New Features

What’s New in FEMAP
FEMAP 2020.2 included enhancements and new features, which are detailed below:
User Interface
Geometry
Meshing
Elements
Properties
Layups
Loads and Constraints
Connections (Regions, Properties, and Connectors)
Functions
Aeroelasticity
Listing
Views
Output and Post-Processing
Geometry Interfaces
Analysis Program Interfaces
Tools
Model Merge
OLE/COM API
Preferences
FEMAP 2020.1 MP 2 included enhancements and new features, which are detailed below:
User Interface
VERY IMPORTANT - Output Vector ID Ranges Have Changed!
User Interface
Geometry
Meshing
2020.2-2 Finite Element Modeling
Elements
Simulation Entities - New for 2020.1!
Aeroelasticity
Listing
Groups and Layers
Views
Geometry Interfaces
Tools
Model Merge
OLE/COM API
Preferences
Geometry Interfaces
User Interface
Geometry
Meshing
Elements
Properties
Layups
Optimization
Aeroelasticity
Listing
Groups and Layers
Views
Geometry Interfaces
Tools
What’s New in FEMAP 2020.2-3
Libraries
OLE/COM API
Preferences
FEMAP 12.0 and 12.0.1 includes enhancements and new features, which are detailed below:
User Interface
Geometry
Meshing
Elements
Materials
Properties
Layups
Optimization
Listing
Groups and Layers
Views
Geometry Interfaces
Tools
Model Merge
OLE/COM API
Preferences
What’s New - version 2020.2 2020.2-5
What’s New - version 2020.2
User Interface
General, Menu, Toolbars, Meshing Toolbox, Charting, Data Surface Editor, Function/Table Editor, Mesh Point
Editor, Connection Editor, Entity Info, Data Table, API Programing
General
• Added ability to use commands on “floating” toolbars (i.e., not “docked”) while using another command. It was
already possible to use commands on “docked” toolbars in previous versions.
• Added “Group Display Mode” (i.e., Show Full Model, Show Active Group, and Show Multiple Groups) com-
mands to the Commands tab of the Customize dialog box. They are found under “Additional Commands”. Once
added to any toolbar, shortcut keys can also be assigned to these commands.
• Added Send to Excel command to Pick^ menu for the standard selection dialog box, which automatically opens
Microsoft Excel and sends the IDs currently selected to Excel using the same format as Copy as List.
• Added ability to keep registry and initialization settings separate for multiple installations on the same system
when they use different licensing and/or language versions. Currently licensing using Demo, Subscription,
API-only, and Dongle/Network are considered separate, as are English and other language installations.
• Enhanced Copy to Clipboard and Save to File commands for the Data Table, Connection Editor, Mesh Point
Editor, Function/Table Editor and Entity Editor to copy/save the data using formatted HTML.
• Improved performance and accuracy of the Along Curve, Length Along, and Midpoint options on the Methods^
men u of the standard coordinate definition dialog box.
• Updated Equation Editor dialog box to be resizable, added context-sensitive help by pressing the F1 key, and
reordered the items in the Functions list to group similar items together. In addition, added ELTHK( elemID ;
cornerID ), which returns planar element corner thicknesses.
• Updated the cursor to show when FEMAP is busy but the current activity/command can be aborted, using the
cursor selected with the current windows themes. Also, enhanced performance when aborting commands used
to calculate mass properties, calculate solid properties, measure, check, and list various entities by only check-
ing for abort after a certain number of passes through a loop in the command instead of every single time
through the loop. In some cases, this leads to over a 10X performance increase in responsiveness to abort a
command. Now uses the cursor selected with the current Windows theme rather than a custom one.
• Updated minimize, maximize, and close icons in the title bar of an undocked graphics window to more closely
match the “flat style” of the same icons found in title bar of the main FEMAP application.
• Updated selection of solids to allow use of the Select Visible icon, but only selects visible solids, not volumes.
Menu
• Added List, Output, Results to Excel command. See Output and Post-Processing for more information.
• Added View, Advanced Post, Stress Linearization command. See Output and Post-Processing for more informa-
tion.
Toolbars
• Added Curve Connectivity to the View Style icon menu on the View - Simple and View Toolbars
• Added curve length and arc/circle info to Tooltips when Curve is the active entity in the Select Toolbar and
Show Tooltips is enabled.
Meshing Toolbox
• Feature Removal tool - Added Preview option when Feature Type is set to Blends. When enabled, the standard
entity selection dialog box will appear pre-populated with the blends (i.e., surfaces) to be removed. Simply add
or remove surfaces using the standard entity selection dialog box, then click OK to proceed with blend removal.
• Geometry Editing tool - Added Geometry Type option when Operation is set to Extend.
When Geometry Type is set to Curve on Surface, mimics the capabilities of the Geometry, Midsurface, Extend com-
mand. To use, simply choose a single edge of a surface to extend with the Entity Select icon in the Meshing Toolbox
or multiple edges using Dialog Select icon. Surface and Surface Auto Curve are very similar, with the only differ-
ence being that Surface Auto Curve will automatically select any number of additional curves to extend, based on
the selected curve. For instance, if you choose a curve on the end of a pipe, it will select any additional curve(s)
needed to extend the entire pipe. When using Surface, only curves you explicitly select will be extended.
Both Surface and Surface Auto Curve offer two modes for selecting surfaces, controlled by Single Surface Mode.
When the Single Surface Mode is enabled, toggle on the Entity Select icon and you will be prompted to select a sur-
face, then select a curve. Depending on which Extend To option you are using, that curve or curves will be extended
to only that surface, then you will be prompted to select a surface and curve again.
When Single Surface Mode is disabled, any number of surfaces on different solids, surfaces, or general bodies may
be selected by clicking the “...” button located next to the “No Surface(s) Selected” button. Once selected, the num-
ber of selected surfaces will appear in the text of the button, which when clicked will highlight the selected sur-
faces. After surface selection is completed, choose any number of curves found on surfaces and they will be
extended to the selected surface(s). At any time, use the Clear Selection button to reset surface selection.
When Geometry Type is set to Surface/Replace Face mimics the Geometry, Solid, Extend/Replace Face command.
Simply click icon button next to the Surface to Extend To field, select a surface and click OK, then use Entity Select
or Dialog Select icons in the Meshing Toolbox to select surfaces to extend solid(s) to the surface specified for Sur-
face to Extend To.
Charting 2020.2-7
Charting
• Added Send to Excel command to the Copy to Clipboard icon menu, which opens Microsoft Excel, then sends
both the image and values from the active Chart to Excel.
Data Surface Editor

• Added Send Data Surface to Excel command to the toolbar, which opens Microsoft Excel and transfers text
from the Data Surface Editor directly to Excel.
Function/Table Editor
• Added Send to Excel command to the Copy Text to Clipboard icon menu, which opens Microsoft Excel, then
sends all text, including header information (ID, Title, Type, Column Titles, and Row IDs) directly to Excel.
Mesh Point Editor

• Added Send to Excel command to the Create/Manage Mesh Points icon menu, which opens Microsoft Excel
and sends all Mesh Point data directly to Excel in a specific format, via the clipboard. This data can then be
pasted back into the same FEMAP model or a different model as long as the data remains on the clipboard in
the format created by the command.
Connection Editor
• Added Send to Excel command to the toolbar, which opens Microsoft Excel and sends the current data in the
Connection Editor directly to Excel.
Entity Info
• Added curve length and arc/circle info to when Curve is the active entity in the Select Toolbar.
Data Table
• Added Send to Excel command to the toolbar, which opens Microsoft Excel and sends the current data in the
Data Table directly to Excel.
• Updated Data Table to be unlocked by default when it is opened.
API Programing
• Added Auto-Completion Favorites. When calling a method that contains arguments that are chosen from a
number of available options, the options have traditionally been shown in a drop-down list as you type. Now, as
you choose an option the first time, it will move to the top of the list and be shown with an * to indicate that it is
a “favorite”. This means that when you come to another argument of the same type, your “favorites” will be
easier to find at the top of the list and you won't have to search the entire list to find them. “Favorites” persist
for an entire session, but not across sessions.
• Added Symbol Highlighting. After you have created a script, as you click on a parameter, method or other sym-
bol in the script, the User Interface will highlight all occurrences of that symbol throughout the script making it
easy to see where that symbol is referenced. In addition, a second scroll bar will appear in the upper right por-
tion of the window. This scroll bar can be used to jump to the next or previous occurrence of the symbol in the
script.
• Updated to show the Watch window as the default tab when debugging.
Geometry
• Added ability to remove loops from multiple disconnected faces (i.e., disjoint solids).
• Updated Duplicate Materials option in Other Entities to Include section to be Duplicate Materials/Layups for
commands on the Geometry, Copy... menu. Same as the Duplicate Properties option, but for laminate and solid
laminate properties, all referenced layups and all materials used by referenced layups will be duplicated. Any
property assigned as a meshing attribute to the original geometric entity will also be copied, then the copy of the
property referencing copies of the material(s) and layup will be assigned to the copied geometric entity.
commands on the Geometry, Rotate... menu. Same as the Duplicate Properties option, but for laminate and
solid laminate properties, all referenced layups and all materials used by referenced layups will be duplicated.
Any property assigned as a meshing attribute to the original geometric entity will also be copied, then the copy
of the property referencing copies of the material(s) and layup will be assigned to the copied geometric entity.
commands on the Geometry, Reflect... menu. Same as the Duplicate Properties option, but for laminate and
solid laminate properties, all referenced layups and all materials used by referenced layups will be duplicated.
Any property assigned as a meshing attribute to the original geometric entity will also be copied, then the copy
of the property referencing copies of the material(s) and layup will be assigned to the copied geometric entity.
Meshing
• Added Set Default Size button to Mesh, Mesh Control, Default Size command. When clicked, the value for Ele-
ment Size is calculated based on all geometry currently in the model and the Set Element Size on Next Use
option is automatically disabled.
• Updated Duplicate Materials option in Property/Material Options section to be Duplicate Materials/Layups for
commands on the Mesh, Copy... menu. For laminate and solid laminate properties, all referenced layups and all
materials used by referenced layups will be duplicated. When Geometry option in Other Entities to Include sec-
tion is enabled, all duplicated laminate and solid laminate properties which have been assigned as a meshing
attribute will reference a copy of the referenced layup and copies of all materials used by a referenced layup.
commands on the Mesh, Rotate... menu. For laminate and solid laminate properties, all referenced layups and
all materials used by referenced layups will be duplicated. When Geometry option in Other Entities to Include
section is enabled, all duplicated laminate and solid laminate properties which have been assigned as a meshing
commands on the Mesh, Reflect... menu. For laminate and solid laminate properties, all referenced layups and
all materials used by referenced layups will be duplicated. When Geometry option in Other Entities to Include
section is enabled, all duplicated laminate and solid laminate properties which have been assigned as a meshing
• Updated various commands which split elements on the Mesh, Editing... menu to more fully and consistently
handle the other entities associated and/or related to the elements being edited
• Improved the Mesh, Geometry, HexMesh Solids command to provide a warning if you attempt to remesh solids
that are already meshed. The warning gives the option to delete the existing mesh, skip the meshed solids, or
create a duplicate mesh. This workflow now matches the one for tet meshing.
• Improved performance and accuracy when using length-based mesh sizing on the Parasolid curves (i.e., curves
on sheet solids, solids, and general bodies). In a large model with many nonlinear curves, this resulted in a 2X
increase in performance and more consistent constant length spacing throughout the model. Also, improved
accuracy when attempting to size curves by Element Size instead of Number of Elements on curves which were
seemingly the same length. Due to numerical accuracy, even a very small difference in the length of two curves
could result in the curves having a different number of elements assigned. This improvement should improve
sizing on curves, surfaces, and solids, whether they are sized by menu commands or Meshing Toolbox.
Elements
• Added Nastran General Matrix element type, which is used to support GENEL elements for Nastran solvers.
All element information is stored on the elements, thus a corresponding property is not required.
This element type allows you to specify a “general element”, GENEL, for Simcenter Nastran or MSC Nastran,
which allows stiffness or deflection influence coefficients to be input for pairs of nodes and their associated DOFs:
Elements 2020.2-9
Remove Remove
from List from List
Common controls for both Connected DOFs (Nodes to Connect) and Constrained DOFs (Reference) sections:
The Nodes button is used in conjunction with DOF check boxes to choose which nodal degrees-of-freedom should
be included in the list for that section. Update can be used to update the DOF for any number of entries currently
highlighted in the corresponding list. Use the Remove from List icon button to remove any number of selected
entries in the multi-select list. The Delete button can be used to select any number of nodes to remove from a list
using the standard entity selection dialog box. At any time, the Reset button to clear the entire list. When you high-
light a node in the list, it will highlight in the graphics window, based on the current settings of the Window, Show
Entities command. See Section 6.3.2.3, "Window, Show Entities..." for more details.
The Connected DOFs (Node to Connect) section contains a radio button which determines if the coefficients
defined with the Define Matrix button are Stiffness (“K” rows) or Deflection Influence (“Z” rows) values. The
nodes and corresponding degrees-of-freedom in this list are written as “UIi” and “CIi” values to the GENEL entry.
The list in Constrained DOFs (Reference) section contains nodes and corresponding degree-of-freedom which will
be written as “UDj” and “CDj” values to the GENEL entry.
The Define Matrix button displays the Define Matrix Components for General Matrix Element dialog box:
This grid represents the lower triangular portion of the stiffness or deflection influence coefficient matrix. The
number of columns is determined by the number of entries in the Connected DOF (Nodes to Connect) list and the
column headers are labeled using the Node ID and degree-of-freedom of each entry. The cells represent entries in
the “N x N” matrix, which are written as “KZij” values to the GENEL entry. When there are a large number of val-
ues in the dialog box, it can be resized to make the values fully visible.
Properties
• Added Write Zeros at End B (Off=Blank) option to the Beam Property, which is only for Nastran solvers. This
option exists because as a value of 0.0 for an End B value is interpreted differently by Nastran then a “blank”
field. When the option is enabled, values of 0.0 specified for End B in the FEMAP property are written as 0.0 to
the Nastran input file. When disabled, values of 0.0 are left blank in the Nastran input file.
Layups
• Added Send to Excel button, which opens Microsoft Excel and transfers the current contents of the Layup Edi-
tor directly to Excel.

• Added the ability to create Follower Force and Follower Moment loads on nodes, points, curves, and surfaces.
When creating follower forces or follower moments on nodes, the only available option in Direction is Magnitude
Only. Enter a value for Magnitude, then select Node 1 (G1) and Node 2 (G2) that specify the direction to create
FORCE1 or MOMENT1 entries for Nastran. To create FORCE2 or MOMENT2 entries instead, enable the Normal
to Plane option, then specify Node 1 (G1) through Node 4 (G4). The direction of the force or moment is parallel to
the cross product of vectors from Node 1 (G1) to Node 2 (G2) and Node 3 (G3) to Node 4 (G4).
When creating follower forces or follower moments on geometry, the process is similar, only 2 or 4 points are
selected instead of nodes.

• Added Traction Removal Convergence to Multistep Structural (401) tab, which is accessed by clicking the
More Options button.
Traction Removal Convergence - Creates the DCTOL field on the BCTPARM entry. Stabilization damping trac-
tion removal convergence value used when Stabilization Damping Option (CTDMAP) is set to anything other than
“0..No Stabilization Damping” (Default = 0.01)
• Updated *Initial Penetration option on Multistep Structural (401) tab by adding “1..Ignore Gaps” option.
*Initial Penetration - Creates the INIPENE field on the BCTPARM entry. Use when the goal is for a pair of con-
tact regions to be touching without interference, but due to the faceted nature of finite elements around curved
geometry, some of the element edges or faces may have a slight gap or penetration. (Default = 0)
“0..Calculated” - Contact is evaluated exactly as the geometry is modeled. No corrections will occur for gaps or
penetrations.
“1..Ignore Gaps” - Only Gaps will be ignored.
“2..Calculated/Zero Penetrations” - Penetrations will be reset to a new initial condition in which there is no inter-
ference.
“3..Zero Gap/Penetration” - Gaps and penetrations are both reset to a new initial condition in which there is no
interference.
• Added Include Shell Thickness Offset option to Multistep Kinematic (402) tab.
Include Shell Thickness Offset - When enabled, writes nothing to BCTPAR2 entry, which means shell thickness
and Z-offset are both included in the contact problem. This option is only for shell elements referencing the
PSHELL property, but not laminate properties. When disabled, writes value of 1 to BCTPAR2 entry, meaning Shell
thickness and Z-offset are not included, and contact is evaluated at the midplane of shell elements.
Functions
• Added “46..True Stress vs. Strain” and “47..True Stress vs. Plastic Strain” for Simcenter Nastran SOL 401/402,
as well as “48..Shear Damage vs. Thermodynamic Force (TABLEM5)” for MATDMG entry.
Aeroelasticity 2020.2-11
Aeroelasticity
• Added ability to import Aeroelastic forces, pressures, and coefficients results from .f06 file from Simcenter
Nastran and MSC Nastran, then display those results as contour/criteria plot on the aero mesh (aero boxes).
Listing
• Added List, Output, Results to Excel command. See Output and Post-Processing for more information.
• Updated List, Geometry, Curve command to include Arc/Circle center coordinates when Advanced is chosen.
Views
• Added functionality throughout View Options dialog box which automatically switches the Color Mode to
“1..View Color” after the user clicks the “Color Block” icon to access the Color Palette, then clicks OK.
• Added “Element - Nastran General Matrix” option in “Labels, Entities and Color” Category of View, Options
command, which controls if symbols are drawn to indicate if nodes are specified as Connected DOFs (Nodes to
Connect) or Constrained DOF (Reference). In addition, Label Model allows Degrees of Freedom to be labeled
at nodes used by Nastran General Matrix elements.
• Added “Curve Connectivity” option in “Tools and View Style” Category of View, Options command, which dis-
plays the type of connectivity for each curve used by a surface (sheet solid), solid, or general body using a color
specified by the user.
Clicking the Connectivity Colors... button will open the Curve Connectivity Colors dialog box:
The three types of curve connectivity are:

Free - all “edge curves” which are only used by a single surface. “Free curves” in a solid usually indicate “gaps” or
“holes” in the geometry, meaning the solid does not fully enclose a volume and is probably not viable for solid
meshing (tet or hex). If multiple surfaces are “stitched” together but do not enclose a volume (sheet solid) or
“joined” using the Geometry, Surface, NonManifold Add command (general bodies), then “free curves” may also
indicate “gaps” or “holes” between surfaces. Of course, “free curves” in this type of geometry may be internal
holes/loops or the outside edge of the stitched/joined “part”, which are normal.
Manifold - all “edge curves” which are being shared by more than one surface. Typically, this is the case when
multiple surfaces are “stitched” together to enclose a volume (solid) or are “stitched” but do not enclose a volume
(sheet solid). In addition, includes “edge curves” of surfaces which are “joined” using the Geometry, Surface, Non-
Manifold Add command (general bodies), but does not include any “edge curves” of one surface which are shared
with “internal curves” of another surface (i.e., “T-junctions”).
NonManifold - all “nonmanifold edges” in the geometry. Only geometry that has been joined using the Geometry,
Surface, NonManifold Add command (general bodies) or imported geometry which contain general bodies will
have these type of edges. Typical “nonmanifold edges” are found where surfaces come together at “T-junctions” or
a surface has been “NonManifold added” to a Solid
In addition, this option also displays curves considered Wirebody entities by Parasolid with a unique color
Note: Wirebody entities cannot be created in FEMAP, they can only be imported, therefore it is not com-
mon for a curve to be considered a wirebody entity.
The display of each individual type of connectivity can be enabled/disabled using the check box to the left of name
and the “color block” button to the right can be used to select a color using the standard Color Palette dialog box.
Display when option disabled Display with option enabled Display of Free and NonManifold

• Added List, Output, Results to Excel command.
...similar to List, Output, Results to Data Table, provides the ability to quickly send chosen output vector values for
specific nodes or elements (from any number of selected output sets) directly to Microsoft Excel using a specified
“Report Style”.
Other than the destination of the output values, two major differences between this command and List, Output,
Results to Data Table are:
1. Both Nodal and Elemental data can be sent to Excel in a single command with Nodal output values being sent to
one worksheet, while Elemental values are set to a different worksheet in the same workbook.
2. The Formatting option. When Formatting is enabled, which is the default, the following formatting items are
specified in Excel to improve the user experience:
- the color of each row below the column header alternates between white and light blue
- column headers are shown with BOLD type
- each column automatically has a filter applied
- a frozen cell is specified on each worksheet to keep column headers and at least first cell of each row visible
Output and Post-Processing 2020.2-13
When Formatting is disabled, none of the additional formatting is done, which allows the command to be used sim-
ply as a tool to quickly transfer output values from FEMAP to Excel as “raw data”.
• Added View, Advanced Post, Stress Linearization command.
... allows you to perform Stress Linearization. The FEMAP Stress Linearization Tool is based on the ASME Boiler
and Pressure Vessel Code, 2007 SECTION VIII, DIVISION 2, ANNEX 5.1 LINEARIZATION OF STRESS
RESULTS FOR STRESS CLASSIFICATION (moving forward, referred to simply as “ASME Code”).
This command opens the Stress Linearization dialog box:
Clear Output
Set Filter
Output Set Filter
Understanding Stress Linearization

The ASME Code, and this tool, are based on the user choosing an appropriate “Stress Classification Line” (SCL)
by choosing two nodes.
Note: It is imperative that users be familiar with the requirements and recommendations of the ASME Code,
as the proper choice of the SCL is key to applying this standard. If the standard is not applied according
to the ASME Code, then the output of this tool will likely not be useful.
Once chosen, stress tensors are interpolated from the selected output data at points along the SCL. Stresses are then
transformed/aligned with the SCL. The Membrane Stress Tensor is calculated by integrating the individual stress
tensor components along the SCL. The Bending stresses are integrated along the SCL as well, and, per ASME
code, the transformed axial stress aligned with the SCL. The two shear stress tensor values perpendicular to this
transformed axial stress are not used in the bending tensor calculation. There is option to include all stress tensor
components in the bending tensor calculation provided in FEMAP, Full Component Bending, but again, is not rec-
ommended by the ASME Code.
Note: Stress Linearization relies on transforming FEA tensor stresses to be aligned with the SCL. For this cal-
culation to be correct, the reference coordinate system for the stress data must be known. The base ref-
erence system can be specified in the FEMAP user interface by either using File, Preferences, choosing
the Geometry/Model tab, then clicking the Output Orientation button or using the Transform button
found in various dialog boxes, then clicking the Output Orientation button. In all cases, the Current
Output Orientation dialog will be displayed to set the base orientation.
It is the responsibility of the user to verify the original reference system of the stress data.
Using the Stress Linearization tool

The Stress Linearization dialog box is designed to allow the user to specify all options, choose the nodes for the
SCL, and examine a plot of results in a single place.
Control Options
Output Set - allows selection of a single output set to use as the initial data for the calculations.
Note: If the data needed to perform the calculations is not available in an output set, a message of “Stress Lin-
earization Failed” will be sent to the message box below the chart in the Output section.
Output Set Filter icon button - opens the Filter Output Set dialog box, which can be used to reduce the number of
output sets which appear in the Output Set drop-down list. To filter, enter text into the Title Includes field to reduce
the list to only include output sets using the entered text in their Titles. Output sets can also be filtered by selecting
a Study, Analysis Program, and/or Analysis Type. Click the “Output Set Filter” again and enter more text to further
reduce the list.
Clear Filter icon button - click to return all output sets to the Output Set drop-down list.
Use nonlinear results - when enabled, uses nonlinear results in the selected output set instead of linear results.
Note: If using an output set from a nonlinear analysis that does not have both linear and nonlinear output vec-
tors, this option is not available, as only nonlinear output exists in that output set.
Element Type(s) - choose which type(s) of elements, Shell, Solid, or Axisymmetric, to retrieve results for the calcu-
lations. The nodes selected for the SCL must be from the same type of element and those elements must reference
the same material.
Stresses - choose either von Mises Stress or Tresca Stress to use for the calculations.
Note: Stress is calculated from the interpolated stress tensor as either von Mises or Tresca. Tresca is a failure
criterion based on Max Shear. The Tresca “Stress” calculated/displayed is the maximum principal stress
minus the minimum principal stress, which is two times maximum shear.
Full Component Bending - when enabled, the two shear stress tensor values perpendicular to the transformed axial
stress are used in the bending tensor calculation.
Note: The use of the Full Component Bending option is NOT recommended by the ASME Code.
Nodes - these fields are used to specify the two nodes which define the SCL
Note: Selected nodes must be on same type of element and the elements must reference the same material.
Calculate button
Once all options are specified and nodes for SCL are selected, click this button to populate the Output section.
Output
This section contains an embedded chart which displays the results of the stress linearization calculations for spec-
ified SCL. It also includes a message window containing useful information such as which nodes define the SCL,
the type of stresses were used in the calculations, and the maximum stress values.
The embedded chart uses the same underlying technology as the Charting pane, but only offers a subset of the fea-
tures and options. For instance, because all of the data being plotted on embedded chart is calculated on-the-fly, it
uses only a single chart and there is no need to create any individual data series.
Available features to modify the default options used by the embedded chart are:
• icon menus to specify options for Chart Title, Chart Colors, and Show Tooltips, along with Copy to Clipboard
icon menu to send chart data and/or the chart image to the clipboard or send both directly to Microsoft Excel
• individual context-sensitive menus for the overall Chart, the X Axis and Y Axes, the Legend, the Title (when vis-
ible), and individual curves which are currently plotted
• ability to double-click in the overall chart or on the X Axis, Y Axis, the Legend, the Title (when visible), and
individual curves which are currently plotted to open familiar dialog boxes from the Charting pane
For more information about the functionality of the Charting pane, see Section 7.2.4, "Tools, Charting"
Copy to Clipboard
Clicking this button will send a copy of the chart and some additional information, such as which nodes define the
SCL, the type of stresses used in the calculations, maximum stress values, and how elemental stresses were trans-
formed for each element topology.
Example
Nodes of Axisymmetric elements used for Stress Concentration Line (SCL):
Model is axisymmetric elements with mapped meshed (SCL Shown in Red):

Results of Stress Linearization calculations:
Example of listing sent to clipboard by Copy to Clipboard button (not icon menu):
• Added ability to display Aeroelastic forces, pressures, and coefficients results as a contour/criteria plot on the
aero mesh (aero boxes).
• Added support for results generated by Simcenter Nastran for progressive ply failure (Damage Status, Damage
Values, Damage Energy, and Crack Density).
• Improved performance of Copy, Linear Combination, RSS Combination, and Envelope operations in the Model,
Output, Process command. For Linear Combination, RSS Combination, and Envelope, this should reduce the
processing time by at least 25%. In addition, improves performance when accessing output sets which were cre-
ated with the As Needed/Temporary option via the Result Set Processing Table (or Data Surface).
Geometry Interfaces
The following FEMAP interfaces have been updated to support newer geometry formats:
FEMAP Interface Latest Supported Version

Parasolid 32.1
NX version 1899 (2020)
SolidWorks 2020
Pro/Engineer Pro/Engineer 16 - Creo 6
CATIA V5 V5 R8 - V5-6 R2019 SP4
JT 10.6
For details, see Section 9, “Geometry Interfaces” in the FEMAP User Guide.

Several of the analysis program interfaces have been improved. These changes include:
• FEMAP Neutral File Interface
• Simcenter Nastran Interface (Previously NX Nastran)
• Nastran Interfaces (Simcenter and MSC/MD)
• ANSYS Interface
• ABAQUS Interface
• LS-DYNA Interface
For details, see Section 8, “Analysis Program Interfaces” in the FEMAP User Guide.
FEMAP Neutral File Interface

• Updated Neutral Read and Write for v2020.2 changes
Simcenter Nastran Interface (Previously NX Nastran)

SOL 401 and SOL 402
• Added read/write support for MATDMG entry to specify material properties for progressive ply failure using
two material types found in Other Types. To create a MATDMG with PPFMOD set to “UD”, use “512..Sim.
Nastran UD Ply Failure (MATDMG Sol 401,402)” which references a 3D Orthotropic material. To create a
MATDMG with PPFMOD set to “EUD”, use “513..Sim. Nastran EUD Ply Failure (MATDMG Sol 401,402)”
which references a 3D Orthotropic material.
• Added support to automatically write PFRESULTS to request progressive ply failure results when a material
which writes a MATDMG entry to the input file exists in the model.
SOL 401 Only
• Added support for LGSTRN option in NASTRAN Bulk Data Options dialog box, which writes
PARAM,LGSTRN,1 to input file. When enabled, LGDISP option becomes unavailable.
• Added support for Rot. Load Inertia Scaling (RFVAR) option in Solution and Convergence Options dialog box.
Rot. Load Inertia Scaling (RFVAR) - Specifies how the software interpolates the time variation for the rotational
loads RFORCE or RFORCE1. Writes RFVAR field with selected option (Default = “0..Scale Angular Velocity and
Acceleration”).
Nastran Interfaces (Simcenter and MSC/MD) 2020.2-19
0..Scale Angular Velocity and Acceleration - interpolates time variation using (f(t)). As a result, if a linear time
variation is defined, the angular velocity will vary linearly. Since “omega” is squared in the force computation, the
force will not vary linearly. Writes OMEGA.
1..Scale Force - interpolates time variation using (f(t))2. The software then takes the square root of the interpolated
value before applying it to the angular velocity. As a result, if a linear time variation is defined, the force will vary
linearly, but “omega” will not. Writes FORCE
SOL 402 Only
• Added support to write TRUE to STRMEAS field on MATS1 entry by using a function of type “46..True Stress
vs. Strain” or “47..True Stress vs. Plastic Strain” for Function Dependence on Nonlinear tab for a material.
• Added support for reading results generated by the SHELLTHK Case Control entry.
• When LGSTRAN option is enabled, LGDISP option now becomes unavailable.
A number of bugs were corrected.
Nastran Interfaces (Simcenter and MSC/MD)

• Added read/write support for GENEL entry as Nastran General Matrix element type.
• Added support to write values specified as 0.0 for End B of beam properties as either 0.0 or “blank” fields to
PBEAM entries, based on each property’s setting for Write Zeros at End B (Off=Blank).
• Added support to write AEROF and APRES case control commands for Static Aeroelastic analysis (SOL 144),
by default, which produce aeroelastic force, pressure, and coefficient results in the .f06 file only. In addition,
these results can now be imported from the .f06 and shown as contour/criteria plots on aero mesh (aero boxes).
ANSYS Interface
• Added ability to import results from compressed ANSYS results files (*.RST files). Only files compressed with
“Version 1” compression, which is the current default in ANSYS, are supported.
• Added Skip CSys, Skip Nodes, Skip Materials, Skip Properties, and Skip Elements to Model Control section of
ANSYS Command and Model Options dialog box.When enabled, the entity type selected to “skip” will not be
written to the ANSYS input file. For example, if Skip Nodes and Skip Properties are enabled, then no nodes or
properties will be exported.
• Added Skip Groups to Model Control section of ANSYS Command and Model Options dialog box.When
enabled, groups will not be written to the ANSYS input file (ESEL, NSEL, and CM entries), but entities con-
tained in those groups are still exported unless one of the other Skip options is enabled.
• Added Skip Misc to Model Control section of ANSYS Command and Model Options dialog box.When enabled,
comments starting with a single “!”, view settings (/VIEW, /ANGLE,/ZOOM, etc), preprocessor commands (/
NOPR, /FCOMP, /PREP7, /GOPR, etc), solution setting (/SOLU, ANTYPE, EQSLV, etc), SOLVE, and FIN-
ISH are not written to the ANSYS input file.
• Updated name of Skip Beam/Bar Cross Sections in Model Control section of ANSYS Command and Model
Options dialog box to Skip Shapes. When enabled, all Beam and Bar properties are written to the ANSYS input
file as SECTYPE, #, BEAM, ASEC, along with the corresponding computed property values from the Define
Property - BEAM Element Type dialog box as SECDATA, regardless of how the beams were defined.
• Added File Compression Level option to Result Control section of ANSYS Command and Model Options dialog
box, which sets the level of compression for the ANSYS Results file (*.RST). Default in FEMAP is “1..No
Compression”, but other option is “0..Sparse”, which creates a compressed results file FEMAP can read.
• Added Manual Control sections containing a Skip Standard option, along with Start Text and End Text buttons
to all appropriate ANSYS dialog boxes in the Analysis Set Manager.
• Improved performance between 2x-3x when importing non-compressed ANSYS results files (*.RST files).

ABAQUS Interface
• Added support to read loads and boundary conditions which reference a SET and create a Load Definition or
Constraint Definition in FEMAP.
• Added support to write all supported load/constraint types that are contained in a Load Definition or Constrain
Definition as a SET entry in the ABAQUS input file, if requested by enabling the Write All Groups as Sets
option in the ABAQUS Model Options dialog box. When expanded, some Load Definitions which were defined
with a single value actually create variable values on entities, such as geometry-based loads which are
expanded to nodes. Because the values are not constant, they cannot be written as a single SET entry, thus the
loads are exported on a per entity basis, as they were in previous versions of FEMAP.
LS-DYNA Interface
• Added Skip CSys, Skip Nodes, Skip Materials, Skip Properties, and Skip Elements to Model Control section of
LS-Dyna Model Options dialog box.When enabled, the entity type selected to “skip” will not be written to the
LS-Dyna input file. For example, if Skip Nodes and Skip Properties are enabled, then no nodes or properties
will be exported.
• Added Skip Groups to Model Control section of LS-Dyna Model Options dialog box. When enabled, groups
will not be written as *SET_ entries to the LS-Dyna input file, but entities contained in those groups are still
exported unless one of the other Skip options is enabled.
• Added Skip Functions to Model Control section of LS-Dyna Model Options dialog box.When enabled, func-
tions (*DEFINE_CURVE entries) are not written to the LS-Dyna input file. In addition, any loads or material
properties which were functionally-dependent in the model no longer reference functions
• Added Skip Misc to Model Control section of LS-Dyna Model Options dialog box.When enabled, comments
starting with “$”, *KEYWORD, *TITLE with corresponding “title”, *CONTROL TERMINATION with corre-
sponding value, *DATABASE_BINARY_D3PLOT with corresponding value, *END, and other entries are not
written to the LS-Dyna input file.
• Added LS-Dyna Analysis Monitor to monitor solver progress, review solver files, and optionally import results.
Tools
• Updated the Tools, Parameters command to allow specification of the Nodal Output Coordinate System (Out-
put CSys drop-down). While this could be done using the Model, Node command and pressing Parameters but-
ton or in other meshing commands by pressing Node Parameters icon button, this is more convenient.
• Updated Tools, Mass Properties, Mesh Properties command to be able to automatically send the mass proper-
ties listing to the clipboard using the Send to Clipboard option. In addition, Check Mass Properties dialog box
has been reorganized into separate Reporting Options and Mesh Options sections.
• Updated the Tools, Mass Properties, Solid Properties command to be able to calculate and output the volume,
surface area, center of gravity, and moment of inertia for the selected sheet solid(s), solid(s), and/or general
bodies, either as a single assembly or for each individual body. Additional options exist to create a representa-
tive mass element and potentially attach it to existing nodes.
Tools 2020.2-21
Once the solid(s) have been selected, the Check Mass Properties dialog box is displayed:
Reporting Options
The Reporting Options section contains a drop-down to specify which Coordinate System will be used for the mass
properties listing and Send To Clipboard option. When Send to Clipboard is enabled, a similar listing to what is
sent to the Messages window and other destinations specified by the List, Destination command (see Section 7.5.9,
"List, Destination..."), will also be sent to the clipboard, making it easy to paste into another application.
Mass Calculation
This section contains options used to calculate mass properties from the selected solid(s), with two main options:
Compute Overall/Assembly Properties - when selected, overall mass properties for all selected sheet solids, solids,
and/or general bodies will be computed as if they are a single assembly/body.
Compute Properties for Individual Solids - when selected, individual mass properties will be calculated for each
selected sheet solid, solid, and/or general body.
The remainder of the section is used to specify how the density and/or thickness information is provided for the cal-
culations. If the selected bodies have meshing attributes specified, the Use Density/Thickness form Meshing Attri-
butes option will be enabled by default.
When enabled, all density and thickness information used for the mass properties calculations is retrieved from the
properties and materials referenced by the mesh attributes.
If disabled, or no meshing attributes has been assigned to the selected bodies, then values for Density for Solids
with No Meshing Attributes and/or Thickness for Surfaces with No Meshing Attributes must be provided by the
user. If desired, the Material icon button can be used to retrieve a density from and existing material or the Property
icon button can be used to retrieve a thickness from an existing property.
Example of listing when using Compute Overall/ Assembly Properties option:
Mesh Options
This section contains options to create different types of entities using the calculated values. When using Compute
Overall/Assembly Properties, a single node, mass element, and element(s) connecting the mass element to existing
nodes can be created for all selected bodies. When using Compute Properties for Individual Solids, a single node
and mass element can be created for each selected body, but connected to existing nodes.
Create Node at Center of Gravity - when enabled, a single node is created at the calculated center of gravity for
the entire assembly or each individual body.
Create Representative Mass Element - when enabled, which is default when Create Node at Center of Gravity is
enabled, a mass element which references a mass property containing calculated values for the assembly or each
individual body is also created at the calculated center of gravity.
Link to Mesh - when enabled, the node created at the center of gravity is attached to any number of existing nodes
by a single rigid element or a number of individual elements. The nodes are selected using the standard entity selec-
tion box after clicking OK to the Check Mass Properties dialog box.
There are two options for creating the element(s) that link the node at the center of gravity to existing nodes:
Multi-Element Connection - when selected, individual elements are created between the node created at the center
of gravity and each selected node using the functionality of the Mesh, Connect, Closest Link command. For more
information, see Section 5.2.3.1, "Mesh, Connect, Closest Link...".
Single Rigid Element Connection - when selected, which is the default, a single rigid element is created with the
node created at the center of gravity as the Independent node and all selected nodes as Dependent nodes using the
specified DOF (degrees-of-freedom).
Model Merge
• Added ability to access the functionality of the File, Merge command via the FEMAP API by using the Merge-
Tool Object. See OLE/COM API for more information.
• Improved handling when using the File, Merge command to overwrite Load Sets, Constrain Sets, Connection
Regions, Connections, Functions, Tables, Fields, Analysis Sets, Views, Result Sets, Discrete Value Sets, and
Matrix Inputs.
OLE/COM API
New and modified API Objects and Attributes
• Added MergeTool (feMergeTool) object to the API. Also, added UsePattern, CreateGroupForMerged, Alway-
sCreateParentCSys, CondenseMergedGroups, LimitToMergedEntities, KeepInOriginalSets, and Duplicate-
FirstInPatternto to the feMergeTool object.
OLE/COM API 2020.2-23
• Added ndID1, ndID2, ouSetID, nElemType, nStressmode, bNonlinearMode, bFullStressTensor, dMem-

braneStress, dBendingStress, dMaxMemBend, and dMaxStress to the Stress Linearization (StressLinear)
Object.
• Added NasMsnlCntRFVAR attribute for Simcenter Nastran SOL 401 to the Analysis Case Object.
• Added NasMsnlCntRFVAR attribute for Simcenter Nastran SOL 401 to the Analysis Manager Object.
• Added AnsModelGroupID, AnsModelSkipCsys, AnsModelSkipNode, AnsModelSkipMatl, AnsModelSkip-
Prop, AnsModelSkipElem, AnsModelSkipGroup, and AnsModelSkipMisc attributes for ANSYS to the Analy-
sis Manager Object.
• Added DynModelGroupID, DynModelSkipCsys, DynModelSkipNode, DynModelSkipMatl, DynModelSkip-
Prop, DynModelSkipElem, DynModelSkipGroup, and DynModelSkipMisc attributes for LS-Dyna to the Anal-
ysis Manager Object.
• Added addl_ptID and vaddl_ptID attributes to the LoadGeom Object.
• Added RenderLogDepthOffset attribute to the View Object.
• Added DO_BeamDiagram_Option, DO_BeamDiagram_RoundToZero, DO_BeamDiagram_RoundToZeroV-
alue, DO_BeamDiagram_BeforeDecimalSeparator, DO_BeamDiagram_MinimumExponentSize, DO_Beam-
Diagram_ExponentDigits, DO_BeamDiagram_SigFigs, DO_BeamDiagram_LeadingZeros,
DO_BeamDiagram_TrailingZeros, DO_BeamDiagram_DecimalPlaces, DO_BeamDiagram_MaxDigits,
DO_BeamDiagram_BaseExponent, DO_BeamDiagram_OriginalDigits, and DO_BeamDiagram_Exponent
attributes to the View Object. These attributes are used by the “Beam Diagram” option in View Options to con-
trol the display of digits in the graphics window for Beam Diagrams.
• Added CurveConnectWirebody, CurveConnectFree, CurveConnectManifold, CurveConnectNonManifold,
CurveConnectWirebodyColor, CurveConnectFreeColor, CurveConnectManifoldColor, and CurveConnectNon-
ManifoldColor attributes to the View Object. These attributes are used by the “Curve Connectivity” option in
View Options to control the visibility and color for the display of curve connectivity.
• Updated RenderPushForward, RenderPushUnit, RenderPushUndeformed, and RenderPushLabel on the View
Object. They now have specific values ranges assigned.
New and Updated API Methods
• Added Clear, SelectModel, SelectModelByName, SelectCurrentModel, GetEntityTypes, GetEntityStatus,
GetEntityOptions, SetAllStatus, SetStatus, SetEntityStatus, SelectEntity,SelectFromGroup, ShowDialog,
AddRelated, Merge, AlongVector, PointToPoint, BetweenCSys, BetweenVectors, BetweenPlanes,
RotateAroundVector, RotatePointToPoint, Reflect, VectorPattern, CSysPattern, and CreatePattern methods to
the MergeTool Object.
• Added AddSetFromModel, AddNodesOnFreeEdges, AddNodesOnFreeFaces, and IsIdenticalSet methods to
the Set Object.
• Added CalcStressLinearization method to the Stress Linearization (StressLinear) Object.
• Added AnsWriteGroup, AnsSkipCsys, AnsSkipNode, AnsSkipMatl, AnsSkipProp, AnsSkipElem, AnsSkip-
Group, AnsSkipMisc, and AnsRSTcomp methods for ANSYS to the Analysis Manager Object.
• Added DynWriteGroup, DynSkipCsys, DynSkipNode, DynSkipMatl, DynSkipProp, DynSkipElem, DynSkip-
Group, and DynSkipMisc methods for LS-Dyna to the Analysis Manager Object.
• Added NextOnNode method to the BCEqn Object.
• Added NextOnEntity method to the BCGeom Object.
• Added ManifoldType method to the Curve Object.
• Added GetCentroidArray, GetSingleFaceInfoArray, GetMultiFaceInfoArray, and ElementalCSys methods to
the Element Object.
• Added NextOnEntity method to the LoadGeom Object.
• Added NextOnEntity method to the LoadMesh Object.
• Added ComputeStdShape2 and ComputeGeneralShape2 methods to the Property Object.
• Updated EraseSet method to the Draw/Erase Object.

The following functions have been added or updated:
• feAppGetModelByName
• feAppRunningApplicationInfo
• feAppGetRunningApplication
• feEdgesOfFreeFaces
New and updated Global Variables
• Added Pref_RenderCtrlGGroupEvaluate, Pref_RenderDisableAbort, Pref_OpenMP, and Pref_OpenMPThreads
to set preferences on the Graphics tab of File, Preferences. Also, updated Pref_RenderRotate to be able to con-
trol the Center option in the Include In Dynamic Rotation section.
• Added Pref_GlobalLanguage to set Language option and Pref_GlobalUIScaling to set UI Scaling option in the
Global Options section of User Interface tab of File, Preferences
• Added Pref_Abaqus_PreserveCompressedLoads to set Preserve Load/BC SET(s) on Interfaces tab of File,
Preferences
• Added Pref_ComputeAverageMidResults to set Compute Averaged Mid Stress/Strain preference on Results tab
of File, Preferences
• Added ModelFromPreviousVersion, ModelMigratedFromVersion, and ModelMigratedFromDB as new Global
Parameters which can determine from which previous version the model was migrated from and other informa-
tion.
• Updated Pref_RenderRotate and vPref_RenderRotate to be able to control Center option in Included In
Dynamic Rotation section of Graphics tab.
• Updated Pref_EntityColor and vPref_EntityColor to be able to control Mesh Point and Monitor Point color in
Entity Colors section of Color tab.
Preferences
Graphics
• Added Ctrl-G Group Evaluate to Graphics Options section.
By default, the Group, Operations, Evaluate command (see Section 6.4.3.2, "Group, Operations Menu") is not per-
formed on any groups when Window, Regenerate (see Section 6.3.2.2, "Window, Regenerate...") is used (Ctrl-G
shortcut key). When this option is enabled, Group, Operations, Evaluate is performed on all groups currently visi-
ble in the active view when Window, Regenerate is used. If View, All Views (Section 6.1.2, "View, All Views...") is
enabled, then all groups currently visible in all views of the active model will be evaluated. If Show Full Model is
specified for Groups in the View, Visibility dialog box, the Model Info tree, or the Grp: menu in the Status Bar, no
groups are evaluated.
• Added Disable Abort to Graphics Options section.
Certain operations can cause the graphics window to be completely redrawn without explicitly using Window,
Redraw. In some cases, the user can abort (interrupt) the redraw by clicking in the screen or selecting another com-
mand. For this to happen, FEMAP checks for user input during redraw, which can cause the redraw to take addi-
tional time to finish compared to not doing any checking. When this option is enabled, no checking is done, thus
aborting a redraw is not possible and potentially improving performance.
• Added Center to Include In Dynamic Rotation section.
When enabled, the Center option displays a symbol in the graphics window at the “center of rotation” currently
being used for dynamic rotation. If the “center of rotation” has been set by View, Rotate, Rotate About Rotation
Center, then the “center of rotation” is obvious. Alternatively, if using the “view center” and the Dynamic Rotate
Around Cursor Location preference found on the User Interface tab is enabled, then it may be helpful to have a
visual representation at the “center of rotation”.
• Added OpenMP and Options... button to Advanced/Debug Options section.
Preferences 2020.2-25
This is initial implementation of OpenMP for multi-threading, thus it is considered as Beta Functionality
which is not officially supported. If any issues are encountered, please disable this option, then feel free to
contact GTAC to describe the issue.
Enable this option to use OpenMP functionality (i.e. multi-threading) which has been implemented for a limited
number of commands and operations. Once enabled, click the Options... button to set Number of Threads, which
should not exceed the number of cores available on the machine running FEMAP.
User Interface
• Added Global Options section containing two new options, Language and UI Scaling.
Language
Language displayed by user interface. When set to “0..Default”, uses the language which was selected during the
initial installation of that version of FEMAP. When set to any other option, that language is used by FEMAP. Avail-
able option are “1.English”, “2..German”, “3..Japanese”, “4..Chinese, Traditional”, or “5..Chinese, Simplified”.
Note: If the selected language is not installed and/or properly specified using a number of Windows settings
on a computer, then most, if not all text will be unreadable throughout the user interface.
UI Scaling
When set to “0..Enabled”, which is the default, certain Windows display settings are used to determine how the
user interface should be scaled to improve user experience. Scaling the user interface can be especially helpful
when using a high resolution display. If scaling is not required for any reason, set this option to “1..Disabled”.
Interfaces
• Added Preserve Load/BC SET(s) option to ABAQUS Options section.
Sometimes in an ABAQUS input file, *SET entries with unique names are used to specify “groups” of loads or
boundary conditions. When this option is enabled, an attempt is made during import of the ABAQUS input file to
collect loads or boundary conditions defined by a *SET entry into an appropriate Load Definition or Constraint
Definition.
Results
• Added Compute Average Mid Stress/Strain option to General Solver Options section.
When enabled, stresses and strains at middle locations for plate elements are calculated as a simple average of the
top and bottom values in FEMAP.
Note: Many solvers allow the user to recover “top” and “bottom” results which are NOT located at +/-
0.5*Element Thickness, thus are NOT actually at the top and bottom of the element. No attempt is
made to interpolate these type of results to the actual middle of the element.
Color
• Added Monitor Point to Entity Colors section to control default color of monitor points.
What’s New - version 2020.1 MP2 2020.1-1
What’s New - version 2020.1 MP2

• Added support for post-processing plastic strain results at grid points for SOL401/SOL402. This includes sup-
port for solid and shell elements.


SOL 401 and SOL 402 Only
• Added support for reading plastic strain results at grid points for SOL401/SOL402. This includes support for
solid and shell elements.
SOL 402 Only
• Added support to write request to recover Elastic Strain output at grid points for SOL402.
User Interface
PostProcessing Toolbox
• Added buttons to the Digits fields in the Deform, Contour, and Freebody Tools, which control the display of
digits in the graphics window via the Digit Options dialog box.

ABAQUS Interface
• Added checking for unsupported *ASSEMBLY and *PART usage, warning the user to exit FEMAP and “flat-
ten” the model in Abaqus CAE before importing.
VERY IMPORTANT - Output Vector ID Ranges Have Changed!

