Femap Basic - Day 1

Femap Training
Basic Course
Femap with Nastran - Basic

Day 1 Agenda
Modeling Procedures in Femap
Exercise 1 Analyzing a Solid Part
Femap User interface and the On-Line Help

View and Display options
Exercise 2 User Interface
Defining and modifying materials, defining properties
Exercise 3 Analyzing a Beam Model
Mesh Sizing and Meshing
Exercise 4 - Beam/Plate Meshing
Mesh Toolbox and Geometry Subdivision Tools
Exercise 5 - Interactive Meshing and Geometry Manipulation
Femap with NX Nastran - Basic
UGS Corp. 2006. All rights reserved.
1-2
Femap Basic
Preferences
1-3
Femap Preferences
Used to configure Femap for optimum performance and the way
you prefer to work
Preferences are stored in the femap.ini file in Femap folder
Set File, Preferences
Messages
Views
Render
User Interface
Database
Geometry
Interfaces
Library/Startup
Colors
Spaceball
1-4
Femap Preferences
(continued)
Many Femap preferences will take effect immediately after they
have been set, but in some cases you will need to close and reopen Femap for the changes to take effect
Examples of when Femap needs to be restarted to take
effect include:
Debug messages turned on for Render graphics
Performance Cache Pages and Blocks/Page have been changed
Fonts changed for the Messages Window, etc.
1-5
Femap Preferences
Messages and Views
The Messages tab sets the fonts and
colors in this window

The Views tab allows to:
Startup View for new Femap model
Picture Copy and Save Defaults
Background Bitmap or Logo
Set view Options for
Alternate Fill Mode
Workplane
Alternate Contour Palette - sets
blue as the lowest color

Views of Existing Models ratio
2D Tensor Plot - settings
Specify View and Dynamic Rotation
options.
1-6
Femap Preferences
Render
Render mode is a high-speed
graphics mode based on OpenGL
Render dialog box controls the level
of functionality while in Render

mode
Hardware Acceleration can be
toggled off if the graphics card,
or it's drivers are causing
instability in Femap
Including less entities with the
Include In Dynamic Rotation
option will speed up dynamic
rotation of large models
1-7
Graphics Card Performance

Considerations
Desktop area resolution should be taken into consideration when
using Femap
Having a very fine screen resolution can increase the time
animations need to generate and the time individual windows need

to refresh.
If Femap appears to be having graphics errors, it could be the driver
for your graphics card - Update the drivers for your graphics
card often!
Drivers from the manufacturers of the graphics card chipset tend
to be more stable then the drivers from the maker of the
graphics card. (e.g. use an ATI or nVidia driver vs an ASUS
driver)
1-8
Femap Preferences
User Interface
User Interface sets preferences for
Alternate Color Schemes,
Autorepeat Create Commands,

Number of Recently Used Files
Remember Dialog Positions tells
Femap to remember where a

user has placed a specific dialog
box on the screen (during the
current Femap session).
Dockable Panes can be set to
animate the fly-out or simply pop-up.

Show Entities Defaults sets default
highlighting settings
Use to save and load layouts of
Toolbars and Dockable Pane(s)

1-9
Femap Preferences
Database
Defines various Database memory
settings
Data Memory Limit sets to 20% of
the RAM memory in the computer.

Changing 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
Set Cache Pages, Blocks/Page
Max Cached Label for improved

RAM management and
performance
Open/Save Method
1-10
Femap Preferences
Database (continued)
Specify Scratch Directory for the
location of the temp, scratch, and

recovery files Femap writes out
(TEMP by default)
Recover Scratch Directory for
use when the model has been

corrupted during the File, Save
command.
1-11
Femap Preferences
Geometry/Model
Select between the Standard or
Parasolid geometry, Parasolid

engine is recommended.
The Solid Geometry Scale Factor
is used to convert your model

units into meters
If you use inch units, there are
39.37 inches/meter and Femap

uses this number as scale factor to
store geometry in the model
database (1 inch = .0254 meters).
1-12
Femap Preferences
Geometry/Model (continued)
The Alternate Section Property
Calculator can be turned on in

this dialog box. For this option
Femap will use another method
to calculate beam section
properties which in certain cases
will be more accurate than the
standard method.
The tetrahedral and surface
meshing in FEMAP has changed

in version 10. These two
switches allow to always use the
"pre-v10" tetrahedral and/or
surface meshing from previous
versions.
1-13
Femap Preferences
The Element Distortion sets default values used when checking
element distortion, using Tools, Check, Distortion
1-14
Femap Preferences
The Output Orientation allows to choose the default orientation of
the "X" direction for different types of output for different element
1-15
Femap Preferences
Interfaces
Interfaces sets the default
analysis interface
Setting File Reference Options
Femap will check if imported

