Fea Uguide

USER GUIDE
pro-fe VERSION 3.102.514
CONFIDENTIAL FOR AUTHORIZED USERS ONLY
2000 Adapco Limited

TABLE OF CONTENTS
OVERVIEW
1 BASIC PRINCIPLES OF FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSES

Introduction .............................................................................................................. 1-1
The Basic Modeling Process .................................................................................... 1-1
Finite element mesh creation .................................................................................... 1-3
Mesh definition ............................................................................................... 1-3
Mesh distortion ................................................................................................ 1-5
Mesh distribution and density ......................................................................... 1-6
Mesh distribution near surfaces at critical locations ....................................... 1-7
2 GENERAL pro-fe FEATURES
Introduction .............................................................................................................. 2-1
pro-fe Initialization ................................................................................................... 2-2
Input/output window ....................................................................................... 2-3
Main window .................................................................................................. 2-6
General Housekeeping and Session Control ............................................................ 2-8
Basic set-up ..................................................................................................... 2-8
Screen displays ................................................................................................ 2-9
Error recovery ............................................................................................... 2-10
Session termination ....................................................................................... 2-10
Set Manipulation ..................................................................................................... 2-11
Table Manipulation ................................................................................................. 2-14
Useful points ................................................................................................. 2-18
Plotting Functions ................................................................................................... 2-18
Basic set-up ................................................................................................... 2-18
Advanced screen control ............................................................................... 2-19
Screen capture ............................................................................................... 2-20
The Users Tool ....................................................................................................... 2-21
Getting On-line Help .............................................................................................. 2-21
Reporting Problems ................................................................................................ 2-23
The FEA GUIde Environment ................................................................................ 2-24
Panel navigation system ................................................................................ 2-26
FEA GUIde usage ......................................................................................... 2-27
3 MESH CREATION
Introduction .............................................................................................................. 3-1
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Basic concepts ................................................................................................. 3-1
Meshing techniques ......................................................................................... 3-3
Other mesh facilities ....................................................................................... 3-6
Extrusion ................................................................................................................... 3-6
Cell-layer Approach ................................................................................................. 3-7
Coordinate Systems .................................................................................................. 3-8
Local coordinate systems .............................................................................. 3-10
Other coordinate system functions ................................................................ 3-14
Vertices ................................................................................................................... 3-14
Additional considerations .............................................................................. 3-27
Splines .................................................................................................................... 3-27
Spline tables .................................................................................................. 3-28
Spline generation and manipulation .............................................................. 3-29
Vertex manipulation using splines ................................................................ 3-37
Cells ........................................................................................................................ 3-38
Cell types ....................................................................................................... 3-39
Cell properties ............................................................................................... 3-40
Cell shapes .................................................................................................... 3-41
Cell generation and manipulation ................................................................. 3-43
Cell numbering .............................................................................................. 3-52
Addition or removal of midside nodes .......................................................... 3-53
Multi-block Approach ............................................................................................ 3-56
Mesh block generation .................................................................................. 3-56
Multi-block generation .................................................................................. 3-58
Basic block facilities ..................................................................................... 3-58
Multi-block Meshing Using FEA GUIde Panels .................................................... 3-62
Using the panel .............................................................................................. 3-63
Other panel functions .................................................................................... 3-66
4 OTHER MESH OPERATIONS
Importing Data from other Systems ......................................................................... 4-1
Data exporting .......................................................................................................... 4-2
Mesh and Geometry Checking ................................................................................. 4-2
Macroscopic checking ..................................................................................... 4-3
Microscopic checking ..................................................................................... 4-4
Mesh Quality Improvement .................................................................................... 4-10
Mesh Morphing ...................................................................................................... 4-13
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5 MESH VISUALISATION
Data Range ............................................................................................................... 5-2
Plot Characteristics ................................................................................................... 5-3
Basic plot type definitions ............................................................................... 5-4
Plot orientation ................................................................................................ 5-6
Additional display options .............................................................................. 5-7
Color settings ................................................................................................ 5-10
Special lighting effects .................................................................................. 5-11
Mouse operations .......................................................................................... 5-13
Keyboard operations ..................................................................................... 5-14
Plotted Entity ......................................................................................................... 5-15
6 CELL PROPERTY SPECIFICATION
Introduction .............................................................................................................. 6-1
Cell Table ................................................................................................................. 6-1
Cell indexing ................................................................................................... 6-3
Element Table (for use with ANSYS only) .............................................................. 6-6
7 GENERATING BOUNDARY CONDITIONS USING pro-fe
Introduction .............................................................................................................. 7-1
Surface Shell Creation .............................................................................................. 7-1
Surface shell creation using CFIND ............................................................... 7-1
Surface shell creation using CCROSS ............................................................ 7-3
Surface shell creation using LIVE,SURFACE ............................................... 7-4
Nodal Boundary Conditions ..................................................................................... 7-5
Surface Boundary Conditions ................................................................................... 7-7
Data mapping using PMAP ............................................................................. 7-7
8 BASIC POST-PROCESSING
Introduction .............................................................................................................. 8-1
Data Loading and Display Set-up ............................................................................. 8-1
Basic Post-processing Displays ................................................................................ 8-7
Plot specification ............................................................................................. 8-7
Plot display ...................................................................................................... 8-9
Data Manipulation .................................................................................................. 8-12
The OPERATE utility ................................................................................... 8-12
Other data manipulation utilities ................................................................... 8-13
Plot Manipulation ................................................................................................... 8-14
Data Reporting ........................................................................................................ 8-20
Mapping and Copying Post Register Data ............................................................. 8-22
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Graph Displays ....................................................................................................... 8-23
Data loading .................................................................................................. 8-23
Register definition ......................................................................................... 8-28
Frame definition ............................................................................................ 8-32
Data display ................................................................................................... 8-36
Other data operations .................................................................................... 8-36
The Graph Tool ............................................................................................. 8-37
Animation ............................................................................................................... 8-39
Animated Displays ........................................................................................ 8-39
Movie STAR ................................................................................................. 8-45
9 ANSYS POST-PROCESSING
Introduction .............................................................................................................. 9-1
ANSYS Post Processing Using the FEA GUIde ...................................................... 9-1
Link ANSYS Results panel ............................................................................. 9-3
Plot ANSYS Results panel .............................................................................. 9-9
Animate ANSYS Results panel .................................................................... 9-24
Printing ANSYS Results ............................................................................... 9-32
Print Nodal Data panel .................................................................................. 9-32
Print Nodal Loads panel ................................................................................ 9-35
Print Reaction Loads panel ........................................................................... 9-38
Print Element Results panel .......................................................................... 9-40
Cyclic Symmetry Analysis Functions ........................................................... 9-42
Miscellaneous Post Processing Functions .............................................................. 9-47
Shell element location selection .................................................................... 9-48
Storage of ANSYS results to post registers .................................................. 9-48
Derivation of Nodal Results ................................................................................... 9-48
Calculation of nodal results ........................................................................... 9-48
Derivation of Modal Cyclic Symmetric Analysis Results ...................................... 9-50
Cyclic Symmetry Theory .............................................................................. 9-50
10 pro-fe CUSTOMIZATION
Set-up Files ............................................................................................................. 10-1
Panels ...................................................................................................................... 10-2
Panel creation ................................................................................................ 10-2
Panel definition files ..................................................................................... 10-5
Panel manipulation ........................................................................................ 10-6
Macros .................................................................................................................... 10-7
Function Keys ....................................................................................................... 10-10
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OVERVIEW
Purpose
The focus of this pro-fe User Guide manual is on the structure of the software itself and
how to use it. The pro-fe Commands manual will give detailed information and
instructions on all available pro-fe commands and operations.
Contents
Chapter 1 introduces some of the fundamental principles of finite element analyses
including an outline of the basic steps involved in generating a successful finite element
model. The important factors to consider at each step are explained independently of the
computer system used to perform the finite element analysis.
Chapter 2 outlines the general features of pro-fe including GUI conventions, session
control and plotting utilities. Chapters 3 to 9 provide the reader with detailed instructions
on how to use the basic facilities of the code, e.g., mesh generation, boundary condition
specification, post-processing, etc., and an overview of the GUI panels appropriate to
each of them. The description covers all facilities that might be employed for modeling
most common FEA problems.
Chapters 2 to 9 should be read at least once to gain an understanding of the general
housekeeping principles of pro-fe and to help with any problems arising from routine
operations. It is recommended that users refer to the appropriate chapter repeatedly when
setting up a model for general guidance and an overview of the relevant GUI panels.
Chapter 10 explains how pro-fe can be customized, in terms of user-defined panels,
macros and keyboard function keys, to meet a users individual requirements.
Finally, Chapter 11 covers the overall usage of the pro-fe system, including how
various system files are used by each program.
Version 3.102.514 1
Chapter 1 BASIC PRINCIPLES OF FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSES
Introduction

Introduction
The aim of this section is to introduce the most important issues involved in building
a finite element model for use in any finite element code.
The process of finite element analysis does not usually start with the direct use of a
finite element code. It is indeed important to recognize that pro-fe, or any other FEA,
CAD or CAE system, should be treated as a tool to assist the engineer in understanding
physical phenomena.
The success or failure of a finite element analysis depends not only on the code
capabilities, but also upon the input data, such as:
Geometry of the finite element model
Material properties
Boundary conditions
Solution control parameters
For an analysis to have any chance of success, such information should be physically
realistic and correctly presented to the analysis code.
The essential steps to be taken prior to finite element modeling are as follows:
Establish the object of the finite element analysis.
Pose the finite element analysis in physical terms.
Determine whether the model will consist of all or just a portion of the physical
system and the amount of detail necessary to correctly model the system.
Establish the amount of information available and its sufficiency and validity.
Assess the capabilities and features of the FEA code, to ensure that the problem is
well posed and amenable to numerical solution by the code.
Plan the simulation strategy carefully by adopting a step-by-step approach to the
final solution.
Users should turn to pro-fe and proceed with the actual modeling only after the above
tasks have been completed.
The Basic Modeling Process

The creation of a finite element model is normally the most time-consuming task in
completing a finite element analysis.
The modeling process itself can be divided into four major phases, as follows:
Phase 1 Working out a modeling strategy
The first phase of building a finite element model depends not only on the capabilities
of pro-fe, but the users own experience, professional judgement and education.
The development of a modeling strategy requires a precise definition of the physical
systems geometry, critical failure locations and material properties based on the best
available understanding of the relevant physics of the model. The necessary tasks
include:
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BASIC PRINCIPLES OF FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSES Chapter 1
The Basic Modeling Process
Determination of whether the model will either be 2-dimensional or

3-dimensional, and be composed of point, line, shell and/or solid elements.
Planning the finite element mesh (e.g. number of elements, desired element size in
critical locations, number of desired DOFs, etc.).
Collecting or generating suitable information to define the geometric aspects of
each part of the model assembly (e.g. IGES data, STL data, engineering drawings,
etc.).
Determination of critical features (e.g. bolt holes, blade shrouds, etc.) upon which
the mesh pattern should be based.
Defining which element types (depending on which analysis code chosen) can
accurately model the physics of the problem. Also, whether linear or quadratic
elements will be used.
The user also has to balance the requirement of physical fidelity and numerical accuracy
against the analysis cost and available computational capabilities. A good modeling
strategy will therefore incorporate some trade-off between these two factors.
This initial phase of modeling is particularly important for the smooth and efficient
progress towards the completion of a finite element analysis.
Phase 2 Setting up the finite element model using pro-fe
The main tasks involved at this phase are:
Direct generation of a finite element mesh to represent the desired geometric shape
of the finite element model.
For each part of the system, defining appropriate element types and material
properties.
Specifying the location and definition of boundary conditions.
Writing appropriate data files as input for the finite element analysis phase.
Phase 3 Performing the finite element analysis using a finite element

code
This phase consists of:
Reading the generated finite element model created by pro-fe into the finite
element code.
Application of boundary condition data generated in pro-fe to the finite element
model.
Determination of the appropriate analysis type, analysis options, load step options
and then execution of the finite element solution.
Phase 4 Post-processing the results using pro-fe

This involves the display and manipulation of result data created by the finite element
code using the appropriate pro-fe facilities. If the ANSYS finite element code was used,
pro-fe gives users the power to directly access any results stored on the ANSYS result
file.
The remainder of this chapter discusses the elements of each modeling phase in
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Finite element mesh creation
greater detail.

One of the basic steps in preparing a finite element model is to describe the geometry of
the problem. The finite element geometry can be defined by considering the following
items:
Information about the geometry of the overall finite element model (e.g.
engineering drawings, CAD data, solid model data, etc.).
Critical locations at which the user desires to monitor the finite element analysis
result information.
System resources (e.g. computer hardware, machine memory, hard disk space)
available to the user.
Time constraints determined by the actual time of building the finite model (see
Figure 1-1), generating boundary conditions, and then analyzing and reviewing
results.
Figure 1-1 Examples of finite element models generated in pro-fe
Mesh definition
In creating a finite element mesh, the user should aim to represent accurately the
following two entities:
1. The overall external geometry of the modeled system, by accurately placing all
exterior surfaces in their exact location. The external surfaces, taken together,
should make up a surface that adequately represents the shape of the model
geometry. Appropriate element sizes for critical locations should be small enough
to precisely calculate the desired result items.
2. The internal characteristics of the finite element model. This is achieved by the
careful control of mesh spacing within the model interior so that the mesh is finest
where a predetermined critical location of the system is located or where field
gradients are highest. Areas, such as fillet regions, are usually important and a high
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mesh density is needed to resolve the stress in the vicinity. An example of this is
shown in Figure 1-2.
Fillet mesh for this blade

was refined in the critical
fillet location between
the blade shroud and
platform.
Figure 1-2 Refined mesh at critical fillet location
Mesh spacing considerations

The chief considerations governing the mesh spatial arrangement are:
Accuracy primarily determined by mesh density and, to a lesser extent, mesh
distortion (discussed in Mesh distortion on page 1-5).
Numerical stability this is a strong function of the degree of mesh distortion.
Cost a function of both the aforementioned factors, through their influence on
the speed of convergence and c.p.u. time required per iteration or time step.
Thus, the user should aim at an optimum mesh arrangement which

employs the minimum number of elements that can accurately model the physical
system,
exhibits the least amount of element distortion,
is consistent with the accuracy requirements.
Chapter 3 describes several methods available in pro-fe, some of them semi-automatic,

to help the user achieve this goal. However, even when suitable automatic mesh
generation procedures are available, the user must still draw on knowledge and
experience of stress analysis and FEA to produce the right kind of finite element mesh
arrangement.
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Mesh distortion
Mesh distortion is measured in terms of three basic factors aspect ratio, internal angle
and warp angle illustrated in Figure 1-3.
a
b/a = aspect ratio = internal angle = warp angle
Figure 1-3 Element shape characteristics
When setting up the mesh, the user should try to observe the following guidelines:
Aspect Ratio values close to unity are preferable, but departures from this are
allowed.
Internal Angle departures from 90 intersections between element faces should
be kept to a minimum.
Warp Angle the optimum value of this angle is zero, which can occur only
when the element face nodes are co-planar.
Any adverse effects arising from departures from the preferred values of these factors
manifest themselves through errors in element formulations. Also, it should be noted
that theoretical element derivations are formulated based on the assumption that all
element faces are perfect rectangles or triangles.
It is difficult to place rigid limits on the acceptable departures because they depend
on the individual element type. However, the following values serve as a useful
guideline:
Aspect Ratio 10
Internal angle 60
Warp angle 45
pro-fe can calculate these quantities and identify elements having out-of-bounds values,
as discussed in Mesh and Geometry Checking on page 4-2.
What is really important in this respect is the combined effect of the various kinds of
mesh distortion. If all three are simultaneously present in a single cell, the limits given
above might not be stringent enough. On the other hand, the effects of distortion also
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depend on the nature of the finite element analysis specifications. Thus, the above limits
may be exceeded in regions
where a system sees rapidly changing field gradients in one direction. (e.g. shell or
thin coating analyses or thermal shock skin stress analyses using solid
elements),
when different element types are used, with each element type having different
distortion limits.
Generally speaking, non-orthogonality for elements may cause problems and should be
minimized whenever practical.
Mesh distribution and density
Numerical discretization errors are functions of the element size: the smaller the cells
(and therefore the higher the mesh density), the smaller the errors. However, a high mesh
density implies a large number of mesh storage locations, with associated high
computing cost. It is therefore advisable, wherever possible, to
ensure that the mesh density is high only where needed, i.e. in regions of steep
gradients of the available field variables, and low elsewhere,
avoid rapid changes in element dimensions in the direction of steep gradients in
the field variables.
The flexibility afforded by pro-fes range of alternative element shapes available

(illustrated in Figure 1-4) facilitates such selective refinement. All of the pictured
elements are available with full midside node connectivity, along with shell, line and
point elements.
Of course, it is not always possible to ascertain a priori what the system response will
be. However, the need for higher mesh density can usually be anticipated in regions such
as:
Where two or more parts of the physical system come together (e.g. fillet location
between blade shroud and platform)
Where high gradients (thermal, displacement, etc.) can be found (e.g. valve bridge
in cylinder head).
Bolted joints.
Surface-to-surface contact regions.
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Hexahedron Tetrahedron
Triangular prism Pyramid
Figure 1-4 Basic pro-fe finite element shapes
Mesh distribution near surfaces at critical locations

To achieve the most accurate solution at critical locations of the physical system, it is
important to establish a uniform, orthogonal mesh pattern at these locations. Using
pro-fes powerful internal smoothers, element checkers and meshing tools, this can be
done quickly and efficiently. Figure 1-5 depicts an area where it is desirable to generate
a uniform mesh to accurately calculate stress values. The more accurate the calculation,
the better the determination of the life of an overall physical system.
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A uniform mesh at the critical fillet

region of this L-shaped bracket was
created to accurately calculate the
stresses. As the stresses diminish
away from the fillet, the mesh can
be made coarser and less uniform.
Figure 1-5 Uniform mesh distribution at critical stress location
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Chapter 2 GENERAL PRO-FE FEATURES
Introduction
Chapter 2 GENERAL pro-fe FEATURES

Introduction
The main aim of this part of the manual is to provide users, whether experienced or not
in the application of general-purpose finite element codes, with advice on effective ways
of generating, applying boundary conditions to, and post-processing finite element
models using pro-fe. The reader is, however, expected to have gone through Chapter 1.
As a pre-processor, pro-fe is the means by which the user can define the
geometry,
finite element mesh,
boundary conditions,
which can uniquely determine the finite element problem to be solved. As a

post-processor, pro-fe can:
read and re-form the various data files produced by any finite element analysis,
manipulate the data read in,
produce extensive and easily comprehensible printouts,
summarize information on the calculated results,
draw sophisticated 3-D graphical images,
animate those images,
draw graphs of various calculated quantities.
Both pre- and post-processing operations are served by an extensive set of plotting
facilities, enabling rapid visualization of even the largest models, plus on-line help
facilities that provide information on usage.
pro-fe is a combined command-, menu-, and process panel-driven program. The
choice of working interface is entirely up to the user and depends on:
whether the available terminal can accept and display graphical input and output,
whether the host computers operating system supports a windowed, graphical
user interface (GUI)-type environment,
user preference and level of experience with pro-fe.
GUI facilities are presently available for UNIX or Windows NT implementations of

pro-fe using the OSF Motif graphical environment. They consist of two basic types:
Graphical tools such as pull-down menus, dialog boxes, push-buttons, sliders, etc.
to assist users in specifying the desired pro-fe actions. These facilities are
arranged around the main pro-fe window, or have their starting point located
somewhere on that window. Their purpose and method of usage are explained
throughout this volume.
A series of process-oriented panels contained within the FEA GUIde environment.
These represent an additional GUI facility, suitable for building and
post-processing finite element models. An outline description is given in the
section entitled The FEA GUIde Environment on page 2-24. Information on
how to use this environment is provided by an on-line Help system accessed from
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GENERAL PRO-FE FEATURES Chapter 2
pro-fe Initialization
the FEA GUIde window.
Note, however, that:

In the present release, a number of pro-fe facilities are not accessible via either of
the GUI systems. Where this is the case, the discussion is in terms of commands
rather than GUI operations.
For the convenience of users who prefer to work with commands, the description
of every GUI panel and dialog box also includes a list of commands that have an
equivalent functionality. A summary of all pro-fe commands is given in the
Commands volume, Appendix B. A summary of pro-fes conventions regarding
command syntax can be found in this volume, Appendix A.
Details of all available commands and specific aspects of the command-driven
mode of operation are discussed in the Commands volume.
Whichever operating mode is chosen, the same principles of use apply, namely:
A model is constructed or examined with the aid of numerous functions or tools,
each of them represented by a menu-item choice, a special dialog box, a FEA
GUIde panel or a command.
Tools are selected as necessary, in a sequence that is sensible for modeling
purposes. The recommended sequence is described in Chapter 1, The Basic
Modeling Process.
A tool always provides instant feedback so that the user can tell immediately if it
was used properly.
Users can greatly influence the speed with which certain operations are performed
by intelligent use of the available options.
To choose the GUI mode of operation, select an option such as x, xm, or glm in response
to the first system prompt immediately after entering the pro-fe environment. The
introductory panel shown below appears. The following three optional inputs can be
provided:
1. The desired case name profe is the default name assigned to the current
problem at the start of a pro-fe session. Overtype this by the correct name in the
Enter Case Name text box. Note that:
(a) If a model already exists in your present working directory, its name will be
picked up automatically by pro-fe.
(b) If you have more than one model, you may choose the right one by clicking on
the file selection icon next to the Case Name text box. This activates a File
Selection browser (see page 2-20) that enables you to choose the desired
model, stored in a file of form case.mdl
2. The Restart mode This can be either a restart from an existing model definition,
via its corresponding save (.mdl) file or a brand new case. Clear this option if the
latter applies.
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3. The Append mode The sessions user input will be appended to an existing
echo or log (.echo) file or a new log file will be created. Clear this option if the
latter applies.
Refer to the description given in Chapter 11, Commonly Used Files for a definition of
pro-fes Save and Log files.
Click on Continue to display the basic pro-fe GUI windows or Exit to abort the
current session.
Two windows are displayed automatically immediately following the initialization

stage. These are described in the sections entitled Input/output window on the next
page and Main window on page 2-6.
Input/output window
This window, shown on page 2-5, consists of the following three sub-windows, in
top-to-bottom sequence:
1. Command Output displays the time and date of the model, plus summary data
for the model in hand, if such data were read in from a Restart file at the
initialization stage. All subsequent output in that window are the echo of every
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instruction issued by the user plus pro-fes response to it. The latter serves as
feedback to help determine whether a facility was used properly.
2. Command Input accepts pro-fe instructions in the conventional Command
keyword plus parameters format described in the pro-fe Commands volume.
Thus, it is possible to work in command mode at any stage of the model building
process despite the fact that the GUI version of the code is active. This is useful
when working with facilities that cannot be activated from a GUI panel or dialog
box in the present pro-fe version. This sub-window can be re-sized by dragging
the control sash (the small square at the top right-hand corner) up and down.
3. Command History provides a numbered command history list that keeps
track of all pro-fe instructions issued in the current session, either as choices from
a menu in the main GUI window (see Main window on page 2-6) or as
commands typed in the sub-window above. Menu choices are translated into their
equivalent commands before being added to the list. The list can be used in the
following two ways:
(a) Single-click the command number to copy a command into the Input window
and then edit it.
(b) Double-click the command number for immediate re-execution.
The Command History sub-window can be re-sized by dragging its control sash
up and down.
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Note that:
1. The Command Input sub-window can accept multiple commands by cutting and
pasting from the window of another application (e.g. a text editor). If any of the
imported command text needs editing prior to execution,
(a) click the Pause action button under the window (see the above panel)
(b) paste in the required group of commands
(c) make the necessary changes
(d) click the Pause action button again to allow pro-fe to begin executing the
commands one by one
2. The Command History sub-window will normally list all commands issued to
pro-fe, including those generated indirectly via an external command file (see
Chapter 11, Commonly Used Files) or a user macro (see Chapter 10, Macros).
It will also list details (e.g. coordinate values) of items such as vertices, splines,
cell faces, etc. that are directly picked from the main window display with the
mouse. Such output may become extremely voluminous and thus may obscure the
record of primary operations performed by the user. Clicking the Short Input
History button will prevent this and will cause pro-fe to list only the instructions
directly issued by the user.
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Main window
The main GUI window, shown below, is used for the following purposes:
For graphical display of various aspects of the current model.
As a launch pad for those pro-fe utilities that are available in GUI form. The user
should click one of the eleven drop-down menus appearing in the menu bar and
select one of the displayed choices. Commonly used functions affecting the model
display in the graphics area are also implemented, in the form of action buttons.
These are distributed along the top and left-hand-side borders of the window and
are described in Chapter 5. Letting the mouse rest on top of any button causes a
brief explanatory legend to appear in a special window provided for this purpose.
To show messages for the user, such as prompts to supply data, in the space
underneath the graphics area. The default display shows the current plot
parameters (see Plot Characteristics on page 5-3). There is also a clock display
that can be turned on or off by selecting options Show Clock or Hide Clock from
the Utility menu.
The menu bar names are listed below, along with a reference to chapters containing a
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detailed description of their functionality:

1. File
Provides all basic housekeeping utilities, including those related to input/output
operations see Chapter 11.
2. Tools
Activates dialog boxes that allow definition and manipulation of basic pro-fe
entities (cells, vertices, splines, etc.). Most of these are covered in Chapter 3.
Another type of tool facilitates routinely-used, complex operations such as color
selection and mesh surface lighting effects (see Chapter 5, Color settings).
3. Lists
Displays lists of all available entities of a certain type (cells, vertices, splines, etc.)
as well as those currently grouped into a user-defined set.
4. Modules
Provides entry points into special dialog boxes that set up various parameters of a
pro-fe model (i.e. pro-fe animation control see Chapter 8, Animation).
5. Plot
Contains most of the facilities and options available for plotting operations see
Chapter 5.
6. Post
Various utilities for post-processing the results of a finite element analysis see
Chapter 8, Basic Post-processing Displays.
7. Graph
Implements the facilities for producing various types of graphs see Chapter 8,
Graph Displays.
8. Utility
Provides miscellaneous utility functions designed to aid model control and
development, such as calculation of element volumes and distance between
nodes see Chapter 4, Mesh and Geometry Checking. It also supports special
user-controlled operations, such as the assignment of user-defined functions to
keyboard keys.
9. Panels
Allows you to set up your own screen buttons or panel tools for performing
common pro-fe operations see Chapter 10.
10. Favorites
Provides a listing of favorite or most-used FEA GUIde panels for easy access to
these panels. By simply selecting an item from the Favorites menu, the
corresponding FEA GUIde panel will appear.
11. Help
Displays pro-fe command help information in a scrolled-text fashion.
A mouse click on any of the above menu names displays a drop-down list. In general,
clicking an item on the list starts up the action indicated, unless the name is followed by
an ellipsis () which means the item displays a new dialog box, or
an arrow () which means the item opens a secondary list with more items to
choose from.
Version 3.102.514 2-7

General Housekeeping and Session Control
Note that all menus can be detached from the menu bar by clicking on the dotted line
immediately underneath the menu name. This gives rise to a moveable panel that can be
positioned anywhere on the screen and used repeatedly for its intended operations, as
required.
Throughout this manual, the > sign denotes successive mouse clicks on menu
names, menu list items, dialog box buttons, etc. For example,
Tools > Cell Tool > Edit Types
means click Tools in the menu bar, then click the Cell Tool item in the drop-down list,
then click the Edit Types button on the displayed Cell Tool box.

When pro-fe is initially installed on a computer system, default settings are provided
for the programs fundamental operating features. These settings, specified mostly via
commands typed in the Command Input window, can be altered in special
circumstances. The following aspects of the programs operation are covered:
Basic set-up
These settings are helpful in establishing an appropriate environment for pro-fe and for
accessing facilities related to the operating system of the host machine. They are as
follows:
1. Operating mode command BATCH disables pro-fes periodic prompts to stop
or continue displaying long lists of data.
2. pro-fe size setting two options are provided for this function:
(a) Command SIZE lists the maximum number of cells, vertices, splines, etc. that
the code can handle. If any of these values is inadequate for the model in hand,
a suitably dimensioned version of the code can be created, as described in
Chapter 11, Special pro-fe executables.
(b) Command FSCAN scans an existing pro-fe data (.mdl) file to determine the
maximum number of cells, vertices, etc. used in that model. An auxiliary file,
param.prp, is then produced which is used in creating a
suitably-dimensioned version of the code..
3. Reporting cpu time required to complete a pro-fe function by typing command
TPRINT.
4. Accessing special, user-written pro-fe subroutines by typing the command USER.
5. Communicating with the operating system itself. This may be done by first
choosing File > System Command from the menu bar to display the System
Command dialog box shown below and then typing system commands in its text
box.
2-8 Version 3.102.514

Command: SYSTEM
This is useful for issuing instructions to the host operating system without having
to exit from the pro-fe environment.
Screen displays
The facilities for controlling the screen display during a session are as follows:
Defining the layout and look of the pro-fe Motif windows. Default settings are
normally used for these but the user can override them at will, as explained in
Chapter 10, Set-up Files and also in Appendix F.
Switching from the terminals graphics screen to the text screen via command
TEXT. This is applicable only when running a non-GUI version of pro-fe and is
used for controlling terminals that operate entirely either in text or in graphics
mode.
Setting the number of lines that appear on each page of the Command Output
window during lengthy listings using command PAGE.
Displaying a history of the most recent commands issued during the session via
command HISTORY. Again, this applies only when running non-GUI versions of
pro-fe since these do not provide a command history window.
Echoing the user input stream to the same device as the output stream (e.g. the
screen or a disk file) via command ECHOINPUT.
Reading stored cursor picks from an input file, rather than displaying a crosshair
cursor and reading the user-specified picks off the screen command
CURSORMODE.
Providing a descriptive title for the current model that helps to identify each plot
produced subsequently choose File > Model Title from the menu bar to display
the dialog box shown below. The desired title and up to two lines of subtitle text
should be typed in the text boxes provided.
Version 3.102.514 2-9

Command: TITLE SUBTITLE
Error recovery
If mistakes are made during a session, the following operations are useful for error
recovery:
Re-executing a named range of previously issued commands by typing command
RECALL. This can be most conveniently used in conjunction with the HISTORY
command above.
Retrieving the state of the model description as it was at the time of the previous
SAVE or RESUME operation command RECOVER. This is useful if a mistake
is made but the user does not notice it until some time later. A list of commands
issued since the last SAVE or RESUME operation is displayed, along with a
prompt to choose the last command in the list to re-execute. The chosen command
will normally precede the one where the mistake was made. Once all commands
up to that point are re-executed, the user should type in a correct command and
carry on from there.
Note that the above safety features can be switched off using command SAFETY.
This might speed up pro-fe execution but at the potential cost of making any sort
of recovery from mistakes nearly impossible. Thus, turning off these features
should be used with extreme caution.
Session termination
The current pro-fe session is terminated by choosing File > Quit from the menu bar.
This displays the Quit pro-fe dialog box shown below, reminding you to save the results
of the session to a .mdl file (in case this has not already been done explicitly).
Alternatively, you may deliberately exit from pro-fe without saving the present
sessions work, by clicking Quit, Nosave.
2-10 Version 3.102.514

Set Manipulation
Command: QUIT
Set Manipulation
pro-fe has extensive facilities for collecting and modifying sets of objects. These are
accessible by clicking one of the colored buttons down the left-hand side of the main
window. The pro-fe entities serviced by the buttons are:
C-> cell (element) sets
V-> vertex (node) sets
S-> spline sets
Bk-> mesh block sets
Each button offers a wide range of possibilities to select, delete or re-select sets. For
example, selection may be done by picking all objects falling within a given geometric
range in a local coordinate system. Using other criteria, one can collect together all cells
or splines connected to the current vertex set (and the reverse). Selection can also take
place by simply using the screen cursor to point to items on the current plot.
Each button gives direct access to the simplest and most commonly used set
manipulation options, namely:
All select the entire set
None empty out the current set
Invert invert the current set, i.e. select all entities that are not currently selected
and un-select the ones that are
In addition, C-> offers one extra option, Surface, which selects all cells lying on the
surface of the most recent mesh plot and makes them the current set.
Note that it is possible to save and restore useful cell, vertex, spline, and block sets
without the need to rebuild them frequently. This is done by clicking the INFO button
at the left-hand side of the main pro-fe window. The following operations are possible:
1. To perform a save set operation, select INFO > Store Set/Surface/View and
then click the Sets tab to display the dialog shown below:
Version 3.102.514 2-11

Set Manipulation
Commands: SETWRITE SETDELETE
The input required is as follows:

(a) Set File The name of the set (.set) file that will store the set definition. If
such a file already exists, pro-fes built-in file browser may be used to help
locate it.
(b) Name An identifier for the set being saved, up to 80 characters long
Click Write to save the set definition.
2. To delete a set definition previously stored, use the same dialog as above and
specify the following information:
(a) Set File The name of the set (.set) file containing the definition to be
deleted. pro-fes built-in file browser may be used to locate it.
(b) Select Entry The location of the set to be deleted, as selected from the list.
Click Delete to delete the set definition.
3. To perform a restore set operation, select INFO > Recall Set/Surface/View and
then click the Sets tab to display the dialog shown overleaf:
2-12 Version 3.102.514

Set Manipulation
Command: SETREAD

(a) Set File The name of the set (.set) file containing the set definition.
pro-fes built-in file browser may be used to help locate it
(b) Select Entry Select the particular set required by name from the scroll list.
The status of the selected entry is displayed in the box underneath
(c) Choose Data Specify the type of set to be read in (All, Cells, Vertices,
etc.) by selecting one of the displayed option buttons
(d) Read Option Specify how the set to be read in will interact with those
currently defined (Newset, Add, Delete or Subset) by selecting one of the
pop-up menu options.
Note that it is possible to print a summary of all data sets stored so far by typing
command FSTAT.
Selecting sets of various entities has two major uses:

1. To display only items in the currently active set. For example, each time Cell plot
is chosen from the Plot menu, pro-fe plots only cells in the currently active cell
set. Note that command SETADD causes all newly-defined cells to be
automatically added to the current set. Thus, successive plots of the current state of
the mesh can be made without needing to build a new set after each new cell
definition.
2. To perform almost any modeling or post-processing operation on the currently
active set, instead of on individual objects or a range of them. For example:
Version 3.102.514 2-13
Table Manipulation
(a) Choosing Lists > Cells from the menu bar and clicking the Show Cset Only
option button will list only cells in the current set.
(b) When working with commands, typing
VMOD,VSET,2.5
will modify the X-coordinate of every vertex in the current vertex set to 2.5.
All set operations can also be performed by typing commands CSET, VSET, BLKSET,
and SPLSET. These are described in detail in the pro-fe Commands volume.
Table Manipulation
pro-fe tables are multi-variable entities akin to spreadsheets. They can be used to store
values for up to 100 dependent variables as a function of four independent variables,
these being the three spatial coordinates plus time. Dependent variables could be
anything of relevance to a finite element analysis.
Table data are stored in text files and may be created via a suitable text editor. There are
several alternative formats available, described in the Commands volume (see command
TBREAD). However, unless a specific data ordering is required, the easiest way of
creating or modifying tables is to use pro-fes own GUI facilities. These are accessible
by clicking the colored button labeled Tabl on the left-hand side of the main window.
The options accessed by the button are:
1. New Table create a new table, starting with the dialog shown overleaf:
Commands: TBDEFINE TBCLEAR

2-14 Version 3.102.514
Table Manipulation
The required input is as follows:

(a) Table Title enter a title up to 80 characters long, including spaces. Note,
however, that only the first 30 characters found up to the first space in the
string are usable by pro-fe.
(b) Coordinate System enter the coordinate system number to be used for
spatial variables (see Coordinate Systems on page 3-8). Depending on the
system, the coordinates are interpreted as follows:
Cartesian Cylindrical Spherical Toroidal

x (X) r (R) r (R) r (R)
y (Y) () () ()
z (Z) z (Z) (PHI) (PHI)
The coordinate names shown above in parentheses need only be used if

creating tables outside the GUI environment.
(c) Value Options prescribes the course of action if dependent variables lying
outside the table range need to be calculated. The available options are:
i) Extrapolate use the closest two data points to calculate the
extrapolated value
ii) Cutoff use the closest data point for the required value
iii) Error issue an error message
(d) Independent Variables select each variable you are going to use in turn by
clicking the corresponding option button. For each selection:
i) Enter the variable values you need in the list below. Values could be
entered in any order as the table is always sorted in ascending order after
it is read in. If entering coordinates, use the length units applicable to the
current pro-fe session.
ii) Click Apply to confirm the current entries and then move on to the next
variable.
(e) Click Done to open the List/Modify Table dialog shown below:
Version 3.102.514 2-15

Table Manipulation
Commands: TBLIST TBMODIFY TBREAD TBWRITE
This dialog enables you to specify each dependent variable as follows:

i) Enter the variable name (up to 25 characters) in the text box at the top.
In order to maintain flexibility and scope for expansion, there is no
restriction on what the dependent variable names can be. Any dependent
variable name and corresponding values can be read by pro-fe.
ii) Enter variable values for each combination of independent variables in
the column underneath
(f) Click Graph to open the Graph Table Data dialog shown below. This helps
you check the table contents by plotting them as a pro-fe graph (see Chapter
8, Graph Displays).
2-16 Version 3.102.514

Table Manipulation
Command: TBGRAPH
To use this facility:

i) Type the name of a dependent variable to plot along the y-axis, as
entered in your table
ii) Select one independent variable to plot along the x-axis via one of the
option buttons provided
iii) Fix the other independent variables to a constant value, typed in the
appropriate text boxes
iv) Click Graph to see the result of your selection.
(g) Click Write to save your table in a named file (see item 3 below)
2. List/Modify Table displays the dialog above so that table entries may be
checked or modified. Note that:
(a) Changes to existing values are made by re-typing
(b) You cannot add new dependent or independent variables to an existing table
(or delete any that are currently defined)
(c) You may alter the number of values supplied for any of the independent
variables. To do this:
i) Click Modify Independent Variables to open the New Table dialog
ii) Select the appropriate independent variable(s) and add or delete entries
in the Enter Values list, as required. Click Apply
iii) Click Done to re-display the List/Modify Table dialog. Enter dependent
variable values, if and where necessary
(d) At the end of the editing session, you should always save your updated table in
a named file by clicking Write (see item 3 below)
3. Write Table saves a new or modified table to a file. The file name should have
extension .tbl and should be entered in the Write Table dialog shown below.
Version 3.102.514 2-17

Plotting Functions
pro-fes built-in browser may be used to locate an existing file.
Command: TBWRITE
4. Read Table reads an existing table from a file. The file name (of form
case.tbl) is entered in the Read Table dialog shown below. pro-fes built-in
file browser may be used to help locate it.
Command: TBREAD
Useful points
1. Only one table may be loaded into pro-fe at a time. If you need to access a second
table, you must first save the current one to a named file (if you have made
changes) before reading in the new one.
2. If you change your mind about the contents of your current table and wish to make
drastic changes, clicking Initialize in the New Table dialog enables you to erase all
entries and start afresh.
3. You may use command TBSCAN to scan a named .tbl file. Information about its
contents is displayed in the I/O window.
Plotting Functions
Basic set-up
The basic hardware-related plotting features are set by a single command, TERMINAL.
This command sets:
The display mode of X-based terminals (use option ALTERNATE only for
improving the plotting speed of certain older types of workstation). The same
operation can also be performed from the menu bar by switching between options
Plot > Standard Plot Mode and Plot > Alternate Plot Mode.
2-18 Version 3.102.514

Plotting Functions
The plot destination this specifies whether plots are to appear directly on the
screen or written to the neutral plot file (see Appendix B).
The operating mode of the plotting device a choice between raster, vector or
extended (for high-performance workstations).
The basic features of devices operating under one of the above modes are:
1. Vector devices, such as pen plotters, can draw lines in one or more colors, but are
not generally capable of filling in closed polygons or erasing regions of the plot
after drawing in them. When this mode is set:
(a) All hidden-line plot calculations are done by software.
(b) Large amounts of time may be required for large models.
(c) All contour plots displayed as line contours rather than filled colors.
2. Raster devices, such as most workstation screens, Postscript laser printers, etc. are
capable of filling in polygons quickly and overwriting previously colored-in
regions with new colors. When this mode is set:
(a) Hidden-line plots are done by hardware.
(b) Contour plots are rendered in filled colors.
(c) VECTOR mode operation is still possible if, for example, the user wants
fringe-style rather than filled-color contour plots.
3. Extended type devices offer additional functionality such as true (24-bit) color,
hardware Z-buffers, double-frame buffering, coordinate transformation pipelines,
Gouraud shading, etc. Machines with these high-specification graphics attributes
can provide:
(a) Real-time rotation, translation and zooming of plots.
(b) Contour plots rendered in smoothly varying color bands.
(c) Added lighting effects to enhance a users perception of the model geometry.
This style of plot is limited to machines that support the OPENGL standard and
cannot be stored in the neutral plot file at present.
Appendix E lists all currently available combinations of plot mode and plot
characteristics. The same information can also be listed on line by choosing Help >
Pro-fe Help from the menu bar and then highlighting the COMBINAT item in the
selection list at the bottom of the Help dialog box.
Advanced screen control
Advanced screen control functions are implemented as follows:
Background/foreground color reversal from the menu bar, choose Plot >
Background > Standard (for white lines and text on a black background) or Plot
> Background > Reverse (for black lines and text on a white background).
Alternatively, use command CLRMODE.
Maximizing the graphics area from the menu bar, choose Plot > Maximum
Plot Screen to hide the GUI buttons surrounding the graphics area so as to make
Version 3.102.514 2-19
Plotting Functions
the plot as large as possible. The window is also enlarged to take up almost the
entire screen. This is helpful when making animations since the largest number of
pixels are used, thereby obtaining the highest possible plotting resolution. Choose
Plot > Standard Plot Screen to return the window to its default size and
appearance. Alternatively, use command WHOLE.
Restoration of the original screen settings command RESET.
Temporary, on-line storage of complete screen images command SCROUT.
On-line retrieval of screen images previously stored with SCROUT command
SCRIN. This command also provides an elementary animation facility, by
replaying a sequence of screen images in quick succession.
Deletion of screen images previously stored with SCROUT command
SCRDELETE.
Customized scaling of text fonts used in pro-fe command TSCALE.
Image display control command PLTBACK. This enables images to be created
and stored in memory and then popped onto the screen (as opposed to displaying
them as they are being created).
For further details on using the above commands, refer to the pro-fe Commands
volume.
Screen capture
It is often very useful to be able to save the contents of the graphics screen as a picture
file. The latter can then be pasted into a document created by another, say presentation
or word-processing, application. pro-fe provides this facility via the Utility > Capture
Screen menu option (or by typing command SCDUMP). The result of this operation is
the creation of a new window containing the picture currently displayed in pro-fes
main graphics area. The picture can be subsequently saved in a file by choosing Utility
> Save Screen As and selecting one of the following options for the file format:
XWD (X Window Dump) X-Motif version of pro-fe only
GIF (Graphics Interchange Format)
PS (PostScript format, of either Level 1 or Level 2 type)
EPSF (Encapsulated PostScript, of either Level 1 or Level 2 type)
RGB (Silicon Graphics RGB format) OpenGL version of pro-fe only
The user needs to make sure that the choice of format is appropriate to the end
application. Selection of any of the above options triggers the display of the File
Selection dialog shown on the next page, enabling you to specify the name and
destination directory of the picture file.
2-20 Version 3.102.514

The Users Tool
The Users Tool

The Users Tool is a permanent feature of pro-fe, but only as an add-in; not every user
will have access to this feature. This is because creating ones own user interface with
the Users Tool requires solid knowledge of Tcl/Tk programming. The basic idea is that
the user builds a dialog box as he/she would for any other Tcl-based application. A
skeletal module whose dialog box is shown below is provided, accessed by choosing
Tools > Users Tool from the main menu.
Getting On-line Help

The Help menu in the main pro-fe window is divided into two parts. There are three
options in the first part, About pro-fe, Select Item and pro-fe Help. Clicking About
pro-fe displays pro-fe version information, as shown below:
Version 3.102.514 2-21

Getting On-line Help
Clicking pro-fe Help displays the pro-fe Help dialog box shown on page 2-23. This
contains on-line information on:
Conventions regarding command line syntax.
All valid combinations of plot mode and plot characteristics.
One-line summaries of every pro-fe command, grouped by command module and
listed in alphabetical order.
A list of all databases available under pro-fe.
pro-fe environment variable definitions.
All file extensions used.
A description of pro-fes macro files.
A description of pro-fes Motif panels.
A list of all GUI tools and dialog boxes.
Help on any of the above items is obtained simply by selecting the appropriate title in
the scroll list underneath the main information display area.
In addition, details on the functionality and syntax of every command may be
displayed as follows:
By typing the command name in the Find Command text box and pressing Return
By selecting the appropriate command module from the Module pop-up menu (see
the pro-fe Commands volume for a description of modules) and then clicking the
required command name in the scroll list
By searching through the available help text for a keyword, as typed in the
Keyword text box
In a context-sensitive manner, by choosing option Select Item from the Help
menu. This changes the mouse pointer from an arrow to a hand (Help) pointer
with which you can click any part of an open pro-fe panel. Such an action will
automatically display the corresponding command description for that part of the
panel. Alternatively, context-sensitive help can be displayed by clicking any of the
panels pop-up menus or text boxes with the normal mouse pointer and then
pressing the F1 function key.
An example of the available command help is shown below:
2-22 Version 3.102.514

Reporting Problems
The lower section of the Help menu gives on-line access to every volume in the pro-fe
documentation set, currently consisting of pro-fe Tutorials, pro-fe Commands, and the
User Guide. In order to view these documents, users need to install Adobes Acrobat
Reader on their machine. Instructions on how to do this are given in the pro-fe
Installation and Systems Guide. There is also a Help section containing useful
information on how to best use Acrobat for viewing the on-line help text available for
every panel in the FEA GUIde system (see The FEA GUIde Environment on page
2-24).
Reporting Problems
pro-fe provides a built-in facility for reporting bugs and problems. This may be
accessed by choosing File > Bug Report from the menu bar to display the pro-fe Bug
Report dialog shown on the next page. Text describing the users problem must be typed
in the dialogs main box.
Version 3.102.514 2-23

The FEA GUIde Environment
Note that:
User details are entered in the first row of text boxes. Depending on the
installation, these may be picked up automatically from the system files.
The pro-fe version and system information in the second row of text boxes is
normally filled in automatically.
Once the problem report is completed, there is a choice of:
Sending it by electronic mail to an address called starbug click E-Mail. For
this feature to work properly, your system manager will need to set up your e-mail
system so that all starbug mail is routed to the address of your pro-fe support
organization.
Saving it in a named file for later transmission by other means click File. The
required file name and destination directory are chosen via the selection dialog
shown on page 2-21.

pro-fes FEA GUIde represents the latest development in easy-to-use GUI tools for
building and post-processing finite element models. This works by
dividing the finite element analysis task into groups of major modeling activities;
displaying pre-defined groups of panels relating to each of the activities so that the
user can specify model parameters and characteristics pertinent to the current
activity;
guiding the user through the finite element modeling process in a logical sequence
so that no steps of that process are overlooked.
At present, the FEA GUIde panels cover a subset of pro-fes capabilities, i.e. those that
relate to the most common tasks of the modeling and post-processing process.
2-24 Version 3.102.514

Additional capabilities are being continually added and appear in each new version of
pro-fe.
FEA GUIde may be accessed from pro-fes main window using either of the
following two methods:
1. Selecting Tools > FEA GUIde from the menu bar
2. Clicking the FEA GUIde button at the top left-hand side of the window.
This displays the introductory screen shown below:
Version 3.102.514 2-25

The screen consists of two parts:

On the left is the Navigation Centre (NavCenter), a tool for guiding the user
through the various stages of model building and post-processing. These stages are
represented by panels and are subdivided into logical groups. The panels and their
groups are shown as a tree structure within the NavCenter sub-window.
On the right is the initial Help screen explaining how FEA GUIde works and what
its function buttons do. This is replaced by the contents of the current process
panel as you go through each stage of model building.
The following points should be borne in mind when using this tool:
1. The NavCenter tree contains a set of yellow folder icons representing each major
modeling or post-processing activity and acts as the starting point for defining
your own model.
2. Click on one of the yellow folder icons to open and close the folder and to display
its constituent process panels and sub-folders.
3. Click on a grey panel icon to open the panel; its contents will be displayed on the
right-hand side of the FEA GUIde window. Each process panel enables you to
enter or generate data needed to complete that process.
4. Where appropriate, the input for a given process is distributed amongst
color-coded, file tabs. These are brought to the forefront by clicking on the
appropriate tab. The color coding depends on the entity (block, spline, cell, etc.)
being processed and is consistent with the color coding used in the main pro-fe
window.
5. In some instances, clicking a button on a process panel activates a separate,
free-floating dialog box. This happens whenever such a dialog provides the most
convenient means of entering the data required.
6. To exit from the FEA GUIde, click the Close FEA GUIde button at the bottom of
the NavCenter sub-window.
Panel navigation system

The set of five buttons at the top right-hand side of the FEA GUIde window are designed
to help you navigate through the system and get more information about what to do. The
function of each button is as follows:
Go Back returns to the previously selected process panel.
Collapse/Expand Navcenter Closes the left-hand (NavCenter)

side of the FEA GUIde window to make more space on your screen.
The window may be expanded back to its original size by clicking this
button again.
2-26 Version 3.102.514

Favorite allows the user to store their favorite or most-used FEA

GUIde panels in the Favorites menu on the main graphics window.
Simply by selecting the appropriate FEA GUIde panel from the
Favorites menu, the corresponding panel will appear. Therefore, the
exact path to reach a specific FEA GUIde panel does not need to be
remembered.
Help provides concise information on the current panel, including

descriptions of the data required, explanations of the choices available,
suggestions on things to look out for, etc. Help screens use Adobes
Acrobat Reader system; their contents therefore appear in a separate
window opened by that system. Information on how to best use
Acrobat for reading these screens is given under the Help menu in the
main pro-fe window (option Help).
Go Fwd if the Go Back control has already been used, goes

forward to the most recently displayed process panel.
FEA GUIde usage

The FEA GUIde panels should be used in conjunction with the facilities (pop-up menus
and action buttons) offered by the main pro-fe window. The input/output window
should also be displayed to cater for operations that need command input (see also the
Introduction section). For maximum ease of use, all three windows should be
displayed side-by-side on your screen, as shown overleaf:
Version 3.102.514 2-27

2-28 Version 3.102.514

Chapter 3 MESH CREATION
Introduction

Introduction
The main purpose for finite element analysis is to create an accurate mathematical model
of an actual engineering system. This mathematical model is usually comprised of a
series of nodes, elements, material properties, boundary conditions, and various other
miscellaneous features used to represent the actual system.
In pro-fe, the term mesh creation technically means the actual generation of the nodes
and elements which are used to describe the geometry of the engineering system. The
meshing capabilities of the pro-fe system offer a wide choice of different element
shapes (linear and non-linear) to build the finite element model such as:
points
lines
shells, planes
hexahedra
prisms
tetrahedra
pyramids
Combined with pro-fes techniques and facilities for easily creating a suitable finite
element mesh with local area refinement, pro-fe gives users great flexibility in
developing highly complex geometries.
Note that pro-fe works in arbitrary units. However, to avoid numerical problems, the
length units chosen should be such that the model dimensions lie in the range 0.01
104.
This chapter covers the built-in mesh generation facilities available within pro-fe.
Basic concepts
The first task in the process of building a finite element model is the creation of a
computational mesh to represent the actual engineering system geometry. (Note:
Throughout this guide, the term vertex will be synonymous with node and the term cell
will be synonymous with element.) The basic entities available for accomplishing this
task are as follows:
Vertex (Node): A point in three-dimensional space, defined by a coordinate triplet

and possessing an index number for identification.
(5, 6, 8) Vertex no. 101 at X = 5

Y=6
101 Z=8
Cell (Element): A three-dimensional volume whose shape is defined by vertices
located at its corners.
Version 3.102.514 3-1

MESH CREATION Chapter 3
Introduction
Vertex
Cell
Figure 3-1 Cell definition
Shell: A two-dimensional surface whose shape is defined by vertices located at its

corners.
shell
vertex
Figure 3-2 Shell definition
Spline: A smooth curve defined by vertices located along its length.
vertex
spline
Figure 3-3 Spline definition
Patch: A smooth, flat or curved surface whose outer perimeter is defined by four
splines and/or straight lines and which is internally filled with shells. Patch edges
consisting of connected splines and straight lines are acceptable. Note that straight
lines are defined solely via the two vertices at either end.
3-2 Version 3.102.514

Introduction
Shells Patch
Splines
Figure 3-4 Patch definition
Block: A three-dimensional volume bounded by smooth, curved or flat surfaces,

whose edges consist of twelve splines and/or straight lines (defined by their end
points, as above). Block edges consisting of discontinuous splines (e.g.
combinations of straight-line and smooth-curve segments) are acceptable.
Straight line
Discontinuous spline
Block
Continuous spline
Figure 3-5 Block definition
Meshing techniques
The most appropriate initial step when building a mesh is to decide on the number and
distribution of cells to be used. The amount of time spent on the planning of mesh
generation is usually dependent on the complexity of the finite element model geometry.
For less complex cases, where the grid is more or less regular, grid planning becomes
less important. It is nevertheless advisable to always have a well visualized mesh in mind
before building a model. This can usually be achieved by roughly sketching the desired
mesh and working out a mesh generation strategy before using pro-fe. Initial planning
also involves choosing between the different mesh generation techniques and tools
available.
Version 3.102.514 3-3
Introduction
pro-fe offers four basic methods for setting up a mesh and the user is free to choose
any one or a combination of them, depending on the geometrical complexity of the
model and his own preferences:
1. The extrusion method this technique permits the extrusion of a
three-dimensional mesh from an existing surface, as shown in Figure 3-6.
Starting cell shell surface
Figure 3-6 Mesh generation by extrusion
2. The cell-layer method this is a bottom-up approach that builds the model up
from its constituent cells, layer by layer, on the basis of a well-defined meshing
strategy (see Figure 3-7). Given the wide variety of building blocks (cell shapes)
available, this can be a very flexible technique, well-suited to constructing
complex model geometries. Its main disadvantage is that the overall geometry is
entirely dependent on individual cell shapes and how these are put together. It can
also be highly time-consuming and involved.
Cells acting as
building blocks
Figure 3-7 Cell-layer mesh generation
3. The multi-block method this is a top-down approach that requires sub-division

of the model into a series of conveniently shaped blocks (or just a single block for
simple geometries) that define the geometry of the model (see Figure 3-8).
Sub-division of each block into individual cells in an automatic fashion is then
3-4 Version 3.102.514

Introduction
possible. A particular advantage of this method is that the overall model geometry
definition is decoupled from the computational mesh definition.
Block 1
Block 2
Figure 3-8 Multi-block mesh generation
4. The data import method this relies on an external CAD package to perform the
basic geometric modeling and/or meshing operations. pro-fe provides interfaces
that can re-arrange and translate the external data into pro-fe notation. The
imported data can be in two basic forms:
(a) Entire meshes that have been generated by an external CAD/CAE system
such as PROSTAR, SAMM, ICEM CFD Tetra, PATRAN, ANSYS, etc.
(b) Geometric definitions of models, in the form of surfaces, splines or points
generated by an external CAD/CAE system in IGES or VDA format. Such
data can be used by pro-fe as a starting point for creating a mesh (see Figure
3-9).
Surface data
Imported points
Imported splines
Figure 3-9 Mesh generation by data import
pro-fe offers a mixture of facilities for creating a mesh, some GUI-driven (but always
with a corresponding command-based facility) and others command-driven only. The
facilities of the latter category are grouped within the MESH command module (for local
mesh generation) or the CONVERT module (for mesh data import/export capabilities), as
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Extrusion
described in the pro-fe Commands volume.

