Getting Started

FEMAP
Getting Started
Version 11.1
MUF1000-GS-103
Proprietary and Restricted Rights Notice

This software and related documentation are proprietary to Siemens Product Lifecycle Management Software Inc.
2013 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 trademark 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.
Siemens PLM
Web:
http://www.femap.com
Customer Support
Phone:
Web:
(714) 952-5444, (800) 955-0000 (In US & Canada)

http://support.ugs.com
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, publish, 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.
Conventions
This manual uses different fonts to highlight command names or input that you must type.
a:setup
Shows text that you should type.
OK, Cancel
Shows a command name or text that you will see in a

dialog box.
Throughout this manual, you will see references to Windows. Windows refers to Microsoft Windows XP, Windows 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.
FEMAP Examples
Proprietary and Restricted Rights Notice
1. Introduction
Introduction to FEMAP .
.
.
Using the FEMAP Examples Guide
The FEMAP Documentation Set .
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
. 1-1
. 1-3
. 1-5
Hardware/Software Requirements .
.
.
Installation - Stand Alone
.
.
.
.
Network Installation
.
.
.
.
.
Starting FEMAP .
.
.
.
.
.
Improving Performance (RAM Management)
Licensing Conversion Methods .
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
. 2-1
. 2-2
. 2-5
. 2-8
2-11
2-12
User Interface .
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Model Merge .
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Geometry
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Meshing .
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Elements .
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Materials .
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Properties
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Loads and Constraints .
.
.
.
.
.
Connections (Region, Properties, and Connectors)
Groups and Layers .
.
.
.
.
.
.
Views .
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Output and Post-Processing .
.
.
.
.
Geometry Interfaces
.
.
.
.
.
.
Analysis Program Interfaces .
.
.
.
.
Tools
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
OLE/COM API
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Preferences .
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
. 3-3
. 3-5
. 3-8
3-14
3-15
3-16
3-16
3-17
3-22
3-23
3-23
3-24
3-28
3-29
3-33
3-38
3-40
2. Installing FEMAP
Whats New in FEMAP

Whats New for version 11.1
3. Analyzing Buckling for a Bracket

Importing the Geometry .
.
Meshing the Model .
.
.
Applying Constraints and Loads
Post-processing the Results .
.
.
.
.
4. Analyzing a Beam Model

.
.
Defining the Material and Property
Meshing the Model .
.
.
.
Applying Constraints and Loads .
Analyzing the Model .
.
.
Post-Processing the Results .
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
. 4-1
. 4-2
. 4-8
4-13
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
. 5-1
. 5-2
. 5-5
5-12
5-16
5-17
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
. 6-1
. 6-2
. 6-8
6-10
6-12
6-13
5. Analyzing a Midsurface Model of an Electrical Box

.
Creating the Midsurface Model
Meshing the Model .
.
.
Applying Loads and Constraints
Analyzing the Model .
.
Post-processing the Results .
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
6. Analysis of a Simple Assembly
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
TOC-2
.
.
.
.
.
.
Creating Connections .
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Applying Loads and Constraints.
.
.
.
.
.
Meshing the Model .
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Analyzing the Glued Contact Model
.
.
.
.
Post-processing the Results of Glued Contact Analysis .
Modifying the Connection Property .
.
.
.
.
Applying additional Constraints for stability .
.
.
Analyzing the Linear Contact Model .
.
.
.
Post-processing the Results of Linear Contact Analysis.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
7-1
7-2
7-8
7-14
7-16
7-17
7-18
7-22
7-23
7-24
1.
Introduction
This section introduces FEMAP and explains how to use the FEMAP Examples guide.
Introduction to FEMAP
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, temperature, and
dynamic performance directly on the desktop. With easy access to CAD and office automation tools, productivity 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.
With FEMAP you can:
Import or Create Geometry
Build a Finite Element Model
Check Your Model
Analyze Your Model
Post-process Results
Document Results
Import or Create 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 packages, 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 convenient if you need to
export geometry to CAD packages that are Parasolid-based.
Build a Finite Element Model

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 constraint
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 automatically 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.
1-2
Introduction
Check 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 conditions. Each of these methods can be used to
identify and eliminate potential errors, saving you considerable time and money.
Analyze 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.
The NX Nastran for FEMAP solver is a general finite element analysis program for structural and thermal analysis that is
integrated with FEMAP.
Post-process Results
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, contour 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 visualization 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.
Document 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 publishing 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 viewers.
1-3

The FEMAP Examples guide is designed to teach new users the basics of using FEMAP. It contains a number of examples
that take you step-by-step through the processes for building and using an FEA model.
Working through the Examples

As there are many different types of real analysis problems, there are different types of example problems shown here. Generally, you should start with the first example in chapter 3 and work through the examples sequentially. Some of the later
examples focus on specific techniques that you may not use in your work (beam modeling, axisymmetric modeling, midsurfacing). However, we recommend that you work through all the problems because they may contain some commands or
techniques that you will find useful.
Analyzing Buckling for a Bracket
Analyzing a Beam Model
Analyzing a Midsurface Model of an Electrical Box
Analysis of a Simple Assembly
The examples in this manual should help you learn the basic FEA modeling process, general FEMAP commands, and the
FEMAP command structure. For a more complete description of the FEMAP interface and modeling procedures, see the
FEMAP User Guide. For an in-depth description of all the commands in FEMAP, see FEMAP Commands.
1-4
Introduction
Using the Examples

In general, italicized text identifies items in the user interface. For example: File, Preferences tells you to pick the File
menu, then the Preferences command.
The Examples also include some graphics to help you identify user interface (UI) items. They include:
UI Graphic
Meaning
Pick an option from a cascading menu.
Menu
Pick an item from a pull-down menu on a dialog box.
Pick an item from a list.
Pick an icon.
Enter a value into a field on a dialog box.
Pick a button.
Pick a radio button.
Check an item on or off in a dialog box.
Pick with the left mouse button.
Pick with the right mouse button.
Pick with middle mouse button if you have a three button mouse. Also
can be the wheel of a wheel mouse.
Ctrl-A
Hold the Control key, then pick the letter key.
F5 key
Pick the function key.
The FEMAP Documentation Set
1-5
The FEMAP Documentation Set

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 interfaces.
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.
1-6
Introduction
2.
Installing FEMAP
This section will help you install and start using the FEMAP software.
This section contains information specific to getting started on a PC, which includes 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows
XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7.
A single DVD contains both the 32-bit version and 64-bit version of FEMAP. If you have a 32-bit system, you must install
the 32-bit version. If you have a 64-bit system, you can choose to install either version, but will only get the benefits of using
a 64-bit system by installing the 64-bit version.
Note:
You MUST be logged in with Administrator privileges when installing FEMAP in order for the installation
process to work properly.
Hardware/Software Requirements
There are no special hardware/software requirements for FEMAP beyond those imposed by Windows operating systems.
There are many types of hardware that will allow you to use FEMAP. Proper choice of hardware, however, can often make
the difference between frustration and productivity. Here are a few suggestions:
Memory, RAM
Memory, (Hard Disk)
Graphics Boards
Browser
Memory, RAM
You will need at least 128 Mbytes of RAM to run FEMAP and the Parasolid solid modeling engine, which is the default.
Obviously, the more amount of RAM the better. Adding RAM can be one of the most cost effective means of increasing performance.
If using the Standard geometry Engine in FEMAP, you can actually run with as little as 32 Mbytes of RAM. This is not a
recommended configuration.
Memory, (Hard Disk)

Required hard disk space is very difficult to estimate, but in general you will never have enough. Analysis results will be the
main driver of any disk space requirement. Models are typically relatively small. A model with 1000 nodes and 1000 elements would typically be less than 1 Mbyte in size. Output from an analysis of that model, however, could be 5 Mbytes, 10
Mbytes or even larger, depending on the output you request. To estimate total disk space, you need to first estimate how
many models you will have online simultaneously, the approximate size of those models, and the type of output you will
request.
Graphics Boards
Standard graphics adapters work very well with FEMAP. Specialized boards which contain support for OpenGL will provide increased graphical performance when dynamically rotating large, complex models. They also usually provide higher
resolution and more colors, which make graphics easier to see and more realistic.
Browser
To run the online help, you should have Internet Explorer, version 6.0 or later. Browsers such as Mozilla Firefox may also be
used to access the HTML help system.
2-2
Installing FEMAP
Installation - Stand Alone

This section describes the procedure that you should follow to install the stand alone (security device) version of FEMAP on
your PC.
Security Device
Computer
FEMAP
In order to run the Stand Alone (Security Device) version of FEMAP a Rainbow SuperPro Parallel
Port (pictured on left) or USB Port dongle is required. In order for your PC to be able to see the dongle, a driver must first be installed. Installation of the driver requires Administrator privileges for
your PC. During installation, if the current user has Administrator privileges, the installation program will automatically prompt for installation of this driver.
If the installer does not have Administrator privileges, someone with Administrator privileges will
have to log in and install the driver manually. The driver installation program can be found in the
SentinalDriver directory of the FEMAP CD. On 32-bit and 64-bit Windows platforms, run CD\SentinalDriver\SPI750.exe.
It is highly recommended that you do not have any security devices attached to your computer while you are installing the
driver. Once the driver has been installed, you can plug a USB security device directly into an open USB port and it should
be recognized. For the Parallel Port security device, it is highly recommended that you shut your computer down and turn it
off before installing the security device. After it is installed, turn the computer on begin using FEMAP.
Printer
Setup Program Execution

Windows XP/Vista/7
1. Log in to your computer as Administrator. As detailed above, this will make installation of the driver required to
talk to the FEMAP dongle possible.
2. Insert the FEMAP CD into the drive. The setup should automatically begin within a few seconds. If it does not,
manually run the SETUP.EXE program in the root directory of the FEMAP DVD.
Once setup is running you will see a license agreement. Assuming that you agree with the license agreement, choose I
accept the terms of the license agreement and press Next to continue and select the directory where you would like to have
the FEMAP program files installed.
You will be prompted for the selection of additional FEMAP options, please choose any optional modules and components
that you wish to have installed.
Setup Program Execution
2-3
Notice that the installation will tell you the amount of disk space required for the chosen options to be installed and how
much space is available on the drive where FEMAP will be installed.
Note: If you plan on licensing FEMAP with a dongle (security key), not a network license, then you will probably
want to UNCHECK the FLEXlm License Manager option as it is not used by the dongle.
The next dialog box allows you to Select FEMAP GUI Language. Select from English, German, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, or Japanese then click Next.
You will now be asked which type of installation to perform. Choose Nodelocked Dongle as the licensing method.
Setup Type
Description
Nodelocked Dongle Rainbow SuperPro
Installs FEMAP for use with a Rainbow Parallel Port or USB dongle. If you have the dongle version of FEMAP, choose this setup
type.
Network Client FLEXlm
Installs the Network Client version of FEMAP. This setup is for use
where FEMAP is licensed via the FLEXlm license management
software. With the Network Client version of FEMAP, one machine
on your network will be designated as the license server. The following Network License Server setup will have to be run on that
machine.
Node-Limited Demo
License
Installs the 300-Node demonstration version of FEMAP. This version requires no licensing, but is limited to very small models. It is
intended for new users to try FEMAP and all its options.
After choosing Nodelocked Dongle and pressing Next, the program will be installed and then a driver required for the dongle will automatically be installed. Finally, if you are installing FEMAP with the NX Nastran option you will be prompted to
specify a scratch directory for the solver. You will need to have read/write access to this directory to be able to properly
use NX Nastran.
FEMAP dongles are shipped good for 30 days from the first time they are run. In order to remove the time limit from your
new FEMAP dongle, or upgrade an older dongle or network license, you must contact Siemens Product Lifecycle Management Software Inc. PLM's Global Technical Access Center (GTAC). In order to retrieve your FEMAP upgrade codes or
your FLEXlm license file, you will need a GTAC WebKey account.
2-4
Installing FEMAP
Obtaining a Webkey Account from Siemens Product Lifecycle Management Software Inc.
To request a WebKey account, access the web page; then provide the following information:
https://plmapps.ugs.com/webkey
Your Installation ID
WebKey Access Code
Your Installation ID is directly under the "sold to" information on your shipping order. For dongle-based FEMAP customers,
your WebKey Access code is the unique portion of your FEMAP serial number, i.e. 3H-NT-1234, which is displayed in your
current FEMAP in the Help - About dialog box, for this license as 1000-3H-NT-1234, with the version information at the
beginning of the serial number removed. If you have any problems determining your Installation ID, FEMAP Serial Number, or have trouble getting a WebKey account, please contact:
Trish McNamara - trish.mcnamara@siemens.com - 610-458-6508, or
Mark Sherman - sherman.mark@siemens.com - 610-458-6502
Obtaining Upgrade Codes or a new License File

1. Via the Web, using your WebKey Account -Upgrade codes or an updated license file can be e-mailed to you
from the Customer Support (GTAC) web site http://support.ugs.com. In the Explore GTAC section, expand
License Management and select Current Licenses. If prompted, enter WebKey and password. Click Passwords
and License Files link. Select Femap as the Product and set Version to the appropriate version (i.e., 11.1 or 11.0).
For LM Host or Dongle ID, enter either the unique portion of you FEMAP serial number (3H-NT-1234 in this case)
if using a dongle or fill in the Ethernet address of your FEMAP license server if using FLEXlm network licenses.
Your license or access codes will be e-mailed to the address supplied during WebKey registration.
2. Via the Phone - You can call GTAC at 714-952-5444 (US and Canada residents may use 800-955-0000) and
enter option 1, 1, for your CSR or option 1,2, for Software Product Delivery (SPD). You should then request a copy
of the license upgrade for a specific Installation ID and serial number or Ethernet Address.
For dongle versions of FEMAP, the information returned to you to upgrade the dongle will be in the form of two case insensitive alpha numeric codes. They will appear something like:
Access Code 1: 08aeca3f0f52639179

Access Code 2: 362ff63c3426d943
Use the Help, About command, then click the Security button. Cut and paste (to avoid errors) or type these two codes in to
the appropriate fields and press OK. The FEMAP dongle is an EPROM, and these codes are used to update the memory of
the dongle. Once these codes have been entered, you will never need to enter them again, with changes made to the memory
of the dongle, they will either be useless, or simply write the same thing to memory again.
2-5
The Network Client version of FEMAP utilizes the FLEXlm License Manager software from Flexera Software.
This licensing approach requires some software to be installed on a server machine and other software to be
installed on one or more clients. The clients then request and obtain licenses from the server. In a simple situation,
both the client and server could be the same computer, but more likely they are different systems connected by a
network.
Obtaining a License File

License files are obtained through the same procedure as defined above for getting the upgrade codes for a dongle
license. Call GTAC, or use your WebKey account to request your FEMAP license file. The only difference in Network Licensed FEMAP is that you need to enter the LMHostID (Ethernet Address) of your license server when
prompted instead of the FEMAP Serial Number. When you receive your license file information, you need to
extract just the valid FLEXlm license entries, and copy them into a file called "license.dat". Please make sure that
your license.dat looks something like the one show below. For FEMAP, you will have one SERVER line, one
DAEMON line, and one or more FEATURE lines depending on how many options you have purchased with your
FEMAP.
A couple of things to make sure of:
1. Make sure that the entry immediately following the word "SERVER" is the name of the license server where you
are installing the license server software. If it is a temporary name, i.e. ANY, or THISHOST, change it to the correct machine name. This is one of the two things in the license file that you can change.
2. Make sure that the third entry on the SERVER line matches the LMHostID of license server. This number is the
key to the whole license file. If this does not match the LMHostID of the license server, then the licensing will not
work.
3. The "DAEMON esplmd" line calls out the actual programs that hands out FEMAP licenses. If you have installed
all the license server pieces in the same directory, it is fine as is. If the esplmd.exe program is not in the same directory as LMTOOLS.EXE, you will have to edit this line to tell LMTOOLS.EXE where to find it. This is the other
part of a license file that you can change.
License Server
This section provides instructions on installing the network license manager and configuring your server.
Installing the FLEXlm License Manager

To begin the server installation, simply insert the FEMAP CD and allow it to AutoRun, or choose setup from the
CD. FEMAP will ask which features should be installed. If you only want to install the license server, then
UNCHECK all the options except FLEXlm License Manager. Once FEMAP has installed the software, copy
2-6
Installing FEMAP
your license file (usually called "license.dat") to the same directory where you installed the license server components.
Configuring the FLEXlm License Manager

You can run the LMTOOLS program from the FEMAP entry on your start -> All Programs - >FEMAP v11.1 ->
FLEXlm License Manager, or manually run LMTOOLS.EXE from its installed directory.
Once LMTOOLS is running, select the Config Services Tab.
Fill in a Service Name, specify a path to the lmgrd.exe file (a required FLEXlm component) that can be found in
the installation directory, and specify the path the license file. Finally, check the Use Services option, and then
the Start Server at Power Up. Press the Save Service button.
Answer Yes to:
You must start the license server manually the first time, press the Start/Stop/Reread tab.
Configuring Network Client Machines
2-7
Select the FEMAP service that you just created, and press the Start Server button. At this point FLEXlm will be
handing out FEMAP licenses on your network. To verify that everything is working fine from the license server
standpoint, press the Server Status tab.
Press the Perform Status Enquiry button and the text window will be filled with status information about your
FLEXlm license server. In the text window you will find information about how many licenses are available, and
once user start checking out licenses, how many are in use
Configuring Network Client Machines

Once your network license server is up and running, configuring FEMAP Network Client machines is very easy.
Make sure that FEMAP is installed on the local machine using the "Network Client" setup type. To configure client
machines to access the network license:
You have two options for telling network client machines how to find licenses on the license server:
1. Place a copy of the "license.dat" file in the FEMAP directory on the client machine. FEMAP will extract the name of the license server from the
license file, and check out a license and run. The only drawback to this
approach is that you must remember to update every copy of the license
file when you receive a new one from Siemens PLM Software, Inc.
(updates, licensing changes, etc.). To avoid this problem, you can type in
the full network path to the License File in the License File field used
below for HostName/IP Address location of the license server.
2. Tell FEMAP the name or IP address of the License Server.
a. Start FEMAP
b. Go to Help - About - Security
c. In the "License File" field, enter the name of the license server, preceded
by an ampersand. In the example below, FEMAP is told to check out licenses from a network machine named
PLSRV2:
d. In order for this machine name approach to work, the client computer must be able to see the license server computer via TCP/IP networking. To verify this, you can open a Command Prompt and ping the license server. In this
case, one would type "ping PHLSRV2". The ping command will let you know if it can talk to the machine name
indicated. If the client computer cannot find the license server by its name, you can also enter the IP address of the
license server, preceded by an ampersand and licensing should also work.
2-8
Installing FEMAP
Monitoring Network Usage

In a multi-user environment, sometimes you will not be able to get a license simply because all available licenses
are in use. You can find out who is using licenses, which computers they are using and when they started their
license simply by going to Help, About, and pressing the Security button. At the bottom of the dialog box you will
find information that will give you this information.
If you fail to get a license because none are available, you will not be able to work in FEMAP. You do not however,
have to leave FEMAP. You can simply stay there and periodically try a command. Whenever a license becomes
available it will be assigned to you and your command will succeed. If there are still no licenses available, you will
simply get a message that says try again later.
Copying FEMAP from one machine to another

