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ANSYS Basics
Basics
Launching of ANSYS Graphical User Interface (GUI) Menus, dialogs and toolbars Working area Preferences Files used by ANSYS ANSYS Menus ANSYS File menu ANSYS PlotCtrls menu Units Undo Hints
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Launching of ANSYS
.. ANSYS Commands reference ANSYS Element reference .. Basic Analysis Procedures Advanced Analysis Techniques .. Structural Analysis Guide .. ANSYS Tutorials
Click on the Start menu at the bottom left corner of the screen. Start ->Programs -> ANSYS Release 7.1 -> ANSYS Classic
ANSYS Basics
Launching of ANSYS
A note on Interactive vs. Batch mode:
Interactive mode allows you to interact live with ANSYS, reviewing each operation as you go. Batch mode works on an input file of commands and allows you to run ANSYS in the background.
No live interaction, therefore any errors in input will cause the batch run to stop. Best suited for operations that dont need user interaction, such as a solve.
Launching of ANSYS
Jobname specifies the name of all files in a session. The default is file or FILE. Set memory to 64 for total and 32 for database. Set the default directory to be a directory on your disk where you want to save your ANSYS database file. Click on Run.
ANSYS Basics
Launching of ANSYS
You can include commands to be executed when the program starts up in the start71.ans file.
ANSYS Basics
ANSYS Basics
ANSYS Basics
Toolbar Contains abbreviations -- short-cuts to commonly used commands and functions. A few predefined abbreviations are available, but you can add your own. Requires knowledge of ANSYS commands. A powerful feature which you can use to create your own button menu system!
ANSYS Basics
P Z R
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The Output Window is independent of the ANSYS menus. Caution: Closing the output Caution window closes the entire ANSYS session! Remember that you are not restricted to using the menus. If you know the command, feel free to enter it in the Input Window!
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Working area
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Preferences
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Preferences
Preferences The Preferences dialog (Main Menu > Preferences) allows you to filter out menu choices that are not applicable to the current analysis. For example, if you are doing a thermal analysis, you can choose to filter out other disciplines, thereby reducing the number of menu items available in the GUI:
Only thermal element types will be shown in the element type selection dialog. Only thermal loads will be shown. Etc.
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File menu
You can include commands to be executed when the program starts up in the start81.ans file.
Clears (zeros out) the database stored in memory. Clearing the database has the same effect as leaving and reentering the ANSYS program, but does not require you to exit.
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File menu
You can change the default jobname using /FILNAME or
Files opened before this command will only change name if set to Yes
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File menu
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File menu
Defines a title for the analysis. ANSYS includes the title on all graphics displays and on the solution output.
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File menu
You can save or resume the database from anywhere in the ANSYS program Using the save and resume operations together is useful when you want to "test" a function or command.
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File menu
Allows you to restore a *.db or *.dbb with an other file name than Jobname.db
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File menu
The ANSYS program stores all input data (model dimensions, material properties, load data, etc.) and results data (displacements, stresses, temperatures, etc.) in one large database.
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File menu
The term ANSYS database refers to the data ANSYS maintains in memory as you build, solve, and postprocess your model. The database stores both your input data and ANSYS results data:
Input data - information you must enter, such as model dimensions, material properties, and load data. Results data - quantities that ANSYS calculates, such as displacements, stresses, strains, and reaction forces.
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File menu
Save and Resume Since the database is stored in the computers memory (RAM), it is good practice to save it to disk frequently so that you can restore the information in the event of a computer crash or power failure. The SAVE operation copies the database from memory to a file called the database file (or db file for short).
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File menu
To specify a different file name
Any save operation first writes a backup of the current database file (if the database already exists) to Jobname.DBB. If a Jobname.DBB file already exists, the new backup file overwrites it.
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File menu
Notes on SAVE and RESUME:
Choosing the Save as or Resume from function does NOT change the current jobname. If you save to the default file name and a jobname.db already exists, ANSYS will first copy the old file to jobname.dbb as a backup. The db file is simply a snapshot of what is in memory at the time the save is done.
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File menu
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File menu
By default, the program saves the model and loads portions of the database automatically and writes them to the database file, Jobname.DB. If a backup of the current database file already exists, ANSYS writes it to Jobname.DBB.
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PlotCtrls Menu
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Units
The ANSYS program does not assume a system of units for your analysis. Except in magnetic field analyses, you can use any system of units so long as you make sure that you use that system for all the data you enter. (Units must be consistent for all input data.) Using the /UNITS command, you can set a marker in the ANSYS database indicating the system of units that you are using. This command does not convert data from one system of units to another; it simply serves as a record for subsequent reviews of the analysis.
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Undo
Main Menu>Preprocessor>Session Editor
The UNDO command brings up the session editor, a text window that displays all of the program operations since the last SAVE or RESUME command. You can modify command parameters, delete whole sections of text and even save a portion of the command string to a separate file. The file is named jobname000.cmds, with each subsequent save operation incrementing the filename by one digit.
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Hints
Get familiar with
File>Write DB log file or command key LGWRITE, Fname, Ext, --, Kedit
This file can be easily edited in for example Notepad For every create/add facility there is a delete function in ANSYS It may save time to build the model in ANSYS (and yield better results) rather than importing from a CAD system Use the Alt-Tab key to activate hidden dialog boxes or activate the ANSYS output window if ANSYS stalls!!
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Hints
Tips on SAVE and RESUME:
Periodically save the database as you progress through an analysis. ANSYS does NOT do automatic saves. You should definitely SAVE the database before attempting an unfamiliar operation (such as a Boolean or meshing) or an operation that may cause major changes (such as a delete).
RESUME can then be used as an undo if you dont like the results of that operation.
Hints
File Management Tips Run each analysis project in a separate working directory. Use different jobnames to differentiate various analysis runs. You should keep the following files after any ANSYS analysis:
log file ( .log), database file ( .db), results files, load step files, if any (.s01, .s02, ...), physics files (.ph1, .ph2, ...).
Use /DELETE or Utility Menu > File > ANSYS File Options to automatically delete files no longer needed by ANSYS during that session.
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