Femap 101
Student Guide
Version 10.1.1
10 1 1
Day 1
Day 2
8 Meshing
10 Postprocessing
12 Midsurfacing
13 Assembly Modeling
Student Topics
Purpose
This lesson provides an overview of general overview of Finite Element Modeling and
Analysis and the tools in Femap available to generate FEA models.
Topics
Femap can be used to model the first four types of FEA models.
Takeaway
A FEA model is at best, an approximation of a physical structure.
The accuracy of the results from a FEA model are only as good as the quality of
the mesh and the accurate application of material attributes and boundary
conditions
diti to
t a model.
d l
Geometry
Materials
Boundary Conditions
• Constraints
• Loads
Properties
Mesh
Analyze
Postprocess
Geometry
Boundary Conditions
Constraints Loads
Femap models can contain multiple Constraint Sets and Load Sets
Constraints and Loads can be assigned to geometry or meshes
For loads, the Model Info window allows:
Creation, editing, highlighting, and deletion of Load and Constraint sets.
Creation, editing, highlighting, and deletion of individual Loads, Load Definitions,
Constraints, and Constraint Definitions.
Creation and editing of Body, Nonlinear, Dynamic, and Heat Transfer loads and
settings.
Additional mesh creation and editing tools are available through the Meshing
Toolbox
View Results
Analyze Report
(Postprocess)
List, Output,
View, Select… (F5)
commands
Model, Analysis View, Options… (F6)
command View, Advanced Post…
Data Table
commands
operations
Purpose
Topics
Floating dockable
pane
Graphics Windows
Femap’s graphics windows have the ability to display:
• Wireframe, hidden line, or rendered FEA models
• XY plots of functions and analysis results.
Multiple Models can be opened at the same time each with multiple views.
• A single model with multiple views has the view name displayed in the view tab
• When multiple models
are open, each view has
their view tab displayed
as Model Name : View Name
True Windows - provide easy transfer from Femap to other Windows programs.
• Cut and Paste
• Windows Metafiles
• JPEG, BITMAP, GIF, TIFF, and PNG picture file formats
• AVI and Animated GIF animation files
Commands
• Add regular and user-
defined commands to an
existing menu or toolbar.
K b
Keyboard
d
• Designate and manage
shortcut keys (hotkey)
combinations for specific
commands.
User Commands
• Create and manage user-
defined commands.
Options
• Set options on the toolbars such as using large icons, showing tooltips (with or
without shortcut keys), and menu animation options (options are selected for ALL
toolbars).
Toolbars
Dockable Toolbars
• Toolbars can be
docked anywhere around the perimeter of
the main Femap p window.
• When “docked”, toolbars can be placed
next to one another or “stacked” on top of
one another.
Floating Toolbars
• Toolbars can be “peeled”
peeled off the perimeter of the main Femap window and made to
“float” anywhere within the main Femap window.
• “Floating” toolbars can be reshaped.
Customizing Toolbars
Three (3) methods to customize or create a new toolbar:
• Select the Tools, Toolbars, Customize command
• Right-click in a toolbar pane or outside of any Femap pane
• Click
Cli k th
the Customize
C t i iconi (d
(down-arrow icon)
i ) on a d
docked
k d or fl
floating
ti ttoolbar
lb and
d th
then
select Customize from the context-sensitive menu.
View Manipulation
View Rotation, Zooming and Panning
View Toolbar
Ctrl+Left or Ctrl+Middle
Pan Ctrl+Middle mouse button
mouse button
Shift+Left or Shift+Middle
Zoom Shift+Middle mouse button
mouse button
The Isometric, Dimetric, and Trimetric view orientation(s) can be modified using
Femap’s
Femap s Preferences.
• Select the View tab and set the angles for these views under the View and Dynamic
Rotation section.
As an alternative, you can use the View, Rotate, Model command (F8 hotkey) to rotate
or orient views.
• Version 10 added the option to “Rotate Around” any coordinate system, including
those defined by the user.
Coordinate
Systems Constraints
Text
Nodes
Surfaces
Regions Elements
View Analysis
Model Toggle
Loads
View Geometry
Toggle Curves
Connectors
View Labels
Toggle
Points
Entity
y Display
p y Control with the
View Visibility dialog box
The View Visibility dialog box controls the display of entities in a manner similar to the
Entity Display toolbar, but in more detail.
• Access via the View, Visibility command, the Ctrl+Q hotkey or by clicking the View
Visibilityy icon on the View toolbar.
View Toolbar
The View toolbar allows control of the active view orientation, magnification, view style,
and layers.
Dockable Panes
Docking position indicators only appear when a dockable pane is being dragged from
one position to another.
• An outline of where the pane will be positioned will appear when the cursor is placed
over a specific Indicator.
Messages Window
Can be turned on and off using the Tools, Other Windows, Messages menu
• Provides information on commands Femap is performing, and their status.
• List and error information
U d k window
Undock i d b
by ddouble-clicking
bl li ki on the
th Title
Titl Bar,
B return
t to
t previous
i docked
d k d size
i b by
double-clicking Title Bar again.
• Messages window can be resized when docked or floating.
Note: When typing in the Messages window, anytime you type a shortcut key, the
command assigned to the key will be invoked.
Provides quick access to “top-level” entities in Femap through an easy to navigate tree
structure.
t t
Multiple entities can be highlighted at the same time in order to perform operations on all
off the
th entities
titi att once.
Active Entity of each entity type is displayed with Blue text in the tree.
Selection List – used when Select Multiple is active in the Select Toolbar.
• Lists each entity type currently in the selection set
• Displays the number of entities of each entity type in parentheses
Note: Defaults for Show When Selected can be set in the Show Entities
Defaults section found on the User Interface tab of the Preferences dialog
box.
Some context sensitive menu commands require that multiple entities be chosen to
activate a command. (e.g., MultiSet Animate)
• Select individual
entities while holding
down the CTRL key.
• Hold down the SHIFT
key and select a first
entity and a last entity
to select a continuous
list of entities.
Entity Editor
Turn on and off with the Tools, Entity Editor menu or with the Panes toolbar.
• 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 Messages window or an outside program
• Clear All – clears the contents of Entity Editor window
window. Does not delete the
entity.
• 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 without any categories in alphabetical order
• 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 chosen entity. Use this to recover the original values
for all the fields, except for modifications made with a prior Update Model action.
