Intro Fe Map

Introduction to FEMAP
Saratech proprietary and confidential Slide Number: 1

Agenda
User Entity Selection Geometry
FEA Process
Interface Dialog
Modifying Geometry Loads and

Materials Properties
for Meshing Constraints
Meshing Meshing Analysis Setup Results Post-

Basics Toolbox Processing

Introduction
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Introduction
FEMAP 11.1
 FEMAP runs on Windows only

 64 Bit version only from 11.1.1 on
 There is a 32 bit version for 11.1 and lower only, but this
requires NX Nastran 8.5 or older. NX Nastran 9.0+ is 64
bit only
 FEMAP 11.1 supports OpenGL 4.2 with the new
performance graphics options.
 Saratech recommends a graphics card that can support
OpenGL 4.2 and higher.

Introduction
Where to Get Help – Femap Help
 Online help – accessed via F1 within Femap
 Requires Java VM to be installed for 10.3 and previous
versions (Browser based)
 V11+ uses the Windows help system
 Fully searchable

FEA PROCESS
CHAPTER 1

Chapter 1 – FEA Process
What is FEA?
 A numerical method
 Answers the question:
♦ If we apply a force on a solid, what are the values of the
displacements, stresses, and strains at EACH MATERIAL POINT?
 To answer this question you need to solve the following equation:
 Finding exact solutions by hand will take a long time

 FEA is a numerical method that offers a means to find this
Approximated Solution.
What is Femap?
 Femap is a PRE and POST processor

♦ Preprocessor: use Femap to build finite
element models (FEM)
♦ Postprocessor: use Femap to view / processes
results from an analysis code
 A separate analysis code is required • Create
♦ Can be purchased bundled with NX Nastran geometry
 Femap is CAD neutral – geometry • Create FEM
from multiple CAD platforms can be Pre (Femap)
imported
 Femap is solver neutral – multiple • Analyze model
solvers are supported
• Review results
Post (Femap)

Review
results & CAD
refinement
Design
Lifecycle
Create
P Mc Analysis
  FEM
a I
Import / Create Geometry
 Geometry can be created from within Femap or

imported from a CAD package
Femap
Preprocessing
• Import / create geometry
• Define materials & properties
• Mesh geometry
• Apply loads
• Apply constraints
• Submit analysis
Post-Processing
• Review results
• Write analysis report
• Refine design

Create Mesh
 Idealize and cleanup geometry where necessary to create

the finite element mesh. This includes defining materials
and properties
Femap
Preprocessing
• Mesh geometry
• Apply loads
• Submit analysis
Post-Processing
• Review results
• Refine design

Apply Loads
Femap
Loads
Preprocessing applied to
• Define materials & properties top of tube
• Mesh geometry
• Apply loads
• Submit analysis
Post-Processing
• Review results
• Refine design

Apply Boundary Conditions
Femap
Preprocessing
• Mesh geometry
• Apply loads
• Apply constraints Part fixed at
• Submit analysis
base
Post-Processing
• Review results
• Refine design

Analyze Model
 Linear static analysis using NX Nastran
 Type of analysis depends how the structure behaves
Femap
Preprocessing
• Mesh geometry
• Apply loads
• Submit analysis
Post-Processing
• Review results
• Refine design

Evaluate Results
Femap
Preprocessing
• Mesh geometry
• Apply loads
• Submit analysis
Post-Processing
• Review results
• Refine design

CHAPTER 2
FEMAP INTERFACE

Chapter 2- Femap Interface
Femap Interface
Title Bar Menu Bar Toolbars
Tabbed
Pane Model Tabs
Model Window
Docked
Pane
Floating
Pane
Entity Info
and Editor Message Window Femap Tray
Status Bar
Basic Navigation
Rotate Rotate about Screen Normal
+ ALT
Translate Zoom
+ CTRL + SHIFT
♦ Zoom can also be done with mouse scroll wheel

♦ Button 1 ( ) can be used instead of middle button when no
dialog boxes are open (not recommended)
♦ Right-click ( ) often brings up a context-sensitive menu

Keyboard Shortcuts
General View
Copy CTRL + C View Select F5
Paste CTRL + V Options dialog F6
Undo CTRL + Z Rotate dialog F8
Redo CTRL + SHIFT + Z Center dialog SHIFT + F8
Last command CTRL + Y Pan dialog CTRL + P
Redraw F12
Femap Dialogs Regenerate CTRL + G
Workplane F2
Autoscale All CTRL + A
Groups ALT + F2
Load sets CTRL + F2
Constraint sets SHIFT + F2
Distance* CTRL + D
* When within an open dialog box
Graphics Window
 The graphics window is the main window in Femap that

displays the model
 The window can be a single window or a tabbed interface
that displays multiple models or views

Graphics Window Anatomy
Cycle through tabs /
Close active tab
Tabs
Model active:
- View
- Load
- Constraint
Global CSYS
Output set info

