Primer 9.

3
9 3 RC2
Primer 9.3 RC2

• Purpose of Primer 9.3 RC2

• LS971 Keywords
• *PARAMETER
• Model Merge improvements
• Customisable definition of error/warning
• Spotwelding & connections improvements
• Mechanisms improvements
• Seat belt re-fit
• Seat foam compression improvements
• Background
g image
g & alignment
g of model to image
g
• New image types, watermark
• Improvements to numbering ranges by INCLUDE file
• Miscellaneous enhancements

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Purpose of Primer 9.3 RC2

• The main purpose of Primer 9.3 RC2 is to offer full compatibility with
the LS-DYNA manual dated May 2007. The manual describes
LS971 Release 2 (7600), with some additional keywords from
Release 3.
• A small number of new features have been added, e.g. seatbelt re-fit
after dummy positioning; background image; and customisable
error/warning definition.
• Some existing Primer features have been enhanced in response to
user feedback.
• In addition, some bugs have been fixed – see Release Notes for
details.
• Primer 9.3 RC2 has been tested according to our Quality Assurance
procedures – it has the same QA status as a full release.

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Keywords

• All new keywords (and new options on existing keywords) shown in

the
h MMay 2007 manual, l iincluding
l di those
h lilisted
d as 971 R
Release
l 3 only,
l
are supported by Primer, at least to the level of reading, writing
without losing data, and correct action when copying, deleting, etc.
The only exceptions are *CASECASE and *EF,
EF, which are not recognised
by Primer 9.3 RC2. In addition, Primer 9.3 RC2 supports some
keywords not in the printed manual, e.g. *AIRBAG_PARTICLE.
• Many new Edit menus have been added for new and existing LS-
DYNA keywords, for example *SENSOR.
• All existing Edit menus have been updated where LS-DYNA has
added new options, e.g. all new material types are supported.
• *PARAMETER and d *PARAMETER_EXPRESSION
*PARAMETER EXPRESSION are now
supported fully in all Edit menus and in transformations for
*INCLUDE_TRANSFORM.

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Keywords

• Materials, sections, hourglass and equations of state can now be referred to

b an 8
by 8-character
h t label
l b l iinstead
t d off a numerical
i l ID
ID. Thi
This iis supported
t d iin
LS971 Release 2 and above, and by Primer 9.3 RC2.
•

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Keywords

• Among the new keywords worth noting are:

– *ELEMENT_MASS_PART, *ELEMENT_MASS_PART_SET and
*ELEMENT_MASS_NODE_SET are supported in Primer 9.3 RC2.
These keywords allow extra non-structural mass to added to a given
part or set of parts to achieve a desired total
total, similar to Primer’s existing
ASSIGN_MASS feature. Extra mass added by these keywords is shown
as Non-Structural Mass in the Part Table.
– SET_..._ADD
SET ... ADD (and SET_NODE_ADD_ADVANCED)
SET NODE ADD ADVANCED) allow a set to be
built up from other sets.
– Selective mass-scaling (IMSCL on CONTROL_TIMESTEP)
– Manyy new options
p for ALE airbags
g
– AIRBAG_PARTICLE (in Primer, this is found within the existing airbag
menu under TYPE)
– Various new keywords for Staged Construction

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*PARAMETER

• Add a new parameter in any

Edit menu by typing &NAME
(where NAME is the
Parameter name).
name)
• A menu appears in which
the Parameter’s type and
value can be set.
• Press “Update”

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*PARAMETER

• Insert an existing parameter

into a text box by starting to
type &NAME.
• A list appears showing
existing parameters containing
the letters typed so far –
select the parameter from the
list.

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*PARAMETER

• Hover over a text box

containing a parameter to see
its value.
• The parameter’s value or type
can be edited from this menu.

• See the values of all parameters referred to in a menu

using the P button to toggle between parameter
names and values. Parameter values are then shown
underlined with dotted lines.

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*PARAMETER

• *PARAMETER_EXPRESSION is
now supported. Expression
formulae may be typed in. The
values of these parameters are
calculated by Primer
Primer.

• If data governed by parameters is changed other than via the edit menu
(e.g. shell thickness changed in Part Table, or node coordinates given by
parameter, then the node is moved using
p g Orient),
) the p
parameter
definition for the affected entities is removed.

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Model Merge improvements

• Reduced memory option for large models:

– The usual method of merging models in
Primer is to create a third model from the
contents of the two input models, e.g.
(Model 1) + (Model 2) = (Model 3). The
required memory is the total memory for all
three models. Often, Model 1 is very large
while Model 2 is small. In this case the
required memory is roughly twice the
memory needed for a single large model.
– In Primer 9.3 RC2,, a new option
p has been
added: the result of the merge can
overwrite one of the input models, i.e.
(Model 1) + (Model 2) = (new Model 1).
The required memory is less, because the
large model is not duplicated.

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Model Merge improvements

• Node merge after model If this box is

merge: ticked, the node
– New option allows nodes to be merge panel
merged after merging models. appears after the
models have
– Nodes will be merged only if been merged
they are coincident within a
user-specified tolerance, AND
if the two nodes came from
different models (slave and
master models prior to model-
merge)
– This option could be used to
join together models that had
previously been split in half.