• Update Model - Applies any changes made in the Entity Editor to a chosen entity
and saves the changes to the model database
Tray on Right
• Provides Access to Current Entities
• Displays Active Property, Load Set, Constraint Set, Group, and Output Set
• Change Current Entity or create a new one
• Right-clicking the Status Bar brings up a customization menu which can be used to
toggle individual Tray items on and off
Previous Command
• Recalls the last command executed
Show Tooltips
• When activated, shows information for a
highlighted entity in a “Tooltips” window
(small yellow window in the main graphics
window)
• Works much like Dynamic Query in
previous versions of FEMAP when there
is entity active in the Select toolbar
Note: Clicking the icon in a Femap Entity Selection dialog box takes you
directly to the Femap User Guide through on-line help and has a table of all
the Selection methods for each entity type.
Using
g the Filter in the
Select from List Dialog Box
With Femap v10.1.1, when the Select from List dialog box is used, you can filter the
selection list to reduce the number of entries to select from .
• Enter the filter string and push the Filter icon to reduce the search list to the
g
those entries that contain the filter string
• You can enter additional filter strings or push the Clear All Filters
icon to clear your filter and return to the original, unfiltered selection list.
N t S
Note: Setting
tti the
th Method
M th d in
i th
the Locate
L t
dialog box does NOT change the
Snap Mode
Note: To change the Method of specifying the coordinates of the vector, place the
cursor in one of the coordinate boxes, and press the Ctrl+Z hotkey.
Note: To change the method of specifying the coordinates of the plane, place the
cursor in one of the coordinate boxes
boxes, and press the
Ctrl+Z hotkey.
Shortcut Keys
Femap contains preprogrammed shortcut keys for commonly used commands.
• F5 - View Select, F6 - View Options, F8 - View Rotate, Ctrl+D - View Redraw,
Ctrl+A - View Autoscale Visible, Ctrl+G - View Regenerate, Ctrl+Z - Undo, and
Manyy More. ((See Appendix
pp A of User Guide))
• Preprogrammed Keys shown on Menu Structure.
Choose a Category from the drop down list, then highlight the command from the
C
Commandsd list..
li t
Note: When typing in the Messages window, anytime you type a shortcut key, the
command assigned to the key will be invoked.
On-Line Help
Menu Help - Femap provides description of each command while pointing at it or
accessing it on the Status Bar .
But…
• Femap standard material and beam section property libraries use in-lbs units
• Solid geometry defaults to inches on desktop, meters in model file database
• Parasolid (regardless of product) always stores data in meters
Units Conversion
Use the Tools, Convert Units command to convert units.
• Convert all quantities using conversion of basic units
• Convert specific entities with individual conversion factors
Purpose
This lesson provides an overview of the Femap’s geometry import, creation and editing
tools.
Topics
Geometry Overview
Parasolid Geometry Kernel
Geometry Import
Solids Overview
Geometry Cleanup
Wireframe Geometry Creation and Modification
Surface Geometry Creation and Editing
Solid Geometry and Editing
General Geometry Modification Tools
Additional Geometry Tools for Meshing
Geometry Overview
Femap supports the creation and modification of wireframe, surface, and solid geometry
using the Parasolid geometry kernel
Can also be set in the Solid Model Read Options dialog box for Parasolid and ACIS files
and the STEP Read Options dialog box for STEP.
• When the dialog boxes are opened, the Geometry Scale Factor reflects Femap’s
p
preference.
• Geometry Scale Factor for Meters = 1
• Geometry Scale Factor for Inches = 39.37
• Geometry Scale Factor for Millimeters = 1000
Note: If you change the Geometry Scale Factor to a value other than the value of
Femap’s preference in one of these dialog boxes, this will update Femap’s
preference to the value input.
Geometry Importing
Import geometry with the File, Import, Geometry command.
• Import Geometry icon can be found on the Main toolbar
The File, References command is used to view the status of a reference in Femap.
• If the time/date stamp is modified due to changes in the CAD model, this will be
shown in the Reference Manager dialog box.
• Femap’s default preferences are set to generate references upon import and to
automatically check for reference updates when opening a model.
Solid Bodies
A Solid body is completed enclosed by surfaces and has no gaps or dangling surfaces.
• Any Solid body is shown in the Model Info pane’s Geometry tree with this icon:
Note: Running the Tools, Mass Properties, Solid Properties command will show
that a Solid body has Volume.
Sheet Bodies
Sheet bodies have one or more contiguous surfaces that do not enclose a volume.
• For multi-surface Sheet bodies, all surfaces must connect on a common edge with
one other surface as with solid 2 below.
• The Meshing Toolbox has the Entity Locator tool to locate curves and surfaces
within solids by specifying a search method and size. This will be covered in detail
in Lesson 11 – The Meshing Toolbox.
Check Geometry
• Checks the validity of the solid.
Will show that an imported solid body
is in reality a sheet solid if imperfections are detected.
Advanced cleanup options - See section 3.4.2.22 of the Femap Commands manual.
• Has options to repair and remove small features
features.
• Surface Heal and Stitch option is similar to Explode and Stitch commands. Can
only be used on one solid at a time.
Note: If you still have problems cleaning geometry for meshing, an alternative
technique is to Explode the problem solid, then Stitch it back together.
Lines
Arcs
Circles
Splines
Boundary Surfaces
Workplanes
The Workplane is used to define the local “X-Y” plane for 2D wireframe and some solid
geometry creation commands.
• Workplane display can be toggled on and off with the View Style, Workplane icon
on the View toolbar
• Grid display options in the View Options – Tools and View Style dialog box
controls color and fill settings for the workplane
Color, ID, Default Length, Spline Order, etc. are set in the Geometry Parameters dialog
box.
• Press the Parameters button in the Locate - … dialog box to access the Geometry
Parameters dialog box
Lines
Creation with the Geometry, Curve – Line
commands:
• Locate on the Workplane:
• Project Points
• Horizontal
• Vertical
• Perpendicular
• Parallel
• Midline
• At Angle
• Angle to Curve
• Point and Tangent
• Tangent
• Rectangle
• Locate in 3D space:
• Continuous
• Points
• Coordinates
• Offset
• Vectored
Arcs
Arcs are always placed on the Workplane
Circles
Circles are always placed on the
Workplane
Splines
Splines can be generated by Control Points
or by Points on the spline (the spline’s
control
points are automatically generated by
Femap).
The Geometry, Sketch command creates a Boundary Surface from curves created
during the Sketch command sequence.
• Also accessible from the Solid toolbar – once the sketch is completed, you have the
option to extrude or revolve the “sketched” boundary surface.
The Modify, Edit, Boundary command allows you to add or remove curves from an
existing Boundary Surface.
Note: Except for the Break operation, these commands cannot be applied to solid
or surface geometry curves
curves.
Surface Curves
The Geometry, Curve - From Surface set of commands are used to create curves on
surfaces with the following techniques:
• Intersect – select two intersecting surfaces and/or solids.