• The static ranges of Output Vector IDs in previous versions of FEMAP cannot accommodate the large numbers
of new output quantities and element types that are found in analyses being run by a large number of FEMAP
users. To accommodate the ongoing addition of output quantities, some of the existing output vectors have been
moved to new ID ranges. If opening a model or importing a neutral file from a version of FEMAP prior to
2020.1, the output vector IDs will be updated automatically and there should be no difference in behavior. The
following table shows both the old and new output vector ID ranges. For information about this topic, see Sec-
tion 2.4, "Working with Output in FEMAP 2020.1 and above" in the FEMAP API Reference.
Output Vector Range Comparison

Output Type Vector Ranges from 9.3 Vector Range 2020.1 and
through 2019.1 Above
Nodal output 1 to 2,999 1 to 2,999
Line element output 3,000 to 5,999 3,000 to 5,999
Plate element output 6,000 to 7,599 6,000 to 9,999
Plate corner output 100,000 to 299,999 10,000 to 25,999
Not currently used 7,600 to 59,999 26,000 to 59,999
Solid element output 60,000 to 69,999 60,000 to 69,999
Solid corner output 70,000 to 73,999 70,000 to 79,999
Output on any element type 80,000 to 89,999 80,000 to 89,999
PATRAN elemental output 90,000 to 99,999 90,000 to 99,999
Not currently used 300,000 to 999,999 100,000 to 999,999
Plate Laminate Ply output 1,000,000 to 1,999,999 1,000,000 to 3,999,999
Plate Laminate Ply corner 2,000,000 to 5,999,999 4,000,000 to 15,999,999
Solid Laminate Ply output 6,000,000 to 6,499,999 16,000,000 to 17,499,999
Solid Laminate Ply corner 6,500,000 to 8,499,999 17,500,000 to 23,499,999
User Defined output 9,000,000 to 9,999,999 24,000,000 to 24,999,999
Complex Phase output Add 10,000,000 to above ranges Add 25,000,000 to above ranges
Complex Real output Add 20,000,000 to above ranges Add 50,000,000 to above ranges
Complex Imaginary output Add 30,000,000 to above ranges Add 75,000,000 to above ranges
• Perhaps more importantly, for anyone who has developed and/or used scripts and/or full applications which use
the Output Object in the FEMAP API, this Object has been FULLY DEPRECATED. Moving forward, every-
thing related to output when using the API MUST be done with the Results Browsing Object. In addition, a
ResultsVectorIDQuery Object has been added in an attempt to not require recoding of API programs in the
future. For information on the changes, see OLE/COM API section.
• If using an API script or program which contains deprecated calls, methods, or properties regarding output vec-
tor IDs or the Output Object, the Obsolete API Warning dialog box will appear, which has options for the fre-
quency of warnings and/or how the warning messages will be issued.
The Warning Frequency section can be used to control how often FEMAP warns the user about using deprecated
API calls and/or how the user will be warned for a given FEMAP session:
Every Occurrence - This is the default setting and issues a warning message every time a deprecated call, method,
and/or property involving output vector IDs or the Output Object (feOutput) is encountered in an API script or pro-
gram.
Once Per Method/Property - When selected, a warning will be issued a single time for each deprecated for each
call, method, or property involving output vector IDs or the Output Object (feOutput) is encountered in an API
script or program.
No More Warnings this Session - When selected, no more warning messages will be issued while the current
FEMAP session is open for any deprecated call, method, and/or property involving output vector IDs or the Output
Object (feOutput) is encountered in an API script or program.
When enabled, the Warnings in Message Window Only option will no longer display the Obsolete API Warning dia-
log box and only list these warning messages to the Messages window until the FEMAP session is closed.
Once FEMAP is closed, all settings will return to the default settings and the next time FEMAP is opened, the user
can select their options for deprecated API calls again.
• Any Program File which has hard-coded Output Vector IDs, will need to be manually updated.
User Interface 2020.1-3
User Interface
General, Menu, Toolbars, Model Info tree, Meshing Toolbox, and Function/Table Editor
General
• Updated FEMAP to support “Large IDs” (i.e., IDs larger than 99,999,999). Not all solvers will support values
higher than 99,999,999, so it is up to the user to determine is using “Large IDs” is appropriate.
• Updated all icons throughout the User Interface. This includes icons in the menu structure, on toolbars, in dia-
log boxes, and used in dockable panes.
• Updated all “Palette” buttons with “color block” buttons which now show the color of the entity, including set-
tings for Transparency. In addition, if any setting for Line Style is specified, it will also be shown below the
“color block” in the button.
• Added Select from Standard Select Dialog icon to dialog boxes which bring up the “multi-select dialog box
with check boxes” by default (for example, List, Model, Load Definition or Delete, Output, Set). This can be
helpful if the IDs for entities that need to be selected already exist in a list or spreadsheet, as the Paste function-
ality on the Pick^ menu can then be used.
Menu
• Added Tools, Check, Mesh Interference to the Tools menu. See Tools section for more information.
• Added Model, Simulation Entities, Monitor Points and Model, Simulation Entities, Direct Matrix Input to the
Model menu. See Simulation Entities - New for 2020.1! section for more information. Also, added Model,
Load, Elemental on Face command to Model menu. See Loads and Constraints section for more information.
• Added Modify, Renumber, Table and Modify, Renumber, Data Surface commands to the Modify menu, which
are used to renumber Tables or Data Surfaces, respectively, by Original ID, Selection Order, or Type.
• Added Delete, Model, Monitor Points and Delete, Model, Direct Matrix Input to the Delete menu, which are
simply used to delete Monitor Points and Direct Matrix Input entities, respectively.
Toolbars
• Added Nodal on Face and Elemental on Face commands to the Loads toolbar, which will launch the Model,
Load, Nodal on Face or Model, Load, Elemental on Face commands, respectively.
• Added Between Geometry command to Lines toolbar, which launches the Geometry, Line, Between Geometry
command.
Model Info tree

• Added Simulation Entities branch and underlying branches for Monitor Points and Matrix Inputs, which allow
for management, editing, listing, deleting, and renumbering of monitor points and matrix inputs, respectively.
For monitor points, the color and layer may also be changed.
• Added Visibility check boxes (on/off) for Monitor Points. There is also a context-sensitive menu for the Visibil-
ity check boxes which offers Show Selected Only, Show Selected, Hide Selected, Select Show Only..., Select to
Hide..., Show All, Hide All, and Show/Hide Reverse commands.
• Added Tables branch under the Model branch, which allows a table entity to be reloaded/edited via the Func-
tion/Table Editor or highlighted table(s) to be deleted or renumbered.
• Added Elemental on Face command to the context-sensitive menu for Load Definitions, which will launch the
Model, Load, Elemental on Face command.
• Added Renumber command to the context-sensitive menu for Data Surfaces, which renumbers the highlighted
data surface(s).
• Enhanced functionality of any command which creates a new Load Set or Constraint Set to automatically
“expand” the newly created Set in the Model Info tree. This only occurs when the Model Tree is visible.
• Enhanced Copy to Set command on the context-sensitive menus for Load Definition to allow the highlighted
Load Definition(s) to be copied into multiple Load Sets. In addition, improved the Copy to Set command on the
context-sensitive menu for Constraint Definition in a similar manner.
Meshing Toolbox
• Feature Editing tool - Added Smart Select option, along with Offset, Identical, Concentric, Colinear, and Tan-
gent Edges options, to control automatic addition of surfaces to a set of already selected surfaces for more
robust feature editing. In addition, when Operation is set to Translate Surface(s), added the Translate Mode
drop-down, which offers multiple workflow options.
The Smart Select option is designed to automatically identify and select additional surfaces of a solid model to
make feature editing easier and more robust. When Smart Select is enabled, five additional options, Offset, Identi-
cal, Concentric, Colinear, and/or Tangent Edges, will appear in the Feature Editing tool. Each of these options cor-
responds to a “selection rule”, which is used to automatically add additional surfaces to the selected surface(s):
Offset - adds surfaces that are true offsets of the selected surface(s).
Identical - adds surfaces which share the same underlying plane, cylinder, cone, torus, or sphere as the selected sur-
face(s).
Concentric - adds surfaces which are concentric cylinders, cones, and torii to the selected surface(s).
Colinear - adds surfaces which share the same cylindrical, conical, toroidal, or spherical axis of the selected sur-
face(s)
Tangent Edges - adds surfaces which are connected to the selected surface(s) via a tangent edge.
The Translate Mode drop-down only appears when Operation is set to Translate Surface(s). It has three options:
Default - First, use Vector to Move Along to specify a translation vector and, optionally, a Distance, then pick any
number of surfaces or feature edges.
Interactive - First, select any number of surfaces or feature edges, then specify a vector using the standard vector
definition dialog box, then click OK.
Auto Normal - Only available when Select Method is set to “Surface”. First, enter an offset distance in the Value
field, then select any number of surfaces.
Function/Table Editor 2020.1-5
• Feature Editing tool - Added ability to translate an internal loop (i.e., hole, slot, cutout) within a surface when
Selection Method is set to Feature Edges and Operation is set to Translate Surface(s). In addition, added similar
functionality to rotate an internal loop within a surface when Operation is set to Rotate Surface(s).
• Geometry Editing tool - Added Alignment drop-down when Operation is set to Washer, which provides four
options, “Automatic”, “Vector”, “Tangent to Curve”, and “Perpendicular to Curve”, which can be used to
“align” the split lines of a washer to be parallel to a specified vector, tangent to selected curve, or perpendicular
to a selected curve.
For example, picture on left is original geometry. In picture on right, Alignment option used, from left to right, are
“Tangent to Curve” (highlighted curve), “Perpendicular to Curve” (highlighted curve), “Vector”, and “Automatic”.
Function/Table Editor
• Added Show Function in Charting icon, which will automatically plot the function currently loaded in the
Function/Table Editor to the Charting pane.
Geometry
• Added Coordinate Systems option to Other Entities to Include section for commands on the Geometry, Copy...
menu. In addition, created Parameters section, changed Copy to Active Layer to Assign to Active Layer and
moved it into this section, along with the new Assign Active Color… and Assign to Active CSys options.
• Added Coordinate Systems option to Other Entities to Include section for commands on the Geometry, Rotate...
• Added Coordinate Systems option to Other Entities to Include section for commands on the Geometry, Reflect...
• Added Coordinate Systems option to Other Entities to Include section for geometry commands on the Modify,
Move By...; Modify, Rotate By...; Modify, Reflect...; and Modify, Align... menus.
• Added Alignment options when creating Washers via the Geometry Editing tool in the Meshing Toolbox. See
Meshing Toolbox section for more information.
• Added ability to translate an internal loop (i.e., hole, slot, cutout) within a surface, via the Feature Editing tool
in the Meshing Toolbox, when Selection Method is set to Feature Edges and Operation is set to Translate Sur-
face(s). In addition, added similar functionality to rotate an internal loop within a surface when Operation is set
to Rotate Surface(s). See Meshing Toolbox section for more information.
• Improved removal of fillets and blends, including “stepped” blends, when using commands and features of the
Meshing Toolbox that are designed to perform this task.
Meshing
• Added Model Free Edges option to the standard “Edge Selection” dialog box which is now used in a number of
meshing commands. When this option is selected, any free edges of elements being considered by the command
will automatically be selected.
• Added Coordinate Systems option to Other Entities to Include section for commands on the Mesh, Copy, Node
and Mesh, Copy, Element commands. In addition, created Parameters section, changed Copy to Active Layer to
Assign to Active Layer and moved it into this section, along with the new Assign Active Color… and Assign to
Active CSys options.
• Added Coordinate Systems option to Other Entities to Include section for commands on the Mesh, Rotate, Node
and Mesh, Rotate, Element commands. In addition, created Parameters section, changed Copy to Active Layer
to Assign to Active Layer and moved it into this section, along with the new Assign Active Color… and Assign
to Active CSys options.
• Added Coordinate Systems option to Other Entities to Include section for commands on the Mesh, Reflect,
Node and Mesh, Reflect, Element commands. In addition, created Parameters section, changed Copy to Active
Layer to Assign to Active Layer and moved it into this section, along with the new Assign Active Color… and
Assign to Active CSys options.
• Added Coordinate Systems option to Other Entities to Include section for Coordinate System, Node, and Ele-
ment commands on the Modify, Move By...; Modify, Rotate By...; Modify, Reflect...; and Modify, Align... menus.
• Updated Mesh, Edge/Skin Elements, Planar Elements on Faces command to display the standard “Face Selec-
tion” dialog box instead of having the user select elements, then faces, which was often an non-required step.
To restrict which elements to “skin”, simply use the “From # Elements” button in the standard “Face Selection”
dialog box to limit which elements to consider. In addition, updated Mesh, Edge/Skin Elements, Line Elements
on Edges command in a similar manner, only the standard “Edge Selection” dialog box is displayed instead.
• Updated Mesh, Geometry, Solids command by adding the “2..Into Model” option to the Merge Nodes drop-
down in the Automesh Solids dialog box. This differs from “1..New Nodes”, which would not merge nodes of
newly created mesh with nodes of currently existing mesh, and “3..All Nodes”, which would simply perform a
node merge for all nodes in the model.
Elements 2020.1-7
• Updated Mesh, Connect, Rigid command by moving the Independent DOF (Target) and Dependent DOF
(Source) options for specifying degrees-of-freedom for the newly created elements to the top of the dialog box.
Also, renamed the Rigid Element Options section to Node Pairing Options, which now contains four options.
Finally, the Preview Target Nodes option has been moved into the Target Node Selection section.
Two of the options which now reside in the Node Pairing Options section were simply renamed, Maximum dis-
tance from source to target (formally Max Distance) and Maximum target(s) per source (formally Max Nodes),
which behave the same as they did in previous versions. There are two new options, Allow target node to be
mapped to multiple source nodes, which allows any target node to be paired with any number of source nodes (if
disabled, only pairs with closest source node), and Minimum target(s) per source, which when enabled, insures ele-
ments will only be created when a source node finds at least the specified number of target nodes using the speci-
fied parameters.
• Updated the commands on the Mesh, Extrude... menu to use the standard Edge Selection dialog box when
Method is set to Along Element Edges, which improves workflow and allows selection of solid element edges.
• Updated the commands on the Mesh, Sweep... menu by adding Added Merge Nodes to Adjacent Elements and
Limit Sweep to Visible Mesh to the Options section. Both of this options are only available when Method is set
to Along Element Edges. To automatically merge the nodes of the new elements which are created by the sweep
to existing adjacent elements, use the Merge Nodes to Adjacent Elements option, which is enabled by default.
When using Limit Sweep to Visible Mesh, which is enabled by default, elements will only be swept along the
mesh which is currently visible in the “active” view.
Elements
• Added “13..Timoshenko” to the DYNA Options drop-down of the Element Formulation dialog box for Bar and
Beam elements.
• Added the ability to view element coordinate systems for Spring/Damper elements which reference a property
with Type set to CBUSH by using the View, Options command, setting Category to Labels, Entities and Color,
choosing Element - Coordinate System from the Options list, then enabling Show Coord Sys.

• Added Model, Load, Elemental on Face command, which the same as Model, Load, Elemental, except that
instead of directly selecting the elements where the loads will be applied, here only the faces of elements are
selected via the standard Face Selection dialog box. Once the faces are selected, the command continues, just
like the normal Model, Load, Elemental command, but only Pressure, Heat Flux, Convection, and Radiation
loads are available to be applied.
• Updated Model, Load, From Freebody command by make additional parameters available for automatic cre-
ation of interpolation elements when using the Multi-Model option. Also, some of the options from the Rigid
Element Options section were moved to the new Node Pairing Options section, which contains four options.
Two of the options which now reside in the Node Pairing Options section were simply renamed, Maximum dis-
tance from source to target (formally Max Distance) and Maximum target(s) per source (formally Max Nodes),
which behave the same as they did in previous versions. There are two new options, Allow target node to be
mapped to multiple source nodes, which allows any target node to be paired with any number of source nodes (if
disabled, only pairs with closest source node), and Minimum target(s) per source, which when enabled, insures ele-
ments will only be created when a source node finds at least the specified number of target nodes using the speci-
fied parameters.
• Updated Model, Load, From Output command to allow selection of All Load Sets or Selected Output Sets to
automatically create new load sets using output vector(s) converted into the specified type of load. In addition,
added some more robust functionality to specify which element faces to use for Elemental Face Loads, along
with an option to automatically create matching constraints when creating Displacement Loads.
This command converts output data from one or more output vectors into a specified type of load:.
The Create Loads From Output dialog box will appear after the type of load to be created has been specified and
the user has clicked OK. A Color and/or Layer can be specified for all loads created by this command.
The From Output Sets section offers three options:
Single Output Set/Current Load Set - This option creates loads in the active load set using output from a single
selected output set.
All Output Sets/New Load Sets - This option creates a new load set for every output set in the model (i.e., if there
are 5 output sets in the model, 5 new load sets will be created). Each new load set will contain loads created from
the output found in a particular output set..
Simulation Entities - New for 2020.1! 2020.1-9
Selected Output Sets/New Load Sets - This option creates a new load set for every output set selected via the Out-
put Sets... button (i.e., if 3output sets are selected, 3new load sets will be created). Each new load set will contain
loads created from the output found in a particular output set.
If creating nodal/elemental temperatures, pressures, or heat transfer loads, only a single output vector can be speci-
fied in the Load Components section, as these types of loads have a single value per node/element/element face.
For the other types of loads, up to six different output vectors can be selected in the Load Components section. Data
from the six vectors will be converted to the six loading degrees of freedom. If you leave any vectors blank (or
zero), no loads will be created in that direction. You must always specify at least one vector.
There are two options available in the Elemental Face Loads section when creating loads which are applied to a
particular face of an element, such as elemental pressure or many of the elemental heat transfer loads. The On Sin-
gle Face option simply applies the loads to the face specified using the Face ID field, for all selected elements.
When using the Multiple Faces option, click the Select Faces... button to select element faces using the standard
face selection dialog box.
Many solution sequences in Nastran require nodes which have enforced displacements and/or enforced rotations
applied to also be constrained in the same degrees of freedom for the loads to be taken into consideration. To auto-
matically create nodal constraints which correspond to enforced displacements and/or enforced rotations being cre-
ated by the this command, enable the Create Matching Constraints option in the Displacement Load section. If
using either option in the From Output Sets section that creates multiple load sets, the same number of correspond-
ing constraint sets will be created.
After everything in the Create Loads from Output dialog box has been specified and the user has clicked OK, the
standard entity selection dialog box will be displayed. Depending on the type of load selected in the first step of this
command, select any number of nodes or elements where loads will be created.
Note: Loads will only be created if output exists for a particular node or element.
Simulation Entities - New for 2020.1!

• Added the Model, Simulation Entities... menu. The commands on the Model, Simulation Entities... menu are
used to create, edit, or manage entities, Monitor Points or Direct Matrix Input entities, which can be useful in
certain types of analysis performed with Simcenter Nastran or MSC Nastran. These entities are somewhat
unique, thus are typically used for more advanced types of analysis and/or by advanced users of Nastran solv-
ers. If these entity types are defined in an existing Nastran input file which has been imported into FEMAP,
appropriate entities will be created in FEMAP.
• Added Model, Simulation Entities, Monitor Points command, which opens the NASTRAN Monitor Point Man-
ager manage monitor point entities in a model.
Monitor Points are only used by Simcenter Nastran and MSC Nastran. There are two distinct types of Monitor
Points supported by FEMAP:
Load Monitor Points - create MONPNT3 entries with associated entries. See "NASTRAN Structural Load Moni-
tor Point"
Aero Monitor Points - create MONPNT1 entries with associated entities. See "NASTRAN Aerodynamic Controls
Monitor Point"
The Model, Simulation Entities, Monitor Points command opens the NASTRAN Monitor Point Manager:
This manager is used to create Monitor Points for Simcenter Nastran and MSC Nastran. In FEMAP, there are two
types of Monitor Points, “Load Monitor Points”, which create MONPNT3 entries, and “Aero Monitor Points”,
which create MONPNT1 entries. “Load Monitor Points” are displayed in the graphics window as a “sigma” sur-
rounded by a square, while “Aero Monitor Points” are displayed as a “sigma” surrounded by a circle.
For Simcenter Nastran, MONPNT3 can only be used in Linear Static and Modal analysis (SOL 101 and SOL 103),
while MONPNT1 can only be used for Static Aeroelasticity (SOL 144).
For MSC Nastran, MONPNT3 can be used for all solution sequences except Linear Buckling (SOL 105), Modal
Complex Eigenvalue (SOL 110), and some advanced nonlinear and explicit solutions (SOL 600 and SOL 700),
while MONPNT1 can be used in Linear Static (SOL 101), Direct and Modal Frequency Response (SOL 108 and
SOL 111), Direct and Modal Transient Response (SOL 109 and SOL 112), Static Aeroelasticity (SOL 144), Aero-
elastic Response (SOL 146), and Design Optimization (SOL 200).
Note: Some of the solution sequences mentioned above for MSC Nastran, SOL 146, SOL 200 (for Aero-
elasticity), SOL 600, and SOL 700, are not directly supported by FEMAP.
This manager can be used to create a New Load Monitor or New Areo Monitor; Edit, Delete, Copy, or Renumber the
monitor point currently highlighted in the Available Manufacturing constraint(s) list; highlight entities in the
graphics window which are referenced by the monitor point(s) currently highlighted in the list (Show Selected); or
Delete All the monitor points currently in the model.
Clicking the New Load Monitor button opens the NASTRAN Structural Load Monitor Point dialog box, which is
used to create MONPNT3 entries. See "NASTRAN Structural Load Monitor Point" for more information. Clicking
the Load Aero Monitor button opens the NASTRAN Aerodynamic Control Monitor Point dialog box, which is used
to create MONPNT1 entries. See "NASTRAN Aerodynamic Controls Monitor Point" for more information.
Once monitor points have been created, one additional step is required. To be written to the Nastran input file, a
monitor point must be selected via the Select Monitor Point(s) dialog box, which can be accessed in the Options
section of the Master case or any subcase of an appropriate analysis set. For more information about appropriate
analysis types, as they differ between Simcenter Nastran and MSC Nastran, please see above.
NASTRAN Structural Load Monitor Point

This dialog box is used to create MONPNT3 entries for Simcenter Nastran and MSC Nastran:
Clear Selected
Nodes
Clear Selected
Elements
Locate Summation
Point
An ID, Title (up to 56 character), Color, and/or Layer can be specified for the monitor point, otherwise, the next
available ID will be used, no title will be assigned, the default color for monitor points used, and the entity placed
on the layer currently active in the model.
Unlike many other entity types in FEMAP, a unique Name (up to 8 characters) MUST be specified for each monitor
point. The specified Name NAME field on the MONPNT3 entry.
Note: If a Title is specified, it is limited to 56 characters. This is because any specified Title will be writ-
ten to the MONPNT3 entry in the LABEL field, which is limited to 56 characters. Unlike Name,
the Title does not have to be unique, but this is recommended.
The Monitor Point Contributions section is used to choose which contributions, Reaction (SPC Forces), MultiPoint
Reaction (MPC Forces), Applied Loads, and/or DMIG (DMIG entries at the monitor point), will be included in the
summation calculation at the monitor point. By default, all contributions are enabled, which writes nothing to the
XFLAG field of the MONPNT3 entry. When a contribution is disabled, a specific character will be written to the
XFLAG field (S for Reaction, M for MultiPoint Reaction, A for Applied Loads, D for DMIG) and any combination
of S, M, A, and/or D is allowed. The All and None buttons in this section can be used to quickly toggle all contribu-
tions on or off, respectively.
The Included Nodes section is used to specify which nodes will be included in the monitor point. This can be done
by selecting an existing group from the Group drop-down or using the Select button to the right of List to select
nodes using the standard entity selection dialog box. If selecting nodes with the Select button, the number of
“Nodes” in the List will replace “Select” on the button. At any time, the “Clear Selected Nodes” icon button can be
used to remove all nodes currently in the List of selected nodes. In addition, the “Preview Included Nodes” icon
button can be used to highlight the included nodes in the graphics window, using the current settings for the Win-
dow, Show Entities command. The Included Elements section is very similar to the Included Nodes section, but ele-
ments are selected to include instead of nodes.
Regardless of how the nodes have been included for the monitor point entry in FEMAP, a GROUP entry with
“GRID” or “specified for TYPEi (Simcenter Nastran) or a SET1 entry (MSC Nastran) and the included node IDs
will be written to the Nastran input file. The ID of this GROUP or SET1 entry is then referenced by MONPNT3
using the GRIDGRP field (Simcenter Nastran) or GRIDSET field (MSC Nastran). For elements, a GROUP entry
with “ELEM” specified for TYPEi (Simcenter Nastran) or a SET1 entry (MSC Nastran) and the included element
IDs will be written to the Nastran input file. The ID of this GROUP or SET1 entry is then referenced by MON-
PNT3 using the ELEMGRP field (Simcenter Nastran) or ELEMSET field (MSC Nastran). It is not necessary to
specify which elements to include, but if no elements are specified, the elements attached to the included nodes are
excluded from the summation.
The Summation Axes section contains the component axes about which to sum. Any combination of the check
boxes in this section being enabled or disabled is allowed, but at least one must be enabled. The Force button can
be used to quickly toggle the FX, FY, and FZ check boxes on/off, while the Moment button can be used to the same
for the MX, MY, and MZ check boxes. Based on which axes are enabled, a combination of integers 1 through 6 with
no embedded blank spaces will be written to the AXES field of the MONPNT3 entry.
The Summation Point section is used to specify the coordinates about which the forces are to be summed. These
coordinates are defined in relation to the coordinate system selected via the Point Def CSys drop-down. The
“Locate Summation Point” icon button is used to select a location from the graphics window, while the “Preview
Summation Point Location” icon button is used to show the currently specified location in the graphics window.
With regards to the MONPNT3 entry, the ID of the coordinate specified for Point Def CSys will be written to the
CP field, while X, Y, and Z will be written to X1, X2, and X3 (Simcenter) or X, Y, and Z (MSC) fields, respectively.
Finally, the Summation Axes Results section is used to specify a coordinate system for the results to be output via
the Output CSys drop-down. By default, this is typically set to “-1..Use Same CSys as Summation Point”, but any
existing coordinate system can be selected. When using “-1..Use Same CSys as Summation Point”, the ID of the
coordinate system specified for Point Def CSys to the CD field on the MONPNT3, otherwise, the ID specified for
Output CSys is written to the CD field.
NASTRAN Aerodynamic Controls Monitor Point
This dialog box is used to create MONPNT1 entries for Simcenter Nastran and MSC Nastran:
Clear Selected
Components
Locate Summation
Point
An ID, Title (up to 56 character), Color, and/or Layer can be specified for the monitor point, otherwise, the next
available ID will be used, no title will be assigned, the default color for monitor points used, and the entity placed
on the layer currently active in the model.
Unlike many other entity types in FEMAP, a unique Name (up to 8 characters) MUST be specified for each monitor
point. The specified Name NAME field on the MONPNT1 entry. Also, the COMP field of the MONPNT1 refer-
ences an AECOMP entry by a “List Name”. While the “List Name” can be the same as NAME (Name in FEMAP),
it does not have to be, thus a different “List Name” can be specified using List Name (up to 8 characters).
Note: If a Title is specified, it is limited to 56 characters. This is because any specified Title will be writ-
ten to the MONPNT1 entry in the LABEL field, which is limited to 56 characters. Unlike Name,
the Title does not have to be unique, but this is recommended, as it is used in printed output.
The Included Components section is used to specify which Aero Panels, Aero Mesh entities, or nodes will be
included in the monitor point. When Component is set to:
“0..Aero Panel” - Only the Select button next to List will be available to select Aero Panel entities using the stan-
dard selection dialog box. After selection, the number of “Panels/Bodies” in the List will replace “Select” on the
button. An AECOMP entry with a NAME field that matches with Name or List Name on the monitor point in
FEMAP, LISTYPE set to CAERO, and the IDs of the selected aero panels will be written to the Nastran input file.
This AECOMP entry is then referenced by the MONPNT1 entry via the COMP field.
“1..Aero Mesh” - Only the Select button next to List will be available to select Aero Mesh entities using the stan-
dard selection dialog box and, once selected, the number of selected “Aero Elements” will replace “Select...” on the
button. An AELIST entry containing the aero element IDs is written to the Nastran input file, along with a corre-
sponding AECOMP entry with a NAME field that matches Name or List Name on the monitor point in FEMAP,
LISTTYPE set to AELIST, and the ID of a single AELIST entry. This AECOMP entry is then referenced by the
MONPNT1 entry via the COMP field.
“2..Nodes” - Nodes can be included by either selecting an existing group from the Group drop-down or using the
Select button to the right of List to select nodes using the standard entity selection dialog box. If selecting nodes
with the Select button, the number of nodes in the List will replace “Select” on the button. Regardless of how the
nodes have been included for the monitor point entry in FEMAP, a SET1 entry containing node IDs is written to the
Nastran input file, along with a corresponding AECOMP entry with a NAME field that matches Name or List
Name on the monitor point in FEMAP, LISTTYPE set to SET1, and the ID of a single SET1 entry. This AECOMP
entry is then referenced by the MONPNT1 entry via the COMP field.
For all types, the “Clear Selected Components” icon button can be used to remove all entities currently in the List
of selected entities. In addition, the “Preview Included Components” icon button can be used to highlight the
included entities in the graphics window, using the current settings for the Window, Show Entities command.
The Summation Axes section contains the component axes about which to sum. Any combination of the check
boxes in this section being enabled or disabled is allowed, but at least one must be enabled. The Force button can
be used to quickly toggle the FX, FY, and FZ check boxes on/off, while the Moment button can be used to the same
for the MX, MY, and MZ check boxes. Based on which axes are enabled, a combination of integers 1 through 6 with
no embedded blank spaces will be written to the AXES field of the MONPNT1 entry.
The Summation Point section is used to specify the coordinates about which the forces are to be summed. These
coordinates are defined in relation to the coordinate system selected via the Point Def CSys drop-down. The
“Locate Summation Point” icon button can be used to select a location from the graphics window, while the “Pre-
view Summation Point Location” icon button can be used to show the currently specified location in the graphics
window. With regards to the MONPNT1 entry, the ID of the coordinate specified for Point Def CSys will be written
to the CID field (Simcenter Nastran) or CP field (MSC Nastran), while X, Y, and Z will be written to the X, Y, and
Z fields, respectively.
Finally, the Summation Axes Results section is used to specify a coordinate system for the results to be output via
the Output CSys drop-down. By default, this is typically set to “-1..Use Same CSys as Summation Point”, but any
existing coordinate system can be selected. When using “-1..Use Same CSys as Summation Point”, the ID of the
coordinate system specified for Point Def CSys to the CD field on the MONPNT1, otherwise, the ID specified for
Output CSys is written to the CD field.
Note: The Output CSys entry in the Summation Axes Results section will only be written out for MSC
Nastran, as this option is not currently available in Simcenter Nastran.
• Added Model, Simulation Entities, Direct Matrix Input command, which opens the NASTRAN Matrix Input
Manager, which is used to manage direct matrix input entities in a model.
This command Opens the NASTRAN Matrix Input Manager:
There are two types, single Direct Matrix Input entities and combinations of multiple Direct Matrix inputs.
This manager is used to create Direct Matrix Input entities (DMIGs) for Nastran solvers. In FEMAP, there are two
types of direct matrix inputs, “Single Matrix”, which writes a single DMIG entry and corresponding case control
entry, and “Matrix Combination”, which writes all of the DMIG entries referenced by the combination, along with
a corresponding case control entry.
This manager can be used to create a New Matrix or New Combination; Edit, Delete, Copy, or Renumber the direct
matrix input(s) currently highlighted in the Available Matrix Input(s) list; highlight entities in the graphics window
which are referenced by the direct matrix input(s) currently highlighted in the list (Show Selected); or Delete All the
direct matrix inputs currently in the model.
Clicking the New Matrix button opens the NASTRAN Direct Matrix Input Reference dialog box, which is used to
create either an actual DMIG entry in the Nastran input file (Internalized Data) or an INCLUDE statement to the
Nastran input file which references an external file containing a DMIG entry (External File). See "NASTRAN
Direct Matrix Input Reference" for more information.
Clicking the New Combination button opens the Referenced Matrix Inputs for NASTRAN Matrix Selection dialog
box, which is used to create a combination of direct matrix inputs, which can include scale factors for each refer-
enced direct matrix input entity. Each combination writes any DMIG entry and/or INCLUDE statement required
for the combination, provided they are not being written out to the Nastran input file as a “Single Matrix” (i.e., will
only be written out once). See "Referenced Matrix Inputs for NASTRAN Matrix Selection" for more information.
Once the direct matrix input entities have been created, one additional step is required. To be written to the Nastran
input file, a direct matrix input, “Single Matrix” or “Matrix Combination”, must be selected via the NASTRAN
Matrix Input Selection dialog box, which can be accessed for the Master case or any subcase of an appropriate anal-
ysis set. The type of case control entry written for a direct matrix input entity depends on which drop-down refer-
ences the entity in the NASTRAN Matrix Input Selection dialog box.
NASTRAN Direct Matrix Input Reference
This dialog box is used to create DMIG entries for Nastran solvers:
Convert Matrix Input
Send Matrix Input

Data to Data Table
An ID and Title can be specified for the Direct Matrix Input, otherwise, the next available ID will be used and no
title will be assigned.
The Source Data section is used to specify if the DMIG information exists in External File or is saved to the
FEMAP database as Internalized Data. In the large majority of usage cases, the DMIG information has been auto-
matically generated by a Nastran solver, thus it already exists in a file. Because of this, there is no ability to manu-
ally create a “Matrix of Values” to use as a DMIG via the FEMAP User Interface. Instead, FEMAP offers the
ability to select an external file, then use the “Convert Matrix Input” icon button to internalize the data or use inter-
nalized data to create to create an external file.
When Source Data is set to External File, the user must first choose the type of file from the drop-down, either
“0..NASTRAN Punch (*.pch)” or “1..NASTRAN OP2 (*.op2)”, then use the “...” icon button to open a dialog box
to select the file. When using “1.NASTRAN OP2 (*.op2)”, the Unit ID and Form options become available, which
are used to optionally specify an ID of a FORTRAN Unit and/or form of ASSIGN statements, respectively.
After a file has been selected and/or internalized, the Header Data section will be populated with:
Name - Name of the Matrix (Up to 8 alphanumeric characters, the first of which is alphabetic), which is written to/
read from the NAME field of the DMIG entry.
Matrix Form - Form of Matrix Input. Options are “Square” (Value on DMIG = 1), “Rectangular 2” (2), “Rectangu-
lar 9” (9), or Symmetric” (6), which are read from/written to IFO field of the DMIG entry.
Input Format/Precision - Type of matrix being import. Options are “Real, Single Precision” (Value on DMIG = 1),
“Real, Double Precision” (2), “Complex, Single Precision” (3), or “Complex, Double Precision” (4), which are
read from/written to the TIN field on the DMIG entry.
Output Format/Precision - Type of matrix that will be created. Options are “Machine Precision” (Value on DMIG
= 0), “Real, Single Precision” (1), “Real, Double Precision” (2), “Complex, Single Precision” (3), or “Complex,
Double Precision” (4), which are read from/written to the TOUT field on the DMIG entry.
Complex Format - Input format of Ai, Bi for a complex matrix. Options are “Real, Imaginary” (Value on DMIG =
0) or “Amplitude, Phase” (1), which are read from/written to the POLAR field of the DMIG entry.
Number of Columns - Number of columns in a rectangular matrix, which is only used when the Matrix Form is set
to “Rectangular 9” (IFO = 9). Value is read from/written to the NCOL field of the DMIG entry.
When internalizing matrices, the Select Matrices to Import dialog box will appear:
Simply check the box next to the name of each matrix to be internalized, then click OK. Use Select All to quickly
select all of the DMIG names in the external file or use Unselect All to clear all of the check boxes. A separate
direct matrix input entity will be created for each item selected in the dialog box.
The Selection Data section contains a single option, Scale Factor, which can be used to scale the direct matrix
input entity without the need to create a “Matrix Combination”, as that could be somewhat cumbersome. In addi-
tion, if a direct matrix input entity is highlighted when making a “Matrix Combination”, the Scale Factor field in
the Referenced Matrix Inputs for NASTRAN Matrix Selection dialog box will be populated with this value.
The “Send Matrix Input Data to Data Table” icon button will only be available when Source Data is set to Internal-
ized Data. Clicking this button will send the direct matrix input data to the Data Table in a format similar to this:
Connections (Regions, Properties, and Connectors) 2020.1-17
Referenced Matrix Inputs for NASTRAN Matrix Selection

This dialog box is used to create Matrix Combination entries:
Highlight any number of direct matrix inputs from the list of Available Inputs. Click Add Referenced Input to have
them placed in the Referenced Inputs list. By default, each item placed into the Referenced Inputs list will be
included with a Scale Factor of “1.0”, unless another value has been specified for Scale Factor in the Selection
Data section of the NASTRAN Direct Matrix Reference dialog box for the direct matrix input. If desired, the For
Referenced Input “Scale Factor” can be changed before pressing the Add Referenced Input button and all high-
lighted load sets will be placed in the Referenced Inputs list using that “Scale Factor”. These scale factors will be
written to the case control section, along with the names of the referenced inputs. Update Scale Factors will update
the scale factors of all inputs currently highlighted in the Referenced Inputs list, while the Remove Referenced Input
button is used to remove highlighted load sets from the Referenced Inputs list.
Additional user input is required when attempting to add a direct matrix input entity which has Data Source set to
External File. After pressing Add Referenced Input, a question will appear:
After clicking OK, the Select Matrices to Import dialog box, which is described above, will appear with one addi-
tional option, Internalize. When Internalized is disabled, which is the default, only the names will be imported.
When Internalize is enabled, a new direct matrix input entity will be created based on the selected matrix name(s).
Alternatively, a DMIG entry located in an external file can be added to a matrix combination by enabling the Direct
Name Input option, entering the DMIG entry’s NAME, then clicking the Add Referenced Input button.
Any direct matrix input entity which has Data Source set to External File will appear the same in the Referenced
Inputs list, regardless of the method used to add it to the matrix combination.

• Updated *Adaptively Modify Penalty Factor option on Multistep Structural (401) tab, which is accessed by
clicking More Options... button. Previously, it was a check box, but now it is a drop-down with three options.
*Adaptively Modify Penalty Factor - Creates PENADAPT field in BCTPARM entry. Option to adaptively vary
the contact stiffness between iterations.
“0..Do Not Modify” - No special field will be written to the BCTPARM and the penalty factor is not adaptively
modified by the program, which is the default behavior.
“1..Adaptively Modify” - Penalty factor is adaptively modified by the program. Writes a value of 1.
“2..Adaptively Modify in Large Range” - Penalty factor is adaptively modified in a range larger than when this
option is set to “1..Adaptively Modify”. Generally, “1..Adaptively Modify” is a good choice for most problems.
However, for some cases you may need a wider range of penalty factors. For these cases, you should consider using
this option. Writes a value of 2.
• Added Normal Vel Coeff. drop-down, Tangent Vel Coeff. drop-down, Normal Reg. Type drop-down and Value,
Frict vs Time drop-down, and Frict vs Temp drop-down to the Multistep Kinematic (402) tab.
Normal Vel Coeff. - Choose an existing function from the drop-down, which describes the normal velocity coeffi-
cient vs the normal penetration distance. This will write the DPARA1, along with the ID of the selected function, to
the BCTPAR2. For the function, the units for the X-Axis are Length and units for the Y-Axis, Pressure/Speed
(Force*Time/Length3). For a given normal penetration distance, the value of the table is then multiplied by the nor-
mal velocity to produce a viscous pressure.
Tangent Vel Coeff. - Choose an existing function from the drop-down, which describes the tangential velocity
coefficient vs the normal penetration distance. This will write the DPARA2, along with the ID of the selected func-
tion, to the BCTPAR2. For the function, the units for the X-Axis are Length and units for the Y-Axis, Pressure/
Speed (Force*Time/Length3).For a given normal penetration distance, the value of the table is then multiplied by
the tangential sliding velocity to produce a viscous pressure.
Normal Reg. Type and Value - Creates PRCS field in BCTPAR2 entry. Specifies normal regularization type.
Default value is -3.
“-3..Automatic” - Automatic choice: if the characteristic stiffnesses of both contact supports are very different, the
characteristic stiffness of each support is used, otherwise the characteristic stiffness of the whole structure is used.
“-2..Use Contact Support Stiffness” - use the characteristic stiffness of each contact support instead of the stiff-
ness of the whole structure.
“-1..No Regularization” - use no regularization.
“0..Specify Regularization Value” - define the regularization value to use by entering an integer value above 0 in
the Value field.
Frict vs Time - Choose an existing function from the drop-down, which describes the relation between the friction
coefficient vs time. This will write the CFNF, along with the ID of the selected function, to the BCTPAR2. For the
function, the units for the X-Axis, Time and units for the Y-Axis, Unitless. Used by Friction Model 1.
Frict vs Temp - Choose an existing function from the drop-down, which describes the relation between the friction
coefficient vs temperature. This will write the CFTE, along with the ID of the selected function, to the BCTPAR2.
For the function, the units for the X-Axis are Temperature and units for the Y-Axis, Unitless. Used by Friction
Model 1.
• Added Target KEYOPTs section and all options in the section to the ANSYS tab. This section contains options
which are only for target segments (TARGE169 and TARGA170). Of particular interest is Pilot Constraint (4),
which can be used to specify constrained degrees of freedom for target segments which reference a particular
connection property.
• Added Thermal section to MSC Nastran tab, which is accessed by clicking the Advanced Options... button.
Options in the Thermal section are written to the “HHHB” line in the BCTABLE entry.
• Updated the title of the tab in the Define Connection Property dialog box used to specify connection property
values for Autodesk Nastran (formally NEi Nastran).
Aeroelasticity 2020.1-19
Aeroelasticity
• Added the ability to preview the Aero Mesh to the for Control Surface 1 and Control Surface 2 to the Create
Aero Control Surface dialog box.
• Added support for MONPNT1 for Simcenter Nastran and MSC Nastran. See "Simulation Entities - New for
2020.1!" for more information.
Listing
• Updated List, Tools, Layers to optionally list entities on layers, groups with reference layers, and/or layers
which are a visible layer by views. In addition, can now also list “missing layers” and “empty layers”.
This command produces a report which describes all layers defined in a model. Opens the List Layers dialog box:
By default, the Layer Selection option is set to All Layers, which when used will simply create a listing of all layers
which exist in your model, with each layer’s ID and Color:
To include the entities assigned to each layer, enable the Entities on Layer option in the Layer Contents section.
To list any group(s) which reference a layer, if any, enable By Groups in the Layer References section.
To list any view(s) which the layer is currently visible, if any, enable By Views in the Layer References section.
Note: If the overall layer display option for a view is set to View All Layers, then that view will not listed as a
view which has a layer visible. This is only used when the overall layer display option is set to View Vis-
ible Layers Only and a layer is “Visible”.
The other options in the Layer Selection section do the same as All Layers, but can be used to list:
Empty Layers - layers which have no entities assigned, but none of other listing options are available.
Missing Layers - layers which have at least one entity assigned, but the layer does not exist in the model. The Enti-
ties on Layer and By View options are also available when using this option.
Selected Layers - layers selected by the user via the Select Layers(s) to List dialog box. All other listing options are
available when using this option.
Here is a example of using the Selected Layers option with Entities on Layer, By Group, and By View, all enabled:
Groups and Layers

• Updated List, Tools, Layers to optionally list entities on layers, groups with reference layers, and/or layers
which are a visible layer by views. In addition, can now also list “missing layers” and “empty layers”. See List-
ing section for more information.
• Added ability to use entity-specific commands on the Group menu, for any entity type which exists in the
model, even if no groups currently exist in the model. When a Group menu command is used in this situation,
the user will simply be prompted to create a new group.
Views
• Implemented “Unified Label Architecture”, which is used for all graphics, regardless if entities are being drawn
with Performance Graphics, “Legacy OpenGL Graphics”, or a mix of both. This implementation includes
enhanced control of digits for real number values being displayed in the graphics window.
To set global settings for digit control, use the File, Preferences command, choose the Graphics tab, then use then
specify options using the Locale and Options... buttons in the Digits Control section. See Preferences section for
more information.
The following options in View, Options contain a Digits button which can be used to override the options set in the
Digit Options dialog box accessed via the File, Preferences:
Labels, Entities and Color Category - Load Vectors and Constraint
Tools and View Style Category - None
PostProcessing Category - Deformed Model, Contour/Criteria Style, Contour/Criteria Legend, Contour Arrow
Options, and Freebody Vectors
The default setting for digit control for all of the above view options is “Use Preferences”. All of the other available
settings are the same as the options available via the Options... button in the preferences, so again, see Preferences
section for more information on the available settings.
• Added the ability to view element coordinate systems for Spring/Damper elements which reference a property
with Type set to CBUSH by using the View, Options command, setting Category to Labels, Entities and Color,
choosing Element - Coordinate System from the Options list, then enabling Show Coord Sys.

• Output Vector ID Ranges have been modified. See VERY IMPORTANT - Output Vector ID Ranges Have
Changed! section above.
• Added the ability when plotting an IsoSurface which allows a single IsoSurface to be used as a “cap”, which
will contour all elements and portions of elements which have a value below the specified value (“2..Negative
Capped Isosurface”) or above the specified value (“3..Positive Capped Isosurface”). This option can be con-
trolled by the IsoSurface option in View Options or via the drop-down when using “Dynamic IsoSurface”.
Single IsoSurface at Value Negative Capped IsoSurface Positive Capped IsoSurface
• Added the ability when plotting a Section Cut, set to Cut Model, to choose if the display is showing all elements
on the side of the plane toward the positive plane normal are removed (“0..Negative Cap”) or all elements on
the side of the plane toward the negative plane normal are removed (“1..Positive Cap”). This options can be set
via the drop-down in the Section Cut Options dialog box or when using “Dynamic Cutting Plane”.
Section Cut, Negative Cap Section Cut, Positive Cap
Geometry Interfaces

Parasolid 32.0
NX 2019 (version 1872.15)
SolidEdge 2020
CATIA V5 V5 R8 - V5-6 R2018 SP2
ACIS 2019 1.0.1
JT 10

• ANSYS Interface
• LS-DYNA Interface


• Added read/write support for BOLTFRC entry to create/export bolt preloads for multiple solution sequences.
• Added Restart Parameters (SOL 401 and SOL 402) section to Multi-Step Global Control Options dialog box,
which is now also available for SOL 401, and contains five options.
Save Restart Data (RSTGEN) - For the initial run, requests that restart data be saved for static, dynamic, and pre-
load subcases. When disabled, which is the default, no restart data is saved, which writes nothing to the input file.
When enabled, restart data is saved, which writes RSTGEN with a corresponding value of YES.
Note: SOL 401 saves the restart data in the output OP2 file. SOL 402 saves the restart data into OP2 file, the
SAMCEF SDB and ADB files, and the SAMCEF Output U18 file.
Restart File Unit Number (SRTUNIT) - For the restart run, defines the unit number of the external restart file.
The unit number must also be specified on ASSIGN statement that references the physical file name of the *.op2
file. Must be greater than or equal to 161, Default = 161. Writes RSTUNIT field and corresponding value.
Subcase to Restart From (SRTFROM) - For the restart run, defines the subcase ID to restart from for the analy-
sis. This subcase ID was defined in the initial run input file. Must be an integer value great than 1 and there is no
default value, therefore it must be specified. Writes RSTFROM and corresponding value.
Subcase to Execute From (EXEFROM) - For the restart run, defines the subcase ID to execute from for the anal-
ysis. This subcase ID is defined in the restart run input file. Must be an integer value great than 1 and there is no
default value, therefore it must be specified. Writes RSTFROM and corresponding value.
Disable Model Validation fro Restart Run (MDLVAL) - For the restart run, allows you to turn off the model val-
idation check. When disabled, which is the default, nothing is written to the input file and the validation check is
performed. When enabled, writes MDLVAL with a corresponding value of NO, which causes the validation check
to not be performed.
SOL 401 Only
• Added access to the Multi-Step Global Control Options dialog box. See SOL 401 and SOL 402 Only section.
• Added three options to the Solution Parameters section of the Solution and Convergence Options dialog box.
Disable Mechanical Load (LOADOFF) - Used to disable certain types of mechanical loads. Writes LOADOFF
field with selected option (Default = “0..No Loads Turned Off”).
“0..No Loads Turned Off” - No loads are disabled. Writes NONE.
“1..Body Loads Turned Off” - Disables body loads, which for Simcenter Nastran means any load being applied by
a GRAV, RFORCE, RFORCE1, ACCEL, and/or ACCEL1 entry. Writes BODY.
Simcenter Nastran Interface (Previously NX Nastran) 2020.1-23
“2..Boundary Loads Turned Off” - Disables boundary loads, which for Simcenter Nastran means any load being
applied by a PLOAD, PLOAD1, PLOAD2, PLOAD4, PLOADE1, PLOADX1, FORCE, FORCE1, FORCE2,
MOMENT, MOMENT1, MOMENT2, and/or SLOAD entry. Writes BOUNDRY.
“3..Both Boundary and Body Loads Turned Off” - Disables both body loads and boundary loads. Writes BOTH.
Enable Inertia in Dynamics (INERTIA) - Flag to include inertial effects in a subcase where Analysis Type is set
to “3..Dynamics”. When enabled, which is the default, nothing is written. When disabled, writes INERTIA with
corresponding NO field.
Thermal Strain Loading (THRMST) - Flag to include thermal strain in a static analysis. When enabled, which is
the default, writes THRMST with corresponding YES field. When disabled, writes NO.
• Added three options to the Stiffness Parameters section of the Solution and Convergence Options dialog box.
Quasi Newton-Raphson Iterations - Only available when Stiffness Update Strategy (KUPDATE) is set to
“2..Quasi Newton-Raphson”. Specifies the number of quasi Newton-Raphson iterations.
Enable Stiffness Matrix Stabilization (MSTB) - Flag to use matrix stabilization. When disabled, which is the
default, writes nothing. When enabled, writes MSTAB with a value of 1.
Matrix Stabilization Factor (MSFAC) - Matrix Stabilization Factor. Default = 1.0E-10. Writes MSFAC field and
corresponding value.
• Added four options to the Convergence Parameters section of the Solution and Convergence Options dialog
box.
Norm Criteria for Force (NORMP) - Defines the norm criteria for the force convergence error function. Writes
NORMP field with selected option (Default = “1..Norm 2 Criteria”).
“0..Norm 1 Criteria” - Use Norm 1 Criteria. Writes value of L1.
“2..Norm Infinity Criteria” - Use Norm Infinity Criteria. Writes value of LINF.
Norm Criteria for Displacement (NORMU) - Defines the norm criteria for the displacement convergence error
function. Writes NORMU field with selected option (Default = “1..Norm 2 Criteria”).
“2..Norm Infinity Criteria” - Use Norm Infinity Criteria. Writes value of LINF.
Force Error Function Denominator (REFP) - Optionally replaces the denominator in the force convergence
error function. If set to -1.0, nothing is written. If entering a value, must be greater than 0.0. Writes REFP field and
Disp. Error Function Denominator (REFU) - Optionally replaces the denominator in the displacement conver-
gence error function. If set to -1.0, nothing is written. If entering a value, must be greater than 0.0. Writes REFU
field and corresponding value.
• Added one option to the Time Integration section of the Solution and Convergence Options dialog box.
Modified Generalized Alpha Param (RHOINF) - Modified generalized alpha method parameter, Rho Infinity.
Writes RHOINF field and corresponding value. Value must be 0.0, 1.0, or any value in-between 0.0 and 1.0.
Default = 0.8.
SOL 402 Only
• Added two options to the newly created Global Parameters (SOL 402) section of the Multi-Step Global Control
Options dialog box.
Stress-Strain Measure for Output (STROUT) - Choice of the stress-strain measure for the output of stress or
strain simulation results. Writes STROUT with the selected option. If an option is specified for Stress-Strain Mea-
sure for Plastic Matl., it will be the default for STROUT. Otherwise, the default is “1..Log Strain, Cauchy Stress”
for large strains (PARAM,LGSTRN,1) or “2..Biot Strain, Biot Stress” for small strains (PARAM,LGSTRN,0).
“0..Green Strain, PK2 Stress” - writes a value of 0.
“1..Log Strain, Cauchy Stress” - writes a value of 1.