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Error/Warning definition

• Any error or warning can now be re-categorized by the user as

“error”, “warning” or “ignore”. This allows customization of the Model
Check output, e.g. some users might prefer “Error” to mean only
errors that would prevent LS-DYNA from running.
• In addition, extra text may be defined for any error or warning. The
text appears in the error listing; for example, the text could be
searched for by an automatic job submission script to prevent
submission of input decks containing certain errors.
• To do this, create a, Error Configuration file (comma-separated text
file) like this:

CNST_189, ERROR, Manual check required

BEAM_101, ERROR, FATAL
M ST 24 07
07,WARNING
WARNING
M_ST_24_12,IGNORE

Error ERROR, Extra

tag WARNING or text
IGNORE

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Error/Warning definition

• To find the tag of a particular error

or warning, switch on the “Show
tags” button in the error tree:
tags

CNST_189, ERROR, Manual check required

BEAM_101, ERROR, FATAL
M_ST_24_07,WARNING
M ST 24 12
12,IGNORE
IGNORE

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Error/Warning definition

• Use the new preference “error_configuration_file” (under Checking)

to reference the Error Configuration file:

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Error/Warning definition

• On next starting Primer, the

revised categorization of
error, warning, etc will be
shown in the Error Check
Tree:

This has become a warning

instead of an error

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Error/Warning definition

• Extra text is
shown in the
error listing file

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Spotweld & Connections

• Connections Table and INCLUDE

files
– Wh
When remakingki a connection
ti iin th
the
Connections Table, in version 9.3
RC1 the revised FE data
(nodes/elements) would be put into
th Current
the C t Layer
L INCLUDE fil
file. IIn
version 9.3 RC2 this has been
corrected, so the revised FE data
remains in its original INCLUDE file.
– The INCLUDE files in which the
Connection and FE data reside may
now be viewed in the Connections
Table
– The connection or FE data may be
moved so that they are in the same
INCLUDE file

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Spotweld & Connections

• Numbering
– When connections are New settings
remade in the panel for
connections table, the connections
existing node/element
labels are re-used.
– When creating new
connections interactively
or by reading from a file,
options have been
added to control the
numbering of the FE
data created.
– New “seed” options
allow labels to be
generated upwards or
downwards starting from
a user-given seed.

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Spotweld & Connections

• When deleting parts that have spotwelds

(or other connections) attached, several
options are now available:
– Keep the connection and (now
unattached) FE data (e.g. beam/solid
spotwelds). This option will not work with
ELEMENT BEAM PID
ELEMENT_BEAM_PID.
– Keep the connection for future use, but
delete the (now unattached) FE data.
– Delete
e ete the
t e connection
co ect o a andd its
ts FE data
– Remove the deleted parts from the
connection layer definitions; keep the
connection if 2 or more layers remain (e.g.
convert from 3-layer to 2-layer)
2-layer). The FE
data is deleted; the user should then
remake the affected connections to create
new FE data for any remaining 2-layer
connections
connections.

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Error checks for spotwelds

• When performing a Model Check, error checks for spotwelds are performed by
testing the validity of each connection. If connection entities do not already exist,
they are created automatically during the checking process.
• F
From the
th error check
h k ttree, the
th offending
ff di connectionsti can now b be passed d tto th
the
Connections Table so that the reasons for the errors can be determined.

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Error checks for spotwelds

• During a Model Check, spotweld checking has been improved. Primer 9.3
RC2 always checks beam and solid element spotwelds for these errors that
would prevent the spotweld elements from sticking to the panels:
– Weld
W ld ((or itits nodes)
d ) omitted
itt d ffrom titied
d contact
t t and
d nott otherwise
th i constrained
t i d
– Panel omitted from tied contact
– Weld element too far from panel – tied contact will fail
– Weld element tied to element with one or more rigid nodes – constrained-type tied
contact will fail

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Connections Table Improvements

• Welds can now be selected in the table via the object menu or by screen-
picking. Welds can be screen-picked – ensure that Connections are
switched on in the Entity panel.
• Select All and Clear (de-select all) buttons have been added.

When this
Wh thi menu
appears,
connections may be
screen-picked

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Connections Table Improvements

• The most common actions performed in the Table (Update & remake, Show
connections and panels) are now accessible by right-click on selected
welds.
welds

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Connections Table Improvements

• When selecting welds to display in the

Connections Table,
– “Attached
Attached to panel”
panel finds only welds that are
realized and whose nodes are sufficiently
near the panel to stick.
– New option “by layer part” finds any
connection with a layer referencing the
selected parts.

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Spotweld colour

• Solid spotwelds can now be

coloured according to the
number of panels
panels.