In previous versions, the FEMAP directory created from a proper installation could simply be copied from one
machine to another, and then with the proper licensing, could be run on the new machine. For FEMAP 9.3.1 and
above, there is one additional step which must be done in order for a copied version of FEMAP to be able to run.
Note: You must have Administrator privileges on the machine FEMAP is being copied to in order to complete
this additional step.
Once the FEMAP directory has been copied, you need to go into the directory find an executable file called vcredist_x86.exe, then run the executable. This will install a set of Microsoft Compiler Libraries needed for FEMAP
9.3.1 to run properly.
On 64-bit operating systems, you will need to run vcredist_x86.exe and then run a 64-bit version of the executable called vcredist_x64.exe. You need to run both because FEMAP still uses some 32-bit applications in the 64bit versions. For instance, the FEMAP Neutral File translators are all 32-bit applications.
Starting FEMAP
There are several command line options to launch FEMAP. The simplest method to launch FEMAP is to create a
shortcut for FEMAP on your desktop and double-click the icon when you want to launch FEMAP. This will use the
command line contained under the shortcut to launch FEMAP. You can modify this command line by right-clicking
on the FEMAP icon, selecting properties, and changing the command line option on the shortcut.
The command line will contain the executable (and its path). After the femap.exe, there are several options which
may be used to determine the mode in which FEMAP will operate. A list of these command line options are provided below.
c:\FEMAPv###\femap.exe [-R] [-NEU] [-NOSPL] [-D dxf_file] [-N neu_file]
[-PRG program_file] [-SE Solid Edge_File] [-L port] [-SAT sat_file]
[-XMT x_t file] [-SCA scale_factor] [-IGES iges_file] [model_file or ?]
where all of the arguments in [ ] are optional command line parameters. They are:
The remaining parameters can be specified in any order.
-R
Read Only Mode. With this option set, the Save, Save As and Timed Save commands are
disabled. You will not be able to save changes to any model you access. All other commands remain active. Any changes you make will be made in the temporary scratch file,
and will be lost when you exit FEMAP.
-NEU
Automatically writes a neutral file with the same name (just .NEU extension) as your
.modfem file every time you save a model. In addition, when you open a model, if a neutral file exists with a newer date than the model, it will be read.
-NOSPL
Starts FEMAP without the splash screen.
-D dxf_file
This option automatically reads the specified DXF file when you start FEMAP. Make sure
you leave at least one space between the two arguments.
-N neu_file
This option automatically reads the specified FEMAP neutral file when you start FEMAP.
Starting FEMAP
2-9
-PRG program_file
This option allows you to run a specified FEMAP program file (*.PRO or *.PRG file)
when FEMAP is started.
-SE Solid Edge_file
Automatically creates a new FEMAP file and calls the File, Import Geometry command to
read the Solid Edge part file (*.prt file) or assembly file (*.asm file). When you use
FEMAP with this command option, you will see the Solid Model Read Options dialog
box, which will contain the title of the solid model file contained in the SAT file.
-L port
Specifies the parallel port where the FEMAP security device has been installed. This is not
typically needed unless FEMAP has difficulty accessing the device. If you want to attach
the security device to parallel port 1 (LPT1:), use -L 1, for parallel port 2 (LPT2:) use -L 2.
If your system is non-standard, or uses some other parallel port convention, you can specify the actual parallel port address. For example, if your parallel port was at address
03BCH (hexadecimal), you would convert the address to a decimal value, in this case 956,
and specify -L 956.
If you need to specify the -L option, you can change the default command line associated
with the FEMAP icon on the Desktop by selecting Properties. First, right-click on the
FEMAP icon. Then choose the File, Properties command (or press Alt+Enter). Move
down to the command line option, and just add the appropriate -L options. From then on
FEMAP will look for the security device on the specified port.
-SAT sat_file
Automatically creates a new FEMAP file and calls the File, Import Geometry command to
read the ACIS solid model file *.SAT file [sat_file]. When you use FEMAP with this command option, you will see the Solid Model Read Options dialog box, which will contain
the title of the solid model file contained in the SAT file.
-XMT xmt_file
Automatically creates a new FEMAP file and calls the File, Import, Geometry command
to read the Parasolid solid model file *.X_T file [xmt_file]. When you use FEMAP with
this command option, you will see the Solid Model Read Options dialog box which will
contain the title of the solid model file contained in the X_T file.
-SCA scale_value
This option is used in conjunction with the -XMT and -SAT to specify a scale factor for
the solid model. If this option is used, FEMAP will automatically import and scale the
solid model. The Solid Model Read Options dialog box will not be shown.
-IGES iges_file
Automatically creates a new FEMAP file and calls the File, Import, Geometry command
to read the file [iges_file]. When you use FEMAP with this command option, you will see
the IGES Read Options dialog box, where you can specify options for reading the file.
- INI filename
Specify a specific femap.ini file to use. The femap.ini file contains specific options which
can be used to customize many aspects of the program, such as a specific set of values for
File, Preferences.
model_file
Normally FEMAP will start with a new, unnamed model. If model_file is the filename of
an existing model however, FEMAP will start using that model. If the file does not exist,
you will see an error message, and FEMAP will start a new model with that name.
If you add a question mark to the command line instead of specifying a model name,
FEMAP will automatically display the standard file access dialog box and ask you for the
name of the model that you want to use. If you want to begin a new model, just press New
Model or the Escape key. When you want to work on an existing model, just choose it
from the dialog box, or type its name.
You should never specify both the ? and model_file options.
2-10
Installing FEMAP
Errors Starting FEMAP

Security Device Not Found
Symptom:
You see an error indicating that the security device cannot be found.
Resolution:
Go to Section , "Security Device", and confirm all steps have been followed. Try to run FEMAP again.
Choose Server or File

Symptom:
If you are attempting to start a network client and see the Error dialog box from FEMAP, FLEXlm cannot find a
valid license file.
Resolution:
Press Cancel in this dialog box. Pick Help, About, Security to define the location of the license file, as instructed
above in Section , "Configuring Network Client Machines"
Unable to get license message:
LM_LICENSE_FILE environmental variable error:

LM_LICENSE_FILE environment variable defined. It overrides all license file paths, and if it points to a license for a different product, it will cause this licensing failure. You must either redefine or remove this definition, or merge your license file
with the one specified.
2-11
This error will ONLY occur when the environment variable LM_LICENSE_FILE has been set. For example, this
environment variable may have been set by another application for licensing purposes. Be careful when removing
or altering this environment variable as it may cause other applications to no longer function properly.
Other Error Messages

Symptom:
If you receive an Unable to access {directory path}. Either this directory does not exist or you do not have proper
permissions. Check the directory and your preferences error or have any other difficulty starting FEMAP where
abnormal termination occurs, you either do not have enough disk space, or your Windows TEMP is not set to a
valid, accessible directory.
Resolution:
You may either change your Windows TEMP directory environment variable, or specify a path for the FEMAP
scratch files (which default to the Windows TEMP directory set by the environment variable) to a valid directory.
This and all other FEMAP preferences are stored in a file called femap.ini that is typically located in the FEMAP
executable directory. You will have to create this file or modify it to include the appropriate lines as shown below:
DISKMODELSCR=C:\FEMAP111
where C:\FEMAP111 can be any valid path. The DISKMODELSCR parameter is case sensitive and must be defined
exactly as above. Once you make these changes and FEMAP starts, you can use the File, Preferences, Database
command to modify this path.

FEMAP determines the amount of available memory a machine and sets it to a default level automatically (20%).
FEMAP performance may improve on Windows personal workstations by modifying the default settings that FEMAP uses
to manage RAM. To view or change these settings, use the File, Preferences command, then click the Database tab.
Database Performance
These options control how FEMAP uses your computers RAM. Setting these properly can greatly improve performance.
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 Swapping process can slow down
overall performance, it does let you work with much larger models than would otherwise 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.
Note:
Changing the Database Memory Limit does not change the amount of memory used for the current session.
For this selection to take effect, you must exit and restart FEMAP.
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.
2-12
Installing FEMAP
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.
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.
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 for 32-bit FEMAP and 99,999,999 for 64-bit FEMAP.
Blocks/Page
This value sets the page size. The optimum setting of this number often depends on the speed of your disk and controller.
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 settings on your drive or have
high-speed drives to determine if performance is improved.
For more information, see Section 3.4.2, Improving Performance (RAM Management) in the FEMAP User Guide.
Licensing Conversion Methods

Please read this section very carefully before changing your licensing method. If you are going to convert your licensing
method you MUST HAVE FEMAP AND NX NASTRAN CLOSED (not running) before you use the files described below.
You can change your licensing method (i.e., from using a security key to using a network license) using specific batch
files located in the FEMAP directory. The files are named go_licensing method.bat and require minimum user input to
change your licensing method. In general, the go batch files change your current auth_###.dll to use the appropriate
licensing method (auth_licensing method.dll) and may create or alter some other required files. FEMAP will open a command prompt and let you know if the conversion of the auth_###.dll has been successful. The various go files are
explained in greater detail below:
go_apionly.bat - converts your current licensing method to the API Only version of FEMAP
go_demo.bat - converts your current licensing method to the FEMAP Node-Limited Demonstration version.
go_dongle.bat - converts your current licensing method to use a security key.
go_network.bat - converts your current licensing method to use the FlexLM Network Client
Whats New in FEMAP

FEMAP 11.1 includes enhancements and new features, which are detailed below:
User Interface
Model Merge
Geometry
Meshing
Elements
Materials
Properties
Loads and Constraints
Groups and Layers
Views
Output and Post-Processing
Geometry Interfaces
Analysis Program Interfaces
Tools
OLE/COM API
Preferences
11.1-2
Finite Element Modeling
11.1-3

User Interface
General, Menu, Toolbars, Model Info tree, Meshing Toolbox, PostProcessing Toolbox, Charting pane, Data Surface Editor, Data Table
General
Added Performance Graphics mode to improve performance of dynamic rotation and regeneration of large
models. Performance Graphics may be turned on in File, Preferences on the Graphics tab. See Preferences for
more information.
Added Layers/Groups in Tooltips option to include Layer and Group information in Tooltips and Rotate View
About submenu to specify View Center options from the quick access menu (right-mouse click menu).
Enhanced Modify, Renumber... commands which allow Coordinate renumbering to allow the user to specify the
Order using the +/- X, Y, or Z locations of each entity.
Enhanced the performance of Combo and List Boxes with lists of entities that have a large number of items.
Also, enhanced performance of the Visibility dialog box. Previously, the dialog box could take longer than
expected to appear when models had large numbers (50K-100K) of properties, materials, etc.
Implemented Query and Front picking for Coordinate Systems. Only works for coordinate systems themselves,
not selecting nodes or points referencing coordinate systems.
Added File, Merge command to File menu. See Model Merge (NEW for FEMAP 11.1!) for more information.
Added Tools, Measure, Distance Between Geometry command to Tools menu. See Tools for more information.
Added Geometry, Curve - Line, Between Geometry; Geometry, Solids, Sweep; and Geometry, Solids, Sweep
Between commands to Geometry menu. See Geometryfor more information.
Consolidated all Point commands in Modify, Project submenu into the Modify, Project, Point command and
all Node commands in Modify, Project submenu into the Modify, Project, Node command. See Geometry for
more information. Also, added Modify, Renumber, Load Definition and Modify, Renumber, Constraint Definition command to Modify menu. Finally, added Modify, Update Elements, Rigid DOF command to Modify
menu. See Elementsfor more information.
Added List, Output, Contoured Results to Data Table command along with the List, Output, Freebody Nodal
Summations and List, Output, Freebody Nodal Summations to Data Table commands to the List menu. See Output and Post-Processing for more information.
Added Group, Operations, Generate Freebody Entities; Group, Curve, in Connection Region; Group, Surface,
in Connection Region; Group, Node, in Connection Region; Group, Element, in Connection Region; and Group,
Property, in Connection Region commands to the Group menu. See Groups and Layers for more information.
Added Help, FEMAP User Community option to Help menu, which links to the official FEMAP Community
website, hosted by Siemens PLM Software. Removed Help, Using Help command, as it no longer applied.
Menu
Toolbars
Added Distance Between Geometry icon to Measure icon menu of View Toolbar.
Added Layers/Groups in Tooltips icon to Selector Mode icon menu of Select Toolbar.
Added Renumber command to context-sensitive menus for Solids, Connection Properties, Regions, Connectors, Coordinate Systems, Materials, Properties, and Layups. In all cases, a dialog box appears requesting ID
and selected entities will be renumbered using the Original ID method of the Modify, Renumber... commands.
11.1-4
Updated Next Output Vector and Previous Output Vector icons on the Post Toolbar to increment all 3 possible contour vectors if they are defined. Previously only the primary vector was incremented.
Model Info tree
Added ability to toggle on/off the current count of various entity types using the Show Entity Counts icon in the
Model Info toolbar.
Added ability to scroll through entities using the middle mouse button while the cursor is over the Entity
Icons or Visibility check boxes now available while in another command, except View commands.
Added Renumber command to context-sensitive menus for Coordinate Systems, Geometry, Connection Properties, Regions, Connectors, Aero Panels/Bodies, Aero Properties, Aero Splines, Aero Control Surfaces, Materials, Properties, Layups, Load Sets, Load Definitions, Constraint Sets, Constraint Sets, Functions, Analysis Sets,
Output Sets, Groups, and Layers. In all cases, a dialog box will appear starting ID and the selected entities will
be renumbered using the Original ID method of the Modify, Renumber... commands.
Added Attach to Results command to context-sensitive menu for Results, which displays the Manage Results
Files dialog box from the File, Attach to Results command.
Meshing Toolbox
Locator tool - Added With Poles option when Search For is set to Surfaces. When on, the Locator will find
any surface which contains a pole. Typically only spherical or conical surfaces and planar surfaces of revolution around a point can have a pole.
Geometry Editing tool - Added Split at Closest option to the Edge to Edge Operation. When on, will
attempt to create the shortest possible curve using the two locations on the selected curves closest to one
another. Also, added Pad Alignment and Add Washer options to the Pad Operation.
PostProcessing Toolbox
In the Contour Tool:
Added No Average, Centroid Only option for Data Conversion in the Options section when Style is set to Contour. Simply allows all possibilities currently available through the menus and dialog boxes.
In the Freebody Tool:
Added ability to display freebody results in nodal output coordinate system. Only nodal vectors and quantities
will be displayed in the nodal output coordinate system. Interface loads will still be in the freebody coordinate
system.
Added Allow Alternate Vector option in the Freebody Contributions section for the Applied, Reaction, and MultiPoint Reaction contributions. When on, attempts to use alternate vectors if the Grid Point Force Balance vectors are not available for a particular contribution.
Added option to List Nodal Sums when using the listing commands in the Freebody Tools section. When used,
summed values for Fx, Fy, Fz, Mx, My, and Mz at each node will be added to the listing using **SUM** as the
Source.
Added Freebody Validation icon to Freebody Tools section. Model debugging tool that can be used to help
determine if results requested for a given freebody exist in the database for the selected set of elements and/or
nodes. It does not indicate that the results of a freebody calculation are a valid idealization of the structure being
analyzed, as that is up to the individual user to determine.
Charting pane
Reorganized the Chart Data Series dialog box into a tabbed format and added the Vector vs. Vector option as a
tab. See Tools for more information.
Added ability to set the Font Size for the Legend, Chart Axis Labels, and Labels in the Chart.
Changed Show Tooltips icon into icon menu and added several options for syncing up the active graphics window to the data point currently showing the Tooltip and ability to control what is shown in the Tooltip. See
Tools for more information.
Data Surface Editor
11.1-5
Changed Copy Chart to Clipboard icon into icon menu offering three options, Copy Chart Image, Copy Chart
Data, or Copy Chart Image and Data. The most recently used option will remain the default option for the current instance of FEMAP.
Moved the Title field from the Chart Title tab to the top of the in the Charting dialog box.
Added List Data command to Data Series context-sensitive menu to list the data from the Data Series to the
Messages window
Added Show (Element/Node ID) in Active View command to Marker context-sensitive menu to highlight the
entity in the active view using the current Show When Selected options, except always displays label.
Data Surface Editor
Added Load Set Combination Data Surface to Create/Load Data Surface icon menu. See Loads and Constraints for more information.
Data Table
Added Significant Digits options to Show/Hide Columns icon menu. Simply allows you to specify the number
of significant digits to be displayed for values in the Data Table. The number of significant figures will persist
until the Data Table is closed.
Added Sum Selected Rows command to context-sensitive menu for column headers. Displays a dialog box with
the Minimum Value, Maximum Value, and Sum using data from the rows currently highlighted.
Model Merge
NEW for FEMAP 11.1! The File, Merge command allows entities from any model currently open in the same
instance of FEMAP to be merged with the active model. At least two models must be open for this command to
be available. To facilitate bringing entities into the active model, a number of overall Renumbering and Duplicates
Strategy, Entity Selection, and Model Orientation options are available in the Model Merge Manager dialog box
and will be described in detail later in this section. In addition, the top portion of the dialog box, the Entities to
Merge list can be used to choose which entity types to merge into the active model using the check marks in the
Entity Type column.
11.1-6
If more than two models are open in the same instance of FEMAP, use the From Model drop-down to select the
desired open model. The Entities to Merge list will update whenever a different model is selected using the From
Model drop-down. The To Model field is always gray and simply displays the name of the active model.
Entities to Merge list
Contains a list of the entities to merge into the active model with columns for Entity Type, Current IDs, Merge IDs,
Renumber To, and Renumbering. Use the All On or All Off buttons to check/uncheck all of the Entity Type check
boxes for all entities in the list.
Once the Entities to Merge list is filled, the row(s) must be highlighted for any of the options in the Renumbering
and Duplicates Strategy and/or Entity Selection sections to take effect. Multiple rows may be selected for update
(Hold the CTRL key when you click to choose multiple entity types one at a time or the SHIFT key to choose a
range of entity types). The Select All and Select None buttons are used to select/de-select all of the different entity
types in the list. Once the desired rows are selected, choose the appropriate options and then click the Update
Selected button and review the updated information in the columns. Alternatively, use the Update All button to
update all entity types with the current settings for the various options.
Entity Type - column simply contains the name of the entity type and a check box which allows you to include
or not include that entity type when merging.
Current IDs - column lists the IDs for each entity type in the active model. If the active model does not have
any entities of a certain entity type, then this column will be blank.
Merge IDs - column lists the IDs found in the model selected using the From Model drop-down. The options in
the Entity Selection section are helpful when trying to limit the IDs in this column.
Renumber To - column lists the new IDs for the entities found in the Merge IDs column. These IDs are based
on the settings in the Renumbering and Duplicates Strategy section.
Renumbering - column lists the number of entities which will be renumbered. When they occur, this column
will also list the number of Conflicts and Overwrites which will occur using the current settings in the
Renumbering and Duplicates Strategy section.
Renumbering and Duplicates Strategy