“2..Biot Strain, Biot Stress” - writes a value of 2.
“3..Log Strain, Kirchhoff Stress” - writes a value of 3
Note: Results in metallic shell elements, multi-layered shell elements, and beam elements are always output
in the using the “0..Green strain, PK2 stress” measure, regardless of the option set for Stress-Strain
Measure for Output (STROUT).
Stress-Strain Conversion Method (STRCONV) - Choice of the stress-strain curves conversion from Engineering
to Cauchy. Writes STRCONV with the selected option (Default = “0..Exact Method”).
“0..Exact Method” - writes a value of 0.
“1..Standard Method” - writes a value of 1.
Note: See Simcenter Nastran Quick Reference Guide for information about the “Exact Method” and “Stan-
dard Method”
• Added three options to the newly created Advanced Parameters (SOL 402) section of the Multi-Step Global
Control Options dialog box.
Threshold for Zero Pivots (PRECPIVO) - Threshold to detect zero pivots. Must be greater than 0.0, Default =
1.0E-8. Writes PRECPIVO field and corresponding value.
Modes to Save as Output (NKINE) - Number of kinematic modes to save as output. Must be greater than 0,
Default = 10. Writes NKINE field and corresponding value.
Version of Param. Defaults (MODEVERS) - Allows the user to change the default behavior of parameters to be
the same as an earlier version of Simcenter Nastran. Writes MODEVERS with corresponding field which specifies
the version in a particular format. For instance, if “1..2019.1” is specified, writes a value of 20191. Default =
“0..Default”, which is the version of Simcenter Nastran which shipped with the version of FEMAP being used.
• Added two options to Multi-Step Control Options dialog box, two in Time Stepping and one in Analysis Control.
Also, the Other Options section was divided into Plasticity and Creep Control and Internal Restart. In addition,
the name of the Solution/Convergence button was changed to Iteration and Control.
Activate Time Stepping Based on Disp/Temp Error (ERCD) - Flag to activate time step criterion based on the
absolute error of the displacement/temperature change. When disabled, which is the default, writes nothing. When
enabled, writes ERCD with corresponding value of 1.
Allowable Change/Step (PRED) - Only available when Activate Time Stepping Based on Disp/Temp Error
(ERCD) is enabled. Value of absolute allowable displacement/temperature change per time step. Must be above 0.0
and there is no default, therefore it must be specified to write PRED and corresponding value.
Save Data at Beginning of Computation (IAR0) - Specify if data must be saved at the beginning of the computa-
tion of a sequentially dependent subcase. When enabled, which is default, writes nothing and data is saved. When
disabled, writes IAR0 with corresponding value of -1 and data is not saved.
• Added two options to Solution and Convergence dialog box, one in Equilibrium and Convergence and one in
Contact. Also, removed Time Step Criteria and Allowable Displacement (PRED) from the Analysis Options
section. In addition, updated layout of the entire dialog box to make more efficient use of space.
Rigid Body Motion Convergence (OTRE) - Choice to allow an easier convergence when no external loads are
applied (rigid body motion). Writes PLAS with the selected option (Default = “1..Enable based on PRCE, PRCQ,
and PRCR criteria”).
“0..Disable Convergence” - Writes value of 0.
“1..Enable based on PRCE, PRCQ, and PRCR criteria” - Writes value of 1.
“2..Enable based on PRCE, PRCQ, PRCR, and REFP” - Writes value of 2.
Threshold for Contact Force Variation (PRCF) - Precision threshold for the contact forces variation. This value
can be compared to TESC value in the *.f06 file.Must be greater than 0.0, Default = 0.1. Writes PRCF field and
Nastran Interfaces (Simcenter and MSC/MD) 2020.1-25

• Added support for “Large IDs” (i.e., IDs above 99,999,999). Any entity with a “Large ID” will automatically be
written in large field format. It up to the user to confirm that any type of entity which has been assigned a
“Large ID” is allowed to have a “Large ID” for the specified solution sequence in the specified solver.
• Added Monitor Points item in Analysis Set Manager for a number of different analysis types, which provides
access to the Select Monitor Point(s) dialog box.
Highlighting the Direct Matrix Input item, then clicking Edit opens Select Monitor Point(s) dialog box:
Toggle Selected On Toggle Selected Off Title Filter Clear Title Filter
Toggle All Off
Toggle All On
Delete Monitor
Point
New Monitor Edit Monitor
Point Point
Show Selected
Show Checked
Existing monitor points are shown with their Label, Name, and Type. Only the monitor point(s) which have a check
box toggled “on” will be written to the Nastran input file. Simply check the monitor points to include. It is also pos-
sible to highlight any number of monitor points from the list. Holding down the “Ctrl” key will enable highlighting
of multiple monitor points. Holding down “Shift” while picking a “first” row, then a “last” row, will highlight a
range of monitor points. Once highlighting is complete, use the Toggle Selected On or Toggle Selected Off icon but-
tons to check or uncheck the highlighted monitor point(s).
Click the Title Filter icon button, then enter text into the Title Includes field to reduce the list to only include moni-
tor points whose Titles include that text. Click Clear Filter icon button to return all monitor points to the list.
The Toggle All On button chooses all monitor points currently in the list, so if the list is “filtered”, only those mon-
itor points will be selected. Click Toggle All Off to have no monitor points selected in the list.
The Show Checked and Show Selected icon buttons are used to highlight the included entities for each monitor
point in the graphics window. Using Show Checked will highlight the included entities for each monitor point
checked in the Select Monitor Point(s) dialog box, while Show Selected uses the monitor points currently high-
lighted in the Select Monitor Point(s) dialog box.
The New Monitor Point icon button can be used at any time to display the NASTRAN Monitor Point Manager dia-
log box, which can then be used to create either type of monitor point, while the Edit Monitor Point icon button can
be used to edit the monitor point(s) currently highlighted in the Select Monitor Point(s) dialog box. The Delete
Monitor Point icon button can be used to delete the monitor point(s) currently highlighted.
The Print Aero Monitor Results and Print Load Monitor Results options are used to control if and how many times
the MONITOR entry is written to case control. For Simcenter Nastran, neither of these options is available for
Static Aeroelasticity (SOL 144) and only Print Load Monitor Results is available in the Master Case, or any sub-
case, for Linear Statics (SOL 101) or Normal Modes/Eigenvalue (SOL 103). For MSC Nastran, both requests are
available, but only in the Master Case for any supported analysis type.
• Added Direct Matrix Input item in Analysis Set Manager for a number of different analysis types, which pro-
vides access to the NASTRAN Matrix Input Selection dialog box.
Highlighting the Direct Matrix Input item in either the Master Requests and Conditions or in any subcase, then
clicking Edit opens the NASTRAN Matrix Input Selection dialog box:
Check the “Enable Matrix Input” box for the analysis set or subcase to be able to select G-Type Matrices and/or P-
Type Matrices, which will be written to either the Case Control section, either for the Master Case or a specific sub-
case. In order to have items available for selection, Direct Matrix Input entities must exist in the model. A “Single
Matrix” or “Matrix Combination” can be selected for any drop-down in this dialog box.
If a “Single Matrix” is selected in a drop-down, the appropriate Case Control entry will be written, along with the
Name specified for the direct matrix input entity. If a “Matrix Combination” is selected in a drop-down, the appro-
priate Case Control entry will be written, along with an equation consisting of scale factors and the name of each
direct matrix entity referenced in the combination.
Note: Only direct matrix input entities, “Single Matrix”, which have Source Data set to Internalized Data can
be selected using the drop-downs. If using a “Matrix Combination”, Source Data can be set to either
External File or Internalized Data for the referenced direct matrix input entities. Also, a “Matrix Com-
bination” only requires a single direct matrix input entity to be in the Referenced Inputs section.
The G-Type Matrices section contains five drop-downs:

Stiffness - Writes K2GG Case Control entry
Mass - Writes M2GG Case Control entry
Damping - Writes K2GG Case Control entry
Structural Damping - Writes K42GG Case Control entry
Loading - Writes P2G Case Control entry
The P-Type Matrices section contains three drop-downs:
Stiffness - Writes K2PP Case Control entry
Mass - Writes M2PP Case Control entry
Damping - Writes B2PP Case Control entry
A number of bugs were corrected
ANSYS Interface 2020.1-27
ANSYS Interface
• Updated dialog box used for specification of PSD information and other options for random response analysis.
The ANSYS Random Vibration Analysis Options dialog box is used to specify options for frequency response anal-
ysis:
Basic Options (SPOPT)

The options in this section specify a the Spectrum Type and other overall options for random response or spectrum
analysis. Writes the SPOPT entry with appropriate names, values, etc for the current case. For detailed information,
see ANSYS documentation for SPOPT.
Spectrum Type - Specifies the type of spectrum for the analysis. Currently, the only available option is “3..Power
Spectral Density”, but other options exist, which may be supported in a future release.
• 0..Single-point Response Spectrum - Writes SPRS to “Sptype” field on SPOPT
• 1..Multi-point Response Spectrum - Writes MPRS to “Sptype” field on SPOPT
• 2..Dynamic Design Analysis Method - Writes DDAM to “Sptype” field on SPOPT
• 3..Power Spectral Density - Writes PSD to “Sptype” field on SPOPT
Number of Modes - Specifies to use only the first “number of modes” from the modal analysis (i.e., value of “5”
means to only use the first 5 modes from the modal analysis). Writes integer value to NMODE field on SPOPT.
Maximum value allowed is 10,000.
Element Result - Element Results Calculation Key. When disabled, which is the default, writes NO to Elcalc field
on SPOPT. When enabled, writes YES to Ecalc field.
PSD Table (PSDUNIT/PSDFREQ/PSDVAL/PFACT)

The options in this section specify various options for the PSD function. For detailed information, see ANSYS doc-
umentation for PSDUNIT, PSDFREQ, PSDVAL and PFACT.
The numbers of the “Correlation Table” correspond to the cases that define the loads for your analysis. Where the
cases listed are the same (i.e, Master=>Master or 1=>1), pick the case from the table, then enter a real factor and
select a PSD function to apply to the case.
Once Apply is clicked to update the “Correlation Table” when the cases are the same (i.e., Master=>Master,1=>1),
the information will appear as follows:
“Real” Factor*(“Real” Function ID) + :PSD Interpolation option (“Real”)
When the cases are different (such as 1=>2), you must decide whether you want to correlate the cases. If you don’t
enter any values for real and imaginary values, the cases will not be correlated. If you do want to correlate the
cases, enter the real and imaginary factors and PSD functions.
Once Apply is clicked to update the “Correlation Table” when the cases are not the same (i.e.,1=>2), the informa-
tion will appear as follows:
“Real” Factor*(“Real” Function ID) + “Imaginary” Factor*(“Imaginary” Function ID) :PSD Interpolation option
(“Real”) :PSD Interpolation option (“Imaginary”)
Damping
The values can be used to specify damping options for random response analysis.
Damp/Mass - Specifies Mass Matrix multiplier, Alpha, for damping to form the viscous damping matrix [C].
Writes the ALPHAD entry with value.
Damp/Stiffness - Specifies Stiffness Matrix multiplier, Beta, for damping to form the viscous damping matrix [C].
Writes the BETAD entry with value.
Mode Ratio - Defines constant modal damping ratio. Writes DMPRAT entry with value.
Mode Combination (PSDCOM)
The values are to specify the power spectral density (PSD) mode combination method and additional values and
writes PSDCOM entry.
Significance - Specifies a threshold value to be considered for mode combination. Only modes which have a sig-
nificance level above this threshold, which is determined by the modal covariance matrix term divided by the max-
imum modal covariance term, will be combined. If a mode has a significance level below this threshold, it is
considered insignificant and not contributing the modal combination. The higher the value, the less modes will be
used. If set to 0.0, all modes will be combined. Writes the value to the SIGNIF field on PSDCOM entry.
Mode Number - Specifies to use only the first “number of modes” to be combined (i.e., value of “5” means to only
use the first 5 modes for mode combination). Value must always be less than or equal to Number of Modes value in
Basic Options (SPOPT) section. Writes integer value to COMODE field on PSDCOM.
Force Static (Total) - Identifies the forces to be combined. When disabled, which is the default, combines both the
modal static and inertial forces (writes TOTAL to ForceType field of PSDCOM entry). When enabled, combines
only the model static forces (writes STATIC to ForceType field of PSDCOM entry).
Note: Some Ansys random vibration calculations, such as nodal results spectrum (RPSD), are performed in
ANSYS post processors. Those post processing functions are not supported in FEMAP.
• Added Portion of Model to Write option to Model Control section of ANSYS Command and Model Control dia-
log box.Allows you to select a previously defined group, then only exports the supported entities in that group
to the ANSYS input file. In some cases, exporting elements without associated nodes or material/property
entries may be desired, but this creates an input file which cannot be run by ANSYS unless additional entities
are added to the file.
Note: If a “ready to run” input file is desired, it may be helpful to use the Group, Operations, Add Related
Entities command on the group before selected with this option.
ABAQUS Interface 2020.1-29
• Improved support for shell elements with variable shell thicknesses defined via *DIM and *SET, SECFUN.
Note: Shell thickness is defined at nodes, so if the thickness is discontinuous across shell elements, the trans-
lation will likely not be exact.
• Improved support for ESEL and NSEL entries by creating FEMAP Groups when these are encountered. Also,
Groups in FEMAP can be used to write ESEL and NSEL entries.
• Improved support for loads and constraints using ANSYS element or node components
ABAQUS Interface
• Added read/write support for DLOAD, TRVEC to create/export directional pressure loads.
• Added support to read *CONNECTOR SECTION types BUSHING and BEAM. For type = BUSHING, Spring/
Damper elements which reference a corresponding property with Type set to CBUSH are created. For type =
BEAM, Spring/Damper elements which reference a corresponding property with Type set to CBUSH, with very
large stiffness values in all directions, are created.
• Added support for reading CONTACT PAIR, SURFACE INTERATION, and SURFACE NAMEs and retaining
them in FEMAP.
• Added support for reading off-axis terms from ROTARY INERTIA entries, which are stored as Mass elements
in FEMAP.
• Updated import to read a maximum of 9 digits for ID fields in the ABAQUS input file.
• Removed support for import of fixed field format files, as they are now incompatible with solver.
LS-DYNA Interface
• Added Portion of Model to Write option to LS-DYNA Model Options dialog box. Allows you to select a previ-
ously defined group, then only exports the supported entities in that group to the LS-DYNA input file. In some
cases, exporting elements without associated nodes or material/property entries may be desired, but this creates
an input file which cannot be run by LS-DYNA unless additional entities are added to the file.
Note: If a “ready to run” input file is desired, it may be helpful to use the Group, Operations, Add Related
Entities command on the group before selected with this option.
• Added support for Beam type “13..Timoshenko”. In FEMAP, this is set using an element formulation.
• Improved support for shell elements with variable shell thicknesses defined using the Variable fields on the
*ELEMENT_SHELL_THICKNESS entry.
Tools
• Added the Tools, Check, Mesh Interference command.
This command examines a selected set of elements to determine if any of the selected elements interferes (i.e., ele-
ment passes through and/or overlaps another element) with any of the other selected elements. This command can
be used to determine if interference is occurring between line, planar, and/or solid elements and the cross-section of
line elements and the thickness of planar elements are taken into consideration.
You first select the elements to be checked, then answer up to two additional questions. If any solid elements are
selected, the following question will appear first:
Select Yes to only use the “free faces” of the selected solid elements or No to use all faces of solid elements.
Any elements which interfere with each other will be highlighted in the graphics window using the current settings
for the Window, Show Entities command.
In all cases where elements are found to be interfering with one another, the following question will appear:
Select Yes to automatically create a group with all elements which interfere with at least one other element.
For example, this model (shown with and without cross-sections displayed):
Would find that the highlighted elements interfere with at least one other element:
Tools 2020.1-31
• Updated the Tools, Check, Coincident Nodes command by adding the Delete Midside Nodes in Linear/Para-
bolic Transitions option, which will delete any midside nodes on parabolic elements which are transitioning to
linear elements after the corners of the elements have been merged.
• Updated the Tools, Check, Sum Forces command to be able to list the individual load summation for All Load
Sets or any number of Selected Load Sets. In addition, added an option to send the individual summation for
each load set to the Data Table.
This command checks the total forces about a selected location. Nodal forces, nodal moments, elemental pressures,
and body loads from each selected load set are all used in this calculation.
The command will first ask the user to specify a location. The Sum Forces in Individual Load Sets dialog box will
then appear:
The Listing CSys allows selection of an existing coordinate system to use for calculation.
The Load Sets to Sum section allows selection of a Single Load Set (by default, will be set to the “Active” Load
Set), All Load Sets, or Selected Load Sets (Click Load Sets button to select Load Sets).
The Options section allows more control of the calculation. By default, the Sum All Loads option will be selected,
with both Include Body Loads and Expand and Include Geometric Loads turned “on”. In this case, the calculation
will include all the nodes and elements in the model, any geometry-based loads which create forces and pressures,
and any body loads in each selected load set.
Choose Loads on Selected Nodes and Elements to instead select a subset of nodes and elements for the calculation.
Available only when Load Sets to Sum is set to Single Load Set, the Selected Load Definitions option can be used to
only consider selected load definitions from the load set specified in the drop-down control for the calculation.
The Include Body Loads and/or Expand and Include Geometric Loads can be turned off to not include body loads
and/or geometry-based loads, respectively and can be enabled/disabled when using any of the other options.
The Send Summation(s) to Data Table option can be used to send the calculated values to the Data Table.
Note: When using the Send Summation(s) to Data Table option, the calculated values for each load set will be
written to a single row in the Data Table, which differs from the typical listing of these values to the
active List Destination(s), which is described below.
When computing total effective moment, the specified location will be used to find the force couples caused by the
applied forces, pressures, and body loads. A report in the following format will be produced. It will be written to
the active List Destination(s).
In the first section of this report, all loads are simply added in global rectangular coordinates. The pressure force is
determined by multiplying the elemental pressures defined by the element face area. This force is then applied in
the direction opposite the face normal, at the centroid of the face.
To determine the forces created by the various body loads, the following is done:
For each element, the volume of the element is calculated then multiplied by the material currently assigned to the
element to determine each element’s mass. The calculated mass is then treated as a lumped mass located at each
element’s centroid. The individual lumped masses are multiplied by the accelerations or rotational velocities to
determine a force at the element centroid, all of which are then summed to determine the overall force load for each
type of body load.
Note: The approach used for calculating forces from body loads is only accurate to compute rotational loads if
the effect of the inertias of the individual elements are small compared to the effects of the point masses
(i.e. the model contains many small elements).
The Totals section of the report shows the specified location. The total forces will include the nodal force, the pres-
sure force, and the body load force(s). The total Moments will include nodal moments, and the force couples pro-
duced by the nodal forces, pressure forces, and body load forces around the specified location.
Model Merge
• Added support for Analysis Studies and Tables to be considered by the File, Merge command.
OLE/COM API
To minimize the immediate impact on users with APIs, all existing API properties and Methods will CONTINUE
TO WORK as before, BUT will only work when using the pre-2020.1 output vector IDs. This means existing APIs
will works as they always have, and can be updated at your convenience to the new output vector IDs.
Note: While API scripts will work as they did before, if an API creates an output vector, and the ID of that
output vector has changed, then the new ID for that output vector will be displayed in the FEMAP User
Interface. If the pre-2020.1 output vector ID is used later in the API, it will NOT be found.
A large number of new API methods and properties which are specifically designed to work with the new Output
Vector ID ranges have been added to Femap 2020.1. The names of these new property and method and appended
with “V2”(ie NextVectorResetV2, VectorExistsV2, VectorsV2 etc..).
Supporting methods have also been added to convert output vector IDs back and forth from the two conventions:
• feOutputConvertV2019VectorIDToV2020V2 - allows users to update old APIs to use new output vector IDs
• feOutputConvertV2020VectorIDToV2019V2 - allows users to convert new output vector IDs to pre-2020.1
output vector IDs
API Objects deprecated because all functionality for working with Output has been added to the
Results Browsing Object, which is more robust
• Removed Output Object and all related methods.
Functions added specifically to work with new Output Vector ID Ranges (All new functions are
appended with “V2”, even if the function did not exist prior to FEMAP 2020.1)
• feFileAttachSaveV2
• feFileAttachSave2V2
• feFileWriteFNOV2
• feFileWriteFNO2V2
• feFileWriteFNO3V2
• feModelFileVersionV2
• feMeasureDistanceBetweenNodesV2
• feMeasureDistanceBetweenNodes2V2
• feMeasureAngleBetweenNodesV2
• feOutputProcessV2
• feOutputProcessCopyV2
• feOutputProcessMergeV2
• feOutputProcessLinearCombinationV2
• feOutputProcessRSSCombinationV2
• feOutputProcessConvertV2
• feOutputProcessEnvelopeV2
• feOutputProcessEnvelopeFromSetsV2
• feOutputProcessErrorEstimateV2
• feOutputTransform2V2
• feOutputConvertV92VectorIDV2
• feOutputConvertV2019VectorIDToV2020V2
• feOutputConvertV2020VectorIDToV2019V2
• feOutputCompareV2
• feResultsToDataTableV2
• feResultsToDataTable2V2
• feResultsRankingToDataTableV2
• feOutputGlobalPlyV2
• feDeleteOutputV2
• feDeleteOutput2V2
• feDeleteOutputEntryV2
• feSelectOutputV2
• feSelectOutput2V2
Attributes added specifically to work with new Output Vector ID Ranges (All new attributes are
appended with “V2”, even if the attribute did not exist prior to FEMAP 2020.1)
• Added OutputVectorV2 and OutputVector2V2 attributes to the Chart Data Series Object
• Added VectorIDV2 attribute to the Optimization Responses (Limits) Object
• Added ContourVector1V2, ContourVector2V2, ContourVector3V2, ContourDataV2, ContourVecAddlV2,
DeformDataV2, TraceIDV2, ContourVecID1V2, vContourVecID1V2, ContourVecID2V2, vContourVe-
cID2V2, ContourVecID3V2, vContourVecID3V2, XYOutputDataV2, and vXYOutputDataV2 attributes to the
View Object
Methods added specifically to work with new Output Vector ID Ranges (All new methods are
appended with “V2”, even if the method did not exist prior to FEMAP 2020.1)
• Added AddAllInRangeInSetV2, AddAllTitleV2, AddComponentOutputVectorsV2, AddSimilarOutputVec-
torsV2, AddComplexOutputVectorsV2, SelectIDInSetV2, SelectMultiIDV2, and SelectOutputVectorIDV2
methods to the Set Object
• Added FindColumnV2, AddColumnV2 AddConversionColumnV2, GetColumnVectorV2, and VectorID meth-
ods to the Results Browsing Object Browsing Methods.
• Added NextVectorResetV2, NextVectorV2, VectorExistsV2, VectorInfoV2, VectorTitleV2, VectorCompo-
nentsV2, VectorLocationV2, VectorEntitiesV2, VectorsV2, VectorTitlesV2, and NonExistingUserVectorV2
methods to the Results Browsing Object Vector Methods.
• Added EntityValueV2 method to the Results Browsing Object Entity Value Methods.
• Added AddColumnV2, AddConversionColumnV2, FindColumnV2, and GetColumnVectorV2 methods to the
Results Browsing Object Bulk Data Review Methods.
• Added AddScalarAtNodeColumnV2, AddVectorAtNodeColumnsV2, AddScalarAtElemColumnV2, AddElem-
WithCornerColumnsV2, AddScalarAtBeamColumnsV2, SetColumnVectorV2, GetScalarAtNodeColumnV2,
SetScalarAtNodeColumnV2, GetScalarAtElemColumnV2, SetScalarAtElemColumnV2, GetVectorAtNo-
deColumnsV2, SetVectorAtNodeColumnsV2, GetElemWithCornerColumnsV2, SetElemWithCornerCol-
umnsV2, GetScalarAtBeamColumnsV2, SetScalarAtBeamColumnsV2, GetScalarAtNodeSetV2,
GetScalarAtElemSetV2, GetVectorAtNodeSetV2, GetElemWithCornerSetV2, and GetScalarAtBeamSetV2
methods to the Results Browsing Object Update and Save Methods.
• Added AddOutputV2 method to the DataTable Object.
• Added VarOutputMapV2 method to the Data Surface Object.
• Added MapFromModelToSetV2, MapFromModelToSet2V2, and MapFromModelToLocationV2 methods to
the MapOutput Object.
• Added SetupElemV2 and GetElemV2 methods to the Optimization Responses (Limits) Object
• Added VectorV2 and OutputVectorsV2 methods to the Output Set Object
• Added Results Vector ID Query (feResultsIDQuery) object to the API. The feResultsIDQuery object has no
attributes, only methods.
• Added Monitor Point (feMonitorPoint) object to the API. Also, added color, layer, title, Name, type, defCSys,
outCSys, NodeGroup, ElemGroup, xyz, vxyz, SumComponents, vSumComponents, SumContributions, vSum-
Contributions, HasNodeList, HasElemList, HasPanelList, CompTitle, NodeSetID, ElemSetID, PanelSetID,
HasAeroMeshList, AeroMeshSetID, x, y, and z attributes to the feMonitorPoint Object.
• Added Direct Matrix Input (feMatrixInput) object to the API. Also, added title, Name, InputForm, InputPreci-
sion, OutputPrecision, ComplexForm, colCount, matrixDir, AssignForm, UnitID, FileInputForm, ScaleFactor,
and DataSource attributes to the feMatrixInput Object.
• Added AutoPopulate, NextSetStartID, NextVectorStartID, and NextStudyStartID attributes to the Results

Browsing Object.
• Added CopyActiveColor and CopyToActiveCSys attributes to the CopyTool Object.
• Added NasMsnlCntINACCN, NasMsnlCntINERTIA, NasMsnlCntLOADOFF, NasMsnlCntMSTAB, NasMsn-
lCntMSFAC, NasMsnlCntNORMP, NasMsnlCntNORMU, NasMsnlCntREFP, NasMsnlCntREFU, NasMsn-
lCntRHOINF, NasMsnlkCnt2IAR0, NasMsnlkCnt2OTRE, NasMsnlkCnt2PRCF, NasEnableDMIG,
NasDMIGK2GG, NasDMIGM2GG, NasDMIGB2GG, NasDMIGK42GG, NasDMIGP2G, NasDMIGK2PP,
NasDMIGM2PP, NasDMIGB2PP, NasCaseMonitorEnabled, NasCaseMonitorAeroEnabled, NasCaseMonitor-
LoadEnabled, NasMsnlCntQuasiNewtonIter, and NasCaseAlternateTextLocation attributes to the Analysis
Case Object.
• Added NasMsNLKGlobalSTROUT, NasMsNLKGlobalSTRCONV, NasMsNLKGlobalPRECPIVO, NasMsN-
LKGlobalNKINE, NasMsNLKGlobalMODEVERS, NasMsNLKGlobalRSTGEN, NasMsNLKGlobalRSTU-
NIT, NasMsNLKGlobalRSTFROM, NasMsNLKGlobalEXEFROM, NasMsNLKGlobalMDLVAL,
NasMsnlModalMassForm, NasMsnlCntINACCN, NasMsnlCntINERTIA, NasMsnlCntLOADOFF, NasMsn-
lCntMSTAB, NasMsnlCntMSFAC, NasMsnlCntNORMP, NasMsnlCntNORMU, NasMsnlCntREFP, NasMsn-
lCntREFU, NasMsnlCntRHOINF, NasMsnlkCnt2IAR0, NasMsnlkCnt2OTRE, NasMsnlkCnt2PRCF,
NasCaseAlternateTextLocation, NasEnableDMIG, NasDMIGK2GG, NasDMIGM2GG, NasDMIGB2GG,
NasDMIGK42GG, NasDMIGP2G, NasDMIGK2PP, NasDMIGM2PP, NasDMIGB2PP, NasMonitorEnabled,
NasMptSetID, NasMonitorAeroEnabled, NasMonitorLoadEnabled, and NasMsnlCntQuasiNewtonIter attri-
butes to the Analysis Manager Object.
• Added Disabled attribute to the Connection Region Object.
• Added PreloadType attribute to the LoadBolt Object.
• Added NumberOfMatrices attribute to the Node Object.
• Added SectionCapMode attribute to the View Object.
• Added DO_Loads_Option, DO_Loads_RoundToZero, DO_Loads_RoundToZeroValue, DO_Loads_Before-
DecimalSeparator, DO_Loads_MinimumExponentSize, DO_Loads_ExponentDigits, DO_Loads_SigFigs,
DO_Loads_LeadingZeros, DO_Loads_TrailingZeros, DO_Loads_DecimalPlaces, DO_Loads_MaxDigits,
DO_Loads_BaseExponent, DO_Loads_OriginalDigits, and DO_Loads_Exponent attributes to the View
Object. These attributes are used by the “Load Vectors” option in View Options to control the display of digits
in the graphics window for Load Vectors
• Added DO_BCs_Option, DO_BCs_RoundToZero, DO_BCs_RoundToZeroValue, DO_BCs_BeforeDeci-
malSeparator, DO_BCs_MinimumExponentSize, DO_BCs_ExponentDigits, DO_BCs_SigFigs,
DO_BCs_LeadingZeros, DO_BCs_TrailingZeros, DO_BCs_DecimalPlaces, DO_BCs_MaxDigits,
DO_BCs_BaseExponent, DO_BCs_OriginalDigits, and DO_BCs_Exponent attributes to the View Object.
These attributes are used by the “Constraint” option in View Options to control the display of digits in the
graphics window for Constraints (Non-Zero)
• Added DO_Deformed_Option, DO_Deformed_RoundToZero, DO_Deformed_RoundToZeroValue, DO_De-
formed_BeforeDecimalSeparator, DO_Deformed_MinimumExponentSize, DO_Deformed_ExponentDigits,
DO_Deformed_SigFigs, DO_Deformed_LeadingZeros, DO_Deformed_TrailingZeros, DO_Deformed_Deci-
malPlaces, DO_Deformed_MaxDigits, DO_Deformed_BaseExponent, DO_Deformed_OriginalDigits, and
DO_Deformed_Exponent attributes to the View Object. These attributes are used by the “Deformed Model”
option in View Options to control the display of digits in the graphics window for the model when deformations
are being shown as vectors
• Added DO_Criteria_Option, DO_Criteria_RoundToZero, DO_Criteria_RoundToZeroValue, DO_Criteria_Be-
foreDecimalSeparator, DO_Criteria_MinimumExponentSize, DO_Criteria_ExponentDigits, DO_Criteria_Sig-
Figs, DO_Criteria_LeadingZeros, DO_Criteria_TrailingZeros, DO_Criteria_DecimalPlaces,
DO_Criteria_MaxDigits, DO_Criteria_BaseExponent, DO_Criteria_OriginalDigits, and DO_Criteria_Expo-
nent attributes to the View Object. These attributes are used by the “Contour/Criteria Style” option in View
Options to control the display of digits in the graphics window for values of a Criteria Plot, when Max/Min
Labels are being displayed in a Contour Plot, and/or when Beam Diagrams are displayed with Labels
• Added DO_ContourLegend_Option, DO_ContourLegend_RoundToZero, DO_ContourLegend_RoundToZe-

roValue, DO_ContourLegend_BeforeDecimalSeparator, DO_ContourLegend_MinimumExponentSize, DO_-
ContourLegend_ExponentDigits, DO_ContourLegend_SigFigs, DO_ContourLegend_LeadingZeros,
DO_ContourLegend_TrailingZeros, DO_ContourLegend_DecimalPlaces, DO_ContourLegend_MaxDigits,
DO_ContourLegend_BaseExponent, DO_ContourLegend_OriginalDigits, and DO_ContourLegend_Exponent
attributes to the View Object. These attributes are used by the “Contour/Criteria Legend” option in View
Options to control the display of digits in the graphics window for the Contour Legend
• Added DO_ContourArrow_Option, DO_ContourArrow_RoundToZero, DO_ContourArrow_RoundToZeroV-
alue, DO_ContourArrow_BeforeDecimalSeparator, DO_ContourArrow_MinimumExponentSize, DO_Contou-
rArrow_ExponentDigits, DO_ContourArrow_SigFigs, DO_ContourArrow_LeadingZeros,
DO_ContourArrow_TrailingZeros, DO_ContourArrow_DecimalPlaces, DO_ContourArrow_MaxDigits, DO_-
ContourArrow_BaseExponent, DO_ContourArrow_OriginalDigits, and DO_ContourArrow_Exponent attri-
butes to the View Object. These attributes are used by the “Contour Arrow Options” option in View Options to
control the display of digits in the graphics window for values of Contour Arrows
• Added DO_FreeBody_Option, DO_FreeBody_RoundToZero, DO_FreeBody_RoundToZeroValue, DO_Free-
Body_BeforeDecimalSeparator, DO_FreeBody_MinimumExponentSize, DO_FreeBody_ExponentDigits,
DO_FreeBody_SigFigs, DO_FreeBody_LeadingZeros, DO_FreeBody_TrailingZeros, DO_FreeBody_Deci-
malPlaces, DO_FreeBody_MaxDigits, DO_FreeBody_BaseExponent, DO_FreeBody_OriginalDigits, and
DO_FreeBody_Exponent attributes to the View Object. These attributes are used by the “Freebody Vectors”
option in View Options to control the display of digits in the graphics window for values of Freebody arrows
• Updated NodeMergeOption attribute on the Geometry Preparation and Meshing Object. It now has 4 possible
values instead of 3.
• Added Find, Nodal, NodalWithComponents, NodalOther, Line, LineAllLocations, LineOther, Plate, PlateWith-
Corners, PlateOther, Laminate, LaminateWithCorners, LaminateGlobalPly, LaminateGlobalPlyWithCorners,
Solid, SolidWithCorners, SolidOther, LaminateSolid, LaminateSolidWithCorners, LaminateSolidGlobalPly,
LaminateSolidGlobalPlyWithCorners, Elemental, Complex, and User methods to the Results Vector ID Query
Object.
• Added GetComponentSet, ClearComponentSet, PutComponentSet, GetAeroMeshSet, PutAeroMeshSet, and
ClearAeroMeshSet methods to the Monitor Point Object.
• Added GetMatrixEntry, PutMatrixEntry, GetCombination, PutCombination, GetMatrixList, PutMatrixList,
GetCombinations, and PutCombinations methods to the Direct Matrix Input Object.
• Added SetRow, SetRows, SetRowsByID, SetColumn, SetColumns, and SetRowsAndColumnsByID methods
to the Results Browsing Object Browsing Methods.
• Added NumberOfStudies, NextStudyReset, NextStudy, StudyExists, StudyInfo, StudyTitle, StudyNotes, and
StudyCreate methods to the Results Browsing Object Study Methods.
• Added SetCreate method to the Results Browsing Object Set Methods.
• Added SetColumnInfo, GetColumnInfo, SetColumnsComponent, GetColumnComponents, SetColumnTitle,
SetColumnInteger, GetColumnInteger, SaveColumn, Save, Sort, and GetColumnAbsMax methods to the
Results Browsing Object Update and Save Methods.
• Added IncludeOtherEntities2 methods to the CopyTool Object.
• Added IncludeOtherEntities2 methods to the MoveTool Object.
• Added PutMptSetID, GetMptSet, ClearMptSet, PutMptSet methods to the Analysis Manager Object.
• Added PutArray, GetAllArray, and PutAllArray methods to the BCNode Object.
• Added InitAllLayerInfo, InitLayerContentsInfo, InitLayerGroupReferenceInfo, InitLayerViewReferenceInfo,
ClearLayerInfo, FindLayerInfo, ResetNextLayerInfo, NextLayerInfo, FindAllReferencedLayers, FindEmptyL-
ayers, and FindMissingLayers methods to the Layer Object.
• Added PutArray, GetAllArray, and PutAllArray methods to the LoadBolt Object.
• Added PutArray, GetAllArray, and PutAllArray methods to the LoadETemp Object.
• Added PutArray, GetAllArray, and PutAllArray methods to the LoadMesh Object.

• Added PutArray, GetAllArray, and PutAllArray methods to the LoadNTemp Object.
• feCheckElemInterference
• feConnectLinearParabolic
• feCheckCoincidentNode4
• feLicensePrintInfo
• feLicenseGetInfo
• feSplineMultipleCurves
• feMeshConnectRigid
• feModifyPlateThickOffsetBetweenNodes
• feModifyPlateThickOffsetValue
• feModifyPlateThickOffsetEquation
• feModifyPlateThickOffsetReset
• Added Pref_DL_UseIntlAll, Pref_DL_DecimalSeparator, Pref_DL_DigitGroupSeparator, Pref_DL_Digit-
GroupOption, Pref_DL_DigitGroupFlag, Pref_DL_ExponentChar, Pref_DL_TrailingZeros, Pref_DL_ForceS-
ingleZero, Pref_DL_ForcePlusSign, and Pref_DL_NegativeBraces to set Local preferences for Digit Control.
• Added Pref_DO_Option, Pref_DO_RoundToZero, Pref_DO_RoundToZeroValue, Pref_DO_BeforeDeci-
malSeparator, Pref_DO_MinimumExponentSize, Pref_DO_ExponentDigits, Pref_DO_SigFigs,
Pref_DO_LeadingZeros, Pref_DO_TrailingZeros, Pref_DO_DecimalPlaces, Pref_DO_MaxDigits,
Pref_DO_BaseExponent, Pref_DO_OriginalDigits, and Pref_DO_Exponent to set Options preferences for
Digit Control.
• Added Pref_SkipDMIGEntries to set preference on Interfaces tab.
• Added Pref_API_WarningLevel and Pref_API_WarningInDialog to set preferences for warning messages
about deprecated API calls (can only be set in GUI when the warning dialog is displayed).
• Added SelectOutputSetsFromStudies, which when set to True, will show “Study View” instead of “All Results
View” in dialog boxes which display it both ways, such as “Select Output Sets”.
• Added InitializationPath and ConfigurationPath, to set the directory path to the FEMAP Initialization file
(femap.ini) or the FEMAP Configuration file (config.ini).
• Updated Pref_RenderTrailingZeroes to set the same value as Pref_DL_TrailingZeros
Preferences
Graphics
• Removed Trailing Zeros option from Graphics Options section, as this options is now handled by the settings in
the Digit Control section.
• Added Digit Control section. This section contains two buttons, Locale and Options..., which are used to set
global settings for the display format of digits for real number values in the graphics window.
Locale button
Opens the Digit Locale dialog box, which is used to specify overall options for Style, Decimal Zeros, and Sign for
all digits being displayed in the graphics window
Pressing Preview will use the settings currently specified in the Digit Locale dialog box to temporarily modify the
display of digits in the graphics window. Click OK to confirm settings or Cancel to leave settings unchanged.
Examples
This section simply shows several examples of how digits will appear in the graphics window, based on the options
selected in the lower portions of the dialog box.
Style
The Style section contains two options near the top of the section which force FEMAP to follow certain settings for
the display of digits in the graphics window specified at the Windows operating system level. Should one or both of
these options be disabled, individual controls become available to control display of digits in the graphics window.
When Use Region Decimal/List Symbols is enabled, which is the default, the “region” is determined by querying
the “Display Language” currently specified for the Windows operating system. When enabled, the character for
Decimal Separator and character for Group Separator are automatically selected and cannot be changed via the
individual controls. For example, in many European and South American countries, the “,” is used to display real
numbers and the “.” used to separate different numbers in a list. When this option is disabled, the characters used
for Decimal Separator and/or Group Separator can be specified individually by the user. Please see below.
When Use Region Separator Style/(Negative Values) is enabled, which is NOT the default, then the Separator Style
option is also automatically by the “region” and all negative values are shown in parentheses instead using a nega-
tive sign. For example, a value of -123.456 would be shown as (123.456). When this option is disabled, the Separa-
tor Style can be manually selected from the drop-down and the (Negative Sign) option in the Sign section can be
enabled by the user. This option is only available to enable when Use Region Decimal/List Symbols is also enabled.
The individual controls in the Style section control:
Character used as Decimal Separator - choose from Space, Decimal Point (.), Comma (,), or Apostrophe (‘)
Character used as Group Separator - available options include a specific subset of Spaces, Decimal Points, Com-
mas, and Apostrophes, which does not include the character specified for Decimal Separator. For example, if Dec-
imal Separator is set to Decimal Point, then the available options for Group Separator are restricted to Spaces,
Commas, and Apostrophes.
Options for Separator Style - specify the overall usage and spacing of the Group Separator character to the left of
the Decimal Separator. Options include: do not use Group Separator character (12345678), use character every 3
digits to the left (12,345,678), use character for only for first 3 digits to the left (12345,678), or use character after
first 3 digits to the left, then use every 2 digits further to the left (1,23,45,678). When using any option other than do
not use Group Separator character, an additional drop-down becomes available to specify if and how the Group
Separator will be used to the right of the Decimal Separator.
Character used as Exponent Character - choose from “E”, “e”, “D”, “d”, “F”, or “f”.
Decimal Zeros
This section controls how zeros are displayed to the right of the Decimal Separator. Both options are enabled by
default. When Remove Trailing Zeros is enabled, any value of 0 which ends a value will be removed (i.e., value of
123.45600 becomes 123.456). When Force Single Zero is enabled, a single 0 is added after the Decimal Separator,
if there are a number of trailing zeros (i.e., value of 123.000 becomes 123.0).
Sign
This section controls how the sign of digits are displayed in the graphics window. Both of these options are dis-
abled by default. When ‘+’ Sign is enabled, a positive sign (“+”) will appear in front of the value, meaning 123.456
will be displayed as +123.456. When (Negative Value) is enabled, negative values will be shown in parentheses
instead of using a negative sign (“-”), meaning -123.456 will be displayed as (123.456).
Options button
Opens the Digit Options dialog box, which is used to specify Method, Round To Zero, and Exponent Style for any
option in View, Options which has Method in an individual Digits Options dialog box set to Use Preferences.
Pressing Preview will use the settings currently specified in the Digit Locale dialog box to temporarily modify the
display of digits in the graphics window. Click OK to confirm settings or Cancel to exit the dialog box with settings
unchanged.
The following options in View, Options contain a Digits button which can be used to override the options set in the
Digit Options dialog box accessed via the File, Preferences:
Labels, Entities and Color Category - Load Vectors and Constraint

Tools and View Style Category - None
PostProcessing Category - Deformed Model, Contour/Criteria Style, Contour/Criteria Legend, Contour Arrow
Options, and Freebody Vectors
In a new model, the default Method for all of the above options in View, Options will be Use Preferences.
Examples
This section simply shows several examples of how digits will appear in the graphics window, based on the options
selected in the lower portions of the dialog box.
Method
This section is used to select a Method to use as “global settings” for the display of digits in the graphics window.
Each Method has additional options which can be used to further customize the display of digits. The Methods are:
Femap Classic - Digits of real numbers are displayed in the same manner as they were in versions of FEMAP prior
to 2020.1. The default value for Digits remains “0”, which will also work as it did in previous versions. When
Number of Digits is set to a value above “0”, the number of displayed digits will attempt to follow the specified
value, when possible. In addition, enabling the Force Exponent option will show the values as exponents (i.e., sci-
entific notation).
For example, use a value of 12.456 and the Force Exponent option disabled. If Number of Digits set to:
• “0”, value displayed as 12.456
• “1” or “2”, value displayed as 12.
• “5” or above, value displayed as 12.456.
Use the same value of 12.456, with Force Exponent option enabled. If Number of Digits set to:
• “0”, value displayed as 1.2456E+1
• “4” or above, value displayed as 1.2456+1
Exponent - Digits of real numbers are always displayed in exponent form. The Number of Digits controls the total
number of digits visible to the left of the Exponent Character (by default, “E”). In addition, the options selected in
Exponent Style are taken into account when using this method. Please see Exponent Style below.
For example, use a value of 12456.0. If Exponent Style options are set to the defaults and Number of Digits set to:
• “1”, value displayed as 1.E+4
• “5” or above, value displayed as 1.2456E+4
Significant Figures - Digits of real numbers are displayed using the value specified for Number of Significant Dig-
its. In some cases, this will cause certain values to appear in standard form, while others appear in exponent form.
In addition, there are options for the Maximum Zeros after decimal point and Maximum Zeros before decimal point,
which can be used to add or remove from before or after the Decimal Separator.
For Example, use values of 1234.5678 and 0.000123456. If Maximum Zeros after Decimal Separator is 0 and
Number of Significant Figures is et to:
• “1”, values displayed as 1.E+3 and 1.E-4

• “2”, values displayed as 1.2E+3 and 1.2E-4
• “3”, values displayed as 1.23E+3 and 1.23E-4
• “4”, values displayed as 1235. and 1.235E-4
• “5”, values displayed as 1234.6 and 1.2346E-4
• “6”, values displayed as 1234.57 and 1.23456E-4 (will not change if Number of Significant Digits is increased)
• “7”, values displayed as 1235.568
• “8” and above, values displayed as 1234.5678
Use the same value of 0.000123456. If Number of Significant Digits is set to 6 and Maximum Zeros after Decimal
Separator set to:
• “2” or below, value displayed as 1.23456E-4
• “3” or above, value displayed as 0.000123456
Use a value of 1230000. If Number of Significant Digits is set to 4 and Maximum Zeros before Decimal Separator
set to:
• “2” or below, value displayed as 1.23E+6
• “3” or above, value displayed as 1230000.
Decimal Places - Digits of real numbers are always displayed using the value specified for Number of Decimal
Places. Because of this, the value specified for Maximum Number of Digits can potentially be used to move the
Decimal Separator to the left, which will increase the value of the exponent, or to the right, which will decrease the
value of the exponent. In addition, the value specified for Base Exponent can be used to specify a base value to the
exponent which can potentially change the display of all values.
For Example, use a value of 123.4567. If Maximum Number of Digits is 8 and Number of Decimal Places set to:
• “16” (max), value displayed as 0.12345670000000000E+3
Use the same value of 123.4567. If Number of Decimal Places set to 5 and Maximum Number of Digits set to:
• “2” to “5”, value displayed as 0.12346E+3
• “8” or above, value displayed as 123.45670
Use the same value of 123.4567. If Number of Decimal Places set to 5, Maximum Number of Digits set to 8, and
Base Exponent set to:
• “0” or below, value displayed as 123.45670

• “8” or above, value displayed as 0.00000E+(value specified for Base Exponent)
Round to Zero
This option is used to specify a threshold for display of values. This option is enabled by default and has a default
value of 1.E-15, meaning any value below 1.e-15 will be displayed using a value of 0.0 in the graphics window.
Exponent Style
This section is used to set options for the display of exponent values, before and after the Exponent Character.
The available options before the Exponent Character are to start the value with:
• Nothing before the Decimal Separator (i.e., .###)
• A zero before the Decimal Separator (i.e., 0.###)
• A single digit before the Decimal Separator (i.e., #.###)
The available options after the Exponent Character are to show the exponent:
• With nothing when exponent portion of value is E+0 (i.e., 1.234 would be shown as 1.234)
• Exponent with single digits, unless more are needed (i.e., E+1, E+10, E+100)
• Exponent with two digits, unless more are needed (i.e., E+02, E+12, E+102)
• Exponent with three digits, unless more are needed (i.e., E+003, E+013, E+103, E+1003)
Interfaces
Added Skip DMIG Bulk Data Entries option to Nastran Options section. When this option is disabled, which is the
default, DMIG entries encountered in the bulk data section of the Nastran input file will become Direct Matrix
Input entities in FEMAP. When enabled, all DMIG entries encountered are skipped.
Geometry Interfaces

NX 2019.1 v1872
For details, see “Geometry Interfaces” in the FEMAP User Guide.