• Project – project the selected curve(s) normal to the selected surface(s)
surface(s).
• Project Along Vector - project the selected curve(s) along the specified vector onto
the selected surface(s).
• Parametric Curve – specify a location to generate a curve along a U or V direction
on the selected surface.
• Slice – split the selected surface(s) and/or solids by a plane.
• Split at Locations – generate a parametric curve on a surface by specifying the
start and end locations of the curve.
When the Update Surfaces option is enabled (default for new models), the curves
become part of the surface and will “split” the surface into multiple surfaces (if the
curves selected make up a closed loop). Otherwise, the curves generated by this
p y internal curves of the surface.
command are simply
Surface Curves
Finally, three additional commands exist for
creating curves on surfaces:
• Point to Point – select two points on a
surface and a p parametric curve is g
generated.
Similar to the Split at Locations command,
except that the points must exist on the
surface. The surface is automatically selected
by the first point.
• Point to Edge – generates a curve on a
surface by selecting a existing point on a
surface and a curve on the interior or exterior
boundary of the surface to project that point
onto.
• Edge to Edge - project the end points
selected curve(s) along the specified vector
onto the selected edge on the same surface.
Ch
Change layer
l with:
ith
• Modify, Layer
Purpose
This lesson provides an overview of creating and editing materials and properties with
Femap.
Topics
Orthotropic – 2D and 3D
• Direction dependent.
• Define in two planer or three principle directions.
Anisotropic– 2D and 3D
• Properties specified as a general 3x3 (2-D) or 6x6 (3-D) elasticity matrix.
Hyperelastic
yp
• Materials subject to large deformations
• Input distortional and volumetric deformations or stress/strain data.
Defining Materials
Create new materials with the Model,
Material command or use the Model Info
window (right-click on the Material object
and select New).
Modifying Materials
Use the Modify, Edit Material command:
• Enter the Material ID you want to edit; or:
• Select an element with the material you want to edit; or:
• Alt
Alternatively,
ti l you can click
li k th
the Select
S l t ffrom Li
Listt icon;
i or:
• Use Method to select a material by Element, etc…
Defining Properties
A Property defines the element shape and associated material.
Create new properties with the Model, Property command or in the Model Info pane,
right-click on the Property object and select New.
The default property (element type) is Plate.
Other types are selected with Elem/Property Type dialog box.
Selecting a different element/property type makes that type the default type.
Choose a standard shape from the Shape drop down list in the Cross Section Definition
dialog box.
• Enter appropriate values for a shape and determine stress recovery points (Arrows
can be used to dynamically position Stress Recovery and Reference points).
Choose General Section under Shape to select any planar surface as the cross
section of a beam.
The Mesh, Mesh Control, Attributes on Curve command has options to preset beam
Offset and Orientation.
Use the Modify, Update Elements, Line Element Orientation command to change
orientation of the selected beam elements.
The Modify, Update Elements, Line Element Offsets command is used to change the
offset
ff t off the
th selected
l t d beam
b elements.
l t
• Can also change the offset by setting the location of the node to the beam
Reference Point.
In addition, the View Style pulldown menu on the View toolbar has shortcuts to toggle
li element
line l t display
di l settings
tti on andd off.
ff
• Offsets – toggle display of line (and planar) elements offsets.
• Orientation – toggle display of line (and planar) element orientations.
• Thickness/Cross Section – toggle display of line (and planar) element cross
sections.
Element Order
Modify,
y, Update
p Elements Commands
for Line Elements
Line Element Orientation – update beam/bar element orientations
Remove Cross Section – removes beam/bar element section shape while retaining
properties
Material Angle – set or modify the material angle of selected element(s). Used for
di ti d
direction-dependent
d t materials
t i l and d llaminates.
i t
Change the
Ch th Thickness
Thi k off the
th selected
l t d elements,
l t including
i l di creating
ti and/or
d/ modifying
dif i
variable thickness shells
• Automatically creates new properties for the variable thickness planar elements.
• You must manually delete and/or merge any midside nodes for elements converted
from Parabolic to Linear.
Composite Layups
Layups are a Femap object that designates multiple composite plies
• Practical limit of 5000 plies per Layup
A Plyy has
as the
t e following
o o g attributes:
att butes
• Ply ID (number)
• Material
• Thickness
• Angle
• Global Ply ID – Used to
designate a common ply ID
for use in other layups.
e.g. The OML or Outer Skin
Ply for all layups.
Update buttons - Once a ply has been added to the list, the definition of that ply can be
updated
d t d using:
i
• Update Global Ply
• Update Material
• Update Thickness
• Update Angle
Delete
• Delete the selected ply or plies from the Layup.
Symmetric
• The “mirrored” plies will be added to the top of the Layup in reverse order of
selection.
Reverse
• Reverse th
R the order
d off th
the selected
l t d plies
li b based
d on th
the original
i i l position
iti (i(i.e., th
the
selected ply which was closest to the “Bottom of Layup” will now be closest to the
“Top of Layup” in the list).
Rotate
• The selected ply or plies are rotated by the angle input in the Rotate Ply By dialog
box. The order of the plies in the Layup is not effected.
Purpose
Topics
Constraint Sets
The Model, Constraint, Create/Manage Set command creates a new Constraint Set or
activates an existing Constraint Set.
• This command is also available in the Status Bar Tray and the Model Info tree.
• You may create as many different Constraint Sets as necessary.
necessary
• Combine multiple Constraint Sets with the Model, Constraint, Combine command.
• Clicking the More button will create the constraint set with the ID and Title and will
then resets the options in the New Constraint Set dialog box to enable the creation
of a new constraint set.
• If one or more constraint sets are in a model
model, you can also create a Nastran
SPCADD/MPCADD Combination constraint set.
• A combined set references one or more Standard constraint sets.
• When a Nastran deck is created by Femap, it writes out the Nastran SPCADD
and MPCADD cards as needed.
The Reference Constraint Set for Nastran SPCADD/MPCADD dialog box will list the
Available (standard) Sets and the Referenced Sets.
Manage references by selecting one or more Standard reference sets and click the Add
Referenced Sets or Remove Referenced Sets.
Note: Nastran combined sets are not displayed in the graphics window unless the
Show Constrained Entities is selected from the context-sensitive menu in
the Model Info pane.
Creating Constraints
Use the Model, Constraint commands, Constraint toolbar, or the Model Info tree.
Nodal Constraints
Nodal Constraints - specify six (6) specific degrees of freedom with the Model,
Constraint, Nodal command
• X translation = 1, X rotation = 4
• Y translation = 2
2, Y rotation = 5
• Z translation = 3, Z rotation = 6
• Specify Coordinate System
Constraint Equations relate the motion or displacement of one node to the motion or
displacement of one or more other nodes.
