each entity on only one layer
Display
Any combination of groups,
the Active group only, or a
selected group
Any combination of layers
Active
Only one active group Only one active layer
3.6.3.3, "Modify, Layer Commands" for geometry and Section 4.8.2.4, "Modify, Layer Menu" for finite element
entities.
Delete, Tools, Layer
This command enables you to delete a layer. You will typically only want to use this command when you have an
empty layer. This command does not delete entities that are on the layer. In fact, these entities may still have the
same layer reference, but the layer itself will be removed. The entities on the deleted layers will then not be visible
unless you have Show All Layers active. There are also no checks made to see if entities exist on a layer when you
are about to delete it. Therefore, be careful when using this command.
Group, Layers
This command provides an easy method to limit a group to a specific number of layer(s). This does not automati-
cally create a group with all the entities in that layer. It simply limits the selected entities to a specific layer. For
more information, see Section 6.4.3.4, "Group, Layers...".
6.4.3 Group Menu Commands
The commands on this menu allow you to create, edit, and manipulate groups within your model. These commands
are separated into three major sections:
the Group, Create/Manage command
group manipulations
commands to add certain identities to the group
How Groups are Used
FEMAP groups identify portions of your model. Using the Group tab of the View, Visibility command, you can
choose Show Active Group, Show Selected Group, or Show/Hide Multiple Groups that will be used to limit your
display to the portion of the model which is in the group(s). In addition to simplifying your display, this group
also has an impact on postprocessing. Contour/criteria limits can automatically be adjusted to the peak values
which occur on those entities in the group(s) (see Section 6.1.5.3, "View, Options..."). Similarly, nodal output data
is converted to elemental output data, and vice versa based on the selected group(s) (see Section , "To use this
option, follow the general steps in "Performing Operations on Output Sets and Vectors".").
Individual commands on the Group menu are explored in Section 6.4.3.2, "Group, Operations Menu", Section
6.4.3.3, "Group Clipping Menu", and Section 6.4.3.5, "Grouping Individual Entities". For deleting and renumber-
ing groups see Section 6.4.4, "Deleting Groups (Delete, Group command)" and Section 6.4.5, "Renumbering
Groups"
6.4.3.1 Group, Create/Manage...
... displays the Group Manager dialog box which may be used to create a new group, update existing group Titles
or IDs, delete a single group or all groups, and define Referenced Groups. It is somewhat similar to the Model,
Load, Create/Manage Set and Model, Constraint, Create/Manage Set commands.
The concept of Referenced Groups allows an existing group to reference other existing groups in your model
(essentially, create a Group of Groups). A group which references other groups may also contain any number
of additional entities. Once a group is referencing other groups, the icon will change in the Group Manager dialog
box. Groups which reference other groups may also be referenced by any other group.
Hint: If you do delete a layer which has information contained on it, you may simply use Tools, Layers to cre-
ate a new layer with that same number. The entities which were on the deleted layer will automatically
be placed on the new layer.
Alt+F2
Group, Create/Manage... 6-53
To create a new group, click the New Group button. In the New Group dialog box, enter a descriptive Title, then
press OK to return to the Group Manager or More to create another new group. All group definition commands
work with the active group. To activate a group that already exists, simply choose it from the Available Group -
Selected Group is Active list. Once a group is highlighted in the list, the Update Title, Renumber, and Delete options
become available. To delete all groups, click Delete All or deactivate all groups, simply press None Active.
The Referenced Groups button will display the Referenced Groups dialog box:
The Referenced Groups for Group drop-down list may be used to select any existing group. Any number of groups
may be moved between the Available Groups list and Referenced Groups list for a particular group by highlighting
the groups in the appropriate list and pressing the Add or Remove buttons. Remove All will move all groups from
Referenced Groups to Available Groups. When a group which references other groups is added to the Referenced
Groups list, the referenced groups will be listed in a tree structure beneath that group (Shown above)
Group containing
Referenced Groups
icon
Create new Group
existing Group
Constraint Set
Delete highlighted
Group
Delete all Groups
Define Referenced
Deactivate All
Groups
Regular Group
icon
Group
.
6.4.3.2 Group, Operations Menu
The commands on this menu are used to manipulate a group. They do not add any new definitions to the current
group.
Group, Operations, Evaluate...
... evaluates any number of selected groups. When you invoke this command, FEMAP brings up a dialog box
which allows you to select any number of groups by highlighting them using windows standard methods for multi-
selection (holding CTRL down for selecting multiple entities one at a time or hold SHIFT to select a Range of enti-
ties). Once the desired groups are highlighted, click OK and no more user input is required. Your groups will now
contain all entities which satisfy the rules of the group.
You should use this command any time that you create or modify entities that should be selected in the current
group. This command will use the group clipping planes, layer options, and rules to find the entities that are
included.
Group, Operations, Automatic Add...
...automatically adds all newly created entities to the selected group. With this option there is no need to reevaluate
the selected group to have the entities appear - they are added without the need for reevaluation.
Group, Operations, Evaluate Always...
... allows you to set up any number of selected groups to be evaluated every time they are used. By default, the
active group will be highlighted in the multi-select dialog box. When this option is set for the active group, the icon
next to the command in the menu will turn orange. Once the selection of groups has been completed, a question
will appear asking OK to evaluate selected groups every time they are used?.
If you choose Yes to always evaluate, every time you use the group, FEMAP will reevaluate all clipping, layers,
and rules. You do not have to use the Group, Operations, Evaluate command. This can significantly decrease sys-
tem performance, but will automatically add new or modified entities to the group every time you use it.
You can turn this option off by reselecting the command, and choosing No - don't automatically evaluate.
You do not need to turn on Evaluate Always for a group that you select for Automatic Add. In fact, it will be much
faster if you do not.
Note: If Group A is referenced by Group E and Group F and both groups E and F are then refer-
enced by another group, Group G, Group A will only appear once in the Referenced Groups list.
All other instances of Group A will be shown using a red X in the middle of group brackets.
Note: You will be able to choose from the Active group, Select a group or None. The default is None, which
means that new entities will not be added into any group. If you choose the Active option, newly created
entities will be added to whatever group is active at that time. You can change the active group using
the Group, Create/Manage command. If no group is active, it is the same as choosing the None option.
If you choose Select, then you must also choose an existing group from the combo box. All entities will
be added to that group. In this mode, if you want to switch to a different group, you must use this com-
mand to make a new selection.
Note: In File, Preferences, the Views, Autoplot Created/Modified Geometry preference must be on, or Auto-
matic Add will be disabled.
Note: If you are displaying a group where you have turned on Evaluate Always, you will not be able to graph-
ically select nodes or other entities in that view. In addition, any attempt to reference that view will be
significantly slower than if Evaluate Always was off, because the group must be reevaluated.
Group, Operations Menu 6-55
Group, Operations, Renumber Rules...
...provides the capability to maintain the same entities in the group even when you renumber the entities. When you
select this command, a multi-select dialog box will be displayed with only the Active Group highlighted (default).
You may also highlight any other group(s) from the list. Once the selection of groups has been completed, a ques-
tion will appear asking OK to Renumber selected Group(s) when Entities are renumbered?.
If you select Yes, renumber rules will be turned on for the selected group(s). This means that if you have included
Node 1 in a group, then you renumber it to 50, it will still remain in the group (i.e. FEMAP will change the Group
Node ID entry from 1 to 50).
If you select No, renumber rules will be turned off for the selected group(s). This means Node 1 will remain as
the entry in the group and you will lose the new Node 50 (renumbered Node 1) from the group. Any entity you
make in the future with Node ID 1 will automatically be included in the group.
You will typically want to have this option on Yes to prevent changes in your groups from renumbering.
Group, Operations, Copy...
... makes a new group which is a copy of the selected group. When you invoke this command, you may input an ID
and title of the new group that will be created. If the active group has not been evaluated since it was created or last
modified, FEMAP will always evaluate it before the group is copied. There is also an option to Condense New
Group, which will create a copy of the active group based on ID rules Only, not based on rules, clipping, and
layer information. See Group, Operations, Condense... for more information about condensing groups.
Group, Operations, Condense...
... allows you to select any number of groups to condense to be ID Rules Only groups containing only the enti-
ties currently in the group, instead of based on rules, clipping, and layer information. The new ID rules (coordinate
system IDs, point IDs, node IDs, etc.) will select all of the entities that were previously selected in the group. It
does not matter if the original groups were created using clipping or other types of rules; the selections will be con-
verted to ID rules, as these rules will be removed from the condensed group.
When to Use Condense
Condense is usually used when you have defined a group using clipping or other fairly general rules (like Nodes 1
to 10000), and you want to make sure that no entities, other than those which are currently selected, will be inad-
vertently included during future group evaluations. In addition, a condensed group will typically reevaluate faster
than the group defined by clipping.
Condense will reduce these general selections to specific rules which will only include the currently selected enti-
ties.
Group, Operations, Reset Rules...
... deletes all rules in the active group. You can selectively delete rules by choosing the appropriate Group menu
commands and deleting entries in the standard entity selection dialog boxes. If you want to delete all of your rules,
of all types, this command is much faster. As for all delete commands, you will be asked to confirm your desire to
delete the rules before this command proceeds.
Group, Operations, Booleans...
... creates a new group from a selected set of existing groups based on a chosen boolean operation.
The Group to Create portion of the dialog box allows you to choose the ID for the new group and give it a Title. If
you do not specify a Title, FEMAP will create one based on the IDs of the Groups AND the Operation used to cre-
ate the new group. For example, if you are using the Add/Combine operation and have selected groups 1, 3, and 5,
the default Title would be Add 1, 3, 5.
Note: When Renumbering Rules for the Active Group are on, the background of the icon will be orange.
Multiple groups can be chosen from the Select One or More Groups from the List to Process list in the Groups to
Process portion of the dialog box using windows standard selection methods. Holding down the Ctrl key and click-
ing in the list allows you to choose multiple groups one at a time. Holding down the Shift key while clicking in
the list allows you to choose a range of groups.
There are six choices in the Operation section of the dialog box. Here is a brief description of each operation:
Add/Combine Creates a new group by adding multiple groups together.
For example:
Subtract Creates a new group by subtracting any number of groups from a Single selected group.
Note: The Base Model for all of the Examples in this section is a simple 9 element high by 7 element
wide rectangle. Only elements are in the groups being processed with the various boolean operations.
Note: When the Subtract operation is chosen, the Subtract From drop-down list in the Groups to Process por-
tion of the dialog box will become available. The group chosen in the Subtract From drop-down list is
the base group and all of the groups chosen in the list will be subtracted from the base group.
+ =
For Example:
In All Creates a new group that contains entities which are in ALL of the selected groups (i.e., if element 1 is in
group A AND Group B, element 1 WILL BE in group C). Another way to think of it is that only entities which are
common to ALL the selected groups will be in the new group.
For Example:
Only in One Creates a new group that contains entities which are ONLY in one of the selected groups (i.e., if ele-
ment 1 is in both group A AND Group B, element 1 will NOT be in group C). Another way to think of it is that
only unique entities will be placed into the new group.
For Example:
Not in Any Creates a new group that contains entities which are NOT in ANY of the selected groups, but are in
the rest of the model (i.e., If elements 1-10 are NOT in Group A and NOT in Group B, they WILL BE IN Group C).
Note: When using the Not in Any operation, only entity types that are in at least one of the Base Groups
will be in the new group that is created from entities NOT in the Base Groups.
For example, start with a model containing 100 nodes, 81 elements:
If Group A contains n elements and zero nodes, then Group B will only contain the 81-n ele-
ments that are NOT in Group A.
If Group A contains n elements and n nodes, then Group B will contain the 81-n elements and
the 100-n nodes that are NOT in Group A.
- =
=
Elements Common to
Both Groups in New Group
IN ALL
=
Elements Unique to
Each Group in New Group
Only in One
For Example:
Not in All - Creates a new group that contains entities which are NOT in ALL of the selected groups (i.e., If ele-
ments 1-10 are in Group A, but not in Group B and Group C, they WILL BE IN Group D). This command is only
useful when three or more groups are being processed. Only entities Common to ALL selected groups will NOT
be in the new group. If you use this command with only two groups, it will create the same group as Only in One.
Group, Operations, Add Related Entities...
... when this command is used, ALL other entities that are somehow related to the entities currently in a selected
Group will then be added to that Group.
For instance, if a group contains only elements, using this command would add all nodes, properties, and materials
used by those elements to the group. In addition, any loads or constraints associated with the elements or their
nodes would also be placed in the group. In this case, nodal loads, elemental loads, nodal constraints, and constraint
equations would be added to the group. Also, if the elements in the group happen to be laminates, then any layup
used by the laminates would also be added to the group.
Group, Operations, Generate...
... will automatically create groups by segmenting your model based on geometric, property and material features
and discontinuities. The capabilities of this command are also used by the Model, Output, Extrapolate command to
segment your model prior to extrapolation. In that case however no groups are created.
When you choose this command, you will be asked for the elements that you want to consider. This command only
works with planar or solid elements. Line and other types of elements will simply be ignored. Typically, you should
only choose one type (planar or solid) at a time. You will then see the following dialog box:
The correct element type should be selected automatically based on the elements that you selected - unless you
chose multiple types. You must then decide how you want to segment your model.
Add Layers
If you turn this option on, not only will elements be placed into
segmented groups, their layers will also be updated so that each
segment is on a separate layer. This can be useful if you want to
display multiple segments simultaneously, since any combina-
tion of layers can be displayed.
Attribute Breaks
Breaking your model into segments based on attributes allows
you to find areas of differing thickness or material. When used
for output extrapolation, these options recognize that stresses or
other output are not continuous across different materials or
other part/thickness boundaries.
If you want to put elements with different properties into differ-
ent groups, choose Property ID. Since each property references a
material, this will automatically put each material into one or
more groups. If you just want to break based on changing materials, choose Material ID. Choose None to skip this
type of checking when the model is being segmented.
=
Elements NOT in either
Group in New Group
Not in Any
In addition to these basic attribute options, you can also choose to formulate different groups based on changes in
the layer or color that each element references. These options really provide you a way to customize the way that
FEMAP will segment your model. For example, if you really want to break some portion of your model into multi-
ple parts, but all elements have the same property, you can always set their color or layer prior to using this com-
mand, then choose the appropriate option, and FEMAP will segment based on those attributes.
Geometric Breaks
Unlike the attribute breaks, which can be used with either planar or solid elements, geometric breaks apply only to
planar elements. Geometric breaks are very important for segmenting complex plate structures. For example, if you
have a box structure, geometric breaks will automatically detect and segment each face of the box - even if all ele-
ments have identical attributes.
When you choose to do geometric breaking, FEMAP calculates the normal to the planar face for each element. If
the normals of two adjoining elements are within the angle that you specify of being parallel, they will be consid-
ered to be in the same segment (neglecting any attribute differences). If they are not within that angle, a new seg-
ment will be formed. If the Matching Normals Only option is off, then the direction of the normal vector is not
considered when doing this comparison - two coplanar elements with reversed normals will not generate a break. If
the option is on, then the normal direction is considered and reversed normals will usually cause breaks.
To ignore geometric breaks, choose None.
Group, Operations, Generate Solids...
...will automatically create groups based on solid geometry. You simply select the solids you wish to group and
FEMAP will create one or more groups containing the selected solids and their associated curves, lines and points.
If you select Create Multiple Groups, then one group will be created for each solid that you selected.
If not, then one group will be created containing all of the solids.
If you select Include Mesh, Loads and Constraints, then these entities which are associated with the solids will
also be included in the groups along with the geometry.
Note: This command can create quite a few groups given a large model - especially if you use geometric
breaks with a small angle. It can also take quite a while to evaluate the entire model.
Note: Since FEMAP has no way of knowing what the various segments of your model represent, it simply
assigns default titles to the groups that are generated. After they are created, it is usually best to display
each group, one at a time, and change the title (use Group, Create/Manage) to something that will be
more meaningful to you.
Complete Model
Generated Groups
The default for this command is Create New Groups,
which will create new groups based on the selected
Generation Options. In addition, Move to New Layers
will move the entities for each new group to a new
layer. Finally, you can have FEMAP only create new
layers and move entities for the selected solids onto
them instead of creating new groups and new layers, by
turning OFF the Create New Groups option and turning
on Move to New Layers.
.
.
Operations, Generate Property...
... will automatically create a single group or a number of separate groups in your model based on properties. You
simply select the properties you wish to consider, then FEMAP will prompt you with a question: Ok to Make a
Group for each Selected Property (No=One Group for All)?. Answering Yes will create separate groups containing
elements that reference each property, while answering No will create one group for all of the selected properties.
This works very similar to Group, Operations, Generate, except you pick the particular properties for the groups,
and no discontinuities will be considered. All elements in the model referencing a particular property will be placed
in the same group, regardless of their locations
Group, Operations, Generate Material...
... is similar to the Group, Operations, Generate Property command, except the single group or separate groups for
each material are generated based upon the materials of the elements (on their property cards), not the properties.
Group, Operations, Generate Elem Type...
...is similar to the Group, Operations, Generate Property command, except the single group or separate groups for
each element type are generated based upon the element type, not the properties themselves.
Group, Operations, Generate With Output...
...automatically creates a group by selecting nodes or elements that reference analysis output that meet one or more
specified criteria. When you choose this command, you will be asked to select the Output Sets that contain the
results that you want to consider. Only results in these sets will be considered when deciding whether a specific
node or element meets the selection criteria. When you press OK, you will see another dialog box, that allows you
to specify the selection criteria.
The options on the left side of this dialog let you specify the criteria that will be used to evaluate the results you
choose. Only criteria that you add to the Specified Selection Criteria list (using the Add Criteria button) will actu-
ally be used.
Output Sets
These options let you choose the Output Sets to consider for this criteria. As you remember, you selected a list of
Output Sets in the previous dialog box. If you choose Any Set, then results from each of those sets will be evaluated
for each node/element, and if any of the results meets the criteria, then that node/element will be selected. If you
choose All Sets, then results in every selected set must meet the criteria for the node/element to be selected. Again,
both of these options only refer to all of the sets that you selected, not necessarily all of the output in your model. If
you choose Set, you must select the single Output Set that you want to consider from the list. In this case, and only
this case, the set you choose does not have to be one of the originally selected sets.
Output Vectors
From the From list, you must select the output that you want to use to select your nodes/elements. The vectors that
are available in this list change depending on the setting of the Entity Selection options. Normally, you will want to
simply select a From vector, and leave Thru set to None. This will result in one criteria being added to the list,
using the vector you select. If however, you want to use the exact same criteria for an entire range of vectors you
can choose a Thru vector. When you Add this criteria, you will actually see one criteria for each vector in this
range.
Include Components / Corners
When you select an output vector, you may want to consider associated results as well. If this option is off, only the
single output value in the vector you choose will be used. If it is on, however, associated component or corner out-
put will also be compared. If any of these associated values, or the value of the vector you chose, meets the criteria,
then the node/element will be selected.
Some examples of this include:
Include All Layers
This option is for use with results on plate or laminate elements. If it is off, then only the vector you select will be
evaluated. If it is on however, then similar results from all layers of that element will be evaluated, and if any meet
the criteria, then that element will be selected. For plate elements, this means no matter which output you select,
results from the Top, Middle, and Bottom locations (if available) will be evaluated. For laminate elements, no mat-
ter which ply you select, all plys will be checked.
Selection Criteria
These options provide the basis on which output values are evaluated. You can compare the values to see if they are
Above a Minimum, Below a Maximum, or Between or Outside the Minimum and Maximum. In the last two options,
the minimum must always be less than the maximum.
Entity Selection
You can choose to select either Nodes or Elements with these options. When you change these options, the avail-
able output vectors in the lists change to only show the results for the selected type. In addition, whichever option
Note: If the Specified Selection Criteria list is too small to see the entire criteria, you can drag the corner of
the dialog box, or press the icon at the right side of the toolbar to make the box, and the list bigger.
Note: You can currently define up to 125 simultaneous criteria. This does not include the output vectors that
are checked with the Include Components/Corners or Include All Layers options.
You select... If Include Components is on...
...Total Translation or other
Total nodal output
...the Total vector, and the X, Y and Z Component vectors will all
be evaluated
...output at the centroid of a plate
or solid element
...the centroidal vector will be evaluated, as well as, the output at all
of the element corners.
...output at one end of a beam ...similar output at both ends of the beam will be evaluated (Note:
picking output at one stress recovery location will not automatically
evaluate the other stress recovery locations on a beam - those must
be specified as individual criteria - possibly using the Thru option)
you choose also represents the entities that will be selected into the Group you are defining. These options are only
available when you are defining a Group. If you get to this dialog box from the Pick method in the Entity Selection
dialog box, then either Nodes or Elements will automatically be selected, depending on the entity type that you are
selecting.
Select If
These options allow you to build very powerful combinations of multiple criteria, however they can be somewhat
confusing. Lets look at the simple case of two criteria. If you choose All Criteria Met (And), then when the two cri-
teria are evaluated, both criteria must be met for the node/element to be selected. The And refers to the following
syntax - if criteria 1 AND criteria 2 are met, then the entity will be selected. On the other hand, if you choose This
Criteria Met (Or), then if either criteria is met, the node/element will be selected. Again from a syntax standpoint -
if criteria 1 OR criteria 2 is met, then the entity will be selected.
Normally, you will want to choose one of these methods when you start to define criteria and leave it set - this will
result in either requiring all criteria to be met (And), or any one of the specified criteria being met (Or) for the
nodes/elements to be selected. By changing these settings as you define criteria however you can build more com-
plicated relationships. To do this successfully however, you need to understand that FEMAP evaluates criteria, and
these options in a sequential fashion, starting at the beginning of your list. Shown with parentheses to help to indi-
cate the order of operations, this could be described as:
(((((1 And/Or 2) And/Or 3) And/Or 4) And/Or 5) And/Or...)
where the numbers represent the various criteria you specify, and And/Or can be either one of the Select If
options. As you can see, if you are varying these options, the overall process is order dependent, so you will want to
think about this before defining your criteria.
Title
When you are defining a Group, this allows you to specify a meaningful title for the Group that will be created.
Add Criteria
Press this to add the options you have defined on the left to the Specified Selection Criteria list.
Update
When you click on an item in the Specified Selection Criteria list, the values corresponding to that entry will be
loaded into the left of the dialog box. You can then change the values and update that entry by pressing this button.
The Thru option will be ignored when you use this button since it really generates multiple criteria, not the single
one that you are updating.
Delete and Reset
To remove a criteria that you have added to the Specified Selection Criteria list, click on the item in the list, and
press Delete. To remove all of your defined criteria, press Reset.
Group, Operations, Generate Superelements...
...is similar to the Group, Operations, Generate Property command, except the groups are based upon the Superele-
ment ID of each node.
Because only nodes have any type of Superelement Identification, you will notice that only elements with ALL
nodes being of a particular Superelement ID will be in the group generated for that Superelement ID.
If an element has nodes from two different Superelement IDs, and one of the Superelement IDs is 0 (Residual
Structure), that Element will be placed in the Residual Structure group. On the other hand, if an element has
nodes from two different Superelement IDs, and one of the Superelement IDs is NOT 0, that element will not
appear in any of the generated groups.
Group, Operations, Generate Entities on Layers...
...is used to generate an individual group for each layer in the model which has been selected. Each generated group
will contain ALL entities on a specific layer. You will be asked if you would like to Condense the new groups or
not. See Group, Operations, Condense for more information.
Group, Operations, Move to Layer...
... is used to move all entities in a selected group or groups to a single selected layer. If an entity is in multiple
groups, the entity will be moved to the layer which has most recently had a group containing the entity moved onto
it with this command.
For example, element 5 resides in both Group 1 and Group 2. If the entities in Group 1 are moved to Layer
2 with this command, element 5 will be moved to Layer 2. If this command is used again to move the entities in
Group 2 to Layer 3, then element 5 would also be moved to Layer 3, because it was in the group that was
most recently moved to a layer.
Group, Operations, Peel...
... is used with solid elements to remove one or more layers from the outside of a model. Initially, you choose the
elements that you want to peel. Typically you will want to select the entire model. Remember however, that only
solid elements are considered for this command.
You specify the number of layers of elements to peel off of the outside. Elements are peeled if they have one or
more faces on the outer surface of the selected elements. Similarly if you choose to peel multiple layers, each layer
is removed, and the next layer is peeled from the remaining elements.
You have two choices as you group elements using this command. You can create groups from the outer layers - the
ones that are peeled. This will result in one group for each layer that you choose. You can also choose to create a
group from the elements that remain after all peeling has been completed - i.e. the core elements.
While it is somewhat difficult to visualize the result of this command the following picture attempts to show it:
Group, Operations, Select Model...
... is a shortcut to create rules that will select your entire model. Rather than manually going to each entity type and
adding a rule that includes all IDs (1 to 99999999), you can use this command to automatically create all of those
rules in the current group. When you are asked whether to create the rules, you must press Yes or the command will
end.
After creating these rules, you can then go add additional rules to remove or exclude portions of your model.
Note: This command is a great way to be able to list all of the entities on a specific layer. Simply run this
command, choose a layer or layers, then use List, Group command and check the List All Entities in
Group option.
Complete Model
First Layer (no center elements)
Second Layer (no center element)
Remaining Core
Group, Operations, Select Mesh...
...selects all the entities related to a mesh and places them into a group.
After you pick the command, you select the elements for the group. FEMAP then adds the related entities which
may include nodes, properties, materials, loads, and constraints.
Group, Operations, Select Region...
... enables you to put Connection Regions, Fluid Regions, Bolt Regions, and Rotor Regions into the current group
AND also places the components used to define these regions into the group (i.e., if a selected Connection Region
is Defined By the faces of 20 solid elements, those 20 elements will be added to the group as well as the Connec-
tion Region).
When this command is used, the standard entity selection dialog box will appear and you can simply select the
Regions to include in the group.
6.4.3.3 Group Clipping Menu
The commands on this submenu are used to define the coordinate and plane clipping options for the active group.
You can independently specify both coordinate clipping and up to six clipping planes.
How Clipping is Evaluated
When you specify either plane or coordinate clipping, FEMAP bases the selection of entities on coordinate loca-
tions. Points, nodes, and coordinate systems are all clipped based on their location in your model. Text that is posi-
tioned relative to your model is clipped in the same way. View positioned text can not be selected via clipping.
Other entities are clipped based on the points or nodes that they reference. For example, elements are included if
any of the nodes that they reference are included by clipping. It is not necessary that all of the nodes referenced by
an element are included - just one. Nodal loads are included if the nodes where they are applied have been selected
by clipping. Elemental loads are included only if the elements where they are applied have been selected by clip-
ping. This implies that at least one of the nodes referenced by those elements has been included also. If you are try-
ing to establish clipping planes to select elements, you only need to include one of the nodes to include the
elements.
Group, Clipping, Coordinate...
... allows you to quickly select portions of your model based on their coordinate values relative to a selected coor-
dinate system.
The Group Selection by Coordinate Clipping dialog box selects the clipping options. You can choose to clip Above,
Below, Between, or Outside of the selected minimum and/or maximum coordinates. The Coordinate Value section
allows you to select the coordinate direction that will control clipping. If you choose None, coordinate clipping will
be turned off.
Note: The Group Clipping Screen, Plane, and Volume commands all control the same six clipping planes.
They are not independent - choosing one will override previous plane selections. FEMAP will therefore
ask you to confirm that you want to turn off the previous clipping options, if they were defined using a
different command. If you answer No for screen and volume clipping, the command will continue, but
the defaults will be relatively meaningless. When you choose No for plane clipping, the clipping planes
that were previously active will remain active. You can use this technique to edit one or more planes
that you defined using screen or volume.
Group Clipping Menu 6-65
Finally, you can select any existing coordinate system. To evaluate the clipping, FEMAP will transform the entity
coordinates into the system you select and compare them against the Minimum and/or Maximum values that you
specify.
When you choose Above, anything which is above the Maximum will be clipped, or removed. Anything less than
the Maximum will be included. Below is the opposite. Anything less than the Minimum will be clipped. Between
will clip or remove anything between the Minimum and Maximum. Outside is the opposite.
Clipping Non-Planar Regions
If you choose a cylindrical or spherical coordinate system, the clipping region can be non-planar. For example, if
you wanted to select a cylindrical volume, you could choose a cylindrical system and then clip above an X (actually
a radius for a cylindrical system) value. Everything that has a radius which is smaller than the Maximum value that
you specify will be included.
Group, Clipping, Screen...
... allows you to quickly orient up to four (of the possible six) clipping planes. With this command you pick a series
of locations. The clipping planes will be oriented to pass through those positions and be normal to the active view -
hence the title Screen Clipping. Although the orientation of the active view orients the clipping planes, the planes
are still defined relative to your model. That means that if you rotate the view after you define the clipping planes,
the planes will not rotate. They are still defined relative to model coordinates - which cannot change. This approach
insures that the same entities are always selected for the group, no matter how you orient the view.
When you invoke the command, the Group Selection by Screen Clipping dialog box will be displayed. You can
choose between four possible methods to orient the clipping planes. Rectangle allows you to specify two opposite
corners of a rectangular region. The sides of the rectangle are aligned with the sides of the window. The 2 Point
method defines a single clipping plane which passes through the two locations and which is perpendicular to the
active view. Both the 3 Point and the 4 Point methods define clipping polygons, just like the Rectangle method.
With these options however, you can specify an arbitrary polygon.
Although you can specify a convex polygon with the 4 Point method, it will not clip your model properly. Since all
clipping is really done with planes, they can only properly be combined to form non-convex regions. The figure
shows how, and why, a convex region will be improperly clipped.
After choosing a method, you should define the locations that you want to use to position the clipping plane or
planes. While you can always type X, Y and Z coordinates, the easiest way to define these positions is to use the
Clipping Polygon
This edge clips
the shaded area
This area is inside
the polygon, but
is still clipped by
the other edge
graphics cursor to choose screen locations. Simply move the cursor to the location you want and press the left
mouse button. Then, move to the next location and press again. As you move the cursor around in your graphics
window, you will see lines which outline the region that you are defining. These lines can assist you in properly
positioning the clipping planes. If you are typing coordinates, or you just want to verify your final positions before
pressing OK, you can press Preview to draw an outline around the clipping region.
If you type coordinates, they must always be relative to the active coordinate system. You cannot choose an active
system in this command. Before invoking this command, you can choose an active coordinate system using the
Tools, Parameters command, or many others.
To complete the screen clipping specification, you must choose whether to clip inside or outside the clipping
region. For the methods that define polygonal regions, this choice should be obvious. For the 2 Point method, Out-
side chooses the side of the plane indicated by the right-hand rule going from the first to the second point and then
into the screen.
Choosing Outside will clip or remove all entities which lie outside of the clipping region, and will select all entities
which are inside the region. Choosing Inside does just the opposite.
Group, Clipping, Plane...
... enables you to independently position the six clipping planes. For this command, the standard plane definition
dialog boxes are used to position the planes. Only one plane can be positioned each time you use this command.
When you choose Group, Clipping, Plane, you will see the Group Selection by Plane Clipping dialog box. You can
choose which plane to define or update by selecting one of the option buttons from 1 to 6. If a plane is already
active you will see the word On beside the option button. You must also choose whether to clip the positive side or
negative side of the plane. The positive side is the side toward the plane normal direction. Clipping the positive side
will ignore all entities on the side toward the positive plane normal and include entities on the other side.
When you press OK, the standard plane definition dialog box will be displayed. You can choose any of the defini-
tion methods to orient the plane.
If you want to turn a particular plane off, select the appropriate option button, and press Reset. If you want to turn
all planes off, it is quicker to use the Group, Clipping, Reset command.
Working with Multiple Clipping Planes
By correctly choosing between the Positive Side and Negative Side options, you can clip entities on either side of a
plane. When you are trying to combine multiple planes to clip a more complex region, you must be certain that
these orientations are properly aligned. If they are not, you will not select the correct portion of your model. In gen-
eral, if you want to select some region of your model using multiple planes, you should use the Positive Side
option. Then, position the clipping planes around the periphery of the region you want to keep, with all plane nor-
mals pointing outward. As stated previously, you can not create convex clipping regions.
Group, Clipping, Volume...
... automatically positions all six clipping planes to form a cubic (hexahedral) volume. There are two methods for
defining the desired volume, which you can select from the Group Selection by Volume Clipping dialog box, a 2-
point method or an 8-point method.
The 2 Point method defines a cubic volume, aligned with the global rectangular coordinate system. For this
method, when you press OK, the standard coordinate definition dialog box will be displayed twice, once for each
corner. The two coordinates that you specify will define the diagonal of the clipping cube.
With the 8 Point method, you can define a general hexahedron. The standard coordinate definition dialog box is
displayed eight times. Each coordinate defines a corner of the hexahedron. You must specify the corners in the
same order as you would for an 8-noded solid element - around the bottom face and then around the top face.
Before you press OK, you must also choose whether to clip outside or inside the volume. If you clip outside, all
entities which are outside of the volume you define will be skipped. The entities which are inside will be selected
into the group. Clipping inside does just the opposite.
Group, Layers... 6-67
Group, Clipping, Reset Clip...
... turns off both coordinate clipping and plane clipping. This command will ask two questions. The first asks
whether you wish to turn off all plane clipping. The second asks whether to turn off coordinate clipping. If you
answer Yes to either of these questions, the associated clipping options will be turned off.
6.4.3.4 Group, Layers...
... defines the layers which can be referenced by entities
which are included in the group. You can not automatically
select entities using this command, but you will remove
them from the group if they are not on one of the active lay-
ers.
The Limit Group to Selected Layers dialog box specifies the
allowable layers. Initially, All layers are acceptable. If you
choose one of the other options, you must specify the Mini-
mum and/or Maximum allowable layer. The Between option
will enable inclusion of entities which reference the Mini-
mum or Maximum layers (or anything in between). Outside
will allow you to select entities that reference layers num-
bers which are less than (but not equal to) the minimum, or that reference layers which are greater than (but not
equal to) the maximum.
6.4.3.5 Grouping Individual Entities
The remaining commands involve adding individual entities to the group. They are separated into different sections
based upon the type of entity to group. Each entity will also have several methods available for including them in
the group. Common methods to all entities include Group by ID, Color, and Layer. Additional options will be avail-
able based upon the entity (i.e. you can select curves by methods Using Point, On Surface, or On Solid, while you
can select materials by methods on Property, on Element, or Type).
For more information, see Section 5.9, "Groups, Layers and Viewing Your Model" in the FEMAP User Guide.
Group, Text Menu
The commands on this submenu allow you to define, edit, and delete the rules which will be used to select text. You
can select text into your group using the common methods only (ID, Color, or Layer).
Group, Text, ID
Group, Point Menu
The commands on this submenu allow you to define, edit, and delete the rules which will be used to select points.
You can select points into your group based upon ID, Color, Layer, Definition Coordinate System, Curves that ref-
erence them, or any combination of these methods.
Group, Point, ID
Group, Curve Menu
The commands on this submenu allow you to define, edit, and delete the rules which will be used to select curves.
You can select curves into your group based on ID, Color, Layer, Points that they reference, Surfaces that reference
them, Solids that reference them, or any combination of these methods.
Group, Curve, ID
Group, Surface Menu
The commands on this submenu allow you to define, edit, and delete the rules which will be used to select surfaces.
You can select surfaces into your group based on their ID, Color, Layer, Curves that they reference, Volumes that
reference them, Solids that reference them, or any combination of these methods.
Group, Surface, ID
Group, Volume Menu
The commands on this submenu allow you to define, edit, and delete the rules that will be used to select volumes.
You can select volumes into your group based on their ID, Color, Layer, Surfaces that they reference, or any combi-
nation of these methods.
Group, Solid Menu
The commands on this submenu allow you to define, edit, and delete the rules that will be used to select solids. You
can select solids into your group based on their ID, Color, Layer, Curves that they reference, Surfaces they refer-
ence, or any combination of these methods.
Group, Solid, ID
Group, Connection Property Menu
The commands on this submenu allow you to define, edit, and delete the rules that will be used to select Connec-
tion Properties. You can select Connection Properties into your group based on their ID, Color, Layer, On Connec-
tor (being used by a selected Connector), or any combination of these methods.
Group, Connection Property, ID
Group, Region Menu
tion Regions, Bolt Regions, Fluid Regions, and/or Rotor Regions. There are some basic rules to select Regions into
your group based on their ID, Color, Layer, or On Connector (being used by a selected Connector).
There are rules for Region referencing Node (region is defined using Node(s) OR the region will include Node(s)
when expanded for export to a solver) and referencing Element (region is defined using Element(s) and/or Faces
of Element(s) OR the region will include Element(s) and/or Faces of Element(s) when expanded for export to a
solver).
Additional rules for Regions include using Curve (region is defined using selected Curve(s)), using Surface (region
is defined using selected Surface(s)), using Property (region is defined using selected Property(s)) or any combina-
tion of these methods.
Group, Region, ID
Group, Connector Menu
tors. You can select Connectors into your group based on their ID, Color, Layer, Property (Connector using a spe-
cific Connection Property), using Region (Connector using a specific Connection Region), or any combination of
these methods.
Note: When a region is expanded for export, the type of region defines what entity type it will be
expanded to. In the case of Fluid Regions, surfaces may be used to define the region, which then
expand to Element Faces. For Bolt Regions, curves may be used to define the region, which always
expand to Elements, while Rotor Regions can only be defined using nodes, so when expanded, they
are expanded to Nodes.
Note: Connection Regions have the most flexibility when defining the region and also have multiple options
for what entity type is requested for output. Therefore, a region may be defined by elements, but the
output will be in nodes in which case one region could be referenced by both elements (defined by)
and nodes (output). This is uncommon.
Grouping Individual Entities 6-69
Group, Connector, ID
Group, Coord Sys Menu
The commands on this submenu allow you to define, edit, and delete the rules that will be used to select coordinate
systems. You can select coordinate systems into your group based on their ID, Color, Layer, Definition Coordinate
System, Type, defined at a Point or Node, used by a Property or other Coordinate System or any combination of
these methods. The predefined global coordinate systems cannot be selected into a group.
Group, Coord Sys, ID
Group, Node Menu
The commands on this submenu allow you to define, edit, and delete the rules that will be used to select nodes. You
can select nodes into your group based on their ID, Color, Layer, Definition Coordinate Systems, Output Coordi-
nate Systems, Elements that reference them, Element Orientation (selects nodes used for orientation by beam ele-
ments), Superelement ID (selects nodes with the same Superelement ID as the selected node), geometric references
(Points, Curves, Surfaces, and Volume/Solids from which they were created), or any combination of these methods.
The ID option has additional options under the Method area that you can use to limit the IDs to those nodes on a
Free Edge, on a Free Face, Constrained or Loaded. These limitations only apply to graphical selection from the
view. If you enter the ID values, or do a Select All, FEMAP will include these entities into the group.
Group, Node, ID
To use the Free Edge or Free Face options, you must have performed a free edge or free face plot since your last
View, Regenerate. If you have not, no free edge or face lists will be present, and no nodes will be selected.
When you select ID - Constrained or ID - Constraint Equation, the
Select Nodes with Constraint dialog box will appear. This dialog
box enables you to limit the selected nodes to those that are con-
strained in any constraint set or a specific set as well specific
DOFs. You must graphically select the nodes for FEMAP to prop-
erly limit the node selection.
.
.
.
When you select ID- Loaded, the Select Entities with
Load dialog box will appear. You must select the type
of load on the node for it to be selected in the group.
In addition, you can limit it to a specific load set and
magnitude range. Again, you must graphical select
the nodes for FEMAP to properly limit the node
selection.
.
.
.
.
Hint: If you want to select all nodes that are loaded, or constrained (or on free edges or free faces), simply do a
View, Autoscale, change the method for the grouping to the appropriate ID method, and then do a box
pick of the entire screen. This will select all nodes that meet the criteria.
Other Group, Node... Icons
Group, Node, Definition CSys; Group, Node, on Element; Group, Node, on Point;
Group, Node, on Curve; Group, Node, on Surface; Group, Node, in Solid/Volume
Group, Element Menu
The commands on this submenu allow you to define, edit, and delete the rules that will be used to select elements.
You can select elements into your group based on their ID, Color, Layer, Properties, Materials or Nodes that they
reference, the Element Type, the Element Shape, geometric references (Points, Curves, Surfaces, and Volume/Solids
from which they were created), or any combination of these methods. The All Nodes command will only select ele-
ments if ALL nodes of that element have been selected.
Group, Element, ID
Similar to the Group Node by ID, you can limit the ID selections to those elements that have a free edge, free face,
or a load applied.
Other Group, Element... Icons
Group, Element, Material; Group, Element, Property; Group, Element, Layup;
Group, Element, Shape; Group, Element, using Node; Group, Element, All Nodes;
Group, Element, on Point; Group, Element, on Curve; Group, Element, on Surface;
Group, Element, in Solid/Volume
Group, Material Menu
The commands on this submenu allow you to define, edit, and delete the rules that will be used to select materials.
You can select materials into your group based on their ID, Color, Layer, Properties or Elements that reference
them, the Material Type, or any combination of these methods.
Group, Material, ID
Group, Property Menu
The commands on this submenu allow you to define, edit, and delete the rules which will be used to select proper-
ties. You can select properties into your group based on their ID, Color, Layer, Elements that reference them, Mate-
rials that they reference, the Property Type, or any combination of these methods.
Group, Property, ID
Group, Layup Menu
The commands on this submenu allow you to define, edit, and delete the rules which will be used to select layups.
You can select layups into your group based on their ID, Material, on Property (selects Layup used by the selected
Property) or any combination of these methods.
Group, Layup, ID
Deleting Groups (Delete, Group command) 6-71
Group, Load Menu
The commands on this submenu allow you to define, edit, and delete the rules that will be used to select loads.
Since loads are defined in multiple sets, the commands on this menu really do not select the loads, but instead
select the nodes, elements, and regions where the loads are applied. This allows you to choose a certain portion of
your model, and include loads which are applied to that portion of your model, in all sets. When the group is used
for display or selecting entities, as always, only the loads from the active load set are selected.
Group, Load... Icons
Group, Load, Nodal; Group, Load, Elemental; Group, Load, on Region;
Group, Load, on Point; Group, Load, on Curve; Group, Load, on Surface
Group, Constraint Menu
The commands on this submenu allow you to define, edit, and delete the rules which will be used to select con-
straints. Since constraints are defined in multiple sets, the commands on this menu really do not select the con-
straints, but instead select the nodes where the constraints are applied. This allows you to choose a certain portion
of your model and include constraints which are applied to that portion of your model in all sets. When the group is
used for display or selecting entities, as always, only the constraints from the active constraint set are selected.
Group, Load... Icons
Group, Constraint, Nodal; Group, Constraint, Equation; Group, Constraint, on Point;
Group, Constraint, on Curve; Group, Constraint, on Surface;
6.4.4 Deleting Groups (Delete, Group command)
Just like any other FEMAP entity, you can delete groups. Select the Delete, Group command, then choose the
group or groups to delete. You then verify that you want to delete the group(s). There are no entities that depend on
groups; therefore, groups should never be nondeletable.
6.4.5 Renumbering Groups
To renumber groups, pick the Modify, Renumber Groups
command. Enter the groups to renumber. You will then
see the Renumber To dialog box.
The only orders available for groups are Original ID and
Selection Order. You can also choose Ascending or
Descending order, as well as Verify Renumbering. The
final option, Constant Offset, allows you to renumber by
simply adding a constant value to each ID.
7. Modeling Tools
FEMAP has an extensive array of tools for checking and manipulating your model. These tools range from sum-
ming forces to performing free edge and free face plots to visualize any gaps in the model. These tools can be sep-
arated into three major areas based upon their functions and their placement in the menu: Tools, List, and View. The
commands under the Tools and List menus will be explained more fully below, while View tools will be briefly dis-
cussed. For further explanation on the general operation of the viewing commands, see Section 6.1, "View Activa-
tion, Management, and Options".
Tools Menu
The commands on the Tools menu provide a wide variety of tools for checking and operating on your model. The
Tools menu also contains commands that are not specifically designed for checking your model, but are considered
general tools for your use when operating FEMAP. These commands will also be explained in this section.
The FEMAP Tools menu is separated into seven categories, based upon the type of function to perform:
command undo and redo (Section 7.1.1, "Undo and Redo")
changing the workplane (Section 7.1.2, "Tools, Workplane...")
tools for operating on your model and toolbars for easy access to commonly used commands (Section 7.2,
"Dockable Panes" and Section 7.3.1, "Standard Toolbars")
settings for overall model parameters and units conversion (Section 7.4.1, "Tools, Parameters..." and Section
7.4.2, "Tools, Convert Units...")
FEMAP finite element entities used for viewing, reporting, and entering data (Section 7.4.3, "Entity Tools")
measuring and checking commands (Section 7.4.4, "Measuring Tools" and Section 7.4.5, "Checking Tools")
a Stress Wizard for simple single-part stress analysis (Section 7.4.6, "Tools, Stress Wizard")
Each of the above sections, with their associated commands, will be explained more fully below.
7.1 Undo and Workplane
7.1.1 Undo and Redo
These commands provide a simple method of reverting backward, or moving forward through the commands you
just performed. This is a very easy method to eliminate commands that have had unexpected results.
7.1.1.1 Tools, Undo...
... removes the effect of the previous command. This allows you to back up one command if you made a mistake,
or if you want to review the effect of the changes. The Tools, Redo command will undo the undo, or go forward
one command. You can repeatedly use Undo to backup multiple commands. You can set the total number of com-
mands that you can undo in the File, Preferences, Database command.
When you undo a command, you will see a message in the Messages window that tells you the command that you
are undoing. The graphics windows will also be updated to show the effect of undoing the command. Immediately
following an Undo, you may need to use View, Redraw, prior to being able to graphically select an entity from the
screen - even though the entity is displayed. If you attempt to select something, and a different entity is picked, or
nothing is selected, then use View, Redraw.
You cannot undo: commands on the File menu, the View, New, Activate and Window commands. They all write
files, or make changes that are non-reversible. You cannot undo back through the initialization of the Parasolid
advanced geometry engine since their initialization also causes non-reversible changes to the database. If you exe-
Ctrl+Z
7-2 Modeling Tools
cute any of these commands, you will be unable to back-up past that point. Other changes which you make to resize
or move a window will also not be undone, but do not cause any loss of previous undo information.
If you are using the autorepeat feature of the creation commands to create multiple entities, Undo will erase all of
those entities as a single command. You must choose the command from the menu to be able to backup a single cre-
ation per undo.
7.1.1.2 Tools, Redo...
... goes forward one command following an Undo. This command is only available following one or more Undo
commands. It works identically to Undo, just in reverse. You can use Redo repeatedly up to the point where you are
back to your last real (not Undo) command. If you have undone one or more commands, and then choose another
real command, you can no longer use Redo to retrieve the undone commands.
7.1.2 Tools, Workplane...
... specifies the location, size and orientation of the workplane that is used for cursor selections or defining two-
dimensional geometry. When you select this command, the following dialog box will appear:
These commands all involve different methods of locating the workplane. There are three major types of options:
Define Plane, Move Plane, and Origin and Axes. In addition, you can change snap options or turn the drawing of
the workplane on or off.
7.1.2.1 Define Plane
These commands locate the workplane in space.
Select Plane/Global Plane
Both the Select Plane and Global Plane options use the standard plane definition dialog box to define the model
workplane. The only difference is the Global Plane method sets the default on the plane definition dialog box to
that method. You can still select a different method. For more information, see Section 4.3.1, "Entity Selection" in
On Surface
The On Surface method allows you to align the workplane to a particular surface. When you select this method,
you will see the Define Model Workplane dialog box.
Hint: You can also access this command from any dialog box (in a text box or drop-down list) by using the
Ctrl+W shortcut keys, or from the workplane option on many of the command toolbars (those related to
creating geometry).
Ctrl+Shift+Z
Ctrl+W or F2
Move Plane 7-3
Enter (or graphically select) the Surface ID, the point for the origin of the workplane grid (At Point), and optionally
a point along the X axis (Axis Point). FEMAP will automatically align the plane to the surface by orienting the Y
axis to the surface, and then use the right-hand rule convention to align the Z axis to complete the triad.
In addition, you can decide to force the surface to be in the first quadrant of the workplane (First Quadrant),
reverse the direction of the normals (Reverse Direction), or provide an offset distance from the surface. The First
Quadrant option may also reverse the normal direction. If you plan to perform solid boolean operations such as
Extrude, it is best to leave this option off so the default directions for Add or Remove material will be properly
aligned.
Previous
The Previous method requires no input. It simply places the workplane at its last previous location. You can only
backup one position with this command. If you perform previous twice, the workplane will be placed back at its
original position.
7.1.2.2 Move Plane
The Move Plane methods allow you to define the location of the workplane by translating or rotating the current
workplane with a location input respect to its current location. There are three available methods for this type of
procedure: Offset Distance, Move to Point, and Rotate. Offset Distance involves both translation and rotation,
while Move to Point is pure translation, and Rotate is pure rotation.
Offset Distance
This method allows you to both translate and rotate the workplane with respect to its normal (Z direction). When
you select this method, you must enter both a Z offset (in units of length), and a rotation value (in degrees). The
workplane will be translated along its normal by the translation amount, and then rotated about its normal by the
rotation amount. If you want to translate or rotate in the negative direction, simply input a negative value.
Move to Point
The Move to Point method simply translates the workplane origin to a specified location. The only input required is
the coordinate location (via the standard coordinate definition dialog box). The workplane will maintain the same
rotational orientation. It will simply be moved to that coordinate.
Rotate
This method allows you to rotate the workplane around an arbitrary vector. The only inputs required are the vector
to serve as the axis of rotation (defined by using the standard vector definition dialog box), and the rotation angle.
As always, rotation is performed using a right-hand rule convention.
7.1.2.3 Origin and Axes
These commands do not change the plane associated with the workplane, but simply move the origin or the axes
of the workplane within that plane. The first two commands move the origin (Offset Origin and Move Origin), and
the last two commands orient the X and Y axes (Align X Axis and Align Y Axis, respectively).
Offset Origin, Move Origin
These two commands move the origin of the workplane. The offset origin method offsets the origin of the work-
plane from its current location. Only two inputs are required, X Offset and Y Offset. These offsets are in the work-
plane X and Y directions.
Move Origin requires input of the location of the origin via the Standard Coordinate Definition Dialog box. You
should typically select a location that is on the current workplane. If you do not, FEMAP will project this point
onto the workplane, and the resulting origin may not be where you expected.
Align X Axis, Align Y Axis
These methods allow you to align the X axis or Y axis to a vector which you define through the standard coordinate
definition dialog box. You should typically select a vector that is in the current workplane. If you do not, FEMAP
will project this vector onto the workplane, and the resulting axis may not be where you expected.
7-4 Modeling Tools
7.1.2.4 Snap Options...
... defines the graphics cursor snap mode, the size and orientation of the snap grid and the grid display style. The
Snap To dialog box sets these options.
The Snap To dialog box is separated into four major sections: Grid and Ruler Spacing, Grid Style, Workplane Size,
and Snap To. Each of these areas are explained more fully below.
Grid and Ruler Spacing
These options specify the spacing between snap grid locations. You can allow FEMAP to determine the spacing
(Automatic), set a Uniform spacing, or a Nonuniform spacing. Automatic requires input only of the divisions. The
Divisions option specifies how many minor tic marks will be drawn between every major tic. FEMAP will calcu-
late a grid spacing based upon the model size and then use the Divisions value to further partition the grid.
Uniform and Nonuniform spacing also require input of the Divisions, but you must also specify a Grid Size. For
Uniform, enter a value for the X Grid Size, and FEMAP will also use this for Y. In addition, FEMAP uses this value
for the ruler labels, which controls the frequency of labels on the workplane. Nonuniform requires the additional
input of the Y Grid Size, and the Ruler Labels. The Ruler Labels value will be used for both grids. You cannot
define nonuniform labeling.
Grid Style
The Snap Grid can be displayed either as dots or lines, or it can be invisible. The style of display has no effect on
whether or not the cursor snaps to a particular location. You can make the grid invisible and still snap to it. Con-
versely it can be displayed as dots or lines and the snap mode can be set to snap to a point, node or screen location.
The display of the snap grid for an individual window can be turned on or off using the View, Options command.
If the snap grid spacing is too small relative to the image displayed in a window, the dots or lines could completely
fill the window. In this case, the grid will not be drawn, and you will receive a message which tells you that the grid
is too dense for display.
Workplane Size
This area controls the total size of the workplane grid, as well as the drawing of the X and Y rulers. The X From/To
and Y From/To allow to manually scale the workplane. This can be very handy in instances when you are working
on small sections of your model to define the workplane size.
It is often much easier, however, to select the Adjust to Model Size and Adjust to Planar Surface options. These
options will allow FEMAP to automatically scale FEMAP based upon the model size, and even attach the work-
plane directly to planar surfaces when the workplane coincides with a planar surface. These options are much more
convenient when building a model than the manually scaling approach.
The snap grid is drawn as a rectangular pattern. The size of that pattern is based on your model size and current
view scale factors when using the automatic scaling. If your workplane and grid is rotated relative to your graphics
Hint: You can access this command from any dialog box (in a text box or drop-down list) by using the Ctrl+T
shortcut keys, through the Quick Access command menu, or through the Workplane icon.
Dockable Panes 7-5
window, the grid may not completely cover the window display area. Also, you may manually define a workplane
that does not fill the screen. Even in these areas where the dots or lines are not drawn, the cursor will still snap to
the grid location (assuming you have the snap mode set).
The Draw X and Y Ruler controls define whether the rulers are drawn. You will also have to turn on the option to
Show Rulers under View, Options, Tools and View Style, Workplane and Rulers to see the rulers.
Snap To
These options choose whether the graphics cursor will select locations which correspond to a screen location (off),
or will snap to the nearest snap grid location, nearest point, or nearest node. For more information on the snap to
methods, see Section 4.4.3, "Snap To" in the FEMAP User Guide.
Coord Only
This option controls whether FEMAP will use the snap mode only during coordinate definition, or every time you
select an entity from the graphics window. When this is on, FEMAP will only snap if you are trying to define a
model coordinate location. All other picks will work as if snap was off. If you turn it off however, the active snap
mode will always be used - even when you are picking entities, zooming, or any other time you click in the graph-
ics window.
Full Precision
This option controls how FEMAP will write graphically selected coordinates into your dialog boxes. It only applies
when you are snapping to nodes or points. If Full Precision is on, FEMAP will use the equation functions XND( ),
YND( ), ZND( ), XPT( ), YPT( ) and ZPT( ) instead of the coordinate values. In this case, when you press OK,
FEMAP will use the full double-precision database coordinates of the selected node or point. When Full Precision
is off, the coordinate values are written to the dialog box. In this case, the location is only as accurate as the number
of digits that are in the dialog box.
7.2 Dockable Panes
FEMAP contains several Dockable Panes that offer different tools used to create and modify models, evaluate
and sort data, create reports, and view info of specific entities. There are others which allow you to create custom-
ized features by recording macros or creating advanced programming routines by directly accessing the FEMAP
database using the FEMAP API (Applications Programming Interface).
Each dockable pane can be either visible or hidden by using the Tools... menu command corresponding to the spe-
cific dockable pane. For more information about general use of the dockable panes, see section Section 4.1.2.2,
"FEMAP Dockable Panes" in the FEMAP User Guide. The Dockable Panes are:
Model Info: Allows you to view and navigate around a graphical inventory of many top-level entities in
your model. Also may be used to control visibility of groups, layers, and elements using element type, element
shape, and associated to materials and/or properties. See Section 7.2.1, "Tools, Model Info"
Meshing Toolbox: Provides helpful tools to simplify geometry for meshing purposes (suppress and/or com-
pletely remove geometric features, create combined curves and/or boundary surfaces), modify an existing mesh
and mesh sizing, and create visual plots of mesh quality. See Section 7.2.2, "Tools, Meshing Toolbox"
PostProcessing Toolbox: Provides a single location in the interface to choose any Deformed and/or Contour
Style found in the View, Select command, then displays a unique set of options for each Style. This consoli-
dates options needed to alter how each Style is displayed, which are otherwise found in several different
View... commands. See Section 7.2.3, "Tools, PostProcessing Toolbox"
Entity Editor: Allows you to view, modify, choose, and create attributes, colors, connections, numerical val-
ues, settings, etc. of a single finite element, geometric, or other entity in FEMAP. See Section 7.2.4, "Tools,
Entity Editor"
Data Surface Editor: Allows you to create 1-D, 2-D, and 3-D data surfaces used to apply varying loading
conditions to your model. Data Surfaces can also be used to map output data from one model to create load-
ing conditions in another model with a different mesh. See Section 7.2.5, "Tools, Data Surface Editor"
Hint: You can also set these modes from any dialog box by using the Ctrl+S (Off), Ctrl+G (Snap Grid),
Ctrl+P (Point) or Ctrl+N (Node) shortcut keys, the Quick Access menu, or from the View toolbar.
7-6 Modeling Tools
Entity Info: When the Select Toolbar has an active entity type, this pane will display information about the
each entity of that type as it is highlighted in the main graphics window. Post-processing data will also be dis-
played for node and element entity types when the model has a deformed style and/or contour style selected.
See Section 7.2.6, "Tools, Entity Info".
Data Table: Allows you send data to an interactive, dynamically changing table using various methods to fill
the table. Output data can also be added to the table and then listed and sorted. See Section 7.2.7, "Tools, Data
Table".
API Programming: The API Programming dockable pane is a Visual Basic-compatible scripting editor and
debugging control which allows you to create customized basic scripts inside the FEMAP interface using the
FEMAP Application Programming Interface (API). The FEMAP API lets you customize FEMAP to meet your
specific needs. The FEMAP API is an OLE/COM-based programming interface to FEMAP. It contains hun-
dreds of functions that can be called from Visual Basic, VBA (Excel, Word, Access, ... ), C, or C++. See Section
7.2.8, "Tools, Programming, API Programming"
Program File: Allows you to record any number of FEMAP menu, toolbar, and keyboard commands in
sequence to create macros which can then be saved and replayed later in FEMAP models. Once recording has
been completed, there are other options available in the dockable pane to alter what the macro does or aid in
debugging. When the Program File window is in Record Mode, all of the other dockable panes, except for the
Messages and Entity Info panes, will be temporarily hidden and cannot be used. See Section 7.2.9, "Tools, Pro-
gramming, Program File"
Messages: Provides feedback to you from FEMAP. Information such as Error and Warning information and a
chronological listing of commands which have been used during the modeling process will be sent to the win-
dow. Pictures and text can also be added and manipulated inside the window to help create reports. See Section
7.2.10, "Tools, Other Windows, Messages"
Status Bar: Provides quick access to set the active Property, Load Set, Constraint Set, Group, or Output Set in
your active model. Also gives the user feedback on the model and help when the cursor is positioned over a
command or icon. Although it cant be moved like the Dockable Panes, it can be toggled on and off by choosing
it on the Tools, Other Windows... Menu. See Section 7.2.11, "Tools, Other Windows, Status Bar"
In many cases, the different dockable panes are designed to be used together to perform a wide variety of tasks.
There are many commands allowing you to send information and data from one pane to another and help you get
the most out of these powerful tools.
Tools, Model Info 7-7
7.2.1 Tools, Model Info
The Model Info tree dockable pane allows you to view and
navigate around a graphical inventory of many top-level
entities in your model.
The Model Info tree may also be used to control visibility of
certain types of geometric entities, groups, layers, and elements
using element type, element shape, and associated to materials
and/or properties using check boxes.
Top-level refers to an entity which can be used by a number
of other entities. For instance, many points, curves, and surfaces
make up a Solid; many entities can reference a single Coordi-
nate System; many elements a single Property or Material;
many loads can be found in a Load Set; many constraints in a
Constraint Set; or many surfaces, element faces, nodes, and/or
element properties can make up a Region (Connection, Fluid,
Bolt, or Rotor). Aero Model entities are also available.
For convenience, individual Loads and Constraints appear in
the Model Info tree.
In each Load set, the loads are separated into three categories,
Load Definitions, Body Loads, and Other Loads. The Other
Loads category is broken down further into On Geometry, On
Mesh, Bolt Preload, Nodal Temperatures, and Elemental Tem-
peratures.
In each Constraint set, the constraints are separated into two
categories Constraint Definitions and Other Constraints. The
Other Constraints category is broken down further into On
Geometry, On Mesh, and Equations.
Appearing on the tree along with the top-level entities are
data set lists used by the entire model for Analysis and viewing
Results, as well as lists of existing Views, Groups, and Layers.
Elements appear in the Model Info tree for visibility purposes
and quick access to elements of a certain shape or type via con-
text sensitive menus.
Connections are also in the tree to facilitate turning Connectors
on and off and viewing Master and Slave Connection Regions.
Finally, the current Selection List being stored by the Select
Toolbar can be found at the bottom of the tree.
Model Info Features
The tree is broken down into major categories and smaller
sub-categories which can be expanded and collapsed to create
the optimal listing for your specific modeling needs. If you hold
down the Alt key while clicking a +/- box to expand/collapse
a branch of the tree, all of the sub-branches of that branch will
also be expanded/collapsed.
When an entity is active, it will appear in Blue Text with Bold
Type. Only one entity or set can be active in each category. You
can make an entity active by double-clicking it or right-mouse
clicking it in the list and choosing the Activate command on the
context-sensitive menu.
Collapse/Expand All Send To Data Table
Reload From Model
Show When
Selected Menu
Reset All Visibility
(Defaults)
7-8 Modeling Tools
You can change the title of any entity by highlighting the entity title, then clicking it again (NOT a double click),
which will enable editing of the entity title.
In some categories, it is possible to choose multiple entities at the same time and perform operations on all of the
entities at once. In order to choose multiple entities, hold down the Ctrl key and select individual entities with the
mouse or hold down the Shift key and select a first entity and a last entity and all of the entities in between will also
be selected (i.e., a range). Some context sensitive menu commands require that multiple entities be chosen to acti-
vate a command.
The selection list shows the number of each type of entity in parenthesis after the entity type name. For instance,
Curve Loads (2) designates there are two separate loads on curves in the selection list, not that the Curve Loads
are on Curve 2.
If the number of entities of a particular type exceed the value specified for Max Entities on the User Interface tab of
the File Preferences, then Next and Previous entries will appear on the bottom and top of that branch of the tree.
Double-clicking Next or Previous will move the list to the next or previous range of entities of that type. Right-
clicking on Next or Previous in the list of entities will display a context-sensitive menu which contains options for
Previous, Next, First, Start At, and Reload. Start At allows you to enter a value or choose from a list of available
entities. It also allows you to search for a specific entity in the list by entering a portion of the entity title into the
field provided, then pressing the Find button. If entities are found using Find, the Next and Previous buttons can
then be used to cycle through the found entities in the dialog box until the desired entity is located.
When an Analysis Set is being Analyzed the current Analysis Set will be shown with a Green circle, while any
additional Analysis Sets waiting to still be analyzed will be shown with a Red circle. Simply highlight more than
one Analysis Set and choose Analyze from the context-sensitive menu.
Model Info Icons
Collapse/Expand All - Collapses or expands ALL categories in the Model Info tree at once. Can be used to only
show what you need to view specific entities.
Reload From Model - Reloads the Model Info tree with all current information from the model. Always collapses
the whole tree completely.
Reset All Visibility Options - Resets all visibility options to default. Specifically in the Model Info tree, it sets the
Groups option to Show Full Model, sets the Layers option to View All Layers, and sets all visibility check
boxes to on for Geometry, Elements, Materials, and Properties. This command matches the functionality of the
Reset All button in the View, Visibility command (See Section 6.1.4, "View, Visibility...".), which also includes dis-
playing the active Load Set, active Constraint Set, all Entity Types, and selected Entity Labels.
Send To Data Table - Sends selected data to the Data Table pane for sorting, filtering, and evaluation. Data Table
MUST be Unlocked for this icon to be used.
Show When Selected Menu - Contains a number of options to show the entities currently highlighted in the Model
Info tree in the main graphics window. Entities associated with a Property, Material, Layup, Connection Property,
Region, Connector, Group, Layer, individual Coordinate System, or Geometric Solids can be shown. By default,
this command is set to off. The commands on this menu use different options of the Window, Show Entities com-
mand. Solids that have Mesh Attributes associated to a Property, but no mesh yet, will be highlighted in the graph-
ics window when that Property is chosen from the list in the tree.
For Load Definitions, Constraint Definitions, and individual loads and constraints in the Other Loads and Other
Constraints categories, this command will show the entity (point, curve, surface, node, element, or bolt region)
where the load or constraint is being applied.
Once the options have been selected, simply clicking the Show When Selected icon will toggle this mode on/off.
Setting the menu to Highlight will highlight the selected entities in the graphics window. Transparent Highlight
does the same thing as Highlight, but will make all non-selected entities temporarily transparent as well.
Setting the menu to Show Selected Only will actually make all entities NOT associated with the selected entities in
the Model Info tree disappear temporarily until Show When Selected is toggled off or the model is regenerated.
The Show Labels and Show Normals (shows element normals) options can be toggled on and off and the highlight
color can also be chosen from the FEMAP color palette using the Highlight Color... command.
Selection List
When the select toolbar has been used to create a selection set of multiple entities, the entity type and the number
of those entities in the selection set will appear in the Selection List located in the Model Info tree. The selection
list shows the number of each type of entity in parenthesis after the entity type name. For instance, Curve Loads (2)
means there are two separate loads on curves in the selection list, not that the Curve Loads are on Curve 2.
If you highlight an entity type in the Selection List, right clicking will bring up the same Context Sensitive Menu
which is available when a particular entity type is the Active Entity in the Select Toolbar. For more information
see Section 7.3.1.6, "Tools, Toolbars, Select".
Double Clicking an entity type in the Selection List will make that entity type the Active Entity in the Select Tool-
bar. You can now add more entities of that type to the Selection List by choosing them in the graphics window.
Also, this makes it easy to delete one entity type at a time from the Selection List using either the Clear Active
Entity command on the Select Toolbar or by simply pressing Ctrl+Delete while the entity type is highlighted in the
Selection List.
Visibility check boxes
Visibility check boxes exist for toggling visibility on/off of Coordinate Systems (User-defined only), Geometry
(Solids, Sheet Solids, and General Bodies), Connections (Regions and Connectors), Elements (by Element Shape,
Element Type), Materials (Elements of that material), Properties (Elements of that Property), Groups (Show, Hide,
and Clear options), and Layers. The check boxes for each entity type perform the same functions they do in the
View, Visibility dialog box. See Section 6.1.4, "View, Visibility...". Also, multiple entities may be highlighted in a
given section and special context-sensitive menus exist when the cursor is then placed over the visibility check
boxes. See Model Info tree Context Sensitive Menus for more information. The space bar can be used to quickly
toggle the visibility check boxes of highlighted entities in the tree.
Loads and Constraints in the Model Info Tree
Load Definitions
In FEMAP, every time the Model, Load, On Geometry Entity (i.e., On Point, On Curve, On Surface), Model,
Load, FEA Entity (i.e., Nodal, Nodal on Face, Elemental), or Model, Load, Bolt Preload is used, a Load Defi-
nition is also created in the Active Load Set.
Each Load Definition can be given a title (if none is given, a default title will be assigned) and all of the loads cre-
ated each time a Model, Load... command is used will be included in a new Load Definition. For instance, if you
selected 10 nodes to apply a load with Model, Load, Nodal, the loads created on those 10 nodes would all be in the
same Load Definition.
All of the loads in a Load Definition can be edited at once by using the Modify, Edit, Load - Definition command.
Similar commands can be used for listing and deleting of entire Load Definitions. These commands also appear on
the context-sensitive menu for Load Definitions in the Model Info tree. Each Bolt Preload will also create a Load
Definition. The Edit Where Applied command appears on the context sensitive menu which allows you to Edit
where a Load Definition is applied (i.e., add loads or remove them from points, curves, surfaces, nodes, or elements
using the standard entity selection dialog box).
Load Definitions of the same type (i.e. Displacements on Nodes, Pressures on Elements, Forces on Surfaces, etc.),
can be combined simply be highlighting multiple Load Definitions, clicking the right mouse button, and choosing
Combine from the context-sensitive menu. The combined Load Definition will use the lowest ID of the com-
bined Load Definitions and maintain that definitions title as well.
Note: Loads created by the Model, Load, Nonlinear Force command will NOT be placed into a load defini-
tion. This is a special load type which will appear in the appropriate category in the Other Loads.
Note: Load Definitions of the different types cannot be combined, so if you try to combine Forces on Nodes
with Pressures on Elements nothing will happen. On the other hand, if you highlight 5 Load Defini-
tions (3 of load type A and 2 of load type B), the result will be 2 total Load Definitions (One a com-
bination of the 3 load type A definitions and the other a combination of the 2 load type B
definitions). This can be helpful for consolidating your Load Definitions, but if a combined Load
Definition is edited, ALL of the individual loads in that definition will reflect the edited values.
7-10 Modeling Tools
You can highlight any number of Load Definitions, then click the right mouse button and choose Remove Defini-
tion from the context-sensitive menu. All of the highlighted Load Definitions will disappear from the Model Info
tree and the individual loads from each of them will be placed in the appropriate Other Loads category.
Body Loads
Body Loads are loads which act on the entire model, not individual nodes or elements. In FEMAP the body loads
are Translational Acceleration (Gravity), Rotational Acceleration, Rotational Velocity, and Default Temperature.
These loads are created using the Model, Load, Body command. For more information on Body Loads, please see
Section 4.3.3.1, "Model, Load, Body".
Body loads can be edited, listed, or deleted using the Body Loads context-sensitive menu in the Model Info Tree.
Other Loads
All new loading conditions created on geometry, FEA entities, or Bolt Preloads in FEMAP will be placed into Load
Definitions. This is not the case when an analysis model (such as a NX Nastran input file) or a Pre-version 9.3
FEMAP Neutral File is imported into FEMAP, because no Load Definitions exist in these files. Therefore, all of
these loads end up in Other Loads.
In general, any loads that are NOT in a Load Definition will automatically be placed in the Other Loads section
under the appropriate category. For instance, all loads on nodes or elements (except temperatures) will appear in the
On Mesh category, while any geometry-based loading can be found in the On Geometry category.
You can highlight any number of loads of the same type (i.e. Displacements on Nodes, Pressures on Elements,
Forces on Surfaces, etc.), then click the right mouse button and choose Create Definition from the context-sensitive
menu. If there are currently no load definitions, FEMAP will create a new one. If Load Definitions already exist,
FEMAP will ask if you want to add the highlighted loads to an existing Load Definition or create a new one.
Constraint Definitions
In FEMAP, every time the Model, Constraint, On Geometry Entity (i.e., On Point, On Curve, On Surface) or
Model, Load, FEA Entity (i.e., Nodal, Nodal on Face, Equation) a Constraint Definition is also created in the
Active Constraint Set.
Constraint Definitions are very similar to Load Definitions and can be applied, edited, edited where applied, listed,
deleted, and combined in a similar manner. Constraint Definitions can also be removed and the individual con-
straints from each Constraint Definition will be placed in the appropriate Other Constraints category.
Other Constraints
All new boundary conditions created on geometry or FEA entities in FEMAP will be placed into Constraint Defini-
tions. This is not the case when an analysis model (such as a NX Nastran input file) or a Pre-version 9.3 FEMAP
Neutral File is imported into FEMAP, because no Constraint Definitions exist in these files. Therefore, all of these
boundary conditions end up in Other Constraints.
In general, any constraints that are NOT in a Constraint Definition will automatically be placed in the Other Con-
straints section under the appropriate category. For instance, all constraints on nodes will appear in the On Mesh
category, while any geometry-based constraints can be found in the On Geometry category. Constraint Equations
have their own category in Other Constraints.
Note: Only loads of the same type (i.e. Displacements on Nodes, Pressures on Elements, Forces on Surfaces,
etc.) can be placed into an existing Load Definition. The values of the actual loads do not need to be the
same, although if the new Load Definition is edited, all the loads will reflect the new values.
Note: If you have chosen loads of multiple types AND a Load Definition currently exists for every different
highlighted load type, you will have the option to add the loads from each type to an existing Load Def-
inition one type at a time.
If you have chosen loads of multiple types, BUT a Load Definition currently does not exist for every
highlighted type, FEMAP will simply create a new Load Definition for each load type. Load Defini-
tions of the same type can always be combined in the Load Definitions section.
Model Info tree Context Sensitive Menus
When an individual entity or category name in the tree is selected, you can right mouse click on the selected entity
or category name and a context sensitive menu will appear corresponding to that particular entity type. These con-
text sensitive menus provide a quicker path to many frequently used commands for the specific entity type.
Additional context-sensitive menus exist for visibility when the right mouse is clicked over any of the visibility
check boxes under Coordinate Systems, Geometry, Connections - Regions, Connections - Connectors, Elements
(Element Shape or Element Type), Materials, Properties, Groups, or Layers.
When a category name is selected, the command chosen on the context sensitive menu will be applied to all of the
entities in that category. For example, highlighting Properties and then choosing List will list all of the properties in
the model. For entity types in the Selection List, right mouse clicking will display the same context sensitive menus
which are available for each specific entity type when active in the Select Toolbar (For the list of Context Sensitive
Menus from the Select Toolbar, see Section 7.3.1.6, "Tools, Toolbars, Select").
Here is a list of what appears on each entity types context sensitive menu in the Model Info tree:
Coordinate Systems
Coordinate Systems (Visibility menu)
Geometry (Solids Only)
Command Description
New Prompts you to create a new coordinate system
Activate Makes the selected coordinate system the active coordinate system in the model.
Copy Allows you to copy the selected coordinate system(s)
Edit Allows you to edit the selected coordinate system(s) one at a time.
List Lists information about the selected coordinate system(s) to the Messages pane
Delete Deletes the selected coordinate system(s) from the model. The three basic coordinate
systems, Basic Rectangular, Basic Cylindrical, and Basic Spherical cannot be deleted.
Move Allows you to move a coordinate system(s) from one place to another using the Mod-
ify, Move By, Coord Sys... command
Rotate Allows you to rotate a coordinate system(s) from one place to another using the Mod-
ify, Rotate By, Coord Sys... command
Command Description
Show Selected
Only
Sets visibility for all Coordinate Systems highlighted in the tree to on, while setting
all others to off
Show Selected Sets visibility for all Coordinate Systems highlighted in the tree to on
Hide Selected Sets visibility for all Coordinate Systems highlighted in the tree to off
Show All Sets visibility to on for all Coordinate Systems listed in the tree.
Hide All Sets visibility to off for all Coordinate Systems listed in the tree.
Command Description
New Prompts you to create a new solid
Activate Makes the selected solid the active solid in the model
List Lists information about the selected solid(s) to the Messages pane
Delete Deletes the selected solid(s) from the model
Group Invokes the Group, Operations, Generate Solid command. For more information, see
Section 6.4.3.2, "Group, Operations Menu".
Automatic
Connection
Allows you to automatically create connections between multiple solids using the Con-
nect, Automatic... command. You must have multiple solids selected for this command
to be available.
Mesh Size Allows you to set the mesh size on the selected solid(s) using the Mesh, Mesh Control,
Size On Solid... command
7-12 Modeling Tools
Geometry (Visibility menu)
Connections (Top Level)
Connections - Properties
Connections - Regions
Attributes Allows you to set up meshing attributes on a selected solid using the Mesh, Mesh Con-
trol, Attributes On Solid... command
Tet Mesh Meshes the selected solid(s) with tetrahedral elements (Tets) using the Mesh, Geome-
try, Solids... command
Hex mesh Meshes the selected solid(s) with hexahedral elements (Bricks) using the Mesh, Geom-
etry, HexMesh Solids... command
Command Description
Show Selected
Only
Sets visibility for all Geometric entities highlighted in the tree to on, while setting all
others to off
Show Selected Sets visibility for all Geometric entities highlighted in the tree to on
Hide Selected Sets visibility for all Geometric entities highlighted in the tree to off
Show All Sets visibility to on for all Geometric entities listed in the tree.
Hide All Sets visibility to off for all Geometric entities listed in the tree.
Command Description
Automatic Invokes the Connect, Automatic... command. For more information, seeSection 4.4.1,
"Connect, Automatic..."
Surfaces Invokes the Connect, Surfaces... command. For more information, see Section 4.4.2,
"Connect, Surfaces..."
Delete All Deletes all Connection Properties, Connection Regions, and Connectors in the model.
Command Description
New Prompts you to create a new Connection Property
Activate Makes the selected Connection Property the active Connection Property in the model
Copy Allows you to copy the selected Connection Property(s).
Edit Allows you to edit the selected Connection Property(s) one at a time.
List Lists information about the selected Connection Property(s) to the Messages pane
Delete Deletes the selected Connection Property(s) from the model
Command Description
New Connection
Region
Prompts you to create a new Connection Region
New Fluid
Region
Prompts you to create a new Fluid Region
New Bolt Region Prompts you to create a new Bolt Region
New Rotor
Region
Prompts you to create a new Rotor Region for Rotor Dynamics.
Show Expanded Highlights the individual elements or nodes and those associated to a geometric entity
or property which will be exported to the solver. Helpful when a Region has been
Defined By using the Curve, Surface, or Part/Property options.
Reverse Reverses the faces of elements or the side of surfaces used for the region.
Enable
Region
Designates the Region (Fluid, Bolt, and Rotor only) is Enabled, meaning the Region
will be written out when the analysis model is exported. By default, all Regions are
Enabled.
Command Description
Connections - Regions (Visibility menu)
Connections - Connectors
Connections - Connectors (Visibility menu)
Disable
Region
Designates the Region (Fluid, Bolt, and Rotor only) is Disabled, meaning the Region
will NOT be written out when the analysis model is exported. Having the ability to
enable and disable regions can be very useful when trying different numbers of
MFLUIDs, Bolt Preloads, and Rotors.
Copy Allows you to copy the selected Region(s).
Edit Allows you to edit the selected Region(s) one at a time.
List Lists information about the selected Region(s) to the Messages pane
Delete Deletes the selected Region(s) from the model
Command Description
Show Selected
Only
Sets visibility for all Regions highlighted in the tree to on, while setting all others to
off
Show Selected Sets visibility for all Regions highlighted in the tree to on
Hide Selected Sets visibility for all Regions highlighted in the tree to off
Show All Sets visibility to on for all Regions listed in the tree.
Hide All Sets visibility to off for all Regions listed in the tree.
Command Description
New Prompts you to create a new Connector
Show Master
(Target)
Highlights the Connection Region designated as the Master in the selected Connector
in the graphics window.
Show Slave
(Source)
Highlights the Connection Region designated as the Slave in the selected Connector in
the graphics window.
Reverse Reverses the Slave and Master Connection Regions in the selected Connector. In other
words, it makes the region designated the Master the Slave and the Slave the Master.
Enable
Connector
Designates the Connector is Enabled, meaning the connection will be written out when
the analysis model is exported. By default, all Connectors are Enabled.
Disable
Connector
Designates the Connector is Disabled, meaning the Connector will NOT be written out
when the analysis model is exported.
Edit Allows you to edit the selected Connector(s) one at a time.
List Lists information about the selected Connector(s) to the Messages pane
Delete Deletes the selected Connector(s) from the model
Edit Property Allows you to edit the Connection Property(s) designated in the selected Connector(s).
Select Property Allows you to select a Connection Property from a list of existing Connection Proper-
ties to be used in the selected Connector(s).
Command Description
Show Selected
Only
Sets visibility for all Connectors highlighted in the tree to on, while setting all others
to off
Show Selected Sets visibility for all Connectors highlighted in the tree to on
Hide Selected Sets visibility for all Connectors highlighted in the tree to off
Show All Sets visibility to on for all Connectors listed in the tree.
Hide All Sets visibility to off for all Connectors listed in the tree.
Command Description
7-14 Modeling Tools
Aero Model - Panels/Bodies
Aero Model - Panels/Bodies (Visibility menu)
Aero Model - Properties
Aero Model - Splines
Aero Model - Splines (Visibility menu)
Command Description
New Prompts you to create a new Panel/Body
Copy Allows you to copy the selected Panel/Body(s).
Edit Allows you to edit the selected Panel/Body(s) one at a time.
List Lists information about the selected Panel/Body(s) to the Messages pane
Delete Deletes the selected Panel/Body(s) from the model
Color Allows you to change the color of the selected Panel/Body(s)
Layer Allows you to change the layer of the selected Panel/Body(s)
Command Description
Show Selected
Only
Sets visibility for all Panels/Bodies highlighted in the tree to on, while setting all oth-
ers to off
Show Selected Sets visibility for all Panels/Bodies highlighted in the tree to on
Hide Selected Sets visibility for all Panels/Bodies highlighted in the tree to off
Show All Sets visibility to on for all Panels/Bodies listed in the tree.
Hide All Sets visibility to off for all Panels/Bodies listed in the tree.
Command Description
New Prompts you to create a new Aero Property
Activate Makes the selected Aero Property the active material in the model.
Copy Allows you to copy the selected Aero Property(s).
Edit Allows you to edit the selected Aero Property(s) one at a time.
List Lists information about the selected Aero Property(s) to the Messages pane
Delete Deletes the selected Aero Property(s) from the model
Color Allows you to change the color of the selected Aero Property(s)
Layer Allows you to change the layer of the selected Aero Property(s)
Command Description
New Prompts you to create a new Aero Spline
Copy Allows you to copy the selected Aero Spline(s).
Edit Allows you to edit the selected Aero Spline(s) one at a time.
List Lists information about the selected Aero Spline(s) to the Messages pane
Delete Deletes the selected Aero Spline(s) from the model
Color Allows you to change the color of the selected Aero Spline(s)
Layer Allows you to change the layer of the selected Aero Spline(s)
Command Description
Show Selected
Only
Sets visibility for all Aero Splines highlighted in the tree to on, while setting all oth-
ers to off
Show Selected Sets visibility for all Aero Splines highlighted in the tree to on
Hide Selected Sets visibility for all Aero Splines highlighted in the tree to off
Show All Sets visibility to on for all Aero Splines listed in the tree.
Hide All Sets visibility to off for all Aero Splines listed in the tree.
Aero Model - Control Surfaces
Aero Model - Control Surfaces (Visibility menu)
Model - Elements (available under By Type or By Shape headings)
Model - Elements (Visibility menu for By Shape and By Type headings)
Command Description
New Prompts you to create a new Control Surface
Copy Allows you to copy the selected Control Surface(s).
Edit Allows you to edit the selected Control Surface(s) one at a time.
List Lists information about the selected Control Surface(s) to the Messages pane
Delete Deletes the selected Control Surface(s) from the model
Color Allows you to change the color of the selected Control Surface(s)
Layer Allows you to change the layer of the selected Control Surface(s)
Command Description
Show Selected
Only
Sets visibility for all Control Surface highlighted in the tree to on, while setting all
others to off
Show Selected Sets visibility for all Control Surface highlighted in the tree to on
Hide Selected Sets visibility for all Control Surface highlighted in the tree to off
Show All Sets visibility to on for all Control Surface listed in the tree.
Hide All Sets visibility to off for all Control Surface listed in the tree.
Command Description
Edit Allows you to edit the selected elements
List Lists information about the selected elements to the Messages pane
Delete Deletes the selected elements from the model
Load Brings up the Create Loads on Elements dialog box to enable you to create loads on
elements.