• Nastran Interfaces (NX and MSC/MD)
Nastran Interfaces (NX and MSC/MD)

• Added ability to automatically generate buckling subcases in FEMAP using the “MultiSet” functionality of the
Analysis Set Manager. The generated subcases are identical to the synthetic Nastran buckling subcases that
were exported in previous versions of FEMAP.
ABAQUS Interface
• Added read support for *DISTRIBUTION and *DISTRIBUTION TABLE entries. Currently supported vari-
able are ORIENTATION and ANGLE. ORIENTATION gets translated to material angle on the element and
ANGLE becomes the layup angle for the ply. This will create property and layup for each laminate element, as
compression or consolidation of layups is not performed.
• Added read support for *COUPLING and *DISTRIBUTING entries, which are translated to RBE3 elements
when certain specifications are met on the entries. Independent nodes must be specified as *SURFACE using
NODES, while Dependent (reference node) must be specified as a single node, although ABAQUS lets you
specify a set (NSET) In addition, the COUPLING type must be CONTINUUM and the Weighting must be
UNIFORM (at all nodes = 1.0 for all 6 components).
User Interface
General, Menu, Toolbars, Model Info tree, Meshing Toolbox, Charting pane, Entity Editor, and Data Table
General
• Added Select Visible icon button to the standard entity selection dialog box. In addition, replaced Reset button
with a Reset icon button (Red Circle with White “X”) and added an icon image to Select All button..
Select Visible Updated Reset
Icon Button Icon Button
Using the Select Visible icon button will select all entities of the desired type which are currently “visible” in the
active view. In this case, “Visible” means the entity, in the active view, is: A) not hidden by any setting for Visibil-
ity (i.e., overall entity type; individual entity; elements based on type, shape, or which reference hidden materials
and/or properties); B) not hidden by the Draw/Erase Toolbar in any way; C) displayed based on the current Group
display settings; and D) on a visible Layer.
Note: This includes any entities which are “visible”, but may not currently appear in the graphics window
due to zooming, panning, or rotating in the view to only display a portion of the model.
• Added Select Visible Only option to the Pick^ menu in the standard entity selection dialog box. When Select
Visible Only is disabled, which is the default, any entity in the model which fit the criteria entered for a By...
method or are related via an Add... option will be selected. When Select Visible Only is enabled, only entities
which are currently visible in the active view and fit the criteria or are related will be selected. The methods on
the Pick^ menu which only consider “visible” entities when Select Visible Only is enabled are By Size, By Color,
By Model Data Value, By Output, Add Connected Tangent Curves, Add Connected Fillets, Add Tangent Sur-
faces, Add Connected Elements, and Add All Connected Elements.
Note: When the Select Visible Only toggle is enabled, the icon next to the toggle will be highlighted and all
items on the Pick^ menu which follows the toggle will be appended with (Visible Only).
• Added using Orientation Node to the Method^ menu of the standard entity selection dialog box when selected
elements, which selects any element which uses a selected node as an orientation node.
Menu
• Added Tools, Structural Analysis Toolkit to the Tools menu. Simply opens the Structural Analysis Toolkit dock-
able pane when it is installed.
• Added Modify, Renumber, View; Modify, Renumber, Chart; and Modify, Renumber, Chart Data Series to the
Modify menu. See section for more information. See Charting pane and Views for more information. Also,
added Modify, Update Elements, Solid Material CSys and Modify, Update Elements, Connect Linear/Parabolic
Elements to the Modify menu. See Elements section for more information.
• Added Group, Element, Using Orientation Node to the Group menu. See Groups and Layers section for more
information.
• Updated the List menu, by replacing the List, Output, Standard and List, Output, Use Format commands with a
single command, List, Output, Formatted. Also, updated the name of the List, Output, Format command to List,
Output, Custom Format Definition and moved the command into the same section of the menu as List, Output,
Formatted. See Listing section for more information.
Toolbars
• Added Locate in Model Info toggle to Selector Modes menu of the Select toolbar. Only available when Select
Single Item is the active setting in the Selector Modes icon menu. When Locate in Model Info mode is activated,
the Model Info tree pane is currently visible, and the active entity is set to Solid, CSys, Property, Material, or
Layup, the currently selected entity will also be highlighted in the Model Info tree.
• Added Select Visible Only toggle to Selector Actions menu of the Select toolbar. Allows you to select only from
entities which are currently “visible” in the active view
Note: “Visible” means the entity, in the active view, is A) not hidden by any setting for Visibility (i.e., over-
all entity type; individual entity; elements based on type, shape, or which reference hidden materials
and/or properties); B) not hidden by the Draw/Erase Toolbar in any way; C) displayed based on the
current Group display settings; and D) on a visible Layer.
• Added Feature Lines toggle to View Style menu of the View and View - Simple toolbars. Used enable and disable
the display of feature lines, which are otherwise controlled by the Feature Line option in the Tools and View
Style category of the View Options dialog box.
Model Info tree

• Added Copy and Renumber commands on context-sensitive menu for Views, which are used to copy or renum-
ber, respectively, any number of views currently highlighted in the Model Info tree.
Meshing Toolbox
• Updated functionality of operations which update geometry, specifically ones which split existing geometry
into smaller pieces, to attempt to automatically update geometry-based loads, constraints, and/or regions.
Charting pane
• Added Show When Selected icon buttons to the Data tab for all data series types which allow selection of nodes
and/or elements, as well as groups.
• Updated the location of certain fields and control on the Data tab for all data series types other than “0..Vector
vs. Entity” and “5..Function”.
• Added ability to renumber Charts and Chart Data Series from the Modify, Renumber menu. Also, Charts and
Chart Data Series can now be renumbered using the Modify, Renumber, All command.
Entity Editor
• Added Material CSys item for Solid, Solid Laminates, and Solid Cohesive Elements which have a material
coordinate system override (MATCID) assigned, which can be updated from the Entity Editor.
Data Table
• Added Previous On icon buttons to the Results to Add to Data Table dialog box, which is accessed via Add Out-
put Columns icon.
• Added Material CSys item for Solid, Solid Laminates, and Solid Cohesive Elements which have a material
coordinate system override (MATCID) assigned.
Geometry
• Updated Modify, Project, Point command by adding two options to the Direction section, Radial Around Axis,
and Radial Around Point, which project points outwards from either a defined vector or specified location.
• Updated functionality of operations which update geometry, specifically ones which split existing geometry
into smaller pieces, to attempt to automatically update geometry-based loads, constraints, and/or regions.
Meshing 2020.1-3
Meshing
• Updated the Mesh, Extrude, Element and Mesh, Extrude, Element Face commands by adding the Along Normal
to Surfaces option to the Method section of the Generation Options dialog box. This options is similar to using
Along Vector to Surfaces when planar elements are selected, but uses each element’s normal direction as the
extrusion vector instead of requiring a vector to be specified.
• Updated all commands on the Mesh, Extrude and Mesh, Revolve menus by adding the Extrude in Both Direc-
tions option. This option works a little different for each method, but essentially it creates elements along or
around the specified vector(s) as well as in the opposite direction(s).
• Updated the Mesh, Geometry, Solids command by adding the ability to automatically create pyramid elements
in transition areas when Meshing Approach is set to Tet/Pyramid Mesh. In addition, added the Pyramid Mesh
Options section to the dialog box to control certain aspects of the automatically generated pyramids.
Element Parameters
Node Parameters Element Formulation
The Tet/Pyramid Mesh option in the Meshing Approach section will create pyramid elements in a solid where any
surface of a solid is:
...already meshed with quadrilateral elements, “linked” to a surface of another solid which was previously meshed
with quadrilateral elements, “linked” to a surface of another solid which was previously meshed with hexahedral
elements (bricks), and/or selected using the Pyramid Locations button in the Pyramid Mesh Options section of this
dialog box.
Each quadrilateral element/element face will serve as the four-sided “base” of a pyramid element which extends
from the surface “into” the solid, then the remainder of the solid is meshed with tetrahedral elements.
Note: Typically, pyramids should only be used to transition from hexahedral elements to tetrahedral elements
in portions of a model which cannot be properly subdivided for hex meshing.
These options in the Pyramid Mesh Options section allow the user to control different aspects of the pyramid ele-
ments automatically generated by the command. Each of these options are described below.
The Pyramid Locations... button displays the standard entity selection dialog box for surfaces and can be used to
select surfaces, which have not been meshed, where pyramid elements should be created.
Note: Typically, pyramids should only be used to transition from hexahedral elements to tetrahedral elements
in portions of a model which cannot be properly subdivided for hex meshing.
The other option in this section controls if the four-sided faces of automatically generated pyramid elements will
Match Adjacent Linear Elements (four-sided faces will not have midside nodes) or Match Adjacent Parabolic Ele-
ments (four-sided faces will have midside nodes). Match Adjacent Parabolic Elements is the default.
• Updated all commands on the Mesh, Sweep menu by adding a Methods section to the Generation Options dia-
log box. The Along Curve method allows these commands on the Mesh, Sweep menu to be used as they have
existed in FEMAP for many releases, while the Along Element Edges method offers new functionality. The
Along Element Edges method also introduces a new dialog box to facilitate the selection of element edges on
both planar and solid elements. Below is an overview of the desired workflow for both methods, including a
full description of the Select Edges to Extrude Along dialog box.
Use the following procedure to sweep curves and elements:
1. If planning to use the Along Curve options, define the mesh size using the Mesh, Mesh Control, Size Along
Curve command for both the curve(s) to sweep and the curve(s) to sweep along, before using the Sweep com-
mand. The mesh size will determine the number of elements created for each curve.
2. Pick the Mesh, Sweep, Curve; Mesh, Sweep, Element; or Mesh, Sweep, Element Face command.
3. Select the curve(s) or element(s) to sweep using the standard entity selection dialog box.
4. Next, the Generation Options dialog box will appear. If using the Along Curve method, see “Step 7” for selec-
tion of curves to sweep along and, optionally, selection of an “alignment curve” or reference point (see “Step
6”). If using the Along Element Edges method, see “Step 8” for selection of element edges on a mapped mesh.
5. Pick the Property for the elements that will be created. For curves and line elements to sweep, pick a plane ele-
ment property. For plane elements to sweep, pick a solid element property. When Match Original Color and
Layer is enabled, which is the default, the color and layer of the original elements being swept will be used for
the newly created elements, otherwise, the active element color and layer is used for the new elements. When
Delete Original Elements is enabled, the original elements selected for sweeping will be deleted, otherwise, the
original elements will be moved to the “end” of the newly swept elements, which is the default behavior.
6. If the curve to sweep along is planar, there is no need to pick any additional options. If the curve to sweep along
is not planar, it is highly recommended to use the Alignment Curve option. The selection of the “alignment
curve” will occur in the next step, after the selection of the curve(s) to sweep along.
7. If using the Along Curve method, select the curve(s) to sweep along using the standard entity selection dialog
box. If required, do NOT include the “alignment curve” in this selection. If the Alignment Curve option is
enabled, FEMAP will now prompt for the “alignment curve”. If an alignment curve is not selected, FEMAP will
then ask for a reference point. The elements will be oriented toward either the specified point or selected curve.
For examples, see “Sweeping Along a Non-Planar Curve”.
8. If using the Along Element Edges method, the element edge(s) to sweep along will be selected using the Select
Edges to Extrude Along dialog box, which is explained below in “Specifying Edge IDs”. This method requires a
the use of a mapped mesh as the “sweep path”, as the nodes of the original elements being swept which are con-
nected to the rest of the model must each have an element edge to follow for the full sweep path. If attempting to
sweep along a non-mapped mesh, an error will be issued. For an example, see “Sweeping using Along Element
Edges option”
Note: The Along Element Edges method is designed to facilitate creation of a swept mesh for specific pur-
poses, such as creating a solid mesh for a “weld” around pipes modeled with shell or solid elements.
Meshing 2020.1-5
Specifying Edge IDs

The Edge Selection dialog box is used to select element edges to perform specific operations:
This dialog box provides several ways to select element edges. Simply choose the face graphically by moving the
cursor near the center of the edge and clicking the left mouse button. The selected face will be highlighted. When
using Adjacent Edges, and an unexpected edge is selected, simply move the mouse and click again until the desired
edge is selected. When using Individual Edges, any unexpectedly chosen edge will need to be removed from the
list of edges, otherwise it will remain selected.
It is possible to use a combination of different methods or the same method multiple times to select element edges.
At any time, simply can click the More... button and the edges selected by the current Method will be added to the
“overall edge selection list”. A running count of edges currently in the “overall edge selection list” will appear in
the upper right of the dialog box. If changing to a different Method while edges are selected by the current Method,
but have not been added to the “overall edge selection list” via the More... button, FEMAP will ask “Ok to Select
(#) Edges from Previous Method?” if a different Method is selected. If answering Yes, the faces will added to the
“overall edge selection list”, while answering No will disregard the faces selected with the most recent use of the
previous Method, not all uses of the previous Method.
To limit which elements will be considered when using a method which automatically determines edges (for
instance, Adjacent Edges), click the From (#) Elements... button to use the standard entity selection dialog box to
select elements. Typically, it make sense to click the Reset button in the Entity Selection dialog box to clear the list
of selected elements before choosing elements to limit edge selection. It is also possible to use the icon buttons to
the right of the From (#) Elements... button to quickly Select All or Select Visible elements.
It may not always be obvious exactly which element edges will be selected by certain methods. To see a “preview”
of selected element edges in the graphics window, click the Show icon button above the From(#) Elements... button
and the element edges will be highlighted. When done with the “preview”, simply click the Show icon button again.
Finally, all faces can be removed from the “overall face selection list” by clicking the Clear List icon button next to
the Show icon button.
Choosing Adjacent Edges
The most powerful method for choosing edges, especially for complex solid and planar element models, is Adja-
cent Edges, which is the default. Simply choose just one initial edge (and the associated element ID). This can be
done very easily by graphically selecting the edge. In order to select more or less edges, specify a tolerance angle.
FEMAP will search all selected elements for edges that are connected to the chosen edge and that are within the
specified tolerance from being colinear with an already selected edge. This can be used to find all edges on an outer
edge of a solid or planar elements - regardless of the shape.
When selecting an edge graphically, the edge will highlight with an arrow head pointing in the “direction to search”
for adjacent edges and only edges in that direction will be selected. The direction of the arrow depends on the prox-
imity of the cursor to “Node A” or “Node B” on the edge. If the cursor is closer to “Node A”, then the arrow will
point from “Node B” to “Node A”, while it will point from “Node A” to “Node B” when closer to “Node B”. To
switch the direction of an already selected edge, enable/disable the Reverse Direction option, as needed.
Note: When graphically selecting an edge, the Reverse Direction option may become enabled. This depends
on the order of the two nodes of the edge in the element specified in the Element field. To reverse the
direction on edge of this type, simply disable to Reverse Direction option.
The Stop At Node option can be used to end selection of adjacent edges in the search direction at a particular node.
When enabled, Extend Stop Selection allows the node specified for Stop At Node to not be a node on the selected
edges. If this is the case, the node specified for Stop At Node is used as a “starting point” and extended out along the
edges of connected elements, in all directions, to potentially limit selected edges in other sections of the model.
Simply disable Extend Stop Selection to only have a node which is on adjacent edge(s) limit edge selection.
Choosing Individual Edges
This method simply allows you to choose individual element edges one at a time, by graphically selecting edges or
by entering an Element ID and Edge ID, then clicking Add to List icon button. Edges can be removed from the list
by highlighting any number of edges in the list, then clicking the Remove from List icon button. When an edge is
highlighted in the list, the edge will also be highlighted in the graphics window.
Choosing Edges Along a Curve
If the mesh is associated with a surface or solid, curves can be used to select element edges. Simply choose Along
Curve, then select a curve and any element edges which contain nodes associated to the curve will be selected.
Sweeping Along a Non-Planar Curve
If sweeping along a non-planar curve, either a reference point or alignment curve to orient the elements along the
curve must be specified.
The figure shows how two curves are swept along an out of plane curve. Note how the orientation of the elements
stays relative to the alignment curve.
V1 V1
Alignment Curve
Z Z
Y Y
X X
Curves to Sweep
Sometimes you may prefer to use a reference point. However, poor placement of either an reference point or align-
ment curve can cause problems with the element orientation. In the example below, note how the element orienta-
tions are twisted.
V1 V1
Reference Point Twisted Elements
Z Z
Y Curves to Sweep
Y
X X
Sweeping using Along Element Edges option

Here is an example of where using the Along Element Edges options can be beneficial. Although the mesh is biased
in different directions, it is still a “mapped mesh”. Sweeping the “green” elements along a curve could work, but
the resulting elements would not “match” the existing mesh, therefore the nodes of the swept solid elements would
not be coincident with the nodes of the shell elements, which may not be useful. Because the “green” elements
have a mapped mesh to follow where they are connected to the “white” elements, this method can be used.
Elements 2020.1-7
Green elements will be swept using Notice how the green solid elements get larger and smaller
White elements as a sweep path as they “follow” the shell elements in the sweep path
Elements
• Added options to the Ansys Keyopt section on Ansys tab of the Element Formulations dialog box to specify
where results should be recovered for laminate and solid laminate elements. Sets the value of KEYOPT(8). For
linear laminate elements, use the fourth drop-down in Ansys Keyopt section. For parabolic laminate elements
set to “1..SHELL91” or “2..SHELL99”, use first drop-down or use the second drop-down when set to
“0,,SHELL281”. For linear or parabolic solid laminate elements, use the third drop-down.
• Added Modify, Update Elements, Solid Material CSys command, which allows a material coordinate system
override to be specified for solid, solid laminate, and/or solid cohesive elements.
Depending on the option selected in the Material Coordinate System section of the Solid Material CSys dialog box,
an existing coordinate system, or any number of newly created coordinate systems generated by this command,
will be assigned to the selected elements to use as a material coordinate system override. These overrides will be
written out as MATCID entries to Simcenter Nastran.
There Material Coordinate System section contains three options:

Align to Element - sets the material coordinate system override for the selected elements to align to the element,
which writes a MATCID entry using a value of -1 for the CID field, then the IDs of the selected elements.
CSys - uses the coordinate system selected via the drop-down as material coordinate system override for the
selected elements, which writes a MATCID entry using the ID of the selected coordinate system for the CID field,
then the IDs of the selected elements.
Align Coordinate Axes - Generate CSys - generates new coordinates systems, using a combination of the avail-
able options to specify two axes, to use as material coordinate system override for the selected elements. Writes a
MATCID entry for each coordinate system generated by this command, which is also currently being used as a
material coordinate system override, using the ID of the coordinate system for the CID field, then the IDs of the
elements which reference the coordinate system.
For each axis, there are three options, +X, +Y, and +Z. The First Axis options are used to temporarily orient each
newly created coordinate system based solely on the option selected via the First Axes Alignment drop-down, then
the Second Axis option is used to complete orientation of the newly created coordinate systems based on the option
selected via the Second Axes Alignment drop-down.
The First Axes Alignment and Second Axes Alignment drop-downs both contain six identical options:
“1..Closest Face Normal” - displays the Select Element Faces to Align CSys Axis To dialog box, which allows
selection of element faces, then each element face’s normal direction is used to align the selected axis.
“2..Vector Direction” - displays the Vector Locate - Specify Vector to Align CSys To dialog box, which is used to
specify a vector to align the selected axis.
“3..Tangent to Curve” - displays the Select Curve to Align CSys Axis To dialog box, which is used to select a curve,
then the location of the centroid of each selected element is projected onto the closest location on the curve and the
tangent of the curve at that location is used to align the selected axis.
“4..Align to Surface u-Tangent” - displays the Entity Selection - Select Surface(s) to Align CSys Axis To dialog box,
which is used to select any number of surfaces, then the location of the centroid of each element is projected onto
the closest location on one of the selected surfaces and that surface’s “u direction tangent” will be used to align the
select axis.
“5..Align to Surface v-Tangent” - uses the same methodology as “4..Align to Surface u-Tangent”, but aligns the
selected axis to the “v direction tangent” of the appropriate surface for each element.
“6..Align to Surface Normal” - uses the same methodology as “4..Align to Surface u-Tangent”, but aligns the
selected axis to the normal direction of the appropriate surface for each element.
The Generated Coordinate Systems section contains options to potentially make the model less complicated:
Delete Detached CSys - When enabled, which is the default, deletes any coordinate system which was being used
as material coordinate system override for any of the selected elements before the command, but is no longer being
used for that purpose after the command is completed.
Note: If a coordinate system being used as a material coordinate system override is also referenced by any
other entity in FEMAP, it will not be deleted.
Consolidate Generated CSys and Tolerance - When enabled, attempts to generate as few new coordinate systems
as possible to properly assign material coordinate system overrides to all selected elements. Tolerance is an angular
value and only coordinate systems where all three axes are within the tolerance will be consolidated.
• Updated Modify, Project, Node command by adding two options to the Direction section, Radial Around Axis,
and Radial Around Point, which project nodes outwards from either a defined vector or specified location.
• Added Modify, Update Elements, Connect Linear/Parabolic Elements command, which updates the nodes on
linear elements to match the nodes on parabolic elements which are connected to the linear elements or vice
versa.
Properties 2020.1-9
This command uses the Connect Linear/Parabolic Elements dialog box:
The Selection Method section is used to select which elements should be considered for update:
All - simply considers all elements in the model, therefore no additional selection is required
Elements - select the element(s) to consider for update using the standard entity selection dialog box
Surfaces - considers all elements associated to the selected surface(s) for update
Solids - considers all elements associated to the selected solid(s) for update
The Update Method section selects the method used to update the connected elements and sets an option.
When using Add Midside Nodes to Linear Edges, linear elements being updated will be changed to parabolic ele-
ments and midside nodes are added to any edge which is shared by a parabolic element.
When using Remove Midside Nodes from Parabolic Edges, parabolic elements being updated will have midside
nodes removed from any edge which is shared by a linear element.
When Merge Coincident Nodes Before Update is enabled, which is the default, the nodes of the elements involved
in the command, which depends on the option selected in the Selection Method section, will be merged using the
model’s “merge tolerance” before any elements are updated.
The Group Creation section offers two options to automatically create groups and both are enabled by default.
When enabled, Update Elements will create a group containing all elements which were updated by the command.
When enabled, Disconnected Midside Nodes will create a group of any midside nodes on parabolic elements which
are connected to other elements at the corners, but not at all midside nodes.
Properties
• Added the ABAQUS Thermal... button to the Define Property - GAP Element Type dialog box
For ABAQUS, gap properties are also used to define properties of interface elements, and you can specify the
interface normal and width/area. The ABAQUS Thermal... button opens the Define Gap Options dialog box.
When Active is enabled in the CONDUCTANCE section, Basis is set to Clearance, and a function of type
“15..Function vs. Value” is specified vs. Clearance, Temperature, a *GAP CONDUNCTANCE entry and list of
Conductance, Clearance, Temperature (k[#], d[#], T[#]) entries are written, as needed, to define the functions in
the ABAQUS input file. If Basis is set to Pressure and a function of type “15..Function vs. Value” is specified for
vs. Pressure, Temperature, a *GAP CONDUNCTANCE, PRESSURE entry and list of Conductance, Pressure,
Temperature (k[#], P[#], T[#]) entries are written, as needed, to define the functions in the ABAQUS input file.
When Active is enabled in the RADIATION section and a function is specified for vs Gap Clearance, a *GAP
RADIATION entry, an entry containing Emissivity A, Emissivity B (Ea, Eb), and Effective View Factor, Gap Clear-
ance (F[#], G[#]) entries are written, as needed, to define the functions in the ABAQUS input file.
Layups
• Added ability to specify Ply Failure Theory ply-by-ply to support PCOMPG1 for SOL 401 and 402
The Layup Editor dialog box now contains an option to specify Ply Failure Theory ply-by-ply:
Ply Failure Theory

The Ply Failure Theory drop-down allows selection of a failure theory for each ply. Available options are “0..From
Property”, “1..Hill”, “2..Hoffman”, “3..Tsai-Wu”, and “4..Max Strain”. This option is currently only used by
Simcenter Nastran SOL 401 and SOL 402 and will be ignored for all other solution sequences and by all other solv-
ers. In addition, all plies must have a Global Ply assigned to write a PCOMPG1 entry to the Simcenter Nastran
input file. The default value, “0..From Property”, indicates the ply will use the option specified in the Failure The-
ory section of the Define Property - LAMINATE PLATE Element Type dialog box which references the Layup.
• Added ability to specify Ply Failure Theory when creating or editing a Global Ply.
In the Global Ply Definition dialog box, create a new global ply by using the New Ply button. In the New Global
Ply dialog box, enter a Title (up to 79 characters), and optionally choose a Material, enter a Thickness, and/or select
a Ply Failure Theory (only used by Simcenter Nastran SOL 401 and 402).
Loads and Constraints 2020.1-11

• Added the ability to create Bearing Force and Torque loads on curves.
Two load types, Bearing Force and Torque, are available when applying loads to curves or surfaces. Both use the
Midside Node Adjustment and Total Load options by default. These options are explained in greater detail below.
When creating a Bearing Force, enter a Magnitude, Load Angle (specifies the area in which the “bearing” is in con-
tact, entered in degrees. 180 is the default), and Phase (if needed), then specify a vector to represent the direction of
the load. Additionally, there is an option to have the Bearing Force be Normal to Surface (“on” by default), which
will apply the loads radially to cylindrical surfaces. Also, the load may be a Traction Load (“off “by default), which
will essentially have the load “pull” on a surface instead of “push”
When creating a Torque load, enter a Magnitude and Phase (if needed), then specify a vector representing the axis
the load acts about.
Total Load
Only available for Force, Torque, Bearing Force, and Moment, load types applied to curves. Allows you to enter
the “Total” Force, Torque, Bearing Load, or Moment to be applied over all selected curves, not applied to each
curve. Uses curve length to spread the load out proportionally. Total Load is the default for these load types when
more than one curve has been selected.
Normal to Surface/Traction Load
Only available when creating a Bearing Force. See “Bearing Load Example” above for more details.
Bearing Load Example
For example, 4 copies of “a square with a hole” geometry are all loaded with bearing forces using different options:
Bearing Force on single Bearing Force on single Vector used to define

curve with Normal to surface with Normal to bearing force
Curve option On Curve option Off
Bearing Force on multiple Bearing Force on multiple Vector used to define

surfaces with Total Load surfaces with Total Load, bearing force
and Normal to Curve Normal to Curve, and
options On Traction Load options On
When expanded, Bearing forces will have varying values:
Bearing Forces from above shown Expanded

(Load values and mesh not shown for clarity)

• Updated the Bolt Region dialog box by adding the Axes Determined by Solver option to the Solid Bolt Options
section. This option is only available when Bolt Type is set to Solid. When enabled, the Bolt Axis CSys and Dir
controls become unavailable and can be helpful when creating certain types of bolts for Simcenter Nastran.
• Updated the titles of the tabs in the Define Connection Property dialog box used to specify connection property
values for Simcenter Nastran (formally NX Nastran) to Linear, Multistep Structural(401), Multistep Kinematic
(402), Adv Nonlin (601), and Explicit (701).
• Updated the look and feel of the ANSYS tab by isolating the Friction Coefficient (MU), placing all the Real
Constants in the upper portion of the dialog box, and all of the Contact KEYOPTs in the lower portion.
• Added ABAQUS Thermal... button to ABAQUS tab, which displays the Define Gap Options dialog box. See
Properties section for a description of the options in the Define Gap Options dialog box.
• Added options to the Multistep Structural (401) tab, which are accessed by clicking the More Options... button.
The new options are *Adaptively Modify Penalty Factor, *Adjustment Tolerance, *Const Offset Distance, *End
Time for Initial Penetrations, and *Sliding Contact Formulation.
*Adaptively Modify Penalty Factor - Creates PENADAPT field in BCTPARM entry. Option to adaptively vary
the contact stiffness between iterations.
When this box is not checked in FEMAP, no special field will be written to the BCTPARM and the penalty factor is
not adaptively modified by the program. This is the default behavior.
When this box is checked, penalty factor is adaptively modified by the program.
*Adjustment Tolerance - Creates ADJUST field in BCTPARM entry. Request for the software to remove initial
separation by moving nodes. The software uses an adjustment tolerance to move the source nodes on to the target
faces when the absolute value of the initial separation distance is below the adjustment tolerance. The adjustment
tolerance is computed as Adjustment Tolerance value * characteristic length.
Optimization 2020.1-13
If Adjustment Tolerance = 0.0, only the nodes that are initially “over-closed” are adjusted as long as the over-clo-
sure is below the characteristic length.
If Adjustment Tolerance > 0.0, the adjustment is applied to nodes that are initially open with a gap smaller than
value of Adjustment Tolerance value * characteristic length.
Note: Adjustment Tolerance works from the node locations and Initial Penetration works from the Gauss
point locations. If both are defined, Adjustment Tolerance is first applied, then Initial Penetration.
*Constant Offset Distance - Creates OFFSET field in BCTPARM entry. Constant offset distance for contact pair.
This value overwrites the Offset Distance defined in the Simcenter Nastran section of the Connection Region
Options dialog box accessed via the Region Options... button on the Connection Region dialog box. See "Region
Options" for more information.
Note: If both Constant Offset Distance and Initial Penetration are defined, the software adds the offset after it
evaluates any gaps or penetrations as a result of the Initial Penetration setting.
*End Time for Initial Penetration - Creates TZPENE field in BCTPARM entry. End time when initial penetra-
tions will be eliminated. This value ramps the removal of initial penetrations.
For example, if a subcase start time is 5.0, end time is 10.0, and End Time for Initial Penetration =7.2, the initial
penetrations will be eliminated starting from the beginning of the subcase, time = 5.0 until time = 7.2. Ramping the
removal of initial penetrations can help convergence.
If End Time for Initial Penetration = 0.0, the initial penetrations are eliminated in the first subcase.
*Sliding Contact Formulation - Creates the DISP field on the BCTPARM entry. Selects the small or large sliding
contact formulation.
0..Automatically Update Contact Pairing - Contact pairing is automatically updated by the software based on the
amount of relative sliding in the pair.
1..Update Contact Pairing Based on Initial Geometry - Small sliding formulation. Contact pairing is not updated
with sliding displacements and is based on initial geometry.
2..Update Contact Pairing with Sliding Displacements - Large sliding formulation. Contact pairing is updated with
sliding displacements.
Note: When Sliding Contact Formulation is set to “1..Update Contact Pairing Based on Initial Geometry”, the
Geometry Updates option in Define Connection Property (GUPDATE) is internally set to “0..None” (no
pairing update).
When Sliding Contact Formulation is set to “2..Update Contact Pairing with Sliding Displacements”,
Geometry Updates is internally set to “4..Each Iteration” (update every iteration).
When Sliding Contact Formulation is set to “0..Automatically Update Contact Pairing”, Geometry
Updates is internally set to “3..Once per Step” for small displacement solutions (PARAM,LGDISP,-1)
and “2..Start, SLIP>(GUPTOL*Avg Element Length)” for large displacement solutions
((PARAM,LGDISP,1)
Optimization
• Added Frequency Response - Nodal Displacement, Frequency Response SPC Forces, and Frequency Response
Element Force, Stress, Strain options to the Category drop-down in the Optimization Response dialog box used
to define optimization limits. These options must be used to properly set optimization limits when Analysis
Type is set to “4..Frequency/Harmonic Response” in the NASTRAN Optimization Options dialog box in the
analysis set.
• Added Delete icon buttons to the Select Optimization Variable(s), Select Topology Region(s), Select Manufac-
turing Constraint(s), and Select Optimization Limit(s) dialog boxes in the Analysis Set Manager.
Aeroelasticity
• Updated the display of aero control panels to show any control panel specified in the Control Surface 2 section
of the Create Aero Control Surface dialog box using a different shade of the color used for Control Surface 1.
• Updated the display of aero bodies to show lines along the length of the body instead of only at the slender body
divisions. These lines are also drawn on any aero spline associated with an aero body.
Listing
• Consolidated the functionality of the List, Output, Standard and List, Output, Use Format command into a sin-
gle command, List, Output, Formatted, which lists output data using a format from a library or a custom format
saved with the model.
To produce a formatted output report, first select the desired output set(s) using the Select Output Set(s) to List dia-
log box
The report format and other customization options are then specified using the List Formatted Output dialog box:
Report Format
When using the From Library option in the Report Format section, formats which resemble those used by the vari-
ous analysis programs are available via the Femap Standard Libraries tab of the Select From Output Format
Library dialog box. Alternatively, use the Personal or Shared tab in the Select From Output Format Library dialog
box to select formats which have been saved to a format library to create more custom listings and/or reports.
When Report Format is set to Custom Format, only formats saved with the model will be available. At any time,
simply select a format from the list in the Report Format section.
Finishing the Report
Once all of the desired options have been specified, click OK. If Report Format was set to From Library, select a
format from a format library using the Select From Output Format Library dialog box.
Groups and Layers 2020.1-15
Finally, whether the format was selected in the List Formatted Output dialog box or from the Select From Output
Format Library dialog box, it is now time to select node(s) or element(s) using the standard entity selection dialog
box. When selecting a format to list output for a particular element type, be sure to then select elements which have
that type of output, otherwise, nothing will be listed. For example, if using the “NASTRAN CBUSH Forces” for-
mat, select only spring/damper elements which reference a spring/damper property with Type set to CBUSH.
• Updated the name of List, Output, Format command to List, Output, Custom Format Definition and moved it
into a different section of the List, Output menu.
Groups and Layers

• Added the Group, Element, using Orientation Node command, which will add any element which uses a
selected node as an orientation node to the active group.
Views
• Added ability to renumber Views using the Modify, Renumber, View command. Also, Views can now be renum-
bered using the Modify, Renumber, All command.
• Updated “Label Parameters” option in “Labels, Entities and Color” Category of View, Options command by
replacing the Label Font box and the Performance Graphics Font button with two drop-downs in the Font sec-
tion, which are used to specify the font and size to use for both entities supported by performance graphics and
those that are not currently supported (i.e., all text in the view is shown using a single “unified font”).
• Updated “Performance Graphics” option in “Tool and View Style” Category of View, Options command by
removing the Performance Graphics Font button, as all text in the view is shown using a single “unified font”.
• Updated “Contour/Criteria Style” option in “PostProcessing” Category of View, Options command by adding
the “2..Contour with Zero” option to Elements with no results. Using “2..Contour with Zero” can aid in locating
contact results which only exist on particular faces, but are obscured by other elements.
• Added “Region” option in “PostProcessing” Category of View, Options command, which controls if results on
nodes or elements should be visible “through” any type of displayed region when a contour/criteria plot is also
being displayed. In the case of Connection Regions, this can be quite useful for the results to be displayed “on
top of” regions, especially when the analysis included any kind of contact. When enabled, which is the default,
the Contour/Criteria option allows results to be visible “through” the displayed regions, while Label Mode con-
trols if the output values will be visible through the displayed regions as well (“1..Allow Output Values”,
default), or not (“0..No Labels”).

• Added ability to import the deformations generated by a aeroelastic flutter analysis for the aero mesh on aero
panels and aero bodies, then display those deformations using the various Deformed Style options available in
the View Select dialog box or specified via Style drop-down in the Deform tool of the PostProcessing Toolbox.
• Added ability to display results “on top of” regions, which can be quite useful attempting to view results from
an analysis included any kind of contact.
Geometry Interfaces

Parasolid 31.1
NX 2019
SolidWorks 2019
• Updated STEP translator to use most recent version provided by geometry translator group at Siemens
For details, see “Geometry Interfaces” in the FEMAP User Guide.

• MSC Nastran and Autodesk Nastran Interfaces
• ANSYS Interface


• Updated NX Nastran to Simcenter Nastran throughout the FEMAP application.
• Added the ability to specify a material coordinate system override (MATCID entry) for solid, solid laminate,
and solid cohesive elements, which is done via the Modify, Update Elements, Solid Material CSys command.
• Added support for glued contact in SOL 200.
• Added “4..Frequency/Harmonic Response” to the Analysis Type drop-down in the NASTRAN Optimization
Options dialog box used to setup SOL 200 Topology Optimization. When defining optimization limits for
“4..Frequency/Harmonic Response”, the Frequency Response - Nodal Displacement, Frequency Response SPC
Forces, and/or Frequency Response Element Force, Stress, Strain options must be used.
• Added ability to choose “3..Transient” for Analysis Type for the Master Case and Subcases
• Added Create Initial Conditions From Output icon button to Boundary Conditions dialog box
Only available when Analysis Type is set to “3..Dynamic” in the Master Requests and Conditions dialog box or the
Analysis Case dialog box for any subcase. Click the icon button to the right of the Initial Conditions drop-down to
open the Create Initial Conditions From Output dialog box:
This dialog can be used to create a load set to specify Initial Displacement and/or Initial Velocity to use as Initial
Conditions. Select an output set using the Output Set drop-down, then select any type of nodal output to use for
enforced displacements (X Vector, Y Vector, and/or Z Vector in Initial Displacement section), enforced rotations
(RX Vector, RY Vector, and/or RZ Vector in Initial Displacement section), velocities (X Vector, Y Vector, and/or Z
Vector in Initial Velocity section), and/or rotational velocity (RX Vector, RY Vector, and/or RZ Vector in Initial
Velocity section). Once the output has been selected, click the Select Nodes... button to use the standard entity selec-
tion dialog box to select nodes to create displacement and/or velocity loads.
SOL 401 Only
• Added Arc-Length Control Options dialog box to specify parameters written to the NLARCL entry.
The Arc-Length Control methods allow for post-buckling analysis of structures with snap-through instability in
Solution 401, which cannot be achieved through the Newton-Raphson solution strategy.
The Arc-Length Control Options dialog box contains a number of options which can be used to specify various
parameters on the NLARCL entry for Simcenter Nastran Solution 401:
Enable NLARCL must be enabled before any of the options can be specified. The default value for each control
option is specified when entering the dialog box for the first time. Once values have been changed, it is possible to
return the default values using the Defaults button.
Constraint Type - Used to select the arc-length method. Writes TYPE field with selected option (Default =
“2..Modified Riks”).
1..Riks - Selects the Riks arc-length method. Writes RIKS.
2..Modified Riks - Selects the modified Riks arc-length method. Writes MRIKS.
3..Crisfield - Selects the Crisfield arc-length method. Writes CRIS.
Min ArcLen Adjust Ratio (MINALR) - Minimum allowable arc-length adjustment ratio between increments for
the adaptive arc-length method. Must be a value from 0.0 to 1.0, Default = 0.25. Writes MINALR field and corre-
sponding value.
Max ArcLen Adjust Ratio (MAXALR) - Maximum allowable arc-length adjustment ratio between increments
for the adaptive arc-length method. Must be greater than or equal to 1.0, Default = 4.0. Writes MAXALR field and
Load/ArcLen Bound (MAXR) - Defines the overall upper and lower bounds on the load increment/arc-length in
the subcase. Must be greater than 0.0, Default = 20.0. Writes MAXR field and corresponding value.
Scale for Constraint Load (SCALE) - Scale factor for controlling loading contribution in the arc-length con-
straint. Must be greater than or equal to 0.0, Default = 0.0. Writes SCALE field and corresponding value.
Desired Iterations (DESITER) - Desired number of iterations for convergence to be used for the adaptive arc-
length adjustment. Must be an integer value greater than 0, Default = 12. Writes DESITER field and corresponding
integer value.
Max Load Increments (MXINC) - Maximum number of controlled load increments done in the arc-length sub-
case. Must be an integer value greater than 0, Default = 20. Writes MXINC field and corresponding integer value.
Initial Load Factor (LDFACIN) - Initial load factor. This load factor will be used to compute initial arc-length.
Must be a value greater than 0.0, Default = 1.0. Writes LDFACIN field and corresponding value.
Max Load Factor (MXLDFAC) - Maximum value of load-factor at which solution will be terminated. Default =
1.0. Writes MXLDFAC field and corresponding value.
Output Skip Factor (NOUTAL) - Skip factor for output of the incremental results. Output always occurs at the
final increment. For example, if NOUTAL=2 is defined, output occurs at every other converged solution increment
and for the final increment. If NOUTAL=0 is defined, output only occurs at the final increment.
• Added Mass and Damping dialog box to specify mass and damping values for dynamic analysis.
The Mass and Damping Options dialog box is used to specify Equivalent Viscous Damping options, as well as an
option to specify a Mass normalization method for dynamic analysis:
Enable Dynamic Options must be enabled before entering values and only used by the Global Requests and Condi-
tions when Analysis Type is set to “3..Transient” or in any Analysis Case which is set to “3..Transient”.
There are three values which can be set in the Equivalent Viscous Damping section: Overall Structural Damping
Coeff (G) creates the PARAM,G entry; Freq for System Damping (W3 - Hz) creates the PARAM,W3 entry; and
Freq for Element Damping (W4 - Hz) creates the PARAM,W4 entry.
The Mass section designates if mass matrices for elements with coupled mass capability (i.e., CBAR, CBEAM,
CHEXA, CPENTA, CPYRAM, CQUAD4, CQUAD8, CQUADR, CQUADX4, CQUADX8, CROD, CTETRA,
CTRAX3, CTRAX6, CTRIA3, CTRIA6, CTRIAR, and CTUBE.) should be “Coupled” or remain “Lumped”
(default for most analyses) by writing the PARAM, COUPMASS entry in the Nastran input file. When “Coupled”
is selected, both structural and non-structural mass are taken into account for the aforementioned elements.
• Added Time Integration section to Solution and Convergence Options dialog box.
Integration Scheme (TINTMTH) - Integration scheme. Writes TINTMTH with the selected option (Default =
“1..Newmark”). Choose from:
“1..Newmark” implicit predictor-corrector. Writes NEWMARK.
“2..Hilber-Hughes-Taylor” (HHT) implicit predictor-corrector scheme. Writes HHT.

“3..Generalized Alpha” (with Theta). Writes GENALP.
“4..Modified Generalized Alpha” (with Theta). Writes MGENALP.
Param1 (BETA) - Newmark scheme parameter 1, Beta. Must be greater than 0.0, Default = 0.25. Writes BETA
field and corresponding value.
Param2 (GAMA) - Newmark scheme parameter 2, Gamma. Must be greater than 0.0, Default = 0.5. Writes
GAMA field and corresponding value.
HHT Scheme Param (ALFA) - HHT scheme parameter, alpha. Must be between 0.0 and 0.333333, Default =
0.05. Writes ALFA field and corresponding value.
Generalized Alpha Methods Parameter (TETA) - Generalized alpha methods parameter, Theta. Writes TETA
field and corresponding value. Default = -0.97 for “3..Generalized Alpha” or 0.33 for “4..Modified Generalized
Alpha”.
SOL 402 Only
• Added ability to choose “7..Buckling” for Analysis Type for Subcases. When used, adds a Modal item to tree for
the subcase, which opens the NASTRAN Model Analysis dialog box.
• Added Viscous Material Option section of the Multi-Step Control Options dialog box.
Integration Error Control (TSVSC) - Integration error control. When disabled, which is the default, writes noth-
ing. When enabled, writes TSVSC with corresponding characters, ON.
Error Threshold (VSCOTE) - Viscous material integration error threshold. Must be greater than or equal to 0.0,
Default = 0.1. Writes VSCOTE field and corresponding value.
Min Stress Factor (VSCOSN) - Viscous material minimum stress normalization factor. Must be an integer value
above 0, Default = 1. Writes VSCOSN field and corresponding integer value.
• Added options to the Time Step section of the Multi-Step Control Options dialog box. Also, updated many of the
names of the other options in the section to match what is now expected by Simcenter Nastran.
Number of Iterations (ITEREF) - Number of iterations. Must be an integer value above 0, Default = 0.6 * Max
Iter (ITMA) specified in the Solution and Convergence Options dialog box. Writes ITEREF field and correspond-
ing integer value.
Integration Error Control (TSDYN) - Integration error control. When disabled, which is the default, writes noth-
ing. When enabled, writes TSDYN with corresponding characters, ON.
Zero Pivot Time Step Rejection (RJPZ) - Zero pivot time step rejection. When disabled, which is the default,
writes nothing. When enabled, writes RJPZ with corresponding characters, ON.
Negative Pivot Time Step Rejection (RJPN) - Negative pivot time step rejection. Writes RFPN with the selected
option (Default = “0..Never”).
“0..Never” - Writes nothing.
“1..Last Iteration Only” - Writes a value of 1.
“2..Print State at Last Iteration” - Writes a value of 2.
“3..Always” - Writes a value of 3.
• Added options to the Analysis Control section of the Multi-Step Control Options dialog box.
Unsymmetrical Matrices for Complex Modes (MATSYM) - Unsymmetrical stiffness, damping, and mass matri-
ces for complex modes. When enabled, which is the default, writes nothing is written. When disabled, writes MAT-
SYM entry with corresponding characters, NO.
Enable Inertia in Dynamics (INERTIA) - Take inertia into account in nonlinear dynamic subcases. When
enabled, which is default, writes nothing. When disabled, writes INERTIA with corresponding characters, NO.
• Added option to the Other Options section of the Multi-Step Control Options dialog box.
Creep Integration Factor (CRINFAC) - Integration factor used to calculate incremental creep strain. Must be
value from 0.0 to 1.0. Default is 1.0. Writes CRINFAC entry with corresponding value.
• Updated options available for Integration Scheme (TINTMTH) in the Time Integration section of the Solution
and Convergence Options dialog box.
Integration Scheme (TINTMTH) - Integration scheme. Writes TINTMTH with the selected option (Default =
“4..Generalized Alpha”).
“1..Newmark” implicit predictor-corrector. Writes NEWMARK.
“2..Hilber-Hughes-Taylor” (HHT) implicit predictor-corrector scheme. Writes HHT.
“3..Generalized Midpoint” (with theta). Writes GENMID
“4..Generalized Alpha” (with theta). Writes MGENALP.

• Added ability to import Aero Mesh deformations from Flutter Analysis from .f06 file (only noticeable differ-
ence to the user is that new output vectors are available).
• Added STATSUB Options dialog box for buckling subcases.
If performing buckling analysis, and two subcases exist, the STATSUB Options dialog box can be used to select
specific static subcases, which are then referenced by a STATSUB (BUCKLING) and, optionally, a STATSUB
(PRELOAD) written to the case control section of a particular buckling subcase.
Note: To access the STATSUB options for a particular subcase in FEMAP, “expand” the Case portion of
the tree of a a subcase in a Buckling Analysis Set in the Analysis Set Manager, highlight STATSUB
from the list, then click the Edit button. The Subcase # STATSUB Options dialog box will appear.
This dialog box can also be used to explicitly choose which static subcase should be used with each buckling sub-
case when setting up a multi-case buckling analysis. In addition, can be beneficial when attempting to “round trip-
ping” a Nastran input files for buckling analysis, which was either A) not created using FEMAP or B) contain
multiple subcases which contain a STATBUB entry referencing the same static subcase.
• Added more generalized read support for THRU fields for SPC1, ASET1, BSET1, etc entries, as long as the
form “a” THRU “b” is used and all three fields reside on a single line, as it cannot continue across lines.
• Added Contact section to NASTRAN Output Requests dialog box and added options for Contact and Glue.
• Added “4..Frequency/Harmonic Response” to the Analysis Type drop-down in the NASTRAN Optimization
Options dialog box used to setup SOL 200 Design Optimization. When defining optimization limits for “4..Fre-
quency/Harmonic Response”, the Frequency Response - Nodal Displacement, Frequency Response SPC
Forces, and/or Frequency Response Element Force, Stress, Strain options must be used.
MSC Nastran and Autodesk Nastran Interfaces 2020.1-21
• Added Buckling option to the NASTRAN Modal Analysis dialog box which can be accessed in an analysis set
which has Analysis Type set to “10..Nonlinear Static”. When Buckling is enabled, the Inverse Power/Strum
method will be selected automatically and some additional options are available. Writes PARAM,BUCKLE,2,
which requests buckling in a SOL 106 cold start run, is written along with an EIGB entry.
MSC Nastran and Autodesk Nastran Interfaces

• Added support to read and write pyramid elements
ANSYS Interface
• Added ability to set up a random response analysis by selecting “6..Random Response” from the Analysis Type
drop-down in the Analysis Set dialog box. Options for random response are specified in the ANSYS Modal Anal-
ysis Options dialog box and the new ANSYS Random Vibration Analysis Options dialog box.
The ANSYS Random Analysis Options dialog box is used to specify options for frequency response analysis:
Basic Options (SPOPT)

The options in this section specify a the Spectrum Type and other overall options for random response or spectrum
analysis. Writes the SPOPT entry with appropriate names, values, etc for the current case. For detailed information,
see ANSYS documentation for SPOPT.
Spectrum Type - Specifies the type of spectrum for the analysis. Currently, the only available option is “3..Power
Spectral Density”, but other options exist, which may be supported in a future release.
“0..Single-point Response Spectrum” - Writes SPRS to “Sptype” field on SPOPT
“1..Multi-point Response Spectrum” - Writes MPRS to “Sptype” field on SPOPT
“2..Dynamic Design Analysis Method” - Writes DDAM to “Sptype” field on SPOPT
“3..Power Spectral Density” - Writes PSD to “Sptype” field on SPOPT
Number of Modes - Specifies to use only the first “number of modes” from the modal analysis (i.e., value of “5”
means to only use the first 5 modes from the modal analysis). Writes integer value to NMODE field on SPOPT.
Maximum value allowed is 10,000.
Element Results - Element Results Calculation Key. When disabled, which is the default, writes NO to Elcalc field
on SPOPT. When enabled, writes YES to Ecalc field.
PSD Table (PSDUNIT/PSDFREQ/PSDVAL/PFACT)
The options in this section specify various options for the PSD function. For detailed information, see ANSYS doc-
umentation for PSDUNIT, PSDFREQ, PSDVAL and PFACT.
Function ID - Select an existing FEMAP function (“3..vs. Frequency”) to specify the power spectral density (PSD)
values and corresponding frequency values for random response analysis. Alternatively, use the New Function icon
button to create a new function containing PSD values and corresponding frequency values. The PSD values in the
function are written to the PSDVAL entry, while the frequency values are written to the PSDFREQ entry.
PSD Type - Used to specify the type and units of the power spectral density (PSD) input. Writes PSDUNIT entry.
“0..DISP” - Displacement Spectrum (displacement2/Hz). Writes DISP to “LABEL” field on PSDUNIT entry.
“1..VELO” - Velocity Spectrum (velocity2/Hz). Writes VELO to “LABEL” field on PSDUNIT entry.
“2..ACEL” - Acceleration Spectrum (acceleration2/Hz). Writes ACEL to “LABEL” field on PSDUNIT entry.
“3..ACCG” - Acceleration Spectrum (g2/Hz). Writes ACCG to “LABEL” field on PSDUNIT entry.
“4..FORC” - Force Spectrum (force2/Hz). Writes FORC to “LABEL” field on PSDUNIT entry.
“5..PRES” - Pressure Spectrum (pressure2/Hz). Writes PRES to “LABEL” field on PSDUNIT entry.
Mode Factors - Calculates participation factors for the PSD input based on excitation location. When set to Base,
specifies base excitation and writes BASE to Excit field of PFACT entry, while Node specifies nodal excitation and
writes NODE to Excite field.
Mass Matrix (LUMPM)
When the Lumped option is disabled, which is the default, nothing is written and the analysis uses the element-
dependent mass matrix formulation. When Lumped is enabled, writes LUMPM,ON and the analysis uses a lumped
mass approximation.
Damping Matrix
Mass - Specifies Mass Matrix multiplier, Alpha, for damping to form the viscous damping matrix [C]. Writes the
ALPHAD entry with value.
Stiffness - Specifies Stiffness Matrix multiplier, Beta, for damping to form the viscous damping matrix [C]. Writes
the BETAD entry with value.
Mode Combination (PSDCOM)
The values are to specify the power spectral density (PSD) mode combination method and additional values and
writes PSDCOM entry.
Significance - Specifies a threshold value to be considered for mode combination. Only modes which have a sig-
nificance level above this threshold, which is determined by the modal covariance matrix term divided by the max-
imum modal covariance term, will be combined. If a mode has a significance level below this threshold, it is
ABAQUS Interface 2020.1-23
considered insignificant and not contributing the modal combination. The higher the value, the less modes will be
used. If set to 0.0, all modes will be combined. Writes the value to the SIGNIF field on PSDCOM entry.
Mode Number - Specifies to use only the first “number of modes” to be combined (i.e., value of “5” means to only
use the first 5 modes for mode combination). Value must always be less than or equal to Number of Modes value in
Basic Options (SPOPT) section. Writes integer value to COMODE field on PSDCOM.
Combine Force - Identifies the forces to be combined. When set to Static, which is the default, combines only the
model static forces (writes STATIC to ForceType field of PSDCOM entry), while Total combines both the modal
static and inertial forces (writes TOTAL to ForceType field of PSDCOM entry).
• Added Mass Matrix (LUMPM) and Damping Matrix sections to the ANSYS Modal Analysis Options and ANSYS
Harmonic Analysis Options dialog boxes.
Mass Matrix (LUMPM)
When the Lumped option is disabled, which is the default, nothing is written and the analysis uses the element-
dependent mass matrix formulation. When Lumped is enabled, writes LUMPM,ON and the analysis uses a lumped
mass approximation.
Damping Matrix
Mass - Specifies Mass Matrix multiplier, Alpha, for damping to form the viscous damping matrix [C]. Writes the
ALPHAD entry with value.
Stiffness - Specifies Stiffness Matrix multiplier, Beta, for damping to form the viscous damping matrix [C]. Writes
the BETAD entry with value.
• Added support to read and write bolt regions and bolt preloads for ANSYS. Bolt Regions create PSMESH and
PRETS179 entries, while Bolt Preloads create SLOAD entries.
• Added support to read and write non-normal pressure loads on 2D/3D elements edges/faces. Distributed non-
normal pressures are mapped to ANSYS input files as SFE command together with SURF153, SURF154 or
SURF156 elements.
• Added Skip Beam/Bar Cross Sections option to ANSYS Command and Model Control dialog box. When
enabled, writes all beam and bar properties to the ANSYS input file as SECTYPE, #, BEAM, ASEC, along
with the corresponding computed property values from the Define Property - BEAM Element Type dialog box
as SECDATA, regardless of how the beams were defined.
• Added support to read and write KEYOPT(8) for laminate and solid laminate elements. This value is stored as
a formulation specify this value in FEMAP, use the Modify, Update Elements, Formulation command.
ABAQUS Interface
• Added support to read and write *GAP CONDUNCTANCE, *GAP CONDUNCTANCE, PRESSURE, and/or
*GAP RADIATION entries. To create or edit these values in FEMAP, use the ABAQUS Thermal... button in the
Define Property - GAP Element Type dialog box or the on the ABAQUS tab of the Define Connection Property
to open the Define Gap Options dialog box. For more information, see the Properties section.
Tools
• Added the Tools, Structural Analysis Toolkit command, which simply opens the Structural Analysis Toolkit.
This command is only available when the Structural Analysis Toolkit is installed and properly licensed.
• Updated the Tools, Parameters command by adding Mesh Point to specify Color, Next ID, and Inc for mesh
points. In addition, added Layup and Function to specify Next ID and Inc for layups and functions, respectively.
• Updated the Tools, Text command by replacing the single Font drop-down, which offered only 77 combinations
for font and, with two drop-downs, one to select the Font and the other to specify the size of the font.
Libraries
• Updated libraries in a number ways, including a new dialog box with various tabs and controls which offer
expanded functionality, storing of “personal” libraries in the user directory instead of the FEMAP installation
directory, and a new preference to specify a single location for libraries “shared” with other users.
When selecting materials, properties, views, or other entities from a FEMAP library, the Select From Library dia-
log box will be displayed:
Library Description
Library Contents
Title and Description
Clear All Filters

Filter icon button Icon button
Depending on which preferences have been specified on the Library/Startup tab of the Preferences dialog box, the
Select From Library dialog box will contain two tabs (Personal and Femap Standard Libraries) or three tabs
(Startup Shared Libraries preference potentially adds a Shared tab).
All tabs share some functionality, including:
The Path field, which displays the directory path to available libraries for a particular tab
Ability to change the currently library for a tab, on-the-fly, via the Library drop-down
A Contents list, which contains the items available from current library
Ability to reduce the number of items in the Contents list via the Filter options
Icon buttons which can be used to show an overall description of the selected library (Library Description) or a
description of a particular entity in the library (Library Contents Title and Description).
Libraries 2020.1-25
Each tab also offers some unique functionality, which is described here in greater detail.
Personal
The Personal tab offers the ability to load an item from a library file (*.esp file) which is maintained by the user.
This indicates items can be saved to a library, at any time, via the Save button in the creation dialog boxes for a spe-
cific entity type, or deleted from a library using the Delete from Library icon button to the right of the Contents list.
The Set Location of Library icon button can be used to select a different directory path, using the standard File
selection dialog box, to find libraries for a specific entity type. The selected path will persist until the FEMAP
application is closed completely. The Delete Library button deletes the entire library file which is currently speci-
fied by the Library drop-down.
Set Location
of Library
Delete Item
From Library
Any entity which is saved when the Personal tab is active will be saved to the library file currently specified via the
Library drop-down. In addition, the default library on the Personal tab for each entity type, at least when FEMAP
is initially started, can be specified using the File, Preferences command, choosing the Library/Startup tab, and
selecting an appropriate *.esp file for an entity type in the Startup Personal Libraries section.
Note: By default, when saving an entity of a certain type for the first time to a library, a new *.esp file, with a
generic name, such as material.esp, will be automatically created in the user’s windows user directory,
which is typically similar to the following: “C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Local\Femap\[femap ver-
sion]”. In some organizations, these file may be stored somewhere different, therefore, please consult
someone within the organization for confirmation.
Shared
The Shared tab actually contains all the same controls as the Personal tab, but is somewhat different. First, the
libraries which appear on the Shared tab for the various entity types must all reside in the same directory. This
directory path can be specified via File, Preference, choosing the Library/Startup tab, then specifying a Shared
Library Path in the Startup Shared Libraries section. Second, it is common for “shared” libraries to reside some-
where, such as a directory on a shared server, where a user’s specific level of permissions may or may not allow the
user to use a Save button in a creation dialog box for a specific entity type to save to that file
Note: If items cannot be saved from the Shared tab, please check with someone in the organization to deter-
mine if the user should be allowed to save to the directory in general or the files in the directory.
Femap Standard Libraries