Graphics Window Context Menu
 in the graphics window to bring up the default context

menu

Femap Views
 Femap has the capability of

displaying multiple views within
each model
 Views can be saved for later use
 Views show up as separate tabs
in the graphics window
♦ Multiple models with multiple views
can be opened at once
♦ When a single model is open, the view
name is displayed in the tab
♦ When multiple models are open the
tab displays “<Model Name> : <View
Name>”

Model Info Pane
 Provides an expandable tree view
of “named” entities in the database
 Active objects in the tree are blue
 Items in the Model Info tree are
context sensitive
 Icons
♦ Collapse / Expand – collapses or expands the
entire tree
♦ Reload from Database – refreshes model tree
from database; sometimes required when
database is altered programmatically
♦ Send to Data Table - sends information about
selected item(s) to data table. Data table must be
unlocked

Model Info Pane
 Icons
♦ Highlight – toggles model
highlighting
• Highlight methods (select one)
− Off
− Highlight
− Transparent Highlight
− Show Selected Only
• Highlight style (toggles)
− Show Labels
− Show Normals
• Highlight color

Text Entry Boxes
 Femap has many text entry boxes in various forms

throughout the program
 Boxes that accept numerical data can also accept
mathematical functions and variables
Tip – When selecting an item from the screen to populate

the text box with an ID, double clicking (instead of single
clicking) will also submit the form.
Tools
 Parameters – controls model parameters, such as
colors, next ID and ID increments for entities and
active objects
 Convert Units – tool to globally convert model
units
 Variables – create and modify model variables
 Measure – measures a distance, angle, curve
length, or surface area
 Mass Properties – tools to measure curve length,
surface area, solid properties, and mesh
properties. For solid properties and mesh
properties, materials with densities should be
assigned
 Mass Properties check discussed in Exercise 2b
 Section Properties – tools to provide section
properties (inertias, etc.) on surfaces and meshes
 Check – tools for checking coincident
points/nodes/elements/loads, element quality, sum
forces

CHAPTER 3
ENTITY SELECTION DIALOG

Chapter 3 – Entity Selection Dialog
Entity Selection Dialog
 The entity selection dialog serves as the basis for picking
 Entities can be picked by selecting items from the screen
or by defining pick methods or criteria
 Same pick dialog exists for all entity types
 Selection dialog works on Boolean rules

Selection Dialog Pick Options
 Pick options define how entities are added to the

selection list

Pick Methods
 Methods changes the way in which entities are

selected
 Entities can be selected based on criteria relevant to
the type of entity being selected
 Methods available will change depending on type of
entity being selected

CHAPTER 4
GEOMETRY

Chapter 4 – Geometry
Geometry Basics
 The Femap geometry
engine is based on the
Parasolid kernel
 Geometry in Femap can
be created from primitive
entities or imported
 To import geometry,
File, Import, Geometry
♦ Native Formats: AutoCAD
(DXF), IDEAS, Catia (v4/5),
Pro/E, Solid Edge, NX,
SolidWorks
♦ Neutral Formats: ACIS,
Parasolid, IGES,
StereoLithography, STEP i Info – Imported geometry often needs to be
“cleaned up” for meshing.

Coordinate Systems
 Femap supports rectangular,
cylindrical and spherical
coordinate systems
 Locations for geometry and
finite elements (including loads,
constraints, etc) can be specified
relative to a coordinate system
♦ Default is the “active” CS
 User-defined coordinate systems
can be created via:
♦ Model, Coordinate System
♦ on Coordinate Systems in the model
tree and selecting New
i Info – Femap operates in

degrees, not radians.

Creating Geometry - Curves
 Curves can be created in 2D (workplane) or 3D space

 Four different types of curves can be created
Lines Arcs Circles Splines
Tip – Don’t remember what a

certain command does? Look at
the icons.
Info – Generally, menu functions are broken into functions

i above and below the line. Functions above the line are on
the workplane, below are in 3D space.

Creating Geometry - Midsurfaces
 Midsurfaces are mid-plane surfaces that
are extracted from solid geometry. They
form the basis for plate (shell) meshes
 Methods (Geometry, Midsurface)
♦ Single in Solid – creates a midsurface between two surfaces,
trimmed to a solid
♦ Single – creates a midsurface between two surfaces
♦ Trim to Solid – deletes parts of surface outside solid
♦ Trim to Curve – trims surface with curve
♦ Extend – extends surface at one of its edges
♦ Automatic – automatically extracts midsurfaces from a solid.
Target thickness must be supplied
♦ Offset Tangent Surfaces – automatically creates a midsurface
offset from tangent surfaces
♦ Generate – creates all possible midsurfaces from a set of
selected surfaces
♦ Intersect – splits mid surfaces at intersection
♦ Cleanup – checks for small floating surfaces
♦ Assign Mesh Attributes – creates and assigns properties
based on thickness of original solid
Nonmanifold Add
 Accessible under surface command