Color Allows you to change the color of selected elements by bringing up the Color Palette
dialog box
Layer Allows you to place the selected elements onto a different layer by bringing up the
Select Layer dialog box
Copy Copies the selected elements using the Mesh, Copy, Elements... command
Rotate Rotates the selected elements about an axis using the Mesh, Rotate, Element... com-
mand
Reflect Reflects the selected elements referencing a plane using the Mesh, Reflect, Element...
command
Move By Moves selected elements to a new location using the Modify, Move By, Element... com-
mand.
Rotate By Rotates selected elements about an axis using a rotation angle and/or a translation dis-
tance. Uses the Modify, Rotate By, Element... command
Align Aligns selected elements using the Modify, Align, Element... command. See Section
4.8.1.5, "Modify, Align Menu" for more information.
Command Description
Show Selected
Only
Sets visibility for all highlighted element types/element shapes in the tree to on,
while setting all others to off
Show Selected Sets visibility for all highlighted element types/element shapes in the tree to on
Hide Selected Sets visibility for all highlighted element types/element shapes in the tree to off
Show All Sets visibility to on for all element types/element shapes
Hide All Sets visibility to off for all element types/element shapes
7-16 Modeling Tools
Model - Materials
Model - Materials (Visibility menu)
Model - Properties
Model - Properties (Visibility menu)
Command Description
New Prompts you to create a new material
Activate Makes the selected property the active material in the model.
Copy Allows you to copy the selected material(s).
Edit Allows you to edit the selected material(s) one at a time.
List Lists information about the selected material(s) to the Messages pane
Delete Deletes the selected material(s) from the model
Color Allows you to change the color of the selected material(s). If multiple materials are
selected, you will have the option to randomly set a color for each unique material.
Layer Allows you to change the layer of the selected material(s).
Group Runs the Group, Operations, Generate Material command. For more information, see
Command Description
Show Selected
Only
Sets visibility for all elements associated to highlighted Materials in the tree to on,
Show Selected Sets visibility for all elements associated to highlighted Materials in the tree to on
Hide Selected Sets visibility for all elements associated to highlighted Materials in the tree to off
Show All Sets visibility to on for all elements associated to all Materials in the model.
Hide All Sets visibility to off for all elements associated to all Materials in the model.
Show Elements
with no Material
Toggles visibility for all elements associated with NO Material on/off
Command Description
New Prompts you to create a new property
Activate Makes the selected property the active property in the model
Copy Allows you to copy the selected property or properties.
Edit Allows you to edit the selected property or properties one at a time.
List Lists information about the selected property or properties to the Messages pane
Delete Deletes the selected property or properties from the model
Color Allows you to change the color of the selected properties. If multiple properties are
selected, you will have the option to randomly set a color for each unique property.
Layer Allows you to change the layer of the selected properties.
Group Runs the Group, Operations, Generate Property command. For more information, see
Command Description
Show Selected
Only
Sets visibility for all elements associated to highlighted Properties in the tree to on,
Show Selected Sets visibility for all elements associated to highlighted Properties in the tree to on
Hide Selected Sets visibility for all elements associated to highlighted Properties in the tree to off
Show All Sets visibility to on for all elements associated to all Properties in the model.
Hide All Sets visibility to off for all elements associated to all Properties in the model.
Show Elements
with no Property
Toggles visibility for all elements associated with NO Property on/off
Model - Layups
Model - Loads and Individual Load Sets
Model - Loads - Load Definitions
Command Description
New Prompts you to create a new layup
Global Ply Displays the Global Ply Definition dialog box, which allows creation and/or manipula-
tion of a Global Ply for use in multiple Layups. See Section 4.2.5, "Model, Layup..."
Copy Allows you to copy the selected layup(s).
Edit Allows you to edit the selected layup(s) one at a time.
List Lists information about the selected layup(s) to the Messages pane
Delete Deletes the selected layup(s) from the model
Show Brings up the Layup Viewer window. This visualization tool allows you to view a
graphical representation of the selected Layup with various plotting options for ply ori-
entation, thickness, and material. For more information, see Section 4.2.5.1, "Layup
Viewer"
Command Description
New Prompts you to create a new load set using the New Load Set dialog box of the Load Set
Manager.
Activate Makes the selected load set the active load set in the model.
Copy Creates a copy for each of the selected load set(s)
List Lists information about the selected load set(s) to the Messages pane
Delete Deletes the selected load set(s) from the model
Show Loaded
Entities
Highlights in the graphics window, the nodes, elements, regions, and geometric entities
that are loaded in the model. Uses the Window, Show Entities... command to highlight the
entities. Multiple load sets can be chosen for this command.
Referenced
Sets
Only available when a Nastran LOAD Combination set type is highlighted. Displays
the Referenced Load Sets for Nastran LOAD dialog box, which allows you to choose any
number of Standard Load Sets used to create a LOAD entry for Nastran. See Section
4.3.1.1, "Model, Load, Create/Manage Set..." for more information.
Body Brings up the dialog box from the Model, Load, Body... command to create body loads
Nonlinear
Analysis
Brings up the dialog box from the Model, Load, Nonlinear Analysis... command to set
options for nonlinear analysis.
Dynamic
Analysis
Brings up the dialog box from the Model, Load, Dynamic Analysis... command to set
options for dynamic analysis.
Heat Transfer Brings up the dialog box from the Model, Load, Heat Transfer... command to set options
for Heat Transfer analysis.
Command Description
Nodal Prompts you to create a new Load Definition using the Model, Load, Nodal command.
Nodal on
Face
Prompts you to create a new Load Definition using the Model, Load, Nodal on Face com-
mand
Elemental Prompts you to create a new Load Definition using the Model, Load, Elemental command
On Point Prompts you to create a new Load Definition using the Model, Load, On Point command
On Curve Prompts you to create a new Load Definition using the Model, Load, On Curve command
On Surface Prompts you to create a new Load Definition using the Model, Load, On Surface command
Bolt
Preload
Prompts you to create a new Load Definition using the Model, Load, Bolt Preload command
Edit Where
Applied
Allows you to edit where the selected load definition(s) is applied (i.e., on what entities) one
at a time
Edit Load Allows you to edit the value of the selected load definition(s) one at a time
List Lists information about the selected load definition(s) to the Messages pane
7-18 Modeling Tools
Model - Loads - Body Loads
Model - Loads - Other Loads (available for all of the different categories)
Model - Constraints and Individual Constraint Sets
Delete Deletes the selected load definition(s) from the model (all individual loads in the selected
definition(s) will be completely deleted from the model)
Combine Combines selected load definitions of the same load type together and uses the lowest ID of
the selected load definitions as the ID for the combined load definition. Only available
when multiple load definitions are highlighted (hold CTRL key while clicking individual
load definitions or SHIFT key to select a first load definition and a last load definition and
all load definitions in between).
Remove
Definition
Allows you to remove the individual loads from the highlighted load definitions. The load
definition(s) will disappear from the model completely and the individual loads from each of
them will then be placed in the appropriate Other Loads category
Command Description
Edit Prompts you to edit the Body Loads for that particular load set.
List Lists the Body Loads for that particular load set to the Messages pane.
Delete Deletes the Body Loads for that particular load set.
Command Description
Edit Prompts you to edit the individual load(s) one at a time.
List Lists the selected individual load(s) to the Messages pane.
Delete Deletes the selected individual load(s) from the model.
Create Definition Allows you to highlight any number of loads of the same type (i.e. Displacements on
Nodes, Pressures on Elements, Forces on Surfaces, etc.) and create a Load Defini-
tion. If there are currently no load definitions, FEMAP will create a new one. If Load
Definitions already exist, FEMAP will ask if you want to add the highlighted loads to
an existing Load Definition or create a new one
Auto Create
Definition
Allows you to highlight any number of loads and will automatically create new load
definitions based on load type, load values, and additional load information (i.e.,
loaded face of an element). A new definition will be created for loads of the same
type which have different values and/or different additional load information, which
differs from the Create Definition command.
Command Description
New Prompts you to create a new load set using the New Constraint Set dialog box of the
Constraint Set Manager.
Activate Makes the selected constraint set the active constraint set in the model.
Copy Creates a copy for each of the selected constraint set(s)
List Lists information about the selected constraint set(s) to the Messages pane
Delete Deletes the selected constraint set(s) from the model
Show Constrained
Entities
Highlights in the graphics window, the nodes and geometric entities that are con-
strained in the model. Uses the Window, Show Entities... command to highlight the
entities. Multiple constraint sets can be chosen for this command.
Referenced Sets Only available when a Nastran SPCADD/MPCADD Combination set type is high-
lighted. Displays the Referenced Constraint Sets for Nastran SPCADD/MPCADD
dialog box, which allows you to choose any number of Standard Constraint Sets
used to create a SPCADD/MPCADD entry for Nastran. See Section 4.3.7.1, "Model,
Constraint, Create/Manage Set..."for more information.
Command Description
Model - Constraints - Constraint Definitions
Model - Constraints - Other Constraints (available for all of the different categories)
Command Description
Nodal Prompts you to create a new Constraint Definition using the Model, Constraint, Nodal
command.
Nodal on
Face
Prompts you to create a new Constraint Definition using the Model, Constraint, Nodal on
Face command
Equation Prompts you to create a new Constraint Definition using the Model, Constraint, Equation
command
On Point Prompts you to create a new Constraint Definition using the Model, Constraint, On Point
command
On Curve Prompts you to create a new Constraint Definition using the Model, Constraint, On
Curve command
On Surface Prompts you to create a new Constraint Definition using the Model, Constraint, On Sur-
face command
Edit Where
Applied
Allows you to edit where the selected constraint definition(s) is applied (i.e., on what
entities) one at a time
Edit
Constraint
Allows you to edit the value of the selected constraint definition(s) one at a time
List Lists information about the selected constraint definition(s) to the Messages pane
Delete Deletes the selected constraint definition(s) from the model (all individual constraints in
the selected definition(s) will be completely deleted from the model)
Combine Combines selected constraint definitions of the same load type together and uses the low-
est ID of the selected constraint definitions as the ID for the combined constraint defi-
nition. Only available when multiple constraint definitions are highlighted (hold CTRL
key while clicking individual constraint definitions or SHIFT key to select a first con-
straint definition and a last constraint definition and all constraint definitions in between).
Remove
Definition
Allows you to remove the individual constraints from the highlighted constraint defini-
tions. The constraint definition(s) will disappear from the model completely and the indi-
vidual constraints from each of them will then be placed in the appropriate Other
Constraints category
Command Description
Edit Prompts you to edit the individual constraint(s) one at a time.
List Lists the selected individual constraint(s) to the Messages pane.
Delete Deletes the selected individual constraint(s) from the model.
Create Definition Allows you to highlight any number of constrain of the same type and create a Con-
strain Definition. If there are currently no constraint definitions, FEMAP will create
a new one. If Constraint Definitions already exist, FEMAP will ask if you want to
add the highlighted constraints to an existing Constraint Definition or create a new
one
7-20 Modeling Tools
Model - Functions
Model - Data Surfaces
Analyses
Command Description
New Prompts you to create a new function
Copy Allows you to copy the selected function(s).
Edit Allows you to edit the selected function(s) one at a time.
List Lists information about the selected function(s) to the Messages pane
Delete Deletes the selected function(s) from the model
Show Brings up a new window called XY Show and plots the selected function in an XY plot. If
multiple functions are selected and then shown, they will all appear on the same plot in the
XY Show window. Up to 9 functions can be shown at once. The XY Show window is a cre-
ated view and will remain with the model until it is deleted.
Copy to
Clipboard
Copies a selected function to the clipboard. Once copied onto the clipboard, you can then
click another function and use the Paste command on the context sensitive menu and be
prompted to replace the function or add the functions together. Once copied, you can also
use the New command on the context sensitive menu and then click the Get button to paste
the values into the new function. Because the function is copied onto the clipboard, it can
also be pasted into a spreadsheet program, such as Excel.
Paste to
Clipboard
Pastes function data from the clipboard into a selected function. When using the Paste com-
mand after copying a function, a Yes or No dialog box will appear asking OK to Clear
Existing Function Entries (No=Combine)?. Clicking Yes will replace all the function data,
while clicking No will combine the values of the two functions together. You can also use
the Paste command to paste in tabular data that was copied to the clipboard from a spread-
sheet, such as Excel.
Command Description
Reload/Edit Loads the highlighted Data Surface into the Data Surface Editor to view or edit.
List Lists information about the selected Data Surface(s) to the Messages pane
Delete Deletes the selected Data Surface(s) from the model
Command Description
Manage Displays the FEMAP Analysis Set Manager (Model, Analysis...). Once in the Analysis Set
Manager, you can create new analysis sets, edit existing sets, preview input files for Nas-
tran, export input files to different solvers, and/or invoke analysis programs for solving.
Activate Makes the selected analysis set the active analysis set in the model.
List Lists information about the selected analysis set(s) to the Messages pane
Delete Deletes the selected analysis set(s) from the model
Preview Brings up the Preview Analysis Input File dialog box which you can use to look at the
input file FEMAP will create before exporting the input file. By clicking the Edit Pre-
view check box, you can make changes to the input file and then click the Export or Ana-
lyze button. Preview only works for Nastran input decks at this time.
Export Brings up dialog box to export an input deck for the selected analysis program.
Analyze Exports an input file and starts the selected analysis program (NX Nastran, MSC Nastran,
ANSYS, ABAQUS, NEi/Nastran, etc.) or the displays the VisQ program to launch an
analysis program. Multi-selection allows multiple Analysis Sets to be analyzed one after
another in series.
Clear Analysis
Queue
Clears the internal system analysis queue of analysis jobs waiting to be solved.
Results
Views
Command Description
Activate Makes the selected results set the active results set in the model.
List Lists information about the selected results set(s) to the Messages pane
Compare Compares selected results sets using the List, Output, Compare command (see Section
8.6.2, "List, Output, Compare..." for more details). The first results set highlighted in
the tree, chronologically, is compared to all other selected results sets. Does NOT
include List Details information from List, Output, Compare command.
Delete Deletes the selected results set(s) from the model
Send Output
Vectors to Data
Table
Sends ALL the output vectors from the selected results set to the Data Table dockable
pane to be sorted, filtered, and evaluated. Data Table MUST be unlocked for this com-
mand to be available.
No Deformation Shows no deformation for the selected results set(s) in the current view. Equivalent to
using the View, Select... command and choosing None - Model Only in the Deformed
Style section. Brings up dialog box to export an input deck for the selected analysis pro-
gram.
Deform Shows a deformed plot for the selected results set in the current view. Equivalent to
using the View, Select... command and choosing Deform in the Deformed Style sec-
tion
Animate Shows a animated plot of deformation for the selected results set in the current view.
Equivalent to using the View, Select... command and choosing Animate in the
Deformed Style section.
MultiSet Animate Shows an animated plot of deformation created from the deformation data of multiple
results sets in the current view. Only available when multiple results sets are high-
lighted (hold CTRL key while clicking individual results sets or SHIFT key to select a
first set and a last set and all sets in between). Equivalent to using the View, Select...
command and choosing Animate-MultiSet in the Deformed Style section.
Vector Shows a vector plot of deformation for the selected results set in the current view.
Equivalent to using the View, Select... command and choosing Vector in the
Deformed Style section
No Contour Shows no contour plot for the selected results set(s) in the current view. Equivalent to
using the View, Select... command and choosing None - Model Only in the Contour
Style section.
Contour Shows a contour plot for the selected results set in the current view. Equivalent to using
the View, Select... command and choosing Contour in the Contour Style section.
Criteria Shows a criteria plot for the selected results set in the current view. Equivalent to using
the View, Select... command and choosing Criteria in the Contour Style section.
Post Data Brings up the Select PostProcessing Data dialog box. Equivalent to using the View,
Select... command and clicking the Deformed and Contour Data button or perform-
ing a right mouse click on the graphics window and choosing Post Data
Command Description
Update Active
Window
Makes the selected window the active window and brings it to the top for viewing and
other operations.
Open New
Window
If an existing view is currently not visible, this command will open a new window for this
view.
New Brings up a copy of the current view in a new window
List Lists information about the selected view(s) to the Messages pane
Delete Deletes the selected view(s) from the model
7-22 Modeling Tools
Groups
Groups (Visibility menu)
Command Description
New Creates a new group via the New Group dialog box of the Group Manager.
Copy Allows you to copy the selected group(s) with all rules, clipping options, and entities.
Combine Combines selected groups together and creates a new group. Only available when mul-
tiple groups are highlighted (hold CTRL key while clicking individual groups or SHIFT
key to select a first group and a last group and all groups in between)
Add Related
Entities
Adds ALL other entities that are somehow related to the entities currently in a selected
Group to that Group. See Group, Operations, Add Related Entities entry in Section
6.4.3.2, "Group, Operations Menu"
Automatic Add Toggles on/off Group, Operations, Automatic Add for the selected group
Show Full Model Changes the View, Visibility option on the Group tab to Show Full Model
Show Active
Group
Changes the View, Visibility option on the Group tab to Show Active Model
Show Multiple
Groups
Changes the View, Visibility option on the Group tab to Show/Hide Multiple Groups
Activate Makes the selected group the active group in the model.
List Lists information about the selected group(s) to the Messages pane
Delete Deletes the selected group(s) from the model
Referenced
Groups
Displays the Referenced Groups dialog box which allows an existing group to refer-
ence other existing groups in a model (essentially, create a Group of Groups). See
Section 6.4.3.1, "Group, Create/Manage..." for more information on using this function-
ality.
Add to Selection Allows you to add entities in a selected group or number of groups to the Selection List.
Export Neutral Exports a FEMAP neutral file of the selected group. In order for you to get a neutral file
that will read into a new FEMAP database, you must remember to include all the nodes
on any selected elements, all points on selected curves, curves on selected surfaces, sur-
faces making up selected solids, and materials and properties used by elements. Without
all of these entities, FEMAP may give you error messages and may not be able to read
in the neutral file correctly. A good way to make sure this is all taken care of is to run
the Group, Operations, Add Related command before
Command Description
Show Selected
Groups Only
Sets visibility for all groups highlighted in the tree to Show, while setting all others
to Clear
Show Selected
Groups
Sets visibility for all groups highlighted in the tree to Show
Hide Selected
Groups
Sets visibility for all groups highlighted in the tree to Hide
Clear Selected
Groups
Sets visibility for all groups highlighted in the tree to Clear
Show Selected,
Hide Referenced
Groups
Sets visibility for all groups which reference other groups highlighted in the tree to
Show, while setting all of the referenced groups in the groups which reference
other groups to Hide.
Show All Groups Sets visibility for all groups to Show
Clear All Groups Sets visibility for all groups to Clear
Show Full Model Changes the View, Visibility option on the Group tab to Show Full Model
Show Active
Group
Changes the View, Visibility option on the Group tab to Show Active Model
Show Multiple
Groups
Changes the View, Visibility option on the Group tab to Show/Hide Multiple Groups
Layers
Layers (Visibility menu)
Command Description
New Creates a new layer using the New Layer dialog box of the Layer Manager.
Activate Makes the selected layer the active layer in the model.
View All Layers Set the View, Visibility option on the Layer tab to View All Layers
View Visible
Layers Only
Set the View, Visibility option on the Layer tab to View Multiple Layers
List Lists information about the selected layer(s) to the Messages pane
Delete Deletes the selected layer(s) from the model
Command Description
Show Selected
Only
Sets visibility for all highlighted Layers in the tree to on, while setting all others to
off
Show Selected Sets visibility for all highlighted Layers in the tree to on
Hide Selected Sets visibility for all highlighted Layers in the tree to off
Show All Sets visibility to on for all Layers in the model.
Hide All Sets visibility to off for all Layers in the model.
View All Layers Set the View, Visibility option on the Layer tab to View All Layers
View Visible
Layers Only
Set the View, Visibility option on the Layer tab to View Multiple Layers
7-24 Modeling Tools
7.2.2 Tools, Meshing Toolbox
The Meshing Toolbox contains individual tools which can be very helpful during the meshing process. There are
tools which allow you to simplify geometry; create combined geometric entities for meshing purposes using sev-
eral underlying geometric entities; change the mesh size, biasing, and other options on any number of curves
interactively; move any number of nodes dynamically while seeing the mesh update; and plot the element quality
The Meshing Toolbox also contains the Entity Locator, which can be used to locate Curves or Surfaces in your
model which meet certain search criteria (for example, short curves or sliver surfaces which may cause prob-
lems during meshing). Once the Locator identifies entities, you can then cycle through all of the located entities
in the model one at a time and take action using the Geometry Tools in the Meshing Toolbox, when appropriate.
Meshing Toolbox Icons
Toggle Tools menu - By default, all 7 of the tools will be visible in the Meshing Toolbox.
Using the drop-down menu from this icon, you can
make all of the tools visible or hidden at once using
Toggle All Tools, individually toggle them on and off
by choosing the individual tool name (for example,
Feature Suppression) from the menu, or decide to
show only one set of tools at a time by selecting the
appropriate tool set name (for example, Geometry
Tools). When a tool is visible, there will be a check
mark next to it in the list.
Here is a short description of each set of tools:
Geometry Tools
Feature Suppression - Basically, this tool allows you
to use the same options available in the Mesh, Mesh
Control, Feature Suppression command interactively.
You may suppress loops (curves of internal holes on
surfaces and solids, base curves of bosses and extru-
sions on solids), curves (usually relatively small in
size), and surfaces (usually sliver surfaces, not fillets or chamfers). Suppressed geometry still exists in the
model and can be restored at any time. See Section 7.2.2.1, "Feature Suppression Tool"
Feature Removal - Most of the functionality in this tool, which is used to permanently remove geometric enti-
ties to simplify geometry, is offered in other FEMAP commands. This tool brings them together in one place
where they can be used interactively. Removing Loops basically mimics the functionality of the Geometry,
Surface, Remove Hole command, while removing Surfaces essentially uses the same process as Geometry,
Solid, Remove Face. Finally, removing Curves uses portions of the Geometry, Solid, Cleanup command
along some other methodology to try and remove redundant curves. In the case of Aggressive Removal,
localized geometry around the selected curve may be slightly altered to accommodate the curve no longer being
part of the geometry. See Section 7.2.2.2, "Feature Removal Tool"
Feature Editing - Used to make relatively basic alterations to Geometric features. Examples include modify-
ing the position of a hole, boss, or rib, changing the length/width of an extrusion or entire part, revolving a face
to create an angled wall or extending a revolved body, etc. Different operations require using the different Sur-
face Selection Methods to select appropriate surfaces to be successful. Also, specifying a realistic translation
or rotation vector is required. See Section 7.2.2.3, "Feature Editing"
Geometry Editing - This tool is used to split or otherwise modify curves or surfaces to create geometry for
the purpose of producing a mesh with better quality elements. Curves can be modified using the same function-
ality found on the Modify, Break command, while Surfaces can be modified using the functionality from the
bottom half of the Geometry, Curve - From Surface... menu and the Geometry, Midsurface, Extend command.
See Section 7.2.2.4, "Geometry Editing"
Toggle Tools
Entity Locator
Mesh Quality Toggle
Remesh Modes
Select Entity
Dialog Select
Tools, Meshing Toolbox 7-25
Combined/Composite Curves - In some cases, combining several smaller curves along the edge of a surface
will allow you to create a higher quality mesh on the surface. This tool allows you to combine curves by choos-
ing the curves themselves or a point that two curves share. A Composite Curve will be created in FEMAP,
which will be used for mesh sizing purposes instead of the underlying curves. There are also options for split-
ting a composite curve at a selected point or removing any of the underlying curves. See Section 7.2.2.5,
"Combined/Composite Curves Tool"
Combined/Boundary Surfaces - Much like creating composite curves to improve mesh quality, it may be a
good idea to combine several surfaces into a Boundary Surface. This tool uses the same concept as the Geom-
etry, Boundary Surface, From Surfaces on Solid command. This can be especially helpful when there are sliver
surfaces next to a much larger surface. By combining the selected surfaces into one boundary surface, all of
the internal curves can be ignored during the meshing process. Boundary surfaces can be created by selecting
a curve shared by multiple surfaces or choosing the surfaces themselves. Also, any underlying surface can be
removed from a boundary surface or split along a chosen curve. See Section 7.2.2.6, "Combined/Boundary
Surfaces Tool"
Meshing Tools
Mesh Sizing - Combines the options used to set mesh sizing and node spacing on curves (Mesh, Mesh Control,
Size on Curve) with the Add, Subtract, and Set To functionality of the Mesh, Mesh Control, Interactive com-
mand. When using the Auto Remesh option in the Meshing Toolbox you will be able to see the mesh update on
the fly after each change to sizing or node spacing, while you also monitor the element quality update (Mesh
Quality Toggle On). There are also options for matching any number of selected curves to a Master Curve,
as well as setting biasing and length based sizing without changing the number of elements on the curve. See
Section 7.2.2.7, "Mesh Sizing Tool"
Mesh Surface - Allows surfaces to be meshed or remeshed on-the-fly using various surface meshing meth-
ods, options, and/or mesh approaches. Set or change options for Meshing Attributes, Property, Mesh Sizing,
Element Shape, Meshing Method (Free or Mapped), Smoothing, Offsets, Quad/Tri Layers, and others. Choose
Auto Mapped Approach or define approaches manually to quickly converge on a higher quality mesh. See Sec-
tion 7.2.2.8, "Mesh Surface Tool"
Mesh Editing Tools
Mesh Locate - There may be times when you would like to make small changes to an existing mesh simply by
moving one or several nodes without changing the number of elements. This tool will allow you to do this while
making sure that as you move the node or nodes dynamically, they remain attached to specified solid(s), sur-
face(s), and curve(s), or if you have no geometry, follow the overall topology of the selected standalone mesh.
There are also options to move the selected nodes by a defined amount, continually smooth the mesh as the
nodes are moved, and allow the moved nodes to no longer be attached to surfaces or curves. Much like the
Mesh Sizing tool, you can also turn on the Mesh Quality Toggle and monitor the element quality real time as
the nodes are moved. See Section 7.2.2.9, "Mesh Locate Tool"
Mesh Quality - Creating a mesh with high quality elements is essential to the accuracy of a Finite Element
model. When the Mesh Quality Toggle in the Meshing Toolbox is set to on, this tool allows you to graphically
see an element quality value plotted on each element similar to a contour/criteria plot. There are several differ-
ent element quality types which can be selected and each type has default automatic values, but user-defined
values can also be specified. Also, the minimum and maximum quality values for the specified quality type
are listed in the bottom fields of the tool. See Section 7.2.2.10, "Mesh Quality"
Entity Locator menu - The Entity Locator is very helpful in finding Short Edges and Sliver/Small Surfaces
which may be causing meshing issues. It may also make it easier to locate free edges in troublesome geometry
and mesh. This menu contains commands for toggling the Entity Locator on and off, cycling through the entities
currently in the Entity Locator, removing the current entity from the Entity Locator or clearing it entirely, as well as
creating a group from the entities currently in the Entity Locator or sending them to the Data Table.
Toggle Entity Locator - When this icon is toggled on, the Entity Locator is ready to be filled with entities
and the Locator fields will be available in the Meshing Toolbox. Depending on which entity type is selected in
the Search For drop-down list, Curves or Surfaces, the Locator fields change. The Locate Options and Show
Options can be used to modify how the Entity Locator searches for entities and then displays them. Also, the
entities loaded in the Entity Locator update after each change made in the Locator fields, unless Auto Locate is
turned off in the Locate Options section.
7-26 Modeling Tools
Once entities are loaded into the Entity Locator, use the following commands to move from entity to entity. By
default, the current entity in the Entity Locator will be highlighted in the graphics window using the display
options currently set in the Style portion of the Windows, Show Entities command (See Section 6.3.2.3, "Window,
Show Entities..."). There are other options for automatically rotating the model and zooming in to get a better view
of the entity. See the Locate Options and Show Options sections in the Locator section for more information.
Next - Makes the next entity in the Entity Locator the current entity.
Previous- Makes the previous entity in the Entity Locator the current entity.
Current - Re-highlights the current entity in the Entity Locator. This can be helpful if you have regener-
ated or rotated the model.
First - Makes the first entity in the Entity Locator the current entity. When using Search Methods based on
physical size, the smallest located entity will be the first entity.
Last - Makes the last entity in the Entity Locator the current entity. When using Search Methods based on
physical size, the largest located entity will be the last entity.
Do Not Locate - Places the current entity into a group which is then automatically specified in the Not In Group
field of the Locate Options.
Remove - Removes the current entity from the Entity Locator until cleared or new search criteria are entered.
Clear Locator - Simply clears the Entity Locator of all entities.
Create Group - Creates a new group with all of the entities currently in the Entity Locator or adds/removes/
excludes those entities from an existing group.
Add to Data Table - Adds all entities currently loaded in the Entity Locator to the Data Table. The Data Table
needs to be open in the User Interface and unlocked for the command to be available.
Search For - Indicates the entity type, Curves, Surfaces, or Ele-
ments the Entity Locator will currently be able to locate in the
model. Depending on the entity type, different Locator fields
become available.
Locator fields and buttons when Search For is set to Curves:
Search Method - Specifies the method the Entity Locator uses to
find, then load itself with specific Curves in the model. Depend-
ing on the Search Method, other options may become available.
Here are descriptions of the different Search Methods:
Short Edges - Short edges will be loaded into the Entity Locator
using criteria specified in the current Based On option.
When Based On is set to:
Global Mesh Size - Curves whose length is shorter than the speci-
fied % of Mesh Size (default) will be loaded into the Entity Locator.
Curve Length - Curves will only loaded into the Entity Locator
which are Shorter Than a user-specified value. You may type the
value in directly or specify the value by clicking the Select Curve
to Set Length icon button, then choosing any curve on the screen.
Shortest Curves - Finds the shortest specified % of All Curves in
the model (For example, if set to 5, it will find the bottom 5% of
curves, based on length) and loads them into the Entity Locator.
This value can be set from 0 to 25 using the slider bar or a value
Note: Once either Next or Previous has been selected, the icon will persist at the top of the Entity Locator
menu in the Meshing Toolbox. This enables you to easily go to the next or previous entity simply by
clicking the icon. When you reach the last entity in the Entity Locator, the Next icon will automati-
cally become the Previous icon and vice versa.
can be entered directly (if value is higher than 25, loads all curves satisfying that criteria into the Entity Locator,
then returns to 25).
Free Edges - Locates all edges in a Solid which are not stitched to another surface. Free Edges in a Solid usu-
ally indicate gaps or holes in the geometry, meaning the Solid does not fully enclose a volume and is prob-
ably not viable for solid meshing (tet or hex). If multiple surfaces are stitched together but do not enclose a
volume (Sheet Solid) or joined using the Geometry, Surface, NonManifold Add command (General Bodies),
then free edges may also indicate gaps or holes between surfaces. Of course, free edges in this type of
geometry may be internal holes/loops or the outside edge of the stitched/joined part, which are normal.
NonManifold Edges - Locates all NonManifold edges in the geometry. Only geometry that has been joined
using the Geometry, Surface, NonManifold Add command (General Bodies) will have any of these edges. Typi-
cal NonManifold Edges are found where surfaces come together at T-junctions or a surface has been Non-
Manifold added to a Solid.
From Group - Loads all Curves in a specified Group into the Entity Locator.
Show # Curves button - By default, when you initially place Curves in the Entity Locator, ALL of the found
Curves will be highlighted in the graphics window using the display options currently set in the Style portion of the
Windows, Show Entities command (See Section 6.3.2.3, "Window, Show Entities..."). Like Windows, Show Entities
and the Show When Selected capabilities of the Data Table and Model Info tree, once the view has been redrawn
or regenerated the highlighting is removed and the view is restored to how it appeared before the show com-
mand. If you want to highlight the Curves again, simply click the Show # Curves button.
Locator fields and buttons when Search For is set to Surfaces:
Search Method - Specifies the method the Entity Locator will use to search and locate specific Surfaces in the
model. Depending on the Search Method, other options may become available.
Surface Geometry - This method is used in conjunction with any combination of the Small Surfaces, Slivers,
Spikes, and By Area options. If none of these options are turned on (checked), no surface geometry will be
loaded into to the Entity Locator.
Small Surfaces (Fit In Radius value) - Surfaces which completely fit inside a sphere with a specified radius
(defined by Fit In Radius value) will be loaded into the Entity Locator. Enter the Fit In Radius value directly or
Free Edges of set of surfaces
Stitched together
Free Edges of surfaces joined using NonManifold Add
Two Examples of
NonManifold Edges
Surfaces joined using NonManifold Add Surface and Solid joined using NonManifold Add
7-28 Modeling Tools
click the Measure Distance icon button to specify the sphere radius by picking two locations graphically. Default
value is equal to the default Merge Tolerance in the model.
Slivers (Sliver Tolerance value) - Surfaces which have high aspect ratios and small areas are known as Slivers.
Examining a surfaces maximum width is often a good indication of whether a surface is a sliver or not. Sur-
faces with a maximum width smaller than the Sliver Tolerance will be loaded into the Entity Locator. Enter the
Sliver Tolerance value directly or click the Measure Distance icon button and choose two locations graphically to
specify a distance. Default value is equal to the default Merge Tolerance in the model.
Spikes (Spike Width value) - Much like slivers, Surfaces with spikes also have high aspect ratio and small area.
The main difference is that only a portion of the surface fits this criteria, not the entire surface. When this option is
on and a spike on a surface is detected (smaller than Spike Width), FEMAP will try and remove the spike,
while keeping the rest of the surface intact. Enter the Sliver Tolerance value directly or click the Measure Dis-
tance icon button and choose two locations graphically to specify a distance. Default value is equal to the default
Merge Tolerance in the model.
By Area (Area Less Than value) - Surfaces which have an Area Less Than the specified size will be loaded into the
Entity Locator. Enter the Area Less Than value directly or click the Measure Area of Surface icon button to spec-
ify an area by choosing a surface graphically. Default value is equal to 1/1000 of the model box diagonal.
From Group - Loads all Surfaces in a specified Group into the Entity Locator.
Element Quality - Locates Surfaces which have associated Elements (including faces of solid elements) above
the Max Allowable Value for the specified Quality Type. Allows use of all Quality Types found in the Tools,
Check, Element Quality command (For more information about the different Quality Types, see Section 7.4.5.6,
"Tools, Check, Element Quality...").
Show # Surfaces button - By default, when you initially place Surfaces in the Entity Locator, ALL of the
found Surfaces will be highlighted in the graphics window using the display options currently set in the Style por-
tion of the Windows, Show Entities command (See Section 6.3.2.3, "Window, Show Entities..."). Like Windows,
Show Entities and the Show When Selected capabilities of the Data Table and Model Info tree, once the view has
been redrawn or regenerated the highlighting is removed and the view is restored to how it appeared before the
show command. If you want to highlight the Surfaces again, simply click the Show # Surfaces button.
Locator fields and buttons when Search For is set to Elements:
Search Method - Specifies the method the Entity Locator will use to search and locate specific Elements in the
model. Depending on the Search Method, other options may become available.
Free Edges - Locates all Elements with edges which do not join to another element. Can quickly point out holes
or disconnections in the model.
Quality - Locates Elements above the Max Allowable Value for the specified Quality Type. Allows use of all
Quality Types found in the Tools, Check, Element Quality command (For more information about the different
Quality Types, see Section 7.4.5.6, "Tools, Check, Element Quality...").
Edge Length - Elements will be loaded into the Entity Locator using criteria specified in the current Based On
option.
When Based On is set to:
Edge Length - Elements only loaded into the Entity Locator which have at least one edge shorter than the speci-
fied Edge Length value. You may type the value in directly or specify the value by clicking the Measure icon but-
ton, then choosing two locations from the screen.
Shortest Edges - Finds the shortest specified % of All Elements in the model (For example, if set to 5, it will find
the Elements which contain the bottom 5% of element edges, based on length) and loads them into the Entity Loca-
tor. This value can be set from 0 to 25 using the slider bar or a value can be entered directly (if value is higher
than 25, loads all curves satisfying that criteria into the Entity Locator, then returns to 25).
Show # Elements button - By default, when you initially place Elements in the Entity Locator, ALL of the
found Elements will be highlighted in the graphics window using the display options currently set in the Style
portion of the Windows, Show Entities command (See Section 6.3.2.3, "Window, Show Entities..."). Like Windows,
Show Entities and the Show When Selected capabilities of the Data Table and Model Info tree, once the view has
been redrawn or regenerated the highlighting is removed and the view is restored to how it appeared before the
show command. If you want to highlight the Elements again, simply click the Show # Elements button.
Locate Options:
Only In Group - The Locator will only attempt to locate entities which meet the specified criteria in the
selected group.
Not In Group - The Locator will only attempt to locate entities which meet the specified criteria and are
NOT in the selected group.
Ignore If (Curves and Surfaces only) - Instructs the Locator to ignore entities which meet the specified crite-
ria which are either Suppressed or Combined. If you want to change the options, simply expand the Ignore If
portion of the Locate Options and check or uncheck Suppressed or Combined accordingly.
Auto Locate - When this option is on, the Locator will automatically be loaded with the entities that meet the
criteria currently specified. If it is turned off, you will need to click the Locate button which is now visible.
Update Selector - If this option is checked, the Selection List (usually created using the Select Toolbar) will
be cleared, then updated with the entities currently placed in the Locator.
Show Options:
Show All On Locate - When on, entities loaded into the Locator will be highlighted on the screen immedi-
ately. The highlighting is controlled by the options currently set in the Style portion of the Windows, Show
Entities command (See Section 6.3.2.3, "Window, Show Entities..."). If this is set to off, you will have to
click the appropriate Show button to highlight the entities in the graphics window.
Auto Rotate - When this option is on, the view will be automatically rotated to align the current entity in the
Locator on the screen. For surfaces, the view will align so the normal of the surface is pointing out of the
screen and centered about the CG of the surface. For curves, the vector tangent to the curve, at the curves mid-
point, will be used to align the view to the horizontal screen axis. The midpoint of the curve will be centered in
the view and the normal vectors of all the surfaces to which the current curve is attached will be averaged
together and that averaged normal will point out of the screen.
Auto Zoom- If this option is checked, FEMAP will zoom in to the current entity in the Locator a specified
amount. The size of the current entity is used in conjunction with the Zoom Factor, which is a percentage of
graphics window size, to determine how far FEMAP zooms in to the entity. The Zoom Factor can be set from
1 to 100 (using the slider bar or entering a value directly), with 1 essentially zooming in as far as pos-
sible, while still being able to see the entire entity in the graphics window, and 100 making the length of the
entity 1/100 the width of the graphics window.
Note: A group based on any number of solids can be generated directly from the Locator by clicking the
Select Solids for Group with Related Entities icon button next to the Only In Group or Not In Group
drop-down list.
Note: If you have entities currently in the Selection List before the Locator is filled with entities, they will
be cleared and replaced once the Locator is filled with entities.
Note: If the Entity Locator is filled with very small entities, FEMAP may only be able to zoom in so far
before it reaches the magnification limit, which is 1/10000 of model box size.
7-30 Modeling Tools
Mesh Quality Toggle - Toggles a plot of mesh quality on and off for all of the currently visible elements. Please
see the section regarding the Mesh Quality tool below for more information on the different quality types and
plotting options.
Remesh Modes menu - This menu contains several modes for remeshing the model when using all tools except
the Mesh Locate tool. There are three separate modes: Auto Remesh, Disable Remesh, and Track Meshing
Changes. The fourth option on the menu, Remesh Entities, is only used when using the Track Meshing Changes
mode. Essentially, only one mode can be active at any given time.
When Auto Remesh is on, the mesh will be updated every time a change is made using one of the tools in the Mesh-
ing Toolbox.
Disable Remesh does not track any of the changes made using the tools in the Meshing Toolbox. Any changes made
with the tools are applied to the model, but you will need to delete and remesh the model using the commands on
the Mesh, Geometry... menu or switch to Auto Remesh mode and make a change with any tool.
Track Meshing Changes will track all of the changes made using the different tools in the Meshing Toolbox, but
the model will only be remeshed by clicking the icon for the Remesh Entities command, which will be at the top of
the Remesh Modes menu whenever you are in Track Meshing Changes mode.
Select Entity - Many of the tools in the Meshing Toolbox require you to select entities. Depending on which tool is
currently active and how the options for that tool are currently set, will determine the type of entity you will be
able to select when Select Entity is toggled on. When on, you can graphically choose entities from the graphics
window one at a time or use box/circle picking to select multiple entities (hold down the Shift key to make a pick
box or the Ctrl key to make a circular picking area). Depending on which tool you are using and the current
Remesh Mode set, you will be able to see the mesh update real time as you choose entities.
For example, if you are using the Add Operation in the Mesh Sizing tool, and have Auto Remesh on, every time
you select a curve or curves (box/circle pick) in the graphics window, the mesh will be updated real time.
Dialog Select - Very similar to Select Entity, except it allows you to use the typical Entity Selection dialog box to
choose entities. See Section 4.3.1, "Entity Selection" of the FEMAP User Guide for more information on the differ-
ent selection methods available.
Note: Once Disable Remesh or Auto Remesh has been chosen, the icon will persist at the top of the Remesh
Modes menu. You can now toggle back and forth between these two modes by simply clicking the icon.
Note: Having the model Auto Remesh after every single change may not be the efficient way to use the tools
in the Meshing Toolbox, especially for larger models. You may want to use the Disable Remesh mode,
make changes to your model using the Meshing Toolbox, then remesh the model.
Note: Sometimes in larger models, tracking the meshing changes can be quite computationally intensive. You
may want to turn Track Meshing Changes off, which is accomplished by going to Disable Remesh.
Jacobian check shown with 2 quality levels Jacobian check shown with 4 quality levels
Elements shown in red are above the specified Max Allowable Value for the Jacobian quality check
set to 0.4
Feature Suppression Tool 7-31
7.2.2.1 Feature Suppression Tool
This tool allows you to use the manual options available in the
Mesh, Mesh Control, Feature Suppression command interactively. You
may suppress loops, curves (usually relatively small in size), and sur-
faces (usually sliver surfaces, not fillets or chamfers). Suppressed
geometry still exists in the model and can be restored at any time.
Feature Type - Choose which entity type you would like to suppress/
restore. When using Select Entity or Dialog Select in the Meshing
Toolbox, only the selected entity type will be available for selection.
Loops - Usually curves of internal holes on surfaces and solids or
base curves of bosses and extrusions on solids.
Curves - In this case, curves usually refers to curves which are rel-
atively small in size compared to the rest of the geometry.
Surfaces - Like curves, surfaces to be suppressed are usually
small in size compared to the rest of the geometry, thus creating the
possibility of meshing issues.
Action - This option specifies what action will take place when enti-
ties are selected using Select Entity or Dialog Select. When either Sup-
press or Restore is set, all entities selected will either be suppressed
or restored. When Toggle Suppression is set, selecting an existing
entity the first time will suppress the entity, while selecting it again
will restore the entity.
Limit Size - When used, this option limits the entities which can be
chosen based on size. Only loops that are Smaller Than the specified
size, curves that are Shorter Than the specified length, and surfaces
with Area Less Than the specified area will be available to suppress/restore. This can be helpful to filter what is
included when choosing multiple entities with Select Entity or Dialog Select.
Update Colors - When a loop, curve, or surface is suppressed, the color of the entity will be changed to the color
specified here. This allows you to easily see which entities have been suppressed. Click the Color Wheel icon
button to bring up the Color Palette dialog box to choose different colors for suppressed entities.
Show Suppressed (Curves, Surfaces, and Cancel buttons) - Highlights either suppressed curves or suppressed
surfaces in the graphics window using the display options currently set in the Style portion of the Windows, Show
Entities command (See Section 6.3.2.3, "Window, Show Entities..."). Click the Cancel button or use Window,
Redraw (Ctrl+D) or Window, Regenerate (Ctrl+G) to remove the highlighting and have the view restored to how
it appeared before the show command.
Restore All (In Solids and In Model buttons) - Restores all features on either selected solids by clicking the In
Solids button or all the features in the model by click in the In Model button.
For example
See Section 5.1.2.16, "Mesh, Mesh Control, Feature Suppression..." for additional examples
Original Solid Part with stepped hole Curve chosen for loop to Suppressed Resulting Solid Mesh
7-32 Modeling Tools
7.2.2.2 Feature Removal Tool
This tool is used to permanently remove geometric entities interactively to simplify geometry. Most of this tools
functionality is offered in other FEMAP commands. Removing Loops basically mimics the functionality of the
Geometry, Surface, Remove Hole command, while removing Surfaces essentially uses the same process as
Geometry, Solid, Remove Face. Finally, removing Curves uses portions of the Geometry, Solid, Cleanup com-
mand along some other methodology to try and remove redundant curves.
Feature Type - Choose which entity type you would like to remove.
When using Select Entity or Dialog Select in the Meshing Toolbox,
only the selected entity type will be available for selection.
Loops - Usually curves of internal holes on surfaces and solids or
base curves of bosses and extrusions on solids.
Curves - In this case, curves usually refers to curves which are rel-
atively small in size compared to the rest of the geometry.
Surfaces - Surfaces to remove can be all the surfaces of a hole, fillets,
chamfers, and cutouts. In some cases, you may have to remove more
then one surface at a time for this command to be successful.
Limit Size - When used, this option limits the entities which can be
chosen based on size. Only loops that are Smaller Than the specified
size, curves that are Shorter Than the specified length, and surfaces
with Area Less Than the specified area will be available to remove.
This can be helpful to filter what is included when choosing multiple entities with Select Entity or Dialog Select.
Add Surface Mesh Point - Will create a point at the center of the loop, then use that point as a mesh point
on the surface. See Section 5.1.2.9, "Mesh, Mesh Control, Mesh Points on Surface..." for more information. Only
available for loops.
Aggressive Removal - If you have attempted to remove a curve or surface and FEMAP was not successful, then
you may want to try using this option. Not available for loops. For curves, Aggressive Removal uses functionality
from the Parasolid Bodyshop to try and remove curves and then heal the geometry, which may change the
topology of the geometry. For surfaces, instead of using the process used by Geometry, Solid, Remove Face, the
Aggressive Removal option instructs FEMAP to take a completely different approach. The chosen surface is
deleted from the model and the remaining surfaces are stitched together using a stitch tolerance which is slightly
larger the chosen surface.
Here is an example of removing Loops from a surface.
Note: Selecting relatively large surfaces while the Aggressive Removal option is on can have very adverse
effects on the geometry. Because the stitch tolerance is set so high, other surfaces may be removed dur-
ing the stitching process and the resulting solid may not really be very similar to the original solid.
There may also be times when this process creates an invalid solid.
will be found and removed
from the surface
removed from the surface
Feature Removal Tool 7-33
In this example, the hole feature is removed differently from this solid geometry by choosing different Loops.
In this example, the features can be removed from this solid geometry by either removing Loops or Surfaces.
The holes in the solid along with the boss and the post can
be removed from the geometry by removing loops and
choosing one curve on each feature.
Original solid geometry
Alternatively, the features can be removed by selecting all of
the surfaces of each individual feature.
Geometry shown with holes and boss removed
7-34 Modeling Tools
Here is an example of removing a curve with the Aggressive Removal option turned on.
Here is an example of removing a surface with the Aggressive Removal option turned on.
7.2.2.3 Feature Editing
Used to make relatively basic alterations to Geometric features.
Examples include modifying the position of a hole or a rib, resizing a
hole, changing the length/width of an extrusion or entire part, revolv-
ing a face to create an angled wall or extending a revolved body, etc.
Specifying realistic and possible translation or rotation vectors is
required to have this command be successful
Selection Method - The key to editing features is making sure all
surfaces of a particular feature are selected properly. Which surfaces
need to be included depends on the desired end result. A specific Sur-
face Selection Method may be needed to correctly edit the feature.
Feature Edges - Only allows the selection of internal loops. Typi-
cally, found on internal holes and slots, as well as the base of bosses.
Use the Entity Select icon in the Meshing Toolbox for efficient picking
of Feature Edges.
Surface - Allows you to choose any number of surfaces that make up
a feature. It is important to select all of the needed surfaces in order
for it to be moved properly.
Small curve to Remove
Modified geometry without curve
Small surface to Remove
Modified geometry without surface
Feature Editing 7-35
Operation - Features can be modified by either translating or rotating an entire feature or portion of a feature.
Additionally, holes can be resized.
Translate Surface(s) - This operation can be used to move an entire feature, such as a hole, slot, or boss, from
one location to another by specifying a Vector to Move Along and an optional Distance. In addition, walls may
be thickened or thinned out by choosing an appropriate surface and specifying a particular vector direction.
Finally, in some cases parts can be made longer or shorter by selecting one end of the part.
Examples of using Translate Surface(s) Operation:
Rotate - This operation can be used to rotate an entire feature, such as a hole or boss, by specifying a Vector to
Rotate About and a rotation Angle. In addition, a the outside surface may be rotated to create a draft angle or
the entire wall can be rotated.
Note: Keep in mind that picking too many or too few surfaces will sometimes cause these operations to fail.
You may need to try the same operation picking more or less surfaces to be successful.
Original Part shown with
Vector to Move Along
Pick Feature Edge of hole
Distance Set to 3.0
Hole Moved Along
Vector 3.0 Units
Pick ALL surfaces of Rib
Distance Set to 1.5
Rib Moved 1.5 Units,
Part automatically remeshed
Vector to Move Along Pick Single Surface
Distance Set to 3.0
Part now wider by 3.0 Units
Using Same Vector Again
Pick Inside, Outside and Fillet
Surfaces of Wall, Distance = 5.0
Part now longer by 5.0 Units
Changed and Displayed
Using the Same Vector,
Part Meshed before move
7-36 Modeling Tools
Examples of using Rotate Surface(s) Operation:
Resize Hole - This operation can be used to resize a hole in solid or surface geometry. Only available when
Selection Method is set to Feature Edges. Simply enter a new Hole Diameter and then select one curve making
up a hole feature.
Original Part
Vector to Rotate About shown
Feature Edge of Boss selected
Boss rotated by 10 degrees
Original Part, Meshed
Single Surface Selected
Outside Wall rotated by 10
degrees, automatically remeshed
Modified Part
Multiple Surfaces selected
representing both sides of wall
Whole wall is rotated
by 10 degrees
Original Part, all holes have
diameter of 0.5 units
Select Feature edge or hole
Hole diameter set to 0.75 units
Hole diameter changed to 0.75
Modified Part, meshed
Select Feature edge or hole
Hole diameter set to 0.25 units
Hole diameter changed to 0.25
Part remeshed automatically
Geometry Editing 7-37
7.2.2.4 Geometry Editing
This tool is used to split or otherwise modify curves or surfaces to create
geometry for the purpose of producing a mesh with better quality elements.
Curves can be broken at a specified location, while the tools for Surfaces
use the functionality from the bottom half of the Geometry, Curve - From
Surface... menu and the Geometry, Midsurface, Extend command.
Operation - Determines which operation will be used to split or modify a
curve or surface.
Curve Break - Specify a Location to Break At by entering XYZ coordi-
nates or click the icon button to use the standard Coordinate Locate dialog
box, then choose a curve to or curves to break. See Section 3.6.1.3, "Mod-
ify, Break..."
Point to Point - Select one point on a surface, then a second point on the
surface to create a line which between the point which follows the surface.
This curve will split the surface. See Section 3.2.5.10, "Geometry, Curve -
From Surface, Point to Point..."
Point to Edge - Select one point on a surface, then an edge/curve on the
surface to create the shortest possible straight line from the point of the edge.
This line which will split the surface. See Section 3.2.5.11, "Geometry,
Curve - From Surface, Point to Edge..."
Edge to Edge - Select one edge (curve) on a surface, then another edge on
the surface. Alternately, choose any number of edges using the Dialog Select icon in the Meshing Toolbox after
selecting the first edge. Lines, which follow the surface, will be created from the endpoints of the second set
of edges to the first edge. See Section 3.2.5.12, "Geometry, Curve - From Surface, Edge to Edge..."
Pad - Select a Loop (usually a curve on an internal hole or slot) and set a Pad Factor to create the Pad
meshing pattern. On Solids, you may be asked to choose which surface to place the pad after selecting the
loop. For more information on the Pad, see Section 3.2.5.9, "Geometry, Curve - From Surface, Pad..."
Extend - Mimics the Geometry, Midsurface, Extend command. Choose a single edge of a surface to extend
with the Entity Select icon in the Meshing Toolbox or multiple edges using Dialog Select icon. See Section
3.3.4.5, "Extend..." for more information about the Extend Shape and Extend To options.
Washer - Select a circular curve and specify an Offset Distance. Works like Geometry, Curve - From Surface,
Offset Curve/Washer command when in Washer Mode. See Section 3.2.5.8, "Geometry, Curve - From Surface,
Offset Curves/Washer..."
Some examples
Original Hole Pad (Factor = 1.0) Washer (Offset = 0.25)
Point to Edge Edge to Edge(s) Point to Point
7-38 Modeling Tools
7.2.2.5 Combined/Composite Curves Tool
In some cases, combining several smaller curves along the edge of a surface
will allow you to create a higher quality mesh on the surface. This tool
allows you to combine curves by choosing the curves themselves or a point
that two curves share. A Composite Curve will be created in FEMAP,
which will be used for mesh sizing purposes instead of the underlying
curves.
Action - This option specifies how individual curves may be combined to
form Composite Curves (Add by Point or Add Curves) and how Composite
Curves can be partitioned (Split At and Remove). You can also delete Com-
posite Curves completely using Delete, which may be more convenient than
using Delete, Geometry, Curve.
Add by Point - Combines two curves connected to a selected point into a
Composite Curve. If you are creating a Composite Curve along the edge of a
surface with many small curves, you can watch the Composite Curve grow
simply by starting at one end and choosing the points in sequence.
Combine Surfaces - When this option is checked, a Boundary Surface will
automatically be created from the surfaces connected to the underlying
curves. As additional curves are added to the Composite Curve by choosing
points, more surfaces will be combined into Boundary Surfaces.
Add Curves - Creates a Composite Curve by allowing you to choose individual curves. There are also several
options which can be used to make the process of creating Composite Curves more automatic.
Merge to Existing - When checked, each curve selected will be added to an existing Composite Curve, unless the
selected curve is not within Max Tangent Angle to the existing Composite Curve.
Add Short Curves - Automatically includes any Curve Shorter Than the specified length that is adjacent to a
selected curve in the Composite Curve. You may type the value in directly or specify the value by clicking the
Select Curve to Set Length icon button, then choosing any curve on the screen.
Add to Branch - Allows you to choose one curve and have a Composite Curve created by simply branching out
from that curve until it reaches the corner of a surface.
Combine Surfaces - When this option is checked, a Boundary Surface will automatically be created from the sur-
faces connected to the underlying curves. As additional curves are added to the Composite Curve, more surfaces
will be combined into Boundary Surfaces
Split At - Allows you to choose points to partition/break a single Composite Curve into two.
Remove - Allows you to remove any of the underlying curves from a Composite Curve. It you remove a
curve from the end, the Composite Curve will get shorter, but otherwise remain intact. If you a curve is removed
from the middle, the Composite Curve will be split into two with a gap in between.
Note: The appearance of Composite Curves can be controlled via the Combined Curve option in the Labels,
Entities and Color category of the View, Options command (See Section 6.1.5.3, "View, Options...").
Original Surface (9 individual curves on front edge of surface)
Small curves on edge of surface create a skewed mesh
Combined/Boundary Surfaces Tool 7-39
Delete - Allows you to delete a Composite Curve completely from FEMAP. The underlaying curves of the
Composite Curve will be available for picking again once it has been deleted.
7.2.2.6 Combined/Boundary Surfaces Tool
Much like creating composite curves to improve mesh quality, it may be a
good idea to combine several surfaces into a Boundary Surface. This tool
uses the same concept as the Geometry, Boundary Surface, From Surfaces
on Solid command. This can be especially helpful when there are sliver sur-
faces next to a much larger surface. By combining the selected surfaces into
one boundary surface, all of the internal curves can be ignored during the
meshing process.
Action - This option specifies how individual curves may be combined to
form Boundary Surface (Add by Curve or Add Surfaces) and how Boundary
Surface can be partitioned (Split Along and Remove). You can also delete
Boundary Surface completely using Delete, which may be more convenient
than using Delete, Geometry, Surface.
Add by Curve - Combines two surfaces sharing a single curve into a
Boundary Surface. If you select a curve that a regular surface shares with a
Boundary Surface, the regular surface will simply be added as another
underlying surface for the existing Boundary Surface.
Add Surfaces - Creates a Boundary Surface by allowing you to choose
individual surfaces. Using the Merge to Existing
Split Along - Allows you to choose curves to partition/break a single Boundary Surface into two.
Remove - Allows you to remove any of the underlying surfaces from a Boundary Surface.
Delete - Allows you to delete a Boundary Surface completely from FEMAP. The underlaying surfaces of the
Boundary Surface will be available for picking again once it has been deleted.
The 9 curves of the front edge have been combined to
create one Composite Curve.
The quality of the mesh has been improved by using a
Composite Curve.
Original Geometry (11 individual surfaces make up the bump) Quad mesh on the individual surfaces of the bump
7-40 Modeling Tools
7.2.2.7 Mesh Sizing Tool
Combines the options used to set mesh sizing and node spacing on curves (Mesh, Mesh Control, Size on Curve)
with the Add, Subtract, and Set To functionality of the Mesh, Mesh Control, Interactive command. When using
the Auto Remesh option in the Meshing Toolbox you will be able to see the mesh update on the fly after each
change to sizing or node spacing, while you also monitor the element quality update (Mesh Quality Toggle On).
There are also options for matching any number of selected curves to a Master Curve, as well as setting biasing
and length based sizing without changing the number of elements on the curve.
Sizing Option - This switch is used to specify which method,
Size Curve(s) or Match Curve(s), is currently set for updating
the mesh size on curves.
Size Curve(s) - When selected, this method uses the option
currently set in Operation along with the specified Spacing
options to dynamically change the mesh sizing on curves.
With Select Entity on in the Meshing Toolbox, every time you
click on a curve the Mesh Size will be updated. You can
also change the size on multiple curves all at once using a
box pick or Dialog Select.
Match Curve(s) - With this method, Match Curves are
selected graphically after clicking the ... icon button next to
No Curve(s) Selected button. Once the Match Curves are
specified, turn on Select Entity in the Meshing Toolbox to
match curves to the Match Curves one at a time by select-
ing them or change multiple curves all at once with a box
pick or using Dialog Select.
Match Node(s) - With this method, Match Nodes are
selected graphically after clicking the ... icon button next to
No Node(s) Selected button. Once the Match Nodes are
specified, turn on Select Entity in the Meshing Toolbox to
match curves to the Match Nodes one at a time by selecting
them or change multiple curves all at once with a box pick
or using Dialog Select.
The Match Curve(s) and Match Node(s) Sizing Options
mimic capabilities found in the Mesh, Mesh Control, Custom
Size Along Curve command. See Section 5.1.2.7, "Mesh, Mesh Control, Custom Size Along Curve...".
Operation - Allows you to select the current operation for the Mesh Sizing tool. You can choose to Increase or
Decrease the specified Number of Elements from the selected curve(s), update the sizing on any curve(s) to the
Note: The appearance of Boundary Surfaces can be controlled via the Boundary option in the Labels, Entities
and Color category of the View, Options command (See Section 6.1.5.3, "View, Options...").
Boundary Surface created using all 11 individual surfaces of the bump Quad mesh on boundary surface
Mesh Sizing Tool 7-41
Number of Elements using Set To, or simply change the Spacing options (Bias and if Length Based Sizing should
be used) without changing the number of nodes along the curve(s) with Set Spacing Options. You can also turn on
the Multiply By Factor option to multiply the Number of Elements by the specified factor.
Manual Update - When this option is on, the specified Operation and other options will not be used to update
the mesh size and spacing until the Apply Operation button is pressed. Using a box pick while Select Entity is
active or using Dialog Select in the Meshing Toolbox, is a very efficient method to update multiple curves at one
time. Pressing the # Curve(s) Selected button will highlight the selected curves in the graphics window.
Pressing Clear Selection sets the number of selected curves currently ready to be updated to 0.
Spacing - This drop-down allows you to specify biasing options. By default, this option is set to Equal, which will
place a uniform distance between each node along a curve. The other options allow you to bias the mesh size and
the level of biasing will be controlled by the Bias Factor. here is a breakdown of the biasing options:
Biased using Pick Location - The node spacing on the curve is biased using the location of the cursor when the
curve is selected. The smaller distances between nodes will be positioned by the selection location. When
working in a model that is not planar, which is quite common, it is a good idea to have the snap mode set to
either Snap to Node or Snap to Point. This will allow FEMAP to use the point or node related to the curve clos-
est to pick location to determine where the biasing should occur.
Biased Small at Ends - The smaller distances between nodes will be positioned at each end of the curve with
the larger distances between nodes being at the center.
Biased Small at Center - The smaller distances between nodes will be positioned at the center of the curve
with the larger distances between nodes being at the at each end of the curve.
Bias Factor - This factor is a ratio of the largest distance between nodes to the smallest distance between nodes
along a given curve. For example, when it is set to 2, the largest distance equals the smallest distance multi-
plied by 2. All of the distances between the other nodes along the curve are defined using a linear interpolation
of the large and small distances.
Length Based Sizing - Allows you to choose whether mesh locations will be located in parametric or length coor-
dinates along the curve. For lines, arcs and circles, these options make no difference since the parametric and
length coordinates are equivalent. For spline curves however, parametric coordinates are typically much different.
In most cases, choosing parametric spacing is the preferred method. It results in a finer mesh in areas of high curva-
ture, which is often desirable. However, if you have two spline curves side by side, which happen to have different
parametric coordinates, checking Length Based Sizing will allow you to match the meshes on those two curves (this
can also be accomplished using a matched custom mesh size on one of the curves - see Section 5.1.2.7, "Mesh,
Mesh Control, Custom Size Along Curve...".
Note: When the snap mode is set to Snap to Point, you will only be able to bias towards one end of the
curve or the other. When it is set to Snap to Node, you will be able to bias towards either end of the
curve or towards the center, much like you can using Biased Small at Center in the Spacing options.
Mesh Elements = 10
Bias Small towards this end
Bias Factor = 3
Mesh Elements = 10
Bias Factor = 3
Mesh Elements = 10
Bias Factor = 4
Mesh Elements = 10
Bias Factor = 4
Mesh Elements = 8
Bias Small at Center
Bias Factor = 3
Mesh Elements = 8
Bias Small at Center
Bias Factor = 2
Mesh Elements = 10
Bias Small at Ends
Bias Factor = 2
Mesh Elements = 10
Bias Small at Ends
Bias Factor = 2
7-42 Modeling Tools
Propagate Mapped Approach - This option, which is on by default, will update the mesh sizing accordingly on
all appropriate curves of a surface which has a mapped approach set using Mesh, Mesh Control, Approach on
Surface, in order for the approach to remain valid. Also, any other surfaces with a mapped approach which would
be effected by changing the size will also have their sizing updated as well. For more information on setting mesh
approaches, see Section 5.1.2.15, "Mesh, Mesh Control, Approach On Surface".
For Example, this geometry is three surfaces stitched together. Each surface has a Mapped-Four Corner meshing
approach specified and has been sized with the default mesh size.
Show Free Edges - Simply highlights the nodes of any free edges in your model. This can be helpful for confirm-
ing the mesh is still fully connected after sizing has been updated.
7.2.2.8 Mesh Surface Tool
This tool may be used to mesh any number of surfaces in the
model using options found in several different meshing com-
mands (See Section 5.1.3.3, "Mesh, Geometry, Surface...",
Section 5.1.2.15, "Mesh, Mesh Control, Approach On Sur-
face", and Section 5.1.2.12, "Mesh, Mesh Control, Attributes
On Surface" for more information).
When meshing surfaces which have already been meshed
with this tool, the original mesh is always deleted, then the
surfaces are remeshed.
Load Attributes from Surface - Allows you to choose a sur-
face which has Mesh Attributes assigned, then loads those
Mesh Attributes into the Mesh Surface tool. Now use the
Select or Dialog Select icons in the Meshing Toolbox to mesh
surfaces with these attributes. Enter a surface ID or click the
... icon button to select a surface from the graphics window.
Property - Allows you to choose an existing property in the
model to mesh/remesh surfaces. The default value is to Use
Meshing Attributes which have been applied to the surface
from previous meshing commands. A new property can also
be created by clicking the ... icon button, then the new
property will automatically be set as the Property.
Note: If this option is turned off, there is a good chance that changing the mesh sizing on only one curve
of the surface will create inappropriate sizing for FEMAP to create a mapped mesh on the surface.
Note: If you select a surface which has no meshing
attributes and/or property specified, the current
specified attributes and/or property will be used.
Mesh using default
3 Surfaces with
Mapped - Four Corner
Approaches Set
Mesh Size
2 Nodes Added to sizing
on either of these Curves
Change is Propagated through entire Model
Two Subtracted
from this Curve
Three Nodes Added
from this Curve
Changes only Propagated locally to individual
as all surfaces effected by new mesh size. surface where meshing sizing was changed.
Mesh Surface Tool 7-43
Mesh Sizing - These options are used to define how the mesh size will be updated on selected surfaces and sur-
faces connected to those selected surfaces during the meshing/remeshing process.
The Mesh Size value may be entered directly or can be calculated by clicking the Measure icon button and select-
ing any number of surfaces. The calculated value is the same default value which would be calculated if the sur-
faces were selected when using the Mesh, Mesh Control, Size on Surface command
There are 4 different options:
Off - Used to simply change the Element Shape, Meshing Method, or the Advanced Options without changing
the mesh size on any of the surfaces. When this option is set, the Mesh Size field is hidden.,
Size All, Connect - Resizes all curves of the selected surface(s) using the specified Mesh Size, then meshes/
remeshes the surfaces using all other options specified in the Mesh Surface tool. Also, updates the Mesh Size on
all shared curves of any connected surfaces . The mesh will remain fully connected and transition from the
selected surface(s) out to the existing mesh through the connected surfaces. .
Original Geometry
Meshed with default mesh size Element Shape set to 3-node Triangles in
using 4-noded quad elements Mesh Surface Tool. Middle Surface Selected
Mesh on Middle Surface
changed to 3-noded Triangles
Meshing Method set to Free Mesh
Quad/Tri Layers turned on, set to 1
Outer Surface selected
Outer Surface remeshed using
specified Free Meshing Options
Meshed with Mesh Size = 0.71
using 4-noded quad elements
Mesh Size set to 0.55
Middle Surface selected
All curves of selected surface resized
Shared curves of 6 connected surfaces
resized, then surfaces remeshed
Mesh Size set to 0.5, Element
All curves of selected surfaces resized
Shared Curves of 4 connected surfaces
resized, then surfaces remeshed
Shape set to 3-Noded Triangles
2 Surfaces Selected
7-44 Modeling Tools
Size All, Disconnect - Resizes all curves of the selected surface(s) using the specified Mesh Size, then meshes/
remeshes the surfaces using all other options specified in the Mesh Surface tool. No effort is made to keep the
mesh on any surrounding surfaces in the model connected to the mesh on the selected surface(s).
Size, Internal/Free Edges - Only resizes internal curves or free edges of selected surface(s) using the
specified Mesh Size and other options set in the Mesh Surface tool. All curves shared by selected surface(s)
and non-selected surfaces will NOT be resized.
Element Shape - Choose to mesh the surface with one of 4 options, represented by pictures. From left, the pictures
represent 3-noded linear triangles, 6-noded parabolic triangles, 4-noded linear quads, and 8-noded parabolic quads.
Meshing Method - Choose between Free Mesh and Mapped Mesh. Depending on what method is selected, differ-
ent options will be available.
Free Mesh - The Free Meshing Options include Quad/Tri Layers and Min Elements Between Boundaries which
are also found in the Mesh, Geometry, Surface command (see Section 5.1.3.3, "Mesh, Geometry, Surface..."),
Surface Growth Factor and Refinement Ratio which are also found in the Mesh, Mesh Control, Size on Surface
command (see Section 5.1.2.4, "Mesh, Mesh Control, Size On Surface..."), and the Approach Options drop-
down, which allows you to choose any of the 4 free meshing approach options found in Mesh, Mesh Control,
Approach on Surface command (see Section 5.1.2.15, "Mesh, Mesh Control, Approach On Surface")
Mapped Mesh - The Mapped Meshing Options include Min Elements Between Boundaries which is also found
in the Mesh, Geometry, Surface command (see Section 5.1.3.3, "Mesh, Geometry, Surface..."), and Auto
Mapped Approach, which is on by default. When Auto Mapped Approach is on, the tool will examine the
selected surface and determine if it is a good candidate for one of the mapped meshing approaches available
in the Mesh, Mesh Control, Approach on Surface command. If so, the approach will be set automatically and
the curves of the surface resized, if allowed by the current Mesh Sizing option in the Mesh Surface tool. If not,
All curves of selected surfaces
Middle Surface Selected
resized, then automatically remeshed
with 3-noded triangles
Mesh Size set to 0.4
11 Surfaces selected
All internal curves of selected surfaces
Only single curve shared between the 2
2 Surfaces Selected
resized, then selected surfaces remeshed,
while non-selected surfaces unchanged.
selected surfaces has sizing updated, then
2 selected surfaces remeshed with triangles
Mesh Surface Tool 7-45
the best possible mapped mesh will be applied to the surface. When Auto Mapped Approach is off, the
Approach Options drop-down becomes visible and any of the 3 mapped meshing approaches can be selected.
See Section 5.1.2.15, "Mesh, Mesh Control, Approach On Surface" for more information.
Click the ... icon button next to Approach Options to select specific points from the graphics window for the
specified Mesher approach.:
You can also select a surface from the screen and click the Load button to fill the Surface Mesh Approach dialog
box with the points which are currently being used for the approach on the surface. Click the Show icon button
next to Done to highlight the current Mesh Control points in the graphics window. If the approach or any points are
changed in this dialog box, be sure to click Apply to make changes before click Done.
Show Free Edges - Simply highlights the nodes of any free edges in your model. This can be helpful for confirm-
ing the mesh is still fully connected after surface meshing updates.
Advanced Options - These options are all found in Automesh Surfaces dialog box of the Mesh, Geometry, Surface
command (see Section 5.1.3.3, "Mesh, Geometry, Surface...").
Mapped Meshing Options - options corre-
spond to the check boxes in the Mapped
Meshing Options section of the Automesh
Surfaces dialog box.
Post Meshing Cleanup - options correspond
to Post Meshing Cleanup, Cut Quads with
Angle Deviation Above, Max Element Aspect
Ratio, and Quick Cut boundaries with More
Than options in the Other Meshing Options
section of the Automesh Surfaces dialog box.
Smoothing - options correspond to the
Smoothing section of the Automesh Surfaces
dialog box.
Offset Element - options correspond to the
Offset section of the Automesh Surfaces dia-
log box. Click the Measure icon button to
measure the distance between 2 locations in
Node Options - options correspond to the
Node Options section of the Automesh Sur-
faces dialog box. When Move to Geometry
option is on, Max Distortion Angle field
will become visible. Click the Measure
icon button to measure the distance between
2 locations in the graphics window.
7-46 Modeling Tools
7.2.2.9 Mesh Locate Tool
There may be times when you would like to make small
changes to an existing mesh simply by moving one or several
nodes without changing the number of elements. This tool will
allow you to do this while making sure that as you move the
node(s) dynamically, they remain attached to specified solid(s),
surface(s), and curve(s). If you have no geometry, there is an
option to have the nodes follow the overall topology of the
selected standalone mesh as they are moved. There are addi-
tional options to move the selected nodes by a defined amount,
continually smooth the mesh as the nodes are moved, and allow
the moved nodes to no longer be projected to a surface or
remain along a curve. Much like the Mesh Sizing tool, you can
also turn on the Mesh Quality Toggle and monitor the element
quality real time as the nodes are moved. Finally, once the
mesh locations have been updated, you have the choice to Save
the new mesh or Discard the updated mesh and revert to the
original mesh.
Select Mesh to Edit - Limits the elements whose nodes will be
allowed to move in this command. Simply choose an option,
then click the ... icon button to choose the entities. Only ele-
ments and nodes connected to the selected entities will be visi-
ble and available for update of nodal locations.
Attached to Surface - Choose surfaces in the model to limit the nodes and elements for possible update.
Attached to Solid - Choose solids in the model in the model to limit the nodes and elements for possible
update.
Standalone Mesh - When no geometry is available, this option allows you to choose any number of elements
from the model and use the overall topology of the selected mesh to limit where the nodes can be moved,
when the Project option is on.
Locate Multiple - When this option is checked, it enables you to move more than one node at a time. To select
multiple nodes to move, turn on Select Entity in the Meshing Toolbox and then choose the nodes one at a time, with
a box pick (hold down Shift key), or circle pick (hold down Ctrl key). Once the nodes are selected, they will
move in unison based on the chosen Locate Method. Press the X icon button to choose different nodes to move.
Locate Method - You may choose to move the
node(s) dynamically, based on screen posi-
tion, or manually, using a vector. If you have
the Mesh Quality Toggle on, you will likely
want to use the Dynamic option and move the
node(s) around until the attached elements
reach the desired quality. On the other hand, if
you would like to move the nodes a precise dis-
tance, it is probably better to use the Manual,
Vector option.
When using the Dynamic method, simply
choose the node(s) using Entity Select in the Meshing Toolbox and then drag the node(s) to the desired location.
Note: You must use the Select Mesh to Edit first in order for
the other options in this tool to become available.
Note: To create the overall topology, the existing mesh is facetted, much like a surface. This allows the
node(s) to be projected back onto pseudo geometry in order to maintain the general shape of the model.
Note: It is best to have the Snap Mode set Snap to Screen when using the Dynamic method. This will
create smoother movement when moving the selected nodes from one position to another.
Original Mesh
Dynamically
modified Mesh
with improved
Jacobian element
quality values
Mesh Quality 7-47
When using the Manual, Vector method, the Move Along Vector
fields will appear. You may use the Select Vector icon button
to choose a vector graphically using any method available in
the Select Vector dialog box. Another option is to enter a Base
Point for the vector or use the Select Coordinates icon but-
ton to pick it graphically, then enter the distances in each direc-
tion (dX, dY, and dZ) manually. Once the vector has been
specified, click the Apply Vector button to complete the move to
the new location.
Smooth - When this option is checked, the selected mesh will
constantly be smoothed as nodal locations are updated. If you
want to only have the elements directly connected to the
selected node(s), turn this option off.
Constrain to Curve/Surface - Nodes which are attached to
curves or surfaces will only be allowed to move along the attached curve or surface, when this option is on. This is
the default configuration and is usually the desired behavior, as it attempts to prevent undesired holes from acci-
dentally being introduced into the mesh.
Project - When this option is enabled, the selected nodes are constantly projected back to the surface to which they
are attached. When the Standalone Mesh option for Select Mesh to Edit is used, the nodes are projected back to
pseudo geometry created using the overall topology of the selected elements.
Save and Discard buttons - Once the mesh locations have been updated, you have the choice to Save the new
mesh or Discard the updated mesh and revert to the original mesh.
7.2.2.10 Mesh Quality
When the Mesh Quality Toggle in the Meshing Toolbox is set to on, this tool allows you to graphically see ele-
ment quality values plotted on each element similar to a contour/criteria plot. There are several different element
quality types which can be selected and each type has default automatic values. User-defined values can also be
specified. Also, the minimum and maximum quality values for the specified quality type are listed in the bottom
fields of the tool.
Quality Type - There are 8 different types of element quality
checking available through the Meshing Toolbox. They correspond
to the element quality checks of the Tools, Check, Element Quality
command.
The element checks are:
Aspect Ratio
Taper
Alternate Taper
Internal Angles
Skew
Warping
Nastran Warping
Jacobian
Combined Quality
See Section 7.4.5.6, "Tools, Check, Element Quality..." for more
details on the individual element checks.
Note: If you choose to use the Undo command (Tools, Undo or Ctrl+Z) after pressing the Save button, ALL
changes to the mesh since the Save button was last used will be undone, not the movement of individ-
ual nodes. Also, if you use Undo before choosing Save or Discard, the original mesh will be
restored.
7-48 Modeling Tools
Depending on which element check is currently set, the name of the element check will appear along with a Max
Allowable Value field in the Mesh Quality tool.
When Quality Type is set to Combined, all of the other individual Quality Types will also be displayed in the Mesh
Quality tool. The Max Allowable Value for each element quality type can be modified or individual types can be
turned on or off to modify which will be included when calculating the Combined element quality.
To specify customized default values for all of the element quality checks, use the Element Quality button in the
Geometry/Model tab of File, Preferences. See Section 2.6.2.6, "Geometry/Model" for more information.
Number of Quality Levels - Simply indicates the number of levels to use in the plot of the current element quality
set in Quality Type. Choose between 2 levels or 4 levels.
When the Number of Quality Levels is set to 2, all elements with element quality values above the Max Allowable
Value for the specified Quality Type will be plotted Red, while all other elements will be Green.
When the Number of Quality Levels is set to 4, all elements with element quality values above the Max Allowable
Value for the specified Quality Type will be also be plotted Red. The remaining elements will be plotted from 0 to
the Max Allowable Value in the following manner:
Quality value = 0.0 to (1/3 * Max Allowable Value) are plotted Green
Quality value = (1/3 * Max Allowable Value) to (2/3 * Max Allowable Value) are plotted Yellow
Quality value = (2/3 * Max Allowable Value) to Max Allowable Value are plotted Orange
Smooth Contours - When on, the colors on the contour legend blend from low to high, similar to a Contour plot.
When off, the plot resembles a Criteria plot.
Min Quality and Max Quality - Simply lists the best and worst element quality in the selected mesh.
Note: When the Mesh Quality tool is used on models containing solid elements, the quality plotted on the
visible element face(s) is the quality of the quadrilateral or triangular element face, NOT the solid
element. This is important to remember, especially for element quality checks which can be used for
solid elements, such as Jacobian and Aspect Ratio.
Internal Angle check shown with 2 quality levels Internal Angle check shown with 4 quality levels
Elements shown in red are above the specified Max Allowable Value for the Internal Angle quality check
Same values as above, Smooth Contours On Same values as above, Smooth Contours On
This plot allows you to see which elements may be close to passing the quality check.
Tools, PostProcessing Toolbox 7-49
7.2.3 Tools, PostProcessing Toolbox
The PostProcessing Toolbox provides a single, consolidated location in the interface from which to postprocess
results from an analysis.
First, choose a Style from either the Deform or Con-
tour tool, then use the unique set of options for that
Style to create or change what is displayed in the
graphics window. The Freebody tool is used to control
the calculations and display of freebody diagrams in
the model. The toolbox itself allows changes to be
made on-the-fly or when directed by the user.
The PostProcessing Toolbox brings together options
for each style which are found in several different
View... commands. Additional information on most of
these options may be found in Section 8.2, "Types of
Views - View Select...", Section 8.3, "View Options -
PostProcessing" and Section 8.4, "Specialized Post-
processing".
PostProcessing Toolbox Icons
Toggle Tools menu - By default, both tools will be
visible in the PostProcessing Toolbox.
Using the drop-down menu from this icon, make all of
the tools visible or hidden at once using Toggle All
Tools or individually toggle them on and off by
choosing the individual tool name (for example,
Deform) from the menu. When a tool is visible, there will be a check mark next to it in the list.
Here is a short description of each tool:
Deform - Sets the Deformed Style. Choose from Undeformed, Deformed, Animate, Animate - MultiSet, Vector,
Trace, or Streamline. Once a Style has been chosen, select Results. Also, unique Options become available for
each Style. Section 7.2.3.1, "Deform tool"
Contour - Sets the Contour Style. Choose from No Contours, Contour, Criteria, Beam Diagram, IsoSurface,
Section Cut, or Vector. Once a Style has been chosen, select Results. Also, unique Options become available for
each Style. Section 7.2.3.2, "Contour tool"
Freebody - Controls all facets of freebody display. Section 7.2.3.3, "Freebody tool"
Reload - Reloads the PostProcessing Toolbox with the current postprocessing options set in the model.
Undeformed/No Contours - Simply sets the Deform Style to Undeformed and Contour Style to No Contours.
Deformed Style - Choose a Deform Style from the drop-down menu.
Contour Style - Choose a Contour Style from the drop-down menu.
Freebody Style - Choose Freebody On or Freebody Off from the drop-down menu. When set to Freebody Off, no
Freebody will be visible. When set to Freebody On, only the Freebody entities which have a check next to them in
the Freebody tab of the Visibility dialog box will be visible.
Auto Redraw - When On, which is the default, changes made to Style, Results, or Options will be plotted to the
graphics window on-the-fly. When Off, click the Manual Redraw button or use the Window, Redraw (Crtl+D) or
Window, Regenerate (Ctrl+G) command to update the image in the graphics window.
Manual Redraw - Click this button to Redraw the graphics window.
Toggle Tools
Roload
Undeformed/No Contour
Deformed Style
Contour Style
Auto Redraw
Manual Redraw Freebody
7-50 Modeling Tools
7.2.3.1 Deform tool
Choose a Style in the Deform tool. Choices are Undeformed, Deformed, Animate, Animate - MultiSet, Vector,
Trace, and Streamline. For each Style, a unique set of options becomes available.
Results
Select the Output Set and Output Vector to display for each Deform Style. With Style set to Animate - MultiSet or
Trace, the Final Output Set should also be specified, with the option to include an Increment value to use every
nth output set in the animation.
The Output Set, Final Output Set, and Output Vector options have some additional controls which make it easier to
move from one output set or output vector to another. Click the Previous icon button (arrow pointing left) to
move to the Previous output set/vector, the Next icon button (arrow pointing right) to move to the Next output
set/vector, or the middle Bracket icon button to open up the Select Output Set/Select Output Vector dialog box.
Deform tool 7-51
Select Output Set and Select Output Vector dialog boxes
These dialog boxes provide the ability to select an output set/output vector from a list of available output sets/out-
put vectors in the model. Additional options are available to filter the displayed data.
Both dialog boxes share some common features. Simply choose an output set/ vector from the list, then click OK.
Title Filter - You may enter text into the Title Contains field, then click the Filter icon button to reduce the list of
output sets/output vectors to only those sets/vectors with titles that contain the text you specified. You can now
enter additional text, then press the Filter icon button again to further reduce the list. Press the Clear Title Filter
icon button to clear the Title Filter only.
In addition to the Title Filter, the Select Output Vector dialog box contains 3 additional filters for:
Output Type - Reduces list to output vectors which are a certain type of output. Available type options are Any
Output, Displacement, Velocity/Accel, Force, Stress, Strain, and Thermal.
Output On - Reduces list to output vectors on a particular type of entity. Available options are Any Output,
Nodes, Any Element, Any Element/Corners, Line Elements, Planar Elements, Solid Elements, or User Output
Complex Type - Only available when complex data exists in the selected output set. Reduces list to output
vectors of a particular complex type. Available options are Any Output, Magnitude, Phase, Real Component,
and Imaginary Component.
Note: The Output On filter uses the output vector ID to determine what type of entity the output is on. For
instance, Nodal output is found in the range of Output Vector IDs from 1-2,999, while User Output
is found in IDs which start with 9,000,000.
Title Filter Clear Title Filter Clear Title Filter Title Filter
7-52 Modeling Tools
Filter Next/Prev - When the Filter Prev/Next option is on, the Previous and Next controls in the PostProcessing
toolbox will only move between the filtered output sets/output vectors.
Reset Filter - Click Reset Filter button to clear ALL filters and turn off the Filter Prev/Next option.