The FEMAP Standard Libraries tab offers the ability to load an item from a library file (*.esp file) which has been
distributed with FEMAP. These library files reside in the FEMAP installation directory and items cannot be saved
to or deleted from these libraries at any time. Also, there is no way to change the path to these libraries.
Note: Values in Library files distributed with FEMAP are believed to be correct, but have not been verified.
You must verify these values are correct and appropriate before using them for any purpose.
OLE/COM API
• Added NasMsnlArcLenOn, NasMsnlArcLenConstr, NasMsnlArcLenMinAlr, NasMsnlArcLenMaxAlr,
NasMsnlArcLenMaxR, NasMsnlArcLenScale, NasMsnlArcLenDIter, NasMsnlArcLenMxInc, NasMsnlArcLe-
nInitLdfac, NasMsnlArcLenMxLdfac, NasMsnlArcLenSkipFac, NasMsnlCntTINTMTH, NasMsnlCntBETA,
NasMsnlCntGAMA, NasMsnlCntALFA, NasMsnlCntTETA, NasStatsubOn, NasStatsubBuckle, NasStatsub-
Preload, NasMsnlkCnt2MATSYM, NasMsnlkCnt2INERTIA, NasMsnlkCnt2CRINFAC, NasMsn-
lkCnt2ITEREF, NasMsnlkCnt2TSDYN, NasMsnlkCnt2RJPZ, NasMsnlkCnt2RJPN, NasMsnlkCnt2TSVSC,
NasMsnlkCnt2VSCOTE, and NasMsnlkCnt2VSCOSN attributes to the Analysis Case Object. Also, added
NasMsnlkCnt2DTINIT, NasMsnlkCnt2DTMIN, NasMsnlkCnt2DTMAX, NasMsnlkCnt2EQMFMX, NasMsn-
lkCnt2EQMFMIN, and NasMsnlkCnt2TINTMTH, which were added to support some options which were
renamed in Simcenter Nastran.
• Added NasBulkPARAMBuckle, NasMsnlCntTINTMTH, NasMsnlCntBETA, NasMsnlCntGAMA, NasMsn-
lCntALFA, NasMsnlCntTETA, NasMsnlkCnt2MATSYM, NasMsnlkCnt2INERTIA, NasMsnlkCnt2CRIN-
FAC, NasMsnlkCnt2ITEREF, NasMsnlkCnt2TSDYN, NasMsnlkCnt2RJPZ, NasMsnlkCnt2RJPN,
NasMsnlkCnt2TSVSC, NasMsnlkCnt2VSCOTE, and NasMsnlkCnt2VSCOSN attributes to the Analysis Man-
ager Object. Also, added NasMsnlkCnt2DTINIT, NasMsnlkCnt2DTMIN, NasMsnlkCnt2DTMAX, NasMsn-
lkCnt2EQMFMX, NasMsnlkCnt2EQMFMIN, and NasMsnlkCnt2TINTMTH, which were added to support
some options which were renamed in Simcenter Nastran.
• Added UseSolverAxes attribute to the Connection Region Object.
• Added items to the flag and pval attributes of the Connection Property Object (for ABAQUS Thermal options
of ABAQUS tab and new options on Multistep Structural tab).
• Added CopyToActiveLayer attribute to the CopyTool Object.
• Added location attribute to the GFXArrow Object.
• Added failuretheory attribute to the Global Ply Object.
• Added failuretheory and vfailuretheory attributes to the Layup Object.
• Added items to the flag and pval attributes of the Property Object (for ABAQUS Thermal options for Gaps).
• Added ShowInModelInfo and SelectVisibleOnly attributes to the Selector Object.
• Updated GetLibrary, PutLibrary, and Delete Library methods on the common entity object to allow selection of
the type of library, “Personal”, “Shared”, or “Femap Standard Libraries”.
• Updated GetLibraryOfType method on the Material and Property objects.
• Added SPOPT, PSDUNIT, PFACT, and PSDCOM methods to the Analysis Case Object.
• Added GetUsedFREQS, PutUsedFREQS, SPOPT, PSDUNIT, PFACT, and PSDCOM methods to the Analysis
Manager Object.
• Added AddDataColumn and GetColumnInfo2 methods to the Data Table Object.
• Added GetMatlOrientVec as a method to the Element Object
• Added GetFREQType, SetFREQData, GetFREQData, SetFREQ1Data, GetFREQ1Data, SetFREQ2Data, Get-
FREQ2Data, SetFREQ3Data, GetFREQ3Data, SetFREQ4Data, GetFREQ4Data, SetFREQ5Data, GetFREQ5-
Data methods to the Frequency Object. Also, updated Get and Put methods.
• Added AddPly2, InsertPly2, SetPly2, GetPly2, SetAllPly2, and GetAllPly2 methods to the Layup Object. Also,
updated HasGlobalPly method.
• Added RemoveNotVisible and AddAllAnalysisCases methods to the Set Object.
• Added SetFontData and GetFontData methods to the Text Object. Also, updated the Get method.
• Added CollectorAppearanceSetFontData method to the User Defined Graphics Object.
• Added SetFontData and GetFontData methods to the View Object. Also, updated ElementNoResultMode to
accept an additional value.
• Added Spin method to the View Orient Object.
Removed API Methods
• Removed AllOn, AllOff, TurnOn, TurnOff, AddFreq, AddFreq1, AddFreq2, AddFreq3, AddFreq4, AddFreq5,
AddFreqByFuncID, AddFreq5ByFuncID, UpdFreq, UpdFreq1, UpdFreq2, UpdFreq3, UpdFreq4, UpdFreq5,
UpdFreqByFuncID, UpdFreq5ByFuncID from the Frequency Object
• feGetCurrentLibraryName
• feSetCurrentLibraryName
• feSolidInsideMulti
• feMeshTetSolid3
• feModifyEdit
• feNodesBetweenNodes
• feSolidElementsInARow
• Added Pref_ModelThumbnail, Pref_ModelTooltip, PickVisibleOnly, Pref_SharedLibPath, Pref_Geometry-
BooleanTolerance, Pref_GraphicsFont, and Pref_GraphicsFontSize to set various preferences.
• Added Pref_SuppressScreenEntities, which can disable selection of all “Active Screen Entities” (i.e. View Leg-
end, View Axis, Post Titles, and Contour Legend) in the graphics window.
• Added PickVisibleOnly option which enables the Select Visible Only option on the Pick^ menu of the standard
entity selection dialog boxes and on Selector Actions icon menu of the Select toolbar.
• Updated Pref_MsgWndFontSize and Pref_MsgWndFontSize to set various preferences.
Preferences
Database
• Added Windows Explorer Data section. This section controls if a thumbnail image and/or general information
about the model is stored with a FEMAP model file (*.modfem).
Save Thumbnail, enabled by default, will store an image (active view of model when model is saved) with the
model, which is displayed with/as the icon for *.modfem file in Windows (File) Explorer.
Save Size and Notes Info, enabled by default, stores information including: FEMAP Version number; Number of
Solids, Nodes, Elements, and/or Output Sets; and the first 10 lines of the text specified for the model via the File,
Notes command. This information will be displayed in a tooltip when the cursor is placed over a *.modfem file for
a short period of time.
Geometry/Model
• Added Solid Boolean Tolerance option to the Geometry Preferences section. Controls the tolerance value the
Parasolid geometry kernel uses for Boolean operations. By default, the value is 0.0, which automatically deter-
mines a tolerance based on the Solid Geometry Scale Factor. Changing this setting may cause geometry
problems. Do not change this setting unless instructed to do so by FEMAP Support
Library/Startup
• Moved Material Type Definition library to new Other Libraries section.
• Updated the name of the Libraries section to Startup Personal Libraries (Filenames Also Set Standard Shared/
System Libraries).
This section specifies the library file which will appear, when FEMAP is initially started, in the Library drop-down
of the Personal tab of the Select From (entity type) Library dialog box for each entity type which supports the use
of libraries. It is possible to use the Browse (...) icon button to the right of each field in this section to search for a
specific directory where a FEMAP library file might be found. The file name of the library file (*.esp file) will also
be used to select the default library selected in the Library drop-down on the Shared and Femap Standard Libraries
tabs in the Select From (entity type) Library dialog box as well. If a full directory path is not specified, FEMAP will
look for the file in “C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Local\Femap\[femap version]”.
The View Library contains views that can be loaded into the model. This file must exist to be able to use the Load
View button in the View Visibility dialog box or the Load button in the View Manager. If a library file for views does
not exist, clicking Save View or Save creates a new file here, “C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Local\Femap\[femap
version]”, when on the Personal tab, or in the directory specified for Shared Library Path when on the Shared tab.
The Material, Property, Layup, Connection Property, Function, Analysis, Format, and Chart libraries are files
which contain data that can be accessed via the Save and Load buttons on the creation commands (also List, Out-
put, Formatted). The name of an existing file must be specified to use the Load option for any entity type. If a
library file for an entity type does not currently exist, using Save will create a new file in this directory,
“C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Local\Femap\[femap version]”, while on the Personal tab. If on the Shared tab
instead of Personal, the new library file is created in the directory specified for Shared Library Path.
• Added Startup Shared Libraries section.
This section is used to specify the directory path to any libraries which will be available on the Shared tab of the
Select From (entity type) Library for each entity type that supports libraries. If no path is specified, the Shared tab
will not appear in the various Select From (entity type) Library dialog boxes. Any library file to be “shared” should
be placed into a single directory. The Select From (entity type) Library dialog box for each type of entity will only
recognize libraries containing that entity type, so all of library files for the different entity types can reside in the
same directory. For example, it is not possible to select a library containing properties using the Library drop-down
in any tab of the Select From Material Library dialog box.
What’s New - 12.0 and 12.0.1 2020.1-1
What’s New - 12.0 and 12.0.1
User Interface
General, Menu, Toolbars, Mesh Point Editor - New for FEMAP 12!, Model Info tree, Meshing Toolbox, PostPro-
cessing Toolbox, Charting pane, Data Surface Editor, Data Table
General
• Added “X” icon on the tab for each view which can be used to quickly close a view or an entire model, but only
when a single view is currently visible for the model.
• Added Previous On icon button to select Output Sets and/or Output Vectors which where last selected via the
Select Output Set(s) or Select Results dialog boxes found in various commands throughout FEMAP.
• Updated View Axes to display an Orientation Cube when clicked, which can be used to quickly rotate models
to “standard views” and other orientations which are the average of two or three different “standard views”.
The view axes represent the orientation of the global axes. By default, “1..ID” is selected in the Show As section,
which will label the axes with X, Y, and Z accordingly, while “0..No Labels” will show the axes with no labels. The
Color/Draw Mode controls the appearance of the view axis, which can be displayed as lines without arrows, with
arrows, or as “Solid” arrows, using either the specified View Color or RGB (Red, Green, Blue). The default is
“5..RGB Solid”..
View Axes
The View Axes is a “live screen entity”. Simply click anywhere in the “view axis area” in the graphics window,
even while in a different command, to make the entity “live”. Once the entity is live, it can be “dragged” to any
location within the current graphics window. In addition, when the entity is live, the view axes changes into a cube,
surrounded by various symbol, which can be used to update the of the orientation of the model within the active
view to a “standard view” or the average of two or three of the “standard views”:
Standard View Non-Standard View
White Triangles
(Click to Rotate 90 White Face (Click to
degrees to next Rotate to Standard
Standard View) View: Top)
Gray Edge (Click to

White Arrows (Click Rotate to Average of
to Rotate Standard two Standard Views:
View +/- 90 Degrees Top and Right)
about screen Z Axis)
White Arrows (Click
to Rotate about the
Home (Click to Blue Corner (Click to screen Z Axis, “snap”
perform View, View Axes Rotate to Average of
Options to closest View)
Autoscale, Visible) three Standard Views:
Top, Front, and Right)
“Standard View” in above figure refers to the model being orientated in one of the “standard orientations” available
via the View, Rotate, Model command. See Section 6.2.1.1, “View, Rotate, Model...” for more information. Also,
the “screen X Axis” starts on the left of the graphics window and extends horizontally to the right, the “screen Y
Axis” extends vertically from bottom to top, and the “screen Z Axis” extends from the screen towards the user.
The symbols, along with the faces, edges, and corners of the cube, can be clicked to perform an orientation opera-
tion or, in the case of the View Axes Options symbol, open a dialog box. Each will be explained in greater detail.
View Axes Options - opens the View Options dialog box with Category set to Tools and View Style and View Axes
selected in the Options list.
Home - simply performs the View, Autoscale, Visible command. See Section 6.2.3.3, “View, Autoscale, Visible”.
White Faces of Cube - each face of the cube has the name of a standard orientation: Top, Bottom, Left, Right,
Front, and Back. Clicking a face will update the orientation of the model to the standard orientation named on the
face, in terms of the screen X Axis and screen Y Axis, but may be rotated around the screen Z axis. (Default, +90
degrees, 180 degrees, or -90 degrees). When the text is “right side up” and reads left to right, this is equivalent to
using View, Rotate, Model and clicking the button with the same name or clicking the corresponding icon on the
View Orient toolbar. When the text is vertical and reads bottom to top, this is +90 degrees around the screen Z Axis
from the standard orientation, vertical and reads top to bottom is -90 degrees, and upside down is 180 degrees.
Grey Edges of Cube - each edge of the cube lies between two of the named faces and there are twelve edges avail-
able. Clicking on an edge will update the orientation to the average orientation of the two named faces, with the
selected edge appearing vertically or horizontally in the middle of “cube area”. If the edge was closer to vertical
then horizontal before being clicked, the edge will end up vertical, otherwise it will end up horizontal.
Blue Corners of Cube - each corner of the cube is the location were a corner from three different named faces con-
verge and there are 8 corners available. Clicking on a corner will update the orientation to the average orientation
of the three named faces, with the selected corner appearing in the middle of “cube area”. When the Top face is to
the lower left of the blue corner, the Right face to the lower right, and the Back face on top, this corresponds to
clicking the Isometric button in View, Rotate, Model or clicking the Isometric icon on the View Orient toolbar.
White Triangles - only visible when the model is in, or very close to, a standard orientation and appear to the left,
right, top, and bottom of the cube. When the triangle to the left of the cube is clicked, the model is rotated +90
degrees around the screen Y Axis, while clicking the one on the right will rotate the model -90 degrees. When the
triangle above the cube is clicked, the model is rotated +90 degrees around the screen X Axis, while clicking the
one below the cube will rotate the model -90 degrees. In addition, the model will always end up in a standard orien-
tation, even if it was not before the
White Arrows - always appear below the cube, one to the lower left, pointing left and the other to the lower right,
point right. If the current model orientation corresponds with an orientation which is attained by clicking on a face
or edge of the cube, then clicking the arrow to the lower right will simply rotate the model +90 degrees around the
screen Z Axis, while clicking the arrow to the lower left will rotate the model -90 degrees. If the current orientation
was attained by clicking a corner of the cube, then clicking the arrow to the lower right will rotate the model +60
degrees around the screen Z axis, while clicking the other arrow will rotate the model -60 degrees. If the model is
not in any of the orientations mentioned above, then it will be rotated to the nearest orientation which can be
attained by clicking on a face, edge, or corner of then cube, then rotated either +/-90 degrees or +/- 60 degrees
around the screen Z Axis, following the rules mentioned above.
Typically, the view axes are displayed in the lower left corner of the view, but a new position can be specified by
pressing Position, which displays the Select View Position - View Axes dialog box. The X and Y positions are the
relative distances, as a percentage of overall screen size, from the view axes to the upper left hand corner of the
view where the view axes are being displayed. For instance, a value of X = 0 and Y = 0 positions the view axes as
far to the left and as close to the top of the view as possible, while X = 100 and Y = 100 positions the view axes as
for to the right and as close to the bottom as possible. To select a new position graphically, simply click a position
in the graphics window and click OK.
• Updated Contour Legend to be an interactive screen entity.
The Contour/Criteria Legend is a “live screen entity”. When not engaged in a command, simply click anywhere in
the “legend area” in the graphics window to make the entity “live”. Once the entity is live, it can be “dragged” to
any location within the current graphics window. In addition, a number of symbols and items which can be clicked
to modify the legend will appear on or near the legend:
General 2020.1-3
Contour/Criteria
Legend Options
Minimum
Value Decrease Number Continuous Level Color Increase Number Maximum
of Contour Levels Contour Contour of Contour Levels Value
Clicking the Increase Number of Contour Levels and the Decrease Number of Contour Levels symbol adds or
removes a contour level from the legend
Note: Clicking the symbols to increase or decrease the number of contour levels only works when the Con-
tour Palette option in Contour/Criteria Levels is set to “0..Standard Palette”, as the number of colors in
the User Palette always set the number of levels when Contour Palette is set to “1..User Palette”. See
Section 8.3.10, "Contour/Criteria Levels..." for more information.
Clicking the Continuous Contour symbol sets the Contour Fill Mode option for Contour Type to “0..Continuous”,
while clicking the Level Color Contour symbols set the Contour Fill Mode option to “1..Level Colors”.
Clicking either the Minimum Value item or Maximum Value item will open the Min Max dialog box:
This dialog box can be used to specify the Level Mode for Contour/Criteria Levels and potentially specify Mini-
mum and/or Maximum values to be used by the selected Mode. For more information about the various Level Mode
options, see Section 8.3.10, "Contour/Criteria Levels...". If the Minimum Value item is clicked, the Minimum field
will be active and a value can be entered without clicking into the field, while clicking the Maximum Value item
does the same thing for the Maximum field.
Clicking the Contour/Criteria Legend Options symbol (i.e., “down arrow” symbol) will open the View Options dia-
log box with Category set to PostProcessing and Contour/Criteria Legend selected in the Options list.
There are 18 options in the Position list: Options 0-7 display the legend in a “standard” position with the values in
“default” order (i.e., lowest to highest from bottom to top or left to right); while Options 9-16 display the legend in
a “standard” position with values in “reversed” order (i.e., lowest to highest from top to bottom or right to left). The
other two options, “8..Custom” and “17..Custom, Reversed”, show the legend in a “custom” position with the val-
ues in “default” order or “reversed” order, respectively. To specify a “custom” position via the View Options dialog
box, click the Custom Position... button to display the Select View Position - Contour Legend dialog box:
The X and Y positions are the relative distances, as a percentage of overall screen size, from the upper left hand cor-
ner of the “legend area” (area encompassing the legend and values) to the upper left hand corner of the view where
the legend is being displayed. For instance, a value of X = 0 and Y = 0 positions the legend as far to the left and as
close to the top of the view as possible, while X = 100 and Y = 100 positions the legend as for to the right and as
close to the bottom as possible. In addition, the legend can have either a Vertical or Horizontal orientation, which
can be “locked” by enabling the Lock Orientation option. Finally, to display the values in “reversed” order, enable
the Reversed option and/or enable Label Top/Left to have the labels always appear to the left of a vertical legend/
above a horizontal legend (when option is disabled, appear right of a vertical legend/below a horizontal legend).
All of he “standard” options for Position simply specify specific values and options in the Select View Position -
Contour Legend dialog box, which are detailed in the following table (ID of corresponding option which has the
Reversed option enabled in parentheses):
Option (ID of Reversed Option) X% Y% Orientation Label Top/Left

0..Top Left (9) 0.0 0.0 Vertical Disabled
1..Top Center (10) 50.0 0.0 Horizontal Disabled
2..Top Right (11) 100.0 0.0 Vertical Enabled
3..Center Left (12) 0.0 50.0 Vertical Disabled
4..Center Right (13) 100.0 50.0 Vertical Enabled
5..Bottom Left (14) 0.0 100.0 Vertical Disabled
6..Bottom Center (15) 50.0 100.0 Horizontal Enabled
7..Bottom Right (16) 100.0 100.0 Vertical Enabled
The Legend Size... button displays the Enter Contour Legend Size dialog box:
The Length (%) option controls the distance from top to bottom when the legend has a vertical orientation or left to
right when the legend has a horizontal orientation. This option can only be used to “shrink” the overall length of the
legend and must have a value between 1 and 100 (default). For example, specifying a value of 50 will shrink the
legend to 50% of the default length.
The Width (%) option controls the thickness of only the color bar portion of the legend, which is left to right when
the legend has a vertical orientation or top to bottom when the legend has a horizontal orientation. This option can
be used to make the overall width of the color bar thicker or thinner and must have a value between 10 and 200
(default is 100). For example, specifying a value of 50 will display the color bar at half the normal width, while
specifying a value of 150 will display the color bad at 1.5 times the normal width.
General 2020.1-5
If desired, the Length (%) and Width (%) options can both be specified at the same time to create a “shrunken” leg-
end which is either thicker or thinner, then positioned accordingly using any of the other available options.
• Updated View Legend to be an interactive screen entity.
The View Legend is a “live screen entity”. When not engaged in a command, simply click anywhere in the “view
legend area” in the graphics window to make the entity “live”. Once the entity is live, it can be “dragged” to any
location within the current graphics window. In addition, when the entity is live, the View Legend Options symbol
(i.e., “down arrow” symbol) appears:
View Legend
Options
...which when clicked, will open the View Options dialog box with Category set to Tools and View Style and View
Legend selected in the Options list.
There are 9 options in the Position list: Options 0-7 display the view legend in a “standard” position, while “8..Cus-
tom” can be used to place the view legend in a “custom” position. To specify a “custom” position via the View
Options dialog box, click the Custom Position... button to show the Select View Position - View Legend dialog box:
ner of the “view legend area” to the upper left hand corner of the view where the view legend is being displayed.
For instance, a value of X = 0 and Y = 0 positions the view legend as far to the left and as close to the top of the
view as possible, while X = 100 and Y = 100 positions the view legend as for to the right and as close to the bottom
as possible. In addition, the text within the “view legend area” can be Left Justified, Right Justified, or Center Jus-
tified. There is also an option to show all text on a Single Line, but be careful when using this option, as the graph-
ics window needs to be wide enough to display the entirety of the text, otherwise the beginning and end may not be
visible. Finally, The justification can also be “locked” by enabling the Lock Justification option.
All of the “standard” options for Position simply specify specific values and options in the Select View Position -
View Legend dialog box, which are detailed in the following table:
Option X% Y% Justification
0..Top Left 0.0 0.0 Left Justification
1..Top Center 50.0 0.0 Center Justification
2..Top Right 100.0 0.0 Right Justification
3..Center Left 0.0 50.0 Left Justification
4..Center Right 100.0 50.0 Right Justification
5..Bottom Left 0.0 100.0 Left Justification
6..Bottom Center 50.0 100.0 Center Justification
7..Bottom Right 100.0 100.0 Right Justification
Note: If opening a model file saved in version 11.4.2 or earlier and Position was set to “1..Top Center” or
“6..Bottom Center”, then Single Line will be selected and the Lock Justification option will be enabled.
If desired, simply click the Custom Position... button to change these options. This will also happen if
importing a FEMAP neutral file exported in version 11.4 format or earlier.
• Updated Post Titles to be an interactive screen entity.
The Post Titles are a “live screen entity”. When not engaged in a command, simply click anywhere in the “post
titles area” in the graphics window to make the entity “live”. Once the entity is live, it can be “dragged” to any
location within the current graphics window. In addition, when the entity is live, the Post Titles Options symbol
(i.e., “down arrow” symbol) appears:
Post Titles
Options
...which when clicked, will open the View Options dialog box with Category set to PostProcessing and Post Titles
selected in the Options list.
By default, the justification will automatically change from Left Justification to Center Justification to Right Justi-
fication as the Post Titles entity is dragged from the left side of the graphics window to right. To have the justifica-
tion remain the same as the entity is dragged around the graphics window, simply click the “down arrow” symbol,
click the Custom Position... button, and enable the Lock Justification option, then click OK to all dialog boxes.
This legend contains information about the output set and output vectors being displayed, with additional options to
include the current averaging options, min/max values, and/or the full directory path and file name, along with time
and date information, for the output file used to create displayed results. For Legend Style, choose from “0..IDs
Only”, “1..Titles” (Default), “2..Titles and Average Data”, “3..Titles and Min/Max Data”, “4..Titles and Min/Max/
Average”, “5..Titles, File Name and Date”, “6..Titles/File/Average”, 7..Titles/File/Min/Max”, or “8..Titles/File/
Min/Max/Average”. In order to see “Max/Min” information, Label Mode for the Contour/Criteria Style option
must be set to “2..Max Min”, “3..Max Only”, or “4..Min Only” (see Section 8.3.9, "Contour/Criteria Style...").
There are 9 options in the Position list: Options 0-7 display the post titles in a “standard” position, while “8..Cus-
tom” can be used to place the post titles in a “custom” position, To specify a “custom” position via the View
Options dialog box, click the Custom Position... button to display the Select View Position - Post Titles dialog box:
ner of the “post titles area” to the upper left hand corner of the view where the post titles are being displayed. For
instance, a value of X = 0 and Y = 0 positions the post titles as far to the left and as close to the top of the view as
possible, while X = 100 and Y = 100 positions the post titles as for to the right and as close to the bottom as possi-
ble. In addition, the text within the “post titles area” can be Left Justified, Right Justified, or Center Justified. There
is also an option to show all text on a Single Line, but be careful when using this option, as the graphics window
needs to be wide enough to display the entirety of the text, otherwise the beginning and end may not be visible.
Finally, The justification can also be “locked” by enabling the Lock Justification option.
Menu 2020.1-7
All of the “standard” options for Position simply specify specific values and options in the Select View Position -
Post Titles dialog box, which are detailed in the following table:
Option X% Y% Justification
0..Top Left 0.0 0.0 Left Justification
1..Top Center 50.0 0.0 Center Justification
2..Top Right 100.0 0.0 Right Justification
3..Center Left 0.0 50.0 Left Justification
4..Center Right 100.0 50.0 Right Justification
5..Bottom Left 0.0 100.0 Left Justification
6..Bottom Center 50.0 100.0 Center Justification
7..Bottom Right 100.0 100.0 Right Justification
Note: If opening a model file saved in version 11.4.2 or earlier and Position was set to “1..Top Center” or
“6..Bottom Center”, then Single Line will be selected and the Lock Justification option will be enabled.
If desired, simply click the Custom Position... button to change these options. This will also happen if
importing a FEMAP neutral file exported in version 11.4 format or earlier.
• Added “By Size” option in the “Pick^” menu of the standard entity selection dialog box to select Curves by
Length, Surfaces by Area, and Solids by Volume using the desired Size Specification option.
Only available when selecting curves, surfaces, or solids. Curves are selecting by Length, Surfaces by Area, and
Solids by Volume.
The same options exist for each type of geometric entity: Larger Than a maximum value, Smaller Than a minimum
value, Outside or Between two values, or a Specific Size within a specified Tolerance.
• Added “Add Connected Tangent Curves” option in the “Pick^” menu of standard entity selection dialog box
and is only available when selecting curves. Using the Add Connected Tangent Curves command allows you to
quickly add “connected tangent curves” to the selection list by first selecting any number of curves. This is a
helpful picking tool when using the Geometry, Curve - From Surface, Offset Curves/Washer command.
• Added ability to use “ALT+S” and “ALT+E” in Standard Entity Selection dialog boxes to choose “Select All”
and “Reset”, respectively.
• Updated “Property Data” to be “Element / Property Data” in the Contour Model Data dialog to reflect the fact
that some of the quantities are specified as Element Data.
Menu
• Added Tools, Mesh Point Editor and Tools, Report Generator commands to the Tools menu. See Mesh Point
Editor - New for FEMAP 12! and the Tools section for more information. In addition, removed the Tools, Stress
Wizard command from the Tools menu. If desired, it can be added to the User Interface by using the Tools, Tool-
bars, Customize command, clicking the Commands tab, choosing Additional Commands from the list of Cate-
gories, then dragging the Stress Wizard command onto any toolbar or menu.
• Added Geometry, Curve - Centerline command to the Geometry menu. In addition, updated Geometry, Surface,
Ruled to Geometry, Surface, Ruled/Between Curves to reflect new functionality in the command. Finally,
removed the Geometry, Volume submenu. See Geometry section for more information.
• Added Connect, Connector Set command to the Connect menu. See Connections (Regions, Properties, and
Connectors) section for more information.
• Added Model, Optimization submenu, which contains four commands: Model, Optimization, Variables and
Topology Regions; Model, Optimization, Limits; Model, Optimization, Manufacturing Constraints; and Model,
Optimization, Update from Punch. See Optimization section for more information.
• Added Mesh, Editing, Cohesive Meshing command to the Mesh menu. In addition, added Mesh, Edge/Skin Ele-
ments submenu, which contains two commands: Mesh, Edge/Skin Elements, Line Elements on Edges and Mesh,
Edge/Skin Elements, Planar Elements on Faces. Previously, these two commands were a single command,
Mesh, Edge Members, but were split into two commands for clarity. Finally, updated the Mesh, Mesh Control,
Mesh Points on Surface command to toggle the Mesh Point Editor dockable pane on/off, instead of launching a
command. See Meshing and Mesh Point Editor - New for FEMAP 12! sections for more information.
• Added Modify, Renumber, Mesh Point and Modify, Update Other, Align Surface Parameters commands to the
Modify menu. In addition, added Modify, Reflect submenu, which contains seven commands: Modify, Reflect,
Point; Modify, Reflect, Curve; Modify, Reflect, Surface; Modify, Reflect, Solid; Modify, Reflect, Coord Sys;
Modify, Reflect, Node; and Modify, Reflect, Element. Finally, the Modify, Project submenu was moved to its
own menu group and the words “To Location” was added to the three commands on the Modify, Move To sub-
menu. See Geometry and Meshing sections for more information
• Added List, Geometry, Mesh Point command to the List menu. See Listing section for more information.
• Added Delete, Geometry, Mesh Point; Delete, Model, Optimization Variable/Topology Region; Delete, Model,
Optimization Limit; and Delete, Model, Manufacturing Constraint commands to the Delete menu.
• Added Group, Operations, Generate From Criteria command to Group menu. In addition, added Group, Mesh
Point submenu, which contains seven commands: Group, Mesh Point, ID; Group, Mesh Point, Color; Group,
Mesh Point, Layer; Group, Mesh Point, on Point; Group, Mesh Point, on Curve; Group, Mesh Point, on Sur-
face; and Group, Mesh Point, in Solid. See Groups and Layers section for more information.
• Added View, Advanced Post, Dynamic Criteria and View, Autoscale, Fit commands to the View menu. See the
Views section for more information.
• Added Help, Dockable Panes, Mesh Point Editor and Help, Femap Product Excellence to the Help menu.
Toolbars
• Added By Size command to Selector Actions icon menu on Select toolbar. Only available when Curve, Surface,
or Solid is the active entity type in the Selector Entity icon menu. Curves can be selecting by Length, Surfaces
by Area, or Solids by Volume.
• Added Connector Set command to context-sensitive menu when Connector is the active entity type in the Selec-
tor Entity icon menu of the Select toolbar, which allows creation of a Connector Set containing any number of
Connectors.
• Updated Mesh Size item on the View Style icon menu on the View and View - Simple toolbars to be Mesh Size/
Locations, as it now toggles visibility of both mesh size on curves and mesh points.
Mesh Point Editor - New for FEMAP 12!

The Mesh Point Editor dockable pane provides you with a tool to interactively create, edit, and/or manage mesh
points (“hard points”) using an intuitive table control. Much like the Data Table, each Mesh Point appears as a sin-
gle row separated into a number of columns when it enters the Mesh Point Editor. Also, once in the Mesh Point
Editor, information about the mesh Points can be sorted, filtered, and evaluated to help you understand each Mesh
Point to a greater degree. Unlike the Data Table, the Mesh Point Editor allows you to modify certain aspects of
each Mesh Point in the model, including individual field modification in certain columns.
Mesh Point Editor - New for FEMAP 12! 2020.1-9
CSys for Geometry/ Show/Hide Columns

Mesh Point Coordinates
Select Entities to
Assign Mesh Points Filter Rows Show Visible Rows
Create/Manage
Mesh Points Mesh Point
Filter Rows Clear Filter Show When Selected
Options
Delete All Mesh Show/Hide Collapse/Expand Update Selection

Points and Definitions Group Header All Groups to Visible Rows
*Geometry X, Geometry Y, and Geometry Z columns hidden for this figure
All Mesh Points in the model will automatically appear in the Mesh Point Editor pane. As new Mesh Points are
added to the model, they will automatically be added as a row into the mesh Point Editor. If there are a large num-
ber of Mesh Points in the model, use the filtering functionality to reduce the table to a more manageable size.
When the Mesh Editor pane is floating, it can be repositioned and resized, just as any other floating dockable pane.
The Mesh Point Editor can be closed by clicking the “X” on the right side of the Title bar. To reopen the Mesh
Point Editor, use the Tools, Mesh Point Editor or the Mesh, Mesh Control, Mesh Points on Surface command.
Mesh Point Overview
Mesh Point, which are also sometimes called mesh “hard points” define specific locations on or in geometric enti-
ties where nodes will be created when the geometry is meshed. Every Mesh Point is associated to an actual geomet-
ric point, which may or may not be at the same location as the Mesh Point. In all cases, the geometric entity is
meshed without considering the hard points, then the closest node to each hard point is moved to the hard point
location, then the mesh is “re-smoothed”, which typically creates a higher quality mesh.
Hint: This technique works very well when there are a significant number of nodes in the mesh (and a reason-
ably fine mesh) in comparison to the number of hard points. If there are not many more nodes than hard
points, this technique will not produce good meshes. For this type of mesh, it is best to imprint a curve
or surface on the surface (see Section 3.2.5, "Curves from Surfaces"), then define the mesh size on that
curve or surface. The surface mesher will use a different technique, resulting in a better mesh.
The Mesh Point Editor can be used to create Mesh Points either individually, or in bulk, using a number of different
methods which will be explained in detail later in this section.
Mesh Point Editor Rows and Columns
All data from each Mesh Point is sent to the Mesh Point Editor in a single row which is partitioned into columns for
accurate viewing, sorting, and filtering purposes. When a column header is clicked, an arrow pointing either up or
down will appear in the header. When the arrow is pointing up, the data in that column will be sorted from lowest to
highest numerical value or alphabetical, from A-Z then a-z again (All UPPER CASE letters come before any lower
case letters) depending on the type of data in the column. When the arrow is pointing down, the column will be
sorted from highest to lowest numerical value or alphabetical, from z-a then Z-A again. Clicking on a column
header will change the direction of the arrow and the reverse the listing.
Column headers can be “dragged and dropped” into new positions to modify the look of the table. Any column
header can be “dragged” until a “X” appears over the header, making that column no longer visible. Column width
can also be adjusted by placing the cursor on the line between the column headers (this will bring up a two headed
arrow), then clicking and dragging the column to the desired width.
Columns can be turned on/off one at a time using the Show/Hide Columns icon menu. Also, multiple changes to the
columns can be made at once using the Update Multiple Columns command on the Show/Hide Columns icon menu.
Here is a summary of the available columns:
ID - ID of the Mesh Point. Cannot be modified directly in the table. This is the ID of the Mesh Point entity itself,
not the underlying geometric point which is referenced by each mesh point.
On/Off - Interactive toggle displays current status of Mesh point, “On” (checked) or “Off” (not checked) which
can be modified in the table. When “On”, the Mesh Point is considered during meshing, while it is not considered
during meshing when “Off”. When a Mesh Point is “Off”, it will appear “grayed out” in the Mesh Point Editor.
Locked - Interactive toggle displays if Mesh Point is “Locked” (checked) or “Unlocked” (not checked), which can
be modified in the table. When “Locked”, the Mesh Point will remain in its current location, even if the underlying
geometric point it is associated with is moved, while it will move with the underlying point when “Unlocked”.
Nodes On Geometry - Interactive toggle displays if the node assigned to a Mesh Point will be projected onto the
geometric entity listed in the On Geometry column (checked) or not projected onto geometry (not checked), which
can be modified in the table. If node is not projected onto geometric entity, it will remain at the location of the
Mesh Point’s underlying geometric point.
Definition - Current “Mesh Point Definition” associated with Mesh Point. By default, this will be “0..None”,
which means the Mesh Point is not associated with a mesh point definition. At the time, the only items which can
be defined in a mesh point definition are an ID and a Title. A mesh point definition can only be created by clicking
the “Create/Manage Mesh Point Definition” icon button to the right of the drop-down list, which displays the Mesh
Point Definition Manager:
The Mesh Point Definition Manager can be used to create a new mesh point definition, update the title of existing
mesh point definition, delete the active mesh point definition, delete all mesh point definitions, or have no mesh
point definition be currently active.
To reduce the number of mesh point definitions being displayed in the Available Mesh Point Definitions... list, enter
text into the field below the list, then click the Title Filter button and only those mesh point definitions that contain
the specified text will remain in the list. If additional text is entered and the Filter icon button is clicked again, the
number of mesh point definitions in the list may be further reduced. To display all available mesh point definitions
in the list again, click the Clear Title Filters icon button.
Once a mesh point definition has been created and is active, it will be assigned to every new Mesh Point which is
created. To change the mesh point definition for a Mesh Point, select a different one from the drop-down list. To
remove a mesh point definition from a Mesh Point, choose “0..None” from the drop-down list.
Color (column not displayed by default) - Current Color ID, in terms of the FEMAP Color Palette, of Mesh Point.
The Color field can be modified by inputting a new Color ID and pressing Enter/selecting another row or by click-
ing the “Color Palette” icon button to the right of the field, then selecting a color from the Color Palette dialog box.
Layer (column not displayed by default) - Current Layer of Mesh Point. Field contains the Layer ID and can be
modified by selecting a layer from the drop-down list or by clicking the “Select Layer” icon button to the right of
the drop-down, then selecting a layer from the Select Layer dialog box.
On Geometry - When set to “0..None”, the Mesh Point is not associated with any geometric entity and the text in
the row will be shown in the color red. When set to one of the other options, “1..Point”, “2..Curve”, “3..Surface”, or
“4..Solid”, the Mesh Point is associated with a geometric entity of that type, with the ID of geometric entity found
in the On ID column.
On ID - ID of geometric entity to which the Mesh Point is associated. The value in this column corresponds to the
geometric entity type specified in the On Geometry column (i.e., when On ID is 6 and On Geometry is set to
“2..Curve”, this refers to Curve 6).
Distance To Geometry - Distance from the underlying geometric point associated with Mesh Point to the closest
point on the geometric entity specified using the combination of the On Geometry and On ID columns.
Geometry X, Geometry Y, Geometry Z - The XYZ Coordinates of the Mesh Point.
Point ID (column not displayed by default) - ID of the underlying geometric point associated to the Mesh Point.
Point X, Point Y, Point Z - The XYZ Coordinates of the underlying geometric point associated to the Mesh Point.
Mesh Point Editor Icons
Create/Manage Mesh Points Menu - Contains commands used to create Mesh Points, individually or in bulk.
At Coordinates - creates a new Mesh Point, along with an underlying geometric point, at coordinates specified via
the standard coordinate location dialog box.
On Points - creates a new Mesh Point on each geometric points selected using the standard entity selection dialog
box, using each selected point as the underlying geometric point for the Mesh Point at the same location.
On Nodes - creates a new Mesh Point, along with an underlying geometric point, at the location of each node
selected using the standard entity selection dialog box.
Load From File - displays the Read Mesh Points File dialog box, which can be used to select a file containing
XYZ Coordinates to use to create new Mesh Points. In some cases, the file may contain additional information to
aid in creation of Mesh Points.
Save To File - displays the Save Mesh Points As dialog box, which can be used to save a file containing data,
including XYZ Coordinates, for all of the Mesh Points currently in the model. The format of the data saved to the
file depends on the type of filed being saved. Choose from “Tab Delimited Text (*.txt)”, “Comma-Separated Text
(*.csv)”, “Rich Text Format (*.rtf)”, or the FEMAP-specific “Mesh Point File (*.txt)”.
Copy to Clipboard - copies all Mesh Point data to the clipboard, in a specific format, which can then be pasted back
into the same FEMAP model or a different model as long as the data remains on the clipboard in the format created
by the command.
Paste from Clipboard - when Mesh Point data created by the Copy to Clipboard command exists on the clipboard,
this command will be available to paste this data into the Mesh Point Editor.
Note: Once copied to the clipboard, the data can also be pasted into another program like Microsoft
Excel. If the data which was pasted into Excel is then copied back onto the clipboard, it is no lon-
ger in the format FEMAP expects, thus, the Paste from Clipboard command will not be available.
CSys for Geometry/Point Coordinates - This drop-down allows selection of the coordinate system used to dis-
play the coordinates in the Geometry X, Geometry Y, Geometry Z, Point X, Point Y, and Point Z columns.
Mesh Point Options - Clicking this icon displays the Mesh Point Options dialog box:
Controls which options will be on by default for all newly created Mesh Points, until the options are changed via
this dialog box, then OK is selected.
Note: This dialog box can also be used to update multiple options for the Mesh Points currently high-
lighted in the Mesh Point Editor, by clicking the Update Selected Points button instead of OK.
Geometry Connections - When enabled, Auto Connect as Point is Created will automatically attach newly created
Mesh Points to geometry, but automatic attachment will only occur if the Mesh Point is within a specified distance,
which is determined automatically by the Merge Tolerance (Use Merge Tolerance) or specified by the user (Use
Specified Tolerance). When disabled, newly created Mesh Points will not be attached to any geometry.
Geometry Location - When enabled, Snap to Nearby Geometry to Improve Mesh Quality will automatically move
newly created Mesh Points to the nearest surface or curve, when the specified Mesh Point is within a distance
determined by the value specified for Percent of Default Mesh Size.
Nodal Location and Parameters - When enabled, Locate Node on Connected Geometry will automatically turn on
the Node on Geometry option for all newly created Mesh Points. To specify a new default color for Mesh Points,
either enter the ID of a color into the Color field of click the Palette button to select a color from the FEMAP Color
Palette. To specify a new default layer for Mesh Points, simply enter an ID in the Layer field.
Assign Mesh Points - When a Mesh Point is within the tolerance specified in the Geometry Connections section of
the Mesh Point Options dialog box, automatically associates that Mesh Point to the closest piece of geometry.
Delete All Mesh Points and Definitions - Used to delete all Mesh Points and Mesh Point Definitions in the model.
Hide/Show Columns Menu - Clicking the down arrow in this icon displays a menu with commands and a listing
of all available columns (visible columns are marked with a check mark in a box colored differently than the
menu). By highlighting a column and clicking the mouse, the column can be toggled from hidden to visible and
vice versa. This allows you to hide or show one column at a time.
Update Multiple Columns - Brings up the Columns to Show dialog box which allows you to check and uncheck
multiple column headers at one time. You can also highlight any number of headings in the selection area. Holding
down the “Ctrl” key will enable highlighting of multiple output sets. Holding down “Shift” while picking a “first”,
then a “last” output set will highlight a range of output sets. Once highlighting is completed, then click Toggle
Selected On or Toggle Selected Off icon buttons to check or uncheck columns. After you are done selecting the col-
umns you want, click OK to view your modified Mesh Point Editor
Toggle All On
Toggle All Off
Toggle Selected On
Toggle Selected Off
Show/Hide Group Header - When on (icon colored differently than the toolbar) the Mesh Point Editor allows you
to drag column headers up into a specified area. Once there, the Mesh Point Editor will partition the rows of Mesh
Point data using a specific group header or set of group headers. This allows you to “group” Mesh Points in the
table with similar characteristics (such as the same option for Node On Geometry, etc.) together for a specific pur-
pose. The grouping is multi-level, therefore the Mesh Points are broken down by the first group header, then the
second, and so on until the final group header. You can always drag a column header from the “Grouping Area”
back to the “Column Header Row” and the remaining group levels will keep their positions in the hierarchy.
Grouping Area
Column Header Row
Note: The expand/collapse toggles allow you to collapse and expand individual categories and sub-
categories in the groups. When the toggle shows a “+” it means the group category can be
expanded, when it shows a “-” it means the group category can be collapsed.
Expand/Collapse All Groups - Collapses or expands “Top level” group categories in the Mesh Point Editor all at
once. Can be used to reduce the complexity of the table and focus on specific Mesh Points.
Filter Rows - Allows you to filter rows by using options to search for Values or Text in Any or All of the selected
columns. Displays the Mesh Point Filter dialog box:
Toggle All On
Toggle All Off
Toggle Selected On
Toggle Selected Off
When filtering with Value, only display rows having values Above the Maximum value, Below the Minimum value,
Between the range of Maximum/Minimum values, or Outside the range, in Any or All selected columns.
When filtering with Text, choose from Contains (only display rows when a portion of the text in Any or All selected
columns contain all of the entered characters), Not Contains (only display rows when no portion of the text in Any
or All selected columns contain all of the entered characters), Equals (only display rows when all text in Any or All
selected columns exactly matches all of the entered characters), or Not Equals (only display rows when all text in
Any or All selected columns does not exactly match all of the entered characters). All options are not case-sensitive.
Along with checking and unchecking the boxes, you can also highlight the Columns to Check one at a time, then
click the Toggle Selected On or Toggle Selected Off icon buttons. Once all desired columns are selected, click OK
and view the modified Mesh Point Editor.
Select Entities to Filter Rows - Allows you to select Mesh Points using the standard entity selection dialog, then
removes the selected Mesh Points from the Mesh Point Editor.
Clear Filter - Clears all filter settings and all Mesh Points previously shown in the Mesh Point Editor before filter-
ing will be visible again.
Update Selection to Visible Rows - This icon will update the selection list created by the Select toolbar with only
the visible rows in the Mesh Point Editor. This command can be used when the filter is on or off, as well as, when
there are groups in the Mesh Point Editor. This command will completely purge the selection list of all other entity
types other than the underlying geometric points of the Mesh Points in the Mesh Point Editor, so be careful about
using it if you have created a large selection list with multiple entity types.
Show Visible Rows - Highlights (using the options currently set in the Window, Show Entities command) all Mesh
Points that are currently visible as rows in the Mesh Point Editor.
Show When Selected Menu - Contains a number of options to “show” the Mesh Points currently highlighted in
the Mesh Point Editor by “highlighting/showing” them in the main graphics window. By default, this command is
set to Off. The commands on this menu use the options found in the Window, Show Entities command (see Section
6.3.2.3, "Window, Show Entities..."). Once the options have been selected, simply clicking the Show When Selected
icon will toggle this mode on and off.
Setting the menu to Highlight will highlight the selected Mesh Points in the graphics window. Transparent High-
light does the same thing as Highlight, but will make all non-selected entities temporarily transparent as well.
Note: The level of transparency used in the Transparent Highlight option can be adjusted using a global value
for all entities using View, Options; Category: Tools and View Style; “Transparency” option.
Setting the menu to Show Selected Only will cause all Mesh Points NOT associated with the selected entities in the
Mesh Point Editor to temporarily disappear until Show When Selected is toggled off or the model is regenerated.
The Autoscale to Show Entities, Show Labels and Show Normals (not used when highlighting Mesh Points) options
can be toggled on and off and the highlight color can also be chosen from the FEMAP color palette by using the
Highlight Color...option.
Other Mesh Point Editor Features
Expand/Collapse toggles - Only appear when using “Groups” in the Mesh Point Editor. Allow you to collapse and
expand individual group categories and sub-categories inside the Mesh Point Editor. When the toggle shows a “+”
it means the group category can be expanded, when it shows a “-” it means the group category can be collapsed.
Context Sensitive Menu (Rows) - When a row or rows are highlighted, right mouse clicking will bring up a con-
text sensitive menu. The commands on this menu allow you to do a number of different things:
Show Mesh Point (# Selected) - “Shows” (highlights in the graphics window) the Mesh Point(s) corresponding to
the row(s) currently highlighted in the Mesh Point Editor.
Assign Mesh Point - When the Mesh Point(s) corresponding to the row(s) currently highlighted in the Mesh Point
Editor are within the tolerance specified in the Geometry Connections section of the Mesh Point Options dialog
box, they will be automatically associated to the closest piece of geometry.
Delete Mesh Point Definitions - Deletes the Mesh Point Definitions associated with the Mesh Point(s) correspond-
ing to the row(s) currently highlighted in the Mesh Point Editor and sets Definition column to “0,,None”.
Delete Mesh Points - Deletes the Mesh Point(s) corresponding to the row(s) currently highlighted in the Mesh
Point Editor.
Select Mesh Points to Delete - Select Mesh Points to delete from the Mesh Point Editor using the standard entity
selection dialog box.
Select Mesh Points to Toggle On/Off - Select Mesh Points to toggle the current state of the check box in the On/Off
column of the Mesh Point Editor using the standard entity selection dialog box.
Select Mesh Points to Toggle Locked - Select Mesh Points to toggle the current state of the check box in the
Locked column of the Mesh Point Editor using the standard entity selection dialog box.
Select All - Selects all rows and columns currently in the Mesh Point Editor.
Copy Rows, Copy Rows - No Headers, Save Rows, and Filter Rows - Highlighted rows can be copied to the clip-
board using Copy Rows, copied to the clipboard without column header information using Copy Rows - No Head-
ers, saved to a text file using Save Rows, or placed into a “filter” using Filter Rows.
Note: It is possible to choose multiple entity rows at the same time and perform operations on all of
the rows at once. In order to choose multiple entity rows, hold down the CTRL key and
select individual entities with the mouse or hold down the SHIFT key and select a first row
and a last row and all of the rows in between will also be selected.
Context Sensitive Menu (Column Header) - When the cursor is positioned over a column header, right mouse
clicking will bring up a context sensitive menu. This menu allows you to:
Sort Ascending or Sort Descending - uses the values under the selected column header.
Sort Off - use Sort Off to return the Connection Editor to a state before any sorting was done.
Copy Columns - brings up the following dialog box. Check the desired columns to copy to the clipboard and by
default those columns will be copied in their entirety. There are also options to Copy Column Headers, which is on
by default, which will include the title of the column, and Copy Only Selected Rows which will send only the rows
currently highlighted in Connection Editor and located in a “checked” column to the clipboard
Note: The combination of copying columns with the Copy Only Selected Rows option turned on is a conve-
nient method to transfer only the necessary data to your exterior spreadsheet program.
Toggle All On
Toggle All Off
Toggle Selected On
Toggle Selected Off
Group by Column - adds a copy of the column header to the Mesh Point Editor “Group Header” section.
Hide Column - quickly hides the specified column. Any column can be shown again using the Show/Hide Columns
icon menu in the Mesh Point Editor.
Model Info tree

• Added Connector Set command to context-sensitive menu for Connectors, which allows creation of a Connec-
tor Set containing any number of Connectors.
• Added Text entities to the Selection List when they are the active entity in the Select toolbar. Also, implemented
context-sensitive menu for text items in the Selection List.
Meshing Toolbox
• Added Slice to the Operation section of the Geometry Editing tool, which is used to divide surfaces, including
boundary surfaces, using a slice plane defined after the surfaces have been selected.
• Added Midpoint and Curve/Location options to the Break Method section when Operation is set to Curve Break
in the Geometry Editing tool. Midpoint breaks the selected curve(s) at the midpoint of each curve, while Curve/
Location breaks the selected curve(s) using the closest distance between the specified location and each curve.
• Added Include Internal Loops and Split Solid options when Operation is set to Pad in the Geometry Editing
tool. The Split Solid option attempts to subdivide solid geometry using solids generated from the “pad” or “pad
with washer” pattern.
• Added Include Non-Circular Loops, Include Non-Circular Loops, and Split Solid options when Operation is set
to Washer in the Geometry Editing tool. The Split Solid option attempts to subdivide solid geometry using sol-
ids generated from the “washer” pattern.
• Added Along Vector option to Project/Move To section when Operation is set to Project/Move Point in the
Geometry Editing tool. This option moves/projects the selected point(s) along a vector specified after the points
have been selected. This can be useful when trying to modify the overall shape of solids and surfaces.
• Added ability to use the “Esc” key to deactivate the Select icon for all tools which feature entity selection.
• Improved performance when automatically updating rigid elements as geometry is being remeshed via the
Meshing Toolbox. For example, as test model with approximately 1.4M Nodes and 1.1M Elements, including
800 Rigid elements, demonstrates an 8X performance improvement for each individual mesh size change.
• Added Dynamic Control button to the Criteria section, which accesses the View, Advanced Post, Dynamic Cri-
teria command. See Output and Post-Processing for more information.
Charting pane 2020.1-17
Charting pane
• Improved algorithm in FEMAP 12.0.1 for plotting angular values in “0..Vector vs Entity” Chart Data Series, set
to Position, when transforming to cylindrical or spherical coordinate systems. Rather than only transforming
polar to Cartesian, values are also offset by 360 degrees, as appropriate, to create most continuous plot possible.
• Added “2..Vector Combination vs. Set” option to the Type drop-down in the Chart Data Series dialog box.
Plots XY data versus the Output Set ID or Output Set Value for a “combination” of Output Vectors across several
Output Sets.
The X-Axis Values section offers two options, Output Set ID or Output Set Value. When Output Set ID is selected,
the IDs of the specified output sets will be used as the X values, while Output Set Values will use the values of the
specified output sets as the X values. The Data Source section is used to specify a range of output sets and two out-
put vectors, specified using the Vector 1 and Vector 2 drop-downs, which will be combined using one of the opera-
tions available in the Combination Options section for the data series. Vector 1 and Vector 2 can be the same. By
default, the Use All Output Sets option will be “on”, which will simply use all available output sets in the model. If
Use All Output Sets option is “off”, a range of output sets can be specified by selecting an Analysis Study from the
Study drop-down or by using the Starting Set and Ending Set drop-downs. Optionally, an Interval value can be
specified, so only every n-th output set in the range will be used.
The Locations section is used to specify an entity for Vector 1 and Vector 2, which must be a node or element ID in
the model. A node ID must be specified when a nodal output vector is selected, while an element ID must be spec-
ified for an elemental output vector. Vector 1 and Vector 2 can be the same. Typically, the type of output should be
the same, but it is not required.
The Combination Options section contains the Operations drop-down, which contains 4 options which can be used
to combine data from Vector 1 with data from Vector 2. Choose an operation from “0..Add (1+2)”, “1..Subtract (1-
2)”, “2..Multiple (1*2)”, or “3..Divide (1/2)”. When Absolute Combination Value is enabled, the absolute value of
the specified combination will be used. If using “3..Divide (1/2)” and any values in Vector 2 are zero, an error will
be issued stating the data series is possibly invalid.
The settings for the Transform and Convert options in the Vector 1 Processing and Vector 2 Processing sections,
which can be different from one another, along with the Convert Complex option in the Complex Conversion sec-
tion, are described above in Output Processing.
Data Surface Editor

• Added Criteria option to Output Map Data Conversion Options section of Define Options for Variation dialog
box for use with the Output Map Data Surface. Also, added ability to use Criteria option to create Nodal Loads
for FEMAP 12.0.1.
• Added Preview icon button to Define Variation Between Coordinates Data Surface dialog box, which graphi-
cally displays lines between 2, 4 or 8 locations. This can be helpful when trying to determine if any “twisting”
has occurred during selection of coordinates, especially when using a 4-point or 8-point data surface. In addi-
tion, added checking which alerts the user if FEMAP believes the data surface is “twisted”.
Data Table
• Added Transform button to Results to Add to Data Table dialog box, which is accessed via the Add Output Col-
umns icon. Clicking this button displays the standard Results Transformation dialog box, which is used to select
transformation options for Nodal Vector Output being added when nodes are already in the Data Table or Ele-
ment Output on Line Elements, Shell Elements, and/or Solid Elements already in the Data Table.
• Added Filter Selected Entities button to Data Table Filter dialog box, which is accessed via the Filter Rows
icon. Clicking this button displays the standard entity selection dialog box for the type of entity which is cur-
rently in the Data Table and the rows representing the selected entities are removed from the Data Table.
Geometry
• Added Modify, Reflect menu which can be used to reflect Points, Curves, Surfaces, or Solids without creating a
copy. When reflecting a geometric entity, all geometric entities needed by the entity will also be reflected.
• Added Geometry, Curve, Centerline command, which attempts to create a curve which represents the centerline
of a geometric solid.
This command can behave somewhat differently, depending on the options specified in the Centerline from Solid
Geometry dialog box:
Geometry 2020.1-19
The type of geometry selected by the command, solids or a curve on a solid, specifies which approach will be used
to determine and create the centerline curve. In addition, an attempt will be made to create a new beam property
which represents the cross-section of each selected solid, then use the new property as a meshing attribute on each
newly created centerline curve. See Section 5.1.2.11, "Mesh, Mesh Control, Attributes Along Curve".
Geometry Attributes
This section specifies which material(s) will be referenced by properties automatically created by this command.
Use the Material drop-down to select an existing material or use New Material icon button to create a new material.
Apply to Geometry with no Attributes - when this option is selected, properties created by this command will use
the material selected in the Material drop-down, unless various property meshing attributes were already assigned
to the original solids. In that case, the material referenced by the property meshing attribute on each solid will be
used by the corresponding new property created for each solid.
Apply to All Geometry - when this option is selected, properties created by this command will all use the material
selected in the Material drop-down, regardless of property meshing attributes already assigned to original solids.
Geometry Selection
This section specifies which type of geometric entity will be selected by the command. The approach used to deter-
mine the appropriate location to create the centerline curve is different depending on this selection.
Curves - when using this option, only a single curve on a solid can be selected. After the curve is selected, the mid-
point of the curve is calculated and a cross-section is determined by slicing the solid at that location. This cross-sec-
tion is then used to create the beam property which will be assigned to the centerline as a meshing attribute.
Solids - when using this option, any number of solids can be selected at one time. Once selected, the centerline will
be determined by one of two approaches. The first approach searches for cylindrical and toroidal surfaces, which,
when found, are used to determine the cross-section for the property to assign to the curve as a meshing attribute. If
no circular cross-section can be found, the second approach is to use the method described above for Curves on the
longest edge of the solid. If Tubes Only option is enabled, only the first approach is used.
Note: Any circular cross-sections found using the various approaches described above will create a beam
property with Shape set to “Circular Bar” or “Circular Tube”. All other cross-sections will have Shape
set to “General Section”, regardless if the shape matches a “standard” section.
Original Solids Centerlines created
Centerlines with Mesh Attributes (Cross-Section displayed) Centerlines Meshed (Cross-Section displayed)
• Added Modify, Update Other, Align Surface Parameters command.