If spotwelds do not
seem to obey this
3-layer weld command, redraw in
LI mode then SH

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Mechanisms

• Hinge joints now allow

input of angle limits
(relative to the position in
which the mechanism
was originally defined)

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Mechanisms

• Node sets can now be

added to Assemblies for
mechanisms. For example, Spotweld nodes in
Node Set 2, add to
there may be spotwelds
“seat back” assembly
within two or more
assemblies, but all the
spotweld elements have
the same Part ID. Use
Node Sets to identify the
spotweld nodes within
each assembly, and add
the Node Sets to the
Assembly definitions.
Spotweld nodes in Node Set 1,1
add to “sliding rails” assembly
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Mechanisms and dummies

• Primer 9.3 RC1 always excluded *MAT_NULL

parts from Assemblies for both mechanisms
and dummies
dummies, because they are frequently
used to bridge across from one assembly to
another – for example, they are used to prevent
contacting objects from entering the gap
between a dummy’s
dummy s leg and the pelvis.
pelvis The null
shells will still move with the dummy during
positioning because all their nodes are shared
with structural parts that are included in the
Assemblies.
Assemblies
• In some dummy models, target markers are
meshed with *MAT_NULL shells and fixed to
the dummy using a tied contact. To treat these
cases *MAT
cases, *MAT_NULL NULL parts whose nodes are not
shared with structural elements can now be
included in assemblies for dummies and
mechanisms.

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Belt fit
re-fit
& re-fit

• New capability
N bilit iin 9
9.3
3 RC2
• Works only if belt was initially fitted in
Primer

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Belt re-fit

• After repositioning
Aft iti i d dummy and
d seat…
t
• … Use Seatbelt=>Auto-refit, press Apply

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Belt re-fit
• Belt automatically re
re-fitted
fitted and remeshed
• Primer uses the same parameters and
element types as the initial belt mesh

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Seat foam compression improvements

• Primer method:
– Can now Abort to reset the
coordinates to their initial values
– Optional iterative mesh
improvement for tetrahedra during
foam compression – prevents
elements becoming flattened
– Other general improvements to
the algorithm – foam compression
more likely to be successful that
with Primer 9.3 RC1.
• Dyna method:
– Can select parts of the dummy to
remain deformable

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Background image

Browse for
image file

These options maintain the original

aspect ratio (important if using “adjust
view to image”)

• An image file (e.g. jpg, png, etc) may now

be read into Primer for use as background.
This can be useful for setting up the
position of a dummy or other components
to match photos from a test.

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Background image

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 Adjusting view to match image

Pick a node in the model, then click

on the equivalent point in the
background image. Repeat to
create several node-point
node point pairs –
we recommend at least 5 pairs.
Choose some pairs close to the
camera, and others further away.

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 Adjusting view to match image

Press “calculate view” – model

viewing angle and perspective
changes to minimise screen
distance between picked nodes and
their equivalent points in the
image.

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Adjusting view to match image

Sometimes it is easier to check the result using a Line

plot with “LI/HI free edges” option

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 Adjusting view to match image

Now the dummy

can be positioned
to match the test.

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Watermark

• Watermark is an image drawn on top of the model,

e.g. company logo or “Confidential”. It can be made
semi-transparent.

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Images – other new capabilities

• New image types can be written: gif, png, pdf

• Higher resolution options for more detailed
image
g

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INCLUDE file numbering

• On defining the numbering range for an INCLUDE

file, any entities in the file not already in the range
mayy now renumbered automatically. y
• An AUTO button allows the permitted label range
to be matched to the existing entities in the file.

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INCLUDE file numbering - autofix

• An Autofix has been added,

for the case where the
Model Check finds entities
outside the defined ranges.

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Colours & transparency retained

• Any user-defined part colour and

transparency (e.g. colour defined from
quick-pick)
q p ) is now written as comments to
the keyword file, and will be retained when
the model is next read in

*PART
$PR_PART_COL 293 3800557f
OB-WINDSHIELD-RR
293 138 138

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*SET_SEGMENT

• Primer 9.3 RC1:

– From the Keyword
y
=>SET_SEGMENT menu, only
*SET_SEGMENT_GENERAL
could be created.
– *SET_SEGMENT
*SET SEGMENT could ld be
b
created only from Tools=>Coat.
• Primer 9.3 RC2:
– *SET
*SET_SEGMENT
SEGMENT can also l be
b
created from
Keyword=>SET_SEGMENT;
segments
g are created by
y
coating selected elements or
parts

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ELEMENT_SHELL

• *ELEMENT_SHELL_THICKNESS (or _BETA,

_OFFSET, etc) can now be converted to
*ELEMENT
ELEMENT_SHELL
SHELL and vice-versa
vice-versa.
• The extra data such as beta angles may then
be added or edited using the Keyword editor.
2. – Set or remove options

1. – Select shell elements,

Apply Selection Existing
g options
p from Primer
9.2 for beta angles

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Number of tabs unlimited

• In Primer 9.3 RC1, up to 8 tabs

(controlling the Docked menus)
were available.
• In Primer 9.3 RC2, this restriction
has been lifted. Arrows allow
scrolling across the available tabs.

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“Current Layer” for each model

• The “Current Layer” is the INCLUDE file into which newly-created

entities will be put.
• When working on multiple models, Primer now has a separate
Current Layer for each model.
• This eliminates the “bad layer” messages when creating data after
switching between models or after deleting models.

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Primer 9.3
9 3 RC2