• Often referred to a MPCs
Geometry Constraints
Geometric constraints - applied to geometry and “expanded” to nodes during export to
an analysis file.
• Model, Constraint, On Point
• Model Constraint,
Model, Constraint On Curve
• Model, Constraint, On Surface
• “Expand” Geometric constraints manually by using the Model, Constraint, Expand
command.
Available when
constraining a
surface.
Editing Constraints
Edit Constraints with:
• Modify, Edit, Constraint –
Definition command
• Modify, Edit
Modify Edit, Constraint –
Individual command
• Individual constraints in
a Constraint Definition
may be edited. If the
Constraint Definition is
subsequently
q y edited,,
the individual edit is
overwritten by the value
of the Constraint
Definition.
• You can convert a
Constraint Definition to
Individual Constraints
by right-clicking a
Constraint Definition in
the Model Info pane and
selecting Remove
Definition.
Note: Constraints created prior to Femap v9.3 are shown in the Model Info tree as
Other Constraints.
This also applies to all FEMAP models created by importing analysis files.
• Clicking the More button will create the load set with the ID and Title and will then
resets the options in the New Load Set dialog box to enable the creation of a new
constraint set.
• If one or more load sets are in a model
model, you can also create a Nastran Load
Combination constraint set.
• A combined set references one or more Standard constraint sets.
• When a Nastran deck is created by Femap, it writes out the Nastran LOAD
cards as needed.
The Reference Load Sets for Nastran SPCADD/MPCADD dialog box will list the Available
((standard)) Sets and the Referenced Sets.
Manage references by selecting one or more Standard reference sets and click the Add
Referenced Sets or Remove Referenced Sets.
Body Loads
Body or Global Loads – applied to the entire model.
• Translational Acceleration (gravity) and Rotational Acceleration
• Use to apply the weight of the structure as a load
• Rotational Velocity and Center of Rotations
• Thermal – Default Temperature
• Required for all Nastran Heat Transfer analyses
Editing Loads
Edit Loads with:
• Modify, Edit, Load – Definition command
• Modify, Edit, Load – Individual command
• Individual loads in a Load Definition may be edited
edited. If the Load Definition is
subsequently edited, the individual edit is overwritten by the value of the Load
Definition.
• You can convert a Load Definition to Other Loads by right-clicking the Load
Definition in the Model Info tree and selecting Remove Definition.
• You can highlight any number of individual Loads of the same type found in the
Other Loads section of a Load Set in the Model Info tree and combine them into
a Load Definition using Create Definition
• Model Info pane
• Includes the option to Edit Where Applied – add and/or remove entities where
a load is applied. (new in v10.1)
• Entity Editor
S
Structural
lLLoad
d types supported
dbby F
Femap
Force
B i Force
Bearing F - - - -
Moment
Torque - - -
Displacement -
Enforced Rotation -
Velocity -
Rotational Velocity -
Acceleration -
Rotational Acceleration -
Distributed Load - - - -
Pressure - -
• The Load Angle (default = 180 degrees) is the total angle that the bearing load is
applied across the selected surfaces. The direction of the bearing force is the
bisector of the Load Angle
• Uncheck the option for Normal To Surface to align the load with the vector used to
define the direction of the bearing force
• When multiple surfaces are selected, the Total Load option is automatically
enabled spreading the specified Magnitude among all the surfaces selected
selected,
otherwise, the magnitude will be applied to each surface
• When the Traction Load option is selected, the distributed load will “pull” on the
surfaces pointing away from the solid volume instead of pushing on the surfaces
pointing towards the solid volume
Once the inputs for the Bearing Loads are completed and the OK button is pushed, you
will be prompted to specify the direction of the bearing force.
Note the differences in the stress distribution and the elongation of the holes where traction is
applied on the right vs. the hole on the left where traction is not applied.
• Once the inputs for the Torque are completed and the OK button is pushed, you will
be prompted to the location and orientation of the axis about which the torque is
applied.
Torque Example
In this example, a 10 in-lb torque is being applied to the six grey surfaces below. The
axis is being specified by using the Vector Global Axis method.
Temperature
Element Temperature - - -
Convection - -
Radiation - -
Element Heat
- - -
Generation
General Scalar -
St
Steam Q
Quality
lit -
Relative Humidity -
Unknown Condition -
Fan Curve -
Periodic Condition -
Notes on Loads
NX Nastran Displacement and Enforced Rotation loads require constraining the loaded
object in the direction of the applied load
• e.g. A Displacement Load of x=.10, and y=.10 applied to a point requires that the
corner be constrained in X and Y.
For NX Nastran Advanced Nonlinear (SOL601), loads should be applied with a time-
based function.
For solvers other than NX Nastran, refer to the Femap Users Guide for details on the
loads supported by Femap for the solver used Also refer to that solver’s documentation
on how to apply loads.
Data Surfaces
The Data Surface Editor pane allows more flexible and complex load definitions.
After setup, the data surface can be edited directly using the Data Surface Editor.
Access to all Data Surface types (except Tabular) available through the Create Load
dialog boxes. allowing setup on the fly
Simply enter the 3-D point locations and data values, and Femap does the rest.
25.0
5.0
15.0
10.0
Data
Load Type Functions Variables
Surfaces
Bearing Force - - -
Torque - - -
Displacements
p / Rotations / Velocities /
Accelerations
Temperatures
H t Fl
Heat Flux / H
Heatt Fl
Flux P
Per A
Area - -
Convection / Radiation
Fluid Loading
Many of these options can be set and modified using the Entity Editor after a Load Set
has been selected using the Model Info tree.
Note: After selecting the type of Nonlinear Analysis, click the Defaults button to
automatically enter the NX Nastran Nonlinear defaults and modify as
needed
needed.
Many of these options can be set and modified using the Entity Editor after a Load Set
has been selected using the Model Info tree.
Purpose
This lesson provides an introduction to selection, viewing, and data collection tools in
Femap’s user interface.
Topics
• Select Toolbar
• View Options
• Data Table
• Programming Interfaces
Select Toolbar
The Select 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.
The Select toolbar consists of 5 items which aid in the selection process:
• Selector Entity Menu
• Selector Modes Menu
• Selector Actions Menu
• Selector Clear (Clear current selection list)
• Snap Modes (Snap to Screen, Snap to Grid, Snap to Point, Snap to Node)
• Add To Selection - Adds entities to the current selection list when Select Multiple
i active
is ti or simply
i l chooses
h entities
titi when
h Select
S l t Si
Single
l It
Item isi active.
ti Thi
This iis th
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
Query - This mode allows you to choose a position on the screen near the entity you
wish
i h tto select,
l t ththen “d
“drills
ill down”
d ” into
i t the
th graphics
hi window
i d and d selects
l t allll th
the entities
titi ththatt
would be touched by an imaginary line perpendicular 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.