♦ Geometry, Surface, Nonmanifold Add
 Combines multiple surfaces into a “solid”, therefore
having multiple surfaces share a single edge
♦ This prevents having to size each edge of each surface
individually, as all surfaces share the same edge
♦ Reduces need to perform a coincident node check and free
edge check on all midsurface geometry
 Recommend this method over midsurface
intersections

Creating Geometry - Solids
 Basic solids can be created as primitive

solids
 Solids can be created by extruding or
revolving existing surfaces
 Solids can be stitched together from a set
of surfaces
 New solids can be created as individual
entities, or used to add / subtract from existing
solids
• The Add/Remove Material toggle determines if
a new solid is created or if an existing solid is
operated on

Creating New Geometry from Existing Geometry
 New geometric entities can be created from

existing entities
♦ Copy – copies existing entities along a vector
♦ Radial Copy – radially copies existing entities
around an axis of revolution
♦ Scale – scales existing entities to create new
entities
♦ Rotate – rotates existing entities about an
axis to create new entities
♦ Reflect – reflects existing entities about a
plane to create new entities
 All commands will create new geometric
entities. To modify existing entities, use the
Modify menu

CHAPTER 5
MODIFYING GEOMETRY FOR MESHING

Chapter 5 – Modifying Geometry
Modifying Geometry for Meshing
 It may be required to “clean up” geometry in order to

obtain an quality mesh
 “Cleaning up” can consist of
♦ Geometric idealization
♦ Removing bad geometric features
♦ Intersecting / embedding solids and surfaces. The mesher can
only mesh around details present on the entity being meshed
♦ Adding additional geometric features to aid the meshing
engine
 There is a balance between the amount of time spent
cleaning up geometry vs. mesh quality

Splitting Solids
 Solids that can not be hex-meshed may be
able to be split into simpler, hex-meshable,
solids
 Semi-automatic hex-meshing
 Geometry, Solid
♦ Slice – forms two solids by using a cutting
plane to slice a solid
♦ Slice Match – similar to solid slice,
however will leave matching faces on both
solids
♦ Slice along Face – similar to slice match,
however a face, rather than a plane, is
used to slice. Faces may be planar or
curved
♦ Embed Face – extrudes a face into a new
solid and embeds it in the original solid

Detailed Feature Removal
 Detailed features, such as fillets, chamfers, etc. should
also be removed from solid models when they are
insignificant to the analysis
 Simplest way to remove features from solids is via the
meshing toolbox (discussed later)
♦ Feature Suppression
♦ Feature Removal
 Types of features that can be
removed / suppressed
♦ Loops
♦ Curves
♦ Surfaces

Embedding Curves in Surfaces
 Embedding curves
♦ Will split a surface into multiple surfaces
♦ Create features within a surface that the mesher can recognize
 Geometry, Curve – From Surface menu
♦ Update Surfaces–If toggle off, only curves are created; surfaces aren’t edited
♦ Intersect
♦ Project
♦ Project Along Vector
♦ Parametric Curve
♦ Slice
♦ Split at Locations
♦ Offset Curve/Washer
♦ Pad
♦ Point to Point
♦ Point to Edge
♦ Edge to Edge
 Toolbar – Curves on Surfaces
Info – The “Update Surfaces” menu command is a toggle. It
i is on by default in Femap V10. It is recommended that you
don’t change the setting.
Embedding Curves in Surfaces
 The split commands are also available
in the Geometry Editing Tool within the
Meshing Toolbox.
♦ Using the split commands from within the
Meshing Toolbox reduces the number of
clicks needed to split a surface. There is no
to click OK to accept each split point.
♦ The “offset curves” option is not available
in the meshing toolbox geometry editing
tool. To use this option select the Geometry
-> Curve – From Surface -> Offset Curve /
Washer command.
♦ Pad has limited ability by only padding in
one direction. To use the full capabilities of
Pad, select Geometry -> Curve – From
Surface -> Pad

Curve Washer - Washer
 When creating a curve washer, all curves must be circular
 The save split lines command, when enabled, will break
the surface at curve breaks
 Offset is the distance the new curves are offset from the
original curves
Washer with split lines
Washer without split lines

Curve Washer – Offset Curves
 Example
Surfaces autoselected
Surfaces manually selected
Original geometry… …with offset curves around each bead

Curve Pad
 The Curve Pad command places four mapped regions

around a hole and sets the mapped meshing options
(Setup Mapped Meshing option should be checked)
 The Pad Size Factor is based on the diameter of the
hole. When set to 1, the pad will extend out the length
of the radius in all directions

Split Point to Point
 Example:
♦ Selected split points shown circled
New split lines

Split Point to Edge
 Example:
♦ Split points circled
♦ Split edge was upper edge
New split lines

Split Edge to Edge
 Example:
♦ From curves circled
“Split to” edge
New split lines