Geometry, Analysis Input Files,
and/or Analysis Results have
been modified when a Femap
model is opened.
Use the File, References
command to check references

during a Femap session.
1-16
Femap Preferences
Library/Startup, and Colors
Library/Startup preferences
specify Femap library files

Objects saved such as Views,
Materials, Properties, etc. can

be saved into the preferred
libraries
1-17
Femap Preferences
Library/Startup, and Colors
Colors preferences allow you to select the default colors for entities
Spaceball preferences set scale factors for sensitivity control
1-18
Femap Basic
Modeling Procedures
1-19
Modeling Procedures in Femap

Femap Modeling Process Flow
Femap Model Objects and Commands
1-20
Femap Modeling Process Flow

Geometry
Geometry, Solid
Geometry - > Midsurface
Material
Property
Model, Material
Model, Property
Mesh
Constraints and Loads
Mesh, Mesh Control

Mesh, Geometry
Model, Constraint
Model, Load
Analyze
Postprocess
Model, Analysis
View, Select (F5)
1-21
Femap Model Objects and

Commands - Geometry
Geometry
Import Geometry
File, Import Geometry
File, References
Create Geometry
Geometry, commands
Modify Geometry
Geometry, commands
Modify, commands
Direct CAD geometry interfaces

Solid Edge, NX (Unigraphics and I-deas), ProE, CATIA, SolidWorks
Industry standard CAD geometry Interfaces

Parasolid, ACIS, IGES, STEP, STL
Femap geometry creation and editing

Points, 2D and 3D curves
Surfaces
Solid creation and editing operations
Midplane surface extraction and editing
1-22
Femap Geometry Engine

Femaps geometry engine is Parasolid
Femap is unitless, but Parasolid default unit is meter
Set the Solid Geometry Scale Factor in Femap via the File,
Preferences, Geometry command
Setting Solid Geometry Scale Factor

e.g. 1000 indicates that the length
units for this model are in mm
The File, References command tracks the source file of the imported
geometry and will prompt the user to update a Femap model that has
its source geometry file modified when the Femap model is opened.
1-23
Femap Model Objects and Commands

Materials and Properties
Materials
Model, Material commands
Properties
Model, Property commands
Isotropic
Line
2D and 3D
Plane
Orthortropic and
Anisotropic
Hyperelastic,
Volume
Other
Fluid,
Other Types -
analysis program
specific types
(LS-Dyna,
Abaqus, Marc)
1-24

Commands Boundary Conditions
Boundary Conditions
Constraints
Loads
Model, Constraint commands
Model, Load commands
Femap models can contain multiple Constraint and Load Sets

Constraints and Loads can be assigned to geometry or meshes
For loads, Model Info window allows:
Creation, editing, highlighting, and deletion of load sets.
Creation and editing of Body, Nonlinear, Dynamic and Heat Transfer
loads and settings
1-25

Commands Meshing
Mesh
Mesh Control and Multielement Meshing
Mesh, Mesh Control,
Mesh, Geometry commands
Single Nodes
Model, Node
Single Elements
Model, Element
1-26

Commands - Postprocessing
Analyze and Visualize Results
Analyze
Model, Analysis
View Results (Post-process)

View, Select (F5)
View, Options (F6)
View, Advanced Post,
commands
Report
List, Output, commands
Data Table operations
1-27
Femap Basic
Exercise 1 Analyzing a Solid Part
1-28
Femap Basic
Femap User interface and the On-Line Help
1-29
Femap Main Window Layout

Femap Main Menu
Femap Title Bar

(active Model and View listed)
Toolbars
Named Tab for graphics windows
Femap Graphics window
Docked and Tabbed

(retracted) dockable
panes
Floatable, dockable pane
Femap Status Bar

Femap Trays
1-30
Graphics Windows
Multiple Models can be opened with multiple views
A single model with multiple views has the view name displayed in the
view tab
When multiple models are open, each view has their view tab displayed
as [Model Name] : [View Name]
View information stored separately for each Window.
Can change view options for only one view or all views at one time.
1-31
Graphics Windows (continued)

True Windows - provide easy transfer from Femap to other Windows
programs.
Cut and Paste
Windows Metafiles
AVI, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, GIF/Animated GIF and BITMAP files
When in render mode (default):

Rotate the model by pressing and dragging in the graphics window.
Zoom the model by holding down the shift key while pressing and
dragging in the graphics window.