This sections is used to specify how entities will be renumbered and how to handle duplicates.
None - specifies that entities should not be renumbered. This option can only be used effectively when the
Overwrite Duplicates option is also selected.
Minimal Renumbering - specifies that renumbering should occur using the lowest IDs possible. If unused IDs
exist within the range of Current IDs, this renumbering strategy will use those IDs. This is the default setting.
Optionally, you can enter a value into the Renumber To field to specify a different starting ID. If the stating ID
is not available, the next available ID will be used instead. For instance, if there are 20 elements in the active
model and the elements are numbered 1-10 and 31-40, Minimal Renumbering would place the 30 elements
found in the From Model into element IDs 11-30 (20 elements with the lowest IDs in the From Model) and 4150 (remaining elements in the From Model).
Block Renumbering - specifies that renumbering should be done using a block of IDs, based on the largest
value for Current IDs. Optionally, you can enter a value into the Renumber To field to specify a different starting ID, but if the specified value is in the range of Current IDs, it will be updated to the lowest available ID outside the range. For instance, if there are 20 elements in the active model and the elements are numbered 1-10
and 31-40, the block of Current IDs would be from 1 to 40. Block Renumbering would place the 30 elements
found in the From Model into element IDs 41-70, leaving element IDs 11-30 empty.
Offset Renumbering - specifies that renumbering should be done using the original Merge IDs plus a value
specified using the Offset By field. For instance, if there are 20 elements in the From Model and the elements
are numbered 1-10 and 31-40, using Offset Renumbering and entering an Offset By value of 100 would renumber these elements to 101-110 and 131-140.
Compress - specifies the Merge IDs should be compressed in an attempt to remove any gaps in the ID range of
the From Model. Optionally, you can enter a value into the Renumber To field to specify a different starting ID.
If the stating ID is not available, the next available ID will be used instead. For instance, if there are no elements
in the active model and the elements in the From Model are numbered 1-10 and 31-40, Compress would renumber the 20 elements found in the From Model into element IDs 1-20.
Model Merge
11.1-7
Renumber Duplicates - when this option is selected, any duplicate entity IDs will be renumbered to available
IDs based on the selected renumbering option.
Overwrite Duplicates - when this option is selected, any entity ID in the active model which is also found in the
From Model will be overwritten by the entity in the From Model.
Note: Great care must be taken when using the Overwrite Duplicates option. For instance, importing an element with the same ID, but of a different type could create a model which is invalid.
Entity Selection
This section is used to limit the entities which appear in the Merge IDs column for each entity type. The Merge IDs
are then used to populate the Renumber To and Renumbering columns based on the options set in the Renumbering
and Duplicates Strategy section. In all cases, the desired rows should be selected before setting this option and
clicking wither Update Selected or Update All.
None - specifies that no entities should be in the Merge IDs column. This option is really only used to clear columns in the selected rows.
All In Model - specifies that all entities in the model should be used to populate the Merge IDs column. This is
the default.
From Group - specifies that only entities in the selected group should be used to populate the Merge IDs column. If an no entities of a specified entity type are in the group, the Merge IDs column for that entity type will
be empty.
ID Range - specifies an ID range to use for all entity types (rows) currently selected in the Entities to Merge
list. For instance, if Node and Element are selected in the Entities to Merge list and an range is entered From 1
To 100, then the Merge IDs column for both nodes and elements would show 1..100 (or 1..highest existing ID
under 100).
Select - allows selection of Merge IDs for a single entity type using the standard entity selection dialog box. If
multiple entity types are highlighted in the Entities to Merge list, only the entity type closest to the top of the list
will be updated.
Add Referenced Entities button - adds entities referenced by other entity types currently in the Entities to
Merge list. For instance, if Entity Selection is set to Group and the selected group only contains elements which
have been sent to the Entities to Merge list, then pressing this button will add Node, Material, Property, and
Layer entity types, and potentially some others, to the Entities to Merge list.
Model Orientation
This section is used to orient the From Model in the active model. In addition, options in the section control behavior of transferred groups, optionally create of a new group in the active model, optionally create parent coordinate
systems for the merged model, and optionally limit certain entity types.
Create Group for Merged Model - when on, creates a group containing all of the entities merged from the From
Model into the active model.
Create Parent CSys for Merged Model - when on, creates a parent Coordinate Systems in the active model
for the entities found in the From Model. The number of parent coordinate systems created varies from one to
three and depends on how many of the Basic Coordinate systems are using in the From Model. When only the
Basic Rectangular coordinate system is referenced by entities, a single rectangular coordinate system located at
the origin (0, 0, 0) will be created. If the Basic Cylindrical and/or Basic Spherical coordinate system is referenced by entities, then a single rectangular coordinate system located at the origin will be created along with a
cylindrical and/or spherical coordinate system referencing the newly created rectangular coordinate system.
Condense Transferred Groups - when on, any groups brought into the active model from the From Model will
be condensed. See "Group, Operations, Condense..." in Section 6.4.3.2, "Group, Operations Menu" for more
information.
Limit Loads, Constraints and Contact to Merged Entities - when on, will only transfer loads, boundary conditions, and connection entities from the From Model when the entities referenced by these entity types are also
being merged into the active model. For instance, if a load set contains nodal loads on node 1 and node 10, but
only node 1 is being brought into the active model, then only the load on node 1 will be transferred to the active
model.
11.1-8
Note: The Limit Loads, Constraints and Contact to Merged Entities option should only be turned off when
merging a model which is very similar or identical to the active model. Otherwise, loads, constraints,
and/or contact entities may be applied to random entities in the active model.
Transform Merged Model - when on, the entities from the From Model will be transformed using the From
coordinate system found in the From Model to the To coordinate system found in the active model.
Note: When using Transform Merged Model, the Output Set entity type must NOT be selected. If it is, the command will issue a message stating Unable to transfer results when transforming a model during merge.
Duplicates to the Data Table button - only available when the Data Table is open. When pressed, sends a listing of
duplicate entities currently found in the Entities to Merge list to the Data Table. Each duplicate entity is listed in a
single row with Entity Type, Entity ID, and Renumber To columns.
Geometry
Updated Geometry, Midsurface, Automatic command to use Parasolid face pairing technology.
Attempts to use face pairing technology in the Parasolid modeling engine to automatically create a midsurface representation of a solid part or between selected surfaces. The command requires you to select the surfaces, specify a
Target Thickness (midsurface tolerance), and optionally set some additional settings
You may want to click the Distance icon button to use the measuring tool to specify an effective Target Thickness.
Any surfaces with a distance between them less than the Target Thickness will have a midsurface generated.
Note: The resulting midsurface created by the Parasolid face pairing algorithm will always be an constant offset from one face or the other. In some cases, this will require the user to do some additional modification of the geometry or mesh to account for non-constant offset regions in the model.
When on, the pre-V11.1 Midsurface Method runs the three steps of semi-automatic midsurfacing (Generate, Intersect, and Cleanup below) at once instead of using the more advanced face pairing technique. Also, when using preV11.1 Midsurface Method, none of the other options are available.
When on, Combine Midsurfaces simply performs a Geometry, Surface, NonManifold Add on the newly created surfaces in an attempt to create a general body, which usually aids when trying to create a mesh.
The Face Pairing Options can be used in an attempt to create a more accurate midsurface representation:
Combine Tangent Surfaces - collects all connected tangent faces, based on the Angle Tolerance specified, finds all
faces opposite these faces, then creates a larger face pair set. By doing so, sheet metal parts and similar will midsurface faster and more accurately with the additional connection information implied by the larger face pairing.
Reverse Face Pairs - simply reverses the two opposite faces or sets of faces in the face pairing algorithm. Turning
on this option sometimes helps in achieving a better midsurface on complicated parts with a high level of curvature.
If you are not satisfied with midsurface results, this option may help.
Geometry
11.1-9
Added Geometry, Curve - Line, Between Geometry command
Creates a three-dimensional line by using the minimum or maximum distance (or both) between two sets of
selected geometric entities. For more information, see "Tools, Measure, Distance Between Geometry...".
In the Distance to Find section, choose from Minimum, Maximum, or Both to select distance to use when creating
the line(s).
Select an entity type in the From section of the dialog box from Point, Curve, Surface, or Solid, then select the
same entity type or a different entity type in the To section. Geometric entities for From and To will be selected
using the standard entity selection dialog box later in the command.
The Overall Only option found in both sections is on by default. When on in both the From and To sections, the
command will only create a line between the two geometric entities used to calculate the Minimum and/or Maximum distance. If Overall Only is off in both sections, then lines will be created between ALL geometric entities
in the From section to ALL geometric entities in the To section, based on the Distance to Find setting. If Overall
Only is only on in one of the sections, then lines will be created between ALL of the geometric entities selected
in the section where the option is off to the appropriate geometric entity where the option is on.
Upgraded Geometry, Surface, NonManifold Add command to use new tolerant modeling capabilities available to create General Bodies when using the Parasolid Geometry modeling kernel.
The Tolerance value now works much like a stitching tolerance and can now make slight alterations to the geometry in order to bring geometry together in general bodies. For instance:
Before NonManifold Add
After NonManifold Add
Also, the new Incremental Checking option will check the body is valid after each sheet solid or solid is added to
the general body. If adding a sheet solid or solid causes the general body to become invalid, the command will
revert one step to before the particular sheet solid or solid was added, then skip it and try to add the next one.
Added Geometry, Solid, Sweep command.
Allows creation of solids by moving or sweeping one or more boundary surfaces and/or surfaces along a continuous path defined by any number of curve. The required input for this command is minimal. You simply select the
boundary surface(s) and/or surface(s) that define the cross section(s) 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
continuous path along which you will sweep the cross section.
11.1-10
Selecting the Path

Even though you choose it after the surface(s) to sweep, it is important to understand the implications of choosing a
path before you select the surface(s). 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.
If, in addition to being coincident, all curves along the path are also tangent at their end points, the sweeping operation will maintain a constant cross section as it traverses the path. On the other hand, if you include non-tangent
curves, the corners will be automatically mitered 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, however, of the relationship between the path and the cross section.
Here are some general rules to follow:
1. The boundary surface(s) and/or surface(s) 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 solids created by this command will be located wherever you start the cross section. All offsets from the path to the
cross section 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 solid(s) will be twisted as they are swept around the arc.
3. Typically you will want to create the cross section surface 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 precise representation, but it is fairly accurate. It is required because of the automatic mitered corners that will be
generated between the non-tangent curves. The cross section at those corners will no longer be circular, it will be
elliptical (which must be represented by a spline)
Front View - Before
Isometric View - Before
Front View - After
Isometric View - After
Cross Section Surface

Path Curves
Mitered corner where

path was not tangent
Path Curves
Added Geometry, Solid, Sweep Between command.
Geometry
11.1-11
Allows creation of a solid between two selected surfaces. A single point on each surface is also selected and used as
a reference. The selected points are used by the command to determine which curves on each surface should be
matched. The Sweep Type (path) used to create the solid may be Linear or Splined.
The number of curves on the two selected surfaces do not need to match, but a similar number of curves tends to
create a solid with a more predictable shape.
Note: A solid cannot be created between surfaces if either selected surface has any interior loops.
When Sweep Type is set to Linear, ruled surfaces are simply created from each curve on the From surface to a
matching curve on the To surface (From and To points shown as black squares):.
Original Solids
From Surface
To Surface
New Solid
When Sweep Type is set to Splined, a Blend Factor may also be used to control the shape of the solid. By specifying
number larger than 1.0, the solid will closely follow the tangents of the normal vector at the centroid of each surface for a larger distance, typically causing more curvature near the center of the solid. Smaller numbers make the
tangency weaker, therefore, most of the curvature will be near the original surfaces. The figure shows some possibilities (From and To points shown as black squares)
Original Solids
From and To
Surfaces
Blend Factor = 1.0
Blend Factor = 1.25
Added Add Washer option to Geometry, Curve - From Surface, Pad command.
Blend Factor = 0.75
11.1-12
When the Add Washer option is selected, the same overall sizing of the pad will be used, but a washer will be
added around the hole and extend to half the distance of the overall pad.
Original Surface
Normal Pad
Pad with Add Washer
Updated Mesh Sizes, Loads, Constraints... option in various Geometry, Copy/Scale/Rotate/Reflect commands to
now also include regions of all types.
Replaced Modify, Project commands for points with single Modify, Project, Point command.
This command updates the locations of points by moving them onto a selected curve or surface or onto a specified
vector or plane. When you project points, any entities that reference those points may also be moved.
The following dialog box is used when projecting points:
There are two sections in the dialog box, Project Onto and Direction. The Project Onto section allows the user to
select the destination of the projected points. The Project Onto destination options may be any number of selected
Surface(s) or Curve(s), a single Vector, or a single Plane.
The Direction section controls the approach used to project the points onto the destination.
Closest/Normal - generally uses a vector normal to the curve, surface, vector, or plane that is selected as the
destination. Actually, this moves the points to the closest location on the curve, surface, vector, or plane.
Along Vector - allows the user to select a vector to project along. This option will almost always result in the
points actually being located on the destination entity, even if a secondary projection is required. One exception, if the projected vector from a point location does not intersect the selected surface(s), then nothing will
happen.
Project Onto - Surface(s)

Moves one or more points onto any number of selected surfaces.
The standard entity selection dialog box is used to choose the points to project. Then, simply select the surface(s).
You can choose any number of surfaces, and the selected points will be projected onto them based on proximity and
specified Direction.
When Direction is set to Along Vector, the Both Directions option is available. When on, the points will be projected in both the positive and negative direction of the specified vector. This allows you to attempt to project
points which lie above and below a surface using a single command.
Geometry
11.1-13
For Example:
Original Points
Projected Points
Surface
Project Onto - Curve(s)

Moves one or more points onto any number of selected curves.
The standard entity selection dialog box is used to choose the points to project. You then must select the curve(s).
You can choose any number of curve(s) and the selected points will be projected onto them based on proximity and
specified Direction.
When Direction is set to Closest/Normal, the Extend Curves option is available. When on, the curves extend past
their endpoints toward infinity, or in the case of an arc, they extend a full 360 degrees. When off, the points will
be projected using the extents of the actual curve, which many times results in the projected points being located on
the end point(s).
For example:
Original Locations
Projected Locations
Points projected onto

extended curve
Original
Locations
Projected Locations
Point projected onto

extended arc
Project Onto - Plane

Moves one or more points onto a single 2-D plane specified by the user.
The standard entity selection dialog box is used to choose the points to project. You then must specify the plane
using the Plane Locate dialog box and the points will be projected onto it based on proximity and specified Direction. If Direction is set to Along Vector, the vector is specified before the plane.
Project Onto - Vector
Moves one or more points onto a single vector specified by the user.
The standard entity selection dialog box is used to choose the points to project. You then must specify the vector
using the Vector Locate dialog box and the points will be projected onto it based on proximity and specified Direction. If Direction is set to Along Vector, the vector to project along is specified before the project onto vector.
11.1-14
Meshing
Added several new options to the Mesh, Geometry, Solids command to improve tetrahedral meshing.
In the Automesh Solids dialog box:

Multiple Tet thru Thickness
When on, the tet-mesher will attempt to place at least 2 elements through the thickness throughout the model. This
will not split any elements on the outer surfaces, so if you need at least 2 elements through the thickness everywhere, try and size the solid so the surface mesh has at least 2 elements from one side of each surface to the other.
Tet Sliver Removal
When on, which is the default, attempts to remove tetrahedral elements considered slivers near the boundary. A
sliver is defined as a tetrahedral when at least one angle less than 5 degrees. In most cases this will improve mesh
quality and should only be turned off if there is a problem.
Tet Optimization
Sets an optimization level (mesh quality vs. speed) for the tetrahedral mesher. Using a higher value does not guarantee improved mesh quality. 3..Default is the best compromise between speed and quality, while choosing
0..None will simply not use do any optimization. Setting to 1..Minimal will potentially create a lower quality
mesh in less time, while 5..Maximum will potentially create a higher quality mesh, but take longer.
In the Solid Automeshing Options dialog box:
Quadratic Mesher/Jacobian Correction
When this option is on, the tetrahedral mesher will add the midside nodes during the meshing operation instead of
midside nodes being added after the tetrahedral mesher has created 4-noded tetrahedral elements. The Jacobian
Correction option is only available when using the Quadratic Mesher and, when on, will attempt to create elements
with the best possible Jacobian element quality.
Desired Edge Length - Min and Max
Allows you to enter values for minimum (Min) and maximum (Max) desired edge length. Based on geometry, these
values may not be attainable, but the tetrahedral mesher will attempt to use them as a guideline.
Pre-v11.1 Tet Meshing
The tetrahedral meshing in FEMAP has dramatically changed for version 11.1. This switch allows you to use the
pre-v11.1 tetrahedral meshing if you feel more comfortable with this mesher and associated default values.
Added Copy Method section to Mesh, Copy, Element command, with the default Copy Method being Along
Vector which was previously the only option. The Normals and Normals with Thickness Correction options
were added for planar elements only and work in the same manner as when extruding or offsetting elements.
Added Along Vector to Surfaces option to Mesh, Extrude, Curve; Mesh, Extrude, Element; and Mesh, Extrude
Element Face commands.
Elements
11.1-15
For the Along Vector to Surface 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 that you want for the extrusion. You
will also be prompted to select any number of surfaces to project the curves onto along the specified vector.
Surface
Mesh Size
along curves
Extrusion
Vector
Extruded Elements
Original Curves
For the Along Vector to Surface 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 that you want for the extrusion. You
will also be prompted to select any number of surfaces to project the elements onto along the specified vector.
Extrusion vector
Extrude as Solids
Extrude as Plates
8 elements
along length
8 elements
along length
Original Line Elements
Original Plate Elements
Replaced Modify, Project commands for nodes with single Modify, Project, Node command. Has all the same
options as the Modify, Project, Point command, described in the Geometry section.
Elements
Added Pyramid as an Element Shape for Solid Element Type.
May only be created manually using the Model, Element command or imported in from an analysis input file.
11.1-16
Both the 5-noded linear pyramid and 13-noded parabolic pyramid are supported.
Linear and Parabolic Pyramid elements are only supported for NX Nastran and MSC Nastran.
Added Modify, Update Elements, Rigid DOF Command
Allows you to change the Dependent and/or Independent degrees-of-freedom for existing rigid elements in your
model. First select the Rigid elements to update, then the Update Rigid Degrees of Freedom dialog box will appear
to select DOF.
The dialog box has two sections, one for the Dependent DOFs and one for the Independent DOFs. Both sections
contain an Update DOF check box, which must be on for those DOFs to be updated, and check boxes representing
the 6 DOFs available for update. When modifying RBE2 elements, only the Update DOF option in the Dependent
section will be used, while both sections will be available for RBE1 and RBE3 elements.
Note: If a mixture of RBE2 and RBE1/RBE3 elements are selected, then the selected element with the lowest
ID will be used to set the default state of the dialog box.Any non-rigid element is simply skipped.
Added Along/Between Path option to Modify, Update Elements, Material Orientation command.
The Along/Between Path(s) option can be used to align the orientation angle to any number of selected curves
based on the specified Project Method, which controls how the centroid of each element is projected onto each
curve. Essentially, the center of the element is projected to the path, then the tangent to the path at that location is
used as the orientation vector. When Project Method is set to 0..To Closest Location on Path, the normal vector is
determined by projecting the center of each element onto the curves. When Project Method is set to 1..Specified
Direction the supplied vector is used as the normal vector. Entering a value for Angle From Path simply rotates
the determined orientation vector around the element normal by the specified angle value.
Materials
Added 606..MSC.Nastran Fluid Material (MAT10) to Other Types.
Properties
Added Nastran Elbow/Pipe Options section to Curved Tube property.
11.1-17
There are Nastran specific options in the NASTRAN Elbow/Pipe Options section, which, when used, will write
additional fields using alternate form of the PBEND entry for Elbows ans Curved Pipes.
When the Flexibility/Stress Intensification, FSI is set to 1..Default, only the Internal Pressure, Radial Offset, and
Perpendicular Offset additional fields may be specified. Selecting any other option and entering the available values will populate other additional fields on the PBEND entry. Please consult the documentation for your version of
Nastran to determine which FSI options are available as well as review information on specifying appropriate values.
Enhanced Load creation to allow the use of Data Surfaces when defining loads of the following types: Force on
Curve, Force Per Length on Curve, Moment on Curve, Moment Per Length on Curve, Force on Surface, Force
Per Area on Surface, Moment on Surface, Moment Per Area on Surface, Nodal Heat Flux on Curve, Nodal Heat
Flux Per Length on Curve, Nodal Heat Flux on Surface and Nodal Heat Flux Per Area on Surface. For the load
types that support it, this capability also works with or without the Total Load option.
Updated load expansion from geometry to a mesh for elemental face-based loads on surfaces (Pressure, Heat
Flux, Convection and Radiation). Previously on large models these could an extended period of time.
Updated Model, Load, Combine command to allow a number of new options.
Now enables you to create multiple load set combinations. Each load set combination will be used to create a new
Standard load set or a new Nastran LOAD Combination load set based upon the following formula
Load = A 1 Load 1 + A 2 Load 2 + + A n Load n
11.1-18
The Combine Load Sets dialog box has five sections, Combine To, Set Type, Options, the From list, and the Load
Set Combinations list, each of which is described in detail later in this section:
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, Coincident Loads.
Combine To
This section is used to select how many scale factors can be entered for each load set in the From list, along with
controlling how the Load Set Combinations list is populated and which Options are available.
Single Load Set - only a single scale factor may be set for each load set in the From section. Also, a single load
set may be sent to the Load Set Combinations list and you can choose to send the load to an existing load set,
but you can also choose to create a new load set, which is the default.
Multiple Load Sets - any number of different scale factors may be set for each load set in the From section.
Also, at least two load sets must be highlighted in the From section to allow them to be sent to the Load Set
Combinations list. The Auto Zero Factors and Single Set Combinations options also become available and new
load sets will always be created.
Note:
The Multiple Load Sets option should only be used when multiple scale factors need to be set for a
single load set. Otherwise, simply use the Single Load Set option.
From Data Surface - the only item available will be the Data Surface drop-down, which is used to select a
Load Set Combinations Data Surface. New load sets will always be created.
Set Type
This section allows you to select the type of load sets that should be created by the command. All new load sets created during one use of the command will be the same Set Type. Choosing Standard will create a normal load set,
while selecting Nastran LOAD Combination will create a load set which creates a LOAD entry when exported to a
Nastran solver. See Creating New Load Sets in Section 4.3.1.1, Model, Load, Create/Manage Set... for more
information on the different types of load sets.
11.1-19
Options
Depending on the Combine To option selected, different options in this section will be available.
To Set - only available when Combine To is set to Single Load Set, Set Type is set to Standard, and there is a single
entry in the Load Set Combinations list. Allows you to add a single load combination to an existing load set instead
of creating a new load set, which is the default.
Title - allows you to enter a title which will be used for all new load sets created by a single use of the command.
Data Surface - only available when Combine To is set to From Data Surface. Allows selection of a Load Set
Combination Data Surface via a drop-down. See "Load Set Combination Data Surface" in Section 7.2.6.1, "Data
Surface Definition Methods" for more information.
Auto Zero Factors - only available when Combine To is set to Multiple Load Sets. When on, adds a 0.0 scale factor to each load set which has at least one scale factor specified, which creates additional load sets.
For example, if Load Set A has 2 scale factors specified and Load Sets B and C have a single scale factor specified,
and this option is on, the following combinations would be created:
Scale Factor 1*A + Scale Factor*B + Scale Factor*C
0*A + Scale Factor*B + Scale Factor*C = Scale Factor*B + Scale Factor*C
Scale Factor 1*A + 0*B + Scale Factor*C = Scale Factor 1*A + Scale Factor*C
Scale Factor 1*A + Scale Factor*B + 0*C = Scale Factor 1*A + Scale Factor*B
Scale Factor 2*A + 0*B + Scale Factor*C = Scale Factor 2*A + Scale Factor*C
Scale Factor 2*A + Scale Factor*B + 0*C = Scale Factor 2*A + Scale Factor*B
If this option is off, only the following combinations would be created:
Single Set Combinations - only available when Combine To is set to Multiple Load Sets. When on, adds an item to
the Load Set Combinations list containing only a single load set with a scale factor for each load set selected in the
From list, along with adding all of the other combinations. If more than one scale factor is set for a particular load
set, each scale factor times the load set will become an individual entry in the Load Set Combinations list.
From list
When Combined To is set to Single Load Set:
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 1.0), then
click Add Factors. If a load set already has a scale factor specified, clicking Add Factors will overwrite the scale
factor for each highlighted load set. Once you have a single scale factor entered for each desired load set in the
From list, you can use the Add Combinations button to add the combination to the Load Set Combinations list.
When Combined To is set to Multiple Load Sets:
Choose any number of load sets from the From list, then enter a Scale Factor, then click Add Factors. If a load set
already has a scale factor specified, clicking Add Factors will add an additional scale factor for each highlighted
load set. You can also use the ... button to enter up to 10 scale factors at once for the highlighted load sets using
the Combine Load Set Factors dialog box (use Clear Multi Factors button to clear the Combine Load Set Factors
dialog box). Once you have the desired number of scale factors entered for each desired load set in the From list,
use the Add Combinations button to add the combination to the Load Set Combinations list. Multiple combinations
will almost certainly be added to the list and depending on the specified Options, the number of new load sets can
vary quite a bit.
The Remove Factors button will remove the entered scale factor(s) for each load set currently highlighted in the
From section, while Remove All Factors will clear all scale factors currently in the From section.
11.1-20
Load Set Combinations list

This section contains a list of all the load set combinations to create after clicking OK in the Combine Load Sets
dialog box. Each item in the list represents a different load set to create. If only one item is in the list, Combine To
is set to Single Load Set, Set Type is set to Standard, and To Set is set to an existing load set, then that load set will
be updated instead of a new load set being created.
The Remove Combinations button will remove the combinations currently highlighted in the Load Set Combinations list (Hold the CTRL key when you click to choose multiple load set combinations one at a time or the SHIFT
key to choose a range of load set combinations), while the Remove All Combinations button will remove all the
combinations from the list.
Added Load Set Combination Data Surface to Data Surface Editor.