Options - Deform tool
Many of the options are shared between several different Deform Styles, while others are only used for one particu-
lar style. Please see the table below to see which options are available in a particular Style. Descriptions of all the
options follows the table. Top Level options appear in Bold Text in the table.
Transform - Allows transformation of the Deformation Output Vector. Vector may be transformed using the
Nodal Output Coordinate System of each node or into any Coordinate System in the model. See Displacement Out-
put Vector Transformation in Section 8.2.2.2, "Selecting Data for a Deformed or Contour Style" for more info.
Active Components - Choose to include X, Y, and/or Z components when transforming the Deformation Out-
put Vector. When checked, component is included.
Scale - Sets the Scale for the Deformation Output Vector. Default is % of Model, which uses the Max % Model
value to determine how the deformation values will be scaled in the graphics window. Other option is Actual
Deformations, which uses the actual deformations at each node combined with the Scale Actual By factor.
Max % Model - Used when Scale is set to % of Model. Value represents a percentage of overall model size.
Largest deformation in the model will be scaled by this value, then all other deformations are linearly interpo-
lated between 0 and specified value.
Scale Actual By - Used when Scale is set to Actual Deformations. Actual deformation values are multiplied by
this Scale Factor and then displayed graphically.
Scale Based on Group - Off by default. When On, the largest deformation value from displayed group(s) is
used to graphically display the deformed model.
Deformed Relative To - Model is deformed relative to the Origin (0,0,0 in the model) by default. Other option is to
deform the model relative to a Fixed Node anywhere in the model.
Deform Options Deformed Animate
Animate
MultiSet
Vector Trace Streamline
Transform * * * * * *
Active Components (X;Y;Z) * * * * * *
Scale * * * * *
Max % Model/Scale Actual By * * * * *
Scale Based on Group * * * * *
Deform Relative To * * * * *
Node ID * * * * *
Deformed Model * * * * *
Animate Deformation * * *
Use View Color * * * * *
Default Direction * * * * *
Undeformed Model * * * *
Use View Color * * * *
Animation * *
Shape *
Frames *
Delay * *
Animation Control * *
Vector options *
Trace options *
Locations options *
Streamline options *
Deform tool 7-53
Node ID - Specifies the Node ID to be used when Deform Relative To is set to Fixed Node. Click the icon but-
ton to the left to graphically select a Node ID from the screen.
Deformed Model - Specify options for the display of the Deformed Model.
Animate Deformation - On by default. When Off, the model will animate the selected contour style, but the
model will not be deformed. This is helpful in heat transfer and transient models.
Use View Color - Off by default. When On, deformed model will be shown using the specified View Color
(Not used on elements which have Contour Style applied). Click the Color Wheel icon button to select a View
Color from the Color Palette dialog box.
Default Direction - Only used when specified Deformation Output Vector contains scalar values instead of
vectors. Model will deform in the chosen direction based on the scalar values.
Undeformed Model - Off by default. When On, an image of the Undeformed model will be displayed along with
the deformed model
Use View Color - On by default. Sets the View Color for the Undeformed Model. Click the Color Wheel icon
button to select a View Color from the Color Palette dialog box. When Off, the Undeformed Model will use
entity colors.
Animation - Specify options for Animations of specific Deform Styles.
Shape - Choose between a Linear Interpolation and a Sinusoidal distribution of the frames in the animation.
Also, choose Full or Full Absolute to see the model Load and Unload. Choose Half or Half Absolute to only
animate the model in the loaded direction. See Section 8.3.4, "Animated Style" for more information.
Frames - Specify number of frames for animation. Default value is 4.
Delay - Specify the delay between each frame. Default value is 101. Larger values result in slower animations.
Animation Control - Click button to open the Animation Control dialog box. Speed and shape of animation
can be controlled. Also, animation may be paused and then moved frame by frame.
Vector - Specify options for display of the Vector Deform Style.
Label - Choose a Label Mode for Vector Display. Default is No Labels. Other options are Output Values (Labels
on all Deformed Vectors) and Top Percent (Labels only on Deformed Vectors which fall into specified top per-
centile). When Top Percent is chosen for Label, the Top Percent field will become visible. Default is 10, which
means only the vectors with the top 10% of Deformed Values will be labeled.
Color - Sets the color of the Vectors for the Vector Deform Style. Click the Color Wheel icon button to select
a color for the Vector plot from the Color Palette dialog box.
Arrowheads - On by default. When On, displays arrowheads at the 'tip' of the vectors. When Off, no arrow-
heads will be displayed.
Component Vectors - Off by default. When On, displays the Deformation Vectors as XYZ Component vectors
instead of a single resultant vector.
Show As Solid - Off by default. When On, Vectors are displayed as solid vectors instead of lines.
Trace - Specify options for Trace Deform Style. Trace creates trace plots on the screen for a single node, a group of
nodes, or every node in the model.
At Locations - Choose Trace locations. Full Model is the default. Other options are Single Node (must specify
node below in Node ID) or choose a group which already exists in the model (group must contain nodes to see
any trace plots).
Length - Choose to see the entire length of the trace plot(s) from the beginning (Full Length) or have them ani-
mate as the model deforms (Animate Growth). Default is Full Length.
7-54 Modeling Tools
Label - Label the Trace Locations, only when Show Locations option is On. Default is No Labels. Other
options are to label each trace location for each node using the Set ID of each Output Set used to create the plot
or the Set Value.
Color - Sets the color of the Trace plot. Click the Color Wheel icon button to select a color for the Trace plot
from the Color Palette dialog box.
Show Locations - Places a marker along the Trace line representing the trace location at each Output Set being
used to create the Trace plot.
Locations - Choose locations for Streamlines in Streamline Deform Style. Default is Specified Location (click but-
ton next to Location to choose graphically). At Point option will use any existing Point in the model. Other option
is to choose a Group in the model (Group must contains points to create Streamlines).
Location - Used by Specified Location option. Click button to select a location for a single Streamline from
the graphics window or enter coordinates manually in the X, Y, and/or Z fields.
Select Point for Streamline Location - Used by At Point option. Enter a Point ID or click icon button to select
a point graphically.
Dynamic Location - Click button to display the Dynamic Streamline Control dialog box. Dynamically move,
extend, or shorten a Streamline plot. Set the Radio button on the left side to modify the X, Y, or Z position of the
Streamline.
Streamline - Specify options for display of the Streamline Deform Style.
Draw Start - Off by default. When On, the start location of the Streamline(s) will be drawn in the graphics win-
dow.
Use View Color - Off by default. When On, the Streamline(s) will be drawn using the View Color instead of
Contour Colors. Click the Color Wheel icon button to select a View Color from the Color Palette dialog box.
Parameters (Streamline) - These values may be used to alter the appearance of the Streamline(s) in the model.
Runge-Kutta Order - Streamlines are evaluated using the Runge-Kutta Numerical method. Value indicates the
order being used by the method. Values range from 1 to 4, with 2 being the default. Increasing the order gener-
ally increases accuracy, but also increases calculation time.
Tolerance - Value is used to determine when a Streamline is entering or leaving an element. Tolerance has no
units and is based on each element's size. Default value is 1.0E-5. Lowering the Tolerance value generally
increases accuracy, but also increases calculation time.
Max Length Factor (x Model) - Value is multiplied by the model bounding box diagonal to accommodate
streamlines which are longer than model bounding box diagonal, which is somewhat common. Error will occur
if this value is not large enough to accommodate very lengthy streamlines.
Minimum Speed (% of Max) - Value represents a percentage of Maximum Velocity in the selected output vec-
tor. Lowering this value will allow display of streamlines with lower velocities relative to the Maximum Veloc-
ity.
7.2.3.2 Contour tool
Choose a Style in the Contour tool. Choices are No Contours, Contour, Criteria, Beam Diagram, IsoSuface, Section
Cut, and Contour Vector. For each Style, a unique set of options becomes available.
Results
Select the Output Set and Output Vector to display for each Contour Style. An optional Additional Vector can be
specified when Style is set to Contour, while a separate control exists for choosing Contour Vectors when Style is
set to Contour Vector . See Section 7.2.3.1, "Deform tool" for more information on the unique controls in the
Results section, as well as the Select Output Set and Select Output Vector dialog boxes.
Contour tool 7-55
Options - Contour tool
Many of the options are shared between several different Contour Styles, while others are only used for one partic-
ular style. Please see the table below to see which options are available in a particular Style. Descriptions of all the
options follows the table. Top Level options appear in Bold Text in the table.
Transform - Allows Transformation of Contour Output Vector(s). Available options depend on type of output data
being transformed. Click icon button to access Current Output Orientation dialog box. See the Contour Output
Vector Transformation portion of Section 8.2.2.2, "Selecting Data for a Deformed or Contour Style" for more info.
Nodal Vector Output - Nodal Vectors may be transformed using the Nodal Output Coordinate System of each
node or into any Coordinate System in the model.
Plate Force/Stress/Strain - Plate Force/Stress/Strain may be transformed using the Material Angle of the Ele-
ments (material angle set using the Modify, Update Elements, Material Angle command), Along a Specified
Vector (Along Vector field and icon button will appear for specification of vector), or into the X, Y, or Z axis of
any Coordinate System in the model (Axis field will appear for to selection of X, Y, or Z axis).
Solid Stress/Strain - Solid Stress/Strain may be transformed using the Material Direction of the Elements or
into any Coordinate System in the model.
Data Conversion - Uses the Average, Maximum, or Minimum value of each element to create the plot. Options
exist to include Corner Data or Element Centroid values only. There is also an option for No Element Averaging
which will only make a difference when viewing an Elemental Contour.
Contour Options Contour Criteria
Beam
Diagram
IsoSurface
Section
Cut
Contour
Vector
Transform * * * * * *
Nodal Vector Output * * * * * *
Plate Force/Stress/Strain * * * * * *
Solid Stress/Strain * * * * * *
Data Conversion * * *
Not If Property Change * * *
Not If Material Change * * *
Not If Layer Change * * *
Not If Color Change * * *
Not If Exceed Angle * * *
Type *
Show On * * * * * *
Show As (unique for each Style) * * * *
Criteria options *
Cut Options *
Vector Options *
Levels * * * * * *
Level Mode * * * * * *
Contour Palette * * * * * *
# of Levels * * * * * *
Continuous Colors * * * * * *
Animate * * * * * *
Label Max/Min *
Legend * * * * * *
Position * * * * * *
Label Color * * * * * *
Exponential Labels * * * * * *
Label Erase Background * * * * * *
Label Freq * * * * * *
Label Digits * * * * * *
Shrink To % * * * * * *
7-56 Modeling Tools
Not If Property Change - Elemental Contours Only - On by default, will NOT average between elements of
different properties. When off, averaging occurs between elements of different properties.
Not If Material Change - Elemental Contours Only - Only available when 'Not If Property Change' is off. On
by default. When Off, averaging occurs between elements of different materials
Not If Layer Change - Elemental Contours Only - Off by default, will average between elements on different
Layers. When On, averaging does NOT occur between elements on different Layers.
Not If Color Change - Elemental Contours Only - Off by default, will average between elements on different
Colors. When On, averaging does NOT occur between elements on different Colors.
Not If Exceed Angle - Elemental Contours Only - On by default, will NOT average between elements which
have a Break Angle of more than the specified angle value (Default Value is 20 degrees). When Off, averaging
occurs regardless of angle between elements.
Type - Choose Type of Contour to display. Choose between Nodal, Elemental, or Match Output. When Match Out-
put is used, FEMAP will display a Nodal Contour when plotting nodal output or an Elemental Contour for elemen-
tal output.
Double-Sided Planar - Elemental Contours Only - Off by default. When On, the 'other side' of a plate contour
will be displayed along with selected output vector (For Example, if Plate Top X normal Stress is selected, then
Plate Bot X Normal Stress will be displayed on the other side of the plate elements).
Show On - Select to create a plot on a group while the rest of the model is visible. Choose the Active Group or
Select any group in the model from the drop-down list. Group should include elements.
Show As - The Show As option(s) differ for each Style which has it available. Each is described below.
Contour - Choose between showing a Filled contour and a Line Contour. Filled is the default.
Beam Diagram - The top-level Show As option allows you to display a Beam Diagram plot as a Beam Dia-
gram or a Beam Contour.
Additional Show As options for Beam Diagram plots include:
Label - By default, set to No Labels. Other options are Labels at Nodes (Output values displayed at nodes of beam
elements) and Labels at Peaks (Output values displayed at peaks of Beam Diagrams).
Direction - Select a direction for ALL beam diagrams to be displayed. Choose from Element Y, Element Z, Global
X, Global Y, or Global Z. These 5 options are also available with the End B values reversed, which is needed to
properly display Beam Diagrams using output from certain FE solvers.
Show Reversed - Off by default. When on, reverses the direction which the Beam Diagrams will be displayed.
Scale % - Used to set the overall height of the Beam Diagrams. By default, largest value is shown at 10% of model
size. Different value may be entered directly or slider may be used to increase Scale %.
Border Color - Sets the color of the border of each Beam Diagram. Click the Color Wheel button to select a color
from the Color Palette dialog box.
IsoSurface - The top-level Show As option allows you to choose how the IsoSurface will be displayed. IsoS-
urface is the default. Other options are IsoLine (Line representation instead of Surface) and Contour on Deform
IsoSurface (displays Output Values at areas in the model with the same deformation value, which must be
entered in the At Value field).
Additional Show As options for IsoSurface plots include:
Number - By default, a Single IsoSurface/IsoLine will be shown. When set to Single, a value should be entered in
the At Value field. Other option, Use Contour Levels will create an IsoSurface/IsoLine for each Contour Level in
the model (i.e., # of Levels set to 16 creates 16 IsoSurfaces/IsoLines on the model).
Contour Mode - IsoLines Only. Default is to show Isolines Only. Other Options are Contour Above (Only contours
values above specified value) and Contour Below (only contours values below specified value).
IsoLine Width - IsoLines Only. Sets the width of the IsoLines. Default is 1. Value may be entered directly or chosen
using the slider to increase IsoLine thickness.
Contour tool 7-57
IsoSurf/Line Color - Off by default. When On, all IsoSurfaces/IsoLines will be displayed using this color. Click
the Color Wheel icon button to select a color from the Color Palette dialog box.
Fill Color - IsoLines Only. Off by default, When On, Elements between IsoLines, not Contoured will be displayed
using this color. Click the Color Wheel icon button to select a color from the Color Palette dialog box.
Dynamic Control - Click button to display the Dynamic IsoSurface Control dialog box. Dynamically move a single
IsoSurface/IsoLine to any value within the range of the displayed output vector.
Section Cut - Choose between showing a Filled contour and a Line Contour. Filled is the default.
Criteria - Specify options for Criteria plot. Setup Criteria Limits and choose display options for Elements which
Pass or Fail based on those limits.
Limits Mode - Choose from No Limits (default), Above Maximum (specify Maximum value), Below Minimum
(specify Minimum value), Between (specify Minimum and Maximum values), or Outside (specify Minimum and
Maximum values). The Abs Value of Results option can also be set to use the Absolute Value of Results for
determining if values Pass or Fail based on Criteria Limits.
Elements that Pass - On by default, Elements that Pass based on Criteria Limits will be displayed. When
off, Elements that Pass will NOT be displayed. Use the Label option (On by default), to display the value of
each element which Passes at the centroid of the Element. By default, the Color option is set to Contour Col-
ors. Other options are Entity Colors or Use View Color (Use Color Wheel icon button to choose View Color
from the Contour Palette dialog box).
Elements that Fail - Off by default, Elements that Fail based on Criteria Limits will be NOT displayed.
When on, Elements that Fail will be displayed. Use the Label option (Off by default), to display the value of
each element which Passes at the centroid of the Element. By default, the Color option is set to Use View
Color (Use Color Wheel icon button to choose View Color from the Contour Palette dialog box). Other
options are Contour Colors or Entity Colors.
Cut Options - Choose a Section Cut option. Default is Cut Model (everything on positive side of cutting plane is
invisible). Other options are Parallel Sections (create up to 99 parallel section cuts a specified distance from one
another) and Multiple Sections (create up to 3 independent section cuts).
Number - Used to set the number of Parallel Sections to be displayed. Enter a value from 1 to 99.
Spacing - Sets the distance between each Parallel Section.
Cutting Plane - Used when top-level Cut Options is set to Cut Model or Parallel Sections to specify the
Section Cut Plane. Click Plane icon button to use Plane Locate dialog box.
Section Plane 1, 2, and 3 - Used when top-level Cut Options is set to Multiple Sections to specify each of the
3 Section Cut Planes. Click the any of the Plane icon button next to to use Plane Locate dialog box to spec-
ify Section Plane 1, 2, or 3.
Dynamic Control - Click button to display the Dynamic Section Cut Control dialog box. Dynamically move
the Section Cut Plane for Cut Model or ALL Cut Planes when using Parallel Sections. When using the Multiple
Sections Cut Option, use the Radio button on the left side to choose Section Plane 1, 2, or 3.
Vector Options - Set various display options for Contour Vector plots.
Vector Style - Choose a combination of Location (Center or not), Number of Arrows on each displayed
vector (None, Single, or Dual), and Arrow Display (Solid of Line).
7-58 Modeling Tools
Length - Options for setting the length of Contour Vectors. Adjust Length to Value is On by default. Arrow
lengths are adjusted so longer arrows represent larger values. When Off, all arrows are the same length. Arrow
Length value may be set from 0.01 to 1000 to specify the length of the longest vector arrow (Adjust Length to
Value = On) or all arrows (Adjust Length to Value = Off).
Label - Off by default. When On, displays label of Contour Vector value. Exponential Labels are Off by
default. When On, Label values are displayed using Exponents (Scientific Notation). Use Label Digits value to
vary the number of significant digits.
Levels - Set various options for Contour/Criteria Levels, which are used in all Contour Styles.
Level Mode - Options for how the Max and Min values for Contour/Criteria Levels are determined. Auto-
matic is the default. Auto-Group will automatically use the Max and Min values of the displayed groups. Max
Min requires values be entered for Maximum Level and Minimum Level. User Defined uses Maximum Level and
Minimum Level along with Specify Levels to fully customize the Contour/Criteria Levels.
Contour Palette - Choose between using the Standard Palette, which is the default, or a User Palette. When
set to Standard Palette, click the Color Range icon button to open the Contour/Criteria Levels dialog box.
See Section 8.3.10.3, "Level Modes". When set to User Palette, click the Color Range icon button to open the
User Defined Contour Color Palette dialog box. See Section 8.3.10.4, "User-Defined Contour Palette".
# of Levels - Specifies the number of Contour/Criteria Levels to use when Contour Palette is set to Standard
Palette.
Continuous Colors - On by default. When On, contours are blended from one color to the next creating a con-
tinuous contour. When Off, one color level stops, then another begins to create a fringe contour plot.
Animate - On by default. When On, the contour values will animate as the model animates. This animation is
simply a linear interpolation of the values from start to finish of the animation. When Off, Contour colors
remain constant as the model animates.
Label Max/Min - Off by default. When On, the Maximum and Minimum values of the displayed contour
will be labeled. The labels are located where these values occur in the model.
Legend - On by default. When On, the Contour/Criteria Legend will be displayed. When Off, no Legend will be
visible.
Position - Choose the position of the Legend. Default is Center Right. Other options are Top Left, Top Center,
Top Right, Center Left, Bottom Left, Bottom Center, and Bottom Right. All Legends are vertical except Top Cen-
ter and Bottom Center.
Label Color - Sets the Label Color of the Legend. Default is to use Contour Colors. Other option is Use View
Color, which can then be set using the View Color option directly below.
Exponential Labels - Off by default. When On, Legend values are displayed using Exponents (Scientific Nota-
tion). Use Label Digits value to vary the number of significant digits in the Legend.
Label Erase Background- Off by default. When On, the background will be erased around labels in order to
make them easier to read. Does all labels, not just Labels in the Legend.
Label Freq- Specifies the frequency of the Contour/Criteria Levels are labeled in the Legend. When set to 0 or
1, all Levels are labeled. When set to 2, every other level is labeled, set to 3, every 3rd level, etc.
Label Digits - Used to set the number of significant digits displayed in the Legend.
Shrink to % - May be used to shrink the Legend to a % of original size. % Values may be entered directly or by
using the Slider. When Position is using any of the options which mention 'Center', the Legend is shrunk on
both ends towards the middle. All other Position options are shrunk in one direction only.
Freebody tool 7-59
7.2.3.3 Freebody tool
The Freebody tool is the gateway to using freebody
diagrams for post-processing. The freebody display
can be performed at any time, whether you are
showing a deformed and contour plot, or a simple
undeformed plot. The type of freebody display,
the output set and contributions used in the calcula-
tions, and many view options for freebody entities
are all controlled via this tool.
In order to use the Freebody tool fully, the Grid
Point Force and Grid Point Moment results must
have been recovered from Nastran. This is done in
FEMAP by selecting the Force Balance option in
the Nastran Output Requests dialog box found in the
Analysis Set Manager. See Section 4.10.1.5, "Output
Requests" for more information.
A Freebody entity must be created before any addi-
tional options may be specified. To do this, use the
Freebody Manager, which is accessed by pressing
the Add Freebody icon button next to the drop-down
list next to Freebody in the Freebody Properties sec-
tion. Multiple Freebody entities may be created.
Once Freebody entities have been created, each may
be made visible or hidden individually in all views
using the Is Visible check box in the Freebody Prop-
erties section or the check boxes in the Freebody tab
of the Visibility dialog box (see Section 6.1.4, "View,
Visibility..."). The ... icon button next to Display
Freebodies will give direct access to the Visibility
dialog box with the Freebody tab selected.
Options - Freebody tool
The Freebody tool is divided into 3 sections. The top
of the Freebody tool contains 3 options which affect
all Freebody entities in a View. The options in the
Freebody Properties section changes based on
which Freebody entity is selected with the Freebody
drop-down list. Options in View Properties section
change depending on which View is currently active
in the model.
The three options at the top of the Freebody tool are
used to control the overall visibility of all Freebody
entities (Display Freebodies), which Output Set will
be used to create the freebody display, and if data
should be summed at nodes (Sum Data on Nodes).
The arrow icons can be used to go to the Next or
Previous output set or the Select Output Set icon button can be used to access the Select Output Set dialog box. See
Select Output Set and Select Output Vector dialog boxes section for more information. When Sum Data On Nodes
is on, the grid point force and moment data from all element corners attached to that node will be summed at each
node. When off, the individual grid point forces and moments will be displayed at each element corner along with
the element ID next to the value in parentheses.
Freebody Properties
Freebody - This drop-down is used to select which options are currently available for use in the Freebody Proper-
ties section. To create a new Freebody entity or edit an existing one, click the Add Freebody icon button to access
the Freebody Manager.
Visibility icon button
Freebody Manager icon button
7-60 Modeling Tools
Freebody Manager - Used to create, edit, renumber, copy, and delete Freebody entities.
New Freebody - When clicked, the New Freebody dialog box will appear.
In this dialog box, specify an ID and Title
(optional) along with some top-level
options for the new Freebody entity, such as
Display Mode , Vector Display Freebody
Contributions, and Load Components in
Total Summation. These options will be
described later in this section.
Update Title - Highlight a Freebody entity
in Available Freebodies list, then click this
button to enter a new Title.
Renumber - Highlight a Freebody entity in
Available Freebodies list, then click this
button to change the ID.
Delete - Highlight a Freebody entity in
Available Freebodies list, then click this
button to delete it from the model.
Delete All - Deletes all Freebody entities in
the model.
Copy - Highlight a Freebody entity in Available Freebodies list, then click this button to make a copy.
None Active - When clicked, there is no longer an Active Freebody entity.
Default Settings - When clicked, the following options are set:
Display Mode: Freebody Only
Vector Display: Nodal Forces displayed as Components, Nodal Moments Off
Freebody Contributions: Applied, Reaction, MultiPoint Reaction, and Peripheral Elements On, Freebody
Elements and Nodal Summation Off.
More - Click this button to create another new Freebody entity.
Freebody tool 7-61
Freebody Tools - This section contains
four icon buttons used for sending the data
used in the calculations to create the free-
body display to the Messages window or
the Data Table.
List Freebody to Messages Window - Lists all contributions used to create the display of the Freebody entity
currently selected in the Freebody tool to the Messages window. ID is the node ID where the Nodal Force and
Nodal Moment vectors are being calculated and Source is the Element ID which is providing the force and
moment contributions.
List Freebody to Data Table - Reports all contributions used to create the display of the Freebody entity cur-
rently selected in the Freebody tool to the Data Table. The ID is the node ID where the Nodal Force and Nodal
Moment vectors are being calculated and Source is the Element ID which is providing the force and moment
contributions
Freebody to Messages
Freebody to Data Table Summation to Messages
Summation to Data Table
7-62 Modeling Tools
List Freebody Summation to Messages Window (Display Mode set to Interface Load only) - Lists all con-
tributions used to create the display of the Total Summation Vector for the Freebody entity currently selected in
the Freebody tool to the Messages window. The Header above the listing contains information about the
Components included in summation, Contributions included in the summation, and location of the sum-
mation. The (F) and (P) designators in the listings indicate contributions from Freebody Elements (F) and con-
tributions from Peripheral Elements (P). The d1, d2, and d3 fields represent the distance from the X, Y, and Z
location of the node (Node ID) to the location where the summation is taking place.
List Freebody Summation to Data Table (Display Mode set to Interface Load only) - Reports all the same
information as List Freebody Summation to Messages Window, but sends it to the Data Table. One difference is
that the Header information is still sent to the Messages window, as there is no logical place to report this
information in the Data Table.
Is Visible - When On, the Freebody entity currently in the Freebody drop-down will be visible in the graphics win-
dow in all views. Display of Freebody entities may also be controlled via the Freebody tab of the Visibility dialog
box.
Coordinate System - Drop-down list specifies which coordinate system should be used to display the freebody
vectors. You can create a new coordinate system by using the New Coord Sys icon button.
Display Mode - Each Freebody entity can be displayed in two different modes, Freebody or Interface Load.
Freebody - Only Freebody Elements may be selected in the Entities section and only the vectors in the Nodal
Vector(s) section can be displayed and controlled.
Interface Load - Both Freebody Nodes and Freebody Elements must be selected in the Entities section and
vectors in both the Nodal Vector(s) and the Total Summation Vector sections can be displayed and controlled.
Additionally, a Location must be selected when using this option.
Note: Only entities which can be displayed and controlled by the selected Display Type will be available in
the Freebody Entity Colors section, while setting the View Properties for all the different freebody
vector types and nodes markers is available at all times.
Freebody tool 7-63
Entities - Allows you to specify which Freebody Elements (Display Mode = Freebody) or Freebody Nodes and
Freebody Elements (Display Mode = Interface Load) are used by a Freebody entity. Based on the Entity Selection
Mode, elements and nodes may be selected for the Freebody entity directly or by using a pre-defined group.
Entity Selection Mode - When set to Entity Select, elements and nodes are selected, highlighted in the graphics
widow, or deleted from the Freebody entity using the icon buttons below. An additional icon button exists for
placing the summation location at the center of the selected nodes.
When set to Group Select, elements and nodes are determined by selecting a group from the Group drop-down list.
If Group is set to -1..Active, then the elements will be retrieved from the Active group in the model. The Group
Manager dialog box may also be accessed by the icon button next to the Group drop-down (see Section 6.4.3.1,
"Group, Create/Manage..." for more information).
Total Summation Vector (Display Mode set to Interface Load only) - Allows you to specify the Location of the
Total Force Vector and Total Moment Vector, along with how these vectors are displayed and what components will
be summed to create these vectors.
Location - Allows you to specify the location of summation for the Total Summation Vector. Click the icon but-
ton next to location to pick a location from the graphics window. Additionally, the individual coordinates may
be entered or edited below the Location, when expanded.
When nodes are selected in the Entities
section, the user will be prompted to
answer the following question:
Auto-locate total summation vector at
center of freebody nodes (X-coordi-
nate, Y-coordinate, Z-coordinate
in coordinate system ID of Coordi-
nate System specified in Freebody
Properties)?
If you click Yes, the Location will be
specified at the center of the selected
nodes. If you click No, the Location
will be at (0.0, 0.0, 0.0) or the Location
last used by the Freebody entity cur-
rently in the Freebody tool.
Force Vector Display - This option controls how the Force vector (single arrow head) of the Total Summa-
tion Vector will be displayed. When set to Off, the force vector will be not be displayed. When set to Display
Components, the force vector will be displayed in X, Y, and/or Z Components (individual components may be
toggled on/off using the FX, FY, and FZ check boxes for Displayed Forces). When set to Display Resultant,
the force vector will be displayed as a single resultant vector based on the components currently on in Dis-
played Forces.
Moment Vector Display - This option controls how the Moment vector (double arrow head) of the Total
Summation Vector will be displayed. When set to Off, the moment vector will be not be displayed. When set
to Display Components, the moment vector will be displayed in X, Y, and/or Z Components (individual com-
Select Elements
Highlight Elements in Freebody
Delete Elements
Highlight Selected Nodes
Display Mode = Freebody Display Mode = Interface Load
from Freebody for Freebody
Select Nodes
for Interface Load
for Interface Load
Delete Elements
from Freebody
Place Summation
point at center of
Selected Nodes
7-64 Modeling Tools
ponents may be toggled on/off using the MX, MY, and MZ check boxes for Displayed Moments). When set to
Display Resultant, the moment vector will be displayed as a single resultant vector based on the components
currently on in Displayed Moments.
Summed Components - This option controls which Force and Moment components will be used to calculate
the Total Summation Vector. Turning individual Force components on/off is also very likely to affect the
Moment values, so keep that in mind.
Following figures show the Total Summation Vector. Freebody Node Markers are On, Node Vector(s) not dis-
played, Element Transparency set to 75%, and Element Shrink View Option is On.
Nodal Vector(s) - Allows you to control how the Force and Moment vectors are displayed at each node (Sum Data
on Nodes in View Properties section On) or each element corner (Sum Data on Nodes Off).
Force Vector Display - This option controls how the Force vectors (single arrow head) are displayed. When
set to Off, the force vectors will be not be displayed. When set to Display Components, the force vector at
each node/element corner will be displayed in X, Y, and/or Z Components (individual components may be tog-
gled on/off using the FX, FY, and FZ check boxes for Displayed Forces). When set to Display Resultant, the
force vector at each node/element corner will be displayed as a single resultant vector based on the components
currently on in Displayed Forces.
Moment Vector Display - This option controls how the Moment vectors (double arrow head) are displayed.
When set to Off, the moment vectors will be not be displayed. When set to Display Components, the
moment vector at each node/element corner will be displayed in X, Y, and/or Z Components (individual compo-
nents may be toggled on/off using the MX, MY, and MZ check boxes for Displayed Moments). When set to Dis-
play Resultant, the moment vector at each node/element corner will be displayed as a single resultant vector
based on the components currently on in Displayed Moments..
When Sum Data on Nodes is On, the Nodal Vector(s) will be at each node:
Display Mode = Interface Load
Total Summation Vector Force and
Moment set to Display Resultant
Display Mode = Interface Load
Total Summation Vector Force set to Off
and Moment set to Display Components
Display Mode = Freebody
Nodal Vector(s): Force Set to Display
Components, Moment set to Off
Display Mode = Freebody
Nodal Vector(s): Force Set to Off,
Moment set to Display Resultant
Freebody tool 7-65
When Sum Data on Nodes is Off, the Nodal Vector(s) at each element corner will include the Element ID
Freebody Contributions From - Allows you to control the calculation of the Freebody entity by choosing which
contributions should be included. Available contributions are from Applied Loads, from Reaction Forces and
Moments at single point constraints and/or constraint equations, from the selected elements (Freebody Elements),
and from the elements surrounding the Freebody Elements (Peripheral Elements). Toggling various options on/off
can drastically alter the values and appearance of a Freebody entity, so be sure to have the proper contributions
included for your particular needs.
Applied - When On, includes contributions from all loads applied to the model used to produce the results in
the selected Output Set.
Reaction - When On, includes contributions from all reaction forces and moments at single point constraints in
the model used to produce the results in the selected Output Set.
MultiPoint Reaction - When On, includes contributions from all reaction forces and moments from constraint
equations, rigid elements, and interpolation elements in the model used to produce the results in the selected
Output Set.
Peripheral Elements - When On, includes grid point force and moment contributions from the selected Output
Set for the elements surrounding the Freebody Elements selected in Entities section.
Freebody Elements - When On, includes grid point force and moment contributions from the selected Output
Set for the elements selected in Entities section.
Nodal Summation - When On, includes force and moment contributions from nodal summation. Typically,
these are very small numbers, unless there is a non-balanced force or moment in the model.
Freebody Entity Colors - Allows you to specify colors for Node Marker(s), Total Force Vector, Total Moment
Vector, Nodal Force Vector(s), and/or Nodal Moment Vector(s) for each Freebody entity. Click the icon button to
select a color from the Color Palette. These colors will only be used when the Color Mode for any of these items
is set to Freebody Entity Color in the View Properties section of the Freebody tool or via the Freebody... options
in the View Options dialog box, PostProcessing category (See Section 8.3.25, "Freebody options").
Forces shown using Display Components at element corners Moments shown using Display Components at element corners
Contributions = Applied, Reaction, and Peripheral Elements Contributions = Applied, Reaction, and Freebody Elements
Freebody Elements = 75% Transparent in figure Peripheral Elements = 75% Transparent in figure
Sum Data on Nodes = Off, Freebody Node Markers = On Sum Data on Nodes = On, Freebody Node Markers = On
7-66 Modeling Tools
View Properties
The View Properties control the visibility, style, color, and labeling for Freebody display. Each view in the model
can have different options set in the section. When a different view is activated, the values from that view will fill
the View Properties section.
Show Node Markers - controls the visibility, symbol size, and color of the node markers for Freebody entities.
Having the node markers visible is a good way to visually inspect the nodes or element corners being used in the
freebody calculations. The Symbol Size can be entered directly or increased/decreased using the slider bar. When
Color Mode is set to Freebody Entity Color, the node markers will use the color specified for Freebody Node
Marker(s) in the Freebody Properties section.
Vector Options - controls the Label Mode, Length, and Label Format of the Freebody vectors. Label Mode allows
you to display No Labels, the Value of each freebody vector, or the value using exponents. For Label Format, the
number of digits may be entered directly or increased/decreased using the slider bar. This will chance the number
of significant digits being displayed. When Label Format is set to 0, this is an automatic mode and FEMAP
will determine the number of significant digits to display.
When Adjust Length is off, the length of each freebody vector type is controlled by a combination of the
entered Length value and the Factor value entered for the Freebody Total Force, Freebody Total Moment, Freebody
Nodal Force, and Freebody Nodal Moment view options.
When Adjust Length is on, the length of the freebody vectors will be adjusted based on the vectors value (i.e.,
larger values = longer vectors). The Units/Length value is an additional parameter used to control the length of the
vectors when in this mode. Essentially, the Units/Length value is used in the following manner:
If Units/Length value is 250, then a freebody vector value of 500 would be shown using a length of 2*Factor on
the screen. For the same freebody vector value of 500, entering a Units/Length value of 100 would display the vec-
tor using a length of 5*Factor on the screen.
Min Vector Magnitude - allows you to set a tolerance below which the vectors are not displayed. Using the default
value of 1.0E-8, this option will basically remove vectors from the display that are not zero just due to numerical
round-off. The value can also be used as a cut-off value, so if it is set to 10, only vector values above 10 will be dis-
played.
Total Force Vector/Total Moment Vector - controls the Vector Style, Color Mode, and Factor for the Total Sum-
mation Force and Moment vectors. The Total Summation vectors are only visible when the Display Mode of a
Freebody entity is set to Interface Load.
When Vector Style is set to Arrow or Center Arrow, the vectors will be displayed as lines. When set to Solid Arrow
or Center Solid Arrow, the vectors will be thicker, filled-in solids. Factor is an additional scale factor which can
be entered to change the size of the selected vector type.
When Color Mode is set to Freebody Entity Color, the Freebody Entity Colors specified for each Freebody entity
in the Freebody tool is used. This allows multiple Freebody entities to be displayed at one time using unique colors
for clarity. RGB Color uses Red to display the X component, Green for the Y component, and Blue for the Z com-
ponent of each vector.
Nodal Force Vector/Nodal Moment Vector - offers the same options as Freebody Total Force/Freebody Total
Moment, but these options control the Nodal Vector(s). One difference is in Color Mode, where an additional
option, Source Color exists. When set to Source Color, this selected vector type uses the color of the source ele-
ments, the color of the load for Applied loads, and/or the color of the constraint for Reaction forces and moments.
When the Sum Data on Nodes option is on and Source Color is selected, the View Color will be used.
Tools, Entity Editor 7-67
7.2.4 Tools, Entity Editor
The Entity Editor dockable pane allows you to view, modify, choose, and create attributes, colors, connections,
numerical values, settings, etc. of a single finite element, geometric, or other entity in FEMAP.
Finite Element entities include: Coordinate Systems,
Nodes, Elements, Materials, Properties, Loads (on
Nodes, Elements, or Geometric entities), Constraints
(on Nodes, Constraint Equations, or Geometric enti-
ties), Contact Segments, and Results Sets.
Geometric Entities include: points, curves of all types,
surfaces, boundary surfaces, and solids.
Other entities include: Text, Views, and Groups.
Entity Entry Methods
An entity must be selected for it to appear in the Entity
Editor before it can be modified. There are three sepa-
rate methods to have a particular entity appear in the
Entity Editor:
Select Toolbar - When activated, the last chosen entity
will appear in the Entity Editor pane.
Data Table pane - Once the Data Table has entity data
in it, every time a row containing entity data in the
table is highlighted, it will appear in the Entity Editor.
Model Info tree - When an entity in the tree is high-
lighted, it will appear in the Entity Editor (Analyses
and entities in the Selection List from the tree will not
populate the Entity Editor when highlighted)
Field Types
There are several different types of fields that can be
modified in the Entity Editor. The field should be high-
lighted to determine the field type. The types of fields
include:
Numeric Value - Enables you to enter a numeric value
for a specific field
Text - Text can be typed directly into these fields. Usu-
ally in a Title, Text, or Notes field
Drop-down menu button - Button has arrow facing
down. Lists options for that can be selected for a par-
ticular field.
Options button - Button has three dots. Brings up the
color palette or a dialog box that is used to change the
information in that specific field.
Note: Some entities can only be entered into the
Entity Editor using a certain method. For
instance, View or Group information can
only appear in the Entity Editor by clicking
it in the Model Info tree. Points, Curves,
and Surfaces can only appear when using
the Select Toolbar or from the Data Table.
Lock/Unlock Toggle Listing Method Icons
Copy to Clipboard
Reload
Update
Model
Expand/
Contract
Toggles
from
Model
(Categorized, Alphabetic,
and Collapse/Expand)
Entity Editor Field Help
7-68 Modeling Tools
Read Only - Cannot be changed. Shown in grayed-out text.
Entity Editor Icons
Lock/Unlock Toggle - When unlocked, the Entity Editor will always display the entity that was last selected using
an entity entry method. When locked, the data in the Entity Editor will remain there until the pane is unlocked.
Copy to Clipboard - Copies the current data in the Entity Editor to the clipboard so it can be pasted into the Mes-
sages window or an outside program
Clear All - Completely clears all information currently in the Entity Editor.
Categorized - Default listing method of the Entity Editor. For each entity, groups similar parameters, options, and
settings together for more efficient use.
Alphabetic - Displays all the fields in alphabetical order (no categories)
Collapse/Expand All - Collapses or expands ALL categories in the Entity Editor at once. Can be used to only
show what you need to modify specific entities.
Reload From Model - Reloads the Entity Editor fields with the values that are currently in the model for the cho-
sen entity. If you ever delete or change any fields by mistake and have already clicked off of the specific field, use
this to recover the original values for all the fields.
Update Model - Applies any changes made in the Entity Editor to the chosen entity and saves the changes to the
model database.
Other Entity Editor Features
Expand/Collapse toggles - Allow you to collapse and expand individual categories and sub-categories inside the
Entity Editor. When the toggle shows a + it means the category can be expanded, when it shows a - it means
the category can be collapsed.
Note: Drop down menu fields that allow you to choose a material, property, layer, or function also have
an option to create a new entity at the bottom of the drop-down menu.
Note: The Tab, Enter, and Arrow keys can be used to move from one field to another while making
changes. This can be helpful as you do not have to click into each field individually.
Note: Because of the Rich Text Format copied from the Data Table and Entity Editor dockable panes,
you may need to do some resizing of columns in order to create a correctly formatted table when it
is copied into the Messages pane. When copying tables from the Data Table and Entity Editor
panes, there should be no issues when pasting into outside programs which support Rich Text For-
mat, such as Microsoft Word.
Note: Ctrl+C can be used as a general copy command in FEMAP. FEMAP takes into account which
window or dockable pane is currently active. When the Entity Editor pane is active, Ctrl+C will
perform the copy command and on the highlighted text, or if no text is highlighted, the entire table
will be copied.
Note: The Update Model icon MUST be clicked in order to apply any changes to your model. If it
is not clicked before another entity is chosen, all the changes made to the entity will be lost.
Note: The Entity Editor will remember which categories have been expanded/collapsed when differ-
ent entities of the same type are being selected and placed into the editor. Once the entity type
has been changed, the Entity Editor will show all the fields expanded for the new entity type.
For example, you have the Select Toolbar set to Elements in order to examine the Element
Quality of a number of elements. Since you only need to have the Element Quality category
expanded, you collapse the rest of the categories for easier viewing. As you click different ele-
ments, the categories will remain collapsed or expanded until they are changed. If you were to
then choose nodes as the active entity in the Select Toolbar, the first node chosen would be dis-
played fully expanded in the Entity Editor and remain in that configuration until changed.
Tools, Data Surface Editor 7-69
Entity Editor Help - Shows a title and short description of what each field of every entity represents. Also docu-
ments the Nastran Bulk Data entry (if applicable) the field will produce when a Nastran Input File (*.DAT or
*.NAS file usually) is exported.
Context Sensitive Menus - Different menus appear when the right mouse button is clicked depending on what
type of field is currently highlighted. For instance, when a Text or Numerical Value field is highlighted, a menu will
pop-up which will allow you to Undo (reverts to last saved value while field is still highlighted), Cut, Copy, Paste,
Delete, or Select All. If the right mouse is clicked on the Title bar, it will bring up a menu allowing you to Move,
Size, or Hide the entire dockable pane.
Calculator Functions in Fields - You can use calculator functions (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and divi-
sion), as well as exponentials (i.e. 1.234E4 for 12,340 OR 5.67E-3 for 0.00567) in any real number field. You can
also use any of the predefined FEMAP Functions for equations (see Section C, "Function Reference" for more
information) in many of the real number fields and some fields requiring integers as well.
When the Entity Editor pane is floating, it can be repositioned and resized, just as any other floating dockable
panes. The Entity Editor can be closed by clicking the X on the right side of the Title bar. To reopen the Entity
Editor, use the Tools, Entity Editor menu.
Setting Coordinate System for Nodal Output - Available only when a node is in the Entity Editor and there is
nodal output available to graphically select (i.e. the model is deformed). Allows you to choose which Coordinate
System nodal output will be displayed for the node currently in the Entity Editor. When another node is selected,
the coordinate system will reset to that nodes current Output Coordinate System.
7.2.5 Tools, Data Surface Editor
The Data Surface Editor allows you to create Data Surfaces in FEMAP. These Data Surfaces allow you to
apply variable loading conditions using a number of predefined methods. Each method has a unique dialog box
with all of the required inputs. FEMAP uses the information from a specific dialog box and creates a table of values
which is saved with the model and can then be applied to any number of loading conditions.
Once the data surface has been created using one of the methods, the corresponding table of values will appear in
the Data Surface Editor dockable pane. Now the values can be modified in the table itself. You can also copy and
paste individual cells or use the Fill Down command to change a number of values in the same column at once.
Each Data Surface has an ID and a Title which can be entered (up to 79 characters). If no title is specified, FEMAP
will automatically create a title based on the definition method used to create the Data Surface.
Note: The Tools, Undo command does not work in the Entity Editor pane. Instead, you may use the
undo command on the context sensitive menu and this will only be available while the changed
field remains highlighted.
Create/Load
Save Data
Data Surface Menu
Edit Data
Surface Options
Clear Data
Surface
Operate on Data
Surface Menu
Surface Menu
Paste Data Surface
(Entire Data Surface)
Copy Data Surface
(Entire Data Surface)
Copy Data
Surface Text
to Clipboard
7-70 Modeling Tools
Data Surface Editor Icons
Create/Load Data Surface menu- The menu on this icon contains the various definition methods for creating
data surfaces, as well as the Edit Data Surface and Delete Data Surface commands.
The methods are:
Along Coordinates Data Surface - allows you to choose coordinates in space and apply a Scalar value (single
value) or Vector values (X, Y, and Z values) at each coordinate. The variation will follow the path of the coor-
dinates in the order they are entered.
Between Coordinates Data Surface - allows you to choose the number of corners to use (2, 4, or 8), whether
the variation is in linear or parametric space, and enter a Scalar value (single value) or Vector values (X, Y, and
Z values) at each corner. The values will be interpolated between the specified corners.
Output Map Data Surface - allows you to map output
from one mesh to create load values for another mesh. Out-
put which can be mapped includes:
Nodal (Forces, Moments, Displacements, Velocities, Rota-
tional Velocities, Accelerations, Rotational Accelerations,
Temperatures, and Heat Flux)
Elemental (Pressures, Temperatures, Heat Flux, Heat Gener-
ation, Convection, and Radiation
Mesh Data Surface - allows you to choose node or element
IDs and enter a Scalar value (or expression) or Vector (X,
Y, and Z) values (or 3 expressions). This type of data sur-
face is much more useful when using an expression, which
uses a particular coordinate of a node or element centroid.
(such as XND(!i), bases value on X coordinate of a node).
Tabular Data Surface - allows you to create a data surface by defining the size of the table and then entering
the values one at a time or pasting them in from another program, such as Excel. This is the most general type
of data surface.
Arbitrary 3-D Data Surface - allows you to create a data surface using points in space and then distributes the
values using an Inverse Weighted Interpolation method. This is a great way to enter test data at a number of
points in space and then the values are extrapolated from those points to the nodes or elements in your model.
Equation Data Surface - allows you to simply enter a FEMAP equation and stores the equation for use in any
loading condition.
Each method is described in greater detail in Section 7.2.5.1, "Data Surface Definition Methods"
Edit Data Surface - a single-select dialog box appears which allows you to choose which data surfaces to edit.
You can also use this command to open an existing data surface for viewing, even if you do not plan to edit the
surface.
Delete Data Surface - a multi-select dialog box appears which allows you to choose which data surfaces to
delete.
Save Data Surface menu - The menu on this icon contains the various options for saving a data surface.
Note: To create an expression referencing the Node, Element, or Element Face Coordinates use
XND(), YND(), ZND(), XEL(), YEL(), ZEL(), XEF(;), YEF(;), or ZEF(;). These are explained in
greater detail in Appendix C of the FEMAP User Guide (see Section C, "Function Reference")
Note: In order for the equation to work properly in FEMAP, the proper syntax must be used, which is
explained in greater detail in Appendix C of the FEMAP User Guide (see Section C, "Function
Reference").
Note: When this command is used, FEMAP will ask you if it is OK to Clear Grid? if there is a data
surface currently in the Data Surface Editor. By saying Yes, the grid will be cleared and any
unsaved changes will be lost.
Tools, Data Surface Editor 7-71
Save - simply saves the data surface with the current name to the FEMAP model
Save As - allows you to change the name of the current data surface when saving using the Create or Update
dialog box.
To File - allows you to save the current data surface values to a comma-separated file (*.CSV file).
Copy Data Surface Text to Clipboard - Copies the Text from the Data Surface Editor to the clipboard in Rich
Text Format (RTF) so it can be pasted into a different application.
Edit Data Surface Options - Opens the definition method dialog box corresponding to the type of data surface
currently in the Data Surface Editor. This allows you to modify options such as the coordinate system or other vari-
ation data. For instance, if an Along Coordinates data surface is currently in the Data Surface Editor, FEMAP
will bring up the Define Variation Along Coordinates Data Surface dialog box.
Clear Data Surface Editor - Completely clears any table and values currently in the Data Surface Editor.
Operate on Data Surface menu - The menu on this icon contains commands specifically for use with the Output
Map Data Surface (Align Output Map and Plot Output Map) and the Tabular Data Surface (Interpolate).
Align Output Map - Used to align an Output Map Data Surface to the
target model where the output is to be mapped.
Plot Output Map - Used to toggle a plot of the source mesh and out-
put that will be mapped on and off when the Output Map Data Surface is
applied in the target model. Very useful when aligning the source model
to the target model for visual verification.
Interpolate - This command will perform the initial interpolation on a Tabular Data Surface which is cur-
rently active in the Data Surface Editor. This allows you to enter only certain portions of data into the Data Sur-
face, then have FEMAP interpolate between those points for you. This also allows you to see the populated
values which FEMAP has calculated in the table of values.
Automatic - Automatically switches between a linear or distance
weighted interpolation method. A linear approach is used unless points
internal to the data surface have been defined.
Linear - Uses a linear interpolation method.
Distance Weighted - Uses a Distance weighted method.
Linear Row - Linearly interpolates each independent row.
Linear Column - Linearly interpolates each independent column.
Copy - Copies the data surface to the clipboard using the FEMAP neutral file format. This makes it easy to copy a
data surface from one model to another.
Paste - Pastes the copied data surface into the active model. The Next available data surface ID will be used for the
pasted data surface.
Context Sensitive Menu (All Data Surfaces)
There is a context sensitive menu which will appear when cell(s) are highlighted in the Data Surface Editor pane
and the right mouse button is clicked. This menu allows you to:
Copy and Paste individual cells (either a single cell or multiple cells)
Note: Automatic interpolation is identical to the first step which is performed when a tabular data sur-
face is evaluated to find variation locations.
Note: The Copy and Paste icons are designed for copying a data surface from one model to another.
To copy individual cells to the clipboard (for pasting into other cells in the Data Surface Editor or
a program such as Excel), highlight the cells you wish to copy, then click the right mouse button
and choose the Copy command from the menu. A similar procedure can be used to paste cells
into the Data Surface Editor using the Paste command on the context sensitive menu.
7-72 Modeling Tools
Fill Down is only available when multiple cells have been highlighted. It will
copy the value at the top of the highlighted group of cells and fill all of
the highlighted cells in the same column with that value. If multiple columns
are highlighted, the value at the top of the cells in each column will be the
value that is used.
Clear All completely clears any table and values currently in the Data Sur-
face Editor, while Clear Selected will only clear the highlighted cells.
Update Entity ID allows you to graphically choose an appropriate new Entity
ID in the screen (i.e., Nodes or Elements) for the highlighted row. Update
Coordinates allows you to graphically choose a new coordinate for the
selected row using the Locate dialog box and any snap mode. Update Vector
Values allows you to graphically specify new vector values for a row using
the Vector Locate dialog box and any snap mode(s).
7.2.5.1 Data Surface Definition Methods
There are seven different Data Surface definition methods in FEMAP. Each method has a unique dialog box with
entries and options pertaining only to that particular type of data surface. For setting up certain loading conditions,
one method may be easier than another to achieve the desired result. Please examine all of the methods to deter-
mine which will be the easiest for your particular loading condition.
Along Coordinates Data Surface
This type of Data Surface allows you to choose coordinates in space and apply a Scalar value (single value) or Vec-
tor values (X, Y, and Z values) at each coordinate. The variation will follow the path of the coordinates (points)
in the order they are entered. This type of Data Surface can have as few as 3 points and as many as 110 points.
Variation Options
Define Multiple - allows you to use the Variation Locations section of this Dialog Box. By clicking the Paste
button, values on the clipboard will be entered into the Variation Locations list in the appropriate format.
Number of Points - allows you to enter a number to represent the number of rows which will be created in the
Table of the Data Surface Editor. The table can then be filled manually one cell at a time, using the Update
Coordinates or Update Vector Values commands (available on the Context-Sensitive menu for this type of Data
Surface), or Pasting (also on context sensitive menu) cells from a spreadsheet or comma-separated values.
Note: If you have created a geometric load which references a Data Surface, you will want to use Model,
Load, Expand... to see any variations in the loading conditions on individual nodes and elements.
Data Surface Definition Methods 7-73
Data Options
Scalar - allows you to enter one value for each coordinate
Vector - allows you to enter 3 component values (X, Y, and Z) for each coordinate.
Options button - One option is available for this data surface definition method. Project Curve onto Surface
allows you to pick a surface to project the spline onto before it is interpolated.
Variation Locations
The X, Y, and Z Location fields represent the X, Y, and Z coordinates of the points of the spline. These coordi-
nates can be entered manually or picked graphically from the screen (use of snap options can aid in precise selec-
tion of coordinates).
Once the Location fields are entered, a single value (Data Options set to Scalar) or XYZ values (Data Options
set to Vector) can be entered into the appropriate Value fields.
To add a coordinate and value(s) to the list of Points, click the Add button.
Values for any of the fields in a single row can be updated by clicking a row in the list (the values will be filled in
for Location and Value), altering the desired values, and then clicking the Update button.
Delete will delete only the highlighted row, while Reset will completely clear the list of Points.
Example
The value of a pressure load on the top of the wing needs to vary based on the coordinate values of each node at one
edge of the upper wing skin. Scalar was set in Data Options so only one value needs to be entered for each
location
Once the Data Surface has been created, you will use Model, Load, Elemental to create the pressure loading. The
elements on the top of the wing are selected and the Method in the Create Loads on Element dialog box has been
changed to Data Surface. Pressure has been chosen from the list of loads and the Along Coordinates Data Sur-
face has been selected from the Data Surface drop-down list. A value of 1.0 has been enter in the Pressure field
in order to use the entered values in the Data Surface directly. Finally element faces are chosen (using the adjacent
faces method) on which to apply the variable Pressure load.
Note: When a row is selected in the Variation Locations list, it will be highlighted on the screen using
the current settings for the Window, Show Entities command.
Nodes on this edge used to specify
coordinates (snap mode set to Snap
to Node)
7-74 Modeling Tools
Between Coordinates Data Surface
This type of Data Surface allows you to choose the number of corners to use (2, 4, or 8), whether the variation is in
linear or parametric space, and enter a Scalar value (single value) or Vector values (X, Y, and Z values) at each
corner. The values will be interpolated between the specified corners.
Pressure Loads Vectors
shown on top of wing.
Pressure Loads converted
to output and shown as
Criteria Plot for clarity.
Variation Type
2 Point Linear - Define two corner locations and two associated values. FEMAP will linearly interpolate
between the entered values at the two locations.
2 Point Parametric- Define two corner locations, two associated values, and optionally a Curve (Chosen using
the Options button). The Data Surface values are then linearly interpolated between the two locations in para-
metric space using the chosen curve.
4 Point Bilinear - Define four corner locations representing a rectangular section and associated values at
each corner. FEMAP will linearly interpolate in two directions to obtain the values inside the rectangular sec-
tion.
4 Point Parametric - Define four corner locations representing a rectangular section, associated values at
each corner, and optionally a Surface (Chosen using the Options button). FEMAP will project the 4 corner loca-
tions to the surface, then linearly interpolate in two directions in the parametric space of the chosen surface to
obtain the values inside the rectangular section.
8 Point Trilinear - Define eight corner locations representing a prismatic volume and associated values at
each corner. FEMAP will linearly interpolate in three directions to obtain the values inside the prismatic vol-
ume.
Data Options
Scalar - allows you to enter one value for each corner.
Vector - allows you to enter 3 component values (X, Y, and Z) for each corner.
Options button - three options are available for this data surface definition method overall, but some options
are only available when certain Variation Type have been selected.
CSys is available for all Variation Types and defines the coordinate system in which the Data Surface will be
evaluated.
Parametric Curve ID is only available when the 2 Point Parametric Variation Type have been selected. This
allows you to choose a curve ID. The linear interpolation will then occur in the curves parametric space.
Parametric Surface ID is only available when the 4 Point Parametric Variation Type have been selected. This
allows you to choose a surface ID on which the corner locations will be projected. The linear interpolation will then
occur in the surfaces parametric space.
Variation Locations
The X, Y, and Z Corner Location fields represent the X, Y, and Z coordinates of the Corner Points for each Vari-
ation Type. These coordinates can be entered manually or picked graphically from the screen (use of snap options
can aid in precise selection of coordinates).
Once the Corner Location fields for a row are entered, a single value (Data Options set to Scalar) or XYZ val-
ues (Data Options set to Vector) can be entered into the appropriate Value fields.
Common Uses
This type of data surface is commonly used to define variations in 1, 2, or 3 dimensions, when corner values are
known.
Note: When a Parametric Variation Type (2 Point or 4 Point) is used for a mesh-based loading con-
dition, a geometry ID MUST be chosen to supply the parametric space.
When a Parametric Variation Type is used for a geometry-based loading condition, the
optional chosen geometry ID will override the geometry selected for the load.
Note: The required number of Corner Locations and Values rows will become active depending on the
chosen Variation Type. All active rows must have values in order for this type of Data Surface to
work properly. (i.e., you can NOT enter only three points for a 4 Point Linear data surface)
7-76 Modeling Tools
Example
The value of a pressure load on the top of the wing needs to vary based on the four known corner values of
then upper wing skin. Scalar was set in Data Options so only one value needs to be entered for each location
Once the Data Surface has been created, you will use Model, Load, Elemental to create the pressure loading. The
elements on the top of the wing are selected and the Method in the Create Loads on Element dialog box has been
changed to Data Surface. Pressure has been chosen from the list of loads and the Between Coordinates Data
Surface has been selected from the Data Surface drop-down list. A value of 1.0 has been enter in the Pressure
field in order to use the entered values in the Data Surface directly. Finally element faces are chosen (using the
adjacent faces method) on which to apply the variable Pressure load.
Known Values at 4 corner
locations
shown on top of wing.
Contour Plot for clarity.
Output Map Data Surface
This type of Data Surface allows you to map output from one mesh to create load values for another mesh. The
Other Mesh can be a refined mesh in the same model or a completely different mesh in another model. Transfer-
ring an Output Map Data Surface to another model requires use of the Copy and Paste icons in the Data Surface
Editor.
Output which can be mapped includes:
Nodal - Forces, Moments, Displacements, Velocities, Rotational Velocities, Accelerations, Rotational Acceler-
ations, Temperatures, and Heat Flux)
Elemental - Pressures, Temperatures, Heat Flux, Heat Generation, Convection, and Radiation
The Output Map Data Surface works very similar to the Model, Load, Map Output From Model command,
although it can map more types of output to loads and can be used with only one model open in FEMAP. For more
information, see Section 4.3.6.4, "Model, Load, Map Output From Model..."
Map Output Data
Output Set - Allows you to choose an Ouput Set currently in
your model.
Output Vector - Allows you to choose a specific Output Vec-
tor in the selected Output Set.
Output By Group check box - When Checked, allows you to
choose a predefined FEMAP Group. This Group is used to limit
the amount of output sent to the Data Surface as only output
values from entities in the group will be used.
Data Options button
Two options are available for this data surface definition
method. Both can be used with any data surface of this type.
CSys - defines the coordinate system in which the Data Sur-
face will be evaluated.
Values for Locations with No Map - This drop-down menu in the Output Map Options section allows you to
choose a mapping option for entities which do not have a one-to-one mapping from the Source to the Tar-
get. When a node is not mapped it is because a Target nodes normal projection does not fall within any
Source Element. The options for nodes that are not mapped:
0..Set to Zero - Sets all entities without a direct map to the value of zero (0.0)
1..Set to Value - Sets all entities without a direct map to a specified value. The value can be specified as a
constant or in X, Y, and Z components.
2..Extend Closest - Extends the value to the closest Target Entity.
3..Interpolate - Does a linear interpolation using the source values. (Default)
4..No Output - Applies no output values to any entities which do not have a direct map. FEMAP will also
automatically create a group of Target nodes which have not been mapped.
Mapping Tolerance - When a Target location is projected onto the Source data surface and the distance to a
discrete data point is less than the tolerance, the Source value of the "coincident" location is directly mapped to
the Target without interpolation. If multiple nodes fall within this tolerance, then the first one encountered
numerically will be directly mapped. Default value is the "Merge Tolerance" of the "Target model.
Note: FEMAP does not restrict the type of data which can be mapped in any way from one mesh to
another.
For instance, you could create an Output Map Data Surface using nodal temperatures from the
source mesh, then map those temperatures to the target mesh as an elemental pressure load.
In this case, that may not make sense, but is simply to represent the unrestricted nature of the com-
mand.
7-78 Modeling Tools
Using Align Output Map and Plot Output Map commands
Both the Align Output Map and Plot Output Map commands in the Data Surface Editor are exclusively used on
conjunction with the Map Output Data Surface. These commands are available to aid application of the Data Sur-
face from a source mesh to a different target mesh.
After the Data Surface has been created (or copied into a different model), Align Output Map can be used to prop-
erly align the Data Surface to the target mesh. The source mesh is saved with each Output Map Data Surface
and can then be plotted in relation to the target mesh using Plot Output Map.
The recommended workflow of these commands is to first toggle on the plot of the source mesh, align it to
the target mesh, then toggle off the plot once everything is properly aligned.
Example
After a steady-state fluid flow analysis of fluid through a pipe, the Total Pressure at each element in the fluid is
calculated. The Total Pressure output can be displayed in FEMAP using a contour plot. Now we want to transfer
the pressure values on the outside of the fluid (solid elements in Model A) to the inside of the pipe walls
(plate elements in Model B). Since nodes and element locations are completely different (element shapes as
well), we will map the Total pressure output to create a pressure load for structural analysis.
Once the Data Surface has been created, you will need to copy the Data Surface to the clipboard from Model A
using the Copy command in the Data Surface Editor. Now Model B needs to be opened (or created) and once it
is ready for loading, the Data Surface on the clipboard will be pasted in using the Paste command in the Data
Surface Editor.
Now, you will use Model, Load, Elemental to create the pressure loading. The elements on the inside of the pipe
are selected and the Method in the Create Loads on Element dialog box has been changed to Data Surface. Pres-
sure has been chosen from the list of loads and the Output Map Data Surface has been selected from the Data
Surface drop-down list. A value of 1.0 has been enter in the Pressure field in order to use the entered values in
the Data Surface directly. Finally element faces are chosen (Face 1) on which to apply the variable Pressure load
Total Pressure at Nodes
from a fluid-flow analysis
shown on inside of pipe
shell model.
Mesh Data Surface
This type of Data Surface allows you to choose node or element IDs and enter a Scalar value (or expression) or
Vector (X, Y, and Z) values (or 3 expressions). This type of data surface is much more useful when using an
expression, which uses a particular coordinate of a node, element centroid, or centroid of an element face to vary
the value (such as XND(!i), bases value on X coordinate of a node). The values shown in the Data Surface Editor
are evaluated values for each selected entity.
Variation Type
You must choose the entity type used to vary the data
surface
Node ID - When Select Entities button is clicked,
FEMAP will prompt you to choose Node IDs for the
Data Surface
Element ID - When Select Entities button is clicked,
FEMAP will prompt you to choose Element IDs for the
Data Surface
Data Options
Scalar - allows you to enter one value or expression
Vector - allows you to enter 3 component values (X, Y,
and Z) or 3 individual expressions.
Options button - One option is available for this data
surface definition method. CSys is available for all
Variation Types and defines the coordinate system in
which the Data Surface will be evaluated.
Define/Fill Data Surface Data
Depending on the Data Option selected, you will be asked for 1 or 3 Value/Equation(s) (Expressions). After the
required Value/Equation(s) have been entered, click the Select Entities button to choose the appropriate entities
with the standard Entity Selection dialog box.
Common Uses
This type of data surface is commonly used to define load variations where the variation is known relative to the
element or node ID.
Example
The temperature of the exterior walls of a tank varies with height (Y direc-
tion in global coordinate system) from a point at the origin. The tank has a
mapped mesh which will allow accurate distribution of either nodal or ele-
mental temperatures. The Scalar Data Option will be used and an expres-
sion (YEL(!i)) will be used to vary the X value (In this case, simply
magnitude) based on the height of the element centroid.
Once the expression has been entered, click the Select Entities button and
choose all of the elements in the model. When OK is clicked, the evaluated
values will be sent to the table in the Data Surface Editor.
Now, you will use Model, Load, Elemental to create the temperature loading.
All of the elements are selected and Temperature has been chosen from the
list of loads. The Method in the Create Loads on Element dialog box has been
changed to Data Surface and the Mesh Data Surface has been selected from the Data Surface drop-down list.
A value of 100 has been enter in the Temperature field in order to use the entered values in the Data Surface mul-
tiplied by 100.
Note: To create an expression referencing the Node, Element, or Element Face Coordinates use
XND(), YND(), ZND(), XEL(), YEL(), ZEL(), XEF(;), YEF(;), or ZEF(;). These are explained in
greater detail in Appendix C of the FEMAP User Guide (see Section C, "Function Reference")
7-80 Modeling Tools
Repeating the same procedure but using nodal Y-coordinates (YND(!i) expression) of all nodes instead of ele-
ments for the Mesh Data Surface, then applying nodal temperature loads yields these loads:
Tabular Data Surface
This type of Data Surface allows you to create a data surface by defining the size of the table in the Data Surface
Editor and then manually entering the values one at a time or pasting them in from another program, such as Excel.
This is the most general type of data surface and in some ways, the most powerful. That said, it also requires the
most interaction with the user, so keep that in mind.
Elemental Temperature Loads
shown on Tank
Elemental Temperature Loads
converted to output and shown
with Criteria plot for clarity
Nodal Temperature Loads
shown on Tank
Nodal Temperature Loads
converted to output and shown
with Contour plot for clarity
Variation Type
You must choose the type of table to create, then specify the size of the selected table using the Define Data button.
This will create an empty table which you will then fill with values to vary the loading condition.
Parametric Table - This type of table is designed to be based on the Parametric Space associated with a geo-
metric surface chosen during the creation of the Data Surface or created as a generic Data Surface which can
only be applied with a Surface-based load.
When Define Data button is clicked, the Define Table Size dialog box with
appears with fields for U Divisions, V Divisions, and Surface ID.
u Divisions - refers to how many intermediate points will be between 0
and 1 in the U direction of the surfaces Parametric Space.
v Divisions - refers to how many intermediate points will be between 0
and 1 in the V direction of the surfaces Parametric Space.
Example
The table will look like this for a Parametric Table with 5 U Divisions, 5 V Divisions, and a chosen Surface:
Values can now be entered at the four corners of the table:
Note: When a Parametric Table is used for a mesh-based loading condition, a surface ID (not a
boundary surface) MUST be chosen to supply the parametric space.
When a Parametric Table is used for a surface-based loading condition, the chosen surface ID
will override the geometry selected for the load.
7-82 Modeling Tools
When the Data Surface is saved, FEMAP will save the corner values and when the Data Surface is used, FEMAP
will interpolate the saved points to create the load distribution.
Instead of just the corner values, values for all of the cells can be filled in manually to create a very specific distri-
bution of values in the table. You can also fill the empty cells of the table automatically with interpolated values
using the Interpolate command in the Data Surface Editor.
Here is the Data Surface Editor showing the Interpolated values:
Once the Data Surface has been created, you could use Model, Load, Elemental to create a distributed pressure
load. The elements on a surface are selected and the Method in the Create Loads on Element dialog box has been
changed to Data Surface. Pressure has been chosen from the list of loads and the Parametric Table Data Sur-
face has been selected from the Data Surface drop-down list. A value of 1.0 has been enter in the Pressure field
in order to use the entered values in the Data Surface directly. Finally element faces are chosen (using the adjacent
faces method) on which to apply the variable Pressure load.
Note: It is VERY important to remember to save this type of Data Surface before trying to use it to cre-
ate a loading condition. Unlike most of the other Data Surface types, most or all of the data must
be entered into the table. FEMAP does not know this data has been entered or modified until you
use the Save or Save As command.
shown on mesh
Pressure Loads shown
as output in contour plot
Underlying Surface used
for parametric space
for clarity
XYZ Table - This type of table is the most general type of Data Surface.
When Define Data button is clicked, the CSys type selected for the Data Surface using the Options button will
determine which Define Table Size dialog box is shown.
The number of Divisions boxes checked dictates the size of the corresponding table.
For instance, if a cylindrical coordinate system is chosen, only R Divisions is checked, and a value of 5 is
entered, the following table will appear
This type of data surface could be used to vary a loading condition using
the radial distance from a user-defined cylindrical coordinate system.
For example, you have an annular plate which has an inner radius of 5
and an outer radius of 10. You need to vary the temperature evenly from
the inner radius to the outer radius with specific temperature values being
at precise radial distances from the center. This method, would allow you
to do this rather easily.
To model this in FEMAP, you could define a cylindrical coordinate system
at the center of the inner radius and then create a data surface which had
the desired number of R values with corresponding temperatures.
Now, you could create an elemental or nodal temperature loading condi-
tion referencing this XYZ Table Data Surface.
Here is what elemental temperature distributions would look like on one half of the annular plate:
If the plate elements of the annular plate were extruded in the positive Z-direction 5 units to create solid elements,
a tabular Data Surface could be used to vary a temperature load in both the Radial Direction and the Z-direction in
the same load.
Again, a cylindrical coordinate system is chosen, but this time R Divisions and Z Divisions are checked, and a
value of 5 is entered for R Divisions and 3 for Z Divisions.
Rectangular Coordinate System Cylindrical Coordinate System Spherical Coordinate System
Varying Elemental Temperatures
on finer meshed model shown
as output in Criteria plot for clarity
shown on half plate model
7-84 Modeling Tools
The table below represents this data surface, with some values manually entered to create the variation criteria.
Notice that the row of R values varies from 5 to 10 and the column of Z values varies from 0 to 5.
Now, you could create an elemental or nodal temperature loading condition referencing this XYZ Table Data Sur-
face.
Here is what this elemental temperature distribution would look like on one half of the solid mesh created from the
original annular plate:
Finally, if we want to vary the temperature using the radius, Z-distance, and theta angle, we could use this type of
Data Surface.
Again, a cylindrical coordinate system is chosen, but this time R Divisions, T Divisions, and Z Divisions are
all checked, and a value of 5 is entered for R Divisions, 7 for T Divisions and 3 for Z Divisions.
You can see that the table now has three tabbed sheets. Each sheet contains a table to define the Radial and Theta
values for one particular Z value. By default, all of the Z values are 0.
on solid meshed model shown
as output in contour plot for clarity
Elements of fine-meshed annular
plate model extruded into solid
elements in positive Z-direction
To change the Z value for a particular tabbed sheet, click on the tab, then click the right mouse button and
choose Properties from the context sensitive menu. This dialog box will open:
Notice you may enter a Title and assign a Value for Z for each sheet. Click OK to return to the table in the Data
Surface Editor.
The table below represents this data surface, with some values manually entered to create the variation criteria.
Notice that the row of R values varies from 5 to 10, the column of Theta values vary from 0 degrees to
180 degrees, and the Z values on the tabs, vary from 0 to 5.
Here is what this elemental temperature distribution would look like on one half of the solid mesh using 3-D XYZ
Tabular Data Surface:
Note: If you have do not have enough sheets to define a particular Data Surface, you can add them one
at a time by clicking on the tab, then clicking the right mouse button and choosing Insert Page
from the context sensitive menu. On the other hand, you can delete excess sheets one at a time
using the Delete Page from the context sensitive menu.
on solid mesh model shown as
output in contour plot for clarity
7-86 Modeling Tools
Data Options
Scalar - allows you to enter one value for each X value or XY Data Pair
Vector - allows you to enter 3 component values (X, Y, and Z) for each X value or XY Data Pair.
Options button - two options are available for this data surface definition method.
CSys - defines the coordinate system in which the Data Surface will be evaluated. The selected Coordinate Sys-
tem will bring up the appropriate Define Table Size dialog box.
Between/Tabular Parametric Options - allows you to choose a 4-sided surface ID on which each corner
value in the table, will be correspond to a corner on the surface. The linear interpolation will then occur in the sur-
faces parametric space.
For example, Corner 1 would be at (U=0, V=0) in Parametric space, Corner 2 (U=1, V=0), Corner 3 (U=1, V=1),
and Corner 4 (U=0, V=1).
Tabular Options - instructs FEMAP what to do with undefined cells in the Data Surface Editor. The default
is to use Interpolate from Closest, which will interpolate to the appropriate entity type from the closest defined
value. The other option is to use Value, which will simply place the entered value into any undefined cells.
Data Variation Data
When Define Data button is clicked and Parametric Table is selected, the Define Table Size dialog box with
appears with fields for u Divisions, v Divisions, and Surface ID.
When Define Data button is clicked and XYZ Table is selected, the CSys type selected for the Data Surface using
the Options button will determine which Define Table Size dialog box is shown. For instance, if a rectangular coor-
dinate system is selected, the Define Table Size dialog box allows you to enter values for X Divisions, Y Divi-
sions, and Z Divisions.
Arbitrary 3-D Data Surface
The dialog box for this type of Data Surface is very similar to the Along Coordinates Data Surface. The difference
is that this Data Surface does not use the order in which the variation locations and values were entered into the
table for anything. Instead, it uses the entered variation locations to perform an interpolation of values using a
Modified Inverse Weighted Interpolation method. Any number of independent 3D locations may be entered.
Note: One powerful way to use this type of Data Surface is to take data from physical/environmental
testing which was retrieved at arbitrary locations and then apply them to a meshed model. This
way, you do not have to create hard points in your model to apply specific loading conditions.
Variation Options
Define Multiple - allows you to use the Variation Locations section of this Dialog Box. By clicking the Paste
button, values on the clipboard will be entered into the Variation Locations list in the appropriate format.
Number of Points - allows you to enter a number to represent the number of rows which will be created in the
Table of the Data Surface Editor. The table can then be filled manually one cell at a time, using the Update
Coordinates or Update Vector Values commands (available on the Context-Sensitive menu for this type of Data
Surface), or Pasting (also on context sensitive menu) cells from a spreadsheet or comma-separated values.
Data Options
Scalar - allows you to enter one value for each arbitrary 3-D location.
Vector - allows you to enter 3 component values (X, Y, and Z) for each arbitrary 3-D location.
Options button - two options are available for this data surface definition method.
CSys - defines the coordinate system in which the Data Surface will be evaluated.
Arbitrary 3-D Interpolation Options - when this option is set to % Locations to Include, the value can vary
from 0 to 100. If it is set to 100, FEMAP will use the weighted contribution from all of the Data Surface 3-
D Variation Locations, while if it is set to 0 FEMAP will use the number set in Min Locations to Include.
The value for Min Locations to Include must be higher than one and simply tells FEMAP the minimum number of
variation locations that will be used at each interpolation point.
Variation Locations
The X, Y, and Z Location fields represent the X, Y, and Z coordinates of the arbitrary points in 3-D space. These
coordinates can be entered manually or picked graphically from the screen (use of snap options can aid in precise
selection of coordinates).
Once the Location fields are entered, a single value (Data Options set to Scalar) or XYZ values (Data Options
set to Vector) can be entered into the appropriate Value fields.
To add a coordinate and value(s) to the list of points in 3-D space, click the Add button.
Values for any of the fields in a single row can be updated by clicking a row in the list (the values will be filled in
for Location and Value), altering the desired values, and then clicking the Update button.
Delete will delete only the highlighted row, while Reset will completely clear the list of Points.
Example
A triangular surface has a variable pressure assigned to it. A single value for pressure is know for a position near
each corner.
When these three arbitrary locations and corresponding values are entered into the Define Arbitrary 3-D Coordi-
nate Data Surface dialog box, the table in the Data Surface Editor will appear like this:
Now that the Data Surface has been created, it can now be used to create a pressure loading condition.
You will use Model, Load, Elemental to create the pressure loading. All of the elements on the triangular surface
are selected and the Method in the Create Loads on Element dialog box has been changed to Data Surface. Pres-
Note: When a row is selected in the Variation Locations list, it will be highlighted on the screen using
the current settings for the Window, Show Entities command.
7-88 Modeling Tools
sure has been chosen from the list of loads and the Arbitrary 3-D location Data Surface has been selected from
the Data Surface drop-down list. A value of 1.0 has been enter in the Pressure field in order to use the entered
values in the Data Surface directly. Finally element faces are chosen (using the adjacent faces method) on which to
apply the variable Pressure load.
Another example would be to paste a number of location/value pairs in from a spread sheet (or comma-separated
list of values) and apply them as a Pressure load on top surface of a wing to create a distributed load.
Equation Data Surface
The simplest type of Data Surface is the Equation Data Surface. The only inputs are which Coordinate System the
equation should be evaluated (CSys in Data Surface) and the Equation itself. The Calculator button can be clicked
to bring up the FEMAP Equation Editor dialog box. This allows you to see all of the options FEMAP has for creat-
ing equations and also shows the proper syntax which must be used to be recognized by FEMAP. This is a great
way to store a FEMAP equation for use in multiple loading conditions.
These functions which can be used FEMAP equation are explained in greater detail in Appendix C of the FEMAP
User Guide (see Section C, "Function Reference").
shown on triangular surface.
Tools, Entity Info 7-89
Example
An equation can be used to create a bearing load on the inside of hole. We will use half an annular plate for this
example, with the center of the hole at the origin (this enables us to use the Global Cylindrical Coordinate System).
In this case, our equation is calculating the Sine
(SIN) of the Theta Value in the Global Cylindrical
Coordinate System of each selected node (YND(!i))
and multiplying that value by 10.
Here is what a nodal load in the X-direction (radial
for our chosen coordinate system) referencing this
Equation Data Surface would look like:
7.2.6 Tools, Entity Info
Essentially, the Entity Info pane works much like the Show Tooltips command on the Selector Actions menu of the
Select Toolbar, but the information goes to a pane that can remain open instead of a Yellow Tooltip balloon. For
more information, see Section 7.3.1.6, "Tools, Toolbars, Select".
When the Select Toolbar has an active entity type or any selection dialog box is open, the Entity Info dockable pane
will dynamically display information about each entity of that type as it is highlighted in the main graphics window
For example, when the Select Toolbar is active and entity selection is set to
Element, the information displayed in the Entity Info pane will be Element
number, Element Type, Property ID, Material ID, and the nodes on the Ele-
ment. Element post-processing information will be displayed when any Con-
tour Style is selected except Vector.
When entity selection is set to Node, the Entity Info pane will contain Node
number, Coordinates, Definition Coordinate System, and Output Coordinate
System. Post-processing data will be displayed for nodes when any
Deformed Style is selected, except Animate and Animate - MultiSet.
In order to keep a particular entity in the Entity Info pane, you can click the entity on the screen with the left mouse
button and then keep holding the mouse button down until you are in the Entity Info pane. This will allow you to
perform actions such as Cut, Copy, or change the Font Size or Style of the text using the context sensitive menu.
In some form, all entity types which can be activated in the Select Toolbar or selected using a dialog box can be dis-
played in the Entity Info pane.
A few exceptions:
Laminate elements will not be highlighted when Material is the active entity type, because laminate elements
usually reference multiple materials. Also, when Property is the active entity, no details about laminate proper-
ties will be shown in the Entity Info pane. All ply information can be found in the Entity Editor for laminates.
Loads and constraints on a particular entity type will only show info regarding the entity type to which they are
applied (i.e., when Loads, Nodal is the active entity type, only information about the highlighted node will
appear in the Entity Info pane, nothing about the value of the Nodal Load). All load and constraint information
can be found in the Entity Editor by selected a particular entity, which can then be edited.
7-90 Modeling Tools
The actual text strings of a Text entity will not appear in the Entity Info pane, but other useful information such
as Justification, Position, Visibility, and Style options will be displayed. Actual text strings can be found in the
Entity Editor and can be edited.
Context Sensitive Menu
There is a context sensitive menu which will appear when the right mouse button is
clicked inside the Entity Info pane. This menu allows you to search the text for a spe-
cific portion of text using the Find... command. You can Undo and Redo typing in the
Entity Info pane. There is the ability to Cut, Copy, Paste, and Clear any highlighted
text. The Font command will allow you to change the Font, Size, Color, and Style of
any highlighted text, or set those items for all new text in one dialog box. The Font
style can be changed using the Bold, Italic, and Underline commands (when a Font
Style is active, the icon will be surrounded by an orange square). Default Format
allows you to set a format, you can choose between Text, Rich Text, Object, or Auto.
Scale allows you to scale the size of a non-text object (i.e., pictures) using a percentage
of the objects current size. The Zoom command allows you to make everything in the
Entity Info pane larger or smaller. Select All will select everything in the Entity Info
Pane, then operations can be performed
When the Entity Info pane is floating, it can be repositioned and resized, just as any other floating dockable pane.
7.2.7 Tools, Data Table
The Data Table dockable pane allows you send data to an interactive, dynamically changing table using various
methods to fill the table. Each item appears as a single row separated into a number of columns when it enters the
Data Table. Once in the Data Table, information of the entities of the same type can be sorted, filtered, and evalu-
ated to help you understand what is occurring in your model before and after analysis. In many ways, the Data
Table is a complement to the other dockable panes and can also simply be an alternate method to list and view
entity data.
Note: If you have a wheel mouse you can hold the CTRL key down and
spin the wheel to dynamically zoom in and out in the Entity Info
pane
Note: Ctrl+C can be used as a general copy command in FEMAP. When
the Entity Info pane is active, Ctrl+C will perform the copy com-
mand on the highlighted text.
Lock/Unlock toggle
Copy to Clipboard
Hide/Show Columns
Add Output Columns
Clear All
Show/Hide Group Header
Collapse/Expand All Groups
Filter Rows
Clear Filter
Update Selection to Visible Rows
Show Visible Rows
Show When Selected Menu
Save to a File
Tools, Data Table 7-91
Some common uses for the Data Table. You can:
Create a list of entities of a certain type for comparison and sorting of data. As each entity row is highlighted, it
will be sent to the Entity Editor, where the item can be modified.
Add output columns and element checks to lists of nodes and elements.
Add mass properties and mesh associativity information for lists of geometric entities.
Compare output data from different ouput sets and/or different models.
Group entities by using a particular column header or set of headers, which you can choose, to help view the
data in logical subsets.
Create a large listing of entities using the Select toolbar, filter the entities using specific fields, and then return
the filtered list to the selector to perform desired operations.
Print out tables directly from the Data Table or copy the information (all or selected rows and columns) to the
clipboard and paste it into a word processor, such as Microsoft Word, to aid in the creation of reports.
Create an output summary in the data table which can be quickly scanned to determine max/min values. There
are many options for creating a customized output summary using the List, Output, Summary To Data Table
command. For more information see Section 8.6.3, "List, Output, Summary to Data Table...".
For instance, you can create a list of surfaces and see which ones have a meshing approach assigned or find out
which of your surfaces has the smallest area and may be responsible for creating distorted elements. You can com-
pare element stresses from multiple output sets from different models, sort your elements by quality values, filter
entities by using certain criteria, or simply list entities in your model for visual verification.
Selection Methods
The Select toolbar is one method used to choose entities to be placed in the Data Table. You can also select entities
in the Model Info tree and send them to the Data Table by clicking an icon or send all the output vectors from an
entire output set over using a Context Sensitive menu.