Pan the model by pressing holding down the CTRL key and dragging in
the graphics window.
1-32
Femap Main Menus

Access to all commands through
drop-down menus.
Lists Short-Cut Keys and shows
icons on menu (includes userdefined shortcut keys and icons,

when assigned)
1-33
Toolbars
Dockable Toolbars
Toolbars can be
docked anywhere around the perimeter of the

main Femap window.
When docked, toolbars can be placed next to
one another or stacked on top of one

another.
Floating Toolbars
Toolbars can be peeled off the perimeter of
the main Femap window and made to float

anywhere within the main Femap window.
Floating toolbars can be reshaped by placing
the cursor on the edge of the toolbar and then
dragging the toolbar into the desired shape.
1-34
Customizing Toolbars
Pressing on the
customize triangle which

allows you to Add or
Remove Buttons to the
toolbar
Toolbars, Customize
command contains more

options
1-37
Select Toolbar
Select Toolbar allows to
select entities one at a time or create a list of selected entities
to choose entities of different types first and then perform multiple
commands on the selected entities

Select Toolbar is essential to the use of Entity Editor and Data Table
Select Toolbar consists of 5 items
Selector Entity Menu
Selector Modes Menu

Selector Actions Menu
Selector Clear (Clear current selection list)
Snap Modes (Snap to Screen, Snap to Grid, Snap to Point, Snap to Node)
1-40
Select Toolbar Selector Entity
This menu allows you to choose type of entity to
select.
Selected entity type will be marked with a check
mark in an orange square (depends on color

scheme)
Selector Entity icon visible on the toolbar will
change to the icon of the current entity type

being selected
The entity types are separated into geometric
entities, connections, finite element entities and

text
1-41
Select Toolbar
Selector Modes Menu
Different modes to select entities,
create selection list and modify

selection list
Add To Selection - Adds entities to the
current selection list when Select

Multiple is active or simply chooses
entities when Select Single Item is
active which is default
Remove From Selection - Removes
entities from the current selection list

when Select Multiple is active. Only
allows selection of entities currently in
the selection list. Does not highlight
anything when Select Single Item is
active
1-42
Select Toolbar
Selector Modes Menu (continued)
Normal - Highlights entities which are
selectable when the cursor is placed

over a specific entity (default mode)
Query - Allows you to choose a position
on the screen near the entity you wish

to select, then select all the entities from
the list
Front - always selects the entity closest
to the front of the screen.
1-43
Select Toolbar
Select Any Inside - box pick mode which
means that any entity touched by the

outline of a selection box, circle, polygon,
and freehand picking will be included in
the selection when Select Multiple is
active.
Select All Inside - pick mode which selects
only entities completely inside the box will

be included in the selection.
Select Related - selects ALL other entities
that are related to the selected entities

and places them in the selection list.
1-44
Select Toolbar
Select Single Item - restricts selection
to only one item at a given time with

edition by Entity Editor
Select Multiple - Allows you to create a
Selection List which can contain

multiple entities of one type or multiple
entity types
1-45
Select Toolbar
Show Tooltips - will activate useful
information about the entity currently

highlighted
When entity selection is set to e.g. Node,
the Tooltip will contain Node Number,

Coordinates, Definition Coordinate
System, and Output Coordinate System.
When post-processing, the output results
will appear in the Tooltip for highlighted
nodes.
Pressing the left mouse button, the
information will be sent to Entity Editor

and/or Data Table dockable panes, when
they are unlocked.
1-46
Select Toolbar
Contains different Actions for Selector
Box, Circle rectangular or circular
selection to pick multiple entities at

once
Polygon - multi-sided shape area for
selection of multiple entities at once

Freehand - freehand sketched area
for selection of multiple entities at

once.
Works very similar to the Polygon
mode, but the shape is not limited to
the use of only straight lines.
1-47
Select Toolbar
Different Actions for Selector (cont.)
Coordinate - entity selection using
combination of X,Y, and/or Z values from

selected coordinate system.
Around Point - entity selection using each
entity's position in 3-D space in relation to

a specified point in 3-D space
Around Vector - entity selection using each

a specified vector
Around Plane - entity selection using each

a specified plane
1-48
Select Toolbar
Selector Actions Menu (continued)
Grow - adds the elements surrounding the
currently selected elements to the selection

list
Shrink - Removes the outer-most layer of
selected elements from the selection list.