Other mesh facilities
Numerous facilities are provided for checking the model being constructed. These
include:
Visual checking, using the options in the drop-down list of the Plot menu,
accessible from the main menu bar, to plot the mesh and model geometry (see
Chapter 5).
Numerical checking, accessed by selecting Tools > Check Tool from the main
menu bar to audit detailed mesh characteristics such as internal angles and
deformations. In addition, various items in the drop-down list of the Utility menu,
accessible from the main menu bar, will check the overall model geometry using
area and volume calculations (see Mesh and Geometry Checking on page 4-2).
Extrusion
This approach uses a surface consisting of an arbitrary collection of shells (or a patch)
as the starting point (see Figure 3-10). This surface can then be extruded to create a
three-dimensional mesh block.
Building of complex surfaces is possible by creating patches (see the definition on
page 3-2) using the PATCH command.
Shells making up the extrusion surface can also be created individually from a
pre-defined set of vertices (see Cell generation and manipulation on page 3-43)
or by adding them to faces of existing cells selected via the graphics cursor (see
page 3-47). Also, command LIVE offers a convenient way of creating (or storing
in .cel, .vrt files) shells that define the surface of the current cell set.
Figure 3-10 Starting surfaces for extrusion
The extrusion operation is executed by typing command VCEXTRUDE.

VCEXTRUDE provides a three-dimensional mesh by allowing the cells to grow
from the base surface (see Figure 3-11).
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Cell-layer Approach
(a) (b)
Figure 3-11 Cell growth from original starting surface
The extrusion can be either normal to the starting surface [Figure 3-11(a)] or along
a given direction in a pre-defined local coordinate system [Figure 3-11(b)].
Cell-layer Approach
The functions discussed in the section on Mesh block generation generally provide for
easy and flexible meshing. However, there are many cases where the complexity of the
finite element geometry dictates a manual approach to mesh creation, i.e. building the
mesh up from its constituent cells. This constitutes the cell-layer approach whose
principal features are:
1. Reliance on the initial creation of a set of vertices, which constitute the corner
points of the cells (see Figure 3-12).
Figure 3-12 Creation of cells from vertices
2. The model geometry is generated as a result of the creation and manipulation of

individual vertices and the attachment of cells to them.
3. The method consists of two stages as follows:
(a) Creation of vertices and possible subsequent manipulation (moving them
around in space) so that they take up the shape of the models geometrical
Version 3.102.514 3-7

Coordinate Systems
features.
(b) Attachment of cells to these vertices to define the volume elements
constituting the model.
Points to remember when using this approach are as follows:

It relies heavily on vertex manipulation.
Cells cannot exist without vertices but vertices can exist on their own.
The user is free to create a complete vertex latticework first and define cells
afterwards, or define cells as soon as sufficient vertices are created.
Within pro-fe, cells are created and manipulated using various operations described in
Cells on page 3-38. The constituent vertices are defined using another set of
operations, described in Vertices on page 3-14. Vertex generation is greatly aided by
built-in facilities for setting up a wide variety of coordinate systems, as described below.
Coordinate Systems
pro-fe allows the use of a number of different coordinate systems, whose principal
function is to aid the positioning and manipulation of vertices. The main characteristics
of these systems are as follows:
1. They act like drawing instruments, enabling the user to specify the location of a
point in space in the most convenient way.
2. Different types of coordinates are provided, like different instruments, to suit the
requirements of a particular geometry. Thus, just as it is very difficult to draw a
circle with a ruler, it would be very time-consuming to define and manipulate
points around a circular arc by using only Cartesian coordinates.
3. In the interests of even greater flexibility, there is a choice between two kinds of
coordinate system:
(a) Global systems, possessing a pre-defined origin and axis orientation. Global
systems cannot be altered by the user and can be one of three types:
i) Cartesian (see Figure 3-13)
ii) Cylindrical (see Figure 3-14)
iii) Spherical (see Figure 3-15)
(b) Local systems, possessing a user-defined origin and axis orientation. These
can be one of four types:
i) Cartesian
ii) Cylindrical
iii) Spherical
iv) Toroidal (see Figure 3-16)
The available coordinate system types are illustrated below:
3-8 Version 3.102.514

Coordinate Systems
Cartesian
Y
M(x,y,z)
M y
0 X
z
x
Z
Figure 3-13 Cartesian coordinate system
Cylindrical
Y
Underlying Cartesian system
r
z
0 X
M
M(r,,z)
Z
Figure 3-14 Cylindrical coordinate system
Version 3.102.514 3-9

Coordinate Systems
Spherical
Y

0 X

r
M
M(r,,)
Z
Figure 3-15 Spherical coordinate system
Toroidal
Y

R M
M(r,,)
Parameter = R
Z
Figure 3-16 Toroidal coordinate system
Local coordinate systems

Local coordinate systems can be listed, defined and altered via the Coordinate Systems
tool shown below. This is activated by clicking the CSYS button on the main pro-fe
window.
3-10 Version 3.102.514

Coordinate Systems
Commands: LOCAL VLOCAL CLOCAL PLLOCALCOOR

CSLIST CSYS CSDELETE
On opening the dialog, the three default global coordinate systems (Cartesian,
cylindrical and spherical) are displayed at the top, followed by any local ones defined by
the user. The currently active system, whether global or local, is indicated by an asterisk.
pro-fe automatically sets the global Cartesian system as the default active system for
new problems.
To create a local system, the user has to highlight an unoccupied reference number on
the list and then specify the origin location and axis orientation of an underlying
Cartesian system. The desired local coordinates are then defined relative to this
underlying system, as shown in Figure 3-13 to Figure 3-16. The underlying system
definition can be accomplished in two ways:
1. Explicitly, via specified translations X c , Y c , Z c and right-handed rotations R xy ,
R yz , R zx (in degrees) about each axis (i.e. re-positioning and re-orientation in
space). The required translations and rotations must be typed in the corresponding
text boxes underneath the list, plus the major radius value for toroidal systems.
The type of coordinate system is selected from the pop-up menu on the left. To
apply these definitions:
(a) Click on the New (Global) button if the desired translations and rotations are
with respect to the global Cartesian system, as shown in Figure 3-17.
(b) Click on the New (Local) button if they are with respect to the currently active
coordinate system Thus, one local system can be defined in terms of another.
Version 3.102.514 3-11

Coordinate Systems
YG Y
Y
Y,YL
2
XL
ROTATION X,X
1 ROTXY about Z
1
2 ROTYZ about X O X
3 ROTZX about Y
3 Final local Cartesian

coordinates XL, YL, ZL
Z,Z
Z ZL
TRANSLATION
O to O
(XG,YG,ZG) (X,Y,Z)
O XG
ZG
Figure 3-17 Local coordinate translations and rotations
2. Implicitly, with respect to three pre-defined vertices, as shown in Figure 3-18.

Vertex NVORIG defines the origin of the coordinate system. In combination with
vertex NV1, it also defines the first axis of the coordinate system, X L . Vertex NV2
defines the X L Y L plane. Axis Y L itself is automatically set up by the system so
that it is at right angles to X L . The third axis, Z L is also set up automatically so
that it is at right angles to the X L Y L plane.
The required vertices can be specified by clicking on the New button, choosing
an X L Y L plane from the displayed drop-down list (X-Y, Y-Z, or Z-X) and then
selecting the three required vertices with the mouse, i.e. NVORIG, NV1, NV2 and
in that order.
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Coordinate Systems
YG Axis 1 = XL
Axis 2 = YL NV2
NV1
NVORIG
Axis 3 = ZL
XG
ZG Axis 3 = Axis 1 Axis 2
Figure 3-18 Local coordinate definition using three vertices
Figure 3-19 shows an example of a two-block mesh created by command VC3DGEN

using two local coordinate systems. You may display or hide the local coordinate system
triads shown in the figure by clicking on the Show Triad or Hide Triad buttons,
respectively (see also page 5-8). Note that it is possible to define and store up to 99 local
systems.
Version 3.102.514 3-13

Vertices
YL Block 2
Cylindrical
XL
coordinate
system ZL
Block 1
YL
Cartesian
XL
coordinate
system ZL
Figure 3-19 Example use of local coordinate systems
Other coordinate system functions

The available functions are:
Changing the active coordinate system to a different system (local or global)
select the desired system in the Coordinate Systems list and then click on the Set
Active button.
Deleting a given set of coordinate systems select the system(s) on the list and
then click on the Delete button. Note that global coordinate systems cannot be
deleted.
Additional points to bear in mind about coordinates are:

When a new system is defined, it becomes the currently active system.
Local coordinate systems are not only used in mesh manipulation but also for
boundary definitions and post-processing operations, as discussed in Chapter 7
and Chapter 8.
Vertices
As mentioned in the Introduction on page 3-1, vertices are points that have a unique
identifier (vertex number) and a physical location in pro-fes three-dimensional global
Cartesian coordinate system. On account of their importance as a fundamental entity of
the finite element mesh, the system provides numerous command-driven and
GUI-driven facilities for their creation and manipulation. These are as follows:
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Vertices
Command-driven facilities
Creation, using local coordinates to define the vertex position command V. A
GUI implementation of this command is available in the Vertex List dialog (see
page 3-24); also in the Vertices tab of the Create Geometric Entities FEA GUIde
panel.
(5, 6, 8) Vertex no. 101 at X = 5

Y=6
101 Z=8
Command: V,101,5,6,8
Figure 3-20 Vertex creation using command V
Set generation, starting from a pre-defined vertex set command VGENERATE.

Specified increments in a local coordinate system are used to position the new set.
The vertex numbers of this set are calculated from a given vertex offset (see Figure
3-21). Note that if the offset is 0, the starting vertex set will simply be moved to the
new location.
Command: VGEN, 2, 10, 1, 4, 1, 2, 0, 0
12
13
11
14
2m 2 3
y
1 4
r

x
Figure 3-21 Vertex set generation using VGENERATE
Filling additional vertices in between two previously defined ones, according to a

specified pattern (see Figure 3-22) command VFILL. The vertices can be
specified numerically or using the terminal cursor.
Version 3.102.514 3-15

Vertices
Command: VFILL, 1, 5, 5, 10, 10, 1, 1, 1 y
5 5
50
40 x
30
20 1 50
r
10
10 40
1
20 30
(a) Filling in Cartesian coordinates (b) Filling in cylindrical coordinates
Figure 3-22 Additional vertex filling using VFILL
Switching the direction of angular change when filling vertices in non-Cartesian

coordinate systems command CSDIR. The effect on command VFILL is to
switch the direction of filling from 180 180 to 0 360, as shown in
Figure 3-23. The fill arc for some coordinate systems may pass through both the
=0 and =180 axes, in which case option BOTH should be used.
Command: VFILL, 2, 1, 5, 10, 10, 1, 1, 1 y
30 y 40 1
50 x
20
r =0
1 50
10 2 r

x
= 180 10 40
2
20 30
CSDIR, 180 CSDIR, 0
Figure 3-23 Switching the direction of angular change via CSDIR
Filling vertices along the perimeter of a cross-sectional cut through the current cell
set command VSECTION (see also the description of cross-sections in Chapter
5).
Filling vertices along the perimeter of the intersection of the current cell set with a
given shell type command VINTERSECT. The action is very similar to
VSECTION, except that the cut is made by a shell rather than a cross-sectional
plane.
Defining vertices at the centroids of a number of cells command VCELL. This
can be useful in defining sensor points for interpolation and display of post data
(see the discussion on page 8-21).
Reflection, which generates a new, mirror-image vertex set that is symmetrically
disposed with respect to a local coordinate axis (see Figure 3-24) command
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Vertices
VREFLECT. Note that what needs to be specified is the direction of the reflection,
not the axis about which the vertices are reflected.
Command: VREF, 11, 2, 100, 10, 40, 10
Y
40
30
20
10
X Coordinate system no. 11
110
120
130
140
Figure 3-24 Vertex reflection using VREFLECT
Centering, i.e. placing a vertex at the centre of a circle defined by other vertices
(see Figure 3-25) command VCENTER.
Command: VCEN, 20, 5, 15, 10, 3.5

5
r = 3.5
10
20
15
Figure 3-25 Vertex centering using VCENTER
Moving vertices from their position in one coordinate system to a new location in
a different coordinate system (see Figure 3-26) command VMOVE.
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Vertices
Command: VMOVE, VSET, 11, F, V, F, 12, 5, V, V, 1.E-4

Y
Local Cartesian system 11

r=5 Local cylindrical system 12
Vertex set 20 to 22
20 21 22
Figure 3-26 Moving vertices using VMOVE
Moving a vertex by changing some of its coordinates to those of another vertex

(see Figure 3-27) command VEQUAL.
Command: VEQUAL, 10, 20, X
Fixed vertex 10
10
20
Figure 3-27 Moving vertices using VEQUAL
Changing the coordinates of a given vertex range to a different coordinate system

(with optional vertex number offsetting), in preparation for further vertex
operations command VTRANS.
Scaling of the coordinates of a given vertex set by given factors in each coordinate
direction command VSCALE.
Projection of a vertex set onto a shell surface command VPROJECT (see Figure
3-28).
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Vertices
Command: VPROJ, 1, 3, 1, 10, CSET,,, NORM (CSET is the target shell surface)
1 2 3
11
12
13
Figure 3-28 Projecting vertices onto a surface using VPROJECT
Rotation of the vertex (nodal) coordinate system into an active local coordinate
system (see Figure 3-29) command VROTATE.
Command: VROTATE, VSET (VSET contains cell vertices)

X
Y
Z
Vertex (nodal) coordinate systems

X
Z
have been rotated into the local
Y
Y X coordinate system
Z
Y Z
T
P
Y
X
Z
Local coordinate system
Y
X Y
Z
Z
Figure 3-29 Rotation of vertex (nodal) coordinate system into local active coordinate system
Replacement of a given set of vertices by a subset command VREPLACE. The

vertices that are eliminated are related to the ones that are kept via a specified
vertex-number offset.
Renumbering of all vertices associated with a given cell set command
VRENUMBER. The operation is performed sequentially, starting from a specified
vertex number.
Reordering of vertices in a given cell set on the basis of cell connectivity
command RESTRUCTURE. This creates a structured vertex numbering scheme
reflecting the structure of the cell set to which it is applied. The renumbering
scheme works in terms of local mesh directions I, J and K defined via command
CDIRECTION.
Counting the currently defined vertices command COUNT. Alternatively,
Version 3.102.514 3-19
Vertices
execute this operation by choosing Utility > Count > Vertices from the menu bar.
Finding gaps (unused vertex numbers) within a given vertex range command
VGAP.
GUI-driven facilities
These are accessed via the Vertex Tool, shown overleaf, which is activated by choosing
Tools > Vertex Tool from the menu bar.
Commands: VMAP VCROSS VUNDO VLIST CENTER

VSET VDELETE VCOMPRESS VPLOT
The available facilities are:

1. Vertex-related graphical operations
These require a mesh plot on the pro-fe graphics window for proper operation
(see Plotted Entity on page 5-15) and are performed by clicking on one of the
blue-colored buttons on the tool, as follows:
(a) Plot centering Center at Vertex or Auto Center, see Plot
Characteristics on page 5-3 for a discussion.
3-20 Version 3.102.514
Vertices
(b) Mapping, i.e. placing a vertex onto the plane of a cell face Move (on Face)
for moving existing vertices or New (on Face) for creating new ones. The
desired location is found by projecting the vertex indicated by the screen
cursor along the viewing direction onto the cell face. The relevant face is the
one that surrounds the indicated vertex on the current plot, as shown in Figure
3-30. For a new vertex, its number is generated automatically by incrementing
the existing total and the vertex is then added to the current set.
Surrounding cell face
Terminal cursor
Indicated point
Figure 3-30 Projecting vertices onto a cell face
(c) Creation or repositioning of vertices using the cursor to mark the desired
location on the screen Move (in Plane) for moving an existing vertex in the
plane of the screen or New (in Plane) for creating a new one. The latters
number is generated automatically by incrementing the existing total and the
vertex is then added to the current set.
(d) Cancelling out the result of the last vertex addition/deletion/modification/ etc.
operation Undo. If necessary, this facility can be deactivated using
command SAFETY with parameter STATUS set to OFF.
(e) Identification of a vertex in terms of its number and coordinates in the
currently active coordinate system Identify Vertex. The vertex in question
is indicated via the cursor and the required information appears in the pro-fe
output window.
2. Grouping
Vertices may be grouped together, i.e. a vertex set defined, for mass manipulation
or plotting purposes. This is done by clicking one of the green-colored buttons on
the tool, as follows:
Version 3.102.514 3-21
Vertices
(a) All Vertices puts all vertices in the set.

(b) None clears the current set.
(c) Invert selects all unselected vertices and clears the current set.
(d) New replaces the current set with a new set of vertices.
(e) Add adds new vertices to the current set.
(f) Delete deletes vertices from the current set.
(g) Subset selects a smaller group of vertices from those in the current set.
With the last four options, the target vertices can be assembled by choosing an
item from a secondary drop-down list as follows:
(a) Cursor Select click on the desired vertices with the cursor, complete the
selection by clicking the Done button on the plot.
(b) Zone use the cursor to draw a polygon around the desired vertices.
Complete the polygon by clicking the last corner with the right mouse button
(or click Done outside the display area to let pro-fe do it for you). Abort the
selection by clicking the Abort button.
(c) Cell Set select vertices attached to cells in the current cell set.
(d) Cell Set Surface select vertices on the surface of the current cell set.
(e) Cell Set Edge select vertices along the edges of the current cell set. Edges
are defined by adjacent faces whose normals differ by an amount that exceeds
a user-specified feature angle.
(f) Spline Set select vertices attached to splines in the current spline set.
(g) Block Set select vertices attached to blocks in the current block set.
(h) All Sensors select all sensor vertices (see Data Reporting on page 8-20)
Further vertex set operations are also available via the Vertex List dialog box (see
Listing on page 3-24) or by typing command VSET (see the pro-fe Commands
volume for a description of additional selection options).
3. Plotting
This is performed by clicking on the Vertex Plot or Replot button. pro-fe plots
vertices in the current set in accordance with the relevant plotting parameters (see
Plot Characteristics on page 5-3). Alternatively, select Plot > Vertex Plot from
the main menu bar.
4. Deletion
This is performed by clicking on one of the red-colored buttons on the tool to
(a) delete vertices in the current mesh plot by pointing at them with the cursor
(Delete Vert...) or
(b) delete only those collected in the current vertex set (Delete Vert Set).
Further vertex deletion options are also available via the Vertex List dialog box, see
Listing on page 3-24.
5. Merging
Coinciding vertices are merged by eliminating either the higher- or lower-
numbered vertices that occupy the same position in space. The operation is
3-22 Version 3.102.514
Vertices
performed by selecting Merge/Cmprss > Merge to display the VMerge dialog

shown below. The information required is:
(a) The vertex range, in terms of the first and last vertex number to check for
coincidence.
(b) The merging tolerance, typed in the Vertex Tolerance text box. This quantity is
used to force nearly-coincident vertices to coincide precisely in space.
(c) Three geometric ranges, pertaining to the x-, y- and z- directions of the
currently active local coordinate system, respectively. This is an alternative
means of delimiting the range of vertices to be checked.
(d) A specification of whether the lowest- or highest-numbered coincident
vertices are to be retained after merging, selected by an option in the
Coincident Set to keep pop-up menu.
(e) A choice of whether to keep or delete the vertices that are not retained after
merging.
Command: VMERGE
6. Compression
This involves the elimination of all unused vertex numbers corresponding to
non-existent (e.g. deleted) vertices select Merge/Cmprss > Compress to
display the VCompress dialog shown below:
Version 3.102.514 3-23

Vertices
Command: VCOMPRESS
Text boxes are provided to enable specification of a vertex range on which this
operation is to be performed. Note that, on completion, the operation produces
continuous, sequentially-numbered vertices throughout the mesh. Any existing
cell, boundary, block, spline and post-processing data definitions are renumbered
accordingly.
7. Listing
This is performed by clicking on the Vertex List button to activate the Vertex List
dialog shown below. Alternatively, select Lists > Vertices from the main menu
bar. Vertex definitions in terms of X, Y, Z coordinates are displayed in the scroll
list in the upper half of the box, in numerically ascending order. There is also a
choice of listing all vertices or just the current set (marked by asterisks in the Vset
column). The choice is made simply by clicking the Show All Verts or the Show
Vset Only option button, respectively. The user can choose the coordinate system
in which the vertices are listed by dragging the Coordinate System slider at the
bottom of the box (or clicking the bar to the right or left of the slider with the
mouse to change the coordinate system numbers one at a time). To select vertices
from the list:
(a) For single items, click the required vertex on the list.
(b) For a group of two or more contiguous items, click the first vertex you want to
select, press and hold down the Shift key, and then click the last vertex in the
group.
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Vertices
Commands: VLIST VDELETE V VMODIFY VSET
Once the desired vertices are selected, the following operations are possible:
(a) Addition to (or removal from) the current set click on the Add to
Set/Remove from Set button.
(b) Deletion click on the Delete Vertices button.
(c) Modification of coordinates for multiple vertices type the new coordinate
value in the appropriate text box underneath the list, then click on the Modify
X, Modify Y, or Modify Z button below the box to change the coordinate
value for all the vertices selected.
(d) Creation or modification of a single vertex a new vertex can be added to the
model by typing its number in the Vertex Number box, its coordinate values in
the X, Y, Z boxes underneath the list and then clicking the Add/Modify Vertex
button. To modify an existing vertex, select it with the mouse (or type its
number in the Vertex Number box), type the new coordinate value(s) in the
appropriate text box underneath the list, then click the Add/Modify Vertex
button.
Note that the currently active coordinate system may need to be changed as a
result of performing items c) and d) above. This change is retained after exiting
from the dialog box. Also note that all the above operations have an immediate
effect on the vertex definitions, reflected by immediate changes to what is
displayed in the list. However, any subsequent vertex changes made outside this
dialog box, e.g. by issuing commands via the pro-fe I/O window, will not be
listed. To display these changes, click the Update List button.
Version 3.102.514 3-25

Vertices
8. Other vertex operations

These can be accessed by clicking on the Other button and selecting one of the
items in the drop-down list, as follows:
(a) Cell shape improvement item Unwarp. This is discussed under Mesh
Quality Improvement on page 4-10
(b) Importing vertices by reading in their coordinates from a .vrt file item
Vertex Read. The dialog box displayed is shown below. The information
required is:
i) The input file name. pro-fes built-in file browser may be used to help
locate it
ii) An offset to be added to vertex numbers upon input
iii) The vertex range, in terms of the first and last vertex number to read.
iv) The input file format either Coded or Binary.
Command: VREAD
(c) Exporting vertices by writing their coordinates to a .vrt file item Vertex
Write. The dialog box displayed is shown below. The information required is:
i) The output file name. An existing file may be located using pro-fes
built-in file browser.
ii) An offset to be added to vertex numbers upon output.
iii) The vertex range, in terms of the first and last vertex number to write.
iv) The output file format either Coded or Binary.
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Splines
Command: VWRITE
Additional considerations
The following additional points should also be born in mind:
Vertices can be created in any order.
All the manipulation facilities listed above can be applied to vertices of all mesh
types, irrespective of their method of creation or origin.
If any of the vertices generated by a command such as VFILL, VGENERATE, etc.
already exists, the effect of the command is to reposition the vertex in space
according to the latest command parameters.
The user can model in any coordinate system or scale.
Given that pro-fe is a single-precision program, it is very important to avoid
using very large or very small coordinate values when specifying the location of
vertices. Following on from the point made above, models should be built in
reasonable units (i.e. using coordinate values in the range 0.001 to 10000 if at all
possible). This requirement can be met more easily if the origin of the global
coordinate system is situated within or near the model.
Splines
As mentioned in the Introduction on page 3-1, splines are general-purpose, smooth,
one-dimensional shapes that
are specified in terms of vertices situated along their length;
can be defined as continuous or discontinuous combinations of curves and lines.
Splines can be thought of as sophisticated drawing tools that help the user describe
complex geometrical features in the model. They are therefore commonly used for
defining edges of blocks (i.e. they act like wire frames, see Figure 3-31);
defining edges of patches, as shown in Figure 3-31;
complex paths along which vertices can be projected, generated or filled.
Version 3.102.514 3-27

Splines
Patch Block
Figure 3-31 Use of splines for patch and block definition
Spline tables
Splines can be indexed and differentiated in various ways by means of the so-called
spline table. The latter allows splines used for a common purpose (or derived from a
common source) to be grouped together and assigned a common spline identity. This
identity is expressed in terms of a spline type index. The common attributes
distinguishing a spline type are:
Color, specified by a color index.
Group, specified by a group index. This identifies an object (shell surface, cell
range, etc.) within the mesh that is associated with this spline type in some way.
Splines imported from IGES files (see topic IGES Data File in the FEA GUIde
system) are very often collected together into groups.
A spline table can be defined and/or manipulated by means of an editor incorporated

within the Spline Tool. The top part only of this tool, containing the editor, is shown
below. Access is via the menu bar, by selecting Tools > Spline Tool.
Commands: STLIST STABLE STYPE
Current table entries are displayed in the scroll list in numerically ascending index
number. New entries can be generated by highlighting an unoccupied spline type
number with the mouse and then typing the color and group indices in the text boxes
3-28 Version 3.102.514
Splines
provided under the list. Note that:

Any additions or modifications to the table can only be made permanent by
clicking on the Modify Table button.
Newly created splines can be given a different type by changing the currently
active spline type prior to their creation. This is done by clicking on the Set Active
Type button. The selection is indicated in the list by a letter A against the active
type.
Spline table entries can be deleted by typing command STDELETE. Note that all
splines indexed to this entry must be deleted or changed to a different index before
the table entry itself can be deleted.
Spline generation and manipulation
pro-fe provides numerous command-driven and GUI-driven facilities for spline
generation and manipulation, as follows:
Creation, i.e. specification of a spline that passes through a given set of vertices in
a continuously- or discontinuously-curving fashion (see Figure 3-32) command
SPL. As shown in Figure 3-32(b), a discontinuous spline consists of a series of
sub-splines. The end of one sub-spline and the beginning of the next is marked by
a minus sign attached to the appropriate vertex number.
Options CHASE or MESH of this command enable specification of only a very
limited number of vertices. The remaining vertices along the spline curve are filled
in automatically by following the surface of the current cell set.
A full GUI implementation of this command is available in the Splines tab of
the Create Geometric Entities FEA GUIde panel.
Command: SPL, 1, VRAN, 10, 60, 10 Command: SPL, 2, VLIST, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
2
4
50 60 5
40 3
30 1
20 6
10
8
(a) (b)
Figure 3-32 Spline creation using SPL
Generation, starting from an existing base set of splines command

SPLGENERATE. The new splines are created by offsetting the constituent vertices
of the base set (see Figure 3-33). All vertices for the new set should already exist.
Version 3.102.514 3-29

Splines
Command: SPLGEN, 3, 1, 5, 5, 1, 10
25 26
24
23
22 16
21 15
Spline 7
14
13
11 12
Spline 6
5 6
4
3
1 2
Spline 5
Figure 3-33 Spline set generation using SPLGENERATE
Adding splines along the perimeter of

(a) a cross-sectional cut through the current cell set command VSECTION (see
also the description of cross-sections in Chapter 5);
(b) the intersection of the current cell set with a given shell type command
VINTERSECT.
Checking the currently defined splines command SPCHECK. This checks for
splines that cross over themselves and optionally looks for duplicate splines.
Counting the currently defined splines command COUNT. Alternatively, this
operation can be executed by choosing Utility > Count > Splines from the menu
bar.
These are accessed via the Spline Tool shown below. The tool is activated by choosing
Tools > Spline Tool from the menu bar.
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Splines
Commands: SPLCROSS SPLSET SPLDELETE

VSPCROSS SPLOT SPLMODIFY

1. Plotting
This is performed by clicking on the Spline Plot or Replot button. pro-fe plots
splines in the current set in accordance with the relevant plotting parameters (see
Plot Characteristics on page 5-3). Alternatively, select Plot > Spline Plot from
the main menu bar.
2. Deletion
This is performed by clicking on one of the red-colored buttons on the tool to
(a) delete splines in the current spline plot by pointing at them with the cursor
(Delete Spline), or
(b) delete only those collected in the current spline set (Delete Spline Set).
Version 3.102.514 3-31

Splines
Further spline deletion options are also available via the Spline List dialog box, see
Listing on page 3-33.
3. Compression
This involves the elimination of all deleted splines and renumbering of those
remaining in a continuous and sequential fashion click the Compress button.
4. Spline-related graphical operations

These require both a spline and a vertex or mesh plot on the main pro-fe window
for proper operation (see Plotted Entity on page 5-15). They are performed by
clicking on one of the blue-colored buttons on the tool, as follows:
(a) Creation of a new spline, using the terminal cursor to choose its constituent
vertices New Spline. The spline number is generated automatically by
incrementing the existing total and the spline is then added to the current set.
If you click on the same vertex twice, pro-fe changes the sign of the vertex,
indicating a break in slope continuity at that location (see Figure 3-32 on page
3-29 for an illustration).
(b) Addition of vertices Add to Spline. This uses the cursor to first choose a
spline and then add a number of selected vertices at the end of it.
(c) Modification of an existing spline Modify. This operation requires a spline
plot (and in some cases also a vertex plot) on the main pro-fe window. The
effect of the operation can be one of the following, depending on the item
selected from the drop-down list. In all cases, the desired spline(s) must first
be indicated with the cursor:
i) Reverse the vertex order in the spline definition Reverse.
ii) Split a spline into two at the indicated vertex Split.
iii) Join two splines together Join. The last vertex of the first spline
becomes the first vertex in the second spline, therefore the previously
specified starting vertex of the second spline is not included in the new
spline.
iv) Delete an indicated vertex from the spline definition Delete Vertex.
v) Insert an indicated vertex into the spline definition Insert Vertex.
vi) Use the spline as a means of re-positioning a vertex in space Move
Vertex on Spline. Use the graphics cursor to mark the desired vertex
location on the spline.
vii) Change the spline type index to the one that is currently active Spline
Type. Note that it is also possible to change the type of all currently
defined splines (option Spline Type (All)) or just of those in the current
spline set (option Spline Type (Spline Set)).
Further spline modification options are also available via the Spline List dialog
box, see Listing on page 3-33.
5. Grouping splines together for plotting or generation purposes, i.e. defining a

spline set.
This is performed by clicking on one of the green-colored buttons on the tool, as
3-32 Version 3.102.514

Splines
follows:
(a) All Splines puts all splines in the set.
(c) Invert selects all unselected splines and clears the current set.
(d) New replaces the current set with a new set of splines.
(e) Add adds new splines to the current set.
(f) Delete deletes splines from the current set.
(g) Subset selects a smaller group of splines from those in the current set.
With the last four options, the target splines can be assembled by choosing an item
from a secondary drop-down list as follows:
(a) Cursor Select click on the desired splines with the cursor, complete the
(b) Zone use the cursor to draw a polygon around the desired splines.
(c) Type (Active) select all splines of the currently active type (see Spline
tables on page 3-28 for a definition of spline types).
(d) Type (Current) or Type (Cursor Select) select all splines whose type
index is currently highlighted in the spline table. Alternatively, select the type
by clicking on a representative spline with the cursor.
(e) Color (Current) or Color (Cursor Select) select all splines whose color is
currently highlighted in the spline table. Alternatively, select all same-colored
splines by pointing at a representative spline with the cursor.
(f) Group (Current) or Group (Cursor Select) select all splines that belong
to the same group as the one currently highlighted in the spline table (see
Spline tables on page 3-28 for a definition of spline groups). Alternatively,
select the group by pointing at a representative spline with the cursor.
(g) Vertex Set (Any) select splines with at least one constituent vertex in the
current vertex set.
(h) Vertex Set (All) select splines with all constituent vertices in the current
vertex set.
Further spline set operations are also available via the Spline List dialog box (see
Listing below) or by typing command SPLSET (see the pro-fe Commands
volume for a description of additional selection options).
6. Listing
This is performed by clicking on the Spline List button to activate the Spline List
dialog shown below. Alternatively, select Lists > Splines from the menu bar.
Spline definitions in terms of type index (see Spline tables on page 3-28) and
number of constituent vertices are displayed in the scroll list in the left half of the
box, in numerically ascending order. There is also a choice of listing all splines or
just the current set (marked by asterisks in the Set column). The choice is made
simply by clicking the Show All Splines or the Show Spline Set Only option
Version 3.102.514 3-33

Splines
button, respectively.
To select splines from the list:
(a) For single items, click the required spline.
(b) For two or more items in sequence, click the first spline you want to select,
press and hold down the Shift key, and then click the last spline in the group.
Commands: SPLLIST SPLDELETE SPLMODIFY

SPLUNDELETE SPLSET
Once the desired splines are selected, the following operations are possible:
(b) Deletion click on the Delete Spline button. Note that any splines that have
been deleted up to a given point can be reinstated, provided the spline
Compress operation mentioned earlier has not been performed. To reinstate
all currently deleted splines, click on the Undelete Spline button.
If only one spline is selected, the following spline modification operations are
possible, depending on the button clicked:
(a) Change the spline definition by:
i) Inserting additional vertices Insert Vertices. The insertion location
is immediately after the point highlighted in the vertex scroll list. The
inserted vertex number is typed in the text box underneath.
ii) Deleting one or more vertices highlighted in vertex scroll list
3-34 Version 3.102.514

Splines
Remove Vertices.
iii) Modifying some of the constituent vertices (see Figure 3-34)
Replace Vertices. The new vertex number must be typed in the text box
below the list.
(b) Split a spline into two, at the location of the vertex highlighted in the list
Split Spline.
(c) Reverse the order of the constituent vertices Reverse Order.
(d) Inserting slope discontinuities at specified points on a spline, in the manner
illustrated by Figure 3-32(b) Change Signs. The discontinuity is indicated
in the vertex list by a negative sign.
Command: SPLMOD, 3, MODIFY, 14, 24, 25, 26

16
15
14
Spline 3
13 25 26
24
11 12
Figure 3-34 Spline modification by vertex replacement
Note that all the above operations have an immediate effect on the spline
definitions, reflected by immediate changes to what is displayed in the list.
However, any subsequent spline changes made outside this dialog box, e.g. by
issuing commands via the pro-fe I/O window, will not be listed. To display these
changes, click the Update List button at the top of the box.
7. Other spline operations

These may be accessed by clicking Other and selecting one of the items in the
drop-down list, as follows:
(a) Importing spline definitions by reading them from a .spl file item Spline
Read. The dialog box displayed is shown overleaf:
Version 3.102.514 3-35

Splines
Command: SPLREAD
The information required is:

locate it
ii) An offset applied to vertex numbers upon input.
iii) The spline range, in terms of the first and last spline number to read.
iv) An option to either Add the input splines to the end of the current list,
disregarding spline numbers read from the file, or to use these numbers
for overwriting current spline numbers (Modify).
v) The input file format either Coded or Binary.
(b) Exporting spline definitions by writing them to a .spl file Spline Write.
The dialog box displayed is shown below.
Command: SPLWRITE
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Splines
ii) An offset applied to vertex numbers upon output.
iii) The spline range, in terms of the first and last spline numbers to write.
iv) The output file format either Coded or Binary.
Vertex manipulation using splines

As already mentioned, splines can be used for manipulation of vertices in space. The
relevant vertex functions are as follows:
Single vertex creation, using the spline as a means of positioning a vertex in space
(see Figure 3-35) command VSPDEFINE.
Command: VSPDEF, 4, 60, PERC, 0.6

4 5
60
Spline 4 3
1 2
Figure 3-35 Vertex creation on a spline using VSPDEFINE
Creation via the cursor, as above but using the graphics cursor to mark the desired
vertex location on the spline command VSPCROSS.
Vertex set generation, starting from an existing arbitrary base set. Each new set is
generated as if the original set had been dragged along the spline (see Figure 3-36)
command VSPGENERATE.
Command: VSPGEN, 7, 3, 10, 10, 12, 1, ABSA, 0.2, 0.0, 1.0
32
12 22 31
Spline 7 21 30
11
20
10
Figure 3-36 Vertex set generation using a spline as a coordinate system
Filling additional vertices along the spline in between two previously-defined

vertices, according to a specified pattern (see Figure 3-37) command
VSPFILL. The end vertices plus the ones in between can also be specified
graphically using the terminal cursor.
Version 3.102.514 3-37

Cells
Command: VSPF, 8, 10, 20, 3, 2, 1

20
4
Spline 8 3
10 2
Figure 3-37 Vertex filling between two points on a spline
Moving a vertex to the intersection of a spline with a constant-coordinate surface

in a local coordinate system (Figure 3-38) command VSPMOVE.
Command: VSPMOVE, 7, 47, 23, V, V, 3.0
YL
Vertex 47
Spline 7
Z = 3.0
ZL
XL
Figure 3-38 Intersection of a spline and a local coord. system
Listing of spline coordinates for a given range of vertices command VSPLIST.
For further details on vertex manipulation using splines, refer to the pro-fe Commands
volume.
Cells
Cells (elements) are the basic building blocks of the finite element model. Their
properties and various alternative methods used for their creation are discussed in this
section.
The basic properties of cells are as follows:
Every cell consists of a set of vertices located either at the cell endpoint or
midpoints.
Every cell has a set of degrees of freedom (e.g. displacements, temperatures, etc.)
which constitute the unknowns to be calculated in the finite element analysis.
They cannot exist independently of vertices.
They change shape and/or position as their vertices move, as shown in Figure
3-39.
3-38 Version 3.102.514

Cells
4 3 4
3
8 7 8 7
on moving
1 2 vertex no. 6 1 2
5 6 5
Figure 3-39 Cell dependence on vertices
Cell types
Every cell has an associated type. At present, pro-fe offers six cell types that can be
grouped into two major categories, computational cells and visualization cells.
Computational cells
These cells are to be included in the finite element analysis and can be any of the
following types:
Solid used in areas that can/need to be modeled with volume elements. Such
elements can either be of a tetrahedral or brick shape.
Shells used in areas that can/need to be modeled with area elements. Shell
elements can either be triangular or quadrilateral in shape and may either be 2-D
solid elements or shell elements.
Lines line elements offer a variety of functions in finite element analysis. (e.g.
modeling simple beams or pipes, modeling contact between two surfaces,
modeling thermal interaction between two parts or electric flow).
Points point elements are mainly used to model lumped masses. (e.g. structural
or thermal lumped mass).
It should be noted that solid, shell, and line elements can be created in either linear or
non-linear (midside node) form.
Visualization cells
These are used for visualization (see Chapter 5) and mesh generation purposes only (see
Extrusion on page 3-6) but are otherwise ignored during any finite element analyses.
The available types are:
Fluid a three-dimensional element that can be used in areas that are normally
not included in a finite element analysis (e.g. air, coolant). Such cells can be
ignored during the finite element analysis by simply not exporting these cells to
the finite element code.
Baffles a two-dimension element, similar to the shell type, that is normally not
included in a finite element analysis.
Version 3.102.514 3-39

Cells
Cell properties
Cells can be grouped together with the aid of so-called cell identity parameters. These
parameters are as follows:
Cell type determines the cell type, as described above.
Cell material assigns a given set of material properties to the cells (see Cell
Table on page 6-1).
Cell color determines the color used when the cells are displayed (see also
Cell Table on page 6-1).
Cell real constant number determines a real constant for a group of cells.
Cell FEA element type number determines the FEA element type number (to
be used during the finite element analysis) for a group of cells. (see also Element
Table (for use with ANSYS only) on page 6-6).
Group number identifies an object (shell surface, cell range, etc.) within the
mesh that is associated with this cell type in some way. Cells imported from IGES
files (see IGES Data File in the FEA GUIde system) and elements imported
from ANSYS cyclic symmetry analysis result files are very often grouped together
in this way.
Surface lighting index determines the light-reflecting (shading) properties of
cells when they are illuminated on a screen display (see Special lighting effects
on page 5-11).
Cell name optional alphanumeric label, used as additional cell identifier.
An example of the use of this approach in identifying and classifying various regions
within the finite element mesh is shown in Figure 3-40.
Shell
Solid
Point
Line
Figure 3-40 Example of possible cell classification
All of the above cell identity parameters can be tabulated using various pro-fe
3-40 Version 3.102.514
Cells
operations, discussed in more detail in Chapter 6.

Cell shapes
To provide further flexibility in generating complex meshes, pro-fe can generate four
basic solid cell shapes. Each of the basic shapes can be generated as linear or non-linear
elements (e.g. contain midside nodes). The four basic shapes are as follows:
hexahedra,
triangular prisms,
pyramids,
tetrahedra.
The four basic shapes are illustrated in Figure 3-41. Note that each of them can be
distorted at will to fit the geometric requirements of the mesh.
It should be noted that to create 4-noded or 10-noded tetrahedral elements in pro-fe, it

is wise to generate the tetrahedra as degenerate 8-noded brick elements first. Once this
has been completed, you can transform the degenerate 8-noded bricks into 4-noded or
10-noded tetrahedra using the ETYPE command (see Element Table (for use with
ANSYS only) on page 6-6). The ADDMID command (see Addition or removal of
midside nodes on page 3-53) can then be used to add midside nodes to the 10-noded
tetrahedra elements.
Version 3.102.514 3-41

Cells
4 4
3 3
4
1
5
8
1 7 6
2 1
2
3
2
5 y 5,5,5,5
6
Hexahedron ( 1 = face number) Pyramid
z x
3,3 5,5,5,5
7,7
1 3,3
1
5 2
6 2
Triangular prism Tetrahedron
Figure 3-41 Basic solid cell shapes
Two-dimensional cells such as baffles and shells can be triangles or quadrilaterals.