Data Table Rows and Columns
All data from an entity is sent to the Data Table in a single row which is partitioned into columns for accurate view-
ing, sorting, and filtering purposes. When a column header is clicked, an arrow pointing either up or down will
appear in the header. When the arrow is pointing up, the data in that column will be sorted from lowest to highest
numerical value or alphabetical, from A-Z then a-z again (All UPPER CASE letters come before any lower case
letters) depending on the type of data in the column. When the arrow is pointing down, the column will be sorted
from highest to lowest numerical value or alphabetical, from z-a then Z-A again. Clicking on a column header will
change the direction of the arrow and the reverse the listing.
Column headers can be dragged and dropped into new positions to modify the look of your table. Any column
header can be dragged until a X appears over the header, making that column no longer visible. Column width
can also be adjusted by placing the cursor on the line between the column header (this will bring up a two headed
arrow), then clicking and dragging the column to the desired width.
Columns can be turned on and off one at a time using the Show/Hide Columns icon menu. Also, Multiple changes
to the columns can be made at once using the Update Multiple Columns command on the Show/Hide Columns icon
menu.
Data Table Icons
Lock/Unlock Toggle - When unlocked, the Data Table will accept data from each entity that is picked using the
Select toolbar or send from the Model Info tree using an icon or Context Sensitive menu. When locked, no more
data will be added to the list and the information in the Data Table will remain there until the pane is unlocked or
cleared.
Copy to Clipboard - Copies the current data in the Data Table to the clipboard so it can be pasted into the Mes-
sages window or an outside program
Note: Only data from one particular entity type can be in the Data Table at once. Therefore, once you
change the type of entity you are sending to the Data Table, it will reset and begin a new listing.
7-92 Modeling Tools
Save to a File - Allows you to save the contents of the Data Table to a text file. You can save the data as Tab
Delimited Text (*.TXT file), Comma-Separated Text (*.CSV file), or in Rich Text Format (*.RTF file).
Hide/Show Columns Menu - Clicking this icon brings up a menu with commands and a listing of all the columns
available for the current entity type (visible columns are marked with a check mark in an orange box). By high-
lighting a column and clicking the mouse, you can toggle the column from hidden to visible and vice versa. This
allows you to hide or show one column at a time.
The commands on this menu are:
Update Multiple Columns - Brings up the Columns to Show dialog box which allows you to check and uncheck
multiple column headers at one time. You can also highlight any number of headings in the selection area, then
click the Toggle Selected Columns button, to hide and show different columns. After you are done selecting the
columns you want, click OK to view your modified Data Table
Add Element Checks - Available only when elements are in the Data Table, this command will add Element
Quality Check columns to the visible elements. There are 10 element checks that will be displayed: Aspect
Ratio, Taper, Internal Angles, Warping, Nastran Warping, Alt Taper, Tet Collapse, Jacobian, Combined Quality,
and Explicit Time Step. These quality checks are described in greater detail in Section 7.4.5.6, "Tools, Check,
Element Quality...".
Add Mass Properties - Available when curves, surfaces, solids, elements, materials, or properties are in the
Data Table. When used with Curves it displays the Length of the curves. When used with Surfaces, it displays
the Area of the surfaces. When used with Solids, it displays Volume, Surface Area, Center of Gravity in the X,
Y, and Z (CGx, CGy, and CGz), and moments of inertia (Ixx, Iyy, Izz, Ixy, Iyz, and Izz) of the listed solids.
When used with Elements, it displays length (1-D elements), area (2-D elements), volume (3-D elements),
Structural Mass, NonStructural Mass, Total Mass, and center of gravity coordinates for X, Y, and Z. See Section
7.4.4.2, "Tools, Mass Properties Menu..." for more information. When used with Materials and Properties the
Structural Mass represents the mass of ALL the elements in the model that reference a particular material or
property.
Add Mesh Associativity - Available only when points, curves, surfaces, or solids are in the Data Table. Shows a
column for the number of Nodes, number of Elements, and number of Element Faces that are associated to that
particular geometric entity.
Note: Because of the Rich Text Format copied from the Data Table and Entity Editor dockable
panes, you may need to do some resizing of columns in order to create a correctly formatted
table when it is copied into the Messages pane. When copying tables from the Data Table
and Entity Editor panes, there should be no issues when pasting into outside programs which
support Rich Text Format, such as Microsoft Word.
Note: Ctrl+C can be used as a general copy command in FEMAP. FEMAP takes into account
which window or dockable pane is currently active. When the Data Table pane is active,
Ctrl+C will perform the copy command on the highlighted rows, or if no rows are high-
lighted, the entire table will be copied.
Set CSys for Nodal Output - Available only when nodes are in the Data Table and there is nodal output avail-
able to graphically select (i.e. the model is deformed). Allows you to choose which Coordinate System nodal
output will be displayed in the Data Table. Once the coordinate system has been chosen, all nodes added to the
Data Table will have nodal output displayed in the selected coordinate system. When you change the coordinate
system, all nodes added after the change will be in the newly selected coordinate system, while all the nodal
output currently in the table will remain displayed in the previous coordinate system(s). Clicking the Clear All
button will reset the Data Table to the use each individual nodes Output Coordinate System.
Add Output Columns - You must have nodes or elements in the Data Table AND output data in the model for this
icon to be available. When available, it will bring up the Results to Add to Data Table dialog box which allows you
to choose Output Sets and Output Vectors to be shown as columns in the Data Table. When multiple models are
open, the name of the active model will appear at the top of the Results to Add to Data Table dialog box.
Along with checking and unchecking the boxes, you can also highlight the selected Output Set or Output Vector
and click the Toggle Selected Sets or Toggle Selected Vectors buttons, respectively.
You can toggle the Include Components/Corner Results check box to show components or corner data for a given
Output Vector (if available). There is also a toggle to Make Columns Visible as well, which is on by default. If you
check Select Similar Layer/Ply/Corner Vectors, you can select all similar data without worrying about manually
checking all of the output vectors. This option is especially helpful for laminates with a large number of plys.
Match Sets in Multiple Models allows you to manually choose the additional output sets using the Results for Addi-
tional Model dialog box to compare results data and add this data to the Data Table.
For example, if you had two very similar models, you may want to compare results from several output sets which
are in both models. Depending on your analysis process, the data you are looking for may be in Sets 1 and 4 of the
first model and Sets 5 and 7 of the second model. By using Match Sets in Multiple Models, FEMAP allows you to
choose Sets 1 and 4 and the desired output vectors in the first model, Click OK, then brings up the Results for Addi-
tional Model dialog box to choose Sets 5 and 7 from the second model.
Once finished, click OK and view the modified Data Table
Note: You may compare data from any number of open models in the current FEMAP interface
you are using. FEMAP will label the Results for Additional Model dialog boxes with the
appropriate model names to aid in data selection and prevent confusion.
7-94 Modeling Tools
Clear All - Deletes all information in the Data Table.
Show/Hide Group Header - When on (icon highlighted by orange background), the Data Table allows you to drag
column headers up into a specified area. Once there the Data Table will partition the rows of entity data using a
specific group header or set of group headers. This allows you to group entities in the table with similar charac-
teristics (such as the same material, property, element type, element topology, etc.) together for a specific purpose.
The grouping is multi-level, therefore the entities are broken down by the first group header, then the second, and
so on until the final group header. You can always drag a column header from the Grouping Area back to the
Column Header Row and the remaining group levels will keep their positions in the hierarchy.
Expand/Collapse All Groups - Collapses or expands Top level group categories in the at once in the Data
Table. Can be used to show only what you need to view specific entities.
Filter Rows - Brings up the Data Table Filter dialog box. Allows you to choose columns to check for specific val-
ues, text, or if an entity row has a specific column at all. When filtering with a Value, you can choose to limit the
filter to using values that are above a maximum value, below a minimum value, between the range of two values, or
outside the range of two values. When filtering with Text, the filter will remove rows having text in the selected
columns containing any or all (you get to choose) of the entered letters.
Note: The expand/collapse toggles allow you to collapse and expand individual categories and sub-
categories in the groups. When the toggle shows a + it means the group category can be
expanded, when it shows a - it means the group category can be collapsed.
Note: When Output has been added to the Data Table, a special column header exists called Total/
Centroidal ID which can be used to group output vectors based on the top level vector that
they are to which they are related. In this column, the number of the top level vector will
be listed. For Instance, individual Top Von Mises corner stresses (Output Vectors: 100233,
150233, 200233, and 250233) would all be grouped under 7033..Top Von Mises Stress.
Another example of where this can be useful is viewing output from multiple plys when
dealing with laminate elements.
Grouping Area
Column Header Row
Along with checking and unchecking the boxes, you can also highlight the Columns to Check one at a time and
click the Toggle Selected Columns button. Once all are selected, click OK and view the modified Data Table.
You can also use the Remove Filtered Rows check box to completely remove filtered rows from the Data Table.
Clear Filter - Clears all filter settings and all entities previously shown in the Data Table before filtering will be
visible again. If you used the Remove Filtered Rows check box, these entities are no longer in the Data Table, there-
fore they will not reappear when the Clear Filter icon is clicked.
Update Selection to Visible Rows - This icon will update the selection list created by the Select toolbar with only
the visible rows in the Data Table. This command can be used when the filter is on or off, as well as, when there are
groups in the Data Table. This command will completely purge the selection list of all other entity types except
those in the Data Table, so be careful about using it if you have created a large selection list with multiple entity
types.
Show Visible Rows - Highlights (Window, Show Entities command) all entities that are currently visible as rows in
the Data Table.
Show When Selected Menu - Contains a number of options to show the entities currently highlighted in the Data
Table in the main graphics window. Entities such as Elements, Nodes, or Geometric Entities (Solids, Surfaces,
Curves, Points) can be shown. Also, entities associated with a Property, Material, Connection Property, Connec-
tion Region, Connector, Group, Layer, or an individual Coordinate System can be shown. By default, this com-
mand is set to off. The commands on this menu use different options of the Window, Show Entities command. Once
the options have been selected, simply clicking the Show When Selected icon will toggle this mode on and off.
Setting the menu to Highlight will highlight the selected entities in the graphics window. Transparent Highlight
does the same thing as Highlight, but will make all non-selected entities temporarily transparent as well.
Setting the menu to Show Selected Only will actually make all entities NOT associated with the selected entities in
the Data Table disappear temporarily until Show When Selected is toggled off or the model is regenerated.
The Show Labels and Show Normals (shows element normals) options can be toggled on and off and the highlight
color can also be chosen from the FEMAP color palette using the Highlight Color... command.
7-96 Modeling Tools
Other Data Table Features
Expand/Collapse toggles - Only appear when using Groups in the Data Table. Allow you to collapse and
expand individual group categories and sub-categories inside the Data Table. When the toggle shows a + it
means the group category can be expanded, when it shows a - it means the group category can be collapsed.
Context Sensitive Menu (Rows) - When an entity row or rows are highlighted, right mouse clicking will bring up
a context sensitive menu. This menu allows you to show (highlight in the graphics window) the row or rows cur-
rently highlighted in the Data Table. There is a running total of the selected entity rows in parenthesis after the
Show Rows command. You can also choose to Select All, which will select all of the rows. This menu contains the
Update Selection command, which updates the Selection List in the Model Info tree with highlighted rows only.
Highlighted rows can be copied to the clipboard using Copy Rows, saved to a text file using Save Rows, placed into
a filter using Filter Rows, or deleted from the Data Table using Delete Rows.
Context Sensitive Menu (Column Header) - When the cursor is positioned over a column header, right mouse
clicking will bring up a context sensitive menu. This menu allows you to sort (ascending or descending) using the
column header, create a Data Table group with the column heading, hide the column, or align the data in the col-
umns (Align Left, Align Right, Align Center). Show Print Columns toggle on/off a highlight of the right side of the
last Column Header which will be included before FEMAP starts printing columns on a different line.
Copy Columns... will bring up the following dialog box. Check the desired columns to copy to the clipboard and by
default those columns will be copied in their entirety. There are also options to Copy Column Headers, which is on
by default, which will include the title of the column, and Copy Only Selected Rows which will send only the
checked columns of the highlighted rows to the clipboard.
When the Data Table pane is floating, it can be repositioned and resized, just as any other floating dockable panes.
The Data Table can be closed by clicking the X on the right side of the Title bar. To reopen the Data Table, use
the Tools, Data Table menu.
Note: It is possible to choose multiple entity rows at the same time and perform operations on all of
the rows at once. In order to choose multiple entity rows, hold down the CTRL key and
select individual entities with the mouse or hold down the SHIFT key and select a first row
and a last row and all of the rows in between will also be selected.
Note: The combination of copying columns with the Copy Only Selected Rows option turned on is
a convenient method to transfer only the necessary data to your exterior spreadsheet pro-
gram.
Tools, Programming, API Programming 7-97
7.2.8 Tools, Programming, API Programming
The API Programming dockable pane is a Visual Basic-compatible scripting editor and debugging control which
allows you to create customized Basic scripts inside the FEMAP interface using the FEMAP Application Program-
ming Interface (API).
The FEMAP API lets you customize
FEMAP to meet your specific needs. The
FEMAP API is an OLE/COM-based pro-
gramming interface to FEMAP. It con-
tains hundreds of functions that can be
called from Visual Basic, VBA (Excel,
Word, Access, ...), C, or C++.
You can have multiple files open in the
API Programming window. The files will
be numbered 1 to n and you can move
from one to another by choosing the
number in the grey area in the top left
corner of the dialog box under the icons.
The default code in a blank file in the
API Programming pane:
Dim App As femap.model
Set App = feFemap()
...provides a mechanism which allows
you to directly connect to the current
instance of FEMAP and run APIs in that
instance. Any *.bas files in the Custom
Tools directory or added to the menus or
toolbars using this mechanism for
attachment will also run in the current
instance of FEMAP.
Program File Icons
Open - Opens an existing API Basic File
(*.bas file,*.cls file, or *.obm file). See
Macro, Code, Object, and Class Modules
below.
Save - Saves an API Basic File. You can choose to save an API Basic Files as a *.bas file, *.cls file, or *.obm file.
Actions Menu - Contains actions such as creating new Macros, Code Modules, Object Modules, or Class Mod-
ules. It has options to Close a single Macro or Module or Close All the open ones, Save an open Macro or Module
or Save All the open ones. Finally, it can be used to Open Uses which opens all files that have been referenced with
Uses statements in the current API script.
Here is a brief description of the different types of Macros and Modules, as well as Uses:
Macro - Is basically an application written to perform a specific task using the FEMAP API to have FEMAP
complete tasks and operations. For simple tasks to automate FEMAP, this is the only type of module that you
will need to use. Saved in a *.bas file.
Code Module - A Code module implements a code library. It has a set of Public procedures accessible from
other macros and modules. The public symbols are accessed directly. Code Modules provide a way to split up
larger applications into multiple files. Saved in a *.bas file.
Save
Actions Menu
Object
Play
User Dialog
Stop
Toggle
Breakpoint
Clear All
Step Into
Step Over Open
Browser
Breakpoints
Step Out
Step to
Cursor
Pause
7-98 Modeling Tools
Object Module - An object module implements an ActiveX Automation object. It has a set of Public procedures
accessible from other macros and modules. These public symbols are accessed via the name of the object mod-
ule or an object variable. Public Constants, Types, arrays, fixed length strings are not allowed. An object mod-
ule is similar to a class module except that one instance is automatically created. That instance has the same
name as the object module's name. Saved in a *.obm file.
Class Module - A class module implements an ActiveX Automation object. It has a set of Public procedures
accessible from other macros and modules. These public symbols are accessed via an object variable. Public
Constants, Types, arrays, fixed length strings are not allowed. A class module is similar to a object module
except that no instance is automatically created. Saved in a *.cls file.
Uses - The Uses comment indicates that the current macro/module uses public and friend symbols from the
module.
Object Browser - The Object
Browser shows information about
all the special data types that are
available for the FEMAP API.
You can choose from the list of
loaded libraries, then choose a Data
Type, then select a Method/Prop-
erty. Any available parameters
associated with the Method/Prop-
erty will be also be listed in the
Parameters section. On the top line,
all of the arguments will be listed
for the particular Method/Property.
For help on a particular Data Type
or Method/Property click on the ?
button and you will be taken
directly to that entry in the FEMAP
API manual.
User Dialog - This tool can be used to create
customized dialog boxes which can then be used
to drive API applications. Dialog box options,
which can be added via the icons on the left,
include Radio Buttons, Push Buttons (OK, Can-
cel, or Custom), List Boxes, Check Boxes, Text
Entry Boxes, Combination Boxes, Multi List
Box, and others.
The top icons include (from left to right) Edit
Item Properties, Delete, Cut, Copy, Paste, Move
in Front, Move Behind, Select in Front, Select
Behind, Select Group, and Save and Exit.
Once an item has been selected from the left
options icons, it must be placed and sized in the
main area of the dialog box. Items can be
dragged around the box and repositioned. If you
want to change of the name or other options on
any of these items, simply double click the item,
make the changes and click Close.
Play - Plays the API BASIC file currently open in the API Programming Pane from the beginning or a break-
point. Once play is pressed, the script will play until it has completed, reached a set breakpoint or the Stop but-
ton in the API Programming Pane has been pressed.
Tools, Programming, API Programming 7-99
Step Into - Executes the current line in the API BASIC File currently open in the API Programming Pane. If the
current line is a subroutine or function call, stops on the first line of that subroutine or function. As each line is
stepped through the result of that line will be completed in FEMAP or any other referenced application.
Step Over - Executes to the next line in the API BASIC File currently open in the API Programming Pane. If the
current line is a subroutine or function call, executes the subroutine or function completely.
Step Out - Steps out of the current subroutine or function that is currently being used in the API Programming
Pane.
Step to Cursor - Executes all the lines of the API BASIC File currently open in the API Programming Pane until a
specific line designated by the cursor.
Pause - Pauses an API BASIC File while it is running, whether the API Script is playing or being stepped
through one line by line. Clicking the Pause icon again or play will continue going through the script from the
point where is it was paused.
Stop - Stops an API BASIC file while it is running, whether the API Script is playing or being stepped through
line by line. The API script will start over from the beginning when played after the Stop button has been used.
Toggle Breakpoint - This command can be used to set a breakpoint in an API BASIC file. A breakpoint can be
used to run a API BASIC file to a particular point in the file. You must place the cursor on the line in the API
BASIC File text where you want the file to temporarily stop running, then click the Toggle Breakpoint button.
Breakpoints will be marked in the API Programming Pane with a Red Circle and must be designated before the
playing of the API BASIC file begins. To remove a breakpoint, simply place the cursor on the line where a break-
point exists and press the Toggle Breakpoint button. You can set as many breakpoints as you like.
Alternatively to toggle a breakpoint on a particular line, you can simply click in the dark gray vertical bar near the
left of the API Programming pane (where the breakpoint symbols are located). Simply clicking on the bar next to a
line will toggle a breakpoint for that line.
Clear All Breakpoints - Clears all breakpoints from the API Programming Pane.
Tabbed Window
The API Programming Pane has an addi-
tional window which will open when any
type of playback (Play, Step Into, Step
Over, Step Out, or Step to Cursor) of an
API script is occurring.
This window will appear above the writ-
ten text of the API script and below the
icons and will have three tabs which
can be used to change what type of infor-
mation the window will show.
The three tabs are Immediate, Watch, and
Stack and each one has specific uses.
Immediate - This window is used to
evaluate an expression, assign a variable
or call a subroutine:
Type "?expr" <Enter> to show the value of "expr".
Type "var = expr" <Enter> to change the value of "var".
Type "Set var = expr" <Enter> to change the reference of "var".
Type "subname args" <Enter> to call a subroutine or built-in instruction.
Type "Trace" <Enter> to toggle trace mode. Trace mode prints each statement in the immediate window when a
macro/module is running.
Watch - This window list the variables, functions and expressions that are calculated and displayed.
7-100 Modeling Tools
Each time execution pauses the value of each line in the window and is updated.
The expression to the left of "->" may be edited.
Pressing Enter updates all the values immediately.
Pressing Ctrl-Y deletes the line.
Stack - This window lists the lines which called the current statement.
The first line is the current statement. The second line is the one that called the first. And so on.
Clicking on a line brings that macro/module into a sheet and highlights the line in the main window.
Help and Tooltips
In order to make the API Programming pane easier to use, there are a few different methods to get help when you
need it. Most the help is context sensitive, again to make it easier to get to the correct places in the documentation.
For Help on FEMAP API commands themselves, simple place the cursor somewhere inside the text of that object,
method, or property (but do NOT highlight any text) or finish typing the line and press the F1 key. This will take
you to the appropriate entry in the FEMAP API manual.
For Help using Basic commands (such as Dim, While, etc.), place the cursor anywhere inside the text of one of
these commands or highlight the text, press the F1 key and you will be taken to the appropriate place in the Basic
Language Reference included in FEMAP. If you have any text highlighted in the API Programming pane, FEMAP
will access the Basic Language Reference via the Index, so be careful.
If the cursor is active in the API Programming window, and you hold down Shift and press F1, you will be taken to
the top-level of the Basic language Reference. You can use the links here to search for what you need.
For any Method, a tooltip will appear after the ( symbol containing the number and type of arguments which
must be entered for the Method to work properly. For a Property, a tooltip will appear after the = letting you
know the type of argument needed, and if the property of argument has a list, a drop-down list will also appear.
There is a context sensitive menu which will appear when the
right mouse button is clicked inside the API Programming pane.
The Use API Shortcuts toggle activates/deactivates a set of short-
cut keys (accelerators) that allow you to use predefined shortcut
keys to operate the API Programming dockable pane using keys
instead of icons. This allows you to use the API Programming
pane much like you would use a programming tool to help run and
debug an API script. Once the API Programming pane is closed,
the normal shortcut keys will be restored as well. Many of the
keys are the same as shortcut keys for Visual Basic.
This menu allows you to search the text for a specific portion of
text using the Find... command, or do a find and replace with
the Replace... command. The Again command will repeat the
most recently used Find... or Replace... command For example, if
you used the Replace... command to find the first instance in the
API script where the text string nd was, and changed it to
node, pressing Again would find the next instance and change
that instance and continue to repeat this command as many times
as the Again command is used.
You can Undo and Redo typing in the API Programming pane.
There is the ability to Cut, Copy, and Paste any highlighted text.
Note: Ctrl+C can be used as a general copy command in
FEMAP. When the API Programming pane is active,
Ctrl+C will perform the copy command on the high-
lighted text.
Tools, Programming, Program File 7-101
The Object/Proc Lists will bring up drop-down list of Objects and Procedures. The Object list shows all the
objects for the current module. The "(general)" object groups all of the procedures which are not part of any spe-
cific object. The Proc list shows all the procedures for the current object. Selecting a procedure that is not bold
inserts the proper procedure definition for that procedure. Toggle Line Numbers turns off the line numbers on/off.
Complete Word will bring up a drop down list and allow you to pick from a list of commonly used words while cre-
ating an API script and Parameter Info... will bring up a yellow tooltip which will contain information about the
highlighted parameter.
The Set Next Statement command allows you to set the next statement to be executed. Only statements in the cur-
rent subroutine/function can be selected. The Show Next Statement command simply shows the next statement to be
executed.
Quick Watch shows the value of the highlighted expression in the Immediate window at a given time. Add Watch
will show the current value of the highlighted expression in the Watch window and this value can change as the API
script goes through any type of repetitive action (i.e., a loop).
The References command
will display the References
dialog box which shows the
current macro/module's refer-
ences. References to type
libraries may be added
(checked) or removed
(unchecked) and the relative
priority can be changed. The
FEMAP Type Library is
always automatically refer-
enced. Checked references
are available to the current
macro/module. Each checked
reference is searched in order
from top to bottom. A
checked library's name can be
changed using the "Name"
text box.
The Properties command allows you to edit the Modules properties.
When the API Programming pane is floating, it can be repositioned and resized, just as any other floating dockable
pane.
7.2.9 Tools, Programming, Program File
The Program File Dockable Pane allows you to dynamically record any number of FEMAP menu, toolbar, and
keyboard commands in sequence to create macros. Once a program file has been recorded, it can be played
back as a macro inside FEMAP to perform a customized series of commands to perform a specific action or
achieve a particular goal.
Note: Depending on the number of Type Libraries and objects that you have registered on your system, the
References command can take quite some to display.
Program File Icons
Open - Opens an existing Program File (either a *.prg
file or a *.pro file which saves the text in Rich Text
Format).
Save - Saves a Program File. You can choose to save a
Program File as a *.prg file (text only) or a *.pro file
(Rich Text Format).
Clear All - Clears all text from the Program File Pane.
Record - When the Record button is toggled on it
records all FEMAP commands and dialog box activity
as text in the Program File Pane. Click the toggle
again to stop recording. Record can only be used when
the Program File Pane is not playing a Program File.
Play - Plays the Program File currently open in the
Program File Pane from the beginning or a break-
point. Once play is pressed, the program file will play
until it has completed, reached a set breakpoint or
the Stop button in the Program File Pane has been
pressed.
Step to Next Line - Steps through the Program File
currently open in the Program File Pane one line at a
time. As each line is stepped through it will be
played in FEMAP. The Stop button must be pressed to
allow recording after this command has been used.
Stop - Stops a Program File while it is running,
whether while playing a Program File or stepping
through one line by line.
Toggle Breakpoint - This command can be used to set
a breakpoint in a Program File. A breakpoint can be used to run a Program File to a particular point in the file.
You must place the cursor on the line in the Program File text where you want the Program File to temporarily stop
running, then click the Toggle Breakpoint button. Breakpoints will be marked in the Program File Pane with a Red
Square and must be designated before the playback of the Program File begins. To remove a breakpoint, simply
place the cursor on the line where a breakpoint exists and press the Toggle Breakpoint button. You can set as many
breakpoints as you like.
Clear All Breakpoints - Clears all breakpoints from the Program File Pane.
Record Comments - While this toggle is on comments are recorded with every command and certain dialog box
activity that is recorded in the Program File Pane. By default, this toggle is usually set to on. Comments appear
in the text of the Program File Pane and always have a $ as the first character on the line. The comments make
Program Files easier to understand and always come directly before the actual text that FEMAP is using in the Pro-
gram File, whether it be command numbers or dialog box actions. At any time during the recording process,
recording comments can be toggled on and off.
Open
Save
Clear All
Record
Play
Step to Next Line
Stop
Toggle
Breakpoint
Clear All Breakpoints
Record
Comments
Breakpoint
Comments
There is a context sensitive menu which will appear when the right mouse
button is clicked inside the Program File pane. This menu allows you to
search the text for a specific portion of text using the Find... command. You
can Undo and Redo typing in the Program File pane. There is the ability to
Cut, Copy, Paste, and Clear any highlighted text. The Font command will
allow you to change the Font, Size, Color, and Style of any highlighted
text, or set those items for all new text in one dialog box. The Font style
can be changed using the Bold, Italic, and Underline commands (when a
Font Style is active, the icon will be surrounded by an orange square).
Default Format allows you to set a format, you can choose between Text,
Rich Text, Object, or Auto. Scale allows you to scale the size of a non-text
object (i.e., pictures) using a percentage of the objects current size. The
Zoom command allows you to make everything in the Program File pane
larger or smaller. Select All will select everything in the Program File
pane, then operations can be performed
The Use Program Shortcuts toggle activates/deactivates a set of shortcut
keys (accelerators) that allow you to use predefined shortcut keys to oper-
ate the Program File dockable pane using keys instead of icons. This
allows you to use the Program File pane much like you would use a pro-
gramming tool to help record, run, and debug a program file. Once the Pro-
gram File pane is closed, the normal shortcut keys will be restored as well.
When the Program File pane is floating, it can be repositioned and resized, just as any other floating dockable
pane.
Program Files
When the Record button in the Program File Dockable Pane is on, the commands will be recorded in the main text
window of the Program File Pane in the order they are chosen in FEMAP user interface. Once completed, the
record button is toggled to off and the text in the window can be saved as a Program File (either a *.prg file or a
*.pro file which saves the text in Rich Text Format).
In their simplest form, FEMAP Program Files are essentially ASCII text files which instruct FEMAP to perform
certain commands based on the syntax of the ASCII file. This FEMAP specific syntax includes unique numbered
identifiers representing every FEMAP command, normal keystrokes (for typing values and text), and special key-
strokes used to perform different tasks in specific dialog boxes (such as pushing buttons, choosing selection meth-
ods, and designating specific fields to activate). They are much more powerful than that, however. You can add
logic commands, define and manipulate variables, stop and prompt a user for input, or send messages to the Mes-
sages Pane.
Before you make use of program files however, you should understand:
In general, Program Files are not compatible between different versions of FEMAP (This is especially the case
with older program files created in FEMAP versions 8.3 and earlier). Most capability usually stays the same
and will work, however any changes to the menus or commands in FEMAP will stop existing program files
from working.
Note: Ctrl+C can be used as a general copy command in FEMAP.
When the Program File pane is active, Ctrl+C will perform
the copy command on the highlighted text.
Note: If you have a wheel mouse you can hold the CTRL key down and spin the wheel to dynamically
zoom in and out in the Program File pane
Note: When the Program File Pane is in Record Mode, all of the other dockable panes, except
for the Messages and Entity Info panes, will be temporarily hidden and cannot be used.
The ability to record Program Files does not exist in FEMAP versions 9.0 and 9.0.1, but Program Files from
versions 8.3 and earlier can be opened in the Program File Pane and run in FEMAP version 9.1 and above, but
their effectiveness will be limited by the number of menu and toolbar commands used in the program file that
are still the same.
Program File Format
There are three basic types of data that will be placed in program files created with the Program File Pane. The first
type are unique numbered identifiers representing every FEMAP command. These identifiers tell FEMAP which
menu, toolbar, or keyboard shortcut commands to use while the program file is running. The second is keystroke
information that mimics what you would type from the keyboard if you were performing the operation manually
(this is how FEMAP knows which buttons to push, methods to select, and fields to activate). When you run a pro-
gram file, this text essentially "pushes the keys" in dialog boxes for you to run FEMAP commands. You may also
want to add other program file commands. These commands do not execute FEMAP commands, rather, they are
commands themselves which control the flow of the program file, work with variables, print messages, or ask for
input.
Program File Keystrokes
You can use a program file to mimic most of the keystrokes on your keyboard and mouse clicks in dialog boxes and
the main graphics window. This allows you to execute FEMAP commands and fill in dialog boxes automatically,
just as if you had typed the input. The program file syntax provides several alternatives to reproduce various key-
strokes, button pushes, method selections, and activation of fields.
Normal Keystrokes
For keystrokes such as letters (A..Z, a..z), numbers (0..9), and other symbols (!@$,.:...) you can type the characters
directly into the program file. As FEMAP reads the file, those keystrokes will be executed. Some characters need
special treatment if you want to include them in a text string. These include, #, < and {. FEMAP normally uses
these characters as delimiters in a program file. To enter them simply as text, you must precede them with a back-
slash (\). For example, you should enter "50\# Pressure", not "50# Pressure". Similarly, if you want to include a
backslash (like in a file path name), you must precede it with a backslash also. For example,
"c:\\FEMAP3\\myfile.mod".
Special Keystrokes
For other keystrokes like function keys and multiple key combinations (like Alt+A), program files use a slightly
different approach. The syntax is as follows:
<[A-][C-][S-]key_name>
where:
A-, C-, and S- are obviously optional. Do not include them if you do not want a combination keystroke. Here are
some examples:
A- means to simultaneously press the Alt key.
C- means to simultaneously press the Ctrl key.
S- means to simultaneously press the Shift key.
key_name is either a single character that was one of the normal key-
strokes described above, or the name of a special key.
<A-C> press Alt+C
<C-B> press Ctrl+B
<F7> press F7 key
<LEFT> press left arrow key
<C-LEFT> press Ctrl+left arrow key
The special keynames are defined in the following table, along with their keys.
There are also other special keynames which do not really match a key, but which you will find very useful when
you are writing program files. They are:
Numbered Command Identifiers
The Program File Pane records shortcut syntax for accessing commands through menus, toolbars, and keyboard
shortcuts. Each command has a unique numbered identifier which calls that particular command in FEMAP. This
is the method FEMAP uses to record because in addition to being simpler, it does additional checking to be certain
your program is not in another command while you are trying to access a command. In addition, it will be easier to
distinguish them from dialog box data when you look at your program file. The use of the Numbered Command
Identifiers in recorded Program Files was first used in FEMAP 9.1.
Using the Numbered Identifier, any command can be accessed by simply using the format {~numbered_identifier}.
The ~ must be present as the first character inside the bracket.
For Example, when the Model, Node command is recorded, you would see the following:
Program File Key Program File Key
<F1>
...
<F12>
F1
...
F12
<Ins> Insert
<Left> Left Arrow <Del> Delete
<Right> Right Arrow <Home> Home
<Up> Up Arrow <End> End
<Down> Down Arrow <Esc> Escape
<TAB> Tab <CR> Carriage Return
<BkSp> Backspace <Enter>
<Prt> Print Screen <Return>
<PgUp> Page Up <Space> Space Bar
<PgDn> Page Down <Sp>
Other Special Program File Keystrokes
Program File Key
<PUSH> Space Bar, but makes sure that you are "pushing" a button.
<ON> Turns current button on, error if not on a button.
<OFF> Turns current button off, error if not on a button.
<OK> Pushes the dialog box OK button, actually just presses Alt-O
<USER> Pauses the program file so a user can manually complete the next dialog box.
If the user cancels the dialog box, the program file will be aborted also. If the
user completes the dialog box, and presses OK, the program file will resume.
Special Keystrokes in Recorded Program Files
<@...> Jump directly to a specified control/field. The ... is actually replaced by a
number representing the control ID to jump into. While you could use this
technique yourself, there is no easy way to find the control ID. It is typically
easier to use <TAB> or <A-letter> combinations.
<~...> Selects an item from a listbox or combobox. The ... is replaced by a number
representing the index of the item to be selected in the list. To select the first
item in a list use <~0>. Use <~1> for the second, and so on.
Note: Since FEMAP is doing all of the work for you when recording a Program File, you will
notice that the <@...> and <~...> commands will be used a great deal. This allows FEMAP to
record more efficient program files based on mouse clicks inside a dialog box instead of
numerous Tabs to get to a specific field. These can cause some confusion when looking at
the text of a program file, but in general are the most specific way to designate a particular
field or option.
{~1220}
accesses the Model, Node command. In the normal keystroke syntax, the following would require:
<A-M>N
Menu Keystrokes
In addition to the more efficient Numbered Command Identifiers, program files provide an additional shortcut syn-
tax for accessing the FEMAP menus. Like the Numbered Command Identifiers, it does additional checking to be
certain your program is not in a command while you are trying to access the menu. This is the method FEMAP
used to record menu commands in Program Files in FEMAP 8.3 and earlier versions.
To use this shortcut, you simply enclose the FEMAP menu command in braces. For example:
{MN}
would access the Model, Node command. In the normal keystroke syntax, this would require:
<A-M>N
You can enter as many characters as necessary between the braces to execute the command. Currently this is two or
three, depending on the command.
Program File Commands
Program file commands provide additional capabilities. They do not mimic keystrokes, but rather perform some
function. All program file commands have a similar syntax:
#command( arguments... )
The following paragraphs define each of the commands. The commands are presented in alphabetical order.
#ASK( )
Syntax:
#ASK( variable_name, "question_title" )
where:
variable_name
is any valid FEMAP variable name. The variable does not have to exist already. Do not specify the ! or @ delim-
iters for this command; just specify the variable name.
"question_title"
is the title that will be displayed in the dialog box when the user is asked to define the variable. The title should
tell the user what is being defined. The length is really limited by the size of the dialog box. You must always
enclose this title in quotes.
This command is used to prompt a user for numeric input. It temporarily pauses the program file and displays a dia-
log box. You must specify the name of the variable that will be defined, and the title that will be used to tell the user
what to do.
If you specify the name of an existing variable, the dialog box will contain its current value when it is displayed. If
the user presses OK, the variable will be defined and the program will proceed. If the user presses Cancel, the pro-
gram file will stop.
#BEEP( )
Syntax:
#BEEP( )
This command simply sounds a beep and continues. There are no arguments.
#CMDMODE( )
Syntax:
#CMDMODE( expression )
where:
expression
is a numeric value that should be either 0 or 1. If set to 0, all commands that are chosen by the command file
using the {XXX} syntax will be directly called without sending keystrokes to the menu. If set to 1 (or any other
nonzero value), the XXX keystrokes will be sent to the menu to choose the command. Default is 0.
This allows you to control the method by which commands are selected from the menu. If you use a nonzero value,
keystrokes will be used and menus will pop up as the commands are selected. Specifying 0 is faster, and does not
display menus as commands are selected.
#DEF( )
Syntax:
#DEF( variable_name, expression )
where:
variable_name
iters for this parameter; just specify the variable name.
expression
is a numeric value, other variable, or FEMAP equation that can contain the FEMAP functions. Any variables
must contain the ! or @ delimiters since this parameter is an equation, just like any other that you write for
FEMAP. See the User Manual, Section C, for a list of functions.
This command defines variables under program file control. You can use it to write equations simply by setting
variable_name to the name of the variable that you want to receive the result of the equation. Then define expres-
sion as the equation.
For example,
#DEF(radius,!radius+0.5)
will add 0.5 to the current value of the variable "radius". Or
#DEF(diameter,!radius*2)
will define "diameter" as twice the value of "radius"
As an alternative to using #DEF( ), you can use the FEMAP Tools, Variables command. That approach however,
will make your program files larger and they will run more slowly.
#DELAY( )
Syntax:
#DELAY( number )
where:
number
is the number of milliseconds between simulated keystrokes or commands as the program is running. Smaller
numbers make the program run faster, larger numbers make it run slower. The default value if you do not use the
#DELAY( ) command is 25.
#DELAY( ) is used to control the speed of a program file as it replays. If you are debugging a program file, add a
#DELAY( ) with a large value, so that the program runs slower. Multiple #DELAY( ) commands, with different
values can be used to make some sections run quickly and others run slowly.
#ECHO( ), #ECHOE( ) and #ECHOH( )
Syntax:
#ECHO( "string" )
#ECHOE( "string" )
#ECHOH( "string" )
where:
"string"
is the text to echo to the Messages window. You must always enclose it in quotes.
Each of these commands simply writes the quoted argument to a new line in the Messages window. The only differ-
ence between them is the color of the string. #ECHO( ) writes the string as normal text, usually black. #ECHOE( )
writes the string as error text, usually red. #ECHOH( ) writes the string as highlighted text, usually blue. The actual
colors depend on the user's File, Preferences settings.
#ECHOV( ), #ECHOVE( ) and #ECHOVH( )
Syntax:
#ECHOV( variable_name, "string" )
#ECHOVE( variable_name, "string" )
#ECHOVH( variable_name, "string" )
where:
variable_name
iters for this command; just specify the variable name.
"string"
is the text to echo to the Messages window. You must always enclose it in quotes. It is actually a C- language for-
mat string. It should contain a format identifier for the variable. Since all variables are double precision real
numbers, the format must be included appropriately.
These commands are similar to the #ECHO( ), #ECHOE( ) and #ECHOH( ) commands, except that they use the
string argument as a format to write a variable. It is up to you to properly specify the format string. If you do not, it
can cause problems for Windows and FEMAP.
The following examples illustrate some proper commands:
#ECHOV( radius, "The radius is %g." )
#ECHOV( a, "A = %12.5f" )
#ECHOV( nodecount, "We have %g Nodes." )
You must always have one (and only one) format code in the string. It must be a valid C-language format code,
with the following syntax:
%[width].[precision]prefix
where
width
is the number of characters to be written
precision
is the number of significant digits
prefix
is either "f" (floating point), "e" (exponential), or "g" (like e or f)
#EXEC( )
Syntax:
#EXEC( "string" )
where:
"string"
is the text that will be used as the command line to execute another program. It must always be enclosed in
quotes. "string" must be less than 160 characters.
#EXEC( ) is used to launch another program from FEMAP. The string argument must contain the complete com-
mand line that is required to launch the program, including any disk name, path name or command line arguments.
FEMAP does not modify the string, it simply removes the quotes and passes it to the WinExec function.
#EXIT( )
Syntax:
#EXIT( )
Immediately terminates the program file. There are no arguments or questions.
#GOTO( ) and #(label)
Syntax:
#GOTO( label_expression )
.
.
#( label_expression )
where
label_expression
is a numeric value, variable, or FEMAP equation which can contain the FEMAP functions described in the User
Manual, Section C. If you use a variable or equation, FEMAP will round the value to the nearest integer.
In the simplest form, you can define the label_expression as a constant. In this case, when FEMAP gets to
#GOTO(1), program file execution will immediately jump to the location of the #(1) command. This can be for-
ward or backward in the program file, relative to the location of the #GOTO( ) statement. You must always define a
label that corresponds the GOTO expression, or the program file will abort.
In a more complex example, you could use #GOTO(!i) to jump to a different position depending on the value of the
variable !i. If !i was 1, the program file would jump to #(1), if !i was 99, it would jump to #(99). An error will
occur, and the program file will stop if the label cannot be found.
In an even more complex fashion, you can define both the #GOTO( ) and the #( ) label_expressions as variables or
equations. In all but the simplest cases, this should be done with care since it is very easy to be searching for a label
that will not exist.
#IF( ) and #ENDIF( )
Syntax:
#IF( expression1 operator expression2 )
.
#ENDIF( )
where
expression1 and expression2
are numeric values, variables, or FEMAP equations which can contain the FEMAP functions described in the
User Manual, Section C.
operator
is one of the six available operators:
FEMAP evaluates the two expressions and then compares the results using the specified operator. If the resulting
comparison is true, the program file continues from the position immediately after the #IF( ) statement. If it is false,
FEMAP skips to the position after the #ENDIF( ) statement. You must always have a matching #ENDIF( ) for each
#IF( ) command. You can nest #IF( ) statements inside each other.
= = equal to,
!= not equal to
< less than,
<= less than or equal to,
> greater than, or
>= greater than or equal to
#METHOD( )
Syntax:
#method ( type, value )
where:
type
represents which type of dialog box to set to a specific definition method, material type, or property type. The
type must be chosen before the method.
type can be:
0 = Coordinate Locate (i.e. positioning points or nodes)
1 = Vector Locate
2 = Plane Locate
3 = Define Property Type
4 = Define Material Type
value
represents which dialog box method, material type, or property type to set for the type of dialog box specified in
the type field. For each type, there are values corresponding to particular dialog box methods.
for type = 0 (Coordinate Locate methods)
0 = Locate, 1 = Locate in Workplane, 2 = On Point, 3 = On Node, 4 = Offset, 5 = At Distance, 6 = Center, 7 =
Along Curve, 8 = Mesh Location, 9 = Between, 10 = Intersect - Curves, 11 = Midpoint, 12 = Onto Curve, 13 =
Onto Surface, 14 = In Surface, 15 = Intersect - Curve/Surface, 16 = CG of Surface, 17 = Length Along
for type = 1 (Vector Locate methods)
0 = Locate, 1 = Locate/Length, 2 = Points, 3 = Nodes, 4 = Components, 5 = Direction, 6 = Tangent, 7 = Normal to
Surface, 8 = Bisect, 9 = Normal, 10 = Axis, 11 = Global Axis, 12 = Normal to View
for type = 2 (Plane Locate methods)
0 = Locate, 1 = Points, 2 = Nodes, 3 = Components, 4 = Bisect, 5 = Normal, 6 = CSys Plane, 7 = Global Plane, 8 =
Align to View, 9 = Align to Curve, 10 = Surface Normal
for type = 3 (Define Property Types, L signifies linear element, P signifies parabolic element)
1 = L Rod, 2 = L Bar, 3 = L Tube, 4 = L Link, 5 = L Beam, 6 = L Spring, 7 = L DOF Spring, 8 = L Curved Beam,
9 = L Gap, 10 = L Plot, 11 = L Shear, 12 = P Shear, 13 = L Membrane, 14 = P Membrane, 15 = L Bending, 16 = P
Bending, 17 = L Plate, 18 = P Plate, 19 = L Plane Strain, 20 = P Plane Strain, 21 = L Laminate Plate, 22 = P Lami-
nate Plate, 23 = L Axisymmetric, 24 = P Axisymmetric, 25 = L Solid, 26 = P Solid, 27 = L Mass, 28 = L Mass
Matrix, 29 = L Rigid, 30 = L Stiff Matrix, 31 = L Curved Tube, 32 = L Plot Planer, 33 = L Slide Line, 34 = L Con-
tact, 35 = L Axisymmetric Shell, 36 = P Axisymmetric Shell, 37 = P Beam, 38 = L Weld
for type = 4 (Define Material Types)
0 = Isotropic, 1 = Orthotropic (2D), 2 = Orthotropic (3D), 3 = Anisotropic (2D), 4 = Anisotropic (3D), 5 = Hyper-
elastic, 6 = Other Types, 7 = Fluid
For example,
#METHOD(2,3)
Note: After the #IF statement, program files now wait for a timer which allows events to occur to
set a particular condition, such as the setting of a variable.
will set the Plane dialog box to Plane Components
#METHOD(3,25)
will set the Define Property dialog box to Define Property - SOLID Element Type
This command is very useful for setting up a baseline for all of the definition dialog boxes, material types, and
property types at the beginning of a program file. It is also great for changing the method of a dialog box back to a
specific method if you are piecing together a large program file from several smaller ones and want to introduce
particular methods, property types, or material types at specific times throughout the program file.
#MSG( )
Syntax:
#MSG( "string" )
where:
"string"
is the text that will be displayed in the message box. It must always be enclosed in quotes. "string" must be less
than 160 characters.
#MSG( ) is used to display message text in a dialog box, and pause the program file. The dialog box contains an
OK button that you must press before the program file will continue.
#OPT( )
Syntax:
#OPT( keystroke )
where:
keystroke
is the keystroke to simulate. It can be a single letter, or any of the special keystrokes which are normally
enclosed in angle brackets ( i.e. < > ). If you use a special keystroke with this command, do not include the angle
brackets. For example, use #OPT(Esc), not #OPT(<Esc>).
#OPT( ) is used to optionally add a keystroke. If a FEMAP error or question dialog box is displayed, #OPT( ) will
push the button in that dialog box which corresponds to the keystroke you specify. In any other situation (i.e., at the
FEMAP menu level, or in any other normal dialog box), #OPT( ) does nothing. The keystroke is simply skipped.
You can identify FEMAP error or question dialogs by the fact that they always have between one and three buttons,
centered at the bottom of the dialog box, and no other options (except for the question or message text).
A typical place where you will want to use the #OPT( ) command is following the standard file access dialog box.
If you specify an already existing file, and FEMAP wants to write to that file, a question will be displayed to over-
write or append to the file. Since the message is only displayed when an existing file is chosen, you cannot just
code a Yes/No response; you must code #OPT(Y) for Yes, or #OPT(N) for No. The Y or N keystroke will only be
issued if the message is displayed.
#OPTGO( )
Syntax:
#OPTGO( label_expression )
where:
label_expression
#OPTGO( ) is really just an alternative to the #GOTO( ) command. In this case, however, the jump to the label is
only taken if a message or question dialog box is currently displayed - just like the #OPT( ) command. You can use
this command to insert special error handling code into your program file.
#OPTGO( ) just jumps to the specified label; it does not complete the message/question dialog box. You must add
those keystrokes immediately after the label - potentially using the #OPT( ) command.
#SILENT( )
Syntax:
#SILENT( expression )
where:
expression
#SILENT( ) allows your program file to run without displaying all of the FEMAP dialog boxes. If the value of
expression is 0, all dialog boxes will be displayed. Any other value causes the program file to run without dis-
playing the dialog boxes. By using multiple #SILENT( ) commands, you can turn the dialog boxes on and off
whenever you want in a program file.
#TIME( )
Syntax:
#TIME( string )
where:
string
is text string that will be printed along with the time in the Messages window.
#TIME allows you to send comments to the message window along with the time at which they were executed.
This can be used as a method to indicate how long certain program file operations are taking.
Other Program File Notes
Spaces and carriage returns (new lines) are typically ignored in program files. You have to use the special key-
strokes ( like <SPACE> or <CR> ) to enter these characters. The only exception to this rule is when you are enter-
ing text into a dialog box. In this case, for convenience, spaces are read and written to the dialog box.
All program file commands must be completed on a single line.
The special characters that delimit keystrokes and commands, #, <, and {, must be used with care in a program file.
If you need to use them as part of a text string, you must precede them with a \character. The \ will not show up as
text. If you need to enter a \ (like in a directory name, enter \\. This will echo as one \.
When executing FEMAP commands, you should always use the shortcut syntax, {~Numbered identifier}.
Upper, and lower, case does not matter except for text that is typed into a control. In that case the only difference is
if you are entering a title. The title will contain the upper and lower case letters that you enter. FEMAP simply
ignores case for all commands.
Tools, Other Windows, Messages 7-113
7.2.10 Tools, Other Windows, Messages
The Messages Dockable Pane is open by default and is in a docked position below the graphics window. Every
time you perform a command in FEMAP, the Messages window will give you feedback to let you know the com-
mand has been executed. Any warning and error messages that FEMAP produces will also appear in the Messages
pane in a different color to alert you of something that might be responsible for issues in your model.
All of the listing commands will send the desired list of entities to the Messages pane by default. At any time you
may also enter any of your own text into the Messages pane.
Format Toolbar
Once text is in the Messages pane, the font, size, and color can be modified using the Format toolbar. The Font
Style can be made Bold, Italic, or Underlined. The alignment can be set to left, center, or right. Bullets can be
added for listing purposes. Pictures can be pasted into the Messages pane to create reports.
There is a context sensitive menu which will appear when the right mouse button is
clicked inside the Messages pane. This menu allows you to search the text for a spe-
cific portion of text using the Find... command. You can Undo and Redo typing in
the Messages window. There is the ability to Cut, Copy, Paste, and Clear any high-
lighted text. The Font command will allow you to change the Font, Size, Color, and
Style of any highlighted text, or set those items for all new text in one dialog box.
The Font style can be changed using the Bold, Italic, and Underline commands
(when a Font Style is active, the icon will be surrounded by an orange square).
Default Format allows you to set a format, you can choose between Text, Rich Text,
Object, or Auto. Scale allows you to scale the size of a non-text object (i.e., pictures)
using a percentage of the objects current size. The Zoom command allows you to
make everything in the Messages pane larger or smaller. Select All will select every-
thing in the Messages pane, then operations can be performed
To copy anything out of the Messages pane, you need to highlight want you want to
copy, then use the File, Messages, Copy command or press Ctrl+Alt+Insert. Any
entity in the window can also be saved to a Formatted Listing (*.RTF file), Unfor-
matted Listing (*.LST file), or a Formatted Text Only file (no pictures) using the
File, Messages, Save command.
When the Messages pane is floating, it can be repositioned and resized, just as any
other floating dockable panes.
Note: If you have a wheel mouse you can hold the CTRL key down and
spin the wheel to dynamically zoom in and out in the Messages pane
Note: Ctrl+C can be used as a general copy command in FEMAP. FEMAP takes into account which window
or dockable pane is currently active. When the Messages pane is active and text is highlighted, Ctrl+C
will also perform the File, Messages, Copy command.
Note: The Tools, Undo command does not work in the Messages pane. Therefore, please be careful
about what is changed and deleted, as once it is changed, there is no way to revert changed text
back to the original text.
Tables from the Data Table and Entity Editor panes can be copied to the clipboard and then pasted into the Mes-
sages Pane.
Note: Because of the Rich Text Format copied from the Data Table and Entity Editor dockable panes,
you may need to do some resizing of columns in order to create a correctly formatted table when
it is copied into the Messages pane. When copying tables from the Data Table and Entity Editor
panes, there should be no issues when pasting into outside programs which support Rich Text
Format, such as Microsoft Word.
Tools, Other Windows, Status Bar 7-115
7.2.11 Tools, Other Windows, Status Bar
The Status Bar is always positioned on the bottom interface and is ON by default. It can be toggled on and off by
choosing it on the Tools, Other Windows... menu. It has two main sections.
On the left hand side, there is dynamically changing Status text that is constantly giving you feedback about what
is currently happening in your model. In an empty model or a model with geometry only, a message stating
Ready will be the default. Once the model is meshed, it also gives a running total of nodes and elements. When
an icon or menu command is highlighted, it gives a brief description of what the command does and in some cases
describes how to use certain hard-coded shortcut keys pertaining to the command.
On the Right hand side of the Status Bar, known as the Tray, there are five partitions representing active entities
in the model. The five entity types represented here are Properties, Load Sets, Constraint Sets, Groups, and Output
Sets. The number after the entity type name designates which entity of each type is currently active. When each
section is clicked, a menu will appear with a list of current entities which can be made active. Along with the list of
entities are some commands to either create a new entity or set a specific entity to be active.
In the case of Load Sets, Constraint Sets, Groups, and Output Sets the Cre-
ate/Manage... command allows you to create a new entity and make it
active. The Groups menu also offers the ability to see the active group in
the graphics window using the Show Active toggle or switch to Show/Hide
Multiple Groups mode by choosing Show Multiple.
Right clicking anywhere on the status bar will bring up the Customize Sta-
tus Bar menu, which allows you to turn any entity type in the Tray on or off with a left mouse click.
When an entity type is on, it will be designated with a check mark next to the entity type name.
Note: When Show Multiple is selected, you may choose which
groups to Show/Hide using the View, Visibility command
(Ctrl+Q) or the visibility check boxes in the Model Info tree.
7.3 Tools, Toolbars...
FEMAP has many useful toolbars that help you perform a variety of different functions with FEMAP. The toolbars
contain icons representing certain commands and are grouped together by functionality. Each toolbar can be made
visible or hidden using the Tools, Toolbars... command, then choosing a particular toolbar from the list. When the
toolbar is visible, it will have a check mark next to the toolbar name on the menu. By default, each toolbar will be
placed (docked) at the top of the FEMAP interface and below the main menu as a starting position.
See Section 4.2.2, "FEMAP Toolbars" of the FEMAP User Guide for general information about using the toolbars.
7.3.1 Standard Toolbars
There are 21 standard toolbars that can be made visible from the Tools, Toolbars... command. Each standard tool-
bar is described in greater detail below. All toolbars appear in floating configuration.
7.3.1.1 Tools, Toolbars, Model
...Contains commands used to create a new model, open an existing model, and save model files. Also includes
analyze model, import geometry, import model, export model, and import results commands, as well as, copy pic-
ture and print commands.
For more information see Section 2.1.1, "File, New...", Section 2.1.2, "File, Open...", Section 2.2.1, "File, Save...",
Section 2.3.3, "File, Analyze..." Section 2.3.1.1, "File, Import, Geometry...", Section 2.3.1.2, "File, Import, Analy-
sis Model...", Section 2.3.2.2, "File, Export, Analysis Model...", Section 2.3.1.3, "File, Import, Analysis Results...",
Section 2.5.4.1, "File, Picture, Copy...", and Section 2.5.2, "File, Print...".
7.3.1.2 Tools, Toolbars, View
...Contains commands used to manipulate the view of the active window.
The toolbar is broken down into five segments:
The first segment contains the dynamic rotate command (See Section 6.2.1, "View, Rotate Menu")
The second segment contains the pan (left, right, up, down) commands (See Section 6.2.8, "View, Pan...")
The third segment contains rotate about (X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis) commands and a direction toggle (positive/
negative). (See Section 6.2.1, "View, Rotate Menu")
File,New File,Open File,Save File,Analyze
File,Import,Geometry File,Import,Analysis Model File,Export,Analysis Model
File,Picture,Copy
File,Import,Analysis Results
File,Print
View,Rotate,Dynamic Pan,Left Pan,Right Pan,Up Pan,Down
Rotation direction toggle (positive/negative) Rotate,About X-axis Rotate,About Y-axis Rotate,About Z-axis
Tools, Toolbars, View 7-117
The fourth segment has magnify commands (Section 6.2.4, "View, Magnify..."), Box Zoom (Section 6.2.5, "View,
Zoom..."), UnZoom (Section 6.2.6, "View, UnZoom..."), and View Center commands (Section 6.2.1.5, "View,
Rotate, Rotate Around View Center", Section 6.2.1.6, "View, Rotate, Rotate Around Rotation Center", Section
6.2.1.7, "View, Rotate, Rotate Around Rotation Axis", Section 6.2.7, "View, Center...", Section 6.2.1.8, "View,
Rotate, Rotation Center...", and Section 6.2.1.9, "View, Rotate, Rotation Axis...").
The fifth and sixth segments have the View Select command (See Section 6.1.5.1, "View, Select..."), the View Visi-
bility command (Section 6.1.4, "View, Visibility..."), View Style commands (Section 6.1.5.3, "View, Options..."),
the Measure menu (Section 7.4.4.1, "Tools, Measure Menu..."), and Model Data Contour (Section 8.4.1, "View,
Advanced Post, Contour Model Data...")
Overview of View Style menu:
View Styles - Wireframe, Hidden (hidden line), and Solid (turns both Fill and Shading on)
Magnify,Up Magnify,Down View,Zoom View,UnZoom View,Center
Visibility
View Style (See additional menu)
Model Data Contour
View Select
Measure Menu
Fill, Shading, and Transparency Options - Fill (fills in edged entities with color), Filled Edges (enables filled
elements to appear on the screen and be contoured without showing the element edges, or surfaces which make up
solids to appear without solid curves around the surfaces), Shading, and Transparency can all be toggled on/off.
Mesh Size - Toggles Mesh Sizing on Curves on and off
Element View Options - Shrink (shows elements at a specified percentage smaller for visualization purposes), Off-
sets (toggles element offsets on and off), Orientation (toggles element orientations on and off), and Thickness/
Cross Section (toggles shell element thickness and/or beam/bar element cross-sections on and off) can be set.
The Color With menu allows you to choose the Element Color Mode (options are to color the elements with Ele-
ment Colors, Property Colors, or Material Colors)
Workplane - toggles Workplane visibility on and off (Section 7.1.2, "Tools, Workplane...")
Clipping Plane - contains options for Model Clipping Plane view option (See "Model Clipping Plane"). Toggle
plane on/off, choose to clip the model using the Positive or Negative side of the plane, or specify the plane.
Options - brings up the View Options dialog box (Section 6.1.5.3, "View, Options...")
7.3.1.3 Tools, Toolbars, View - Simple
... Simply contains a subset of the commands of the View Toolbar which are used the most. See Section 7.3.1.2,
"Tools, Toolbars, View" for more information on a specific icon.
7.3.1.4 Tools, Toolbars, View Orient
... Contains commands used to orient the view into predefined views: XY (Top), YZ (Right), ZX (Front), Bottom,
Left, Back, Isometric, Dimetric, and Trimetric.
7.3.1.5 Tools, Toolbars, Entity Display
... Contains toggles to control entity display, much like View, Visibility (See Section 6.1.4, "View, Visibility...")
The first section of the toolbar contains two icons which are overall on/off toggles for Geometry (turns ALL geo-
metric entity types on or off) and Analysis Model (turns ALL entity types associated with the finite element model
on or off).
The second section contains a toggle to turn ALL Labels on and off.
In the third section of the toolbar, the icons allow you to turn individual entity types on and off. When the icon is
highlighted Orange, that entity type is on. Entity types include Points, Curves, Surfaces, Text (not labels), Connec-
tion Regions, Connectors, Coordinate Systems, Nodes, Elements, Constraints, and Loads. The Constraints and
Note: The level of Transparency that can be toggled on and off from this menu can be adjusted using a global
value for all entities using View, Options; Category - Tools and View Style; Transparency option.
Note: Many of the icons on the View Toolbar have additional functionality when the Shift, Ctrl, or Alt key is
held down when the icon is clicked. Because the Alt key can also be used for repositioning icons on
toolbars, you must DOUBLE mouse click these View icons while holding down the Alt key to access the
additional functionality. When holding down Shift or Ctrl, a single click on the icon is adequate.
Geometry
Analysis Model
Labels
Points
Curves
Surfaces
Text
Connection
Coordinate
Systems
Nodes
Elements
All Constraints
All Loads
Regions
Connectors
Tools, Toolbars, Select 7-119
Loads icons will toggle ALL loads or constraints on and off. If you want to turn off individual types of loads and
constrains, please use View, Visibility.
Many times you will use these icons to turn ALL entities of a certain kind (i.e., Geometry or Analysis Model) on or
off, then turn individual items on or off. For Example, a common process you would be to toggle off All Geometry
and All Analysis Model entities, then click the Element icon to display only the elements for post-processing.
7.3.1.6 Tools, Toolbars, Select
... This toolbar allows you to select entities one at a time or create a list of selected entities that will remain active
until you toggle off or clear the selection list. This functionality allows you to choose entities of different types first
and then perform multiple commands from the menus or the toolbars on the selected entities.
The Select toolbar is essential to the use of the dockable panes, especially the Entity Editor and Data Table because
the selector is often the best way to place an entity into either of these panes.
Selector Entity Menu
This menu allows you to choose which type of entity you would like to select. The current entity type available to
be selected will be marked with a check mark in an orange square. Also, the Selector Entity icon visible on the tool-
bar will change to the icon of the current entity type being selected. You can toggle this icon back and forth
between no selection and the current entity by clicking the icon.
The entity types are separated into geometric entities, connections, finite ele-
ment entities, and text.
The geometric entities which can be selected are Point, Curve, Surface, and
Solid.
The connection entities which can be selected are Connection Property, Con-
nection Region, and Connector.
The finite element entities which can be directly selected are Coordinate Sys-
tem (CSys), Node, Element, Material, and Property.
Loads and Constraints are selected by choosing the entity associated with a spe-
cific load or constraint instead of the actual load or constraint.
The different types of loads which can be selected are Nodal..., Elemental..., On
Point..., On Curve..., and On Surface.
The different types of constraints are Nodal..., Equation..., On Point..., On
Curve..., and On Surface...
For instance, if you would like to select a geometry based load on a curve, you
would choose Loads, on Curve from the menu and the select the curve on which
this load is located. If you would like to select a nodal constraint, you would
choose Constraints, Nodal from the menu and then select the node on which
this constraint is located.
Finally, Text entities can also be selected using the selector, but will not dynam-
ically highlight. To select a text entity, place the cursor over it and click the left
mouse button. A small selection circle should appear on the edge of the text to
let you know it has been selected.
Selector Entity Menu
Selector Modes Menu
Selector Actions Menu
Selector Clear Menu
Snap Modes
Selector Modes Menu
The Selector has different modes to help you select the correct entities, create a selection list, and modify a selec-
tion list. This menu also allows you to toggle on and off Tooltips, which contain useful entity information. The icon
will change depending on the selection mode currently being used. Some of the modes can be used at any time,
while others are specifically there to be used when creating a selection list. Along with the Selector Actions menu,
many different options are available for selecting entities. Below is a brief description of each command on the
Selector Modes menu.
Add To Selection - Adds entities to the current selection list when Select Multiple is active or simply chooses enti-
ties when Select Single Item is active. This is the default.
Remove From Selection - Removes entities from the current selection list when Select Multiple is active. Only
allows selection of entities currently in the selection list. Does not highlight anything when Select Single Item is
active
Normal - This mode highlights entities which are able to be selected when the cursor is placed over a specific
entity. This mode does not take into account where an entity lies in relation to other entities. This is the default
selection mode.
Query - This mode allows you to choose a position on the screen near the
entity you wish to select, then drills down into the graphics window and
selects all the entities that would be touched by an imaginary line perpendic-
ular to the screen. After the entities have been identified, it opens a dialog
box and places them in a list for you to choose the correct entity. As you
highlight entities in the list, they will be highlighted in the graphics window
as well. Once you have found the correct entity, click the OK button. Very
helpful when trying to select solid elements.
Front - This mode always selects the entity closest to the front of the
screen. It uses the same premise as Query to drill down into the screen
with the imaginary line and then simply selects the top-most entity in the
current view. If the top-most entity is already chosen, it selects the next
one along the line, moving into the screen.
Select Any Inside - This is a box pick mode which signifies that any
entity touched by the outline of a selection box (used to select multiple
entities) will be included in the selection. Box picking includes circle,
polygon, and freehand picking and is only available when Select Multiple is
active.
Select All Inside - This is the other box pick mode which signifies that only entities completely inside the box
will be included in the selection. Box picking includes circle, polygon, and freehand picking and is only available
when Select Multiple is active.
Select Related - When this Mode is toggled on, it selects ALL other entities that are related to the selected entities
and places them in the selection list. To toggle it off, simply select it again. By Default this mode is OFF.
For instance, if elements are selected with this option on, all nodes (including orientation), properties, and materials
used by those elements will be added to the selection list. In addition, any loads or constraints associated with the
elements or their nodes would also be placed in the list using the appropriate entity type. In the case of elements,
nodal loads, elemental loads, nodal constraints, and constraint equations would be included in the selection list.
Note: Activating the selector while the model is animating will automatically change the Deformed Style of
the model from Animate to None - Model Only and stop the animation.
Hint: You can toggle between Add To Selection and Remove From Selection while in Select Multiple by simply
clicking on the Selector Modes icon on the Select Toolbar
Note: Choosing Select Related will automatically change the Selector Mode to Select Multiple in order to
properly populate the Selection List.
Select Single Item - Restricts selection to only one item at a given time. As each entity is selected it will update the
Entity Editor dockable pane. This is the Default.
Select Multiple - Allows you to create a Selection List. A Selection List can contain multiple entities of one type or
multiple entity types. As each entity is selected it will update the Entity Editor dockable pane, as well as add the
entity to the running totals of the Selection List in the Model Info tree.
Show Tooltips - When this mode is activated, a Tooltip note will pop up with useful information about the entity
which is currently highlighted. To toggle this option off, select it from the menu again. It can also be turned on and
off using the right mouse menu in the graphics window, when the entity selector is set to none.
For example, when Show Tooltips is active and entity selection is set to Element, a yellow box will appear with the
Element number, Element Type, Property ID, Material ID, and the nodes on the Element.
When entity selection is set to Node, the Tooltip will contain Node number, Coordi-
nates, Definition Coordinate System, and Output Coordinate System. When post-
processing, the contour output vector will appear in the Tooltip for elements and the
deformation output vector will be appear in the Tooltip for nodes.
While a Tooltip pop-up window is displaying information, if you click the left
mouse button, the information will be sent to the Entity Editor and/or Data Table
dockable panes, as long as the panes are visible in the FEMAP interface AND
unlocked.
If you click the right mouse button inside the current Tooltip, a short menu will appear:
List - sends the information in the Tooltip to the Messages window. Using this capability, you can quickly walk
around the model and recover important information at specific nodes and elements. You can now copy this infor-
mation from the Messages window or use List, Destination, to send the data to Rich Text Format file outside of
FEMAP. Either method can help you can easily create a report in another program.
Convert To Text - creates a text entity identical to the Show Tooltips box at that location to help annotate your
model. You MUST have Text visible to see the yellow text entities. Text can be made visible using either View,
Options or View, Visibility
Selector Actions Menu
This menu contains Actions the Selector can use for specific types of selections. There are various Box pick
options, grow and shrink commands to build up or cut down a selection, use of the typical FEMAP entity selection
dialog box, group commands, copy and paste, and the ability to send a selection over to the Data Table.
Here are the commands of the Selector Actions menu explained in greater detail:
Box - Creates a rectangular selection box to pick multiple entities at once.
Circle - Creates a circular selection box to pick multiple entities at once.
Polygon - Allows you to create a selection area by creating a multi-sided shape using a click of the mouse to end
one side of the polygon and begin the next side. The polygon can have as many sides as you would like and is
very helpful in selecting individual nodes in uniquely shaped geometry.
Freehand - Allows you to create a selection area by holding down the left mouse button and drawing a freehand
sketch. Works very similar to the Polygon mode, but the shape is not limited to the use of only straight lines.
Note: You can set how long your tooltips will take to appear and how long they will remain displayed on
your screen using File, Preferences, clicking the User Interface Tab, then assigning values for Tooltip
Delay and Tooltip Duration. Both values should be entered in tenths of a second.
Hint: Pressing Alt + clicking the right mouse button in the graphics window will bring up the Quick Access
Menu instead of the context sensitive menu when there is an active entity in the Select Toolbar. Using
this method, you can toggle the Show Tooltips command on and off without having to use the Select
Toolbars Selector Modes Menu.
Note: All of these methods can be used in conjunction with the Select Any Inside and Select All Inside com-
mands on the Selector Modes menu.
Coordinate - allows you to select entities using a combination of X,Y, and/or Z
values referencing a selected coordinate system along with various limiting cri-
teria (Above or Below a single value; Between or Outside two values; or At
Location, within a specified Tolerance).
Around Point - allows you to select entities using each entitys position in 3-D
space in relation to a specified Specified Point in 3-D space along with vari-
ous limiting criteria (Farther Than or Closer Than a single value; Between or
Outside two values; or At Location, within a specified Tolerance).
Around Vector - allows you to select entities using each entitys position in 3-
D space in relation to a specified Specified Vector along with various limiting
criteria (Farther Than or Closer Than a single value; Between or Outside two
values; or At Location, within a specified Tolerance).
Around Plane - allows you to select entities using each entitys position in 3-D
space in relation to a Specified Plane along with various limiting criteria (Posi-
tive Side or Negative Side of Plane with offset value; Between or Outside two
offset values; or At Location, within a specified Tolerance).
Model Data Value - allows you to select entities in the model which all use a
specific material/property value or have values which fall within a range of val-
ues for a particular material/property entry (i.e., Plane Element Thickness,
Youngs Modulus, BEAM End A Area etc.). Elements can also be selected
using element quality values.
Color - allows you to select a color from the Color Palette, then adds all enti-
ties of the current type which are also that color to the selection list.
Grow - Adds the elements surrounding the currently selected elements to the
selection list. In general, it will start with the selected element and expand out one element in all directions to non-
selected elements. The selection will move out an additional element layer every time the Grow command is used.
Here is an example of the Grow command.
Shrink - Removes the outer-most layer of selected elements from the selection list. The selection will move in an
additional element layer every time the Shrink command is used. Basically, it is the works in the reverse direction
as the Grow command.
Hint: For a more detailed explanation of Coordinate, Around Point,
Around Vector, and Around Plane picking, see Section 4.3.1,
"Entity Selection"
Note: There is no guarantee that a selection will shrink in the same way it grew if more than one element was
selected before the Grow command was used, the Grow command reached the free edge of a model, or
multiple Grow regions overlapped. It simply removes the outer-most layer of elements.
How Grow works with Elements
Initial Element Selected
First Grow Iteration Second Grow Iteration
Dialog - Brings up the specific FEMAP Entity Selection dialog box for the entity currently active in the selector.
This allows you to use all of the entity specific selection methods available on menu when the Method button is
clicked inside the dialog box.
See Section 4.3.1, "Entity Selection" of the FEMAP User Guide for more information about the various methods
available for selection using this dialog box.
Create Group - Brings up the Save Selection as Group
dialog box. Allows you to create a new group or to add,
remove, or exclude the entities in the Selection List from
the active group.
Load Group - Allows you to add the entities of any exist-
ing group to the current Selection List.
Export Neutral - Allows you to export a FEMAP neutral
file containing all of the entities currently in the Selection
List.
Copy - Allows you to copy all of the entities in the Selec-
tion List and Paste then into a different model. When the
Selection List is copied, the entity data is sent to a modi-
fied version of a FEMAP neutral file and is placed on the clipboard. Once on the clipboard, it can be pasted into
a different model using the Paste command on the Selector Actions menu (CTRL+V will not work in this case)
You MUST be sure that all entities related to a specific entity are included in the Selection List before using the
copy command. This will assure an accurate transfer between models occurs. One way to assure a Selection List
will be complete for copying purposes is to use the Select Related mode of the Select toolbar.
For example, if you want to copy a number of elements and paste them into another model, you need to make sure
and include all of the nodes connected to the element, as well as, the property and material used by the elements.
Again, using the Select Related mode would be helpful in insuring a complete and accurate transfer.
Paste - This command allows you to paste a copied Selection List
into a different model. The Paste command recognizes that a modified
FEMAP neutral file is on the clipboard and reads that neutral file into
FEMAP. When the Paste command is used it will bring up the Neutral
File Read Options dialog box to allow you enter an ID offset and select
other options to aid in the prevention of overwriting entities in the cur-
rent model.
Add to Data Table - Takes all of the entities in the Selection List that
are the entity type currently active in the Selector and sends their data to
the Data Table. The Data Table MUST be unlocked in order for this
command to be available.
Note: The modified FEMAP neutral file created by the Copy
command will only remain on the clipboard until some-
thing else is copied onto the clipboard from ANY other
program (such as a picture or message). Once something
else is copied, you will need to go back to the original
model and use the Copy command again in order to be
able to Paste it into another model.
Selector Clear All, Clear Active Entity, and Snap Modes
The Selector Clear All button purges the whole current Selection List and enables FEMAP to start creating a new
Selection List. Clear Active Entity will only clear the entity type currently active in the Selection List. For exam-
ple, if you have Nodes, Elements, and Materials in your Selection List, you can remove only the Nodes by make
Nodes the active entity in the Selector and using the Clear Active Entity button.
If you have cleared the list by accident, Tools, Undo will recover the list for you. If at all possible, try to Undo as
soon as possible to assure the whole Selection List or a portion can be recovered.
The Snap Modes are:
Snap to Screen - Selects the location on the screen exactly where the cursor is positioned in the graphics window.
Snap to Grid - Picking snaps to the nearest grid location in relation to where the cursor is positioned. The grid can
be made visible using the Tools, Workplane command, clicking the Snap Options button, and then choosing Dots or
Lines in the Grid Style portion of the dialog box.
Snap to Point - Picking snaps to the nearest geometric point in relation to where the cursor is positioned in the
graphics window.
Snap to Node - Picking snaps to the nearest node in relation to where the cursor is positioned in the graphics win-
dow.
Context Sensitive Menus
While a certain entity type is active in the selector, only that entity type will be available for picking in the graphics
window. Since FEMAP is only highlighting one specific entity type at a time, there are context sensitive menus for
each entity type (except Text). These menus can be accessed by highlighting an entity and then clicking the right
mouse button. These Context Sensitive menus contain frequently used commands for each entity type and are
described in greater detail below.
Point
Note: Any time there is an active entity in the Select Toolbar, pressing Alt + clicking the right mouse button in
the graphics window will bring up the Quick Access Menu instead of the context sensitive menu related
to the active entity. This can very helpful for picking mode purposes and to toggle Show Tooltips.
Command Description
List Lists information about the selected points to the Messages pane
Delete Deletes the selected points from the model
Mesh Size Allows you to set the mesh size on the selected points using the Mesh, Mesh Control,
Size At Point... command
Attributes Allows you to set up meshing attributes on selected points using the Mesh, Mesh Con-
trol, Attributes At Point... command
Mesh Meshes the selected points with one-noded elements (point mass, mass matrix, etc.)
using the Mesh, Geometry, Point... command
Load Brings up the Create Loads on Points dialog box to enable you to create geometry
based loads on points.
Constraint Brings up the Create Constraints on Geometry dialog box to enable you to create
geometry based constraints on points.
Color Allows you to change the color of selected points by bringing up the Color Palette dia-
log box
Layer Allows you to place the selected points onto a different layer by bringing up the Select
Layer dialog box
Copy Copies the selected points using the Geometry, Copy, Point... command
Rotate Rotates the selected points about an axis using the Geometry, Rotate, Point... command
Reflect Reflects the selected points referencing a plane using the Geometry, Reflect, Point...
command
Curve
Surface
Command Description
List Lists information about the selected curves to the Messages pane
Delete Deletes the selected curves from the model
Mesh Size Allows you to set the mesh size on the selected curves using the Mesh, Mesh Control,
Size Along Curve... command
Custom Size Allows you to set a custom mesh sizing on selected curves using the Mesh, Mesh Con-
trol, Custom Size Along Curve... command
Mesh Meshes the selected curves with elements (rods, bars, beams, etc.) using the Mesh,
Geometry, Curve... command
Attributes Allows you to set up meshing attributes on selected curves using the Mesh, Mesh Con-
trol, Attributes Along Curve... command
Load Brings up the Create Loads on Curves dialog box to enable you to create geometry
based loads on curves
geometry based constraints on curves.
Color Allows you to change the color of selected curves by bringing up the Color Palette dia-
log box
Layer Allows you to place the selected curves onto a different layer by bringing up the Select
Layer dialog box
Copy Copies the selected curves using the Geometry, Copy, Curve... command
Rotate Rotates the selected curves about an axis using the Geometry, Rotate, Curve... com-
mand
Reflect Reflects the selected curves referencing a plane using the Geometry, Reflect, Curve...
command
Command Description
List Lists information about the selected surfaces to the Messages pane
Delete Deletes the selected surfaces from the model
Mesh Size Allows you to set the mesh size on the selected surfaces using the Mesh, Mesh Control,
Size On Surface... command
Mesh Points Allows you to create new points or use existing points to use as hard meshing points
on a surface using Mesh, Mesh Control, Mesh Points on Surface... command
Attributes Allows you to set up meshing attributes on selected surfaces using the Mesh, Mesh
Control, Attributes On Surface... command
Approach Allows you to set up a meshing approach on selected surfaces using the Mesh, Mesh
Control, Approach on Surface... command
Mesh Meshes the selected surfaces with elements (plates, shear panels, laminates, etc.) using
the Mesh, Geometry, Surface... command
Load Brings up the Create Loads on Surfaces dialog box to enable you to create geometry
based loads on surfaces.
geometry based constraints on surfaces.
Color Allows you to change the color of selected surfaces by bringing up the Color Palette
dialog box
Layer Allows you to place the selected surfaces onto a different layer by bringing up the
Copy Copies the selected surfaces using the Geometry, Copy, Surface... command
Rotate Rotates the selected surfaces about an axis using the Geometry, Rotate, Surface... com-
mand
Reflect Reflects the selected surfaces referencing a plane using the Geometry, Reflect, Sur-
face... command
Solid
Connection Property
Region
Command Description
New Prompts you to create a new solid
Activate Makes the selected solid the active solid in the model
List Lists information about the selected solid(s) to the Messages pane
Delete Deletes the selected solid(s) from the model
Group Invokes the Group, Operations, Generate Solid command. For more information, see
Automatic
Connection
Allows you to automatically create connections between multiple solids using the Con-
nect, Automatic... command. You must have multiple solids selected for this command
to be available.
Mesh Size Allows you to set the mesh size on the selected solid(s) using the Mesh, Mesh Control,
Size On Solid... command
Attributes Allows you to set up meshing attributes on a selected solid using the Mesh, Mesh Con-
trol, Attributes On Solid... command
Tet Mesh Meshes the selected solid(s) with tetrahedral elements (Tets) using the Mesh, Geome-
try, Solids... command
Hex mesh Meshes the selected solid(s) with hexahedral elements (Bricks) using the Mesh, Geom-
etry, HexMesh Solids... command
Command Description
New Prompts you to create a new Connection Property
Activate Makes the selected property the active Connection Property in the model.
Copy Allows you to copy the selected Connection Property(s)
Edit Allows you to edit the selected Connection Property(s) one at a time
List Lists information about the selected Connection Property(s) to the Messages pane
Delete Deletes the selected Connection Property(s) from the model
Command Description
New Connection
Region
Prompts you to create a new Connection Region
New Fluid Region Prompts you to create a new Fluid Region
New Bolt Region Prompts you to create a new Bolt Region
New Rotor Region Prompts you to create a new Rotor Region for Rotor Dynamics.
Show Expanded Highlights the individual elements or nodes and those associated to a geometric entity
or property which will be exported to the solver. Helpful when a Region has been
Defined By using the Curve, Surface, or Part/Property options.
Reverse Reverses the faces of elements or the side of surfaces used for the region.
Enable
Region
Designates the Region (Fluid, Bolt, and Rotor only) is Enabled, meaning the Region
will be written out when the analysis model is exported. By default, all Regions are
Enabled.
Disable
Region
Designates the Region (Fluid, Bolt, and Rotor only) is Disabled, meaning the Region
will NOT be written out when the analysis model is exported. Having the ability to
enable and disable regions can be very useful when trying different numbers of
MFLUIDs, Bolt Preloads, and Rotors.
Copy Allows you to copy the selected Region(s)
Edit Allows you to edit the selected Region(s) one at a time.
List Lists information about the selected Region(s) to the Messages pane
Delete Deletes the selected Region(s) from the model
Connector
CSys (Coordinate Systems)
Node
Command Description
New Prompts you to create a new Connector
Show Master Highlights the Connection Region designated as the Master in the selected Connector
Show Slave Highlights the Connection Region designated as the Slave in the selected Connector in
Reverse Reverses the Slave and Master Connection Regions in the selected Connector. In other
words, it makes the region designated the Master the Slave and the Slave the Master.
Enable
Connector
Designates the Connector is Enabled, meaning the connection will be written out when
the analysis model is exported. By default, all Connectors are Enabled.
Disable
Connector
Designates the Connector is Disabled, meaning the Connector will NOT be written out
when the analysis model is exported.
Edit Allows you to edit the selected Connector(s).
List Lists information about the selected Connector(s) to the Messages pane
Delete Deletes the selected Connector(s) from the model
Edit Property Allows you to edit the Connection Property(s) designated in the selected Connector(s).
Select Property Allows you to select a Connection Property from a list of existing Connection Proper-
ties to be used in the selected Connector(s).
Command Description
New Prompts you to create a new coordinate system
Activate Makes the selected coordinate system the active coordinate system in the model.
Copy Allows you to copy the selected coordinate system(s)
Edit Allows you to edit the selected coordinate system(s) one at a time.
List Lists information about the selected coordinate system to the Messages pane
Delete Deletes the selected coordinate system from the model
Move Allows you to move a coordinate system from one place to another using the Modify,
Move By, Coord Sys... command
Rotate Allows you to rotate a coordinate system from one place to another using the Modify,
Rotate By, Coord Sys... command
Command Description
Edit Allows you to edit the selected nodes
List Lists information about the selected nodes to the Messages pane
Delete Deletes the selected nodes from the model
Load Brings up the Create Loads on Nodes dialog box to enable you to create loads on
nodes.
Constraint Brings up the Create Nodal Constraints/DOF dialog box to enable you to create con-
straints on nodes.
Color Allows you to change the color of selected nodes by bringing up the Color Palette dia-
log box
Layer Allows you to place the selected nodes onto a different layer by bringing up the Select
Layer dialog box
Copy Copies the selected nodes using the Mesh, Copy, Node... command
Rotate Rotates the selected nodes about an axis using the Mesh, Rotate, Node... command
Reflect Reflects the selected nodes referencing a plane using the Mesh, Reflect, Node... com-
mand
Project Onto
Curve
Projects the selected nodes onto a chosen curve using the Modify, Project, Node Onto
Curve... command
Element
Material
Project Onto
Surface
Projects the selected nodes onto a chosen surface using the Modify, Project, Node Onto
Surface... command
Move To Moves selected nodes to chosen coordinates of a point in space using the Modify, Move
To, Node... command.
Move By Moves selected nodes to a new location using the Modify, Move By, Node... command.
Command Description
Edit Allows you to edit the selected elements
List Lists information about the selected elements to the Messages pane
Delete Deletes the selected elements from the model
Load Brings up the Create Loads on Elements dialog box to enable you to create loads on
elements.
Color Allows you to change the color of selected elements by bringing up the Color Palette
dialog box
Layer Allows you to place the selected elements onto a different layer by bringing up the
Copy Copies the selected elements using the Mesh, Copy, Elements... command
Rotate Rotates the selected elements about an axis using the Mesh, Rotate, Element... com-
mand
Reflect Reflects the selected elements referencing a plane using the Mesh, Reflect, Element...
command
Move By Moves selected elements to a new location using the Modify, Move By, Element... com-
mand.