This command attempts to modify surface parameters so all “periodic splits” in cylindrical or conical geometry are
“aligned” with one another as much as possible. The first step is to select options in the Align Surface Parameter-
ization dialog box:
The Entity Selection section allows selection, via the standard entity selection dialog box, of Surfaces (considers
only selected surfaces) or All on Solids (considers all surfaces on selected solids).
The Align Mode sections offers two options, Automatic or Along Vector. When using the Automatic option, the
command will simply pick a “zero” location for the periodic split of the cylindrical or conical geometry, then
attempt to rotate various surfaces to align all of the periodic splits. When using Along Vector option, a vector spec-
ified using the standard vector definition dialog box will be used to specify the “zero” location (base of vector) and
the location 180 degrees on the other side of the geometry (tip of vector) to be used to align the surfaces.
For Example:
Original Geometry - Notice splits in different portions of the solid are not aligned
Using All on Solids and Automatic options, all splits aligned, surfaces rotated 90 degrees
Using All on Solids and Along Vector options, vector defined normal to screen
Using Surfaces option (selected Surfaces highlighted)...

Geometry 2020.1-21
Using Automatic option
Using Along Vector option, vector defined normal to screen
• Enhanced several commands which perform Boolean and other operations on solid geometry to work properly
with geometric entities that contain boundary surfaces and/or combined curves.
• Enhanced Geometry, Solid, Stitch command to use the entered Gap Tolerance as a the largest tolerance to use,
as tolerance is now increased incrementally as the geometry is checked for connectivity after each step.
• Enhanced the Geometry, Surfaces, Ruled command to be Geometry, Surfaces, Ruled / Between Curves, which
adds options to control surface tangents on one or both sides of the newly created surface.
• Enhanced commands for geometric entities on the Modify, Move By menu, the Modify, Rotate By menu, and the
Modify, Align menu by adding an option to also move/rotate/align mesh associated with selected geometric
entities. In addition, added Always Create Parent CSys option, which can be used to force creation of a “parent”
coordinate system to be used as the reference coordinate system for any coordinate systems which need to be
created to maintain the proper definition of finite element entities, such as boundary conditions or regions.
• Enhanced the commands on the Geometry, Copy menu, the commands Geometry, Rotate menu, and the com-
mands on the Geometry, Reflect menu by adding an option to automatically select associated mesh, along with
additional options.
You can use the Copy/Rotate/Reflect commands to duplicate existing points, curves, surfaces, volumes, or solids.
All Geometry, Copy commands require the exact same input, independent of the geometry being copied. After
selecting the appropriate command for the type of entity to select, the standard entity selection dialog box will
appear. Here, the entities are copied using the options specified in the Orient/Transform section of the Copy
Options dialog box:
Each section of the Copy Options dialog box offers a number of different options, most of which can be used in
conjunction with one another, to perform complex operations which can potentially provide a streamlined work-
flow when copying entities. In addition, it offers tremendous flexibility in terms of what other entity types to
include when creating copies of the entity type selected during the chosen command.
Orient/Transform - Geometry, Copy commands
This section offers five different options to orient and/or transform copied finite element entities:
Move Along Vector - Copied entities are translated along a vector specified using the standard vector definition
dialog box.
Move to Location - Copied entities are translated along a vector specified using standard coordinate definition dia-
log boxes to first specify a “Copy From” location, then a “Copy To” location. This may be useful if using different
Methods^ for selected coordinates to use as the “Copy From” and “Copy To” locations.
Between Vectors - Copied entities are “aligned” using two vectors, each specified using a standard vector definition
dialog box. The first vector defines the original position and orientation that will be aligned. The second vector
defines the new or desired position and orientation. The entities are first translated from the origin of the first vector
to the origin of the second vector, then rotated based on the angle between the vectors.
Between Planes - Copied entities are “aligned” using two planes, each specified using a standard plane definition
dialog box. The behavior is similar to Between Coordinate Systems, only each specified plane (X and Y axes) and
each plane’s normal direction (Z axis) are used to determine XYZ axes to align.
Between Coordinate Systems - Copied entities are “aligned” using two coordinate systems selected using the From
CSys and To CSys drop-downs in the Copy Between Coordinate Systems dialog box. The XYZ axes of the From
CSys coordinate system will be aligned to the XYZ axes of the To CSys coordinate system and copies of all the
selected and associated entities will move as a rigid body to the newly aligned location. The type of coordinate sys-
tem used for From CSys and To CSys does not matter, as only the axes are aligned.
Note: If using a cylindrical coordinate system, the R (radial) axis is the X axis, the T (theta) axis corresponds
is the Y axis, and the Z axis is the Z axis. If using a spherical coordinate system, the R (radial) axis is
the X axis, the P (phi) axis is the Y axis, and the T (theta) axis is the Z axis.
This figure shows the original nodes copied three times using the Move Along Vector option in Orient/Transform
and Repetitions in the Approach section set to “3”.
5 10 15 20
Original Points
4 9 14 19
3 8 13 18
2 7 12 17
1 6 11 16
Make 3 copies
along this vector
Copying in Non Rectangular Coordinates

When using the Move Along Vector or Move to Location options, copies are always created along the specified vec-
tor, that is along a straight line. The vector can be specified in any convenient coordinate system. The Geometry,
Copy command cannot be used to create a copy in a rotated location by choosing the angular direction in a cylindri-
cal coordinate system. If this is desired, use the Geometry, Rotate commands to create rotated copies.
Orient/Transform - Geometry, Rotate commands
This section offers two different options to orient and/or transform copied finite element entities:
Rotate Around Vector - Copies of entities are rotated around a vector specified using the standard vector definition
dialog box, using values specified for Rotation Angle and Translation Distance specified in the Change per Repeti-
tion dialog box. Each copy is rotated around the axis of rotation vector by the specified angle (following right-hand
Geometry 2020.1-23
rule conventions), and is translated along the axis vector by specified distance. If a non-zero value for Translation
Distance is specified, a spiral will be created.
Rotate to Location - Copies of entities are rotated around a vector specified using the standard vector definition
dialog box, using two locations, a “starting location” and “ending location”, specified using standard coordinate
definition dialog boxes. This option may be useful if using different Methods^ for “starting location” and “ending
location” or the Rotation Angle and/or Translation Distance are not known before starting the command.
For all of these commands, first, use the standard entity selection dialog box to select which entities to copy, then
specify options in the Copy Options dialog box, then follow appropriate steps to complete the rotate operation.
This figure show the same original point rotated using the Rotate Around Vector option with and without a value for
Translation Distance specified:
Axis of Revolution
Spiral created by rotating
with a nonzero translation
distance.
Circle created by rotating One original point.

with translation distance
set to zero.
Reflection Options - Geometry, Reflect commands

This section offers only one option, Trap Width. A copy of any selected entity will not be made if it is closer to the
reflection plane than the specified Trap Width. If Trap Width is set to zero, all of the selected entities will be
reflected. This option is used most often when reflecting elements (to join nodes on the reflection plane), and will
usually be zero when reflecting nodes.
As always, you will use the standard entity selection dialog box to choose the entities to be reflected. Then FEMAP
will display the Generation Options dialog box. (See Section 3.5.1, "Geometry, Copy Commands"). All options
work just like they do for Geometry, Copy commands, except that you cannot choose multiple repetitions.
Reflection Plane
20 10
19 18 17 7 8 9
16 15 14 4 5 6
13 12 11 1 2 3
Reflected Points Original Points
Next, FEMAP will display the standard plane selection dialog box, so you can define the reflection plane. You can
choose any plane that you want. It does not matter how your selected entities are oriented with respect to the plane.
They can be on one side, or they can be on both sides of the plane. Just remember that the reflected entities will be
located on the opposite side of the plane from the original.
Numbering
This section offers three different options to control IDs of the duplicate entities:
Default - Duplicated entities are numbered sequentially, based on original ID, and given the next available ID for
each entity type.
Block - Duplicated entities will have the ID of the duplicated entity with the lowest original ID, for each entity
type, set to the value specified in the To field. Then, the constant difference between the lowest original ID and the
value in the To field will be added to all other IDs. No sorting will take place, and no gaps will be filled. This is an
easy method to maintain a numbering structure while shifting it to another level (such as making sure the copies of
entities 1, 20, 50, 100, and 500 will be 1001, 1020, 1050, 1100, and 1500 by using a To value of 1001).
Offset - Duplicated entities will be offset from the original ID of each entity using the value specified in the By
field. No sorting will take place, and no gaps will be filled. This is an easy method to maintain a numbering struc-
ture while shifting it to another level (such as making sure the copies of entities 1, 20, 50, 100, and 500 will be
1001, 1020, 1050, 1100, and 1500 by using a By value of 1000).
Other Entities to Include
This section contains four categories of entity types which can be included when copying geometry. The All On and
All Off buttons can be used to quickly enable or disable all the currently available categories.
Mesh - When enabled, all nodes and elements which are associated to the geometric entities being duplicated will
also be duplicated. See Property/Material Options below for more information on the options in this sub-section.
Loads - When enabled, any loads on geometric entities will also be duplicated. If the Mesh option is also enabled,
any nodal and elemental loads on nodes and elements being duplicated will also be duplicated.
Constraints - When enabled, any constraints on geometric entities being duplicated will also be duplicated. If the
Mesh option is also enabled, nodal constraints on any duplicated nodes will also be duplicated. If all nodes used by
a constraint equation are being duplicated, then the constraint equation will also be duplicated.
Connections/Regions - When enabled, any full or partial regions defined by geometric entities being duplicated
will also be duplicated. This is the case for Connection, Fluid, NonStructural Mass, Bolt, and Rotor regions. If the
Mesh option is also enabled, any full or partial regions defined by nodes or elements being duplicated will also be
duplicated. In addition, if both Connection regions of a Connector are copied, then the Connector is also dupli-
cated.
Property/Material Options
This sub-section offers four different options for defining properties and materials for duplicated entities:
Same Properties - Duplicated elements simply use the same property currently referenced by the original elements.
When the Geometry option is enabled, any property meshing attribute assigned to the original geometric entity will
also be assigned to the duplicated geometric entity.
Duplicate Properties - Duplicated elements will reference a duplicate of the property currently referenced by the
original elements. When the Geometry option is enabled, any property used as a meshing attribute assigned to the
original geometric entity will duplicated, then the duplicate will be assigned to the duplicated geometric entity.
Duplicate Materials - Same as the Duplicate Properties option, only each duplicate property will reference a dupli-
cate of the material referenced by the original property. When the Geometry option is enabled, same as the Dupli-
cate Properties option, only each duplicate property created for use as a meshing attribute will reference a duplicate
of the material referenced by the original property.
Use Property - Attempts to change the property of duplicated elements to the property selected in the drop-down.
Will only change the property if the duplicated element is the appropriate type to reference the selected property.
When the Geometry option is enabled, attempts to assign the selected property as a meshing attribute to any geo-
metric entity which had a property meshing attribute specified before being duplicated. Again, property will only
be updated if it matches the property type assigned as a meshing attribute to original geometric entities.
Approach
This section offers a choice between creating a Pattern of duplicate entities or Single/Multiple Copies of the
selected entities. While Pattern may be useful in certain situations, Single/Multiple Copies offers some additional
options, which allow for a more generalized and flexible approach when creating duplicates.
Meshing 2020.1-25
Pattern - Copy commands only

When using Pattern, the Copy Pattern dialog box will be shown after clicking OK to the Copy Options dialog box:
The Copy Pattern dialog box is setup to create a copy of the originally selected entities using up to three different
directions, in series. The values for Number in Pattern represents the “total” number of entities which will be cre-
ated in each direction, while the value for Spacing represents the distance between each duplicate in each direction
of the pattern. Duplicates of the selected entities are first created in Direction 1, then duplicates of the original enti-
ties and the duplicate entities created in Direction 1 are created in Direction 2, then duplicates of the original enti-
ties and the duplicate entities created in Direction 1 and Direction 2 are created in Direction 3.
The Along Vector... buttons may be used to define a vector for any or all directions using the standard entity selec-
tion dialog box, while the Align to CSys... button will transform the values currently specified in the Pattern Align-
ment section to represent unit vector values in the selected coordinate system.
For example, imagine copying a single selected entity with Number in Pattern for Direction 1 is set to “2”, Direc-
tion 2 is set to “3”, and Direction 3 is set to “4”. In this case, a single copy of the selected entity is created in Direc-
tion 1 (total entities now 2), two copies of each of those 2 entities are created in Direction 2 (total entities now 6),
then three copies of each of those 6 entities are created in Direction 3 (total entities at end of command, 24).
Single/Multiple Copies
When using Single/Multiple Copies, a number of additional options are available.
Repetitions - By default, this value is set to “1”, which creates a single copy of each selected entity. To create mul-
tiple copies of each selected entity, simply set this option to the number desired. While not required, this value
should typically be set to “1” when using the AutoRepeat Copy option, as the command will then create a single
copy of each selected entity at each new location.
Copy in Same Location - When enabled, creates a copy of the selected entities without specifying any additional
information for the options in the Orient/Transform section (i.e., creates coincident entities).
AutoRepeat Copy - When enabled, repeats all dialog boxes required by the currently selected option in the Orient/
Transform section after saying OK to the Copy Options dialog box (i.e., selected entities and options specified in
Copy Options are used for all subsequent copy operations). The dialog boxes will continue to repeat until Cancel is
pressed, thus ending the command. To avoid multiple copies of the selected entities being created at each new loca-
tion, set Repetitions to “1”.
Always Create Parent CSys - When enable, forces the creation of a “parent” coordinate system, which is used as
the reference coordinate system for any coordinate systems which need to be created to maintain the proper defini-
tion of finite element entities, such as boundary conditions or regions.
Meshing
• Added Modify, Reflect menu which can be used to reflect Nodes or Elements without creating a copy.
• Added the Mesh, Editing, Cohesive Meshing command to create a layer of Cohesive Elements.
This command can be used to insert cohesive elements into an existing mesh. Similar to the Mesh, Editing, Edge
Split command, everything is based on selection of 2 “corner” nodes on a single element edge (i.e., midside nodes
cannot be selected). The “direction” of the split (i.e., “split path”) is initially perpendicular to the selected element
edge, then continues element-by-element until all appropriate elements have been split. This command offers some
additional options, specific to the insertion of cohesive elements, which are controlled using the Mesh Cohesive
Elements dialog box:
Element Edge to Split

This section is simply used to select the From Node and the To Node to define the element edge to split.
Split Location
This section has four options which specify the location of the split along the selected element edge to use for inser-
tion of cohesive elements. “Top Face” and “Bottom Face” are determined by the selected From Node and To Node.
The element face which includes the To Node and is opposite of the From Node is the “Top Face”, while the ele-
ment face which includes the From Node and is opposite of the To Node is the “Bottom Face”.
Top Face - inserts a layer of cohesive elements along the “top face” of the element whose nodes were selected in
the Element Edge to Split section. Using this option does not “split” any existing elements, but instead separates the
mesh above and below the “top face”, then uses the nodes of the existing elements for the layer of cohesive ele-
ments, which reconnects the mesh.
Percent Along - inserts a layer of cohesive elements between two sets of elements created by splitting a set of
existing elements. Uses the nodes selected in the Element Edge to Split section and the value specified for Percent
Location to determine the location to split all of the elements split by the command. The specified value is the per-
centage of the distance from the From Node to the To Node and this percentage is calculated for each element edge
being split.
At Location - inserts a layer of cohesive elements between two sets of elements created by splitting a set of existing
elements. Uses the nodes selected in the Element Edge to Split section and the location specified using the Location
button to determine the location to split the first element, then attempts to maintain a single distance from the From
Node for all other elements split by the command.
Bottom Face - inserts a layer of cohesive elements along the “bottom face” of the element whose nodes were
selected in the Element Edge to Split section. Using this option does not “split” any existing elements, but instead
separates the mesh above and below the “top face”, then uses the nodes of the existing elements for the layer of
cohesive elements, which reconnects the mesh.
Element Thickness and Resize Original Elements
Unlike other solid elements, cohesive elements can have “zero physical thickness” (i.e., the nodes of the “bottom
face” of wedge and hex elements which reference a Solid Cohesive property can be coincident with the correspond-
ing nodes of the “top face”). This is allowed because the important stiffness values of a cohesive element can be
explicitly specified by having the cohesive property reference a cohesive material (MATCZ). Cohesive properties
can also reference an isotropic material (MAT1) or a 3-D orthotropic material (MAT11), where certain values from
the material are combined with the thickness specified on the cohesive property to calculate the stiffness values.
The physical thickness of a cohesive elements is never used to calculate the stiffness values.
The Resize Original Elements section contains options which are only available when Element Thickness is set to
Match Cohesive Property or Other Thickness and will explained in the description for Match Cohesive Property.
Zero Thickness - the layer of cohesive elements is created with zero physical thickness at the specified split loca-
tion. The outer extents of each original element remain the same.
Meshing 2020.1-27
Match Cohesive Property - since the layer of cohesive elements will have a physical thickness, in this case, the
thickness specified on the selected solid cohesive property, any existing element being split will need to either be
reduced in size or offset from the split location. When Resize Original Elements is set to Reduce Size, the elements
on each side of the split will have their thickness reduced by 1/2 of the thickness specified on the cohesive property.
When Resize Original Elements is set to Offset by Thickness, two choices are offered. When using Both Sides, the
elements on each side of the split, along with any elements connected to those elements, will be offset 1/2 of the
thickness specified on the cohesive property in both directions. When using Top Only only the elements on the “top
half” of the split (i.e., the set of elements closer to the To Node), along with elements connected to those elements,
will be offset the full thickness specified on the cohesive property in a single direction.
Other Thickness - Behaves in the same manner as Match Cohesive Property, only reduces the size or offsets the
elements using the specified value instead of the thickness value specified on the selected cohesive property.
Split Location: Split Location: At Location Split Location: Bottom Face
Original Mesh Percent Along - 50% Location: 33% from Node 1 Element Thickness:
From Node: 1 Element Thickness: Element Thickness: Other Thickness = 0.01
To Node: 2 Zero Thickness Match Cohesive Property Resize Original Elements:
Resize Original Elements: Reduce Size - Top Only
Reduce Size
The Limit Region and Midside Node buttons offer the same functionality they do in the Mesh, Editing, Edge Split
command. For more information, see Section 5.3.1.4, “Mesh, Editing, Edge Split...”.
• Updated the Mesh, Edge Member command by dividing it into two commands which are now on the Mesh,
Edge/Skin Elements submenu. Mesh, Edge/Skin Elements, Line Elements on Edges creates line elements on
selected edges. Mesh, Edge/Skin Elements, Planar Elements on Faces creates Shell Elements on the selected
faces of planar or Solid Elements.
• Updated various dialog boxes used for meshing to change the Node Param, Elem Param, Formulation, and
Material Orientation buttons to icon buttons and added “tooltips” for those and for the Property icon button.
• Enhanced Mesh Points to include assigning Mesh Points on Points, Curves, and Solids, as well as Surfaces.
Mesh points also now have a unique symbol that can be controlled with View Options and may be created or
edited using the Mesh Point Editor dockable pane.
• Enhanced various meshing commands to automatically delete any extraneous planar element on surfaces after
meshing surfaces which have a Matched - Link to Surface mesh approach assigned.
• Enhanced commands for Nodes and Elements on the Modify, Move By menu, the Modify, Rotate By menu, and
the Modify, Align menu by adding an option to also move/rotate/align geometry associated with selected Node
and Elements. In addition, added Always Create Parent CSys option, which can be used to force creation of a
“parent” coordinate system to be used as the reference coordinate system for any coordinate systems which
need to be created to maintain the proper definition of entities, such as boundary conditions or regions.
• Enhanced commands for Coordinate Systems on the Modify, Move By menu, the Modify, Rotate By menu, and
the Modify, Align menu by adding an option to also move/rotate/align geometry and mesh associated with
selected Coordinate Systems. In addition, added Always Create Parent CSys option, which can be used to force
creation of a “parent” coordinate system to be used as the reference coordinate system for any coordinate sys-
tems which need to be created to maintain the proper definition of entities.
• Enhanced the commands on the Mesh, Copy menu, the commands Mesh, Rotate menu, and the commands on
the Mesh, Reflect menu by adding an option to automatically select associated geometry, along with additional
options.
You can use the copy/rotate/reflect commands to duplicate existing nodes or elements. These commands, other
than Mesh, Copy, Offset Element, are similar to the Mesh, Rotate and Mesh, Reflect commands. Here, the entities
are duplicated using the option specified in the Orient/Transform section of the Copy Options dialog box:
Each section of the Copy Options dialog box offers a number of different options, most of which can be used in
conjunction with one another, to perform complex operations which can potentially provide a streamlined work-
flow when copying entities. In addition, it offers tremendous flexibility in terms of what other entity types to
include when creating copies of the entity type selected during the chosen command.
Orient/Transform - Mesh, Copy commands
This section offers five different options to orient and/or transform copied finite element entities:
Move Along Vector - Copied entities are translated along a vector specified using the standard vector definition
dialog box.
Move to Location - Copied entities are translated along a vector specified using standard coordinate definition dia-
log boxes to first specify a “Copy From” location, then a “Copy To” location. This may be useful if using different
Methods^ for selected coordinates to use as the “Copy From” and “Copy To” locations.
Between Vectors - Copied entities are “aligned” using two vectors, each specified using a standard vector definition
dialog box. The first vector defines the original position and orientation that will be aligned. The second vector
defines the new or desired position and orientation. The entities are first translated from the origin of the first vector
to the origin of the second vector, then rotated based on the angle between the vectors.
Between Planes - Copied entities are “aligned” using two planes, each specified using a standard plane definition
dialog box. The behavior is similar to Between Coordinate Systems, only each specified plane (X and Y axes) and
each plane’s normal direction (Z axis) are used to determine XYZ axes to align.
Between Coordinate Systems - Copied entities are “aligned” using two coordinate systems selected using the From
CSys and To CSys drop-downs in the Copy Between Coordinate Systems dialog box. The XYZ axes of the From
CSys coordinate system will be aligned to the XYZ axes of the To CSys coordinate system and copies of all the
selected and associated entities will move as a rigid body to the newly aligned location. The type of coordinate sys-
tem used for From CSys and To CSys does not matter, as only the axes are aligned.
Orient/Transform - Mesh, Rotate commands

This section offers two different options to orient and/or transform copied finite element entities:
Meshing 2020.1-29
Rotate Around Vector - Copies of entities are rotated around a vector specified using the standard vector definition
dialog box, using values specified for Rotation Angle and Translation Distance specified in the Change per Repeti-
tion dialog box. Each copy is rotated around the axis of rotation vector by the specified angle (following right-hand
rule conventions), and is translated along the axis vector by specified distance. If a non-zero value for Translation
Distance is specified, a spiral will be created.
Rotate to Location - Copies of entities are rotated around a vector specified using the standard vector definition
dialog box, using two locations, a “starting location” and “ending location”, specified using standard coordinate
definition dialog boxes. This option may be useful if using different Methods^ for “starting location” and “ending
location” or the Rotation Angle and/or Translation Distance are not known before starting the command.
Reflection Options - Mesh, Reflect commands
This section offers only one option, Trap Width. A copy of any selected node or element will not be made if it is
closer to the reflection plane than the specified Trap Width. If Trap Width is set to zero, all of the selected nodes
will be reflected. This option is used most often when reflecting elements (to join nodes on the reflection plane),
and will usually be zero when reflecting nodes.
Numbering
This section offers three different options to control IDs of the duplicate entities:
Default - Duplicated entities are numbered sequentially, based on original ID, and given the next available ID for
each entity type.
Block - Duplicated entities will have the ID of the duplicated entity with the lowest original ID, for each entity
type, set to the value specified in the To field. Then, the constant difference between the lowest original ID and the
value in the To field will be added to all other IDs. No sorting will take place, and no gaps will be filled. This is an
easy method to maintain a numbering structure while shifting it to another level (such as making sure the copies of
entities 1, 20, 50, 100, and 500 will be 1001, 1020, 1050, 1100, and 1500 by using a To value of 1001).
Offset - Duplicated entities will be offset from the original ID of each entity using the value specified in the By
field. No sorting will take place, and no gaps will be filled. This is an easy method to maintain a numbering struc-
ture while shifting it to another level (such as making sure the copies of entities 1, 20, 50, 100, and 500 will be
1001, 1020, 1050, 1100, and 1500 by using a By value of 1000).
Other Entities to Include
This section contains four categories of entity types which can be included when duplicating nodes or elements.
The All On and All Off buttons can be used to quickly enable or disable all the currently available categories.
Geometry - When enabled, geometric entities which are associated to nodes or elements will also be duplicated.
For example, when this option is enabled, if a node is associated with a curve which is part of a surface or solid,
only the curve and points used to define the curve will be duplicated along with the node. If instead, a node is asso-
ciated with a surface, then the surface and all of the curves and points needed to define the surface will be dupli-
cated along with the node.
Loads - When enabled, nodal and elemental loads will also be duplicated. If the Geometry option is also enabled,
any loads on geometric entities being duplicated will also be duplicated.
Constraints - When enabled, nodal constraints will also be duplicated. If all nodes used by a constraint equation are
being duplicated, then the constraint equation will also be duplicated. If the Geometry option is also enabled, any
constraints on geometric entities being copied will also be duplicated.
Connections/Regions - When enabled, any full or partial regions defined by nodes or elements being copied will
also be duplicated. This is the case for Connection, Fluid, NonStructural Mass, Bolt, and Rotor regions. If the
Geometry option is also enabled, any full or partial regions defined by geometric entities being duplicated will also
be duplicated. In addition, if both Connection regions of a Connector are copied, then the Connector is duplicated.
Property/Material Options
This section offers four different options for defining properties and materials for duplicated entities:
Same Properties - Duplicated elements simply use the same property currently referenced by the original elements.
When the Geometry option is enabled, any property meshing attribute assigned to the original geometric entity will
also be assigned to the duplicated geometric entity.
Duplicate Properties - Duplicated elements will reference a duplicate of the property currently referenced by the
original elements. When the Geometry option is enabled, any property used as a meshing attribute assigned to the
original geometric entity will duplicated, then the duplicate will be assigned to the duplicated geometric entity.
Duplicate Materials - Same as the Duplicate Properties option, only each duplicate property will reference a dupli-
cate of the material referenced by the original property. When the Geometry option is enabled, same as the Dupli-
cate Properties option, only each duplicate property created for use as a meshing attribute will reference a duplicate
of the material referenced by the original property.
Use Property - Attempts to change the property of duplicated elements to the property selected in the drop-down.
Will only change the property if the duplicated element is the appropriate type to reference the selected property.
When the Geometry option is enabled, attempts to assign the selected property as a meshing attribute to any geo-
metric entity which had a property meshing attribute specified before being duplicated. Again, property will only
be updated if it matches the property type assigned as a meshing attribute to original geometric entities.
Approach
This section offers a choice between creating a Pattern of duplicate entities or Single/Multiple Copies of the
selected entities. While Pattern may be useful in certain situations, Single/Multiple Copies offers some additional
options, which allow for a more generalized and flexible approach when creating duplicates.
Pattern - Mesh, Copy commands only
When using Pattern, the Copy Pattern dialog box will be shown after clicking OK to the Copy Options dialog box:
The Copy Pattern dialog box is setup to create a copy of the originally selected entities using up to three different
directions, in series. The values for Number in Pattern represents the “total” number of entities which will be cre-
ated in each direction, while the value for Spacing represents the distance between each duplicate in each direction
of the pattern. Duplicates of the selected entities are first created in Direction 1, then duplicates of the original enti-
ties and the duplicate entities created in Direction 1 are created in Direction 2, then duplicates of the original enti-
ties and the duplicate entities created in Direction 1 and Direction 2 are created in Direction 3.
The Along Vector... buttons may be used to define a vector for any or all directions using the standard entity selec-
tion dialog box.
The Align to CSys... button will transform the values currently specified in the Pattern Alignment section to repre-
sent unit vector values in selected coordinate system.
For example, imagine copying a single selected entity with Number in Pattern for Direction 1 is set to “2”, Direc-
tion 2 is set to “3”, and Direction 3 is set to “4”. In this case, a single copy of the selected entity is created in Direc-
tion 1 (total entities now 2), two copies of each of those 2 entities are created in Direction 2 (total entities now 6),
then three copies of each of those 6 entities are created in Direction 3 (total entities at end of command, 24).
Single/Multiple Copies
When using Single/Multiple Copies, a number of additional options are available.
Repetitions - By default, this value is set to “1”, which creates a single duplicate of each selected entity. To create
multiple duplicates of each selected entity, simply set this option to the number desired. While not required, this
Elements 2020.1-31
value should typically be set to “1” when using the AutoRepeat Copy option, as the command will then create a sin-
gle duplicate of each selected entity at each new location.
Copy in Same Location - When enabled, creates a duplicate of the selected entities without specifying any addi-
tional information for the options in the Orient/Transform section (i.e., creates coincident entities).
AutoRepeat Copy - When enabled, repeats all dialog boxes required by the currently selected option in the Orient/
Transform section after saying OK to the Copy Options dialog box (i.e., selected entities and options specified in
Copy Options are used for all subsequent copy operations). The dialog boxes will continue to repeat until Cancel is
pressed, thus ending the command. To avoid multiple duplicates of the selected entities being created at each new
location, set Repetitions to “1”.
Always Create Parent CSys - When enable, forces the creation of a “parent” coordinate system, which is used as
the reference coordinate system for any coordinate systems which need to be created to maintain the proper defini-
tion of finite element entities, such as boundary conditions or regions.
Elements
• Added Solid Cohesive Element Type, which are currently only used by the NX Nastran Multi-Step Nonlinear
Solution Sequences (SOL 401 and SOL 402). Solid Cohesive elements can be created manually or by using the
Mesh, Editing, Cohesive Meshing command. In addition, while they are “solid” elements, the nodes on the top
and bottom faces may be coincident (i.e.,“flat”). See Meshing section.
• Added Ansys tab to the Element Formulation dialog box, which is used to specify element type (Ansys Option
section) and up to six KEYOPT values for each element type (Ansys Keyopt section) for the new ANSYS trans-
lator. If the Enable Legacy Ansys Interface option is enabled in the General Solver Options section of the Inter-
faces tab of the File, Preferences command, the Legacy Ansys Options section will be available instead.
Materials
• Added NX Nastran Cohesive (MATCZ Sol 401, 402) to Other Types. Used in conjunction with Cohesive Ele-
ments to model adhesion between different types of elements when using NX Nastran Multi-Step Nonlinear
Solution Sequences (SOL 401 and SOL 402), as well as consider damage during progressive ply failure in mod-
els with laminate elements.
Properties
• Added the Solid Cohesive Property Type. Used for modeling cohesion in NX Nastran Multi-Step Nonlinear
Solutions (SOL 401 and SOL 402), along with damage during progressive ply failure in models with laminate
elements.
• Added Edit Layup icon button to Define Property - LAMINATE PLATE Element Type and Define Property -
LAMINATE SOLID Element Type dialog boxes, which can be used to edit the layup currently selected in the
Layup drop-down.
Layups
• Enhanced “Compute” capability to always calculate equivalent properties using multiple approaches (i.e., both
including and excluding “Membrane/Bending Coupling”) and added “FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES
ONLY” section, which explicitly states the calculated values “Membrane/Bending Coupling Excluded” for
those values.

• Updated Model, Load, Map Output From Model command by adding Criteria option to Data Conversion sec-
tion, which is designed to be used between models which have an identical or very similar mesh. When using
the Criteria option, Conversion Type and Unmapped Values are not available.
• Updated Model, Load, From Freebody command, when using the Multi-Model option, by adding the Re-center
Reference Node option to the Toggle Rigid Element Nodes dialog box. This dialog box may appear near the end
of the command and is used to add or remove nodes from any of the rigid or interpolation elements automati-
cally created by previous steps in the command.

• Added NX Multistep Structural tab to Define Connection Property dialog box for NX Nastran SOL 401.
For NX Nastran Solution 401, more than 1 Connector (contact pair) can be defined and each pair can have a differ-
ent Connection Property. For each Connection Region, the values defined on the NX Multistep Structural tab of the
Define Connection Property dialog box are used for each respective Connector (contact pair), unless “Global” or
“Subcase-specific” values are defined in an Analysis Set where the Type is set to “27..Multi-Step Structural”. A
Connection Property selected in an Analysis Set can be used to set “Global” values (Contact and/or Glue), which
are essentially used as the “defaults” for the entire analysis, and/or “Subcase-specific” values (Contact only), which
can be used to set “defaults” for a particular subcase. These options can be reached by pressing the NX Multistep
Structural tab in the Define Connection Property dialog box:
Note: The Defaults button will automatically fill in the dialog box with the default values suggested by NX
Nastran. It may be helpful to try and run the analysis with the defaults and then run it again if any mod-
ifications are needed to create more accurate results or achieve convergence.
Contact Pair (BCTSET)

Friction - Enters a value in the FRICi field on the BCTSET entry. Designates the Static Coefficient of friction for
contact pair “i”.
Min Contact Search Dist - Enters a value in the MINDi field on the BCTSET entry. Designates the Minimum
search distance for contact pair “i”.
Note: The minimum distance can be negative and used for an interference fit condition modeled as overlap-
ping surfaces.
Max Contact Search Dist - Enters a value in the MAXDi field on the BCTSET entry. Designates the Maximum
search distance for contact pair “i”.
Note: The max distance must be defined for all contact problems. This is the distance that NX Nastran will
search for contact from the element normal.
Glued Contact Property (BGSET)

Search Distance - Enters a value in the SDISTi field on the BGSET entry. Designates the Search Distance for the
contact pair “i”. Essentially, this is telling NX Nastran that if the Connection Regions of the Connector (contact
pair) are within this distance, which they should be, then Glued contact will be active for this contact pair.
Note: By setting the value of search distance to a value larger than the largest distance between connection
regions using Glued Contact, only one Glued Contact property is needed per model. Even if you have
several different properties created for Glued Contact, FEMAP will automatically combine them all in
to one BGSET entry in NX Nastran.
Contact Property (BCTPARM) *Can be defined on local entities

These options need to only be defined once for a contact analysis, regardless of how many Connectors (contact
pairs) are defined in the model. Each Connector has an ID assigned to it and can reference a different Connection
Property. FEMAP will use the Connection Property referenced by the Connector with the lowest ID to define the
BCTPARM entry for the entire model.
Convergence Criteria - Creates the CNTCONV field on the BCTPARM entry. Specifies the Contact convergence
criteria.
0..Default - Uses the default value of NX Nastran, which is to use *Penetration Tolerance (PTOL)
1..PTOL Convergence - The contact convergence criteria is based on *Penetration Tolerance (PTOL)
2..CTOL Convergence - The contact convergence criteria is based on Force Convergence Tol (CTOL)
Force Convergence Tol - Creates the CTOL field on the BCTPARM entry. Contact augmentation traction conver-
gence used when Convergence Criteria is set to “1..PTOL Convergence”. (Default = 0.05)
The augmentation loop convergence criteria can be based on traction convergence. The contact force ratio FRAT is
determined as:
where k is the augmentation loop id. If FRAT < CTOL, the contact augmentation loop is considered converged.
*Penetration Tolerance - Creates the PTOL field on the BCTPARM entry. Contact penetration tolerance used
when Convergence Criteria is set to “0..Default” or “1..PTOL Convergence”. (Default value = 0.01*characteristic
length for each Connector).
If the contact penetrations exceed the penetration tolerance, an extra augmentation loop is performed. If the pene-
trations are below this tolerance, the augmentation loop is considered converged. In addition, if the global solution
convergence criteria is satisfied, then the time step is considered converged.
For PTOL > 0.0: Penetration tolerance = PTOL * characteristic length for each Connector
For PTOL < 0.0: Penetration tolerance = ABS(PTOL) for each Connector
Iterative Force Convergence - Creates the RCTOL field on the BCTPARM entry. Iterative contact force conver-
gence. (Default = 0.05)
Max Status Iterations - Creates the MAXS field on the BCTPARM entry. Maximum number of augmentation
(outer) loops. If the augmentation loop has not converged in MAXS number of iterations, the solution will proceed
to the next step if the global convergence criteria has been met. Setting MAXS=1 selects a pure penalty formula-
tion. (Default = 20)
*Open Stiffness Scale Factor - Creates the OPNSTF field on the BCTPARM entry. Open contact stiffness scale
factor. (Default = 1.0E-6)
The open contact stiffness is computed by OPNSTF * closed stiffness.
*Open Gap Tolerance - Creates the OPENTOL field on the BCTPARM entry. Open gap tolerance scale factor.
(Default=1.0)
For OPENTOL > 0.0, the open contact stiffness (OPNSTF * closed stiffness) is applied to the contact elements that
have a gap value less than or equal to OPNTOL * characteristic length, but greater or equal than *Closed Gap Tol-
erance (GAPTOL) * characteristic length. The contact element stiffness is 0.0 if the gap is greater than OPNTOL *
characteristic length.
For OPENTOL < 0.0, the open contact stiffness (OPNSTF * closed stiffness) is applied to the contact elements that
have a gap value less than or equal to ABS(OPNTOL), but greater or equal than *Closed Gap Tolerance (GAP-
TOL) * characteristic length. The contact element stiffness is 0.0 if the gap is greater than ABS (OPNTOL).
*Closed Gap Tolerance - Creates the GAPTOL field on the BCTPARM entry. Closed gap tolerance scale factor.
(Default = 1.0E-10)
The closed contact stiffness is applied to the contact elements that have a gap less than GAPTOL * characteristic
length.
*Auto Tangential Pen Factor - Creates the TANSCL field on the BCTPARM entry. Scales the automatically cal-
culated tangential penalty factor, PENT, either up or down. (Default = 1.0)
This can be used to scale the stiffness of specific contact pairs if convergence issues occur. Only used when the
*Tangential Factor (PENT) option is enabled and has a value greater than 0.
*Initial Penetration - Creates the INIPENE field on the BCTPARM entry. Use when the goal is for a pair of con-
tact regions to be touching without interference, but due to the faceted nature of finite elements around curved
geometry, some of the element edges or faces may have a slight gap or penetration. (Default = 0)
0..Calculated - Contact is evaluated exactly as the geometry is modeled. No corrections will occur for gaps or pen-
etrations.
2..Calculated/Zero Penetrations - Penetrations will be reset to a new initial condition in which there is no interfer-
ence.
3..Zero Gap/Penetration - Gaps and penetrations are both reset to a new initial condition in which there is no inter-
ference.
INIPENE is applied when contact elements are initially created, and if they are recreated as a result of large dis-
placement effects when Large Deformations (PARAM,LGDISP,1) is defined. If the check box in from of *Initial
Penetration is not enabled, then nothing for INIPENE will be written to the BCTPARM.
*Gap Value - Only available when *Initial Penetration is set to “3..Zero Gap/Penetration”. Creates the GAPVAL
field on the BCTPARM entry. Optionally defines a constant gap distance between the source region and the target
region when INIPENE=3. A negative GAPVAL value indicates that an initial penetration exists that the software
will eliminate. (Default = 0.0)
*No Separation - Creates the NOSEP field on the BCTPARM entry. No separation contact option.
When this box is not checked in FEMAP, no special field will be written to the BCTPARM and when contact stiff-
ness is recomputed in a consecutive nonlinear iteration, contact elements which are inactive as a result of normal
tractions = 0.0 and no penetration, and which have a gap greater than *Closed Gap Tolerance (GAPTOL) * charac-
teristic length will remain inactive in the consecutive iteration. This is the default behavior.
When this box is checked, The open contact stiffness (OPNSTF * closed stiffness) is applied to the inactive contact
elements that have a gap value less than or equal to *Open Gap Tolerance (OPNTOL) * characteristic length, but
greater or equal than *Closed Gap Tolerance (GAPTOL) * characteristic length. The contact elements with a gap
greater than OPNTOL * characteristic length remain inactive. While sliding is permitted with this option, the mag-
nitude of the sliding can be controlled by the tangential penalty factor. To define frictionless sliding, set the coeffi-
cient of friction=0.0 or *Tangential Factor (PENT) = 0.0.
Geometry Updates - Creates the GUPDATE field on the BCTPARM entry. Geometry update flag.
-1..Default - When PARAM, LGDISP=1 uses “2..Start, SLIP>(GUPTOL*Avg Element Length)”. When PARAM,
LGDISP=-1, uses “3..Once Per Step”.
0..None - Contact geometry updates will not be done during the analysis.
1..SLIP>(GUPTOL*Avg Element Length) - Contact geometry updates occur when SLIP > *Closed Gap Tolerance
(GUPTOL) *Average element length.
2..Start, SLIP>(GUPTOL*Avg Element Length) - Contact geometry updates occur at the start of each step and
when SLIP > *Closed Gap Tolerance (GUPTOL) *Average element length.
3..Once per Step - Contact geometry updates occur once a step.
4..Each Iteration - Contact geometry updates occur every iteration.
*Tolerance - Only available when Geometry Updates is set to “1..SLIP>(GUPTOL*Avg Element Length)” or
“2..Start, SLIP>(GUPTOL*Avg Element Length)”. Creates the GUPTOL field on the BCTPARM entry. Geometry
update tolerance. (Default = 0.25*characteristic length)
If the relative sliding distance between the source and target regions exceeds this tolerance, a geometry update will
be initiated with large displacement.
Tangential Stiffness - Creates the FRICMOD field on the BCTPARM entry. Tangential stiffness selection.
(Default =1..Adaptive)
0..Fixed - The tangential stiffness is fixed throughout the subcase.
1..Adaptive - The tangential stiffness is adaptively modified at every iteration as a function of contact pressure.
When using “1..Adaptive”, the tangential stiffness is computed as:
(FRICi * contact pressure) / SCRIT
...where FRICi is the coefficient of friction defined on the BCTSET entry (Friction), and SCRIT is the value speci-
fied for *Critical Slip.
*Critical Slip - Only available when Tangential Stiffness is set to “1..Adaptive”. Creates the SCRIT field on the
BCTPARM entry. Defines the critical slip value. (Default=0.005)
For SCRIT > 0.0: Critical slip = SCRIT * characteristic length for each contact pair.
For SCRIT < 0.0: Critical slip = ABS(SCRIT) for each pair.
*Delay Contact Friction - Creates the FRICDLY field on the BCTPARM entry. Option to delay contact friction to
help alleviate convergence problems.
When this box is not checked in FEMAP, no special field will be written to the BCTPARM and friction is not
delayed. This is the default behavior.
When this box is checked, friction is delayed and is not included in the solution until the second contact iteration.
More Options... button
Clicking the More Options... button will bring up the NX Multistep Nonlinear Options dialog box, which allows
specification of additional options for contact in SOL 401.
Disp Scaling - Creates the DISCAL field on the BCTPARM entry. Displacement scaling option.
When this option is enabled in FEMAP, no special field will be written to the BCTPARM and scaling will be done
if required during every iteration. A check will be performed after every displacement increment to see if the incre-
mental displacement would cause penetration between the source and target regions. If the penetrations exceed Tol-
erance in the NX Multistep Nonlinear Options dialog box (DISTOL), the entire incremental displacement will be
scaled back to limit the penetrations in the model. This is the default behavior.
When this option is disabled, no scaling will be done. Writes DISCAL with a value of 0 to the BCTPARM.
Tolerance - Creates the DISTOL field on the BCTPARM entry. Tolerance for displacement scaling feature.
(Default = 1.0* characteristic length)
Stabilization Damping Option - Creates the CTDAMP field on the BCTPARM entry. The CTDAMP parameter is
available to request the stabilization damping option when you are relying on the contact condition to prevent rigid
body conditions, but the contact condition is not active.
0..No Stabilization Damping - Stabilization Damping is not considered. This is default behavior.
1..Stabilization Damping in First Subcase - Stabilization damping applied only in the first subcase and it is ramped
down to zero by the end of the subcase. The stabilization damping is only applied this way when the entire pair sta-
tus is open.
2..Stabilization Damping when Open - Stabilization damping applied always as long as the pair status is open.
3..Stabilization Damping always On - Stabilization damping always applied, regardless of the time and the pair sta-
tus.
Normal Scale Factor - Creates the CTDAMPN field on the BCTPARM entry. If you request stabilization damping
with the Stabilization Damping Option (CTDAMP), the CTDAMPN parameter is available to either scale the nor-
mal damping value which the software automatically computes, or to define the normal damping value explicitly.
(Default=1.0; units = pressure/velocity)
For CTDAMPN > 0.0, the normal damping value = CTDMAPN *automatically computed damping value.
For CTDAMPN < 0.0, the normal damping value = ABS(CTDMAPN).
Tangential Scale Factor - Creates the CTDAMPT field on the BCTPARM entry. If you request stabilization
damping with the Stabilization Damping Option (CTDAMP), the CTDAMPN parameter is available to either scale
the tangential damping value which the software automatically computes, or to define the tangential damping value
explicitly. (Default=1.0; units = pressure/velocity)
For CTDAMPT > 0.0, the tangential damping value = CTDMAPT *automatically computed damping value.
For CTDAMPT < 0.0, the tangential damping value =ABS(CTDMAPT).
Interference - Creates the INTRFC field on the BCTPARM entry. Selects the interface behavior between the
source and target region.
0..No Stabilization Damping - No interaction between source and target region.
1..Standard - Standard segment-segment contact algorithm with large sliding (pairing updates) and friction. This is
the default behavior
2..No Sliding - Does not allow sliding by assuming infinite friction. Source and target regions can separate.
3..Bonded/Tied - No relative displacement is permitted in both normal and tangential directions.
4..No Separation - No relative displacement in normal direction. Frictionless small sliding (no pairing updates) in
tangential directions
5..Small Sliding - Simplified contact algorithm with no pairing updates or friction.
Ramp Initial Penetrations - Creates IPENRAMP field in BCTPARM entry. Requests that the software ramp the
removal of initial penetrations when *Initial Penetration is set to “0..Calculated”. Initial penetrations can exist due
to geometry or mesh irregularities between source and target faces or edges.
When this box is not checked in FEMAP, no special field will be written to the BCTPARM and no ramping is
applied in the constant time subcase. This is the default behavior.
When this box is checked, the initial penetrations are ramped by the load factor.
Include Shell Thickness Offset - Creates SHLTHK field in BCTPARM entry. Shell thickness offset flag.
When this box is checked in FEMAP, no special field will be written to the BCTPARM and half shell thickness is
used as surface offset. This is the default behavior.
When this box is not checked, shell thickness is excluded and contact is evaluated at mid-plane.
Include z-Offset in Contact - Creates ZOFFSET field in BCTPARM entry. Determines if the shell element z-off-
set is included
When this box is not checked in FEMAP, no special field will be written to the BCTPARM and the shell z-offset is
included when determining the contact surfaces. This is the default behavior.
When this box is not checked, the shell z-offset is not included when determining the contact surfaces.
Stiffness Stabilization - Creates KSTAB field in BCTPARM entry. Stiffness stabilization for contact.
When this box is not checked in FEMAP, no special field will be written to the BCTPARM and stiffness stabiliza-
tion is off. This is the default behavior.
When this box is checked, The stiffness matrix is stabilized when it is singular due to inactive contact constraints.
The stabilization adds a factor (1.0) to the diagonal terms of the stiffness matrix. KSTAB=1 is only supported with
the sparse solver, and will disable any open contact stiffness specified through the *Open Stiffness Scale Factor
(OPNSTF).
Common Contact (BCTPARM) and Glue (BGPARM) *Can be defined on local entities
This section contains options for Glued contact and several options available for both Glued Contact and Linear
Contact.
Eval Order - Creates INTORD field in BCTPARM or BGPARM entry. Determines the number of “Linear Contact
or Glue Points” for a single element on the source region.
0..Default - Does NOT write the INTORD field or corresponding value field to the BCTPARM or BGPARM entry.
Simply uses the default value for “Linear” or “Glued” contact built into the NX Nastran solver.
1..Low - Lowest order of points on source region.
2..Medium - Medium order of points on source region. This is the default behavior.
3..High - Highest order of points on source region.
The higher the integration order, the longer the solve will take.
Refine Source - Creates REFINE field on the BCTPARM or BGPARM entry. Determines if the source region is
refined for the “Linear” or “Glued” Contact solution.
0..Do Not Refine - Does not refine the “Linear Contact/Glue” source region based on target surface definition.
2..Refinement Occurs - Refines the “Linear Contact/Glue” source region based on target surface definition. This is
default behavior.
Constrain In-Plane Surface Strains - Only available when Connect Type is set to “1..Glued”. Creates ESOPT
field on the BGPARM entry. Can be used to change the edge-to-surface glue stiffness. Shell theory does not
account for changes in shell thickness or normal strains perpendicular to the plane of the shell element. This param-
eter gives you a choice of how to handle the linking of the zero normal strains which exist in the shell element asso-
ciated with the edge, to the surface being glued.
When this box is not checked in FEMAP, no special field will be written to the BGPARM and strains in the plane of
the surface being glued in the direction perpendicular to the edge are not constrained by the glue stiffness. This is
the default for NX Nastran.
When this box is checked, the strains in the plane of the surface being glued in the direction perpendicular to the
edge are constrained by the glue stiffness.
Sliding Glue - Only available when Connect Type is set to “1..Glued” Creates SLIDE field on the BGPARM entry.
This is a flag to request the export of a bulk data representation of the element edges and faces where glue elements
are created.
When this box is not checked, no special field will be written to the BGPARM. This is the default behavior.
When this box is checked, the bulk data export occurs.
Generate Contact Preview File - Creates PREVIEW field on the BCTPARM or BGPARM entry. This is a flag to
request the export of a bulk data representation of the element edges and faces where glue elements are created.
When this box is not checked, no special field will be written to the BCTPARM or BGPARM and the bulk data
export does not occur. This is the default behavior.
When this box is checked, the bulk data export occurs.
Penalty Factor Units - Creates the PENTYP field on the BCTPARM or BGPARM entry. Specifies how contact
element stiffness is calculated for GLUETYPE=2, which is used for all glued contact in SOL 401.
1..Scale Factor - Glue Factor (PENGLUE) is a unitless value.
2..F/L^2 - Glue Factor (PENGLUE) has the units of F/Length squared.
*Penalty Autoscale - Creates the AUTOSCAL field on the BCTPARM entry. Scales the automatically calculated
penalty normal penalty factor, PENN, either up or down. (Default = 1.0)
This can be used to scale the stiffness of specific contact pairs if convergence issues occur. Only used when the
*Normal Factor (PENN) option is enabled and has a value greater than 0.
*Normal Factor - Creates the PENN field on the BCTPARM entry. Designates the penalty factor for the normal
direction.
When this box is not checked, no special field will be written to the BCTPARM and the Normal Penalty Factor is
automatically calculated. This is the default behavior.
When this box is checked and specified value is greater than 0.0, value is used as the Normal Penalty Factor.
Note: If *Tangential Factor option is enabled and has a value greater than 0.0, which defines PENT, but
*Normal Factor option is not enabled, then PENN is automatically calculated (PENN = 10*PENT)
*Tangential Factor - Creates the PENT field on the BCTPARM entry. Designates the penalty factor for the tan-
gential direction.
When this box is not checked, no special field will be written to the BCTPARM and the Tangential Penalty Factor
is automatically calculated. This is the default behavior.
When this box is checked and specified value is greater than 0.0, value is used as the Tangential Penalty Factor.
Note: If *Normal Factor option is enabled and has a value greater than 0.0, which defines PENN, but *Tan-
gential Factor option is not enabled, then PENT is automatically calculated (PENT = PENN/10)
*Glue Factor - Only available when Connect Type is set to “1..Glued”. Creates the PENGLUE field on the
BGPARM entry. Designates penalty factor for GLUETYPE=2, which is used for all glued contact in SOL 401.
(Default = 1.0)
• Added NX Multistep Kinematic tab to Define Connection Property dialog box for NX Nastran SOL 402.
For NX Nastran Solution 402, more than 1 Connector (contact pair) can be defined and each pair can have a differ-
ent Connection Property. For each Connection Region, the values defined on the NX Multistep Kinematic tab of the
Define Connection Property dialog box are used for each respective Connector (contact pair), unless “Global” or
“Subcase-specific” values are defined in an Analysis Set where the Type is set to “28..Multi-Step Nonlinear Kine-
matic”. A Connection Property selected in an Analysis Set can be used to set “Global” values (Contact and/or
Glue), which are essentially used as the “defaults” for the entire analysis. These options can be reached by pressing
the NX Multistep Kinematic tab in the Define Connection Property dialog box:
Contact Pair (BCTSET)