These shapes are illustrated in Figure 3-42. Again, each of them can be distorted at will
to fit the mesh requirements.
4 3,3
3
1 2 1 2
Quadrilateral Triangle
Figure 3-42 Basic baffle or shell shapes
Line elements consist of two nodes, each describing each end of the element. Midside
3-42 Version 3.102.514

Cells
and control nodes can be added to line elements set to the appropriate ANSYS FEA
element type number. Point elements always consist of only one node.
Cell generation and manipulation
pro-fes capabilities regarding cell generation and manipulation can be sub-divided into
command-driven and GUI-driven ones, as follows:
Creation, using a number of vertices appropriate to the cell type command C.
This is illustrated in Figure 3-44 in terms of an arbitrarily-shaped hexahedral cell.
Creation via the cursor, using the graphics cursor to pick vertices on the screen
command CDX.
Generation of new sets of cells starting from an existing set command
CGENERATE. The numbers of the constituent vertices for the new cells are
determined by offsetting the vertex numbers of the base set (see Figure 3-43). Note
that you can create the vertices for the new cells before or after execution of the
command (but before any further plotting or manipulation of your model).
Alternatively, vertices can be created by the command itself using VGENERATE or
VREFLECT internally.
Command: CGEN, 3, 5, 1, 4, 1
116
117
118
119
120
16
17
18
19
20
9
10
11
12 115 Generated sets
11
12
13
14 15
5
6
7
8 110
6
7
8
9 10 Starting set
1
2
3
4 105
1
2
3
4
5
Figure 3-43 Cell set generation using CGENERATE
Modification of cell shapes by modifying one or more vertex numbers
Version 3.102.514 3-43

Cells
command CMODIFY.
Addition/removal (see Addition or removal of midside nodes on page 3-53) of
midside nodes to appropriate non-linear elements using the ADDMID command.
Adding line cells (see Cell shapes on page 3-41) along the perimeter of
(a) a cross-sectional cut through the current cell set command VSECTION (see
also the description of cross-sections in Chapter 5);
(b) the intersection of the current cell set with a given shell type command
VINTERSECT.
Line cells can also be added at the location of one or more splines, as specified by
command CSPLINE.
Counting the currently defined cells command COUNT. Alternatively, this
operation can be executed by choosing Utility > Count > Cells from the menu bar.
Listing of the vertices making up a cell face command FLIST.
For further details on the function and application of cell commands, refer to the pro-fe
Commands volume.
Cell orientation and correction
Command: C, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
8 7
3
4
1
2
Figure 3-44 Right-handed cell definition
The manner in which cells are defined is important. The constituent vertices must be
specified in the correct order so as to obey the right-handed rule. This is illustrated in
Figure 3-44 in terms of an arbitrarily-shaped hexahedral cell. The numerical scheme
used to label vertices in Figure 3-41 and Figure 3-42 illustrates the correct
right-hand-rule ordering of vertices for all basic solid and shell shapes. Also shown is
the face numbering, which follows the same convention.
Note that definition of the basic non-hexahedral cells and triangular shells requires
repetition of some vertex numbers, in the manner illustrated in Figure 3-41 and Figure
3-44 Version 3.102.514
Cells
3-42. The reason for this, in the case of cells, is that all the basic cell shapes can be
regarded as degenerate hexahedra formed by collapsing cell faces to lines and/or points
(note that only faces 4 and 2 are treated in this manner). The coincident vertices
produced by this process are identified by assigning them the same indices. Thus, in
Figure 3-41, the prism cell is produced by collapsing face 4 to a line and, in the indexing
convention adopted, the two vertex pairs so formed are labelled (3,3) and (7,7).
Otherwise, the numbering follows the usual right-hand convention. The pyramidal cell
is formed by collapsing face 2 to a point, labelled (5,5,5,5) to indicate the four coincident
vertices. The tetrahedron is constructed by a combination of the practices for the other
two shapes, i.e. by reducing face 4 to a line and face 2 to a point.
Although pro-fe can in principle handle meshes containing cells of arbitrary
orientation, some finite element codes will fail if elements do not match a specific
element orientation. Therefore, it is good modeling practice to ensure all elements follow
the right-handed rule.
If the cell orientation, as defined by the user, is not correct, there are automatic
facilities for rectifying it. These are provided within the FEA GUIde environment (Fix
Grid Problems panel).
These are accessed via the Cell Tool, shown overleaf, which is activated by choosing
Tools > Cell Tool from the menu bar.
Version 3.102.514 3-45

Cells
Commands: CSET CCROSS CDELETE CFIND

CPLOT CZONE CCOMPRESS

1. Grouping cells together for mass manipulation or plotting purposes, i.e. defining a
cell set. This is performed by clicking on one of the green-colored buttons on the
tool, as follows:
(a) All Cells puts all cells in the set.
(c) Invert selects all unselected cells and clears the current set.
(d) Surface selects all cells lying on the surface of the most recent plot and
makes them the current set.
(e) New replaces the current set with a new set of cells.
(f) Add adds new cells to the current set.
(g) Delete deletes cells from the current set.
(h) Subset selects a smaller group of cells from those in the current set.
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Cells
With the last four options, the target cells can be assembled by choosing an item
(a) Type (Current) select all cells whose cell type index is currently
highlighted in the cell table.
(b) Cell Type, Group, Color, Material, Real Constant, FEA Element Type
number select all cells of a given type or specific identity parameter (color,
real constant, material, FEA element type number, group). The required type
or property is selected by clicking on a representative cell with the cursor.
(c) Zone use the cursor to draw a polygon around the desired cells. Complete
the polygon by clicking the last corner with the right mouse button (or click
Done outside the display area to let pro-fe do it for you). Abort the selection
by clicking the Abort button.
(d) Attach Shell select all shells or baffles attached to the current cell set. The
latter may consist of fluid/solid cells to which shells or baffles have been
attached explicitly via one of the operations described on page 3-47.
(e) Vertex Set (All) select cells with all constituent vertices in the current
vertex set.
(f) Vertex Set (Any) select cells with at least one constituent vertex in the
current vertex set.
(g) Vertex Set (Face) select cells that have all vertices making up any of their
faces in the current vertex set.
(h) Cursor Select click on the desired cells with the cursor, complete the
(i) Fluid, Solid, Baffle, Shell, Line, Point select all cells of the type chosen.
(j) Block select all cells contained in the current block set.
(k) Hexahedron, Prism, Pyramid, Tetrahedron select all cells of the shape
chosen.
Further cell set operations are available via the Cell List dialog box (see Listing
below) or by typing command CSET (see the pro-fe Commands volume for a
description of additional selection options).
2. Plotting
This is performed by clicking on the Cell Plot or Replot button. pro-fe plots cells
in the current set in accordance with the relevant plotting parameters (see Plot
Characteristics on page 5-3). Alternatively, select Plot > Cell Plot from the main
menu bar.
3. Modification, Addition, Deletion

These are performed by clicking on one of the red-colored buttons on the tool. Cell
type modification is discussed in detail in Cell indexing on page 6-3. Of the
other available action buttons:
(a) Add Shells or Add Baffles causes shells or baffles to be added to the indicated
faces of selected cells. The required shell or baffle type must also be selected
by highlighting it in the cell table list at the top of the Cell Tool. The face
Version 3.102.514 3-47

Cells
selection is performed in one of the following ways:

i) Enclosing the required cell faces within a polygon drawn on the screen
with the cursor (option Zone). The action is terminated by clicking on
the last corner with the right mouse button to complete the polygon;
the Done button displayed outside the display area to let pro-fe
complete the polygon;
the Abort button to abort the selection operation.
ii) Clicking on the required cell faces with the screen cursor (option
Cursor Select). The action is terminated by clicking the Done button
displayed on the plot.
iii) Selecting all faces located on the surface of the displayed mesh. The
process, illustrated by Figure 3-45, starts at surface faces connected to a
given seed vertex and radiates outwards. The seed vertex is selected
with the screen cursor. The operation thus provides a useful alternative
to picking faces with the cursor when working with intricate geometries
that are not easy to display in their entirety on the screen. The selection
process stops at the vertices contained in a vertex set, VSET, that is
chosen in one of the following two ways:
If Surface (Current Vertex Set) is selected, the currently defined set
is used.
If Surface (New Edge Vertex Set) is selected, pro-fe performs
operation Tools > Vertex Tool > New > Cell Set Edge automatically
in order to assemble the new set.
In the example shown below, seed vertex number 100 is used to add a shell of
type 8 onto the inner surface of the mesh, where it is difficult to use options
Zone or Cursor Select.
3-48 Version 3.102.514

Cells
Commands: VSET, NEWS, EDGE

CFIND, SHELL, 8, 100
VSET selected
Seed vertex 100
Shell created
Figure 3-45 Surface cell manipulation using a seed vertex
(b) Delete Cells causes the selected cells to be deleted. The selection is performed
using the methods described above for shell and baffle addition, only this time
the cursor is used to indicate cells rather than cell faces. Note that:
i) Option Zone selects cells along the full depth of the plot and does not
act on surface cells alone.
ii) The drop-down list provides an additional facility for deleting all cells in
the currently defined cell set (option Cell Set).
Further cell deletion options are also available via the Cell List dialog box, see
Listing below.
4. Compression
This involves the elimination of all unused cell numbers corresponding to
non-existent (e.g. deleted) cells and renumbering of the remaining cells click on
the Compress button. Note that any existing cell post-processing data are
renumbered accordingly.
5. Listing
This is performed by clicking on the Cell List button to activate the Cell List
dialog shown below. Alternatively, select Lists > Cells from the main window
menu. Cell definitions in terms of constituent vertices, cell type, cell table index
and ANSYS element type (if applicable) are displayed in a scroll list in
numerically ascending order. Note that the corner and midpoint or extra vertices
(if necessary) will be displayed for each individual element. If an element type
index has not been assigned to a specific cell type index, a value of N/A will be
Version 3.102.514 3-49
Cells
shown.
The dialog contains option buttons that offer the following listing choices:
(a) Show All Cells
(b) Show Attached Cells on Shells/Baffles.
(c) Show Cset Only
Whatever the type of listing, cells included in the current set are marked by
asterisks in the Cset column.
To select specific cells from the list:

(a) For single items, click the required cell on the list. All of the lines associated
with the selected cell will be highlighted.
(b) For two or more items in sequence, click the first cell you want to select, press
and hold down the Shift key, then click the last cell in the group.
Commands: CLIST CDELETE CUNDELETE CSET
Once the desired cells are selected, the following additional operations are
possible:
(b) Deletion click on the Delete Cell button. Please note that any cell which is
deleted will revert back to its degenerate hexahedra form (i.e 10-node
tetrahedrons).
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Cells
(c) Modification of cell index click on the Change Type button. This
operation is covered in detail under Cell indexing on page 6-3.
Note that:
(a) Any cells that have been deleted up to this point can be reinstated, provided
the Compress operation has not been performed in the meantime. To reinstate
all currently deleted cells, click on the Undelete Cell button. Undeleting a cell
that had a previously defined ANSYS element type index will restore the prior
vertex definition of the cell.
(b) All operations performed within the Cell List dialog have an immediate effect
on the cell definitions, reflected by immediate changes to what is displayed in
the list. However, any subsequent cell changes made outside this dialog box,
e.g. by issuing commands via the pro-fe I/O window, will not be listed. To
display these changes, click on the Update List button at the top of the box.
6. Other cell operations

These can be accessed by clicking on the Other button and selecting one of the
items in the drop-down list, as follows:
(a) Cell refinement, item Cell Refine.
(b) Importing cell definitions by reading them from a .cel file item Cell
Read. The dialog box displayed is shown below:
Command: CREAD

locate it.
ii) An offset to be added to vertex numbers upon input
iii) The cell range, in terms of the first and last cell number to read
Version 3.102.514 3-51

Cells
iv) An offset to be added to cell numbers upon input

v) An offset to be added to cell type indices upon input
vi) Options to either Add the input cells to the end of the current list,
disregarding cell numbers read from the file, or to use these numbers for
overwriting current cell numbers (Modify).
vii) The input file format either Coded or Binary.
(c) Exporting cell definitions by writing them to a .cel file item Cell Write.
The dialog box displayed is shown below.
Command: CWRITE

ii) An offset to be applied to vertex numbers upon output
iii) The cell range, in terms of the first and last cell number to write
iv) An option to save only cells of a specified type
v) The output file format either Coded or Binary.
Cell numbering
Cell numbering is performed automatically as each cell is created and bears no relation
to the associated cell vertex numbers. However, it is possible to instruct the code to
renumber a given cell range by sorting the coordinates of their centroids in a specified
local coordinate system (command CREORDER). This results in cells being numbered
according to their position in space, which may sometimes confer benefits such as ease
of cell generation and alteration and reducing the wavefront during the analysis solution
phase. The command is likely to be most useful for meshes imported from other
CAD/CAE packages (see Importing Data from other Systems on page 4-1) that may
generate cell numbering in a highly irregular manner or large models that are being
analyzed using a wavefront solver.
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Cells
Command RESTRUCTURE will also achieve the same effect as it will optionally
renumber cells as well as their constituent vertices. However, the command can only be
applied to a set of cells already possessing a reasonable spatial structure.
Addition or removal of midside nodes
The addition (removal) of midside nodes to (from) quadratic cells can be accomplished
using the ADDMID command. For structural analyses with a number of degenerate
elements, the quadratic element will produce a more accurate result at the expense of
increased computing time and memory. There are five steps in adding midside nodes to
quadratic elements:
1. Create the entire finite element model without midside nodes.
2. Determine which cells are to have midside nodes added and place those cells in the
current CSET.
3. Define the ANSYS element type for the selected cells as a type that allows midside
node capability. (Note: If at least one of the cells in the selected operating set does
not have midside node capability, ADDMID will be ignored.)
4. Store in the current VSET, all locations where the ADDMID command should
operate (for EITHER or BOTH only). The following options are available for the
ADDMID command:
i) ALL Add (or remove) midside nodes to (from) all edges of all the
selected cells, independent of which vertices are stored in the current
VSET.
ii) EITHER Add (or remove) midside nodes only to (from) cell edges
that have either corner node in the current VSET.
iii) BOTH Add (or remove) midside nodes only to (from) cell edges that
have both corner nodes in the current VSET.
5. Issue the ADDMID command, and check model by plotting (see Figure 5-1 on page
5-10) and listing newly created cells.
If elements in the current CSET already contain midside nodes, pro-fe will not
regenerate new midside nodes for the corresponding element. The existing
midside nodes will still remain after the operation. An example using the ADDMID
command is shown below.
Version 3.102.514 3-53

Cells
Nodes in the current VSET for use during

ADDMID operation
Figure 3-46 Example solid finite element model used to demonstrate ADDMID command
ADDMID, ADD, ALL, CSET
The ALL option adds midside nodes

to all edges in the selected CSET
Figure 3-47 Using the ALL option of ADDMID
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Cells
Using the ALL option of ADDMID
ADDMID, ADD, EITHER, CSET
The EITHER option adds midside

nodes to edges that have vertices
selected in the original VSET.
(See Figure 3-46)
Figure 3-48 Using the EITHER option of ADDMID
ADDMID, ADD, BOTH, CSET
The BOTH option adds midside

nodes to edges that have both
vertices selected in the original
VSET. (See Figure 3-46)
Figure 3-49 Using the BOTH option of ADDMID
Removing midside nodes

The process of removing midside nodes is similar to adding midside nodes. The process
to remove midside nodes takes three steps:
1. Determine which cells are to have midside nodes removed and place these cells in
the current CSET.
2. Store in the current VSET, all locations where the ADDMID command should
operate (for EITHER or BOTH only) (The options for the ADDMID command are
on page 3-53).
3. Issue the ADDMID command and check model by plotting and listing active cells.
Edges that do not contain midside nodes before the ADDMID command is executed will
be ignored, all other locations will have their midside node set to zero.
Version 3.102.514 3-55

Multi-block Approach
This approach relies on separating the overall geometry of the model from its mesh, with
the latter being generated automatically for individual blocks. Users are therefore
advised to take full advantage of these capabilities, especially in cases where the finite
element model domain shape is
relatively simple to define, or
can be readily divided into several constituent blocks.
There are two ways of employing block meshing:

1. The mesh block generation method (mesh block in a pre-defined coordinate
system).
2. The multi-block generation method (mesh blocks forming complex volumes).
Their principal characteristics, advantages and disadvantages are as follows:

Mesh block generation
The method is implemented as two separate panels in the FEA GUIde system. The
first generates three-dimensional meshes directly (see Create 3-D Grids using
Simple Shapes). The second generates two-dimensional meshes consisting of
shell or baffle cells and optionally expands them in the third direction to create a
single-layer, 3-D mesh (see Create 2-D Grids using Simple Shapes).
Its application is limited to standard coordinate systems, as shown in Figure 3-51.
It is one of the fastest modes of mesh generation.
It can also be used to build up more complex models by changes to the origin
location, coordinate axis orientation and type of coordinate system employed (see
Figure 3-50).
Co-ord C
Co-ord B
Co-ord A
Figure 3-50 Local coordinate system usage
3-56 Version 3.102.514

Cylindrical
Cartesian Spherical
Toroidal
Figure 3-51 Coordinate systems used with command VC3DGEN
Version 3.102.514 3-57

Multi-block generation
This is probably the most powerful and flexible of the block-meshing techniques. It is
based on the concept of a block as a three-dimensional volume consisting of eight
corners, defined by vertices, and twelve edges, defined by splines or straight lines [see
Figure 3-52(a)]. For relatively simple shapes, the model geometry can be defined by a
single block. More complicated shapes are represented by a set of conveniently shaped
blocks (see Figure 3-52(b)]. The overall geometry can therefore be stored as one or more
blocks. The latter may be generated using the special FEAGUIde panels described in
Multi-block Meshing Using FEA GUIde Panels on page 3-62.
(a) Single block (b) Multi-block
Figure 3-52 Block representation of model geometry
The main features of the block generation process are as follows:

The model geometry and its associated mesh distribution definition are stored
independently of each other.
Mesh generation for individual blocks is performed separately from the above
operations. The meshing process may also be applied repeatedly on the same
block to implement successive meshing alternatives.
In multi-block models, the number and distribution of cells (i.e. the mesh spacing)
for each block may be defined separately. Alternatively, the spacing in a given
direction can be defined for one block to start with and then replicated for a group
of blocks. This requires the prior creation of a block set (see page 3-59 below) to
collect the required blocks together.
The block-meshing technique can utilize imported geometric data such as vertex
coordinates and splines.
Basic block facilities
Blocks may be created or manipulated using a mixture of commands and GUI
operations, as follows:
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Generation of a single block command BLK
Generation of additional blocks by
(a) applying an offset to the vertices of an existing set command
BLKGENERATE
(b) creating blocks for each cell in a specified range command BLKCELL
.
Counting the currently defined blocks command COUNT. Alternatively, this
operation can be executed by choosing Utility > Count > Blocks from the menu
bar.
These are contained within the Block Tool, shown below, which is accessed by choosing
Tools > Block Tool from the menu bar.
Commands: BLKSET BLKDELETE BLKPLOT
The available functions are:

1. Grouping several blocks together for plotting or manipulation purposes,
i.e. defining a block set.
This is performed by clicking on one of the green-colored buttons on the tool, as
follows:
(a) All Blocks puts all blocks in the set.
(c) Invert selects all unselected blocks and clears the current set.
(d) New Replaces the current set with a new set of blocks.
(e) Add Adds new blocks to the current set.
Version 3.102.514 3-59

(f) Delete Deletes blocks from the current set.

(g) Subset Selects a smaller group of blocks from those in the current set.
With the last four options, the target blocks can be assembled by choosing an item
(a) Cursor Select click on the desired blocks with the cursor, complete the
(b) Zone use the cursor to draw a polygon around the desired blocks.
(c) Vertex Set (Any) the selected blocks must have at least one constituent
vertex in the current vertex set.
(d) Vertex Set (All) all constituent vertices of the selected blocks must be in
the current vertex set.
Further block set operations are also available via the Block List dialog box, see
item Listing and further manipulation on page 3-60.
2. Deletion
This is performed by clicking one of the red-colored buttons on the tool to
(a) delete all blocks (Delete All Blocks), or
(b) delete only those collected in the current block set (Delete Block Set).
Further block deletion options are also available via the Block List dialog box, see
Listing below.
3. Plotting
This is performed by clicking on the Block Plot or Replot button. pro-fe plots
blocks in the current set in accordance with the relevant plotting parameters (see
Plot Characteristics on page 5-3). Alternatively, select Plot > Block Plot from
the main menu bar.
4. Listing and further manipulation

This is performed by clicking on the Block List button to activate the Block List
dialog shown below. Alternatively, select Lists > Blocks from the main menu bar.
Block definitions in terms of block numbers and constituent vertices are displayed
in the scroll list in the upper half of the box. There is also a choice of listing all
blocks or just the current set (marked by asterisks in the Set column). The choice is
made simply by clicking either the Show All Blocks or the Show Block Set Only
option button, respectively.
To select blocks from the list:
(a) For single items, click the required block on the list.
(b) For a group of two or more contiguous items, click the first block you want to
select, press and hold down the Shift key, and then click the last block in the
group.
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Commands: BLKLIST BLKDELETE BLKMODIFY BLKSET

BLKFACTORS BLKEXECUTE BLKWALL
Once the desired blocks are selected, the following operations are possible:
1. Addition to (or removal from) the current set click on the Add to Set/Remove
from Set button.
2. Deletion click on the Delete Blocks button.
3. Modification of a blocks shape by re-defining its constituent corner vertices
type the new vertex number(s) in the appropriate text box underneath the list, then
click on the Modify Block button.
4. Specification (or re-specification) of a blocks mesh size and distribution. The
following parameters can be typed in the appropriate text boxes:
(a) Cell index to assign to all cells in the block (see Cell Table on page 6-1 for a
definition of cell indices).
(b) Starting vertex and cell numbers use a non-zero number only to override
the system defaults.
(c) Number of cells in each coordinate direction.
(d) Vertex increments and mesh spacing factors in each coordinate direction.
These parameters are translated into block fill factors by clicking on the Define
Factors button. The actual cells and vertices are generated in a separate operation,
by clicking on the Create Cells and Vertices button.
5. Projection (mapping) of one or more block faces onto pre-defined shells. The
block volume expands or contracts to accommodate the face movement. The shell
number corresponding to the face that is to be mapped (in the sequence 1 to 6)
Version 3.102.514 3-61
Multi-block Meshing Using FEA GUIde Panels
should be typed in the appropriate text box at the bottom of the dialog box.
Note that all the above operations have an immediate effect on the block
definitions, reflected by immediate changes to what is displayed in the list.
However, any subsequent block changes made outside this dialog box, e.g. by
issuing commands via the pro-fe I/O window, will not be listed. To display these
changes, click on the Update List button at the top of the box.
At the interface between two adjacent blocks whose meshes match each other
structurally, there will be multiple vertices occupying an identical position in space. To
ensure mesh continuity, it is important to merge such vertices with command VMERGE
before proceeding further.

pro-fe provides a special panel, called Create Grids with Blocks (Fitted Shapes), for the
purpose of mesh generation through the FEA GUIde system. The philosophy behind this
panel is based on multi-block mesh generation and relies on basic descriptions of the
target model geometry being available in one form or another. The order in which all
panel operations work is as follows:
Specify the operation you want to perform
Select all items involved in the operation
Execute the operation
The minimum geometric information needed is the position of the vertices located on the
corners of the target block(s). For complex shapes, detailed surface data in the form of
shells and splines would also be provided.
The steps involved in creating a multi-block mesh are as follows:
Stage 1: Subdivide the model geometry into blocks

Step 1
Define the edges of the blocks by fitting appropriate splines. If the block edges are
straight lines, the position of corner points should be sufficient.
Step 2
Create the blocks by specifying the eight corner points. Make sure that the vertices
marking the block corners lie on the splines forming the edges.
Step 3
If the block faces are to be mapped onto another surface, select the shells defining these
surfaces and associate them with the appropriate block faces.
By this stage, all geometric details of the model will have been captured as one or more
pro-fe block definitions.
3-62 Version 3.102.514

Stage 2: Identify and store all mesh-related parameters for the block
Step 1
Specify the number of cells in the local I, J, K directions for each block, remembering
that individual blocks can only be meshed in a structured way.
Step 2
Define the mesh distribution for each of the three local block directions.
Stage 3: Create the mesh using data specified during Stages 1 and 2
The three stages outlined above and their associated steps are accessible through the
Creating Grids with Blocks panel and its three tabs. Before attempting to use the panel,
you should make sure that you have at least a set of vertices or surface shells from which
the required entities (such as splines and block corner points) can be defined. The set of
shells determining the models surface geometry may be either created internally using
pro-fe or imported from external CAD packages using the Import CAD/Surface
Information FEA GUIde panel.
Using the panel
This section gives further details of the steps above in terms of actually using the
Creating Grids with Blocks panel. It is assumed that you are familiar with selecting,
displaying and manipulating various entities such as vertices, splines, shells, cells, etc.
The geometry of the example model given in this section is represented by surface
shells (see Figure 3-53). The manner of subdivision of this geometry into blocks is up to
you. In this case, it was decided to use six blocks (see Figure 3-54).
Stage 1
Step 1
In order to fit splines to the edges of the constituent blocks, you need to select vertices
for these splines. The vertex selection is accomplished as follows:
Select the Splines tab
Choose option Vertex of Cell from the Select Items button group
Select the manner of picking items from the graphics window via the Locate Items
pop-up menu; in this case the choice can be closest to cursor
Click the Create Spline button
Move the cursor to the graphics window and mark the appropriate vertices using
the left mouse button (see Figure 3-55). A list of these vertices should appear in
the Located or Selected Items scroll list. To remove one or more of them from the
selection, mark the list item(s) with the cursor and remove it with the Clear List
Item button.
When satisfied with the vertex selection, click the Done button to create and
display the current spline (see Figure 3-56)
This process is repeated for all splines that will eventually form the block edges. Figure
3-57 shows the 52 splines that will be used to define the blocks which constitute the
Version 3.102.514 3-63

model.
Step 2
Display the splines using the spline selection facilities provided in the main pro-fe
window so as to confirm that the correct vertices have been chosen to mark the spline
end-points. This is particularly important since these vertices also mark the block
corners. To create a block:
Select the Blocks tab
Click the Create Block button
Choose option Vertex of Spline from the Select Items button group
Use the cursor to mark the appropriate vertices at the eight corners of each block
(see Figure 3-58). A list of these vertices should appear in the Located or Selected
Items scroll list.
When satisfied with the vertex selection, click the Done button to create and
display the current block.
This process should be repeated for all blocks in the model.

Step 3
To ensure that the block surfaces coincide with the shell surfaces defining the model
geometry, it is sometimes necessary to map the block faces onto the shell surfaces. This
is particularly important in this example, as the various blocks will be joined together
along faces that need to be perfectly coincident. To map a block face to a shell surface:
Select the Mesh tab
Click the Map Face to Shells button. Note that option Block Face in the Select
Items group is automatically selected.
Mark the target block face with the cursor. Note that to pick the face furthest away
from you, it is necessary to choose option furthest from you in the Locate Items
pop-up.
Choose option Cell Type ID from the Select Items group
Mark the target shell surface with the cursor
When satisfied with your selections, click the Done button to perform the mapping
(see Figure 3-59)
This process must be repeated for all block face surfaces whose shape is not sufficiently
well defined by the block-edge splines alone.
By this stage, the full geometry of the model will have been stored in six pro-fe block
definitions. The next stage is to specify the mesh spacing along each individual block
edge.
Stage 2
Step 1
Select and display one of the blocks on the screen using the block selection facilities
provided in the main pro-fe window. Given the structural nature of the mesh, only three
edges need to be marked for each block. Specify the number of cells along each edge as
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follows:
In the Mesh tab, click the Number of Cells button
Note that option Block Edge in the Select Items group is automatically selected.
Mark the edge in question with the cursor.
Enter the number of cells along that edge (also called the meshing number) in the
Numeric Parameter text box
Match the edge with its corresponding meshing number by clicking the Done
button.
This process needs to be repeated for the remaining blocks.
Alternatively, you may first select all edges, irrespective of block, that share the same
number of cells in a given direction; they will be displayed in the Located or Selected
Items scroll list. Typing the meshing number and clicking Done will then assign that
number to all of them (see Figure 3-60).
Step 2
If non-uniform mesh spacing is required for any of the blocks:
In the Mesh tab, click the Space Factor button
Select the appropriate edge as described in Step 1 above
Enter the required spacing factor in the Numeric Parameter box
Match the edge with the spacing factor by clicking Done
By this stage, all geometry and mesh-related parameters will have been stored (see
Figure 3-61). The next and final stage consists of generating the finite element mesh.
Stage 3
Step 1
To choose the cell type for the cells to be created:
In the Mesh tab, click the Cell ID button. This displays automatically the Cell
Table Editor and the currently defined blocks
Make your choice of cell type by highlighting it in the editors scroll list and
clicking Apply
Close the Cell Table Editor
Note that option Block in the Select Items group is automatically selected and that
the cursor is active in the main window
Select the block(s) to be meshed using the cursor. The block will be displayed in
the Located or Selected Items scroll list
Click the Done button to assign the chosen cell type to the selected blocks
This process should be repeated for all blocks.

Step 2
To create the mesh:
Put all the blocks in a set by choosing Bk > All in the main window
Click the Generate Mesh button. This will automatically select the appropriate
Version 3.102.514 3-65

cell type for each block and will produce a mesh matching the geometric and
parametric values specified in Stages 1 and 2. The resulting mesh for all three
blocks is shown in Figure 3-62.
Other panel functions
Other functions of the Creating Grids with Blocks panel that have not been covered so
far are described below. In each case, detailed instructions on how to proceed with each
operation are displayed on-line within the FEA GUIde panels.
Splines tab
Once created, splines may be modified in a number of ways, including inserting
additional vertices in them (Modify Spline), splitting a spline into two (Split
Spline), joining two splines together (Join Spline) and finally deleting splines
(Delete Spline).
Splines can be chased across surfaces or through meshes. These functions require
that the current cell set consists of shells. Chase Spline creates a spline with
control points on the shell surface while Mesh Chase Spline keeps the control
points on existing cell vertices. These functions are equivalent to command
SPL,CHASE.
Move Vertex allows a vertex (the first in the list) to be moved to a new location or
on top of an existing vertex (the second in the list).
Blocks tab
When using the Modify Block button, option Block Vertices in the Select Items
group is selected automatically. In this way, clicking on a block loads its eight
defining vertices into the Located items list. They can then be selected and new
vertices substituted in their place to change the block definition.
The Block Plot button plots all blocks in the current set
Using the Delete Block button automatically selects the Block option in the Select
Items group. In this way, the block(s) to be deleted can be picked on the screen
with the cursor.
Mesh tab
Where blocks share common faces, the block factors from one block can be traced
onto adjacent blocks using the Block Trace button. The mesh factors are traced
through the current block set. This is equivalent to command BLKTRACE.
Generate Factors is a composite operation combining the functionality of the
Number of Cells and Block Trace buttons. The meshing number appropriate to
the selected edge(s) is calculated by pro-fe by dividing the edge length by the
nominal cell size along that edge, typed in the Numeric Parameter box. All
meshing numbers thus calculated are propagated through the current block set.
The mesh factors (i.e. number of cells and face mapping) for a block can be set
back to the default values with the Reset Factors button
All cells in a given block can be deleted using the Delete Block Cells button
3-66 Version 3.102.514

Figure 3-53 Surface shells from CAD package
Figure 3-54 Blocking strategy
Version 3.102.514 3-67

Figure 3-55 Vertices picked for spline chase
Figure 3-56 Spline created using spline chase
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Figure 3-57 Splines defining block edges
Figure 3-58 Selecting corner vertices
Version 3.102.514 3-69

Figure 3-59 Mapping block faces to shells
Figure 3-60 Defining block factors
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Figure 3-61 Block structure
Figure 3-62 Resultant mesh
Version 3.102.514 3-71

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Chapter 4 OTHER MESH OPERATIONS
Importing Data from other Systems

In Chapter 3 the basics of creating a mesh were presented. This chapter rounds off the
description of mesh-related operations by introducing some additional pro-fe functions
concerned with:
mesh and geometry data importing from external CAD/CAE systems
connecting together separately-created mesh blocks
mesh morphing (i.e. changing the geometry of a model by only changing the
external surfaces)
checking the mesh for ill-shaped or inappropriately defined cells
improving the quality of the mesh
The success of any of the above functions can be checked at any stage by appropriate
mesh displays, as described in Chapter 5.
Importing Data from other Systems

This feature has been designed as a means of communication with other CAD/CAE
packages. Its main functions are:
To facilitate the integration of pro-fe into an existing CAD/CAE environment
where other packages are in use.
To provide interfaces with widely-used packages. Those presently catered for are:
STAR-CD
PROSTAR
SAMM
ICEM CFD Tetra
IDEAS
ANSYS
PATRAN
NASTRAN
PLOT3D
To provide the means of importing both geometric and mesh data into pro-fe.
Geometry importing operations are available for the following types of data:
IGES
VDA
STL (stereolithographic)
Mesh data are imported using the Import Grids FEA GUIde panel. Surface data are
imported using the Import CAD/Surface Information panel. There are also two
command-driven utilities for reading geometry information from the following data
visualization systems:
ENSIGHT
GAMBIT
Version 3.102.514 4-1

OTHER MESH OPERATIONS Chapter 4
Data exporting
The commands for reading such data are ENSIGHT and GAMBIT, respectively, and are
described fully in the Commands volume.
Where mesh data are involved, the imported entities are vertices (nodes), cells
(elements) and, sometimes, boundary definitions.
Data exporting
pro-fe also provides facilities for exporting data to other CAD/CAE or visualization
systems. Those presently catered for are:
STAR-CD
PROSTAR
ANSYS
PATRAN
NASTRAN
IDEAS
ENSIGHT
FIELDVIEW
Mesh data are exported using the Export Grids FEA GUIde panel. Command VRML is
also available for writing a virtual reality (.vrml) file containing any shells defined in
your model (or in the current cell set). If vertex post-processing data exist in post register
4, they are written out for use in contouring; otherwise, only geometry data are written.
For systems where no specific pro-fe link is provided, it is still possible to export data
by selecting Tools > Convert > Generic from the main menu. This displays the Generic
dialog shown below:
Command: GENERIC
This operation is essentially a free-format output utility designed to produce data records
in any suitable form on file case.gen. Obviously, the user needs to be familiar with
the data format expected by the external software before attempting to use this function.
The type of data to be exported, i.e. cell, vertex, or boundary, is defined as part of the
output command format (see the description of command GENERIC in the pro-fe
Commands volume).
Mesh and Geometry Checking

The finite element mesh needs to be checked in order to ascertain whether:
4-2 Version 3.102.514

cells are smoothly distributed;

cells are of acceptable shape;
cells follow the finite element analysis requirements, such as aspect ratio,
warpage, interior angles, etc.;
the overall problem geometry is well represented by the mesh;
the overall mesh dimensions and volume are correct.
Thus checking is performed at two different levels:

At the macroscopic level, covering the overall geometry and dimensions.
At the microscopic level, covering individual cell deformity and non-compliance
with the finite element analyses requirements.
Macroscopic checking
At the macroscopic level, pro-fes checking facilities can be accessed from the Utility
menu in the main window. The following quantities can be checked:
1. The area of a surface select Utility > Calculate Area and then one of the
following items to identify the surface in question (command alternatives
ACROSS, AZONE, AREA):
(a) Cell Faces select cell faces individually with the cursor on the current
model geometry plot. The action is terminated by clicking on the Done button
that is also displayed on the plot.
(b) Cell Faces in Zone the cell faces making up the surface are those included
within a user-specified polygon, drawn on the screen with the cursor. The
action is terminated by clicking on:
i) the last point with the right mouse button to complete the polygon;
ii) the Done button to let pro-fe complete the polygon;
iii) the Abort button to abort the selection operation.
(c) Vertices the surface is that of polygon defined by a number of vertices

(minimum 3). These are selected with the cursor in order around the polygon
and may be located anywhere in the mesh (but should all lie in the same
plane). The selection is terminated by clicking Done.
Note that a running total of area is kept. This can be reset by selecting Calculate
Area > Clear.
2. The volume of part of the mesh select Utility > Calculate Volume and then
one of the following items to identify the volume in question (command
alternative VOLUME):
(a) Cell select cells individually with the cursor on the current geometry plot
(b) Cell Set use the current cell set
(c) All Cells use all currently defined cells
As with area calculations, a running total of volume is kept. This can be reset by
Version 3.102.514 4-3

selecting Calculate Volume > Clear.
3. The distance between two vertices option Vertex Distance. The required
vertices must be selected with the cursor from the current plot. pro-fe also
calculates the components of the distance vector in the local and global coordinate
systems (command alternative VDISTANCE).
4. The geometric range covered by a given set of cells (options Cell Set, All Cells),
vertices (Vertex Set, All Vertices), or splines (Spline Set, All Splines). The
displayed information consists of the minimum and maximum coordinate in each
direction and the identifying numbers of the cells, vertices, etc. located at the end
points (command alternative RANGE).
For proper operation of the above functions, some form of surface plot (see Plot
Characteristics on page 5-3) must be currently on display in pro-fes main window.
The numerical values of the desired quantities (area, volume, distance, etc.) are
displayed in the Output window.
Microscopic checking
At the microscopic level, things to check for are:
1. Correct mesh connectivity select Utility > Cells on Vertex. This finds all cells
attached to a specific vertex, chosen with the cursor, and is thus useful in verifying
that, say, two mesh blocks have been properly joined together (command
alternative CVERTEX).
2. The extent of cell deformity and non-compliance with finite element analysis
requirements select Tools > Check Tool to display the Check Tool dialog
shown below.
4-4 Version 3.102.514

Commands: CHECK SORT CFLIP
The CHECK function examines a number of cell properties, chosen from the Check
Option pop-up menu at the top of the dialog box. The range of cells to be checked is
selected from the adjacent pop-up menu (either All cells or only those in the current
Cset). The following cell properties are examined:
Aspect ratio item Aspect Ratio. This is defined as the ratio of the (nominal)
dimensions of intersecting cell faces. Values close to unity are preferable, but
departures from this are allowed. The desired limit on this ratio can be typed in the
Limit text box.
b b/a = aspect ratio
Figure 4-1 Aspect ratio definition
Internal angle item Internal Angle (Face). This refers to the degree of
departure of cell internal angles from 90 intersections between cell faces. This
Version 3.102.514 4-5
departure should be kept to a minimum. The desired limit (in degrees) on the
amount by which internal angles may differ from 90 can be typed in the Limit text
box. The option selected in the Angle Opt pop-up menu enables the algorithm to
report offending angles that are Larger than 90, Smaller than 90, or Both
varieties.
= internal angle
Figure 4-2 Internal angle definition
Warp angle item Face Warpage. This specifies the extent to which vertices
making up a cell face are not co-planar. Warpage is measured by the angle
between the surface normals of the two triangular surfaces making up the cell face.
The optimum value is zero, which can only occur when the face is planar. The
desired limit (in degrees) on the warp angle magnitude can be typed in the Limit
text box.
= warp angle
Figure 4-3 Warp angle definition
Right-handed cell item Right Handed. The correct right-handed cell definition
is illustrated by Figure 3-44 on page 3-44. Each cell topology is checked for
compliance with this rule.
Negative cell volume item Negative Volume. This results from severe cell
deformity or left-handed definitions, as illustrated by Figure 4-4. A small
(positive) value may also be typed in the Limit text box to help locate unreasonably
small cells, whose volume is less than the value specified.
4-6 Version 3.102.514

4 3
8 7
1 2
5 6
Figure 4-4 Cell with negative volume
The cell above is defined as
C,4,6,7,3,2,5,1,8
rather than
C,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
Overlapping cells item Double Cells. This refers to double cells made up of
the same set of vertices. Figure 4-5 shows two cells sharing the same vertices,
defined by
C,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
and
C,5,1,4,8,6,2,3,7
4 3
8 7
1 2
5 6
Figure 4-5 Overlapping or double cells
Repeating vertices in a cell item Double Vertices. These are allowed only if
used correctly to define non-hexahedral cells (see Figure 3-41 on page 3-42); the
cell needs correction otherwise.
Version 3.102.514 4-7

6
1 2
4 5
Figure 4-6 Repeating vertices in a cell
Referring to Figure 4-6 above, a cell defined by
C,3,1,2,3,6,4,5,6
is incorrect and will be flagged as such by CHECK. The correct command is
C,1,2,3,3,4,5,6,6
as also illustrated by Figure 3-41 on page 3-42.

Centroid position item Centroid. Cells whose centroid falls within the volume
of another cell are identified.
Centroid of cell 1
2
Figure 4-7 Cell centroid situated within a different cell
Cell connectivity item Connectivity. Checks whether all parts of your mesh are
properly connected to each other. This check is particularly useful if your model is
made up of multiple cell blocks.
Mesh discontinuities (cracks) item Crack. Such discontinuities occur at
interfaces within the model that were unintentionally left unconnected, e.g. by not
performing a VMERGE operation. The checking algorithm first finds all free
surfaces in the model. For each of them, it projects an outward normal from the
centroid of the cell face and finds a point located a small distance away along the
normal (as specified in the Limit text box). If this point lies within another cell in
the model, then there is a crack at that location.
Collapsed cell faces item Face Collapse. This checks whether cell faces were
inadvertently collapsed through incorrect cell definition. For example, a definition
4-8 Version 3.102.514
of
C,1,2,2,3,4,5,5,6
for the prismatic cell shown in Figure 4-6 implies such an unintentional face
collapse and would be picked up.
Small cell faces item Area of Face. Very small face areas can cause numerical
problems with a solution algorithm and should be avoided, e.g. by redefining the
offending cells. An option selected in the Area Opt pop-up menu enables the
algorithm to report offending faces on the basis of whether their areas are smaller
than a given Value. The second option, Ratio, checks whether the ratio between
the smallest and largest face areas of a cell is less than a given value. In both cases,
the limiting value can be typed in the text box provided.
Tetrahedral cell quality item Tetrahedron Quality. This check calculates the
volume of each tetrahedron, plus a sphere defined by its vertices. The volume is
then compared with that of a regular tetrahedron whose vertices lie on the same
sphere, as shown in Figure 4-8. This comparison determines how much the actual
tetrahedron deviates from the ideal (regular) shape and is represented by a ratio in
the range 0.0 1.0. A number close to 1.0 indicates that the tetrahedron is nearly
regular in shape.
actual tetrahedron
regular tetrahedron
Vactual
ratio =
Vregular
Figure 4-8 Tetrahedral cell quality definition
Two additional options, ALL, invoking all the checks listed above and SEVERE,
invoking only those that test for irregularities are available only as command-line
options (see the Commands volume for details).
The CHECK function allows all cells that do not pass any of the above tests to be
automatically collected in a cell set, using the New Set option from the Set Option
pop-up menu. The locations of such cells are also placed automatically in the
post-processing registers (see Data Manipulation on page 8-12 for a description of
registers) so they are available for plotting. Note that:
The tetrahedral check does not carry any acceptable limit on the tetrahedral
Version 3.102.514 4-9

Mesh Quality Improvement
quality and therefore no cell set of the above kind is produced. However, the
quality factors are still written automatically to post register no. 4, hence they can
be plotted like any other cell property distribution.
The connectivity check works in a similar fashion, in that a group of connected
cells is given its own individual color and displayed in a contour plot. Thus, if the
overall mesh in your model is properly connected, all cells should be displayed in
a single color.
The following points should also be borne in mind:

1. A given type of check is performed by choosing it from the Check Option pop-up
menu and then clicking the Apply action button.
2. The kind of information that is subsequently displayed in the scroll list is
controlled by the following option buttons:
(a) Show All Calculations shows the values of the property checked for the entire
cell range under consideration.
(b) Show Set Only shows only values belonging to cells that have failed the test
(and are collected in a cell set). It is therefore important to select the New Set
option described above if anything is to appear in the scroll list.
3. The scroll list items can be sorted on the basis of the actual value of the property
tested click on Sort. Note that this button is active only for check options
Aspect Ratio and Negative Volume. The effects of the sorting operation can be
undone by clicking on Unsort.
4. Cells with fundamental problems, i.e.
(a) double vertices,
(b) negative volumes,
(c) overlaps,
(d) left-handed definitions,
need to be corrected before proceeding further with the finite element analysis.
This is true both for imported meshes and for those created using pro-fe.
Left-handed cells can be corrected by clicking on the Fix Left-Handed button.
More correction facilities are provided within the FEA GUIde environment (Fix
Grid Problems panel).
Mesh checking functions are very important, but overall checking can be done most
effectively by visualizing the mesh. This is achieved by the interactive plotting
capabilities of pro-fe, described in Chapter 5.

Some of the problems encountered during the mesh checking stage, i.e. those related to
aspect ratio, internal angle or warpage, will not necessarily prevent your finite element
analysis from running successfully, as certain codes are capable of dealing with highly
deformed cells. It is nevertheless advisable to avoid extremely deformed cells, if at all
possible, because they can at best delay numerical convergence and at worst cause
4-10 Version 3.102.514

numerical instability. Thus, the user should always attempt to improve the mesh quality
using one of the following operations:
1. Orthogonalisation of a blocks constituent cells through the solution of elliptic
equations command MORTHO. This improves internal angles and/or warp
angles but tends to flatten out non-planar surfaces. Therefore, all vertices that
should stay fixed, such as those on a curved surface, must be collected together in
a vertex set (see item Grouping on page 3-21) prior to using the MORTHO
command on a target block. MORTHO can only be used on sections of a model that
are block structured with uniform vertex increments in all three directions.
2. Smoothing of the vertices connected to the current set of cells in a given shell or
3-D mesh via algebraic smoothing (see Figure 4-9) command VSMOOTH. The
effect of this operation is to move vertices so that distances between them are as
equal as possible. All vertices that should stay fixed must be collected together in a
vertex set prior to using this command. Command VELLIPTIC performs a
similar function, except that the smoothing algorithm is adjusted to take abrupt
changes in curvature on the boundary into consideration. A GUI implementation
of both commands is available in the Fix Grid Problems FEA GUIde panel.
Before After
Figure 4-9 Vertex smoothing using VSMOOTH
3. Improving the cell shape commands VADJANGLE and UNSKEW. Their

functionality is similar to that of command UNWARP (see below) except that they
work on a cell-by-cell basis rather than on all cells simultaneously.
VADJANGLE repositions vertices to minimize warpage, and to reduce the
maximum internal angle to a user-specified value. Vertex movement is also
restricted to a user-specified value.
UNSKEW is used to decrease the internal angles of cells, by moving a vertex in
the vicinity of the most flattened part of the cell by a given distance. Since it is
possible that by improving one cell one may inadvertently distort some of its
neighbors, this command is best suited to improving cells next to external
surfaces.
A GUI implementation of both commands is available in the Fix Grid
Problems FEA GUIde panel.
Version 3.102.514 4-11

4. Cell shape improvement command UNWARP. This attempts to improve the

shape of cells within a given cell range by moving vertices so as to reduce the
warpage of non-planar cell faces (see Microscopic checking on page 4-4 for a
discussion of this concept). The process is time and memory intensive, so the cell
set to be worked on should be kept as small as possible.
A GUI dialog for this operation, shown below, may be accessed from the Vertex
tool (option Other > Unwarp):
Command: UNWARP
The required input is:

(a) A warp angle limit, above which corrective action is taken.
(b) The maximum number of iterations to be performed by the smoothing
algorithm.
(c) A perturbation limit, below which vertices are not in fact moved.
(d) An under-relaxation factor for the smoothing algorithm.
(e) The maximum number of cell faces attached to any single vertex. If more
faces are attached, the user will be prompted to repeat the operation with a
greater value. Note that using a large value from the beginning of this
operation can be very time-consuming computationally.
(f) Normally, vertices on faces that satisfy the warp-angle criterion are not
moved. However, selecting the Yes option from the Move Vertices pop-up
menu overrides this and all vertices are moved until all faces satisfy the
criterion.
(g) All vertices that should remain fixed should be collected together in a vertex
set (VSET) before the UNWARP operation begins. Typically, such vertices are
on the surface of the model. It is possible to instruct pro-fe to create such a
surface-vertex set automatically by selecting option Surface Vertices from
the Fixed Vertices pop-up menu before clicking the Apply button. If for any
reason this is not desirable, create the required set explicitly before entering
the Unwarp dialog, select option Current Vertex Set from the menu and then
4-12 Version 3.102.514

Mesh Morphing
click Apply.
Mesh Morphing
Mesh morphing is an extremely powerful method of modifying an existing finite
element model without changing element connectivity. Also, the boundary conditions
applied to the model remain intact. Using this method, users can modify just the exterior
surfaces of a model, allowing pro-fes robust interior mesh smoothers and element
checking tools to correct any interior element problems. These models can then be re-run
with little or no effort.
The basic steps in utilizing the mesh morphing technique are:

1. Create the surface(s) to morph. The surface should consist of shells created with
any of the various surface generating commands provided by pro-fe. (CFIND,
LIVE, CCROSS, etc.)
2. Determine, create or import any new geometric data used to morph the new
surface(s).
3. Move the working surface edge nodes to their new geometric locations, using
pro-fes vertex operation commands (VEQUAL, VFILL, VSPFILL, etc.).
4. Use pro-fes smoothing techniques (VSMOOTH, UNWARP,...) or vertex operation
commands to correct the remaining exterior surface nodes.
5. Perform a final smoothing operation on the internal nodes of the model.
6. After the smoothing operation on the internal nodes, use the checking tools to
check element quality. If necessary, use smoothing techniques again or manual
manipulation to correct bad elements.
Below, an example using the mesh morphing technique is shown. A broach angle needs
to be incorporated into a turbine blade disk. Using the mesh morphing technique, only
the exterior surfaces need to be modified to include this broach angle. pro-fe can then
correct all internal element problems using smoothing techniques and vertex operation
commands.
Version 3.102.514 4-13

Mesh Morphing
Figure 4-10 Turbine blade disk mesh morphing example model
Step 1
For this example, the morphing surfaces are created using the CFIND command.
However, it is first necessary to define an appropriate shell cell type using the CTABLE
command before issuing the CFIND command. To select the boundary edges for the
CFIND command, the edge vertices of the turbine blade disk are stored in the active
VSET, by issuing the VSET, NEWS, EDGE command.
4-14 Version 3.102.514

Mesh Morphing
Edge Mesh morphing

vertices surfaces
CFIND
command was
used to generate
mesh morphing
surface shells
Figure 4-11 Generation of mesh morphing surface
Step 2,3
The broach angle in the turbine blade disk is created by moving one end of the dovetail
profile 0.5 degrees in the circumferential direction. This is performed by first selecting
the vertices that need to be moved, and then using the VGENERATE command to move
those vertices. The new surface can be seen below.
VSET, NEWS, VCRS
CSYS, 2
VGEN, 2, 0, VSET,,,, 0.5
Dovetail region was

moved 0.5 degrees
to model desired
broach angle.
Version 3.102.514 4-15

Mesh Morphing
The remaining edges that need to be corrected are modified using a series of VFILL
commands, filling vertices evenly between two endpoints. The modified surface can be
seen below.
VFILL, VCRS
All edges of this morphing
surface have been placed
in their new, correct location.
Step 1
Due to the uniform vertex numbering of the turbine blade disk in the axial direction, the
repeat option of the VFILL command can be used to place the remaining nodes of the
dovetail morphing surface at their correct location. Other methods, such as surface
smoothing or vertex-clicking filling can also be used.
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Mesh Morphing
The broach angle for the turbine

blade disk has now been morphed
into the new dovetail surface, without
changing internal node placement.
The next step is to smooth the nodes on the remaining morphing surfaces. By selecting
the edge vertices of this surface, we can smooth the non-edge nodes using the VSMOOTH
command. Once this has been accomplished, all of the exterior surfaces will have been
placed at their correct, new locations and the internal nodes of the turbine blade disk can
be smoothed.
Version 3.102.514 4-17

Mesh Morphing
Modification of
the dovetail has
caused the mesh
to become
highly irregular.
pro-fes vertex
smoothers have
fixed the mesh
problems caused
by creating a
broach angle
in the disk
dovetail.
Step 2
Before smoothing all of the internal nodes using the VSMOOTH command, we first must
store in the active VSET, the vertices that will be fixed during the smoothing process
(e.g. All exterior surface vertices). This can be accomplished by issuing the following
set of pro-fe commands:
CSET, NEWSET, SOLID

VSET, NEWSET, SURFACE
VSMOOTH, 1, 100
Step 3
After smoothing the internal nodes of the model, it is best to use the CHECK command
to make sure that the warpage, aspect ratio and interior angles of the model are under the
maximum allowable values. This can be done by executing these commands:
CHECK, CSET,, WARP

CHECK, CSET,, ASPC
CHECK, CSET,, INTR
If none of the cells fail the checks, then the morphed model is complete. If some
elements fail, another smoothing operation could be performed or some manual
manipulation of the defective cells can be made to correct the bad cells.
4-18 Version 3.102.514

Mesh Morphing
The old and new turbine blade disk models are shown below.
Original Turbine Blade Disk Morphed Turbine Blade Disk
Version 3.102.514 4-19

Mesh Morphing
4-20 Version 3.102.514

Chapter 5 MESH VISUALISATION

A system that allows the creation and use of complicated model geometries and meshes
needs to be able to display these entities in a quick and clear manner. pro-fe provides a
large range of flexible and efficient tools for this purpose, showing the current state of
the model at all stages of the modeling process. The display functions can be classified
into the following groups:
Range of data to be plotted
Plot characteristics
Entity to be plotted
Therefore, before a picture can be displayed on the screen, the above three attributes
have to be specified. This may be done in one of the following ways:
By clicking one of the buttons located along the top and left-hand-side of the
pro-fe main window, shown below. This method is especially convenient when
generating successive mesh plots with different display attributes.
By choosing options from the Plot menu
By using one of the three mouse buttons (mainly for common plot-positioning and
display operations)
Version 3.102.514 5-1

MESH VISUALISATION Chapter 5
Data Range
Data Range
The extent and range of data to be viewed or manipulated requires a certain amount of
control since, for large models and data sets, there is normally no need to work on the
entire model all at once. For this reason, pro-fe provides a group of so-called database
functions which allow selection of a subset of the available data for the purposes of:
model display
use within other pro-fe operations
The types of entities for which subsets can be selected are accessed via colored buttons
on the left-hand-side of the main pro-fe window:
Cells button marked C >
Vertices button marked V >
Splines button marked S >
Blocks button marked Bk >
For each of the entities above:
5-2 Version 3.102.514