Rotate By Rotates selected elements about an axis using a rotation angle and/or a translation dis-
tance. Uses the Modify, Rotate By, Element... command
Align Aligns selected elements using the Modify, Align, Element... command. See Section
4.8.1.5, "Modify, Align Menu" for more information.
Command Description
New Prompts you to create a new material
Activate Makes the selected property the active material in the model.
Copy Allows you to copy the selected material(s)
Edit Allows you to edit the selected material(s) one at a time
List Lists information about the selected material to the Messages pane
Delete Deletes the selected material from the model
Color Allows you to change the color of the selected material(s). If multiple materials are
selected, you will have the option to randomly set a color for each unique material.
Layer Allows you to change the layer of the selected material(s).
Group Runs the Group, Operations, Generate Material command. For more information, see
Command Description
Property
Layup
Loads (All)
Constraints (All)
Command Description
New Prompts you to create a new property
Activate Makes the selected property the active property in the model.
Copy Allows you to copy the selected property or properties
Edit Allows you to edit the selected property or properties one at a time
List Lists information about the selected property to the Messages pane
Delete Deletes the selected property from the model
Color Allows you to change the color of the selected properties. If multiple properties are
selected, you will have the option to randomly set a color for each unique property.
Layer Allows you to change the layer of the selected properties.
Group Runs the Group, Operations, Generate Property command. For more information, see
Command Description
New Prompts you to create a new layup
Global Ply Displays the Global Ply Definition dialog box, which allows creation and/or manipulation
of a Global Ply for use in multiple Layups. See Section 4.2.5, "Model, Layup..." for more
information.
Copy Allows you to copy the selected layup(s)
Edit Allows you to edit the selected layup(s) one at a time
List Lists information about the selected layup to the Messages pane
Delete Deletes the selected layup from the model
Show Brings up the Layup Viewer window. This visualization tool allows you to view a graphical
representation of the selected Layup with various plotting options for ply orientation, thick-
ness, and material. For more information, see Section 4.2.5.1, "Layup Viewer"
Command Description
New Prompts you to create a new nodal, elemental, or geometry-based load (depending on what
kind of load the selector is currently set to pick)
Edit Allows you to edit the selected nodal, elemental, or geometry-based loads (depending on
what kind of load the selector is currently set to pick)
List Lists information about the selected nodal, elemental, or geometry-based loads (depending
on what kind of load the selector is currently set to pick) to the Messages pane
Delete Deletes the selected nodal, elemental, or geometry-based loads (depending on what kind of
load the selector is currently set to pick) from the model
Command Description
New Prompts you to create a new nodal constraint, constraint equation, or geometry-based con-
straint (depending on what kind of constraint the selector is currently set to pick)
Edit Allows you to edit the selected nodal constraints, constraint equations, or geometry-based
constraints (depending on what kind of constraints the selector is currently set to pick)
List Lists information about the selected nodal constraints, constraint equations, or geometry-
based constraints (depending on what kind of constraints the selector is currently set to
pick) to the Messages pane
Delete Deletes the selected nodal constraints, constraint equations, or geometry-based constraints
(depending on what kind of constraints the selector is currently set to pick) from the model
Text
7.3.1.7 Tools, Toolbars, Cursor Position
These coordinates are reported in the active coordinate system. If you are snapping to the screen (no snapping) or to
the snap grid, the coordinates will reflect the true location. If you are snapping to the closest point or node, the
screen location that will be used to determine the closest entity will be shown. For more information on the cursor
position tool, see Section 4.4.2, "The Cursor Position Toolbar" in the FEMAP User Guide.
Whenever the Cursor Position toolbar is displayed you can toggle the different components on and off, by clicking
on the X=, Y=, or Z= button images. When off, the position of the cursor in that directional component, will not
be shown.
7.3.1.8 Tools, Toolbars, Panes
This Toolbar gives you quick access to toggle the various Dockable Panes on and off in the User Interface. When a
Pane is open in the User Interface, the icon will turn orange. When a Pane is toggled on it will appear in the same
location it was before being toggled off with this toolbar or any other method for closing the Pane. For more
information about the Dockable Panes see Section 7.2, "Dockable Panes".
It is separated into three sections:
The first section contains icons for the Model Info tree, Meshing Toolbox, PostProcessing Toolbox, Entity Editor,
Data Surface Editor, Entity Info, and Data Table dockable panes.
The second section contains icons for the Programming and customization dockable panes in FEMAP, the API
Programming and Program File panes.
The third section contains an icon for the Messages Dockable Pane.
Command Description
New Prompts you to create a new text entity.
Edit Allows you to edit the selected text entity, which includes the position of the text entity.
List Lists information about the selected text entity
Delete Deletes the selected text entity.
Tools, Toolbars, Format 7-131
7.3.1.9 Tools, Toolbars, Format
This toolbar allows you to modify the text in the Messages Dockable Pane. Here is a breakdown of the toolbar:
Font Dialog Box
This dialog box allows you to make mul-
tiple changes at once and set the Font,
Font Style, Size, Effects, Color, and
Script of any new or existing text in the
Messages window.
All of the changes that can be made with
the Font dialog box can also be made one
at a time with the Font Type and Size
drop-down menus and the Bold, Italic,
and Underline icons on the Format tool-
bar.
Align Icons
Enable you to align text on the right or
left side of the Messages window, or cen-
ter the text.
Message Bullets
Allows you to create a bulleted listing of
data or other information. Click once to
insert bullets and again to remove bullets.
Font Color and Highlight Color
Both of these icons bring up a color palette which allow you to choose from a selection of 40 colors. If you do not
see a particular color, click More Colors... and the Color dialog box will appear. You now have a choice of 127 col-
Font Dialog (brings up Font Dialog box)
Font Type Font Size
Font Style
Bold Italic Underline
Alignment
Right Center Left
Message Bullets
Font Color
Highlight Color
Color Palette (Font Color & Highlight Color)
More Colors
Dialog Box
ors and 17 additional grayscale colors on the Standard tab or you can choose a custom color from the Colors: field
on the Custom tab. To return the Font Color to the default, click Text - Automatic, on the Font Color palette. To
return the Highlight Color to the default, click Highlight - Automatic, on the Font Color palette.
7.3.1.10 Tools, Toolbars, Solids
The solids toolbar is divided into three separate segments. Workplane Tools, Solid Sketch, and Geometry, Solid...
commands.
Workplane Tools
The first segment pertains to manipulating the workplane, with the Tools, Workplane and the Workplane on Surface
icons. The Tools, Workplane icon brings up the Workplane dialog box, while Workplane on Surface is actually the
On Surface button in the Workplane dialog box.
(See Section 7.1.2, "Tools, Workplane..." for more details)
Solid Sketch
The second segment contains the Solid Sketch command. This command is only available
as a toolbar command. Before using this command, you must first create a planar, wire-
frame outline of a shape to be used as a profile. Once the profile is created, click the Solid
Sketch icon and press either the Extrude or Revolve button. FEMAP will create a bound-
ary surface out of the profile you have created and then extrude or revolve the profile into
a solid as instructed.
Geometry, Solid... commands
The third portion of the toolbar contains many commands from the Geometry, Solid... menu. This Toolbar gives
you the ability to create Solid Primitives, Add solids together, Remove one solid from another, create a Fillet or a
Chamfer on an existing solid, Slice a solid into multiple pieces, Stitch surfaces (sheet solids) into a single solid, and
hollow out a solid using the Shell icon.
(For more information, see Section 3.4.2.3, "Geometry, Solid, Extrude...", Section 3.4.2.4, "Geometry, Solid,
Revolve...", Section 3.4.2.5, "Geometry, Solid, Primitives...", Section 3.4.2.8, "Geometry, Solid, Fillet...", Section
3.4.2.9, "Geometry, Solid, Chamfer...", Section 3.4.2.13, "Geometry, Solid, Add...", Section 3.4.2.14, "Geometry,
Solid, Remove...", Section 3.4.2.18, "Geometry, Solid, Slice...", Section 3.4.2.6, "Geometry, Solid, Stitch...", and
Section 3.4.2.10, "Geometry, Solid, Shell...")
Note: The Default colors can be set for the Messages window using the File, Preferences command and click-
ing the Messages button. For more information see Section 2.6.2.1, "Messages".
Note: This command only works for one enclosed boundary at a time. If any other curves exist that are not
part of the enclosed boundary, FEMAP will not be able to determine which curves to use to create a
boundary surface.
Tools,Workplane
Workplane on Surface
Solid Sketch
Geometry,Solid,Extrude
Geometry,Solid,Revolve
Geometry,Solid,Primatives
Geometry,Solid,Fillet
Geometry,Solid,Chamfer
Geometry,Solid,Add
Geometry,Solid,Remove
Geometry,Solid,Slice
Geometry,Solid,Stitch
Geometry,Solid,Shell
Tools, Toolbars, Surfaces 7-133
7.3.1.11 Tools, Toolbars, Surfaces
This Toolbar is divided into two sections. The first section contains commands from the Geometry, Surface... menu
and the second section contains commands from Geometry, Boundary Surface... menu
Geometry, Surface... commands
These commands allow you to create surfaces by entering corners, picking edge curves, lofting through multiple
aligned curves, specifying two curves for a ruled surface, extruding or revolving a curve into a surface, and creating
cylindrical and spherical surfaces by entering specific parameters.
Geometry, Boundary Surface... commands
These commands allow you to create boundary surfaces by selecting any number of curves that outline an enclosed
area or to create a larger boundary surface from multiple existing surfaces to be used for multi-surface meshing.
(For more information, see Section 3.3.3.1, "Geometry, Surface, Corners...", Section 3.3.3.2, "Geometry, Surface,
Edge Curves...", Section 3.3.3.3, "Geometry, Surface, Aligned Curves...", Section 3.3.3.4, "Geometry, Surface,
Ruled...", Section 3.3.3.5, "Geometry, Surface, Extrude...", Section 3.3.3.6, "Geometry, Surface, Revolve...", Sec-
tion 3.3.3.9, "Geometry, Surface, Cylinder...", Section 3.3.3.10, "Geometry, Surface, Sphere...", Section 3.3.2.1,
"Geometry, Boundary Surface, From Curves...", and Section 3.3.2.2, "Geometry, Boundary Surface, From Surfaces
on Solid...")
7.3.1.12 Tools, Toolbars, Lines
This Toolbar contains commands found in the Geometry, Curve - Line... menu.
Geometry,Surface,Corners
Geometry,Surface,Edge Curves
Geometry,Surface,Aligned
Geometry,Surface,Ruled
Curves
Geometry,Surface,Extrude
Geometry,Surface,Revolve
Geometry,Surface,Cylinder
Geometry,Surface,Sphere
Geometry,Boundary Surface,From Curves
Geometry,Boundary Surface,
From Surfaces on Solids
Geometry,Curve-Line,Continuous
Geometry,Curve-Line,Coordinates
Geometry,Curve-Line,Offset
Geometry,Curve-Line,Vectored
Geometry,Curve-Line,Rectangle
Geometry,Curve-Line,Midline
Geometry,Curve-Line,Point
Geometry,Curve-Line,Tangent
Geometry,Curve-Line,Parallel
and Tangent
Angle Geometry,Curve-Line,at
Geometry,Curve-Line,Project
to Curve Geometry,Curve-Line,Angle
Points
Geometry,Curve-Line,Vertical
Geometry,Curve-Line,Horizontal
Geometry,Curve-Line,
Perpendicular
Geometry, Curve - Line... commands
These commands allow you to create lines in a number of different ways. Icons with the yellow axis mean the lines
can be created in 3-D space (Continuous, Coordinates, Offset, and Vectored).
Those without the axis are created on the 2-D workplane (Rectangle, Point and Tangent, Tangent, Parallel, Angle to
Curve, at Angle, Project Points, Vertical, Horizontal, and Perpendicular)
(For more information, see Section 3.2.1.12, "Geometry, Curve-Line, Continuous...", Section 3.2.1.14, "Geometry,
Curve-Line, Coordinates...", Section 3.2.1.15, "Geometry, Curve-Line, Offset...", Section 3.2.1.16, "Geometry,
Curve-Line, Vectored...", Section 3.2.1.11, "Geometry, Curve-Line, Rectangle...",Section 3.2.1.6, "Geometry,
Curve-Line, Midline...", Section 3.2.1.9, "Geometry, Curve-Line, Point and Tangent...", Section 3.2.1.10, "Geome-
try, Curve-Line, Tangent...", Section 3.2.1.5, "Geometry, Curve-Line, Parallel...", Section 3.2.1.8, "Geometry,
Curve-Line, Angle to Curve...", Section 3.2.1.7, "Geometry, Curve-Line, At Angle...", Section 3.2.1.1, "Geometry,
Curve-Line, Project Points...", Section 3.2.1.3, "Geometry, Curve-Line, Vertical...", Section 3.2.1.2, "Geometry,
Curve-Line, Horizontal...", and Section 3.2.1.4, "Geometry, Curve-Line, Perpendicular...")
7.3.1.13 Tools, Toolbars, Circles
This Toolbar contains commands found in the Geometry, Curve - Arc... and Geometry, Curve - Circle... menus.
Geometry, Curve - Arc... commands
These icons allow you to create arcs in the 2-D workplane using various methods (Center-Start-End, Radius-Start-
End, Angle-Start-End, and Angle-Center-End) and in 3-D space using Points.
Geometry, Curve - Circle... commands
These commands allow you to create circles in the 2-D workplane using various methods (Radius, Diameter, Cen-
ter, Point-Tangent, Tangent to Curves).
(For more information, see Section 3.2.3.1, "Geometry, Curve-Circle, Radius...", Section 3.2.3.2, "Geometry,
Curve-Circle, Diameter...", Section 3.2.3.3, "Geometry, Curve-Circle, Center...", Section 3.2.3.5, "Geometry,
Curve-Circle, Point-Tangent...", Section 3.2.3.6, "Geometry, Curve-Circle, Tangent to Curves...", Section 3.2.2.1,
"Geometry, Curve-Arc, Center-Start-End...", Section 3.2.2.2, "Geometry, Curve-Arc, Radius-Start-End...", Section
3.2.2.3, "Geometry, Curve-Arc, Angle-Start-End...", Section 3.2.2.4, "Geometry, Curve-Arc, Angle-Center-
Start...", and Section 3.2.2.6, "Geometry, Curve-Arc, Points...")
Geometry,Curve-Circle,Radius
Geometry,Curve-Circle,Diameter
Geometry,Curve-Circle,Center
Geometry,Curve-Circle,Point-Tangent
Geometry,Curve-Circle,Tangent
Geometry,Curve-Arc,Points
Geometry,Curve-Arc,Center-Start-End
Geometry,Curve-Arc,Radius-Start-End
Geometry,Curve-Arc,Angle-Start-End
to Curves
Geometry,Curve-Arc,Angle-Center-Start
Tools, Toolbars, Splines 7-135
7.3.1.14 Tools, Toolbars, Splines
This Toolbar contains commands found in the Geometry, Curve - Spline... menu.
Geometry, Curve - Spline... commands
These commands allow you to create splines in a number of different ways. Icons with the yellow axis signifies
splines can be created in 3-D space (Control Points, Points, Tangents, Blend, and Offset).
Those without the axis are created on the 2-D workplane (Project Control Points and Project Points)
(For more information, see Section 3.2.4.6, "Geometry, Curve-Spline, Control Points...", Section 3.2.4.7, "Geome-
try, Curve-Spline, Points...", Section 3.2.4.9, "Geometry, Curve-Spline, Tangents...", Section 3.2.4.10, "Geometry,
Curve-Spline, Blend...", Section 3.2.4.12, "Geometry, Curve-Spline, Offset...",Section 3.2.4.1, "Geometry, Curve-
Spline, Project Control Points...", and Section 3.2.4.2, "Geometry, Curve-Spline, Project Points...")
7.3.1.15 Tools, Toolbars, Curves On Surfaces
This Toolbar contains commands found in the Geometry, Curve - From Surface... menu.
Geometry, Curve - From Surface... commands
These commands allow you to turn on the Update Surfaces flag as well as perform multiple commands used to split
surfaces using curves (Intersect, Project, Project Along Vector, Parametric Curve, and Slice).
When the Update Surfaces flag is on, the background of the icon will turn orange to indicate that it is currently
active.
(For more information, see Section 3.2.5.1, "Geometry, Curve - From Surface, Update Surfaces", Section 3.2.5.2,
"Geometry, Curve - From Surface, Intersect...", Section 3.2.5.3, "Geometry, Curve - From Surface, Project...", Sec-
tion 3.2.5.4, "Geometry, Curve - From Surface, Project Along Vector...", Section 3.2.5.5, "Geometry, Curve - From
Surface, Parametric Curve...", Section 3.2.5.6, "Geometry, Curve - From Surface, Slice...", Section 3.2.5.7, "Geom-
etry, Curve - From Surface, Split at Locations...", Section 3.2.5.8, "Geometry, Curve - From Surface, Offset
Curves/Washer...", Section 3.2.5.9, "Geometry, Curve - From Surface, Pad...", Section 3.2.5.10, "Geometry, Curve
- From Surface, Point to Point...", Section 3.2.5.11, "Geometry, Curve - From Surface, Point to Edge...", Section
3.2.5.12, "Geometry, Curve - From Surface, Edge to Edge...")
Geometry,Curve-Spline,Control
Geometry,Curve-Spline,Points
Geometry,Curve-Spline,Tangents
Geometry,Curve-Spline,Blend
Geometry,Curve-Spline,Offset
Geometry,Curve-Spline,Project
Geometry,Curve-Line,Project
Points
Control Points
Points
Geometry,Curve-From Surface,Update Surfaces
Geometry,Curve-From Surface,Intersect
Geometry,Curve-From Surface,Project
Geometry,Curve-From Surface,Project Along Vector
Geometry,Curve-From Surface,Parametric Curve
Geometry,Curve-From Surface,Slice
Geometry,Curve-From Surface,Split at Locations
Geometry,Curve-From Surface,Washer
Geometry,Curve-From Surface,Pad
Geometry,Curve-From Surface,Point to Point
Geometry,Curve-From Surface,Point to Edge
Geometry,Curve-From Surface,Edge to Edge
7.3.1.16 Tools, Toolbars, Curve Edit
This Toolbar contains commands found in the Modify... menu.
Modify... commands
These commands allow you to modify existing curves to create wireframe geometry. You can trim curves, break
curves at specific points, extend curves, join two curves, or create a fillet or chamfer between two curves.
(For more information, see Section 3.6.1.1, "Modify, Trim...", Section 3.6.1.3, "Modify, Break...", Section 3.6.1.2,
"Modify, Extend...", Section 3.6.1.4, "Modify, Join...", Section 3.6.1.5, "Modify, Fillet...", Section 3.6.1.6, "Modify,
Chamfer...")
7.3.1.17 Tools, Toolbars, Mesh
This Toolbar contains commands found on the Mesh, Mesh Control..., Mesh, Geometry..., and Mesh... menus.
The first three icons let you set mesh sizing on different types of geometry. The next three icons allow you to mesh
certain types of geometry. The Mesh, Between icon allows you to create a mesh by specifying number of elements,
biasing, type of elements, and 4 corner locations. The Mesh, Region icon allows you to create a mesh from one set
of nodes to another set of nodes, while specifying the sizing of the mesh between the sets. The next three icons
allow you to Copy, Rotate, and Reflect an existing mesh. Finally, the last two icons allow you to Extrude or
Revolve planar elements into solid elements.
(For more information, see Section 5.1.1, "Mesh, Geometry Preparation", Section 5.1.2.3, "Mesh, Mesh Control,
Size Along Curve...", Section 5.1.2.4, "Mesh, Mesh Control, Size On Surface...", Section 5.1.2.5, "Mesh, Mesh
Control, Size On Solid...", Section 5.1.3.2, "Mesh, Geometry, Curve...", Section 5.1.3.3, "Mesh, Geometry, Sur-
face...", Section 5.1.3.7, "Mesh, Geometry, Solids...", Section 5.2.1, "Mesh, Between...", Section 5.2.2, "Mesh,
Region...", Section 5.4.1.2, "Mesh, Copy, Element...", Section 5.4.4.2, "Mesh, Rotate, Element...", Section 5.4.5.2,
"Mesh, Reflect, Element...", Section 5.5.1.2, "Mesh, Extrude, Element...", and Section 5.5.2.2, "Mesh, Revolve,
Element...")
Modify,Trim
Modify,Break
Modify,Extend
Modify,Join
Modify,Fillet
Modify,Chamfer
Mesh,Mesh Control,Size
Mesh,Geometry,Curve
Along Curve
Mesh,Mesh Control,Size Solid On
Mesh,Mesh Control,Size Surface On
Mesh,Geometry,Solid
Mesh,Geometry,Surface
Mesh,Between
Mesh,Region
Mesh,Copy,Element
Mesh,Rotate,Element
Mesh,Reflect,Element
Mesh,Revolve,Element
Mesh,Extrude,Element
Mesh,Geometry Preparation
Tools, Toolbars, Loads 7-137
7.3.1.18 Tools, Toolbars, Loads
This Toolbar contains com-
mands found in the Model,
Load... menu.
Model, Load... commands
These commands allow you to
create loads on your model.
There icons allow you to create
nodal and elemental loads,
expand geometry based loads to
become nodal or elemental
loads, and create geometry
based loads on points, curves,
and surfaces.
(For more information, see Section 4.3.3.2, "Model, Load, Nodal", Section 4.3.3.4, "Model, Load, Elemental...",
Section 4.3.4.4, "Model, Load, Expand...", Section 4.3.4.1, "Model, Load, On Point...", Section 4.3.4.2, "Model,
Load, On Curve...", Section 4.3.4.3, "Model, Load, On Surface...", Section 4.3.4.5, "Model, Load, Bolt Preload...")
7.3.1.19 Tools, Toolbars, Constraints
This Toolbar contains commands found in
the Model, Constraint... menu.
Model, Constraint... commands
These commands allow you to create con-
straints on your model. There icons allow
you to create nodal constraints, and create
Quick Constraints on nodes for Pinned,
No Rotation, and Fixed boundary condi-
tions. Also, you can expand geometry
based constraints to become nodal con-
straints, and create geometry based con-
straints on points, curves, and surfaces.
(For more information, see Section 4.3.9.1, "Model, Constraint, Nodal...", Section 4.3.10.4, "Model, Constraint,
Expand...", Section 4.3.10.1, "Model, Constraint, On Point...", Section 4.3.10.2, "Model, Constraint, On Curve...",
Section 4.3.10.3, "Model, Constraint, On Surface...")
7.3.1.20 Tools, Toolbars, Post
The Post Toolbar gives you one-click access to many post-processing commands that are located several layers
down in the menu structure or through multiple levels of dialog boxes. This toolbar has traditionally been one of
the most useful and frequently utilized toolbars in FEMAP. Many of the icons on the Post toolbar represent options
that can be found in the View, Select and the View, Options commands.
View, Select commands
These icons represent functionality that can be accessed in the View Select dialog box or by clicking the Deformed
and Contour Data button in the View Select dialog box.
No Deformation: None - Model Only option in Deformed Style portion of View Select dialog box.
Deformed: Deform option in Deformed Style portion of View Select dialog box.
Animate: Animate option in Deformed Style portion of View Select dialog box.
No Contour: None - Model Only option in Contour Style portion of View Select dialog box.
Contour: Contour option in Contour Style portion of View Select dialog box.
Criteria: Criteria option in Contour Style portion of View Select dialog box.
Post Data: Brings up the Select PostProcessing Data dialog box, same as clicking the Deformed and Contour
Data button in the View Select dialog box.
Model,Load,Nodal
Modal,Load,Expand
Model,Load,On
Model,Load,On Curve
Model,Load,Elemental Model,Load,On Surface
Point
Model,Load,Bolt Preload
Model,Constraint,Nodal
No Rotation (QC)
Fixed (QC)
Model,Constraint,Expand
Pinned (QC)
Model,Constraint,On Point
Model,Constraint,On
Curve
Model,Constraint,On Surface
Next Output Set: Changes output set to the next available output set in the list (from top to bottom) located in
the Output Set section of Select PostProcessing Data dialog box.
Previous Output Set: Changes output set to the previous available output set in the list (from bottom to top)
located in the Output Set section of Select PostProcessing Data dialog box.
Next Output Vector: Changes output vector to the next available output vector in the Contour list (from top to
bottom) located in the Output Vectors section of Select PostProcessing Data dialog box.
Previous Output Vector: Changes output vector to the previous available output vector in the Contour list
(from bottom to top) located in the Output Vectors section of Select PostProcessing Data dialog box
(See Section 6.1.5.1, "View, Select...", Section 6.1.5.2, "Choosing a Model Style", Section 8.2, "Types of Views -
View Select...", and Section 8.2.2.2, "Selecting Data for a Deformed or Contour Style" for more information on
these options).
Post Options
This menu represents functionality that can be accessed in the View Options dialog box, the Contour Options dialog
box, and the Freebody Display dialog box.
Undeformed: In the View Options dialog box, PostProcessing category, Undeformed Model option, toggles the
Draw Entity check box on and off.
Scale Deformation: In the View Options dialog box, PostProcessing category, Deformed Style option, enters
specified value into Scale Act field.
Actual Deformation: In the View Options dialog box, PostProcessing category, Deformed Style option, toggles
the % of Model (Actual) check box on and off. When checked, actual deformation is being shown. When
unchecked, scaled deformation is being shown.
Animation Frames: In the View Options dialog box, PostProcessing category, Animated Style option, enters
specified value into Frames field.
No Deformation
No Contour
Animate
Deformed
Criteria
Contour
Post Data
Next Ouput Set
Previous Output Set
Next Output Vector
Previous Output Vector
Post Options
Tools, Toolbars, Custom Tools 7-139
Animation - Positive Only and Animation - Load and Unload: In the View Options dialog box, PostProcess-
ing category, Animated Style option, highlights the appropriate selection from the Shape list. When Animation -
Positive Only is off and Animation - Load and Unload is on, FEMAP chooses 0..Linear - Full. When Anima-
tion - Positive Only and Animation - Load and Unload are both on, FEMAP chooses 1..Linear - Full Abs. When
both are off FEMAP chooses 2..Linear - Half, and when Animation - Positive Only is on and Animation - Load
and Unload is off, FEMAP chooses 3..Linear - Half Abs.
Animate Contours: In the View Options dialog box, PostProcessing category, Contour/Criteria Levels option,
toggles the Animate check box on and off. Has no effect on Multi-set animations.
Filled Contours: In the View Options dialog box, PostProcessing category, Contour/Criteria Style option, tog-
gles the Filled (or Line) check box on and off.
Contour Options: Brings up the Contour Options dialog box. This dialog box can also be reached by clicking
the Contour Options button in the Select PostProcessing Data dialog box, or in the View Options dialog box,
PostProcessing category, Contour Type option, by clicking the Contour Options button.
Laminate Options: Brings up the Laminate Options dialog box. This dialog box can also be reached by click-
ing the Laminate Options button in the Select PostProcessing Data dialog box.
Contour Vectors: Brings up the Contour Vector Options dialog box. This dialog box can also be reached by
clicking the Contour Vectors button in the Select PostProcessing Data dialog box.
Display Freebody: Toggles display of all freebody objects on/off. This can be also be done in the Freebody
tool of the PostProcessing Toolbox or from the Visibility dialog box (See Section 6.1.4, "View, Visibility...")
More Options: Opens the View Options dialog box.
(See Section 6.1.5.3, "View, Options..." and Section 8.3, "View Options - PostProcessing", Section 8.3.6, "Unde-
formed Model...", Section 8.3.2, "Deformed Style", Section 8.3.4, "Animated Style",Section 8.3.10, "Contour/Cri-
teria Levels...", Section 8.3.9, "Contour/Criteria Style...", Section 8.3.8, "Contour Type..." and Section 8.2.2.2,
"Selecting Data for a Deformed or Contour Style" for more information on these options) Model Parameters and
Convert Units
7.3.1.21 Tools, Toolbars, Custom Tools
The Custom Tools Toolbar makes accessing custom commands and tools
(i.e., API programs, Macros created using the Program File dockable pane,
outside executables, etc.) very easy by allowing the user to choose a Tools
Directory on the computer to store all of these tools. The default tools
included with FEMAP will change from version to version.
The Tools Directory can be set a number of ways. Through this toolbar,
choosing the Tools Directory... command will bring up a dialog box which
will allow you to choose a directory. This directory you choose can be on
your computer or out on a network.
Once the Tools Directory... is set, FEMAP will automatically create a menu
item for each file it recognizes as a tool. FEMAP recognizes the follow-
ing file types as potential tools:
*.exe; *.com; *.pif; *.bat; *.cmd; *.pro; *.prg; *.bas
If the Tools Directory... contains sub-folders, each sub-folder will become a menu item and the tools inside each
of those sub-folders will appear a level lower in the Custom Tools Toolbar menu hierarchy.
The Add Tools... command allows you to choose a custom tool (file must be one of the expected file types above)
and copies that tool file to the specified Tools Directory.... The next time you use the Custom Tools Menu, that
tool will be on the menu available for you to use.
Note: By default, the Tools Directory... path points to the API
folder in the FEMAP directory.
You can also set the Tools Directory... using File, Prefer-
ences, then choosing the Library/Startup tab, and then
entering a directory path in the Custom Tools Path.
A 16 x 16 pixel icon (background color 192, 192, 192) can be associated with any command that appears in the
Custom Tools menu by placing a filename.bmp in the same directory as the tool file itself. A separator line
can be placed in the menu by using a file name.separator or sub-directory name.separator file in the proper
directory. Any file in the directory with an appropriate extension that you do not want to appear in the menu can be
skipped using a filename.skip file.
7.3.1.22 Tools, Toolbars, Aeroelasticity
This Toolbar contains visibility toggles for the visible entities created by the Model, Aeroelasticity... menu.
The Aero Panel/Body, Aero Spline, and Aero Control Surface icons toggle visibility of entire Aero entities on/off.
The Aero Mesh icon will toggle the lines representing the divisions of all Aero Panel/Body entities on/off.
For more information about the visibility of Aero entities, see Section 6.1.4, "View, Visibility...". For more infor-
mation on creating entities for Aeroelastic analysis, see Section 4.5, "Creating Aeroelastic Entities".
7.4 Other FEMAP Tools
Along with the Workplane, Dockable Panes, and Toolbars, FEMAP has additional tools. There are tools for:
Defining Overall System Parameters (See Section 7.4.1, "Tools, Parameters...") and Converting Units (See Sec-
tion 7.4.2, "Tools, Convert Units...")
Creating specific Entities - Variables, Layers, and Text (See Section 7.4.3, "Entity Tools")
A number of Quantitative tools (See Section 7.4.4, "Measuring Tools") and Qualitative tools (See Section 7.4.5,
"Checking Tools")
A Stress Wizard for users who would like to be guided through a simple stress analysis of a single part in a
four step process (See Section 7.4.6, "Tools, Stress Wizard")
Note: For example, if you had something called header.bas, you could create a file called header.skip in
the same directory and then header would not show up in the menu.
Aero Panel/Body
Aero Mesh
Aero Spline
Aero Control Surface
Tools, Parameters... 7-141
7.4.1 Tools, Parameters...
...allows you to set numerous model parameters simultaneously. All of the individual FEMAP model parameters
can be set during creation or activation of an entity. If you want to review all of the parameters, or set more than
one or two, this command simplifies that task.
For all of the entities which are drawn in the graphics window, you can set the Color, Next ID and creation incre-
ment. Whenever you create an entity, Next ID is used as the default ID, and it is automatically incremented by the
creation Increment for the next creation.
For the entity sets, you can choose an active set, or specify the Next ID and creation increment. Active sets are used
to hold all entities which are created. For example, loads and constraints are always created in the active load or
constraint set. Active entities (coordinate systems, materials and properties) are referenced by new entities. For
example, coordinates are always specified in the active coordinate system.
You may also change the active layer, as well as choose an option for Merge Tolerance, which is used when mesh-
ing geometry. Simply change the Merge Tolerance option to Specified and enter a value. This value will be saved
with your model. All nodes within this tolerance will be automatically merged, thereby eliminating many of the
coincident nodes you would typically get in a multi-surface mesh.
The Curve Facetting values are used to define the level of facetting for curves which are not connected to any sur-
faces or solid geometry (i.e., wireframe geometry). Changing these values will also change the default values used
Note: The default Inc value for Aero Panel is 1000. See Section 4.5.1, "Model, Aeroelasticity, Panel/
Body..." for more information.
Note: FEMAP determines the default node merge tolerance based on overall model size. The number is
1/10000 of the model box diagonal (think of the model box being an invisible box that com-
pletely encapsulates every entity in the model).
by the Modify, Update Other, Solid Facetting command and be stored with the model. See Section 3.6.4.8, "Mod-
ify, Update Other, Solid Facetting..." for more information.
7.4.2 Tools, Convert Units...
...can be used to convert the entities (geometry, positions, properties,...) in your current model to a different system
of units. You also can globally scale and/or add a constant value to certain types of units with this command.
The conversion process uses a consistent methodology for converting all types of units. The conversion formula is:
This approach gives you great flexibility in your conversion. Typically however, for unit conversions, you will set
the add factors to zero. The only exception is for conversion of temperatures.
The base factors are not directly used during a conversion, but provide a simple way of specifying the twenty-four
actual conversion factors. Whenever you select Calculate, (or as an option when you choose OK), the current val-
ues of the base factors are used to update the conversion factors. If necessary, you can then make further modifica-
tions to the conversion factors. Reset will quickly set everything back to the default - all multiplication factors
equal to 1.0 and all add factors equal to 0.0. Invert will take all of the current conversion factors. and invert them.
For example, if the factors were loaded to convert from SI to USCS, this will invert them to become factors to do
the opposite conversion.
The following table shows the method that Calculate uses to determine the conversion factors from the base fac-
tors.
Unit
new
Unit
old
Factor
mult ipl y
( ) Factor
add
+ =
Tools, Convert Units... 7-143
Only the multiplication base factors are used in these calculations (other than for directly setting the temperature
conversion factor). The base add factors are not used.
Since this command is intended to convert units from one system of measurement to another, the conversion is
applied to your entire model. This ensures that a consistent set of units is maintained. Note, however, that FEMAP
does not determine whether your original model used a consistent set of units, or even what system of units it was
using.
Using Conversion Factor Files
While you can enter all of the base and/or conversion factors every time you want to use this command, it is much
easier to use conversion factor files. There are several conversion factor files that are delivered with FEMAP. To
use one of these files, or any conversion factor files which you create, choose Load. This option will display the
standard file access dialog box to allow you to choose the conversion factor file you want to use. The default file
name extension is *.CF. When you choose a file, the conversion factors will be loaded from that file. You can then
review and change them to suit your needs. The Save button has just the opposite results. It takes the conversion
factors that are currently in the dialog box and writes them to a new conversion factor file.
Conversion Factor File Formats
Using combinations of Load and Save is the easiest way to create and edit your own conversion factor files. These
files are normal text files however, and you can edit and modify them with any text editor.
The format of these files is as follows:
The file is actually written and read in free-format and you must have one or more spaces between each number,
but no specific columns or number of digits is required. The first six lines contain the base factors and must always
Calc By uses the Base Factors
L=Length, F=Force, t=Time, M=Mass, E=Energy, T=Temp
ID Factor Calc By ID Factor Calc By
0 Length L 12 DampingRot F*t
1 Area L
2
13 Mass M
2 Inertia L
4
14 Mass-Length M*L
3 Force F 15 Mass/Length M/L
4 Moment F*L 16 Mass/Area M/L
2
5 Spring F/L 17 Density M/L
3
6 Spring Rot F 18 Mass Inertia M*L
2
7 Pressure F/L
2
19 Temperature T (mult &
add)
8 Acceleration L/t
2
20 Thermal
Expansion
1/T
9 Acceleration
Rotation
1/t
2
21 Thermal
Conductivity
E/t*L*T
10 VelocityRot 1/t 22 Specific Heat E/M*T
11 Damping F*t/L 23 Heat Gen
Rate
E/t*L
3
24 Energy/Mass E/M
Record Contents of Record in File
1 Length
MultBase
Length
AddBase
2 Force
MultBase
Force
AddBase
3 Time
MultBase
Time
AddBase
4 Mass
MultBase
Mass
AddBase
5 Temperature
MultBase
Temperature
AddBase
6 Energy
MultBase
Energy
AddBase
7..N ID ConversionFactor
Mult
ConversionFactor
Add
be specified. You can also specify one or more additional lines which directly update the conversion factors, but
these are not required. You must specify the ID of the conversion factor to be updated along with the factors. The
conversion factor IDs are shown in the table above.
The following rules must be followed for all conversion factor files:
No blank lines are allowed in conversion factor files, including at the end of the file.
You can place comments at the end of each line in the file. Just put one or more spaces after the add factor and
before any other text.
All factors must be separated by one or more spaces.
No factors may be skipped - even if they are zero.
7.4.3 Entity Tools
The fourth section of the Tools menu is comprised of commands which create FEMAP entities. These entities
themselves are not used in FEA analysis, but are provided as easy methods of inputting variable values, viewing
your model, and placing text in your model. The three commands in this section are explained in more detail below.
7.4.3.1 Tools, Variables
Variables are used in FEMAP to store a numerical value or an equation with your model. Throughout FEMAP, at
any time a numerical value is required, you can specify a variable, or an equation which contains variables, instead
of a number. Before you can use variables however, they must first be created. For more details on specifying
numerical input using variables, see Section 4.4.8, "Equation Editor - Ctrl+E" in the FEMAP User Guide.
Variable Names
FEMAP variable names can be up to 20 characters in length, but they must be unique within the first 5 characters.
This means that A1234, A12345, and A1234_EXTRA all reference the same variable. Variables must start with a
letter (A through Z), but can also contain numbers (0 through 9), and underscore characters (_). Spaces are not
allowed. Differences between upper and lower case and underscores are ignored. This means that Var_1, var_1,
VAR_1 and var1, all reference the same variable.
Defining and Updating Variables
The Define Variables dialog box defines new variables, and updates existing variables. You simply enter the vari-
able name. If a variable with that name (or an equivalent name based on the rules specified above) already exists,
you will modify it. If it does not exist, it will be created.
The drop-down list is provided to show you a list of all variables which are currently defined. After specifying a
name, switch to the Value or Equation text box and define the data to be stored with the variable. If you are updat-
ing an existing variable, you will notice that the text box was updated to reflect the current contents of the variable.
As the title implies, you can enter either a numerical value, or an equation to be saved in the variable. If you are
entering an equation, and you want to see its current value, press Show Result. The value will be shown under the
text box. Press OK when you are satisfied with the variable definition.
If you want additional assistance when you are defining the equation, you can either press Equation Editor, or just
type Ctrl+E. In either case, FEMAP will display the FEMAP equation editor. For more information on the equation
editor, see Section 4.4.8, "Equation Editor - Ctrl+E" in the FEMAP User Guide.
Ctrl+L
Tools, Layers... 7-145
7.4.3.2 Tools, Layers...
...is used to define layers in your model. By themselves, layers cannot be displayed. Rather, all entities in FEMAP
are placed on the layers that you create with this command. See Section 6.4.2, "Layer Commands" for more infor-
mation on how layers are used.
The Layer Manager dialog box is displayed:
This dialog box works just like the other Create/Manage set dialog boxes. Simply press the New Layer button to
create a new layer. Then enter a Title, choose a Color by pressing the Palette button, then press OK to return to the
Layer Manager dialog box or More to be prompted to create another new layer..
You may also use this command to activate a layer by highlighting any layer in the Available Layers - Selected
Layer is Active list (you may also use the Layer tab of the View, Visibility command to activate a layer using the
Active Layer drop-down list). Unlike other sets, you must always have some layer active. To move entities from
one layer onto a different layer, use the commands on the Modify, Layers... menu.
Once layers have been created and entities assigned to them, they can be used to control display and entity selection
(View, Visibility command, see Layers tab portion of Section 6.1.4, "View, Visibility..."), or to control groups
(Group, Layers command, see Section 6.4.3.4, "Group, Layers...").
7.4.3.3 Tools, Text...
... lets you define text to annotate your model which will be displayed in one or more views. Text can contain any
number of lines, but only up to 256 characters per text entity.
Create new Layer
Update the Title or Color
of existing Layer
Layer
Delete highlighted
Layer
Delete all Layers
As displayed, text looks like the following:
After you choose all of the text options and enter the text, you will see either the standard coordinate definition dia-
log box (model-positioned text) or the View Position dialog box (view-positioned text), which will allow you to
locate the text. A second dialog box will be displayed if you have chosen to define a text pointer. This locates the
tip of the pointer.
You can optionally add a rectangular border/box around the text and a pointer which goes from the text to another
location that you specify. Font selection is limited to the entries shown in the drop-down list. The Color options set
the color of the text, while the Border/Pointer color options set the color of the lines drawn for the border and
pointer. The Background Color fills the background of the text inside the border (only if the border is drawn).
Justification
The justification options have two purposes. First, the lines of text are justified based on the settings of these
options when they are drawn. Secondly however, justification specifies how the text will be located, relative to the
location you specify. If the text is left, top justified, the location you specify will be the left, top corner of the text.
If the text is H Center (horizontal centering) and V Center (vertical centering) justified, the location you specify
will be in the middle of the text both horizontally and vertically.
Position
There are two ways to position text entities - relative to the view or relative to the model. View positioned text will
always appear at the same location in every view (based on a percentage of window size from the upper left cor-
ner). This location is completely independent of the model orientation or scaling within the view. You should nor-
mally use this type of text for picture titles that you want to remain in the same spot.
Model positioned text is located relative to model coordinates. It is therefore displayed wherever those model coor-
dinates are located in the view. This type of text is useful for labelling a model feature since it will move with the
coordinates where it is defined. View positioned text should rarely have a pointer, since it would not point to the
same location as the model was scaled or rotated.
Visibility
Text can either be visible in all views, or in a single view. If you choose the Single View option, you must identify
an existing view for the display. Text display can also be turned on or off in each view using the View, Options com-
mand.
Note: You must always remember to use Ctrl+Enter to advance to the next line of text. Pressing Enter alone
will choose OK - the default command button.
This is MultiLine
text to be created
Pointer
Border
Background
Text
Deleting Variables, Layers, and Text (Delete, Tools... commands) 7-147
Style
These options control whether or not the text pointer and border will be drawn for this entity. If you want a pointer,
you will need to specify a set of coordinates to locate the tip of the pointer in addition to the coordinates you speci-
fied to position the text.
Using Text to Create a Pointer
Normally, you must enter one or more characters of text. If you turn on the pointer however, FEMAP will allow
you to create a text entity which has no text. This type of entity will simply display as a pointer or vector. It will be
drawn from the text position, to the tip position, that you specify. This approach can be used to add multiple point-
ers from a single annotation, or just to add vectors with arrowheads to your model.
7.4.3.4 Deleting Variables, Layers, and Text (Delete, Tools... commands)
Variables, Layers, and Text entities must be deleted using the Delete, Tools... menu. Choose the type of entity you
would like to delete and then the specific entities using a selection dialog box.
7.4.4 Measuring Tools
The next few commands all involve measurements. You can measure distances between two locations, angles
between a center and two locations, distance or angle between nodes with additional options, length of curves, area
of surfaces, mass properties, and section properties. Results of these commands are sent to the List Destination
specified with the List Destination command. Typically this will be the Messages window, but you could also spec-
ify a file and/or printer as well.
7.4.4.1 Tools, Measure Menu...
You can measure distances between two locations, distance between nodes using a selected coordinate system or
deformed locations, angles between a center and two locations, length of curves, mass properties, and section prop-
erties.
Tools, Measure, Distance...
... measures the linear distance between two locations. The locations do not have to exist as points or nodes. This
command uses the standard coordinate definition dialog boxes to determine the two locations to measure between.
If you do want to measure the distance between points or nodes, you can set the Snap Mode to Snap to Point or
Snap to Node or choose either the On Node or On Point coordinate definition method.
This command will automatically repeat until you press Cancel. In addition, assuming you are measuring between
XYZ locations (as opposed to nodes or points) the default from location for the second measurement will be the
to location from the first measurement. This enables you to simply press OK and measure between a series of
locations. The distance and the global components of the vector between the two locations is reported in a message
sent to the List Destination location.
Tools, Measure, Distance Between Nodes...
... measures the distance between a pair of nodes with with ability to specify additional options.
Hint: This command is also available wherever an input of a length is required, such as defining vectors.
Some commands have a Measure Distance icon button. In others, press Ctrl+D in the field where you
need to input the distance, then FEMAP will execute this command. Instead of reporting the value,
FEMAP enters the result in the current field.
Setting the Measure In option will list all values using the specified coordinate system. Setting the Deform With
options will list the values using each nodes deformed position, based on the selected Output Set and Output Vec-
tor. Along with the Distance, values for Elongation, percent elongation (Pct Elong), and Angle will also be listed,
when applicable. List Undeformed allows you to choose if the undeformed value will also be listed when Deform
With options are set.
Click Multiple Sets to choose any number of Output Sets using a
multi-select dialog box. The same Output Vector (for example,
1..Total Translation) will be used for all selected output sets, with
each selected set getting a unique line in the List Destination.
Optionally, FEMAP can create functions for each pair of nodes by
clicking the Functions button. Create functions for Distance, Elon-
gation, Elongation Percent, and/or Angle using the Set ID and/or the
Set Value for each selected output set.
This command will automatically repeat using all options currently
specified until you press Cancel. This enables you to simply press
OK and list values and create functions for any number of node
pairs, all using the same criteria. Here is an example of how the values will be listed:
Tools, Measure, Angles...
... measures the angular distance between three locations. This com-
mand works just like Tools, Measure, Distance. The standard coor-
dinate definition dialog boxes are used to define the three locations,
and the angular measurement is reported in a message sent to the
List Destination location.
The first location specified is the origin or center of the angle. Then,
two additional endpoint locations must be chosen. The angle is
measured between the vectors formed by these endpoint locations and the origin of the angle.
Tools, Measure, Angle Between Nodes...
... measures the angular distance between three nodes. This command works just like Tools, Measure, Distance
Between Nodes only you choose a Vertex (center or origin of angle) before choosing the From and To nodes.
When using Deform With options, values for Angle Change, Normal X1, Normal X2, Normal X3, and Normal
Change will also be listed, along with Angle. List Undeformed allows you to choose if the undeformed value will
also be listed when Deform With options are set.
Optionally, create functions for Angle, Angle Change, and/or Normal Angle using the Set ID and/or the Set Value
for each selected output set, when Multiple Sets are selected.
This command will automatically repeat using all options currently specified until you press Cancel. Here is an
example of how the values will be listed:
Hint: This command is also available wherever an input of a angle is required, such as rotation commands.
Press Ctrl+A in the field where you need to input the angle, and FEMAP will execute this command.
Instead of reporting the value, FEMAP enters the result in the current field.
origin
first endpoint
second endpoint
angle
Tools, Mass Properties Menu... 7-149
Tools, Measure, Curve Length...
...determines the length of selected curves. You select the curves that FEMAP will measure using the standard
entity selection dialog box. You can choose any curves in your model. They do not have to be connected to one
another.
This command produces a listing in the following format:
In the listing:
Tools, Measure, Surface Area...
... calculates the surface area of the selected surfaces. The only input required for this command are the surfaces.
Surfaces are selected via the standard entity selection dialog box. FEMAP will automatically compute the area of
each surface, as well as the total area of all chosen. This command is only available for Parasolid surfaces. It cannot
be used to obtain the surface area of boundary surfaces or standard geometry engine surfaces.
7.4.4.2 Tools, Mass Properties Menu...
...provides access to commands which will provide length and mass property information for both geometric enti-
ties, as well as your finite element mesh. Each of the commands available under this menu is explained below.
Tools, Mass Properties, Solid Properties...
... calculates and outputs the volume, surface area, center of gravity, and moment of inertia for the solid selected.
You can only select one solid at a time with this command.
Tools, Mass Properties, Mesh...
... determines the mass, center of gravity, and inertia of selected elements from your model.
When you select this command, you must select the elements to be checked using the standard entity selection dia-
log box. After you press OK, you will be able to set further options which control the command. You can choose a
coordinate system that will be used for the calculations. You can also choose whether to have the mass properties
for individual elements reported. Overall mass properties are always reported, both in global rectangular coordi-
nates, and the coordinate system you choose.
ID is the ID of the curve being measured.
Line, Arc,
Circle...
show the type of curve being measured.
Length The total length along the curve between its endpoints. For lines,
this is the distance between the endpoints. For arcs and circles, it
is the arc length. For splines, it is the length along the spline.
Total
Length
is the sum of all the individual curve lengths.
The following table shows the formulas used to calculate the mass and CG for each element type:
The mass properties report follows this sample format:
The type of data listed in the Length/Area/Volume column depends on the element type:
For line elements, the list contains the element length, followed by the letter L.
Element Type Structural Mass NonStructural Mass
Rod Length*Area*Density Length*NSM
Bar Length*Area*Density Length*NSM
Tube Length*Area*Density
where
Area=PI*(D
o
2
-D
i
2
)/4
Length*NSM
Link None None
Beam Length*Area*Density Length*NSM
Curved Beam ArcLen*Area*Density
where ArcLen is measured
from the offset CG, on the
line between the nodes
ArcLen*NSM
Spring, DOF
Spring, Gap,
Plot Only
None None
Shear Panel,
Membrane,
Bending Only,
Plane Strain
Area*Thickness*Density Area*NSM
Plate Area*AverageThickness*
Density
Area*NSM
Laminate Area*(sum of Layer Thick-
ness*Layer Density))
Area*NSM
Axisymmetric Area*PI*R
avg
2
*Density None
Solid Volume*Density None
Mass Mass None
Mass Matrix Mass(Matrix[1,1] only) None
Rigid None None
Stiffness
Matrix
None None
Slide Line None None
Tools, Section Properties Menu... 7-151
For plane elements, the list contains the area for one side of the element surface, followed by the letter A. To
correct for warping in quadrilateral elements, the software divides the element into two triangles along one
diagonal, and computes the area. Then, it divides the element along the other diagonal, and computes the area
again. The area listed is the average of these two possible areas.
For volume elements, the list contains the element volume, followed by the letter V.
The inertia calculations are done based only on a lumped/point mass formulation. Other than mass and mass matrix
elements, no elemental inertia is added. The inertia is calculated due to the offset of masses from the center of grav-
ity and the center of the selected coordinate system. This approximation is not very accurate for models with very
few elements, or with a few large, high-mass elements. For most finite element models however, with large num-
bers of small elements, it is relatively accurate.
The mass and inertia report is written to the active List Destination.
7.4.4.3 Tools, Section Properties Menu...
... provides access to commands which will calculate the section-properties for either a surface or a mesh.
Tools, Section Properties, Surface Properties...
... measure the cross-section properties of a selected surface. Inputs required for this command are the surface ID
and the Y-Axis vector. The first point selected in the Y-Axis (or orientation vector) will also define the origin.
FEMAP will then internally mesh the surface and use the Y-Axis vector and the Beam Cross-Section Generator to
calculate the section properties. The result is output to the List Destination. A typical result is shown here:
The result includes reference to the chosen orientation as well as the section properties. FEMAP calculates the stan-
dard section properties such as area, moments of inertia, torsional constant, and shear area. In addition, principal
moments of inertia, radius of gyration, angle to principal axes, and warping constant are output.
This command uses the same Beam Cross-Section Generator available under Model, Property (type Beam) Shape.
Tools, Section Properties, Mesh Properties...
... is identical to Tools, Section Properties, Surface Properties, except you choose elements instead of a surface.
FEMAP then calculates the cross-section properties of the mesh directly from the elements instead of creating an
internal mesh as in the case of Tools, Section Properties, Surface Properties. You must still define the Y-Axis vec-
tor.
7.4.5 Checking Tools
The Tools, Check menu contains a series of commands which are very useful for checking your finite element
model. These tools provide quick and valuable commands to verify portions of your model. These commands, like
the measuring commands, will send information to the List Destination. This destination is typically the Messages
window, but you can use the List Destination command to change it to a printer and/or file.
7.4.5.1 Tools, Check, Coincident Points...
... finds points in your model which are close to or at the same location. Using this command, you can also merge
these points. This command is basically identical to the Tools, Check, Coincident Nodes command except that it
works with points and there are less options. For Action, only Merge, Merge and List, and List are available, all
options on the Keep ID menu, and the Make Groups option. For more information, see Section 7.4.5.3, "Tools,
Check, Coincident Nodes...".
7.4.5.2 Tools, Check, Coincident Curves...
... finds curves in your model which are close to or at the same location. Using this command, you can also merge
these curves. A curve is considered to be coincident only if all of the points that define a curve are coincident to the
points that define another curve of the same type. A curve will still be considered coincident if its points are coinci-
dent but reversed. For example, a line that goes from point A to point B is coincident with a line that goes from
point B to point A.
Use of this command is similar to the Tools, Check, Coincident Nodes command. Unlike that command, however,
you can only select one set of curves (i.e., no Select Curves to Keep option on the Keep ID drop-down). Those
curves are then checked for coincidence against each other. The same merge options dialog is used for this com-
mand. Points must be coincident within the Tolerance for curves to be coincident. You must choose Merge or
Merge and List from the Action drop-down to actually remove any coincident curves from your model. List will
simply list coincident curves, without removing them from the model. Make Groups is also available.
7.4.5.3 Tools, Check, Coincident Nodes...
... finds nodes in your model which are at the same location. Using this command, you can also merge these nodes.
This command compares one or two sets or lists of nodes to determine their coincidence. When you invoke the
command, you will see the standard entity selection dialog box. This lets you select the nodes to be checked.
After you have selected the nodes to be checked and/or merged, you will see the Check/Merge Coincident dialog
box.
FEMAP has two separate node merging algorithms, Safe Merge and Original Merge. The Safe Merge check
box under Options selects which algorithm will be used (checked = Safe Merge, unchecked = Original Merge).
Note: Safe Merge is the default and should be used whenever possible. The only reason to use Origi-
nal Merge is if you find an issue with Safe Merge. Also, when using Original Merge, the
entire Move To drop-down list and the Detailed List option in the Action drop-down list are not
available. All listing in Original Merge behaves like Detailed List in Safe Merge. Finally,
Original Merge will be removed in a future version.
Tools, Check, Coincident Nodes... 7-153
In the Check/Merge Coincident dialog box, specify a merge Tolerance. Nodes whose difference in locations are less
than this distance are considered to be coincident. It is a good idea to set this to a small number relative to your
model size. If desired, click the Measure Distance icon button to choose two locations from the screen to use as the
Tolerance.
The Action drop-down list allows you to choose what will happen to any coincident nodes which are found.
If you want to eliminate the coincident nodes which are found, choose either Merge or Merge and List. .
If you want to only list the coincident nodes, choose List or Detailed List.
List - simply lists the nodes which would be merged based on the specified Tolerance value, along with the dis-
tance between the two nodes.
Detailed List - expands the list to include every pair of nodes that fall within the specified Tolerance, including
nodes which will not be merged. Reasons nodes will not be merged include instances where nodes are on both
sides of a Connector or merging the nodes would result in alteration or collapse of another element.
The Keep ID drop-down allows you to select which nodes will remain in the model after the nodes are merged.
There are four Keep ID options:
Automatic - merges nodes based on how the algorithm locates the coincident nodes and gives the user NO con-
trol of which nodes will be merged and kept.
Lower ID - for each set of coincident nodes, FEMAP will keep the node with the lowest ID numerically and
merge any nodes coincident to the lowest ID node.
Higher ID - for each set of coincident nodes, FEMAP will keep the node with the highest ID numerically and
merge any nodes coincident to the highest ID node.
Select Node(s) to Keep - allows you to specify a second list of nodes to check/keep against the list you origi-
nally specified. When using this option, after you press OK in Check/Merge Coincident dialog box, you will be
asked for a second set of nodes. With the second set of nodes, you may choose nodes you want to remain in the
model after the merging process. This option gives you a bit more control, specifically if you want to assure
certain nodes will remain in the model.
After determining any number of nodes are within the specified Tolerance to one another, the Move To drop-down
allows you to select where the kept node from any particular set of nodes will be located after the nodes are
merged. If any nodes in each set of nodes cannot be merged to any of the other nodes for some reason, this is
taken into consideration.
There are four Move To options:
Current Location - the kept node(s) will remain in their original locations.
Lower ID - the kept node(s) will be moved to the location of the node with the lowest ID for each set of
nodes.
Higher ID - the kept node(s) will be moved to the location of the node with the highest ID for each set of
nodes.
Midpoint - the kept node(s) will be moved to a location between the set of nodes which is equidistant from
all of the involved nodes original locations.
Note: FEMAP determines the default node merge tolerance based on overall model size. The number is
1/10000 of the model box diagonal (think of the model box being an invisible box that com-
pletely encapsulates every entity in the model).
You can override the default node merge tolerance by specifying a value in Tools, Parameters.
Simply change the Merge Tolerance option to Specified and enter a value. This value will be
saved with your model.
Note: If knowing the IDs of the coincident nodes is NOT important, use Merge option, as it takes less time.
Note: It is possible to set Keep ID to Higher ID, while having Move To set to Lower ID and vice versa.
Some examples of using different combinations of Keep ID and Move To options:
Coincident nodes may also be placed into a group or groups by checking Make Groups. When Action is set to
Merge or Merge and List, a single group of Kept nodes will be created. When Action is set to List or Detailed
List, two groups will be created, one for the nodes To Merge, one for the nodes To Keep. Creating groups,
without merging, is another good way to review the entities that will be merged. You can display the groups, or use
them in other FEMAP commands to insure you will merge the correct entities.
By default, FEMAP will not merge nodes which are associated with surfaces which have a Connector between
them. This is to make sure you dont mistakenly merge nodes across Connectors which could alter the definition of
Connection Regions, and potentially create problems with some solvers. The Merge Across Connections option
will allow FEMAP to merge nodes on surfaces which have Connections between them. FEMAP will let you know
when nodes cannot be merged because of a Connection by listing Not Merged, Connection # in the Messages
pane
When the Preview button is clicked, FEMAP will bring up a dialog box which gives you three options for high-
lighting any nodes that have been found to be coincident. The three options are Show Both, Show Kept, and Show
Merged. When finished with the preview click Done to return to the Check/Merge Coincident dialog box. You
may now click OK to complete the list/merge process or change some options (i.e., specify a larger or smaller
Tolerance), then click Preview again to visualize any changes before moving forward.
If you specify a distance which is too large, nodes that should not be coincident could be merged. If it is large
enough, nodes which are used to define different corners of the same element could be found as coincident and
merged. Since this would create an invalid element, FEMAP will never merge nodes that are used to define the
same element. This precaution will prevent nodes from being merged no matter how close together they are. These
nodes will still be reported as coincident, and added to the groups. Care should still be taken when specifying large
merge tolerances.
Note: Like many other preview and highlighting options in FEMAP, the highlighting in this command is con-
trolled by the settings of the Window, Show Entities command. You can change these by going to the
Window, Show Entities command or changing option(s) using the Show When Selected icon in the
Model Info tree or Data Table.
Also, when using Original Merge with Action set to Merge or Merge and List, the Done button in the
Preview Coincident dialog will be replaced with OK and Cancel buttons. Clicking OK will complete
the merging process based on the preview, while clicking Cancel will exit the command without merg-
ing any nodes. If you chose the Merge and List option, the nodes will always be listed.
Note: If additional nodes exist in the model which are VERY far away from the rest of the model, it is best not
to select those distant nodes with this command. While it will not affect the overall outcome of the
node merging process, it may increase the amount of time required to complete the check/merge opera-
tion.
Original Model Keep ID - Lower
Move To - Higher
Keep ID - Select Node(s)
to Keep (nodes 16, 6, & 10)
Move To - Midpoint
Tools, Check, Planar... 7-155
Similarly, FEMAP will not allow you to merge nodes with different output coordinate systems since their nodal
degrees of freedom may not be aligned. These too will still be identified, and added to the groups.
When nodes are merged, all references to the node being eliminated are updated to the other node. In addition,
nodal and permanent constraints on the two nodes are merged or combined. A report, which identifies the nodes
that have been, or would be, merged is written to the active List Destination. Usually, only the merged nodes will
be listed, but below is an example of what might be displayed when Action is set to Detailed List.
7.4.5.4 Tools, Check, Planar...
... determines whether nodes are located on a selected plane. Optionally, you can also move nodes onto the plane.
When you invoke this command, you must choose the nodes that you want to check for planarity. The standard
entity selection dialog box is used for this purpose. After you make your selections, you will see the Check Planar-
ity of Nodes dialog box.
You can specify a Max Allowable Distance from the Plane. If the perpendicular distance from a node to the plane is
larger than this distance, the node is considered to be out of the plane. Otherwise, it is in the plane.
By default, nodes which are out of plane are simply listed to the active List Destination. If you select Move Nodes
Closer..., they will be projected, in a direction which is normal to the plane, onto the plane. Also by default, the
plane will be determined from the three nodes with the minimum IDs that are also not colinear.
If you want to control this plane more precisely, choose Specify Plane Manually. If this option is set, after you press
OK, the standard plane definition dialog box will be displayed so you can define the plane to be used. If you do
choose to specify your own plane, the default plane will be the one that was automatically determined.
When out of plane nodes are found, they are listed, along with the perpendicular distance to the plane.
Other Uses for Check Planar
While this command was intended to be used to check for the planarity of nodes, it has several other interesting
applications.
Distance from a Plane to a Node:
If you need to find the perpendicular distance from a plane to one or more nodes in your model use this command.
Select the nodes that you want, then specify a very small (or zero) Max Allowable Distance... and choose Specify
Plane Manually. Do not select Move Nodes Closer.... Define the desired plane. The perpendicular distances will be
listed.
Hint: When you are going to move nodes onto the plane, you will almost always want to specify the plane
manually. FEMAP looks at all of the nodes that you select to determine the best fit plane. If you have
nodes that are out of plane, they will, in fact, cause the plane to be rotated, and you will project onto a
skewed plane. When you specify the plane manually, FEMAP still chooses a plane, and uses it as the
default for the plane definition dialogs. You will then have a chance to review and change the definition.
Projecting onto a Plane:
If you need to project some portion of your model onto a plane, you can also use this command. Select the nodes to
be projected, specify a large Max Allowable Distance... so all nodes chosen will be within this distance from the
plane, and choose Specify Plane Manually. In this case, also select Move Nodes Closer... and define the plane that
you want. The selected nodes will be projected onto the plane.
7.4.5.5 Tools, Check, Coincident Elem...
... identifies elements which are defined by the same nodes and are therefore coincident. After you choose the ele-
ments to check, using the standard entity selection dialog box, you will see the Check Coincident Element dialog
box. Here you are given two options which control the overall checking method:
Quick Check (Just Corners) - FEMAP will only compare elements with the same number of end or corner
nodes to one another to determine if they are coincident. This option will find a linear element and parabolic
element coincident if the two elements share all corner nodes. You can only use the Check Elements with Differ-
ent Types and/or Check Mass Elements options with this procedure.
Full Check - This method checks all nodes of all elements to determine coincidence based on the options
selected. Also, two additional options, Check Elements with Different Shape and Check Rigid Elements are only
available when using this method.
Check Elements with Different Types - Elements are considered coincident even though they may have different
element types. For example, a beam would be considered coincident with a bar if it had the same endpoints. If this
option is not selected, only elements of the same type are considered to be coincident. The beam would never coin-
cide with the bar.
Check Elements with Different Shapes - A triangular element will be considered to be coincident with a quadrilat-
eral element as long as all three nodes are also referenced by the quadrilateral. This same comparison technique
applies to all other shapes as well.
Check Rigid Elements - This option includes Rigid elements in the check. Of course, if a rigid element shares all of
the same nodes with another rigid element, those elements are considered coincident. Also, if a single leg of a
rigid spider element (independent node to dependent node) is shared with a leg of another rigid spider element,
those elements will be considered coincident. Finally, when the Check Elements of Different Types and Check Ele-
ments of Different Shape are both on, a line element (bar, beam, tube, etc.) which shares both nodes with a leg
of a rigid spider element will be considered coincident.
In addition to just checking and listing coincident elements, the coincident pairs can also be placed into groups.
You can then review these groups to update or delete the coincident elements. If more than two elements are coin-
cident with each other, some care must be taken, because there will still only be two groups.
Tools, Check, Element Quality... 7-157
Normally, mass elements are ignored by this command. If you choose Check Mass Elements, they will be included.
If Check Elements with Different Shapes is also selected, every mass element that references a node which is also
used by other elements will be identified. You can identify mass elements which are coincident with each other by
turning off either the ...Different Types or ...Different Shapes options.
Coincident elements are identified in a report that is written to the active List Destination(s), which can be set using
the List, Destination command.
7.4.5.6 Tools, Check, Element Quality...
... checks the shape of selected elements. In fact, 11 separate checks
are included: Aspect Ratio, Taper, Alternate Taper, Internal Angles,
Skew, Warping, Nastran Warping, Tet Collapse, Jacobian, Com-
bined, and Explicit Time Step.
You must first select the elements to be checked, using the standard
entity selection dialog box. Then using the Check Element Quality
dialog box, you can control how the checking will proceed.
Each of the nine checking options can be independently enabled or
disabled. You must also specify limit values for each of the enabled
options. Any element which exceeds one of these limits for an
enabled checking option will be listed to the active List Destina-
tion(s), which can be set using the List, Destination command.
Only plane and volume elements are checked by this command.
Line and Other element types are simply ignored.
If you select the Make Group with Distorted Elements option, a
new group will be created that contains all of the elements that fail
the check. This group can then be displayed or used for modifica-
tions to your model.
When Check/Fixup Invalid elements is checked, selected elements
will be checked for validity. Checks include, number of nodes, zero
element length, element and property type agreement, twisted ele-
ments, and orientation.
Pressing the Reset button will set the values to the default values
currently specified for each quality check in the Element Quality
Preferences dialog box, which is accessed from the Geometry/Model tab of File, Preferences command. Pressing
the Permanent button will take the values currently specified in this dialog box (Check Element Quality) and make
them the default values for Element Quality Preferences.
Aspect Ratio...
... is based on the ratio of the length of the longest element side, to the length of the shortest side. This check looks
at all element edges to find the maximum and minimum lengths. For solid elements, edges along all faces are con-
sidered. Only element corners are used. Midside nodes of parabolic elements are simply ignored.
This check will help you to identify elements which have both very long and very short sides, no matter where they
are located in the element.
Aspect Ratio = 1 Aspect Ratio = 3
X
X
X
3X
Taper...
... is similar to aspect ratio checking. It formulates a ratio of the length of a longest edge to a shortest edge. Whereas
aspect ratio checking looks at all edge combinations, Taper checking only considers ratios of edges which are
opposite to each other on a face. For solid elements, all faces are considered. Midside nodes are ignored.
Taper checking is only done on quadrilateral faces. It will identify elements which have trapezoidal faces.
Alternate Taper...
... calculates the ratios of the sizes of triangles formed by quadrilateral element diagonals. It is the same as the taper
check used in Nastran.
Alternate taper checking is only done on quadrilateral faces. It will identify elements which have trapezoidal faces.
Internal Angles...
... evaluates whether the included angles at the corners of an element face deviate from an optimal condition. For
quadrilateral faces, the deviation is based on a 90 degree angle. For triangular faces, the deviation is based on a 60
degree angle.
This check will identify elements which are skewed from a square or equilateral triangle. Although similar, Taper
Checking will identify trapezoidal faces, but will ignore a face which is a rhombus. The Internal Angles check will
find both variations.
Skew...
...Skew measures internal angular deviation of a face using the edge bisector method. This check matches results
reported by NX Nastran. Only this command will return Skew results for faces of supported solid elements.
For Triangular elements and element faces, Skew measures internal angle and reports minimum for all angles of 2-
D (a1, a2 & a3 in figure below) and all angles of all faces of supported 3-D type elements.
For Quadrilateral elements and element faces, Skew test for quadrilateral faces reports minimum angle between
face edge bisectors ( a1 & a2 in figure below ). Minimum for all faces is reported for supported 3-D elements.
Taper = 1 Taper = 2
X
X
X 2X
A2
A4
A1
A3
J i = Ai / 2
J a = (J1 + J2 + J3 + J4) / 4
Taper = max(Ji-Ja)/Ja
Angle deviation from
Angle deviation from
60 degrees
90 degrees
Warping...
... evaluates the planarity of element faces. All of the other checks evaluate parameters within the plane of the ele-
ment faces, but this check evaluates out of plane parameters. This check only looks at quadrilateral faces. Inter-
nally, this check divides the quadrilateral face into triangles. If the face is planar, then all triangles should be
coplanar. That is, their normals will all point in the same direction. If the face is warped however, the normals will
not be in the same direction. This check evaluates the maximum angle between the normals, and identifies any ele-
ments where the angle exceeds the limit you specify.
Nastran Warping...
... evaluates the planarity of element faces, using the same equations Nastran uses when using the GEOMCHECK
option Q4_WARP. This check only looks at quadrilateral faces. Internally, the Nastran Warping factor is defined
by determining the distance of the corner points of the element to the mean plane of the nodes divided by the
average of the elements diagonal lengths. For flat elements, all of the corner nodes lie on a plane, therefore the
Nastran Warping factor is zero.
Tet Collapse...
...evaluates the tetrahedral elements in your model. A collapsed (flat) tetrahedral element will either prevent the
solver code from running, or will give inaccurate results. This check computes the distance from the plane of each
face of the tetrahedral element to the fourth node for that face. FEMAP then takes the ratio of the longest to shortest
value as the value to check for the collapse of the tetrahedral element. The default value is 10.
No Warping 50% Warping
Warping calculated from
this angle
Shortest Height
Longest Edge
Jacobian...
...compares the shape of an element to an ideally shaped element of the same topology. A Jacobian comparison
exists in FEMAP for Shell elements (3-noded Triangles, 4 or 8-noded Quadrilaterals) and some Solid elements (4
or 10-noded Tetrahedrals and 8 or 20-noded Hexahedral Solids). If an parabolic, quad shell element has missing
mid-side nodes (i.e., 6 total nodes instead of the normal 8 nodes), that element will be checked as a 4-noded quad
shell. As for Solid elements, the shape used for the comparison is specified by the corner nodes only, mid-side
nodes are always ignored for both Tets and Hexes.
Valid elements produce Jacobian Quality values between 0.0 and 1.0, where 0.0 represents the ideally shaped ele-
ment. Severely distorted elements whose Jacobian determinants are locally discontinuous or undefined are
assigned a quality value of 2. If any of you elements have a Jacobian Value of 2, the element is not valid (i.e., the
element is inside out, twisted, etc.) and should be fixed before analysis.
For Triangular Shell Elements:
Jacobian Quality Check performs a modified scale-invariant check based solely on geometric parameters. This is
necessary because the true Jacobian is constant at corner points of a triangular element. The modified Jacobian
measure returns ranges from 0.0 for ideally shaped equilateral triangles and approaches 1.0 as a triangle is 'flat-
tened' and interior angle approaches 180. Midside nodes are ignored for this quality check.
Value returned = 1 - calculated Jacobian Condition Number/Ideal Tria Condition Number. Ideal Tria Condition
Number 0.4330091
For Quadrilateral Shell Elements:
Jacobian Quality Check for Quad elements is a true Jacobian check that returns 1 - minimum/maximum Jacobian
determinants as calculated for each node. The ratio guarantees a return value ranging from 0.0 for ideally shaped
quads to 1.0 as a element is distorted. Midside nodes are used only if all are present in the element definition. Oth-
erwise the basic, minimum element definition is used.
If the Jacobian determinant changes sign or equals 0.00, element's shape function is discontinuous and will not con-
verge to a solution. In this case, the element is considered FAILED and the Jacobian Quality will be reported as 2

1.38
0.69
1.20
1.38
1
2
3
1: 0.0, 0.0
2: 1.38, 0.0
3: 0.69, 1.20
R
e
f
.
JDist =0.00

2.50
1.88
0.20
1.89
0.66
1
2
3
1: 0.0, 0.0
2: 2.50, 0.0
3: 1.88, 0.20
JDist = 0.727
For Tetrahedral Solid Elements:
Jacobian Quality Check for Tetrahedral elements is based on the Jacobian condition number (ref: "What is a Good
Linear Element? Interpolation, Conditioning and Quality Measures" Shewchuk, Jonathan Richard).
Value returned = 1 - Condition Number/Ideal Tetrahedron Condition Number. Ideal Condition number
0.41360216.
Return values vary from 0.0 to 1.0 for valid elements and 2 for failed Jacobian. Midside nodes are not considered.
J Di s t = 0. 0
X
Y
Z
R
e
f
.

Unit Tetrahedron

1
3
4
2
J Di s t = 0. 539
X
Y
Z

Distorted Tetrahedron
-0.5
-0.5
0.0
-0.1835
X
0.288667
0.866
0.0
0.408248
Y
0.81649
0.0
0.0
0.408248
Z
4
3
2
1
ID
For Hexahedral Solid Elements:
Jacobian Quality Check for Hex elements is a true Jacobian check that returns 1 - minimum/maximum Jacobian
determinants as calculated at each corner node. Return values vary from 0.0 to 1.0 and 2 (sign changes or any deter-
minant = 0). Midside nodes are not considered.
Combined (Quality)...
The combined element quality ranges from 0.0 (good) to 1.0 (bad). Any values outside this range will return a
value of 1.0 and therefore indicate the element quality is not adequate. Combined Quality is useful as it provides a
single value that attempts to indicate overall quality while dynamically modifying nodal locations or changing
mesh sizes. It is not a guarantee that a model will solve.
The value for Combined Quality is determined using the maximum value of these seven values: Aspect Ratio,
Taper, Alternate Taper, Internal Angle, Warping, Nastran Warping, and Jacobian. Only element checks which are
currently on and applicable to the element shape will be used when calculating the Combined Quality. Also, the
values currently specified in the Check Element Quality dialog box for each quality check are used by the Com-
bined Quality calculation.
If the quality check calculated for Combined Quality is less than 0.75 times the value specified for a particular
quality check, the corresponding value is set to 0.0. If the calculated quality check value is more than the value
specified for a particular quality check, the corresponding value is 1.0. The Combined Quality values are linearly
interpolated between 75% and 100% of the specified value for each quality check.
Note: Customized default values for each of the element quality checks can be set in File, Preferences on the
Geometry/Model tab by pressing the Element Quality button. See Section 2.6.2.6, "Geometry/Model"
Uni t Cube
JDi st = 0. 00
R
e
f
.

2x1x1
Br i ck
JDi st = 0. 00

Uni t Cube w/ 1
cor ner di st or t ed
JDi st = 0. 90

Uni t Cube w/ 1
cor ner coi nci dent
JDi st = 2. 0

Tools, Check, Normals... 7-163
Here is a plot of % of quality value vs. Combined Quality value:
Explicit Time Step...
...finds the element characteristic length and wave speed to calculate the critical time step for each element. The
minimum time step across all elements is the maximum time step that should be used for a explicit analysis. The
method used to calculate the Explicit Time Step is very similar to the one used by LS-DYNA.
7.4.5.7 Tools, Check, Normals...
... examines a selected set of plane elements to see if their normals all point in the same direction. The command
ignores other element types.
You first select the elements to be checked, then you specify the checking options. By default, FEMAP determines
the desired element normal from the selected element with the minimum ID. To specify a particular normal, choose
the Specify Normal Vector option. Then after you press OK, the standard vector definition dialog box will be dis-
played so you can define the direction of the normal you want.
All selected elements which have normals that point opposite the specified vector will be listed to the active List
Destination. If you choose the Update/Reverse Element Normals option, those elements will be reversed. Element
normals are reversed in the same manner as the Modify, Update Elements, Reverse command.
Since you are specifying a single direction, elements from a complex model which lie in multiple planes and in dif-
ferent orientations cannot always be checked at the same time. The checking is based on the sign of the dot (or sca-
lar) product of the desired direction with the current element normal. This approach can handle elements which are
not perpendicular to the direction you specify, but you should still select elements which are somewhat coplanar.
It can be particularly difficult to align the normals of cylindrical or spherical geometries. In this case the normals
do, and should, point in different directions. You can still use this command for those geometries by selecting a
coordinate system for the comparison. To check a cylindrical geometry, you should first define a cylindrical coordi-
nate system with its Z axis pointing along the cylindrical axis. Then if you select that coordinate system, and define
a radial vector, the element normals will all be checked against the radial direction. You can then set to point either
inward or outward based on the direction of the vector you specify. The same technique applies to spherical coordi-
nate systems.
Note: This check uses Density, Youngs Modulus, and Poissons Ratio values along with each elements
physical dimensions, so material properties must be assigned to the selected elements. Otherwise,
incorrect of no values at all will be calculated.
7.4.5.8 Tools, Check, Constraints...
... produces a report (to the active List Destination) which can be used to evaluate whether a model is fully con-
strained. The report will resemble the following:
When you pick this command, you will be asked whether to include nodal permanent constraints in the calcula-
tions. If you press Yes, all permanent constraints will be combined with the nodal constraints from the active con-
straint set. If you press No, only the nodal constraints from the active constraint set will be used.
To calculate the constraint factors, FEMAP adds 1.0 to the appropriate factor for each node that has a particular
degree of freedom constrained. If the output coordinate system of the node rotates the nodal degrees of freedom,
the direction cosines of the constrained degrees of freedom are added, instead of 1.0.
Only nodes which are used to define elements are included in this calculation. This approach ignores constraints
which are properly assigned to reference or orientation nodes, but which do not really constrain your model.
Since this command uses the active constraint set, you will have to invoke it multiple times if you have multiple
constraint sets.
How to Use this Report
If you review the translation factors, and find that one or more of them are zero or significantly less than one, your
model is probably not constrained in that direction. Similarly, the rotation factors report the rotational constraints.
In this case however, a zero factor does not necessarily mean that the model is unconstrained in a rotational direc-
tion. In fact, multiple translational constraints which are separated by some distance can usually better constrain a
model than rotational constraints.
To determine if your model meets the necessary criteria, you must examine the Max Separation data. If X con-
straints are separated in the Y direction, you will constrain Z rotations. Similarly, if X constraints are separated in
the Z direction, you will constrain Y rotations. Larger separation distances will be better able to resist motion, and
more fully constrain the appropriate degree of freedom.
This report only includes nodal and permanent constraints. It does not include the effect of enforced displacements
or any other entities which might provide additional constraints.
7.4.5.9 Tools, Check, Coincident Loads...
...reviews loads in your model to determine if there are any coincident loads. The only initial input required for this
command is the load set(s) you want to check. FEMAP will review the load sets and determine if there are any
coincident loads. If you have coincident loads, FEMAP will report the load type and node/element to the List Des-
tination. You will then be asked if you want to combine the loads. FEMAP will ask this question for each load type,
so you may actually combine nodal forces while not combining elemental pressures.
Hint: This command is very useful when combining geometric and finite element loads in the same model.
You can use the Model, Load, Expand command to permanently expand geometric loads to nodal/ele-
mental loads, and then use this command to combine these loads with nodal/elemental loads already
created in your model.
Tools, Check, Sum Forces... 7-165
7.4.5.10 Tools, Check, Sum Forces...
... checks the total forces about a selected location. All nodal forces,
nodal moments, and elemental pressures from the active load set are
all used in this calculation. When you pick this command, you are
asked to choose a location. The Sum Forces dialog box will then
appear. You can select the coordinate system for the calculation,
whether to automatically expand any geometric loads, and whether
the whole load set or only a partial model will be used for the sum-
mation.
If Expand and Include Geometric Loads is turned off, no geometric
loads will be included. The Partial Model option allows selection of
specific elements and nodes to include in the summation. With this
option Off, the entire load set is used.
When computing total effective moment, the location you specify will be used to find the force couples caused by
the applied forces and pressures. When you press OK, a report in the following format will be produced. It will be
written to the active List Destination.
In the first section of this report, all loads are simply added in global rectangular coordinates. The pressure force is
determined by multiplying the elemental pressures you defined by the element face area. This force is then applied
in the direction opposite the face normal, at the centroid of the face.
The Totals section of the report shows the location you selected. The total forces will include both the nodal force
and the pressure force. The total Moments will include nodal moments, and the force couples produced by the
nodal forces and pressure forces around the location you selected.
7.4.6 Tools, Stress Wizard
The Stress Wizard (SW) provides you with quick insight into the mechanical behavior of engineering parts and
assemblies. Through a simple four-step process, the SW makes it possible to connect to a single solid or multi-solid
assembly, specify how the solid/assembly is held, how it is loaded, and recover the resulting deformed shape and
stress distribution.
In reality, the SW provides access to several different areas of FEMAP functionality from within a single dockable
pane. The Stress Wizard does not add any functionality over what is offered within other FEMAP commands; it
simply consolidates the commands required for the pre- and post-processing and analysis of single solid parts and
multi-solid assemblies.
Overview
The SW is designed to analyze a single solid component
or multi-solid assembly, which is more than likely con-
nected to a larger assembly. You must understand and be
able to specify exactly how the part is constrained and
loaded, or specify a close enough approximation in order
to recover useful results. The SW relies on the finite ele-
ment method to determine the deformed shape of your
part or assembly based on the constraint condition and
loading condition specified. The finite element method
has certain limitations and capabilities that need to be
understood in order to effectively use the results obtained
with the SW.
For assemblies, Connectors in FEMAP are automati-
cally created and assigned Connection Properties
which represent glued contact. This allows FEMAP to
run assembly models which have different meshes on
each part. Glued contact is the only assembly option in
the SW.
Process
With traditional FEA tools, the FEA process is:
1. Create or import CAD Geometry
2. Specify material properties
3. Set mesh sizes (controls sizing of mesh)
4. Mesh Geometry
5. Apply Boundary Conditions - Constraints
6. Apply Boundary Conditions - Loads
7. Set up analysis model
8. Run
9. Recover results
10. Post-process results
Note: For a simple example of using the Stress
Wizard, see Section 5.11, "Stress Wizard" in
Tools, Stress Wizard 7-167
The SW has streamlined this process into four steps:
Step 1.
Step 1 in the SW incorporates steps 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7 outlined above. Geometry is
imported via Parasolid, either manually from the SW GUI or from a connection to
Solid Edge. Once loaded, the SW will ask you to select a material from the mate-
rial library, default mesh sizing will be applied to the model and it will be meshed.
In addition, the analysis run setup that would traditionally be the job setup portion
of an FEA input file happens automatically during the SW's Step 1.
In the case of a multi-solid assembly, if the parts do not have any materials assigned to them from the geometry
being imported, the SW will prompt you to choose a single material for all the parts in the assembly. This will
effectively complete Step 1.
You can later change the materials of individual parts in an assembly from inside the
SW by clicking the Step 1 button. Once the SW dockable pane has changed to show
the Step 1 options, clicking the Update Material for Solid(s) button will prompt you to
select any desired solids and choose a different material from the material library to
be applied to those solids.
Step 2 and 3.
Step 2 and Step 3 exactly match steps 5 and 6 of the traditional process. Steps 2 and 3 in the SW are streamlined in
that only those loads and constraints appropriate to the analysis of single solids and multi-solid assemblies are
made available.
Note: The SW can not automatically mesh every part or assembly. In some cases, the geometry that you are
trying to import may have irregularities that the automatic processes can not handle. If, after importing
geometry, you do not see some number of nodes and elements listed at the bottom of the FEMAP win-
dow, the part could not be automatically meshed. In this case you must exit the SW, and use the other
FEMAP capabilities to cleanup and mesh the geometry (after the part has been meshed, you can return
to SW to complete your analysis.