Works in the reverse direction as the Grow
command.
Initial Selection
1st Growth Iteration
2nd Growth Iteration
1-49
Select Toolbar
Dialog - brings up the specific Femap
Entity Selection dialog box for the entity

currently active in the selector
Create Group - brings up the Save
Selection as Group dialog box. Allows

you to create a new group or to add,
remove, or exclude the entities in the
Selection List from the active group.
Load Group - Allows you to add the
entities of any existing group to the

current Selection List.
1-50
Select Toolbar
Export Neutral - export a FEMAP
neutral file containing all of the entities

currently in the Selection List
Copy - copy all of the entities in the
Selection List and Paste then into a

different model.
Paste - paste a copied Selection List
into different model.
1-51
Select Toolbar
Add to Data Table - all of the entities
in the Selection List that are active

in the Selector will be sent Data
Table.
Data Table MUST be unlocked in
order for this command to be

available
1-52
Select Toolbar
Context Sensitive Menus
Only active entity in the
selector will be available for

picking in the graphics
window.
By pressing the right mouse
button Context Sensitive

commands will be available
1-53
Select Toolbar
Clear Selector Options
Two options for clearing a Selection List:
Clear All clears the entire Selection List
Clear Active Entity clears only the active Selector Entity
Since the Selector Entity is

set to Elements, Clear Active
Entity reomves only the three
(3) elements from the
Selection List
1-54
Dockable Panes
Four standard panes
Model Info Tree
Entity Editor
Messages Window
Data Table
Five other dockable
panes
Program File
API Programming
Meshing Toolbox
Data Surface Editor
Entity Info
Can be turned on and off
using the Tools menu

Panes can be resized when
docked or floating
1-55
Dockable Panes
Display Configurations
Panes can be shown on
the screen in a few

different configurations
Floating, Docked
Docked and Stacked
(press Tab to activate

Pane)
Docked and Tabbed
The Push Pin Icon is used to toggle a
dockable pane from simply Docked

to Docked and Tabbed.
1-56
Dockable Panes - Positioning

Docking position
indicators are used to

position Dockable
Panes in specific
places in the interface
and can also be used
to stack the panes
Docking position
indicators only appear

when a dockable pane
is being dragged from
one position to
another
1-57
Messages Window
Turn on and off by Tools, Other Windows, Messages menu
Provides Femap information on commands
List and error information
Undock Window by double-click on the Title Bar, return to previous
docked size by double-clicki Title Bar again.

Copy or Save Information from List
Highlight and Cut, Save to File
1-58
Messages Window Other Options

Format contents of the Messages
window with the context sensitive

pop-up menu (right-mouse press).
1-59
Entity Editor
Turn on and off with the Tools, Entity Editor
Provides information of specific entities in
Femap displayed using different types of

fields
Numeric Value - Enables you to enter a
numeric value for a specific field

Text - Text can be typed directly into these
fields.
Drop-down menu button - lists options for
that can be selected for a particular field

Options button - brings up the color palette
or a dialog box that is used to change the
information in that specific field.
Read Only - Cannot be changed.
1-60
Entity Editor
Entities can be sent to the Entity Editor using the following entry
methods:
Select Toolbar - When activated, the last chosen entity will
appear in the Entity Editor pane.
Data Table pane - Once the Data Table has entity data in it, every
time a row containing entity data in the table is highlighted, it will
appear in the Entity Editor.
Model Info tree - When an entity in the tree is highlighted, it will
appear in the Entity Editor (Analyses and entities in the Selection
List from the tree will not populate the Entity Editor when
highlighted)
1-61
Entity Editor
Icons
Lock/Unlock Toggle
when unlocked, the Entity Editor will always display the entity that was
last selected using an entity entry method
when locked, the data in the Entity Editor will remain there until the
pane is unlocked
Copy to Clipboard
copies the current data in the Entity Editor to the clipboard so it can be
pasted into the Messages Window or an outside program
Clear All
clears the contents of Entity Editor window, does not delete the entity
Categorized
default listing method of the Entity Editor
1-62
Entity Editor
Icons
Alphabetic
Displays all the fields without any categories in alphabetical order
Collapse/Expand All
Collapses or expands ALL categories in the Entity Editor at once
Reload From Model
Reloads the Entity Editor fields with the values that are currently in the
model for the chosen entity
Use this to recover the original values for all the fields, except for
modifications made with a prior Update Model action.
Update Model
Applies any changes made in the Entity Editor to a chosen entity and
saves the changes to the model database
1-63
Model Info Tree

Quick access to top-level entities in Femap
Top-level items found in the tree include
Coordinate Systems
Geometry Solids Only
Connections Properties, Regions, Connectors
Model Functions, Materials, Properties, Load
Sets, Constraint Sets, and Contact Surfaces

Analyses Analysis Sets
Results Output Sets
Views
Groups
Layers
1-65
Model Info Tree

Selection List
Selection List created when Select Multiple is
active in the Select Toolbar