CHAPTER 6
MATERIALS

Chapter 6 – Materials
Materials
►Materials define “behavioral properties” (ex: E, nu, CTE)
►Materials must be defined for most element types
►Most properties will reference a material
►Exceptions: Plot-only, gap, spring, rigid mass
Tip – It is good practice to always define modulus of elasticity,

Poisson’s ratio and density. If performing thermal analysis, also
include thermal conductivity and specific heat.
Tip – For bookkeeping purposes, it is considered good practice to

create different materials for each component. This will make model
organization easier.
i Info – Remember that Femap is unitless. It is up to the analyst to

ensure that units are consistent.
Info – Shear modulus (G) is usually not entered because it can be

i calculated from modulus of elasticity (E) and Poisson’s ratio for
isotropic materials.
Creating / Editing Materials
 To create new materials
♦ Menu: Model, Material
♦ on Materials in Model Info tree
and select New
 Default material type is
isotropic
♦ To change the type, click the Type
button on the material form
 Enter values into the form or
load properties from a
material database
 Material properties can be
copied if the material type is
identical ► To edit materials
► Menu: Modify, Edit, Material
► on Material in Model Info tree
and select Edit
Material Libraries
 Femap has a standard material
library
♦ Access using the Load button from a
material form
♦ Units are English units
♦ Other libraries (ex: Mil-5, custom) can
be loaded using the Choose Library
button
 Libraries can be shared between
different Femap installations by
copying the .esp file
 New materials can be saved to the
active material library
Info – Remember that Femap is unitless. It is up to the analyst to
i

Material Types
 Isotropic
♦ Properties are constant in all directions
♦ Input single property for all directions
♦ Corresponds to NASTRAN MAT1 card
♦ Ex: Aluminum
 Orthotropic (2D and 3D)
♦ Properties are direction dependent
♦ Input properties in 2 or 3 directions
♦ Corresponds to Nastran MAT8
♦ Ex: Concrete with rebar
 Anisotropic (2D and 3D)
♦ Properties are direction dependent
♦ Input elastic matrix (3x3 or 6x6, symmetric)
♦ Corresponds to NASTRAN MAT2 / MAT9 cards
♦ Ex: Composite materials
 Hyperelastic
♦ Materials subject to large deformations
♦ Input distortional / volumetric deformations or stress/strain data
♦ Corresponds to NASTRAN MATHP card
♦ Ex: Rubber
 Fluids
♦ Gasses or liquids
♦ Corresponds to NASTRAN MAT10 card
♦ Ex: Air, water
 Other
♦ Materials specific to certain analysis codes
♦ LS-DYNA, MARC, and ABAQUS/Explicit
♦ User Defined material types for custom program interfaces

CHAPTER 7
ELEMENT PROPERTIES

Chapter 7 – Element Properties
Properties
 Properties define “physical
properties” (ex: thickness, cross-
sectional area, spring rate, etc)
 Most properties will reference a
material
 Element type is determined from
the property card

Element Types

1D Elements
 1D Bar elements can be

used to model I-Beams or
Tubes.

2D Elements
 2D Elements can be used to model plates or thin

shells. Car bodies, pressure tanks, bottles.
 2D Elements need a thickness or equivalent thickness

3D Solid Elements
 3D elements are used for thick parts

 Adding elements to the
model is called meshing

Creating / Editing Properties
 To create new properties
♦ Menu: Model, Property
♦ on Properties in Model Info
tree and select New
♦ Select a material or define a new
one with the icon
 Default material type is plate
(shell)
♦ To change the type, click the
Type button on the property
form
 Properties can be copied if
the element type is identical Info – The property type cannot be
 To edit properties i changed once a property has been
created.
♦ Menu: Modify, Edit, Property
♦ on Property in Model Info Tip – Like materials, properties can be
tree and select Edit loaded from / saved to a database. Femap
has no default library.
Info – In general, properties / materials in

i Femap will be created prior to meshing.

Shape Editor
 Bar and beam cross-
sectional properties can be
automatically calculated by
Femap or Nastran with the
shape editor (click the
Shape button from a
bar/beam form)
♦ If the NASTRAN radio button is
selected, shapes will be from
the Nastran PBEAML library
 Standard shapes can be
used or custom shapes can
be defined (not available
with Nastran option)

CHAPTER 8
LOADS & CONSTRAINTS

Chapter 8 – Loads & Constraints
Loads
 Loads encompass
everything that is “applied”
to your model
♦ Forces, moments,
temperatures, displacements,
rotations, accelerations,
pressures, etc.
 Load Sets are a collection of
individual loads definitions
♦ All loads definitions must
reside within a load set
 Loads can be applied to
either geometry or finite
elements
Info – Remember that Femap is
i unitless. It is up to the analyst to

Chapter 8 – Loads & Constraints
Constraints
 Constraints (boundary
conditions) are what hold your
model in place
♦ Constraints are a “solved”
displacement
 Analyses of improperly
constrained models may fail
 Constraint Sets are a collection of
individual constraint definitions
♦ All constraint definitions must reside
within a constraint set
 Like loads, constraints can be
applied to either geometry or
finite elements
♦ All constraints resolve to nodal constraints