Plot Characteristics
1. The required data are selected via options in a buttons drop-down list or by means
of the special set (green) buttons in the appropriate tool see Chapter 3 for a
description of the Vertex, Cell, Block and Spline Tools. Common selection methods
are
(a) numeric range
(b) geometric range
(c) terminal cursor selection (i.e. graphically)
(d) reference to another set already selected for a different entity
(e) a property that is unique to the current entity (e.g. the color of a particular cell)
2. Several selection methods are provided because it is not always possible or

convenient to define a set in terms of a single criterion.
3. The colored buttons on the main window provide the same selection facilities as
the corresponding entity tool and are therefore quicker and more convenient for
assembling an entity set.
4. Although most commonly used for plotting, sets are also very useful when
working in command mode. Thus, the selection can be employed by various
commands that need to refer to a pre-defined set, e.g.:
VLIST,1,5,1,5
can be replaced by
VSET,NEWS,VRAN,1,5,1
VLIST,VSET,,,5
Plot characteristic selection facilities enable the user to choose the most appropriate
mesh display type for the current stage of the modeling process. As for database
functions, mesh plot characteristics are chosen either via the Plot menu, shown below,
or via action buttons and pop-up menus along the top and left-hand side of the main
pro-fe window.
Version 3.102.514 5-3

Commands: PLTYPE SURFSEL EDGESEL PLMESH PLFACE

AXISUP PAN ZOOM OVERLAY NUMBER
CDISPLAY SHRINK MULTISEC PLDISPLAY VSTYLE
LSWITCH WINDOW CLEAR
Basic plot type definitions

The available facilities are described below in terms of Plot menu choices and, where
appropriate, button clicks or pop-up menu selections on the margin of the main window:
1. Plot type select Type to specify whether the output is:
(a) A complete wireframe (see-through) plot option Normal.
(b) A section cut through the model option Section.
(c) A surface (hidden-line) plot option Qhidden or Ehidden. The first option
displays only forward-facing cell faces, whereas the second produces a proper
surface plot. The Qhidden plot type is likely to be faster than Ehidden on
vector-type display devices but provides little advantage on raster devices. The
various graphical, Zone-type operations for quickly identifying cell faces
(implemented as green-button options in the various tools) work as if the
current plot is of type Qhidden regardless of the actual on-screen cell face
visibility.
(d) A clipped plot option Chidden. This is a combination of options (b) and
(c), whereby a surface plot is clipped beyond a section plane cutting through
the model. The portion of the models surface that is actually clipped is
determined by the orientation of the normal to the section plane (see
5-4 Version 3.102.514

Additional display options, item no. 5). It is possible to reverse this

orientation quickly and thereby display the surface that lies on the other side
of the clipping plane by using command SNORMAL,REVERSE
(e) A partial surface plot option Ihidden. This plots only the surfaces whose
vertices lie entirely within the current vertex set. This is useful, for example, in
displaying some of the interior features of a complex surface.
2. Surface plotting selecting Display > Surface displays only exterior surfaces of
the cells making up the mesh. It can be very usefully employed in conjunction
with Type > Normal to improve the legibility of a wireframe plot (it is turned on
automatically for Qhidden/Ehidden plot types). If used in conjunction with Type >
Section (see page 5-7) it hides the structure of the mesh along the cross-section
being employed.
3. Combined Surface and Plot Type specification. The options described so far can
also be selected from the Cell Plot Type pop-up menu in the main window as
follows:
(a) Wire (All) equivalent to Plot > Type > Normal plus Display > Surface >
Off
(b) Wire (Surface) equivalent to Plot > Type > Normal plus Display >
Surface > On
(c) Section (All) equivalent to Plot > Type > Section plus Display > Surface
> Off. Note that the section plot parameters must be selected, as explained in
page 5-7, before this plot type is chosen
(d) Section (Surface) equivalent to Plot > Type > Section plus Display >
Surface > On. Note that the section plot parameters must be selected, as
explained in page 5-7, before this plot type is chosen
(e) Quick Hidden Line equivalent to Plot > Type > Qhidden
(f) Hidden Line equivalent to command term,,,vect (see Chapter 2,
Plotting Functions) plus Plot > Type > Ehidden
(g) Hidden Surface equivalent to command term,,,rast plus Plot > Type
> Ehidden
(h) Clipped Hidden equivalent to Plot > Type > Chidden
(i) Interior equivalent to Plot > Type > Ihidden
4. Edge plotting select Display > Edge or click on the edge plotting button
in the main window. This facility can be used to plot only the (sharp) edges of the
mesh formed by the current cell set (Type > Normal) or only exposed edges
(Type > Ehidden). This is a useful tool for checking discontinuities within the
mesh since they often manifest themselves as edges. Use the EDGE command to
modify the feature angle. Edges are defined by adjacent faces whose normals
differ by the feature angle or greater.
5. Mesh plotting select Display > Mesh or click on the mesh plotting button
Version 3.102.514 5-5

in the main window to display mesh lines.
6. Face plotting select Display > Faces to plot cell (or block) faces with colors
keyed to the face numbers (face 1 is shown red, face 2 green, etc.).
7. Face shrinkage select Display > Shrink to shrink cell faces by a specified
percentage of their original size (default 80%). This allows each cell to be viewed
separately from its neighbors.
8. Number plotting selecting Number plus an option button from its drop-down
list displays numbers relevant to the entity being plotted (vertex, cell, spline, etc.).
The size of the font used for these numbers can be set using command TSCALE
(see Chapter 2, Advanced screen control).
Plot orientation
The orientation and position of the plot can also be adjusted by specifying:
The axis orientation selecting Up Axis plus an option button (X, Y, or Z) from
its drop-down list defines the initial orientation of the axes and hence of the plotted
object itself relative to the screen.
A plot-centre position in terms of global coordinates command CENTER
translates the plot around the screen. If no arguments are specified, the plot will be
auto-centered.
Command DISTANCE this will alter the size of the plot by changing the
viewing distance from the displayed object.
Note that most of these operations can be performed more easily by using one of the
methods below:
1. The View pop-up menu in the main window. This enables direct selection of the
most common plot orientations via the following options:
(a) Isometric viewing directions (1,1,1), (1,1,-1), (1,-1,1), (1,-1,-1), (-1,1,1),
(-1,1,-1), (-1,-1,1), (-1,-1,-1)
(b) Axis viewing directions +X (1, 0, 0), -X (-1, 0, 0), +Y (0, 1, 0), -Y (0, -1,
0), +Z (0, 0, 1), -Z (0, 0, -1)
(c) REVERSE reverses the viewing direction specified in (a) or (b) above
(d) SNORMAL defines the viewing direction as being perpendicular to a
previously defined section through the model (used in conjunction with
section plotting, see page 5-7)
2. The mouse buttons, discussed in Mouse operations on page 5-13

3. The plot orientation cube in the main window, shown below:
5-6 Version 3.102.514

To rotate your model around the X, Y, and Z axes, move the sliders below and to
the right of the guide cube shown above. After each rotation, a REPLOT operation
is performed automatically to display the model from the new viewpoint. This
facility is an alternative to command-driven model rotation functions (provided by
commands VIEW, ANGLE and ROTATE) and is particularly useful with large
models that are very slow to manipulate directly.
Additional display options

Extra plot manipulation options are also provided for the following:
1. Plot-center translation item Pan enables you to shift (pan) the plot using the
cursor to define the new plot centre.
2. Plot enlargement selecting Zoom > On or clicking the Zoom In button in the
main window enlarges a portion of the plot indicated with the cursor. Repeated
zooming operations are possible. Plotting at the previously-selected magnification
is done using option Back or by clicking the Zoom Back button. Selecting Off or
clicking the Zoom Off button restores the plot to its original state.
3. Plot superposition selecting Display > Overlay enables superposition of

multiple plots. It is also possible to superpose vertex, spline, block, block fill factor
or patch plots on each other or on cell plots. This is done by selecting Cell Display
plus the appropriate option button from its drop-down list. Note that this operation
does not require prior selection of the Overlay option.
Plot superposition may also be obtained by clicking the appropriate option
button in the Cell Plot Display Options group on the main window.
4. Plot fixing at the location and viewing distance defined by the previous plot
command PLFIX.
5. Section plotting section displays (usually planar) cut through the model can be
produced by selecting Type > Section, as mentioned above. The section is defined
by:
(a) A point through which the section plane passes command SPOINT.
Non-planar sections (e.g. a cut made at constant radius in a local cylindrical
coordinate system) are also possible using the SPOINT, LOCAL form of the
command.
(b) A normal to the section plane command SNORMAL.
Alternatively, the section plane can be specified directly by clicking the Section
Slice button in the main window (or by typing command SPOINT, CURSOR).
Version 3.102.514 5-7

This invites the user to draw a straight line on top of the current plot with the
cursor. The section plane is then defined as being perpendicular to the screen plane
and the line drawn represents the intersection between the two planes.
Other points regarding this type of plot are as follows:
(a) Multiple section planes may be created and displayed in quick succession
using special facilities in the FEA GUIde system (see the Sect/Clip panel,
Multiple Plane Plot tab). Note that in order to view the resulting plot
properly, it may be necessary to turn on/off various display options and/or
change the view.
(b) Multiple sections can be automatically scaled for plotting either individually
or as a group, depending on the setting chosen for command SECSCALE.
(c) If the Display > Surface option is currently active, the section plot will show
only the cut through the perimeter of the current cell set rather than all interior
lines. Furthermore, that cut can be turned into a tangible pro-fe entity via
command VSECTION. The latter creates a series of linked line cells all around
the perimeter.
6. Plot enhancement this is a collection of facilities to add various graphical

elements to the plot, such as:
(a) Individually selected items (border, plot title, date, etc.) making up the
standard pro-fe legend select Legend and then click the appropriate option
button in the drop-down list. The most common plot types either include all
legend items or none of them. These can be selected directly, by clicking on
the Plot with/without legend buttons
in the main window, as required. Command PLDISPLAY allows the plot

scale, title and coordinate system triad to be placed at a user-specified location
using the screen cursor.
(b) User-defined alphanumeric labels at specified locations command
PLLABEL. The size of the font used for these labels can be set using
command TSCALE (see Chapter 2, Advanced screen control).
(c) User-defined pointer arrows at specified locations command PLARROW.
(d) Local coordinate triads showing the position and orientation of local
coordinate systems command PLLOCALCOOR. Alternatively, you may use
the Coordinate Systems tool (see page 3-13)
(e) A superimposed multi-dimensional grid in the global Cartesian coordinate
system command TICMARK. This is useful in, for example, selecting a cell
range with the cursor on the basis of the cells geometric location.
(f) Special symbols that mark the location of vertices in vertex plots select
Vertex Style > Color (or Size or Style) to choose the symbols color, size and
appearance (i.e. solid dot, open dot, solid square, etc.). In each case, the choice
is made in terms of a secondary drop-down list that displays the available
options for the symbol property in question.
5-8 Version 3.102.514
7. Plot window manipulation menu item Window repositions and re-sizes the
plot window, or splits it into a specified number of sub-windows. Used in
combination with Display > Overlay, this allows the production of a
multi-window image on the screen. The available options are:
(a) Default the normal setting, corresponding to the plotting window size
illustrated in Appendix B.
(b) Full expands the window to its maximum size. Note that display
parameters are still shown at the bottom, next to the date and time display.
(c) Pick permits selection of the desired size via the cursor.
(d) Divide 1 1 resets the window division parameters.
(e) Divide 1 2 (or 2 1 or 2 2) automatically divides the window into the
selected number of sub-windows.
(f) Activate 1 after a Divide operation, selects the first sub-window for
plotting. The Overlay option is turned on automatically.
(g) Activate Next selects the next available sub-window.
(h) Clear clears the entire graphics area.
An additional option of automatically splitting the plot window into four

sub-windows, each displaying a view of the mesh from a different direction, is
provided by the Plot 4 views button in the main pro-fe window.
This can provide a very useful, quick evaluation of the mesh created so far.
8. Coordinate display choosing Utility > Screen Locate from the main menu bar
turns on the graphics cursor and gives a continuous read-out of its position in
screen, global and local coordinates (equivalent to command SCLOCATE). Click a
displayed cell face to print the coordinates of that face on pro-fes I/O window, or
terminate the action by clicking the Done button.
9. Displaying midside nodes for cells that contain vertices at their midpoint
locations. pro-fe draws edges that contain midside nodes as a straight line from
one corner point to the midside node and another straight line from the midside
node to the other corner point. The default setting for midside node plotting is off.
See command PMID.
Version 3.102.514 5-9

1773 1605 1437 1605 1437

1773
31153 31145 30685 30677 30217 30209 29749 29740 29280 29278
1436 1268 1100 31613
1940 1772 1604 1772 1604 1436 1268 1100
1940
31616 31608 31148 31140 30680 30672 30212 30203 29743 29741
1603 1435 1267 32076
2107 1939 1771 1939 1771 1603 1435 1267
2107
32079 32071 31611 31603 31143 31135 30675 30666 30206 30204
1938 1770 1602 1434 29281
2106 2106 1938 1770 1602 1434
32074 32066 31606 31598 31138 31129 30669 30667
2105 1937 1769 1601 29744
2105 1937 1769 1601
1099 32069 32061 31601 31592 31132 31130 1099
2104 1936 1768 32078 30207
2104 1936 1768 29736
1266 32064 32055 31595 31593 1266
2103 1935 32073 30670
2103 1935 30199 29276
1433 32068 32058 32056 1433
2102 31133
32063 2102 30662 29739
2108 1600 1600
1098 2108 31596 1098
32077 32057 31125 30202 29731
2133 1767 2133 1767
1265 32072 32059 1265
2138 2138 31588 30665 29271
2140 1934 32067 2140 30194
2147 1432 32062 1934
2147 1432
32053 32051 31128 29734
2101 32084 30657
1599 1097 2101 1097
1599
32082 31591 31120 30197 29724
1264 32175 32052
1766 1766 29265 1264
32179 32054 30660 30187 29262
31583
1933 1431 1096 1431 1096 29728
2109 1933
2152 2109 2152 31123 30650 29725
2143 32083 2143 32174 32048 32046
2100 1598 1263 1598 30191 29391 31843
1263
2137 2137 2100
2020 32178 31586 31113 30188 2020
1095 32180 32047 1095
1765 1430 1765 30654 1430 29854
2142 2142 32176 29849 31846
2154 1262 32049 31576 30651 29389
1932 1597 2154 30317 1262
1094 32089 1932 31117 1597 31845
32041 32042 30312 1094
2153 1429 32039 31114 29852
2099 1764 32181 2153 30780 1429 29844
1261 32087 2099 31580 1764
30775 1261 29384
1596 2019 32168 31577 30315 2019
1931 32183 32044 32043 31243 1596 30307
1428 1931
2151 1093 31238 1428 29847 31841
2110 1763 2151 32040 30778 1093
2098 2110 31706 1763 30770
1595 2098 29839 31840
1260 32088 31701 1595 30310
2136 1930 2136 32166 31241 1260
32169 1930 31233
1762 32184 32165 30302 29379
2139 1427 2139 32164 1762 30773
2097 2018 31704 1427 2018 31842
32185 2097 31696
1929 30765 29842
2158 1594 1092 1929 31236 31836
32094 2158 32167 1594 1092
2078 32161 32159 2078
2096 32092 31228 30305 29834 31835
1761 1259 2096 31699
32187 1761 1259
31691 30768 30297 31837
32160 29374
1928 1426 2017 32162 1928 1426 2017 318312080
2080
2111 2111 32154 31231 30760 29837
2135 2095 1593 1091 32093 2095 1593
2141 2150 2135 32188 2141 32189 2150 32156 1091 31830 31832
31694 31223 30300 29830
1760 1258 1760 1258 31829
2016 32157 31686 30763 29369 2016
30293
1927 1425 1927
32155 1425
32099 32191 32149 29832
32097 31226 30756
2094 1592 1090 2094 1090 31966
1592
32151 31689 31219 30295 29827
2149 1759 1257 2149 1257
2015 1759 29366
32193 32152 30758 30290 2015
2129 31682
2112 2134 1926 1424
2112 32098 2134 32192 2129 1926 1424
1089 30753 29829
32145 31221 1089 31963
2093 1591 32150 1591
2093 30292 29824
1256 31684 31216 1256
1758 29363
32194 32146 1758 30287
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2148 32103 32101 2148 32147 1423 29826
1925 1925
31218 30750
1590 32018 32142 29820
1255 1590 30289
2092 2092 1255
2132 31681 31213
1757 2132 32019 30283
1422 1757 30752 29823
32011 1422
PMID OFF PMID ON
Figure 5-1 Displaying midside nodes in pro-fe
Color settings
pro-fe provides for the definition of a customized color map, i.e. a table of basic colors
and associated color shades to be used when displaying a model on the screen. To define
such a map, choose Tools > Color Tool from the menu bar to activate the Color Tool
dialog shown below:
Commands: CLRTABLE CLRLIST CSCALE CLRPENS
This box performs the following functions:

1. Displays a palette of all colors currently in use for model geometry or
5-10 Version 3.102.514
post-processing plots. The colors are identified by index numbers running from 0
to 40. Color numbers 0 and 1 are the pro-fe window background and foreground
colors, respectively. Colors 2 through 20 show the range of colors used for
geometry plots while colors 21 through 40 show the range for post-processing
plots. Such a separation of color indices means that it is possible to overlay
analysis results on top of geometry plots.
2. Allows color changes by clicking on any index box on the palette. This selects the
corresponding color, uses it to fill the large rectangle on the left and also displays
the RGB (Red, Green, Blue) color components as numeric values on the three
RGB slider scales. You can modify any RGB component by dragging the
appropriate slider until the desired effect is achieved. The desired changes are
made permanent by clicking the Apply button at the bottom left-hand-side of the
dialog box. Alternatively, color component values can be altered simultaneously
for a whole range of color indices by using command CLRFILL. pro-fe varies
the component values so as to produce a smooth color variation between the two
end indices in the range. The fill can be performed in a number of different color
space models with different effects (i.e. filling from blue to red in RGB space
gives shades of red through purple to blue but in HLS space it gives a rainbow
effect).
3. Sets the number of colors and the range of the color scale to be used by vector or
contour post-processing plots (see Plot Manipulation on page 8-14) click the
Contour/Vector Color Scale button.
4. Sets all colors back to the original, pro-fe-supplied definitions select option
Use Defaults from the pop-up menu.
5. Sets the post colors to a smooth scale ranging from red to blue select option
Post - Smooth from the pop-up menu. The post scale depends on the number of
colors specified under 3. above.
6. Sets the post colors to a smooth grey scale select option Post - Gray from the
pop-up menu. The post scale depends on the number of colors specified under 3.
above.
7. Sets the post colors to an alternate 20-color scale select option Post - Alternate
from the pop-up menu. This option is useful in situations where more than 14
colors have been chosen under 3. above.
8. Plot the current color map click on the Plot Color Table action button. The
red, green, and blue values (in that order) for each geometry and post color is also
shown on the plot.
Note that the X-Motif version of pro-fe automatically searches for the highest depth
pseudo color, direct color or true color visual that exists for your screen and uses it. This
may be overridden by specifying option -cms when starting up pro-fe (see Chapter 11,
Basic operations, ).
Special lighting effects
These are used to apply light and shade effects on a models surface. The facilities
provided work only in raster-type workstations that can display more than 16 colors; this
is true for most modern workstations (see also Plotting Functions on page 2-18). The
Version 3.102.514 5-11

available functions are as follows:

1. Define the total number of colors available to the output device (screen or hard
copy) and the number of color shades. The relevant values are entered in the text
boxes labelled Total number of pens and Number of shades, respectively. The
maximum number of pens available will be limited by the hardware you are using
and it is possible to balance the number of colors in each shade with the number of
different shades you need. This means that if you have a model with just one color
shade you can get a very smooth shade, but if you want many color shades you
will have a less smooth gradation. The light shades correspond to the geometry
colors; if you have less shades than the 19 different geometry colors (2 through to
20) then they cycle through. Clicking the Apply button implements the values
chosen and plots the color shading scheme in the main pro-fe window.
2. Define the number and properties of the light sources that will illuminate the
model click the Light Source button in the Color Tool to display the Light
Source dialog shown below:
Commands: LIGHT LSWITCH
To define a light source:

(a) Select a light number in the scroll list
(b) Enter the x-, y- and z-coordinates of a point defining the direction from which
the light is coming from. The coordinates are entered in the first three text
boxes underneath the scroll list. Alternatively, enter a keyword in the first text
box to define the light source direction in terms of the currently-defined
viewing direction for the model. The available keywords are TOP, TOPLEFT,
TOPRIGHT, LEFT, CENTER, RIGHT, BOTTOM, BOTLEFT and BOTRIGHT.
(c) Enter the light source intensity (a number in the range 0 1) in the fourth text
box.
(d) Set the light source status (On / Off / Reverse) via the pop-up menu provided.
Option Reverse reverses the light source direction.
3. Alter the active light shading effects, if required, by selecting an option from the
Light Switch pop-up menu. The available options are:
5-12 Version 3.102.514

(a) Shade turns on Phong-style shading. The same effect can be obtained by
clicking the light shading button in the main window
(b) Smooth adds Gouraud smoothing for more realistic lighting effects
(c) Off turns off light shading on a global basis
When the Smooth light shading effect is on, it is possible to make plots appear
crisper at the models edges by selecting option Edge from the pop-up menu
provided for this purpose.
Note that light shading can also be activated from the main pro-fe menu by
choosing Plot > Light followed by one of items a-c above. An additional item,
Follow View, automatically changes the light direction so that it always follows
the viewing direction selected. This is useful when viewing the model
interactively.
4. Define various surface lighting properties for cell types possessing a given surface
lighting index click the Light Material button in the Color Tool to display the
Light Material dialog shown below.
Command: LMATERIAL
The surface lighting index is assigned in the Cell Tool, as discussed in Chapter 6.
As can be seen above, all available indices are pre-set to the same properties by
default. To change any of these properties, select the required index in the scroll
list and then enter values for the percentage of light energy due to ambient, diffuse
and specular light (plus a specular lighting exponent) in the text boxes provided.
Mouse operations
Special functions are assigned to the three mouse buttons upon entry into pro-fe as an
aid to plotting operations. These are as follows:
Version 3.102.514 5-13

Left mouse button down and Rotates your model around an axis in the screen
drag XY plane
Double-click left mouse but- Rotates the model around the screen Z-axis
ton, hold down and drag
Centre mouse button down and Zoom the model in or out. Pulling the mouse
drag towards you (mouse cursor moves down the
screen) zooms in while pushing it away from you
zooms out
Double-click centre mouse Makes a zoom box from your initial position fol-
button, hold down and drag lowing the mouse cursor until you release the
button. This puts you in interactive zoom mode
and nothing else can be done in pro-fe until you
either accept the zoom box (by clicking the left
button inside the box) or you reject it (by clicking
inside the NO box). Holding down the right but-
ton inside the zoom box and moving the mouse
pans the box. Holding down the centre button and
moving the mouse resizes it.
NOTE: The zoom box always has the same
aspect ratio as the current display window.
Right mouse button down and Pans the model
drag
Double click the right mouse Centers the mouse location in the plot window
button
Note that the above special functions can be disabled at any time by choosing File >
Disable Mouse from the menu bar.
Keyboard operations
For the users convenience, a number of plotting-related operations are also provided as
keystroke sequences. The available operations are accomplished by typing the following
control-key combinations:
Control-r issues a REPLOT command.

Control-e or Control-o issues a ZOOM,OFF $REPLOT command
Control-s issues a SAVE,casename.mdl command
Control-q brings up the Quit Prostar dialog box
Control-a issues a CSET,ALL command
Control-z zooms in by a factor of 2, centering on the current cursor position
Control-w zooms out by a factor of 2
Control-h activates the Help pointer for context-sensitive help
5-14 Version 3.102.514

Plotted Entity
Plotted Entity
When both range and plot characteristics have been set, a mesh entity can be displayed
on the screen using one of the following options in the Plot menu:
Cell Plot for cells (alternatively, click the Cell Plot button in the main window)
Vertex Plot for vertices
Spline Plot for splines
Block Plot for blocks
The above operations can also be performed by issuing commands CPLOT, VPLOT,
SPLOT and BLKPLOT, respectively.
Cell plots, in particular, are frequently drawn in several different ways. The default is
to show all cells in the current set and all lines, but hidden line plots are also very
commonly used. In order to speed up cell plotting, the following operations are
recommended:
1. Choose option Replot from the Plot menu (or click the Replot button in the main
window) to skip some of the time-consuming steps of the cell plotting operation.
Replot is also used to speed up plotting in general by re-drawing the last plot, say,
from a different angle or with different characteristics. This works as long as the
set of items to be plotted remains unchanged.
2. Save the surface database used by the plotting operations to make hidden-line
displays and read it back when necessary.
(a) To perform a save surface operation, select INFO > Store Set/Surface/View
and then click the Surfaces tab to display the dialog shown below:
Commands: SRFWRITE SRFDELETE

i) Surf-File The name of the surface (.srf) file that will store the
surface definition. If such a file already exists, pro-fes built-in file
browser may be used to help locate it.
ii) Name An identifier for the surface being saved, up to 80 characters
Version 3.102.514 5-15
Plotted Entity
long.
Click Write to save the surface definition.
(b) To delete a surface definition previously stored, use the same dialog as above
and specify the following information:
i) Surf-File The name of the surface (.srf) file containing the
definition to be deleted. pro-fes built-in file browser may be used to
locate it.
ii) Select Entry The location of the surface data to be deleted, as select
from the list.
Click Delete to delete the surface definition.
(c) To perform a restore surface operation, select INFO > Recall

Set/Surface/View and then click the Surfaces tab to display the dialog shown
below:
Commands: SRFREAD

i) Surf-File The name of the surface (.srf) file containing the surface
definition. pro-fes built-in file browser may be used to help locate it.
ii) Select Entry Select the particular surface data required by name from
the list
5-16 Version 3.102.514

Plotted Entity
Click Recall to recall the surface definition.
Note that a summary of surface data may be produced with command FSTAT.
3. Save the current plots attributes (i.e. viewpoint, distance, color scale, size, etc.)
into a plot table and read them back when necessary. This information is stored in
pro-fes save (.mdl) file when the current session is terminated.
(a) To perform a save view operation, select INFO > Store Set/Surface/View
and then click the Views tab to display the dialog shown below:
Commands: PLSAVE
Select an empty location in the Select Position list, type a name (no spaces or
commas) identifying the plot attributes being saved and then click Write.
(b) To delete a view definition previously stored, use the same dialog as above.
This time, select the definition by name from the Select Position list and then
click Delete.
(c) To perform a restore view operation, select INFO > Recall

Set/Surface/View and then click the Views tab shown below:
Version 3.102.514 5-17

Plotted Entity
Commands: PLRECALL
Select the required view from the Select Entry list and then click Recall.
5-18 Version 3.102.514

Chapter 6 CELL PROPERTY SPECIFICATION
Introduction

Introduction
The properties of any finite element (e.g. solid, shells, plane, beam, etc.)
within the model are typically defined before generating any part of the mesh. This
chapter will explain all the details of defining the properties of pro-fe cells (or elements)
and establishing different cell and element types. Every cell in pro-fe needs to be
associated with a cell type index, but not necessarily an element type index.
It should be noted that references to the ANSYS finite element code will be made
throughout this chapter.
Cell Table
The process of setting up pro-fe cell properties is usually quite simple and relies on the
concept of cell identity and the consequent use of the cell table, as discussed under Cell
types on page 3-39, and a corresponding element table. The cell table can be defined
using pro-fes Cell Table Editor, accessed by clicking the CTAB button on the
left-hand side of the main pro-fe window.
All cells in the mesh can be indexed and differentiated in various ways with the aid
of an entry in the cell table. This enables the user to specify a
cell table index
cell type
material number
color table index
real constant number
FEA element type index
group number
surface lighting material index
identifying name
for a set of cells, as shown in the dialog below. The meaning of the various parameters
that may be set in this table is described in Cell properties on page 3-40.
Version 3.102.514 6-1

CELL PROPERTY SPECIFICATION Chapter 6
Cell Table
Commands: CTABLE CTNAME CTMODIFY CTLIST
The rules governing the use of the cell table are as follows:
All entries in the table are identified by an index, listed under the Table # heading
in the editors scroll list. A new entry is set up by clicking on the next available
number in the list and then specifying the relevant cell properties.
Every cell in the model is associated with a cell table index.
All cells linked via a common index belong to a common Cell Type (Fluid, Solid,
Baffle, etc.), selected from the editors pop-up menu.
Different materials are identified by separate material property numbers, typed in
the Material. Number text box.
The default cell table index is number 1 and is associated with a fluid whose
material number is 1.
Material number refers to the material property defined in the appropriate finite
element code.
Cell indexing can also identify a cells real constant number (Real Constant No.
text box), FEA element type number (FEA Elem. Type No. text box) and element
coordiante system (Elem. Coord. Sys. text box).
Cell indexing normally differentiates the cells material type. However, it can also
be used purely for visual and/or selection purposes. Thus, in the blade model
shown in Figure 6-1 there is a single material number (no. 1), corresponding to the
overall blade model, but the cells can be indexed to different colors or different
types of surface shading (see Chapter 5). This is done by typing different values in
the Color Table Index or Lighting Material text boxes, respectively.
Another possibility is to index cells on the basis of a common group number, typed
in the Group Number text box. This groups together all cells belonging to a
particular object, e.g. a distinct portion of the mesh. Such objects might typically
be generated with the help of an external CAD package and imported into pro-fe
6-2 Version 3.102.514

Cell Table
using IGES or VDA data files. Group numbers are normally generated
automatically as part of the data import function (see Importing Data from other
Systems on page 4-1).
Cell table entries can be further identified by a name, typed in the Name box.
A cell table definition is confirmed by clicking the Apply button.
Cell index 1
Color 2
Color 3
Cell index 2
Color 5
Cell index 3
Figure 6-1 Cell indexing to implement differentiation by cell color
Cell table entries may be displayed at any stage of the pro-fe session by clicking CTAB
on the main window. Any identifier, index, or reference number used in a cell table entry
may be changed to a different value simply by selecting the entry in the Cell Table
Editors scroll list and making the required changes.
Cell table entries may also be deleted using command CTDELETE. Note that all cells
indexed to this entry must be deleted or changed to a different index before the table
entry itself can be deleted.
Cell indexing
Cells are assigned an identity (cell index) using the Cell Tool shown overleaf. This may
be done in two ways:
1. Implicitly, by taking on the index that is active at the moment of their creation. The
active cell type can be changed at any time by highlighting the type required in the
Cell Table list displayed by the Cell Tool and then clicking the Set Active Type
button. The selection is indicated in the list by a letter A against the active type.
2. Explicitly, by collecting together a group of cells and then changing their identity
Version 3.102.514 6-3

Cell Table
to the currently-active type. This can be done by:

(a) Pointing at the desired cells with the screen cursor choose option Modify
Type > Cursor Select. The action is terminated by clicking the Done button
displayed on the plot.
(b) Changing all cells contained within a polygon drawn on the screen with the
screen cursor choose option Modify Type > Zone. The action is
terminated by clicking on:
i) the same point twice to complete the polygon;
ii) the Close button displayed, to let pro-fe complete the polygon;
iii) the Abort button displayed, to abort the selection operation.
(c) Changing all surface cells encountered when searching from a starting
position given by a seed vertex (see the description on page 3-48). This can
be done by choosing option Modify Type > Surface (New Edge Vertex Set)
(or Surface (Current Vertex Set)). The seed vertex is selected with the
screen cursor.
(d) Changing all cells in the current cell set choose option Modify Type > Cell
Set.
6-4 Version 3.102.514

Cell Table
Commands: CTYPE CCROSS CFIND CZONE
Another method of making changes is via the Cell List dialog, shown overleaf. This may
be displayed by clicking the Cell List button on the Cell Tool or choosing Lists > Cells
from the main menu bar. The cell or cell range to be changed must first be highlighted
with the mouse. To change the cell type, click Change Type, choose a different cell
table index on the displayed Change Cell Table box and then click Apply.
Version 3.102.514 6-5

Element Table (for use with ANSYS only)
Command: CMODIFY
The result of the above process can be checked using the Check Tool (option Double
Cells, see Microscopic checking on page 4-4). This will verify that a cell table entry
exists for every cell within the range specified.

Setting up the ANSYS element index properties of pro-fe cells relies on the users
determination of which element types to use during the finite element analysis. A cells
type (e.g. solid, shell, line or point), location in model, and polynomial order should
pinpoint the element type for each specific cell. Currently, the ANSYS element types
that pro-fe supports are listed in Appendix D.
To define an element type index number for specific cells, the ETYPE command
should be used. There are some basic rules when specifying an element type index
number:
The element type index number or name must be a valid ANSYS element type
number or name (e.g. 45 or SOLI45).
The ANSYS element type must be supported by pro-fe (See Appendix D).
A solid element can not be set to a non-solid ANSYS element type. The same
rule applies to shell, line and point elements.
When cells are defined as extra-noded elements (i.e. midside, control or
orientation nodes), pro-fe initializes the extra-nodes to zero. If a cell already
contains midside nodes and is defined to a different extra-noded element type,
the midside node information will not be lost.
6-6 Version 3.102.514

A cells current element type (e.g. SHEL43, SOLI92, etc.) can be listed in two different
ways:
1. Cell / Element Table Listing
(a) If the cell type index number of the cell is known, the user can perform a
listing for the appropriate cell table number, using the CTLIST command (see
Figure 6-2) or using pro-fes Cell Table Editor (See Cell Table on page
6-1).
Figure 6-2 Cell table listing
(b) By issuing the ETLIST command, all of the defined ANSYS element type
index numbers are listed. The element type (ETNUM) corresponds with the
element type index number (ITYP) in the cell table listing
Figure 6-3 Element table listing
2. Cell Lists
(a) List the cells to the pro-fe output window by executing the CLIST command
in the command window or open the Cell List dialog window by clicking Lists
> Cells.... Under the column labelled ANSYS, the cells corresponding
element type name will be listed.
Version 3.102.514 6-7

If N/A if listed, then an ANSYS

element type has not been defined
for cell
Cell type index number
Figure 6-4 Cell listing in pro-fe
For example, in Figure 6-2, the cell table definition for a certain solid entity within a
finite element model is shown. The corresponding ANSYS element index number
(ITYP) for this cell type is 10.
The specific entity could be defined as a 3-D 20-noded structural solid (SOLI95), if
the following commands were issued:
ETYPE, 10, SOLI95

ETLIST, ALL
Using the ETLIST command, the user can list all of the defined ANSYS element types.
Element type 10 has now been defined

as a 20-noded structural solid (SOLI95)
By issuing a CLIST command, the new element topology can be viewed. The new
midside node locations (12) are all initialized to zero.
6-8 Version 3.102.514

Midside node locations

are initialized to zero.
Version 3.102.514 6-9

6-10 Version 3.102.514

Chapter 7 GENERATING BOUNDARY CONDITIONS USING PRO-FE
Introduction
Chapter 7 GENERATING BOUNDARY CONDITIONS USING

pro-fe
Introduction
The process of defining boundary conditions for a finite element model can be divided
into two major steps:
1. Identify the location of individual, distinct boundaries (i.e. where the boundaries
are).
2. Specify the conditions at the boundaries (i.e. what the conditions are).
It is of the utmost importance that boundaries are chosen and implemented correctly,
since the outcome of any analysis depends on them. Users should have a good
understanding of the physical significance and numerical implications of different
boundary conditions and should apply them correctly to their model.
pro-fe offers many tools, such as data mapping and generic output, to generate
boundary conditions for different finite element analysis codes. This chapter will focus
on the following techniques for creating boundary conditions:
Creation of surface shells to group vertices (nodes), cells (elements) and
surfaces together.
Generation of nodal boundary conditions (e.g. displacement constraints, force
cards, body force temperatures, etc.).
Use of pro-fes data mapping routine (command PMAP) to generate surface
boundary conditions (e.g. pressure, heat transfer coefficients, etc.).
Writing finite element analysis boundary condition input files using the
GENERIC command.
Please note, that throughout this chapter, the ANSYS finite element code will be used as
the reference finite element code. However, the techniques shown can be used for other
finite element codes (i.e. NASTRAN, ABAQUS, etc.)
Surface Shell Creation

When applying boundary conditions in pro-fe, it is usually necessary to group vertices
(nodes), cells (elements), and surfaces into sets. Analysis boundary conditions can then
be applied to the appropriate sets. In pro-fe, the use of surface shells is the most efficient
method to group these sets together. pro-fe has three basic commands to generate
surface shells: CFIND, CCROSS, and LIVESURF. More in-depth information on each
of the commands can be found in the Commands manual.
Surface shell creation using CFIND
The CFIND command creates surface shells on the current surface plot by finding all the
surface cell faces attached to one vertex (NVSEED) and proceeding in waves outward
from the initial start. See also Figure 3-45, Surface cell manipulation using a seed
vertex for the GUI description of this command. The process ends at any vertex
included in the VSET. The user should find the command string VSET, NEWS, EDGE
Version 3.102.514 7-1
GENERATING BOUNDARY CONDITIONS USING PRO-FE Chapter 7
helpful in defining a VSET that may be particularly useful with the CFIND command.
Figure 7-1 shows the edge vertices of a sample turbine blade, while Figure 7-2 shows
the surface shells created using the CFIND command.
VSET, NEWS, EDGE

CFIND, SHELL, 10, VX
To generate surface, Edge nodes stored in VSET

click on the seed vertex using EDGE option.
of the appropriate
surface.
Figure 7-1 Generating boundary condition surface shells using CFIND
The are some instances for which CFIND does not create all of the desired surface shells.
This usually occurs when:
the models surface has high warpage
the model is very coarse (i.e. low number of elements).
a low user-specified feature angle has been set.
The best method to fill in any gaps missed by the CFIND command is either to use the
CCROSS command discussed in the next section or increase the feature angle. For an
explanation on feature angle, please see Cell Set Edge on page 3-22.
7-2 Version 3.102.514

Due to surface coarseness

and warpage, some surface
shells were not created
by the CFIND command.
Figure 7-2 Surface shells generated using CFIND
Surface shell creation using CCROSS

The CCROSS command identifies cells using the cursor (mouse) to pick cell faces. The
chosen cell can either be deleted or modified, or a shell can be added to the indicated
face. The process will continue until the cursor is placed over a region on the screen
where no surfaces are drawn or the DONE button is clicked. See Modification,
Addition, Deletion on page 3-47 for a detailed GUI explanation of the CCROSS
command
Version 3.102.514 7-3

.
Cells not created using CFIND are created using the

CCROSS command, or Cell Tool GUI.
Figure 7-3 Surface shells generated using CCROSS
Below, the complete gas path surface shell for the turbine blade is shown.
Surface shell creation using LIVE,SURFACE

The LIVE command creates surface shells for the currently selected cell set. Newly
created cells are given a new cell type of one plus the current maximum cell type. When
7-4 Version 3.102.514

Nodal Boundary Conditions
the LIVE command is executed, shells will be created on all exposed surfaces of the
cells in the current CSET. There is no selectivity.
The LIVE command is a quick and easy way to place shells on all surfaces of your
finite element model. However, it does not produce any local differentiation between
surfaces. After the command has executed, shells can be grouped into different sets, and
modified to different pro-fe cell types.
LIVE, SURF creates shells on all

exposed surfaces of the turbine blade
model (shaded surfaces).
This clipped hidden plot shows the

new surface shells (shaded) on top of
the original turbine blade solid model
(white).
Figure 7-4 Surface shells generated using LIVE,SURF

A fundamental boundary condition included in most finite element models are
displacement constraints. pro-fe allows for easy generation of nodal boundary
constraints (e.g. displacement constraints) using the GENERIC command. (See Data
exporting on page 4-2 for explanation of the use of the GENERIC command using the
pro-fe GUI.)
For example, in the sample turbine blade shown in Figure 7-5, displacement
constraints in all three translational directions need to be applied to the dovetail region
to simulate contact with the blade disk. The displacement boundary conditions for the
analysis can be generated by simply creating surface shells on the cell surfaces where
the contact takes place.
By selecting the appropriate surface shells shown in Figure 7-5, displacement
constraints can be generated for use in a finite element code (ANSYS for this example)
by issuing the following set of pro-fe commands:
CSET, NEWS, TYPE, 10 (Cell type of surface shells)

VSET, NEWS, CSET (Selects all vertices of cells)
GENERIC, dovetail.dcard
D, NODE, ALL, 0
Version 3.102.514 7-5
Commands: GENERIC
The GENERIC command gives users the power to write out any generic command line
or data (e.g. ANSYS D command, F command, BF command, etc.) that will be repeated
for every vertex (node) or cell (element) in the associated VSET or CSET.
When issuing the GENERIC command or selecting Tools > Convert > Generic from
the main menu, the user will be prompted for a command string. Within that string, either
the keyword NODE or ELEM must be issued. If NODE is issued, pro-fe will loop
through the vertex (NODE) set, while if ELEM is issued, the program will loop through
the cell (ELEM) set. All other characters will be printed to the specified file, (i.e.
dovetail.dcard). Further information on the GENERIC command can be found in
the Commands manual.
Displacement constraints can be

generated for the vertices associated
with the shells shown here.
Figure 7-5 Generating displacement constraints
A listing of the data written to the file dovetail.dcard is below
D, 2581,ALL,0
D, 2582,ALL,0
D, 2583,ALL,0
7-6 Version 3.102.514

Surface Boundary Conditions
D, 2601,ALL,0
D, 2622,ALL,0
D, 2646,ALL,0
D, 2672,ALL,0
D, 2696,ALL,0
D, 2720,ALL,0 ...

Using shells placed on specific surfaces of a model, pro-fe can develop surface
boundary conditions for finite element analyses. pro-fes data mapping utility (PMAP)
and GENERIC command provides the user with a powerful tool to generate a wide
variety of surface boundary conditions for finite element analyses. Surface boundary
conditions can be applied to any surface of the finite element model.
For demonstration purposes, this section will detail the process of generating surface
pressure boundary conditions for ANSYS finite element analyses.
In most instances, the data used to generate boundary conditions is generated from
other external programs, (e.g. CFD analysis, experimental data). Therefore, it is
necessary to map the external data onto the finite element model. pro-fe allows users
to perform this task using the PMAP command.
Data mapping using PMAP
pro-fes PMAP command allows users to map data stored in pro-fes data registers
from an existing mesh onto any arbitrary volume or surface. Two-dimensional and
three-dimensional mapping is permitted, as long as the user makes sure that only the
parts being mapped are selected.
It is also important to ensure that the mesh onto which data are to be mapped
occupies the same physical space as the mesh from which data are extracted
does not share any vertices with it (if mapping vertex data) or cells (if mapping
cell data)
Figure 7-6 shows a turbine blade model where the shaded surface has gas path
pressures (or heat transfer coefficients) applied to the surface.
Version 3.102.514 7-7

Gas path pressures (or heat transfer

coefficients) need to be applied to the
shaded surface of the turbine blade.
Figure 7-6 Sample turbine blade model (with gas path surface shells)
For this turbine blade model, a CFD analysis was performed using a much finer
computational model (see Figure 7-7). The pressure and heat transfer coefficient data
from this CFD analysis is to be used to generate surface boundary conditions for an
ANSYS finite element analysis.
The mapping of external data from one model onto the finite element model in pro-fe
consists of five steps:
1. Loading of external data (CFD pressure results, in this example) into the post data
registers. Assuming that the CFD analysis gas path mesh and data result files are
external to the program, this information needs to be retrieved before proceeding
with the mapping process.
For importing pro-fe, PROSTAR, or STAR-CD model (mesh) files (.vrt or
.cel), please refer to Chapter 3. For other external codes, please refer to Chapter
4, Importing Data from other Systems.
7-8 Version 3.102.514

Figure 7-7 Sample turbine blade CFD analysis gas path mesh
To load external data into pro-fe, click Post > Get User Data. The Get User Post
Data dialog will open.
Vertex (nodal) data containing

the CFD pressure results are
read into pro-fe using the
Get User Post Data tool.
Commands: GETUSERDATA
The above dialog allows a complete specification of the data to be expected, as

follows:
Version 3.102.514 7-9

(a) File name pro-fes built-in file browser may be used to locate it. For this
example, the file name is sampleblade-cfd.press.
(b) Data Type cell (element) or vertex (node) data.
(c) Registers depending on what sort of data are to be read, this option
effectively defines their destination in terms of the post-processing register
numbers (see The OPERATE utility on page 8-12). The available options
are:
i) Scalar one data item per record (e.g. individual vertex data), stored in
Register 4.
ii) Vector three data items per record stored in Registers 1-3.
iii) Both four data items per record (three vector plus one scalar), stored
in Registers 1-4.
iv) All six data items per record (three vector plus three scalar), stored in
Registers 1-6.
v) Register 1 - 6 one data item per record, stored in the specified
register.
(d) File Type if option User is selected, you must type a FORTRAN format
specification describing the data record structure in the text box at the bottom
of the dialog. Option Free specifies that the input file is in free format, i.e. it
contains fields of arbitrary length separated by commas.
(e) Cell (or Vertex) Offset offset to be added to cell or vertex numbers upon
input.
(f) Heading and Units type in a heading and units definition. These are used as
labels for any plots made subsequently.
Finally, the input file is read by clicking the Apply button. For further information,
on pro-fes post-registers, please refer to Register definition on page 8-28.
2. Plot the external data to determine if data was properly read into pro-fe. For
information on manipulating and plotting data stored in the post registers, please
see Chapter 8, The OPERATE utility. Figure 7-8 shows the CFD pressure result
contours from the external analysis.
7-10 Version 3.102.514

PROFE 3.10
14-Apr-00
PRESSURE
PSI
LOCAL MX= 1000.
LOCAL MN= 100.0
1000.
955.0
910.0
865.0
820.0
775.0
730.0
685.0
640.0
595.0
550.0
505.0
460.0
415.0
370.0
325.0
280.0
235.0
190.0
145.0
100.0
X
Z
Figure 7-8 CFD pressure results for turbine blade
3. Using the PMAP command, map the CFD resultant data (pressures or heat transfer
coefficients) from the CFD gas path mesh onto the finite element model gas path
mesh. There are two simple steps in mapping data:
(a) Select (using a CSET operation) the set of cells from which the mapping data
are to be extracted from. These should envelop the cells or shells to be
mapped.
(b) Issue command PMAP to map the stored post data from the existing model
onto the target cells or shells. For example, to map the CFD pressure data from
the CFD mesh (stored in the current CSET) onto the finite element gas path
mesh (cell type 10, for instance)
PMAP, 10, CSET
Figure 7-9 shows the resulting surface pressure on the finite element model gas
path surface. pro-fe accurately maps the external data results onto the model
surface. Now that the data has been mapped to the finite element model, the data
can now be used to generate the necessary surface boundary conditions for
analysis.
4. In most instances, surface boundary conditions are applied as cell data, not vertex
data. The information mapped from the external data, however, is in vertex data.
The pro-fe command VAVERAGE produces a set of cell data by averaging all
the vertex post data variables connected to each respected cell. After averaging,
the post data is treated as cell data and the user will see the checkerboard effect
characteristic of cell data contour plots. Figure 7-10 shows the resultant
averaged cell data for the surface shells.
Version 3.102.514 7-11

PROFE 3.10
14-Apr-00
PRESSURE
PSI
LOCAL MX= 1000.
LOCAL MN= 100.0
1000.
955.0
910.0
865.0
820.0
775.0
730.0
685.0
640.0
595.0
550.0
505.0
460.0
415.0
370.0
325.0
280.0
235.0
190.0
145.0
100.0
X
Z
Figure 7-9 Mapped CFD pressure results
PROFE 3.10
14-Apr-00
PRESSURE
CSET, NEWS, TYPE, 10
PSI
LOCAL MX= 994.7
VAVERAGE, CSET
LOCAL MN= 126.0
1000.
955.0
910.0
865.0
820.0
775.0
730.0
685.0
640.0
595.0
550.0
505.0
460.0
415.0
370.0
325.0
280.0
235.0
190.0
145.0
100.0
X
Z
Figure 7-10 Cell data generated using VAVERAGE command
5. Generate the desired boundary conditions for use in a finite element analysis using
the GENERIC command. To access the post register data using the GENERIC
command, the indices re1 through re6 (elements) and rn1 through rn6 (nodes) are
used to write to the specified output file. The element or nodal data stored in the
listed post register index for each node or element in the selected set will be
written to the output file.
For example, in ANSYS, surface pressures can be applied using the following
undocumented command:
P, ne1, ne2, <PRESSURE>,,,,ne3, ne4
7-12 Version 3.102.514

Therefore, to generate the ANSYS pressure boundary conditions, the following

group of pro-fe commands should be issued.
CSET, NEWS, TYPE 5

GENERIC, analysis.pcard
P, ne1, ne2, re4,,,,ne3, ne4
The output written to the output file, analysis.pcard is shown below.
P, 6178, 6177, 569.555 ,,,, 6306, 6307

P, 6185, 6178, 545.852 ,,,, 6307, 6314
P, 6307, 6306, 581.489 ,,,, 6435, 6436
P, 6314, 6307, 557.103 ,,,, 6436, 6443
P, 6049, 6048, 556.596 ,,,, 6177, 6178
P, 6056, 6049, 533.604 ,,,, 6178, 6185
P, 6048, 6047, 576.849 ,,,, 6176, 6177
P, 6177, 6176, 590.403 ,,,, 6305, 6306
P, 6306, 6305, 602.902 ,,,, 6434, 6435
P, 6185, 6186, 507.625 ,,,, 6057, 6056
P, 6314, 6315, 519.027 ,,,, 6186, 6185
...
It should be noted that the orientation of the shell surfaces should all be consistent.
Problems may arise if individual shell surface normals point in opposite directions
(e.g. into the model and out of the model). Use the PLFACE command to display
shell face orientation.
Version 3.102.514 7-13

7-14 Version 3.102.514

Chapter 8 BASIC POST-PROCESSING
Introduction

Introduction
Post-processing is an essential part of any finite element work. Given the complexity and
varied nature of finite element analyses, it is important for users to be familiar with the
overall post-processing capabilities of their available software. The latter contains
facilities that are used in both the pre- and post-processing phase of modeling. These
facilities generally fall into the following categories:
1. Database operations for collecting together groups of cells and vertices.
2. Action operations for plotting cell, or vertex data.
3. Plot characteristic functions that determine the plot type, viewing angle, plot
options, display mode, etc.
pro-fe can analyze data from finite element analyses in two basic ways, as follows:
1. By looking at data stored (e.g. displacements, stresses, strains, etc.) in external
data files that was written by various finite element codes. The data can be read
into pro-fe and manipulated by using the post-processing facilities available to
display the results graphically.
2. If an ANSYS result file (case.rst) is available, pro-fe can directly access the
result file and download results as needed. This can be done in combination with
the plotting functions already mentioned, by selecting various options in one of the
FEA GUIde panels. Additional facilities are also available in the Post menu and
the Graph menu.
In this chapter, a step by step approach will be adopted to look at the different
post-processing options available using commands and the GUI facilities. For more
detailed information on how these are implemented in command form, refer to the
pro-fe Commands volume. Also, pro-fes post-processing capabilities for ANSYS will
be discussed in Chapter 9, ANSYS POST-PROCESSING.
Data Loading and Display Set-up

Finite element results can be displayed and analyzed in pro-fe by producing the
following types of plot:
.
Contour plots of scalar quantities Figure 8-1.
Vector plots of three-dimensional quantities Figure 8-2
Isometric surfaces of scalar quantities Figure 8-3.
X-Y graphs Figure 8-4.
Animated displays.
Version 3.102.514 8-1

BASIC POST-PROCESSING Chapter 8
Figure 8-1 Contour plot of maximum principal stresses
Figure 8-2 Vector plot of directional stress

8-2 Version 3.102.514
Figure 8-3 Isometric plot of temperature

0.2200E+05
0.2000E+05
0.1800E+05
M
A
X
0.1600E+05
I
M
U
M 0.1400E+05
P
R 0.1200E+05
I
N
C
I 10000.0
P
A
L 8000.0
S
T
6000.0
R
E
S
S 4000.0
P 2000.0
S 0.0 0.007 0.014 0.021 0.028 0.035 0.042 0.049 0.056 0.063 0.07
I
DISTANCE FROM PEAK STRESS (INCHES)
STRESS "DIEOUT" IN BLADE FILLET

MAXIMUM PRINCIPAL STRESS vs. DISTANCE FROM MAX STRESS LOCATION
PERPENDICULAR TO SIG1 DIRECTION
Figure 8-4 Graph plot showing stress die-out at maximum principal stress location
Version 3.102.514 8-3

Whichever of the previous options are chosen, several operations need to be performed
before the result data can be displayed for the finite element analysis.
The basic steps needed for post-processing any finite element results are as follows:
Step 1
Retrieve the finite element mesh of the desired model, by either:
1. Resuming from a previously saved pro-fe database (a file with extension .mdl)
choose File > Resume Model.
2. Import the model from the finite element analysis code directly into pro-fe. Please
refer to Importing Data from other Systems on page 4-1 for further details on
importing finite element models.
3. If an ANSYS result file (an ANSYS file with extension .rst or .rth) is
available, generate a pro-fe database by making the appropriate selection in the
FEA Post-Processing panel of the FEA GUIde, or by using the
ANSRESULTFILE command. Details concerning pro-fes operation with
ANSYS result files is detailed in Chapter 9, ANSYS POST-PROCESSING.
Step 2
Choose the part of the model on which the post-processing will be performed. This is
done using the colored set selection buttons down the left-hand side to the pro-fe
window. If the whole model is to be displayed, option All should be selected. Otherwise,
a wide range of options is available to suit all requirements (see also Set Manipulation
on page 2-11 and the description in the pro-fe Commands volume).
Step 3
Choose the desired plot characteristics from the option buttons provided in the main
window or from the Plot menu in the menu bar (see also Plot Characteristics on page
5-3). These may include the following:
1. Plot type, e.g. surface, wireframe, section select an item from the Cell Plot
Type pop-up or the Plot > Type list. The choice may depend on the variable being
post-processed. For example, contour plots cannot be made using the Normal (i.e.
wireframe) option. For a full list of legitimate options see Appendix E.
2. Geometric display use option buttons in the main window or the equivalent
Plot menu options. These turn various display attributes on or off. The available
facilities include:
(a) Mesh, edge or surface display.
(b) Number display for cells, vertices, contour values, etc.
Step 4
Choose the direction from which to view the model and also its general orientation, as
discussed in Chapter 5, Plot Characteristics on page 5-6.
8-4 Version 3.102.514

Step 5
In cases involving section plots, it is necessary to make further choices concerning the
position of the section see the discussion beginning on page 5-7 for the details of
section plane definition.
A plotting operation at this stage (e.g. Plot > Cell Plot) will only display the mesh
geometry. To display values of the solution variables further steps are required, as
explained in Basic Post-processing Displays on page 8-7.
Step 6
Store the appropriate post-processing result data in the computers memory, ready for
manipulation, plotting, or printing. The data can include:
scalar quantities, e.g. displacements, rotations, temperatures, stresses (component
or principal), strains (elastic, plastic, thermal, creep, or total), geometric data (e.g.
vertex coordinates or centriod locations), etc.
vector quantities, i.e. force components;
There are three different methods to access the above information, choose one of the
following options:
1. Get User Data (Post > Get User Data) Get result data from any outside source
(stored in any file name) and then plot or manipulate the data exactly as if they had
been read from any finite element result file. This option activates the Get User
Post Data dialog shown below.
Commands: GETUSERDATA
The above dialog allows a complete specification of the data to be expected, as

follows:
Version 3.102.514 8-5

(a) File name pro-fes built-in file browser may be used to locate it.
(b) Data Type cell or vertex data.
(c) Registers depending on what sort of data are to be read, this option
effectively defines their destination in terms of post-processing register
numbers (see The OPERATE utility on page 8-12). The available options
are:
i) Scalar one data item per record (e.g. individual vertex or cell data
item), stored in Register 4.
ii) Vector three data items per record, stored in Registers 1-3.
iii) Both four data items per record (three vector plus one scalar), stored
in Registers 1-4.
iv) All six data items per record (three vector plus three scalar), stored in
Registers 1-6.
v) Register 1 - 6 one data item per record, stored in the specified
register.
(d) File Type if option User is selected, you must type a FORTRAN format
specification describing the data record structure in the text box at the bottom
of the dialog. Option Free specifies that the input file is in free format, i.e. it
contains fields of arbitrary length separated by commas.
(e) Cell Offset offset to be added to cell or vertex numbers upon input.
(f) Heading and Units type in a heading and units definition. These are used as
labels for any plots made subsequently.
Finally, the input file is read by clicking the Apply button.
2. Save User Data (Post > Save User Data) This is the reverse of Get User Data
and works via the Save User Post Data dialog shown below. It is used to write a
file containing cell or vertex data currently stored in pro-fes post registers.
Command: SAVUSERDATA
8-6 Version 3.102.514
Basic Post-processing Displays

(a) File name
(b) Registers specify where the data are located via an appropriate selection, as
in the Get User operation.
(c) File Type specify the file format, as in the Get User operation.
(d) Range specify the range or set of cells/vertices for which to write post data.
The file itself is written by clicking the Apply button.