Lists each entity type currently in the selection set
Displays the number of entities of each entity type
in parentheses
Context-Sensitive menus available for each item
in the Model Tree by highlighting an item then

pressing the right mouse button
Active Entity of each entity type is displayed with
Blue text in the tree
1-66
Model Info Tree

Icons
Collapse/Expand All - collapses or expands ALL categories in the
Model Info tree at once
Reload From Model - Reloads the Model Info tree with all current
information from the model. Always collapses the whole tree
completely.
Send To Data Table - Sends selected data to the Data Table pane
for sorting, filtering, and evaluation. Data Table MUST be open and
unlocked for this icon to be used.
Show When Selected - toggle on/off

and settings for highlighting of selected
objects
1-67
Model Info Tree

Context Sensitive Menus
Context-Sensitive menus
are available for each

item in the Model Tree
For context sensitive
commands which require

multiple entities (e.g.
MultiSet Animate)
activate them using
CTRL and SHIFT keys
Select individual
entities using CTRL key

Hold down the SHIFT
key and select a first
entity and a last entity
1-68
Data Table
Use Tools, Data Table command to turn the Data Table on and off
Data is placed into an interactive, dynamically changing table using
various methods to fill the table

Each item appears as a single row separated into a number of columns
when it enters the Data Table

Information of entities of the same type can be sorted, filtered, and
evaluated
In many ways, the Data Table is a complement to the other dockable panes
and can also simply be an alternate method to list and view entity data
1-69
Status Bar and Tray
Contained at bottom of Femap Main Window

Provides running total of nodes and elements in model
Short description of commands when in the menu structure of
Femap or positioned over icon

Tray on Right
Provides Access to Current Entities
Displays Active Property, Load Set, Constraint Set, Group and
Output Set
Change Current Entity or create a new one
1-70
Entity Selection Dialog Box
The Entity Selection dialog box is used by commands to build
a list of entity IDs that will be used for the operation.

Add/ Remove graphically and using Methods adding or removal of
entity IDs to the list of IDs.

Exclude - to exclude entity IDs permanently from the list
Delete command will delete the entity ID from the list
Method - additional methods which will vary depending on the
entity type
Pick - to select by box, polygon, etc.
Preview button
graphically highlights selected entities
1-71
Right Mouse Button
Provides quick and convenient access to common

commands
OK and Cancel for commands and dialog boxes
Previous Command - recalls last executed command
Setup, display or change Workplane.
Show Tooltips shows information for a highlighted
entity in a Tooltips window

Snap to and Pick Options - Snap To, Pick Query, Pick
Any Inside, Pick All Inside, Select

Change method of entity selection
Query selection and front screen picking
Available while in a command
1-72
Right Mouse Button - continued

Equations
Brings up the Equation Editor in Femap (a field must
be highlighted in a dialog box for this option to be

available).
Visibility, Post, and XY Data
Convenient method of changing view parameters

Shortcut access to Post Data and XY Data for
results evaluation
1-73
Shortcut Keys
Femap contains preprogrammed shortcut keys for commonly used
commands.
F5 - View Select, F6 - View Options, F8 - View Rotate, Ctrl+D - View
Redraw, Ctrl+A - View Autoscale Visible, Ctrl+G - View Regenerate,

Ctrl+Z - Undo, and Many More. (See Appendix A of User Guide)
Preprogrammed Keys shown on Menu Structure.
Dialogue Box Keys available when in a command
Ctrl+A - Measure an Angle
Ctrl+C - Windows Copy
Ctrl+D - Measure a Distance
Ctrl+Z - Use Standard Coordinate Selection Dialog Box to define
location
And Many More (See Appendix A of User Guide)
1-74
Creating Customized Shortcut Keys

From any toolbar select Add or
Remove Buttons, Customize, then

choose the Keyboard and
Category then highlight the
command.
Once the command is highlighted,
press in the Press new shortcut

key field and press a key or
keyboard combination.
After you have chosen the correct
key or keyboard combination,

press the Assign button.
1-75
On-Line Help
Menu Help - Femap provides description of each command while
pointing at it or accessing it on the Status Bar .