This Data Surface has one
very specific use, to create new load sets based on
existing load sets. Each
selected existing load set
will appear in the Data
Surface Editor as an individual column, while each
new load set to create will
appear as a row.
Use the Set Type to Create

option to choose the type
of load set(s) to create,
Standard or Nastran LOAD Combination load sets. See Section 4.3.1, "Create/Activate Load Set" for more information on Load Set Type. Combinations of existing Nastran LOAD Combinations load sets can be created by using
the referenced load sets of each Nastran LOAD Combination at the time of creation in the new Nastran LOAD
Combination load set.
In the Options section, turn the Add Factors To Titles option on to append the title of each new load set with
(scale factor* existing load set ID, etc.) for each existing load set used by the new load set. If nothing is specified for Title in a particular row and this option is on, then the title will be (scale factor* existing load set ID,
etc.). If no Title is given and this option is off, then the Load Set title will simply be Untitled.
The Initial Number of Rows option is used to specify the number of rows, representing new load sets to create,
which will initially appear in the Data Surface Editor after the existing load sets have been selected.
Note:
Only rows which contain a scale factor in at least one column will be used to create new load sets.
If a row is blank, it will simply be skipped.
After clicking OK in the Define Load Set Combination Data Surface dialog box, select the existing load sets to possibly use in combinations using the Select Load Sets to Use in Combinations dialog box, then click OK. The Data
Surface Editor will now appear like this:
11.1-21
A SetID and Title may optionally be entered for each row. To include an existing load set in a new load set, simply
enter a scale factor on a specific row in the appropriate column. Use 1.0 to simply include the existing load set with
no scaling. Once all of the scale factors have been entered, click the right-mouse button in any cell and choose the
Create Combined Sets command from the context-sensitive menu to create the new load sets.
Note:
If no values are entered for SetID, the next available load set ID(s) will be used for the new load sets
when they are created. If any values for SetID are the same as existing load set IDs in the model, a
question will be asked, Ok to Delete Existing Load Sets? Data Surface references Load Sets that
already exist. Press Yes to Delete and Recreate them, No to Create New Sets. If any values for SetID
are the same as a load set currently represented by a column in the Data Surface Editor, then a question
will be asked, Ok to Combine? Combining will delete Load Sets used in this Data Surface and you
may get no Loads. Typically, this question should be answered No.
Context Sensitive menus for Load Set Combination Data Surface

The Create Combined Sets option on the context-sensitive menu for cells is used to create the new load sets. All of
the load set combinations currently defined in the Data Surface Editor will be created at the same time.
Additional commands on the context-sensitive menu for column headers:
Activate - makes the load set represented by the column the active load set in the model.
List Load Set - lists information about the load set represented by the column including individual loads in the
load set.
Sum Forces in Load Set - lists the load summation for the load set represented by the column using the same
format as the Tools, Check, Sum Forces command. See Section 7.4.5.10, "Tools, Check, Sum Forces...".
Add Load Sets - adds load sets selected via the Select Load Sets to Use in Combinations dialog box as new columns in the Data Surface Editor.
Change Load Set - updates load set referenced by the current column in the Data Surface Editor.
Remove Selected Load Sets - removes the current column in the Data Surface Editor.
Additional commands on the context-sensitive menu for row headers:
List Combination - lists information about the potential load set combination represented by the row including
individual loads in the various load sets.
Sum Forces in Combination - lists the load summation for the potential load combination represented by the
row using the same format as the Tools, Check, Sum Forces command. See Section 7.4.5.10, "Tools, Check,
Sum Forces...".
Example
This type of Data Surface can be used to create 5 new load sets from 6 existing load sets. Simply enter scale factor
values into various cells:
11.1-22
Once all the scale factors have been entered, select any cell in the Data Surface Editor, then right mouse click and
choose Create Combined Sets. The following Load sets will be created from the Data Surface shown above:
Titles Defined
Add Factors To Titles = Off
Set Type to Create = Standard
Titles Defined
Add Factors To Titles = On
Set Type to Create = Nastran LOAD Combination
Added ability to renumber Load Definitions and Constraint Definitions using the Modify, Renumber, Load Definition and Modify, Renumber, Constraint Definition commands. Available methods are Original ID and Type.
Updated dialog box for Model, Load, From Freebody command to include standard multi-select controls with
check boxes and Title Filters.
Updated the Connect, Automatic command
The Auto Detection Options for Connections dialog box now allows you to choose which Connections Types the
command should be trying to identify and create. Any combination of Face-Face, Edge-Face, and Edge-Edge may
be selected in the Connection Types section.
When either Edge-Face and/or Edge-Edge are selected, the Combine Non-Tangent Edge Connections option will
also become available. When on, attempts to consolidate continuous curves located on the same surface or solid
into a single Connection Region, if possible. If curves come together at a 90 degree corner, they will not be placed
in the same Connection Region.
Updated all dialog boxes used to create the different types of regions to use Add to List and Remove from
List icon buttons to add/remove single items from the list of entities. Also, the Delete button in all of these dialog boxes is now used to select any number of entities using the standard entity selection dialog box to remove
from the list of entities.
Groups and Layers
11.1-23
Added support for using Solid Elements to define Bolt Regions using Connect, Bolt Region command.
Solid Bolt Options

Only used when Bolt Type is set to Solid. When Defined By is set to Nodes, allows selection of an existing coordinate system and an axis on the selected coordinate system to define the direction of the Bolt Axis. When Defined
By is set to Elements (SOL 601 only), a coordinate system, a direction, and a single node where the bolt plane cuts
through (Ref Plane Node) may be specified. Bolt Axis CSys is written to the CSID field, Dir is written to the IDIR,
and Ref Plane Node (when specified) is written to the GP field of the Nastran BOLT entry.
Groups and Layers
Added Group, Operations, Generate Freebody Entities command, which creates a unique new group containing only nodes and/or elements for each selected Freebody entity.
Added Group, Curve, in Connection Region; Group, Surface, in Connection Region; Group, Node, in Connection Region; Group, Element, in Connection Region; and Group, Property, in Connection Region commands to
add entities of the specified type used to define the selected regions to the active group.
Enhanced Group, Operations, Generate Solids to optionally include Connection Regions associated with solids
along with mesh, loads, and constraints.
Enhanced Group, Operations, Generate command to add NonManifold Edges as an available Geometric Break
as well as a Group Expansion section to include Elements Only, Elements and Nodes, or All related entities in
the newly created Groups.
Views
Added Performance Graphics Font button to the Label Parameters option in Labels, Entities and Color
Category of View, Options command. The Performance Graphics Font button allows you to select a font when
using Performance Graphics. The Font dialog box appears allowing you to select a Font, a Font Style, a Size,
along with selecting a Script, if needed.
Added Performance Graphics option in the Tools and View Style Category of View, Options command.
Allows you to specify options when using Performance Graphics mode. These options do nothing when Performance Graphics mode is not enabled.
Significant Figures allows you to select the number of significant figures to display for real numbers, while turning
on the Exponent option will show this numbers using scientific notation (i.e, 1.000E+3 instead of 1000.0).
Filled Edge Offset is a value that can be used to bring filled edges of shell and solid elements forward so they dominate any line elements occupying the same space. To have the line elements dominate instead, set this value to a
11.1-24
negative number. You may want to try a few different values until you achieve the desired result and there is no
limit to the values which can be entered.
Finally, the Performance Graphics Font button allows you to select a font while using Performance Graphics
mode.
Added Load and Save buttons to View Manager accessed via View, Create/Manage command. The Save button
simply allows to save the view highlighted in the Available Views - Selected View is Active list to the View
library, while the Load button allows you to load a view from the View library into the model.
Updated the File, Attach to Results command to allow attaching to XDB files from NX Nastran and MSC Nastran (both formats) and Comma-Separated files using a specific format.
When NX Nastran or MSC/MD Nastran is selected, you will be prompted to select *.op2 files and/or *.xdb files.
Note:
FEMAP supports attaching to *.xdb files created by MSC Nastran using either the HK or BBBT
format, while File, Import, Analysis Results only supports reading the *.xdb in HK format.
When Comma Separated is selected, you will be prompted to select *.CSV files. In order to attach to CSV files, the
CSV files must use the extended comma-separated table format, which is outlined in Section 8.10.4, The
Extended Comma-Separated Table Format of the FEMAP User Guide.
Updated Model, Output, Transform command to use a dialog box similar to the one used to specify the on-thefly transformations with View, Select and PostProcessing Toolbox. Also, this command now works with output
in attached results files.
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.
11.1-25
When you choose this command, you will see the Transform Output Data dialog box:
There are three separate sections, each used to transform specific output on specific entity types, along with some
additional Options, all of which are described later in this section. Different options can be set in the various sections and these settings will only affect appropriate output vectors. These specified settings in this dialog box will
persist until changed or this instance of FEMAP is closed.
Once the desired options are selected, click OK to access the Select Output to Transform dialog box. This dialog
box allows selection of any number of Output Vectors in any number of Output Sets. See Section 8.6.0.1, Using
the Select Output Sets and Select Results dialog boxes for more information on using this type of dialog box.
Unlike the on-the-fly transformations of output vectors available when using the View, Select command or the PostProcessing Toolbox, this command creates additional output vectors that will be added to the database. In order to
visualize the transformed output from this command, you must set the Deform and/or Contour vector(s) in the Output Vectors section of the Select PostProcesisng Data dialog box or the PostProcessing Toolbox.
Nodal Vector Output
In the Nodal Vector Output section, you will find these options:
None - no transformation (default)
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:
11.1-26
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/Property 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 Orientation..."), which has several options.
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.
Into CSys - transforms the output vector to align the X-direction of output vector to the chosen X, Y, or Z component 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 component 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.
Each material axis option transformed into a specified coordinate system.
Options
The sections contains options which can be used when transforming the output.
Global Components of Nodal Vectors - when on, the global components used to create the transformed nodal
vectors will also be saved to the model. In the case of transforming T1 Translation or a similar output vector
into Coordinate System 3, having this option on would save four output vectors to the model - T1 Translation
(CSys 3), Global X of T1 Translation (CSys 3), Global Y of T1 Translation (CSys 3), and Global Z of T1 Translation (CSys 3). When off (default), only T1 Translation (CSys 3) would be saved to the model.
Transform All Nodes/Elements - when on, which is the default, output on all nodes and elements in the model
will be transformed. When off, you will be prompted to select nodes and/or elements based on the output vectors selected for transformation.
Assume Engineering Shear Strain - when on, which is the default, the transformed shear strain 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.
Output Orientation
The Current Output Orientation dialog box contains the default output orientation for both Plane 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).
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.
11.1-27
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 Deformation Transformation or Contour Transformation 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".
Consult your analysis programs documentation concerning the original coordinate system definition.
Added List, Output, Contoured Results to Data Table command.
Only available when a Contour Style is currently specified in View Select or the PostProcessing Toolbox and results
are being shown in the active view. Simply lists the values used to make the current Contour, Criteria, Beam Diagram, IsoSurface, Section Cut, or Vector plot in the active view. Depending on the selected Contour Style and
options set in Contour Options and View Options, the listing can include different information.
Also, if the active view is only displaying a portion of the model because of Groups or a Contour Group is being
used to limit how much of the model is displaying results, only those entities will be listed to the Data Table. Entities not visible because of a Visibility switch or on a Layer which is currently not being displayed, will still be
listed.
Contour - When Contour Type is set to Nodal (or Match Output when looking at a nodal output vector), only a
Node ID and a Value at that node will be listed. When Contour Type is set to Elemental (or Match Output when
looking at an elemental output vector), the listing will consist of an Element ID, Corner number, Node ID
corresponding to the Corner number (0=centroid), Value, and optionally a Location (Top or Bottom for planar elements). While beam/bar elements cannot be contoured, the value are each end can be listed.
11.1-28
Criteria - Lists only an Element ID and a Value.

Beam Diagram - Only list results on line elements. Listing consists of Element ID, Corner number (1 = End
A, 2 = End B), Node ID corresponding to Corner number, and Value.
IsoSurface and Section Cut - Produces a listing identical to the listing when Contour Style is set to Contour.
Vector - Lists the Element ID or Node ID, Vector ID (1, 2, or 3), overall Value, X value, Y value, and
Z value.
Added List, Output, Freebody Nodal Summations and List, Output, Freebody Nodal Summations to Data Table
commands.
List, Output, Freebody Nodal Summations allows you to list the nodal summation at each node for each selected
freebody using output data from any number of selected output sets. For a Freebody entity with Display Mode set
to Freebody, all nodes referenced by the elements in the Freebody entity will be listed. For a Freebody entity with
Display Mode set to Interface Load only the selected nodes will be listed.
List, Output, Freebody Nodal Summations to Data Table functions identically to List, Output, Freebody Nodal
Summations command, except it sends data to the Data Table instead of the Messages window.
Updated on-the-fly transformations via the Select PostProcessing Data dialog box and PostProcessing Toolbox to support transformation of Laminate and Solid Laminate Stresses and Strains using the same options
available for transformation of Plate Stresses and Strains.
Updated Next Output Vector and Previous Output Vector icons on the Post Toolbar to increment all 3 possible contour vectors if they are defined. Previously only the primary vector was incremented.
Geometry Interfaces
The following FEMAP interfaces have been updated to support newer geometry formats:
FEMAP Interface
Parasolid
Solid Edge
NX
CATIA
ACIS
Latest Supported Version

Parasolid 26
Solid Edge with Synchronous Technology 6
NX 9.0
CATIA V5-6R2013 SP2
ACIS 24, SP1
Added the ability to write FEMAP Points and Curves to an IGES file. Use the Options button to turn on Points
and/or Curves in the NonSolid Geometry section.
For details, see Geometry Interfaces in the FEMAP User Guide.
11.1-29

Several of the analysis program interfaces have been improved. These changes include:
Analysis Set Manager Enhancements
FEMAP Neutral File Interface
NX Nastran Interface
Nastran Interfaces (NX and MSC)
MSC Nastran Interface
NEi Nastran Interface
ANSYS Interface
ABAQUS Interface
DYNA Interface
Comma-Separated Interface
For details, see Analysis Program Interfaces in the FEMAP User Guide.
Analysis Set Manager Enhancements
Added Design Optimization Options dialog box for NX Nastran and MSC Nastran. Only available for Design
Optimization analysis type. Used to choose either Static and Normal Modes/Eigenvalue and offers a Track
Modes option when set to Normal Modes/Eigenvalue.
Added question to allow user to optionally clear the Loads/Constraints from the Master Case when using MultiSet to create subcases.
Removed GEOMCHECK and Model Check dialog boxes from the Next/Prev chain for Nastran solvers to
streamline creation of analysis sets. These dialog boxes are still available, but now must be selected via the
Options branch of an analysis set.
FEMAP Neutral File Interface
Updated Neutral Read and Write for v11.1 changes
Added capability to include element connectivity definitions in the FNO file to create plot-only elements. The
elements must reference existing nodes in the model and can only be lines, triangles or quads.
NX Nastran Interface
Added support to write BEDGE entries when edges of axisymmetric elements, CTRAX3, CQUADX4,
CTRAX6, CQUADX8 are used in a Connection Region in Edge-Edge contact.
Added support for ESOPT field on BGPARM entry and PREVIEW field on BGPARM and BCTPARM entries.
Removed subdivide method, RTSUBD, from NXSTRAT as it was removed from version 8.5.
Added support to read ITER and ELEMITER commands from the NASTRAN statement which will select the
appropriate Iterative Solver option in the NASTRAN Executive and Solution Options dialog box.
Added support to request Grid Point Force results in Advanced Nonlinear (SOL 601).
Added support to write BOLT entry using element IDs for Advanced Nonlinear (SOL 601).
Added support to set up the PYR_AR, PYR_EPLR, and PYR_WARP element checks in GEOMCHECK dialog
box for pyramid elements.
Added option to request Relative Enforced Motion Results in Nastran Output Requests dialog box for dynamic
analysis. Adds REL to DISPLACEMENT, ACCELERATION, and/or VELOCITY Case Control entires.
Added support for KDAMP and KUPDATE fields on TSTEPNL entry. For Transient Heat Transfer analysis
these are specified via the Method drop-down and the Include Differential Stiffness in Damping options in the
Stiffness Updates section of the Nonlinear Control Options dialog box. For Nonlinear Transient analysis KUPDATE is specified via the Method drop-down in the Stiffness Updates section of the Control Options tab of the
11.1-30
Nonlinear Control Options dialog box, while KDAMP is specified via the Include Differential Stiffness in
Damping option in the Additional Transient Options section of the Advanced Options tab of the Nonlinear Control Options dialog box.
Added support to read RMS von Mises Stress from a Random Response analysis with RMS output requested.
Updated the NASTRAN Output for Random Analysis dialog box to allow selection of a specific option (Power
Spectral Density Functions, Autocorrelation Functions, Root Mean Square), None, or All for both Nodal and
Elemental results.
Added Bulk Mod Ratio - GAMMA, Bulk Modulus Function, Density Function, Damping Coeff Function, and
Bulk Mod Ratio Function fields to the 506..Nastran Fluid Material (MAT10) Material Type in Other Types.
These fields write the GAMMA, TIDBULK, TIDRHO, TIDGE, and TIDGAMMA fields to the MAT10 entry.
A number of bugs were corrected

Nastran Interfaces (NX and MSC)
Added support for the pyramid element and now read/write the CPYRAM entry.
Added read support for obsolete ELSTRESS, ELFORCE, ELSTRAIN Case Control entries. Turn on Stress,
Force, and/or Strain output requests in the Nastran Output Requests dialog box.
Added enhanced support for Restarts. New options include the ability to specify a Read Only Restart along with
specifying a Version Number for the file and a Starting Subcase for Nonlinear analysis.
Updated default behavior for auto reading of results when the analysis case is set to 3..Print and PostProcess
which will skip f06 results and only read output from op2 file.
Updated automatic filename convention. Input file name now matches the entire length of model name instead
of only using the first 5 characters of the filename. It also automatically converts characters that are known to
be invalid in Nastran command lines (=, $, #) and converts them to '_'. Also added Base Filename for Analyze
(Blank to Match Model) field in the NASTRAN Executive and Solution Options dialog box so you can specify a
different automatic name, which will be followed by a 3-digit number which automatically increments.
A number of bugs were corrected

MSC Nastran Interface
Added read/write support for the SMETHOD Case Control command. When Iterative Solver in NASTRAN
Executive and Solution Options dialog box is set to 1..On, writes SMETHOD=MATRIX. When set to
2..Elemental Iter, writes SMETHOD=ELEMENT.
Added support for the BBBT formatted XDB files and XDB files created by 64-bit version of MSC Nastran via
File, Attach to Results command only.
Added read support for Acceleration and Velocity results in alternate output data blocks (OAG1 and OVG1).
Added support for the MAT10 entry. Specified using 606...MSC.Nastrain Fluid Material when property type
is set to Other Types in the Define Material dialog box.
A number of bugs were corrected.