3. If an ANSYS result file is available, the user can directly access the information
available on the result file by linking this file to pro-fe. More details describing
this process are found in the Chapter 9, ANSYS POST-PROCESSING section.

Plot specification
Depending on the type of data stored by the operations described in the Data Loading
and Display Set-up section, you will need to choose a plot option. The appropriate
choice is made via the Plot menu, shown below, or via the Plot Options pop-up menu in
the main pro-fe window
Commands: POPTION PLTYPE CPLOT
The relevant Plot menu item is Options, whose drop-down list offers the following
choices:
Version 3.102.514 8-7

The Geometry option is the default setting and is used for displaying the model
geometry and mesh structure.
The Contour option is used for plotting scalar variables (e.g. pressure,
temperature, density, etc.).
The Vector option is used for displaying post-processing data that possess both
magnitude and direction (e.g. force vectors, etc.).
The Isosurface option is used to display constant-value surfaces for a given scalar
variable. The value for which the isometric surface is to be plotted must be typed
in the dialog box displayed when this option is selected.
The choice of plot option can also depend on the type of plot chosen (see the discussion
on plot type selection in Data Loading and Display Set-up on page 8-4). This point is
further illustrated by the examples given below. The user should refer to Appendix E for
a full list of permissible combinations.
Example 1
Displaying the displacement or any other scalar quantity as a contour plot.
1. Store the external data (e.g. displacements, stresses, etc.) in memory, ready to plot,
by using the Get User Data dialog box
2. Choose Plot > Options > Contour.
Contour plots of scalar data can only be plotted on surfaces. This reduces the choice of
plot types to the following:
Plot > Type > Qhidden line contour plots on the free surfaces of the mesh
(Figure 8-5).
Plot > Type > Ehidden line or filled-color contour plots on the free surfaces of
the mesh (Figure 8-6).
Plot > Type > Section line or filled-color contour plots on user-defined
surfaces (Figure 8-7).
Example 2
Displaying the directional stress field or any other vector quantity by vector arrows.
1. Store the directional stress vector data (i.e. x, y ,z) in memory by using the Get
User Data dialog box.
2. Choose Plot > Type > Normal to display the model in wire frame mode.
3. Choose Plot > Options > Vector to plot the data as velocity vector arrows.
The above choice is usually not very useful because of the overwhelming amount of
information which may be displayed simultaneously (see Figure 8-8). Alternative
choices can be made as follows:
Plot > Type > Qhidden only data on the free surfaces of the mesh will be
plotted.
Plot > Type > Ehidden note that the stress arrows are colored according to a
scale based on the stress magnitude (Figure 8-9).
Plot > Type > Section data on a pre-defined section(s) will be plotted, as
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discussed in Data Loading and Display Set-up, Step 5, on page 8-5 (Figure
8-10).
Plot display
The next step is to actually display the specified plot on the screen. This is done via one
of the plotting options in the menu, as follows:
Cell Plot plots data for the calculation mesh.
Vertex Plot plots vector data superimposed on a vertex plot.
Please note that option Cell Plot is the one normally used to plot vertex data. Option
Replot can also be used at this stage as long as:
the database set for cells or vertices (see Data Loading and Display Set-up, Step
6, on page 8-5) does not change from one plot to the next;
there is an existing plot on display.
Version 3.102.514 8-9

Figure 8-5 Line contour plot on mesh surfaces
Figure 8-6 Filled-contour plot on mesh surfaces
Figure 8-7 Filled-contour plot on a section

8-10 Version 3.102.514
Figure 8-8 Full directional stress field vector plot
Figure 8-9 Directional stress plot on mesh surfaces
Figure 8-10 Directional stress plot on a section

Version 3.102.514 8-11
Data Manipulation
Data Manipulation
The OPERATE utility
pro-fe provides a utility for cell and vertex data manipulation by allowing various
mathematical operations to be performed on any post data or geometry data items loaded
from one or more data files or stored in the post registers. This utility is activated by
choosing Post > Operate from the menu bar to display the Post Register Operations
dialog shown below:
Command: OPERATE
Geometry or post data items (over the entire mesh) can be stored at any time in so-called
register numbers 1 to 6; the latter are selected via the various Register pop-up menus
appearing in the dialog. These registers are in fact the same thing as the memory
locations described in Data Loading and Display Set-up, Step 6 on page 8-5.
The required operation is chosen from the Function pop-up menu. This in turn
controls the number of Register pop-up menus that appear within the Operation window
and the context in which they are presented, i.e. the contents of that window are always
appropriate to the operation selected by the user.
A typical data manipulation process using this utility can be divided into three stages
as follows:
1. Store the cell or vertex data in registers 1 to 6. Note that:
(a) The normal pro-fe convention is that vector post data are stored in registers 1,
2, and 3, corresponding to the X, Y and Z directions. Scalar post data are
stored in register 4.
(b) The OPERATE utility also contains scalar loading functions. These offer
greater flexibility regarding the register(s) into which data are loaded. The
available functions are:
i) Load Cell Data allows loading of cell centroid coordinates (in a
specified local coordinate system, if required), volumes and areas (for
shells or baffles).
ii) Load Vertex Data similar in functionality to GETVERTEX.
iii) Load User Data similar to GETUSERDATA but with far fewer
options.
(c) Note that, although the choice of storage registers for input data is entirely up
to the user, some of the operations performed in the next stages (e.g. plotting)
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Data Manipulation
do assume that the convention given in a) above has been observed.
2. Perform the required operation on the stored data (vector arithmetic, algebraic
function, trigonometric function, etc.). The operands are selected from the
Register pop-up menus on the right-hand side of the = sign. Clicking the Apply
button places the result of the operation in the register selected via the pop-up on
the left-hand side, overwriting any data that may be there already. The available
operations are grouped as follows:
(a) Multi-Register operations are performed on values stored in two or more
registers, as indicated on the right-hand side of the = sign. The result is
stored in the register indicated on the left-hand side of the = sign (see the
description of command OPERATE in the pro-fe Commands volume for a
full list of functions).
(b) Single-Register as above, except that only one register appears on the
right-hand side.
(c) Scalar/Vector as above, except that the available functions require a
register specification plus a constant value. The latter is typed in the text box
provided.
3. Optionally save the outcome of the operation. The available functions are:
(a) Put Cell Data not applicable.
(b) Save to File saves data currently stored in a given register to a file in binary
or coded format.
(c) Register Keys prepares pro-fe to plot
i) the contents of registers 1 - 3 as vector quantities (option Vector).
The next task is normally to print, summarize or plot the outcome of the above
operations.
Other data manipulation utilities
Option Change in the Post menu provides an alternative way of changing and
manipulating post data. It is implemented via the Change Post Data dialog shown
below:
Command: CHANGE
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Plot Manipulation
This utility enables linear transformation of post data using coefficients A and B
(supplied in the text boxes provided), as follows:
New Value = A * (Old Value) + B (8-1)
The register(s) whose data are to be modified is selected by clicking one or more
of the Register option buttons. This utility can modify individual post values, or
the values of a range (or set) of cells or vertices; the appropriate choice is made via
the pop-up menu provided.
Option Caverage in the Post menu creates a set of vertex data over a given cell set
or the entire mesh. The process relies on inverse distance-weighted averaging of
the available cell-centre values. The vertex data can then be used to produce
smooth contour plots rather than discontinuous ones.
The inverse of the above operation, i.e. averaging vertex values to create
cell-centre values, can be performed by selecting option Vaverage from the Post
menu. This might be useful in situations where the vertex values have been
generated externally and the cell values are needed to generate surface boundary
conditions.
Plot Manipulation
Contour plots of scalar post data can also be manipulated, as follows:
1. Reducing (thinning out) the number of labels used in line contour plots by a
specified factor (Thin Factor), as illustrated by Figure 8-11.
2. Changing the range and number of colors used for filled-color contour plots or
line contour plots, depending on the setting specified by command TERMINAL
(see Plotting Functions on page 2-18). The effect of this operation when applied
to a filled-color plot is illustrated by Figure 8-12. The available controls, grouped
in the lower half of the Post Plot Options dialog (see next page), permit changes
to:
(a) The number of colors used to display variations in the contoured quantity. This
also depends on the display screen hardware.
(b) The maximum and minimum values Vmax, Vmin considered. These are
selected via the pop-up menu provided in one of the following ways:
i) Auto based on the current cell/vertex set for non-section plots or the
current section for section and clipped plots.
ii) Local based on the current set.
iii) Global based on all cells or vertices.
iv) User specified by the user, along with a scale increment.
(c) The color scale disposition, which can be either Standard (red on top, blue on
the bottom) or Reverse (blue on top, red on the bottom).
Furthermore, pro-fe caters for changes to the basic color table currently in use, by
adjusting the RGB values of the color map index (see Color settings on page 5-10).
The standard background/foreground color combination can also be reversed by
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Plot Manipulation
choosing Plot > Background > Reverse from the menu bar. Finally, the displayed plot
can also be labelled using a combination of commands such as:
HEADING changes the heading and units description on the plot label.
SUBTITLE enables input of up to two subtitles for the plot.
PLLABEL enables user-defined alphanumeric labels at specified locations.
PLARROW enables user-defined arrows at specified locations.
Vector plots can be manipulated by choosing Plot > Post Plot Options from the menu
bar and then using the facilities within the Post Plot Options dialog, shown overleaf:
Commands: VESCALE ARROW UGRID THIN CSCALE
The following operations are possible:

1. Changing the size of the vector arrows by a given factor (Vector Scale options), as
illustrated by Figure 8-13. Type a scaling factor of value VSFAC in the text box
provided and select one of the following from the Option pop-up menu:
(a) Proportional All vectors have lengths proportional to their respective
magnitudes. The longest vector length is VSFAC (in screen units).
(b) Fixed All vectors are drawn the same length (VSFAC, in screen units)
regardless of magnitude.
(c) Vmag A vector of magnitude VSFAC has length 1.0 in screen units. All
other vectors are scaled accordingly.
2. Changing the shape of the arrows representing the velocity vectors (Vector
Arrows options), as illustrated by Figure 8-14. Type parameters defining
(a) the size of arrowhead in proportion to each vector length;
Version 3.102.514 8-15

Plot Manipulation
(b) the angle between one edge of the arrowhead and the body of the arrow;
(c) the width of the lines representing the arrows.
3. Interpolation (mapping) of velocity vectors to a uniform grid (Presentation Grid
options). Select option On in the Status pop-up menu to map a uniformly-spaced
grid over a section for vector display purposes. The grid intervals in the screen X-
and Y- directions are typed in the text boxes provided. This feature is helpful in
reducing the problem of visual distortion of a display surface caused by irregularly
spaced computation meshes.
4. Reducing (thinning out) the number of plotted vectors by a specified factor (Thin
Factor).
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Plot Manipulation
Figure 8-11 Reduction in number of contour labels
Version 3.102.514 8-17

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Figure 8-12 Color change of contour plots
8-18 Version 3.102.514

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Figure 8-13 Size change of directional stress vectors
Figure 8-14 Shape change of directional stress vector arrows

Version 3.102.514 8-19
Data Reporting
Data Reporting
In addition to its graphic capabilities, pro-fe also provides facilities for processing and
reporting post data values in numerical, printed form. These are as follows:
1. Displaying currently selected cell or vertex post data to the screen choose Lists
> Post Registers from the menu bar to activate the Post Register Data dialog
shown below. The contents of all post registers are displayed in a scroll list, in
numerically ascending cell number. There is also a choice of listing all data or just
those in the current cell or vertex set (marked by asterisks in the Set column). The
choice is made simply by clicking the Show All Data or Show Set Data Only
option buttons, respectively.
Commands: PRINT SORT UPDATE
Note that:
(a) The dialog also provides access, via appropriately labelled buttons, to the
OPERATE and CHANGE tools for manipulating post register data (see Data
Manipulation on page 8-12). Data items created with these tools are included
in the display automatically.
(b) An Update List button is provided so that the list can be updated if changes
are made to the sets or to the post register data outside the Post Register Data
dialog.
(c) The panel also provides access to the pro-fe sort function, which displays the
post data in numerically-descending order determined by the actual, Sort
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Data Reporting
(Actual), or absolute, Sort (Abs), values of the (scalar) quantities stored in

register 4. The Unsort button undoes the effect of the sorting operation.
2. Interpolating and displaying currently selected post data at user-defined points

within the solution domain command SENSOR. These points are defined using
one or more vertices and the values at such locations are interpolated from those at
nearby cells. The vertices used for this purpose do not have to be attached to any of
the cells in the mesh; they only need to be located within the model. The extracted
values may be useful for comparing the numerical solution to experimental results
obtained at those locations, or calculating post data values along any arbitrary
path, independent of mesh lines. SENSOR is a multi-function command and
should be used as shown in the following example:
Calculation of maximum principal stress die-out at critical fillet location at
70 points defined by vertices 1001 to 1070.
(a) Store the principal stress data into memory by choosing Post > Get User Data
from the menu bar.
(b) Select a range of seventy existing vertices to act as sensor points
SENSOR,ADD,1001,1070,1
(c) Scan the mesh to check that the target vertices are within the finite element
model and to calculate the stress values
SENSOR,SCAN,ALL
(d) Display the stress values at vertices 1001 to 1070 on the screen
SENSOR,PRINT
3. Pointing to a desired location on a surface contour plot with the cursor in order to
display the (interpolated) value of the variable at that location choose option
PCross in the Post menu. Obviously, this can be done only if a plot is already
displayed on the screen.
4. Summarizing and displaying sums, averages, minimum and maximum values and
locations command SUMMARIZE. This facility works on the post data items
that are currently stored in registers.
5. Displaying interpolated post data in a section plane command SPRINT. The
plane in question is defined in the manner described in Chapter 5, page 5-7. As
with all other functions in pro-fe, cell data are treated as constant within each cell,
whereas vertex data are interpolated linearly to the desired plane.
6. Integrating post data items over a user-defined section plane command
INTEGRATE. The plane in question is defined in the manner described in Chapter
5, page 5-7.
All displayed data can also be diverted to a file for later review and analysis. The relevant
procedure is illustrated by the following example:
Version 3.102.514 8-21

Mapping and Copying Post Register Data
1. Switch the program output from the terminal to the user-defined data file (e.g.
case.dat) by typing:
OFILE,case.dat
2. Use the appropriate function that will write the desired data on the data file, e.g.
PRINT,VSET
3. Switch the program output back to the terminal screen
OFILE,SCREEN
Mapping and Copying Post Register Data

pro-fe provides commands for mapping and copying post register data items from an
existing mesh on to any arbitrary volume or surface. These facilities can be used for both
presentation and data export to alternative meshes.
Command DGENERATE is used for generating or copying register data. It enables
the creation of a new data set from an existing cell or vertex post data set. This is useful
for presenting results calculated in models with an axis or plane of symmetry, where the
symmetric or cyclic nature of the analysis has been used to reduce the extent and size of
the mesh. The cells and vertices onto which the data are to be copied are created first.
This is followed by command DGENERATE to generate a new set of post data. Note that
the offsets used in DGENERATE should be the same as those used in generating the cells
or vertices being considered.
Mapping of register data items onto both arbitrary surfaces and volumes is possible.
The pro-fe command for this function is PMAP, enabling mapping of the currently
stored post data on a surface consisting of shells or a volume consisting of cells. The
required steps are as follows:
Step 1
Create the shells or cells onto which the data are to be mapped and assign a unique cell
index to them. A convenient way of generating shells is via the LIVE command.
Step 2
Select (using a CSET operation) the set of cells from which the mapping data are to be
extracted. These should envelop the cells or shells to be mapped.
Step 3
Store the data required for mapping using the options provided by the Get User Data
dialog (see page 8-5).
Step 4
Issue command PMAP to map the stored register data from the existing model onto the
target cells or shells. For example, to map date from a cell set given by CSET on to cell
type 5
PMAP,5,CSET
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Graph Displays
It is also important to ensure that the mesh onto which data are to be mapped
occupies the same physical space as the mesh from which data are extracted
does not share any vertices with it (if mapping vertex data)
Graph Displays
pro-fe contains extensive utilities for presenting results in graphical form. The basic
principles involved in graph production are as follows:
Any variable or other physical quantity, whether available within pro-fe or
produced by an external program, can be plotted against any other physical
quantity.
Prior to plotting, a series of values for that quantity have to be loaded into a special
storage location called a graph register.
Graphs are produced by plotting the contents of any register against those of
another register according to a user-specified manner.
One or more of the above graphs can be combined into a unique display entity
called a frame. The frame definition also incorporates a description of how to
include other basic information such as axes, legends and graph labels.
A single plot can consist of one or more frames. In the latter case, it is necessary to
provide a description of how the various frames are to be arranged within the
composite plot.
Consequently, the steps needed to set up and plot graphs are as follows:
1. Data loading
2. Register definition
3. Frame definition
4. Data display
These are described in the next few sections. The necessary facilities for performing
these steps are provided as options in the Graph menu. The Graph Tool, accessed by
choosing Tools > Graph Tool in the menu bar, also includes some of the most common
operations.
Data loading
This step specifies the number of graph registers required and the data to be loaded into
them. Both types of operation are accessed from the Load Graph Registers panel shown
below, and activated by choosing Graph > Load Graph Data in the menu bar. To
access the various operations shown on the panel, highlight the item of interest and click
Apply.
Version 3.102.514 8-23

Graph Displays
pro-fe normally operates with a default of 20 graph registers. To modify this value,
select item Change the number of graph registers to display the dialog shown below
and then type the new number in the text box provided.
Command: NUMREG
Note that if some graph data are already loaded, it is necessary to clear the currently
allocated registers first and reset all graphical parameters to default values. This is done
by selecting Graph > Greset from the menu bar (or by typing command GRESET).
Data loaded into graph registers can be one of the following types:
1. Geometry and post data choose option Load cell/vertex/sensor numbers and
data to activate the dialog shown overleaf.
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Graph Displays
Commands: GLOAD GVALUE
Two kinds of data can be read in:

(a) Geometry data these specify the location of cells, vertices or sensor points
(b) Post data these can be any of the values stored in post-processing registers
1 to 6 (see Data Manipulation on page 8-12) for the list of entities given
above
To read in this information:

(a) Select the data type you are interested in (Cell, Vertex, Sensor) from the Type
of data pop-up menu
(b) Select the range of data you need from the second pop-up menu in the dialog.
This can be done in terms of:
i) An explicit cell/vertex/sensor range choose option Range and specify
the starting, finishing and incremental cell, vertex, etc. number in the
text boxes provided
ii) An already defined cell or vertex set option Set
iii) All the currently available cells, vertices, etc. option All
(c) In the text boxes provided, specify a graph register to hold the required cell,
vertex, etc. numbers and the starting location in that register where storage of
these numbers should begin
(d) Click Load Numbers
(e) Specify what kind of geometry or post data corresponding to the above
numbers to read in via the Data to load pop-up menu.
i) For geometry data, the choice is between coordinates X, Y, Z, or all
Version 3.102.514 8-25
Graph Displays
three of them together. The applicable coordinate system number is

typed in the ICS text box. Note that if vertices are being considered and
they lie on a spline, option Spline will read in the distance of each vertex
along the spline. The spline number in question is specified in the ICS or
spline number box.
ii) For post-processing data, the choice is one of Post 1 to Post 6,
corresponding to post registers 1-6, respectively, or all six of them
together (option POST). This means that post data can be manipulated
using, say, the OPERATE function before being read into the graph
registers.
iii) Option Both loads all available geometry and post data together.
(f) Specify a graph register to hold the desired geometry/post data in the text box
provided
(g) Click Load Data
(h) Note that cell, vertex, etc. numbers and their corresponding geometry/post
data can also be loaded simultaneously by clicking the Load Numbers and
Data button.
2. Parameter values defined as part of a pro-fe loop (see Chapter 1, Loops in the
pro-fe Commands volume) type command GPARAM.
3. Sensor data at a number of automatically-generated sensor points (see page 8-21),

as well as the positions of these sensors choose option Define sensors and load
geometry and post data to activate the dialog shown below:
Command: GPOST

(a) A pair of vertex numbers between which the sensor points will be located.
(b) The total number of sensors to be created.
(c) The starting graph register number, n, to store the sensor data. Note that a total
of at least n + 10 registers are needed.
4. External data that are already stored in external coded or binary files and need to
8-26 Version 3.102.514

Graph Displays
be read in and plotted as a graph choose option Fill graph registers with data
from external file to activate the dialog shown below.
Command: GDATA

(a) The input file name (case.grf). pro-fes built-in file browser may be used
to locate it.
(b) The number of data sets to be extracted.
(c) The starting graph register number and number increment for data storage.
The starting data storage location within each register can also be specified.
(d) An input file type specification choose option button Coded (text), Binary,
or User. In the latter case, a specification of the format used to write the file
should be typed in the text box provided.
5. User-supplied data. These are arbitrary sequences of numbers to be placed

directly into specified register locations choose option Fill graph registers
with user-specified values to activate the dialog shown below.
Version 3.102.514 8-27

Graph Displays
Command: GFILL

(a) The register number to be filled.
(b) The starting, finishing and increment values for the numbers to be generated.
(c) The total number of generated values that need to be placed in the graph
register.
(d) The starting graph register location and increment for storing the generated
values.
Note that the above option generates the required number sequence automatically.
If it is necessary to supply numbers one by one, use command GINPUT instead.
Register definition
Before graphs can be produced, it is necessary to specify the register properties. This is
done by choosing Graph > Graph Registers from the menu bar and then selecting the
required register from the Registers scroll list at the upper left-hand side of the dialog
shown below:
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Graph Displays
Commands: REGLIST RTABLE LINTYPE SYMTYPE BARTYPE

RLABEL RTLIST LINLIST SYMLIST BARLIST
RCLEAR ROPERATE STATUS
The following operations are possible following a register selection:

1. Contents Display Click any of the six Display Reg. buttons to inspect the
values stored in the register selected. These are displayed along the column above
the button, starting with location no. 1 at the top. Use the scroll bar provided to
view values beyond the currently visible locations.
2. Graph curve attributes Except for bar and pie charts, each register is assigned a
line type or a special, location-marking symbol, or both. These entities determine
the visual appearance of the register contents when plotted as y-axis values in a
graph. The type of line is selected, in terms of line style, color and thickness, from
the pop-up menus provided under the Line Parameters heading. Likewise, symbol
style, size and color are selected from the Symbol Parameters pop-up menus.
3. Bar and pie chart attributes y-axis register values can be displayed as bars
whose style, color and width are selected from the Bar Parameters pop-up menus.
More sophisticated, difference type bar charts can be drawn by typing command
RTABLE. For pie charts, the colors used for each value in a register correspond to
Version 3.102.514 8-29

Graph Displays
those listed in the pro-fe Output window when command BARLIST is issued.
This is normally sufficient to produce a reasonable plot.
4. Color assignment For all graph types, the color of a given attribute can be
changed by selecting its color box and then clicking on an alternative color in the
Color Palette at the bottom left-hand side of the dialog (see also Color settings
on page 5-10).
5. Labelling Each register can be given an identifying label by typing a suitable
string of characters in the Label for Register text box. The labels are
subsequently used to make up the graph legend, but can be selectively omitted by
clicking the Show in Legend option button.
6. Clearing To delete the register contents, click the Clear Register button. Note
that using command RCLEAR also permits selected blocks of register locations to
be cleared rather than the entire register.
7. Manipulation Clicking on the Register Operations button enables you to
perform various operations (arithmetic, algebraic, trigonometric, etc.) on up to two
registers. These are specified in the Graph Register Operations dialog shown
below. For each of the operand registers, specify:
(a) a scaling factor (typed in the text box provided);
(b) an operation (selected from a pop-up menu);
(c) the register number (typed in the (Reg) text box).
If two operand registers are present, the middle pop-up menu provides a choice of
relational operations involving both registers. The end result is stored in a separate
(output) register whose number is specified in the leftmost text box.
Command: ROPERATE
Other register operations accessible from the above panel are:

(a) Sorting in ascending or descending order click Sort Data to activate the
dialog shown below. This is most useful for generating smoothly-varying
graph curves, which can often be achieved simply by re-arranging the register
data sequence.
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Graph Displays
Command: RSORT

i) The register whose contents will be sorted.
ii) A range of associated registers, specified in terms of starting, ending and
incremental register numbers, whose contents will be re-arranged to
conform with the sort performed on the primary register.
iii) Whether to sort the values in the primary register in ascending or
descending order.
(b) Clipping, i.e. copying a selected range of values from one register and pasting
them into another, starting at a given location click Copy Data to activate
the dialog shown below.
Command: RCLIP

i) The register number from which data are to be copied.
ii) A range of register locations, specified in terms of starting, ending and
incremental location numbers, containing the values to be copied.
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Graph Displays
iii) The receiving register number.

iv) The starting location in the receiving register that will store the values
copied.
Note that the Graph Registers panel also provide access to:
The data loading dialog via the Load Registers button (see Data loading on
page 8-23), useful in cases where additional data need to be read in.
The graph plotting facility (buttons Draw Current Frame and Redraw Last
Frame) is useful in cases where already defined frames need to be drawn after
some changes to the register contents.
Frame definition
Up to six frames can be defined per plot. Each frame has a unique set of properties,
specified by choosing Graph > Graph Display from the menu bar and activating the
Graph Module dialog shown below. The desired frame is selected from the pop-up menu
at the top left-hand corner of the module.
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Graph Displays
Commands: FRAME FRDEFINE GMARK GRLABEL GRDISPLAY

GSPLIT GDRAW GREDRAW STATUS
The frame properties are as follows:

1. Graph type selected from the Graph Type pop-up menu. The available options
are Cartesian, Polar, Log-log, Semi-log (x or y), Bar (x or y) or Pie. For polar
and pie graphs, the inner radius circle as a percentage of the outer radius circle is
typed in the text box provided.
2. Screen location. The following options are provided by the Location pop-up:
(a) Default type the required frame size (as a percentage of the current
graphics window size) in the first text box.
(b) Specify type the screen coordinates of two opposite corners of the frame
box in the text boxes provided. For polar and pie graphs, the necessary input
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Graph Displays
becomes the plot centre and radius, in the coordinate system of the screen (see
Appendix B for a definition). Alternatively, clicking the Cursor Locate button
allows you to specify the same information graphically via the cursor. This is
particularly useful for incorporating multiple frames of unequal size within a
single plot or for combining graphs with ordinary post-processing or geometry
displays. In the second case, use of the Overlay option in the Plot menu is
also required (see Chapter 5).
3. x- and y-axis register specification select a register in the X-Axis Register

scroll list and a corresponding one in the Y-Axis Register list. Each value in the
x-register corresponds to a value in the y-register and clicking the Add Register
Pair button forms an ordered pair that can be subsequently plotted. The result of
this operation can be inspected in the Register Pairs box. Note that:
(a) The line and symbol types that will be used to produce a particular graph are
those assigned to the y-register in the Graph Registers dialog box.
(b) A particular x-y pair definition can be deleted by selecting it and then clicking
Delete.
(c) All pairs can be deleted and the definition process restarted by clicking Clear.
4. x- and y-axis properties these are selected separately for each axis and
comprise:
(a) Axis length, specified in terms of maximum and minimum values (Xmin,
Xmax).
(b) Major and minor tick marks to be drawn on the axis supply the:
i) segment length for major tick marks (Xmajor)
ii) number of minor tick marks per segment (#ticks)
iii) whether the numbers drawn along the axis are to be real or integer
(Numbers pop-up), indented or non-indented (to prevent overlap, Indent
pop-up), positioned above or below the axis (Location pop-up)
(c) Axis title and location type the title in the text box provided and specify its
location by choosing one of the following options from the Title Location
pop-up:
i) Default the title starting position will be at a distance of one-third of
the axis length from the origin
ii) Specify type the starting location coordinates in the text boxes
provided (in the screen coordinate system) either explicitly
Alternatively, clicking the Cursor Locate button allows you to specify the
same information graphically via the cursor.
5. Legend title and location type the title in the text box provided and specify its
location by choosing one of the following options from the Location pop-up:
(a) Default the legend will be located at the top right-hand corner of the frame
(b) Specify type the screen coordinates of two opposite corners of the legend
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box in the text boxes provided
Alternatively, clicking the Cursor Locate button allows you to specify the same
information graphically via the cursor.
6. Textual graph labels these are selected in the Additional Graph Labels scroll
list and their associated text typed in the box underneath. It is also possible to
specify the text characters size and color and the labels location. The latter is
defined either in terms of screen coordinates (typed in boxes Sx, Sy), or graphically
using the cursor (click Cursor Locate). The character color is set via the built-in
color palette, in the manner discussed under Color assignment on page 8-30.
7. Special markers graphs can be marked by special symbols, lines, or bars (plus
associated text). These are selected in the Additional Marks scroll list and their
associated text typed in the box underneath. The type of marker (line, symbol, or
bar) is selected via the option buttons provided. The marker characteristics (color,
style, etc.) are determined by reference to a register for which these characteristics
have already been defined. The required register number is typed in the text box
provided. Finally, the markers location is defined either in terms of screen
coordinates (typed in boxes Sx, Sy), or graphically using the cursor (click Cursor
Locate).
8. Miscellaneous frame attributes use the option buttons in the Display Options
group to modify or turn on and off various frame display characteristics such as
line color and thickness, character size, axes display, etc.
9. Other plot enhancement features, such as user-defined pointer arrows and labels
are also possible see Chapter 5.
Once the frame specification is complete, its current settings must be confirmed by
clicking the Apply Changes button.
Note that for multi-frame plots requiring a uniform subdivision of the screen plotting
area, it is possible to split the screen into a number of sub-plots corresponding to each
frame. This is done by clicking the Split Screen button to display the dialog box shown
below.
Command: GSPLIT

The number of frames.
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The direction (Horizontal or Vertical) of splitting the screen plotting area. This
choice is valid only if the number of frames is 2 or 3.
The percentage of each split-screen area occupied by the corresponding frame.
The starting frame number and increment corresponding to each sub-plot.
Data display
The actual graph display is performed on the basis of current graph plot settings, as
follows:
From within the Graph Module, click:

Draw Current Frame to draw the frame currently selected.
Draw All Frames to draw all frames defined so far.
Redraw Last Frame(s) to re-draw the last frame displayed, incorporating any
changes already made in the plotting parameter definitions.
Overlay Current Frame to draw the frame on top of any other plot currently
displayed in the pro-fe graphics window.
From the Graph menu, choose option:

Locate to re-size and/or re-position a frame in the graphics window.
Gdraw to plot a frame.
Gredraw to re-draw the last frame displayed, incorporating any changes in the
user-specified plotting parameters.
Gpick to display the value of a graph point picked on the chosen frame with the
cursor. Alternatively, use command GPICK. Note that this operation is not valid
for pie charts.
Gpan to translate (pan) the centre of the graph to a location indicated with the
cursor. Alternatively, use command GPAN. Note that this operation is not valid for
polar graphs and pie charts.
Gzoom,on to zoom in (i.e. magnify) a portion of the graph selected via the cursor;
repeatedly if desired. Each zoom setting must be confirmed by clicking the Yes
button before the frame is re-drawn. Gzoom,back/Gzoom,off display the frame
using the previous or original sizing parameters, respectively. Command GZOOM
performs the same function.
In all cases, the desired frame is selected from a drop-down list

Other data operations
Other facilities for creating, manipulating and storing register data are as follows:
1. x-y values can be extracted from an existing graph and then inserted within a
specified pair of x- and y-registers command GPUT.
2. Advanced operations for calculating derivatives, integrals, Fourier series
coefficients, etc. can be performed on curves represented by a pair of register data
command RCALCULATE.
3. Sets of x-y data can be extracted from graph registers, interpolated, and then stored
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in post registers command GMAP.

4. Graph register data can be stored in an external coded or binary file (with
extension .grf) for later use choose Graph > Save Graph Data to display
the dialog shown below. This operation is necessary because the contents of the
graph registers are not saved in the pro-fe restart (.mdl) file.
Command: SDATA

(a) Output file name. If such a file already exists, pro-fes built-in file browser
may be used to locate it.
(b) Number of data sets to be saved.
(c) Starting graph register number and number increment for data storage.
(d) File format choose option button Coded (text), Binary, or User. In the
latter case, a format specification to be used when writing the file should be
typed in the text box provided.
The Graph Tool

This tool, shown below, provides a very convenient and direct way of modifying and
plotting frames. It is activated by choosing Tools > Graph Tool from the menu bar. The
tool offers only a limited range of editing facilities, covering those features that are
typically modified when fine-tuning the appearance of a graph.
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Commands: GDRAW GREDRAW GZOOM GPAN

GPICK FRAME GMARK GRLABEL
The available frames are displayed in a scroll list at the top of the tool box and are
selected with the mouse. The tool buttons perform an operation on the selected frame, as
follows:
Plotting operations
Draw Frame(s) plot the frame. If multiple frames are to be displayed at once,
click the first one you want to select, press and hold down the Shift key, and then
click the last frame in the group.
Redraw Last re-draw the last frame displayed, incorporating any changes in
the user-specified plotting parameters.
Overlay Frame(s) overlay the frame(s) on top of any other plot currently
displayed in the pro-fe graphics window.
Positioning operations
A graph should already be on display prior to these operations. New locations for the
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items to be moved are indicated using the cursor

Position Frame re-size and/or re-position a frame in the graphics window.
Position Legend re-size and/or re-position a graph legend.
Move X-Title/Move Y-Title re-position the x- or y- titles of the graph.
Move Label re-position graph labels. The required label is selected from the
scroll list provided.
Move Mark re-position graph markers. The required marker is selected from
the scroll list provided.
Other operations
Zoom In/Zoom Back/Zoom Off zoom in (i.e. magnify) on a portion of the
graph selected via the cursor. The operation can be repeated several times in
succession if desired. Each zoom setting must be confirmed by clicking the Yes
button before the frame is re-drawn. Zoom Back displays the frame at the
previously-selected magnification. Zoom Off displays the frame using the original
sizing parameters.
Pan Frame translate the centre of the graph within a frame to a new location
indicated with the cursor.
Pick Value display the value of a graph point picked on the chosen frame with
the cursor. Note that multiple points can be picked at once. The operation is
terminated by clicking the Done button.
Close exit from the Graph Tool.
Animation
The purpose of pro-fes animation facility is to permit the production of a set of
sequential pictures with minimal effort. If displayed in quick succession, these pictures
give rise to the animation effect. A common use of the facility is accomplished by:
on-screen animation sequences (within pro-fe),
films/movies (outside pro-fe).
Both of the above are described in detail in the following sections.

Animated Displays
Defining and displaying an animation sequence within pro-fe
The starting point for this kind of work is the Animation Module, shown overleaf,
accessed by choosing Modules > Animation from the menu bar. The upper section of
the dialog box is organized similarly to a video recorder images saved to a file (the
neutral plot file) can be replayed using the control buttons. In general, the sequence of
images is set up to show either motion of an object (by changing the view of the object
or deforming the object) or time dependent results (i.e. the results of a transient analysis).
The user must specify the type of data to be displayed and how they are to vary with time.
The sequence of images to be recorded requires the setting of
frame definitions, and
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sequence parameters.
These parameters can be saved and retrieved from a file, but are not part of the data
written in the pro-fe save (.mdl) file.
Commands: RECRD NPLOT SCRIN PLAYBACK

TERMINAL NFILE SCROUT
It can be seen that the primary animation dialog contains a slider showing the frame
number, a set of buttons for controlling the viewing and recording of an animation
sequence within pro-fe, plus a set of pop-up menus, text boxes and buttons for setting
up the animation sequence. The following describes each of the items on the dialog:
Manipulation of neutral plot file images

Rewind moves the Frame Number slider back to frame 1.
Stop stops the recording or playback of the animation sequence currently in
progress.
Play starts the playback of a recorded sequence from a neutral file, beginning at
the current frame number.
Faster increases the speed of the current playback by skipping frames.
Clicking on this button repeatedly continues to increase the speed of the playback.
Play 1 allows you to step through a recorded sequence by playing back one
frame at a time.
General animation
Record generates the plots for the current sequences. Plots are generated either
on the screen or saved to the neutral file, depending on what has been selected in
the Output Device pop-up menu. This works by creating a batch file (of form
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case.ani) to store all the pro-fe frame plotting commands and then reads back
and executes these commands to produce the required animation.While writing the
batch file, the RECORD operation also generates values for the following two
variables:
(a) TIME the time corresponding to each frame, as supplied by the user.
(b) FRAM the frame number itself, beginning at the start of the sequence.
Output Device allows you to select between the screen, the neutral plot file or
a bitmap file for the output medium of a Record operation. It is suggested that
Screen be selected initially for testing a particular animation sequence since if you
click Record, the animation sequence will be displayed directly on the screen.
Having satisfied yourself with the animation setup, switch to Neutral File to save
the sequence to that file for later playback, if desired. Alternatively, the Bitmap
File option can be used to directly save up to 20 images to memory. These can be
replayed afterwards using the SCRIN command.
Output File Name enter the name of the neutral plot (.plot) file to be saved
after a Record operation, having selected the appropriate option in the Output
Device pop-up. The same file name is used for a Play operation. pro-fes built-in
file browser may be used to locate the required file.
Number of Frames in Sequence enter the total number of frames used within
a particular sequence. Start with a small number during testing and increase this
number for final production.
Number of Playback Loops enter the number of times that a sequence will be
replayed after Play is started.
Current Sequence Name enter a name for the current sequence. You can
define multiple sequences, each with a different name, to show different
animations of the same model.
Animation Setup Information File enter a file name (of form case.anim)
for saving the setup information defined in the animation module. The same file
should also be used to retrieve the information. Make sure that you use this facility
to save your settings as animation parameters are not stored in the pro-fe save
(.mdl) file.
Select Sequence select the desired sequence from the pop-up menu or create
a new one using option New. In the latter case, its name can be entered in the
Current Sequence Name text box.
Edit Frame Definitions specify plot parameters for selected frames within a
particular sequence, chosen from the pop-up menu (see Frame definitions
below).
Edit Sequence Parameters specify plot parameters for the current sequence
(see Sequence parameters below).
Read Setup Info from File Read sequence definitions from a file.
Save Setup Info to File Save the current sequence definitions to a file.
Frame definitions
The information required for frames within an animation sequence is:
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1. Display parameters for the starting frame

2. Display parameters for the ending frame
The desired choice, First Frame or Last Frame, is made via the Edit Frame Definitions
pop-up menu. The selection pops up another dialog, the Animation Graphics Parameter
Block dialog shown below, that enables entry of the required values.
Command: AOPTION
The necessary input includes the view, centre, distance, lighting and section parameters
for the plot displayed in the frame (see also Plot Characteristics on page 5-3). These
values can be copied from the current settings by clicking the Copy pop-up or can be
entered manually. Confirm the values by clicking Apply.
Sequence parameters
Each sequence requires the definition of plot parameters that cannot change within the
sequence. These are supplied by clicking the Edit Sequence Parameters button and
displaying the Animation Plot Command dialog shown below. The parameters are
entities described in Chapter 5 and are selected via a series of pop-up menus such as
plot type
plot options
commands used to generate the initial and subsequent plots (CPLOT, REPLOT,
etc.)
In addition, you can enter additional commands (in the Pre-/Post-Animation Sequence
scroll lists) to be executed before and after each particular plot. These might be used to
change labels, to issue a system command that saves the plot to a film recorder, or to do
anything else that you can imagine.
If a transient analysis is being animated, it is also possible to add a graphical indicator
of time, such as a moving bar, using the Time Stamp Type pop-up menu and its associated
text boxes. Also note that command GRAY produces the grey scale patterns that are used
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to correct color variations when filming the animation.
Commands: AOPTION TMSTAMP
Storing animations
pro-fe has three methods of storing animations for subsequent replay:
1. Neutral plot files. These files are stored on disk and contain frame data in
device-independent format. In addition:
(a) They can be defined as binary files which allows them to be read and written
much faster than formatted files
(b) A file name is associated with each file, so that multiple files can be opened
and closed independently of each other
(c) pro-fe can read these files directly and display their contents via the replay
facilities in the main Animation dialog
2. On X-Window and GL based machines, it is possible to store successive screen

images as bitmaps and then replay them. This is more memory intensive but faster
than using neutral plot files. The main limitations are that a maximum of only
twenty frames can be produced and these cannot be stored permanently for later
viewing.
For example, command SCROUT,5 saves the present screen image to memory
in location no. 5. To re-display this frame at a later stage in the current pro-fe
session, command SCRIN,5 would be used. Since storage of these frames can
consume a large amount of memory, command SCRDELETE should be used
where possible to remove unwanted frames.
3. The third method involves saving pro-fe images as binary files to disk. These can
then be processed externally using suitable imaging tools to produce video images
for recording on a VHS (or other) tape. Further details of this are given in the
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section on Movie STAR on page 8-45.
Examples
An example is provided here, showing an animation within pro-fe. It is a general
introduction on how to produce a simple animation quickly.
Example 1
This example shows how a model can be rotated and zoomed upon simultaneously on
the screen display. The animation is then saved in a neutral plot file. Any suitable
geometry can be used for this purpose.
Set the initial view and plotting options for the model, using either the GUI or
commands. For example:
WINDOW 0 0 13 10
PLDIS OFF ALL
VIEW 1 1 1
PLTY EHID
PLME OFF
LIGHT 1 ON 1 2 3
DIST AUTO
CPLOT
In the main Animation Module dialog, set the Output Device to Screen and the
Number of Frames in Sequence to 20. The default Current Sequence Name,
Sequence#1, will be used here. Next select First Frame from the Edit Frame
Definitions pop-up menu.
When the Animation Graphics Parameter Block dialog appears, select option
Current Plot from the Copy pop-up menu. The settings for the initial frame will
be filled in the appropriate boxes on the panel. Click the Apply button to confirm
the settings.
Set the final view options, including zooming in on the model, by typing the
following commands in the I/O window:
VIEW 1 -1 1
REPLOT
ZOOM ON
In the Animation Graphics Parameter Block dialog, click the End of Animation
Sequence radio button. Then, as before, choose the Current Plot option from the
Copy pop-up menu. Again, the appropriate settings will be filled in
automatically in the text boxes of the panel. Enter a value of 2 (seconds) in the
Time box, click Apply to confirm the settings and then Close.
In the main Animation Module dialog, click the Edit Sequence Parameters
button. This will open up the Animation Plot Command dialog. In this panel, select
Replot from the Command for Initial Plot pop-up menu. All other settings can be
left at their default values. Click Close.
In the main Animation Module dialog, click the Record button. This will create a
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batch (.ani) file to store all the frame plotting commands and then read them
back in to produce the required animation. The sequence will be displayed on
screen.
To permanently save the animation to a file, change the Output Device selection to
Neutral File and accept the default Output File Unit Number. Click the Record
button again. The animation images will now be stored on file. Use the video
control buttons to replay the images as for a normal video recorder.
Movie STAR
This section outlines the necessary steps required to produce a real-time movie
animation of a pro-fe model. It also includes various tips and recommendations that
users might find useful should they wish to produce such an animation.
For clarity, the remainder of this section is split into two parts:
1. pro-fe pre-processing
2. Post file manipulation
The first part deals with setting up the animation sequence in pro-fe and producing the
individual video images. The second part deals with the manipulation of the images
using SGI IRIX tools to complete the video animation.
Prerequisite
It is assumed that the user has a good working knowledge of the pro-fe and Unix
environments. Since only IRIX imaging tools are discussed here, it is also assumed that
users working on any platform other than an SGI machine have a knowledge of the
equivalent tools available on that platform. To compose and replay the final movie, the
appropriate graphics hardware must be available on the users machine. SGI O2 or
Octane workstations are supplied with such hardware as standard.
pro-fe pre-processing
There are a number of ways in which the individual animation images can be created.
Only one of these methods will be discussed here, namely the use of GIF files with any
graphics-driven version of pro-fe.
pro-fe Version 3.1 has the capability of producing screen dumps in many different
forms, including GIF, Postscript and XWD. This section discusses GIF files on account
of their small size and versatility when used in other Unix and non-Unix environments.
No additional pro-fe user files are required to produce screen dumps in this format,
so pro-fe may be run in the normal manner. The dumps are generated by commands
such as the following:
SCDU GIF 1000