Help is also context sensitive
Access a command
Hit F1 to access HELP
Shift + F1 to choose a command with the Whats This? cursor
- Help Window will appear with description of the current command.
1-76
Femap Help Menu

Full on-line help system accessed through the
Help Menu
Toolbars, Dockable Panes, NX Nastran, Analysis
Whats New , Examples, Using Help
Programming access the API Programming
Guide
Basic Language access when the API
Programming window is open
Tip of the Day
Femap on the Web (opens Femap website on
computers with internet access)
Technical Support
About shows licensing info and allows input of
new license keys for dongle-based licenses
1-77
Femap Basic
Exercise 2 User Interface and Viewing
1-78
Femap Basic
Materials Supported by Femap

Isotropic
Properties are constant in all directions (values entered as a single value)
Orthotropic
Direction dependent, define in two planer or three principle directions
Anisotropic
Properties specified as a general 3x3 (2-D) or 6x6 (3-D) elasticity matrix
Hyperelastic
Materials subject to large deformations
Input distortional and volumetric deformations or stress/strain data.
Other Types
Unique material types for LS-DYNA, MARC, and ABAQUS/Explicit.
User Defined material types for custom program interfaces.
1-80
Defining Materials
Use Model, Material for new materials creation or in
Model Info right-click on the Material and select New

Default material type is Isotropic
To select different material model, choose Type
1-81
Defining Materials (continued)

To enter values for material
properties
Type values directly into the
fields provided or access the

material library by selecting
the Load button
Function References,
Nonlinear, Creep,
Electrical/Optical and/or
Phase information can also
entered in this dialog box by
pressing on the
corresponding tab
1-82
Other Types of Materials

Other Type materials are solver specific materials
1-83
Modifying Materials
Modify, Edit, Material
Specify the Material ID you
want to edit; or
Use Method to select a
material by Element, etc
Modify field in the Define
Material
Model Info window right-click
on individual material to be
edited
Right-clicking on Materials
tree will select ALL materials

for editing.
1-84
Defining Properties
Property defines the element shape and
associated material
Create new properties using Model, Property
or in the Model Info window, right-click on the

Property object and select New.
Default property (element type) is Plate.
Other types are selected with
Elem/Property Type dialog box.
Properties define additional analysis
information for each element type, and are

controlled by the element type.
1-85
Defining Properties
Property data includes (depending on element shape)
Material selection
Geometric information (thickness, radii, areas, etc.)
Mass and inertia
Stress Recovery Points
1-86
Bar and Beam Properties

For Elem/Property types Bar, Beam or Curved Beam
Enter values directly or
Use the Shape button
1-87
Bar and Beam Shape Input

Choose Standard or NASTRAN shape
Enter appropriate values for a shape and determine stress recovery points
Choose General Section in Shape to select any surface as the cross section
Beam properties will be automatically calculated by pressing OK.
1-88
Modifying Beam
Orientation and Offsets
Beam nodes are located by default at the beam centroid
Offsets can be preset when creating or editing a beam element.
Mesh, Mesh Control, Attributes on Curve has options to preset beam
Offset(s) and Orientation.

Use Modify, Update Elements, Orientation/Offsets to change
orientation/offset of the selected beam elements
1-89
Modify, Update Elements

Commands
Reassign Element Properties
Beam settings
Plate settings
Order linear/parabolic
elements
1-90

Commands (continued)
Type modify type of elements by property
Formulation modify formulation of elements
of the same type

Property ID choose new property of same
type for elements

Material ID choose new material for
selected physical property

Line Element Orientation update beam/bar
element orientations
Line Element Offsets update beam/bar
element offsets
Line Element Reverse Direction reverse
beam/bar element axial direction

Beam/Bar Releases update beam/bar
element end releases

1-91

9. Beam Warping update beam warping as
defined using NASTRAN SPOINTs

10. Remove Cross Section removes beam/bar
element section shape; retains properties

11. Reverse Normal /Orient First Edge reverse
element normal direction for planar and solids

12. Material Angle updates the element material
orientation angle for planar and axisymmetric

elements
13. Split quads splits quads into triangles
14. Adjust Plate Thickness/Offset enables to
adjust the thickness or the offsets of the

selected plate elements
1-92

15. Linear/Parabolic Order change between
linear and parabolic elements
16. Midside Nodes moves midside node to
midpoint of edge
17. Rigid Thermal Expansion allows you to
change the Coefficient of Thermal
Expansion (CTE) for existing rigid elements
in your model
1-93
Modify, Update Elements, Adjust

Plate Command
To modify Element Offsets and/or Thicknesses of plate elements
Modify Offset distance of the selected plate elements
By default, nodes are located at the midplane (1/2 the thickness) of
shell elements
Use the Mesh, Mesh Control, Attributes on Surface to preset the offset
Change the Thickness of the selected elements, including creating
and/or modifying variable thickness shells

Automatically creates new
Properties for the variable

thickness
1-94
Exercise 3
Analyzing a Beam Model
Run Femap Example 11 Analyzing a Beam Model
1-95
Femap Basic
Meshing
1-96
Mesh Control
Mesh, Mesh Control creates
settings
Toggle Mesh Size symbols with the
View Style, Mesh Size icon on the

View toolbar
Many of these commands are on
the Mesh toolbar
1-97
Mesh, Mesh Control Commands