NEi Nastran Interface
Added read support for plot only triangle and quad elements representing contact regions from FNO file.
Added option to request Relative Enforced Motion Results in Nastran Output Requests dialog box for dynamic
analysis. Adds REL to DISPLACEMENT, ACCELERATION, and/or VELOCITY Case Control entires.
Updated modal and dynamic analysis methods to always write the EIGRL entry instead of EIGR, unless Real
Solutions Methods is set to Auto and Normalization Method is set to Point in the NASTRAN Modal Analysis dialog box.
ANSYS Interface
11.1-31
Updated Advanced Options tab of Nonlinear Control Options dialog box to have all fields blank by default in
the Analysis Set Manager.

ANSYS Interface
Updated Ansys to support V14.5 and 15.0 with new 64 bit pointers and new stress result block format

ABAQUS Interface
DYNA Interface
Added support for Memory (Megawords) and Processor Count to LS-DYNA Analysis Control dialog box. These
fields write *KEYWORD Memory value NCPU = Processor Count value.

Comma-Separated Interface
Added support for the Extended Comma-Separated Format.
The extended comma-separated table format that is supported by FEMAP is a little more complex than the original
comma-separated format, but offers much more control and flexibility. The data is separated into blocks containing
different Table Types, each of which is described in detail below. Repeat blocks in the CSV file for as many
tables as you need.
Note:
To attach to output using a CSV files, the files MUST use the extended comma-separated table format.
The general format of the Extend CSV Format Blocks:

Table Type
Result Type Info (Not in Table Type 100, 0=Any, 1=Displacement, 2=Velocity/Acceleration, 3=Force, 4=Stress,
5=Strain, 6=Thermal
Set/Vector ID(s) (0 for Auto)
Title(s)
...
multiple rows of table data, format depends on table type
...
-1 (delimiter indicating CSV Block is finished)
Available Table Types:
100 - Output Set
100
0 (or Output Set ID)
Set Title
Set Value
-1
___________________________________________________________________
NOTE: If this file is read into FEMAP, the Output Set ID is ignored - a new Output
Set will be created for each Table 100 encountered. All other tables that come after
this are added to that Output Set, until another Table 100 is found. All tables except
this one can come in any order, or have as many occurrences as you need.
11.1-32
200 - Nodal Scalar(s)
300 - Elemental Scalar(s)
400 - Nodal Vector

(Global Rectangular)
401 - Nodal Vector with

Rotations
(Global Rectangular)
200
Result Type (0 for Any)
Column1 Vector ID (, Column2 Vector ID, ) (0 for Automatic IDs)
Column1 Title
(, Column2 Title, .)
Node ID, Value
(, Value, )
Node ID, Value

(, Value, )
-1
__________________________________________________________________
NOTE: While multiple columns are possible in this format, for best performance
when using this file as an external attached file, only 1 column should be used.
300
Column1 Vector ID (, Column2 Vector ID, ) (0 for Automatic IDs)
Column1 Title
(, Column2 Title, .)
Element ID, Value (, Value, )
Element ID, Value (, Value, )

-1
__________________________________________________________________
NOTE: While multiple columns are possible in this format, for best performance
when using this file as an external attached file, only 1 column should be used.
400
Total Vector ID, X Vector ID, Y Vector ID, Z Vector ID (0 for Auto)
Total Title, X Title, Y Title, Z Title
Node ID, X Value, Y Value, Z Value
Node ID, X Value, Y Value, Z Value

-1
__________________________________________________________________
NOTE: Although you specify a vector ID and title for the total values, you do not
actually include those in the data. FEMAP will automatically compute the vector
sum of the components and store that as the total.
401
Total ID, X ID, Y ID, Z ID, TotalR ID, XR ID, YR ID, ZR ID (0 for Auto)
Total Title, X Title, Y Title, Z Title, TotalR Title, XR Title, YR Title, ZR Title
Node ID, X Value, Y Value, Z Value, XR Value, YR Value, ZR Value
Node ID, X Value, Y Value, Z Value, XR Value, YR Value, ZR Value

-1
__________________________________________________________________
NOTE: Although you specify vector IDs and titles for the total values, you do not
actually include those in the data. FEMAP will automatically compute the vector
sum of the components and store those as the totals.
Tools
500 - Elemental With

Corner Data
11.1-33
500
Centroid Vector ID, Corner1 VecID, ,CornerN VecID (0 for Auto)
Centroid Title, Corner1Title, CornerN Title
Element ID, Centroid Value, Corner1 Value, , CornerN Value
Element ID, Centroid Value, Corner1 Value, , CornerN Value

-1
__________________________________________________________________
NOTE: Care must be taken with this format if you are writing data for Tetra or
Wedge elements. For Tetra elements, corners must be 1,2,3 and 5. For wedge elements, corners must be 1,2,3,5,6,7. In both cases corner 4 is skipped.
If the table contains purely Tetra or Wedge results, specify the Corner 4 VecID = -1,
skip the Corner 4 Title and the Corner 4 Values with ,, like
500
9000000,9000001,9000002,9000003,-1,9000004
Center Stress, Stress C1, Stress C2, Stress C3, ,Stress C5
1, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0,,5.0
This table has the same format as 500 however, if read into FEMAP, the data will be
skipped during linear combinations.
501 - Elemental
With Corner Data
(not linearly combinable)
502 - Elemental Beam/Bar 502
Data
Result Type (0 for Any) , OptionalRevFlag (0 for Auto)
End A Vector ID, End B Vector ID
End A Title, End BTitle
Element ID, End A Value, End B Value
Element ID, End A Value, End B Value

-1
__________________________________________________________________
NOTE: The OptionalRevFlag does not need to be specified. If not, the sign convention assumes that End B Values need to be reversed in sign for consistent display. If
they should not be, specify OptionalRevFlag=1
503 - Elemental Beam/Bar This table has the same format as 502 however, if read into FEMAP, the data will be
Data
skipped during linear combinations.
(not linearly combinable)
Tools
Added Merge Across Output CSys option to Tools, Check, Coincident Nodes command.
By default, nodes which have different output coordinate systems defined will not merged. The Merge Across Output CSys option allows nodes to be merged with different output coordinate systems. When Set Output Csys To is
11.1-34
set to -1..Use Nodal Output System, the coordinate system of the kept node will remain unchanged after the
nodes have been merged. Alternatively, if Set Output Csys To is set to a specific coordinate system, then the output
coordinate system of the kept nodes will be set to the selected coordinate system. Only nodes which had an output coordinate system conflict can have their output coordinate system changed during this operation. When nodes
cannot be merged because of different output coordinate systems, a message, # Node Combinations Not Merged
due to Output Coordinate System conflicts, will be sent to the Messages window.
Reorganized the Chart Data Series dialog box into a tabbed format and added the Vector vs. Vector option as a
tab.
One way to create a new Data Series is to simply select New Data Series in the Chart Data Series Manager. An
additional method is also available via the Add Data Series command found on both the Chart Options icon menu
and the context-sensitive menu for the Chart itself. Both methods access the Chart Data Series dialog box:
Filter Output
Sets
Clear Output
Sets Filter
Clear Output
Vector Filter
Filter Output
Vectors
Vector Info
Like many other entities in FEMAP, each Data Series must have a unique ID and may optionally have a unique
Title which may be entered at the top. The rest of the dialog box is separated into two sections, a tabbed Data Type
section to select appropriate data for different types of Data Series and a Style section which is the same for all
Types. Both sections will be discussed in detail below. Finally, when the Add to Current Chart toggle at the bottom
of the dialog box is on, any newly created Data Series will automatically be displayed on the current Chart once
the OK button has been pressed.
Tools
11.1-35
Data Type
This section is used to select the Type of Data Series by selecting one of the four available tabs. Depending on the
tab selected, different options will be available. The four types are Vector vs Entity, Vector vs. Output Set, Vector vs.
Vector, and Function. Several of the tabs include Filter Output Sets and Filter Output Vectors icon buttons which
can be used to reduce the amount of output data available for selection, while the Vector Info icon button can be
used to bring up the Output Set/Vector Info dialog box. See Making it Easier to Select Output Data - Using the Output Vector Filters and Vector Info for more information.
Vector vs. Entity
Plots XY data as a function of ID number or position of nodes or elements in an axis direction for an Output Vector
in one Output Set.
The X-Axis Values section
offers two options, Entity ID
or Position. When Entity ID
is selected, the node or element ID of each data point
will be used as the X value.
When Position is selected,
the X, Y, or Z coordinate of
each node or the centroid of
each element will be used as
the data point X value. The
CSys drop-down can be used
to use the X, Y, or Z coordinates in a selected coordinate
system.
The Data Source section is
simply used to select an Output Set and an output Vector for the Data Series.
The Group section is used to limit the plot of a Data Series to a certain portion of the model. Selecting None will
display data for the 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 Select is chosen, a group must also be selected from the drop-down list.
Vector vs. Output Set
Plots XY data versus the Output Set ID or Output Set
Value for an Output Vector
across several Output Sets.
The X-Axis Values section
offers two options, Output
Set ID or Output Set Value.
When Output Set ID is
selected, the IDs of the specified output sets will be used
as the X values, while Output
Set Values will use the values
of the specified output sets as
the X values.
used to specify a range of
output sets, an output vector, and a Location for the Data Series. By default, the Use All Output Sets option will be
on, which will simply use all available output sets in the model. If Use All Output Sets option is off, a range of
output sets can be specified using the Start and End drop-downs. Optionally, an Interval value can be specified, so
only every n-th output set in the range will be used.
11.1-36
The Vector drop-down is used to select the output vector of interest, while Location must be the ID of a node or element in the model. For Location, a node ID must be specified when a nodal output vector is selected, while an element ID must be specified for an elemental output vector. The Select Multiple button can be used to create any
number of new Data Series which all share the same Output Set and Output Vector data, but a different Location
value based on selected node or element IDs.
Vector vs. Vector
Plots XY data for output from an Independent Vector at a specified entity versus output from a Dependent Vector at
a specified entity across any number of Output Sets.
used to specify a range of
output sets, an Independent
Vector (X-axis output vector), and a Dependent Vector
(Y-Axis output vector) for the
Data Series. By default, the
Use All Output Sets option
will be on, which will simply use all available output
sets in the model. If Use All
Output Sets option is off, a
range of output can be specified using the Starting Set
and Ending Set drop-downs.
Optionally, an Interval value
can be specified, so only
every n-th output set in the range will be used. Also, The Sort Data option can be used to display X-values in the
chart in ascending order (lowest to highest), regardless of how the data exists in the range of output sets.
Note: When Sort Data is on, lines will be drawn through the data points based on ascending X-values. Also,
when listing values or sending them to the clipboard, the X-values will be in ascending order.
The Locations section is used to specify an Independent Entity and a Dependent Entity, which must be a node or
element ID in the model. A node ID must be specified when a nodal output vector is selected, while an element ID
must be specified for an elemental output vector. The Independent Entity and the Dependent Entity may be the
same entity.
Function
Toggle All On
Toggle All Off
Toggle Selected On
Plots XY data for a Function.

Not always a Post-Processing
option. To create multiple
Data Series based on functions at once, simply check
the desired functions in the
Data Source section.
It is also possible to highlight

any number of functions
Toggle Selected Off
from the Data Source list.
Holding down the Ctrl key
Function Title Filter
will enable highlighting of
Clear Function Title Filter
multiple output sets. Holding
down Shift while picking a
first, then a last Function will highlight multiple.
Once highlighting is complete, use the Toggle Selected On or Toggle Selected Off icon buttons to check or uncheck
the highlighted functions. Once multiple functions are selected, click OK to create an individual Data Series for
each selected functions
Tools
11.1-37
Style
This section is used to set options for Labels, Color, and Markers for each individual Data Series.
By default, the Use Chart Settings option is on for all three parts of the Style section, so the options in each subsection only become available when Use Chart Settings in turn off. In addition, if the Use Chart Settings or Use
Palette Colors options are on in the Charting dialog box, then the Title of each subsection will be appended with
(Chart Label Settings/Marker Settings/Palette Used).
Note: Alternatively, the Use Chart Settings - All option may be set on both the Data Series Markers or Data
Series Labels icon menu, while Use Palette Colors - All may be set via the Chart Colors icon menu.
Labels - This section controls the display and appearance of Labels for the Data Series. Labels are always the same
color as the associated Data Series. The options in this dialog box only affect Labels for a single Data Series.
Use Chart Settings - When on, all Labels options are controlled by the Chart. When off the settings are used
only for the Data Series currently being created or edited.
Show Labels - on/off toggle controls display of Labels.
Show X Value - on/off toggle for X Value in the displayed label.
Show Y Value - on/off toggle for Y Value in the displayed label.
Max/Min Only - when on, only displays labels at the Maximum and Minimum Y values, otherwise all data
points are labeled.
Color - This section controls the Color and optionally Line Style of an individual Data Series.
Use Palette Colors - When on, all Color options are controlled by Palette in the Chart. When off the Color is
used only for the Data Series currently being created or edited.
Palette button - Used to select the Color and optionally a Line Style from the Color Palette.
Markers - This section controls the display and appearance of Markers for the Data Series. Markers are always the
same color as the associated Data Series. The options in this dialog box only affect Markers for a single Data
Series.
Use Chart Settings - When on, all Markers options are controlled by the Chart. When off the settings are used
only for the Data Series currently being created or edited.
Show Markers - on/off toggle controls display of Markers.
Size - slider bar controls size of Markers, from 1- 10.
Shape - controls shape of Markers, choose from Circle, Square, Diamond, Triangle, Pentagon, Hexagon, or Star.
Changed Show Tooltips icon into icon menu and added several options for syncing up the active graphics window to the data point currently showing the Tooltip and ability to control what is shown in the Tooltip.
11.1-38
These options are only available when Markers are displayed on at least one Data Series. When on, a label will
dynamically appear as the cursor is placed over a visible Marker and the entire Data Series will be highlighted for
clarity. In addition to the label and highlighting, a horizontal and vertical line will also appear to help determine the
data points location on the axes. Some additional options can also be toggled on/off to dynamically change what is
being displayed in the active view, based on the highlighted marker.
Highlight Entity in View - on/off toggle controls if the node or element associated with the highlighted marker in
the Charting pane will be highlighted in the active View.
Sync Output Set in View - on/off toggle controls if the output set is updated in the active View to match the output
set of the highlighted marker in the Charting pane.
Sync Output Vector in View - on/off toggle controls if the output vector is updated in active View to match the
output vector of the highlighted marker in the Charting pane.
Note: Any combination of the above may used concurrently, so the active view can potentially be highlighting an entity while also changing to show the output set and output vector of the marker currently
highlighted in the Charting pane.
Restore Original View on Exit - when on, the output set and/or output vector(s) which were specified in the
active view before Show Tooltips was turned on will be restored when Show Tooltips is turned off.
Tooltip Options - Used to select what is shown in the tooltip. Available options which can be shown are Value,
Data Series (ID or Title), Output Set (ID or Title), Output Vector (ID or Title) and/or Entity ID.
Added Label with ID option to Preview Coincident dialog box for Tools, Check, Coincident Nodes and Tools,
Check, Coincident Points. This options is always on by default and will simply show the IDs of the nodes or
points being highlighted, regardless of the options currently set for Window, Show Entities or the Show When
Selected icon menus in the Model Info tree or Data Table.
Updated the Tools, Check, Element Quality dialog box. Added All On and All Off buttons and check boxes for
Listing the details of elements that failed the checks as well as listing a new summary of the failed elements.
Also added a Show button that shows all elements that fail the checks. Finally, added option to send the
detailed listing to the Data Table instead of the Message Window.
Updated Tools, Check, Sum Forces to allow you to select whether to Include Body Loads or not, as well as a
Sum option to Sum All Loads, Loads on Selected Nodes and Elements, or Selected Load Definitions.
OLE/COM API
New API Objects and Attributes
Added MapData Object
Added NumberOfElements on Node Object
Added ContourDataSelection, ContourVector1, ContourVector2, ContourVector3, ContourCornerData and

ContourDataConversion to View Object
Added NasNonlinKDAMP, NasNonlinKUPDATE, NasCnlkDAMP, NasRelEMotion, NasExecAnalyzeFilename, NasExecRestart, NasExecRestartVersion, NasExecRestartSubcase, NasOptimAnalysisType, NasOptimTrackModes, NasGCheckTest2, vNasGCheckTest2, NasGCheckTol2, vNasGCheckTol2, NasGCheckMsg2,
and vNasGCheckMsg2 to Analysis Set Manager Object.
Added NasCnlkDAMP to Analysis Case Object.
Added LabelFontSize, AxisValueFontSize, LegendFontSize, AxisMinorCountLog, vAxisMinorCountLog,

AxisRangePad, vAxisRangePad, AxisMinorCount, and vAxisMinorCount to Chart Object
Added OutputVector2, Location2, and SortData to Chart Data Series Object
OLE/COM API
11.1-39
Added AlternateApplied, AlternateSPC, AlternateMPC, and UseNodalOutputCS to Freebody Object
New and Updated API Methods

Added Clear, Initialize, Count, GetIDs, Remove, RemoveAll, DefineReal, DefineInt, DefineBool, DefineString, DefineVariant, SetReal, SetInt, SetBool, SetString, SetVariant, GetReal, GetInt, GetBool, GetString, and
GetVariant to MapData Object
Added Reload2, AddAllSavedSetIDs, AddCoordinate2, AddAroundPoint2, AddAroundVector2, and AddAroundPlane2 to Set Object
Added SetReal, GetReal, SetInt, GetInt, SetDataType, and GetDataType to Sort Object
Added GetColumn, GetColumns, GetRowsAndColumns, GetRowsAndColumnsByID, and GetColumnSum to

Results Browsing Object
Added GetModel and SetModel methods to the Output Object
Added IsGeneral to Curve Object
Added IsBlend to Surface Object
Added GetNodalSums and GetSumAtNode to Freebody Object
Updated PutCombination for LoadSet and BCSet object to allow combinations using combinations
New and Updated Global Variables

Added Pref_PreV111TetMesh, Pref_Show0To360Angles, Pref_PlaneWheelFactor, Pref_MiddleMouseButtonOK, Pref_GeomOptimize, Pref_UseRegionDecimalChar, Pref_ResFontScale, and Pref_PerformanceGraphics
Updated Info_ActiveID to allow you to set the values to 0 to set no active entity
The following functions have been added or updated:

feElemCountOnProp
feMeasureDistanceBetweenGeometry
feFileWriteIdeas
feOutputProcessEnvelopeFromSets
feViewAutoscaleAll
feViewAutoscaleVisible
feWindowSetSize
feCheckSumForces (updated summedForces array to provide all values)
feCheckSumForces2
feCheckCoincidentNode3
feRenumberOpt2
feFileWriteFNO2
feMeshExtrudeElement2
feMeshTetSolid2
feSurfaceOffsetTangent
feSurfaceMidAuto2
feMeshSmooth2
feGroupGenerate2
feFileAttachSave2
feSurfaceNonManifoldAdd3
feSolidSweep
11.1-40
feSolidSweepBetween
feProjectOnto
feCompute3DInvariants
feCompute2DInvariants
feSetFree
feSetFreeNotInSet
feAppColorCreate
feAppColorGetBaseColor
feAppColorGetPattern
feAppColorGetLinestyle
feAppColorGetRGB
Preferences
Views
Added individual fields for Line and Font to the Resolution Options dialog box accessed via the Resolution button in the Picture Save Defaults section.
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 Line value, 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
Removed Open Views of Existing Models from Options section as it no longer was used.
Graphics (previously Render)
Added Performance Graphics to Graphics Options section.
If this option is selected, FEMAP will use a new architecture to improve graphics performance of both initial draw
and dynamic rotation. This new architecture requires at least OpenGL 4.2 and uses the graphics processors to take
on more of the graphics workload. This drastically reduces the amount of data that has to be transferred to the
graphics card, which reduces transfer times and data creation times, along with removing the requirement to group
like entities which greatly improves performance for models with a very large number of properties (thousands).
Note: A command to quickly toggle Performance Graphics on/off 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 Commands tab of the Customize dialog box.
For the first release of Performance Graphics, only the following entities, element view options, and styles are supported:
Entities - Points, Nodes, Elements (Shear Panel, Membrane, Bending Only, Plate, Laminate, Plane Strain, Plot
Only Planar, Axisymmetric Solid, Solid, Solid Laminates).
Note:
When other entity types (geometry, loads & constraints) and unsupported element types exist in the
model, they are drawn as they have been in previous versions with OpenGL.
View Options - Label and Color Mode (supported entities), Plane Element Offsets, Plane Element Fiber Thickness,
and Criteria Values
Note:
Element - Directions, Element - Orientation/Shape (except Fiber Thickness), Element - Coordinate

System, and Element - Material Direction are currently not supported.
Model Style - Draw Model, Hidden Line, Free Edge, and Free Face for the supported entities.
Deformed Style - Model Only, Deform, Animate, and Animate-MultiSet
Preferences
11.1-41
Contour Style - Model Only, Contour, and Criteria.