Friction - Enters a value in the FRICi field on the BCTSET entry. Designates the Static Coefficient of friction for
contact pair “i”.
Glued Contact Property (BGSET - BGPARM)
These options are only available when Connect Type is set to “1..Glued”.
Search Distance - Enters a value in the SDISTi field on the BGSET entry. Designates the Search Distance for the
contact pair “i”. Essentially, this is telling NX Nastran that if the Connection Regions of the Connector (contact
pair) are within this distance, which they should be, then Glued contact will be active for this contact pair.
Note: By setting the value of search distance to a value larger than the largest distance between connection
regions using Glued Contact, only one Glued Contact property is needed per model. Even if you have
several different properties created for Glued Contact, FEMAP will automatically combine them all in
to one BGSET entry in NX Nastran.
Target Extension Factor - Enters a value in the EXTi field specified on the BGSET entry for the contact pair “i”.
Specifies an “extension factor” for the target region. The EXTi extension value is equal to the element size in the
parameter space -1 to 1, or 0 to 1, depending on the element type (0.0 < Real < 0.25). For example, a value of 0.01
corresponds to 1% of the element size in all directions. (Default = 0.01)
Rotation Constraint - Creates BGOPT field in BGPARM entry. Source node rotation constraint option, SOL 402.
0..Auto - The best option is automatically chosen according to the source and target regions defined for the glue
pair. This is the default behavior.
1..Source Rotations Unconstrained - For the nodes in the source region, the rotations are not constrained.
2..Source Rotations Constrained with Target Rotations - For the nodes in the source region, the rotations are con-
strained using target nodal rotations. For instance, this option can be used for when using glue between two regions
of shell elements.
3..Source Rotations Constrained with Target Displacements - For the nodes in the source region, the rotations are
constrained using target mean nodal displacements. This option can be used for instance when you glue shells to
faces of volumes.
Contact Property (BCTPAR2)
Initial Penetration - Creates the INIPENE field and corresponding value on BCTPAR2 entry. Use when the goal is
for a pair of contact regions to be touching without interference, but due to the faceted nature of finite elements
around curved geometry, some of the element edges or faces may have a slight gap or penetration. (Default = 1)
0..Default - Will not write the INIPENE field and value to BCTPAR2, thus used the default in NX Nastran
1..Initial Penetrations - Eliminated - Initial penetrations are eliminated and the list of penetrating nodes is printed.
(Minimum and maximum penetrations are always written for each contact pair at the beginning of the computa-
tion).
2..Initial Penetrations - Ignored - Initial penetrations are ignored. In successive steps, each contactor node is
allowed to penetrate the target up to its initial penetration.
3..Initial Penetrations - GAPVAL Override -Initial penetrations or gaps are overridden by GAPVAL.
GAPVAL - Writes the GAPVAL field and specified value to the BCTPAR2 entry. Specifies a constant gap distance
between the source region (contactor) and the target region when INIPENE = 3. Negative GAPVAL means that ini-
tial penetrations will be eliminated (Default = 0.0; Unit = Length).
PENDEPTH - Writes the PENDEPTH field and specified value to the BCTPAR2 entry. Distance (penetration or
gap) used to limit contact detection for target contact surface. (Default=5 * the size of the greatest target face; Unit
= Length). If PDEPTH > 0.0, then contact element is created only if the distance (penetration or gap) is less than or
equal to PDEPTH.
OFFSET - Writes the OFFSET field and specified value to the BCTPAR2 entry. Default offset distance for contact
regions. (Default=0.0; Unit = Length)
Segment Normal - Creates the SEGNORM field and corresponding value on the BCTPAR2 entry. Indicates
whether a continuous (interpolated) contact segment normal (and associated smoothed surface) is used for the con-
tact surfaces. (Default=0)
-1..Disable Continuous Segment Normal - Continuous segment normal is not used.
0..Auto - Using NSIDE - SEGNORM=1 if NSIDE=1, SEGNORM=-1 if NSIDE=2.
1..Continuous Segment Normal - Continuous segment normal is used.
Tied Regions - Creates the TIED field and corresponding value on BCTPAR2 entry. Indicates whether contact
regions in each contact pair are tied together in the normal direction. (Default=0)
0..Not Tied - Default - Contact regions are not tied.
1..Tied - Contact Regions are tied.
2..Tied After Contact - Contact regions remain tied after contact is active.
Tied Tolerance - Writes the TIEDTOL field and specified value to the BCTPAR2 entry. Tolerance used to deter-
mine whether contact nodes are tied to the target region when TIED=1 is specified. A contactor node is tied to its
target region if the distance between them is less than or equal to TIEDTOL. (Default=0.0; Unit = Length)
Surf Extension Factor - Writes the EXTFAC field and specified value to the BCTPAR2 entry. Factor for extend-
ing contact surfaces beyond their boundaries. The amount of extension is given by this factor multiplied by the
length of the contact segments (Must be greater than or equal to 0.0; No default; Unitless).
Large Displacement Contact Formulation - When enabled, writes the DISP field with a value of “2” to the BCT-
PAR2 entry.
Double Sided Contact - When enabled, writes the NSIDE field with a value of “2” to the BCTPAR2 entry, which
means contact surfaces are double-sided. When disabled, nothing is written to the BCTPAR2, which means contact
surfaces are single-sided, which is the default.
Contact Active at Beginning of Analysis - When enabled, writes nothing out to the BCTPAR2 entry, which
means contact is active from the beginning of the simulation. This is the default behavior. If a contact pair is taken
into account in the first subcase and if time assigned loads are ramped (either by default or because the parameter
NLCNTL2,LVAR is set to RAMP), indicates if contact pairs are active from the beginning of the simulation. When
disabled, writes ACTIVE with a value of “0”, which means contact is not considered when the simulation starts.
Regularization Models and Value - Depending on the option selected in the Regularization Models drop-down,
creates either the STFR or the TOL field and corresponding value on BCTPAR2 entry. To avoid convergence prob-
lems when the contact starts sliding, it is recommended to introduce a regularization, either in terms of displace-
ments or sliding velocity. This ensures a smooth transition of the friction stress between sliding and no sliding.
0..Stiffness Between the Friction Stress and the Relative Displacement - Stiffness between the friction stress and
the relative displacement. When the friction stress becomes equal to the pressure multiplied by the friction coeffi-
cient, this stiffness has no more influence. (Default=1.0E8; Unit =Pressure/Length).
1..Regularized Friction Coefficient vs Sliding Velocity - Use a regularized friction coefficient μR as a function of
the sliding velocity ξ˙
where ε v = TOL (no default; Unit =Length/Time).

Once the sliding velocity becomes greater than or equal to the critical sliding velocity TOL, this regular-
ization has no more influence. Depending on the friction model, this friction coefficient can have addi-
tional dependencies with the sliding velocity, time, and/or temperature.
Note: The “1..Regularized Friction Coefficient vs Sliding Velocity” option is available for ANALY-
SIS=DYNAMICS subcases only. It is not available for static analyses because the velocities must be
computed by the solver, or when the friction coefficient is infinite (FRICMOD=2).
NormDist vs Press - When this option is selected, choose an existing function from the drop-down, which
describes the relation between the normal distance and the contact pressure. This will write the NPENAL, along
with the ID of the selected function, to the BCTPAR2. For the function, the units for the X-Axis are Length and
units for the Y-Axis, Pressure.
Normal Modulus - When this option is selected, enter a value for normal contact modulus, which will be written
as NCMOD to the BCTPAR2 entry. (Default = Infinite, Units = Pressure/Length)
Compliance Factor - When this option is selected, enter a value for compliance factor, which will be written as
CFACTOR1 to the BCTPAR2 entry. (Default = 0.0, Units = Length3/Force)
Note: NormDist vs Press, Normal Modulus, and Compliance Force are mutually exclusive, thus, only the
option which is currently selected will be exported to NX Nastran.
Friction Model - Creates the FRICMOD field and corresponding value on BCTPAR2 entry. Type of friction model
(Default = 0). Used in conjunction with Friction Param 1, Friction Param 2, Critical Sliding Velocity, Transition
Time, and/or Frict vs Slide Velocity function which may also be written to the BCTPAR2 entry.
0..Constant Friction - Constant Friction, which uses the friction coefficient FRICi specified for each contact pair in
the BCTSET entry. All friction parameters on BCTPAR2 are ignored.
1..Time, Velocity or Temperature Dependent - Friction depends on time, velocity, or temperature. Only Friction
Param 1 and Frict vs Slide Velocity are used.
2..Infinite Friction - Uses an infinite friction coefficient. All friction parameters on BCTPAR2 and the friction coef-
ficient FRICi specified for each contact pair in the BCTSET entry are ignored.
3..Sliding Velocity Dependent - Friction depends on sliding velocity. Only Friction Param1, Friction Param 2, and
Critical Sliding Velocity are used.
4..Linear Law of Sliding Velocity Dependent - Friction depends on a linear law of the sliding velocity. Only Fric-
tion Param1, Friction Param 2, and Critical Sliding Velocity are used.
5..Linear Law of Time Dependent - Friction depends on the linear law of the time. Only Friction Param1, Friction
Param 2, and Transition Time are used.
Note: Please consult the BCTPAR2 entry in the Quick Reference Guide for NX Nastran 12 or above for an
explanation of the various friction models.
Friction Param 1 - Writes the FPARA1 field and specified value to the BCTPAR2 entry. Used by Friction Models
1, 3, 4, and 5 (Unitless)
Friction Param 2 - Writes the FPARA2 field and specified value to the BCTPAR2 entry. Used by Friction Models
3, 4, and 5 (Unitless)
Critical Sliding Velocity - Writes the VCRIT field and specified value to the BCTPAR2 entry. Used by Friction
Models 3 and 4 (Units = Length/Time)
Transition Time - Writes the TCRIT field and specified value to the BCTPAR2 entry. Used by Friction Model 5
(Units = Time)
Frict vs Slide Velocity - Choose an existing function from the drop-down, which describes the relation between the
friction coefficient vs sliding velocity. This will write the CFVE, along with the ID of the selected function, to the
BCTPAR2. For the function, the units for the X-Axis are Length/Time and units for the Y-Axis, Unitless. Used by
Friction Model 1.
• Added new ANSYS tab to Define Connection Property dialog box.

The ANSYS-specific tab allows you to specify contact options for ANSYS:
The Fric Coef (MU) field is used to specify friction between the contact pair.
The items in the Real Constants and + Real Constants sections allow specification of the real constants to be used
by the TARGE169 (2-D), TARGE170 (3-D), CONTA171 (2-D), CONTA172 (2-D with midside nodes), CON-
TA173 (3-D), and CONTA174 (3-D with midside nodes). Contact surface elements are associated with target seg-
ment elements through a shared set of real constants, and ANSYS only looks for contact between surfaces with the
same real constant set. Only contact elements and target elements of the same dimension (2-D or 3-D) can be in
contact with each other.
This items in the KEYOPTs section, can be used to specify additional contact parameters. All of these parameters
correspond to KEYOPT entries on the ANSYS contact and target elements. These are more advanced options used
to create contact models which require additional parameters and the number in parenthesis after the text corre-
sponds to the ID of the KEYOPT being specified with the accompanying drop-down.
Be sure to review the ANSYS Element Reference Guide as well as the ANSYS Structural Analysis Guide before
beginning any type of nonlinear contact analysis.
Note: If Connect Type is set to “1..Glued” a good idea is to click the Defaults button at the bottom of the
Define Connection Property dialog box, as this set appropriate values and settings in this dialog box.
If the Enable Legacy Ansys Interface option is enabled on the Interfaces tab of the dialog box accessed by the File,
Preferences command, then the following dialog box will be displayed:
For complete definitions of these real constants and before beginning any type of nonlinear contact analysis, please
review the ANSYS Element Reference Guide as well as the ANSYS Structural Analysis Guide.
This dialog can be used to specify additional contact parameters. All of these parameters correspond to KEYOPT
entries on the ANSYS contact and target elements. These are more advanced options used to create contact models
which require additional parameters.
The check boxes in the KEYOPT Overrides section of the dialog box allow you to toggle between two options for
KEYOPTs (2), (4), (5), (8), and (11). The pull-down boxes in the lower portion of the dialog box correspond to
KEYOPTs (7), (9), and (12), which offer additional options used to create a more realistic contact model.
Note: If Connect Type is set to “1..Glued” a good idea is to click the Defaults button at the bottom of the
Define Connection Property dialog box. This will choose an appropriate setting for Surface Behavior
that will create “Bonded” contact in ANSYS.
• Added an icon button to various “Define Region” dialog boxes to limit elements used for face selection. Previ-
ously, the only option was “Add Multiple” which automatically selected all visible elements and while it was
possible to limit the elements for face selection from the face selection dialog box, this streamlines the process.
• Added ABAQUS section to the Connection Region Options dialog box, which is accessed via the Region
Options button in the Connection Region dialog box. This option is used to specify the type of Analytical Rigid
Surface, CYLINDRICAL, SEGMENTS, or REVOLUTION, to write to the ABAQUS input file.
• Added Connect, Connector Set command to create sets of Connectors (Contact or Glued).
Allows creation of a “set” of Connectors (contact pairs), which will write a BCTADD when Combination Type is
set to Contact or a BGADD when Combination Type is set to Glue.
Any number of connectors may be moved between the Available Sets list and Referenced Sets list for a particular
connector set by highlighting the connectors in the appropriate list and pressing the Add Referenced Set or Remove
Referenced Set buttons. When Combination Type is set to Contact, only connectors which reference a connection
property which has Connect Type set to “0..Contact” will be available to move between the two lists. When Combi-
nation Type is set to Glue, only connectors which reference a connection property which has Connect Type set to
“1..Glue” are available. Connector sets are only used by NX Nastran Solutions Sequences SOL 401 and SOL402.
Optimization
• Added Model, Optimization, Variables and Topology Regions command which opens the Optimization Variable
and Topology Region Manager, which is used to create, edit, copy, renumber, delete selected, or delete all Opti-
mization Variables (relationships) and/or Topology Regions.
Opens the Optimization Variable and Topology Region Manager:
This manager is used to create design variables, or “relations”, for Properties (Type = “0..Property”), Materials
(Type = “1..Material”), and/or Elements (Type = “3..Element”) for design optimization (NX Nastran or MSC Nas-
tran) or “Topology Regions” (Type = “2..Topology”) for Topology Optimization (NX Nastran).
This manager can be used to create a New variable/region; Edit, Delete, Copy, or Renumber the variable/region cur-
rently highlighted in the Available Optimization Relation(s) list; highlight entities in the graphics window which
are controlled by the variable/region currently highlighted in the list (Show Selected); or Delete All the variables/
regions currently in the model.
Clicking the New button will open a “Relation” dialog box. The dialog box which appears depends on the current
value of Type, which has four options: “0..Property”, “1..Material”, “2..Topology” and “3..Element”. Options 0, 1,
and 3 are used for design optimization, while option 2 is used for topology optimization. Once a variable/region has
been created using a specific Type, the dialog box will default to that type when displayed again in the same session
of FEMAP. Once everything has been entered, click OK to return to the Optimization Variable and Topology
Region Manager or click More to create another design variable. The various dialog boxes explained below.
Type = “0..Property”
Displays the Property Relation dialog box:
This dialog box is used to create a property design variable for design optimization. An ID and/or descriptive Title
can be specified for the design variable, otherwise, the next available ID will be used and no title assigned.
In the Options section, select an existing property using the Property drop-down. While almost any property can be
selected to create a “user-defined relation”, only Rod, Bar (Standard or NASTRAN cross-section), Beam (Standard
or NASTRAN cross-section), Spring/Damper, DOF Spring, Plate, Spring/Damper to Ground, and DOF Spring
properties will automatically populate both the Type field with a predefined name and Name drop-down with vari-
ous property values which can be used as design variables. Check the Edit box to enter a different name in the Type
field. The items which appear in the Name drop-down are different for each property type and correspond to the
type of property currently selected in the Property drop-down. Each Property Optimization Variable writes a DES-
VAR entry with corresponding DVPREL1 entry.
When using a property type which does not automatically populate the Type field and sets Name to “User Defined”,
a name for Type and a variable name for Name must be manually entered. Even for property types which are sup-
ported to some level, a “User Defined” option will always appear at the bottom of the Name list. If selected, a vari-
able name will need to be entered manually. In addition, only the Range option can be used when defining values
for a “User Defined” design variable.
The Values section is where the Minimum and Maximum values are specified for the property design variable.
These values can be enter as a Range (actual values, such as Minimum = 0.25, Maximum = 0.5), Percentage (for
example, Minimum = 75%, Maximum = 100%), or Offset (for example, Minimum = -1, Maximum = 0.1 would
allow a property values of 3.14 to range from 2.14 to 3.24).
The Select Multiple button in the options section can be used to select multiple properties in the model, but all the
selected properties MUST be the same type, otherwise, FEMAP will remove some from the selection or ask for a
new selection. Once property selection is complete, the Property drop-down will no longer be available and click-
ing OK will create multiple design variables, one for each property, using the specified Type, Name, and Values.
Type = “1..Material”
Displays the Material Relation dialog box:
This dialog box is very similar to the Property Relation dialog box, with the only difference being it is used to
define a Material design variable instead of a Property design variable. See Type = “0..Property” above for more
information.
In the Options section, select an existing material using the Material drop-down. Again, while almost any material
can be selected to create a “user-defined relation”, only Isotropic and Orthotropic (2D) Materials will automatically
populate both the Type field with a predefined name and Name drop-down with various property values which can
be used as design variables. Each Material Optimization Variable writes a DESVAR entry with corresponding
DVMREL1 entry.
Type = “2..Topology”
Displays the Topology Relation dialog box:
This dialog box is used to create a topology region for topology optimization. An ID and/or descriptive Title can be
specified for the topology region, otherwise, the next available ID will be used and no title assigned.
Select Active or Frozen in the Options section to control if a topology region is considered “Active” (elements can
be optimized) or “Frozen” (elements can not be optimized), then use the Select button to select elements using the
standard entity selection dialog box. Use the Preview icon button to highlight the elements controlled by the region
in the graphics window. Each Topology Region writes DVTREL1 entry with corresponding GROUP entry.
If only “Active” regions are selected for analysis, all other elements are “Frozen”. If only “Frozen” regions are
selected for analysis, all other elements are “Active”. If a combination of “Active” and “Frozen” regions are
selected for analysis, then only the elements in the “Active” regions are “Active”, all others are “Frozen”. Finally,
any elements which reside in both an “Active” region and a “Frozen” region selected for analysis, will be “Frozen”.
Type = “3..Element”
Displays the Element Thickness Relation dialog box:
This dialog box is used to create a design variable for design optimization which varies thickness defined directly
on plate elements, not defined by plate properties. An ID and/or descriptive Title can be specified for the design
variable, otherwise, the next available ID will be used and no title assigned.
Use the Select button to select elements using the standard entity selection dialog box, then enter Minimum and
Maximum values for Thickness. Use the Preview icon button to highlight the elements controlled by the design
variable in the graphics window. Each Element Optimization Variable writes a DESVAR entry along with corre-
sponding DVEREL1 and GROUP entries.
• Added Model, Optimization, Limits command which opens the Optimization Limit Manager, which is used to
create, edit, copy, renumber, delete selected, or delete all Optimization Limits (responses).
Opens the Optimization Limit Manager:
This manager is used to create limits, or “responses”, for design optimization (NX Nastran or MSC Nastran) or
Topology Optimization (NX Nastran).
This manager can be used to create a New response; Edit, Delete, Copy, or Renumber the response currently high-
lighted in the Available Optimization Response(s) list; highlight entities in the graphics window which are con-
trolled by response currently highlighted in the list (Show Selected); or Delete All the responses currently in the
model.
Clicking the New button will open a “Response” dialog box. The dialog box which appears depends on the current
value of Category. Once everything has been entered, click OK to return to the Optimization Limit Manager or
click More to create another response. Once a response has been created using a specific Category, the dialog box
will default to that category when displayed again in the same session of FEMAP.
Category
Defines the category of the response for design optimization or topology optimization, which has ten options:
“Nodal Displacement”, “SPC Forces”, “Element Force, Stress, Strain”, “Strain Energy”, “Frequency”, “Eigen-
value”, “Buckling”, “Compliance”, “Volume”, and “Weight”. All options other than “Compliance” and “Volume”
can be used for design optimization, while all options can be used for topology optimization.
In all cases, an ID and/or descriptive Title can be specified for the design variable, otherwise, the next available ID
will be used and no title assigned. The various dialog boxes will be explained further below.
Nodal Displacement
Displays the Nodal Optimization Response dialog box:
Used to limit nodal displacement. Use the Component drop-down in the Response Setup section to select a compo-
nent of nodal displacement or rotation, then the Select button to select the nodes to limit displacement or rotation in
the selected direction to the values specified for Lower Bound and Upper Bound in the Constraints section.
SPC Forces
Used to limit nodal SPC forces. Use the Component drop-down in the Response Setup section to select a compo-
nent of nodal SPC Force or Moment, then the Select button to select the nodes to limit the selected component of
SPC Force or SPC Moment to the values specified for Lower Bound and Upper Bound in the Constraints section.
Element Force, Stress, Strain
Displays the Elemental Optimization Response dialog box:
Used to limit a selected quantity of element force, stress, or strain. Use the Quantity drop-down in Response Setup
section to select an element force, stress, or strain, then the Select button to select individual elements (Element
option) or all the elements of the selected properties (Property option) to limit selected force, stress, or strain quan-
tity to the values specified for Lower Bound and Upper Bound in the Constraints section.
Strain Energy
Displays the Elemental Optimization Response dialog box:
Used to limit Strain Energy or Strain Energy Density. Use the Data option in Response Setup section to choose
either Strain Energy or Strain Energy Density, then the Select button to select individual elements (Element options)
or all the elements of the selected properties (Property option) to limit strain energy or strain energy density to the
values specified for Lower Bound and Upper Bound in the Constraints section.
Frequency
Used to limit Frequency for modal analysis. Use the Eigenvalue field to specify the “ID” of the mode, along with a
Linearization Method (Default, Direct, or Inverse) to limit that mode to the frequency values defined by Lower
Bound and Upper Bound in the Constraints section.
Eigenvalue
Used to limit Eigenvalue value for modal analysis. Use the Eigenvalue field to specify the “ID” of the mode, along
with a Linearization Method (Default, Direct, or Inverse) to limit that mode to the eigenvalues values defined by
Lower Bound and Upper Bound in the Constraints section.
Buckling
Used to limit the Frequency value for Buckling analysis. Use the Eigenvalue field to specify the “ID” of the mode,
along with a Linearization Method (Default, Direct, or Inverse) to limit that mode to the frequency values defined
by Lower Bound and Upper Bound in the Constraints section.
Compliance
Used to limit the Compliance constraint for Topology Optimization to values defined by Lower Bound and Upper
Bound in the Constraints section.
Volume
Used to limit the Volume constraint for topology optimizations to values defined by Lower Bound and Upper
Bound in the Constraints section.
Weight
Used to limit the Weight constraint to values defined by Lower Bound and Upper Bound in the Constraints section.
• Added Model, Optimization, Manufacturing Constraints command which opens the Manufacturing Constraint
Manager, which is used to create, edit, copy, renumber, delete selected, or delete all Manufacturing Constraints
specified for Topology Optimization.
Opens the Manufacturing Constraint Manager:
This manager is used to create manufacturing constraints for Topology Optimization (NX Nastran).
This manager can be used to create a New manufacturing constraint; Edit, Delete, Copy, or Renumber the manufac-
turing constraint currently highlighted in the Available Manufacturing constraint(s) list; show a preview of any
vector(s) or plane(s) specified for the manufacturing constraint highlighted in the list (Show Selected); or Delete All
the manufacturing constraint currently in the model.
Note: Show Selected will not be able to show anything in the graphics window for manufacturing con-
straints with Type set to “Checkerboarding Control”, “Maximum Size”, or “Minimum Size”, as
these manufacturing constraints do not reference entities, vectors, or planes.
Clicking the New button will open a “Manufacturing Constraint” dialog box. The dialog box which appears
depends on the current value of Type. Once everything has been entered, click OK to return to the Manufacturing
Constraint Manager or click More to create another manufacturing constraint Once a manufacturing constraint has
been created using a specific Type, the dialog box will default to that type when displayed again in the same session
of FEMAP.
Type
Defines the type of manufacturing constraint to enforce for topology optimization, which has eight options: “Addi-
tive manufacturing”, “Casting Die Direction”, Checkerboarding” Cyclic Symmetry”, “Extrusion”, “Minimum
Size”, “Maximum Size”, and “Planar Symmetry”.
In all cases, an ID and/or descriptive Title can be specified for the design variable, otherwise, the next available ID
will be used and no title assigned. The various dialog boxes will be explained further below.
Additive Manufacturing
Displays the Additive Manufacturing Constraint dialog box:
Used to enforce an Additive Manufacturing Constraint. The Set Vector button should be used to specify a vector
where the base is on a plane for the “base plate” and the tip is normal to the base plate in the direction of material
addition. Maximum Angle is the maximum angle from the normal that points away from the base plate, for over-
hangs, in degrees, while Minimum Size is the minimum allowed size. Both Maximum Angle and Minimum Size can
be disabled, indicating there is no such constraint. Writes a DMNCOM bulk entry with TYPE=ADDM.
Additive manufacturing builds material layer by layer. The previous layers in a build-up must be sufficient to sup-
port consecutive layers. When building up overhanging geometry, if the overhang is built in an aggressive angle,
there is a possibility that the structure can collapse as a result of cantilevered material. You define a maximum over-
hang angle and/or a minimum size applicable to any slender members, as well as the manufacturing direction.
Overhang angles are measured relative to the positive manufacturing direction vector.
Casting Die Direction
Displays the Casting Die Direction Manufacturing Constraint dialog box:
Used to enforce an Casting Die Direction Manufacturing Constraint. The Set Casting Plane button should be used
to specify a vector with the base on the “casting plane” and the tip being normal to the casting plane. The Set Mold
Removal Vector should be used to specify a vector that defines the first direction of “mold removal”, while the Set
Secondary Mold Removal Vector should be used to specify a vector that defines the second direction of mold
removal. If Set Secondary Mold Removal Vector is not defined, the only the first direction is used. Writes a DMN-
COM bulk entry with TYPE=CDID.
Parts that are cast should not have any pockets that cannot be formed or protrusions that would interfere with the
mold pieces from parting, or with the part coming out of the mold. You define the coordinates of a point on the
casting plane, a vector normal to the casting plane, a vector along which one part of the mold travels when separat-
ing, and another, optional, vector along which the other part of the mold, if it exists, travels when separating.
Checkerboarding Control
Displays the Checkerboarding Control Manufacturing Constraint dialog box:
Used to enforce an Checkerboarding Manufacturing Constraint. The checker-boarding control manufacturing con-
straint is on by default, even when the DMNCON bulk entry has not been defined. Simply leave the Disable check
box checked to disable checker-boarding control, as this manufacturing constraint will define a DMNCON bulk
entry with TYPE= CHBC and a negative real number in the OFF-FLAG field.
Checker-boarding is a condition where topology optimizers remove material in an alternating pattern similar to a
checker board, when simpler finite elements are used. It is undesirable because it does not represent an optimal dis-
tribution of material and the results are difficult to manufacture. The checker-boarding control constraint can be
used to help prevent this condition from occurring.
Cyclic Symmetry
Displays the Cyclic Symmetry Manufacturing Constraint dialog box:
Used to enforce an Cyclic Symmetry Manufacturing Constraint. The Set Symmetry Plane button should be used to
specify a plane with the base on the “symmetry plane”, point 1 defining the axis of rotation, and point 2 defining a
vector perpendicular to the axis of rotation, along one of the edges of the model on the 0-degree symmetry plane.
Number of Sectors is the number of sector which will fill 360 degrees. When Number of Sectors is a positive inte-
ger, the symmetry is that of repeated sectors. When Number of Sections is a negative integer, the symmetry is that
of reflected sectors. Writes a DMNCOM bulk entry with TYPE=SYMC.
You provide a full circular model which has repeated cyclic symmetry sectors. The mesh on each sector does not
need to match. NX Nastran will work to symmetrize the normalized mass density (NMD) values on each sector.
You define the axis of rotation, the number of sectors (NSECT) within 360 degrees, and relative to a 0-degree sym-
metry plane, you define a point on that symmetry plane and a radial vector perpendicular to the axis of rotation
along one of the edges of the symmetry plane. NX Nastran sweeps the 0-degree symmetry plane counter clockwise
by the angle = 360 / | NSECT | to determine the consecutive symmetry planes.
When NSECT is a positive integer, NX Nastran treats your model as having repeated sectors. When NSECT is a
negative integer, NX Nastran treats your model as having reflected sectors. With repeated symmetry, each sector is
similar to every other sector. With reflected symmetry, every sector is the mirror image of the previous sector. You
can use reflected symmetry only with an even number of sectors.
Extrusion
Displays the Extrusion Manufacturing Control dialog box:
Used to enforce an Extrusion Manufacturing Constraint. The Set Extrusion Vector button should be used to specify
a vector defining the extrusion direction. Writes a DMNCOM bulk entry with TYPE=EXTC. Extruded parts must
have material continuity in the extrusion direction. You define the straight line extrusion direction.
Minimum Size
Displays the Minimum Size Manufacturing Control dialog box:
Used to enforce an Minimum Size Manufacturing Constraint. Simply enter a value in the Minimum Size field.
Writes a DMNCOM bulk entry with TYPE=MINS. This allows you to control the minimum member size for cre-
ated “slender” members. You define the minimum cross-sectional “thickness” size.
Listing 2020.1-59
Maximum Size
Displays the Maximum Size Manufacturing Control dialog box:
Used to enforce an Maximum Size Manufacturing Constraint. Simply enter a value in the Maximum Size field.
Writes a DMNCOM bulk entry with TYPE=MAXS. This allows you to control the maximum member size. For
example, if you define the maximum member size, truss members created by the optimization process will not be
any “thicker” than the specified size.
Planar Symmetry
Displays the Planar Symmetry Manufacturing Constraint dialog box:
Used to enforce an Planar Symmetry Manufacturing Constraint. The Set Symmetry button should be used to specify
a vector where the base is on the “symmetry plane” and the tip is normal to the symmetry plane. Writes a DMN-
COM bulk entry with TYPE=SYMP.
With this condition, your model must be meshed on both sides of the symmetry plane. The mesh on each side of the
symmetry plane does not need to match. NX Nastran works to symmetrize the NMD values on both sides of a
given symmetry plane. You define a point on the symmetry plane and a vector normal to the symmetry plane.
Listing
• Added List, Geometry, Mesh Point command to list details about mesh points to the Messaged pane and any
other destination(s) specified by the List, Destination command.
• Updated List, Output, Results to Data Table command by adding Show Summary Table option to the Send
Results to Data Table dialog box, which adds a summary table to the bottom of the Data Table and contains
Max and Min Values, their corresponding IDs, Sum of the Values, and the Average Value for each column.
• Updated List, Output, Results to Data Table command by adding Transform section to the Send Results to Data
Table dialog box. This section can be used to send transformed output data to the Data Table using the options
specified for the active view (Active View option) or specified via the Transform… button (Custom... option).
• Updated List, Output, Results Ranking to Data Table command by adding Transform button to the Rank Output
to Data Table dialog box. This section can be used to send ranked output data to the Data Table, which has been
transformed using the options specified via the Transform… button.
• Updated List, Output, Contoured Results to Data Table command by adding a header to the to of that Data
Table, which describes the selected output sets/output vectors in the Data Table, including transformations.
Groups and Layers

• Added the Group, Operations, Generate From Criteria command, which is only available when a Criteria plot
is being displayed in the graphics window (i.e., Contour Style is set to Criteria in the View, Select command or
Criteria is selected from the Style drop-down in the Contour Tool of the PostProcessing Toolbox). Creates a
group containing all elements which fulfill the criteria options currently set for the active view, which may be
different than all visible elements, especially if there are multiple element types in the model.
• Added the Group, Mesh Point submenu, which allows you to define, edit, and delete the rules that will be used
to select mesh points. You can select mesh points into your group based on their ID, Color, Layer, associated
with geometric entities (on Point, on Curve, on Surface, in Solid), or any combination of these methods.
• Improved performance of the “Add Related Entities” capability of Groups, which can be done using various
methods throughout FEMAP. Previously in models that had large numbers of geometry-based contact, along
with large numbers of solid elements, this command could take a long time to complete. This also improved
performance of other commands and tools which use this capability, such as the Entity Locator found in the
Meshing Toolbox.
Views
• Added View, Autoscale, Fit command, which is similar to the View, Autoscale command. It too bases its calcu-
lations on the overall model dimensions. However, this command only considers the current orientation of the
model. It projects the overall dimensions into the current view, then adjusts the magnification factor to attempt
to fill the screen with the visible entities. This will always result in a larger image than View, Autoscale. If the
model geometry is non-rectangular, or has cutouts, this option still might not fill the view. Also, this command
will automatically adjust the centering of the model.
• Added “Mesh Point” option in “Labels, Entities and Color” Category of View, Options command, which con-
trols visibility, label mode, and color mode for mesh points.
• Added “Element - Cohesive” option in “Labels, Entities and Color” Category of View, Options command,
which controls visibility of property thickness, label mode, and color mode for mesh points.
• Added “Element - Shell” option in “Labels, Entities and Color” Category of View, Options command, which
can be used to suppress thick edges of shell elements to improve performance and aid transparency.
• Added “2..DOF - Shrink Always” option to Release Labels section for “Element - Offsets/Releases” option in
“Labels, Entities and Color” Category of View, Options command, which can be used to always display the
beam release degrees of freedom away from the End A and End B nodes.
• Added “Local Components” options to Color/Component section for “Load - Force and Bearing”, “Load -
Moment and Torque”, “Load - Accleration”, “Load - Velocity”, and “Load - Enforced Displacement” options in
“Labels, Entities and Color” Category of View, Options command, which can be used to display these load
types as components in the coordinate system in which they are defined instead of as “Global Components”.
• Added “Feature Line” option in “Tools and View Style” Category of View, Options command, which controls if
“Feature Lines” should be displayed on the mesh.
When Draw Entity is enabled, attempts to create “feature lines” on a mesh which essentially creates an “outline”
around the different parts in the model. Where the feature lines appear is controlled via a combination of the option
selected in the Element Control and Silhouette section and the value specified in the Angle field, which is used as a
“break angle” (i.e., if the angle between elements is above this value, create a feature line between the elements).
When Element Control and Silhouette is set to “0..All Elements” or “1..All Elements, Silhouette” all of the ele-
ments in the model will be used to generate the feature lines, whether they are visible or not. When set to “2..Drawn
Elements” or “3..Drawn Elements, Silhouette”, only the elements which are currently visible will be considered.
When using either of the “Silhouette” options, additional features lines will be drawn to create an outline around
the model using the current orientation and will change as the model is rotated.
The Surface Division section can be used to create additional feature lines between elements which reference dif-
ferent properties (“1..Property”) or different materials (“2..Material”). By default, this option is set to “0..None”.
The default value for Angle, which is “5”, may not create the desired feature lines. Consider changing the value,
especially when using this option for a model which has been meshed with tetrahedral elements
Views 2020.1-61
Model with Feature Line turned Off Using “”0..All Elements” option
Using “1..All Elements, Silhouette” option Using “3..Drawn Elements, Silhouette” option
• Added Advanced Depth Control button to “Graphics Options” option in “Tools and View Style” Category of
View, Options command.
Clicking the Advanced Depth Control button will open the Advanced Depth Control dialog box:
This dialog box contains five different slider bars, each of which can be used to modify the value of an option that
controls depth and/or offset of a type of entity. The values for four of these options can be specified elsewhere in
View Options dialog box, which is detailed below. Using to slider bar to update a value should update how items are
displayed in the graphics window, providing immediate feedback. Changing the value for any of these options also
changes the value in the other location in the View Options dialog box.
The option at the top of the dialog box, Mesh Edit/Free Edge/Aero Entities/Contact/Element/Boundary/Surface
Depth Offset, can only be specified with this control. This option controls the spacing between different view
modes and entity types. Essentially, items are “stacked” from closest to the user to furthest away from the user in
the following order: Dynamic Mesh Editing (i.e., using the Mesh Locate tool in the Meshing Toolbox), plot of Free
Edges, Aero Control Surfaces, Aero Splines, Aero Bodies/Panels, Connection and other Regions, Elements,
Boundary Surfaces, and Surfaces. For example, if a surface is meshed, the elements should be visible, not the sur-
faces, but when a highly curved surface with a coarse mesh, this will not always be true. If it is desired to have the
elements on meshed surfaces always attempt to appear in front of the surface associated to the mesh, move the
slider bar to the right to increase this value.
Filled Edge Depth Offset Factor and Filled Edge Depth Offset Units correspond to the Offset Factor and Offset
Units values described above in this section.
Text Depth Offset corresponds to the Text Depth Offset value described in "Label Parameters"
Undeformed Depth Offset corresponds to the value for Depth Offset % in Section 8.3.6, “Undeformed Model...”.
• Added Discrete Values capability to the View, Advanced Post, Contour Model Data command.
Discrete Values
To display a “Discrete Value Plot”, enable On in this section, then select an existing “Discrete Value Set” using the
drop-down. See "Discrete Value Sets" for more information about creating, editing, and managing Discrete Value
Sets. When enabled, the selected Discrete Value Set will be used to display values for the item currently high-
lighted in the Contour Data From section, along with the options specified in the Show As and Show On sections.
While a Discrete Value Plot looks similar to a Criteria plot, it differs in several ways. First, the number of “levels”
displayed, along with the color assigned to each level, is determined from the selected Discrete Value Set. Second,
the Contour/Criteria Legend appears as individual “color blocks” with the value or range of values associated to
each block to the right or the left of the block. Finally, it is possible for the color blocks to appear in multiple col-
umns when the Contour/Criteria Legend is oriented vertically, or multiple rows when oriented horizontally.
Note: If using a Discrete Value Set created using the From Data method, be sure the corresponding item is
selected in the Contour Data From section, otherwise, the plot may not be useful. For example, if the
Discrete Value Set was created with Data Type set to “Property ID”, make sure the “Property” option in
the “Entity ID” branch of the tree structure is selected in the Contour Data From section.
For example, here is a Discrete Value Plot of “Property ID”, Show As set to Criteria and Allow Labels enabled:
Views 2020.1-63
Discrete Value Sets

Three buttons related to Discrete Value Sets, New, Edit, and Manage, are available in the Discrete Values section.
The New button is used to quickly create a new Discrete Value Set using the New Discrete Value Set dialog box,
which will be explained later in this section, while the Edit button can be used to edit the Discrete Value Set cur-
rently selected in the drop-down using the Discrete Value Set dialog box, also explained later in this section.
The Manage button will display the Discrete Value Set Manager, which can be used to create a New set using the
New Discrete Value Set dialog box; Edit, Renumber, Delete, or Copy the set currently highlighted in the list found
in the Discrete Value Set Manager; or Delete All sets which exist in the model.
New Discrete Value Set dialog box
The New Discrete Value Set dialog box is used to create a New Discrete Value Set:
A specific ID and/or descriptive Title may be entered, but are not required, as the next available ID and a automatic
title generated from the items specified in the Options section are the default.
If an item is currently highlighted in the Contour Data From section, then Method will automatically be set to From
Data, Data Type set to the item in Contour Data From, and Range Type set to “0..Individual Value” with Number
set to the appropriate number of discrete values for the Data Type, if that can be determined, or set to “1..Range by
equal value” with Number set to 10. In many cases, this is all that will be needed to create an appropriate Discrete
Value Set for the selected Data Type. Otherwise, it will be required to specify options and values manually.
Method and Options
The selected Method controls what is available in the Options section to create a valid Discrete Value Set, which
are then used to create the appropriate number of rows and columns in the Discrete Value Set dialog box.
From Data - based on selected Data Type, attempts to determine appropriate Range Type and Number to create a
useful Discrete Value Set. The Range Type and/or Number can be modified to create the desired number of levels
and any Range Type can be used for any Data Type, although some may not be as useful as the default option.
0..Individual Value - creates a single row of individual IDs or Values. Only elements which have an ID or value
which matches an ID or Value in the list will have a color assigned. This is useful when creating plots of Property
or Material IDs or when each unique value should be displayed, like thickness of plate properties.
1..Range by equal value - for IDs, takes Highest ID - Lowest ID, then divides them by the value specified for Num-
ber, then rounds down to the closet integer value. This integer value is used for all levels except the final level,
which may be larger. For values, takes “Maximum value for the Data Type” - “Minimum value for the Data Type”,
then divides the difference by the value specified for Number. This is useful to display values which are potentially
similar to one another as a single color, especially when a large number of values exist, but it is only important to
know which portions of the model have similar values to one another.
2..Range by equal number - attempts to create ranges of IDs or values which have an equal number of elements in
each range. Depending on the item selected in the Data Type drop-down, this may not be the best option, especially
if displaying a quantity which may have many similar values, such as element quality.
3..Range by largest gap - finds the largest gap between IDs in a set of IDs or between Values in a set of values, then
continues to find the largest remaining gaps in the set of IDs or set of values until the number of levels equals the
value specified for Number. For instance, elements have IDs of 1-10, 101-110, 151-160, and 166-170. If Number is
set to 2, then the largest gap is between element 10 and element 101, so elements 1-10 would be in “Level 1”, while
all other elements would be in “Level 2”. If Number is set to 3, then the next largest gap is between 110 and 151, so
elements 1-10 would be in “Level 1”, elements 101-110 would be in “Level 2” and the remaining elements would
be in “Level 3”.
This table indicates which columns will be created in the Discrete Value Set dialog box when using the various
options available for Range Type when Method is set to From Data:
Range Type Column 1 Column 2 Column 3

0..Individual Value ID/Value Color N/A
1..Range by equal value Lower ID/Value Upper ID/Value Color
2..Range by equal number Lower ID/Value Upper ID/Value Color
3..Range by largest gap Lower ID/Value Upper ID/Value Color
Min Max - offers two options for Data Type, “0..Integer” or “1..Float” (i.e., real number). Number specifies the
number of “levels” (i.e., equal divisions) to create between the values specified for Minimum and Maximum.
options available for Data Type when Method is set to Min Max:
Data Type Column 1 Column 2 Column 3

0..Integer Lower ID (Default = 0) Upper ID (Default =1000) Color
1..Float Lower Value (Default = 0.0) Upper Value (Default = 1.0) Color
Manual - offers two options for Data Type, “0..Integer” and 1..Float” (i.e., real number), and two options for Range
Type, “0..Individual Value” and “1..Range by equal value”, which can be used in any combination. Since no addi-
tional information can be entered, these selections simply specify the number of columns which will be created for
a single row in the Discrete Value Set dialog box, where additional rows can be added, then data entered.
options available for Data Type and Range Type when Method is set to Manual:
Data Type Range Type Column 1 Column 2 Column 3

0..Integer 0..Individual Value ID Color N/A
0..Integer 1..Range by equal value Lower ID Upper ID Color
1..Float 0..Individual Value Value Color N/A
1..Float 1..Range by equal value Lower Value Upper Value Color
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Discrete Value Set dialog box

The Discrete Value Set dialog box is used to update existing data or add new rows to a Discrete Value Set:
ID of color
currently
assigned to
the Row
Click “...” button

to select color
using the Color
Palette dialog
It is possible to change the current title by entering new text into the Title field.
When the column header says ID, Lower ID, or Upper ID, the column is expecting integers and will simply round
any real numbers to the nearest whole number once OK has been clicked to save the Discrete Value Set. When the
column header says Value, Lower Value, or Upper Value, the column is expecting real numbers.
The column furthest to the right will always be Color, which displays the ID of the color in a cell highlighted with
the selected color. To change the color for a row (i.e., “level”), click in the cell and enter the ID of a color manually
or click the “...” icon button to select a color from the Color Palette. See Section 4.3.5, "Color Palette" in the
FEMAP User Guide for more information.
Context Sensitive Menus (All Functions/Tables)
There is a context sensitive menu which will appear when cell(s) are highlighted in the Discrete Value Set dialog
box and the right mouse button is clicked. This menu allows you to:
Copy Selected - copies the values in the highlighted group of cells to the clipboard.
Paste - pastes values from the clipboard into the highlighted cells.
Clear Selected - clears the value(s) in the highlighted cell(s).
The context sensitive menu for column headers includes the Clear Selected command along with:
Auto Column Width - automatically sets the column width to make all characters visible in all cells.
Column Width - allows specification of width, in pixels, for any number of selected columns.
The context sensitive menu for row headers also includes the Clear Selected command along with these other
options:
Add Rows - adds the number of specified rows below the last row currently in Discrete Value Set dialog box.
Insert Row - inserts a new row beneath the current row in Discrete Value Set dialog box.
Delete Row- removes the current row from Discrete Value Set dialog box.
Split Row - only available when a single row is selected in Discrete Value Set dialog box, and allows the selected
row to be split into two rows using the value specified in the Split range at value dialog box.
Combine Rows - only available when multiple rows are selected in the Discrete Value Set dialog box, and allows
the values of any number of selected rows to be combined into a single row.
Row Height - allows specification of height, in pixels, for all rows in Discrete Value Set dialog box.
Additional commands may be available on the column header and row header context-sensitive menus when a cer-
tain type of table is loaded in the Function/Table Editor.