Mesh, Mesh Control, Default Size
Used to define the default element
size and along curves that have

no other sizing specified
Mesh, Mesh Control, Size.
At Point, used to specify the size
along any curve that references

that point, and does not already
have a size specified
Along Curve, specifies the
element size or number of
elements to be placed and how
they will be spaced along the
curve.
1-98
Mesh, Mesh Control,
Size. commands
On Surface, used to
specify the size on all of

the curves referenced by
the surface and gives
other options for
controlling the mesh on
the surface
1-99
Mesh, Mesh Control,
Size. commands
On Solid, provides the
same basic mesh

control as the
previous, but also has
additional options that
pertain primarily to
multi-solid meshing
and hex meshing.
1-100

(continued)
Mesh, Mesh Control, Interactive, allows you to interactively modify
existing mesh sizes along one or more curves
Add: The current curve mesh size is increased by the number of
elements specified
Subtract: The current curve mesh size is decreased by the number of
elements specified. It is not reduced below 1.
Set To: The curve mesh size is set to the number of elements specified.
1-101

(continued)
Mesh, Mesh Control, Custom Size
Along Curve, can be used to place

nodes at specific locations along
curves and match one curve mesh
sizing to another
Mesh, Mesh Control, Mapped
Divisions on Surface allows to

specify divisions for a mesh on 3
and 4 sided surfaces.
Mesh, Mesh Control, Mesh Points
on Surface, defines specific

locations on a surface
where nodes will be
created when the
surface is meshed.
1-102

(continued)
Mesh, Mesh Control, Attributes
At Point, used to assign meshing properties to points, so that when
the points are meshed, the properties will automatically be assigned

to the points.
Along Curve, in addition to specifying the property to be used, there
are additional options, like element orientation, releases, and offsets.
On Surface, most commonly used for assigning plate properties to
surfaces, and should be used when meshing multiple surfaces with
different properties in one meshing operation. Includes ability to preassign plate offsets to surface
On Volume/Solid, are much the same as the above, only applies to
volumes/solids.
1-103

(continued)
Mesh, Mesh Control, Approach on Surface, used to specify how,
Femap will create a free/boundary mesh or a mapped mesh

Automatic point selection for Mapped Four Corner (Femap
V10.1.1 and above)
1-104
Setting Mesh Sizing on Solids

Solid Mesh Sizing setup
Set mesh size on solid first
Set mesh size on surface(s) to override the mesh size on the
selected surface(s)
Set mesh size on curves to override the previously set mesh sizes
on the selected curve(s)
1-105
Geometry Meshing
Points, Curves and Surfaces
Mesh, Geometry, Point will generate nodes (and elements for 0D
element types such as Mass Elements) at the selected points.

Allows you to specify the beginning node and element ID.
Mesh, Geometry, Curve

Creates a mesh of nodes and 1-D elements along a curve.
Mesh, Geometry, Surface - creates nodes and planar elements on
selected surfaces
Must first define the mesh sizing using one of the various Mesh Control
commands.
There are also basic Mesh Control options on the Automesh form, as
well as Mesh Smoothing, and Element Shape options.
1-106
Geometry Meshing
Volumes and Solids
Mesh, Geometry, Volume - creates nodes and elements in a
selected set of volumes

Since this command uses a mapped meshing technique, the number of
nodes/elements along opposite faces of a volume must always be

equal.
Mesh, Geometry, Solid - produces a 3-D solid tetrahedral mesh in a
solid part
Mesh, Geometry, Solids From Elements - meshes a plate element
mesh that encloses a volume into a solid element mesh
1-107
Solids Hex Meshing

Semi Automatic Hex Meshing
Femap can automatically hex mesh solids that
are valid mapped meshing solids.
Preparing the solid for Hex Meshing

Begin by slicing the solid into simple sections
that are extrudable.

Slicing and sectioning the geometry is
accomplished using Geometry, Solid, Slice,

Slice Match, Slice Along Face, and Embed
Face commands.
Meshing the Solids
Use Mesh Control to set the size and link the
adjacent surfaces
Then Mesh, Geometry, Hex Mesh Solids
1-108
Exercise 4 Beam/Plate Meshing

In this example we will read in simplified wireframe geometry of the
following assembly.
The top plate will be modeled with plate elements, and the underlying
support beams will be modeled with beam elements.
2-109
Femap Basic
Meshing Toolbox (Femap V10 and above)
1-110
Version 10 User Interface
Meshing Toolbox
V10 Meshing
Meshing Toolbox (1)

Visibility controls of various tools
Entity Locator controls
Mesh Quality visualization toggle
Auto Remesh or User Controlled
V10 Meshing
Meshing Toolbox (2)