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 All Inside - This is the other “box” pick mode which signifies that only entities
completely inside the “box” will be included in the selection.
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.
When Select Related is turned on, Select Multiple is also automatically toggled on.
Select Multiple Items - Allows you to create a Selection List. A Selection List can
contain
t i multiple
lti l entities
titi off one ttype or multiple
lti l entity
tit ttypes. A
As each
h entity
tit is
i selected
l t d 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.
• 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.
Select Toolbar –
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 in the graphics window and then
clicking the right mouse button. These Context Sensitive menus contain frequently used
commands for each entity type.
Any time there is an active entity in the Select Toolbar, clicking 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.
View Options
The View, Options (F6 hotkey) command allows you control the way your view is
displayed.
There are three major categories in the View Options dialog box:
• Labels, Entities and Color – controls the way text, geometry and mesh entities,
and the color of entities are displayed in the active view.
• Tools and View Style – controls view entities, style and display of view objects
such as Symbols in the active view.
• PostProcessing – controls the options for displaying graphical and XY plots of
analysis results.
See the View Options section of the Femap Commands manual for details on the
multiple options available in these dialog boxes.
A view with its View Options, Entity Display settings, and Background can be saved to a
View Library within the Visibility dialog box (activated with the Ctrl
Ctrl+Q
Q hotkey or from
the View toolbar) by clicking the Save View button.
• A saved view will
update the active
view’s settings by
clicking Load View.
• Changes
g made to
the active view can
also be removed
via the Reset View
button in this dialog
box.
Data Table
Use the Tools, Data Table command or the Panes toolbar to turn the Data Table on
and off.
• When the Data Table is first opened, it is “locked”. The Lock/Unlock icon must be
p
selected to unlock it to enable it to receive or update data.
Data is placed into an interactive, dynamically changing “table” using various methods to
fill the table provided it is unlocked
Each item appears as a single row separated into a number of columns when it
enters the Data Table.
Information of entities of the same type can be sorted, filtered, and evaluated to help
you understand
d d what
h iis occurring
i iin your model
d lbbefore
f and d after
f analysis.
l i
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
All FEMAP entities which can be selected using the Select toolbar can be sent to the
Data Table.
Several commands are available for listing and sorting results when the Data Table is
open and analysis results sets are loaded into your FEMAP model:
List, Output, Summary to Data Table
List, Output, Results to Data Table
List, Output, Nodal Changes to Data Table
Programming Interfaces
Program Files
• FEMAP has the ability to record and replay command sequences using Program
Files.
• Program Files can be edited to accept user input
input.
• Program Files may not be compatible between different versions of FEMAP.
API – FEMAP has an Application Programming Interface that can be used to customize
FEMAP for applications such as:
• Automate tasks such as swapping the background colors of views for printing .
• Calculate the midplane stresses on shell elements
elements.
• Interface with other programs for the purposes for importing, modifying, or reporting
data.
• FEMAP has a built-in Basic language programming environment through the API
Programming pane.
• Microsoft Visual Basic and Visual C++.NET can also be used to develop custom
applications
li ti ffor FEMAP
FEMAP.
• The API can be used to embed FEMAP into other applications; open, create, and/or
modify FEMAP models; or to develop standalone FEMAP applications without using
FEMAP’s GUI.
• Examples of API applications are shipped with FEMAP in FEMAP’s API folder. The
Custom Tools toolbar is set by default to point to this folder.
Purpose
This lesson provides an introduction to selection, viewing, and data collection tools in
Femap’s user interface.
Topics
You can also select one or more of the same object type and then Right-click to bring up
the Visibility Toggle menu.
Model Tree:
With this command, you can display Contour, Criteria, or Beam Diagram plots of model
data such as in the example below where Plane Element Thickness is shown as a
contour plot
plot.
• You cannot simultaneously display model data and analysis results.
Layers Groups
Layers
Create new layers using the Tools, Layer command.
Group Rules
• Various entity selection commands, either by ID or using relationships to other
entities
• Entities can be added to group using any combination of selection methods
• When selecting entities, use the Exclude option if you want the selected entities
removed permanently from the group.
Group Clipping
• Selects all entities inside/outside clipping region
• Set Clipping first, then rules.
Add to Selection – adds the contents of the selected group(s) to the Selection List
Export Neutral exports the contents of the selected group(s) to a Femap Neutral file
• Groups can also be created and managed by selecting the Create/Manage option
from this menu.
View Options
In many cases, you may want to display specific entity indicators such as surface
normal, curve direction or element normal's. The View Options dialog box offers options
to display these indicators.
Example
E l – Turn
T on display
di l off rigid
i id elements
l t ddegree off ffreedom
d iindicators
di t and
d
master/slave nodes:
An unfilled box
indicates the Slave
Node on the rigid
element
A filled box
indicates the
Master Node on the
rigid element
Purpose
This lesson provides an overview of the tools available in Femap to control and
generate meshes.
Topics
Mesh Control
Mesh, Mesh Control, Interactive, allows you to interactively modify existing mesh
sizes along one or more curves.
• Add: The current curve mesh size is increased by the number of elements
p
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
Mesh, Mesh Control, Custom Size Along Curve, can be used to place nodes at
specific locations along curves, and match one curve's mesh sizing to another curve or
curves.
• See example on following pages
Mesh, Mesh Control, Mapped Divisions on Surface, allows you to specify divisions
for a mesh on 3 and 4 sided surfaces
Mesh, Mesh Control, Mesh Points on Surface, defines specific locations on a surface
where nodes will be created when the surface is meshed
Example
p - Mesh,, Mesh Control,, Custom Size along
g Curve
(continued)
Mapped
pp Meshing
g Refinement and Suppress
pp Short Edges
g
Options
The Mapped Meshing Refinement option attempts to refine the mesh for 3 or 4-sided
surfaces.
Suppress Short Edges suppresses any edge on the selected solid(s) or surface(s) that
h a llength
has th lless th
than or equall tto th
the specified
ifi d percentage
t off th
the Element
El t Si
Size.
• Suppressing short edges on certain solids or surfaces may cause the mesher to fail.
While not common, an error stating you have a "hole" in the mesh will inform you of
this situation.
M
Mapped
d Three
Th Corner
C Mesh
M h
Interactive feature suppression is also available in the Meshing Toolbox under the
Feature Suppression toolset.
Geometry Meshing
Mesh, Geometry, Point - is the most basic of the automatic meshing commands.