• Added View, Advanced Post, Dynamic Criteria command. This functionality can also be accessed by using the
Dynamic Control button when Style is set to Criteria in the Contour tool of the PostProcessing Toolbox.
Allows you to dynamically update the Limits Mode option and Maximum and/or Minimum values to use as criteria
limits in the model. When you select this command, you will see the Dynamic Criteria Control box:
Limits Mode
The following table lists the available modes and their uses:
Limits Mode Minimum Maximum Result

No Limits - - No Criteria. All elements pass.
Above Maximum - Yes Elements with output values greater than Maximum pass.
Below Minimum Yes - Elements with output values less than Minimum pass.
Between Yes Yes Elements with output values between Minimum and Maximum pass.
Outside Yes Yes Elements with output values less than Minimum or greater than
Maximum pass.
Labels
When enabled, the elements which pass the specified criteria will be labeled.
Abs Value
If this option is enabled, the absolute value of the output data is compared to the specified criteria.
Maximum and Minimum...
...allow you to dynamically increase or decrease Maximum and/or Minimum values using the appropriate slider bar.
• Added ability to transform line element output into a selected Coordinate System. A typical “use case” for this
type of transformation is to view results from Nastran Spring/Damper elements (CBUSH) in a single coordinate
system, even though the elements may be oriented in different coordinate systems.
• Added "7..Visible Min/Max" option to the Level Modes section for the Contour/Criteria Levels option in View,
Options. This option considers ALL visibility options currently specified for the current view to automatically
determine the maximum and minimum values from the Contour Output Vector currently displayed, then
interpo-lates between them to determine all intermediate values. These visibility options include visibility
check boxes for Property, Material, Element Type, and/or Element Shape; visibility of individual elements; vis-
ible Groups; visible Layers; and/or elements being drawn/erased by the Draw/Erase toolbar.
• Added warning when attempting to transform data in a Output Set which was created using either the RSS
Combination or Envelope methods of the Model, Output, Process command. The warning will also be issued
for an Output Set created by the RSS Combination or Envelope methods available for a Results Set Processing
Table in the Function/Table Editor or Results Set Processing Data Surface in the Data Surface Editor, when the
output is stored in the database.
• Updated Post Titles to show End A and End B output vectors when displaying a contour on line element.
Geometry Interfaces 2020.1-67
Geometry Interfaces

Parasolid 31.0
Solid Edge 2019
NX 12.0
ACIS 2018 1.0
CATIA V5 V5-6 R2018
Pro/Engineer Creo 5
SolidWorks 2018
JT 9.0
• Updated File, Import, Geometry command in FEMAP 12.0.1 to automatically scale geometry to insure all
geometry resides in the valid modeling region, which allows further operations to work properly. An attempt is
made to update solids to the preferred modeling scale factor, provided all solids end up inside modeling region.
• Updated the File, Export, Geometry command by adding the Topology Optimization option, which requires out-
put from a NX Nastran Topology Optimization analysis to export a STL file of the optimized shape. To dynam-
ically specify elements to use for the faceted representation, click the Options button, then use the Topology
Optimization STL File Output dialog box, which is very similar to the one used by the View, Advanced Post,
Dynamic Criteria command. See Output and Post-Processing for more information.

• Analysis Set Manager
• NX Nastran Interface
• Nastran Interfaces (NX and MSC/MD)
• MSC Nastran Interface
• ANSYS Interface
• DYNA Interface

• Updated File, Import, Femap Neutral command to better handle cases where geometric entities have inconsis-
tent geometry scale factors.
Analysis Set Manager

• Updated Analysis Set dialog box, only when running in “FEMAP with NX Nastran” mode, to check for exis-
tence of a Linked Solver when switching Analysis Program from non-NX Nastran to “36..NX Nastran”. If dia-
log box is already set to “Linked Solver”, and a linked solver for NX Nastran is specified, nothing will change.
Otherwise, it will change to Integrated Solver. In all other cases nothing is changed.
NX Nastran Interface
• Added ability to Read / Write output requests for Elastic Strain (ELSTRN) and Thermal Strain (THSTRN), as
well as renaming the Strain item in the NASTRAN Output Requests dialog box to Total Strain.
• Added support for SOL 401 (Multi-Step Structural Solution) that supports a combination of static (linear or
nonlinear), modal (real eigenvalue), and bolt pre-load subcases. Specifically, this includes adding the Multi-
Step Control Options dialog box, along with the Solution and Convergence Options, Contact/Bolt Preload Con-
trol Options, and Creep Options dialog boxes to the Analysis Set Manager when Analysis Type is set to
“27..Multi-Step Structural” to write the NLCNTL entry for the Master Case and/or subcases. In addition, added
Analysis Type drop-down to the Master Requests and Conditions dialog box, which is used to select the type of
analysis for the Master Case, and writes the appropriate ANALYSIS = entry to Case Control.
• Added support for SOL 402 (Multi-Step Nonlinear Kinematic Solution) that supports a combination of subcase
types (static linear, static nonlinear, nonlinear dynamic, bolt pre-load, modal, Fourier, buckling) and large rota-
tion kinematics. Specifically, this includes adding the Multi-Step Control Options dialog box, along with the
Solution and Convergence Options dialog box to the Analysis Set Manager when Analysis Type is set to
“28..Multi-Step Nonlinear Kinematic” to write the NLCNTL2 entry for the Master Case and/or subcases. In
addition, this includes adding the Multi-Step Global Control Options dialog box to optionally write the
NLCNTLG entry to the Master Case.
• Added Subcase (ID) Time Steps dialog box to the Analysis Set Manager when Analysis Type is set to
“27..Multi-Step Structural” (SOL 401) or “28..Multi-Step Nonlinear Kinematic” (SOL 402) to write TSTEP1 to
the Master Case (ID = 0) or subcase.
• Added Analysis Type drop-down to the Analysis Case dialog box in the Analysis Set Manager when Analysis
Type set to “27..Multi-Step Structural” (SOL 401) or “28..Multi-Step Nonlinear Kinematic” (SOL 402). This is
used to specify the type of analysis for a subcase, which writes the appropriate ANALYSIS = entries to the Case
Control section. In addition, added the Step Control section to the Analysis Case dialog box, which is used to
select Sequentially Dependent or Not Sequentially Dependent, and writes the SEQDEP entry to the appropriate
subcase in Case Control.
• Added MATNL and corresponding drop-down to NASTRAN Bulk Data Options dialog box, which is only avail-
able in the Analysis Set Manager when Analysis Type is set to “27..Multi-Step Structural” (SOL 401) or
“28..Multi-Step Nonlinear Kinematic” (SOL 402). Writes PARAM,MATNL with the selected option.
• Added ability to create Connector Set for support of Multi-Step Structural (SOL401) and Multi-Step Nonlinear
Kinematic (SOL402). Connector Sets can be selected in the Contact Sets and/or Glue Sets sections of the
Boundary Conditions dialog box in Analysis Set Manager when Analysis Type is set to “27..Multi-Step Struc-
tural” (SOL 401) or “28..Multi-Step Nonlinear Kinematic” (SOL 402) for the Master Case. For subcases, only
the Contact Sets section is available. See Connections (Regions, Properties, and Connectors) section.
• Added tabs in Connection Property dialog box for support of Multi-Step Structural (SOL401) and Multi-Step
Nonlinear Kinematic (SOL402). See Connections (Regions, Properties, and Connectors) section.
• Added read/write support for Cohesive Elements (CHEXCZ, CPENTCZ), along with the Cohesive Property
(PSOLCZ) and Cohesive Material (MATCZ). See Elements, Materials, and Properties sections.
• Added support for Topology Optimization in Design Optimization (SOL 200), including ability to define
Topology Optimization regions (DETVEL1 and associated GROUP entries) and specify Manufacturing Con-
straints (DMNCON entries). See Optimization section.
• Added support for reading ply-by-ply laminate results created by random response analysis, from the .op2 file.
This includes ply-by-ply Stresses including von Mises Stress for PSDF (OESPSD1C), Cumulative Root Mean
Square output (OESXNO1C), and Positive Crossing (OESCRM1C) output sets, along with ply-by-ply Strains
for PSDF (OSTPSD1C) and Cumulative Root Mean Square (OSTCRM1C) output sets.
• Added support for Strength Ratio output in new format generated by NX Nastran 12 for certain conditions.
• Updated the Rigid Element Thermal Expansion option in Translator Options section of NASTRAN Bulk Data
Options dialog box in the Analysis Set Manager to be Rigid Element Method with a corresponding drop-down.
When Analysis Type is set to “27..Multi-Step Structural” (SOL 401) or “28..Multi-Step Nonlinear Kinematic”
(SOL 402), select from “0..AUTO”, “2..LINEAR”, or “3..STIFF”. When Analysis Type is set to other supported
analysis types, select from “1..LAGRAN” or “2..LINEAR”. Writes the RIGID = entry to the Master Case.
Nastran Interfaces (NX and MSC/MD) 2020.1-69
Nastran Interfaces (NX and MSC/MD)

• Added support for Optimization Variables for Materials (DVMREL1 entries) and Elements (DVEREL1 and
associated GROUP entries), along with adding support for many more for Properties (DVPREL1 entities) for
Design Optimization (SOL 200). See Optimization section.
• Added support for more types of Optimization Limits (DRESP1, DCONSTR, and DCONADD entries) for
Design Optimization (SOL 200). See Optimization section.
• Added check when reading Coordinate Systems, Nodes and Elements to issue error and skip the entities if the
ID is greater than 99,999,999.
• Updated process when importing or attaching to .op2 files created by response spectrum analysis to always skip
principal stress and total vector calculations.
• Updated process when importing or attaching to .op2 files to first sort output sets by subcase, then by time step.
MSC Nastran Interface

• Added Support for output from Fastener Elements (CFAST).
• Added support for SRCOMPS parameter.
• Added support for MSC Nastran Strength Ratio output.
• Added Database read / write support for MSC BCTABLE items: HCT, HCV, HNC, BNC, EMISS. These can
only be accessed via the API.
• Updated the Rigid Element Thermal Expansion option in Translator Options section of NASTRAN Bulk Data
Options dialog box in the Analysis Set Manager to be Rigid Element Method with a corresponding drop-down.
When Analysis Type is set to a supported analysis type, select from “1..LAGRAN”, “2..LINEAR”, or
“4..LGELIM”. Writes the RIGID = entry to the Master Case.
ANSYS Interface
Added an entirely new ANSYS interface for version 12, which includes support for modern element types, along
with other modern inputs and options. The new translator, and all user interface components throughout FEMAP
which were updated to support the new translator, are available when the Enable Legacy Ansys Interface option is
DISABLED in the General Solver Options section on the Interfaces tab of the File, Preferences command.
New features include:
• Analysis Set Manager - New dialog boxes to specify options for different types of analysis in any subcase.
These include the Ansys Analysis Case, ANSYS Load Step, ANSYS Time Step Options, ANSYS Modal Analysis
Options, ANSYS Buckling Analysis Options, ANSYS Transient Dynamics Options, ANSYS Harmonic Analysis
Options, ANSYS Nonlinear Options, ANSYS Output Requests. In addition, the type of analysis being performed
by each “case” can be selected using the Analysis Type drop-down in the Ansys Analysis Case dialog box.
• Connection Property - ANSYS tab has been updated to offer more options than were previously available. See
Connections (Regions, Properties, and Connectors).
• Elements and Properties - 40 of 42 element/property types in FEMAP are mapped to modern ANSYS elements.
• Element Formulations - An Ansys tab has been added to the Element Formulation dialog box, which is used to
specify element type (Ansys Option section) and up to six KEYOPT values for each element type (Ansys Keyopt
section).
• Materials - 30 Material types are mapped to modern ANSYS material models (constant or tabular values).
• Loads and Boundary Conditions - High-level of support for different boundary and loading conditions on
nodes, elemental, and geometric entities (constant of tabular values)
• API - All options in new ANSYS interface available to be set using Application Programing Interface (API).
To use the “legacy interface”, enable the Enable Legacy Ansys Interface preference.
A number of bugs were corrected in the legacy translator.

ABAQUS Interface
• Added support for analytical rigid surfaces of type CYLINDER, SEGMENTS, or REVOLUTION. See Con-
nections (Regions, Properties, and Connectors).
• Added Support For ABAQUS 2018 ODB results files.
• Added reading Pore Pressure “POR” results from the ODB results file.
• Added export of CBUSH elements as ABAQUS CONN3D2 elements, which reference *CONNECTOR
BEHAVIOR and *CONNECTOR ELASTICITY entries. In addition, added Write CBUSH as Matrix option to
ABAQUS Model Options dialog box, which when enabled, writes out CBUSH elements *MATRIX INPUT and
*MATRIX ASSEMBLE entries.
DYNA Interface
• Added support for *CONTROL_TIMESTEP entry for both Explicit Transient Dynamics and Implicit Transient
Dynamics. For both types of analysis, this is specified by clicking the Advanced button in the Solver Options
section of the LS-DYNA Analysis Control dialog box in the Analysis Set Manager, which opens the LS-Dyna
Solver Options - *CONTROL dialog box.
Tools
• Added the Tools, Report Generator command.
This tool can be used to automatically generate a report by automatically connecting to Microsoft Word, creating a
document, then filling the report with general information supplied by the user and information for entity types
selected by the user, which may presented in table format, as a picture, or both.
What is sent to the report is controlled by the Report Generator dialog box:
This dialog box has three tabs: Info, Entities, and Picture, each of which will explained further.
Tools 2020.1-71
Info
This tab is used to enter some general information, such as the Name of the person working on the model, the Com-
pany they work for and Organization they are a member of, along with a Description of the model.
Entities
To to select which entity types to send to the report, along with some options for which of those entities to send, use
the Entities tab:
Use the check boxes next to Load Sets, Constraint Sets, Connections, Output, Groups, and/or Layups to send infor-
mation about that entity type to the report. Each entity type also offers the ability to send All entities of that type or
Select which entities of each type to send, using an appropriate selection dialog box. In addition, it may make sense
to only send information about the Active entity of specific type, so that is also an option for Load Sets, Constraint
Sets, Output, and Groups.
Picture
To choose which the view format and additional options for the pictures sent to the report, use the Picture tab:
Use the drop-down in the upper left of the Picture tab to choose “1..Active View”, “2..Multi-View”, or “3..Current
Layout”, then select options in the corresponding section.
For “1..Active View”, choose Set Resolution in the Active View section to use the Height and Width specified in this
dialog box, Current Screen to use the height and width of the current graphics window, or Preferences to use the
options specified in the Picture Save Defaults section of the Views tab found in the Preferences dialog box. For
more information, see Section 2.6.2.2, "Views".
For “2..Multi-View”, choose 2V (2 Vertical), 2H (2 Horizontal), 3, or 4 in the Multi-View section to create that
many copies of the “active view” in the orientations shown in the dialog box.
For “3..Current Layout”, choose send the only the Active View, All Views in the model, or the current layout with No
Changes, which may be showing multiple views in any orientation to the report.
When the Landscape option is enabled, all pictures will be transferred using Landscape orientation, while they will
be transferred in Portrait mode when Landscape is disabled.
Finally, the Deformed, Contoured, and Level Colors options are only be available when sending output informa-
tion. to the report, and control if the picture will show the model deformed (enabled) or not deformed (disabled)
and/or contoured (enabled) or with no contours (disabled) using either Level Colors (enabled) or Continuous Col-
ors (disabled).
Model Merge
• Added Copy in Current Model option to the Merge/Extract section. This option allows entities from a model to
be merged into the same model. Typically, this would be used in conjunction with one of the Orientation/Trans-
form options to create duplicate entities in a different location.
• Added Keep Loads and Constraints in Original Sets option to Options section. When enabled, which is the
default when using the Copy in Current Model option, load sets and constraint sets will not be renumbered.
Instead, any load set or constraint set which exists in both the From Model and To Model will be combined into
a single load set or single constraint set in the To Model, using the original ID.
• Added Orientation/Transform section, which replaces the Transform Merged Model option and corresponding
drop-downs to select coordinate systems.
This section is used to orient the entities currently in the Entities to Merge list in the active or current model.
Note: When using Transform Merged Model, the Output Set entity type must NOT be selected. If selected, the
command will issue “Unable to transfer results when transforming a model during merge.” message.
None - specifies the merged/copied entities will not be reoriented and/or transformed.
Move Along Vector - specifies the merged/copied entities will be transformed along a vector specified in the active
or current model using the standard vector definition dialog box. See Section 3.5.1, "Geometry, Copy Commands"
or Section 5.4.1, “Mesh, Copy Menu” for more information.
Rotate Around Vector - specifies the merged/copied entities will be rotated around a vector specified in the active
or current model using the standard vector definition dialog box. After specifying the rotation vector, enter a Rota-
tion Angle and optionally a Translation Distance in the Rotation and Translation dialog box. See Section 3.5.4,
"Geometry, Rotate Commands" or Section 5.4.4, "Mesh, Rotate Menu" for more information.
Reflect Across Plane - specifies the merged/copied entities will be reflected across a plane specified in the active or
current model using the standard plane definition dialog box. See Section 3.5.5, "Geometry, Reflect Commands" or
Section 5.4.5, "Mesh, Reflect Menu" for more information.
Between Vectors - specifies the merged/copied entities will be “aligned” using two vectors, each specified using a
standard vector definition dialog box. The first vector, which is specified in the From Model, defines the original
position and orientation that will be aligned. The second vector, which is specified in the To Model, defines the new
or desired position and orientation. When using Copy in Current Model, both vectors are defined in the same
model. The entities are first translated from the origin of the first vector to the origin of the second vector, then
rotated based on the angle between the vectors.
Between Planes - specifies the merged/copied entities will be “aligned” using two planes, each specified using a
standard plane definition dialog box, one in the From Model, one in the To Model. When using Copy in Current
Model, both planes are defined in the same model. The behavior is similar to Between Coordinate Systems, only
each specified plane (X and Y axes) and each plane’s normal direction (Z axis) are used to determine XYZ axes to
align.
Between Coordinate Systems - specifies the merged/copied entities will be “aligned” using two coordinate systems
selected using the From and To drop-downs. The XYZ axes of the From coordinate system, as it is defined in the
From Model, will be aligned to the XYZ axes of the To coordinate system, as it is defined in the To Model. All the
selected and associated entities will move as a rigid body to the newly aligned location. When using Copy in Cur-
rent Model, both coordinate systems are selected from the same model. The type of coordinate system used for
From and To does not matter, as only the axes are aligned.
• Updated File, Merge command to skip rebuilding solid faceting of previously existing solids.
• Updated File, Merge to better handle cases where geometry entities have inconsistent geometry scale factors.
OLE/COM API
• Added ElementNoResultMode attribute to the View Object for FEMAP 12.0.1
• Added CopyTool (feCopyTool) object to the API. Also, added Repetitions, CopyInSameLocation, AlwaysCre-
ateParentCSys, UsePattern, and ReflectionTrapWidth attributes to the feCopyTool Object.
• Added MoveTool (feMoveTool) object to the API. Also, added AlwaysCreateParentCSys and ReflectionTrap-
Width attributes to the feMoveTool Object.
• Added Discrete Value Set (feDiscreteValueSet) object to the API. Also, added IntegerType and RangeType
attributes to the feDiscreteValueSet Object.
• Added Mesh Point (feMeshPt) object to the API. Also, added DefinitionID, PointID, layer, color, OnGeometry-
Type, OnGeometryID, NodeOnGeometry, DistanceToGeometry, Locked, LocationOnGeometry, and vLoca-
tionOnGeometry to feMeshPtObject.
• Added Mesh Point Definition (feMeshPointDefinition) object to the API. Also, added title attributes to the
feMeshPointDefinition Object.
• Added Optimization Manufacturing Constraints (feOptMC) object to the API. Also, added title, ManConType,
Vec1, vVec1, Vec2, vVec2, Vec3, vVec3, Vec4, vVec4, nField1, dField1, and dField2 attributes to the feOptMC
Object.
• Added Optimization Relationship (Variable) (feOptRel) object to the API. Also, added title, TypeField, Name-
Field, RelationshipType, TopologyActive, Bounds, vBounds, RelationshipID, and BoundType attributes to the
feOptRel Object.
• Added Optimization Response (Limits) (feOptResp) object to the API. Also, added title, rtype, ptype, atta, attb,
ResponseCategory, VectorID, attbFieldType, attiDataType, and attaBlank attributes to the feOptRel Object.
• Added SubcaseAnalysisType attribute to feAnalysisCase Object.
• Added NasModeOn, NasModeEigrSet, NasModeMethod, NasModeSolutionType, NasModeEstRoots, Nas-
ModeDesiredRoots, NasModeNormOpt, NasModeNormNode, NasModeNormDOF, NasModeMassForm, Nas-
ModeXYOn, NasModeXYRefNode, NasModeFreqRange, vNasModeFreqRange, NasModesSkipEigr,
NasModeImagFreqRange, vNasModeImagFreqRange, NasModesComplexConverge, NasModesComplexRe-
gionWidth, NasModeDampOverall, NasModeXYRequest, and vNasModeXYRequest attributes for Nastran
Modal Analysis subcases to feAnalysisCase Object.
• Added NasMsnlCntOn, NasMsnlCntSkipNLCNTL, vNasMsnlCntConv_flags, vNasMsnlCntConv_value,
NasMsnlCntMaxbis, NasMsnlCntMaxdiv,NasMsnlCntMaxiter, NasMsnlCntMaxqn, NasMsnlCntEpsbolt,
NasMsnlCntZerbolt, NasMsnlCntItrbolt, NasMsnlCntMisfblt, NasMsnlCntMsglvlb, NasMsnlCntLvar,
NasMsnlCntMsglvl, NasMsnlCntSolver, NasMsnlCntThrmst, NasMsnlCntTvar, NasMsnlCntFollowk,
NasMsnlCntKupdate, NasMsnlCntSpink, NasMsnlCntStfoptn, NasMsnlCntStressk, NasMsnlCntTstepk,
NasMsnlCntCntmdiv, NasMsnlCntFsymtol, NasMsnlCntKsym, NasMsnlCntKsymtol, NasMsnlCntMsglvlc,

NasMsnlCntUsolver, NasMsnlCntCrcerat, NasMsnlCntCrcinc, NasMsnlCntCreep, NasMsnlCntCricoff,
NasMsnlCntCrinfac, NasMsnlCntCrmfmn, NasMsnlCntCrmfmx, NasMsnlCntCrteabs, NasMsnlCntdCrteco,
NasMsnlCntCrterel, NasMsnlCntPlastic, NasMsnlCntAutotim, NasMsnlCntDtinit, NasMsnlCntDtmax,
NasMsnlCntDtmin, NasMsnlCntDtsbcdt, NasMsnlCntEqmfmin, NasMsnlCntEqmfmx, NasMsnlCntTsccr,
NasMsnlCntTsceq, NasMsnlCntTscumat, NasMsnlCntUmfmin, and NasMsnlCntUmfmx attributes for NX
Nastran SOL 401 subcases to the feAnalysisCase Object.
• Added NasMsnlkCnt2on, NasMsnlkCnt2SkipNLCNTL2, NasMsnlkCnt2DISLIM, NasMsnlkCnt2ROTLIM,
NasMsnlkCnt2DEFLIM, NasMsnlkCnt2LVAR, NasMsnlkCnt2TVAR, NasMsnlkCnt2DIPR, NasMsn-
lkCnt2NORM, NasMsnlkCnt2CREEP,NasMsnlkCnt2PLASTIC, NasMsnlkCnt2STAB, NasMsnlkCnt2MADI,
NasMsnlkCnt2ERCD, NasMsnlkCnt2PRED, NasMsnlkCnt2IMPL, NasMsnlkCnt2BETA, NasMsn-
lkCnt2GAMA, NasMsnlkCnt2ALFA, NasMsnlkCnt2TETA, NasMsnlkCnt2PRCO, NasMsnlkCnt2HPRCO,
NasMsnlkCnt2ILNS, NasMsnlkCnt2PRLN, NasMsnlkCnt2AMIN, NasMsnlkCnt2AMAX, NasMsn-
lkCnt2ITMA, NasMsnlkCnt2PRCR, NasMsnlkCnt2REFP, NasMsnlkCnt2PRCQ, NasMsnlkCnt2REFU,
NasMsnlkCnt2PRCE, NasMsnlkCnt2REFE, NasMsnlkCnt2IT1K, NasMsnlkCnt2IT2K, NasMsnlkCnt2IT3K,
NasMsnlkCnt2PLAS, NasMsnlkCnt2CIBL, NasMsnlkCnt2DTI0, NasMsnlkCnt2HMIN, NasMsn-
lkCnt2HMAX, NasMsnlkCnt2RUP, NasMsnlkCnt2RDOW, NasMsnlkCnt2RSUB, NasMsnlkCnt2RELC,
NasMsnlkCnt2DCON, NasMsnlkCnt2PRCS, NasMsnlkCnt2IMPG, NasMsnlkCnt2IMPR, and NasMsn-
lkCnt2IMPV attributes for NX Nastran SOL 402 subcases to the feAnalysisCase Object.
• Added NasMsnlTSOn, NasMsnlTSSkipTSTEP, NasMsnlTSNumIncrements, NasMsnlTSEndTime, NasMsn-
lTSSkipFactor, and NasMsnlTSOutputFreq attributes for NX Nastran SOL 401 and SOL 402 subcases to the
feAnalysisCase Object.
• Added AnsLdstepOn, AnsKbc, AnsPstres, AnsEqslv, AnsNewConstraint, AnsNewLoad,AnsNewContact,Ans-
TimestepOn, AnsTime, AnsAutots, AnsNsubs, AnsNsbstep, AnsNsbmx, AnsNsbmn, AnsDtime, AnsDtmin,
AnsDtmax, AnsPlslimit, AnsPlslimitvalue, AnsCrplimit, AnsCrplimitvalue, AnsDpplimit, AnsDpplimitvalue,
AnsDsplimit, AnsDsplimitvalue, AnsBisect, AnsBisectfactor, AnsPredictor,AnsMidtol, AnsTolerb, AnsResfq,
AnsOutputOn, AnsOutresAll,AnsOutprAll, AnsOutresAllFreq,AnsOutprAllFreq, AnsOutresAllNth, AnsOut-
prAllNth, AnsOutresBasic, AnsOutprBasic, AnsOutresBasicFreq, AnsOutprBasicFreq, AnsOutresBasicNth,
AnsOutprBasicNth, AnsOutresRsol, AnsOutprRsol, AnsOutresRsolFreq, AnsOutprRsolFreq, AnsOutresRsol-
Nth, AnsOutprRsolNth, AnsOutresNsol, AnsOutprNsol, AnsOutresNsolFreq, AnsOutprNsolFreq,AnsOutresN-
solNth,AnsOutprNsolNth, AnsOutresVel,AnsOutprVel, AnsOutresVelFreq,AnsOutprVelFreq,
AnsOutresVelNth, AnsOutprVelNth,AnsOutresAcc, AnsOutprAcc, AnsOutresAccFreq, AnsOutprAccFreq,
AnsOutresAccNth, AnsOutprAccNth, AnsOutresEsol, AnsOutprEsol, AnsOutresEsolFreq, AnsOutprEsolFreq,
AnsOutresEsolNth, AnsOutprEsolNth, AnsModalOptOn, AnsModalMethod, AnsModalNmode, AnsModal-
Freqb, AnsModalFreqe, AnsModalNrmkey,AnsModalStrmck,AnsModalRangefact, AnsModalBlocksize, Ans-
ModalRobustlev, AnsModalCompute, AnsModalReusekey, AnsModalSymmeth, AnsBuckleOptOn,
AnsBuckleMethod,AnsBuckleNmode, AnsBuckleShift, AnsBuckleLdmulte,AnsBuckleRangekey,AnsBuck-
leStrmck, AnsHarmonicOptOn, AnsHarmonicMethod, AnsHarmonicMinmode, AnsHarmonicMaxmode,
AnsHarmonicFreqb, AnsHarmonicFreqe, AnsHarmonicLogopt,AnsHarmonicReimky,AnsHarmonicClust,
AnsTransOptOn, AnsTransMethod, AnsTransMinmode, AnsTransMaxmode, AnsTransTintopt, AnsTransD-
mpsfreq, AnsTransLumpm, AnsTransAlphad, AnsTransBetad, AnsTransDmpstr, AnsTransDmprat, AnsTrans-
Gamma, AnsTransGammavalue, AnsTransAlpha, AnsTransDelta, AnsTransAlphaf, AnsTransAlpham,
AnsNlOptOn, AnsNropt, AnsNeqit, AnsCnvtolU, AnsUtoler, AnsCnvtolRot, AnsRottoler, AnsCnvtolF, Ans-
Ftoler, AnsCnvtolM, AnsMtoler, AnsCnvtolDvol, AnsDvoltoler, AnsCnvtolHdsp, AnsHdsptoler, AnsNlgeom,
AnsArclen, AnsLnsrch, and AnsPred attributes for ANSYS cases to the feAnalysisCase Object.
• Added AbaModCbushAsMatrix attribute for ABAQUS Master Case to the feAnalysisMgr Object.
• Added NasMsnlCntOn, NasMsnlCntSkipNLCNTL, vNasMsnlCntConv_flags, vNasMsnlCntConv_value,
NasMsnlCntMaxbis, NasMsnlCntMaxdiv,NasMsnlCntMaxiter, NasMsnlCntMaxqn, NasMsnlCntEpsbolt,
NasMsnlCntZerbolt, NasMsnlCntItrbolt, NasMsnlCntMisfblt, NasMsnlCntMsglvlb, NasMsnlCntLvar,
NasMsnlCntMsglvl, NasMsnlCntSolver, NasMsnlCntThrmst, NasMsnlCntTvar, NasMsnlCntFollowk,
NasMsnlCntKupdate, NasMsnlCntSpink, NasMsnlCntStfoptn, NasMsnlCntStressk, NasMsnlCntTstepk,
NasMsnlCntCntmdiv, NasMsnlCntFsymtol, NasMsnlCntKsym, NasMsnlCntKsymtol, NasMsnlCntMsglvlc,
NasMsnlCntUsolver, NasMsnlCntCrcerat, NasMsnlCntCrcinc, NasMsnlCntCreep, NasMsnlCntCricoff,
NasMsnlCntCrinfac, NasMsnlCntCrmfmn, NasMsnlCntCrmfmx, NasMsnlCntCrteabs, NasMsnlCntdCrteco,
NasMsnlCntCrterel, NasMsnlCntPlastic, NasMsnlCntAutotim, NasMsnlCntDtinit, NasMsnlCntDtmax,
NasMsnlCntDtmin, NasMsnlCntDtsbcdt, NasMsnlCntEqmfmin, NasMsnlCntEqmfmx, NasMsnlCntTsccr,

NasMsnlCntTsceq, NasMsnlCntTscumat, NasMsnlCntUmfmin, and NasMsnlCntUmfmx attributes for NX
Nastran SOL 401 Master Case to the feAnalysisMgr Object.
• Added NasMsNLKGlobalOn, NasMsNLKGlobalRESO, NasMsNLKGlobalSTRMEAS, NasMsNLKGlobalI-
REF, NasMsNLKGlobalINLY NasMsnlkCnt2on, NasMsnlkCnt2SkipNLCNTL2, NasMsnlkCnt2DISLIM,
NasMsnlkCnt2ROTLIM, NasMsnlkCnt2DEFLIM, NasMsnlkCnt2LVAR, NasMsnlkCnt2TVAR, NasMsn-
lkCnt2DIPR, NasMsnlkCnt2NORM, NasMsnlkCnt2CREEP,NasMsnlkCnt2PLASTIC, NasMsnlkCnt2STAB,
NasMsnlkCnt2MADI, NasMsnlkCnt2ERCD, NasMsnlkCnt2PRED, NasMsnlkCnt2IMPL, NasMsn-
lkCnt2BETA, NasMsnlkCnt2GAMA, NasMsnlkCnt2ALFA, NasMsnlkCnt2TETA, NasMsnlkCnt2PRCO,
NasMsnlkCnt2HPRCO, NasMsnlkCnt2ILNS, NasMsnlkCnt2PRLN, NasMsnlkCnt2AMIN, NasMsn-
lkCnt2AMAX, NasMsnlkCnt2ITMA, NasMsnlkCnt2PRCR, NasMsnlkCnt2REFP, NasMsnlkCnt2PRCQ,
NasMsnlkCnt2REFU, NasMsnlkCnt2PRCE, NasMsnlkCnt2REFE, NasMsnlkCnt2IT1K, NasMsn-
lkCnt2IT2K, NasMsnlkCnt2IT3K, NasMsnlkCnt2PLAS, NasMsnlkCnt2CIBL, NasMsnlkCnt2DTI0, NasMsn-
lkCnt2HMIN, NasMsnlkCnt2HMAX, NasMsnlkCnt2RUP, NasMsnlkCnt2RDOW, NasMsnlkCnt2RSUB,
NasMsnlkCnt2RELC, NasMsnlkCnt2DCON, NasMsnlkCnt2PRCS, NasMsnlkCnt2IMPG, NasMsnlkCnt2-
IMPR, and NasMsnlkCnt2IMPV attributes for NX Nastran SOL 402 Master Case to the feAnalysisMgr Object.
• Added NasMsnlTSOn, NasMsnlTSSkipTSTEP, NasMsnlTSNumIncrements, NasMsnlTSEndTime, NasMsn-
lTSSkipFactor, and NasMsnlTSOutputFreq attributes for NX Nastran SOL 401 and SOL 402 Master Case to
the feAnalysisMgr Object.
• Added NasOptimCycles,NasOptimOn, NasOptimIsTopology, NasBulkMatnl, NasOptimMinDesobj, NasOpti-
mDresp, NasOptimGoal, NasOptimIntervalVal, NasOptimEcho, NasOptimInterval, NasOptimMCDelayVal,
NasOptimMCDelay, and NasOptimIntervalVal attributes for NX Nastran and MSC Nastran SOL 200 Master
Case to the feAnalysisMgr Object.
• Added AnsLdstepOn, AnsKbc, AnsPstres, AnsEqslv, AnsNewConstraint, AnsNewLoad,AnsNewContact,Ans-
TimestepOn, AnsTime, AnsAutots, AnsNsubs, AnsNsbstep, AnsNsbmx, AnsNsbmn, AnsDtime, AnsDtmin,
AnsDtmax, AnsPlslimit, AnsPlslimitvalue, AnsCrplimit, AnsCrplimitvalue, AnsDpplimit, AnsDpplimitvalue,
AnsDsplimit, AnsDsplimitvalue, AnsBisect, AnsBisectfactor, AnsPredictor,AnsMidtol, AnsTolerb, AnsResfq,
AnsOutputOn, AnsOutresAll,AnsOutprAll, AnsOutresAllFreq,AnsOutprAllFreq, AnsOutresAllNth, AnsOut-
prAllNth, AnsOutresBasic, AnsOutprBasic, AnsOutresBasicFreq, AnsOutprBasicFreq, AnsOutresBasicNth,
AnsOutprBasicNth, AnsOutresRsol, AnsOutprRsol, AnsOutresRsolFreq, AnsOutprRsolFreq, AnsOutresRsol-
Nth, AnsOutprRsolNth, AnsOutresNsol, AnsOutprNsol, AnsOutresNsolFreq, AnsOutprNsolFreq,AnsOutresN-
solNth,AnsOutprNsolNth, AnsOutresVel,AnsOutprVel, AnsOutresVelFreq,AnsOutprVelFreq,
AnsOutresVelNth, AnsOutprVelNth,AnsOutresAcc, AnsOutprAcc, AnsOutresAccFreq, AnsOutprAccFreq,
AnsOutresAccNth, AnsOutprAccNth, AnsOutresEsol, AnsOutprEsol, AnsOutresEsolFreq, AnsOutprEsolFreq,
AnsOutresEsolNth, AnsOutprEsolNth, AnsModalOptOn, AnsModalMethod, AnsModalNmode, AnsModal-
Freqb, AnsModalFreqe, AnsModalNrmkey,AnsModalStrmck,AnsModalRangefact, AnsModalBlocksize, Ans-
ModalRobustlev, AnsModalCompute, AnsModalReusekey, AnsModalSymmeth, AnsBuckleOptOn,
AnsBuckleMethod,AnsBuckleNmode, AnsBuckleShift, AnsBuckleLdmulte,AnsBuckleRangekey,AnsBuck-
leStrmck, AnsHarmonicOptOn, AnsHarmonicMethod, AnsHarmonicMinmode, AnsHarmonicMaxmode,
AnsHarmonicFreqb, AnsHarmonicFreqe, AnsHarmonicLogopt,AnsHarmonicReimky,AnsHarmonicClust,
AnsTransOptOn, AnsTransMethod, AnsTransMinmode, AnsTransMaxmode, AnsTransTintopt, AnsTransD-
mpsfreq, AnsTransLumpm, AnsTransAlphad, AnsTransBetad, AnsTransDmpstr, AnsTransDmprat, AnsTrans-
Gamma, AnsTransGammavalue, AnsTransAlpha, AnsTransDelta, AnsTransAlphaf, AnsTransAlpham,
AnsNlOptOn, AnsNropt, AnsNeqit, AnsCnvtolU, AnsUtoler, AnsCnvtolRot, AnsRottoler, AnsCnvtolF, Ans-
Ftoler, AnsCnvtolM, AnsMtoler, AnsCnvtolDvol, AnsDvoltoler, AnsCnvtolHdsp, AnsHdsptoler, AnsNlgeom,
AnsArclen, AnsLnsrch, and AnsPred attributes for ANSYS to the feAnalysisMgr Object.
• Added CombinationType and AbsoluteCombination attributes to feChart Object.
• Added IsCombination attribute to feConnect Object.
• Added attrTopology, MeshPointID, and vMeshPointID attributes to feCurve Object.
• Added InPlanePropExcMemBend, vInPlanePropExcMemBend, BendingPropExcMemBend, and vBending-
PropExcMemBend attributes to feLayup Object.
• Added UseCriteria attribute to feMapOutput Object.
• Added attrTopology, attrMidsideOnGeometry and attrMaxMidsideAngle attributes to feSolid Object.

• Added FeatureLineAngle, ViewLegendJustification, PostTitlesJustification, ContourLegendHorizontal, Con-
tourLegendReversed, ViewLegendLocation, vViewLegendLocation, PostTitlesLocation, vPostTitlesLocation,
ContourLegendLocation, vContourLegendLocation, ContourLegendWidthPct, DiscreteValueOn, DiscreteVal-
ueSetID, ModelDataContourOn, ModelDataContourGroup, ModelDataContourLabels, ViewLegendLockJusti-
fication, PostTitlesLockJustification, ContourLegendTopLeftLabel, and ContourLegendLockOrientation,
attributes to the to feView Object. Also, updated AxisLocation and vAxisLocation.
• Updated label attribute on the feAeroSurf Object.
• Updated formulation and vformulation attributes on the feElem Object.
• Added GetOptLimits and PutOptLimits for NX Nastran and MSC Nastran SOL 200 subcases to feAnalysis-
Case Object.
• Added KBC, PSTRES, EQSLV, TIME, AUTOTS, NSUBST, DELTIM, CUTCONTROL, MIDTOL, OUTRES,
OUTPR, MODOPT, LANBOPTION, PCGOPT, SUBOPT, SNOPTION, QRDOPT, BUCOPT, HROPT, HAR-
FRQ, HROUT, TRNOUT, LUMPM, ALPHAD, BETAD, DMPSTR, DMPRAT, TINTP, NROPT, NEQIT,
CNVTOL, NLGEOM, ARCLEN, LNSRCH, and PRED for ANSYS Cases to feAnalysisCase Object.
• Added GetOptVars, PutOptVars, GetOptLimits, PutOptLimits, GetOptMCs, and PutOptMCs for NX Nastran
and MSC Nastran SOL 200 Master Case to feAnalysisMgr Object.
• Added KBC, PSTRES, EQSLV, TIME, AUTOTS, NSUBST, DELTIM, CUTCONTROL, MIDTOL, OUTRES,
OUTPR, MODOPT, LANBOPTION, PCGOPT, SUBOPT, SNOPTION, QRDOPT, BUCOPT, HROPT, HAR-
FRQ, HROUT, TRNOUT, LUMPM, ALPHAD, BETAD, DMPSTR, DMPRAT, TINTP, NROPT, NEQIT,
CNVTOL, NLGEOM, ARCLEN, LNSRCH, and PRED for ANSYS Master Case to feAnalysisMgr Object.
• Added ConnectionsByType, CombinationsByType, IsGlueConnector, and GetCombinations to feConnect
Object.
• Added SetFriction, GetFriction, SetAnalyticSurfaceType, and GetAnalyticSurfaceType to feContact Object.
• Added Option Methods (Clear, SetNumbering, SetVectorPattern, SetCSysPattern, SetPropertyOption, Includ-
eOtherEntities, and AllOtherEntities) and Operation Methods (AlongVector, PointToPoint, BetweenCSys,
BetweenVectors, BetweenPlanes, RotateAroundVector, RotatePointToPoint, Reflect, CreatePattern, and
InPlace) to feCopyTool Object.
• Added MeshPointID, vMeshPointID, and InitMeshAttributes to feCurve Object.
• Added GetDataArray to feDataSurf Object.
• Added Get, Put, GetNumberLevels, GetLevelInteger, SetLevelInteger, AddLevelInteger, GetLevelFloat,
SetLevelFloat, AddLevelFloat, Sort, GetTitle, SetTitle, CreateRangeInteger, CreateRangeFloat, and AutoCre-
ateLevels to the feDiscreteValueSet object.
• Added GetAnsysFormulationArray, PutAnsysFormulationArray, GetAnsysKeyoptArray, PutAnsysKeyoptAr-
ray, HasProp, and HasMatl to feElem Object.
• Added SetTotalLoad to feLoadDef Object.
• Added Put, Enable, IsEnabled, OnPoint, AutoDistanceToGeometry, UpdateMeshPoints, and UpdateMesh-
PointsOnGeometry to feMeshPt object.
• Added Get, Delete, ResetNextMeshPoint, NextMeshPoint, and CountMeshPoints to feMeshPointDefinition
object.
• Added Option Methods (Clear and IncludeOtherEntities) and Operation Methods (AlongVector, PointToPoint,
BetweenCSys, BetweenVectors, BetweenPlanes, RotateAroundVector, RotatePointToPoint, Reflect) to feMo-
veTool Object.
• Added SetAddm, GetAddm, SetCast, GetCast, SetCheckerboard, GetCheckerboard, SetCycSym, GetCycSym,
SetExtrusion, GetExtrusion, SetMinSize, GetMinSize,SetMaxSize, GetMaxSize, SetPlSym, and GetPlSym to
feOptMC object.
• Added SetupTopology, GetTopology, SetupShellT, GetShellT, SetupProp, GetProp, SetupMatl, GetMatl, and
CalculateBounds to feOptRel object.
• Added Get, Put, SetEntities, GetEntities, SetupDisplacement, GetDisplacement, SetupSPCForce, GetSPC-
Force, SetupElem, GetElem, SetupESE, GetESE, SetupFreq, GetFreq, SetupEign, GetEign, SetupBuckle, Get-
Buckle, SetConstraints,and, and GetConstraints to feOptResp object.
• Added HasMatl to the feProp Object.
• Added SetLineTransform to the feResults Object.
• Added AddAllInRangeInSet and AddBySize to the feSet Object.
• Added InitMeshAttributes and Volume to the feSolid Object.
• Added InitMeshAttributes to the feSurface Object.
• Added FitVisible, SetModelDataContourForm, GetModelDataContourForm, SetModelDataContourType, Get-
ModelDataContourType to the feView Object.
• Added GetFirstPathID, GetNextPathID to the feViewOrient Object.
• Updated SetDefaults on the feConnectionProp Object.
The following functions have been added:
• feFileWriteTopologyStl
• feSolidThicken
• feSurfaceMidAuto3
• feSurfaceOffset2
• feImprintLocationInSurface
• feResultsToDataTable2
• feMeshEdgeMembers2
• feMeshPoint2
• feMeshCurve2
• feModifyLineElementDirection
• feGroupFromCriteria
• feGetElementAdjacentFaces
• feSelectOutput2
• feSelectOutputSets2
• feOutputValueGetRGB
• feAppResetLocale
• feGetNodalAreaOrLength
• feGetNodalAreaOnSurface
New and removed Global Variables
• Added Pref_RenderBestAvailable, Pref_NXNastEntLicenseServer, Pref_FastHoleMeshing, and Pref_EnableL-
egacyAnsysInterface to set various preferences.
• Removed Pref_NastranUseILP64, as this preference is no longer available.
New and Updated API Scripts (Custom Tools Menu)
Added Custom Tools, Views, View Themes command (View Themes.exe), which runs as a dockable pane to provide
easier creation and saving of backgrounds and entity colors.
Added Custom Tools, Examples, PowerPoint - Group PostProcess Capture command (PowerPoint - Group Post-
Process Capture.bas) that automatically creates a PowerPoint presentation, then create a slide containing a picture
of each selected group. The script can also connect to an existing PowerPoint presentation and start creating new
slides at a specific slide number or simply create imagines and save them to the specified directory (i.e., potentially
not interact with PowerPoint at all).
Updated existing Custom Tools, Data Table, Add Corner Thickness script. The script now works with the FEMAP
Selector.
Updated existing Custom Tools, Example, Using Text script. Added auto-repeat if turned on in FEMAP Prefer-
ences.
Updated existing Custom Tools, PostProcessing, GROUP_POST_FNO script with option to export Full Model or
individual Group(s).
Updated existing Custom Tools, PostProcessing, List Output to Excel script to use Results Browsing Object for
faster Output Vector listing.
Updated existing Custom Tools, PostProcessing, Calculate Factor of Safety script for Solid Elements to prompt
user for Limit Stress values if none are specified in material card.
Updated existing Custom Tools, PostProcessing, Calculate Mid Plate Stresses_Results Browsing Object script to
create additional vector for Mid-Plate Von Mises Stress.
Preferences
Graphics
• Added Best Possible option to the Graphics Options section. This option, when enabled, attempts to use infor-
mation from the computer running FEMAP (installed RAM, Graphics Card, version of Open GL, etc) to deter-
mine what should be the “best possible” settings for several items in the Graphics Options section. When
enabled, the Performance Graphics, Max VBO MB, Min VBO B, and Memory Optimization options, along with
the setting for the Vertex Arrays drop-down, cannot be specified by the user. When disabled, these items can
specified individually
Note: To work properly, this option relies on each computer to provide accurate information about a number
of different systems and pieces of hardware. If any of the queried information being relayed to FEMAP
is inaccurate, this may cause performance issues, thus it might be necessary to disable this option.
• Updated Mesh Size in the Include In Dynamic Rotation section to be Mesh Locations, as both Mesh Size on
curves and Mesh Points are now not included in dynamic rotation unless this option is enabled.
Geometry/Model
• Added Surface Meshing in Memory to Meshing and Properties section. This preference determines whether
additional memory will be allocated by the FEMAP boundary mesher. If this option is selected, FEMAP will
allocate new memory to create the mesh. If it is not selected, FEMAP will utilize the memory allocated in the
database to perform the mesh. By allocating new memory, the FEMAP mesher can run significantly faster than
if it is limited to the database memory. Therefore, this option should almost always be turned on. The only rea-
son to turn this option off is if the available memory on the current machine is low enough that allocation of
new memory is extremely limited.
Interfaces
• Added Enable Legacy Ansys Interface option to the General Solver Options section. When this option enabled,
the Analysis Set Manager and other dialog boxes will use the “legacy” version of the ANSYS analysis interface
and translator (i.e., essentially what was in FEMAP versions prior to version 12).
• Added Enterprise License Server option to the Nastran Options section, which can be used to specify a license
server if using an enterprise version of NX Nastran. Simply enter the “@” symbol followed by the name of the
license server (i.e., @Nastran_Server_Name).

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What’s New in FEMAP

What’s New - version 2020.2

Data Surface Editor

Mesh Point Editor

Loads and Constraints

Connections (Regions, Properties, and Connectors)

The three types of curve connectivity are:

Output and Post-Processing

This command opens the Stress Linearization dialog box:

Output Set Filter

Understanding Stress Linearization

Using the Stress Linearization tool

Model is axisymmetric elements with mapped meshed (SCL Shown in Red):

Results of Stress Linearization calculations:

FEMAP Interface Latest Supported Version

Analysis Program Interfaces

FEMAP Neutral File Interface

Simcenter Nastran Interface (Previously NX Nastran)

Nastran Interfaces (Simcenter and MSC/MD)

A number of bugs were corrected.

Example of listing when using Compute Overall/ Assembly Properties option:

• Added ndID1, ndID2, ouSetID, nElemType, nStressmode, bNonlinearMode, bFullStressTensor, dMem-

• Updated EraseSet method to the Draw/Erase Object.

What’s New - version 2020.1 MP2

Output and Post-Processing

Analysis Program Interfaces

Simcenter Nastran Interface (Previously NX Nastran)

What’s New - version 2020.1 MP1

Analysis Program Interfaces

What’s New - version 2020.1

VERY IMPORTANT - Output Vector ID Ranges Have Changed!

Output Vector Range Comparison

Model Info tree

Loads and Constraints

Simulation Entities - New for 2020.1!

NASTRAN Structural Load Monitor Point

Convert Matrix Input

Send Matrix Input

Referenced Matrix Inputs for NASTRAN Matrix Selection

Connections (Regions, Properties, and Connectors)

Groups and Layers

Output and Post-Processing

Single IsoSurface at Value Negative Capped IsoSurface Positive Capped IsoSurface

FEMAP Interface Latest Supported Version

Analysis Program Interfaces

FEMAP Neutral File Interface

Simcenter Nastran Interface (Previously NX Nastran)

“1..Log Strain, Cauchy Stress” - writes a value of 1.

Nastran Interfaces (Simcenter and MSC/MD)

The G-Type Matrices section contains five drop-downs:

Basic Options (SPOPT)

PSD Table (PSDUNIT/PSDFREQ/PSDVAL/PFACT)

• Added AutoPopulate, NextSetStartID, NextVectorStartID, and NextStudyStartID attributes to the Results

• Added DO_ContourLegend_Option, DO_ContourLegend_RoundToZero, DO_ContourLegend_RoundToZe-

• Added PutArray, GetAllArray, and PutAllArray methods to the LoadMesh Object.

Labels, Entities and Color Category - Load Vectors and Constraint

• “1”, values displayed as 1.E+3 and 1.E-4

• “2”, value displayed as 1.23457E+2

What’s New - version 2019.1 MP1

FEMAP Interface Latest Supported Version