Toggle All Tools
Access to all tools using Feature Type
and Action
Select or Dialog Select options
V10 Meshing
Meshing Toolbox - Tools

Use Locator to quickly find undesirable
geometric features in the model
V10 Meshing

Locator, Search For, Curves
Search Method
Short Edges
Free Edges
NonManifold Edges
From Group
Based On
Global Mesh Size
Curve Length
Shortest Curves
% of Mesh Size
V10 Meshing

Locator, Search For, Surfaces
Search Method
Surface Geometry
From Group
Small Surfaces
Fit In Radius
Slivers
Sliver Tolerance
Spikes
Spike Width
By Area
Area Less Than
V10 Meshing

Feature Removal
Feature Type (Select First)
Loops
Curves
Surfaces
Limit Size
Agresive Removal
V10 Meshing

Combine / Composite Curves
Action (Select First)
Add By Point
Add Curves
Split At
Remove
Delete
Select Entity
Combine Surfaces
Automatic combine
V10 Meshing

Using Combined Curves and
Combine Surface
Locator, Search For, Curves
Search Method
Short Edges (1 Curve)
One edge broken
Initial Mesh
V10 Meshing

Check Mesh Quality
Remesh Entities using
Combined, Add By Point and

Combine Surfaces
V10 Meshing

Check Mesh Quality
Remesh Entities using Combined,
Add Curves and Combine

Surfaces
V10 Meshing

Check Mesh Quality
Remesh Entities using change of
edge Mesh Sizing
Femap Basic
Geometry Subdivision Tools
(Femap V10 and above)
1-123
Geometry Manipulation

Geometry Curve From
Surfaces with new specific tools

for updating geometry for
meshing
Split at Locations
Offset Curve/Washer
Pad
Point to Point
Point to Edge
Edge to Edge

Geometry Curve From Surfaces, Offset Curve/Washer specific
tools for updating geometry for meshing

Washer burns a concentric circle around existing planar hole
No Split Lines versus Split Lines


Offset Curve works with non-planar or non-circular holes
No Split Lines versus Split Lines


Offset Curve works with non-planar

Geometry Curve From Surfaces, Pad imprints orthogonal
shapes around a circular or close to circular hole to achieve better

mesh transitions from hole to linear edges
Without Pad
With Pad

Geometry Curve From Surfaces
Combining Washer and Pad
Pad Options, by default length/witdh of the
pad is 2.0 times the selected hole radius
Face Splitting Tools

Point to Point
Point to Edge
Edge to Edge

Point to Point
Point to Edge
Edge to Edge

Geometry Curve From Surfaces,
Point to Point
Point to Edge
Edge to Edge
Model Mesh after using Geometry Subdivision Tools

Default Mesh without any changes versus
Default Mesh after geometry update using subdivision and
splitting tools
Femap Basic
Exercise 5 Interactive Meshing and Geometry
Manipulation
1-134

Femap Basic - Day 1

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Femap Training

Femap with Nastran - Basic

Exercise 1 Analyzing a Solid Part

Femap User interface and the On-Line Help

Exercise 2 User Interface

Defining and modifying materials, defining properties

Exercise 3 Analyzing a Beam Model

Mesh Sizing and Meshing

Exercise 4 - Beam/Plate Meshing

Mesh Toolbox and Geometry Subdivision Tools

Exercise 5 - Interactive Meshing and Geometry Manipulation

Femap with NX Nastran - Basic

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Femap with Nastran - Basic

UGS Corp. 2006. All rights reserved.

Femap with NX Nastran - Basic

UGS Corp. 2006. All rights reserved.

Femap with NX Nastran - Basic

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colors in this window

blue as the lowest color

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of functionality while in Render

Femap with NX Nastran - Basic

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Graphics Card Performance

animations need to generate and the time individual windows need

Femap with NX Nastran - Basic

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Autorepeat Create Commands,

Femap to remember where a

animate the fly-out or simply pop-up.

Toolbars and Dockable Pane(s)

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the RAM memory in the computer.

Max Cached Label for improved

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location of the temp, scratch, and

use when the model has been

Femap with NX Nastran - Basic

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Parasolid geometry, Parasolid

is used to convert your model

39.37 inches/meter and Femap

Femap with NX Nastran - Basic

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Calculator can be turned on in

meshing in FEMAP has changed

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element distortion, using Tools, Check, Distortion

Femap with NX Nastran - Basic

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Femap with NX Nastran - Basic

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Femap will check if imported

command to check references

Femap with NX Nastran - Basic

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specify Femap library files

Materials, Properties, etc. can

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Femap with NX Nastran - Basic