• Will generate nodes (and elements for 0D element types such as Mass Elements) at
the selected points.
• Allows you to specify the beginning node and element ID
ID.
Mesh, Geometry, Surface - creates nodes and planar elements on a selected set of
surfaces.
• Must first define the mesh sizing using one of the various Mesh Control commands
• There are also basic Mesh Control options on the Automesh form, as well as Mesh
Smoothing, and Element Shape options
Mesh, Geometry, Volume - creates nodes and elements in a selected set of volumes.
• Since this command uses a mapped meshing technique, the number of
nodes/elements
/ along opposite faces
f off a volume must always be equal
Mesh, Geometry, Solid - Produces a 3-D solid tetrahedral mesh in a solid part
Mesh, Geometry, Solids From Elements - meshes a plate element mesh that
encloses a volume into a solid element mesh
To see all of the surface meshing options available, press the More Options button.
0 1 2 3
Layers Layer Layers Layers
Note: Solids of revolution must be sliced so that the solid comprises is less then a
360-degree revolution. e.g A straight, pipe section must be split in half.
Meshing Toolbox
In a later section, you will learn about the Meshing Toolbox. This toolbox allows for
interactive modification of geometry and meshes to improve the quality of meshes:
• Geometry Feature Suppression
• Geometry Feature Removal
• Geometry Combined/Composite Curves
• Geometry Combined/Composite Surfaces
• Mesh Sizing Toolbox
• Mesh Locate Toolbox
• Mesh Quality Toolbox
Purpose
This lesson provides an introduction to the setup of analyses using Femap’s Analysis
Set Manager.
Topics
Analysis Sets are stored along with the Femap model file or can be stored in a Femap
library that is available across different model files.
Normal modes
Buckling
Dynamics
• Modal or direct transient
• Modal or direct frequency
• Response Spectrum
• Random Response
Design optimization
Nonlinear
• Nonlinear statics
• Nonlinear transient response
Heat Transfer
• Steady-state heat transfer
• Transient heat transfer
Advanced Nonlinear
• Nonlinear Statics (SOL601,106)
• Nonlinear Transient (SOL601,129)
• Nonlinear Explicit (SOL701)
Case Control
• Master Requests and Conditions
• Subcases
• Select Master Requests and Conditions then click the New button
Multi set:
• Select constraint and loads sets and Femap will create a subcase for each
combination of selected constraint and load set(s)
• Not available for all analysis types
Preview/Edit Input
Preview
• Generates the input deck
• Check for errors
Edit Preview
• Modify, add, remove entries
• Standard field spacing displayed as header
• Add comments
Analyze or Export
Analyze Process
Analyze operation
• Exports input deck and
starts in a NX Nastran job
p
as a separate p
process
• The Analysis Monitor
displays the NX Nastran
.log, .f04, or .f06 files
• Results automatically
loaded into Femap
((Femap p Preferences
default).
Results data:
• Components of displacements at grid points
• Element Recovery data (stresses, strains, strain energy, and internal forces and
moments
• Grid point data recovery (applied loads, constraint forces, and element forces)
Purpose:
Topics:
Review Femap User Guide – Chapter 5.9.1 – Working with View Select and View
Options
M t have
Must h results
lt available
il bl iin F
Femap
Contour Options
The contour algorithm in Femap will use either nodal or elemental data to perform the
contouring.
• Depending on the selected options and the available data, Femap will use several
pp
different approaches to calculate the contours
Contour Group – allows
the display of results of
the Active or Selected
group without activating
the group.
Data Conversion options
Average, Use Corner
Data (default)
Average, without
Corner Data
Maximum Value – with
or w/o Corner Data
Minimum Value– with
or w/o Corner Data
Element options
Provides the capability
to “Smart Average”
results Thus
results.
accounting for
discontinuities in
material or geometry
and providing a more
accurate representation
of the results.
Option to display
Double-sided Planar
Contours on planar
elements
For results with element centroid data but no corner data, you can either:
• Average the Centroidal values for the all the elements connected to each node
(default); or
• Use the Maximum of the Centroidal values of the connected elements.
For results with element centroid data and element corner data you can either:
• Average the values at each node (element corner data) to determine the data
(default),
• Use the maximum of the values at each node (element corner data)
• Average the Centroidal values for the all the elements connected to each node
(ignores the corner data you have); or
• Use the Maximum of the Centroidal values of the connected elements.
Output Transformations
By default, Femap displays NX Nastran results in the global or “basic” rectangular
coordinate system. The Select PostProcessing Data dialog box has options to
transform output vectors to user-selected directions.
Animation Commands
Create the animation in the View Select dialog box and select Animate as the Deformed
Style
This will create an animation of the active Deformation Output Vector in the Deformed
and Contour Data Dialog Box
• By selecting the View, Advanced Post, Animation command, you can control the
speed of the animation.
• Once the plot is Animating it can be saved as an AVI file or Animated Gif file (*.GIF)
using the File, Picture, Save command and selecting the “Video for Windows (*.
AVI)”or “Animated GIF (*.GIF)” format.
XY Plots
Use View, Select (F5) command to generate XY plots – also accessible from the
Graphics Window’s context-sensitive menu.
XY vs Set - plots XY data versus the output set number for an Output Vector across
several Output Sets
XY vs Set Value - similar to “vs Set”, except uses Output Set value for X
XY Plots of Functions
Functions can be displayed quickly by selecting the function to be displayed in the
Model Info window and selecting Show from the context-sensitive menu.
• Opens a new graphics view titled “XY Show”
Freebody Display
In the View Select dialog box, choose Deformed and Contour Data, Freebody
Display
Plots the Freebody information of the entire body or a select group of elements.
• Must have recovered Grid Point Force Balance data from analysis, if not only
Applied and reaction forces will be available.
• Total Summed Loads allows you to check the model for equilibrium.
• Choose the types of entities to be viewed
Creates nodal loads from the free body diagram as displayed on the screen in the Active
Load Set.
Vector Plots
Multiple types of Vector plots can be generated using results data.
• Select Vector as the Contour Style in the View Select dialog box, then the
Deformed and Contour button.
• Once an Output Set is selected, click the Contour Vectors button to specify the
options for the plot. This opens the Contour Options dialog box.
Note: Post Processing options are saved along with the View Style in the View
Library.
Post Toolbar
Allows quick display of Deformed and Contour plots
Detailed Postprocessing settings accessible from the Post Options pull down icon
Purpose:
The Meshing Toolbox is used for accessing FEMAP’s interactive geometry cleanup
and idealization tools and interactive mesh editing tools. This lesson is an overview
of the tools available in the Meshing Toolbox.