Note: In some cases, the default settings for automatically detecting glued contact in an assembly will not be
able to detect all of the required connections between the different parts. In this case, you must exit the
SW, and use other FEMAP capabilities located on the Connect menu to create connections between the
various solids in the assembly, where required. See Section 4.4, "Creating Connections and Regions"
Step 4.
Step 4 includes all the run and post-processing options associated with the traditional FEA process. A single button
launches the solver, runs the analysis and recovers the results. The remaining options in Step 4 allow for the review
of the deformed shape of your part, the stress distribution, the ability to animate the results of the analysis, or use a
specified plane to dynamically cut through the model for examination of the interior of the part or parts.
Units
Just like the rest of FEMAP, the most important message about units in the Stress Wizard or in any FEA product is
consistency. The force and length units implied by the value input for the part's modulus of elasticity must match
those of the part and of the forces applied to the part. There are a couple of simple bookkeeping details that must be
considered before you begin using the stress wizard. These details are extremely important if you want to obtain
useful results from the stress wizard.
The "Scale Factor"
The SW uses the Parasolid geometry engine to interact with your CAD solid model. In order for Parasolid to guar-
antee the precision of solids all entities must be within a "size box" that is 1000 x 1000 x 1000 centered at the ori-
gin. In order for parts to be modeled that would fall outside this box, most CAD systems utilize a scale factor. The
model that you see on-screen is often stored internally at a different size and all reference to that model scaled up or
down accordingly to make the part appear larger or smaller. As recommended by Parasolid, most parts are stored
internally in meters. Users expecting to work in a US customary unit system of inches and pounds will find that the
Parasolid solid itself is 39.37 times smaller inside Parasolid.
Before using the Stress Wizard for the first time, it is strongly recommended that you import a CAD part where you
are certain of its dimensions and verify the size of it. You may then have to go the File, Preferences command to
adjust the scale factor to import and size the part properly.
To change the internal scale factor used by the Stress Wizard, go to File, Preferences and click the Geometry tab.
For more on the internal scale factor see Section 2.6.2.6, "Geometry/Model"
Material Library and Units
The Stress Wizard and FEA in general is unitless. In combination with the scale factor above, the material values
that you pick or enter decide overall what units you are using for your analysis. In the case of a simple orthotropic
material, once you enter a value for Young's Modulus, you have effectively defined the force and length unit sys-
Note: For more information about using the Dynamic Cutting Plane, see Section 8.4.3, "View, Advanced Post,
Dynamic Cutting Plane..."
List Menu Commands 7-169
tem for your model. Within the scope of the linear static analysis capabilities, the unit system used for Young's
modulus has defined all aspects of units definition since time is not an issue.
Installed with FEMAP are a number of material libraries that can be accessed by the SW. When prompted to define
a material simply press the Load button and either choose a list of available materials or load another library. Some
of the material libraries you will find include aluminum.esp, copper.esp, nickel.esp, steel.esp, mil5.esp, and
mdla.esp. For more on creating materials, see Section 4.2.3, "Model, Material"
7.5 List Menu Commands
The commands on the List menu are used to produce reports of the entities and data in your model. Coupled with
the many graphical options, these reports provide the information you need to fully understand and check your
model, as well as reporting and interpreting results.
The List menu is separated into three major areas. The top area contains menus similar to the main menu com-
mands for FEMAP entities (tools, geometry, model, output). Each of these commands are in fact a menu of com-
mands for the different entities in each category. The second area contains listing commands for particular display
(group and view) or overall model information (Model Info). The last section simply contains the List, Destination
command. The List, Destination command controls where reports and other listings will be written.
Aborting a Listing
Sometimes when listing information from your model you will decide that you have either requested too much out-
put, or that the needed information has already been listed. Rather than waiting for the listing to complete (which
could take awhile, and could scroll the desired information out of the buffer), you can abort the listing.
When FEMAP is listing information, the graphics cursor will change to an hourglass behind a pointer. This shape
indicates that FEMAP is busy with your current command, but the current command will be aborted automatically
if you make a new selection. Actually, FEMAP just watches the keyboard and mouse. The command is aborted
whenever you press any key, or mouse button. These are the actions that you have to do to choose the next com-
mand anyway.
When FEMAP has completed the current command, the hourglass will disappear and the cursor will return to its
normal pointer or crosshair shape. If you are just listing information to a file, and you have screen messages turned
off, the changing cursor shape will let you know that the listing has completed.
Since FEMAP automatically aborts whenever you press a key or the left mouse button, you can never press either
of them before a listing is complete - unless you want to abort.
7.5.1 List, Tools Menu
This menu contains the commands for listing information on the entity tools, which are discussed in Section 7.4.3,
"Entity Tools". Each command is discussed further below.
7.5.1.1 List, Tools, Variable...
... produces a report which describes all variables defined in your model. There are no options to specify and no
way to limit the report. All variables are simply listed in the following format:
For each variable, there are two items reported - the value of the variable when it was stored, and the defining equa-
tion. When used in equations, the value can be accessed by using !variable_name, and the equation can be
accessed by using @variable_name.
7.5.1.2 List, Tools, Layers...
... produces a report which describes all layers defined in your model. There are no options to specify and no way to
limit the report. All layers are simply listed in the following format:
For each layer, there are two items reported - the title and layer color.
7.5.1.3 List, Text...
... produces a report of selected text in your model.
Text reports cannot be sorted. You simply select the text entities that you want to list (using the standard entity
selection dialog box), and a listing resembling the following sample will be produced.
This listing format simply reports the options which you defined in the Tools, Text command. Note the differences
between screen positioned text (ID 1) and model positioned text (ID 2). Screen positioned text lists X and Y posi-
tions in percentages of the view from the upper left corner. Model positioned text lists X, Y and Z coordinates. The
text itself will be listed on as many lines as you defined in the text entity.
7.5.2 List, Geometry Menu
This menu contains command to list the different types of geometric entities. One command is provided for each
geometric entity type contained in FEMAP. Each of these commands are very similar. They use a common dialog
box which has some variations depending upon the type of entity being listed.
7.5.2.1 Common Listing Options
A common dialog box is used for the geometric listing com-
mands. Some of the options may not be available for all enti-
ties, but the procedure is identical for all geometric entities.
The dialog box contains a Sort By section, which determines
the method of sorting, and a Sort Order section, where you
simply choose if you want the list Ascending or Descending.
You can also choose a Listing Coordinate System for points.
Sort By:
These options control the order of the listing. By default, and
the fastest method, is to list the entities in order of Ascending
IDs (lowest ID to highest ID). Choosing Selection Order will
order the listing in the order that you selected the entities.
This option allows you to list the entities in any order, simply
List, Point... 7-171
by selecting them in that order. Other common sorting methods include Color, Layer, position (X, Y, or Z), and
Absolute Value of position.
7.5.2.2 List, Point...
... produces a report of selected points in your model.
After selecting the points you want to list (using the standard entity selection dialog box), you select the Sort by
method, Sort Order (Ascending or Descending), and the Listing Coordinate System. Sorting methods available
include the common methods (see Section 7.5.2.1, "Common Listing Options") and by definition coordinate sys-
tem. The point listing looks like the following:
In the listing,
The width of the sample listing shown above has been reduced to fit within the manual margins. You will notice
that on many video adapters, you will have to scroll right in the Messages window to see the end of this listing.
7.5.2.3 List, Curve...
... produces a report of selected curves in your model.
After selecting the curves you want to list (using the standard entity selection dialog box), you select the Sort by
method and Sort Order (Ascending or Descending). Sorting methods available include the common methods (see
Section 7.5.2.1, "Common Listing Options"), by type, or by minimum point ID (points reference by the curve).
The X, Y, and Z sort listing options use the location of the first point referenced by the curve. For circles and arcs,
this is the location of the center of curvature. For other types of curves, it is the first endpoint.
Advanced
You will also see an Advanced option for curves. The Advanced option is only applicable for B-splines, and will
include the type of B-spline (Rational or NURB), the order, the number of points, and the knot values in the output
listing.
ID is the ID of the point.
Def CS is the ID of the Definition Coordinate System.
X1, X2, X3 are the coordinates of the point, relative to either the
definition coordinate system, or the listing coordinate
system.
Color is the point color.
MeshSize is the mesh size which is assigned to this point for
boundary surface meshing. This will be blank if no size
was assigned.
Layer is the point layer.
#Curve indicates how many Curves reference this point.
The curve listing looks like the following:
In the listing,
ID is the ID of the curve.
Type is the type of the curve.
Color is the curve color.
Layer is the curve layer.
Bias is the mesh biasing factor size which is assigned to this
curve for boundary meshing. This will be 0.0 if no size
has been assigned.
MeshElem is the mesh size which is assigned to this curve for
boundary meshing. This will be zero if no size has been
assigned.
Points are the IDs of the points which are referenced by this
curve. For lines, these are the endpoints. For arcs and
circles they are the center, start, middle and endpoints.
For splines, they are the control points.
#Surface the number of surfaces which reference the curve.
Length the length of the curve. This is the arc length/perimeter
for arcs and circles.
Radius the curve radius - only listed for arcs and circles.
Angle the included angle - only listed for arcs and circles.
List, Surface... 7-173
7.5.3 List, Surface...
... produces a report of selected surfaces in your model.
After selecting the surfaces you want to list (using the standard entity selection dialog box), you select the Sort by
Section 7.5.2.1, "Common Listing Options"), by Type, or by Minimum Curve ID (curves referenced by the surface).
If you choose Minimum Curve ID, the listing will be sorted on the IDs of the curves that define the surfaces. X, Y,
and Z allow you to sort the listing based on the location of the parametric center of the surface.
The surface listing looks like the following:
In the listing,
In addition, if the surface forms the face of a solid, the number of segments, the geometric engine (Parasolid or
ACIS), and the address of the face in the geometric engine database will be listed.
ID is the ID of the surface.
Type is the type of the surface.
Color is the surface color.
Divisions are the number of surface divisions assigned for display
purposes.
Curves are the IDs of the curves that define the surface. If an
R follows the number, the parametric direction of the
curve is reversed compared to the curves alignment in
the surface definition.
Layer is the surface layer.
#Volume the number of volumes which reference the surface.
7.5.3.1 List, Volume...
... produces a report of selected volumes in your model.
After selecting the curves you want to list (using the standard entity selection dialog box), you select the Sort by
Section 7.5.2.1, "Common Listing Options"), by Type, or by Minimum Surface ID (surfaces reference by the vol-
ume). If you choose Minimum Surface ID, the listing will be sorted on the IDs of the surfaces that define the vol-
umes. X, Y, and Z allow you to sort the listing based on the location of the parametric center of the volume.
The volume listing looks like the following:
In the listing,
7.5.3.2 List, Solid...
...simply requires input of the solids you want to list. List information for the solid includes the name, engine (Para-
solid or ACIS), address, Scale Factor, and Property (If Solid Attributes are set).
ID Type Color <-- Surfaces ( R = Reversed Direction ) --> Layer
________________________________________________________________________
1 Wedge 24580 8 --- 9 --- 7 --- 1
10 R-R 10 R-R ---
2 Brick 24580 13 --- 14 --- 11 --- 1
15 --R 12 --- 15 --R
3 Tetra 24580 16 --- 17 --- 18 --- 1
19 R-- --- ---
ID is the ID of the volume.
Type is the type/shape of the volume.
Color is the volume color.
Surfaces are the IDs of the surfaces that define the volume. Three
characters (R or -) follow each ID. These corre-
spond to the s, t and normal surface parametric direc-
tions. An R indicates the parametric direction of the
surface is reversed compared the surfaces alignment in
the volume definition.
Layer is the volume layer.
List, Connection Menu 7-175
7.5.4 List, Connection Menu
This menu contains commands which will allow you to list information about your Connection entities. This menu
is partitioned very much like the Connection menu, and contains commands identical to those on the Connection
menu, except these commands simply list entities. They do not create new entities. For more information, see Sec-
tion 4.4, "Creating Connections and Regions".
7.5.4.1 List, Connection, Property...
... produces a report of selected Connection Properties in the model. A sample list is shown below. The first line of
the list will give the number and title of the Connection Property. The second line contains the color, layer, and
number of Connectors using this Connection Property (#Conn). The remaining lines simply contain a list of all
options available for all solvers available, separated by the solver name.
7.5.4.2 List, Connection, Region...
... produces a report of selected Connection Regions in the model. A sample list is shown below. The first line of
the list will give the number and title of the Connection Region. The second line contains the color, layer, reference
node, output (node, element, or property), and whether the region is rigid. The remaining lines simply contain a list
of all entities in the Connection Region.
7.5.4.3 List, Connection, Connector...
... produces a report of selected Connectors in the model. A sample list is shown below. The first line of the list will
give the number and title of the Connector. The second line contains the Connection Property number used in the
Connector, color, layer, and whether the Connector is currently Enabled or Disabled. The remaining lines simply
contain a list of the Connection Regions connected with the selected Connector (Master, then Slave)
7.5.5 List, Model Menu
This menu contains commands which will allow you to list information about your FEA entities. This menu is par-
titioned very much like the Model menu, and contains commands identical to those on the Model menu, except
these commands simply list entities. They do not create new entities. For more information, see Section 4, "Finite
Element Modeling".
7.5.5.1 Common List Options
Much like the geometry listing commands, a common dia-
log box is used for the List, Model commands. Some of the
options may not be available for all entities, but the proce-
dure is identical. The dialog box contains a Sort By sec-
tion, which determines the method of sorting, and a Sort
Order section, where you choose Ascending or Descend-
ing. You can also choose a Listing Coordinate System for
points.
Sort By:
These options control the order of the listing. By default,
and the fastest method, is to list the entities in order of
ascending IDs (lowest ID to highest ID). Choosing Selec-
tion Order will order the listing in the order that you
selected the points. This option allows you to list the enti-
ties in any order, simply by selecting them in that order.
Other common sorting methods include Color, Layer, posi-
tion (X, Y, or Z), and Absolute Value of position.
List, Model, Coord Sys... 7-177
7.5.5.2 List, Model, Coord Sys...
... produces a report of selected user-defined coordinate systems in your model. You cannot list the predefined glo-
bal coordinate systems (0, 1 or 2).
After selecting the coordinate systems you want to list (using the standard entity selection dialog box), you will see
a dialog box which provides options to customize your listing.
Listing Coordinate System:
If you select a listing coordinate system, all selected coordinate systems will be transformed and listed relative to
this selected system. If you leave the coordinate system blank (not 0, but blank), each coordinate system will be
listed relative to its own definition coordinate system.
Sort By:
In addition to the common options, you can also list by the Definition Coordinate System. The position sort meth-
ods (X, Y, and Z) use the coordinate system origin. For more information on common options, see Section 7.5.2.1,
"Common Listing Options".
The coordinate system listing looks like the following:
In the listing,
7.5.5.3 List, Model, Node...
... produces a report of selected nodes in your model.
After selecting the nodes you want to list (using the standard entity selection dialog box), you will see a dialog box
which provides options to customize your listing. These options are identical to those defined in the List, Coordi-
nate Systems command (see Section 7.5.5.2, "List, Model, Coord Sys...").
Type is the coordinate system type Rectangular, Cylindrical
or Spherical.
Def CS is the ID of the Definition Coordinate System.
Origin is the coordinates of the origin, relative to either the def-
inition coordinate system, or the listing coordinate sys-
tem.
Rotation is the rotation angles (in degrees) about the definition or
listing coordinate system which orient the axes.
Color is the coordinate system color.
Layer is the coordinate system layer.
Referenced
By
indicates how many other coordinate systems (CS),
points (PT), nodes (NO), materials (MT), properties
(PR), constraints (CN) and loads (LD) reference this
coordinate system.
The node listing looks like the following:
In the listing,
7.5.5.4 List, Model, Element...
... produces a report of selected elements in your model.
After selecting the elements you want to list (using the standard entity selection dialog box), you must choose the
method of sorting. In addition to the common options available (please see Section 7.5.5.1, "Common List
Options"), you can also list by Element Type, Property ID, or Minimum Node ID. The location of the center of the
element will be used for the position sort (X, Y, and Z). Element listings resemble the following:
Many other formats are also used for the other element types, but they all follow the conventions shown above. The
element type is listed on the first line, along with the ID. The next line lists the property, color, and layer which are
referenced by the element. Additional element data (like orientation, releases, and offsets) are then given. Finally,
all of the nodes are listed.
ID is the ID of the node.
Def CS is the ID of the definition coordinate system.
Out CS is the ID of the nodal output coordinate System.
X1, X2, X3 are the coordinates of the node, relative to either the def-
inition coordinate system, or the listing coordinate sys-
tem.
Color is the node color.
PermBC are the six nodal permanent degrees of freedom. -
indicates that the degree of freedom is unconstrained.
The numbers 1-6 are used to indicate constraints.
Layer is the node layer.
#Elem,
#Load, #BC
indicates how many elements, loads and constraints ref-
erence this node.
List, Model, Material... 7-179
Formulations are listed for the solver set in the active Analysis Set. If no Analysis Set exists, no formulations will
be listed.
7.5.5.5 List, Model, Material...
... produces a report of selected materials in your model.
After selecting the materials you want to list (using the standard entity selection dialog box), you must choose the
method of sorting. In addition to the common options available (see Section 7.5.5.1, "Common List Options"), you
can also list by Material Type, and the position sort (X, Y, and Z) will not be available.
Material listings resemble the following:
Similar formats are used for the other material types, and they follow the conventions shown above. The material
ID and title are listed first, followed by the type, color, and layer. #Prop is the number of properties that reference
this material. Finally, the material values are listed in three major categories - STIFFNESS, STRENGTH and
THERMAL. These categories directly correspond to the grouping of the data in the Create Material dialog boxes.
Function Dependent Materials
If you have defined materials which reference functions in your model, you will see additional lines of data mixed
between those shown above. Following each of the lines of properties, and aligned under each of the corresponding
values will be a second line listing the function references. Because of space constraints, the full function title will
not be listed, but the ID and the beginning of the title will be shown.
7.5.5.6 List, Model, Property...
... produces a report of selected properties in your model.
After selecting the properties you want to list (using the standard entity selection dialog box), you must choose the
method of sorting. In addition to the common options available (see Section 7.5.5.1, "Common List Options"), you
can also list by property type or material ID, and the position sort (X, Y, and Z) will not be available. If you sort by
material ID, properties that do not reference materials, and laminate plates that reference multiple materials, will all
sort as if their material ID was zero.
Property listings resemble the following:
Similar formats are used for the other property types, and they follow the conventions shown above. The property
ID and title are listed first, followed by the type, color, and layer. The material or coordinate system that the prop-
erty references is listed next. #Elem is the number of elements that reference this property. Finally, the property val-
ues are listed. These property values directly correspond to the data in the Model Property dialog boxes.
7.5.5.7 List, Model, Layup...
... produces a report of selected layups in your model.
Simply select the layups you want to list using the standard entity selection dialog box.
You will get a listing of each ply with the Ply Number (Ply), the Global Ply Number (Global Ply), the Material ID
for that Ply (Material), the thickness of the Ply (Thickness), and the Orientation Angle of that Ply (Angle).
7.5.5.8 List, Model, Load - Definition...
... produces a report of selected load definition(s) in your model. The listing will include the Load Set Title and ID,
the Title and ID of the selected Load Definition(s), the type of load in each Load Definition, and a listing of the
individual loads in the Load Definition following the format of the List, Model, Load - Individual command.
List, Model, Load - Individual... 7-181
7.5.5.9 List, Model, Load - Individual...
... produces a report of selected loads in your model. Listing loads is slightly different than listing most other enti-
ties in that you must first select the sets to list. You will see a dialog box which allows you to select the type of
loads that you want to list.
By default, all load types will be
selected. You can turn off certain types
by deselecting those options.
You may also decide to list all loads of a
certain type (the Select All option) or you
will be asked to select the entities where
loads should be listed. This requires
entity selection dialog boxes for each of
the types you requested Under Defined
On (two for node/elem). If you only want
a specific load type, turn off all other
types. If you turn off all of a certain type,
the entity selection dialog box for this
type will not be displayed.
There are no sort options available for
load listings. All selected loads for each
selected set are grouped together in the
report. Load sets are listed in order of
their IDs - lowest to highest. If you select a load type, but no loads of that type exist in a set, a header identifying
the load type is printed, but no loads are listed.
Load listings resemble the following:
Any body loads which are not activated for a specific load set are not listed. In the sample above, all body loads are
enabled, even though some are zero. The X, Y, and Z components listed for nodal loads are given in the load defi-
nition coordinate system (Def CS).
7.5.5.10 List, Model, Constraint - Definition...
... produces a report of selected constraint definition(s) in your model. The listing will include the Constraint Set
Title and ID, the Title and ID of the Constraint Definition(s), the type of constraint in each Constraint Definition,
and a listing of the individual constraints in Constraint Definition following the format of the List, Model, Con-
straint - Individual command.
7.5.5.11 List, Model, Constraint - Individual...
... produces a report of selected constraints in your model.
Listing constraints is similar to listing loads. Since there can be multiple con-
straint sets in your model, you must first select the sets that you wish to list using
the standard entity selection dialog box. You will then see a dialog box which
allows you to choose Model Based (Nodal Constraints and/or Constraint Equa-
tions) and/or Geometry Based constraints. By default, all types will be selected.
If you select Nodal, On Point, On Curve, or On Surface Constraints, and you
have not chosen Select All, you will be asked to select the entities where con-
straints should be listed. All constraint equations will be listed - you cannot limit
the report.
There are no sort options available for constraint listings. All selected constraints
for each selected set are grouped together in the report. Constraint sets are listed
in order of their IDs - lowest to highest. If you select a constraint type, but no con-
straints of that type exist in a set, you will see a header which identifies the type,
but no data will be listed.
Constraint listings resemble the following:
The DOF numbers (1 to 6) correspond to the TX, TY, TZ, RX, RY and RZ degrees of freedom. In the listing, a
number indicates that the degree of freedom is constrained. Unconstrained degrees of freedom are indicated by a
dash (-). The CSys is the output coordinate system of the associated node. Since geometry (points, curves, surfaces)
does not contain output coordinate systems, this information is not written for these types of constraints.
List, Model, Analysis... 7-183
7.5.5.12 List, Model, Analysis...
... produces a report of selected Analysis Sets in your model.
7.5.5.13 List, Model, Function...
... produces a report of selected functions in your model which shows XY values and function type. There are no
options to specify, other than to select the functions that you want to list using the standard entity selection dialog
box. All functions are listed in the following format.
For each function, the type is reported along with the number of material and load references to the function. Also
listed are the XY data points.
List, Model, Aero Panel/Body... 7-185
7.5.5.14 List, Model, Aero Panel/Body...
... produces a report of selected Aero Panel/Body entities in your model. There are no options to specify, other than
to select the Aero Panel/Body entities that you want to list using the standard entity selection dialog box.
All Aero Panel/Body entities with Aero Body Type set to 0..Aero Panel (CAERO1) are listed in the following for-
mat (#Spline is number of Aero Splines which a particular Aero Panel/Body as the CAERO ID):
All Aero Panel/Body entities with Aero Body Type set to 1..Aero Body (CAERO2) are listed in the following for-
mat (#Spline is number of Aero Splines which a particular Aero Panel/Body as the CAERO ID):
7.5.5.15 List, Model, Aero Property...
... produces a report of selected Aero Properties in your model. There are no options to specify, other than to select
the Aero Properties that you want to list using the standard entity selection dialog box.
All Aero Properties with Type set to Aero Panel (PAERO1) are listed in the following format (Panel Count is
the number of Aero Panels which use a particular Aero Property):
All Aero Properties with Type set to Aero Body (PAERO2) are listed in the following format (Panel Count is
the number of Aero Bodies which use a particular Aero Property):
7.5.5.16 List, Model, Aero Spline...
... produces a report of selected Aero Splines in your model. There are no options to specify, other than to select the
Aero Splines that you want to list using the standard entity selection dialog box.
All Aero Splines with Type set to 0..Surface Spline are listed in the following format:
All Aero Splines with Type set to 1..Beam Spline are listed in the following format:
7.5.5.17 List, Model, Aero Control Surface...
... produces a report of selected Aero Control Surfaces in your model. There are no options to specify, other than to
select the Aero Control Surfaces that you want to list using the standard entity selection dialog box.
All Aero Control Surfaces are listed in the following format (LinDW On = Linear Downwash is selected;
Count is the number of Aero Elements selected for corresponding Control Surface #):
7.5.6 List, Output Menu
The commands on this submenu allow you to create reports of output data which is defined in your model. The dif-
ferent commands allow you to control the format of those reports. The List, Output, Query command lets you inter-
actively retrieve output for selected nodes and elements. In addition to the other reporting commands, the List,
Output, Format command creates a report which lists the output report formats which have been defined in your
model. The List, Output, Summary to Data Table command provides a method to send output data to the Data
Table and then quickly scan results for max/min. values. For more information on these commands, see Section 8.6,
"Listing Output (List, Output Menu)".
List, Group... 7-187
7.5.7 List, Group...
. . . produces a report of selected groups.
After selecting the groups that you want to list using the standard entity selection dialog box, you will see the
Group List Options dialog box.
Here, you can enable or disable certain portions of the report. The
Clipping and Rules options are normally selected. These list the things
that you have specified to define the group. List All Entities in Group
as the name implies, lists all entities that are selected into the group.
The selection of these entities is based on all of the rules, clipping and
layer options.
.
Group listings resemble the following:
In the Clipping section of the report, up to six planes can be listed, depending upon how many are enabled. In the
Rules section, there may be many subsections. There is one subsection for each type of rule that you define. Simi-
larly, there may be many additional selected entities subsections, depending upon your model and the group defini-
tion. For large models, this section can become very, very long. It should usually be disabled.
7.5.8 List, View...
... produces a report of selected views from your model. The views do not have to be active to be listed.
To list views, you just select the ones that you want using the standard entity selection dialog box. Due to the many
view options, listings can be quite long. Therefore, FEMAP asks if you want to list detailed view options. You can
choose No to get a quick list of what views you have defined. If you choose Yes, how the views are defined will also
be listed:
The options listed, all match the values that you chose in the various View commands.
List, Model Info 7-189
7.5.9 List, Model Info
... reports the Model, Scratch File, Model Size, Cache Size, Memory Status, and numerous other model parameters.
There is no additional input required for this command. It simply produces a report in the following format:
The sample listing was produced from an empty model. The Min, Max, Number and Active fields will be filled in as
entities are created. The Active Views section of the report lists the IDs of the views which are active.
7.5.10 List, Destination...
Unlike the other commands on this
menu, this command does not produce
any reports. Rather, it controls where
the reports will be written. By default,
reports are written to the Messages
window.
Using the dialog box which this com-
mand displays, you can direct reports
to your printer, and/or a file by choos-
ing the appropriate options. You will
notice that you can choose any one,
two or three simultaneous destinations. You must select at least one. If you select a file destination, you must use
the Select File command button to choose a file name.
If you choose Continuous, listing headers/titles will only be listed at the beginning of the report. One exception is if
you select a Printer destination, headers will be written at the top of each page. The number of lines per page is
automatically determined from the printer settings you defined in Windows.
If you choose Lines, you must set the number of lines per page that you want. Headers/titles will be written at the
beginning of every report and again after the specified number of lines to indicate the top of a page. Again, if you
send reports to your printer, and set the number of lines larger than the number that will fit on a page, the number
will be reduced to fit on the page. Your destination choices remain in effect until you reset them, leave FEMAP, or
start a new model.
In addition to the listing/report commands on this menu, the destination is also used for many of the commands on
the Tools, Check menu that also produce lengthy reports. The model checking commands that do not produce
reports, but just report a single dimension or angle, do not use the destination. They simply write their output to the
screen.
7.6 Model Style (View, Select command)
You can change the model style (View, Select command) to rapidly check your model. This topic includes a brief
explanation of the model style options. For detailed information, see Section 6.1.5.1, "View, Select..." and Section
8.1.2, "Selecting Views".
The Model Style section on the View Select dialog box has six major types of drawing options: Draw Model, Fea-
tures, Quick Hidden Line, Full Hidden Line, Free Edge, and Free Face. The Draw Model option provides a good
working mode, but is not necessarily the best checking mode. Therefore, it will not be discussed in this section.
Furthermore, Quick Hidden Line and Full Hidden Line provide similar functions and will be explained together
below.
7.6.1 Features
This style draws all entities and therefore is a relatively fast drawing method. Lines of the same color, which over-
lap, alternately draw and erase themselves. This option only works in the old GDI Graphics mode (obsolete)
7.6.2 Hidden Line Modes
The hidden line modes sort all elements, and then display them from the back of the view. Only entities which are
visible (hidden lines removed) can be seen. This provides a good visualization tool for complex 3-D models to
determine the relative position of sections of your model.
The hidden line removal options do require substantial calculations, and can be somewhat slower than the other
drawing methods. Also, surfaces which share the same space as elements may not be completely hidden. Render
mode will significantly increase your drawing speed and allow you to dynamically rotate a model.
7.6.3 Free Edge
The free edge style finds and displays all element edges which do not join to another element. This style can
quickly point-out holes or disconnections in your model. It is especially important to use this style when you have
formed a complex model from several surface meshes. If nodes were not properly merged from meshes at the inter-
section of these meshes, gaps will be contained in your model. This style will show you those gaps.
This command is often followed by a Tools, Check, Coincident Nodes command to close these gaps. When per-
forming any type of 2-D or 3-D complex meshing, it is best to show the model in free edge mode before running
the analysis. This will remove the possibility of having unwanted gaps in your model.
7.6.4 Free Face
This style operates similarly to the Free Edge command, except it finds and displays all element faces which do not
join to another element. It can quickly point-out disconnections between solid elements. It can also reduce the com-
plexity of solid model plots, and can help find duplicate plate elements.
For solid element models, you can also use the free face option to simulate a hidden line view. In fact, you can even
use this mode to show hidden lines in a different line style (like dashed), instead of removing them. To remove
backfaces, use the Fill, Backfaces, and Hidden option, in the View Options command, and choose one of the Skip
methods. Choose the Show All Faces method to show hidden lines as a different color/style, then go to the Free
Edge and Face option and set the Free Edge Color to Use View Color. Finally, choose the color and line style that
you want to use.
Hint: If you need to print messages or listings that are already in the Messages window, you can simply use
the File, Print command, and select the Messages option.
8. Post-Processing
This topic provides information related to FEMAP post-processing. Post-Processing does not have its own menu
on the FEMAP main menu, but there are specific commands related directly to post-processing. These commands
can be separated into five major areas based upon their functionality and menu area. They are:
Types of Views (Section 8.2, "Types of Views - View Select...")
View Options (Section 8.3, "View Options - PostProcessing")
Specialized post-processing (Section 8.4, "Specialized Post-processing")
Output manipulation (Section 8.5, "Output Manipulation")
Output reporting (Section 8.6, "Listing Output (List, Output Menu)")
The first section under this topic will be a brief explanation of the overall post-processing procedure. The remain-
ing sections will discuss the post-processing topics above.
8.1 Procedure
The post-processing procedure in FEMAP is relatively straightforward. It simply involves obtaining the results
from the analysis program, selecting appropriate views, modifying options on these views, and manipulating and/or
reporting output.
8.1.1 Reading Results
FEMAP can now automatically launch many FEA solver programs, as well as automatically recover results. If
your current configuration or solver program does not allow this automatic recovery, you can simply import analy-
sis results into FEMAP.
To read results into FEMAP, select the File, Import, Analysis Results command. You will see a dialog box contain-
ing the different solver programs from which FEMAP can read results. Select the appropriate format, and press
OK. You will then be prompted for the name of the output file. Be careful to choose the output file that corresponds
to your current FEMAP model. You should always read a results file into the same FEMAP file from which it was
generated. If you choose an incorrect file, you will most likely get a series of error messages.
Once you select the output file to import, FEMAP may ask for confirmation to begin reading. FEMAP will read the
file and may give you status messages about the information it is reading (i.e. displacements, stresses, etc.). You
will also notice that it will list the number of output sets created. An output set is created for each analysis or each
step of analysis contained in the results file. With certain output files, such as the Nastran .op2 file, the information
messages are limited to status of the read process for each output set.
Once FEMAP is finished reading the file, you can now begin to perform post-processing tasks.
8.1.2 Selecting Views
After importing output from a solver you will want to visually examine results. FEMAP has a wide array of tools
for this capability. The type of view is controlled under the View Select command. When you choose this command,
you will see a dialog box containing the type of view available (to see this dialog box, go to Section 8.2, "Types of
Views - View Select...").
The dialog box controls the type of view. For a typical static stress analysis, your first selection will be to select
Deform under Deformed Style and Contour under Contour Style. You can then press the Deformed and Contour
Note: Regardless of the nodal output coordinate system specified for nodal output, ALL nodal output which
has been imported into FEMAP will be stored in the Basic (Global) Rectangular Coordinate System.
To create output in a different coordinate system, see Section 8.5.8, "Model, Output, Transform...".
To simply view output in a different coordinate system, see the "Transforming Your Output" portion
of Section 8.2.2, "Choosing Deformed and Contour Styles".
8-2 Post-Processing
Data button to define the specific vectors to show. Under Select PostProcessing Data, you will want to select the
Output Set, the Deformation Output Vector (usually you want to select the total translation vector when showing a
deformed plot) and an appropriate stress vector for the Contour Output Vector. After you press OK twice, FEMAP
will redraw the current view as a deformed and contour plot.
You can continue to go back into View Select and change the Deformed and Contour Data to show different con-
tours, or to change styles. These features will be explained in Section 8.2, "Types of Views - View Select...".
Besides changing view types, you may want to change the colors or levels of contours, or other details about the
view itself. This is accomplished with the View Options command.
8.1.3 Changing Options (View Options)
The View Options command enables you to control the many different aspects of your views. The View Select com-
mand controls the overall type of view and data to be visualized, but the View Options command controls the par-
ticular details of each post-processing view.
When you select this command, you will have three categories from which to choose. Select PostProcessing, and
then select the appropriate Option you want to change. You can change the Contour/Criteria Levels, the Deformed
Style, as well as many other aspects of the view. For more information, see Section 8.3, "View Options - PostPro-
cessing".
8.1.4 Manipulating/Listing Output
You may also want to create new output from the results you currently have (such as a safety margin calculation),
or just list output above a certain value. The List, Model menu contains functions to list your output in various for-
mats (you can even create your own), while the Model, Output menu contains functions for manipulating and creat-
ing new output. For more information on these specific commands, see Section 8.5, "Output Manipulation".
8.2 Types of Views - View Select...
... chooses what will be displayed in a view. You can select both the type of display, and the model or post-process-
ing data which will be displayed. This dialog box appears below.
The View Select dialog box is basically divided into two halves:
The XY Style and Model Style radio buttons comprise the first half of the View Select dialog box. These options
choose the method for display. You can choose any one option from these two groups of styles. If you choose a
Model Style, your model will be displayed in the view, using all of the other specified visibility and display
options. If instead you choose an XY Style, the view will contain a 2D, XY plot of the selected output data or
Hint: At this point, if you have a solid model, you may want to go back into View Select and change the
Model Style to a Quick Hidden Line or Full Hidden Line style. It will be much easier to view your
results than when drawing the entire model.
Ctrl+S or F5
Selecting Data for a Model Style 8-3
function. XY styles are only available when you have output data available for post-processing or functions.
The XY Data button displays an additional dialog box with options for XY plotting of Output Data, while XY
Functions provides options for the XY plotting of functions.
For information on Model Style, see Section 6.1.5.2, "Choosing a Model Style". For information on XY Style, see
Section 8.2.3, "Choosing an XY Style", Section 8.2.3.1, "Selecting Data for an XY Style" and Section 8.2.3.2,
"Quickly Choosing XY Data".
The second half of the dialog box consists of the Deformed Style and Contour Style option buttons. Here you
can choose one option from each category to define the type of post-processing display. The default settings
(None-Model Only) are used to create a normal model display which does not use any output data for post-pro-
cessing. The settings of these options are ignored if you choose an XY style. The Deformed and Contour Data
button displays an additional dialog box that allows you to select the output data that will be used when creating
a post-processing display.
For more information, see Section 8.2.2, "Choosing Deformed and Contour Styles" and Section 8.2.2.2, "Selecting
Data for a Deformed or Contour Style".
8.2.1 Selecting Data for a Model Style
You can control what portions of your model are displayed by using the View, Visibility command. This command
allows you to choose a single group or any number of groups for display. Also, visibility of layers is managed in
this dialog box. You may also choose which load set and/or constraint set will be displayed, as well as choose sub-
sets of elements for display based on element type, element shape, associated to a material, or associated to a prop-
erty. See Section 6.1.4, "View, Visibility..." for more information.
8.2.2 Choosing Deformed and Contour Styles
When you want to graphically post-process model output, you must choose one of the deformed or contour styles,
in addition to a model style. Choosing None for either of these options disables that type of post-processing. You
will use None any time you just want to display your model. If you want to display a combined post-processing
view, for example, a deformed contour, just choose both a deformed and a contour style.
Even more than the model styles, the appropriate choice of these styles depends on the type of output data you want
to post-process and the results you need. The following tables describe the deformed and contour styles. They are
described separately, but the same information applies to combined displays.
For information regarding the Skip Deformation check box, see Section 8.2.2.1, "Skip Deformation Option".
Deformed Style Will Display
Output
Data
Type
Typical Uses
None Model Only None Modelling.
Deform Model, deformed by output
data.
Nodal Static display of displacements or
eigenvectors
Animate Same as Deform, but animat-
ing. Animation positions based
on output data.
Nodal Animated display of displace-
ments or eigenvectors
Animate -MultiSet Same as Animate. Animation
positions based on output data
from multiple output sets.
Nodal Animated display of transient
analysis results, deployments or
other motion with relative posi-
tions stored in multiple sets.
Vector Model with vectors represent-
ing direction and magnitude of
output data.
Nodal Visualization of direction and
magnitude of displacements,
eigenvectors or forces
Trace Similar to Animate-MultiSet
except will display trace lines
connecting historical positions
of nodes.
Nodal Visualization of deformation his-
tory from a transient analysis.
Streamline Streamline through solid ele-
ments.
Nodal Visualization of fluid flow.
8-4 Post-Processing
Contour
Style
Will Display
Output Data
Type
Typical Uses
None Model only None Modelling.
Contour Model, elements will display
contour areas or lines - These are
areas or lines of constant output
value.
Nodal Contour of elemental loads, ele-
mental stresses, nodal displace-
ments, nodal stresses...
Criteria Like Contour, except each ele-
ment is colored based on a single
output value for the element.
Elemental Same as Contour. Criteria allows
you to limit the display to por-
tions of your model which have
output values that meet a specific
criterion.
Beam
Diagram
Model, with contoured diagrams
on line elements, much like 3D
shear and bending moment dia-
grams.
Ends of line
elements
Understanding variation of out-
put values along the length of
line elements.
IsoSurface
(and
IsoLine)
IsoSurface is for models with
solid elements - interior surfaces
of constant output value.
IsoLine is for models with solid
or plate elements - exterior lines
of constant output value.
Nodal IsoSurface is good for under-
standing output distributions
inside your model. Contours
show variations on the outer sur-
face - Isosurfaces show inside.
IsoLine is good for understand-
ing output distributions on the
surface of your model.
Section Cut For models with solid elements -
enhanced contouring method.
Shows contours on any planar
cut through your model.
Nodal Understanding output distribu-
tion on one or more arbitrary
planes inside your model.
Vector Model with vectors in contour
colors at the elemental centroid
or nodal position.
Nodal or Ele-
mental
Visualization of magnitude and
direction of stresses/strains.
Output Set: NASTRAN Case 1
Deformed(4.251E-3): Total Translation
Arrow(4.251E-3): Total Translation
Deformed Style
Vector/Trace Style
Choosing Deformed and Contour Styles 8-5
8705.
8307.
7909.
7511.
7113.
6714.
6316.
5918.
5520.
5122.
4724.
4325.
3927.
3529.
3131.
2733.
2335.
Contour: Plate Top VonMises Stress
Contour Style
7672.1
5903.
2599.
8705.3
5903.
5288.6
3925.4
7225.7
2599.
3925.4
4473.9
4804.
8705.3
7225.7
4804.
2334.5
8705.
8307.
7909.
7511.
7113.
6714.
6316.
5918.
5520.
5122.
4724.
4325.
3927.
3529.
3131.
2733.
2335.
Criteria: Plate Top VonMises Stress
Criteria Style
123456
5. 1.125
12.2
-5.374E-15
-0.703
-1.406
-2.109
-2.813
-3.516
-4.219
-4.922
-5.625
-6.328
-7.031
-7.734
-8.438
-9.141
-9.844
-10.55
-11.25
Output Set: LOADING
Contour: Beam End A Moment2
Beam Diagram
IsoSurfaces
8-6 Post-Processing
The tables above list typical uses for the various post-processing styles. In fact, FEMAP does not really limit you in
any way. The only restrictions are the obvious ones - you can only do beam diagrams if you have line elements, and
you can only do isosurfaces/section cuts if you have solid elements. You can choose any type of output data for any
style. The same applies to the listed output data types. The table lists the type of data required for the style, but if
you choose data of the opposite type (nodal vs. elemental), FEMAP will automatically convert it prior to complet-
ing the display. For more information on this process, see Section 8.5.5, "Model, Output, Process".
8.2.2.1 Skip Deformation Option
When you select either Animate, Animate MultiSet, or Trace style along with one of the Contour styles, you have
the option of choosing the Skip Deformation option. This is useful for Animate and Animate MultiSet if you really
just want to see animated contours on your undeformed model. For Trace plots, it enables you to see the histori-
cal locations without interference from the deforming model. With this option selected you do not need to choose
any data for deformation, you simply choose the contour data.
8.2.2.2 Selecting Data for a Deformed or Contour Style
When you choose any of the deformed or contour styles, you must also select output data to be used for that style.
Unlike the model styles, which use default model data, these post-processing styles do not select any default output
data. If you forget to choose the appropriate output data, you will receive a warning when you attempt to press OK.
This prevents you from completing the selection until all data is properly specified.
To select output data for both the deformed and contour styles, press the Deformed and Contour Data command
button. The Select PostProcessing Data dialog box will be displayed. Although this dialog box looks somewhat
complex, there are only three or four basic selections required.
Section Cut
Multiple Section Planes
shown with a
Free Edge Style
Selecting Data for a Deformed or Contour Style 8-7
First, choose the Output Set that contains the data that you want to post-process. Then, choose the Output Vectors to
be used for the deformation or contour styles. The vectors you choose from these drop-down lists will be used until
you select a different vector. Even if you change the deformation style (from Deform to Animate, for example), the
same output vector will automatically be used, unless you choose a different one. For combined deformation and
contour displays, both output vectors must always be chosen from the same output set. Sometimes you may want to
see the output transformed into a different direction or in a different coordinate system. To do this, click either of
the Transformation buttons. Please see "Transforming Your Output" below for more information.
If you are using the Animate-MultiSet deformation style, you should also select a Final Output Set and the Output
Set Increment. This additional set is required since this style of animation uses data from multiple sets. The first
animation frame uses data from the original output set that you specified, then one animation frame will be gener-
ated for each additional output set, up to, and including the final output set that you select. If you select an output
set increment other than 1, FEMAP will skip output sets based upon this increment. Frames will only be generated
for the sets where the selected output vector exists. If you do not specify a final output set (or if you specify a non-
existent set), FEMAP will generate one frame for every set with an ID greater than the original output set that you
select.
Making it Easier to Select Output Data
When you are trying to select output vectors for deformations and contours, you can sometimes become over-
whelmed by the amount of output data FEMAP lets you post-process. By default, the drop-down lists contain all of
the output vectors from the output set that you selected. This can result in hundreds of vectors. If you know that you
want to select a specific type of output, you can choose a category other than Any Output. When you select a differ-
ent category, like Stress, the drop-down lists will only show output data of that type. Similarly, if Data at Corners is
checked, the lists will show element corner output, otherwise they will not. Since element corner data is normally
not directly selected for deformations or contours, it is usually best to leave this option unchecked.
If you create output data in FEMAP, you have the opportunity to specify your own categories (up to 255). You can
choose Other, and specify the category number to list this type of data.
Reviewing Your Output
As you select output sets or vectors from the drop-down lists, you will notice that the right side of the dialog box is
continually updated. The values shown here tell you where the output was generated, and the maximum and mini-
mum values in the vector. By scrolling through the list of available vectors, you can use this feature to quickly
8-8 Post-Processing
review your output data. The maximum and minimum values may also give you a good idea of what to expect
before you actually see the data graphically.
Transforming Your Output
The Deformation and Contour Output Vectors can be transformed into different directions or coordinate systems
using the Transformation buttons. The transformed output can then be viewed using any of the options in Deformed
Style and/or Contour Style (except Beam Diagram and Contour Vector). This option is for display purposes only as
additional output vectors are not created, as they are when using the Model, Output, Transform command. Also, the
Post Titles will include information regarding the transformed output currently being displayed.
Displacement Output Vector Transformation
The Deformation Transformation dialog box
allows you to choose a Destination to transform the
chosen nodal output vector into and also which
Active Components should be displayed in the plot
of the deformation.
The Destination options are:
None - no transformation (default)
Into CSys - transforms the output vector into an
existing coordinate system
Into Output CSys - transforms the nodal output
vector into each nodes specified output coordinate
system.
In Active Components, choose which component(s) of the transformed output vector should be displayed. For
instance, if you are showing 1..Total Translation in the 2..Basic Spherical coordinate system, you can choose to
deform the model in only the Theta component of the translated vector (no R or Phi components).
Contour Output Vector Transformation
The Contour Transformation dialog box allows you
to transform output that references global X, Y, Z
components (like Total Translation, Reaction
Forces, etc.) into any chosen coordinate system or
into the nodal output coordinate system at each
node.
You may also transform plate element forces,
stresses, and strains into predefined material direc-
tions, a selected coordinate system, or along a
specified vector from the standard output orienta-
tion direction.
Finally, solid element stresses and strains can be
transformed into a single chosen coordinate system
or the current material direction (Material Axes)
specified on the solid properties of the solid ele-
ments currently being displayed.
Nodal Vector Output
In the Nodal Vector Output section, you will find
these options:
Into CSys - transforms the nodal output vector into
an existing coordinate system.
Into Node Output CSys - transforms the nodal output vector into each nodes output coordinate system.
Plate Forces, Stresses and Strains
The options for Plate Forces, Stresses and Strains are:
Into Matl Direction - transforms output using the predefined material angle specified for each element. You
can set the material angle when creating plane properties (in Define Property dialog box, choose Elem/Prop-
erty Type, then click Element Material Orientation) or at anytime using the Modify, Update Elements, Material
Angle command (for more information, see Section 4.8.3.13, "Modify, Update Elements, Material Angle..."),
which has several options.
Into CSys - transforms the output vector to align the X-direction of output vector to the chosen X, Y, or Z com-
ponent of an existing coordinate system.
Along Vector - transforms the output vector to align the X-direction of output vector to a vector specified by
clicking the Vector button, then using the standard vector definition dialog box.
The other input required for the proper transformation of plate element output is the definition of the original com-
ponent data, which can be selected using the Output Orientation button. Please see the Output Orientation section
below.
Solid Stresses and Strains
Stresses and Strains for solid elements are returned to FEMAP from the solver in a direction specified using the
Material Axes for each solid property prior to running the analysis (for more information, see the Solid Element
Properties heading in Section 4.2.2.3, "Volume Elements").
For Solid Stresses and Strains, you may pick from these options:
Into CSys - transforms the standard component solid stresses and strains into an existing coordinate system.
Into Matl Direction - transforms standard component solid stresses and strains from the analysis into the current
setting for Material Axes for each solid property.
As with plate elements, the other important input needed to properly transform the output is the definition of the
original component data orientation, which can be selected using the Output Orientation button. Please see the
Output Orientation section below for more information.
For Example, model run using three different options for solid element material axis..
Note: Before using the Into Matl Direction method, be sure to refer to your analysis program documenta-
tion to see how material orientation angles are used and to find any limitations.
Solid Element Output recovered in
Global Rectangular Coordinate System
Global Spherical Coordinate System
Solid Element Output aligned to
Individual Elements
8-10 Post-Processing
Each material axis option transformed into a specified coordinate system.
Output Orientation
The Current Output Orientation dialog box contains the default output orientation for both Plane and Solid ele-
ments. For Plane elements, there is an option for each type of output data to transform (Stress, Strain, and Force),
for each Plane element shape that may appear in the model (Tria3, Tria6, Quad4, and Quad8).
There are two options for triangular elements (0..First Edge or 1..Midside Locations) with the default being
0..First Edge, while there are three options for quadrilateral elements (0..First Edge, 1..Midside Locations, or
2..Diagonal Bisector) with 2..Diagonal Bisector being the default.
For Solid elements, there are three orientation options (0..Material Direction, 1..Global Rectangular, or
2..Element) for different material types associated with Solid properties (Isotropic, Anisotropic, or Hyperelastic).
Pressing the Reset button when the Current Output Orientation dialog box is accessed through either the Deforma-
tion Transformation or Contour Transformation dialog box will reset all of the output orientation options to the val-
ues currently set in the Preferences.
For more information about these various orientation options, please see the Output Orientation portion of Section
2.6.2.6, "Geometry/Model".
Consult your analysis programs documentation concerning the original coordinate system definition.
Working with Complex Output
If you are post-processing complex output, you can choose the type that you want to select from the Type option.
By default, magnitude data will be shown, but you can review all other types by simply changing this option.
Quickly Choosing Output Data
In addition to using the View Select command, you can also access the Select PostProcessing Data dialog box
directly from the Quick Access menu. Just click the right mouse button while you are pointing inside any graph-
ics window and choose Post Data. You can also get to this dialog box by pressing the Shift +F5 keys or by clicking
the Post Data icon on the Post Toolbar
Contour Options
The Contour Options button on the View Select dialog box lets you select the a contour group, the type of contour,
and data conversion to perform.
The Select Contour Options dialog box is separated into five major sections: Contour Type, Data Conversion, Ren-
dered Contours, Element Contour Discontinuities, and Other Options. Each of these areas are discussed more fully
below. All of these options can also be accessed through the View Options command (Category - PostProcessing,
Option - Contour Type).
Global Rectangular Coordinate System
Solid Element Output aligned to
Individual Elements transformed into
transformed into Global Spherical
Coordinate System.
transformed into Global Rectangular
Coordinate System
Contour Group
You can choose to contour a group
while showing the rest of the model
with no contours. By default, this
option is set to None, which simply
shows a contour on the entire model.
You can contour the Active group or
choose a group from the drop-down
list next to Select.
Contour Type
For contour type, you can pick Match
Output, Nodal or Elemental contouring. When using Match Output, which is the default, nodal output vectors will
be contoured using the Nodal Contour Type, while elemental output vectors will be plotted using the Elemental
Contour Type.
When you select Nodal, a relatively smooth contour will appear. Nodal contouring simply averages all values at the
nodes and cannot account for any discontinuities in material or geometry. Nodal contouring, however, should not
be used across material boundaries or changes in properties such as plate thickness, since averaging stresses across
these areas results in inaccurate results at the interface.
If you choose Elemental contouring, you can specify which discontinuities in the model to use in the contouring to
obtain an accurate representation of the results. This type of contouring is very useful for multiple material models
as well as models with plates with that intersect at large angles or have varying thickness. Stresses will not be aver-
aged across these values. The resulting graphics may not be as smooth as nodal contouring, especially at material
breaks, but it provides a more accurate representation of the results when discontinuities exist in the model. In addi-
tion, element contouring allows you to view both top and bottom stresses of plates on one plot, as well as an addi-
tional output vector (see "Other Options" below).
Data Conversion
These options control how FEMAP converts the results from data at element centroids, corners, and nodes to the
continuous graphical representation. There are three data conversion options for calculating the data value at a
node:
The Average option uses the average value of data at surrounding locations.
The Max Value option uses the maximum value of data at surrounding locations.
The Min Value option uses the minimum value of data at surrounding locations. You should only use this option
to generate contours for vectors where the minimum values are actually the worst case, such as safety factor or
large compressive stresses.
In addition:
The Use Corner Data option lets you use elemental corner data instead of centroidal data. If your solver does
not produce elemental corner data or you did not request this data, the results will be based on centroidal data.
The data conversion procedure is used at all nodal locations to get the basis of the plot. Next, FEMAP linearly
interpolates the data to produce the corresponding colors between locations. Thus, data conversion can signifi-
cantly affect the results if there is a large gradient across adjacent elements. If elemental contours are on, FEMAP
only averages results at the specific node if there are no discontinuities according to the Elemental Contour Discon-
Note: When using a Contour
Group, the Contour Type
will automatically be set to
Elemental and can not be
changed as long as a Con-
tour Group is being used.
Note: Element contouring has the added feature that if you select No Averaging under Element Contour Dis-
continuities, the pure data at the element centroid and corners is plotted without any manipulation. This
provides a graphical representation of the pure data. See "Elemental Contour Discontinuities" below.
tinuities settings. FEMAP produces results at each node and element centroid, and then uses this information to
generate the display.
The following example illustrates how the data conversion process works. If an
interior node N of a continuous mesh (no geometric or material breaks) is
attached to four elements, it will have four values associated with it for a given
stress vector:.
corner data (w, x, y, and z in the figure), or
if Use Corner Data is off, elemental centroidal data (A,B, C, and D)
The table shows how, in the example, the stress at node N is calculated for each
option.
Rendered Contours
This section allows you to choose between Continuous Colors and Level Colors for contours.
Elemental Contour Discontinuities
This section controls averaging for elemental contouring. It is only avail-
able when Contour Type is Elemental. If No Averaging is selected, con-
tours for each element will be created without consideration to any
connected elements. This can lead to a very discontinuous plot but is use-
ful for certain models such as variable thickness plate models to speed
the data conversion process. It is also useful to obtain a graphical repre-
sentation of the pure data, both centroidal and corner data, since only this
data is plotted. If this option is not checked, you can create averaged ele-
mental contours, and must therefore choose the type of discontinuities
across which you do not want to average.
Valid discontinuities include property, material, layer, color, or angle. If Angle is selected, you must input a toler-
ance. This can be very important with plate models that have intersecting edges. For example, you do not want to
average stresses of plates that intersect at right angles.
If Property is selected, the material option will be grayed since Property is a more discrete choice than Material (a
material can be on multiple properties but typically a property can only reference one material). Again, you do not
typically want to average across material or property boundaries. If Property is off, you can select to use materials
as the break.
In addition, layers and colors are also available since many users separate their model into specific key areas based
upon layer or color, even if they contain the same property.
Other Options
This section is also only available for elemental contours. If you select a standard top or bottom plate vector for
contouring, such as Plate Top Von Mises Stress, FEMAP can automatically contour both top and bottom stresses on
the same plot. Simply select the Double-Sided Planar Contours option. When you rotate the model from top to bot-
tom, you will see the stresses change from top to bottom stresses. These are only available for the standard plate
output vectors.
You may also select an Additional Output Vector to contour. This is very useful if you have a combined plate and
solid Model. You could select Plate Top Von Mises Stress for the original contour vector, select double-sided to
Data Conversion
Option
Result with Corner
Data
Result with Element
Centroids (no corner
data)
Average (w + x + y + z)/4 (A + B + C + D)/4
Max Value max (w, x, y, z) max (A, B, C, D)
Min Value min (w, x, y, z) min (A, B, C, D)
Hint: You can use the difference in Max Value and Average results to make a quick estimate of the fidelity of
the model. If there is a large difference between these two contours, especially at locations that do not
have sharp corners or breaks in the model, your FEA model may require a finer mesh.
A B
C D
w x
y z
node N
also view the Bottom Von Mises Stress, and then select Solid Von Mises Stress for the additional output vector to
see these values contoured on the solids.
Displaying Section Cuts
In addition to selecting the output vector for contour-
ing, when you want to display section cuts, you must
also specify the options at the top of the Select Post-
Processing Data dialog box.
There are three types of section cut plots available: Cut
Model, Parallel Sections and Multiple Sections.
Cut Model, makes a planar cut through your model,
removing all elements on the side of the plane toward the positive plane normal. In addition, all elements that cross
the plane are cut. Normal contours are displayed over the entire model, including on the cutting plane. To set up
this type of section cut, just choose Cut Model, then press the Define Section button to define the cutting plane.
Parallel Sections, allows you to pass one or more parallel cutting planes through your model. Rather than showing
contours on the rest of your model, this method makes all model elements transparent. Contours are drawn on the
cutting planes only. In this mode, cutting planes do not actually cut, or remove any elements, they simply locate the
contours.
To setup this type of plot, first choose the Parallel Sections option, press the Section button to define the first cut-
ting plane, and finally define the Number and Spacing for the sections. Spacing is only used if Number is greater
than one. It is the perpendicular distance between the planes. If you specify a positive number, the additional planes
are located along the positive normal to the first plane that you defined. Choose a negative number if you want
them along the negative normal.
Multiple Sections allows you to pass up to three inde-
pendently oriented cutting planes through your model.
To set up this type of plot, first choose the Multiple
Sections option, select which sections (1, 2 and/or 3)
are to be drawn, and define the orientation of the
selected sections by pressing Section 1, Section 2 and/
or Section 3 buttons.
For other effects, try these options:
If you just want to see contours on the cutting plane, use View Options and turn off the display of elements.
Only the cutting planes will be displayed.
If you want to see the element edges on the cutting plane, use View Options, choose the Tools and View Style
category, and the Filled Edges option. Then set Section Cut Edges to Show Cut Edge. All cut edges will be dis-
played in the filled edge view color.
Choose Free Edge Style to show just the outlines of your model along with the section cuts.
If you want to remove the front facing element faces, use View Options, choose the Tools and View Style cate-
gory, choose the Fill, Backfaces and Hidden option, and switch Fill on.
Displaying IsoSurfaces
Unlike section cuts, isosurfaces do not require any additional options to be chosen. The display mode of isosurfaces
is much the same as the display of contour section planes - all elements are shown in a transparent mode so that you
can see the isosurfaces inside. Front faces are transparent, and backfaces are filled.
Before using View Select to choose an IsoSurface display, you should use View Options to reduce the number of
contours. While 16 or more contour levels are usually appropriate for contour and section cut plots, isosurface plots
are rarely meaningful with that many surfaces, and they take a long time to compute. As a general guideline,
choose 6 or less levels before computing isosurfaces (use View Options, PostProcessing, Contour/Criteria Levels,
and set # of Levels).
Note: Section 1 is the same as the Cut Model and Parallel Sections defining section.
It is often best to turn on Shading with IsoSurfaces - it helps to visualize the curvature of the surfaces. Alterna-
tively, if you choose line contours (turn off the Filled Contour/Criteria style), FEMAP will display the edges of the
polygons that define the surface with no filling. This allows you to see through multiple surfaces, and can some-
times give a better understanding of the shape of the isosurface.
You can also choose the Free Edge style to see just the element outlines with the isosurfaces.
Displaying IsoLine
Like isosurfaces, isolines do not require any additional options to be chosen. Unlike the display mode of isosur-
faces - elements are not shown in a transparent mode. Element faces are drawn filled with lines of constant value
colored according to the isosurface options. Isolines are displayed by selecting the isosurface display mode and
using View Options, PostProcessing, IsoLine to select Draw IsoLine.
If you use View Options, PostProcessing, IsoLine, you can control the width of the isolines and the color of the rest
of the model. Background color is often used to form a hidden line style image. Using the greater than and less than
Color Mode options enables you to show just the areas of the model above or below the IsoLine value respectively.
The greater than and less than modes are ignored if the IsoSurface is not set to Single Isosurface.
Trace Locations...
... will enable you to select the nodes to use for the deformed style
Trace plots. When you push this button, you will see the Trace Loca-
tions dialog box. You can choose to select all the nodes, a group of
nodes, or a single node to use for the trace. All nodes are chosen by
default.
Contour Vectors...
... is used to define the output vector(s) to use for the contour vector plots. You can define the output in any of five
different methods - Standard Vectors, Single Value, 2D Components, 3D Components, or 2D Tensor Plot. You can
display up to three contour vectors on the same plot.
Typically you will want to select a standard vector since these output vectors contain data that was already calcu-
lated based upon their components. Examples of these type of vectors include Total Translation or Rotation for
nodal data, Plate Top Major Stress for 2-D plate elements, and Solid Major Principal Stress for 3-D solid elements.
When Standard Vectors is selected, you only need to select one output for each value. The direction and magnitude
of these vectors are automatically calculated by FEMAP to generate the vector contour plot. You can generate up to
three vectors for each plot. Thus, for solid principal stresses you could pick Solid Major for Vector 1, Solid Inter-
mediate for Vector 2, and Solid Minor for Vector 3 to see vectors for all three Principal stresses on one plot.
If you want to display vectors other than standard, you can simply select the number of components of the vector
(single, 2D, or 3D). You will need to select output for that number of components for each vector displayed. If you
wish to see three 3D vectors, you will need to select nine output vectors. If you decide to display a single vector,
you must also define the vector direction under the Display Direction button. The standard FEMAP Vector Defini-
tion dialog box is displayed to enable you to define the direction of this 1D plot.
If you select 2D components, and the two associated vectors for the X and Y components for Vector 1 (and Vector
2 and 3 if multiple vectors are required), the data will be displayed in the coordinate directions defined by the Out-
put Data is Stored Relative To portion of the dialog box (discussed below). 3D components works just like 2D,
except that you must now choose three vectors for Vector 1 (and Vectors 2 and 3 if required). In either of these
cases, the components must be chosen in a top-down fashion. That is, the first vector represents the X component,
the second is the Y component, and the third (if necessary) is the Z component. By allowing you to select a stan-
dard vector, or any combination of 1D, 2D, or 3D vectors, FEMAP can produce elemental centroidal plots for a
wide variety of conditions and vectors.
The 2D Tensor Plot (i.e.,Crows Foot plot) allows you to create a plot of three vectors on a 2D element. Vector 1
will be plotted in the X-direction (based on the option selected in the Output Data is Stored Relative To section),
Vector 2 in the Y-direction, and Vector 3 at a 45 degree angle between the X-direction and the Y-direction.
Although it may be used to show any three vectors on 2D elements, this is very useful when showing three related
vectors, with two being directional and one being shear, such as Plate X Normal Stress (Vector 1), Plate Y Nor-
mal Stress (Vector 2), and Plate XY Shear Stress (Vector 3).
Note: FEMAP does not know, nor keep track of the coordinate system where your output is defined. There-
fore it is up to you to provide this information prior to making a vector plot. You can choose any one of
five different methods, depending on how your results were defined by your analysis program.
This is extremely important! If you choose the wrong or inappropriate method, the display will be
wrong. You must know how the data was defined by your analysis program before proceeding.
Note: Output values for Contour Vectors can be turned on using the View, Options command, choosing the
PostProcessing category, then selecting the Vector Style option. Change Label Mode to 1..Output
Values or 2..Top Percent to see labels on the Contour Vectors.
2D Tensor Plot showing X Normal Stress, Y Normal Stress and XY Shear Stress
This plot differs from the other available Vector Type plots. By default, the options set in the PostProcessing cate-
gory of View Options for Vector Style and Contour Vector Style will be ignored, and the plot will be always be
shown with all vectors displayed using uniform vector length, centered on the element, with output values
Element Edge / Solid CSys or Nodal Output Csys
This method is used for output from planar elements if the X output direction is defined relative to the first element
edge (the line connecting the first two nodes). It is used for solid elements if output is defined in the solid property
coordinate system. Use it for nodal output, if the results are in the nodal output coordinate system. Be aware, how-
ever, that for most standard three dimensional nodal output vectors (displacements, constraint forces, applied loads,
velocities and accelerations) FEMAP transforms output into global coordinates and this option is not appropriate.
Element Midside Locations
This option is used for output from planar elements when the X output direction is defined as the vector that joins
the midsides of the second and final (4th for a quad, 3rd for a triangle) edge.
Element Diagonal Bisector
This option is used for output from planar elements when the X output direction is defined as the vector that bisects
the angle formed by the two element diagonals, in the quadrant that generally points along the first edge.
Element Material Direction
This option is used for elemental output that is defined in the material direction; for example, along the rotated plies
of a laminate.
Csys
This final method is available if your output is defined in some known coordinate system. You must also choose the
appropriate coordinate system along with this option.
Laminate Options...
... is used to control the display of laminate results. By default, this option will be set to Selected Output Vector,
which will simply create a contour/criteria plot using the Contour vector currently selected in the Output Vectors
section of the Select PostProcessing Data dialog box. The other options are Top Ply of Layup, Bottom Ply of Layup,
and Global Ply.
When using any of the other options, FEMAP will use the Contour vector currently selected in the Output Vectors
section of the Select PostProcessing Data dialog box along with the first ply entered for a each layup (Bottom Ply
of Layup option), last play entered (Top Ply of Layup), or designated ply in the layup (Global Ply) to create the
appropriate contour/criteria plot.
For example, a model contains sections of laminate elements using 3 different layups, one section with 7 plies
(Layup 1), one with 11 plies (Layup 2), and the last with 15 plies (Layup 3).
Note: If you want the 2D Tensor Plot to follow the options set in Vector Style and Contour Vector Style, simply
select the File, Preferences command, choose the Views tab, then uncheck the 2D Tensor Plot View
Options Override option.
.
If you want to display the X Normal Stress for the Top Ply of this model, the X Normal Stress results from
Ply 7 for Layup 1, Ply 11 for Layup 2, and Ply 15 for Layup 3 will be used to create the contour/criteria plot.
If you want to display the X Normal Stress for the Bottom Ply of this model, the X Normal Stress results
from Ply 1 for Layup 1, Ply 1 for Layup 2, and Ply 1 for Layup 3 will be used to create the contour/criteria plot.
Finally, if you want to display the X Normal Stress for the Middle Ply of this model, you would need to desig-
nate the middle ply of each layup using a Global Ply. To set up a Global Ply, you will need to first create a
global ply in the Layup Editor, then choose a ply in each Layup and click the Update Global Ply button. See Sec-
tion 4.2.5, "Model, Layup..." for more information about a global ply.
Layup 3 - 15 Plies Layup 2 - 11 Plies Layup 1 - 7 Plies
Once the Global Ply has been assigned to a ply in each layup, you can then choose it from the Global Ply drop-
down list. In this case, the X Normal Stress results from Ply 4 for Layup 1, Ply 6 for Layup 2, and Ply 8 for
Layup 3 will be used to create the contour/criteria plot.
Freebody Display...
...displays a message explaining All freebody controls have been moved to the freebody tool in the PostProcessing
Toolbox. Please use the freebody to create/edit freebody entities. See Section 7.2.3.3, "Freebody tool" for more
information on creating a Freebody display in FEMAP..
Streamline Options...
... will enable you to select the start location for the streamline and control the calculation of the streamlines.
You can define the start location of the streamline by: an XYZ location, a single point ID or by selecting a group
that contains points. The latter option will generate multiple streamlines.
The parameters control the calculation of the streamlines. The
streamlines are evaluated using the Runge-Kutta numerical method.
The order parameter determines which Runge-Kutta order is used.
This value can be 1, 2, 3 or 4. The tolerance value is used to deter-
mine when a streamline is entering or leaving an element. The toler-
ance has no units and is based on each elements size.
In general, the higher the Runge-Kutta order and the lower the toler-
ance, the more accurate the streamlines will be. However, the calcu-
lation time will be greater. The default values have been found to
work well and you should not need to change these values.
The calculation of a streamline is terminated if the streamline exits
the elements in the model (or in the group if a group is displayed).
Streamline calculation will also be terminated if the streamline is
too long or the velocity is too low and this is controlled by the Max
Length Factor and Minimum Speed. The Max Length Factor is a
multiplier times the model bounding box diagonal. The minimum
speed is defined as a percent of the maximum velocity in the output
vector selected. If either of these limits are exceeded, an error is
reported and you can alter these values if necessary.
Note: Any customized script using the Freebody options of the View Object in the FEMAP Applications Pro-
gramming Interface (API), will likely need to be rewritten using the Freebody Object and updated prop-
erties on the View Object.
Note: The view color can be used to control the streamline thickness by selecting line thickness on the Palette
dialog. You can get to this specific Palette dialog box by choosing the Streamline Option in the Post-
Processing section of the View-Options dialog box
Choosing an XY Style 8-19
8.2.3 Choosing an XY Style
Unlike the model styles that choose between different ways to display your model, the XY styles choose between
different ways to display a two-dimensional XY plot. Whenever you select one of these styles, the XY plot will be
displayed in the view, instead of your model.
The XY plot styles, other than XY of function, are all post-processing options. They will only be available when
you have output data in your model. The following table describes the various XY styles:
Unlike the post-processing XY styles, XY of function is actually displaying a part of your model. You must there-
fore select the function to display by clicking the XY Functions button, not XY Data. In the Select Multiple Func-
tions for View dialog box you will be able to select up to 9 curves to plot. The XY of Function display style is,
however, still controlled by the XY PostProcessing View Options, with the Curve numbers in the Select Multiple
Functions for View dialog box corresponding with the XY Curve... numbers in View Options.
XY Style Will Display
Output
Data
Type
Typical Uses
XY vs. ID Output data values from selected
output vector vs. node or ele-
ment ID.
Node,
Elem
Review output data vector to find
peaks.
XY vs. Set Output data from selected output
vector for one node or element
vs. all output sets.
Node,
Elem
Review transient results, or dif-
ferences in output from multiple
sets.
XY vs. Set
Value
Same as XY vs. Set, except X
axis displays output set values,
not the set IDs.
Node,
Elem
Only for transient, modal or other
output that sets the output set val-
ues. Not for static analysis.
XY vs.
Position
Output data values from selected
output vector vs. X, Y, or Z posi-
tion in a selected coordinate sys-
tem.
Node,
Elem
Review output near a specified
location. Visual interpolation and
extrapolation of output data.
XY of
Function
A function curve. N/A Reviewing the XY relationships
that you defined for a function.
1: NASTRAN Case 1, Plate Top X Normal Stress
2: NASTRAN Case 1, Plate Top Y Normal Stress
-7662.
-5741.
-3819.
-1898.
22.94
1944.
3865.
5787.
7708.
9629.
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15
Element ID
XY vs. ID Style
-7662.
-5741.
-3819.
-1898.
22.94
1944.
3865.
5787.
7708.
9629.
0.375 0.6964 1.018 1.339 1.661 1.982 2.304 2.625
X Coordinate System 0
XY vs. Position Style
8.2.3.1 Selecting Data for an XY Style
Selecting data for the XY styles is very similar to selecting data for the deformed or contour styles. When you press
the XY Data command button, FEMAP displays the Select XY Curve Data dialog box. This dialog box resembles
the Select PostProcessing Data dialog box that is displayed by the Deformed and Contour Data command button
This dialog box has several differences. For XY-plots, you can select up to nine sets of data. FEMAP refers to these
as curves. The Curve Number option buttons (1 to 9) select the curve to define. Before selecting any other options,
you should always choose the curve number. Next, choose the Category, Type, Output Set, and Output Vector con-
trols to select the output data that you want to display. For more information on using these controls, see Section
8.2.2, "Choosing Deformed and Contour Styles". The only difference for XY styles is that you can choose a differ-
ent output set for each curve.
To define multiple curves, select the first curve number, choose an output set and output vector for that curve, then
repeat the process. Choose a different curve number, and the output set and output vector for that curve. Press OK
only when you are done with all of the curves.
To delete the selected curve number, press the Delete Curve command button. Only the selected curve will be
deleted. All other curves will remain unchanged.
You can limit the XY plot to a certain portion of your model by choosing a group. Selecting None will display data
for your entire model. Active will display data for the nodes or elements in the active group, or for the entire model
if no group is active. If you choose Select, you must also choose a group from the drop-down list. As stated in the
dialog box, the group selections you make apply to all curves.
For the XY vs. Set and XY vs. Set Value styles, you must select an output location. This is the ID of a single node
or element. The entity type matches the type of output in the output vector you select. Since this style displays out-
put from all output sets, the set you choose is not really used. It is only specified so that you can have a list of out-
put vectors from which to choose.
The only difference between XY vs. Set and XY vs. Set Value is the values used for the X axis. XY vs. Set displays
the output set IDs on the X axis, and XY vs. Set Value displays the value (time, frequency, or other value) that is
associated with each output set. If you want to limit output to only certain sets rather than all sets, you can also
Note: The XY data group selections and the Show Active Group or Show Selected Group options for groups in
View, Visibility both refer to the same option. Changing one automatically changes the other. If you are
displaying a portion of your model while using Show Active Group or Show Selected Group, then
switch to an XY style, the same group will automatically be used. This feature allows you to simply
switch styles and see a model and XY representation of the same data.
Quickly Choosing XY Data 8-21
specify a range of output sets to use the From and To drop-down lists in Show Output Sets. Data will only be
selected from sets in the range you specify. Leave these options set to 0..All to get all sets.
For the XY vs. Position style, you must select a position or direction. You can choose either an X, Y, or Z coordi-
nate direction, in any coordinate system. When the data is displayed, the horizontal axis of the XY plot will be
these coordinate values. If you are displaying nodal output, the location of the node will be transformed into the
selected coordinate system. The output value will be plotted on the vertical axis, versus the selected coordinate on
the horizontal axis. For elemental output data, the location of the element centroid is used.
You can use this method to display variations in data across portions of your model. First, define a group which
contains the nodes or elements in that area. Second, define a coordinate system which is aligned with the direction
you want to view. Finally, if desired, select a group and coordinate system and choose the output vector. FEMAP
will display an XY vs. Position plot that shows how your output varies.
8.2.3.2 Quickly Choosing XY Data
In addition to using the View Select command, you can also access the XY Data dialog box directly from the Quick
Access menu. Just press the right mouse button while you are pointing inside any graphics window, and choose XY
Data. You can also get to this dialog box by pressing the Alt+F5 keys.
8.3 View Options - PostProcessing
The View Options command controls how your model (or XY plot) is displayed in a view. This command has three
separate categories based upon the type of controls. Labels, Entities and Colors and Tools and View Style are dis-
cussed in Section 6, "Viewing Your Model". This section will concentrate on graphical post-processing options
(PostProcessing category).
All of these different options are controlled from the View Options dialog box. There are three basic parts to this
dialog box. The Category option buttons chooses the type of view options that you want to update. When you
choose a category, the Options list is automatically updated. This list displays all of the view options that you can
update for each Category. You may have to scroll through the list, using the scroll bar, to see all of the available
options. To modify an option, simply select it from the list. You can do this either by pointing at it with the cursor
and clicking the left mouse button, or by pressing the direction keys. As you select an option, the right side of the
Ctrl+O or F6
Choose option
to display or
change settings
Scroll down for
more options
Choose category
to change between
option lists
dialog box will be updated. It will display various controls which allow you to set the option. The current option
settings will always be loaded as the defaults. Each PostProcessing option is explained briefly below.
8.3.1 Post Titles...
... controls whether an additional legend is displayed for deformed or contour views. This legend contains informa-
tion about the output set and output vectors which are displayed. You can position the legend in any of the eight
locations. Make sure that it does not overlap the view legend or the contour/criteria legend.
8.3.2 Deformed Style
For all deformed styles, FEMAP uses these settings to determine the on-screen scale of the deformations. If the %
of Model option is checked, FEMAP will scale all deformations so that the largest one is equivalent to the percent-
age of model size you specify as Scale %. If % of Model is not checked, FEMAP will deform your model by the
amount of the actual deformations. Since deformations are usually relatively small, you probably want to specify a
fairly large scale factor. A factor of 100 will display deformations that are 100 times larger than the actual deforma-
tions. A factor of 1 will display the actual deformations.
The default Deformed Scale is automatically set based on the output for all nodes in your model. If you are plotting
just a portion of your model using a group, you may want to scale based on just the deformations on the nodes in
that group. In this case, you can choose Auto-Group. If you are displaying actual deformations (as opposed to % of
Model), Auto-Group will not change the size of the deformations on the screen. In any case however, the maximum
deformation value that is shown in the legend will be based on the maximum value in the group.
8.3.2.1 Auto Group Option
This option automatically considers output for all nodes referenced by the elements in your group in addition to the
nodes that you explicitly include into the group. Therefore, if you have included all model nodes in the group, this
option will have no effect. Unless you are looking for some special effect, you should not include any nodes other
than those connected to elements in the group.
8.3.2.2 The Default Direction
This option orients deformations if the output vector you choose is directionless. For example, assume you choose
to deform the model by Von Mises stress (for whatever reason). Since this type of output is directionless, FEMAP
will use the direction that you select. The deformation magnitude will still be based on the magnitude of the Von
Mises stress.
8.3.3 Vector Style
For vector style displays, this option controls color, labelling options, and whether arrowheads will be displayed.
The selected color is used for deformed style vector plots. Since the deformed vector plots can be quite complex,
you can choose to label just some Top Percent of the arrows. Only arrows that represent output which is closer to
the maximum output value than the selected percentage will be labelled.
You can also show either the Total Vector or the components of the vector with either wireframe or solid represen-
tations.
Note: When performing large displacement (hyperelastic) contact and/or explicit analyses, it is often best to
change the Deformed Style to Actual, and keep the value as 1. These types of analyses typically have
large displacements which are visible, and scaling causes distortion.
6028.
-7662.
6028.
5173.
4317.
3461.
2606.
1750.
894.5
38.85
-816.8
-1672.
-2528.
-3384.
-4239.
-5095.
-5951.
-6806.
-7662.
Deformed(4.251E-3): Total Translation
Contour: Plate Top Mean Stress
Post Titles
Animated Style 8-23
Choosing 1..Output Labels or 2..Top Percent in Label Mode will also label ALL the current Contour Vectors
currently being displayed.
For more options concerning Contour Vectors see Section 8.3.18, "Contour Vector Style..."
8.3.4 Animated Style
Many aspects of animation are controlled by the settings for this option. If you choose Single Step, the view will
calculate all of the animation frames and then wait. The animation will not begin until you choose the View,
Advanced Post, Animation command and press Start.
Shape controls the deformations in the frames that are calculated. Full cycle shapes smoothly return to their starting
position while half cycle shapes jump back. The choice of color or monochrome animation impacts the speed at
which the image will animate. Monochrome is much faster. If on the other hand, you are combining animation with
a contour or criteria display, you should probably select color.
By selecting the number of frames in the animation, you control both the animation quality and speed. More frames
take longer to calculate, and produce a slower, but smoother animation. Fewer frames are desirable if you want a
quick look, or fast animation. If you are using the Animate setting, for the Contour/Criteria Levels option, best
results are obtained with a larger number of frames.
The Delay factor specifies the initial speed of the animation. This can be varied using the View, Advanced Post,
Animation command. Larger numbers result in slower animations.
Here are a few suggestions that can help when you are doing animations:
FEMAP retains all of the frames that you calculate in memory. You can specify a very large number of frames
but you must have enough to hold those images.
You can simultaneously animate multiple windows, even at different speeds, but your computer and graphics
adapter need to be fairly fast. It takes the combination of a fast computer and a good graphics adapter to ade-
quately handle multiple animations.
If animations are not as fast as you would like, check the following:
Make sure the Delay factor is small or zero.
+1
-1
+1
-1
Sine - Full
Linear - Full
+1
0
+1
0
Sine - Full Absolute
Linear - Full Absolute
Number of Frames
+1
-1
+1
-1
Sine - Half Linear - Half
+1
0
+1
0
Sine - Half Absolute
Linear - Half Absolute
Try using monochrome animation.
Make sure you are not running other applications in the background on your computer.
Reduce the number of frames.
Reduce the size of your graphics window. This may be the biggest savings - although at a price. It can dramati-
cally reduce the amount of data needed for an animation, and hence increase the speed.
Once an animation has been created, you can control it with the View, Advanced Post, Animation command.
8.3.5 Deformed Model...
... controls the colors that will be used for a deformed style display.
Deform Relative To: If the option is set to Fixed Node, FEMAP will create a deformed display based on the rel-
ative displacement between the node defined in Node ID and each node of the model.
8.3.6 Undeformed Model...
... allows you to display your undeformed model, along with a deformed or animating style model. This option
should not be turned on for filled or hidden line view styles. If you do, the deformed and undeformed models may
obscure each other.
8.3.7 Trace Style...
... enables you to control the labeling and display of trace plots. You may display or label each location along the
trace lines, and display full length trace lines or animate them with the model. When used in combination with the
Skip Deformation option in View Select, you can independently control whether the model and/or the trace lines are
animated.
8.3.8 Contour Type...
... controls the type of contour plot to create (Nodal, Elemental, or Match Output). When using Match Output,
nodal output vectors will be contoured using a Nodal Contour Type, while elemental output vectors will be plotted
using an Elemental Contour Type. The Rendered Contours option will switch between creating a contour with the
colors blended from one to another (Continuous) to a fringe contour plot with the colors separated (Levels).
Additional options for elemental contouring are available under Contour Options. For more information, see Con-
tour Options portion of Section 8.2.2.2, "Selecting Data for a Deformed or Contour Style".
8.3.9 Contour/Criteria Style...
... allows you to choose whether solid/filled contours will be drawn or just the contour lines. The same setting also
applies to filled or unfilled elements for criteria displays.
Deformed Model
Undeformed Model
Contour/Criteria Levels... 8-25
For more ways to customize the appearance of contour and criteria plots, see Section 6.1.5.3, "View, Options...".
If you select the Max Min labelling option, the two locations with the maximum and minimum output values will
be labelled. Normally this will be the maximum and minimum values in the entire model. If you also set the Auto-
Group under Contour/Criteria Levels, Level Mode, FEMAP will display the maximum and minimum values based
only on the output at nodes in your plotted group. Choosing the Max or Min labelling option will only display the
maximum or minimum value, not both.
ID labelling is not used for filled contours. For line contours, the lines are labelled with letters that correspond to
those in the Contour Legend. Label Freq controls how many of the lines are labelled. If Label Freq is 5, every fifth
contour line will be labelled. You may also specify the number of significant digits to be used in your contour/crite-
ria plot.
The data conversion options control how FEMAP will calculate the nodal data that is required for contours when
you select an elemental output vector. By default, all elemental data is averaged. If you would rather use the maxi-
mum (or minimum) values, choose Maximum Value (or Minimum Value). If you have recovered or calculated ele-
mental corner output but do not want it to be considered in the contour, choose one of the Skip Corner options. For
more information on Data Conversion options, see Section 8.2.2.2, "Selecting Data for a Deformed or Contour
Style".
The Digits field controls the number of digits shown for Output Values of Deformed Vector, Trace, Criteria,
Beam Diagram, and Contour Vector plots; load values for Loads; coefficient values of Constraint Equations;
and bias factors for Curve - Mesh Size.
8.3.10 Contour/Criteria Levels...
... specifies the number of contour levels that will be displayed. FEMAP supports up to 255 levels. This option is
also used to select the output values where contours will be calculated, and the contour colors.
8.3.10.1 Palette
You can choose either the Standard or User-Defined contour palette. Instructions for defining a user-defined palette
can be found later in this section, but the palette must be activated here - even after it is defined. The #of Levels
option is only used with the standard palette, and specifies the number of contour levels to be drawn. The number
of levels for the user-defined palette always matches the number of colors in the palette.
8.3.10.2 Animate
If you want the contour display to vary with the deformations during an animation, you can check the Animate box.
