META Tutorials

NVH: BASIC

Table of Contents

1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 1
1.1. Prerequisites ..................................................................................................................... 1
1.2. Problem Description.......................................................................................................... 1
1.3. Data Files.......................................................................................................................... 1
2. Load Model and Handle Geometry ....................................................................................... 2
2.1. Read Model Geometry ...................................................................................................... 2
2.2. Views ................................................................................................................................ 3
2.3. Set Visible Entities ............................................................................................................ 3
2.4. Focusing on Entities ......................................................................................................... 4
3. Read and View Results .......................................................................................................... 6
3.1. Load Results File .............................................................................................................. 6
3.2. Animation .......................................................................................................................... 7
3. Queries.................................................................................................................................... 9
3.1. Identification ...................................................................................................................... 9
3.2 Statistics ............................................................................................................................ 9
3.3. Annotations ..................................................................................................................... 10
4. Conclusion ........................................................................................................................... 11
 NVH: Basic

1. Introduction
This tutorial provides an entry overview of basic post-processing steps that could be followed within META to conduct a
standard NVH analysis.
Not all META capabilities and features are exhausted within this tutorial.

The steps described in this tutorial include:

Load the model geometry and results
Handle visibility, views and styles
Identify different items of the model
Fringe (contour) plots and options
Queries on results
Statistics
Annotations
Plotting and filtering curves
Export files
Reporting

1.1. Prerequisites
It is recommended for users who have never used META before to read the Chapter 2 of META Users Guide.

1.2. Problem Description

Post Processing of a NASTRAN SOL103 and a SOL111 will be
presented.

1.3. Data Files

The files required for this tutorial are
/tutorials/META_tutorials/NVH/BODY_SOL103.nas
/tutorials/META_tutorials/NVH/BODY_SOL103.op2

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2. Load Model and Handle Geometry

2.1. Read Model Geometry
Start META.
From the Read Results > Geometry tab, first make sure that the File
Format option menu is switched to either Auto detect or Nastran.
1 1. Invoke the File Manager.

Tips
Geometry can be also loaded from File > Open

2. Navigate and select one of the file:

2 BODY_SOL103.nas

Tips:
The model’s geometry can be read either from the input file
(NASTRAN Bulk data) or the .op2 file.
However loading geometry from the input file (NASTRAN Bulk data)
3 provides extra information.

3. Press Open to read in the model.

The model is read and it should appear as it is shown in the image on

the left.

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2.2. Views
Key functions:

F1 to F6 Change the view

F7 Zoom in at mouse cursor position
F8 Zoom out at mouse cursor position
F9 Zoom all
F10 Default view
F11 Full screen

View control using the mouse:

Move the model in the 3D space by pressing

the CTRL key and the appropriate mouse
buttons as shown on the right.

For faster drawing press CTRL+SHIFT

Only the feature lines are shown when rotating

2.3. Set Visible Entities

1. Press on the Set Visible Entities button or the F12 key card to
1 control which types of entities are visible

2. Press None and then check the SHELLS entities.

Alternatively, make a Box Selection with the Right Mouse

Button over the entities that are going to be hidden)

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Only the shell elements are now visible.

3. Press on ESC key to close the card.

2.4. Focusing on Entities

Focusing actions may be performed through:

Focus Group of buttons

Right Click Context menu on the 3d Window

When applicable, a selection assistance tool becomes visible

• To set which entities to pick
• To activate selection tools

1. Press on the !NOT button and make sure the PID is active in
Feature Selection tool.

3
1
2
2. Click on the roof and the front glass. Middle click to confirm and
exit the function.
3. Press the ALL button to bring back as visible all SHELL entities.

1. Click on the Pids button

2. Type “FIREWALL” in the Filtering List (case sensitive) and press
Enter
1 3. Right click on the selected Parts and select Show only

3
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4. Close the Pids window and press the iReset button to switch off
the highlighting of the selected parts.

5 4

5. Press an All button to bring everything visible.

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3. Read and View Results

3.1. Load Results File
1. Switch to Results tab. META automatically recognizes the
respective results file.

All states are listed and selected by default

1 Three result categories are available to read:
- Deformation
- Scalar
- Vector

2. Switch to Deformation tab.

By default Eigenvectors are selected.

3. Switch the Deformation Scale Factor to Auto calculate and

enable the Per Each State option.

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1. Switch to Scalar tab to load Strain Energy

1 2. Press on the Read button.

Loading information appears on the Info Window

3.2. Animation
1

1. Move the annotation slider to MODE 10 and press on the arrow next to Play button and select Harmonic
Tip:
Use the mouse wheel on the slider to switch between modes
2. Activate the Fringe button

3. Press on the arrow next to the button and set the options to
On Node and T-Deform
1

The animation looks like the left picture.

Notice that the min and max values of the fringe bar varies
according the current angle in the animation slider which
continuously changes:

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1. Right click on the Fringebar and select Auto Range Values

> Locked States

The min and max values are adjusted according to the min
1 and max eigenvector values for animated mode.

Tip
Locked states are marked with a bolder indicator.

2. To setup fixed min max values, right click and select

Range Limits.

2 3. Set 10 as max value and 0 as min.

3 Note that the Enter key needs to be pressed at each field

to validate the input value.

4. Select the Fringebar Settings.

5. Enable the Show footer options and set to Show min/max

entity ids id footer for Visible Entities
4
The footer appears on the bottom of the Fringebar.

1. Switch the fringe options to On Element and Scalar so that

the Strain Energy values are displayed
2
2. Set the fringe range to Auto Range

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3. Queries
Queries in META mainly consist of the Identification, Statistics and Annotations tools.

3.1. Identification
1. Click on the arrow next to the Identify button and select iElem.
The mouse pointer switches to pick mode.

2. Activate the Wire and pick on any elements to view their scalar
value.

Remarks:
Note that gray elements have no value, so no result will be identified.
(NASTRAN does not assign values on these elements as there is a cut
2 off value)

Notes:
Right click on an element to reset its identification.
Middle click exits the function.
iReset deletes all identifications.
Press on Settings in the Identify list to control values format and
information to appear.
Refer to Appendix F - Advanced Filter functionality in User’s Guide for
more advanced identification filters.

3.2 Statistics
1. Invoke the tool from Tools > Statistics > Statistics.

For every Pid, the max and min values are displayed as well
as the element id where these values appear.

Note that the statistics tool shows information for the current
state.

2. Press on the synchronize button so that the list is refreshed

when changing state.

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3.3. Annotations
Tool for adding text, marking positions and results in 2D or 3D Windows

1. Press on the Annotations button.

1
2. Select the MetaPost window

3. Select the Pointer tab.

4. Select Element
2
5. Press on the Pick button and pick an element form the model

An annotation is created.
3

1. Switch to the Text tab

2. Change the Float Prec to 3

3. Right click on the text field

3

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4. Select Element > Element Pid Name

The part name is added in the text
4
5. Press Apply

The text will change to:

id=$id val=$val
$pname

And the annotation to:

4. Conclusion
It is recommended to read Chapters 2, 3 and 4 of User’s Guide form more details on handling entities,
models, appending more results and plotting curves

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