REPLOT
SCDU OFF
In the example above, the whole of the pro-fe screen image (including overlays) is
saved to a file called case_name1000.gif. It is recommended to use 1000 as a
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Animation
starting number as it makes file manipulation easier at a later stage. If the SCDU OFF
command is not issued, a new sequentially-numbered file will be created for each further
plotting command issued. GIF files must be converted to RGB format at a later stage if
a JPEG IRIX movie is to be created. However, movies of GIF files are also possible and
are discussed briefly later.
pro-fe operation
Screen image size
For PAL movie production, it is necessary that the final image size be 768 576 pixels.
This will give a usable area of 640 x 480 pixels when the picture is viewed on a TV
screen. If the pro-fe window is sized directly to this size, this requirement will be met.
However, there is an advantage in terms of reducing aliasing effects if the original is
made larger than this and reduced to the required size at a later stage. It is also
recommended that the 4:3 ratio is maintained for the width and height of the window.
Animation sequence
Before attempting any form of animation, you should sketch out a set of frames (in
storyboard style) for the intended animation. This should include all the zoom-ins,
rotations, holds, deformed geometry and contour plots of anything within the bounds of
normal pro-fe capabilities. The extensive set of animation-related tools available within
pro-fe, discussed under Animation on page 8-39 and in Chapter 9, ANSYS
POST-PROCESSING, are particularly relevant here.
When you are happy with the overall layout, you may proceed to compose the
individual sections in script form. This is especially important for long and complex
animations. Any pro-fe command may be used for this purpose. When the sequence of
events for a particular section is complete, insert command SCDUMP into your script at
the appropriate stage of plotting.
If building up an image using command OVERLAY, the above command will capture
the entire screen display and not just that for the last REPLOT/CPLOT performed.
Translucency
The glm driver offers additional graphics effects for pre- and post-processing. One of
these is the translucency effect, where the model can be made transparent. This is
controlled via the translucency parameter at the end of the CLRT command. For
example:
CLRT GEOM 2 1 0 0 0.5
would give all cell types indexed to color 2 a translucency of 0.5. Other colors/cell types
can be referenced in a similar way.
The advantage of using translucency is to allow internal features of the model to be
seen without having to cut into it or make section plots.
Using pro-fe in so-called extended mode via
TERM,,,EXTE
also provides light effects in conjunction with contour plots. This facility further
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enhances the image by allowing the true shape of the model to be displayed using light
and shadows on the contour plot. This is especially effective if the model is rotated about
an axis as part of the animation.
In general, if translucency is to be employed, it is recommended that you create and
use a shell-only representation of your model. This is because using shells for geometry
displays depicts more of the internal detail. The shells themselves may be created via
command LIVE.
Model rotation/motion
pro-fes built-in functionality easily allows zoom-in, zoom-out, rotation and general
motion of the model. If you need to use these sequences, Example 1 on page 8-44
gives a sample of the pro-fe commands that may be needed. However, you should now
think in terms of real time displays where one second of real-time animation is
composed of 25 screen dumps. Hence, it is necessary to calculate carefully the TIME
parameters in command AOPTION so that the animation truly corresponds to any
time-varying aspects of your model.
Example commands
The set of commands given below is sufficient to produce part of a movie animation. The
following conditions have been assumed:
SGI glm version
A 90 rotation of a model
The animation lasts 5 seconds in real time (125 frames)
Preliminaries
wind 0 0 20 20
pldi off all
plty ehid
plme off
light 1 on 3 2 1
clrt geom 2 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.3
view 1 1 -1
cplot
aopt init get
view 1 1 1
replot
aopt final get
aopt time 0.0 5.0 125
aopt plot cplot cplot
scdu gif 1000
recrd 25
scdu off
Post File Manipulation

Once you have created the required set of images, you may proceed to process them into
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Animation
a real-time animation. There are two possibilities at this point:

Produce a quick rough and ready animation
Produce a high quality animation
It is up to you to decide which course to follow.
Producing a quick animation

The individual GIF files can be processed directly by typing the following command in
an X-window of a suitable SGI machine:
makemovie -o movie_file case_name????.gif
No effort is made to resize or modify the images in any way the result will simply be
an animation sequence of the original images saved. This is useful for quick
demonstrations.
Producing a high quality animation

A high quality animation, including titles, fades, overlays and logos, etc. can easily be
produced with only a small amount of additional effort. A Unix script called animator
has been written to help you achieve this end. More details about this utility, which is
supplied in the gifts directory on the installation medium, can be found in the Help
file supplied with the code.
However, should you wish to process the files via a series of commands issued from
your X-window, the following operations are of interest:
Converting GIF files to RGB

GIF files can be converted to RGB by typing:
fromgif case_name????.gif case_name????
Re-sizing images
The IRIX izoom command can be used to re-size RGB images. For example, an
original pro-fe RGB screen dump measuring 800 x 600 pixels can be re-sized to
measure 640 x 480 pixels by typing:
izoom case_name???? case_name????.iz 0.80 0.80
Overlaying on a black or white background

The IRIX nullimg command can be used to create a plain background (either black or
white) such that frames can be overlaid on top of them. This ensures no unsightly borders
around the edges should the animation be played back on a TV screen. For example:
nullimg allblack 768 576 3
over allblack case_name????.iz case_name????.iz.vid 64 48
will create images with a black background measuring 768 576 pixels which are
suitable for the final movie conversion.
Making the movie
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To convert the RGB files into a JPEG movie file, type:

makemovie -c jpeg -i even -t -r 25 -o movie.jpeg \ case_name????.iz.vid
where
-c jpeg indicates the compression format

-i even even interface option
-t -r 25 25 frames per second
movie.jpeg name of output file
case_name????.iz.vid any file called case_name????.iz.vid
Note that a longer JPEG movie file can be composed from a series of smaller JPEG
movies as follows:
makemovie -c jpeg -i even-t -r 25 movie.jpeg \
movie1.jpeg movie2.jpeg movie3.jpeg
and so on.
Playing back the movie

Typically, use command dmplay to replay the images in the .jpeg file, as follows:
dmplay -L repeat movie.jpeg
The IRIX videout command can also be used to create a frame on the SGI workstation
screen. This frame can be moved around the screen and will capture any image inside to
play on the TV screen (and video if connected).
Any of the IRIX video commands will automatically put the output signal to the video
output port connector (see Figure 8-15), which can then be used to record the animation
on tape.
S-VIDEO OUT TV
SGI/O2
Video
VIDEO
OUT -> S2 IN
Figure 8-15 Example setup of movie production equipment
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Chapter 9 ANSYS POST-PROCESSING
Introduction

Introduction
pro-fe has been developed with additional post-processing features geared especially
for the ANSYS finite element code. With pro-fes fast plotting and efficient use of
machine memory, ANSYS users should notice a significant drop in post-processing time
when using pro-fe.
Users can directly access data stored on any ANSYS 5.5 or 5.6 result file (.rst) and
generate complex displays of results using pro-fe. The following additional
post-processing features are currently available in pro-fe:
Link ANSYS 5.5 and 5.6 result files (.rst) directly to pro-fe.
Generate a pro-fe database (nodes, elements, etc.) directly from ANSYS result
file.
Easy-to-use GUI interface.
Access to all load step information contained on ANSYS result file.
Plotting, printing and summing of nodal result data. Printing of element solution
data.
Coordinate system transfer for display and printout of desired results.
Deformed geometry plots (with or without nodal contours) with user automatic
scaling for static and modal analyses.
Animation (with or without nodal contours) of static and modal analysis results
with the ability to record animated GIF files.
Ability to set units for all plots.
Direct storage of ANSYS result data to pro-fe post registers for user
manipulation.
Utilities for post-processing modal cyclic symmetric analyses, including model
expansion, phase independent result calculation and full expanded result
calculation.
This chapter was written under the assumption that the user has read all preceding
chapters in the pro-fe User Guide. Items such as database operations, plotting
operations and plotting characteristics should all be familiar to the user. The methods
on how to create different display types, manipulate data in the post registers, etc. is all
explained in depth in Chapter 8, BASIC POST-PROCESSING.
A step by step approach will be presented to look at all the different ANSYS
post-processing tools available using the GUI facilities. For more detailed information
on how these are implemented in command form, refer to the pro-fe Commands
volume.
ANSYS Post Processing Using the FEA GUIde

The FEA GUIde provides easy-to-use GUI tools to the user to help in post-processing
ANSYS finite element analyses. For information on how to access the FEA GUIde,
please refer to The FEA GUIde Environment on page 2-24. On-line help is also
available for the pro-fe GUI tools.
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ANSYS POST-PROCESSING Chapter 9
The opening window of the FEA GUIde is shown on the next page. To proceed with
ANSYS post-processing, click on the yellow folder preceding FEA Post-Processing
icon.
Before any ANSYS post-processing can begin, a viable ANSYS result file must first be
linked to pro-fe. After clicking on the FEA Post-Processing folder, click on the Link
ANSYS Results icon to link an appropriate ANSYS result file to pro-fe.
The Link ANSYS Results panel will appear. There are two different tabs associated with
this panel:
9-2 Version 3.102.514

1. Link Result File tab selects an appropriate ANSYS result file for linking.
2. Select Data Set tab selects an appropriate data set (load step) for
post-processing in pro-fe.
Link ANSYS Results panel
Link Result File tab
Several items on the Link Result File tab panel need to be set before an ANSYS result
file can be linked to pro-fe.
Commands: ANSRESULTFILE
The basic items that need to be resolved are:

1. ANSYS Result File The name of the ANSYS result file (.rst) that contains the
Version 3.102.514 9-3

desired post-processing information. pro-fes built-in file browser may be used to

help locate it. The file name can be up to 80 characters long.
2. Database Option
(a) Create Database This option will link the result file with pro-fe and read
in the necessary ANSYS database information (nodes, elements, coordinate
systems, etc.) to create a pro-fe database.
If nodes and elements already exist in the pro-fe database, a warning will
be posted. The user can either Continue with the operation, or Cancel. If
Continue is chosen, there is a possibility that the old database could be
overwritten if the node and/or element numbers between models are the same.
(b) Dont Create Database This option will ONLY link the result file with
pro-fe. The current model database will be used for post-processing. No
ANSYS database information will be stored.
If nodes and elements already exist in the pro-fe database, a warning will
be posted. The user can either Continue with the operation, or Cancel. If
Continue is chosen, the user should be aware that if the element numbers of
the current pro-fe database are not the same as the element numbers in the
ANSYS model, the results displayed in pro-fe will be incorrect.
3. Modal Cyclic Symmetry Analysis menu If the selected ANSYS result file is not
a modal cyclic symmetric analysis, select No from the Modal Cyclic Symmetry
Analysis menu. However, if the selected ANSYS result file is a modal cyclic
symmetric ANSYS result file, select Yes from the Modal Cyclic Symmetry
Analysis menu.This will activate the additional post-processing capabilities
(Expand Model (CycSym) panel, Strain Gage Calculator panel and Graph Results
vs. Phase Angle panel) of pro-fe for cyclic symmetric analyses. If Yes is selected
and pro-fe detects that the result file is not a cyclic symmetry analysis, a warning
will be issued and the linking will be aborted.
9-4 Version 3.102.514

Additional post-processing panels

for cyclic symmetric analyses
Once all the items have been resolved, click the Link Result File button to link the listed
ANSYS result file with pro-fe.
Specific information that is stored on the result file will be printed on the Link Result
File tab. This information includes:
Analysis title and subtitle (Can be edited, up to 80 characters).
Time and date of analysis completion.
Machine type and name on which analysis was completed.
Name of user who ran analysis.
Name assigned to analysis job.
Number of processors used during analysis.
Maximum node and element number in analysis model.
Number of nodes and elements in analysis model.
Maximum element type number, real constant number, and coordinate system
number.
Number of active degrees of freedom (DOFs) in analysis.
Total number of data sets (load steps) stored on linked ANSYS result file.
For cyclic symmetric analyses, additional information is listed. This information
includes:
Number of sectors to create full 360o model.
Cylindrical coordinate system cyclic symmetric model is built in.
Nodal (vertex) number offset between sectors.
Additional information available

for cyclic symmetric analyses.
Version 3.102.514 9-5

Click on the Select Data Set tab to proceed to the next step, selecting an appropriate data
set (load step) for post-processing.
Select Data Set tab
The Select Data Set tab panel lists all available data sets stored on the linked result file.
If a result file has not been linked, pro-fe will automatically open the Link Result File
panel for ANSYS result file selection.
Commands: SET
The panel reports the following information about each data set stored on the linked
result file:
1. Index number (Data Set
2. Time or frequency of the data set (Time/Freq).
9-6 Version 3.102.514

3. Load step number (LStep).

4. Substep number (SStep).
5. Cumulative iteration number at end of data set solution (CumIter).
To set the active data set, simply click on the list entry displaying the desired load step.
Then click the Load Data Set button. The selected data set information will then be
loaded into pro-fe. Once the data set information has been loaded, the Current Data Set
Information text box will be updated with the appropriate information.
For cyclic symmetric analyses, (Modal Cyclic Symmetry Analysis menu set to On) the
Select Data Set panel will appear slightly different. The Index of Data Sets On Result
File scroll list will display the following information for each data set stored on the
linked ANSYS result file:
1. Index number (DataSet).
2. Time or frequency of the data set (Time/Freq).
3. Nodal diameter of the listed data set (NDiam).
4. Mode number of the listed data set (Mode).
5. Cumulative iteration number at end of data set solution (CumIter).
Selecting the active data set is the same as for non-cyclic symmetric analyses. Simply
click on the list entry displaying the desired load step and then click the Load Data Set
button to set the active data set. Information, such as the current active nodal diameter,
current active mode number, cumulative iterations and data set frequency will be
updated in the Current Data Set Information panel.
pro-fe provides additional functions on the Select Data Set panel for cyclic
symmetric analyses. The Nodal Diameter List Option menu allows the user to create:
A listing of nodal diameter, mode number and frequency for each data set.
This listing can either be output to the pro-fe output window or to an external
file (case.ndli).
A graph displaying calculated frequency versus nodal diameter for each mode
number.
To create the nodal diameter listing, select List from the Nodal Diameter List Option
menu. Select Screen from the Output Option menu to print the nodal diameter list to the
pro-fe output window or select File to write the nodal diameter list to an external file
(case.ndli). Click on the List Nodal Diameters button to generate the list.
To create the nodal diameter graph, select Graph from the Nodal Diameter List
Option menu. Select Screen from the Output Option menu to create the nodal diameter
graph in the pro-fe graphics window or select File to write the nodal diameter graph to
an external neutral file (case.ndgr). Click on the Graph Nodal Diameters button to
generate the nodal diameter graph.
Version 3.102.514 9-7
Commands: NDLIST NDGRAPH
After loading the active data set information into pro-fe, there are many ANSYS
post-processing options available to the user. These include:
1. Generating contour plots of nodal data results for display to the pro-fe graphics
window or to a neutral plot file for hard-copy generation. (See Plot ANSYS
Results panel)
2. Producing animations of static and modal analysis results for display to the pro-fe
graphics window or for storage to an animated GIF file. (See Animate ANSYS
Results panel).
3. Printing of analysis results either to the pro-fe output window or to a specific
output file (See Printing ANSYS Results). Options, include:
9-8 Version 3.102.514

(a) Print Nodal Data panel.

(b) Print Nodal Loads panel.
(c) Print Reaction Loads panel.
(d) Print Element Results panel.
4. For cyclic symmetric analyses:
(a) The two identical sector models used during the analysis can be expanded for
post-processing (See Expand Model (CycSym) panel).
(b) Graph result items (displacements, stresses and elastic strains) for a single
node for phase angle () values of 0o through 360o (See Graph Results vs.
Phase Angle panel).
(c) Local strain gage values can be calculated and graphed for phase angle ()
values of 0 through 360o (See Strain Gage Calculator panel).
Plot ANSYS Results panel
The Plot ANSYS Results panel can be used to plot desired post-processing result data
either to the output window or to a neutral plot file for hard-copy generation. Plotting
any result data in pro-fe is performed in two stages:
1. Choose the desired plot item and plot component, display coordinate system
(RSYS) and system of units. Set the deformed geometry key, and for cyclic
symmetric analyses specify certain cyclic symmetry post-processing options using
the Select Data Item tab.
2. Create the result contour plots using the Plot Data Item tab.
Select Data Item tab
The Select Data Item tabs (see page 9-11) main function is to specify certain parameters
before creating a contour plot of a specific result item. These parameters include:
1. Plot Item This is a label identifying the result item to be used to generate the
result contour plot. pro-fe determines automatically which of the twelve available
plot items are available for display.(Plot items that are unavailable will be
inactive.) If available, pro-fe is able to generate contour plots for the following
result items:
(a) Displacements (Translations)
(b) Rotations
(c) Temperatures
(d) Stresses
(e) Strains (Total, elastic, plastic, creep, thermal)
(f) Non-linear items (SEPL, SRAT, HPRES, EPEQ, PSV, PLWK)
(g) Contact data (STAT, PENE, PRES, SFRIC, STOT, SLID, GAP)
(h) Body applied temperatures.
2. Plot Component This is a label indentifying the component of the specified
plot item (See 1). The toggle button field will change according to the plot item
Version 3.102.514 9-9

selected. The available plot components for each plot item is detailed in Table 9-1.
Table 9-1: Valid pro-fe Plot Item and Components
Item Component Description
U X,Y,Z,SUM X, Y, or Z structural displacement or vector sum.
ROT X,Y,Z,SUM X, Y, or Z structural rotation or vector sum.
TEMP Temperature.
S X,Y,Z,XY,YZ,XZ Component stress.
Principal stress, stress intensity, equivalent
1,2,3,INT,EQV
stress.
Component total mechanical strain
EPTO X,Y,Z,XY,YZ,XZ
(EPEL+EPPL+EPCR)
1,2,3,INT,EQV Principal total strain, intensity, equivalent.
EPEL X,Y,Z,XY,YZ,XZ Component elastic strain.
1,2,3,INT,EQV Principal elastic strain, intensity, equivalent.
EPPL X,Y,Z,XY,YZ,XZ Component plastic strain.
1,2,3,INT,EQV Principal plastic strain, intensity, equivalent.
EPCR X,Y,Z,XY,YZ,XZ Component creep strain.
1,2,3,INT,EQV Principal creep strain, intensity, equivalent.
EPTH X,Y,Z,XY,YZ,XZ Component thermal strain.
1,2,3,INT,EQV Principal thermal strain, intensity, equivalent.
NL SEPL Equivalent stress (from stress-strain curve).
SRAT Stress state ratio.
HPRES Hydrostatic pressure.
EPEQ Accumulated equivalent plastic strain.
PSV Plastic state variable.
PLWK Plastic work/volume.
Contact status (3 - closed and sticking, 2 - closed
CONT STAT
and sliding, 1 - open but near contact, 0 - open).
PENE Contact penetration.
PRES Contact pressure.
SFRIC Contact friction stress.
STOT Contact total stress (pressure plus friction).
SLIDE Contact sliding distance.
GAP Contact gap distance.
Body temperatures (calculated from applied tem-
BFE TEMP
peratures) as used in solution.
9-10 Version 3.102.514

Commands: PLNSOL RSYS UNITS DEFORM

DSCALE
3. Display Coordinate System Activates a coordinate system for printout or

display of results. The currently active results coordinate system (1 through 99 or
SOLU) is displayed on the GUI tab. To change the active display coordinate
system (RSYS), click the Change Current RSYS button. The Set RSYS for Nodal
Data Results window will open.
Version 3.102.514 9-11

The Set RSYS for Nodal Data Results window lists all default coordinate systems
and all user-defined coordinate systems. The current active display coordinate
system is denoted with an * under the RSYS column. To select a new RSYS,
simply select from the list the desired coordinate system (SOLU for solution
coordinate system) and click the Set Active RSYS button. To cancel the operation
or close the window, click Close. When the Set Active RSYS button is clicked,
the RSYS displayed on the Set Data Item tab panel will be updated.
Commands: RSYS
4. Units of measure (for display only) Sets system of units to display on result
plots. The units are for display purposes only, they have no bearing on result
calculations.
If a system of units was set during the ANSYS analysis using the /UNITS
command, the system of units will be automatically set in pro-fe. If no units of
measure is set, pro-fe will display No Entered Units. For the currently selected
Plot Item, the current units are displayed on the GUI panel.
To change the current units of measure, select the appropriate units from the
Choose Units: menu. pro-fe will automatically update the units for the current
Plot Item. Table 9-2 details the system of units listed in the Choose Units: menu.
Commands: UNITS
9-12 Version 3.102.514

Table 9-2: System of Units Available in pro-fe

British British
Choose Intnational CGS System Intnational
System Feet System Inch
Units: (SI) (CGS) (mm) SIMM
(BFT) (BIN)
Centimeter Millimeter
Length Meter (m) Feet (ft) Inches (in)
(cm) (mm)
Slugs Pound-mass
Mass Kilogram (kg) Gram (g) Kilogram (kg)
(lbf*sec2 / ft) (lbm)
Time Seconds (sec) Seconds (sec) Seconds (sec) Seconds (sec) Seconds (sec)
Centigrade Centigrade
Temperature Kelvin (K) Fahrenheit (F) Fahrenheit (F)
(C) (C)
Pound-force Pound-force
Force Newton (N) Dynes Newton (N)
(lbf) (lbf)
Millijoule
Heat Joule (N*m) Erg BTU BTU
(N*mm)
Megapascal
Pressure Pascal (Pa) N/A PSF (lbf / ft2) PSI (lbf / in2)
(MPa)
Millijoule
Energy Joule (N*m) Erg ft*lbf in*lbf
(N*mm)
Milliwatt
Power Watt (W) N/A ft*lbf/sec in*lbf/sec
(mW)
5. Deformed Geometry Key (DEFORM) Activates (or deactivates) the

Deformed Geometry Key (command DEFORM) for plotting purposes, and specifies
the corresponding displacement multiplier for deformed geometry plots.
Commands: DEFORM DSCALE
To display the deformed geometry results of the active data set, the Deformed
Geometry Key menu must be set to On. By setting DEFORM to on, the model
will be displaced to its deformed position based upon the displacement results for
the active data set and the displacement multiplier (DSCALE) value. To return the
model to its original location, set the Deformed Geometry Key menu to Off.
Once DEFORM is set to on, all future plots will display the deformed
geometry model, including all post-processing contour plots.
Version 3.102.514 9-13

Note that whenever DEFORM is set to on, pro-fe generates two files
(case.udfn, case.defn) which store the original position of the model and
the deformed position of the model. If these files are modified or deleted pro-fe
will fail in restoring the original or deformed model position and the original
location of the model may be lost. For cyclic symmetric analyses, an additional
three files (case.cyex, case.cyor, case.cywh) are also created. These
files should also not be modified or deleted.
When DEFORM is first set to on, the displacement multiplier (DSCALE) is
automatically calculated by pro-fe. The multiplier is calculated by taking 5% of
the maximum displacement (vector amplitude) as measured in the global Cartesian
X, Y, or Z directions. To change the DSCALE, simply enter the new multiplier
value into the Displacement Multiplier: text box. The DSCALE value will be
updated on the next contour plot when either the Plot To Screen or Plot to File
button is clicked. If the displacement multiplier is modified using the command
DSCALE, the Displacement Multiplier text box will not be updated. Use the FEA
GUIde to modify the DSCALE when plotting.
Commands: PHANGLE PLNSOL
6. Phase Shift Angle (Cyclic Symmetry Only) Modifies the phase shift angle ()
for calculation of expanded cyclic symmetric analysis results.To set a specific
phase angle, enter an appropriate value into the Phase Shift Angle text box. The
phase angle () will be updated when the next contour plot is created. For a more
detailed discussion on how expanded cyclic symmetric results are calculated,
please see Nodal Expanded Results on page 9-50.
7. Phase Indep. Result Option and Phase Independent Value (Cyclic Symmetry
Only) Activates the phase independent results calculation method for cyclic
symmetric analyses. The Phase Indep. Result Option menu offers three options for
calculating cyclic symmetric results:
(a) Off Phase independent result calculation is turned off. All results displayed
and calculated for cyclic symmetric models will be calculated using the phase
dependent equation detailed in Equation (9-5). Results will be displayed for
the expanded cyclic symmetric model.
(b) Magnitude Phase independent result calculation will be performed. Either
the Maximum or Minimum (depending on the setting of the Phase
Independent Value menu) phase independent value of the currently selected
9-14 Version 3.102.514

Plot Item will be calculated for one sector of the model. Only the first sector of
the cyclic symmetric model will be displayed. Details on phase independent
result calculation can be found in Nodal Independent Results on page 9-51.
(c) Phase angle Phase independent result calculation is turned on. The phase
angle at which either the Maximum or Minimum (depending on the setting
of the Phase Independent Value menu) phase independent value of the
currently select Plot Item was found is stored for one sector of the model.
Only the first sector of the cyclic symmetric model will be displayed. Details
on phase independent result calculation can be found in Nodal Independent
Results on page 9-51.
After setting all the required options on the Select Data Item tab, the user can proceed to
the Plot Data Item tab to create contour plots of the selected result items.
Plot Data Item tab

The Plot Data Item tab (see page 9-16) consists of four additional tab panels, which can
only be accessed when the Plot Data Item tab is active. Depending on the type of result
plot desired, the user should choose plot options from one or more of the four available
panels. The function of each of the four panels are:
1. 3-D Surf tab Creates a contour surface plot.
2. Sect/Clip tab Create a contour surface plot, but results are displayed on one or
more cross cutting sections through the model.
3. IsoSurf tab creates constant-value surfaces (isosurfaces) for any data variable.
4. Options tab general facilities for tailoring the appearance of any plot,
especially with regard to color.
For each of the four panels, the Plot to Screen and Plot to File buttons become active.
To see your data displayed according to the selected plot type in pro-fes graphics
window, click the Plot to Screen button.
Alternatively, you may store the plot in a file for later display or hard-copy production
(see pro-fe plot file (.plot) on page 11-3). To do this, enter the name of the file (of form
case.plot) in the File Name text box or use pro-fes built-in file browser to help
locate it. The file name can be up to 80 characters long. Click the Plot to File button.
If you need to change a particular plot item to be displayed, simply click on the Select
Data Item tab and change either the Plot Item or Plot Component. To change the active
data set (load step), click on the Select Data Set tab on the Link ANSYS Results panel
and select a new data set.
Version 3.102.514 9-15

Commands: PLNSOL CPLOT REPLOT TERMINAL

NFILE POPTION PLTYPE EDGESEL
PLMESH SPOINT SNORMAL SECMOVE
MULTISWEEP CSCALE CLRTABLE CLRLIST
PLDISPLAY
3-D Surf tab

The 3-D Surf tab panels (see above) main function is to generate 3-D surface
(hidden-line) plots whose characteristics are chosen in this tab. (See Basic
Post-processing Displays on page 8-7 for a detailed explanation on different plotting
types).
9-16 Version 3.102.514

Commands: PLNSOL POPTION PLTYPE EDGESEL

PLMESH TERMINAL
The result plot characteristics may be selected in two ways:

1. By scrolling down the Select Plot list and highlighting one of the schematic plots
shown there, thus indicating the desired plot appearance.
2. By making two independent choices from the Option and Edge/Mesh pop-up
menus. Each combination of choices corresponds to one of the plot schematics in
the previous list. The available options are:
(a) Option menu
i) Contour (filled) display data item in terms of filled color contours,
see Figure 8-6.
ii) Contour (line) display data item in terms of line contours, see Figure
8-5.
(b) Edge/Mesh menu
i) None the models geometry or grid structure is not displayed, only
the post-processing data.
ii) Grid draw the grid structure on top of the data plot.
iii) Edge draw the edges of the models geometry on top of the data plot.
Sect/Clip tab
The Sect/Clip tab panel (see page 9-18) generates a section plot whose characteristics are
chosen using this tab (see also Basic plot type definitions on page 5-4 and Plot
specification on page 8-7).
Two different types of plot may be selected by clicking the appropriate Plot Type
toggle button at the top of the panel. The two options are:
Section plot analysis results on user-specified cross-sections passing
through the model. The cross-section location is specified by either of the two
sub-tabs, Single Plane Plot tab or Multiple Plane Plot tab, depending on the
number of cross-sections required.
Clipped produce a 3-D surface plot that is clipped beyond a section plane
cutting through the model (see page 5-5). The location of the section plane is
defined via the Single Plane Plot tab.
The plot characteristics may be selected in two ways:

1. By scrolling down the Plot Type list and highlighting one of the schematic plots
shown there, thus indicating the desired plot appearance.
2. By making three independent choices from the Option, Edge/Mesh, and Zoom
(section plots with edge on only) pop-up menus. Each combination of choices
corresponds to one of the plot schematics in the previous list. The available
options are:
(a) Option menu
Version 3.102.514 9-17

i) Contour (filled) display data item in terms of filled contours, see

Figure 8-6.
ii) Contour (line) display data item in terms of line contours, see Figure
8-5.
Commands: POPTION PLTYPE EDGESEL PLMESH

TERMINAL MULTISWEEP SPOINT SNORMAL
SECMOVE
(b) Edge/Mesh menu

i) None the models geometry or grid structure is not displayed, only
the post-processing data.
ii) Grid draw the grid structure on top of the data plot.
9-18 Version 3.102.514

iii) Edge draw the edges of the models geometry on top of the data plot.
(c) Zoom menu (applicable only when generating a section plot with Edge on
only)
i) On when displaying a section plot with the edge on, plot will zoom
in on section area only.
ii) Off when displaying a section plot with the edge on, plot will zoom
out to include the section area AND the entire selected cell set in the
plotting window.
Single Plane Plot tab
The Single Plane Plot tab defines the location of a single cross-sectional plane on which
analysis results are to be plotted (see also, Chapter 5, Additional display options).
Commands: SPOINT SNORMAL SECMOVE
The section plane may be defined in two ways:

1. By clicking the Cursor Selection button at the top of the tab. This activates the
graphics screen cursor and enables you to draw a straight line segment (by clicking
at the beginning and end of the segment) on top of the currently displayed mesh
plot. The section plane is then defined as being perpendicular to the screen plane
and the line drawn represents the intersection between the two planes.
2. By defining
(a) the coordinates of a point lying on the section plane.
(b) the direction of a normal to the section plane.
The above quantities are defined in the global Cartesian coordinate system, by
entering two sets of X,Y,Z values in the text boxes provided and clicking the Apply
button.
In either case, the viewing direction will probably also need to be changed. Selecting
View >SNORMAL from the main pro-fe window changes the view direction to the
normal of the cross-sectional plane. Note also that:
Version 3.102.514 9-19

1. It is possible to define non-planar sections (e.g. a cut made at a constant radius in a

local cylindrical coordinate system). This is done by:
(a) Entering a local coordinate system number in the Coord Sys box (or clicking
Select to select the required system from the Coordinate Systems dialog box).
(b) Entering the constant value defining the sectional surface in the VAL box.
(c) Selecting the coordinate direction for which this value applies from the DIR
pop-up menu. Each direction is identified by a number (1, 2, or 3)
corresponding to the x-, y-, z-direction of the system.
2. When generating clipped plots, the display extends from one end of the model to
the cross-sectional plane defined. A similar display, showing the remaining part of
the model, may by produced very quickly by clicking the Snorm Reverse button
followed by clicking the Plot to Screen button.
3. By moving the slider at the bottom of the tab to the right, it is possible to move the
section plane along its normal and re-display the local post values. Each new
cross-section is parallel to the previous one.
Multiple Plane Plot tab

The Multiple Plane Plot tab defines multiple cross-sectional planes containing analysis
results (see also Chapter 5, Additional display options) and displays them dynamically
on screen.
\
Commands: SPOINT SNORMAL MULTISWEEP
Multiple planes are defined in such a way as to

remain normal to specified axis.
be generated at regular intervals along this axis.
cover the entire length of the model in the axis direction.
Result variable distributions are calculated for each plane and displayed in quick
succession, sweeping through the model from one end of the axis to the other. The
parameters needed to define this process are as follows:
1. Increments specify the number of section planes passing through the model.
9-20 Version 3.102.514

2. Sweep axis chose one of:

(a) SNorm specify the direction of the normal to the section planes (if not
already defined via the Single Plane Plot tab) by
i) entering unit vector components in the X,Y,Z test boxes (global Cartesian
system), or
ii) typing a local coordinate system number in the Coordinate System box
and then picking one of the coordinate axes (1, 2, or 3 in the DIR list) as
the sweep axis. The coordinate system may also be selected from the
Coordinate Systems dialog after clicking the Select button.
Click the Apply button to confirm the selection.
(b) Spline designate a given spline as the axis, by

i) entering its number in the Spline # box, or
ii) clicking the Mouse icon and then picking it with the screen cursor in a
spline plot in the main pro-fe window.
If no splines exist, clicking Go To Create Splines takes you to the Create Grids
with Blocks (Fitted Shapes) FEA GUIde panel where an appropriate spline may be
defined.
3. Repeat Option choose one of:

(a) Once sweep through the model once
(b) Continuous continuous section displays, terminated by typing Ctrl+C in
the I/O window or by clicking the Stop button.
(c) Specify enter the number of sweeps in the text box provided.
Click the Sweep button to begin the multi-section display.
IsoSurf tab
The IsoSurf tab panel (see page 9-22) generates an isosurface plot whose characteristics
are specified in this panel (See also, Chapter 8, Plot specification). The plot
characteristics may be selected by scrolling down the Plot Type list and highlighting one
of the schematic plots shown there, thus indicating the desired plot appearance.
Two different types of plot may be produced:

1. Single Surface display a constant-value surface for the Plot Item currently
selected on the Select Data Item tab (See Figure 8-3). The value corresponding to
the isometric surface must be either typed in the Value box or selected via the
slider provided. Click the Apply button to see a plot of the surface.
2. Multiple Surfaces display a number of isosurfaces in quick succession,
starting from the lowest value available and proceeding to the highest. The
parameters needed to define this process are as follows:
Version 3.102.514 9-21

(a) Increments specify the number of isosurfaces passing through the model.
(b) Repeat Option choose one of:
i) Once sweep through the model once.
ii) Continuous continuous surface displays, terminated either by
clicking the Stop button or typing Ctrl+C in the I/O window.
iii) Specify enter the number of sweeps in the text box provided.
Click the Sweep button to begin the multi-surface display.
Commands: POPTION EDGESEL CPLOT MULTISWEEP
Options tab
The Options tab panel (see page 9-23) tailors the appearance of any plot, especially with
9-22 Version 3.102.514

regard to color, according to your particular requirements (see also Chapter 5, Color
settings and Chapter 8, Plot Manipulation).
The following plot options are available through the Options tab panel:
1. Color Scale change the range and number of colors used for filled-color
contour plots or line contour plots. The effect of this operation when applied to a
filled-color plot is illustrated by Figure 8-12. The available controls permit
changes to:
(a) The number of colors used to display variations in the contoured quantity. This
also depends on the display screen hardware.
Commands: CSCALE CLRTABLE CLRLIST PLDISPLAY
Version 3.102.514 9-23

(b) The maximum and minimum values Vmax, Vmin of the displayed quantity
considered for plotting purposes.This is selected via the Range pop-up menu
as follows:
i) Auto based on the current cell/vertex set for surface plots or the
current section for section and clipped plots.
ii) Local based on the current set.
iii) Global based on all cells/vertices.
iv) User specified by the user in the text boxes provided.
(c) The color scale disposition, which can be either Standard (red on top, blue on
the bottom) or Reverse (blue on top, red on the bottom).
2. Colormap set the color mode used for post-processing plots, as follows:
(a) Default assign all colors to the original, pro-fe-supplied definitions.
(b) RGB set the colors to a smooth scale ranging from red to blue. The result
depends on the Number of Color Indices specified above.
(c) Gray set the color to a smooth gray scale. The result depends on the
Number of Color Indices specified above.
(d) Alt20 set the colors to an alternate 20-color scale.This option is useful in
situations where more than 14 colors have been chosen in the Number of
Colors Indices box.
A palette of all colors currently in use for post-processing plots is shown on the
panel. The colors are identified by index numbers in the range 21 through 40.
3. Display Options select individual items (border, plot title, date, etc.) making up
the standard pro-fe legend by clicking the appropriate option button. There are
also separate buttons for selecting all legend items or none of them.
After setting any of the plot options using the Options tab panel, click Apply to have
pro-fe change the options. The Plot to File or Plot to Screen buttons can then be
clicked to generate a new contour display.
Animate ANSYS Results panel

The Animate ANSYS Results panel (see page 9-25) lets users easily animate static and
modal analysis results by displaying the animation in the pro-fe graphics window or
recording the animation to an animated GIF file.
Generating pro-fe animation of ANSYS results can be separated into six steps:
Step 1
Before generating any animations, the number of frames (NFRAMES) per animation
loop and the time delay (DELAY) between each animation frame needs to be set.
To set NFRAMES, you simply need to enter in the desired number in the Number of
frames text box. A maximum of 98 frames per animation loop is allowed, while a
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minimum of 2 frames per animation loop is required. Whenever NFRAMES is

modified, pro-fe will regenerate the animation sequence.
Note that the value of NFRAMES determines the number of frames from beginning
to end of the animation loop. If the continuous animation option is chosen (See page
9-31), one full loop will contain 2*(NFRAMES - 1) frames per beginning to end to
beginning animation loop.
To set DELAY, enter your desired delay between frames (in seconds) into the Time
Delay text box. Modifying DELAY will not cause pro-fe to regenerate the animation
sequence.
Commands: ANMRESULT
Version 3.102.514 9-25

Step 2
Select the type of animation to generate using the Animation Type menu. pro-fe
currently offers two different animation types:
1. Deformed Shape Only
2. Deformed with Results
Deformed Shape Only

As shown in the Animate ANSYS Results panel, when the Animation Type menu is set to
Deformed Shape Only, three separate options are available in the Items To Be
Displayed list. These items are:
1. Deformed Shape Only only animates the deformed geometry of the current
cell set. (See Figure 9-1)
2. Deformed Shape + Undeformed Mesh animation consists of the deformed
geometry of the current cell set overlaid by a mesh plot of the undeformed
geometry of the cell set (See Figure 9-2).
3. Deformed Shape + Undeformed Edge animation consists of the deformed
geometry of the current cell set overlaid by an edge plot of the undeformed
geometry of the cell set (See Figure 9-3).
Figure 9-1 Deformed shape only animation
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Figure 9-2 Deformed shape and undeformed mesh animation
Figure 9-3 Deformed shape and undeformed edge animation
Version 3.102.514 9-27

Deformed with Results

When selecting Deformed with Results from the Animation Type menu, the GUI panel
will change. The Nodal Solution Result To Be Animated panel will appear. From this
panel, an appropriate Plot Item and Plot Component should be chosen. Only those
items that are available on the ANSYS result file will be active, all other choices will be
inactive.
Choosing Deformed with Results from the Animation Type menu allows the user to
animate both the deformed geometry and the chosen nodal solution result. The contour
display depends on the current plot setting and can be modified to any form. An example
of a Deformed with Results animation can be see in Figure 9-4.
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Figure 9-4 Deformed with results animation
Results displayed during the animation will be scaled according to the current frames
displacement multiplier. For principal stresses or strains, values will be calculated based
on the scaled directional stresses or strains for the current frame.
Step 3
For modal analysis result files only, a method of scaling (acceleration) must be set.
When a modal analysis result file has been linked to pro-fe, the Acceleration Type menu
will appear. This menu offers two options (three for modal cyclic symmetry analyses)
for scaling:
1. Sinusoidal default method. Scaling of deformed geometry from -1 to 1 is
computed sinusoidally based on current frame. The displacement multiplier for a
certain frame, N, is calculated using the following formula:

DSCALE N = SIN 90 + ------------------------------------- ( 180 ) ------------ DSCALE
o N1 o

(9-1)
NFRAMES 1 o
180
2. Linear scaling of deformed geometry from -1 to 1 is computed linearly.

3. Phase solution phase angle is varied from 0o to 360o. Using the current frames
phase angle (), Equation (9-5) is used to calculate the result item data and
deformed geometry of the model. Note that the Continuous or Discontinuous
menu will automatically be set to Discontinuous. The phase angle increment
between frames can be calculated by taking 360o / NFRAMES.
Version 3.102.514 9-29

For non-modal analysis results, the displacement multiplier for frame N always varies
linearly from 0 to 1. Changing the setting of the Acceleration Type menu will cause
pro-fe to regenerate the animation sequence.
Step 4
For every animation, a displacement multiplier (DSCALE) needs to be set. The
DSCALE can be set by either entering an appropriate value into the Displacement
Multiplier text box or by allowing pro-fe to calculate a DSCALE value automatically.
The multiplier is calculated automatically by taking 5% of the maximum displacement
(vector amplitude) as measured in the global Cartesian X, Y, or Z directions.
Changing the DSCALE value will cause pro-fe to regenerate the animation
sequence.
Step 5
Select the appropriate CSET for animation (See page Cells on page 3-38 for
information on grouping cells together). Also, the desired plot type options and
parameters should be set before creating the animation. (see Basic plot type definitions
on page 5-4).
Step 6
After executing steps 1 through 5, the desired animation can now be generated. Use
pro-fes simple animation controls to playback, record, cycle through and modify the
animation.
When you initially open the ANSYS animation GUI panel, only the Play and Rec
buttons should be active. Once either the Play or Rec button has been clicked, the Stop
button will become active. The Back 1 and Next 1 buttons only become active when
pro-fe has generated an animation sequence AND you have stopped the playback of the
animation sequence. Therefore, when first accessing the ANSYS animation GUI panel,
there are only two available options:
1. Click the Play button to display the animation sequence to the pro-fe graphics
window (See Animation playback to graphics window).
2. Click the Rec button to record the animation sequence to an external animated GIF
file (See Recording animation playback to animated GIF file).
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Animation playback to graphics window

To display any animation sequence to the graphics window, click Play. If you are
clicking Play for the first time OR if the animation options, cell set, view, etc. have
changed, pro-fe will first have to generate the animation frames before playback. If
nothing has changed since the last playback, pro-fe will immediately start the playback
of the animation to the graphics window.
To terminate the animation playback to the graphics window, click the Stop button.
While animation playback to the graphics window occurs, you are free to modify the
following two animation controls:
1. Continuous or Discontinuous menu switch animation sequence between
Continuous (forward->reverse->forward) animation and Discontinuous
(forward->reset->forward) animation. (Note: For Phase acceleration type
animations of cyclic symmetric analyses, Discontinuous will automatically be
chosen by pro-fe).
2. Delay slider modify the delay (in seconds) between animation frames. The
delay period between frames is calculated by dividing the Delay slider value by 10
and multiplying by DELAY (value set in Time Delay text box).
Once an animation sequence has been stopped, the Frame No. slider, Back 1 button and
Next 1 button become active. These controls can be used, when an animation sequence
is stopped, to move through the animation frames one at a time. A description of these
controls are listed below.
To display an individual frame to the graphics window, simply move the
Frame No. slider to the desired frame number.
Use the Back 1 button to display the previous frame in the animation
sequence.
Use the Next 1 button to display the next frame in the animation sequence.
Recording animation playback to animated GIF file

By clicking the Rec button, any animation sequence can be recorded to an external
animated GIF file. When the Rec button is clicked, the Resize Animation GIF for Faster
Playback window will open. Since animations, especially animated GIF files, recorded
at a normal screen size (755 pixels x 568 pixels) may not playback smoothly, it may be
desirable to generate a smaller animated GIF file. pro-fe uses a default scaling factor of
Version 3.102.514 9-31

50% of the initial window size. This value can be changed from 1% to 100% by entering
an appropriate value into the Output GIF Size Scale Factor (1-100%) text box. To
continue with the animation recording, click the Apply button. To cancel the animation
recording, click the Cancel button.
After Apply has been clicked, pro-fes built-in file browser will open. It is necessary to
enter the external animated GIF file name (usually in the form case.gif) in the
Selection text box. Click OK to finish with the recording. pro-fe will then proceed to
generate the external animated GIF file. Note that only what is displayed in the default
plotting window will be shown in the animation window.
Printing ANSYS Results

To print ANSYS results to either the pro-fe output window or to an external file, first
click on the yellow folder next to Print Results. This will reveal four different icons,
each with different post-processing capabilities. Click on one of the four icons to
proceed with printing the appropriate results. Please see Appendix C for details on the
formats of printed data.
1. Print Nodal Data panel print nodal data solution results for selected nodes.
2. Print Nodal Loads panel print summed element nodal solution loads for the
selected nodes (Not available for expanded cyclic symmetric models).
3. Print Reaction Loads panel print the constrained nodal reaction solution for
the selected nodes (Not available for expanded cyclic symmetric models).
4. Print Element Results panel print element data solution results for the selected
elements (Not available for cyclic symmetric models).
Print Nodal Data panel

The Print Nodal Data panel prints nodal solution result data for the nodes in the current
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VSET either to the pro-fe output window or to an external output file. Please see
Derivation of Nodal Results on page 9-48 for explanation on how nodal solution
values are calculated.
Commands: PRNSOL RSYS
Selecting Print Item and Component

pro-fe automatically determines all valid and active post data items whenever an active
data set is loaded. The Print Component frame will automatically be updated,
depending on which Print Item toggle button is selected. Currently, the data listed in
Table 9-3 is available for printing.
Version 3.102.514 9-33

Table 9-3: Available Result Data Items for Printing in pro-fe

Plot Item Plot Comp. Description
U X, Y, Z, COMP X, Y, or Z structural displacement or vector sum.
ROT X, Y, Z, COMP X, Y, or Z structural rotation or vector sum.
TEMP Temperature.
S COMP Component stresses (X, Y, Z, XY, YZ, XZ).
Principal stresses (1, 2, 3), stress intensity (SINT),
S PRIN
equivalent stress (SEQV).
Component +principal stresses, stress intensity and
ALL
equivalent stress.
Component total mechanical strain
EPTO COMP
(EPEL+EPPL+EPCR).
Principal total strain, total strain intensity, total equiva-
PRIN
lent strain.
Component + principal total strains, total strain inten-
ALL
sity and total equivalent strain.
EPEL COMP Component elastic strain.
Principal elastic strain, elastic strain intensity, elastic
PRIN
equivalent strain.
Component + principal elastic strains, elastic strain
ALL
intensity and elastic equivalent strain.
EPPL COMP Component plastic strain.
Principal plastic strain, plastic strain intensity, plastic
PRIN
equivalent strain.
Component + principal plastic strains, plastic strain
ALL
intensity and plastic equivalent strain.
EPCR COMP Component creep strain.
Principal creep strain, creep strain intensity, creep
PRIN
equivalent strain.
Component + principal creep strains, creep strain inten-
ALL
sity and creep equivalent strain.
EPTH COMP Component thermal strain.
Principal thermal strain, thermal strain intensity, ther-
PRIN
mal equivalent strain.
Component + principal thermal strains, thermal strain
ALL
intensity and thermal equivalent strain.
NL SEPL - Equivalent stress (from stress-strain curve).
SRAT - Stress state ratio.
HPRE - Hydrostatic pressure.
EPEQ - Accumulated equivalent plastic strain.
PSV - Plastic state variable.
PLWK - Plastic work/volume.
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Table 9-3: Available Result Data Items for Printing in pro-fe

Plot Item Plot Comp. Description
STAT - Contact status, 3-closed and sticking, 2-closed
CONT FIRS and sliding, 1-open but near contact, 0-open and not
near contact.
PENE - Contact penetration.
PRES - Contact pressure.
SFRI - Contact friction stress.
NL STOT - Contact total stress (pressure plus friction).
SLID - Contact sliding distance.
CONT GAP Contact gap distance.
Body temperature (calculated from applied tempera-
BFE TEMP
ture) as used in solution.
Changing the printout result coordinate system (RSYS)

Clicking the Change Current RSYS button activates a coordinate system to rotate
results for printout. The current active RSYS (1 through 99 or SOLU) is displayed on
the Print Nodal Data GUI panel. Please refer to page 9-11 for detailed information on
setting the active RSYS.
Printing nodal data

Once an appropriate Plot Item and Plot Component have been selected, the Output
Option menu should be used to select whether the nodal data output will be printed to
the pro-fe output window (Window) or to an external file (File). If File is selected from
the Output Option menu, the Output File text box will become active. The name of the
external output file (default case.prns) should be entered in the Output File text box.
To print the nodal data to the selected output, click the Print Nodal Data button. To
select another data set from the ANSYS result file for post-processing, click the Select
New Data Set button. This will re-open the Select Data Set tab (see page 9-6 for more
details).
Print Nodal Loads panel

The Print Nodal Loads panel prints the summed element nodal solution loads for the
selected nodes either to the pro-fe output window or to an external output file. Please
see Derivation of Nodal Results on page 9-48 for an explanation on how nodal loads
Version 3.102.514 9-35
are calculated within pro-fe.
Selecting Print Load Item and Load Component

pro-fe automatically determines all the valid and active load items whenever an active
data set is loaded. The Print Load Component frame will be automatically updated,
depending on which Print Load Item is selected. Currently, the available load items are
listed in Table 9-4. Nodal load data is currently not available for expanded cyclic
symmetric models.
Table 9-4: Available Nodal Load Items in pro-fe

Description Force Labels
Forces FX, FY, FZ or F (includes FX, FY, FZ)
Moments MX, MY, MZ or M (includes MX, MY, MZ)
Heat Flow HEAT
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Commands: PRNLD RSYS
Entering printout Tolerance Factor

The Tolerance Factor is a tolerance value about zero within which loads are not printed.
The default value is 1.0 x 10-9. To calculate the range for which loads will be printed,
the tolerance value is multiplied by the absolute value of the maximum load on the
selected nodes. If the tolerance is zero, all nodal loads will be printed. To change the
tolerance factor, simply enter your desired value into the Tolerance Factor text box.
the Print Nodal Loads GUI panel. Please refer to page 9-11 for detailed information on
setting the active RSYS.
Version 3.102.514 9-37

Printing nodal loads

Once an appropriate Plot Load Item and Plot Load Component have been selected,
the Output Option menu should be used to select whether the nodal load output will be
printed to the pro-fe output window (Window) or to an external file (File). If File is
selected from the Output Option menu, the Output File text box will become active. The
name of the external output file (default case.prnld) should be entered in the Output
File text box.
To print the nodal loads to the selected output, click the Print Nodal Loads button. To
select another data set from the ANSYS result file for post-processing, click the Select
New Data Set button. This will re-open the Select Data Set tab (see page 9-6 for more
details).
Print Reaction Loads panel
The Print Reaction Loads panel prints the constrained nodal reaction loads for the
selected nodes either to the pro-fe output window or to an external output file. Reaction
load data is currently unavailable for expanded cyclic symmetric models.
Selecting Print Load Item and Load Component

pro-fe automatically determines all the valid and active load items whenever an active
data set is loaded. The Print Load Component frame will be automatically updated,
depending on which Print Load Item is selected. Currently, the available load items are
listed in Table 9-5.
Table 9-5: Available Reaction Load Items in pro-fe