CHAPTER 9
MESHING BASICS

Chapter 9 – Meshing Basics
Common Element Types
Examples (and related Nastran
Entities)
0D DOF Spring (CELAS1, CELAS2)
Spring (CBUSH)
Mass (CMASS1, CONM2)
1D Rods (CROD)
Bars (CBAR)
Beams (CBEAM)
2D Tria (CTRIA3)
Quad (CQUAD4)
Shear Panel (CSHEAR)
3D Hex (CHEXA)
Tet (CTETRA)
MPC Rigid (RBE2, RBE3, RSPLINE)
Tip – See the translation table in the Femap Online Help to see a Femap Element Type Dialog
complete list of elements for various analysis codes.

Default Mesh Size
 The default mesh size is what Femap uses to size a mesh
when no mesh seed has been defined
 Model, Mesh Control, Default Size
♦ Element Size – provides a default “target” size for elements. In
most cases, the mesher will not be able create elements that are
exactly the specified size, however they will be as close as
possible
♦ Min Elem – specifies the minimum
number of elements on a curve. A
higher minimum element count will
yield smaller elements on a detail,
however will not affect overall mesh
size
♦ Set Elem Size… - This will let Femap choose a good element size
the next time the geometry meshing or mesh sizing command is
used. When off, a specific size can be entered
i Info – Remember Femap is unitless. As a
result, Size is also unitless.

Seeding Curves
► Model, Mesh Control, Size on

Curve
► Places a mesh seed on a
curve that will override the
default size and seed on point
► Mesh Size options
► Number of Elements – specify
the number of elements on the Info – The minimum element options
curve, regardless of size i are generally only used when seeding
multiple curves at once.
► Element Size – specify a “target”
element size
► Min Elem on Lines
Keyboard Shortcut
► Min Elem on Closed Edges – A Mesh Size on Curve: SHIFT-F10
ex: arcs, circles
► Min Elem on Other Edges –
ex: splines

Seeding Curves
 Examples:
10 elements, equal spacing
10 elements, biased spacing (5)

small elements at start
10 elements, geometric bias spacing (5)

small elements at start

small elements at end

small elements at center

small elements at both ends

Seeding Surfaces
 Mesh -> Mesh Control -> Size on Surface
 Places a mesh seed on a
surface that can optionally
replace an existing mesh
seed on a related curve
 Initial Sizing
♦ Element Size
♦ Replace Mesh Sizes on All
Curves
♦ Min Elements on Edge – set the
minimum number of elements on an edge. Allows
for refinement of meshes around features without
modifying the surface element size

Seeding Surfaces
 Surface Interior Mesh Growth

♦ Growth Factor – allows elements on the interior of a
surface to be larger or smaller than elements on the
edge of a surface. Interior element size is multiplied
by the surface element size. Values less than 1 will No growth factor
produce smaller elements on the interior. The
surface must be free meshed for this option
 Curvature-Based Mesh Refinement
♦ Refinement Ratio – modifies the number of
elements in areas of a surface with high amounts of
curvature. The ratio is of curve length to curve Growth factor of 4
height.
♦ Refine Surface Mesh – if the ratio is larger than the height
length
value specified, the element size will be reduced
and the surface remeshed
Chords for Refinement Ratio

Seeding Solids
 Solids can be seeded for tet-meshing or hex-meshing

 Solid seeds create surface seeds which create curve
seeds
 This topic is discussed further in the solid meshing
section

Geometric Associativity
 When meshes are created on
geometry, the resulting elements
and nodes are automatically
associated with the geometry
 Geometric associativity can be
modified / defined with the
Modify, Associativity commands Automatic Associativity
Form
♦ Automatic – automatically associate
elements with solid entities
(parasolids or solid volumes)
♦ Nodes / Elements – manually modify
geometric associativity for nodes or
elements
Manual Associativity
Form
Mesh Approaches
 A mesh approach controls
the algorithm that the
meshing engine uses for
creating surface meshes
♦ Mesher – set the mesh
approach
♦ Mesh Control – for mapped
meshes, points can be
provided to define the surface
vertices
Info – Mapped meshes create
 To reset a mesh approach, geometrically regular elements. In
change the approach back i defining a mapped mesh, Femap will
automatically slave seeding on related
to Not Specified curves to achieve this.
Info – If no points are supplied for a mapped mesh Femap will automatically try to determine the
i points. This can only be done if the number of points on a surface = number of vertices required.
An error will be written to the message window if unsuccessful.
Meshing Curves and Surfaces
 Mesh, Geometry, Curve / Surface
 Specify curves / surfaces to mesh
 Select property
♦ If no property has been defined, use the
icon to create a new property
♦ If geometry already has attributes defined,
the property “0.. Use Meshing Attributes”
can be selected
 CSys option sets the definition
coordinate system for nodes A Keyboard Shortcut
Mesh Surface: SHIFT-F11

Meshing Surfaces
 Surfaces can also be

meshed using the Mesh
Surface tool found in the
Meshing Toolbox.
♦ Mesh size, Element Shape, as
well as mapped and free
meshing options can be set
using the mesh surface tool.
♦ Remeshing surfaces is now
100% interactive when using
the Mesh Surface tool. There is
no need to delete mesh and
remesh.