This can represent the effects of loading and unloading a structure. When this is turned off, the deformations will
animate, but the contours will not change. Animate is only used for contour displays, not for criteria displays. When
you are animating contours, you will usually need to increase the number of animation frames to make the contour
animation look smoother.
8.3.10.3 Level Modes
If you choose the Automatic or Auto-Group level modes, FEMAP will determine the maximum and minimum con-
tour values (and the intermediate ones) from the maximum and minimum output values in the output vector you
Note: To display any of the above values using an exponential format, you will need to change the Label
Mode of the Contour/Criteria Legend option in View Options to one of the Exponent options.
6028.
-7662.
Filled Contours
Line Contours
Max Min Labels
select. When plotting a nodal contour of nodal output vector or a criteria plot of elemental output vector only, Auto-
matic considers data from the entire output vector. Auto-Group is identical, unless you are displaying any number
of group(s). In that case, the maximum and minimum values are determined from the portion of your model in the
group.
If you choose Max Min, you must specify the maximum and minimum contour values. FEMAP will interpolate
between them to determine all intermediate values. User Defined is similar to Max Min. You must first specify the
maximum and minimum values, then press Set Levels. You will see the Contour/Criteria Levels dialog box..
Specified Levels
In the text boxes on the left side, you can specify up to 10 additional intermediate contour levels. For each contour
level that you want to set, you must specify two values - the contour level number and the value. The maximum
value is level 1, the minimum value is equal to one more than the number of contour levels that you selected.
Therefore, the level numbers you specify should be between 2 and the number of contour levels. If you specify
more than one level, the associated output values must be in decreasing order. For example, if the maximum value
is 1000.0, and you specify that level 5 is 500.0, then level 6 must be less than 500.0, and level 7 must be less than
whatever you specified for level 6.
Similarly, all of values must be greater than the minimum value. If you leave gaps between the levels you specify,
FEMAP will automatically interpolate to find the other levels. For example, if you set level 5 to 100.0, and level 10
to 50.0, then FEMAP will set level 6 to 90.0, level 7 to 80.0, level 8 to 70.0 and level 9 to 60.0 - automatically. If
you specify level numbers that are greater than the number of levels that you have selected, those entries will be
ignored.
Standard Colors
There are 5 options in the Standard Colors section:
Standard - uses Red for highest value and Magenta for the lowest level (Default)
No Magenta - uses Red for the highest value, but uses Dark Blue for the lowest value instead of Magenta. This is
typical of several other Finite Element Analysis programs.
Note: The Auto-Group option automatically considers output for all nodes referenced by the elements in your
group in addition to the nodes that you explicitly include into the group. Therefore, if you have included
all model nodes in the group, this option will have no effect. Unless you are looking for some special
effect, you should not include any nodes other than those connected to elements in the group.
User-Defined Contour Palette 8-27
Temperature - uses White for the highest value (i.e., White Hot), Dark Blue for the lowest levels, and Red/
Orange/Yellow as temperatures increase.
Red Yellow Green - uses Red for highest levels, Green for lowest levels, and Yellow for the middle.
Gray - uses Light Gray for the highest value and Dark Gray for the lowest value (i.e., Monochrome). You may
want to do this prior to choosing the File, Print command if you are printing to a monochrome printer.
Colors
Regardless of which level mode or Standard Color option you choose, you can use the Contour/Criteria Levels
dialog box to change the colors associated with your contour levels. To choose new colors, enter the six color val-
ues that you want. If you choose six contour levels, these six colors will be used. If you choose more than six lev-
els, FEMAP will interpolate between the six colors that you choose to calculate one color for each level.
Interpolating in this fashion tends to provide a smoother spectrum of color for the contours. You may also want to
choose different line styles, since FEMAP will also interpolate the line styles for line contours.
Pressing Reverse will simply swap the order of the six colors - whether they are the defaults or colors that you have
specified. Use this option when you want magenta for the maximum output value and red for the minimum. If you
make changes and want to get back to the original FEMAP default colors, press Standard button in the Standard
Colors section.
8.3.10.4 User-Defined Contour Palette
If you press the User Palette button, you will see the standard palette with options to add or delete colors to the user
palette.
As described above, you can control the standard contour palette by specifying up to six colors, and FEMAP will
interpolate between them to produce the entire contour spectrum. This method produces very smooth transitions
between colors in the spectrum, but does not allow very precise color control, and often results in dithered (rather
than solid) colors being used. The User Palette option gives you precise control, with no interpolation of colors.
In addition to the normal palette options, the dialog box has additional boxes that show the defined contour palette.
To add to the palette, choose the color (and linestyle and pattern) from the top of the box, then press Add. The
selected color will be added to the palette. To remove a color from the contour palette, select it and press Delete.
Press Reset to delete all of the selected colors. Press Reverse to swap the order of the colors in the palette. Press
Note: You can specify a Standard Colors option for all new models using the File, Preferences command.
Click the View tab, then choose an option from the Contour Palette drop-down in the Options section.
See Section 2.6.2.2, "Views" under File, Preferences for more information.
Save to save the selected contour palette in a file, which you can retrieve later with the Load button. In either option
the standard file access dialog box is used to access the contour palette files. The file extension.CNT is always used
for these files. The default user defined contour palette file is selected in the File, Preferences command, and is
loaded every time you start FEMAP.
To use the contour palette that you have defined, you must return to Contour/Criteria Levels in the View Options
dialog box, and switch the Contour Palette option to User Palette. When you select the user palette, all contour and
criteria plots will be done with the number of levels in the user palette, the # of Levels option is simply ignored. To
change the number of levels, you must change the user palette, or switch back to the standard palette.
8.3.11 Contour/Criteria Legend...
... controls the visibility, position, and labelling of the contour (or criteria) legend. This legend consists of a series
of colored lines or boxes. Numeric labels are located beside the colored area. These labels show you the output val-
ues associated with each contour color. You can control the number of digits of the output values on the contour
legend by entering a number in the Digits field. You can choose to make these labels the same color as the contour
they represent (0..Contour Colors) or a single view color (1..Use View Color). The legend labels can also be forced
to display the numbers in exponential format using either of the Exponent options. The legend border is always
drawn using the specified View Color.
If you specify 0 for the Label Freq, FEMAP will automatically determine the number of labels to place on the leg-
end so they will not overwrite each other based on the label size. If you want to label a specific number of contour
levels, just specify a non-zero Label Freq. For example, if you specify 4, FEMAP will label every fourth level. The
maximum level is always labelled. If you specify a Label Freq that is larger than the number of contour levels,
FEMAP will label just the maximum and minimum levels.
This legend, like all others, is drawn vertically, unless you position it at the top center or bottom center of the view.
In those positions, the legend is drawn horizontally.
The Legend Shrink... button allows you to shrink the legend based
on a percentage of the contour legends standard size. If the legend
is positioned in any of the corners (0..Top Left, 2..Top Right,
5..Bottom Left, or 7..Bottom Right), the contour legend will be
shrunk in relation to the selected position.
For example, if the contour legend is positioned in the 2..Top
Right position, when it is shrunk, the position of the top right cor-
ner of the legend will remain in the same place and the opposite end of the legend will be moved.
Using Legend Shrink... along with a positioning option is helpful when trying to not have the contour legend over-
lap the view legend, the post titles, or any logo bitmaps.
8.3.12 Criteria Limits
Although criteria displays can be used simply as an alternative to contours, where each element is colored based on
its output value, their primary purpose is to limit the display based on a selected criteria. This option selects the cri-
Note: This version of FEMAP includes several predefined contour palette files. These files have been defined
to access solid colors when used with most Windows 256-color drivers. You can use them as a starting
point for your own palettes by loading and modifying them.
6028. 4317. 2606. 894.5 -816.8 -2528. -4239. -5951. -7662.
Contour Legend
in Top Center
Position
Criteria - Elements that Pass/Fail... 8-29
teria. You select the type of criteria from the Limits Mode list. Then specify the appropriate values in Minimum and
Maximum.
The following table lists the available modes and their uses:
If you choose Abs Value, the absolute value of the output data is compared to your selected criteria. The Criteria -
Elements that Pass, and Criteria - Elements that Fail options control how elements that pass or fail the criteria will
be displayed.
Beam diagrams are also controlled through this option. The Default Direction option sets the elemental or global
plane where the beam diagram will be drawn. FEMAP always draws the diagram in the plane that you choose, even
if the output is actually based on forces/stresses in a different plane.
The FEMAP translators should automatically setup the proper information in your model to draw the correct beam
diagram as you read the output from one of the supported programs. If you create output through some other
means, or if sign conventions change in the analysis programs, the RevB default directions can be used. If you see
a beam diagram where End A and End B have reversed signs, when they should be of the same sign, choose one of
these options - otherwise use the regular options. The Beam Diagram Color sets the color that will be drawn around
the outer edges, and between elements along the diagram.
8.3.13 Criteria - Elements that Pass/Fail...
... are both used for criteria style displays. The settings for the first option are used for all elements that pass your
selected criteria, or for all elements when you do not specify any criteria. The second option settings are used only
for elements that fail the criteria. You can skip displaying either category of elements by turning off the appropriate
option. If you select Output Value labelling, the output values will be displayed as a label near the center of the ele-
ments. For criteria displays, element colors are also determined by this option. By default, elements that pass the
criteria will be colored using contour colors. For this setting, FEMAP compares the elemental output value to the
specified contour levels. The element color is then set to the color for the appropriate contour level. By default, ele-
ments that fail the criteria are not displayed. If you simply turn them on, the default view color will cause them to
be displayed as dashed/phantom lines.
Elements that fail the selected criteria will never be filled, no matter how you set the other filling or criteria options.
This distinguishes them from the elements that pass. When you choose the filled criteria options, the colors for
elements that pass control the filling color, but the colors for elements that fail control the edge colors - since
there is no filling color.
Limits
Mode
Minimum Maximum Result
No Limits - - No Criteria. All elements pass.
Above
Maximum
- Yes Elements with output values greater than
Maximum pass.
Below
Minimum
Yes - Elements with output values less than
Minimum pass.
Between Yes Yes Elements with output values between
Minimum and Maximum pass.
Outside Yes Yes Elements with output values less than
Minimum or greater than Maximum pass.
6028.3
4823.1
2974.7
6028.3
4823.1
2974.7
1741.9
6028. 4317. 2606. 894.5 -816.8 -2528. -4239. -5951. -7662.
Elements that
passed criteria
Elements that
failed criteria
8.3.14 Beam Diagram...
...Beam diagrams are controlled through this option. The Label Mode allows to place output values at either the
nodes themselves (1..Labels at Nodes) or at the peaks of the actual beam diagram (2..Labels at Peaks).
There is also a third option in Label Mode, 3..Contour Only which is less of a labelling convention and more of a
display option. This option allows you to use beam results to create a contour on Beam elements. Essentially, it
creates a Beam Diagram with zero height, which ends up appearing on screen as a contour.
The Default Direction option sets the elemental or global plane where the beam diagram will be drawn. FEMAP
always draws the diagram in the plane that you choose, even if the output is actually based on forces/stresses in a
different plane.
The FEMAP translators should automatically setup the proper information in your model to draw the correct beam
diagram as you read the output from one of the supported programs. If you create output through some other
means, or if sign conventions change in the analysis programs, the RevB default directions can be used. If you see
a beam diagram where End A and End B have reversed signs, when they should be of the same sign, choose one of
these options - otherwise use the regular options.
The Beam Diagram Color sets the color that will be drawn around the outer edges, and between elements along the
diagram. Scale % can be used to scale the size of beam diagrams by setting the largest height of a beam diagram to
a percentage of overall model size. Default value is 10%.
8.3.15 IsoSurface...
... controls the display of isosurfaces. You can control whether a single isosurface is displayed, or to use the contour
colors for the isosurfaces. You can also decide to view the values of the specified Contour output vector at a partic-
ular value of the Deformation output vector. To do this, turn on the Contour Deformed option, set the Level Mode to
Single Isosurface, then enter an appropriate value for the Deformation output vector in the IsoSurface At field.
These options also effect isolines if they are currently selected.
When using the View, Advanced Post, Dynamic IsoSurface command, this option will automatically be turned to a
single color if both the deformed and contour output vectors are the same. For more information, see Section 8.4.4,
"View, Advanced Post, Dynamic IsoSurface...".
8.3.16 IsoLine...
... controls the display of isolines. IsoLines are displayed when in IsoSurface mode and the Draw IsoLine option is
checked. You can control the width of the isolines and whether a line is drawn or everything above or below a value
is drawn.
When using the View, Advanced Post, Dynamic IsoSurface command, this option will automatically be turned to a
single isoline. For more information, see Section 8.4.4, "View, Advanced Post, Dynamic IsoSurface...".
8.3.17 Streamline...
... allows you to choose whether the streamline is a solid color or is contoured with the contour output vector. You
can also choose whether the streamline start points are displayed. Displaying the start points is useful to ensure the
start points are within the element mesh. The Maximum Length, Minimum Speed and XYZ Location can be
controlled from this dialog. These settings are the same as those on the Streamline Options... dialog. The view color
can be used to control the streamline thickness by selecting line thickness on the Palette dialog.
8.3.18 Contour Vector Style...
... allows you to choose whether the length and/or color of the vectors will be adjusted based on their magnitude.
You can also choose how the vectors are located and whether or not they have arrowheads. If you choose to center
the vectors, they will either be centered at the node or element centroid as appropriate. Otherwise, the start of the
vector will be placed at that location. If you choose a single arrow style, the direction of the vector (toward the
Note: If you use the 3..Contour Only option when showing the Beam Cross-Sections in FEMAP, the result-
ing contour is simply a linear interpolation of values on the beam and in NO WAY takes the place of
modeling the beam section with plate or solid elements to determine any localized stresses.
This option is here as a way to display your Beam results in a manner that does not include the some-
times intrusive heights of the Beam diagrams with regard to the rest of the model.
XY Titles... 8-31
arrowhead) will imply whether the value is positive or negative. For dual arrow styles, outward pointing arrow-
heads are used for positive values, inward pointing arrowheads are used for negative values. Also, there are options
for showing the output vector values using exponents.
8.3.19 XY Titles...
... specifies a title and subtitle for an XY display, and the location of these titles. You can choose any of the standard
eight locations for the titles. In general, Center Left and Center Right are not good choices. Unless you use very
short titles, these positions will significantly reduce the size of the graph. The titles are always displayed in the
view color. The title view color is also used for all axis labels.
When you press Titles, FEMAP will display the XY Titles dialog box. You can specify a title and subtitle, each up to
25 characters in length.
8.3.20 XY Legend...
... controls the location, and format of the XY legend. This legend contains one line for each active curve. It defines
the output data which is selected for the curve. The format of the lines in the legend is:
Curve Number: Output Set, Output Vector (Curve Scale Factor)
Output Set and Output Vector are either the IDs or titles, depending on the labelling option you choose. Each line of
the legend is drawn in the same color as the curve that it defines.
You can position this legend in any of the eight standard locations. Make certain you do not locate it at the same
position as the XY titles or they will overwrite each other.
8.3.21 XY Axes Style...
... defines the colors of the X and Y axes, and the number of axis divisions (tics). This option controls the color of
the axis lines. If you want to change the colors of the axis labels, see Section 8.3.19, "XY Titles...".
You can also change the plot type between Rectilinear (the normal default), SemiLog (Y-Axis), Log-Log, and Semi-
Log (X-Axis) which are often used for dynamic analyses.
When you specify zero X tics or Y tics, FEMAP will automatically calculate the number of axis divisions. The
number will be chosen so the labels do not overwrite one another. If you want a specific number of divisions, spec-
ify that number plus one. You must add one because there is always one more tic than division, for the end of the
axis.
Note: To show Output Values on Contour Vectors, use the Vector Style option located in the PostProcessing
category of the View, Options command. Change the Label Mode to either 1..Output Values or 2..Top
Percent to view Output Values on ALL Contour Vectors, depending on how you would like to label any
visible deformation vectors.
Also, to see the output values in the color of the particular Contour Vector(s) being displayed, use the
Label Parameters option located in the Labels, Entities, and Colors category of the View, Options
command. Change the Color/Background to 0..Entity Colors. This also works for Freebody display.
-7662.
-5741.
-3819.
-1898.
22.94
1944.
3865.
5787.
7708.
9629.
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15
Element ID
Legend
8.3.22 XY X Range/Grid...
... controls the minimum and maximum X axis values, and the display of the vertical grid lines.
If you choose Automatic, FEMAP will set the minimum and maximum axis values equal to the smallest and largest
X values from your entire model. The nature of these values depends on the type of XY plot (vs. ID, vs. Set...).
Auto-Group is similar, but only considers values which are in the group you chose in the View Select command. If
you pick Max Min, you must manually set the minimum and maximum axis values.
Your Axis Range choices can be automatically updated by the View Autoscale, Pan, Zoom, or Magnify commands.
You can use these commands for XY-plots just like they are used for model displays.
8.3.23 XY Y Range/Grid...
... is identical to XY X Range/Grid, except that it controls the Y axis and the horizontal grid lines.
8.3.24 XY Curve 1 through XY Curve 9...
... controls the visibility, style, color, and labelling of the data curves for an XY-plot. By default, any curve that you
select in the View Select command will be drawn. You can selectively skip curves, by turning off these options. ID
and output value labels will be drawn at every data point on the curve. Only two labels will be drawn for Max/Min
ID and Max/Min value labelling. These labels will be drawn at the data point with the minimum and maximum out-
put values. If the DataPair or Max/Min DataPair options are selected then FEMAP will create a label with both the
x and y data in the label. The Curve Style setting controls the type of curve or points that will be drawn.
The Scale factor multiplies the actual output values. You can use this factor to display several curves, that have
very different magnitudes, in the same Y range. When you specify a scale factor other than one, the position of the
curve will be updated appropriately. The output value labels however, will still show the actual, unscaled output
values. In addition, any scale factors, other than 1.0, will be shown in the XY legend.
8.3.25 Freebody options
The Freebody options control the visibility, style, color, and labeling for Freebody display, which is setup and
controlled via the Freebody tool in the PostProcessing Toolbox. See Section 7.2.3.3, "Freebody tool".
Freebody - controls the overall visibility of the Freebody display. Label Mode is only used for Freebody entities
with Display Mode set to Interface Load. When Label Mode is set to 1..ID, the ID of each freebody entity will be
shown at the Location of the Total Summation Vector.
Freebody Node Markers - controls the visibility, symbol size, and color of the node markers for Freebody enti-
ties. Having the node markers visible is a good way to visually inspect the nodes or element corners being used in
the freebody calculations. When Color Mode is set to Freebody Entity Color, the node makers will use the color
specified for Freebody Node Marker(s) in the Freebody Properties section of the Freebody tool.
Freebody Vectors - controls the Length, Label Mode, and Label Format of the Freebody vectors. Label Mode
allows you to display No Labels, the Value of each freebody vector, or the value using exponents. For Label For-
mat, the number before the word #..Digits is the number of significant digits which will be displayed. When
Label Format is set to 0..Digits, this is an automatic mode and FEMAP will determine the amount of signifi-
cant digits displayed.
When Adjust Length is off, the length of each freebody vector type is controlled by a combination of the
entered Length value and the Factor value entered for the Freebody Total Force, Freebody Total Moment, Freebody
Nodal Force, and Freebody Nodal Moment view options.
When Adjust Length is on, the length of the freebody vectors will be adjusted based on the vectors value (i.e.,
larger values = longer vectors). The Units/Length value is an additional parameter used to control the length of the
vectors when in this mode. Essentially, the Units/Length value is used in the following manner:
If Units/Length value is 250, then a freebody vector value of 500 would be shown using a length of 2*Factor on
the screen. For the same freebody vector value of 500, entering a Units/Length value of 100 would display the vec-
tor using a length of 5*Factor on the screen.
Note: Visibility of individual Freebody entities is controlled using the check boxes in Freebody tab of View,
Visibility command (see Section 6.1.4, "View, Visibility...") or by the Is Visible check box in the Free-
body Properties section of the Freebody tool.
Specialized Post-processing 8-33
Freebody Total Force/Freebody Total Moment - controls the Vector Style, Color Mode, and Factor for the Total
Summation Force and Moment vectors. The Total Summation vectors are only visible when the Display Mode of a
Freebody entity is set to Interface Load.
When Vector Style is set to Arrow or Center Arrow, the vectors will be displayed as lines. When set to Solid Arrow
or Center Solid Arrow, the vectors will be thicker, filled-in solids. Factor is an additional scale factor which can
be entered to change the size of the selected vector type.
When Color Mode is set to Freebody Entity Color, the Freebody Entity Colors specified for each Freebody entity
in the Freebody tool is used. This allows multiple Freebody entities to be displayed at one time using unique colors
for clarity. RGB Color uses Red to display the X component, Green for the Y component, and Blue for the Z com-
ponent of each vector.
Freebody Nodal Force/Freebody Nodal Moment - offers the same options as Freebody Total Force/Freebody
Total Moment, but these options control the Nodal Vector(s). One difference is in Color Mode, where an additional
option, Source Color exists. When set to Source Color, this selected vector type uses the color of the source ele-
ments, the color of the load for Applied loads, and/or the color of the constraint for Reaction forces and moments.
8.4 Specialized Post-processing
There are 5 commands contained under the View, Advanced Post menu that allow you to control certain types of
post-processing: Animation, Dynamic Cutting Plane, Dynamic IsoSurface, Dynamic Streamline, and Beam Cross
Section. Each of these commands are explained more fully below. There is a command that allows you to view ele-
ment quality and material values using types of plots usually used for postprocessing.
8.4.1 View, Advanced Post, Contour Model Data...
... allows you to view model data as contour/criteria plots or beam diagrams. This commands is not really a post-
processing capability. Some common uses would be viewing a contour plot of the thicknesses of plane elements in
a shell model, or a criteria the Youngs Modulus value of the materials in an assembly model using solid elements,
or a criteria plot of a Aspect Ratio with labels.
If you would like to display model data on elements in the graphics window, the first option to check would be
Show Model Data Contour in the Contour Data From section. Next choose a single element quality type or mate-
rial/property data value for display by highlighting a specific value from the tree structure. All element quality val-
ues and most material/property data values in FEMAP should be available for selection, with the major exceptions
being the material values of the materials of the Other Types material type. There are 5 special cases which are
a little more flexible with regard to the type of materials/properties in the model. For instance, Plane Element
Thickness will work for any plane elements which have a thickness, including laminates. Others like Bar/Beam/
Rod Area will allow you to show a criteria plot of areas on all the Beams/Bars/Rods in your model at once.
Once a value is chosen, you can choose to display the values as a Contour, Criteria, or Beam Diagram in the Show
As section. The Allow Labels will toggle the output labels on/off for all three of the Show As options.
Finally, you can choose to plot the element quality/material/property data values on the entire model using the All
option in the Show On section or only a portion of the model by choosing Group and then selecting an existing
group from the drop-down list.
For example, here is a contour plot of Plane Element Thickness on a Shell model containing laminates of various
thicknesses:
To turn off the display of element quality/material/property data values, choose the command again and
UNCHECK the Show Model Data Contour check box in the Contour Data From section.
8.4.2 View, Advanced Post, Animation...
... is only available when you have one or more views animating on your screen. It controls the speed and form of
the animation. It can also stop the animation and step through individual animation frames.
When you choose this command, the Animation Control dialog box is displayed. The buttons in this dialog are used
just like the controls for a VCR or tape player. Press Pause if you want to stop the current animation, then press
Play to resume it. Pressing either Prev or Next will also pause ongoing animations. Pressing these buttons will also
change the frame that is displayed. Next advances forward to the next animation frame. Prev goes backward to the
previous frame.
The buttons in the center of the dialog box change the speed of the animation, by changing the Delay value. You
can also change speed manually by typing a new Delay value. Larger numbers mean longer delays and slower ani-
mation. Pressing Faster reduces the delay value while Slower increases it. Press Fast to reset the Delay to 1.
You can also change the order in which the animation frames will be displayed by choosing Half or Full. Half ani-
mations go from the first frame to the last and then jump back to the first. Full animations go from the first to the
last, and then back to the first in reverse order. When you are animating deformations, half animations deform and
snap back. Full animations repeatedly deform and undeform. Full animations are smoother while half animations
are faster.
8.4.2.1 Controlling Animation in Multiple Windows
The View Animation command either updates one window or all windows depending on the All Views setting. By
adjusting the delay values in different windows, you can simultaneously show animation at different speeds. You
can also control this by using a different number of frames in each different windows.
Note: While the Show Model Data Contour box is checked, all Contour Style settings in the View Select dia-
log box (View, Select command) will be ignored until the display of model data has been turned off.
Getting Faster Animations 8-35
8.4.2.2 Getting Faster Animations
FEMAP creates animations by drawing multiple frames, each with slightly different displacements or positions.
Each frame is retained in memory as a bitmap. Then, at intervals specified by the delay, each bitmap is redrawn to
the window. As you can imagine, this can take a lot of memory, and a lot of computing power. Multiple animating
windows just increases those requirements. To work successfully with these animations you need a fast computer,
and a graphics board that can transfer bitmaps to the screen very quickly.
If you are not satisfied with the speed of your animation, and you have specified a small delay, try using less
frames, a smaller graphics window, or monochrome animation. Each of these can make the animation significantly
faster. Also, make certain you do not have other applications running in the background while you are trying to ani-
mate.
Here are some important things to remember when working with animations:
If you move the graphics cursor over an animating window, the cursor may become invisible (or blink) because
animating windows constantly redraw the entire window and hide the cursor. If you lose the cursor, keep
moving the mouse in a single direction until it moves outside of the animating window. The cursor will be visi-
ble again.
Whenever you choose a command from the menu, either with the keyboard or mouse, FEMAP will pause any
ongoing animations. This gives you much better interactive response time during the command you choose. To
restart the animation, you must choose the View, Advanced Post, Animation, the Window, Redraw, or the Win-
dow, Regenerate command. The advantage of View, Advanced Post, Animation is that it does not require
FEMAP to recalculate the animation frames.
Running a program file also stops all animations.
You cannot make graphical selections in animating windows. Animations are just a series of bitmaps with no
direct connection to the entities in the FEMAP database.
The delay factor controls animation speed by pausing between frames. The appropriate delay factor depends on
the computer speed, graphics board, size of the window, whether you are doing color, or monochrome anima-
tion, and many more factors. If you are only animating one window, you may have to increase this number sub-
stantially to slow down an animation. With multiple windows, you may have to decrease it to speed up
animations. If you are trying to make multiple windows animate at different speeds, adjust the delay factors rel-
ative to each other. For example, if you have two windows, setting one delay equal to twice the delay in the
other window will animate at half the speed of the other window. The ratio of the smallest to largest delay in the
active animating windows should always be less than 20 or 25 for best performance (preferably less than 10). If
you exceed these recommendations, the slower animating window will appear choppy, and in some cases, may
not animate at all. If you are experiencing this problem, you must increase the delays in all windows (you can
keep the ratios the same), so that your computer can keep up with all of the animations.
8.4.3 View, Advanced Post, Dynamic Cutting Plane...
... allows you to dynamically view section cuts in the model. This is very convenient when displaying a contoured
solid. When you select this command, you will see the Dynamic Section Cut Control box. This dialog box allows
you to dynamically move a plane through your model, displaying the contour on this plane.
Section...
If you are displaying Multiple Sections, this allows you to select which of the planes is controlled by the Dynamic
Section Cut Control dialog box.
Plane...
...allows you to locate the cutting plane using the FEMAP standard plane definition dialog box. Once you select the
plane, you can use the Windows scrollbar to move this plane through the solid, and FEMAP will automatically
move the contoured plane through the model from lowest value (position) to highest value.
Value...
... options allow you to specify a specific location to view for the section cut. The value represent distances normal
to the section cut. You can therefore start at one end of the model and move through the entire model to the other
end. If you stop scrolling, FEMAP will automatically fill-in the position in the Value box. You can also specify a
specific value to move to an exact location.
Delta...
... defines the value when you click on the scrollbar to move it. By specifying a Delta, and then clicking in the Win-
dows scrollbar to move it, you can change the value, and thereby the position of the section cut by the Delta value.
This is a convenient method to move through the section cuts at specified increments.
8.4.4 View, Advanced Post, Dynamic IsoSurface...
... This command allows you to move dynamically through isosurfaces in the model. Just as with the dynamic cut-
ting plane, you can also define a specific value (the value of the isosurface) as well as a delta.
This command lets you move through only isosurfaces, or to move through isosurfaces while showing the contour
of another vector on the isosurface. These options are controlled by the vectors chosen under Deformed and Con-
tour Data (under View Select). If both the deformed and contour vectors are the same, FEMAP will just move
through the isosurfaces. However, if they are different, FEMAP will use the deformation vector you have chosen
for the isosurfaces, and will contour using the contour vector. Therefore, you can see one vector contoured on a
constant section of another vector.
The specific options related to these displays can be found under View Options (Category PostProcessing, Option
IsoSurfaces).
If you have Draw IsoLines selected in View Options (Category PostProcessing, Option IsoLines), this dialog
enables you to interactively change the isoline value.
8.4.5 View, Advanced Post, Dynamic Streamline...
... allows you to dynamically move the streamline start location. When you select this command, you will see the
Dynamic Streamline Control box. This dialog box allows you to dynamically modify the X, Y or Z coordinate of
the streamline start location. If you have a streamline displayed using a start location defined by point ID or group
ID, the start location option will be changed to be defined by XYZ location and will revert to the original mode
when exiting this dialog.
Global Coordinate...
This allows you to select whether you are controlling the X, Y or Z coordinate of the streamline start location.
Value...
... options allow you to specify a specific X, Y or Z coordinate. If you stop scrolling, FEMAP will automatically
fill-in the position in the Value box. You can also specify a specific value to move to an exact location.
Hint: This is an extremely valuable tool when performing thermal stress analysis. You can define the temper-
ature vector as the deformation vector to use for the isosurfaces, and then select a stress value for the
contour vector. You can then visualize the stress values at a given temperature.
View, Advanced Post, Beam Cross Section... 8-37
Delta...
... defines the value when you click on the scrollbar to move it. By specifying a Delta, and then clicking in the Win-
dows scrollbar to move it, you can change the value, and thereby the position of the streamline by the Delta value.
8.4.6 View, Advanced Post, Beam Cross Section...
... allows you to temporarily Show Stress data (8 different types) as a contour plot directly on the cross-sections of
bar and beam elements. FEMAP calculates the stress data dynamically using a combination of element force data
from Output Vectors which are typically imported from an analysis involving beam elements. Cross-section stress
data can be plotted on a single element or multiple elements, then modified using a number of different Location,
Output From Vectors, and Advanced options.
All options are specified using the Beam Cross Section Stress Control dialog box
Output Set...
... choose an existing Output Set. Output Vectors in the chosen Output Set will be used to calculate the stress data.
Output From Vectors...
... this command uses a combination of 12 output vectors (End A and End B for 6 different types of output data)
to calculate the type of stress data specified in Show Stress. These 6 types of output vectors are Axial Force,
Shear Force Y, Shear Force Z, Moment Y, Moment Z, and Torque. When an output vector type is checked, it
will be used in the calculation. Uncheck a type to exclude it from the calculation.
Note: Element Force Output Vectors are required for this command to function properly. For several solv-
ers, element forces may be turned on in the Output Requests dialog box of the Analysis Set Manager
by checking the Force check box in the Elemental section.
Note: Once the graphics window has been redrawn (Window, Redraw or Ctrl+D or double-click left mouse
button in the graphics window) or regenerated (Window, Regenerate or Ctrl+G), the Beam Cross Sec-
tion stress data will no longer be visible. Also, some commands in FEMAP will automatically redraw or
regenerate the view, so keep that in mind if the data is no longer visible. Simply use the View, Advanced
Post, Beam Cross Section command again to re-plot the data.
It may be a good idea to place the icon for this command on a toolbar if you are going to be changing
options and displaying different results over and over.
Note: By default, the Dynamic Update option under Advanced is set to on. This means as output vector
types are turned on or off, the plot of the stress data may change on-the-fly. Turning off a particular
type of output vector may or may not change the display of the stress data. It all depends on how that
output vector type is used during the calculation of the stress data selected in Show Stress.
Elements...
... allows you to choose to view the stress data on a Single element or Multiple elements. For Single, enter an ele-
ment ID directly of choose any beam element in the graphics window. When set to Multiple, click the Elements but-
ton to use the typical Entity Selection dialog box to select any number of elements. The Screen Space option in the
Location section is not available when using Multiple. If any non-bar/beam elements are selected, they are simply
ignored when creating the plot in the graphics window.
Show Stress...
... allows you to specify which type of stress FEMAP should calculate from the vector data. The 8 options are von
Mises Stress, Maximum Shear Stress, Maximum Principle Stress, Minimum Principle Stress, Axial Stress, Y Shear
Stress, Z Shear Stress, and Combined Shear Stress. The type selected in Show Stress will persist until changed or
FEMAP is closed. The default stress type for new models is Axial Stress.
When the Show Stress option is set to Combined Shear Stress, check the Vector Plot option to view the stress as
vectors instead of a contour plot. There are several options under Advanced which may be used to create the
desired Vector Plot.
Location...
... contains a number of options which are used to specify the location(s) to calculate the stress data along the length
of the selected element(s). Use the slider bar to move the calculation location between End A and End B of the
selected element(s) or specify a Position in terms of a percentage of length of each element from End A to End B,
then click Apply. Changing the Delta value will change the percentage of length the calculation location(s) will
move when the Left or Right Arrow buttons on either end of the slider bar are clicked.
Check the Multiple box, then enter a value from 2 to 10 to have that number of evenly spaced plots on each selected
element. Contours at End A and End B are always plotted when using this option, so if the number is set to 3, a con-
tour will be plotted at End A, at 50% of the length of the element(s), and End B. The Element Shrink option under
Advanced can be useful when plotting contours on multiple beams which share end points.
When Elements is set to Single and the Multiple option in Location is off, the plot can be viewed in Screen Space
or Model Space. The default is Model Space, with the plot being displayed and oriented in the context of the model.
When set to Screen Space the cross-section of the selected element will appear on the same plane as the screen. The
slider bar can be used to change the calculation location in both cases, as long as Multiple is off.
For example, in both these figures, Elements set to Single, Position set to 35% in Location, Show Stress set to
7..Combined Shear Stress, and all vector types are on in the Output From Vectors section
Elements set to Multiple
View, Advanced Post, Beam Cross Section... 8-39
:
Advanced...
... opens the Advanced Options dialog box. Each section is described in greater detail below.
General Options
Scaled By - Scales the size of the Beam Cross Section display. Enter a
value from 0.1 to 100. Only used by Model Space.
Quality - Specify a value between 1 and 5 for the Quality of the loca-
tion calculation of each section. Each location calculation value is
determined using the finite element method, therefore this value is actu-
ally how finely messed each cross section is during that solve. Using a
Quality value of 1 meshes each cross section with the least amount of
elements, but takes the least amount of time to calculate the values at
each section. Entering a value of 5 will use the most elements and
take the most time to solve.
Dynamic Update - On by default. When on, all changes made to
options or location occur on-the-fly. When off, the Apply button
must be clicked to make changes to the display.
Element Shrink - Shrinks the distance where a Beam Cross Section
contour may be plotted along the length of an element, to a percentage of actual element length. This percentage is
set using the Shrink To % field of the Shrink Elements option found in the View, Options command. Useful when
using the Multiple option in Location and elements share end points.
Section Outline - When on, displays an outline around all Beam Cross Section contour plots in the model, match-
ing the outline of each section. Click Palette button to choose the outline color from the Color Palette dialog box.
Note: In few cases, you will need to increase the Quality value in
order to display any type of stress contour with this command.
Usually, this will only be needed when the cross-section is
VERY complicated.
Note: You may want to turn Dynamic Update off if a large num-
ber of elements have been selected using Multiple option for
Elements. That way, a number of options can be changed and
the plot updated only once instead of every time an option is
changed.
Options: Model Space, Vector Plot Off Options: Screen Space, Vector Plot On
Advanced options: Section Outline On
Vector Length = 50.0, Solid Vectors Off
Advanced options: Section Outline On
More Arrows On
Especially helpful when Element - Orientation/Shape option in View, Options command is set to an option which
does not show bar/beam element cross sections.
For example, in both these figures, Elements set to Single, Multiple option on and set to 3 in Location , Show
Stress set to 4..Axial Stress, and all vector types are on in the Output From Vectors section
Contour Legend Max/Min Options
Include End Stresses - On by default. When on, the max/min values of the Contour Legend are calculated using
ALL locations of the selected elements. The Contour Legend does NOT change as the Position is changed and the
displayed max/min values are NOT dependent on the current Position set in Location.
When off, the max/min values of the Contour Legend are calculated using the current location only of the
selected element(s). When Dynamic Update is on, the Contour Legend will dynamically change as the Position
is changed, thus making the range between max/min values smaller. A smaller range between max/min values
combined with the same number of levels in the Contour Legend, yields a contour plot with more color variation
for a particular location.
Override - Turn this option on to override calculation of Max/Min values for the Contour Legend and instead
simply use user-specified values for Min and Max. Include End Stresses option does nothing when this is on.
Vector Plot Options
Vector Length - Specify a value between 0.1 and 400, with 0.1 representing the shortest vectors. Default is 40.
Solid Vector - When on, vectors are displayed as Solid Vectors. When off, vectors appear as lines.
More Arrows - When on, more vectors will be displayed. If you need arrows near the outline of the plot, this
option should be used.
Note: When creating a Vector Plot, the default options may or may not produce what is considered a useful
plot for all users. To create a custom Vector Plot try different combinations of the Vector Plot Options.
This may take a few iterations.
Default view with beam element cross sections displayed
Advanced Options: Scaled By = 1.5
Element Shrink on, Section Outline on
Include End Stresses is on Include End Stresses is off
Output Manipulation 8-41
8.5 Output Manipulation
The Model, Output submenu allows you to manage output sets and loads, as well as create new output. The menu is
divided into four areas:
Output set/vector: On the first segment of the menu, the Set and Vector commands let you create and/or activate
the current output set and output vector.
Active vector commands: The Define and Fill commands let you create output for the current output vector.
Output set/vector commands: These commands let you manipulate entire output sets, as well as individual vec-
tors. Commands include Process, Calculate, From Load, Transform, Extrapolate, and Global Ply.
Complex output commands: The Convert Complex and Expand Complex commands are only applicable to
complex output results (such as results from a frequency response analysis). You must have either magnitude/
phase results, or real/imaginary pairs. You can convert between these types of complex output, or expand the
results using phase information into the real domain.
The Forced Response command calculates additional output using the results of a modal analysis as a basis.
The values and type of the calculated output depends on a number of inputs and options specified by the user.
This output corresponds to results typically recovered from a Frequency Response analysis.
Each of these commands is described in the following sections.
8.5.1 Model, Output, Create Manage/Set...
...creates a new output set or activates an
existing output set.
An output set is a collection of output vec-
tors (results data). When you run an analy-
sis, the software generates an output set for:
each combination of loads and constraints
that you specify (cases); each frequency of
a modal analysis; or each time step of a
transient or nonlinear analysis. If you
define multiple cases with the analysis set
manager, you will have multiple output
sets.
To create a new output set, click the New
Output Set button.
To activate an existing output set, high-
light it in the list. Click None Active to
deactivate all output sets.
Use Update to change the Title, Set Value,
and/or Notes of the output set selected in
the list. Renumber will renumber the
selected set, while Delete will delete it from the model. Delete All will delete all output sets from the model.
The Set Value is defined by certain analysis types. For example, for a modal analysis it is the modal frequency,
and for a transient analysis it is the time value. To change this value, make the set active, then enter the new
value in the Set Value field. Since the set value can be used for X-Y plotting, you can effectively change the
scale of your X-Y plot by changing the set values for each output set.
Use the Notes feature to record detailed information about the output set. You can enter up to 256 characters, on
multiple lines. FEMAP also automatically reads some information from output files (date, time of run, file
name) and stores it in notes.
Notes are not plotted to the screen, but the List, Output, Unformatted command will list them with the other out-
put set information. By turning off all the vector information, you can obtain a listing of your sets and notes.
8.5.2 Model, Output, Vector...
... creates a new output vector or activates an existing
output vector.
An output vector is a collection of single data values for
each node or element. For example, the T1 Translation
output vector contains the X translation values for each
node. Each vector contains a single value per node or
element, but some vectors refer to other vectors for addi-
tional data. For example, Total Translation internally ref-
erences the T1, T2, and T3 translation vectors. Many of
the elemental output vectors such as stress or strain refer-
ence corner output vectors.
To create a new output vector, enter a new ID and a
descriptive Title.
To activate an existing user-defined vector for modifica-
tion, pick the vector from the list.
The dialog box includes the following fields:
ID: Choose an ID between 9,000,000 and 9,999,999 for magnitude output. For phase output, the ID must be
between 19,000,000 and 19,999,999. For real complex output, choose between 29,000,000 and 29,999,999. For
imaginary complex output, choose between 39,000,000 and 39,999,999. FEMAP reserves vectors 1 to
8,999,999 for use by the analysis program output translators to ensure that the translators will not overwrite any
of your output data.
Title: Make sure that you specify a descriptive title for new output vectors, since you will probably have many
vectors.
Data Selection: The Category and Type fields in this area limit the vectors that FEMAP lists when you are
selecting an output vector. You can choose one of the standard categories, or make your own by choosing Other.
If you choose Other, you must also enter a category number less than 255. If you don't want to limit the cate-
gory and type, choose Any Output.
Type: This area determines whether the data in the output vector will be On Node or On Element. FEMAP will
not use the vector correctly if you do not specify the proper type.
8.5.3 Model, Output, Define...
... creates or modifies output data for the active output set and vector.
To selectively update existing output data:
1. Pick the node or element to modify, or enter the node/element ID.
2. Enter a new output Data Value for this entity.
3. Press More to create this data entry and additional entries, or press Last One to create this data entry and return
to the FEMAP menu.
Hint: If you select a specific output vector but the numeric values does not appear under ID, it is probably
because the output set is not active. To activate the output set, use Model, Output, Create/Manage Set,
then use Model, Output, Vector to pick the active vector.
Model, Output, Fill... 8-43
8.5.4 Model, Output, Fill...
... creates output data for the active output set and vector. You can specify an equation or a constant value that
defines the output for selected nodes or elements.
To use this command, first select the nodes or elements where you want to create output. Next, specify the equation
or value that you want to use for the selected entities.
The fields on the Calculate/Fill Output Data dialog box include:
ID
Enter a variable, or use the default ID Variable of i. Remember to use the variable in the equation.
Equation
Enter a constant value or equation.
To define a constant value for selected nodes or elements, enter the value in the Equation field, and press OK.
You can also use a real equation to define the output value.
Unlike other FEMAP equations, this equation has a special feature: the ID Variable is automatically defined as
equal to the ID of the entity (node or element) where the output will be created. You can use this variable in your
equation to vary the output value for each entity. For example, if you have selected a number of nodes and the ID
Variable is i, you could use the equation:
XND(!i)
to use the X coordinate of each node as the output value. Similarly, you could use:
SQRT(SQR(VEC(1;2;!i))+SQR(VEC(1;3;!i))+SQR(VEC(1;4;!i)))
to define output values in the current vector which are the vector magnitude of the data in Vectors 2, 3 and 4 from
Output Set 1.
For information on how to enter equations and functions, see Section C, "Function Reference" in the FEMAP User
Guide.
8.5.5 Model, Output, Process
Use the Process Output Data dialog box to manipulate output sets and individual vectors.
The Processing Operations section has a different tab for each unique type of output processing that can be done
with this command. Depending on the selected Processing Operation, you will have to choose What to Process,
which can be Complete Output Sets or One or More Selected Output Vectors. Each tab contains different options
and often some brief help about what needs to be entered for a Processing Operation option a to work properly
using the selected What to Process option.
Another common item used by all the Processing Operations is the Select Output to Process button, which will
bring up a dialog box which allows you to pick output sets or individual output vectors in particular output sets.
Note: The Fill command will overwrite any existing values for a variable. If you defined the variable previ-
ously and want to preserve its value, you must choose a different variable, even if you do not use the
variable in your equation.
Finally, items will be added to the Operations That Will Be Processed list after pressing OK in the Select Output
Sets to Process dialog box. As the dialog states, it is suggested you Review Before Pressing OK in Process Out-
put Data dialog box. Use the Delete button to remove a single operation from the list or the Reset button to clear
everything from the list
Processing Operations
Copy - copy (duplicate) output sets/vectors. For details, see Section 8.5.5.1, "Copying Output Sets and Vectors"
Merge - combine output sets/vectors. For details, see Section 8.5.5.2, "Merging Output Sets and Vectors".
Linear Combination - combine output sets/vectors using linear combination. For details, see Section 8.5.5.3,
"Creating Linear Combinations".
RSS Combination - combine output sets and vectors using the RSS (root sum square) technique. For details,
see Section 8.5.5.4, "Calculating RSS for Output Sets and Vectors".
Envelope - generate output sets/vectors using envelope techniques. For details, see Section 8.5.5.5, "Generat-
ing Output Data Using an Envelope".
Error Estimate - generate output set/vector error estimates. For details, see Section 8.5.5.6, "Generating Error
Estimates for Output Data".
Convert - convert nodal output to elemental output, and vice versa. For details, see Section 8.5.5.7, "Convert-
ing Nodal and Elemental Data".
Note: If a different Processing Operation tab is selected after items have been placed in the Operations That
Will Be Processed list, FEMAP will ask OK to Clear All Processing Operations?. Click Yes to clear
all items from the list and move to a different tab or click No to have the items remain in the list and
stay on the current tab
Model, Output, Process 8-45
Performing Operations on Output Sets and Vectors
The general process for performing an operation on output sets or vectors is as follows:
1. Under Processing Operations, pick a tab, such as Copy. For some operations, you will want be select additional
options in order to have the operation produce the desired output.
2. Under What to Process, choose Complete Output Sets or One or More Selected Output Vectors. When using the
One or More Selected Output Vectors option, use the Store Output in Set drop-down to set a destination Output
Set for the new output. The Complete Output Sets option is NOT available for Error Estimate or Convert.
3. Click Select Output to Process button. If Complete Output Sets is selected, a multi-select dialog box containing
only the available Output Sets in the model will appear. If One or More Selected Output Vectors is selected, a
larger dialog box containing a list of available Output Sets and Output Vectors, along with some additional
options will be displayed. Once the desired output has been selected, click OK. See Using Select Output to Pro-
cess for more information.
4. The Operations That Will Be Processed list is now filled with information about selected Processing Operation.
5. You can continue to add Processing Operations of the same type to the Operations That Will Be Processed list.
When you are finished, click OK to process the operations and generate the new/modified output sets or vectors.
Using Select Output to Process
The only way to select which output sets and output vectors to consider when using the Model, Output, Process
command is by clicking the Select Output to Process button. This displays one of two different Select Output Sets
to Process dialog boxes, depending on the What to Process option.
When Complete Output Sets is selected, a multi-select dialog box containing only the existing output sets in the
model will appear.
This is a multi-select dialog box, which can be used by selecting output sets by their title from a list. Holding
down the Ctrl key will enable the selection of multiple output sets. Holding down Shift while picking a first,
then a last output set will select a range.
The text field and Filter icon button at the bottom of the dialog box can be used to reduce the list based on the
entered text. Enter more text and click the Filter again to create a smaller list. Click the Clear Filter icon button to
return all output sets to the list.
The All button chooses all output sets currently in the list, so if the list is filtered, only those output sets will be
highlighted. Click None to have no output sets selected in the list.
When One or More Selected Output Vectors is selected, a large dialog box containing a list of Output Sets in the
model, Output Vectors from an output set specified using the From Output Set drop-down, and several other
options will appear.
Along with checking and unchecking the boxes, you can also highlight the titles in the Output Sets or Output Vec-
tors list, then click the Toggle Selected Sets or Toggle Selected Vectors buttons, respectively.
The list of Output Vectors displayed by default are always from the Active Output Set in the model. To see the
list of Output Vectors from a different Output Set, simply select one from the From Output Set drop-down list.
If you check Select Similar Layer/Ply/Corner Vectors, you can select all similar data without worrying about
checking all of the output vectors. For example, if you turn on this option, and select the vector "Plate Bot Von
Mises Stress" (the centroidal Von Mises Stress at the bottom fiber of a plate/shell element), you will automatically
also get the centroidal Von Mises Stress at the top fiber, and, if you have selected "Include Components/Corner
Results", you will get the bottom and top Von Mises Stress at all of the element corners. Similarly, for laminate ele-
ments, this option allows you to select results for all plys without having to select them manually. When using this
option it does not matter which output vector location you choose, you will get the similar data for all locations.
Once finished, click OK and view the selected items in the Operations That Will be Processed list.
8.5.5.1 Copying Output Sets and Vectors
Use Copy in the Processing Operations section to duplicate output vectors or entire output sets. An output set is
always copied to a new output set. You can copy output vectors to an existing output set or to a new output set.
Using this Option
To use this option, following the general steps in "Performing Operations on Output Sets and Vectors".
8.5.5.2 Merging Output Sets and Vectors
Use Merge in the Processing Operations section to copy an output vector to another output set, or to combine two
entire output sets, which may or may not have the same output vectors. Specify a Merge Approach:
If Do Not Overwrite Existing Output is selected, data in the Select Output to Process set will be skipped if it already
exists in the set specified in Store Output in Set.
Creating Linear Combinations 8-47
If Overwrite Existing Output is selected, the output vectors in the Select Output to Process set will overwrite any
existing output vectors or data values in the set specified in Store Output in Set.
When output sets/vectors are combined, duplicate output vectors and data values are skipped. The resulting output
set (set specified in Store Output in Set) contains one copy of the duplicate data.
For example, you could use this option to combine selected Stress output vectors from two different element types
in the same output set into one output vector, then display this merged vector as a Criteria Plot.
Another idea might be to combine output sets which contain different output vectors into a single output set. If out-
put vectors in the Select Output to Process output set are different from those in the set specified in Store Output in
Set, those vectors will be added to the list of output vectors for the set specified in Store Output in Set.
Using this Option
To use this option, follow the general steps in "Performing Operations on Output Sets and Vectors".
8.5.5.3 Creating Linear Combinations
Use Merge in the Processing Operations section to combine output vectors based on the following formula:
where
V
out
is the vector that is created
V
i
are the vectors to combine, and
A
i
are the scale factors
You can create linear combinations of individual output vectors or of entire output sets.
When What to Process is set to Complete Output Sets, the only additional option is to add a Scale Factor for each
set. The Scale Factor can be different for each selected output set.
For Example, a Linear Combination of entire output sets could be created is this manner:
Specify a Scale Factor of 1.5, then click Select Output to Process button. Select Output Set A, then click OK.
Now change the Scale Factor to a 1.25, then follow the same process and select Output Set B. Click OK in the
Process Output Data dialog to produce Output Set C which would be:
When What to Process is set to One or More Selected Output Vectors, there are 3 options for Combination
Approach. The default Combination Approach is Combine Each Vector in All Sets. This essentially works the same
as a Linear Combination with What to Process set to Complete Output Vectors, but instead of the whole set, only
selected output vectors are combined and placed in a new output set. When Combination Approach is set to Com-
bine All Selected Vectors, the selected output vectors will all be combined into a single output vector. This single,
combined output vector can be placed in a new output set or an existing output set chosen from the Store Output in
Set drop-down. The third Combination Approach is Combine All Vectors in Each Set, which combines all selected
output vectors into a single output vector and stores them in the original output set. For Example, if there are 3 out-
put sets selected, A, B, and C, and 4 output vectors selected, a single, combined output vector will be cre-
ated in each selected output set.
Some vectors cannot be linearly combined by this option. When FEMAP reads output from your analysis, certain
vectors are identified as being not linearly combinable. Examples of these are Principal Stresses, Von Mises
Stress, and Total Displacement. Instead of combining these vectors, FEMAP recalculates them based on their lin-
early combined components (if all necessary components exist). This recalculation is only possible when you com-
bine entire output sets.
Using this Option
V
out
{ } A
1
V
1
{ } A
2
V
2
{ } ... A
n
V
n
{ } + + + =
C { } 1.5 A { } 1.25 B { } + =
8.5.5.4 Calculating RSS for Output Sets and Vectors
Use the RSS Combination (root sum square) tab on the Process Output Data dialog box to calculate output vectors
based on the following formula:
where
V
out
is the vector that was created
V
i
are the vectors to combine, and
A
i
are the scale factors
You can calculate the root sum square for output vectors or for entire output sets.
The Scale Factor and Combination Approach sections are the same as Linear Combination. See Section 8.5.5.3,
"Creating Linear Combinations" for more information about these topics. A different Scale Factor may be set for
each selected output set or vector.
Some vectors cannot be combined by this option. When FEMAP reads output from your analysis, certain vectors
are identified as being not linearly combinable. Examples of these are Principal Stresses, Von Mises Stress, and
Total Displacement. Instead of combining these vectors, FEMAP recalculates them based on their linearly com-
bined components (if all necessary components exist). This recalculation is only possible when you combine entire
output sets.
Using this Option
8.5.5.5 Generating Output Data Using an Envelope
Use the Envelope tab on the Process Output Data dialog box to choose a method for combining data. For each term
(each vector or set that you want to envelope), you will select one of the three available methods in the Type sec-
tion: Max Value, Min Value, or Max Absolute Value. The resulting envelope is based on the following formula:
where
V
env
is the vector that is created
V
i
are the vectors to envelope, and
F
()
is the max, min, or absmax function
You can choose to envelope entire output sets or individual output vectors. When using the One or More Selected
Output Vectors option, select an Envelope Approach option to create different types of envelopes.
Using this Option
For details on the Type options (Max Value, Min Value, or Max Absolute Value) options, see "How Envelope
Works".
For details and Envelope Approach options, see When What to Process is set to One or More Selected Output
Vectors .
For details on the Store Set/Location Info option, see "Requesting Set/Location Info".
How Envelope Works
The first set or vector that you select is copied directly to the set or vector that will receive the enveloped data. If
you specify additional vectors, the data from those vectors is combined with the existing enveloped data. There are
three methods that you can use for the combination:
V
out
{ } A
1
V
1
{ }
2
A
2
V
2
{ }
2
... A
n
V
n
{ }
2
+ + + =
V
env
{ } F V
n
{ } F V
n 1
{ } F ... V
1
{ } , ( ) , ( ) , ( ) =
Generating Output Data Using an Envelope 8-49
Max Value enveloping: This method compares the envelope and added vector, and uses the maximum value of
the node/element.
Min Value enveloping: This method compares the envelope and the added vector, and uses the minimum value
of the node/element.
Max Absolute Value enveloping: This method compares the envelope and added vector, and uses the maximum
absolute value of the node/element. The enveloped data will still contain both positive and negative values. The
absolute value of the data is not saved; it is just used for the comparison.
For any method, if data does not exist for a node or element, in either the envelope or the additional vector, the
result will simply be the value of the data that did exist.
When What to Process is set to Complete Output Sets
Specify a Type, such as Max Value, then select any number of output sets using the Select Output to Process button.
This will always create a new output set that contains the maximum (or minimum, or absolute maximum) output
values for every output vector at all nodes or elements in the original data. If the Store Set/Location Info option is
on, an additional output set will be created. The output values at each node or element for every output vector in
this additional output set are determined using the Output Set ID corresponding to the value for node or element
used in the envelope output set.
For example, a Max Value envelope is created using 2 complete output sets (IDs 1 and 2). Results exist for ele-
ment 100 in both output sets and the Store Set/Location Info option is on. The value of von Mises Stress for
element 100 is 120.00 in Output Set 1 and 110.00 in Output Set 2. In this case, the value for von Mises Stress for
element 100 in the newly created Envelope (Max 1,2) output set would be 120.00 and the value in newly cre-
ated Envelope Set Info (Max 1,2) output set would be 1. If Type was switched to Min Value, with all other inputs
remaining the same, then the value for von Mises Stress for element 100 in the Envelope (Min 1,2) output set
would be 110.00 and the value in Envelope Set Info (Min 1,2) would be 2.
When What to Process is set to One or More Selected Output Vectors
Specify a Type, such as Max Value, then select an Envelope Approach. There are three approaches that can be used
for the combination:
Envelope All Selected Vectors: For simplicity, this description will use a single output set selected in the top
portion of the Select Output Sets to Process dialog box. In this case, FEMAP simply creates a single vector to
represent the envelope of all vectors selected in the bottom half Select Output Sets to Process of the dialog box.
If the Store Set/Location Info option is on, an additional output vector or vectors may be created. Where the
enveloped vector and additional set/location info vectors are stored after creation depends on the specified
Create Envelopes options. When Within Output Sets is checked, the vector(s) will be stored in the output set
selected in the top portion of the Select Output Sets to Process dialog box. If Across Output Sets is checked, the
vector(s) will be stored in either a new output set or the set selected using the Store Output in Set drop-down. If
both Create Envelopes options are selected, the data will be stored in both places
When multiple output sets are selected in the top portion of the Select Output Sets to Process dialog box, the Create
Envelopes options actually change how the output data is enveloped.
When Within Output Sets is checked, only the output vectors within each selected output set will be enveloped with
one another. The enveloped vector is stored in each individual output set. When Store Set/Location Info is on, a
corresponding Location Info vector, containing only Output Vector IDs, will also be stored in each output set. For
instance, if 3 output sets and 5 output vectors are selected, the 5 output vectors in Set 1 will be enveloped with
one another, then the enveloped vectors will be stored in set 1. Same process would occur for Sets 2 and 3,
therefore no data outside a selected output set is enveloped with data from any other output set.
When Across Output Sets is checked, all selected output vectors from ALL selected sets will be enveloped to create
a single enveloped vector. This enveloped vector is stored in either a new output set or the set selected using
the Store Output in Set drop-down. When Store Set/Location Info is on, a corresponding Set Info vector, contain-
ing only Output Set IDs, and a Location Info vector, containing only Output Vector IDs, will also be stored in
each output set. For instance, if 2 output sets and 5 output vectors are selected, with the Store Output in Set option
set to 0..New Output Set, then the 10 output vectors total (5 from each selected set) will all be enveloped with
one another. The enveloped vector(s) will be stored in newly created Output Set 3.
If both Create Envelopes options are selected, then an envelope for each selected output set and an additional one
across all selected output sets will be created
Envelope All Locations For Each Vector: Used to create envelopes of a certain Type, such as Max Value, using
all the locations of a particular output vector. Locations differ based on the shape and type of element. For
instance, this option may be used to create a Ply Summary of results from an analysis involving laminate ele-
ments. Other uses would be for determining the highest/lowest value from top/bottom/middle results on shell
elements, corners of solid or shell elements, both ends of a line element, or all stress recovery points a bar or
beam. FEMAP will automatically determine which other vectors are needed to create an envelope of loca-
tions based on the vector(s) selected in the bottom portion of the Select Output Sets to Process dialog box.
FEMAP will create an enveloped output vector for each different type (not each location) of selected output
vector. Much like the Envelope All Selected Vectors approach, specifying the different Create Envelopes
options and selection of a single output set or multiple output sets in the Select Output Sets to Process dialog
box, can have a large affect on the data created in envelopes. See above for more details. In the case of a ply
summery, only the output vector(s) of 1 ply need to be selected to create an envelope using this approach.
Other examples include choosing only top or bottom vector(s) of shell element results, the output vector(s)
on a single end of a line element (as long as results exist for both ends), vectors on a single corner for shell or
solids (will include centroid value as well), or vectors of a single stress recovery point on bar/beam elements.
For example, if each ply of a laminate contained 10 separate output vectors, and Create Envelopes is set to Within
Output Sets, then 10 enveloped vectors would be created within in each selected output set, based only on the
output in each individual output set. When Store Set/Location Info is on, a corresponding Location Info output
vector containing only Ply IDs for each enveloped vector will also be stored in each output set. In the same
scenario, only using Create Envelopes set to Across Output Sets instead, 10 enveloped vectors would be created
based on ALL selected output sets, then placed into either a new output set or an existing output set chosen using
the Store Output in Set drop-down. When the Store Set/Location Info is on a corresponding Set Info output vector,
containing only Output Set IDs, and a Location Info output vector, containing only Ply IDs, will be created and
stored along with the enveloped vectors. If both Create Envelopes options are selected, then location envelope
vectors will be created within each selected output set, while others are created for across ALL selected output sets.
Envelope Each Vector Independently: This is the default Envelope Approach and essentially does the same
thing as an envelope of Complete Output Sets, except it only creates and stores output in a newly created Enve-
lope Each Vector output set for selected output vectors. Other differences include all enveloped output vectors
will have IDs in the User Data range (9,000,000 and above) and when Store Set/Location Info option is on,
simply creates additional vectors with titles starting with Set Info within the same Envelope Each Vector
output set instead of making a Envelope Set Info output set.
Requesting Set/Location Info
The Store Set/Location Info option creates additional output, which offers details of the original location or out-
put set of enveloped output data. When using Complete Output Sets, an additional output set containing all the
same output vectors as the enveloped data output set will be created. When using One or More Selected Output
Vectors, individual output vectors within sets that correspond to the enveloped data will be created. This provides
an easy way to determine the worst case conditions for each output vector.
For Set Info output vectors, the output values will always be the ID of the output set where the enveloped data value
originated.
When Envelope Approach is set to Envelope All Locations For Each Vector, Location Info vectors contain values in
a particular format, based on the type and shape of the element:
Ply Summary of laminate elements - Value came from Ply ID = # (Integers Only)
Top/Middle/Bottom and Corner of shell elements - Value came from Top = -2, Middle = -1, or Bottom = -0.
If value came from Corner # = 0.# (possible corner values 1-4). Thus, if displayed Location Info value is -2.3,
this means the enveloped value came from the Top, Corner 3 output vector.
Corners of solid elements - First digit in displayed value is always 1. Value came from Corner # = 0.# (1-8).
Thus, if envelope value came from Corner 7 output vector (8-noded Brick), displayed value would be 1.7.
End and Stress Recovery Point of bar/beam elements - Value came from End A = 1 or End B = 2. If chosen
vector contains Stress Recovery Point information, value came from Stress Recovery Point # = 0.0# (1-4). Thus,
if envelope value came Stress Recovery Point 4 of End B output vector, displayed value would be 2.04.
Note: Because Set Info and Location Info values are usually the same for an entire element, a Criteria plot is
often the best way to view these output vectors.
Generating Error Estimates for Output Data 8-51
8.5.5.6 Generating Error Estimates for Output Data
Use the Error Estimate tab on the Process Output Data dialog box to estimate the accuracy of the data in a selected
output vector. This operation creates a new vector containing the estimate data. You can use any of the post-pro-
cessing methods to display and evaluate the error estimate vector.
All finite element models and finite element analyses are engineering approximations. Depending upon how many
elements you create, the shape of those elements, loading, boundary conditions, and many other factors, the accu-
racy of your model/approximation can be very good or very bad. One of the main problems in using finite element
results is that it is difficult to tell when the results truly represent reality. One historical method of verifying accu-
racy is to build a second model that is more refined (has more elements), and check to see if you get the same or
similar answers. If you do, the original approximation was reasonable. Unfortunately, this method takes a lot of
work, and a lot of computer resources to run the additional analyses.
The error estimation operation attempts to quantify the validity of your approximations, without doing any addi-
tional analysis or modeling. Even if the error estimations do not give you a definitive answer concerning the accu-
racy of your model, they will certainly point out the portions of your model which need the most careful
consideration. Typically, these will be areas where there are large gradients or localized changes in stress, displace-
ment or other output quantities. These areas are usually critical in your design, and unless you properly refine the
mesh, they can be poorly approximated.
The error estimates are based on these variations in output values. Ideally, within an element, or between elements
connected to a common node, the variations in output should be relatively small. To the degree that these quantities
vary, your model may not properly represent the true output state in that region. Error estimates show you how
much variation is present throughout your model.
Using this Option
To use this option, follow the general steps in "Performing Operations on Output Sets and Vectors". Remember,
there is no way to choose and entire output set as the input for the Processing Operation and the resulting output
vectors will always be stored within the selected Original output set(s).
Additional options for this operation include:
Choose an Error Method. For details, see "How Error Estimate Works" and "Error Estimate Examples".
Use Output on Elements From, which lets you select the full model or a group. For details on selecting a group
for this option, see "When to Use a Group" under the Converting Nodal and Elemental Data topic. While this
topic does not specifically address error estimates, it uses output vectors and groups in a similar manner.
How Error Estimate Works
Error estimates of nodal output data are calculated at the element centroids. Similarly, error estimates of elemental,
centroidal output data are calculated at the nodes. The error estimates need to look at the variations in output data.
An error estimate of nodal output data will be based on the gradients that data causes in each element. Hence the
estimate is actually calculated for the element. An error estimate of elemental, centroidal output data is based on
the differences that occur at the elemental boundaries. Specifically, FEMAP bases the calculations on the output
values from all elements connected to a specific node. That is why the error estimates are formulated at the nodes
for elemental data.
The calculation of error estimates for nodal output is fairly straightforward. The values at each node connected to
an element are simply compared. Error estimates for elemental data are more complicated. They follow the same
rules that FEMAP uses for the Convert option. Since this calculation is also done at nodes (element corners),
FEMAP needs to use the output value at the appropriate element corner for each node. If you recover elemental
corner output, FEMAP automatically uses these output values at each corner, even though you must select a cent-
roidal output vector. If you do not recover corner output, FEMAP simply uses the centroidal value from the output
vector that you selected.
You can choose any of six Error Methods to create the error estimate output data. All of them follow the procedures
described above. The only difference between them is the formula used to calculate the estimate.
Max Difference Method
Difference from Average Method
% Max Difference Method
% Difference from Average Method
Normalized % Max Difference Method
Normalized % Difference from Average Method
In each of these calculations, the Min, Max and Avg values refer to the minimum, maximum, and average output
values at the node or element where the error estimate is being calculated. The Vector Max values refer to the max-
imum value for all nodes or elements in the output vector. You will notice that all error estimates are either zero or
positive, since they all use the absolute value of the various factors.
The choice of an appropriate error estimation method largely depends on the conditions in your model. FEMAP
will allow you to calculate as many error estimates as you want. You just have to use the Error Estimate option
multiple times.
Value
Max
Value
Mi n
MAX Value
Max
Value
Avg
Value
Min
Value
Avg
( , )
Value
Max
Value
Min
Value
Avg
-------------------------------------------------------
100%
MAX Value
Max
Value
Avg
Value
Mi n
Value
Avg
( , )
Value
Avg
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 100%
Value
Max
Value
Min
Value
VectorMax
-------------------------------------------------------
100%
MAX Value
Max
Value
Avg
Value
Mi n
Value
Avg
( , )
Value
VectorMax
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 100%
Converting Nodal and Elemental Data 8-53
The following table lists the uses for each method..
Error Estimate Examples
A few brief examples with hypothetical data will help to illustrate the various error estimates:
Suppose that you have output values surrounding some location (a node or element) that are 100, 100, 300, 300,
and at another location you have 100, 100, 100, 500, and at a third location you have 1, 1, 3, 3. The following error
estimates would be calculated:
You will notice that the two unnormalized percentage methods make no distinction between the first location with
100 and 300 output values and the last with 1 and 3. Also note how the Max Difference from Average method (and
the corresponding normalized percentage method) highlights the middle position where all values are constant
(100) except for the single 500 value. You will notice that the average values for the first and second output posi-
tions are identical (200), even though they represent very different conditions. If you just look at contour or overall
data, you will only see these averages.
8.5.5.7 Converting Nodal and Elemental Data
Use the Convert tab on the Process Output Data dialog box to convert nodal output data to elemental data, and
vice-versa. Data is simply converted from the selected output vector into a new vector of the opposite type. The
title of the new vector will indicate that it is a converted vector, and will also show the ID of the original vector.
Some FEMAP post-processing options (displacements, animations) use nodal data, while others (criteria plots) use
elemental data. No matter what post-processing option you choose, you can also choose any output vector -
Method Uses
Max Difference Identifies largest gradients in portions of the model with larg-
est output values.
Identifies steepest gradients in the most critical portions of
the model.
Difference from Average Identifies areas with largest output values. Areas where only
one or a few values are different are accentuated.
Identifies only steepest non-uniform gradients (those that
vary in a single direction).
% Max Difference Identifies same gradients as Max Difference, but does not distin-
guish between large and small output values. Use only if magni-
tude of the output is less important than the changes in output.
% Difference from Average Identifies same gradients as Difference from Average, but does
not distinguish between large and small output values. Use only
if magnitude of the output is less important than the changes in
output
Normalized % Max Differ-
ence
Best at quantifying overall errors in areas with peak output val-
ues.
Normalized % Difference
from Average
Best at quantifying overall errors in areas with peak output val-
ues.
Values Min Max Avg
Max
Diff
Max
Diff
from
Avg
%
Max
Diff
%
Diff
from
Avg
Nrm
%
Max
Diff
Nrm
%
Diff
from
Avg
100,100,
300,300
100 300 200 200 100 100% 50% 40% 20%
100,100,
100,500
100 500 200 400 300 200% 150% 80% 60%
1, 1, 3, 3 1 3 2 2 1 100% 50% 0.4% 0.2%
whether it contains nodal or elemental data. If the type of output you choose does not match the type required,
FEMAP automatically converts the data every time it needs to display your model.
When the display is updated, the converted data is discarded. Obviously, for large models, this can take some time.
In these cases, you can manually convert the vector, then select the new, converted vector for post-processing. In
either case, the results will be displayed identically; however, the converted vector will plot much more rapidly.
The converted output data may also be used to perform tasks such as listing stress output on nodes to the Data
Table.
Using this Option
To use this option, follow the general steps in "Performing Operations on Output Sets and Vectors". Remember,
there is no way to choose and entire output set as the input for the Processing Operation and the resulting output
vectors will always be stored within the selected Original output set(s).
For details on the Conversion Approach options, see "How Convert Works".
For details on Using Output on Elements From option, see "When to Use a Group".
How Convert Works
Whenever you are using FEMAP to interpret output values, it is important to understand how your data is being
manipulated, especially when you look at contour plots. It is easy to draw incorrect conclusions if you do not prop-
erly understand what is being displayed.
Set the Conversion Approach to Average Values to use the Averaged values during the conversion. Set this to
Maximum Values to use the Maximum values of the output during the conversion.
For more information on contour plots, see Section 8.2.2.2, "Selecting Data for a Deformed or Contour Style".
Converting Nodal Data to Elemental Data
The conversion process in this case is straightforward. Output values from all of the nodes referenced by an ele-
ment are simply averaged (or max value is used) to compute the elemental output value. If data does not exist at
one or more nodes, that node is skipped. It is not considered as a zero value; it is simply not considered in the aver-
age.
Converting Elemental Data to Nodal Data
This conversion process is somewhat more complex. In general, FEMAP calculates the nodal output value by aver-
aging the output values for all elements that reference that node. If you are converting an output vector that defines
data at element centroids, and there is no similar data available at the element corners, the centroidal data will be
used as the value at the node for that element. If you do have element corner data, however, the corner values at the
node will be used in place of the centroidal value. In either case, you can choose to average the values from all ele-
ments or take the maximum value.
When to Use a Group
If you do not specify a group, the conversion process will use data from every node or element in your model. This
is fine for many data types. For example, stresses in solid elements can often be converted this way.
In other cases, however, this type of conversion can lead to problems. For instance, suppose that you have a model
of a box-shaped structure that is made of plate elements. Also, suppose that you need to convert elemental stresses
to nodal stresses so that you can do a contour display. If you let FEMAP convert output from the entire model, dis-
crepancies will be introduced along the edges and at the corners of the box. At these locations, elements from dif-
ferent faces of the box join. If you convert the entire model, in-plane stresses from perpendicular faces will be
averaged together. These stresses are, in fact, located in different planes, and should never be averaged. Instead,
you should define a group that contains only the elements that make up a single side of the box. If you then select
that group, FEMAP will only use the stresses on the elements in that face. No errors will be introduced at the edges
or corners.
As in this example, you should always use a group when the conversion process would combine output from differ-
ent directions or planes. You may also want to use groups to isolate elements that reference particular properties or
materials. Depending on the type of data you are converting, combining data across cross-section or material
boundaries may or may not be accurate. It depends on whether the data you are converting must satisfy equilibrium
conditions across the boundary.
Model, Output, Calculate... 8-55
8.5.6 Model, Output, Calculate...
... creates output based on an equation or constant value that you supply. (This command is similar to Model, Out-
put, Fill.). For this command, you will follow these steps:
1. Select the output sets where the calculations will be done. FEMAP will automatically find a vector that does not
exist in any of the selected output sets, and use that vector. The active vector is not used.
2. Enter data on the Calculate/Fill Output
Data dialog box. The fields include:
Title: Enter the name for the new vectors
Nodal Data and Elemental Data: Select the
type of output data to be calculated.
ID Variable: This variable is automatically
defined and incremented with the ID of all of
the nodes or elements where the output will
be created. For details on this field, see Sec-
tion 8.5.4, "Model, Output, Fill...".
Set Variable: This variable is automatically
defined and incremented with the ID of all of the output sets where the output is created.
Equation: Enter a constant value or an equation. For details on this field, see Section 8.5.4, "Model, Output,
Fill...".
3. After you define the output calculations, select the nodes or elements where the output is to be calculated.
8.5.7 Model, Output, From Load...
... creates new output vectors based on loads in the active load set. You can use this command to convert your load
data to output data so that you can produce contour or other post-processing displays.
When you pick this command, FEMAP displays a dialog box that lets you to choose the type of load to convert.
After you make a selection and press OK, you will see the standard entity selection dialog box. You can limit the
output that will be created to some portion of your model, or select your entire model. In most cases, selecting the
entire model is most appropriate.
In general, output is only created on the
selected nodes/elements where loads of
the appropriate type have been defined in
the active load set. The only exceptions to
this are nodal and elemental temperatures.
In these cases, if you have defined a
default temperature with the Model, Load,
Body command, output data will be cre-
ated for all selected nodes or elements.
For those nodes or elements where tem-
peratures have been defined in the active
load set, those temperatures will be used
directly. For any node or element that does
not have a temperature assigned, the
default temperature for the load set will be
used. If no default temperature has been
defined, no output data will be created for
any node or element that does not have a
temperature assigned.
When you convert temperature data, one new output vector will be created in the active output set. For pressures,
up to six vectors will be created, one for each element face where pressures are located. For plate elements, which
only have pressures on one face, there will only be one vector. When you convert the other load types, eight new
vectors will be created. Six of these will contain the six load components: three translation (X, Y and Z) and three
rotation (XR, YR and ZR). The final two vectors will contain the magnitudes of the translation and rotation compo-
nents.
8.5.8 Model, Output, Transform...
... allows you to transform output that references global X, Y, Z components (like Total Translation, Reaction
Forces, etc.) into any chosen coordinate system or into the nodal output coordinate system at each node.
You may also transform plate element forces,
stresses, and strains into the material direction, a
selected coordinate system, or along a specified
vector from the standard output direction.
Solid element stresses and strains can also be
transformed into a ca single chosen coordinate
system or the current material direction specified
for the solid properties of the selected elements.
When you choose this command, you will see the
Transform Output Data dialog box. There are
seven transform options available:
Vector Output (into CSys)
Vector Output (into Node Output CSys)
Plate Forces, Stresses and Strains (into Matl
Direction)
Plate Forces, Stresses and Strains (into CSys)
Plate Forces, Stresses and Strains (along Vector)
Solid Stresses and Strains (into CSys)
Solid Stresses and Strains (into Matl Direction)
Vector Output
When you choose the Vector Output (into CSys) option:
1. Use the Into CSys field to choose the coordinate system that you want to transform into.
2. Select the output set and output vector that you want to transform. Typically you will want to pick the Total
vector, (like Total Translation), not a component vector (like X or T1 Translation). If you want to transform just
the vector that you select, make certain that All Sets is not checked. If you want to transform that vector in every
output set, turn on All Sets.
When using the Vector Output (into Node Output CSys) option, you will only have to do step 2 above. FEMAP will
transform the selected output vectors into each selected nodes specified output coordinate system.
What You Get - Vector Output
This command creates 12 new output vectors from the single vector that you select. These vectors are the three
transformed components of the original global data, and nine additional vectors that are the global X, Y, Z compo-
nents of the transformed components. FEMAP needs these additional nine vectors so that you can use the trans-
formed component vectors for deformed plots, arrow plots, or other post-processing options that work with global
components:
Model, Output, Transform... 8-57
Plate Forces, Stresses, and Strains
These options allow you to transform standard component plate forces, stresses, and strains to a specified material
angle, a chosen axis of an existing coordinate system, or by simply specifying a vector.
If you want to see component stresses output using the into Matl Direction option, you will first want to set the
material angle for the elements using the Modify, Update Elements, Material Angle command (for more informa-
tion, see Section 4.8.3.13, "Modify, Update Elements, Material Angle..."), which has several options. FEMAP then
uses the material angle for each output and the standard output vectors in the selected output set (unless you select
All Sets) to transform the components into the material angle coordinate system for each element.
When using the into Csys option, the vector and resulting angle are simply defined along a selected coordinate
direction (X, Y, or Z) of an existing coordinate system selected from the Into CSys drop-down list. This method is
especially useful if you want to align the material axes to the radial or tangential direction in a cylindrical or spher-
ical coordinate system.
If you choose the along Vector option, you will want to click the Vector button to also specify a vector. The stan-
dard vector definition dialog box will appear to allow you to assign a vector direction. FEMAP will transform the
output for each element and align the X-direction of the output vector with the specified vector.
The other input required for the transformation of plate element output is the definition of the original component
data, which can be selected using the Output Orientation button. Please see the Output Orientation section below
for more information. The new component plate forces, stresses, and strains will be placed in the user defined out-
put vector numbers (9,000,000+).
Solid Stresses and Strains
These options allow you to transform standard component solid stresses and strains from the Material Axes speci-
fied for each solid property prior to running the analysis (for more information, see the Solid Element Properties
heading in Section 4.2.2.3, "Volume Elements") to a specified existing coordinate system or the current setting for
Material Axes for each solid property.
As with plate elements, the other important input needed to properly transform the output is the definition of the
original component data orientation, which can be selected using the Output Orientation button. Please see the
Output Orientation section below for more information. The new component solid stresses and strains will be
placed in the user defined output vector numbers (9,000,000+).
Note: Before using the into Matl Direction method, be sure to refer to your analysis program documentation
to see how material orientation angles are used and to find any limitations.
Total Translation
X Translation (CSys 0)
Y Translation (CSys 0)
Z Translation (CSys 0)
Radial Translation (CSys 1)
X Component of Radial Translation
Y Component of Radial Translation
Z Component of Radial Translation
Theta Translation (CSys 1)
X Component of Theta Translation
Y Component of Theta Translation
Z Component of Theta Translation
Z Translation (CSys 1)
X Component of Z Translation
Y Component of Z Translation
Z Component of Z Translation
Transform into CSys 1
Original Vector
You Get:
Output Orientation
The Current Output Orientation dialog box contains the default output orientation for both Plate and Solid ele-
ments. For plane elements, there is an option for each type of output data to transform (Stress, Strain, and Force),
for each plane element shape that may appear in the model (Tria3, Tria6, Quad4, and Quad8).
There are two options for triangular elements (0..First Edge or 1..Midside Locations) with the default being
0..First Edge, while there are three options for quadrilateral elements (0..First Edge, 1..Midside Locations, or
2..Diagonal Bisector) with 2..Diagonal Bisector being the default.
For solids, there are three orientation options (0..Material Direction, 1..Global Rectangular, or 2..Element)
for different material types associated with solid properties (Isotropic, Anisotropic, and Hyperelastic).
Pressing the Reset button when the Current Output Orientation dialog box is accessed through either the Transform
Output Data dialog box will reset all of the output orientation options to the values currently set in the Preferences.
For more information about these various orientation options, please see the Output Orientation portion of Section
2.6.2.6, "Geometry/Model".
8.5.9 Model, Output, Extrapolate...
... allows you to linearly extrapolate output from the
center of planar or solid elements to the element cor-
ners. By extrapolating output to the element corners,
you can often get a better understanding of the output
distributions near the surface of your model
When you choose Model, Output, Extrapolate, you will
see the Calculate Output at Element Corners dialog
box.
To extrapolate a single vector to the element corners,
specify the Output Set and Output Vector that you want.
You can also use multiple vectors by selecting All Sets
or All Vectors. If you choose both, all output will be
extrapolated. If you choose just All Sets, the selected
vector will be extrapolated in all output sets. Choosing
All Vectors will extrapolate all output in the selected
set.
Choosing Calculation Options
Calculation Options provide control over how FEMAP will extrapolate your output.
Segmenting Your Model
When doing the extrapolation, FEMAP can either consider all elements in your model as one continuous group, or
it can segment your model based on discontinuities in geometry, properties or materials. While the Extrapolate
across all Elements method is faster, it ignores the fact that output values can be discontinuous at material or geo-
metric boundaries. It is usually best, therefore, to allow FEMAP to segment your model. If you already know that
there are no discontinuities in your model, however, you can choose the other method to save some time.
If you choose to segment your model, you will see an additional dialog box where you can specify segmentation
options. This technique is identical to that used in the Group, Operations, Generate command. For details, see
"Group, Operations, Generate..." under Section 6.4.3.2, "Group, Operations Menu".
Note: This technique cannot match or improve upon the corner stresses that are generated by your analysis
program. If possible, you should recover corner stresses directly from the analysis program, since
they are typically based on the underlying element formulations.
In some cases, however, analysis programs do not produce corner values, and this command can be
used to get a reasonable approximation. It simply uses a linear interpolation scheme based on the cen-
troidal output provided by your analysis program. It is not based on any element representations.
Model, Output, Extrapolate... 8-59
Projection Method
By choosing a projection method, you can decide how FEMAP should
extrapolate your output. The methods are best described by examples.
FEMAP will always (no matter which projection method you choose)
compute the corner values at the interior nodes (7,8,9,12,13,14,17,18, and
19) as a geometric average of the centroidal values for the surrounding
elements.
Geometric average means that the distance from the centroid to the node
is used as a weighting factor in the average. Closer centroids get a higher
weighting factor than more distant ones. At these interior nodes, the cor-
responding corner values in all adjoining elements will be equal.
After computing values at the interior nodes, we are left with boundary
nodes(1-5, 6, 10, 11, 15, 16, 20, and 21-25). To determine values at these corners, we must extrapolate the existing
output distribution. You will examine what happens at element 2:
Consider the corner at node 3. If you choose the Project onto Edge method, the centroidal value is first projected
normal to the element edge (8-3), and then along the edge to node 3. In this case, the first projection did not fall at
the edge center, and the value at the corner will be weighted based on relative distances between the projected loca-
tion and nodes 3 and 8.
If you choose the Use at Centroid method, the centroidal value is simply considered to be the value at the midpoint
of every edge. Regardless of the element shape/skew, the midpoint is always set to the centroidal value. In this
example, the value at corner node 3 would just be the centroidal value plus the difference between the value at cor-
ner node 8 and the centroidal value. If you look at a corner node, like node 1, multiple extrapolations along the
edges are computed.
For perfectly rectangular elements, both methods give the same result. In general, however, the Use at Centroid
method seems to give the most reasonable overall results. If you have a highly skewed mesh, especially in an area
of a relatively steep gradient, the Projection method can often result in extremely large variations due to the projec-
tion. This occurs if the projected location falls very near to the node that you are projecting from. In that case, the
length ratios become very large and the accuracy of the projection becomes suspect. You should therefore only
choose this alternate method if you know that your mesh is not highly skewed.