Description Force Labels
Forces FX, FY, FZ or ALL (includes FX, FY, FZ)
Moments MX, MY, MZ or ALL (includes MX, MY, MZ)
Heat Flow HEAT
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Commands: PRRSOL RSYS

the Print Reaction Loads GUI panel. Please refer to page 9-11 for detailed information
on setting the active RSYS.
Printing reaction loads

Once an appropriate Plot Load Item and Plot Load Component have been selected,
the Output Option menu should be used to select whether the reaction load output will
be printed to the pro-fe output window (Window) or to an external file (File). If File is
selected from the Output Option menu, the Output File text box will become active. The
Version 3.102.514 9-39

name of the external output file (default case.prrs) should be entered in the Output
File text box.
To print the reaction loads to the selected output, click the Print Reaction Loads button.
To select another data set from the ANSYS result file for post-processing, click the
Select New Data Set button. This will re-open the Select Data Set tab (see page 9-6 for
more details).
Print Element Results panel
The Print Element Results panel prints element solution result data for the selected
elements either to the pro-fe output window or to an external output file. Element result
data is currently unavailable for expanded cyclic symmetric models.
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Commands: PRELSL RSYS
Selecting Print Item

pro-fe automatically determines all valid and active post data items whenever an active
data set is loaded. Currently, the data listed in Table 9-6 is available for printing.
Table 9-6: Available Element Result Data Items for Printing in pro-fe
Plot Item Description
S Component X, Y, Z, XY, YZ, and ZX stresses.
EPTO Component X, Y, Z, XY, YZ, and ZX total strains.
EPEL Component X, Y, Z, XY, YZ, and ZX elastic strains.
EPPL Component X, Y, Z, XY, YZ, and ZX plastic strains.
Version 3.102.514 9-41

Table 9-6: Available Element Result Data Items for Printing in pro-fe
Plot Item Description
EPCR Component X, Y, Z, XY, YZ, and ZX creep strains.
EPTH Component X, Y, Z, XY, YZ, and ZX thermal strains.
NL Non-linear result items (SEPL, SRAT, HPRE, EPEQ, PSV, PLWK)
CONT Contact items (STAT, PENE, PRES, SFRIC, STOT, SLIDE, GAP)
F Component X, Y, Z structural forces.
M Component X, Y, Z structural moments.
HEAT Heat flow.
BFE Body temperatures calculated from applied temperature used in solution.
SENE Stiffness energy.

the Print Element Result GUI panel. Please refer to page 9-11 for detailed information
on setting the active RSYS.
Printing element result data

Once an appropriate Plot Item has been selected, the Output Option menu should be
used to select whether the element data output will be printed to the pro-fe output
window (Window) or to an external file (File). If File is selected from the Output Option
menu, the Output File text box will become active. The name of the external output file
(default case.prel) should be entered in the Output File text box.
To print the element data to the selected output, click the Print Element Data button.
To select another data set from the ANSYS result file for post-processing, click the
Select New Data Set button. This will re-open the Select Data Set tab (see page 9-6 for
more details).
Cyclic Symmetry Analysis Functions
When a modal cyclic symmetric analysis ANSYS result file is linked to pro-fe, three
additional post-processing panels designed specifically for cyclic symmetric analyses
become available. These three additional panels are:
1. Expand Model (CycSym) panel Performs either model surface expansion or
entire model expansion based on the original cyclic symmetric sector. Expanding
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only the exterior surfaces of the original sector cuts down on the number of new
cells and vertices created. This will reduce machine memory usage and plotting
time. However, if section plots are desired, only full model expansion should be
used.
2. Graph Results vs. Phase Angle panel Graphs a selected result item
(displacements, stresses or elastic strains) for any individual node for phase angle
values of 0o through 360o. Results are calculated based on the solution of Equation
(9-5).
3. Strain Gage Calculator panel Calculates the strain at a user-specified strain
gage location for phase angle values of 0o to 360o. The user can either specify two
existing vertices as the strain gage endpoints or select two points on the current
model surface plot to determine the strain gage endpoints.
Expand Model (CycSym) panel

The Expand Model (CycSym) panel is a tool which can expand a linked cyclic
symmetric analysis model for post-processing. This panel will only be available when
the Modal Cyclic Symmetry Analysis menu on the Link Result File tab has been set to
Yes during linking.
ICYGRP
Newly expanded cyclic symmetric

model surface shell type
Commands: EXPAND
The Expand Model (CycSym) panel provides information about the current cyclic
Version 3.102.514 9-43

symmetric analysis model. The information provided is:

1. Total number of repeatable sectors in full 360o model.
2. Sector angle between the sectors repeatable surfaces.
3. Nodal (vertex) number offset between each sector.
4. Number of elements (cells) in each sector.
5. Cylindrical coordinate system for which the cyclic symmetric model was built
around.
6. Cell group number the model sector(s) are stored in. When the original modal
cyclic symmetric model is imported into ANSYS using the Link Result File tab,
the original model sectors (A and B) all have a cell index group number of
ICYGRP. ICYGRP is the number reported on the Expand Model (CycSym) panel.
To select the original model sectors, simply issue the following command,
replacing ICYGRP with the appropriate numerical value:
CSET, NEWS, GROUP, ICYGRP
When Model expansion is selected from the Expand Model Option menu, the
newly expanded cyclic symmetric model will be created with a cell index group
number of ICYGRP. Use the above command to select the fully expanded cyclic
symmetric model.
There are three basic expansion options for cyclic symmetric models in pro-fe. Each
option can be selected using the Expand Model Option menu. The number of sectors to
expand is determined by the value entered into the Number of Sectors to Expand text
box. This value (NSECT) must be at least one and not greater than the Number of
Sectors value displayed under Current Analysis Information. The three expansion
options are:
Surface Expand only the exterior surfaces of the symmetric sector NSECT
times. A new shell cell type will be created and the cell index number
associated with the new cell type will be displayed to the Expand Model
(CycSym) panel.
Model Expand the entire symmetric sector model (solids, shells, lines and
points) NSECT times. The newly expanded model can be selected by issuing
the CSET command seen above. The expanded model will all have the same
cell index group number ICYGRP. (Note: For the Surface and Model options,
the 2nd (B) sector of the unexpanded cyclic symmetric model will be moved
when expanded. Use the Delete option to restore the original, unexpanded
model.)
Delete Unexpand the expanded cyclic symmetric model and return the
cyclic symmetric model to its original unexpanded form. pro-fe will
automatically compress the maximum vertex and cell numbers when this
option is selected.
Once an appropriate selection from the Expand Model Option menu has been made and
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a proper value has been entered into the Number of Sectors to Expand text box, click the
Expand Model/Unexpand Model button to perform the expansion/unexpansion.
When either Surface or Model expansion occurs, information about the expansion
process is displayed to the Expand Model (CycSym) panel. This information includes:
1. Number of elements and nodes created.
2. Cell type index number for which the newly created expanded exterior surface
model is stored (Surface option only).
Once a cyclic symmetric model has been expanded, all of pro-fes post-processing
utilities (except printing nodal loads, reaction loads and element solution results) are
available for the full expanded model.
Graph Results vs. Phase Angle panel

The Graph Results vs. Phase Angle panel (available for cyclic symmetric analyses only)
can be used to graphically display an appropriate result item at any node for phase angle
values of 0o to 360o. The result item value for each phase angle is calculated using
Equation (9-5) and displayed graphically in the pro-fe graphics window.
Commands: GRVPHASE
There are two different methods to determine the node to display results graphically. The
Vertex selection method menu can be used to select from the following two options:
Pick from Screen Select the node by clicking on the desired node using
the cursor in the pro-fe graphics window. (Note: A surface plot must be
available before selection occurs).
Enter vertex number Select the node by entering the vertex number of a
Version 3.102.514 9-45

previously defined node into the Enter Vertex Number text box.
In the Graph Result Item frame, the available result items for graphing will be listed.
Any result item that is not available will be inactive. All of the available result items for
graphing are listed in Table 9-7. The result components corresponding with the chosen
result item will automatically be updated in the Graph Result Component frame based
upon the toggle button selected in the Graph Result Item frame.
Table 9-7: Available Graph Result Items in pro-fe

Item Component Description
U X,Y,Z,SUM X, Y, or Z structural displacement or vector sum.
S X,Y,Z,XY,YZ,XZ Component stress.
1,2,3,INT,EQV Principal stress, intensity, equivalent.
EPEL X,Y,Z,XY,YZ,XZ Component elastic strain.
1,2,3,INT,EQV Principal elastic strain, intensity, equivalent.
To graph the selected result item of the desired nodal location versus phase angle, click
the Graph Results Vs. Phase button.
Strain Gage Calculator panel

The Strain Gage Calculator panel (available for cyclic symmetric analyses only) can be
used to calculate the local strain value of any location on the cyclic symmetric model.
The local strain value is calculated for phase angle values from 0o to 360o according to
cyclic symmetry theory (See Cyclic Symmetry Theory) and then displayed graphically
in the pro-fe graphics window.
9-46 Version 3.102.514

Miscellaneous Post Processing Functions
Commands: STRGRAPH
There are two different methods to determine the two local strain gage endpoints. The
selection methods can be chosen by picking the appropriate entry in the Strain gage end
point picking method menu. The selection options are:
1. From Screen Select the two strain gage endpoints by selecting two locations
on the current surface plot with the cursor.
2. Enter two vertices Select the two end points of the strain gage by entering two
previously defined vertices contained within the pro-fe database.
It is wise to make sure that the two selected strain gage endpoints lie on the same sector
of the expanded cyclic symmetric model. The reason for this is that any strain gage
endpoint that does not lie on the first sector of the expanded model will be rotated back
onto the first sector. Thus, if two strain gage endpoints are selected from the 8th sector,
these two endpoints will be moved (for calculation purposes only) back to the first
sector.
To generate the graph of local strain values versus phase angle (), click the Graph
Strain vs. Gamma button.
Miscellaneous Post Processing Functions

pro-fe also provides non-GUI driven post-processing functions. These currently
include:
Version 3.102.514 9-47

Derivation of Nodal Results
Shell element location selection for results output.

Direct storage of ANSYS nodal result data into pro-fes post registers for
manipulation.
Shell element location selection

The SHELL command selects the location within a shell element for results output (i.e.
nodal stresses, strains, etc.). There are three options available for the SHELL command:
1. TOP selects top of shell element (default).
2. MID selects the middle of the shell element. Calculated from the average of the
top (TOP) and bottom (BOT) results.
3. BOT select the bottom of the shell element.
Storage of ANSYS results to post registers

The RSTORE command allows users to directly store nodal result data stored on the
linked ANSYS result file to pro-fes post registers. The available result items that can
be stored are listed in Table 9-1. Please see the pro-fe Commands manual for further
details on the RSTORE command.

This section of the chapter will explain, in detail, the method of calculation for nodal
result information (nodal data and nodal loads) in pro-fe. The methods described here
apply to all available pro-fe nodal data items.
Calculation of nodal results
Nodal result data in pro-fe can be separated into two distinct types. These types are
described, as follows:
Degree of freedom solution data consists of the degree of freedom (DOF)
solution data for each node included during the analysis. Some examples of
DOF solution data are displacements (U), rotations (ROT), temperatures
(TEMP) and reaction loads.
Element solution data consists of solution data for each individual element
included during the analysis. Examples of element solution data are stresses
(S), strains (EPTO, EPEL, etc.), and nodal loads.
For each of the two types of data, a different method of calculation is used to derive the
specific nodal results.
Degree of freedom solution data

Calculation of the degree of freedom solution data in pro-fe is a straight-forward
process. When any degree of freedom solution data item is requested (i.e.
displacements), pro-fe simply reads the result data directly from the ANSYS result file.
The only mathematical operations that are necessary are:
9-48 Version 3.102.514
when an individual node is rotated into a local coordinate system (e.g. nodal
rotations exist). Unless the current result coordinate system (RSYS) is set to
SOLU, the nodal data would be transferred from the local nodal coordinate
system to the result coordinate system (RSYS) specified by the user.
when the user requests nodal data to be presented in an RSYS other than the
global Cartesian coordinate system. The imported nodal data would then be
transformed into the specified result coordinate system.
Element solution data

The calculation of element solution data in pro-fe is a complex process, dependent upon
the:
current selected cell set (CSET).
individual elements local coordinate system (ESYS).
individual local nodal coordinate systems (e.g. nodal rotations).
current result coordinate system (RSYS).
The step-by-step process used to calculate nodal results from the element solution data
is presented below.
Step 1
Determine which elements are included in the current CSET. If an element is not
included within the current CSET, the element solution data for that specific element
will not be read into pro-fe AND will not be included in the computation of the
specified nodal result item.
Step 2
When an element included in the current CSET is found, the necessary element solution
data is read into pro-fe. A number of checks on the current element are made to properly
translate the nodal data into pro-fe. These checks include:
1. If the element has a non-zero element coordinate system, the element solution data
needs to be translated into the global Cartesian system for initial storage, unless
the current RSYS is set to SOLU.
2. If the element has a node with a nodal rotation, the data for that node contained
within the element solution data needs to be translated into the global Cartesian
system.
Step 3
Once the data for an individual element has been read into pro-fe, the data for each
individual node attached to the current element is added together with the data already
stored for the individual node. Once all the data for all the elements in the current CSET
has been stored in pro-fe, the result data for each node is calculated by finding the
average value of the summed nodal result data. This average value is based on the total
number of elements a single node is attached to. Equation (9-2) can be used to explain
Version 3.102.514 9-49

Derivation of Modal Cyclic Symmetric Analysis Results
the method of nodal result calculation.
Nt
ijk
j=1
ik = ----------------------- (9-2)
Nk
where: ik = average nodal data component i at node k.

ijk = nodal data component i of element j at node k.
Nk = number of elements attached to node k.
Step 4
Once the nodal result data has been calculated in the global Cartesian result coordinate
system using Equation (9-2), pro-fe will transform the data if the current RSYS is not
the global Cartesian coordinate system.

This section of the chapter will explain, in detail, the method of calculation for modal
cyclic symmetric analysis results in pro-fe. The method described here applies to the
following pro-fe nodal data items:
Displacements
Stresses
Elastic Strains
Cyclic symmetry analysis results can be split into two distinct areas:
Nodal Expanded Results Applicable nodal result data is calculated for the
entire expanded cyclic symmetric model.
Nodal Independent Results The maximum or minimum value of a certain
result data item is calculated for one sector of the cyclic symmetric model.
This bounded value is found by calculating the results for phase angle ()
values of 0o through 360o.
Cyclic Symmetry Theory
A modal cyclic symmetry analysis models the behavior of a symmetric part or assembly
of parts by analyzing a single symmetric sector of the whole. Modal frequencies can be
found, by finite element analysis, for modes from 0 to NS/2 for even values of NS and
from 0 to (NS+1)/2 for odd values of NS (NS is total number of sectors) nodal diameters
by changing the constraint equations at the sector boundaries. pro-fe provides special
capabilities to analyze the results from a modal cyclic symmetry analysis.
Nodal Expanded Results

Two identical sector models linked by a special set of constraint equations are required
9-50 Version 3.102.514

to model the behavior of the system for a given nodal diameter. To obtain the model
shape results (nodal results) for a given frequency solution, an expansion of the results
must be performed to combine the results of the two sectors. Equation (9-3) is used to
calculate the expanded results for any sector of the expanded model.
U n = U 1 cos ( [ n 1 ]ka ) U 2 sin ( [ n 1 ]ka ) (9-3)
where: Un the result of interest (displacement; stress; strain) for sector

number n.
U1 the first sector solution
U2 the second sector solution
n the sector number to calculate the expanded results for
(1,2,3,...,NS)
k the nodal diameter
a the modeled sector angle (2/NS)
Nodal Independent Results
The calculation of nodal expanded results can be used to produce mode shape results for
a given frequency. However, this does not necessarily show the peak response of the
system.
A modal analysis can produce repeated eigenvalues (frequencies), which are often
called frequency doublets. In a symmetric structure, this will occur for every nodal
diameter other than 0 and for even values of NS, NS/2. The appearance of doublets is not
solely a consequence of performing a symmetric sector analysis, it also occurs when the
entire system is modeled.
When a frequency doublet appears, the corresponding mode shapes will be identical,
except that one will be shifted half of the angle between the nodal diameter lines. For
example, in a two nodal diameter mode shape of a disk, the angle between the nodal
diameter lines is 90o. The second frequencys mode shape would be shifted by 45o on
the disk, so its nodal diameter lines would fall midway between the nodal diameter lines
of the first frequencys mode shape. These two mode shapes are both valid eigenvectors
(mode shapes) for the same eigenvalue. In fact, these two eigenvectors are not unique;
any linear combination of the two is also a valid eigenvector. This means that the mode
shape can appear at any orientation on the structure.
For example, the mode shapes appearing at any point on a bladed disk might not have
much of an effect on the disk, but it can have a large effect on the blades. At higher order
frequencies, the blades can behave very differently, depending upon where the nodal
diameter lines fall on the disk. Therefore, to find the peak value of the displacement,
stress, or strain in the system, all of the mode shapes, for a given frequency, must be
investigated. Equation (9-4) is used to find the maximum value of displacement, stress
or strain for every node in one sector of the model.
U = U 1 cos U 2 sin (9-4)
where: U the result of interest (displacement; stress; strain) due to the

phase shift angle ()
Version 3.102.514 9-51
U1 the first sector solution

U2 the second sector solution
the phase shift angle
Repeated eigenvalues will not appear for any 0 or if NS is even, NS/2 modes. Therefore,
the maximum value search is not required. The mode shape can simply be expanded
using Equation (9-3), for one sector (i.e., n = 1,2,3...).
Often it is desirable to find the phase shift angle () that produces the largest value of
some quantity (i.e maximum principal stress, 1). Once this angle is found, the mode
shape can be shifted to that phase angle by adding to Equation (9-3) to get Equation
(9-5).
U n + = U 1 cos [ ( n 1 )ka + ] U 2 sin [ ( n 1 )ka + ] (9-5)
Equation (9-5) can be used to produce the entire mode shape at any given phase shift
angle.
For directional stresses (x, y, z, xy, yz, xz), directional strains (x, y, z, xy, yz,
xz) and displacements (ux, uy, uz), the maximum value for a single node can be solved
dU
by taking the derivative of Equation (9-4) versus phase angle, ---------
d
- and solving where the
slope of Equation (9-4) is zero. The phase angle for the zero slope location can be
calculated using Equation (9-7). The resultant phase angle value can then be substituted
into Equation (9-4) to calculate the maximum value for the associated node.
dU
---------- = 0 = ( U 1 ) sin U 2 cos (9-6)
d
U 2
= atan ---------- (9-7)
U1
For the displacement vector sum, Usum, Equation (9-4) is used three times to calculate
Ux, Uy and Uz. The resultant equations are then substituted into Equation (9-11) to
calculate the displacement vector sum result for the phase angle .
x x x
U = U 1 cos U 2 sin (9-8)
y y y
U = U 1 cos U 2 sin (9-9)
y z z
U = U 1 cos U 2 sin (9-10)
sum x 2 y 2 z 2
U = (U ) + (U ) + (U ) (9-11)
The next step is to calculate the derivative of Equation (9-11) with respect to phase
angle to determine the phase angle at which a zero slope condition occurs. Since the
details in solving for the zero slope phase angle are highly complex, the details are
omitted from this manual. Equation (9-12) depicts the equation to calculate the phase
9-52 Version 3.102.514

angle for the zero slope condition of Equation (9-11). This value can then be substituted
into Equation (9-4) to calculate the maximum value of the displacement vector sum for
the associated node.
x x y y z z
2U 1 U 2 2U 1 U 2 2U 1 U 2
= atan -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- (9-12)
( U x ) 2 + ( U x ) 2 ( U y ) 2 + ( U y ) 2 ( U z ) 2 + ( U z ) 2
1 2 1 2 1 2
For principal stresses and strains, the maximum value at a single node cannot be
solved simply by finding the derivative of some form of Equation (9-4). The formulas
for calculating the principal values are too complex. Therefore, pro-fe uses a complex
optimized search routine to find the maximum values for each node between phase angle
values of 0o and 360o.
Version 3.102.514 9-53

9-54 Version 3.102.514

Chapter 10 PRO-FE CUSTOMIZATION
Set-up Files
Chapter 10 pro-fe CUSTOMIZATION

pro-fe provides four means by which users can customize the way they work with the
program:
Set-up files
Panels
Macros
Function keys
All are geared towards making problem data input faster and more flexible and can be
used in combination with each other. The choice of which one to use is largely a matter
of user preference and the requirements of the model being built.
Set-up Files
These files are read automatically as part of the pro-fe start-up process and are used in
creating a suitable pro-fe environment for the problem in hand. The files have standard
names, given below, and are located in a directory chosen by the user. On Unix systems,
the path to this directory is stored in an environment variable (STARUSR) specified
outside pro-fe using the appropriate Unix environment setup command (see Section 3
in the pro-fe Installation Guide). The available set-up files are as follows:
1. PROINIT contains pro-fe commands that are read and executed as the first
action in the current session. This provides a convenient way of setting up
(initializing) pro-fe in a standard way (regarding, for example, plot type, viewing
angle, etc.) every time a session begins. Some pro-fe commands are in fact best
used from within the PROINIT file. For example:
(a) Command OPANEL typically used to open a set of tools (GUI dialogs) that
the user wants on the screen at the start of a new session
(b) Command SETFEATURE reports or changes the particular Private Color
Map style currently in use (see also the discussion on page 5-11).
2. PRODEFS this file is created automatically if the *ABBREVIATE command is

used during the session. *ABBREVIATE enables one or more frequently used
commands and their parameters to be joined together and executed in sequence,
simply by associating them with an abbreviation name. The command group
comes into action every time an existing abbreviation is typed in the I/O window.
File PRODEFS stores all current abbreviation definitions and, once created, may
be used in all subsequent pro-fe sessions. The file itself may be edited with any
suitable text editor to add/modify/delete any particular abbreviation, as needed.
3. .Prostar.Defaults a hidden system file containing definitions of
function keys (see Function Keys on page 10-10) and panel size and location
(see Panel definition files on page 10-5).
If the set-up file directory is not defined through STARUSR, pro-fe creates default
set-up files automatically in your current working directory.
Version 3.102.514 10-1

PRO-FE CUSTOMIZATION Chapter 10
Panels
Panels
Panels are user-definable tools capable of simplifying the use of pro-fe operations that
are either not available in the existing GUI menus and dialog boxes or require additional
functionality. Panels are often employed to facilitate the use of Macros, which are
groups of commands that are saved in a separate file (see Macros on page 10-7).
Macros can be assigned to Panel buttons so that a large number of commands can be
executed simply by clicking such a button.
Panel creation
Panels can be created or modified by choosing Panels > Define Panel from the main
menu bar to display the Define Panel dialog box shown below.
New panels are created by entering a name in the text box of the Define Panel dialog box
and then clicking on the New action button. This results in the panel name being added
to the list above the text box. Once this is done, the panel itself can be opened by
double-clicking on its name in the list, or
selecting the name in the list and then clicking on the Open action button, or
clicking on Panels in the main menu bar and selecting the panel name from the
drop-down list.
Any of the above actions will display a panel such as the one shown below.
Once the new panel has been opened, the user can specify its layout and define its
10-2 Version 3.102.514

Panels
buttons and menu items. The Panel Layout dialog box can be opened by selecting File >
Layout from the panels menu bar.
The above dialog box allows definition of the number and layout of the panel buttons (a
maximum of 100).
Users may also specify menus for panels by selecting File > Menus from the panels
menu bar. This opens the Define User Menus dialog box, shown below, where one can
define up to six menus, their names and the pro-fe commands that will be executed upon
selecting a particular menu item. By default, a single menu called User 1 is defined
containing a single menu item called Replot which executes command REPLOT.
Panel button names and definitions are assigned by first selecting a button, and then
entering a new name or definition into the appropriate text box. A buttons definition is
Version 3.102.514 10-3
Panels
the pro-fe command(s) that will be executed when the button is pushed.
The following three examples illustrate the way in which frequently repeated
operations may be simplified by assigning them to panel buttons:
Example 1
Select a number of cells with the screen cursor and then refine them by a factor of 2 in
all directions. Assign to option button CCREF.
Example 2
Select a range of fluid cells by drawing a polygon around them, change them to solid
cells and then plot the mesh. Assign to option button CZMOD.
Example 3
Display vertex coordinates in local coordinate system 2 by pointing at the required
vertex with the cursor. Assign to option button VCOOR2.
10-4 Version 3.102.514

Panels
To select a button without executing the corresponding button definition, move the
mouse pointer to the button and press (but do not release!) the mouse button. Next,
move the mouse pointer clear of the button and then release the mouse button. This
sequence will set the newly selected panel button as the active button, but will not
execute the button function.
Note that selecting File > Reload from the panels menu bar will cancel out any
changes made to the panel definition since it was last saved.
Panel definition files
A panels button and menu settings as well as its size and location are saved in a panel
definition file when File > Save is selected from the panels menu bar. This file is
created using the panel name specified by the user in the Define Panel dialog box and the
suffix .PNL. The file location depends on its name. If the name entered was prefixed
with the letter L or G (note that a space must be typed after each letter), the file will be
placed in directory PANEL_LOCAL or PANEL_GLOBAL, otherwise it will be put in
your current working directory.
On Unix systems, the local and global directory names are stored in environment
variables that can be set outside pro-fe using the Unix setenv system command. The
environment variables can also be set within pro-fe by selecting Panels >
Environment from the main menu bar. This displays the Set Environment dialog box
shown below, which allows entry of local and global directory names in the
corresponding text boxes.
Version 3.102.514 10-5

Panels
Command: SETENV
Note that a list of available panels can be viewed by opening the Define Panel dialog box.
Panels found in your current working directory are shown in the list with a . before the
panel name. Any panel definitions found in the directories specified by the
PANEL_LOCAL and PANEL_GLOBAL variables are shown in the list with an L or G
prefix before the panel name, respectively. Once added to the list, a panel can be opened
in a number of ways, as described in Panel creation on page 10-2. Note that panels can
also be opened from the pro-fe input/output window by typing OPANEL, PANEL but
this command is more typically issued from within the PROINIT set-up file (see Set-up
Files on page 10-1).
In addition to the panel definition file, a panels size and location are also saved in a
hidden system file called .Prostar.Defaults (see Set-up Files on page 10-1).
Definitions stored there have priority over the size and location information stored in the
panel definition file. This enables you to override such information if the panels are
located in a directory for which you do not have write permission.
Panel manipulation
The Define Panel dialog box provides additional facilities for manipulating panels, as
follows:
The Re-Scan button recreates the list of available panels. Those that were removed
from the list will re-appear, while those created via the New button but never saved
will disappear.
The Copy button creates new panels by copying an existing panel definition file to
another file whose name must be typed in the text box.
The Rename button changes the name of a panel definition file to another name
typed in the text box.
The Delete button allows you to remove panels from the list but does not delete the
corresponding definition files. The latter can only be deleted outside pro-fe by
using the appropriate operating system command.
10-6 Version 3.102.514

Macros
Macros
A macro is a set of user-defined commands that can be executed at any stage of the
pro-fe session. The constituent commands must be stored in a special file, identified by
a .MAC extension and included within
the current working directory, or
a pre-defined local macro directory, or
a pre-defined global macro directory.
As with panel directories, the local and global directory names are stored in environment
variables MACRO_LOCAL and MACRO_GLOBAL that can be set outside pro-fe using
the Unix setenv system command. The environment variables can also be set within
pro-fe by selecting Panels > Environment from the main menu bar. This displays the
Set Environment dialog box which allows entry of local and global macro directory
names in the corresponding text boxes.
Macros can be created, renamed, copied, and deleted in the Define Macro dialog box
in the same way that panels are in the Define Panel dialog box. The Define Macro box,
shown below, is opened by choosing Panels > Define Macro from the main menu bar.
The name of a new macro must be typed in the text box. An existing macro can be
selected and displayed, by double-clicking its name in the macro list. Several macros can
be displayed simultaneously in multiple windows, by highlighting them in the list with
the mouse and then clicking the Open button. pro-fe looks for macro files in three
places. Macros found in the users current working directory are shown in the list with
a . in front of the macro name. Those found in the directories specified by the
MACRO_LOCAL and MACRO_GLOBAL environment variables are shown with an L or G
prefix before the macro name, respectively.
Clicking the Open or New button in the Define Macro box opens a macro editor to
display the macro file(s) that has been selected in the macro list (or a blank sheet for new
macros), as shown below. The user can then type in the required pro-fe commands or
amend existing ones. Command PROMPT, which displays messages in the area
underneath the plotting window (see Main window on page 2-6) is particularly useful
inside a macro as it can prompt the user to, say, supply required data or to click an
appropriate menu item with the mouse.
Version 3.102.514 10-7
Macros
The macro editor facilities are arranged under three menus in the editors menu bar:
1. File
(a) Open open another macro
(b) Save save the current changes
(c) Save As save the current changes to a different macro file
(d) Clear All clear the editor window
(e) Quit terminate the editing session
2. Edit
(a) Find find a character string typed in the dialog box shown below:
(b) Mark Selection mark the selected characters for subsequent searches
(c) Find Selection find the selected characters in the macro body
(d) Find Again repeatedly find the selected characters
(e) Replace find a character string and replace it with another string. Both
strings are typed in the dialog box shown below:
10-8 Version 3.102.514

Macros
3. Execute
(a) Execute Macro execute the whole macro
(b) Execute Selection execute only the highlighted lines in the editor window
As with panels, the Define Macro dialog box provides additional facilities for
manipulating macros, as follows:
The Execute button executes the selected macro.
The Re-Scan button recreates the list of available macros. Those that were
removed from the list will re-appear, while those created via the New action button
but never saved will disappear.
The Copy button creates new macros by copying an existing macro file to another
file whose name must be typed in the text box.
The Rename button changes the name of a macro file to another name typed in the
text box.
The Delete button allows users to remove macros from the list of available macros
but does not delete the corresponding files. The latter can only be deleted outside
pro-fe by using the appropriate operating system command.
Note that panel buttons are often used to execute macros, by setting the button definition
to issue command
*macro,exec
This assignment can be made as follows:

Open the Define Macro dialog box and highlight a macro in the list.
Open the Define Panel dialog box, select a panel from the list and display it by
double-clicking it.
Click on a free button in the panel.
Select Assign from the panels Macro menu. This assigns the macro name to the
button and generates the appropriate *MACRO command.
If necessary, select Edit from the panels Macro menu to open the macro text
editor discussed above and type in any further changes
Save all changes by selecting Save from the File menus of both macro and panel
editors before closing their corresponding dialog boxes
Version 3.102.514 10-9

Function Keys
Function Keys
Users can program the keyboard function keys (F2 - F12) to execute pro-fe commands
or macros. This is done by choosing Utility > Function Keys from the menu bar to
display the Edit Function Keys dialog box shown below.
Any valid pro-fe command (or set of commands if a $ character is used to separate
them) can be mapped to individual function keys by typing it in the appropriate text box.
Command parameters such as VX or CX may be used and will be interpreted in the
normal way. Command strings are limited to 80 characters in length.
In addition to standard pro-fe commands, the function keys can also be used to repeat
the last executed command and to open dialog boxes. Thus:
Command repeat will literally repeat the last command executed, including
parameters such as VX or CX.
Command string open dialog1,dialog2,... will open the dialog boxes
or tools specified. Available items are:
10-10 Version 3.102.514

Function Keys
Name Description
ANIM Animation Module
BLLI Block List
BLOC Block Tool
CELL Cell Tool
CHEC Check Tool
CLIS Cell List
COLO Color Tool
CSYS Coordinate Systems panel
FORE Convert Foreign Formats panel
GENE Convert Generic panel
GRAP Graph Tool
GRDI Graph Module
GRLO Load Graph Registers panel
GRRE Graph Registers panel
POST Post Register Data List
SPLI Spline Tool
SPLL Spline List
VERT Vertex Tool
VLIS Vertex List
The default function key definitions are:
F5 repeat
F6 replot
F7 cplot
F8 zoom,off $replot
Note that the F1 key is reserved for displaying context-sensitive, on-line Help
information on pro-fe commands (see Getting On-line Help on page 2-21)
Any changes to the function key definitions are saved in a file called
.Prostar.Defaults (see Set-up Files on page 10-1) at the location specified by
environment variable STARUSR (or in your current directory, see page 10-1). This file
can be modified either through the Function Keys dialog box within pro-fe or outside it
via any suitable editor. Users may find it useful to keep a single
.Prostar.Defaults file in the STARUSR location so that the particular setup that
they define is available for any pro-fe session.
Version 3.102.514 10-11

Function Keys
10-12 Version 3.102.514

Chapter 11 USING PRO-FE
Naming Conventions
Chapter 11 USING pro-fe

Naming Conventions
At every session, pro-fe creates a set of files whose names are based on a user-supplied
model name or case name. Each file name is of the form case.xxxx, where xxxx is
a three- or four-character file name extension. Thus, if the case in question is called
test, then all its associated files will be called test.plot, test.mdl, etc. and will
be used for the appropriate input/output operation during model building and
post-processing. You should always supply a case name at the beginning of a pro-fe
session (see pro-fe Initialization on page 2-2).
A case name may be overridden at any time during a pro-fe session by choosing File
> Case Name from the menu bar. This displays the Change Case Name dialog shown
below:
Command: CASENAME
Supply a new case name (up to 70 characters long) in the text box provided. This changes
the default file name but does not affect any files that are already open. It also determines
which files will be used during subsequent file operations.
Commonly Used Files

A few files are always opened by pro-fe, whereas the majority are opened and accessed
only in response to a command or a GUI operation. These major files are described
below:
pro-fe echo file (.echo)

Used exclusively by pro-fe and is always opened. It holds a copy of every command
typed by the user or, for GUI operations, their command equivalents, as generated
automatically by pro-fe during the session. The file can be:
Reviewed
Used for recovery purposes (see Error recovery on page 2-10)
Copied to a temporary file which can be subsequently edited to make changes to
the recorded commands (see item 10 on page 11-5). Once the editing process is
complete, the modified command file can be replayed into pro-fe using the
editors file execution facilities (or by typing command IFILE).
Version 3.102.514 11-1

USING PRO-FE Chapter 11
Commonly Used Files
pro-fe save (or restart) file (.mdl)

Used exclusively by pro-fe. Choosing option File > Save Model from the menu bar
instructs pro-fe to write a full description of your model to this file, using the specified
case name as the file name. It is advisable to save data regularly during a session so as
to minimize the chance of losing large amounts of information due to user error or
system failure.
If you need to save the .mdl file under a name other than the case name, choose
option File > Save As from the menu bar. This displays the Save As dialog shown below,
which allows the name to be typed exactly as required. Alternatively, an existing file
may be selected by utilizing pro-fes built-in file browser facilities (see page 11-5).
Command: SAVE
Option File > Resume Model performs the reverse operation, i.e. it instructs pro-fe to
read a model description from an existing .mdl file. If you need to resume from a .mdl
file that does not have the same name as the case name, choose option File > Resume
From from the menu bar. This displays the Resume From dialog shown below, which
allows the name to be typed exactly as required. Alternatively, the file may be selected
by clicking the browser button provided and utilizing pro-fes built-in file browser
facilities (see page 11-5).
Command: RESUME
Note that the save/restart file is normally written in binary form. If you need to write the
model data in text (coded) form, choose File > Save As Coded from the menu bar to
display the CDSave dialog shown below:
11-2 Version 3.102.514

Commonly Used Files
Command: CDSAVE
The dialog uses default files with extensions .cel, .vrt, .bnd and .inp for writing
cell, vertex, boundary (not applicable) and miscellaneous problem information,
respectively. Alternative names for any of the files may be entered in the text boxes
provided.
Once the files have been transferred to a new directory on any machine, the model
may be re-activated as follows:
Start a pro-fe session.
Issue command
IFILE,case.inp
All data in files .cel and .vrt are read in automatically.
pro-fe plot file (.plot)

This is always open to receive neutral plot information, i.e. machine-independent
representations of a set of plots. The file may be written in either binary or text (coded)
format. In its latter form, it can be transferred between machines and decoded to
reproduce the original plot on a variety of graphics devices. Adapco Ltd. supplies source
code for several decoding programs that drive hard-copy devices in a variety of formats
(e.g. Postscript, HP-GL), or screen output devices (e.g. X-window workstations). These
programs can also serve as templates for constructing plot drivers for other, unsupported
devices. Vector style output devices (i.e. those that construct a plot by drawing lines
between pairs of points, such as pen plotters) cannot reproduce plots made in raster
mode (i.e. destined for devices that use color-filled polygons, such as Postscript
printers). To make use of the neutral plot facility:
Specify the plot file name (if other than case.plot) and type (if not CODED)
using command NFILE.
Switch the plot output from the terminal or workstation to the plot file by choosing
item Plot > Plot To File from the menu bar (or use command TERMINAL in the
form
Version 3.102.514 11-3

File Relationships
TERMINAL,,FILE
Perform the plotting operations required, as normal. Graphical output is now

diverted to the file instead of being displayed on the screen.
To restore normal operation, choose option Plot To Screen from the Plot menu.
Details of data representation in the neutral plot file can be found in Appendix B.
File Relationships
Appendix C contains a complete list of all files that can be written or read by pro-fe.
The same information may also be displayed on-line in the Help dialog (choose Help >
pro-fe Help from the menu bar, select Misc. from the Module pop-up menu, and then
highlight item FILE).
In the course of a session, pro-fe also opens several scratch files. These are opened
automatically and deleted at the end of the session. Their use is normally transparent
except when their size exceeds the amount of free space on your disk.
File Manipulation
The file-manipulation related capabilities of pro-fe are as follows:
1. Finding files If you are not sure of the exact location or name of an existing file,
use pro-fes file browser facility. This is activated by clicking the browser button
included in numerous GUI dialogs. The button displays the File Selection dialog
shown below:
The scroll lists and filters included in the above dialog allow easy navigation
11-4 Version 3.102.514

File Manipulation
through various levels of sub-directories until the required file is located.

2. Switching program input from a terminal (or standard input) to any disk file
containing pro-fe commands. This can be done at any time during a session,
using either the pro-fe editors Execute menu options (see item 10 below) or by
typing command IFILE. In the latter case, input switches back to the terminal
automatically at the end of the specified file. The command also supports a
nesting capability, i.e. the new input stream can itself contain IFILE commands
that will direct input to yet another source file and so on.
3. Switching output from a terminal screen (or standard output) to a disk file via
command OFILE. This can be done at any time during a session and enables the
user to save lists of various pro-fe items, for use in other programs or for later
review. Command
OFILE,case.out
restores output to the standard output device. Using parameter NONE with this
command turns the output off completely.
4. Restoring a previously created model from a save/restart file (see pro-fe save (or
restart) file (.mdl) above) by choosing File > Resume from the menu bar. When
used for the first time in a pro-fe session, RESUME will also automatically read
and execute commands stored in a special file called PROINIT (see Set-up Files
on page 10-1). This provides a very convenient way of setting up pro-fe in a
standard way (regarding, for example, plot type, viewing angle, etc.) every time a
session starts.
5. Saving the current model description in binary format to file .mdl, as described
above, by choosing File > Save Model from the menu bar.
6. Saving the model description in text (coded) format, as described above, by
choosing File > Save As Coded from the menu bar.
7. Repositioning a previously used file (including a pro-fe macro file) to its starting
point by typing command REWIND.
8. Closing a previously used file by typing command CLOSE.
9. Printing a summary of all currently open files by typing command FSTAT.
10. File editing via pro-fes built-in editor This is activated by choosing File >
Edit File from the menu bar to display the panel shown on the next page. Files that
may be conveniently manipulated using this editor are:
(a) Command files these allow execution of a set of pre-recorded pro-fe
commands. As noted in the section on Commonly Used Files on page 11-1,
a common source for them are echo files (case.echo) from previous pro-fe
sessions. To avoid problems, however, an echo file should be copied and
renamed before using it as a command file.
Version 3.102.514 11-5

File Manipulation
The available facilities are arranged under three menus in the editors own menu
bar, as follows:
File
(a) Open open a specified file. This activates the File Selection dialog shown
on page 11-4, enabling the required file to be located.
(b) Save save the current changes.
(c) Save As save the current changes to a different file. The dialog box above
re-appears to aid specification of the destination file location.
(d) Clear All clear the editor window.
(e) Quit terminate the editing session without saving.
Edit
(a) Find find a character string, typed in the dialog box shown below.
(b) Mark Selection mark the selected characters for subsequent searches.
(c) Find Selection find the selected characters in the file body.
(d) Find Again repeatedly find the selected characters.
(e) Replace find a character string and replace it with another string. Both
strings are typed in the dialog box shown below.
11-6 Version 3.102.514

File Manipulation
Execute (Command files only)

(a) Execute All execute all commands in the file. This is equivalent to typing
command IFILE in pro-fes Input window.
(b) Execute Selection execute only the highlighted lines in the editor window.
11. Assigning file names to arbitrary I/O units via command GETFILE.
Resizing pro-fe
pro-fe is a dynamic-memory executable code that requires a file called param.prp in
your current working directory. If this file is not present, a default file is copied
automatically from the pro-fe installation directory the first time pro-fe is run using the
profe script described in Basic operations. In most cases, the default settings in this
file will suffice for setting up your model. However, it is occasionally necessary to resize
the pro-fe executable so that it can accommodate cases with a larger number of cells,
vertices, etc. (or a smaller number, if you are having problems with available memory in
your machine).
A new param.prp file containing parameters of the right magnitude may be created
by running the prosize script. This is accessed by typing
prosize
The script first asks you whether you want to modify some of the parameters or create a
brand new file. It then asks:
Is your mesh primarily hex or tet? (Answer H or T)
After this, the script prompts you to specify the parameters to be stored in file
param.prp. The most usual variation from the default values is in the maximum
number of cells (n) and the corresponding maximum number of vertices (2n).
Otherwise, the default values suggested by prosize should be sufficient for most
cases.
pro-fe can also resize various parameters, when needed and without exiting the
program, by using the MEMORY command. The value of any parameter (i.e. MAXCEL,
MAXVRT, MAXSC1, etc.) can be changed to increase the machine memory used by
pro-fe. For instance, if a pro-fe session allows only 120,000 cells, the user can increase
the number of allowable cells interactively by using the MEMORY command, as follows:
MEMORY,MAXCEL,250000.
Version 3.102.514 11-7

File Manipulation
Basic operations
Move to an appropriate directory and start a session by typing:
profe
The system will respond by prompting you to define the pro-fe variant you wish to use
Please enter the required pro-fe driver

Available drivers are:
x, xm, glm [xm]
where the options refer to the various types of graphics libraries commonly used for
graphical displays in workstations or X-terminals, i.e.
x X-windows
xm X-windows using the Motif interface for pro-fes GUI-driven
facilities
glm Open GL graphics using the Motif interface for pro-fes GUI-driven
facilities
The precise list of options displayed by the prompt depends on how the pro-fe
environment was originally set up on your particular machine. Type in a response that is
appropriate to the workstation or terminal you are using.
Note that pro-fe automatically searches for the highest depth pseudo color, direct
color or true color visual that exists for your screen and uses it. This may be overridden
by specifying option cms when starting up pro-fe, as shown below:
profe -c cms
This is an 8-bit pseudo color setting with shared color map. The setting causes no screen
flashing but requires sufficient available colors to work.
From this point on, provide input for setting up your model according to the
instructions given in various chapters of this manual.
Special pro-fe executables
In some cases, system restrictions may dictate the need for a specially-dimensioned,
static-memory pro-fe executable. On other occasions, you may need to use a
user-defined subroutine file, user1.f (this refers to subroutines that work in
conjunction with pro-fe). In either case, the required special pro-fe executable may be
created using script PROLINKL. This is accessed by typing
prolinkl
The system response is
Please enter the required Prostar driver:

x [X windows]
11-8 Version 3.102.514

General Guidelines
xm [X-Motif]
glm [Open GL-Motif]
Type in a response that is appropriate to the workstation or terminal you are using. You
will then be prompted as follows:
Do you have a user defined subroutine file, user1.f?

Please enter y or n [n]
n (the usual answer)
Is your mesh primarily hex or tet? (Answer H or T)
From this point onwards, the script will prompt you to specify the parameters controlling
the pro-fe executable size. The most usual variation from the default values is in the
maximum number of cells (n) and the corresponding maximum number of vertices (2n).
Otherwise, the default values suggested by pro-fe should be sufficient for most cases.
Upon completing the PROLINKL process, a new pro-fe executable will be created
in your current working directory. The script will also display the executable file name
to use when running problems.
The parameters specified during the PROLINKL session are stored in file
param.prp. Note that under no circumstances should you attempt to short-cut the
process by editing this file directly. Always use PROLINKL and enter the requested
parameters individually or accept the suggested defaults.
General Guidelines
The following general guidelines should be borne in mind when running pro-fe models,
including those described in the tutorials:
1. Take advantage of the on-line Help facilities to check the codes conventions and,
if necessary, the structure and meaning of individual commands. These facilities
are accessed either from the GUI Help menu (see Chapter 2) or by typing
HELP, command_name
in the pro-fe I/O window.

2. Make frequent use of the File > Save Model option (or command SAVE) to store
the current state of your model description on the pro-fe save file (.mdl). This
safeguards against unexpected mishaps (power failures, system crashes, etc.) by
enabling you to restart your work from the point where the last SAVE operation
was performed. You should, however, make sure that the model is in a satisfactory
state before saving it.
3. If necessary, split lengthy model-building sessions into several parts, by using
option File > Quit (or command QUIT) at any convenient point in your current
session and then saving your work on the .mdl file. To continue working on the
model, re-enter pro-fe as discussed in Basic operations on page 11-8 and then
perform the next operation.
4. Mistakes in pro-fe can be rectified in two ways:
Version 3.102.514 11-9
Hard Copy Production
(a) Use option File > Resume Model (or command RESUME) to go back to the
state of the model saved with the last SAVE operation and start again from
there.
(b) Use command RECOVER to play back all commands issued since the last
SAVE operation, re-execute the code up to the one that went wrong, and
continue from there.
5. Note that command execution can be terminated half way through in the following
circumstances:
(a) By typing Abort instead of a parameter value while supplying parameter
values to a command in novice mode.
(b) By typing Ctrl+C while waiting for a command to finish processing. Note
that the effect of this operation is machine-dependent and therefore great
caution should be exercised in its use; in some machines it will abort the entire
pro-fe session.
6. Display the relevant FEA GUIde panels frequently to check the settings of pro-fe
parameters; alternatively use command STATUS. In the latter case, the screen
information relates to the active command module, so make sure you are in the
right module by typing the appropriate keyword (MESH, PLOT, FEA, etc.)
7. Remember that all pro-fe windows can be re-sized using the mouse. It is
recommended that both the I/O and the main window are positioned and sized so
that both are visible simultaneously. This is particularly helpful when you need to
use commands for a particular operation, or if you want to check the commands
that were generated automatically by a particular GUI operation.