Creating Single Nodes / Elements
 Single nodes and elements can be created
♦ Nodes: Model, Node
♦ Elements: Model, Element
 Useful for creating custom meshes by defining node
locations
 Create elements such as springs, mass elements,
gap elements
♦ These elements can be created via meshing, however it is
generally easier to create these elements manually
 Rigid elements
Keyboard Shortcut Keyboard Shortcut

A Create Node: CTRL-N A Create Element: CTRL-E

Locating Discontinuous Meshes
 Use the free edge plot (View Select,
Free Edge) to see free edges
 Free edges represent locations
where a mesh ends and can show
discontinuous edges Discontinuous Mesh
 There are several methods for

repairing discontinuous meshes
♦ Tools, Check, Coincident Nodes
♦ Re-seed geometry all at once and remesh
all at once Free Edge Plot
♦ Set mesh seed on curve to an adjacent
curve to nodes on a curve. Remesh and
check for coincident nodes
Free Edge Plot with Model

CHAPTER 10
MESHING TOOLBOX

Chapter 10 – Meshing Toolbox
Meshing Toolbox – What is it?
 The meshing toolbox is a collection of
tools used to repair geometry and refine
meshes
 Allows the mesh to be “fine-tuned”
 Available toolboxes
♦ Entity Locator
♦ Feature Suppression
♦ Feature Removal
♦ Feature Editing
♦ Geometry Editing
♦ Combined / Composite Curves
♦ Combined / Boundary Surfaces
♦ Mesh Sizing
♦ Mesh Surface
♦ Mesh Locate
♦ Mesh Quality

Meshing Toolbox
 By default, the meshing toolbox is found tabbed
along with the “Model Info” pane
1 2 3 4 5 6 1. Tool toggle
2. Entity locator – additional toolset used
for locating “bad” geometric features
3. Mesh quality contour
4. Remesh options – enable/disable auto
remeshing or track meshing changes
5. Select – when enabled, allows you to
select/click relevant entities
6. Select dialog – brings up select dialog
7
to select multiple entities
7. Tool description
Tip – The meshing toolbox can be easier to navigate if only Tip – Selecting “Track Remesh
active tools are expanded. To enable this feature, right click on Changes” when modifying solid
any header (1-7) and select “Expand Active Only”. elements can reduce mesh time.
Entity Locator
 The entity locator is enabled in
the entity locator pulldown
 Will locate curves and surfaces
that may create bad meshes
based on certain criteria

Feature Suppression
 Features such as loops, curves and
surfaces can be toggled on and off
 When a feature is toggled off, it is
ignored by the mesher
 Original geometry is not modified
 Suppressed features are highlighted
with a different color
Solid geometry with suppressed fillets

Feature Removal
 Loops, curves and surfaces

can also be completely
removed from the geometry
 The original geometry is
modified – exporting a solid
will export modified geometry
 For troublesome geometry,
curves and surfaces have an
Aggressive Removal option

Feature Editing
 Feature editing allows

geometry to modified while
automatically updating the
mesh or tracking changes to
the mesh.
 Surfaces can be moved or
rotated and holes can be
resized. The mesh update will
be interactive.

Mesh Sizing
 Allows mesh seeding on a

curve to be dynamically
updated
 Seeding can be increased,
decreased, set to a value, or set
to match a parent curve
 Spacing options can be set.
Info – If an original mesh seed on a curve/surface/solid

i wasn’t defined, it is internally represented as 0 –
elements can not be removed until a seed is defined
with the sizing tool.
Tip – Enable the entity info window when using this

tool; it will display the number of elements on a curve.

Mesh Surface
 Used for shell meshes only.

 Allows automatic meshing of
surfaces. Applies mesh sizing,
mesh attributes and meshes the
surfaces.
 Applies 3 and 4 corner mapped
mesh approaches based on the
surface geometry.