Topics:
Entity Locator
Feature Suppression
Feature Removal
Combined / Composite Curves
C bi d / B
Combined Boundary
d S
Surfaces
f
Mesh Sizing Toolbox
Mesh Locate Toolbox
Mesh Quality Toolbox
Feature Suppression
Feature Suppression
controls allow you to
interactively suppress or
remove suppression of:
• Loops – select one edge
on an feature to
automatically suppress
the entire set of curves
and surfaces comprising
the feature
• Curves – select curve(s)
to be suppressed.
Should not be used on
solids.
• Surfaces – select
surface(s) to be
suppressed Should not
suppressed.
be used on surfaces.
Update Colors set options to toggle and colors for suppressed entities
entities.
Restore All features in either selected solid(s) (In Solids button) or in the entire Model
Feature Removal
Feature Removal differs from Feature Suppression in that the underlying solid or
surface geometry is modified.
• Loops – includes an option to set the Limit Size for selecting loops.
• Curves – includes an option to set the Limit Size for selecting loops
loops. Also includes
an option for Aggressive Removal
• Surfaces - when a single surface on a solid is selected, Femap will attempt to clean
up the solid to result in a “clean” solid. In some cases, no operation will be
performed and in others, other adjacent surfaces will be removed. There is also an
option for Aggressive Removal.
The Combine Surfaces option creates Combined Surfaces for surfaces using the
curves that are combined.
When the Sizing Option is set to Match Curves, the curve(s) selected will match the
mesh sizing settings of the Master Curve
Enabling the Show Free Edges option highlights the nodes on the mesh’s free edges
Meshing
g Toolbox –
Mesh Quality
Mesh Quality specifies the
setting of the display when
the Quality tool is enabled.
• Q
Quality
y Type
yp specifies
p
whether to display the
mesh quality by:
• Aspect Ratio
• Taper
• Alternate Taper
• I t
Internal
l Angles
A l
• Warping
• Nastran Warping
• Jacobian
• Combined Quality
• Set the Number of
Distortion Levels to:
• 2 or 4
Purpose:
• Midsurfacing
• The Midsurface Commands
Midsurfacing
Midsurfacing is the process of extracting the midplane between parallel surfaces in
order to reduce the complexity and increase the accuracy of the Finite Element Model.
• For the part shown:
• Solids: 113,512
113 512 nodes and 63,875
63 875 elements.
elements ( > 3 minutes solve time)
time).
• Shells: 1725 nodes and 1576 elements. (< 10 seconds solve time).
Midsurfaced Geometry
2 Sheet Solids and 2 curves at T-junction
between Sheet Solids, both of which needs to
be sized the same for mesh continuity
Purpose:
In the context of FEA, modeling assemblies may use multiple techniques to connect the
components of a FEA assembly. This lesson is an overview of the tools available in the
Femap to model FEA assemblies.
Topics:
Welded Connections
Coincident Nodes
Connecting Similar Element Types can be accomplished with “Coincident Nodes”
• Depending on how the model was set up before meshing (e.g. use of “Slice Match”,
etc.), some meshes will be generated automatically with coincident nodes.
Rigid Elements can be used to transmit rotations between Solids and Shells and Solids
and Beams by transferring the translation on the nodes on the plate elements to the
nodes on the solid elements.
• Use a minimum of two “dependent” nodes on the solid
for every independent node on the shell or beam.
Rigid Elements
Beginning with Femap v10.1.1, you can automatically generate the Independent node
by selecting the option for New Node at Center. This option generates a new node by
placing the node at the centroid of the Dependent nodes.
1) In the Define RIGID Element dialog box, select the node(s) for which you are
modifying the interpolation factor
Welded Connections
Femap supports Weld Properties and Elements
• Creates CWELD elements for NX Nastran and MSC.Nastran only
• Spot Weld uses an “effective length” calculation based on the thickness of the two
shell elements connected
connected.
• Fastener allows direct input of stiffness matrix for weld properties
• Multiple options for generating Weld Elements
• Orientation of Weld is defined by either “Projection” method or “Axis” method
and may be limited by the type of Weld selected
Connect Menu
Connect, Automatic command finds the closest matching surfaces between solids and
automatically generates “Connectors” (also known as “Contact Elements”) between
adjacent “Connection Regions”
• p y search tolerance and type
Specify yp of contact
• Model Info window has a Connections object tree
Note: For assemblies with existing slaved meshes or one that will be meshed with
slaved meshes, placing a connection between the two parts at the location
of the slaved mesh may result in a fatal NX Nastran error.
For NX (Nastran) Linear Contact, the Contact Type pull down selects Linear or Glued
contact.
• Glued contact can be used in ALL NX Nastran solutions.
• Linear contact can be used only in NX Nastran Linear Statics solutions.
• Always click the Defaults button when switching Contact Type or manually
creating a new Connection Property.
NX Linear
Glued Contact Property Options
Glued Contact has the following property options. In most cases, selecting the
Defaults button will result in the proper settings.
Note: For more details on Glued Contact, see the NX Nastran User’s Guide,
Section 9.7.
• 0..Calculated (default) - Use the initial position of the nodes in the contact
pairs. In the case of penetrations, a model may experience "press fit" behavior
when using this option.
• 2..Calculated/Zero
2 C l l t d/Z P
Penetration
t ti - Same
S as 0..Calculated,
0 C l l t d butb t if penetration
t ti iis
detected, set the initial contact force to zero (0).
• 3..Zero Gap/Penetration - Sets the penetration/gap to zero for all contact
elements. Very useful when the contact surfaces are physically in contact, but
due to mesh irregularities, penetration occurs.
• Shell Offset – use the default (0..Include shell thickness) unless the contact
segments
t are defined
d fi d att th
the ttop off th
the shell
h ll mesh,
h nott th
the mid
id plane
l off th
the shells.
h ll
Note: For more details on Linear Contact, see the Femap Commands manual,
Section 4.4.3.1. You can also refer to the NX Nastran Users Guide,
Chapter 19 for additional details on gluded and linear contact.
NX Nastran checks for contact between element faces from the Slave
Slave’ss element faces
to the Master’s element faces and internally builds contact element pairs between the
two element faces. Therefore, as a rule, you should model with the following in mind:
Slave Mesh Density ≥ Master Mesh Density
Modeling
g Bolted Connections with
Bolt Regions
Model bolted connections with:
• Bar and/or Beam elements that comprise a Bolt Region
• Bolt Preload – an axial force load applied to the bar or beam elements or Bolt
Region
• Two elements that connect the ends of the bolt to the rest of the mesh – usually
Rigid elements
API script automates generation of bolt mesh – Custom Tools, Meshing, Hole to Hole
Fastener
• Does NOT create the Bolt Region or the Bolt Preload
Valid only for SOL110 – Complex Modal Analysis (Normal Modes with Rotor Dynamics
option) and SOL111 (Modal Frequency Analysis with Rotordynamics option)
Purpose:
This lesson is an overview of methods to check and debug Finite Element Models.