Note:
Other Styles are drawn using the same method used in older versions, so there will likely not be any
performance improvement in those styles.
Note:
JT Files cannot be written when Performance Graphics mode is enabled. Simply turn the Performance
Graphics option off before using the File, Picture, Save JT command
User Interface
Added Show Angles as 0 -> 360 option to Menus and Dialog Boxes section
Option is off by default, reports values for all angles in cylindrical or spherical coordinate systems from -180 to
+180. When on, reports values for all angles in cylindrical or spherical coordinate systems from 0 to 360.
Added Middle Button Click for OK option to Mouse Interface section
When on, the middle-mouse button may be used to OK any dialog box, but only when the button is pressed and
released with the cursor in the same pixel. If the button is pressed and the mouse moved, then the model will
dynamically rotate. When off, this button can only be used for dynamic rotation.
Added Wheel Factor for Dynamic Planes option to Mouse Interface section
Used to change distance the dynamic cutting plane or the model cutting plane is moved with each mouse scroll. By
default, this value is set to 1.0, which means the increment will be 1.0*1/100 of the model box diagonal (think of
the model box being an invisible box that completely encapsulates every entity in the model). When set to 0.1, it
will be 1/1000 the model box diagonal, while setting it to 10.0 would make the increment equal to 1/10 the
model box diagonal.
Note:
Using a different mouse may cause this calculation to slightly change. For instance, one mouse may
have a scroll delta of 120, while another may higher or lower. The scroll delta used by FEMAP is
120, so if the mouse you are using also uses 120, then scrolling will use the values described above.
Added Use Region Decimal/List Symbols option to new International Localization section
The Use Region Decimal/List Symbols option, on by default, is used to determine how real numbers and lists of
numbers will appear throughout the user interface. For instance, in many European and South American countries,
the , is used to display real numbers and the ; used to separate different numbers in a list. The region is determined by querying the Display Language currently specified for the Windows operating system.
When on, this option affects the graphics window, dialog boxes and tooltips, as well as, the Data Table, Entity Editor, Data Surface Editor, Model Info, and Charting dockable panes. In addition, the proper format will be copied
to/pasted from the clipboard and used when saving to a file. This includes comma-separated files, which use a ;
instead of , in some regions.
When off, the default values for English - US are used, . for display of real numbers and , between lists of numbers, regardless of Display Language.
Database
Updated default Max Cached Label value in Database Performance section to be 99,999,999 on 64-bit operating systems. Remains 5,000,000 for 32-bit operating systems.
Updated Timed Save options. Saving a model now resets the Timed Save timer and command counter so that
you will get a full interval until the next timed save.
Geometry/Model
Added preference to allow optimizing geometry on import.
When on, imported geometry is run through Parasolid using two additional options designed to repair invalid
geometry and simplify complex geometry.
Note:
Turning this option on will likely increase the time needed to import geometry, as each part is cleaned
and optimized individually.
Replaced Pre-V10 Tet Meshing and Pre-V10 Surface Meshing options with single Pre-V11.1 Tet Meshing option
in Meshing and Properties section.
11.1-42
The tetrahedral meshing in FEMAP has changed for version 11.1. The Mesh, Geometry, Solid command shows the
Automesh Solids dialog box. When the Options button is clicked in the Automesh Solids dialog box, you will find a
Pre-v11.1 Tet Meshing option. This preference allows you to always use the Pre-v11.1 Tet Meshing option if
you feel more comfortable with the tetrahedral mesher in v11.0.
Results
Changed Automatically Attach to OP2 Files option to Automatically Attach to Result Files in File Options section.
When using NX Nastran bundled with FEMAP, the results are typically imported via the NX Nastran Analysis
Monitor. Based on settings, this process may be automatic or performed using the Load Results button. When
this option is on (off by default), any results in *.op2 file or *.xdb file format accessed through the NX Nastran
Analysis Monitor, whether automatically or using the Load Results button, will be attached instead of imported
(internalized).
Changed Use Memory Mapped OP2 Files option to Use Memory Mapped Files in File Options section.
When on, the Memory Mapped File toggle found in the File, Attach To Results command will be on by default.
In addition, if the Automatically Attach to Results Files preference is on, then the files being automatically
attached will also be Memory Mapped.
3.
In this first example, you will explore the buckling load of a simple bracket subject to a concentrated cantilevered load. The
bracket, although solid, will be idealized as a thin shell finite element model, fixed at the base and loaded at the tip.
You will work through the entire FEMAP analysis process, which includes:
importing the geometry of the bracket
meshing the model
applying constraints and loads
analyzing the model using the NX Nastran solver
post-processing the results
Importing the Geometry

What
Import a FEMAP neutral file containing the geometry of the bracket.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
File, New
Menu
2.
File, Import, FEMAP Neutral

Menu
3-2
Step
UI
Command/Display
3.
Read Model from FEMAP Neutral dialog box:

Go to the Examples directory in your FEMAP installation.
4.
File name: Bracket.NEU

Open
Neutral File Read Options dialog box:
OK
Meshing the Model

The first step for the meshing process will be to define the property and material for the elements. Next, you will mesh the
surfaces.
Defining the Property and Material

The shell property represents the thickness of the material making up the two regions of the part.
What
Define the shell element property.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
Model, Property
Menu
2.
Define Property - PLATE Element Type dialog box:

Elem/Property Type
3.
Element/Property Type dialog box:

Plane Elements: Plate
OK
Meshing the Model
Step
4.
UI
3-3
Command/Display
Define Property - PLATE Element Type dialog box:
Title: Shell
Notice: Titles can be up to 79 characters long
5.
Property Values: Thicknesses: 0.1
6.
OK
Yes (to create material)
Notice: You have created the property, but you also need to define the associated material. In
steps below, you will choose a standard material from the FEMAP material library.
7.
Define Material - ISOTROPIC dialog box:

Load
8.
Select from Library dialog box:

AISI 4340 Steel (select)
9.
OK, then...
In Define Material - ISOTROPIC dialog box:
OK, then...
In Define Property - PLATE Element Type dialog box:
OK, then
Cancel
Tip: Once you defined the first property, FEMAP automatically prompted you to enter
another property. To end the command, press Cancel. Generally, you will need to press Cancel to exit from any entity creation command.
Meshing the Model

The geometry that you imported is simply a wireframe representation of the parts midsurfaces. To create finite elements in
FEMAP, you need to specify the regions, or boundaries where you need to mesh. You also need to specify how many elements that you want along the edges of a region. By default, all geometry is assigned a mesh spacing of 1.0. If you mesh this
part without specifying a tighter mesh size, your mesh will be too coarse to give meaningful answers.
By default, you have been viewing the model in the regular wireframe mode. Once you have created the mesh, you will
change to the Free Edge model style to ensure that the part is meshed continuously. Since it isnt, youll use the Coincident
Nodes check to merge duplicate nodes at the split between the two regions.
What
Create boundary surfaces for both regions of the model.
3-4
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
Geometry, Boundary Surface, From Curves

Menu
2.
Entity Selection dialog box:

Select the four curves that make up one of the regions (see figure below).
OK
3.
Select the four curves that make up the parts other region.
OK
Cancel (to end the command)
Notice: You should now have two new boundary surfaces.
V1
ZX
Y
What
Specify the mesh size for the surfaces.
Meshing the Model
3-5
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
Mesh, Mesh Control, Size on Surface

Menu
2.

Select All
OK
3.
Automatic Mesh Sizing dialog box:

Element Size: 0.3
OK
Cancel
What
Mesh the surfaces.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
Mesh, Geometry, Surface

Menu
2.

ID: 1
OK
3.
Automesh Surfaces dialog box:

Click More Options button
4.
Property: Shell
5.
In the Node Options portion of the Automesh Surfaces dialog box:

UNCHECK Connect Edge Nodes option
Notice: Usually, Connect Edge Nodes is a good option to use. It is being turned off in this
example simply as a way to create a mesh which is not fully connected. This allows you to
see how a free edge plot is displayed in FEMAP and also use the Tools, Check, Coincident Nodes command later in the exercise.
3-6
Step
UI
Command/Display
6.
OK
7.

Menu
8.

ID: 2
OK
9.

OK
What
Display the model using the Free Edge style.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
F5 key
View Select
Tip: You can also press the View Select icon (on the toolbar) or View, Select command to
open the dialog box.
2.
View Select dialog box:

Model Style: Free Edge
OK
Meshing the Model
Step
UI
3-7
Command/Display
Notice: The model is displayed with only the free edges showing. As expected, there are
free edges around the outside of the part. There are also free edges where the part needs to
be connected, at the split line between the two regions. This indicates that there are duplicate nodes at these locations, each connected to shell elements on one side of the edge.
Tip: If you had selected all the surfaces and meshed them together, the meshes on the two
surfaces would have been connected.
What
Check for coincident nodes, and merge them.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
Tools, Check, Coincident Nodes

Menu
2.

Select All
OK
3.
Check/Merge Coincident dialog box:

Action: Merge
Keep ID: Automatic
Move To: Current Location
4.
OK
Notice: You will notice on the Check/Merge Coincident dialog box that a Preview button exists. When this button is clicked, FEMAP will enter a mode which allows you to highlight the nodes which will be Kept, Merged, or Both in your model. Clicking Done
will bring you back to the Check/Merge Coincident dialog box. Click OK to complete the
merge operation with the selected options.
3-8
Step
UI
Command/Display
5.
Window, Regenerate
Menu
6.
F5 key
7.
View Select
Model Style: Draw Model
OK

Next, you will apply constraints and loads to the model. Since most parts and systems of parts can be held and loaded in any
number of ways, FEMAP uses sets to manage constraints and loads.
First, you will create a constraint set, then you will fix all of the nodes at the base of the model.
Next, you will create a load set, then apply a 100 pound load to the tip of the bracket. In a buckling analysis, the actual loading of the part is applied, and the solver returns a buckling eigenvalue. The eigenvalue is multiplied by the applied load to
give the critical buckling load.
Applying Constraints
What
Create the constraint set.
Applying Constraints
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
Model, Constraint, Create/Manage Set

Menu
2.
Constraint Set Manager dialog box:

Click New Constraint Set, then...
3.
New Constraint Set dialog box:

Title: (enter a title)
4.
Click OK, then...

Click Done
What
Create the constraints to fix the nodes at the base of the model.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
Model, Constraint, Nodal

Menu
2.

Pick the nodes at the edge of the model.
OK
3.
Create Nodal Constraints/DOF dialog box:

Fixed
OK
Cancel
3-9
3-10
Step
4.
UI
Command/Display
Click View Visibility icon (on View Toolbar)

OR
Press Crtl+Q
5.
Choose Labels radio button
6.
Click All Off button, then...

Click Done
Notice: You can use the Entity Display Toolbar to quickly toggle Labels on and off. If the
Entity Display Toolbar is not visible, you can turn it on using the Tools, Toolbars, Entity Display command to make visible (shown undocked).
The third icon allows you to toggle Labels on and off.
Applying Loads
Applying Loads
Apply the 100-pound load to the model.
What
Create the load set.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
Model, Load, Create/Manage Set

Menu
2.
Load Set Manager dialog box:

Click New Load Set, then...
3.
New Load Set dialog box:

4.
Click OK, then...

Click Done
What
Create the load in the negative Y direction.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
Model, Load, Nodal

Menu
2.

Pick node at the tip of arrow (see following figure).
OK
3-11
3-12
Step
UI
Command/Display
V1
C1
ZX
Y
3.
Create Loads on Nodes dialog box:

FY: Value: 100
4.
Click OK, then...

Click Cancel
Tip: Sometimes, it may be difficult to see a displayed load. If so, Force and Moment loads
may be reversed to be have the head of the arrow on the selected node, point, or curve
instead of the tail. To do this, press the F6 key to open the View Options dialog box, set
Category to Labels, Entities and Color, then select Load Vectors from the list of Options.
Finally, check Reverse and click OK.
Analyzing the Model

The FEMAP analysis manager stores the options for creating an input file for a solver (an analysis set). It can launch the NX
NASTRAN solver or another solver that has been set up to run on the same computer. The analysis manager, together with
VisQ, can also set up and run analyses with solvers on other computers.
The analysis sets are stored with the FEMAP model file, and can also be stored in a FEMAP library that can be accessed
from different model files.
What
Create the analysis set and solve the model.
Post-processing the Results
3-13
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
Model, Analysis
Menu
2.
Analysis Set Manager dialog box:

New
3.
Analysis Set dialog box:

Title: Buckling
4.
Analysis Program: 36..NX Nastran

Analysis Type: 7..Buckling
5.
Click OK
Notice: The analysis set manager displays all analysis sets defined in the model, and the sections that make up the input file for the solver. Clicking on a plus sign will expand the tree
and display individual options that can be edited by double-clicking on an option.
For this analysis, youll use the default values for these options.
6.
Analyze
Notice: The NX Nastran Analysis Monitor will display the status of the solve. Youll know
that the solve is done when the Messages dockable pane tells you that cleanup of the output
set is complete.

For this example, you will display the buckling shape and buckling factor.
What
Display the deformed model (buckled shape) and the critical buckling factor.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
View, Select
Menu
2.

Deformed Style: Deform
3-14
Step
UI
Command/Display
3.
Deformed and Contour Data
4.
Select PostProcessing Data dialog box:

Output Set: 2..Eigenvalue 1 33.06344
OK (all dialog boxes)
Notice: The set value is the eigenvalue and critical buckling factor for a buckling analysis. In
this case, the part would buckle at a load 33.06 times higher than the applied load.
This is the end of the example. You dont need to save the model file.
4.
In this example, youll use rod and L beam elements to represent a truss structure.
importing the geometry of the truss
defining the material and property
meshing the model using beams and rods
applying constraints and loads
analyzing the model using NX Nastran

What
Open a new model file and import the geometry of the truss. These curves will be meshed with rod and beam elements.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
File, Import, FEMAP Neutral

Menu
2.
Read Model from FEMAP Neutral dialog box:

Truss.NEU
Open
OK
4-2
Step
UI
Command/Display
Defining the Material and Property

The first step for the meshing process will be to define the material and property for the beam and rod elements.
Defining the Material

What
Define the material by selecting a standard material from the FEMAP material library.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
Model, Material
Menu
Tip: You can also create a new Material using the New command on the context sensitive
menu located on the Materials branch in the Model Info tree (simply click to highlight the
top level of the Materials branch or any existing Material, then right mouse click to see the
context sensitive menu).
2.

Load
3.

AISI 4340 Steel
OK
OK, then...
Cancel
Defining the Beam Property

FEMAP has a library of general cross sections for you to choose from, but you may not always want to use them. You can
define an arbitrary cross section by creating a surface in FEMAP, or by importing external geometry. FEMAP will then calculate the section properties from that surface.
Defining the Beam Property
4-3
The neutral file that you imported has a boundary surface on a different layer that is not currently shown. You will now display it.
What
First, hide the default layer. Next, display the boundary surface on a hidden layer.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.

OR
Press Crtl+Q.
Visibility dialog box:
Choose the Layer tab.
2.
CHECK 2..Beam Section

UNCHECK 1..Default Layer
3.
4.
Click Done
Ctrl - A
Autoscale
Notice: The boundary section and curves are displayed.
X
Z
What
Define a property for the beam elements. Youll first create a general beam cross section, then define a vector to define the
sections Y axis. Next, youll define the beam property with the cross section and the AISI 4340 material that youve created.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
Model, Property
Menu
4-4
Step
UI
Command/Display
Tip: You can also create a new Property using the New command on the context sensitive
menu located on the Properties branch in the Model Info tree (simply click to highlight the
top level of the Properties branch or any existing Property, then right mouse click to see the
context sensitive menu).
2.
Define Property dialog box:

Elem/Property Type
3.
Element Property Type dialog box:

Line Elements: Beam
OK
4.
Define Property - BEAM Element Type dialog box:

Shape
5.
Cross Section Definition dialog box:

Shape: General Section
6.
Surface
7.
Select Surface to Check dialog box:

Click on the surface.
OK
8.
Vector Locate - Define Section Y Axis dialog box:

Base: 0, 0, 0 (make sure these are the X,Y,Z values for the base)
Tip: 0, 1, 0 (enter these X,Y,Z values for the tip)
OK
Notice: This vector defines the Y axis for the section.
9.
Cross Section Definition dialog box:

OK
10.

Title: General Beam Section
Notice: The calculated section properties are now displayed in this dialog box.
11.
Material: AISI 4340 Steel

OK, then...
Cancel
Meshing the Model
Step
UI
4-5
Command/Display
Meshing the Model

This model will be meshed with two types of elements: beam elements on the longitudinal curves, and rod elements on the
curves that connect the beams. Once youve created the elements, youll merge the coincident nodes.
Creating the Beam Mesh

First, mesh the longitudinal curves with beams whose properties were defined in the previous section.
What
Hide the beam section and show the default layer.
How
Step
UI
1.
Command/Display
OR
Press Crtl+Q.
2.
CHECK 1..Default Layer

UNCHECK 2..Beam Section
3.
Click Done
Tip: You can hide and show layers very easily using the Model Info tree. You can simply
check or uncheck layers one at a time.
You can also select any number of layers using the Ctrl or Shift keys and the mouse. Once the
layers are selected, right mouse on the visibility check boxes and choose the Show Selected,
Show Selected Only, or the Hide Selected command.
You can also choose to View All Layers or View Visible Layers Only by selecting those commands from the context sensitive menu for Layers
4.
Ctrl - A
Autoscale
4-6
Step
UI
Command/Display
What
Rotate the model to get a trimetric view for meshing.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
View, Rotate, Model

Menu
Tip: You can press the F8 key instead of using the command above.
2.
View Rotate dialog box:

Trimetric
OK
What
Mesh the longitudinal curves with beams. Youll use the general beam cross section to define the beam. After you select the
cross section, youll enter a vector to define the beam element orientation. Its important that this vector be identical to the
one used to define the cross section properties; otherwise, your analysis results may be incorrect.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
Mesh, Geometry, Curve

Menu
2.

Pick the curves highlighted in the following figure (Curve IDs 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 24,
25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 31, and 32).
OK
Creating the Beam Mesh
Step
UI
3.
Command/Display
Geometry Mesh Options dialog box:

Property: General Beam Section
OK
4.
Vector Locate dialog box:

Base: 0, 0, 0 (make sure these are the X, Y, Z values for the base)
Tip: 0, 1, 0 (enter these X, Y, Z values for the tip)
OK
V1
Y
X
Z
What
Display the beam elements with their cross sections visible.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
F6 key
View Options
2.
View Options dialog box:

Category: Labels, Entities, and Color
Option: Element Orientation/Shape (select)
Element Shape: Show Cross Section (select)
OK
4-7
4-8
Step
UI
Command/Display
Tip: You can also toggle the cross-sections of line elements on/off using the Thickness/
Cross Section command from the View Style menu located on the View Toolbar.
What
Rotate and zoom the model to get a better look at the cross section. Your cross section may have an incorrect orientation that
you need to modify.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
Rotate the model slightly to the see the cross sections better.
2.
Zoom (on View Toolbar)
Notice: Compare your beams with the following diagram. If some of your beams are oriented differently, you will need to modify them. The following steps show you how to reverse
the normals when they are facing in the wrong direction.
It is normal for you to need to modify the normal direction of some of your beams to make it
look like the figure below.
Creating the Rod Mesh
Step
UI
4-9
Command/Display
3.
Modify, Update Elements, Line Element Reverse Direction

Menu
4.