Mesh Quality
 Toggle mesh quality contour

plot with the Quality icon
 Contour can be based on:
♦ Aspect Ratio
♦ Taper
♦ Alternate Taper
♦ Internal Angles
♦ Warping
♦ Nastran Warping
♦ Jacobian (default)
♦ Combined Quality
Mesh quality contour

plot of Jacobian

CHAPTER 11
ANALYSIS SETUP

Chapter 11 –Analysis Setup
Model Analysis
 What are the goals of your analysis?
That defines your solution sequence
and potentially your analysis code
 Femap is analysis neutral – multiple • Create
solver codes are supported geometry
 Actively supported analysis codes
♦ NX Nastran (as well as MSC, MD, NEi) • Create FEM
♦ ABAQUS Pre (Femap)
♦ ANSYS
♦ MARC
• Analyze model
♦ LS-DYNA
 Topics discussed in this section cover
NX Nastran analyses • Review results
Post (Femap)

Model Analysis
 Steps to Analyzing a Model
• Verify model
• Create analysis set
• Choose solution sequence
• Specify analysis-specific options
• Select loads and boundary conditions
• Export model and analyze

Model Checkout
 Prior to running your model it is advisable to
perform some model checks to verify the fidelity
♦ Check mass properties (Tools -> Mass Properties -> Mesh
Properties) – Does your model weigh what you expect? If not that
can be a sign of incorrect properties / units
♦ Visually inspect your applied loads by creating an output set from
loads (Model -> Output -> From Load) – this can help ensure that all
loads are applied in the correct direction and the magnitudes are
correct
♦ Run a linear static analysis with a 1G body load – model will fail to
analyze if there are problems with it (ex: unconstrained model,
improperly defined materials or properties, unconnected elements,
etc). Viewing the deformed shape can also help identify
discontinuous meshes
♦ Run an unconstrained modal analysis – there should be six modes
close to zero

Model Checkout – Checking Tools
 Tools -> Check
♦ Coincident Nodes – checks model for coincident nodes. Nodes that
fall within a tolerance sphere can be automatically merged or
placed into a group for inspection
♦ Coincident Elements – checks model for coincident elements. Only
in rare cases are coincident elements an acceptable modeling
practice
♦ Distortion – checks elements for given distortion criteria. Elements
that fail the check will be output to the message window
♦ Normals – verifies that element normals for a given set of elements
are all the same direction
♦ Constraints – checks to see if model is properly constrained. A
report is written to the message window; if any translation or
rotation factors are zero or less, the model may not be properly
constrained in all six DOF

Analysis Set Manager
 Used to define and manage analysis sets
 Operations
♦ Analyze – spawns analysis for active analysis
set
♦ Analyze Multiple – allows multiple analysis sets
to be selected and run sequentially
♦ Export – exports an analysis deck of the current
analysis set
♦ Active – brings up dialog to select an active
analysis set
♦ Preview Input – shows input deck. Can be
edited
♦ Analyze Multiple – Will launch multiple analysis
sets at once
♦ MultiSet – allows multiple load cases to be run
in a single analysis set
♦ Copy – duplicates selected set
♦ Delete – brings up dialog to select sets for
deletion
♦ Load / Save – works with analysis set libraries
♦ New – create new set
♦ Edit – edit selected set
Setting Up a Linear Static Analysis
 Create a new analysis set
 Click Next through the forms to go through various setup
options
 This allows for control over creation of the deck. Selecting OK
at any point will use default options and active LBC’s
1. Define analysis set 2. Executive / Solution Options 3. Bulk Data Options

Analysis Monitor
 The analysis monitor is a
separate dockable pane that
appears when an analysis is
running
♦ The analysis code must be
launched from the Femap
analysis manager
 Can be used to
♦ Monitor the status of an analysis
♦ Kill jobs
♦ View .f04 and .f06 files
♦ Monitor convergance

Nastran Files
 .dat / .bdf / .nas – Analysis solver input file

 .log – Log file
 .f04 – Execution summary file (ie what did Nastran
do?)
 .f06 – Text output file; includes results, error
messages
 .op2 – Binary output file. Most commonly used,
default binary output for Femap; flat file
 .xdb – Binary output file; random access database

CHAPTER 12
RESULTS POST- PROCESSING

Chapter 12 – Post Processing
Results Post-Processing
 Post-processing provides a way
to interrogate results data
 This section covers visual post-
processing options
 Results data can be displayed a
variety of ways
♦ XY plots
♦ Deformed plots
♦ Contour plots
 XY plots are separate from
deformed and contour plots
 Deformed and contour plots can
be shown simultaneously

Post Toolbar
 All functions on the Post toolbar operate on the
active output set
 Icons
1. Undeformed View
2. Deformed View
3. Animated Deformation View
4. No Contours 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
5. Contour Plot
6. Criteria Plot
7. Post Data form
8. Next Output Set
9. Previous Output Set
10. Next Output Vector
11. Previous Output Vector
12. Post Options

Post Processing Toolbox
 A PostProcessing Toolbox has
been added to make viewing
results a more automated task.
♦ All PostProcessng view options for
deformed, contour, criteria, beam
diagram, section cuts, and contour
vectors are located in a single
interactive pane.
♦ Allows for quickly changing the post
options without using the select post
data dialog multiple times. The view
updates automatically for each change
in output set, vector, deformed, or
contour style.
♦ Output can be transformed using the
PostProcessing Toolbox rather than
the select post data dialog.