Topics:
Pros Cons
Checking Results
It is always a good idea to do a “reality check” with the results of any Finite Element
Analysis. Using engineering knowledge and common sense will allow a user to
determine if the results make sense for the applied boundary conditions. For instance,
an under-constrained or “unconnected” (nodes not merged where they should be) model
may exhibit much larger displacements than expected a displacement in the opposite
direction of the applied load during a linear cantilever beam analysis.
Model Debugging
Recommended minimum checks on input
• Stiffness matrix checks
• At the G-size
• Aft MPC P
After Processing
i
• After All Processing
Mass Checks
• Grid point weight generator output
• Rigid-body mass checks
• Assembly mass checks
Loading checks
NX Nastran performs many error checks during an analysis to ensure that all input data
is in the proper format and usable. If an error is detected during data processing, an
error message is generated. If the error is fatal, the analysis terminates.
Many times NX Nastran errors have a number and a short description of the error which
shows up in the .f06 file. Many times the same error number can represent a variety of
different issues. In cases where the error is not obvious, consult the Help->Analysis
menu and choose the error message segment where the Error Message number
appears. Go to the error number for a broader description.
Engineering Theory
Modeling
• Bolted connection
• Welded connection
• Corners
• Transitions
Connections
• Beam to Plate
• Beam to solid
• Plate to solid
L d
Loads
• Verify they are correct (OLOAD RESULTANT)
• Run the Femap command, Tools, Check, Sum Forces
Constraints
• Verify that they exist (often forgotten and overlooked)
• Verify they are correct (location and orientation – in output coordinate system of the
GRID points)
• Verify they are applied (SPC CASE CONTROL command)
Statics
• Check EPSILON and MAXRATIO
• EPSILON > 10-9 may indicate trouble
• MAXRATIO > 105 may indicate trouble
• Check reactions
• Do theyy equal the applied loads?
• Check load paths – use grid point force balance to “trace” loads
• Check stress contours for “consistency”
• “Sharp” corners indicate bad modeling
• Use different options (i.e., topological and geometric) and compare results
• Compare values to “hand calc” or small model results
p Preferences
Femap
Femap Preferences
Preferences are used to configure Femap for optimum performance and the way you
prefer to work
• Preferences are stored in the femap.ini file under the main Femap installation folder
• If you specify a different Start In location for your Femap startup shortcut
shortcut, Femap
will first look in that location for a femap.ini file and use the preferences set in that
file. In addition, any changes to preferences will automatically be stored in the
femap.ini file in that folder.
Set preferences with the File, Preferences command
• Messages – set font and fonts sizes
• Views
• Render
• User Interface
• Database – set
performance options
• Geometry/Model
• Interfaces – select
default
Analysis Interface
• Library/Startup
• Color
• Spaceball
Many Femap
preferences
will take effect
immediately
after theyy have been
set, but in some cases
you will need to close and re-open Femap for the changes to take effect. Examples are:
• Advanced/Debug Options for Render graphics
• Database
• Fonts changed in the Messages Window, etc.
The Render dialog box lets you control the level of functionality that you have while in
Render mode.
• Hardware Acceleration can be toggled off if the graphics card, or it's drivers, are
causing instability in Femap.\
• Including less entities with the Include In Dynamic Rotation option will speed up
dynamic rotation of large models.
• Advanced/Debug messages can be turned on to help the Development team
diagnose complex geometry issues if they arise.
• Setting the BitBlt Delay can be used to help with performance on consumer or
game-oriented graphics cards.
Remember Dialog Positions tells Femap to remember where a user has placed a
specific
ifi dialog
di l box
b on the
th screen (during
(d i theth currentt F
Femap session).
i )
Graphical Selection options can be used to set the Tooltip Delay and Tooltip Duration
Times for Tooltips
Dockable Panes can be set to animate the “fly-out” from the docked and tabbed
positions or simply pop-up.
Show Entities Defaults settings are used to set default options for using the Show
When Selected in the Model Info pane, Data Table, or the Preview button in an Entity
Selection dialog box.
Set Toolbars options to save and load layouts of toolbars and dockable pane(s)
Note: Setting the Femap Scratch folder or setting the TEMP variable to a network file
location may seriously degrade Femap’s performance and dramatically
increase file save times. In addition, if your network fails for any reason, any
opened
p files in a Femap
p session have the p potential to be corrupted.
p
Femap stores geometry in meters. The Solid Geometry Scale Factor is used to
i t
internally
ll store
t your geometry
t units
it as meters
t in
i PParasolid.
lid
• For example, if you select Inches, the Scale Factor is 39.37 (inches/meter). Femap
uses the inverse of this number to store the geometry in its model database (1 inch
= .0254 meters).
• This scaling will allow you to import and model parts that are outside of the
Parasolid modeling limits ( +/-500 x 500 x 500).
Note: If you import geometry with a different scale other than the file’s original scale,
new or modified geometry will be out of scale with the imported geometry.
FEMAP can be set to Delete Construction Geometry, Move it to the “NoPick Layer”, or
simply do nothing when used.
Element Quality checks can be turned on or off permanently and default values set for
each quality check via the Element Distortion button.
Default output orientations for various element shapes can be permanently set for use
when transforming results from the Output Orientation button.
The Alternate Section Property Calculator can be turned on in this dialog box. By
choosing this option,
option values generated by the Femap beam section property calculator
will be attained using an alternate method which in certain cases will be more accurate
than the standard method.
Pre-V10 Tet Meshing and Surface Meshing can be set as the defaults. This will allow
FEMAP 10 to use the “older” meshers instead of the “new” meshers, should any issues
arise.
• You will typically want to use the default values as shown 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 documentation for
your analysis program.
Setting the File Reference Options allows FEMAP to check if imported Geometry,
Analysis Input decks, and/or Analysis Results have been modified when a FEMAP
model is opened.
Use the File, References command to check references during a FEMAP session.
Increase the value of Max Lines to Monitor from the default value of 5000 if you like to
view the .f06 file during analysis execution.
Femap
p Preferences –
Library/Startup, and Colors
The Library preferences allow you to specify default FEMAP library files.
• Objects saved such as Materials, Functions, etc. are saved into the preferred
library.
The Colors preferences allow you to select the default colors for entities.
The Spaceball preferences allow you to specify certain parameters to improve the
performance and overall behavior of Spaceball devices with regard to FEMAP.