Pick the elements to modify. (Pick only the elements with cross sections facing in the wrong
direction.)
OK
5.
In Update Element Direction dialog box:

Reverse Direction
OK
6.
Ctrl - A
Autoscale
Creating the Rod Mesh

You will now mesh the remaining curves with rod elements to connect the beams.
What
Mesh the curves. Youll also need to create a new property to define the rods.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
Mesh, Geometry, Curve

Menu
4-10
Step
2.
UI
Command/Display
Pick all of the unmeshed curves: the cross braces and the connection between the two rows of
beams.
OK
3.

Property icon button
Notice: You only have the General Beam Section property in your model. Youll need to
create a rod property.
4.

Elem/Property Type
5.
Line Elements: Rod

OK
6.
Define Property - ROD Element Type dialog box:

Title: 2 inch Diameter Rod
Area: 3.14
7.
Material: AISI 4340 Steel

OK
8.

OK
Notice: The property you created is selected for the elements property.
Notice: The curves are meshed with rod elements.
What
Reduce the amount of information displayed by turning off the display of geometry and labels.
Merging Coincident Nodes
4-11
How
Step
1.
UI
Command/Display
OR
Press Crtl+Q
2.

Choose the Entity/Label tab
UNCHECK Geometry.... header (unchecks all geometric entities)
3.
Choose Labels radio button
4.
Click All Off button, then...

Click Done
Notice: You can use the Entity Display Toolbar to quickly toggle Geometry and Labels on
and off. If the Entity Display Toolbar is not visible, you can turn it on using the Tools, Toolbars, Entity Display command to make visible (shown undocked).
You have the option to toggle ALL Geometry on and off using the first icon or you can turn
them on and off individually by clicking the icon for each geometric entity one at a time.
The third icon allows you to toggle Labels on and off.
Merging Coincident Nodes

Because the curves were meshed with two meshing operations, there will be nodes at the ends of both the beam and rod elements. You will merge these coincident nodes to effectively sew the model together.
What
Merge the coincident nodes.
4-12
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
Tools, Check, Coincident Nodes

Menu
2.

Select All
OK
3.
Check/Merge Coincident dialog box:

Action: Merge
Keep ID: Automatic
Move To: Current Location
4.
OK
Notice: Look in the Messages dockable pane to see how many coincident nodes have been
merged. All rod and beam elements are now connected together.

You will create a constraint set to model symmetry and fix the end. The symmetry of the truss will be used to reduce the
model to half the size.
You will also apply a load to this model to simulate something hanging from the truss.
Modeling Symmetry and a Fixed End

To simulate the symmetry of this part, you will constrain the four nodes that are at the halfway point of the structure. You
are defining symmetry across the X-plane through these four points. By imposing this type of constraint condition, you are
actually introducing a stiffness exactly equal to the structure modeled, just mirrored above the X-plane.
What
Create the constraints to model symmetry and fix the end. Youll also constrain the rest of the model in all DOF except the
X and Y translations.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
View, Rotate, Model

Menu
Modeling Symmetry and a Fixed End
Step
UI
4-13
Command/Display
2.

Isometric
OK
3.
Model, Constraint, Nodal

Menu
Notice: First, youll apply constraints at these nodes to model symmetry.

4.

OK
5.

Pick nodes A, B, C, and D (see the following figure).
OK
A
D
B
C
6.

X Symmetry
7.
Title: X Symmetry
8.
OK
Notice: The TX, RY, and RZ DOF are selected.

Because you are applying nodal constraints, you could control the constraint of each degree
of freedom individually in the dialog box, or you can use the quick keys to apply common
constraint conditions.
4-14
Step
9.
UI
Command/Display
Pick nodes E and F (see the following figure).
OK
Notice: You are now fixing the nodes on the opposite end.
F
E
10.

Fixed
11.
Title: Fixed
12.
OK
Notice: All DOF are selected.

13.

Select All
OK
Notice: Finally, youll restrain the DOF for all nodes in the Z translation and all rotations.
14.
Create Nodal Constraints dialog box:

DOF: TZ, RX, RY, RZ (check)
OK
15.
Title: Singularity Constraints
16.
OK
No (to combine the constraints)
Cancel
Applying a Load to the Model
4-15
What
Turn off element cross sections to better see the constraints.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
F6 key
View Options
2.

Category: Labels, Entities and Color
3.

Options: Element Orientation/Shape (select)
Element Shape: Line/Plane Only (select)
OK
Tip: If you turn the constraint labels back on, youll see the degree of freedom numbers displayed for each constraint. (To do this, pick F6. Pick Options, Constraint. Under Label Mode,
pick Degree of Freedom.)
Applying a Load to the Model

You will now apply a load in the negative Y direction to simulate something hanging from this truss. Like constraints, loads
are grouped in sets. Before creating any loads, you must create a set to hold them.
What
Create the load in the negative Y direction.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
Model, Load, Nodal

Menu
4-16
Step
2.
UI
Command/Display
OK
3.

Pick nodes A and B.
OK
B
A
4.
Create Loads on Nodes dialog box:

FY: Value: -200
OK, then...
Cancel
Notice: The default load type is force.
Analyzing the Model

Analyze the model using the NX Nastran solver.
What
Post-Processing the Results
4-17
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
Model, Analysis
Menu
2.

New
3.

Title: (enter a title for the solve)
4.

Analysis Type: 1..Static
OK
5.
Analyze
Post-Processing the Results

For this example, you will display three types of results: criteria plots, beam diagrams, and stresses on beam cross sections.
Displaying Criteria Diagrams

As an alternative to contours, you can use a basic criteria display that shows the output value of each element. The primary
purpose of a criteria display, however, is to limit the display based on a selected criteria.
What
Display a basic criteria view of the results.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
F5 key
View Select
2.

Contour Style: Criteria
3.
4-18
Step
UI
Command/Display
4.

Output Vectors: Deform: 1..Total Translation
Contour: 3022..Beam EndA Axial Force
5.
View, Rotate, Model

Menu
6.

Trimetric
OK
What
To reduce clutter, turn off display of undeformed elements.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
F6 key
View Options
Displaying Criteria Diagrams
Step
UI
2.
4-19
Command/Display
Category: PostProcessing
3.
Options: Undeformed Model
4.
UNCHECK Draw Entity

OK
What
Modify the criteria for the elements to be displayed. Display the elements above the maximum limit of 350.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
F6 key
View Options
2.

Notice: The PostProcessing category is already selected.
3.
Options: Criteria Limits
4-20
Step
UI
4.
Command/Display
Minimum: 0
Maximum: 350
5.
Limits Mode: Above Maximum

OK
Notice: Only the elements with axial force values above 350 are displayed as shaded beams;
the other elements dont have color.
Displaying Beam Diagrams

To conclude the example, youll generate beam diagrams of the axial stress. Beam diagrams display results along the length
of line elements. You can set options to control the direction of beam diagrams.
What
Generate a beam diagram of beam end axial stress.
How
Step
1.
UI
Command/Display
View Select (On View Toolbar)
Step
UI
2.
4-21
Command/Display
Deformed Style: None - Model Only
Contour Style: Beam Diagram
3.
4.

Contour: 3139..Beam EndA Pt1 Comb Stress
What
You can change the 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.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
F6 key
View Options
2.

Options: Beam Diagram
Default Direction: Element Z
OK
4-22
Step
UI
Command/Display
Notice: The beam diagrams are now drawn on the element Z plane.
What
Interactively view calculated stresses on the cross-section of beam elements.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
View Select (On View Toolbar)
2.

Contour Style: None - Model Only
3.
OK
4.
View, Advanced Post, Beam Cross Section

Menu
5.
In Beam Cross Section Stress Control dialog box:

Select Single in Elements section
Step
6.
UI
4-23
Command/Display
Click in text field next to Single, then...
Pick Element 2 (Top row, towards back of model, middle element).
7.
In Location section:
Position: 85
8.
Select Screen Space radio button
A plot of the Axial Stress on the cross section of the beam should now appear while the dialog
box is still displayed.
9.
Select Model Space radio button
4-24
Step
UI
Command/Display
Shown zoomed in for clarity
10.
Move the slider bar between End A and End B.
This will dynamically change the results for a single element when set to Screen Space or
Model Space.
11.
Position: 50
12.
Select Screen Space radio button
13.
In Show Stress section:

Select Combined Shear from drop-down
14.
CHECK Vector Plot option
15.
Click Advanced button
16.
In Advanced Options dialog box:

In Vector Plot Options section:
UNCHECK Solid Vector option
CHECK Section Outline
Step
UI
4-25
Command/Display
17.
Vector Length: 80
18.
OK (All dialog boxes)
Notice: Once the view is Redrawn or Regenerated, the graphics window will revert back to
showing the model with no Beam Cross Section stresses displayed. To display the stresses
again using the same options, simply choose the View, Advanced Post, Beam Cross Section
command again.
This is the end of this example. You dont need to save the model file.
4-26
5.
Analyzing a Midsurface Model of

an Electrical Box
In this example, you will learn to work with FEMAPs semi-automatic midsurface extraction capabilities to build an idealized model of an electrical box.
To work through this example, you must have a licensed copy of NX Nastran for FEMAP. You will not be able to complete
this example with the 300-node demo version.
The example includes the following steps:
importing the geometry using the STEP interface
creating the midsurface model
meshing the model
applying loads and constraints
analyzing the model using NX Nastran

To begin the example, you will import the geometry.
What
Start FEMAP and open a new model file. Import the STEP file.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
File, Import, Geometry

Menu

Import the mp.STP file.
5-2
Step
UI
Command/Display
2.
STEP Read Options dialog box:

OK
3.
View, Rotate, Model

Menu
4.

Dimetric
OK
5.
View Style Menu (on View Toolbar)

Choose Wireframe
Creating the Midsurface Model

Create the midsurface model, then delete the original solid. Once the midsurface has been generated, you will need to so
some additional cleanup work on the geometry before you can mesh it.
Creating the Midsurface

What
Use the automatic midsurfacing capability to create a midsurface model.
How
Step
1.
UI
Command/Display
Zoom and rotate the part to get a better view of the points we will be picking to designate
the Target Distance for midsurfacing.
Creating the Midsurface
Step
UI
5-3
Command/Display
2.
Geometry, Midsurface, Automatic

Menu
3.

Select All
OK
4.
In the Mid-Surface Tolerance dialog box:

OR
Ctrl-D
Click the Measure Distance icon button or press Ctrl-D on the keyboard. Doing either will
open FEMAPs distance measuring tool.
Notice: The Measure Distance icon button or Ctrl-D command lets you determine distance
for the target thickness.
The software uses this value to determine which surfaces to place a midsurface between.
The target thickness should be slightly larger than the largest distance between the planes on
the solids that you want midsurfaced. If the target thickness is too low, the midsurfaces will
not be created. If the target thickness is too high, some midsurfaces will be created between
the wrong surfaces.
5.
Locate dialog box:

Methods
6.
On Point
7.
On Point dialog box:

Pick point A (see following figure).
OK
5-4
Step
UI
Command/Display
V1
A
B
ZY
X
8.
Pick point B.
OK
9.
Midsurface Tolerance dialog box:
CHECK pre-v11.1 Midsurface Method box located in the Midsurface Options section
Notice: The pre-V11.1 Midsurface Method is used in this example because it presents the
additional tools available for modifying midsurfaces should the Geometry, Midsurface,
Automatic command not create a full satisfactory midsurface representation. For instance,
the desired surfaces may not be created or some surfaces may need to be manually altered.
Please try the example again without turning on the pre-V11.1 Midsurface Method option to
see what the enhanced face pairing algorithm does using this geometry.
10.
OK (accept the value calculated by the Measure Distance command)
Notice: The target thickness value should be approximately 4.93.
V1
Z Y
X
Deleting the Solid
Deleting the Solid

What
Delete the original solid.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
Delete, Geometry, Solid

Menu
2.

ID: 1
OK
OK
3.
View Style Menu (on View Toolbar)

Choose Solid
Back
Front
Cleaning Up the Geometry

To create a more accurate midsurface model, you must trim each rib, then delete the top portion.
5-5
5-6
What
Trim the surface of each rib.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
Geometry, Midsurface, Trim with Curve

Menu
2.
Select Surface/Solid to Trim dialog box:

Pick one of the eight ribs.
OK
3.

Pick the curve on the lower portion (see C above).
OK
Notice: The curve now cuts through the surface.
Cleaning Up the Geometry
Step
UI
5-7
Command/Display
4.
Repeat the process to trim the other seven ribs.

Tip: You can rotate the model by holding down the middle mouse button and moving the
mouse.
What
Delete the top portion of each rib.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
Delete, Geometry, Surface

Menu
2.

Pick the new surfaces that have been created on the top of each rib (see D in the following
figure).
OK
OK
Notice: The top of each rib has been deleted.
5-8
What
.Intersect the new ribs with the walls of the electric box.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
Geometry, Midsurface, Intersect

Menu
2.

Select All
OK
Meshing the Model

The first step in meshing the model is to assign mesh attributes for the different surfaces. If the correct attributes are not
assigned, the results wont be correct.
Next, set the size for the mesh. Finally, mesh the midsurface.
Assigning Mesh Attributes

What
Assign the mesh attributes to the surfaces.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
Geometry, Midsurface, Assign Mesh Attributes

Menu
2.

Select All
OK
3.

Load
4.
In Select from Library dialog box:

AISI 4340 Steel
OK
Meshing the Model
Step
UI
5-9
Command/Display
5.
OK to Consolidate Properties by Thickness? question box:

No
Notice: Each surface now has a Plate property and a material assigned to it. Clicking Yes
would have minimized the number of new properties created based on similar thickness.
Tip: If midsurfaces are created manually using commands such as Geometry, Surface, Offset or Geometry, Surface, Extrude, the surfaces do not have mesh attributes. You must manually assign mesh attributes by creating or assigning existing properties using the correct
thickness.
Meshing the Model

What
Set the mesh size to the default value, then mesh the model.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
Mesh, Mesh Control, Size on Surface

Menu
2.

Select All
OK, then...
Automatic Mesh Sizing dialog box:
OK, then...
Cancel
3.

Menu
4.

Select All
OK, then...
OK
5-10
Step
5.
UI
Command/Display
OR
Press Crtl+Q
6.

Choose Draw Entity radio button
7.
UNCHECK Node box located in the Mesh section,
UNCHECK the top-level box for Geometry
then...
8.
Click Done

To load the model, you will apply a pressure to the surface at the back of the part. You will also constrain the holes at the
base.
5-11
What
Create a load set, the apply a pressure to the back of the part.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
Model, Load, On Surface

Menu
2.
Because no load sets exist in the model, FEMAP will prompt you to create one
3.
Click OK
4.

ID: The middle surface at the back of the part. It may have a different Surface ID (usually
ID is 129)OK
5.
Click OK
6.
Create Loads on Surfaces dialog box:

Pressure
7.
Pressure: Value: -1
OK, then...
Cancel
5-12
What
Constrain the holes at the bottom of the part.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
Model, Constraint, On Curve

Menu
2.
Because no constraint sets exist in the model, FEMAP will prompt you to create one
3.
Click OK
4.

Pick the eight curves around the holes at the base.
OK
Tip: You may want to rotate the model and zoom in on the corners of the model to make
selection of these curves easier. While in a command you can use the middle mouse button
to rotate the model as well as the Zoom and Previous Zoom icons on the View Toolbar.
5.
Create Constraints on Geometry dialog box:

Pinned - No Translation
OK, then...
Cancel
V1
L1
C1
TT
TT
Y
ZX
Tip: To see the nodes and elements on which the loads and constraints are applied, use the
Model, Load, Expand and Model, Constraint, Expand commands.
Analyzing the Model

Solve the model using the NX Nastran solver.
What
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
Model, Analysis
Menu
3.
New

Analysis Type: 1..Static
OK
3.
Analyze

For this analysis, you will display deformation and stress contours.
What
Display and deformed/contour plot of translation and stress.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
F5 key
View Select
2.

Contour Style: Contour
3.
4.

Output Vectors: Deform: 1..Total Translation
Output Vectors: Contour: 7026..Plate Top MajorPrn Stress
5-13
5-14
Step
5.
UI
Command/Display
Rotate the model so that you can see the back.
Notice: You can see the plate top stress contour on both faces of the plate elements.
5-15
What
Change the contour options to display double-sided planar contours.
If you select a standard top or bottom plate vector for contouring, as you did above, FEMAP can automatically contour both
top and bottom stresses on the same plot.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
F5 key
View Select
2.

3.

Output Vectors: Double-Sided Planar Contours
Notice: Because the default for contours in FEMAP is to Match Output (i.e., show nodal
results as nodal contours and elemental results as elemental contours), the following commands are not really required to get the desired plot. They are simply shown as a reference
should you want to use a specific Contour Type (Nodal, Elemental, or Match Output),
change the method of Data Conversion (Average, Maximum, or Minimum), or toggle Use
Corner Data on/off.
4.
Contour Options
5.
Select Contour Options dialog box:

Contour Type: Elemental
6.
Data Conversion: Average
7.
Data Selection: CHECK Use Corner Data
8.
OK (All dialog boxes)
Notice: The display has changed. The contour now shows plate top major principle stress
on the top face of the plate elements and plate bottom major principle stress on the bottom
face of the plate elements.
5-16
Step
9.
UI
Command/Display
Rotate the model to look at the back.
Notice: The contour on the back of the part shows plate top major stress.
What
To more easily see double-sided results, change the view to show the element thicknesses.
5-17
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
F6 key
View Options
2.

Category: Labels, Entities and Color
3.
Options: Element - Orientation/Shape, then...

Element Shape: 1..Show Fiber Thickness
4.
Category: Tools and View Style
5.
Options: Filled Edges
6.
UNCHECK Draw Entity

OK
Tip: You can also toggle the Filled Edges and the Thickness/Cross Section on and off
very easily using the View Style menu located on the View Toolbar. Simply select Filled
Edges or Thickness/Cross Section from the View Style menu to turn them off, then select the
command again to turn them back on at any time.
.
Notice: The contour on the back of the part shows plate top major stress
This is the end of the example. You dont need to save your model file.
5-18
6.
In this example, you will create a model of a simple assembly using contact conditions automatically generated by FEMAP,
then solve the model two times using NX Nastran, once using Glued Contact and once using Linear Contact.
Also, this example makes extensive use of the Model Info tree and Select Toolbar.
importing the geometry of the assembly
creating connections between different parts of the assembly
meshing the model
applying loads and constraints
analyzing the model using the NX Nastran solver (Static Analysis using Glued and Linear Contact)

What
Import a FEMAP geometry file containing the geometry of the assembly.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
File, Import, Geometry

Menu

Import the Assembly.x_t file.
6-2
Step
UI
Command/Display
2.
Solid Model Read Options dialog box:

OK
3.
View, Rotate, Model

Menu
4.