If you also look at what happens in element 3, you would see a similar extrapolation toward node 3. However, in
general, the corner values at node 3 will be different in the two elements, just as they normally would from your
analysis program. If you later do a contour plot of this output, how this situation is handled depends upon the view
options that you choose. You can either choose to average the values, or to display the maximum.
This example showed a simple case where the entire model consisted of one plane of continuous elements. The
nodes on the boundary were simply the free edges of the model. In a real model, the same technique is used, but
you would normally choose the option to let FEMAP segment the model. FEMAP then considers each segment
independently. The free boundaries are the free edges of the segment, not of the entire model.
If you are working with solid elements, the process is identical, just a little harder to visualize. Interior corner val-
ues are computed from geometric averages of the surrounding centroidal values. Values at the corners on free
boundaries/faces are computed by projections along the element edges. It is again usually best to choose the Use at
Centroid method, since relatively skewed solid elements are fairly common.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
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3
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10 11
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Project onto Edge Use at Centroid
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8
8.5.10 Model, Output, Global Ply...
... creates new output vectors in selected output sets for Top Ply, Bottom Ply, and every Global Ply currently
in the model. New output vectors will be created for each output vector that exists in the ply-by-ply results. See
"Laminate Options..." for more details.
8.5.11 Model, Output, Convert Complex...
... enables you to create real/imaginary pairs from
magnitude/phase data read from frequency response
results, and vice versa.
You can choose to convert a single output vector, an
Entire Set of output vectors, or convert All Sets. All
Sets can be performed with Entire Set to convert all
data in all sets, or without Entire Set, which converts
only the chosen output vector in all sets.
Newly converted real/imaginary pairs are located in
their respective output positions (Real: 20,000,001/
29,999,999; Imaginary: 30,000,001/39,999,999) in
the output set from which they were created. Newly converted magnitude/phase pairs go into the their respective
output positions (Magnitude: 9,000,000/9,999,999 or Phase 10,000,001/19,999,999). For this command to com-
plete successfully, both of the vectors that form the complex components must exist, and neither of the converted
vectors can exist (to prevent converting and reconverting of the same output).
8.5.12 Model, Output, Expand Complex...
... creates new output at specified phase intervals based
upon selected magnitude/phase data. This has the effect
of converting complex output into one or more sets of
real output at specific phase values.
When you choose this command, you will create new
output sets for each phase value where you expand the
complex output.
If you choose Single Phase, you will only get one set, at
that value.
With Phase Range, however, you can expand the com-
plex output through a range of phases. Typically you will
want to choose the entire phase range: 0 to 360. This will
generate output sets that you can use with MultiSet ani-
mation to visualize phase relationships in your results.
You can choose the number of sets/frames by setting the Increment.
When you choose the Phase Range option, no output is generated for the Last Phase value. This prevents duplica-
tion of the phase data at 0 and 360 degrees.
8.5.13 Model, Output, Forced Response...
... calculates additional output using the results of a modal analysis as a basis. The values and type of the calculated
Output depends on a number of Inputs and options specified by the user. This Output corresponds to results
typically recovered from a Frequency Response analysis.
Note: The user interface of the Forced Response command was designed using options for frequency
response found in Nastran solvers. For Nastran users, the equivalent Nastran entry has been pro-
vided in the documentation as a reference.
Model, Output, Forced Response... 8-61
All Input is entered in the Forced Response Analysis dialog box:
The dialog box consists of 4 sections used which allow the user to enter specific input. Each section is important
for generating the intended results:
Damping
This section controls the Damping values used in the calculation. A function MUST be specified for the Modal
Damping Table, while the Overall Structural Damping value is optional.
Overall Structural Damping - off by default. When on this value provides overall structural damping for the
model. Values should be entered between 0.00 and 1.00. A typical value to use is 2.0 * (critical damping ratio).
This is equivalent to PARAM,G in Nastran solvers.
Modal Damping Table - A Model Damping Table is required and must be a FEMAP function with type set to
6..Structural Damping vs. Freq, 7..Critical Damp vs. Freq, or Q Damping vs. Freq. This function should span
the frequency range of interest for the analysis. This is equivalent to TABDMP1 in Nastran solvers. If a function
has not be previously defined, click the Function icon button to define one without having to leave the command.
Additionally, the values in the Model Damping Table can be treated as Viscous (default) or Structural. Setting the
value to Structural is equivalent to using PARAM,KDAMP,-1 in Nastran solvers.
Loading
This section contains one drop-down control which is used to select an existing Load Set from the model. A Load
Set MUST be selected. Many times, a simple Unit Load in a particular direction is adequate, although this is cer-
tainly not guaranteed to provide the desired results in all cases. For a Force Unit Load, this would create a
DLOAD Case Control, along with RLOAD2, FORCE, DLOAD, and TABLED2 bulk data entries.
Modes
Choose which modal Output Set(s) should be included when generating the additional output. Only Output Sets
containing results from a modal analysis are available for selection and at least one Output Set from the Modes list
must be selected. Along with being used to calculate the additional output, only the selected Modes will be used
when certain Types of frequency lists are created. This is explained in greater detail in the Frequencies section.
Frequencies
Allows you to specify ranges of Solution Frequencies to use in the calculation of the additional output data. To
define a frequency range, click the Create button. This will display the Define Frequency List dialog box.
Once a Frequency List has been created, it will appear in the Frequencies list. It will appear in this form:
List ID..(Frequency List Type): (Lower bound of frequency range) to (Upper bound of frequency range).
Check the box next to a particular frequency list to have the values used as Solution Frequencies. Any number
of different frequency lists can be used. Highlight a frequency list and click Modify to bring up the Define Fre-
quency List dialog box for that list, or click Delete to remove the highlighted frequency list. Click Preview to see
the list of actual Solution Frequencies.
Define Frequency List dialog box:
The Options in the Define Frequency List dialog box change based on the specified Type. There are 6 Types of
Frequency Lists which can be created, each corresponding to a FREQi bulk data entry for Nastran.
Each Type is described below:
FREQ - Enter Frequency 1 (first in range), Frequency 2
(last in range), and an Increment (value entered in terms
of frequency), then click Add Multiple button to add
them to the Values list. For example Frequency 1 = 20,
Frequency 2 = 100, and Increment = 20 would produce a
list with values of 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100. Also, individ-
ual frequencies can added to the Values list by entering a
value into the field below the list , then clicking the Add
button. Individual values may be deleted by selecting
them one at a time in the Values list, then clicking Delete,
while pressing Reset will clear the entire list. Copy will
place the entire Values list on the clipboard, while Paste
will fill the list with values from the clipboard.
FREQ1 - Enter Frequency 1 (first in range), Increment
(value entered in terms of frequency), and Number (how
many times to repeat the Increment), then click OK.
For example Frequency 1 = 20, Increment = 20, and
Number = 5 would produce a list with values of 20, 40,
60, 80, 100, and 120.
FREQ2 - Enter Frequency 1 (first in range), Frequency 2 (last in range), and Number (how many logarithmic
intervals within the range), then click OK.
For example Frequency 1 = 20, Frequency 2 = 100, and Number = 4 would produce a list with values of 20, 29.907,
44.7214, 66.874, and 100.
FREQ3 - Enter Frequency 1 (first in range), Frequency 2 (last in range), Number (number of excitation fre-
quencies between two modal frequencies, value includes both modal frequencies), and Cluster (factor used for
clustering of excitation frequencies near the end points of range). Also, choose to use Logarithmic (checked)
or Linear (unchecked) interpolation between frequencies, then click OK.
For example, Frequency 1 = 20, Frequency 2 = 300, Number = 4, and Cluster = 1.0, Logarithmic not checked, with
2 selected Modes of 89.8135 and 243.5258 would produce a list with 20, 43.271, 66.5421, 89.8131, 141.051,
192.288, 243.526, 262.351, 281.175, and 300. Bold values are first, last, and modal values.
FREQ4 - Enter Frequency 1 (lower bound of range), Frequency 2 (upper bound of range), Number (number of
evenly spaced frequencies per spread mode), and Spread % (specified as a %, is the frequency spread, +/- the
fractional amount, for each mode), then click OK. Only modes selected in the Modes list which also fall within
the frequency range between Frequency 1 and Frequency 2 will be used.
For example, Frequency 1 = 20, Frequency 2 = 300, Number = 5, and Spread % = 3, with 2 selected Modes of
89.8135 (Mode 1) and 243.5258 (Mode 2) would produce a list with 87.1188 (97% of Mode 1 value), 88.4659
(98.5%), 89.8131 (100%), 91.1603 (101.5%), 92.5075 (103%), 236.22 (97% of Mode 2 value), 239.873 (98.5%),
243.526 (100%), 247.179 (101.5%), and 250.832 (103%).
Note: For most Types, the Preview button in the Frequencies section of the Forced Response Analysis dialog
box is the only way to see the actual values which will be used for calculations.
Model, Output, Forced Response... 8-63
FREQ5 - Enter Frequency 1 (lower bound of range) and Frequency 2 (upper bound of range). Only modes
selected in the Modes list which also fall within the frequency range between Frequency 1 and Frequency 2 will
be used. Now enter fractions of each mode to use in the Frequency List, by entering a values into the field
below the Values list, then clicking Add. Entering a value of 1.0 will create a value equal to 100% of the modal
value, 0.9 will create a value 90% of the modal value, while 1.05 will create a value 105% of the modal value.
For example, Frequency 1 = 20, Frequency 2 = 300, with 2 selected Modes of 89.8135 (Mode 1) and 243.5258
(Mode 2). Entering 0.9, 1.0, and 1.05 into the Values list would produce a list with 80.8318 (90% of Mode 1 value),
89.8131 (100%), 94.3038 (105%), 219.173 (90% of Mode 2 value), 243.526 (100%), and 255.702 (105%).
Specifying output for Forced Response
Once all Input has been specified, click OK to open the Forced Response Analysis Output dialog box.
The dialog box consists of 6 sections which allow the user to specify options for the format, type, and amount of
output to calculate:
Save Results As
Allows you to choose between creating Output Vectors or Functions. Typically, choosing Output Vectors will pro-
duce more output than Functions. On the other hand, having FEMAP generate output vectors creates a similar
amount output as a Frequency Response analysis, which may be more familiar to the user. Use the Complex Data
Type to have FEMAP create output in either Real and Imaginary or Magnitude and Phase components.
Output Vectors - Creates an Output Set for each Solution Frequency containing Output Vectors. The number of
Output Vectors corresponds to the selected output requests in the Nodal and Elemental portions of the dialog box.
Use the Compute Results For option to have output created for the whole Model or only for a selected Group.
For example, there are 15 Solutions Frequencies specified, Displacement and Acceleration are selected in the
Nodal section, Compute Results For is set to Model, and Complex Data Type is set to Magnitude and Phase. In this
case, 15 Output Sets containing a total of 24 output vectors each (6 for Displacement - Magnitude, 6 for Displace-
ment - Phase, 6 for Acceleration - Magnitude, and 6 for Acceleration - Phase) would be created, containing output
for every node in the model.
Functions - Creates Functions which contain a data point at each Solution Frequency for a particular output
quantity. The number of Functions corresponds to the selected output requests in the Nodal and Elemental por-
tions of the dialog box, along with the option selected in Compute Results For, Entity or Group. Many times, the
user may only be interested in the behavior of a single node or element, so the Entity option makes sense. On the
other hand, data may be needed at a number of nodes or elements, which makes the Group option a better choice.
For example, there are 15 Solutions Frequencies specified, Displacement and Acceleration are selected in the
Nodal section, Compute Results For is set to Entity (Node 5 selected), and Complex Data Type is set to Real and
Imaginary. In this case, 24 functions would be created for Node 5 (6 for Displacement - Real, 6 for Displacement
- Imaginary, 6 for Acceleration - Real, and 6 for Acceleration - Imaginary). These functions can be plotted using
the XY of Function capability of the View, Select command.
Compute Results For
When Save Results As is set to Output Vectors, choose Model to create output for every node and/or element in the
model, or Group to use a previously defined group containing nodes and/or elements to limit output.
When Save Results As is set to Functions, choose Entity to create functions for only a selected node and/or element
in the model, or Group to use a previously defined group containing nodes and/or elements to increase the number
of functions created.
Complex Data Type
Choose to have the complex output generated using either Magnitude and Phase (default) or Real and Imaginary
components. When using Magnitude and Phase, choose to have the Phase component created using 0 to 360
degrees (default) or -180 to 180 degrees.
Modal Contributions
When selected, these options create functions displaying the modal contribution of each mode on the output.
vs. Mode at a Frequency - displays the modal contribution of all selected Modes for each Solution Frequency.
2 functions will be created for each Solution Frequency, one for each Magnitude and Phase or Real and Imagi-
nary component.
vs. Frequency for a Mode - displays the modal contribution of each individual Mode across all Solution Fre-
quencies. 2 functions will be created for each Mode, one for each Magnitude and Phase or Real and Imaginary
component.
Nodal
Request Nodal output data to be calculated. You can choose a type of output to create, such as Displacement,
Velocity, Acceleration, Applied Load, Constraint Force, and/or Equation Force. If you choose a type of output,
all vectors for that output type will be created. Alternatively, you can turn on the Select By Vector box, then click
the Output Vector button to choose individual output vectors. This is a great way to limit the amount of output cre-
ated by this command.
When Compute Results For is set to Group, choose an existing group from the Group drop-down list. When Com-
pute Results For is set to Entity, simply enter a Node ID.
Elemental
Request Elemental output data to be calculated. You can choose a type of output to create, such as Stress, Strain,
and/or Force. If you choose a type of output, all vectors for that output type will be created. Alternatively, you
can turn on the Select By Vector box, then click the Output Vector button to choose individual output vectors. This
is a great way to limit the amount of output created by this command.
When Compute Results For is set to Group, choose an existing group from the Group drop-down list. When Com-
pute Results For is set to Entity, simply enter an Element ID.
Note: When using the Group option for Compute Results For, the group must already exist in the model and
contain nodes if any items are selected in Nodal or elements if any items are selected in Elemental.
Note: In order to request a type of output to be calculated in either the Nodal or Elemental sections, that type
of output MUST have been recovered from the initial Modal Analysis. This can be important to
remember as something like Stress is sometimes not recovered to limit the amount of output.
Listing Output (List, Output Menu) 8-65
8.6 Listing Output (List, Output Menu)
The commands on this submenu allow you to create reports of output data contained in your model. The different
commands allow you to control the format of those reports. The List, Output, Query command lets you interac-
tively retrieve output for selected nodes and elements, while List, Output, Compare obtains differences between
outputs. In addition to the other reporting commands, the List, Output, Format command creates a report which
lists the output report formats which have been defined in your model.
8.6.1 List, Output, Query...
... interactively retrieves output for selected nodes or elements. When you need to quickly retrieve the output for
one or more nodes or elements, this is the command to use.
The Output Query dialog box lets you select the output set that contains the output data of interest. If you want to
recover data from all available output sets, instead of just one, choose the All Sets option.
The output that is reported is limited to the type of output you select. For example, if you only want stress output,
select the Stress category. Select Any Output if you want to report all available output from the set or sets that you
select.
In addition to choosing the output set and data category you want, you must choose to recover data for either a
node, or an element and then specify its ID. As always, you can select the ID graphically, but you must first identify
whether you want a node or an element.
To produce the report, press either More or OK. If you press More, you will be able to recover additional data with-
out choosing the command again. If you choose OK, you will be returned to the FEMAP menu. Unlike most com-
mands, you will notice that More is the default command button for this dialog box. This enables you to easily
query multiple output entries just by pressing Enter. Also, after you choose More, the input cursor will jump back
to the ID field, so you can choose a new node or element.
Since More is the default command button, you can simply double-click a node or element to select it and automat-
ically press More. Using this technique, you can query the output for multiple entities simply by repeatedly double-
clicking on each one with the left mouse button.
The amount of output that is reported, depends on the types of output that are present in your model. The format of
the report looks like the following:
Hint: When selecting entities graphically, make certain the focus is in the ID box (i.e. the ID box must be
active) by clicking in the ID box. If you do not, and the focus of the window is not in the ID input area,
you will not be able to select items graphically.
The sample shown above lists only a few items. If you have elemental corner stresses, or stresses on top or bottom
faces of an element, they will all be listed. If you choose All Sets, all data types for each set are listed before the
next set begins. This report, just like all others, is written to all destinations which you specify in the List Destina-
tion command.
This command can be used very effectively when you are doing detailed analysis. With it, you can often replace
voluminous printouts or reports of model output, that have usually been required to look-up data for further cal-
culations. Instead, have FEMAP display the appropriate portion of your model. Then choose the List Output Query
command. Whenever you need output for a given node or element, pick the type of output you want, choose the
Node or Element option, and double click on the entity you want to query. FEMAP will immediately report the out-
put you need in the Messages window. You can even make the display a contour or criteria plot, to visually lead
you to critical areas where you can then query.
8.6.2 List, Output, Compare...
... can be used to compare output from individual vec-
tors or entire output sets. When you invoke this com-
mand, the Compare Output Data dialog box is
displayed.
With this dialog box, you can choose whether to com-
pare the entire set of output data, or just one pair of vec-
tors. If you choose List Details, the output at any
individual nodes or elements which differs will be
reported. Whether the output differs depends on the Max
Difference you choose. Any values which differ by a
smaller (or equal) percentage than you specify will be
considered as identical and will not be listed.
The final entries in this dialog box let you choose the
output sets and vectors that are to be compared. If you
are comparing entire sets, only the output sets can be
specified; otherwise both sets and vectors are required.
A report similar to the following is written to the active List Destination.
This sample report includes the detailed differences between the two vectors. For each node where data differs, the
data values from both vectors are listed along with the difference. The final line also shows the ID and value of the
Hint: If you want to query the model quickly for a specific stress and/or displacement at given nodes or ele-
ments, it is often easier to use the Dynamic Query option in FEMAP. Simply display the deformed and
contour plot of the desired results, change the dynamic query from Off (lower right hand corner of sta-
tus bar/tray) to either Node or Element, and then hold the cursor at a given node or element location.
FEMAP will then provide a box listing the displayed output information for that node or element. You
can then quickly move to other entities to obtain their results. When the box information is visible, you
can even left click in the area to send the information to the list destination, or right click to annotate the
model with this text at that location. For more information, see Section 5.10.3, "Reporting Results".
List, Output, Summary to Data Table... 8-67
maximum difference (MxDiff), and the ID and value of the maximum percentage difference (MxPct). Finally, the
dot product (Dot) of the two vectors is given.
Other Uses for this Command
In addition to simply comparing data to find similarities, you can use this command to do a quick check on the
orthogonality of output vectors. This can be important when looking at eigenvectors from a modal analysis. All you
have to do is select the two vectors you want to check, turn off the detailed report, and look at the dot product. If the
vectors are orthogonal the dot product will be zero.
8.6.3 List, Output, Summary to Data Table...
provides an ability to quickly scan results for max/min values. It allows you to select the output sets and vectors
that you want to investigate, processes them to find max/min values in various formats, and sends it to the Data
Table dockable pane, where you can further group, sort and filter the data to find the critical values you need.
When you choose this command you will see the following dialog box:
Report Style
These options allow you to specify the type of
data you want in the summary. Choose "Vector
Summary" if you want one line in the report for
each selected output vector. This provides the
max/min values for the entire output vector. If
you choose "by Property ID" or "by Material
ID", you will be asked for the properties or mate-
rials that you want to summarize after you close
this dialog box. In these cases, you will get a
larger report - for each selected output vector,
you will get one line for each selected property
or material. These lines will contain the max/min
values only for elements that reference that prop-
erty or material. Nodal output is not available in
either of these methods. These options can be used to quickly find critical values to compare against property/mate-
rial allowables.
Report Contents
If you choose "Vector Data", then the report contains max/min data for each individual output vector, in each out-
put set, that you select. For "Envelope Data", you will see max/min values for each output vector, but the max min
is computed ("enveloped") across all selected output sets.
Output Selection
These options allow you to choose the specific output data that you want to include in the report. "Full Output Sets"
automatically chooses all output vectors in the sets that you choose with the standard entity selection dialog after
you close this box. If you choose "Specific Output Vectors", you can choose the sets that you want, but you can also
limit the output vectors in the report. After clicking OK in this dialog box, you will see the following, if you choose
this option.
If Include Results at Element Corners is checked, then results at element corners will be included in the Results to
Add to Data Table dialog, and in the report.
If Include Max/Min Absolute Value is checked, then additional columns will be created displaying max/min values
created using the absolute value of the data.
Hint: If you compare data that is identical, you will not see the header information for each vector as it is
compared. If you want to see this information, redo the command, but set the maximum difference to
zero (make sure List Details is off). This will list all header information and the last line summary for
each vector.
The Results to Add to Data Table dialog box allows you to choose Output Sets and Output Vectors to be shown as
columns in the Data Table. When multiple models are open, the name of the active model will appear at the top of
the Results to Add to Data Table dialog box.
Along with checking and unchecking the boxes, you can also highlight the selected Output Set or Output Vector
and click the Toggle Selected Sets or Toggle Selected Vectors buttons, respectively.
If you check Select Similar Layer/Ply/Corner Vectors, you can select all similar data without worrying about
checking all of the output vectors. For example, if you turn on this option, and select the vector "Plate Bot Von
Mises Stress" (the centroidal Von Mises Stress at the bottom fiber of a plate/shell element), you will automatically
also get the centroidal Von Mises Stress at the top fiber, and, if you have selected "Include Results at Element Cor-
ners", you will get the bottom and top Von Mises Stress at all of the element corners. Similarly, for laminate ele-
ments, this option allows you to select results for all plys without having to select them manually. When using this
option it does not matter which output vector location you choose, you will get the similar data for all locations.
Once finished, click OK and view the Summary in the Data Table
Additional Summary for Selected
In all cases, when you use this command, the report lines will contain max/min data for either the entire output vec-
tor or the property/material you select. In addition to that overall max/min data, if you want to compute max/min
data for specific nodes and/or elements within the vectors/properties/materials, these options allow you to select the
nodes and elements of interest. If you check one or both of these, you will see a standard entity selection dialog box
after you say OK in the Send Output Vectors to Data Table dialog box to select the entities you need. These options
do not change the basic max/min data, nor the lines that are added to the report in any way - they simply add more
columns to the report which contain max/min data for your selections.
Data in the Report
This command always adds the same columns to the Data Table. Depending on the options you select, some of
these columns may be automatically hidden, however you can make them visible by using the Hide/Show Columns
Menu in the Data Table. See Section 7.2.7, "Tools, Data Table" for more information.
The following data is available:
List, Output, Summary to Data Table... 8-69
ModelID - the ID of the current model
SetID - the ID of the output set that contains the results being reported. This field is not visible, and not useful if
you choose to Envelope results, since the max/min data comes from multiple sets.
ID - the output vector ID
Property - the property being summarized. Only visible and useful for the "by Property ID" report style
Material - the material being summarized. Only visible and useful for the "by Material ID" report style
Total/Centroidal ID - The common output vector ID shared by all similar output. For example the Von Mises
stress at the top, middle, bottom, centroid and corners of a plate/shell element will all have a common value. The
specific numbers here are not important, but the fact that they are common allow you to use this column to quickly
sort or group similar data in the report.
Title - The output vector title
Output Type - the type of output in the vector (Displacement, Stress)
Location - the location of the output (Nodal, Element Centroid, Element Corner)
Min SetID, Min ID, Min Value, Max SetID, Max ID, Max Value - The max/min data for the output vector, or the
property/material in the output vector. Min SetID and Max SetID are only visible and useful if you are enveloping,
in which case they show the ID of the output set where the max/min was found. Min ID and Max ID are the node or
element ID where the min/max occurs, and Min Value and Max Value are the associated values.
Min SetID Selected, Min ID Selected, Min Value Selected, Max SetID Selected, Max ID Selected, Max Value
Selected - These columns are empty and hidden unless you select nodes and/or elements for additional summaries.
In that case, they contain similar data to the other max/min columns, but limited to results taken from the selected
nodes and elements.
Min Abs SetID, Min Abs ID, Min Abs Value, Max Abs SetID, Max Abs ID, Max Abs Value, Min Abs SetID
Selected, Min Abs ID Selected, Min Abs Value Selected, Max Abs SetID Selected, Max Abs ID Selected, Max
Abs Value Selected - These columns use absolute value to determine max/min values instead of signed (+/-) val-
ues. Since this data is signed, Min Value can be a negative number with a larger magnitude than Max Value. Only
created when the Include Max/Min Absolute Value option has been checked.
8.6.4 List, Output, Results to Data Table...
provides the ability to quickly send chosen output vector values for specific nodes or elements (from any num-
ber of selected output sets) to the Data Table using a specified Report Style. Once in the Data Table, the values
can be sorted for a particular output category, compared to the values in different output sets, copied to the clip-
board, or the entities shown in the model using the Show When Selected icon.
When you choose this command you will see the following dialog box:
Report Style
These options allow you to specify how the three choices (Output Sets, Output Vectors, Nodes/Elements) will be
displayed in the Data Table. You must have at least one of the choices appear in rows and one in columns. The
other choice is up to you.
Output Selection
Specifies whether to send Nodal or Elemental output to the Data Table in the specified Report Style. The chosen
Output Selection option limits the Output Vectors available to choose in the Results to Add to Data Table dialog box
(i.e., when Nodal is chosen, only Nodal Output such as displacements and forces will be available to pick). When
Elemental output is chosen, if Include Results at Element Corners is checked, then results at element corners will
be available in the Results to Add to Data Table dialog box.
In Coordinate System
You can choose to list nodal output to the Data Table referencing any coordinate system currently defined in your
model. By default, nodal output will be listed using the Nodal Output Coordinate System for each selected node. A
CSys ID column will appear in the Data Table listing only when the Nodes/Elements option is set to Row, which
is the default. If Elemental is chosen in Output Selection, the In Coordinate System option is not available.
For more information on the Results to Add to Data Table dialog box, see Section 8.6.3, "List, Output, Summary to
Data Table...".
Hints: Use the grouping capability of the Data Table to quickly categorize your report. Depending on
what you are looking for, you might want to use the "Total/Centroidal ID" column, the "Property
ID" column, or even "Output Type" or combinations of these as grouping strategies.
Sorting by Max Value or Min Value can quickly find peaks in groups of similar output - whether
the peak occurs at the centroid, element corner, or top/bottom fibers.
Filters can be used to reduce the amount of data shown
Note: When choosing to list results with very small values (below 1E-16) in a different coordinate system
than they were originally attained, be aware that these very small values may be different than the val-
ues in any printed output file from a solver (i.e.,.f06 file from Nastran). This is due to the fact that
FEMAP stores real numbers in double precision and there is no way to assure numbers below 1E-16
are accurate. These values, sometimes referred to as noise, are often considered the same as zero.
List, Output, Results to Data Table... 8-71
Here is a sample Data Table report using Output Sets and Output Vectors in Columns, Nodes/Elements in Rows,
and Nodal Output Selection, and choosing -1..Nodal Output Coordinate System for In Coordinate System:(2..T1
Translation, 3..T2 Translation, and 4..T3 Translation in Output Sets 1 and 2).
Another sample using the same selected output, but this time Output Vectors in Columns, Output Sets and Nodes/
Elements in Rows, and Nodal Output Selection.
Hint: With this Report Style configuration, a good idea might be to turn on the Group Headers in the
Data Table (6th icon from left), and then drag the Set Title or Set ID column header into the
Header Area. Now you will see Report has been segmented into two sections and any sorting will
only use the values under each header to determine higher or lower values.
8.6.5 List, Output, Nodal Changes to Data Table...
provides an ability to quickly compare the dis-
tance and angle between a single node and set of
selected nodes in the undeformed model to the
distance and angle between those nodes in the
deformed model (sometimes known as Relative
Displacements). The change(s) between those val-
ues is also listed to the Data Table.
There is also the option to list the output value for
a single node compared to output values of a set of
selected nodes. The value for each node and the
difference between the output values are listed to
the Data Table.
You also have the option to choose which coordi-
nate system to Report the Data Table.
8.6.6 List, Output, Unformatted...
... produces an unformatted report of selected
output data. Actually, the report is not unfor-
matted; rather, it is just presented in a very sim-
ple one or three-column format without elaborate
headers or labels.
After selecting the output sets to list, using the
entity selection dialog box, you will see a dialog
box which allows you to customize this report. If
you choose All Data in the Data Format section,
the entity selection dialog box will not appear
and all the data from the entities corresponding
to the selected type of output will be listed.
The full report consists of five sections: output set data, output vector data, output vector statistics, detailed output
data, and summary data, at each node or element. Each of these sections can independently be enabled or disabled.
You can also choose to list data on all vectors in each of the selected sets, or simply select a single vector to be
listed from each set. If you are listing the detailed output data, you can choose either a three-column or one-column
format. The three column format produces a shorter listing; the one column format is often better for transferring
data to other applications.
If All Data is not selected, the maximum and minimum in the summary will only reflect the nodes and elements
which have been selected, not the global maximum and minimum of the entire vector.
Note: Only Total Vectors may be selected
with this command.
List, Output, Standard... 8-73
Unformatted output reports in three-column format resemble this sample:
Obviously, many variations on this format are also available by choosing other options. The sample shows all four
sections enabled in the three column format. The output vector statistics are shown after the data columns. The
Calc flag indicates whether this vector can be linearly combined. The Component Dir flag indicates whether there
are additional vectors of data in your model which represent the XYZ components of this vector. This flag will also
be true for vectors which contain elemental centroidal data if elemental corner data is present in your model. When-
ever the Component Dir flag is true, several additional lines will be added to the report (as shown) to identify the
other component vectors.
The summary data, shown at the bottom of the listing, provides a quick way to find overall peak displacements,
forces, or stresses. Depending on the vectors you list, these values may compare dissimilar values, but they will
always list the peaks. For example, the stress summary considers all types of stress. No distinction is made between
normal, principal or calculated values (such as Von Mises).
8.6.7 List, Output, Standard...
... produces reports of your output data in formats which resemble those used by the various analysis programs, or
which you have added to the format library.
To produce a standard output report, you first select the output sets that you want to report. The report format and
other customization options are then specified on the List Formatted Output dialog box.
The Format ID list box will contain a list of all of the formats which are in the format library. You can choose a dif-
ferent format library using the File, Preferences, Libraries command. The format you choose from this list will be
used to create your report.
8.6.7.1 Customizing Your Output Report
The additional options on the List Formatted Output dialog box allow you to customize the content of your report.
You can select what data to report and the order that it will be reported.
Title:
The text that you type in this field will be added to the top of each page of your report. This provides a quick way
of adding a description to the report, without changing the report format. For example, you could add a description
of the entities that you selected to produce the report.
Sorting:
The Sort Field option in this section of the dialog box lets you select an output vector for sorting. If you select a
vector, it will be sorted in the order you choose. If you choose ascending order it will be sorted with the minimum
values first. Otherwise, it will be sorted with the maximum values first. If you choose Absolute Value, the sorting
will be based on the absolute value of the values in the Sort Field.
When you choose a Sort Field, the report is listed based on the sorted order of the data in the sort vector. The sort
vector does not actually have to be listed in the report. If you do not choose a sort vector, data is simply listed in
order of the node/element IDs. Even with no sort vector, the Ascending option still controls the order in which the
report will be listed.
Top N:
These options control whether the data from All nodes/elements will be reported. You can also limit the report to
output from only the top or bottom entities. If you choose one of the limiting options, you must also specify the
Number of Nodes/Elements you want listed. Top really lists the final entries in the report. These entries will be the
maximum entries if the report is sorted in ascending order. It will be the minimum entries however, if the report is
not in ascending order. Similarly, Bottom selects the first entries in the report.
Limits:
Like Top N, these options limit the data that will be reported. Unlike Top N, however, these options are based on the
values of the output in the sort field. If you do not choose a sort vector, these limits will have no effect.
To set limits, you must first choose a selection method. For example, Above Maximum will only report output
which is above the value that you select. Then specify the minimum and/or maximum limit values, whichever is
required. You can also choose Absolute Value to base the limit checking comparison on the absolute value of the
output data. The default option, None, disables limit checking.
Options:
There are two sections to every report - Details and Summaries. The Details section contains the actual report of
data for each selected node/element. It is listed in the format you choose. The Summaries section contains summary
information (maximum/minimum values) for each vector in your report. These summaries are listed at the end of
each output set, and at the end of the report. You cannot control the format of the summaries. The default option,
Full Report, enables both sections of the report. The other options enable only one section of the report.
Choosing Skip Empty will skip detailed data lines for nodes/elements which do not have any output data of the
types requested. If data exists for any of the output vectors selected in the report, this option has no effect. In any
report, fields which are undefined (no data exists) are listed as asterisks (*******).
Entity List:
If you turn on this option, a list of the IDs of all selected nodes or elements is added to the top of the report. This list
can be quite long if you have a large model, but it can be invaluable if you are limiting the actual output with the
Top N or Limits options. It can also be helpful when you use more complicated selection techniques like box pick-
ing or groups.
Finishing the Report 8-75
The following is a sample entity list:
8.6.7.2 Finishing the Report
After you select all report options and press OK, you must select the nodes or elements that you want to be included
in the report. You will use the standard entity selection dialog box for this selection.
8.6.8 List, Output, Use Format...
... allows you to produce custom reports in formats that you define.
To produce an output report, you first select the output sets that you want to report. The report format and other cus-
tomization options are then specified on the List Formatted Output dialog box which was described in List Output
Standard. In this case however, the Format ID list box will contain a list of all of the formats which have been
defined in your current model (not the format library). You can choose one of these (if there are any), or use the
New Format command button to define a new format. The format you choose from this list will be used to create
your report.
8.6.8.1 Defining New Formats
When you choose New Format, you will see the Define Output Format dialog box which gives you the option to
define Titles for the format, as well as the specific data to be reported.
Titles
There are three types of titles available: format title, page titles, and column title. The format title is not part of the
report, but it will be used later to select this format. You should always specify a descriptive title. You can also
specify two page title formats. These formats are listed at the top of every page of your report. If you choose to
have these titles horizontally centered, the final position depends on the width of the longest format line. You can
also insert a blank line after each title.
The column title format is actually a third title line which will be written at the top of the detailed data. It is usually
used to place a title over each column of data. The four data format lines are used to specify the data to be written
for each node/element in the report. Any of these format lines which are blank will be skipped when the report is
written.
Specifying Data Fields for Your Report
The various format lines which you specify can contain either text/labels or can identify data vectors to be listed.
Most data fields will be found in the data format lines, but some special cases can be used in any format line. A data
field is specified in the following manner:
< VectorID, Digits, EFormat, LeftJustify >
where:
< > characters define the width (and location) of the data field.
VectorID contains the ID of the output vector to be selected.
Digits specifies the number of significant digits which are to be written.
The EFormat controls exponential output of values (Y or N).
LeftJustify controls whether the numeric values are left or right justified or aligned within the field width (also Y
or N).
If the EFormat is Y, the field will always be written in exponential format. Otherwise, it will be in floating point
format or exponential format based on the value and field width. In either case, output values that are zero will sim-
ply be written as 0., not 0.0000E+00I. If this option is skipped the default value is Y.
The default value for LeftJustify is N if the option is skipped. If you skip this field a default will be assumed based
on the width of the field.
Several special VectorID values can be used, such as:
The special values, -1 and -2 are often used in the page titles. If VectorID is 0 or -1, the Digits and EFormat options
are ignored since the selected values are integers.
Limitations
The following limitations must be met for all formats:
Formats can be up to 132 characters wide.
You can define up to 40 data fields per format. Each field can be up to 80 characters wide. The fields can be
placed all on one line (assuming the maximum format width is not exceeded) or spread across all lines.
The number of significant digits must always be less than the field width and should be a relatively small num-
ber. Choosing more than 7 or 8 significant digits is relatively meaningless. The output data that FEMAP reads
from your analysis program is probably not that accurate.
You must have at least one data field in a format. Blank formats, or formats with all text are not allowed.
In general, you can place any text anywhere between data fields in a format. You should never use the charac-
ters < or > however. These characters indicate data fields, not text.
The number of < and > must always be equal on every format line. Data fields can not extend across lines.
All data vectors which are referenced in a format must have the same type. Nodal output data cannot be mixed
with elemental output. Elemental centroidal and elemental corner data can be mixed.
8.6.8.2 Copying Formats
If you need to create a format that is similar to another in your model, you do not have to enter the format data man-
ually. Pressing the Copy button will display a list of all existing formats. When you choose an entry from the list,
VectorID Interpretation
0 (or blank) Node/Element ID
-1 Output Set ID
-2 Output Set value (frequency...)
1 thru 99999999 Output Data value from selected VectorID
Working with Format Libraries 8-77
the format data will be copied and displayed in the current dialog box. You can then modify this data in any way
you want, or even change your mind and copy a different format, before pressing OK.
8.6.8.3 Working with Format Libraries
Format libraries allow you to create formats that you can use over and over again in many different models. The
default or standard format library contains formats which mimic those from various analysis programs. When you
press Save, the current format is added to the format library file. Pressing Load will display a list of the formats in
the library and let you choose one to be loaded into the dialog box. Just like Copy, you can then modify the values
before pressing OK.
For more information on libraries, see Section 2.6.2.8, "Library/Startup" and Section 4.3.6, "Library Selection" of
the FEMAP Users Guide
The name of the format library file is specified by the File, Preferences, Libraries command. You can work with
multiple libraries simply by choosing a new filename.
8.6.8.4 Modifying Existing Formats
Just as you can choose the New Format command button to define a new report format, you can also choose Modify
Format to update an existing format. Before choosing this button, you must first select the format to be updated
from the list box.
8.6.9 List, Output, Force Balance
...allows you to list all of the forces and moments acting on a selected set of nodes. This data is only available if you
have requested and recovered grid point force data from Nastran. If Freebody entities are defined in the model,
FEMAP will ask Retrieve nodes from freebody object(s)?.
If you click Yes, select any number of Output Sets, then select any number of Freebody entities. A listing for each
selected Freebody entity for each selected Output Set will be sent to the Messages window.
If you click No, then nodes and a listing coordinate system must be selected manually. See List Freebody to Mes-
sages Window in Section 7.2.3.3, "Freebody tool" for more information on how the values are listed.
8.6.10 List, Output, Force Balance to Data Table
...functions identically to List, Output, Force Balance command, except it sends data to the Data Table instead of
the Messages window. See List Freebody to Data Table in Section 7.2.3.3, "Freebody tool" for more information on
how the values are reported. When listing multiple Freebody entities, look for Freebody ID group headers.
8.6.11 List, Output, Force Balance Interface Load
...allows you to list all of the forces acting on an Interface Load where the forces are summed at a specified loca-
tion in space. An Interface Load is defined by selected nodes and elements. If Freebody entities are defined in the
model, FEMAP will ask Retrieve nodes and elements for summation from freebody object(s)?.
If you click Yes, select any number of Output Sets, then select any number of Freebody entities. A listing for each
selected Freebody entity for each selected Output Set will be sent to the Messages window.
If you click No, then nodes, elements, a summation location, and a listing coordinate system must be selected man-
ually. See List Freebody Summation to Messages Window in Section 7.2.3.3, "Freebody tool" for more information
on how the values are reported.
8.6.12 List, Output, Force Balance Interface Load to Data Table
...functions identically to List, Output, Force Balance Interface Load command, except it sends data to the Data
Table instead of the Messages window. See List Freebody Summation to Data Table in Section 7.2.3.3, "Freebody
tool" for more information on how the values are reported. When listing multiple Freebody entities, look for Free-
body ID group headers.
Note: When asked to specify a location, the default values which appear in the Enter Location to Compute
Force Balance Around dialog box represent the centroid of the nodes selected for use in the force bal-
ance calculation.
8.6.13 List, Output, XY Plot...
...simply lists the XY values for the active XY plot to the List Destination (typically the Messages window). No
other input is required. The active window must contain an XY plot for this command to be available. You can set
the List Destination option to a file to have this information exported directly to a file.
8.6.14 List, Output, Format...
... will list selected report formats. These are the formats which are defined and used with the List Output Use For-
mat command. Only formats which are defined in your model can be listed. Formats which are in the format library
cannot be listed unless they are first loaded into a model format.
There are no options with this command. You simply select the formats to be listed using the standard entity selec-
tion dialog box and the report is produced. The format resembles the following:
You will notice that the listing simply duplicates the fields described above for defining the format. This includes
blank lines for any titles/format lines which are blank.
8.7 Deleting Output (Delete, Output Menu)
The Delete, Output menu provides the capability to remove output from your model. This can be very useful for
removing results which are no longer applicable, and reduce the size of your FEMAP model. The Delete Output
menu is partitioned into three segments. The commands on the top two segments delete actual output in your
model. The command on the final segment, Delete Output Format, does not delete any output. It simply removes a
reporting format from your model.
When using the Delete, Output, All; Delete, Output, Set; and Delete, Output, Vector commands, FEMAP brings up
the Confirm Fast Results Delete dialog box which asks, OK to Delete Results without Undo? Deleting without
Undo can be significantly faster.
Choose Go Fast to complete the chosen Delete, Output... command without the ability to Undo or Preserve Undo
to complete the command with the ability to Undo. Be aware that Go Fast may take MUCH less time than Preserve
Undo, especially in models with a large amount of output. Once the chosen Delete, Output... command has been
completed, you will be able to undo other commands moving forward.
The option to Go Fast or Preserve Undo may be permanently set using the Fast Output Delete option in the Menus
and Dialog Boxes section of the User Interface tab of File, Preferences. See Section 2.6.2.4, "User Interface" for
more information.
Output Format 3 - Loaded Displacements
Page Title 1 AutoCenter N DblSpace Y Page Title 2 AutoCenter N DblSpace N
STATIC ANALYSIS DISPLACEMENTS

Column Title Format
NODE X TRANS Y TRANS Z TRANS X ROT Y ROT Z ROT
Data Formats
< 0> < 2,4 > < 3,4 > < 4,4 > < 6,4 > < 7,4 > < 8,4 >

Output Format 4 - Loaded Solid Stresses
Page Title 1 AutoCenter N DblSpace Y Page Title 2 AutoCenter N DblSpace N
S T R E S S E S I N S O L I D E L E M E N T S (H E X A)
-CENTER AND CORNER POINT STRESSES- MEAN
Column Title Format
NORMAL SHEAR PRINCIPAL PRESSURE
Data Formats
< 0 >
CENTER X < 9025,6 > XY < 9028,6 > A < 9022,6 > < 9021,6 >
Y < 9026,6 > YZ < 9029,6 > B < 9023,6 >
Z < 9027,6 > ZX < 9030,6 > C < 9024,6 >
Note: One of the major reasons to delete output is to reduce the size of your model. Output can require a sig-
nificant amount of disk space, especially in comparison to the size of a FEMAP model which does not
contain output. When you delete output, however, you will not see a change in the model size until you
do a File, Rebuild (see Section 2.6.1, "File, Rebuild..."). FEMAP does not compact the database, there-
fore the additional space used by the output is not recovered until you compact the database using File,
Rebuild.
Delete, Output, All... 8-79
If you choose the Dont confirm again check box, FEMAP will set the Fast Output Delete preference to match
the option last selected in the Confirm Fast Results Delete dialog box.
8.7.1 Delete, Output, All...
... simply deletes ALL output currently in the model. This includes all output sets and output vectors.
8.7.2 Delete, Output, Set...
... removes entire output sets from your model. Select the output sets using the standard entity selection dialog box.
FEMAP will then ask if it is OK to delete the output set(s). This is the only input required for this command.
8.7.3 Delete, Output, Vector...
...allows you to delete output vectors from a selected Output Set or All Sets. When you select this command, you
will see the Delete Output Vectors dialog box.
You can select an individual Output Vector or an entire Output Category to delete. You can also delete a range of
output vectors by choosing the first output vector in the range from the From drop-down list and the last from the
To drop down list.
Stress and strain have the added capability to delete only the components (leaving the invariants such as Von Mises
stress) or all vectors in that category.
8.7.4 Delete, Output, Entry...
... enables you to remove output on specific nodes or elements in your model from selected Output Vectors in
selected Output Sets. When you choose this command, FEMAP will first ask you to select Output Sets to delete
from, then will ask you for the specific Output Vectors. Finally, FEMAP will ask you to select the nodes or ele-
ments from which to remove the output. If any of the selected Output Vectors contain nodal output, you will be
prompted for nodes. If the Output Vectors contain elemental output, it will also prompt you to select elements. This
command is a useful method of removing output from specific entities, without removing or changing the entire
output vector.
You can view the remaining output on elements while displaying the rest of the model uncontoured by choosing
Contour Options from the Post Options icon on the Post Toolbar. Once the Contour Options dialog box is open,
change the contour type from Nodal to Elemental to create the appropriate display.
8.7.5 Delete, Output, Format...
... removes a specific output format from the FEMAP model. Once again, you are simply prompted for the ID of
the output format to remove, and then asked to confirm that you wish to delete the chosen formats. No other input
is required for this command.
9. Help and Non-Menu
9.1 Help Menu Commands
The Help commands let you find out more about using FEMAP without referring to the printed documentation.
Context Sensitive Help
FEMAP can access the help information in a context-sensitive manner. The context-sensitive help system provides
several different levels of information.
As you move your mouse over the FEMAP menu, toolbars, or toolbox, you will see a one-line description of the
command that you are pointing at appear either in the status bar or the title bar of the FEMAP main window.
If you need more information, just press Shift+F1. The cursor will change to the pointer and question mark shape.
In this mode, if you select a command, FEMAP displays the help information for that command, rather than exe-
cuting the command. If you change your mind, press Esc, to cancel the help mode.
Context-sensitive help can also be accessed while you are in the middle of any command. At any time a dialog box
is displayed, simply press the F1 key to jump to the help information for the current command.
9.1.1 Help Topics
... opens a browser window containing the FEMAP online help. You can also access the online help through the
context-sensitive help (F1).
Note: You can get context sensitive help on any of the dockable panes (Entity Editor, Data Table, Model Info
tree, Messages, Entity Info, Program File, and API Programming windows) by clicking inside the pane
to make it active and pressing the F1 key. Clicking inside any graphics window will return the F1 key to
bringing up the top-level Help Index, when not in another command.
Note: In some cases, you must get to the second level of a command for the F1 key to take you to a designated
place in the FEMAP documentation. This often occurs when a single solid is being selected, a generic
windows dialog box is used (open, save as, etc), or a tree structure is involved (For instance: Model,
Analysis). Also commands which do not bring up any dialog box or use a Yes/No box require the use of
Shift+F1 to get to the correct context sensitive help.
9-2 Help and Non-Menu
The HTML-based FEMAP online help system is displayed in browser such as Netscape 4.x or later, or Internet
Explorer 5.x or later. If you dont have one of these browsers, you will need to install one.
The left pane of the browser window is the navigation pane. You can access the help in several different ways:
Contents: click on a plus (+) sign to expand the view of the table of contents. Click on a minus (-) sign to close
the item. Click on a topic to display it in the right pane.
Index: pick a topic, then pick Display.
Search: enter an item in the search field. You can search through one or more books. Pick Go to begin the
search.
If you enter more than one item in the search field, the search finds documents that contain every word entered.
Click the drop-down arrow next to the search field to see a history of the words youve searched for. You can
then select one of the words to perform the same search again.
Favorites lets you create a shortcut to a specific location in the online help. Once the topic is displayed in the
right pane, pick Add to save the location.
To save favorites information on your hard drive, the Java implementation in the online help requires you to grant
special permission. When the security dialog box is displayed, click Yes to permanently grant the permissions
needed to store favorites on your help system. If you click No, the applet fails to load, and the left frame of the help
system appears blank.
9.1.2 Help, Toolbars...
...opens an HTML window that describes the use of the Toolbars for this release of FEMAP. You can choose gen-
eral usage of all the Toolbars, customization information about the Toolbars, or information on each individual
Toolbar.
9.1.3 Help, Dockable Panes...
...opens an HTML window that describes the use of the Dockable Panes for this release of FEMAP. You can choose
general usage of all the Dockable Panes or information on each individual Dockable Pane.
9.1.4 Help, NX Nastran
...opens an HTML window which contains the complete set of NX Nastran Documentation for the version installed
with FEMAP. The collection can be viewed in either HTML or PDF format.
9.1.5 Help, Analysis
...opens an HTML window that describes the different types of analysis which can be performed with FEMAP and
NX Nastran together. There is also an outdated list of NX Nastran errors codes with definitions.
9.1.6 Help, Whats New
...opens an HTML window that describes the new features for this release of FEMAP.
9.1.7 Help, Examples
...opens the HTML-based FEMAP Examples. These examples teach new users the basics of working with FEMAP.
9.1.8 Help, Using Help...
... describes how to use the FEMAP Online Help.
9.1.9 Help, Programming
... opens an HTML window containing the FEMAP API (Applications Programming Interface) reference guide for
this release of FEMAP.
Note: Please be aware that some of the functionality of the current version of NX Nastran may not be sup-
ported by FEMAP
Help, Basic Language 9-3
9.1.10 Help, Basic Language
... opens a Windows Help window containing a reference to the programming language used in the API Program-
ming dockable pane. This menu item will be grayed out unless the API Programming pane is open in FEMAP.
9.1.11 Help, Tip of the Day
... opens the Tip of the Day dialog box.
9.1.12 Help, FEMAP on the Web
... opens an internet browser and takes you directly to the FEMAP website.
9.1.13 Help, Technical Support
... contains several options involved with technical support such as:
opens an internet browser and takes you directly to the UGS GTAC website.
opens an internet browser and allows you to request a webkey needed to attain technical support via the UGS
website.
opens an internet browser and takes you directly to an on-line library of answers to FAQs and other known
issues in the Solution Database.
opens an internet browser and takes you to the UGS News Server.
opens an internet browser and allows you to create and track and incident report (IR) via the UGS website.
opens an internet browser and allows you to upload a file for technical support via the UGS website..
opens an internet browser and allows you to download the latest version of FEMAP via the UGS website.
9.1.14 Help, About...
... tells you more information about your FEMAP software, and your current FEMAP session. You can use this
command to determine your FEMAP software revision level and serial number. Also, you can determine whether
you are running a 32-bit or 64-bit version of FEMAP.
Help, About also provides general information about your computer and Windows environment. This includes: sys-
tem and math coprocessor type, the current Windows operating mode, graphics card information, and the amount
of free/contiguous memory that is available for the machine overall (Physical Memory) and available for use by
FEMAP (All Memory). You can also find which Initialization File (.ini file) FEMAP is using, the current PATH,
and some Scratch file and directory information.
For systems that require a security device, you can also access that device through the Security button in the About
dialog box. This capability allows us to upgrade your FEMAP license over the phone. It is especially important if
you have a timed, or limited-node license for FEMAP, or if you are leasing FEMAP. If you need to update your
license, give us a call for more information on using this capability.
For network systems, the Security option provides a method to define the path to the network license file. You also
will be able to see the number of licenses available for each module and which users have the licenses checked out.
You can also check the options that are currently enabled for your license by selecting the Options button
Note: An IR will need to be opened and you must have corresponded with GTAC in order to use the upload
option or your file may not get to the correct person in the GTAC organization
Note: Your IP address must be valid and recognized by the Webkey system for this option to be used correctly
.
9.2 Non-Menu Commands
This section describes commands that are not shown on the FEMAP menus. You can only execute these commands
using the assigned keystrokes.
9.2.1 Previous Command...
... is similar to Previous Menu. It uses the information that FEMAP remembers to automatically execute the last
command that you chose from the menu. You can use this command to bypass the FEMAP menu any time that you
want to repeat the previous command.
9.2.2 Dialog Function Keys
... pressing these function keys manipulates the model view when a dialog box is open. Also, F1 brings up context
sensitive help.
Here is a list of what each function key does when a dialog box is open.
F1 - Context sensitive help - recognizes which dialog box is open and takes you directly to the correct spot in the
documentation concerning that particular command.
F2 - Magnify Up - adjusts the scale of your model in the active view by increasing the size of the model to 110%
each time the button is pressed. When Shift+F2 is pressed, increases size in view to 150%, Ctrl+F2 increases size to
200%, and Alt+F2 autoscales the visible model.
F3 - Magnify Down - adjusts the scale of your model in the active view by decreasing the size of the model by
110% each time the button is pressed. When Shift+F3 is pressed, decreases size in view by 150%, Ctrl+F3
decreases size by 200%, and Alt+F2 autoscales the visible model.
F4 - Box Zoom - simultaneously updates the scale and centering of your model in the active view. The update is
based on a rectangular area that you define relative to the window.
Alt+F10
Dialog Function Keys 9-5
F5 - Pan Left - adjusts the position of your model within a view by moving it to the left by 10% of the total model
size, without changing the magnification or orientation. When Shift+F5 is pressed, moves model to the left by
25%, Ctrl+F5 moves model to the left by 50%, and Alt+F5 moves the model to the left by 100%.
F6 - Pan Right - adjusts the position of your model within a view by moving it to the right by 10% of the total
model size, without changing the magnification or orientation. When Shift+F6 is pressed, moves model to the right
by 25%, Ctrl+F6 moves model to the right by 50%, and Alt+F6 moves the model to the right by 100%.
F7 - Pan Up - adjusts the position of your model within a view by moving it up by 10% of the total model size,
without changing the magnification or orientation. When Shift+F7 is pressed, moves model up by 25%, Ctrl+F7
moves model up by 50%, and Alt+F7 moves the model up by 100%.
F8 - Pan Down - adjusts the position of your model within a view by moving it down by 10% of the total model
size, without changing the magnification or orientation. When Shift+F8 is pressed, moves model down by 25%,
Ctrl+F8 moves model down by 50%, and Alt+F8 moves the model down by 100%.
F9 - Rotation Direction - toggles the direction of rotation from positive to negative every time the button is pressed.
F10 - Rotate about X - rotates the model 10 degrees about the X-axis of the view (positive or negative depending
on the Rotation Direction toggle) every time the button is pressed. When Shift+F10 is pressed, rotates model by 10
degrees about the X screen axis, Ctrl+F10 rotates model by 90 degrees about the model axis, and Alt+F10
rotates model by 90 degrees about the screen axis.
F11 - Rotate about Y - rotates the model 10 degrees about the Y-axis of the view (positive or negative depending on
the Rotation Direction toggle) every time the button is pressed. When Shift+F11 is pressed, rotates model by 10
degrees about the Y screen axis, Ctrl+F11 rotates model by 90 degrees about the Y model axis, and Alt+F11
rotates model by 90 degrees about the Y screen axis.
F12 - Rotate about Z - rotates the model 10 degrees about the Z-axis of the view (positive or negative depending on
the Rotation Direction toggle) every time the button is pressed. When Shift+F12 is pressed, rotates model by 10
degrees about the Z screen axis, Ctrl+F12 rotates model by 90 degrees about the Z model axis, and Alt+F12
rotates model by 90 degrees about the Z screen axis.
For more info on these commands, see Section 6.2.4, "View, Magnify...", Section 6.2.5, "View, Zoom...", Section
6.2.8, "View, Pan...", and Section 6.2.1, "View, Rotate Menu"
10Index
A
ABAQUS contact 4-90, 4-104, 4-105, 4-110
abort
listing 7-169
redraw 6-48
acceleration 4-55, 6-23
accuracy 6-19, 8-51
ACIS 2-3, 2-4, 2-6, 2-37, 3-47
active
constraint set 4-79
group 6-52
load set 4-49
output set 8-41
set 7-141
add to group 6-54
aero
update aero interference group 4-153
aero control surface
list 7-186
aero panel/body
list 7-185
aero property
list 7-185
aero spline
list 7-186
aeroelasticity 4-118
aero control surface 4-127
aero panel/body 4-118
aero property 4-122
aero spline 4-124
align 3-75, 4-140
align view
normal to plane 6-39
to coordinate system 6-39
to vector 6-39
to workplane 6-39
using surface 6-39
all views 6-1, 6-2, 6-48
analysis set 4-160
analysis set manager 4-157
analysis sets 4-82
angle 7-148
animation 6-13, 8-2, 8-3, 8-22, 8-23, 8-24, 8-34
anisotropic 4-15, 4-18
ANSYS contact 4-90, 4-110
anti-symmetry 4-81
arc 3-8
angle-center-start 3-10
angle-start-end 3-9
center-points 3-10
center-start-end 3-8
chord-center-start 3-10
points 3-10
radius-start-end 3-8
start-end-direction 3-11
area of element 7-150
arrow 8-22
ASK( ) 7-106
aspect ratio 6-32, 7-157
auto transparency 6-28
automatic 4-87
automatic meshing
hexahedral 5-10, 5-33
line elements 5-22, 5-62
planar elements 5-23
tetrahedral 5-39
autoscale 6-39
AVI 2-16
axes
view 6-30
XY plot 8-31
axisymmetric 4-40
B
backfaces 6-27
background color 6-2
bar 4-6, 4-27
beam 4-6, 4-27
offsets 4-7
orientation 4-7
section property generator 4-28
shapes 4-28
viewing shape 6-20
beam diagram 8-3, 8-28
beam releases 4-7
BEEP( ) 7-106
bending element 4-38
bias 5-47
blend 3-18
body load 4-52
bolt preload
region 4-116
border 6-2
boundary conditions
boundary mesh 5-23
boundary surface 3-28, 3-49
map to surface 3-78
multi-surface 3-30
break 3-66
C
cache 2-33
calculate output 8-43, 8-47, 8-48
cascade 6-48
cases
CATIA 2-4
center of gravity 7-149
center view 6-39, 6-43
centroidal smoothing 5-63
chamfer 3-51, 3-69
check
free edge 7-190
free face 7-190
I-2
chord 3-10
circle
center 3-12
center and points 3-14
concentric 3-14
diameter 3-12
points on arc 3-14
point-tangent 3-13
radius 3-12
tangent to curves 3-13
two points 3-12
cleanup 3-59
clipboard 2-15, 2-16, 2-19, 2-20
clipping 6-64, 6-66
coordinate 6-64
screen 6-65
clipping planes
group 6-31
model 6-32
coincident
curves 7-152
elements 7-156
load 7-164
nodes 7-152
points 7-152
color 2-20, 2-48, 3-77, 4-142, 7-141
background 6-2
contours 8-25
compare output 8-66
complex output 8-60
composite layup 4-43
compressing your model 2-20
concentric 3-14
condense group 6-55
cone 3-37, 3-46
connection 5-51
connector 7-176
property 7-175
region 7-175
connection property
group 6-68
list 7-175
connection region
group 6-68
connections 4-87, 4-89
list 7-175
connector
group 6-68
list 7-176
constraint
check 7-164
copy 4-85
curve 4-85
draw 6-25, 8-3
equation 4-82
expand 4-85
geometry 4-83
group 6-71
list 7-182, 7-183
nodal 4-81
on face 4-82
permanent 4-153
point 4-85
set 4-79
surface 4-85
constraint definition
list 7-182
contact
segment/surface 4-90, 4-110
context sensitive help 9-1
context sensitive menus
select toolbar 7-124
continuous lines 3-6
contour 6-13, 8-2, 8-3, 8-4, 8-24, 8-25, 8-28
data 8-6
data conversion 8-11
laminate options 8-16
levels 8-13, 8-14
options 8-10
palette 8-27
vector plot 8-14, 8-30
conversion factors 7-143
convert
element type 5-74, 5-78, 5-80
geometry 2-4
loads to output 8-55
output 8-60
output to loads 8-53
units 7-142
coordinate system 4-153
align 3-76, 4-140
creating 4-1
draw 6-18
group 6-69
list 7-177
move 3-72, 3-73, 4-135, 4-136
rotate 3-74, 3-75, 4-138, 4-139
coordinates 3-7
copies 2-14
copy 3-64
constraint 4-85
desktop 2-16
element 5-66
geometry 3-61
group 6-55
layout 2-16
loads 4-75
materials 4-15
node 5-65
picture 2-15
property 4-26
radial 3-62
report format 8-76
rotate 3-63
scale 3-63
copying messages 2-19
corners 8-58
creating a view 6-45
criteria 6-13, 8-2, 8-3, 8-4, 8-24, 8-25, 8-28, 8-29
curve
accuracy 6-19
align 3-76
boundary 3-29
break 3-66
chamfer 3-69
coincident 7-152
combine 3-19
creating 3-1
custom mesh size 5-12
direction 3-78
draw 6-18, 6-19
extend 3-66
I-3
fillet 3-68
from surface 3-20
group 6-67
join 3-67
length 7-149
list 7-171
mesh 5-22
mesh size 5-6
move 3-74
nonmergeable 3-78
rotate 3-74, 3-75
trim 3-65
curve from surface
intersect 3-20
offset curves/washer 3-22
pad 3-24
parametric 3-21
point to edge 3-26
point to point 3-25
project 3-20
project along vector 3-21
slice 3-21
split at locations 3-22
curved beam 4-6, 4-35
curved tube 4-27
customizing FEMAP 2-12
cut 8-13
cutting plane 8-13
cylinder 3-37, 3-46
cylindrical coordinates 5-49
D
damping 4-72
DEF( ) 7-107, 7-110
default mesh size 5-6
defaults 2-20
define output 8-42
definition coordinate system 4-153
deformed 6-13, 8-2, 8-3, 8-24
scale 8-22
deformed data 8-6
DELAY( ) 7-107
delete 3-79
FEA entities 4-154
group 6-71
nondeletable entities 3-79, 4-155
output 8-78
views 6-44
design optimization 4-129
destination 2-13, 7-189
diameter 3-12
difference from average 8-51
dimetric 6-33
displacement 4-55, 6-23
display options 6-15, 8-21
distance 7-147
distance from plane 7-155
distributed load 4-56
dockable panes 7-5
api programming 7-97
data surface editor 7-69
data table 7-90
entity editor 7-67
entity info 7-89
meshing toolbox 7-24
messages 7-113
model info tree 7-7
postprocessing toolbox 7-49
program file 7-101
DOF 4-81
DOF sets
DOF spring 4-6, 4-36
draw 6-48, 6-49
DXF 2-4, 2-6
dynamic analysis 4-71
dynamic cutting plane 8-35
dynamic isosurface 8-36
dynamic query 8-66
dynamic rotation 2-25, 6-34
dynamic streamline 8-36
E
ECHO( ) 7-107
ECHOV( ) 7-108
edge members 5-62
edges 6-28
edit 3-76, 4-141
element
adjust plate 4-151
align 4-140
beam warping 4-149
coincident 7-156
copy 5-66
creating 4-4
directions 6-19
draw 6-19
draw beam Y-axis 6-21
draw weld diameter 6-21
formulation 4-5
group 6-70
line 4-6
list 7-178
material angle 4-5, 4-150
midside node 4-152
modify formulation 4-147
modify material 4-147
modify property 4-147
modify type 4-146
move 4-137
normals 7-163
offsets 4-7, 4-147, 6-20
order 4-152
orientation 4-7, 4-147, 6-20
orientation - bar 4-27
other 4-8
output 8-53
plane 4-8
quality 7-157
reflect 5-70
releases 4-7, 4-148, 6-20
reverse line element direction 4-148
reverse normal 4-149
rigid thermal expansion coefficient 4-152
rotate 4-139, 4-140
scale 4-141
show solid element coordinate system 6-21
shrink 6-27
split quad 4-151
type 4-4
I-4
element fill 6-27
element type 4-146
elemental contours 8-10
elemental loads 4-55
ellipse 3-16
embed face 3-58
ENDIF( ) 7-109
enhanced render mode 2-25
envelope 8-48
error estimates 8-51
evaluate group 6-54
EXEC( ) 7-108
exit 2-49
EXIT( ) 7-109
expand output 8-60
explicit time step 7-157
explode 3-51
extend 3-66, 3-67
extrapolate output 6-58, 8-58
extrude 3-34, 3-46
curve 5-71
element 5-74
element face 5-78
F
facets 5-58
fail criteria 8-29
feature suppression 5-20
features 6-13, 6-58, 8-2
FEMAP neutral 2-6, 2-7
file
export 2-6
import 2-3
new 2-1
notes 2-8
open 2-1, 2-2, 2-3
page setup 2-10
print 2-12
save 2-2
save as 2-3
timed save 2-3
fill 6-27
fill output 8-43
filled edges 6-28
fillet 3-51, 3-68
finding entities 6-49
fluid 4-15
Fluid Region 4-114
fonts 6-18
footers 2-10, 2-12
force 4-55, 6-23
format 8-75, 8-78
free DOF 4-81
free edge 6-13, 6-26, 7-190, 8-2
free face 6-13, 6-26, 7-190, 8-2
freebody display 7-59
convert to load 4-78
frequency response 4-71, 8-60
function 4-130
list 7-184
G
gap 4-6, 4-37
generate
groups 6-58
geometric loading 4-62
expand 4-68
FEA attachment 4-62, 4-65, 4-145
midside node adjustment 2-37, 4-65, 4-68
non-constant 4-63, 4-67
on curve 4-62
on point 4-62
on surface 4-65
geometry
constraint 4-83
copy 3-61
curve 3-1
delete 3-79
import 2-3
line 3-1
list 7-170
meshing attributes 5-15
modify break 3-66
modify chamfer 3-69
modify extend 3-66
modify fillet 3-68
modify join 3-67
modify trim 3-65
move 3-70
point 3-1
prepare for meshing 5-1
project 3-70
radial copy 3-62
rotate to 3-74
global axes 6-30
global origin 6-31
GOTO( ) 7-109
graphics boards 2-20
grid 6-31
group 6-50
add 6-54
clipping 6-64
clipping planes 6-31
commands 6-52
condense 6-55
converting output 8-54
copy 6-55
delete 6-71
draw 8-3
generate 6-58
layer 6-67
list 7-187
rules 6-55, 6-69
group operations
add related 6-58
booleans 6-55
element type 6-60
entities on layers 6-62
evaluate 6-54
generate 6-58
material 6-60
move to layer 6-63
output 6-60
peel 6-63
property 6-60
select mesh 6-64
select model 6-63
superelements 6-62
I-5
H
hardware problems 2-20
headers 2-10, 2-12
heat transfer 6-23
heat transfer analysis 4-74
help 9-1
hidden line 6-13, 6-27, 7-190, 8-2
horizontal lines 3-2
hyperbola 3-17
hyperelastic 4-15, 4-18
I
I-DEAS 2-4
IDI 2-4
IF( ) 7-109
IGES 2-3, 2-4
included angle 3-9, 3-10
increment 7-141
inertia 7-149
interfaces 2-37, 2-41
ACIS 2-6
analysis 2-5, 2-7
analysis results 2-5
DXF 2-6
FEMAP neutral 2-6, 2-7
notes 2-8
Parasolid 2-6
STEP 2-6
VRML 2-6
internal angles 7-157
isometric 6-33
isosurface 8-3, 8-13, 8-14, 8-30
dynamic 8-36
isotropic 4-15, 4-16
J
jacobian 7-157
join 3-67
JPEG 2-16
justification 7-146
K
keystrokes 7-104
L
labels 6-18
laminate 4-39
layup 4-43
layup viewer 4-46
laplacian smoothing 5-63
layer 3-77, 4-142, 6-50, 6-67
commands 6-51
create 7-145
draw 8-3
list 7-170
layout 2-13
layup
list 7-180
leaving FEMAP 2-49
legend 6-30, 8-22
contour 8-28
contour/criteria plot 8-28
XY plot 8-31
length 7-147
levels 8-25
library 2-20, 2-46
layup 4-46
material 4-15
property 4-27
report 8-73, 8-77
view 2-22
light source 6-28
limits 8-28
line 3-1
angle to curve 3-4
at angle 3-4
continuous 3-6
coordinates 3-7
horizontal 3-2
midline 3-4
offset 3-7
parallel 3-3
perpendicular 3-3
point and tangent 3-5
points 3-7
project points 3-2
rectangle 3-6
tangent 3-5
vectored 3-8
vertical 3-2
line elements 4-6, 5-49
linear combinations 8-47, 8-48
linear elements 4-152
link 4-6
link element 4-34
list 7-169
aero control surface 7-186
aero panel/body 7-185
aero property 7-185
aero spline 7-186
connection property 7-175
connections 7-175
connector 7-176
constraint 7-182, 7-183
constraint definition 7-182
coordinate system 7-177
curve 7-171
destination 7-189
element 7-178
formats 8-78
formatted output 8-75
function 7-184
geometry 7-170
group 7-187
layer 7-170
layup 7-180
load 7-181
load definition 7-180
material 7-179
model info 7-189
nodal changes to data table 8-72
node 7-177
output 7-186, 8-65
point 7-171
property 7-179
query 8-65
region 7-175
results to data table 8-70
I-6
solid 7-174
standard output 8-73
summary to data table 8-67
surface 7-173
text 7-170
unformatted output 8-72
variable 7-169
view 7-188
volume 7-174
xy data 8-78
load 4-49, 4-154
analysis options 4-69
body 4-52, 6-22
bolt preload 4-69
check 7-165
coincident 7-164
combine 4-75
copy 4-75
create output 8-55
distributed 4-56
draw 6-22, 6-23, 6-31, 8-3
dynamic 4-71
element 4-55
expand 4-68
from freebody 4-78
from output 4-75, 4-76
geometry 4-62
group 6-71
heat transfer 4-58
heat transfer analysis 4-74
list 7-181
nodal 4-53, 4-55
non-constant 4-55, 4-63, 4-67
nonlinear 4-69
nonlinear force 4-60
on curve 4-62
on face 4-55, 4-56
on point 4-62
on surface 4-65
phase 4-153
pressure 4-56
temperature 4-58
load definition
list 7-180
logarithmic plots 8-31
LS-DYNA contact 4-90, 4-110
M
magnify 6-39, 6-40, 6-41
Main window 2-1
MARC contact 4-90, 4-106, 4-109, 4-110
margins 2-11
mass element 4-8, 4-40
mass matrix 4-40
mass properties 7-149
master requests and conditions 4-160
material 4-15, 4-147
angle 4-150
anisotropic 4-18
copy 4-15
creep 4-24
fluid 4-19
function dependent 4-21
group 6-70
hyperelastic 4-18
isotropic 4-16
list 7-179
Nastran Solution 601 hyperelastic 4-19
nonlinear 4-22
orientation 4-5, 4-150
orthotropic 4-17
other types 2-46, 4-19
phase change 4-25
thermo-optical 4-25
values shown as contour/criteria plot 8-33
max difference 8-51
measure 7-147, 7-149
angle 7-148
membrane 4-38
memory management 2-33
merge
curves 7-152
nodes 7-152
points 7-152
mesh
attributes 5-15
between 5-45
bias 5-47
boundary surface 3-28, 3-30
build remeshing regions 5-60
cleanup slivers 5-58
connection 5-51
control 5-6
convert facets 5-58
copy 5-65
corners 5-45
edge members 5-62
edge removal 5-59
edit remeshing regions 5-60
extrude 5-71
feature suppression 5-20
generation options 5-58
geometry 5-22
geometry preparation 5-1
hard points 5-12, 5-14
hexahedral 5-10, 5-33
interactive editing 5-55
length spacing 5-7
matching 5-11
mesh remeshing regions 5-61
modify 5-56
multi-surface 3-30
nongeometry 5-45
project onto solid 4-134
radial copy 5-68
refine 5-56
reflect 5-70
region 5-50
revolve 5-79
rotate 5-69
scale 5-68
smoothing 5-63
splitting 5-55
surface 5-23
surface meshing performance 3-30
surface method 5-18
sweep 5-80
tetrahedral 5-39
toolbox 7-24
transition 5-53
unrefine 5-56, 5-57
I-7
update 5-56
update/remesh 5-57
mesh size 5-6, 5-71, 5-79
curve 5-6
draw 6-19
on solid 5-10
on surface 5-8
point 5-6
surface matching 5-11
messages 2-13, 2-19, 2-20
metafiles 2-10
MFLUID 4-114
midline 3-4
midplane 3-41
midside nodes 4-152
midsurface 3-41
assign mesh attributes 3-42
automatic 3-41
cleanup 3-42
extend 3-41
generate 3-42
intersect 3-42
offset tangent surfaces 3-42
single 3-41
single in solid 3-41
trim to solid 3-41
trim with curve 3-41
model accuracy 8-51
model colors 2-48
model information 7-189
modify 3-76, 4-141
associativity 4-145
element type 4-146
renumber 3-77, 4-143
moment 4-55, 6-23
move 3-75, 4-140
move by 3-73, 4-136
move to 3-72, 4-135
MPC 4-82
MSG( ) 7-111
multiple windows 6-1, 6-2, 6-45, 6-46, 6-48
N
NEi/NASTRAN contact 4-90, 4-110
neutral file 2-7
new windows 6-45
next ID 7-141
nodal constraint 4-81
nodal contours 8-10
nodal load 4-53
nodal output 8-53
node
align 4-140
coincident 7-152
creating 4-3
definition coordinate system 4-153
draw 6-19
group 6-69
list 7-177
move 4-136, 4-137
output coordinate system 4-153
permanent constraints 4-153
project onto curve 4-133
project onto plane 4-134
project onto surface 4-134
project onto vector 4-134
rotate 4-139
scale 4-141
superelement ID 4-153
type 4-153
nondeletable 3-79, 4-155
nonisotropic material 4-150
nonlinear analysis 4-69
nonlinear force 6-23
normal 7-163
O
offset 3-39
offset curves 3-7, 3-19
offsets 4-7, 4-147
on-line help 9-1
OPT( ) 7-111
OPTGO( ) 7-112
optical 4-25
optimization 4-129
options 6-15, 8-21
orientation 4-7, 4-147
orientation angle 4-150
origin 6-31
original render mode 2-25
orthotropic 4-15, 4-17
other 4-15
output 4-75, 4-76, 8-41
active vector commands 8-41
combine 8-47, 8-48
compare 8-66
complex 8-60
convert 8-60
define 8-42
error estimates 8-51
expand 8-60
extrapolate 6-58, 8-58
forced response 8-60
from loads 8-55
list 7-186, 8-65
process data 8-43
transform 8-56
worst-case 8-48
output format 8-75
output requests
output sets 8-41
output vector 8-42
P
page setup 2-10
palette for contour 8-27
pan 6-43
dynamic 6-34
parabola 3-16
parabolic elements 4-8, 4-152
parallel lines 3-3
parameters 3-27, 3-43, 7-141
node 4-3
Parasolid 2-3, 2-4, 2-6, 2-37, 3-47
pass criteria 8-29
permanent constraints 4-153, 6-19
I-8
perpendicular 3-3
perspective 6-29
phase 4-153
phase change 4-25
pictures 2-15, 2-16, 2-18
pinned 4-81
planarity 7-155
plane 3-37, 6-66
plane element 4-37
plane strain 4-38
plate 4-8, 4-38
plot 6-48, 6-49
plot only element 4-6, 4-42
plot style 6-13, 8-2
point
align 3-76
coincident 7-152
creating 3-1
draw 6-18
group 6-67
list 7-171
mesh 5-22
mesh size 5-6
move 3-73, 3-74
project onto curve 3-70
project onto plane 3-71
project onto surface 3-71
project onto vector 3-71
rotate 3-74, 3-75
pointer 7-147
post overview 8-1
post processing
beam cross section 8-37
post toolbox 7-49
contour tool 7-54
deform tool 7-50
freebody tool 7-59
preferences 2-20
interfaces 2-41
user interface 2-29
pressure 4-56, 6-23
previous command 9-4
previous zoom 6-42
primitives
cylinder,cone,tube 3-37, 3-46
ellipse 3-16
hyperbola 3-17
parabola 3-16
plane 3-37
rectangle 3-6
solid 3-50
sphere 3-38, 3-46
print 2-10, 2-12
listings 2-13, 7-189
printer setup 2-15
Pro/E 2-4
process
output data 8-43
program files
commands 7-106
keystrokes 7-104
window (dockable pane) 7-101
project 3-70, 4-133
onto plane 7-156
property 4-26, 4-147
axisymmetric 4-40
bar 4-27
beam 4-27
bending 4-38
copy 4-26
curved beam 4-35
curved tube 4-27
DOF spring 4-36
gap 4-37
group 6-70
laminate 4-39
line 4-27
link 4-34
list 7-179
mass 4-40
mass element 4-40
membrane 4-38
other elements 4-40
plane 4-37
plane strain 4-38
plate 4-38
plot only 4-42
rigid 4-42
rod 4-27
shear 4-37
slide line 4-40
solid 4-40
spring 4-35
stiffness matrix 4-40
tube 4-27
values shown as contour/criteria plot 8-33
volume 4-40
Q
quad 4-151
quad meshing 5-48
quality 7-157
query 8-65
R
radius 3-8, 3-12, 3-51
random analysis 4-71
rebuild 2-20
recovering data 2-20
rectangle 3-6
rectangular coordinates 5-49
redraw 6-48, 6-49
refine mesh 5-56
reflect 3-64
element 5-70
geometry 3-64
node 5-70
regenerate 6-49
region 5-50
list 7-175
releases 4-7
remesh 5-56
render 2-25
render mode 6-13
renumber 3-77, 4-143, 6-71
replaying pictures 2-18
report format 8-78
report output 8-72
reports 2-20, 7-169
I-9
resolution 2-13
revolve 3-35, 3-46
curve 5-79
element 5-80
element face 5-80
rigid element 4-42
RBE1 4-9
RBE2 4-9
RBE3 4-9
RSPLINE 4-9
rod 4-6, 4-27
rotate 3-75, 4-140
dynamic 2-25, 6-34
element 5-69
geometry 3-63
node 5-69
view 2-20, 2-25, 6-33
rotate by 3-74, 4-139
rotate to 3-74, 4-138
rotor region 4-117
ruled surfaces 3-34
ruler 7-5
rules 6-55
S
SAT 2-4
saving messages 2-20
saving pictures 2-16
saving your model 2-2, 2-3
scale 3-76, 4-140
deformed plot 8-22
geometry 3-63
load 4-154
view 6-39
scratch files 2-33, 2-34
section cut 6-28, 8-3, 8-13, 8-35
section property generator 4-28, 7-151
security device 9-3
select 6-13, 8-2
selecting messages 2-19
set 4-49
setting 6-28
setup 2-20
printer 2-15
shading 6-28
shape 6-20
shear panel 4-37
shell 3-52, 3-54
show 6-49
shrink 6-27
SILENT( ) 7-112
size 3-76, 4-140
sketch 3-28
skip deformation 8-6
slice 3-57
slice along face 3-58
slice match 3-57
slide line 4-40
smoothing 5-63
snap to 7-4
solid
activate 3-47
align 3-76
booleans 3-55
chamfer 3-51
cleanup 3-59
draw 6-28
embed 3-56
embed face 3-58
explode 3-51
extrude 3-48
facetting 3-79
fillet 3-51
group 6-68
intersect 3-57
list 7-174
mass properties 7-149
mesh 5-33, 5-39
mesh size 5-10
move 3-74
nonmanifold add 3-40
pattern 3-49
primitives 3-49, 3-50
recover manifold solids 3-40
revolve 3-49
rotate 3-74, 3-75
shell 3-52, 3-54
slice 3-57
slice along face 3-58
slice match 3-57
stitch 3-50
surface 3-49
thicken 3-52
Solid Edge 2-4
solid elements 4-40, 6-63
solid modeling 3-47
spaceball 2-49
sphere 3-38, 3-46
spherical coordinates 5-49
spline
blend 3-18
drawing 3-15
ellipse 3-16
equation 3-18
hyperbola 3-17
midway 3-19
multiple curves 3-19
offset 3-19
parabola 3-16
points 3-17
project 3-15
tangent 3-18
split curve 3-66
split quad 4-151
spring 4-6, 4-35
standard reports 8-73
STEP 2-3, 2-4, 2-6
Stereolithography 2-4
stiffness matrix 4-8, 4-40
stitch 3-50
streamline 8-36
stress transformations 8-56
style 6-13, 8-2
sum forces 7-165
surface 5-11
accuracy 6-19
align 3-76
aligned curves 3-33
background 3-27
boundary 3-28, 3-49
convert 3-39
I-10
corner 3-32
creating 3-27
cylinder 3-37
draw 6-18
edge curves 3-32
extend 3-41
extrude 3-34
fill 6-27
group 6-67
imprinting 3-20
list 7-173
measure area 7-149
mesh 5-23
mesh divisions 5-14
mesh hard points 5-14
mesh size 5-8
midsurface 3-41
move 3-74
normal direction 3-78
offset 3-39
parameters 3-27
plane 3-37
revolve 3-35
rotate 3-74, 3-75
ruled 3-34
single 3-41
single in solid 3-41
sphere 3-38
sweep 3-35
trim to solid 3-41
trim with curve 3-41
surfaces 4-89
sweep 3-35
mesh 5-80
symbols 6-31
symmetry 4-81
T
tangent 3-5, 3-11, 3-13, 3-18
taper 7-157
temperature 4-58, 4-76, 6-23
tet collapse 7-157
text 7-145
draw 6-19
group 6-67
list 7-170
thermo-optical 4-25
thicken 3-52
thickness 6-20
tile 6-46
timed save 2-3
title
group 6-52
load set 4-49
output 8-41, 8-42
postprocessing 8-22
window 6-2
XY plot 8-31
toolbars 7-116
aeroelasticity 7-140
circles 7-134
constraints 7-137
cursor position 7-130
curve edit 7-136
curves on surfaces 7-135
custom tools 7-139
entity display 7-118
format 7-131
lines 7-133
loads 7-137
mesh 7-136
model 7-116
panes 7-130
post 7-137
select 7-119
solid 7-132
splines 7-135
surfaces 7-133
view 7-116
view - simple 7-118
view orient 7-118
tools 7-141
trace plots 8-14, 8-18, 8-24
transform output 8-56
transient analysis 4-71
transition meshing 5-53
translate 2-4
Transparency 4-142
trim 3-65, 3-67
trimetric 6-33
tube 3-37, 3-46, 4-6, 4-27
U
undeformed model 8-24
undo 2-34, 7-1
unformatted output 8-72
Unigraphics 2-4
unit conversion 7-142
unzoom 6-42
update 3-76, 4-141
user-defined contour palette 8-27
V
variable 7-144
list 7-169
VDA 2-4
vector 6-13, 8-2, 8-22
vectored lines 3-8
velocity 4-55
vertical lines 3-2
view 6-1, 6-45
align 6-39
autoscale 6-39
axes 6-30
center 6-43
close 6-46
default 2-22
delete 6-44
free edge 7-190
free face 7-190
hidden line 7-190
library 2-22
list 7-188
magnify 6-40
new 6-45
options 6-15, 8-21
pan 6-43
rotate 6-33
style 8-2
I-11
zoom 6-41, 6-42
view, visibility 6-5
visibility, entities 6-5
volume
align 3-76
background 3-43
between 3-45
corners 3-44
cylinder 3-46
draw 6-18
extrude 3-46
group 6-68
list 7-174
mesh 5-38
move 3-74
parameters 3-43
revolve 3-46
rotate 3-74, 3-75
sphere 3-46
surfaces 3-44
volume clipping 6-66
volume elements 4-8
volume of element 7-150
VRML 2-6
W
warping 7-157
windows
tabs 6-48
title bar 6-48
workplane 6-31, 7-2
worst-case output 8-48
X
X_T 2-4
XDB results file 2-5
XY data 8-20
XY Plot 6-13
XY plot 8-2, 8-19, 8-31, 8-32
list data 8-78
log-log 8-31
semi-log 8-31
Z
zoom 6-41, 6-42
dynamic 6-34

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