Criteria Plots
 Criteria Plot options can be set in the
PostProcessing Toolbox rather than the View
Options Dialog.
♦ Output Set
♦ Output Vector
♦ Criteria
• Limits Mode
• Element Display
• Levels and Legend options
Criteria Plot with Labels Criteria Plot with Labels

No Criteria Limit 15ksi Criteria Limit, Failed
Elements Plotted

Beam Diagrams
 Example – cantilever beam, 100# load
Undeformed Plot Deformed Plot
Shear Diagram Bending Diagram

Section Cuts
 Example – Deformed Von Mises Contour Plot
Standard Contour Plot Cut Model Plot
Parallel Sections Multiple Sections

Dynamic Cutting Plane
 Provides similar functionality to section cut plots
 View, Advanced Post, Dynamic Cutting Plane
 A slider is used to “dynamically” change the cutting plane
 Also available from PostProcessing Toolbox
Tip – Set Contour Style

to Criteria to save the
view after clicking OK
(otherwise it will return
to a contour plot).

Freebody Plots
 Example: Section cut at bottom of tube, external

element load plot

XY Plots
 Tools, Charting

Exporting Pictures / Animations
 Pictures and movies can be exported
♦ File, Picture,
• Copy – copies active graphics window to clipboard
• Copy Layout – copies all views visible in the “graphics area”
• Save – saves file of current graphics window. When an animated
plot is active, animation can be saved as a .avi file
• Save Desktop – saves the graphics window as the desktop
background
• Save JT – saves the graphics window as a .jt file for Teamcenter
• Replay – opens saved files in a new window
 Pictures can be saved as .bmp, .jpg, .png, .gif, .tif
 Animations can be saved as .avi, animated GIF, bitmap
series or .bmp (default)
 Defaults can be set in File, Preferences, Views
A Keyboard Shortcut A Keyboard Shortcut

Copy graphics window: CTRL – SHIFT-C Save graphics window: ALT-F3

ADVANCED FEMAP TOPICS

Additional Femap & Nastran Courses
 Several follow-on courses are available:
♦ Femap Introduction, 1/3/4 Day versions
• This FEMAP course provides a general overview of FEMAP with NX Nastran and provides
students with an in-depth explanation of the Finite Element Analysis Process. Topics covered
in this course include importing geometry, defeaturing geometry, meshing geometry,
Pre/Post Processing, and running Linear Static/Modal Analysis. By the end of the course, a
student should be able to conduct basic analysis.
♦ Femap Advanced Modeling, 3 Days

• Geometry Preparation, Advanced meshing, Model Troubleshooting, Fastener modeling,
Composite Layups, Optimization, Linear Glue and Contact, Data Table, Data Surface
♦ Femap API Development, 3 Days

• Visual Basic Primer, Custom Forms, Debugging, Femap Application and Tool Objects, Entity
Objects, Developing using the COM interface
♦ Femap Nonlinear Analysis Overview, 1 Day

• Provides an introduction to the nonlinear capabilities of FEMAP and NX NASTRAN. This
includes the basic nonlinear solutions, and the advanced nonlinear solutions. Students will
learn how to create models with gap, glue, and surface contact, create nonlinear material
properties, use the geometric nonlinear option, and how to use the nonlinear solution
parameters and options most effectively.

CONCLUSION

Saratech – PLM Solutions Provider
Corporate
Address: 26054 Acero

Mission Viejo, CA 92691
Telephone: 949-481-3267
General
Information: info@saratechinc.com
Training: training@saratechinc.com
Website: www.saratechinc.com

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Introduction to FEMAP

Saratech proprietary and confidential Slide Number: 1

Modifying Geometry Loads and

Meshing Meshing Analysis Setup Results Post-

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(949) 481-3267 | www.saratechinc.com

 FEMAP runs on Windows only

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(949) 481-3267 | www.saratechinc.com

 To answer this question you need to solve the following equation:

 Finding exact solutions by hand will take a long time

 Femap is a PRE and POST processor

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 Geometry can be created from within Femap or

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 Idealize and cleanup geometry where necessary to create

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♦ Zoom can also be done with mouse scroll wheel

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Paste CTRL + V Options dialog F6

Undo CTRL + Z Rotate dialog F8

Redo CTRL + SHIFT + Z Center dialog SHIFT + F8

Last command CTRL + Y Pan dialog CTRL + P

Load sets CTRL + F2

Constraint sets SHIFT + F2

 The graphics window is the main window in Femap that

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Output set info

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 in the graphics window to bring up the default context

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 Femap has the capability of

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 Femap has many text entry boxes in various forms

Tip – When selecting an item from the screen to populate

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 Pick options define how entities are added to the

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 Methods changes the way in which entities are

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(949) 481-3267 | www.saratechinc.com

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i Info – Femap operates in

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 Curves can be created in 2D (workplane) or 3D space

Tip – Don’t remember what a

Info – Generally, menu functions are broken into functions

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 Accessible under surface command

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 Basic solids can be created as primitive

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 New geometric entities can be created from

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