To obtain a hard copy of a screen plot, switch the graphical output temporarily to the
neutral plot file (see pro-fe plot file (.plot) on page 11-3). Once the required plot is
on-screen, type
TERMINAL,,FILE,RAST
(switches to the neutral plot file in raster, i.e. color-fill, mode)
or
TERMINAL,,FILE,VECT
(switches to the neutral plot file in vector, i.e. line-contour mode)
followed by
REPLOT
(sends the picture to this file)
TERMINAL,,
(switch output back to the screen)
The above process can be repeated as often as is necessary to write all required plot data
11-10 Version 3.102.514

to file case.plot.
It is recommended that color plots destined for a black-and-white printer should be
converted to the grey-scale shading scheme (see Displaying midside nodes in pro-fe
on page 5-10) before sending them to the neutral plot file. This can be done either by
selecting the Post - Gray option in the Color Tool or by typing command
CLRTABLE,GRAY
To produce the hard copy, process the pictures stored in the neutral plot file outside the
pro-fe environment using one of the supplied programs in the PLOT suite. The latter
are special graphics post-processors that either
generate files suitable for plotting on a given type of hard-copy device, or
display the contents of the neutral plot file on your screen (see Appendix B for
more details).
The PLOT programs available on your particular installation are normally accessed by
opening a window and typing
plot
This produces a response of the form:
Please enter the required plot driver:

Available drivers are:
ai freehand gif gl hp laser_hpgl ps pstitle supr x xm [ps]
where
ai Adobe Illustrator file output

freehand Adobe Freehand file output
gif GIF file output
gl GL graphics display
hp HP Graphics Language file output
laser_hpgl HP Laserprinter file output
ps PostScript file output
pstitle utility for adding an extra title to an existing PostScript file
supr utility for reducing the size of an existing neutral plot file by removing
hidden polygons
x X-windows terminal display
xm X Motif graphics display
Note that options such as xm and gl are suitable for screen displays while options such
as ps and laser_hpgl are for hard copy production.
Type the desired option and then follow the instructions on your screen, supplying
additional information as required.
Version 3.102.514 11-11

11-12 Version 3.102.514

APPENDICES
APPENDICES
pro-fe VERSION 3.102.514
CONFIDENTIAL FOR AUTHORIZED USERS ONLY
2000 Adapco Limited

Appendix A PRO-FE CONVENTIONS
Command Input Conventions
Appendix A pro-fe CONVENTIONS

1. Input is case-insensitive; both upper and lower-case letters are accepted.
2. Command names may be abbreviated by the first four letters (with one exception:
*ENDIF). Argument keywords may also be abbreviated by the first four letters.
3. Fields in a command string must be separated by a comma or by any number of

spaces.
4. Multiple commands may be stacked on a single line, separated by a dollar sign ($).
5. Any command string with an exclamation mark (!) in column 1 is interpreted as a

comment (and therefore not executed).
6. Commands may be entered from any module.
7. In NOVICE mode (see command EXPERT), the program will prompt for
arguments needed to execute the command. Command ABORT may be used at this
prompt to abort the current command without performing any action.
8. Basic arithmetic is allowed on all command lines. Each operator must be separated
by blanks or a comma from the numbers or parameters on either side. For
example, the following command
VLIST 10 * 10, A + 7 1000 / B
is interpreted as VLIST 100 to (A+7) using the increment (1000/B),

where A and B are parameters defined by the *SET or *GET commands. All terms
are evaluated strictly from left to right.
9. The keyword ALL may be used in lieu of any vertex, cell, boundary, etc. range to
denote that all items are to be used for the range. (Examples: CLIST,ALL and
CTMOD,ALL,,,SOLID)
10. The appropriate item set keyword may be used in lieu of most item ranges to
denote that all items in the set are to be used for the range. (Examples:
CDEL,CSET and VLIS,VSET,,,1)
Keyword Item Set
VSET Current vertex set

CSET Current cell set
SPLSET Current spline set
BLKSET Current block set
Version 3.102.514 A-1

PRO-FE CONVENTIONS Appendix A
11. The following keywords may be used in lieu of many item ranges to display the
crosshair cursor in the plot window so the user may select a set to be used as the
range. (Example: CLIST,CCRS).
Keyword Select
VCRS Vertex set

CCRS Cell set
SCRS Spline set
BLKCRS Block set
12. The following keywords may be used in lieu of entity numbers. (Example:
V,MXV,1.0,2.0,3.0)
Keyword Interpreted As
MXV Highest numbered vertex + 1

MXC Highest numbered cell + 1
MXS Highest numbered spline + 1
MXK Highest numbered block + 1
ICUR Currently active coordinate system
13. Certain keywords (which may also be used in lieu of entity numbers) will cause
pro-fe to display the crosshair cursor in the plot window and expect the user to
select an item, as specified by the following description: (Example:
STLIST,SXT)
Keyword Select Interpreted As
BLKX Block Block number

CX Cell Cell number
CXC Cell Cell color index
CXG Cell Cell group number
CXM Cell Cell material number
CXP Cell Cell real constant number
CXS Cell Cell FEA element type number index
A-2 Version 3.102.514

Appendix A PRO-FE CONVENTIONS
Help Text / Prompt Conventions
Keyword Select Interpreted As
CXT Cell Cell type number

SX Spline Spline number
SXC Spline Spline color index
SXG Spline Spline group number
SXT Spline Spline type number
VX Vertex Vertex number
Help Text / Prompt Conventions

1. Words between slashes (e.g. /ANY/ALL/) represent legal alternatives for the
field.
2. Numbers in parentheses represent defaults for the preceding variable.
3. Variables beginning with NV refer to vertices

Variables beginning with NC refer to cells
Variables beginning with NSPL refer to splines
Variables beginning with NBLK refer to blocks
Control and Function Key Conventions

1. The following short-cuts using the Ctrl key are available:
Control Key Command
Ctrl-a CSET,ALL
Ctrl-e ZOOM,OFF $REPLOT
Ctrl-h Query for help
Ctrl-o ZOOM,OFF $REPLOT
Ctrl-q QUIT
Ctrl-r REPLOT
Ctrl-s SAVE,casename.mdl
Ctrl-w Zoom out (by a factor of 2)
Ctrl-z Zoom in (by a factor of 2)
2. Function key short-cuts can be defined or changed using the Function Keys
Version 3.102.514 A-3

PRO-FE CONVENTIONS Appendix A
File Name Conventions
option in the Utility menu. The default function key short-cuts are:
Function Key Default Command
F5 Repeat last command

F6 REPLOT
F7 CPLOT
F8 ZOOM,OFF $REPLOT
File Name Conventions

The default name for any file read or written by the program is casename.ext, where
casename is defined by the user and ext is the file name extension (see Appendix C).
If you enclose the file name in quotes or use a different extension (i.e. case.prns
instead of case.usr), the extension default will be overridden and the exact name will
be used.
A-4 Version 3.102.514

Appendix B PRO-FE NEUTRAL PLOT FILE
Appendix B pro-fe NEUTRAL PLOT FILE

The pro-fe neutral plot (.plot) file is a machine/device- independent representation
of a plot. As such, it can be easily transferred to any other computer and, with the
appropriate PLOT program, plotted on any device. The only restriction is that the device
must support raster type operations if the RASTER option is used in the TERM command.
For example, a raster style plot could not be plotted on a pen plotter. The file is written
any time a user performs a plotting operation after first using the
TERM,,FILE,/RASTER/VECTOR/ command. The file is written using free-format
integers, real numbers and characters and has an absolute maximum length per record of
80 characters. Each plot command in the file is represented by an integer followed by an
appropriate set of alphanumeric parameters. Table B-1 describes the neutral file plot
commands and their parameters. Table B-2 and Table B-3 describe the default color
schemes to be used for devices for which colors can be specified.
All neutral plots are plotted in a single independent coordinate system called the
screen system (SX and SY). In this system, the origin is located at the lower left hand
corner of the plot, as shown in the figure below. The X axis points to the right and may
have values between 0 and 13. The Y axis points up and may have values between 0 and
10. All necessary three-dimensional rotations and window clipping are done before the
neutral file is written. It is up to the user to ensure that the appropriate mapping between
the screen system and his plotting device takes place.
PROFE 3.10
10-Apr-00
VIEW
(SX=10,SY=10) 0.400
0.600
0.200
ANGLE
0.000
DISTANCE
0.573
CENTER
0.000
0.000
0.000
VERTEX PLOT
Label Plot Information
Triad
(SX=0,SY=1)
Y
Sy
Plot title Z
X
Sx Default Window
Version 3.102.514 B-1

PRO-FE NEUTRAL PLOT FILE Appendix B
Adapco Ltd. provides a suite of several different PLOT programs, to be used in

conjunction with various plot drivers (HP-GL, Postscript, etc.). These programs should
be used as a guide for developing additional versions capable of supporting devices that
Adapco Ltd. cannot support.
Below is a small sample of a .plot file and a description of its purpose:
1, 6, 1, 2, 10.5000, 9.5000, 5, 12, PROSTAR 3.0, 2,

10.1000, 9.0000, 6, 2, 7, 2, 10, -2, 4, 0, 10.1000,
6.9300, 10.4000, 6.9300, 10.4000, 7.0400, 10.1000,
7.0400, 7, 3, ...
1 Initialize plotter and set the color map

6, 1 Change text size to 1 (largest)
2, 10.5, 9.5 Move to location 10.5, 9.5
5, 12, PROSTAR 3.0 Write 12 text characters (PROSTAR 3.0)
2, 10.1, 9 Move to location 10.1, 9.
6, 2 Change text to size 2
7, 2 Change pen color (lines and text) to
index 2
10,-2, 4, 0, 10.1, 6.93, Plot a polygon using index no. 2 for the
10.4, 6.93, 10.4,7.04, fill color. The polygon has four vertices
10.1, 7.04 and the edges are not drawn. The four
corners are (10.1,6.93), (10.4,6.93),
7, 3 Change pen to index 3
B-2 Version 3.102.514

Table B-1: List of Neutral File Plot Commands
Command Parameters Description

1 None Change the color map
2 X,Y Move (pen up) to location X,Y
3 X,Y Draw (pen down) to location X,Y
4 X,Y Draw (pen down) to location X,Y
using variable value
5 NCH,TEXT(1:NCH) Place NCH text characters starting
at the most current location. The
array of characters follows param-
eter NCH.
6 ISIZE Change the character size. ISIZE
can be between 1 (largest) and 4
(smallest).
7 IPEN Change line and text color to index
number IPEN.
8 ISTYLE Change line style
9 X,Y Draw a point at location X,Y
10 NCOL,NENT,IBOUND Draw and fill a polygon. The inte-
[X(I),Y(I),I=1,NENT] rior of the polygon is determined
by the index of the absolute value
of NCOL. If IBOUND = 1, then
the polygon edges are drawn in the
index defined by the latest IPEN
(command number 7); otherwise,
the edges are not drawn. NENT
represents the number of corners
in the polygon and it is followed
by NENT pairs of X,Y giving the
screen location of each corner.
Version 3.102.514 B-3

Table B-1: List of Neutral File Plot Commands
Command Parameters Description

11 X,Y,RADIUS,SANGLE, Draw an arc boundary using X,Y
ANGLE as the coordinates of the upper left
corner of the rectangle that con-
tains the arc. RADIUS is the
parameter which scales the width
and height of the major and minor
axes of the arc. SANGLE indicates
the start of the arc relative to the
three-oclock position from the
center. ANGLE specifies the path
and extent of the arc relative to its
start. Angles are specified in 64ths
of a degree, i.e. 360 x 64 is a com-
plete circle.
12 X,Y,RADIUS,SANGLE, Draw a filled arc. In addition to
ANGLE,IBOUND, using the parameters for command
IFILL number 11, if IFILL=1 the filling
would be as in a pie slice; other-
wise the filling would be an arc
chord (i.e. an area between the arc
and a line segment joining the end
points of the arc). IBOUND
defines the foreground colors.
13 X,Y,RADIUS,SANGLE, Draw a sphere using the parame-
ANGLE ters of command number 11 with
SANGLE=0.0 and ANGLE=360.0
14 XMIN,XMAX,YMIN, Set the clip plane using
YMAX XMIN/XMAX and YMIN/YMAX
as the clip limits
15 INDEX Set the line width to INDEX
B-4 Version 3.102.514

Table B-2: Default Color Table for Geometry Only Plots
Index Color
0 Black
1 White
2 Red
3 Green
4 Blue
5 Cyan
6 Magenta
7 Yellow
8-20 Not used
21-39 Shades of red varying in intensity (HLS model) from 0.95 (almost
white) to 0.05 (almost black), and used for light shaded images.
41-59 Shades of green varying in intensity (HLS model) from 0.95
(almost white) to 0.05 (almost black), and used for light shaded
images.
61-79 Shades of cyan varying in intensity (HLS model) from 0.95
images.
81-99 Shades of gold varying in intensity (HLS model) from 0.95
images.
Table B-3: Default Color Table for Post-processing Plots
Index Color
0 Black
1 White
2-14 Smooth variation in hues from red to violet. The user can extend
this table, if desired, to use up to index 20.
21-99 Varied intensities for light shaded images, as defined in Table B-2.
Version 3.102.514 B-5

B-6 Version 3.102.514

Appendix C FILE USAGE

File naming in pro-fe Version 3.1 is file-extension based (see Chapter 11, Naming
Conventions). For the users convenience, the file extension along with the file unit
number is given in the table below. Note, however, that you may still use a file
conforming to the unit number in any command or GUI text box, provided you enclose
the name in single or double quotes.
File Old Unit Usage

Extension Number
.cel 14 Default input/output for cell definitions
.cel 17 Default output for surface cell definitions
.cgrd Default input file containing grid change commands
.cpl 35 Default input/output for coupled cell definitions
Default input/output for expanded position of cyclic
.cyex
symmetric model
Default input/output for original position of cyclic
.cyor
symmetric model
Default input/output for position of whole expanded
.cywh
cyclic symmetric model
Default input/output for deformed geometry nodal
.defn
locations
.echo 1 Echo of all input typed by the user
.elem 14 Default input/output for ANSYS element definitions
.g3d 14 Default input for GRID3D data files
.gen 23 Default output for GENERIC data
.grf 12 Default graph register data save file
.grf 13 Default graph register GET file
.iges 13 Default input for IGES data files
.inp 5 Any file containing pro-fe commands
Default input/output for miscellaneous problem data
.inp 24
definitions
.loop 23 Default save file of current loop information
.mdl 16 Default save file (binary) for all data
.nas 14 Default input/output for NASTRAN data files
.node 15 Default input/output for ANSYS node definitions
.out 6 Default output file
.pat 14 Default input/output for PATRAN data files
.plot 2 Neutral plot file
Version 3.102.514 C-1

FILE USAGE Appendix C
File Old Unit Usage

Extension Number
.prel Default output for ANSYS element solution data
.prnld Default output for ANSYS nodal load data
.prns Default output for ANSYS nodal solution data
.prrs Default output for ANSYS reaction load data
Refinement data file used by the adaptive refinement
.refi
commands (CMREFINE / CMUNREFINE)
.rst Default input for ANSYS result files
.rth Input for ANSYS thermal result files
Default output for set definitions (written with the
.set 31
SETWRITE command)
.spl 22 Default input/output for spline definitions
Default output for plotting-surface database (used to
.srf 30
skip surface creation step in future plots)
.stl 14 Default input for STL data files
.tbl Default file for storing general table data
Default input/output for undeformed geometry nodal
.udfn
locations
Default input/output for IDEAS (SDRC) universal
.unv 14
file
.uns FIELDVIEW data output file
.vda 13 Default input for VDA data files
.vrml 14 Virtual reality data output file
.vrt 15 Default input/output for vertex definitions
.vrt 18 Default output for surface vertex definitions
The format for cell definitions is: (file case.cel)

Cell number, eight vertices, cell type number, cell index number(I9, 6X, 9I9, 1X,
I4)
The format for vertex definitions is: (file case.vrt)

Vertex number, X, Y, Z (global coordinates) (I9, 6X, 3G16.9)
The format for spline definitions is: (file case.spl)

Spline number, number of vertices, spline type (3I9)
Up to 100 vertex numbers defining the spline (8I9)
The format for element solution data (file case.prel), nodal load data (file
case.prnld), nodal solution data (file case.prns), and reaction load data (file
C-2 Version 3.102.514

case.prrs) is:
Node number, Data values n (number of data values depends on item and data
printed) (I8,1X,nG12.5)
For PRNS,/S/EPTO/EPEL/EPPL/EPCR/EPTH/,ALL the format is:
Printing to screen: Node number, 6 Data values, newline, 5 Data Values
(I7,1X,6G11.4,/,7X,5G11.4).
Printing to file: Node number, 11 Data values (I7,1X,11G11.4)
Version 3.102.514 C-3

FILE USAGE Appendix C
C-4 Version 3.102.514

Appendix D SUPPORTED ANSYS ELEMENT TYPES

Since pro-fe is a pre/post-processor for the ANSYS finite element code, it is necessary
to support the various element types available in ANSYS. This appendix presents, in
tabular format, the following information:
Element type number as shown in the ANSYS element library.
Element type name in pro-fe (six characters long).
Description of element type.
Is element type supported by pro-fe? (i.e. can this element type be created in
pro-fe or read into pro-fe).
Can this element type accept midside (M), control (C), or both (B) nodes?
Can this element type be post-processed by pro-fe?
It should be noted that, pro-fe currently supports all element types available in ANSYS
5.6.
No. Name Description Support M/C/B/N Post-Proc

1 LINK1 2-D Spar Y N Y
2-D 6-Node Triangular
2 PLANE2 Y M Y
Structural Solid
3 BEAM3 2-D Elastic Beam Y N Y
4 BEAM4 3-D Elastic Beam Y C Y
5 SOLID5 3-D Coupled-Field Solid Y N N
7 COMBI7 Revolute Joint N N N
8 LINK8 3-D Spar Y N Y
9 INFIN9 2-D Infinite Boundary Y N N
Tension-only or Compres-
10 LINK10 Y N Y
sion-only Spar
11 LINK11 Linear Actuator Y N Y
12 CONT12 2-D Point-to-Point Contact Y N Y
13 PLANE13 2-D Coupled-Field Solid Y N N
14 COMB14 Spring-Damper Y N Y
16 PIPE16 Elastic Straight Pipe Y C Y
17 PIPE17 Elastic Pipe Tee N N N
Elastic Curved Pipe
18 PIPE18 Y C N
(Elbow)
Version 3.102.514 D-1

SUPPORTED ANSYS ELEMENT TYPES Appendix D

20 PIPE20 Plastic Straight Pipe Y N Y
21 MASS21 Structural Mass Y N Y
23 BEAM23 2-D Plastic Beam Y N Y
24 BEAM24 3-D Thin-walled Beam Y C Y
4-Node Axisymmet-
25 PLANE25 ric-Harmonic Structural Y N Y
Solid
2-D Point-to-Ground Con-
26 CONT26 N N N
tact
Stiffness, Damping, or
27 MATR27 Y N N
Mass Matrix
28 SHEL28 Shear / Twist Panel Y N Y
29 FLUI29 2-D Acoustic Fluid Y N N
30 FLUI30 3-D Acoustic Fluid Y N N
31 LINK31 Radiation Link Y N Y
32 LINK32 2-D Conduction Bar Y N Y
33 LINK33 3-D Conduction Bar Y N Y
34 LINK34 Convection Link Y N Y
2-D 6-Node Triangular
35 PLAN35 Y M Y
Thermal Solid
36 SOUR36 Current Source N N N
37 COMB37 Control Y N N
38 FLUI38 Dynamic Fluid Coupling N N N
39 COMB39 Non-linear Spring Y N Y
40 COMB40 Combination Y N Y
41 SHEL41 Membrane Shell Y N Y
42 PLAN42 2-D Structural Solid Y N Y
43 SHEL43 Plastic Large Strain Shell Y N Y
3-D Tapered Unsymmetric
44 BEAM44 Y C Y
Beam
45 SOLI45 3-D Structural Solid Y N Y
D-2 Version 3.102.514


3-D Layered Structural
46 SOLI46 Y N N
Solid
47 INFI47 3-D Infinite Boundary Y N N
2-D Point-to-Surface Con-
48 CONT48 Y C Y
tact
3-D Point-to-Surface Con-
49 CONT49 Y C Y
tact
50 MATR50 Superelement N N N
Axisymmetric Structural
51 SHEL51 Y N Y
Shell
52 CONT52 3-D Point-to-Point Contact Y N Y
2-D 8-Node Magnetic
53 PLAN53 Y M N
Solid
2-D Elastic Tapered
54 BEAM54 Y N Y
Unsymmetric Beam
55 PLAN55 2-D Thermal Solid Y N Y
2-D 4-Node Mixed U-P
56 HYPE56 Y N Y
Hyperelastic Solid
57 SHEL57 Thermal Shell Y N Y
58 HYPE58 Y N Y
Hyperelastic Solid
59 PIPE59 Immersed Pipe or Cable Y N Y
Plastic Curved Pipe
60 PIPE60 N N N
(Elbow)
Axisymmetric-Harmonic
61 SHEL61 Y N Y
Structural Shell
3-D Magneto-Structural
62 SOLI62 Y N N
Solid
63 SHEL63 Elastic Shell Y N Y
64 SOLI64 3-D Anisotropic Solid Y N Y
3-D Reinforced Concrete
65 SOLI65 Y N Y
Solid
Version 3.102.514 D-3


67 PLAN67 2-D Thermal-Electric Solid Y N N
68 LINK68 Thermal-Electric Line Y N Y
69 SOLI69 3-D Thermal-Electric Solid Y N N
70 SOLI70 3-D Thermal Solid Y N Y
71 MASS71 Thermal Mass Y N Y
3-D 4-Node Tetrahedral
72 SOLI72 Structural Solid with Rota- Y N Y
tions
3-D 8-Node Structural
73 SOLI73 Y N Y
Solid with Rotations
74 HYPE74 Y M Y
Hyperelastic Solid
75 PLAN75 Y N Y
Thermal Solid
77 PLAN77 2-D 8-Node Thermal Solid Y M Y
8-Node Axisymmet-
78 PLAN78 ric-Harmonic Thermal Y M Y
Solid
79 FLUI79 2-D Contained Fluid Y N N
80 FLUI80 3-D Contained Fluid Y N N
81 FLUI81 Y N N
Contained Fluid
82 PLAN82 Y M Y
Solid
8-Node Axisymmet-
83 PLAN83 ric-Harmonic Structural Y M Y
Solid
2-D 8-Node Hyperelastic
84 HYPE84 Y M Y
Solid
86 HYPE86 3-D Hyperelastic Solid Y N Y
87 SOLI87 Y M Y
Thermal Solid
D-4 Version 3.102.514


2-D 8-Node Viscoelastic
88 VISC88 Y M N
Solid
3-D 20-Node Viscoelastic
89 VISC89 Y M N
Solid
3-D 20-Node Thermal
90 SOLI90 Y M Y
Solid
Nonlinear Layered Struc-
91 SHEL91 Y M N
tural Shell
92 SOLI92 Y M Y
Solid
93 SHEL93 8-Node Structural Shell Y M Y
95 SOLI95 Y M Y
Solid
96 SOLI96 3-D Magnetic Scalar Solid Y N N
97 SOLI97 3-D Magnetic Solid Y N N
Tetrahedral Coupled-Field
98 SOLI98 Y M N
Solid
Linear Layered Structural
99 SHEL99 Y M N
Shell
106 VIS106 2-D Large Strain Solid Y N N
107 VIS107 3-D Large Strain Solid Y N N
2-D 8-Node Large Strain
108 VIS108 Y M N
Solid
110 INF110 2-D Infinite Solid Y M N
111 INF111 3-D Infinite Solid Y M N
115 INT115 3-D Magnetic Interface Y N N
116 FLU116 Thermal-Fluid Pipe Y C(2) N
117 SOL117 3-D Magnetic Solid Y M N
3-D Tetrahedral High-Fre-
119 HF119 Y M N
quency
3-D Brick/Wedge
120 HF120 Y M N
High-Frequency
Version 3.102.514 D-5


2-D 8-Node Electrostatic
121 PLN121 Y M N
Solid
3-D 20-Node Electrostatic
122 SOL122 Y M N
Solid
123 SOL123 Y M N
Electrostatic Solid
124 CIR124 General Circuit N N N
Electro-structural Trans-
126 TRA126 Y N N
ducer Element
3-D Tetrahedral Electro-
127 SOL127 Y M N
static Solid p-Element
3-D Brick Electrostatic
128 SOL128 Y M N
Solid p-Element
129 FLU129 2-D Infinite Acoustic Y N N
130 FLU130 3-D Infinite Acoustic Y N N
141 FLU141 2-D Fluid-Thermal Y N N
142 FLU142 3-D Fluid-Thermal Y N N
143 SHL143 Plastic Shell Y N Y
2-D Quadrilateral Struc-
145 PLN145 Y M Y
tural Solid p-Element
2-D Triangular Structural
146 PLN146 Y M Y
Solid p-Element
3-D Brick Structural Solid
147 SOL147 Y M Y
p-Element
3-D Tetrahedral Structural
148 SOL148 Y M Y
Solid p-Element
8-Node Structural Shell
150 SHL150 Y M Y
p-Element
2-D Thermal Surface
151 SRF151 Y B Y
Effect
3-D Thermal Surface
152 SRF152 Y B Y
Effect
D-6 Version 3.102.514


2-D Structural Surface
153 SRF153 Y M N
Effect
3-D Structural Surface
154 SRF154 Y M N
Effect
Coupled Thermal-Electric
157 SHL157 Y N N
Shell
158 HYP158 Mixed U-P Hyperelastic Y M Y
Solid
160 LNK160 Explicit 3-D Spar Y C N
161 BEA161 Explicit 3-D Beam Y C N
Explicit Thin Structural
163 SHL163 Y N N
Shell
Explicit 3-D Structural
164 SOL164 Y N N
Solid
165 CMB165 Y N N
Solid
166 MAS166 Y N N
Mass
167 LNK167 Explicit Tension-Only Spar Y C N
169 TRG169 2-D Target Segment Y M Y
170 TRG170 3-D Target Segment Y M Y
2-D Surface-to-Surface
171 CNT171 Y N Y
Contact
2-D 3-Node Sur-
172 CNT172 Y M Y
face-to-Surface Contact
3-D Surface-to-Surface
173 CNT173 Y N Y
Contact
3-D 8-Node Sur-
174 CNT174 Y M Y
face-to-Surface Contact
2-D / 3-D Pre-tension Ele-
179 PRT179 Y C N
ment
Version 3.102.514 D-7


180 LNK180 3-D Finite Strain Spar Y N Y
181 SHL181 Finite Strain Shell Y N Y
182 PLN182 2-D Structural Solid Y N Y
183 PLN183 Y M Y
Solid
185 SOL185 Y N Y
Solid
186 SOL186 Y M Y
Solid
187 SOL187 Y M Y
Structural Solid
188 BEA188 3-D Finite Strain Beam Y C Y
189 BEA189 3-D Finite Strain Beam Y B Y
D-8 Version 3.102.514

Appendix E VALID PLOT COMBINATIONS
Appendix E VALID PLOT COMBINATIONS

Table E-1: Terminal Type = Vector
PLTYPE MISC. OPTIONS
POPTION
NORMAL SECTION QHIDDEN EHIDDEN EDGES LIGHTED
GEOMETRY X X X X X
VECTORS
X X X X X
(CELL DATA)
CONTOUR
(CELL DATA)
VECTORS
X X X X X
(VERTEX DATA)
CONTOUR
X X X X
(VERTEX DATA)
ISOSURFACE
(VERTEX DATA)
FACE COLOR
CODE
(NOTE: CONTOURS IN VECTOR MODE ARE DRAWN AS FRINGE [LINE] CONTOURS)
Table E-2: Terminal Type = Raster

POPTION
GEOMETRY X X X X X X
VECTORS
X X X X X X
(CELL DATA)
CONTOUR
X X X
(CELL DATA)
VECTORS
X X X X X X
(VERTEX DATA)
CONTOUR
X X X
(VERTEX DATA)
ISOSURFACE
X X
(VERTEX DATA)
FACE COLOR
X
CODE
(NOTE: CONTOURS IN RASTER MODE ARE DRAWN AS FILLED COLOR CONTOURS)
Version 3.102.514 E-1

VALID PLOT COMBINATIONS Appendix E
Table E-3: Terminal Type = Hardware (Raster + 24-bit Color + Zbuffer)

POPTION
GEOMETRY X X X
VECTORS
X X X
(CELL DATA)
CONTOUR
X X
(CELL DATA)
VECTORS
X X X
(VERTEX DATA)
CONTOUR
X X
(VERTEX DATA)
ISOSURFACE
(VERTEX DATA)
FACE COLOR
X X
CODE
TRANSLUCENT PLOTS ARE AVAILABLE IN ALL RASTER AND EXTENDED MODES ON

MACHINES USING GL GRAPHICS WITH APPROPRIATE HARDWARE
E-2 Version 3.102.514

Appendix F PRO-FE X- RESOURCES
Appendix F pro-fe X- RESOURCES

The Motif version of pro-fe utilizes standard X resources for defining the layout and
look of its windows. While default values for these resources are built into the program,
you can override the defaults in two different ways:
1. The easiest method is to put resource definitions in your .Xdefaults file. This
file is read by the Motif window manager when you log in or restart the window
manager. Any changes made to this file do not take effect until either you log in
again or you issue an xrdb command to re-read the X resource data base.
Typically, you will issue the command as follows:
xrdb -merge .Xdefaults include the full path to the

.Xdefaults file if you are not in your
home directory
2. Any file can be used to set X resources. The only significance of the
.Xdefaults file is that it is read automatically on start-up. You could, for
example, create a file called PROFE.resources and put the resource
definitions in that file. In this case, you would have to issue the command:
xrdb -merge PROFE.resources
before running pro-fe in order to activate those definitions.
The following describes some useful resource definition commands:
Prostar*background: The default background color for all

pro-fe applications
Prostar*foreground: The default foreground color for all

pro-fe applications
Prostar.geometry: The size and position of the pro-fe

graphics window
Prostar.defaultFontList: The font used for the pro-fe graphics

window menus
Prostar.OutputWindow.geometry: The size and position of the pro-fe

output window
Prostar*cmdForm1Widget.height: The height of the output history por-

tion of the pro-fe output window
Prostar*cmdForm2Widget.height: The height of the input portion of the

pro-fe output text window
Version 3.102.514 F-1

PRO-FE X- RESOURCES Appendix F
Prostar*Prostar_Output_Text.fontList: The font used in the pro-fe output

window
Prostar*Prostar_Output_Text.foreground: The foreground color used in the

pro-fe output window
Prostar*Prostar_Output_Text.background: The background color used in the

pro-fe output window
Prostar*panel_name_B1.background: The background color of button 1 in

the user panel named panel_name.
Buttons in panels are numbered start-
ing from zero and are incremented by
1 from top to bottom and from left to
right. Any panel button can be defined
using the proper panel name and but-
ton number.
Prostar*panel_name_B1.foreground: The foreground color of button 1 in the

user panel named panel_name.
Prostar*panel_name_B1.fontList: The font used for button 1 in the user

panel named panel_name.
Prostar*macro_editor_text.fontList: The font used for the text section of the

macro edit dialog
Prostar*macro_editor_text.foreground: The text foreground color used in the

macro edit dialog
Prostar*macro_editor_text.background: The text background color used in the

macro edit dialog
X color names are usually (but not always) defined in the file:
/usr/lib/X11/rgb.txt
Geometry definitions are in the form of W H + X + Y where W is the width (in pixels),
H the height, X the distance (in pixels) from the top of the screen to the top of the
window, and Y the distance form the left of the screen to the left side of the window.
Heights are also defined in pixels.
Available font list names can usually be found by issuing the command:
xlsfonts
The following shows a sample of resource definitions that could be used with pro-fe:
F-2 Version 3.102.514

Prostar*background: paleturquoise3
Prostar*foreground: black
Prostar.geometry: 800x800+480+0
Prostar.defaultFontList:
-adobe-helvetica-bold-r-normal--14-140-75-75-p-82-
iso8859-1
Prostar.OutputWindow.geometry: 1000x870+0+0
Prostar*cmdForm1Widget.height: 700
Prostar*cmdForm2Widget.height: 70
Prostar*Prostar_Output_Text.fontList:
-adobe-courier-bold-r-normal--18-180-75-75-m-110-
iso8859-1
Prostar*Prostar_Output_Text.foreground: blue
Prostar*Prostar_Output_Text.background: gray85
Prostar*new_panel_B1.background: Red
Prostar*new_panel_B1.fontList:
-adobe-courier-medium-r-normal--12-120-75-75-m-70-
iso8859-1
Prostar*new_panel_B2.background: Green
Prostar*new_panel_B2.fontList:
-b&h-lucida-medium-r-normal-sans-24-*-*-*-*-*-
iso8859-1
Prostar*macro_editor_text.fontList:
-adobe-courier-bold-r-normal--18-180-75-75-m-110-
iso8859-1
Prostar*macro_editor_text.foreground: blue
Prostar*macro_editor_text.background: skyblue
To customize the opening locations of Tools, Lists, etc. in pro-fe

If you run the XMotif version of pro-fe, it is possible to arrange for tools to open in
repeatable locations. This is especially useful if you have a number of favorite tools that
you open each time and can make pro-fe open them every time via the PROINIT file.
There are two steps in doing this. The first is finding out where you want the tool to
be. To this end, run pro-fe and then place (and optionally resize) the tool to get the
desired effect. Follow this by issuing the xwininfo command from an X-window to get
the necessary numbers. For example:
ibm3<68>xwininfo
xwininfo: Please select the window about which you

would like information by clicking the
Version 3.102.514 F-3

mouse in that window.
xwininfo: Window id: 0x54007c2 "Check Tool"
Absolute upper-left X: 587

Absolute upper-left Y: 374
Relative upper-left X: 0
Relative upper-left Y: 0
Width: 630
Height: 590
Depth: 8
Visual Class: PseudoColor
Border width: 0
Class: InputOutput
Colormap: 0x3d (installed)
Bit Gravity State: ForgetGravity
Window Gravity State: NorthWestGravity
Backing Store State: NotUseful
Save Under State: no
Map State: IsViewable
Override Redirect State: no
Corners: +587+374 -63+374 -63-60 +587-60
-geometry 630x590-55-52
This gives us two pieces of information, the name and the location. The name is enclosed
in quotes in the first line of output, for this case it is Check Tool. The location is given
in the last line, -geometry 630x590-55-52. This gives the width and height as
well as the location.
The second step is to feed this information to pro-fe via Xresources. The usual way
is to edit file .Xdefaults in your home directory. In this case, add the following line:
Prostar*CheckTool*Geometry: 630x590-55-52
This line is made up as follows:
Prostar*NAME*Geometry: GEOMETRY
where:
NAME is the name of the window stripped of all spaces; capitalization must be
kept.
GEOMETRY is the location of the window as found from the previous command.
Once this line has been added to the file, pro-fe should respond correctly. On some
systems, restarting pro-fe will suffice. Others may require you to log out and log in
again or issue some variant of the xrdb command.
The above has been tested and works so far on SGI and IBM machines. Other
machines may work with minor variations.
F-4 Version 3.102.514

A suitable PROINIT file will be:
opanel tool$check
Make sure that the PROINIT file is in your current directory or that it is pointed to by
the STARUSR environment variable.
Version 3.102.514 F-5

F-6 Version 3.102.514

INDEX
INDEX
Commands are listed at the end of each section
A BLKTRACE 3-66
BLKWALL 3-61
accuracy
numerical 1-4
animation 2-20, 8-39 to 8-49 C
area cell
surface 4-3 baffle 3-39
aspect ratio color 3-40
cell 1-5 to 1-6 data 11-3
check 4-5, 4-10 definition 3-1, 3-38
axis distribution 3-58
coordinate 3-8 to 3-11 extrusion 3-6 to 3-7
plot 5-6 face
ABBREVIATE 10-1 area 4-3
ACROSS 4-3 plotting 5-6
ADDMID 3-41 FEA element type number 3-40
ANGLE 5-7 fluid 3-39
ANMRESULT 9-25 generation and manipulation 3-43 to 3-52
ANSRESULTFILE 9-3 group 3-40
AOPTION 8-42 to 8-43, 8-47
grouping 3-46
AREA 4-3
index 6-3
ARROW 8-15 line 3-39, 3-42
AXISUP 5-4 listing
AZONE 4-3
ANSYS elements 6-7
material 3-40
B name 3-40
orientation 3-44 to 3-45
baffle
plot 5-15
cells 3-47 to 3-49
plotting 3-47
shapes 3-42
point 3-39
block
properties 3-38, 3-40
edges 3-27
real constant 3-40
set 3-22, 5-2
set 2-11 to 2-14, 3-46 to ??, 5-2
boundary conditions
shape 1-7, 3-41 to 3-43
nodal 7-5 to 7-7
shell 3-39
surface 7-7 to 7-13
size 1-6
surface shell creation 7-1 to 7-5
solid 3-39
using CCROSS 7-3
surface 6-4
using CFIND 7-1
using LIVE,SURFACE 7-4 surface lighting index 3-40
BARLIST 8-29 to 8-30 table 6-1 to 6-3
BARTYPE 8-29 type 3-39, 3-40
BATCH 2-8 volume 4-3, 4-6
BLK 3-59 coordinate system
BLKCELL 3-59 Cartesian 3-8, 5-8
BLKDELETE 3-59, 3-61 cylindrical 3-9, 5-7
BLKEXECUTE 3-61 explicit definition 3-11
BLKFACTORS 3-61 global 3-8, 3-11
BLKGENERATE 3-59 implicit definition 3-12
BLKLIST 3-61 local 3-8, 3-10 to 3-13, 5-8
BLKMODIFY 3-61 spherical 3-10
BLKPLOT 3-59, 5-15 toroidal 3-10
BLKSET 2-14, 3-59, 3-61 cyclic symmetry
animating solution varying phase angle 9-29
Version 3.102.514 1
Index
derivation of cyclic symmetry results 9-50 CTNAME 6-2

graph local strain gage value versus phase angle 9-46 CTYPE 6-5
graphing natural frequency vs. nodal diameter 9-7 CUNDELETE 3-50
graphing results versus phase angle 9-45 CURSORMODE 2-9
linking ANSYS result file 9-4 CVERTEX 4-4
listing nodal diameters 9-7 CWRITE 3-52
model expansion 9-43 CZONE 3-46, 6-5
nodal expanded results 9-50
nodal independent results 9-51
phase independent results 9-14 D
phase shift 9-14 data
C 3-43 import 4-1
CASENAME 11-1 discretisation
CCOMPRESS 3-46 error 1-6
CCROSS 3-46, 4-13, 6-5, 7-3 distance
CDELETE 3-46, 3-50 vector 4-4
CDIRECTION 3-19 DEFORM 9-11, 9-13
CDISPLAY 5-4 DGENERATE 8-22
CDSAVE 11-3 DISTANCE 5-6
CDX 3-43 DSCALE 9-11, 9-13
CENTER 3-20, 5-6
CFIND 3-46, 4-14, 6-5, 7-1
CFLIP 4-5
E
CGENERATE 3-43 element
CHANGE 8-13, 8-20 defining extra-noded element 6-8
CHECK 4-5, 4-8 to 4-9, 4-18 table 6-6
CLEAR 5-4 listing 6-7
CLIST 3-50, 6-7, 6-8 error
CLOCAL 3-11 numerical discretisation 1-6
CLOSE 11-5 ECHOINPUT 2-9
CLRFILL 5-11 EDGE 5-5
CLRLIST 5-10, 9-16, 9-23 EDGESEL 5-4, 9-16, 9-18, 9-22
CLRMODE 2-19 ENSIGHT 4-2
CLRPENS 5-10 ETLIST 6-7
CLRTABLE 5-10, 9-16, 9-23 ETYPE 3-41, 6-6, 6-8
CMODIFY 3-44, 6-6 EXPAND 9-43
CONVERT 3-5 TBSCAN 2-18
COUNT 3-19, 3-30, 3-44, 3-59
CPARBITRARY 4-8 F
CPLOT 3-46, 5-15, 8-7, 8-42, 9-16, 9-22
FEA element type
CPMATCH 4-8
index 3-47
CREAD 3-51
FEA GUIde 2-24 to 2-27
CREORDER 3-52
ANSYS post-processing 9-1
CSCALE 5-10, 8-15, 9-16, 9-23
FLIST 3-44
CSDEL 3-11
FRAME 8-33, 8-38
CSDIR 3-16
FRDEFINE 8-33
CSET 2-14, 3-46 to 3-47, 3-50, 4-18, 5-14, 8-22
FSCAN 2-8
CSLIST 3-11
FSTAT 2-13, 5-17, 11-5
CSPLINE 3-44
CSYS 3-11
CTABLE 4-14, 6-2 G
CTDELETE 6-3 GAMBIT 4-2
CTLIST 6-2, 6-7 GDATA 8-27
CTMODIFY 6-2
2 Version 3.102.514
Index
GDRAW 8-33, 8-38 checking

GENERIC 4-2, 7-1, 7-5, 7-7 macroscopic 4-3
GETFILE 11-3, 11-7 microscopic 4-4 to 4-10
GETUSERDATA 7-9, 8-5 to 8-6, 8-12 continuity 3-62
GETVERT 8-12 distortion 1-5 to 1-6
GFILL 8-28 distribution 1-6 to 1-8
GINPUT 8-28 generation 3-3 to 3-8, 3-56, 3-62
GLOAD 8-25 morphing 4-1, 4-13 to 4-19
GMAP 8-37 quality 4-10 to 4-13
GMARK 8-33, 8-38 refinement 3-51
GPAN 8-36, 8-38 spacing 1-4
GPARAM 8-26 visualisation
GPICK 8-36, 8-38 colour setting 5-10, 6-1
GPOST 8-26 lighting effect 5-11, 6-1
GPUT 8-36 model
GRAY 8-42 external geometry 1-3
GRDISPLAY 8-33 internal characteristics 1-3
GREDRAW 8-33, 8-38 modeling
GRESET 8-24 process 1-1 to 1-3
GRLABEL 8-33, 8-38 MACRO 10-9
GRVPHASE 9-45 MEMORY 11-7
GSPLIT 8-33, 8-35 MESH 3-5
GVALUE 8-25 MORTHO 4-11
GZOOM 8-36 to 8-38 MULTISECTION 5-4
MULTISWEEP 9-16, 9-18, 9-22
H
help N
online 2-21 to 2-23 nodal rotations 3-19
HEADING 8-15 numerical
HISTORY 2-9 to 2-10 discretisation error 1-6
NDGRAPH 9-8
NDLIST 9-8
I NFILE 8-40, 9-16, 11-3
IFILE 11-1, 11-5, 11-7 NPLOT 8-40
INTEGRATE 8-21 NUMBER 5-4
NUMREG 8-24
L
LIGHT 5-12 O
LINLIST 8-29 OFILE 11-5
LINTYPE 8-29 OPANEL 10-1, 10-6
LIVE 3-6, 7-4, 8-22, 8-47 OPERATE 8-12 to 8-13, 8-20, 8-26
LMATERIAL 5-13 OVERLAY 5-4, 8-46
LOCAL 3-11
LSWITCH 5-4, 5-12
P
patch
M surface 3-2, 3-6, 3-27
mapping plotting
data functions 2-18 to 2-20
Using PMAP 7-7 to 7-11 hard copy 11-10
mesh mesh 5-3 to 5-14
block 2-11, 3-56 midside nodes 5-9
Version 3.102.514 3
Index
results 8-7 to 8-9 Q

post-processing
QUIT 2-11
ANSYS
animating results 9-24 to 9-32
creating isosurface contour plots 9-21 to 9-22 R
creating section/clipped contour plots 9-17 to 9-21 real constant
creating surface contour plots 9-16 to 9-17 index 6-1
derivation of nodal results 9-48 to 9-50 reporting problems 2-23 to 2-24
display options 9-22 to 9-24 rotation
linking result file 9-3 coordinate 3-11
plotting nodal results 9-3 to 9-24 RANGE 4-4
printing element results 9-40 to 9-42 RCALCULATE 8-36
printing nodal loads 9-35 to 9-38 RCLEAR 8-29 to 8-30
printing nodal results 9-32 to 9-35 RCLIP 8-31
printing reaction loads 9-38 to 9-40 RECALL 2-10
recording animations to GIF file 9-31 RECOVER 2-10
selecting data set 9-6 RECRD 8-40
shell element location 9-48 REGLIST 8-29
storing nodal data to post registers 9-48 REPLOT 5-14, 8-42, 9-16, 10-3
pro-fe RESET 2-20
clock 2-6 RESTRUCTURE 3-19, 3-53
customization 2-8, 10-1 RESUME 11-2, 11-5
initialization 2-2 to 2-8 REWIND 11-5
input/output window 2-3 to 2-5 RLABEL 8-29
main window 2-6 to 2-8 ROPERATE 8-29 to 8-30
resizing(memory) 11-7 ROTATE 5-7
PAGE 2-9 RSORT 8-31
PAN 5-4 RSTORE 9-48
PATCH 3-6 RSYS 9-11, 9-12, 9-33, 9-37, 9-39, 9-41
PHANGLE 9-14 RTABLE 8-29
PLARROW 5-8, 8-15 RTLIST 8-29
PLAYBACK 8-40
PLDISPLAY 5-4, 5-8, 9-16, 9-23
PLFACE 5-4 S
PLFIX 5-7 scalar
PLLABEL 5-8, 8-15 plotting 8-5 to 8-8
PLLOCALCOOR 3-11, 5-8 screen capture 2-20
PLMESH 5-4, 9-16, 9-18 sensor point 3-16, 8-21
PLNSOL 9-11, 9-14, 9-16 shell 3-2, 3-6, 3-39, 3-47, 8-22
PLRECALL 5-18 in block meshing 3-62 to 3-66
PLSAVE 5-17 spline 3-2, 3-27 to 3-38, 8-26
PLTBACK 2-20 compression 3-32
PLTYPE 5-4, 8-7, 9-16, 9-18 creation 3-29
PMAP 7-1, 7-7, 7-11, 8-22 deletion 3-31
PMID 5-9 display 5-15
POPTION 8-7, 9-16, 9-18, 9-22 exporting 3-36
PRELSL 9-41 generation 3-29
PRINT 8-20 generation and manipulation 3-29 to 3-37
PRNLD 9-37 graphical operations 3-32
PRNSOL 9-33 grouping 3-32
PROMPT 10-7 importing 3-36
PRRSOL 9-39 in block meshing 3-66
listing 3-33
plotting 3-31
4 Version 3.102.514
Index
set 2-11, 3-22, 5-2 STATUS 8-29, 8-33

tables 3-28 to 3-29 STDELETE 3-29
vertex manipulation 3-37 to 3-38 STLIST 3-28
stability STRGRAPH 9-47
numerical 1-4 STYPE 3-28
surface SUBTITLE 2-10, 8-15
cell 3-49, 6-4 SUMMARIZE 8-21
data 3-62, 4-1 SURFSEL 5-4
free 8-8 SYMLIST 8-29
symmetry SYMTYPE 8-29
axis 3-16, 8-22 SYSTEM 2-9
plane 8-22
SAFETY 2-10, 3-21
SAVE 5-14, 11-2 T
SAVUSERDATA 8-6 table
SCDUMP 2-20, 8-46 input 2-14 to 2-18
SCLOCATE 5-9 tetrahedron
SCRDELETE 2-20, 8-43 generating 3-41
SCRIN 2-20, 8-40 to 8-41, 8-43 tool
SCROUT 2-20, 8-40, 8-43 block 3-59
SDATA 8-37 cell 3-45
SECMOVE 9-16, 9-18 check 4-4
SECSCALE 5-8 colour table 5-10
SENSOR 8-21 mesh 3-66
SET 9-6 spline 3-28, 3-30
SETADD 2-13 vertex 3-20
SETDELETE 2-12 TBCLEAR 2-14
SETENV 10-6 TBDEFINE 2-14
SETFEATURE 10-1 TBGRAPH 2-17
SETREAD 2-13 TBLIST 2-16
SETWRITE 2-12 TBMODIFY 2-16
SHELL 9-48 TBREAD 2-14, 2-16, 2-18
SHRINK 5-4 TBWRITE 2-16, 2-18
SIZE 2-8 TERMINAL 2-18, 8-14, 8-40, 9-16, 9-18, 11-3
SNORMAL 5-5, 5-7, 9-16, 9-18 TEXT 2-9
SORT 4-5, 8-20 THIN 8-15
SPCHECK 3-30 TICMARK 5-8
SPL 3-29, 3-66 TITLE 2-10
SPLCROSS 3-31 TMSTAMP 8-43
SPLDELETE 3-31, 3-34 TPRINT 2-8
SPLGENERATE 3-29 TSCALE 2-20, 5-6, 5-8
SPLLIST 3-34
SPLMODIFY 3-31, 3-34
SPLOT 3-31, 5-15
U
SPLREAD 3-36 under-relaxation
SPLSET 2-14, 3-31, 3-33 to 3-34 mesh smoothing 4-12
SPLUNDELETE 3-34 Users Tool 2-21
SPLWRITE 3-36 UGRID 8-15
SPOINT 5-7, 9-16, 9-18 UNITS 9-11
SPRINT 8-21 9-12
SRFDELETE 5-15 UNSKEW 4-11
SRFREAD 5-16 UNWARP 4-12, 4-13
SRFWRITE 5-15 UPDATE 8-20
STABLE 3-28 USER 2-8
Version 3.102.514 5
Index
V VSECTION 3-16, 3-30, 3-44, 5-8

vertex VSET 2-14, 3-20, 3-22, 3-25, 4-14, 4-18, 7-1
compression 3-23 VSMOOTH 4-11, 4-13, 4-17, 4-18
coordinate 3-1, 10-4 VSPCROSS 3-31, 3-37
data 11-3 VSPDEFINE 3-37
deletion 3-22 VSPFILL 3-37, 4-13
exporting 3-27 VSPGENERATE 3-37
grouping 3-21 VSPLIST 3-38
importing 3-26 VSPMOVE 3-38
listing 3-24 VSTYLE 5-4
manipulation using splines 3-37 to 3-38 VTRANS 3-18
merging 3-22 VUNDO 3-20
plotting 3-22 VWRITE 3-27
rotations 3-19
set 2-11, 5-2 W
volume WHOLE 2-20
cell 4-6 WINDOW 5-4
mesh 4-3
V 3-15, 3-25
VADJANGLE 4-11 Z
VAVERAGE 7-11 ZOOM 5-4, 5-14
VC3DGEN 3-13
VCELL 3-16
VCENTER 3-17
VCEXTRUDE 3-6
VCOMPRESS 3-20, 3-24
VCROSS 3-20
VDELETE 3-20, 3-25
VDISTANCE 4-4
VELLIPTIC 4-11
VEQUAL 3-18, 4-13
VESCALE 8-15
VFILL 3-15 to 3-16, 3-27, 4-13, 4-16
VGAP 3-20
VGENERATE 3-15, 3-27, 3-43, 4-15
VIEW 5-7
VINTERSECT 3-16, 3-30, 3-44
VLIST 3-20, 3-25
VLOCAL 3-11
VMAP 3-20
VMERGE 3-23, 3-62, 4-8
VMODIFY 3-25
VMOVE 3-17
VOLUME 4-3
VPLOT 3-20, 5-15
VPROJECT 3-18
VREAD 3-26
VREFLECT 3-17, 3-43
VRENUMBER 3-19
VREPLACE 3-19
VRML 4-2
VROTATE 3-19
VSCALE 3-18
6 Version 3.102.514

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USER GUIDE

pro-fe VERSION 3.102.514

CONFIDENTIAL FOR AUTHORIZED USERS ONLY

2000 Adapco Limited

1 BASIC PRINCIPLES OF FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSES

Version 3.102.514 iii

Chapter 1 BASIC PRINCIPLES OF FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSES

The Basic Modeling Process

Version 3.102.514 1-1

Determination of whether the model will either be 2-dimensional or

Phase 3 Performing the finite element analysis using a finite element

Phase 4 Post-processing the results using pro-fe

1-2 Version 3.102.514

Finite element mesh creation

Figure 1-1 Examples of finite element models generated in pro-fe

Fillet mesh for this blade

Figure 1-2 Refined mesh at critical fillet location

Mesh spacing considerations

Thus, the user should aim at an optimum mesh arrangement which

Chapter 3 describes several methods available in pro-fe, some of them semi-automatic,

1-4 Version 3.102.514

Figure 1-3 Element shape characteristics

Version 3.102.514 1-5

The flexibility afforded by pro-fes range of alternative element shapes available

1-6 Version 3.102.514

Triangular prism Pyramid

Figure 1-4 Basic pro-fe finite element shapes

Mesh distribution near surfaces at critical locations

Version 3.102.514 1-7

A uniform mesh at the critical fillet

Figure 1-5 Uniform mesh distribution at critical stress location

1-8 Version 3.102.514

Chapter 2 GENERAL pro-fe FEATURES

which can uniquely determine the finite element problem to be solved. As a

GUI facilities are presently available for UNIX or Windows NT implementations of

Version 3.102.514 2-1

the FEA GUIde window.

Note, however, that:

Two windows are displayed automatically immediately following the initialization

Version 3.102.514 2-3

2-4 Version 3.102.514

Version 3.102.514 2-5

2-6 Version 3.102.514

detailed description of their functionality:

Version 3.102.514 2-7

Tools > Cell Tool > Edit Types

General Housekeeping and Session Control

2-8 Version 3.102.514

Version 3.102.514 2-9

Command: TITLE SUBTITLE

2-10 Version 3.102.514

Version 3.102.514 2-11

Commands: SETWRITE SETDELETE

The input required is as follows:

Click Write to save the set definition.

Click Delete to delete the set definition.

2-12 Version 3.102.514

The input required is as follows:

Selecting sets of various entities has two major uses:

Commands: TBDEFINE TBCLEAR

The required input is as follows:

Cartesian Cylindrical Spherical Toroidal

The coordinate names shown above in parentheses need only be used if

Version 3.102.514 2-15