Click Trimetric, then...
Click OK
Creating Connections
You will be creating connections between the different parts of the assembly. In this example, the connections will be contact conditions which NX Nastran will use during the solving process to have the parts interact with one another.
In general, there are three separate entities needed to create a connection in FEMAP:
Connection Property - A specific property used to set-up contact conditions for a specific solver or analysis type. We will be
using the NX Linear tab and the Defaults button for this example.
Connection Regions - Regions designated in the model which can be placed into contact with any number of other regions.
Regions can be created using different types of entities such as surfaces, elements, and properties. In this example, you will
create contact between the different solid parts using the surfaces of those solids.
Connectors - Connectors create contact pairs between Connection Regions (using a Master/Slave relationship) and the
contact between those regions is governed by the values set in the specified Connection Property for each Connector.
Each of these entities can be created individually using the Connect menu, but FEMAP offers a few methods for creating
them in a more streamlined manner. One method is to use the Connect, Surfaces command which simply allows you to
choose a surface (or set of surfaces) to connect to another surface (or set of surfaces). The surfaces in each set will be used
to create the Connection Regions, a Connection Property can be chosen (or created from inside this command), and then a
single Connector will be created between the selected surfaces.
Automatic Connection Creation
6-3
In this example, we will be using the Connect, Automatic command. This 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.
Automatic Connection Creation

What
Create connections automatically between the parts of the assembly.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
Connect, Automatic...
Menu
2.
Entity Selection - Select Solid(s) to Detect Connections dialog box:

Click Select All, then...
Click OK
Auto Detection Options for Connections dialog box:
The following values should be selected:
If it does not, make sure all of the above options are chosen. Then...
3.
Click OK
Entity Selection - Select Solid(s) to Detect Connections dialog box:
Click Cancel
6-4
Step
UI
Command/Display
Tip: Creating connections automatically can also be accomplished by using the context sensitive menu for the Geometry branch in the Model Info tree. Simply highlight the top-level
Geometry branch in the tree (or individual solids), then click the right mouse button and
choose Automatic Connection from the menu. This will bring up the Connect, Automatic
command
You will notice the there are new Connection Regions which are visible where the parts come together.
You can take a closer look at each Connection Property, Connection Region, and Connector created using the Connections
branch of the Model Info tree.
Examining Created Connections

Using a few context sensitive menu commands from the Connections branch of the Model Info tree, you can graphically
see the different Connection Regions and Connectors which were created by the Connect, Automatic command. If it is not
open, you will need to have the Model Info tree open for this step.
What
Use the Model Info tree to examine the connections in the model.
6-5
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
Menu
If the Model Info tree is NOT already open, you can bring it up using the Tools, Model Info
command to make it visible.
Tip: If you are not familiar with the Model Info tree or the other dockable panes in FEMAP,
you can find more information about them using the Help, Dockable Panes... menu.
The dockable panes contain a tremendous amount of features. It is highly recommended to
review the documentation for these very helpful tools.
2.
Model Info tree:

Expand the Connections branch (click on the + sign to the right of the title) to see the different Connection entities
You will notice that Connection Properties, Connection Regions, and Connectors are all
available in the Model Info tree.
3.
Expand the Connectors branch to view the Connectors in the model
You will notice that two Connectors were created in the model by the automatic contact
detection. They are listed in the following format:
#(number of Connector)..Region #-# (Master/Target Connection Region - Slave/
Source Connection Region).
Highlight 1..Region 1-2 by clicking on it.
6-6
Step
4
UI
Command/Display
Click the right mouse button on the highlighted Connector. When the context sensitive menu
appears, choose the Show Master (Target) command.
You will notice that the Master/Target Connection Region of Connector 1 has been
highlighted in Yellow and the rest of the parts have been made transparent in the model. If
your display does not look like the one below, please see the notice below this cell.
The model will remain in this display state until Windows, Regenerate (Ctrl+G) or Windows,
Redraw (Ctrl+G) has been used or a command which includes a Regenerate or Redraw
(such as an entity creation command) has been performed.
Notice: The Show Master (Target) and Show Slave (Source) commands follow the current
settings in the Windows, Show Entities command. By default, nothing is set in FEMAP and
you will get the figure above when using the Show Master (Target) and Show Slave (Source)
commands.
If you have changed any of the settings in the Windows, Show Entities command itself or the
Show When Selected commands in the Model Info tree or Data Table, then the Show Master
(Target) and Show Slave (Source) commands will use those settings.
Step
5
UI
6-7
Command/Display
Click the right mouse button on the highlighted Connector. When the context sensitive menu
appears, choose the Show Slave (Source) command.
Tip: Although not needed for this model, in some cases you may want to swap the Master/
Target and Slave/Source Connection Regions for an individual Connector. This can be
accomplished by using the Reverse command in the Connectors context sensitive menu
Tip: It is also possible to Enable and Disable Connectors. This allows you to choose
which Connectors will be exported for analysis. With this capability, you do not have to
delete and recreate Connectors when determining which parts should come into contact in
certain scenarios.
6-8

For loads, create a load on front surface of the Plunger, normal to the surface. Next, create a pinned boundary condition
using the surfaces of the rear holes of the Baselink.
What
Create a load set, then apply a force normal to the front surface of the Plunger.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
Model, Load, Create/Manage Set

Menu
2.

Click New Load Set, then...
3.

Title: Normal Force
4.
Click OK, then...

Click Done
For the selection of the surface to load, use the Select Toolbar (Shown undocked)
If the Select Toolbar is not visible, you can make it visible using the Tools, Toolbars, Select
command or by right-mouse clicking in any area where a toolbar can be docked and choosing Select from menu. For more information on where a toolbar can be docked, please use
the Help, Toolbars, Using the Toolbars command to view the documentation.
All of the icons on the Select Toolbar are actually menus which allow you to modify the way
the Select Toolbar will be used. For more information on the Select Toolbar, please view the
documentation using the Help, Toolbars, Select command.
Step
UI
6-9
Command/Display
5.
Menu
Using the Selector Entity menu on the Select Toolbar (first icon), select Surface. You will
notice that the icon on the Select Toolbar has changed to the Select Surface icon.
This will make Surfaces Active in the Selector. Having an Active entity in the Selector
allows you to choose Surfaces in the model before selecting any commands. In this case you
will only be selecting one surface at a time, but there are options for selecting multiple surfaces, then choosing commands. This also will give you access to the context sensitive
menu for the Active Entity Type in the graphics window.
6.
With Surface Active in the Select Toolbar:

Pick the front round surface of the Plunger (surface 36).
If you turn on the Entity Info dockable pane, you will be able to see which surfaces you are
choosing as you pick them. Use the Tools, Entity Info command to open up this pane.
Note: The surface will NOT change color (This has been done for this example to show
which surface to select), but the small Selected Marker (circle in above figure) will appear
in FEMAP to let you know the surface has been selected.
7.
Click the right mouse button on the highlighted Surface or anywhere in the graphics window.
When the context sensitive menu appears, choose the Load command.
This will bring up the Create Loads on Surfaces dialog box.
6-10
Step
UI
Command/Display
Tip: When the Select Toolbar has an Active entity type, a right mouse click in the graphics
window will always bring up the context sensitive menu for the Active Entity Type.
Because of this, you will not be able to use the normal right-mouse menu simply by clicking the right-mouse button. Instead you have to hold down the Alt key, then click the rightmouse button to get to the Quick Access Menu (normal right-mouse menu). When there is
no longer an Active Entity Type in the Select Toolbar, holding down Alt is not required.
Tip: You can also use icons from various toolbars to perform commands on the entities currently in the Selector. In this case, you could have used the Create Load on Surface icon on
the Loads Toolbar.
Create Load on Surface icon
8.
Create Loads on Surfaces dialog box:

Highlight Force from the selection list
9.
In Direction section, select Normal to Surface
10.
Enter 100 in Magnitude field of the Load section
11.
Click OK
6-11
What
Create a constraint set, then create pinned constraints on the surfaces of the rear holes of the Baselink.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
Model, Constraint, Create/Manage Set

Menu
2.

Click New Constraint Set, then...
3.

Title: Pinned
4.
Click OK, then...

Click Done
5.
Menu
Surfaces should still be the Active entity type in the Select Toolbar. If there is no Active
entity, use the Selector Entity menu on the Select Toolbar (first icon) to select Surface.
Tip: The Select Toolbar remembers the last entity type which was Active and a shortcut to
make that entity type Active again is to simply click the Selector Entity icon. Once you are
done using the Select Toolbar, click the icon again and it will toggle back to the no active
entity icon.
This is very helpful when going back and forth between using the Select Toolbar and using
FEMAP in the more traditional manner (i.e. selecting commands, then entities, then performing the actual command).
6-12
Step
UI
Command/Display
6.
Menu
Using the Selector Mode menu (second icon on the Select Toolbar), choose Select Multiple.
This will allow you to choose multiple entities of the current Active entity type and create a
Selection List. While not needed for this example, you can change the Active entity and
place multiple entities of different types into the same Selection List.
Tip: The Selection List can be viewed at the bottom of the Model Info tree. The entity types
currently in the Selection List will be listed and the number of each entity type currently in the
list will be shown in parenthesis after the entity type name
If you right-click any entity type in the Selection List, you will notice the same context sensitive menu will appear for each entity type, as appears when the entity type is active in the
Select Toolbar. This is an excellent way to access commonly used commands when you are
performing operations on different entity types.
Step
7.
UI
6-13
Command/Display
Pick the 4 surfaces of the rear holes of the Baselink (surfaces 1, 2, 31, and 32).
Note: The surfaces will NOT change color (This has been done for this example to show
which surfaces to select), but the small Selected Markers (circles in above figure) will
appear in FEMAP to let you know the surfaces have been selected.
8.
Click the right mouse button on any of the highlighted Surfaces or anywhere in the graphics
window. When the context sensitive menu appears, choose the Constraint command.
This will bring up the Create Constraints on Surfaces dialog box.
9.

Pinned - No Translation
10.
Click OK
6-14
Meshing the Model

You will be using the Model Info tree to select the solids to mesh and then a command from the Solid context sensitive
menu to mesh the assembly. This will reduce the number of commands needed to create the mesh by prompting you to create a material and automatically creating the correct type of property required for solid tetrahedral meshing.
What
Mesh the solids using the Model Info tree.
How
Step
1.
UI
Command/Display
In the Model Info tree:
Expand the Geometry branch (click on the + sign to the right of the title) to see the different Geometry entities (only Solids, Sheet Solids, and General Bodies are in the tree)
Highlight all of solids by selecting the first solid in the list (1..Baselink), then holding the
Shift key down and selecting the last solid in the list (3..Pin).
Meshing the Model
Step
2.
UI
6-15
Command/Display
Click the right mouse button on the highlighted Solids. When the context sensitive menu
appears, choose the Tet mesh command.
FEMAP will prompt you to make a material to be used for all of the selected Solids
3.

Click Load
4.

AISI 4340 Steel (select)
5.
Click OK, then...

Click OK
Tip: You will notice that the model has been sized for meshing. If you want to change the
mesh size to anything but the default values, you can do this by clicking the Update Mesh
Sizing button in the Automesh Solids dialog box.
For this example, the default mesh size is adequate.
6.
In the Automesh Solids dialog box:

OK
The model is now meshed and now is a good time to turn off the Geometry and some other
entities in the graphics window.
7.

OR
Press Crtl+Q
Step
6-16
UI
Command/Display
8.

Click All Off button
9.
CHECK Element box located in the Mesh section, then...
10.
Click Done
Notice: The Loads and Constraints are still applied to the model, they are just no longer
visible. For this example, we are turning them off now for Post-Processing after the model
has been solved.
THE MODEL IS NOW READY TO BE ANALYZED!
Analyzing the Glued Contact Model

The FEMAP analysis set manager stores the options for creating an input file for a solver (an analysis set). It can launch the
NX NASTRAN solver or another solver that has been set up to run on the same computer. The analysis manager, together
with VisQ, can also set up and run analyses with solvers on other computers.
The analysis sets are stored with the FEMAP model file, and can also be stored in a FEMAP library that can be accessed
from different model files.
What
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
Model, Analysis
Menu
Post-processing the Results of Glued Contact Analysis
Step
UI
6-17
Command/Display
Tip: You can also create a new Analysis Set using the Manage command on the context sensitive menu located on the Analyses branch in the Model Info tree (simply click to highlight
the top level of the Analyses branch or any existing Analysis Set, then right mouse click to see
the context sensitive menu).
2.

New
3.

Title: Glued Contact
4.
Select 36..NX Nastran from the Analysis Program drop-down list, then
Select 1.. Static from the Analysis Type drop-down list

5.
Click OK
Notice: The analysis set manager displays all analysis sets defined in the model, along with
the sections that make up the input file for the solver. Clicking on a plus sign will expand the
tree and display individual options that can be edited by double-clicking on an option.
For this analysis, youll use the default values for these options.
6.
Analyze
Notice: The Analysis Monitor window will display the status of the solve. Youll know that
the solve is done when the Messages dockable pane tells you that cleanup of the output set is
complete.
Post-processing the Results of Glued Contact Analysis

For this example, you will display the Deformed Shape and Contour Plot of the Solid von Mises Stress.
What
Display the deformed model and the Solid von Mises Stress.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
View, Select
Menu
6-18
Step
2.
UI
Command/Display
Choose Deform radio button in Deformed Style section
Choose Contour radio button in Contour Style section

3.
Click Deformed and Contour Data button
4.

Output Sets: 1..NX Nastran Case 1
In Output Vectors:
Deform: 1..Total Translation
Contour: 60031..Solid Von Mises Stress
5.
You can perform some other Post-processing commands on this model, then save the model. For some interesting Post-processing options for Solid Elements, such as Dynamic Cutting Plane and Dynamic Isosurface, see Example 7: Using postProcessing.
At this point, we will now modify the Connection Property and add a Constraint to run the Model again using Linear Contact instead of Glued Contact. To do this, you will again access a command via a context sensitive menu from the
Model Info tree.
Modifying the Connection Property

What
Modify the Connection Property using the Model Info tree.
6-19
How
Step
1.
UI
Command/Display
In the Model Info tree:
Expand the Connections branch (click on the + sign to the right of the title) to see the different Connection entities
2.
Expand the Properties branch to view the Connection Properties in the model
You will notice there is only one Connection Property in the model. You are going to modify
this property and then run the analysis again.
3.
Click the right mouse button on the highlighted Connection Property. When the context sensitive menu appears, choose the Edit command.
6-20
4.
Define Connection Property dialog box:

Change the Connect Type from 1..Glued to 0..Contact
Notice: The NX Linear tab is currently active. When you change the Connect Type from
1..Glued to 0..Contact certain fields are made inactive (grayed out) and other fields
become available.
5.
Click the Defaults button at the bottom of the Define Connection Property dialog box
This sets the default values for Linear Contact in NX Nastran.
6.
In the Contact Pair (BCTSET) section, enter the following value:

Friction: 0.4
7.
Select the 2..Calculated/Zero Penetrations option from the Initial Penetration drop-down
list in the Contact Property (BCTPARM) section.
8.
Click OK
Now you will return the model to a view where another constraint can be added easily.
What
Display only the Geometry, Loads and Constraints in an undeformed, uncontoured plot.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
View, Select
Menu
OR
Press F5
2.

Deformed Style: None - Model Only
Contour Style: None - Model Only
3.
Click OK
4.

OR
Press Crtl+Q
Step
5.
UI
Command/Display
UNCHECK Element box located in the Mesh section, then...
CHECK Geometry... header box (checks all constraint types)
CHECK Constraints... header box (checks all constraint types)
CHECK Loads... header box (checks all load types)
6.
Click Done
6-21
6-22
Applying additional Constraints for stability

You may need to place a few more constraints on the model to keep the Pin from sliding out of the holes in the Baselink
and the Plunger.
What
Create some sliding along surface constraints set on the two ends of the Pin
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
Menu
Surfaces might still be the Active entity type in the Select Toolbar depending on what other
post-processing you did on the Glued Contact model. If there is no Active entity, use the
Selector Entity menu on the Select Toolbar (first icon) to select Surface.
Tip: The Select Toolbar remembers the last entity type which was Active and a shortcut to
make that entity Active again is to simply click the Selector Entity icon. Once you are done
using the Select Toolbar, click the icon again and it will toggle back to the no active entity
icon.
2.
Clear the Selector using the Selector Clear icon (4th icon from the left on Select Toolbar).
This will clear the Selection List.

Tip: Along with clearing the entire Selection List, you can instead use the Clear Active Entity
command on the Selector Clear Menu.
This will only remove the entities from the Selection List which are the same entity type as
Active entity type in the Select Toolbar. This is very helpful if you are creating a large
Selection List with many different entity types.
3.

Pick the surfaces at each end of the Pin (surfaces 41 and 42).
If you turn on the Entity Info dockable pane, you will be able to see which surfaces you are
choosing as you pick them. Use the Tools, Entity Info command to open up this pane.
Tip: You may need to rotate the model to pick both of these surfaces. When the Select Toolbar has an Active entity type, you can rotate the model using by holding down the middle
mouse button or wheel and then moving the mouse around.
Analyzing the Linear Contact Model
Step
UI
Command/Display
4.
Click the right mouse button on any of the highlighted Surfaces or anywhere in the graphics
window. When the context sensitive menu appears, choose the Constraint command.
This will bring up the Create Constraints on Surfaces dialog box.
5.

Select Surface, then...
Select Allow Sliding only along Surface (Symmetry)
6.
Click OK
THE MODEL IS NOW READY TO BE ANALYZED!
Analyzing the Linear Contact Model

What
Analyzing the model via a context sensitive menu from the tree.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.
Model, Analysis
Menu
2.
6-23

Click Analyze
6-24
Step
UI
Command/Display
Tip: You can also get to an existing Analysis Set using the Manage command on the context
sensitive menu located on the Analyses branch in the Model Info tree (simply click to highlight the top level of the Analyses branch or any existing Analysis Set, then right mouse click
to see the context sensitive menu).
Also, if you already have an Analysis Set created, you can simply use the Analyze command
on the Analyses branch context sensitive menu. If you only have one analysis set, FEMAP
will run it from the top-level Analyses branch. If you have multiple Analysis Sets, select an
individual Analysis Set and then use the context sensitive menu to Analyze that set.
Notice: The Analysis Monitor window will display the status of the solve. Youll know that
the solve is done when the Messages dockable pane tells you that cleanup of the output set is
complete.
Post-processing the Results of Linear Contact Analysis

For this example, you will again display the Deformed Shape and Contour Plot of the Solid von Mises Stress.
What
Display the deformed model and the Solid von Mises Stress.
How
Step
UI
Command/Display
1.

OR
Press Crtl+Q
2.

Click All Off button
3.
CHECK Element box located in the Mesh section, then...
4.
Click Done
5.
View, Select
Menu
OR
Press F5
6.
Choose Deform radio button in Deformed Style section
Choose Contour radio button in Contour Style section
Post-processing the Results of Linear Contact Analysis
Step
UI
6-25
Command/Display
7.
Click Deformed and Contour Data button
8.

Output Sets: 2..NX Nastran Case 1
In Output Vectors:
Deform: 1..Total Translation
Contour: 60031..Solid Von Mises Stress
Notice: The displacements and stresses are quite a bit higher for the Linear Contact. This
is because the model was allowed to move much more compared to when the model was
Glued together.
9.
10.
Tools, Toolbars, Post (If the Post Toolbar is already visible just click the icons shown below)
Menu
This will bring up the Post Toolbar.
Click the Post Options icon

from the drop-down list
from the Post Toolbar and select Actual Deformation
Notice: This can also be accomplished by

1. Pressing the F6 key or using the View, Options menu
2. Selecting Postprocessing as the category
3. Highlighting Deformed Style in the Options list
4. Unchecking the % of Model (Actual) box
5. Clicking OK
It is much easier to use the Post Options menu on the Post Toolbar for this task
6-26
Step
11.
UI
Command/Display
Turn off the Filled Edges in the model using the View Style Menu on the View Toolbar.
Select Filled Edges from the View Style and the lines representing the elements will no longer
be visible. This cleans up the view somewhat for creating pictures.
Again, you can perform some other Post-processing commands on this model, then save the model. For some interesting
Post-processing options for Solid Elements, such as Dynamic Cutting Plane and Dynamic Isosurface, see Example 7: Using
post-Processing.
This is the end of the example. You dont need to save the model file.

Getting Started

Загружено:

Сведения о документе

Авторское право

Доступные форматы

Поделиться этим документом

Поделиться или встроить документ

Параметры публикации

Этот документ был вам полезен?

Это неприемлемый материал?

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

Getting Started

Загружено:

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

FEMAP

Proprietary and Restricted Rights Notice

(714) 952-5444, (800) 955-0000 (In US & Canada)

Shows text that you should type.

Shows a command name or text that you will see in a

Whats New in FEMAP

3. Analyzing Buckling for a Bracket

4. Analyzing a Beam Model

5. Analyzing a Midsurface Model of an Electrical Box

6. Analysis of a Simple Assembly

Import or Create Geometry

Build a Finite Element Model

Check Your Model

Analyze Your Model

Import or Create Geometry

Build a Finite Element Model

Check Your Model

Analyze Your Model

Using the FEMAP Examples Guide

Using the FEMAP Examples Guide

Working through the Examples

Analyzing Buckling for a Bracket

Analyzing a Beam Model

Analyzing a Midsurface Model of an Electrical Box

Analysis of a Simple Assembly

Using the Examples

Pick an item from a pull-down menu on a dialog box.

Pick an item from a list.

Enter a value into a field on a dialog box.

Pick a radio button.

Check an item on or off in a dialog box.

Pick with the left mouse button.

Pick with the right mouse button.

Hold the Control key, then pick the letter key.

Pick the function key.

The FEMAP Documentation Set

The FEMAP Documentation Set

FEMAP Examples: Step-by-step examples for new users.

FEMAP Commands: Detailed information on how to use FEMAP commands.

Whats New: New features for this release.

Memory, (Hard Disk)

Memory, (Hard Disk)

Installation - Stand Alone

Setup Program Execution

Setup Program Execution

Nodelocked Dongle Rainbow SuperPro

Network Client FLEXlm

WebKey Access Code

Obtaining Upgrade Codes or a new License File

Access Code 1: 08aeca3f0f52639179

Obtaining a License File

Installing the FLEXlm License Manager

Configuring the FLEXlm License Manager

Once LMTOOLS is running, select the Config Services Tab.

Answer Yes to:

Configuring Network Client Machines

Configuring Network Client Machines

Monitoring Network Usage

Copying FEMAP from one machine to another

Starts FEMAP without the splash screen.

-SE Solid Edge_file

Errors Starting FEMAP

Choose Server or File

LM_LICENSE_FILE environmental variable error: