Customization of ANSYS Mechanical: ACT

23 Pages·2014·2.53 MB·English

by  Anthony Dawson

Customization of ANSYS Mechanical: ACT
1 © 2014 ANSYS, Inc. June 20, 2014 ANSYS Confidential
Why Customize?
Customer requirements are diverse…
But everyone gets the same “off the shelf” software
Solution
What if a ‘super user’ could encapsulate
company-specific expertise, know-how, processes
etc. and provide this to ‘everyday’ users for
expanded simulation capabilities?

The knowledge and expertise of one or a few
becomes accessible to all in the organization
2 © 2014 ANSYS, Inc. June 20, 2014 ANSYS Confidential
ANSYS Customization Suite
• Application Customization • Framework Software
Toolkit (ACT) Development Kit (SDK)
– Toolkit for Application level – Provides a tool kit for Framework
customization level customization
– Modify functionality and integrate 3rd – Full integration of 3rd party tools
party tools at the Application level at the Framework level
– Many projects can be completed in – Several months effort common
hours, not months
– Specialist programmer skills
– Specialist programmer skills NOT required for SDK
required for ACT
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Scope of ACT
• Encapsulate APDL macros
– Allows seamless integration of legacy APDL-scripts enabling transition to
Mechanical application
• MAPDL exposure
– Fill the gap between MAPDL solver capabilities and their exposure in
ANSYS Mechanical
• New pre-processing features
– User-created custom loads and boundary conditions
• New post-processing features
– User-created custom results objects
• In-house solver integration
– Your tools or solver integrated into ANSYS Mechanical
4 © 2014 ANSYS, Inc. June 20, 2014 ANSYS Confidential
ACT Components
ACT Development Module ACT Extensions
Module used by ‘super users’ to Files given to users to access
develop extensions the enhanced functionality
• Add-on to the Workbench • Resultant ACT customizations
environment
• Often single binary file
• Based on the Python and XML
• Can be ‘loaded into’ ANSYS
programming languages
Workbench
• Allows you to look at and modify
• Act to modify ANSYS Mechanical
things ‘under the hood’ of Mechanical
• Outside of the ANSYS standard
• Toolkit used to create ACT
support model
customizations or ‘extensions’
• No license required
• Licensed ANSYS product
– Beyond access to ANSYS Mechanical
• Maintained and supported by ANSYS
5 © 2014 ANSYS, Inc. June 20, 2014 ANSYS Confidential
Encapsulate APDL Macros
APDL Script Workbench Mechanical
! APDL_script_for_convection.inp

! Input parameters:
esel,s,type,,10
cm,component,ELEM
thickness = 0.005
film_coefficient = 200.
temperature = 226.85

! Treatment:
/prep7
et,100,152
keyop,100,8,2.
et,1001,131
keyo,1001,3,2
sectype,1001,shell
secdata,thickness,10
secoff,mid
cmsel,s,component
emodif,all,type,1001
emodif,all,secnum,1001
type,100
esurf
APDL
fini
alls
/solu
esel,s,type,,100
nsle
sf,all,conv,film_coefficient,temperature
Ability to migrate existing process automation
alls
from MAPDL to ANSYS Mechanical at ‘low cost’
6 © 2014 ANSYS, Inc. June 20, 2014 ANSYS Confidential
Creating the GUI definition via XML file
At Runtime, the required APDL
commands are generated by
the Python function
<load name="Convection on Blade" version="1" caption="Convection on Blade"
icon="Convection" issupport="false" isload="true" color="#FF0000">

<callbacks>
<onsolve>Convection_Blade_Computation</onsolve>
</callbacks>

<details>
<property name="Geometry" dataType="string"
control="scoping"></property>
<property name="Thickness" caption="Thickness"
dataType="string" control="text"></property>
<property name="Film Coefficient" caption="Film Coefficient"
dataType="string" control="text"></property>
<property name="Ambient Temperature" caption="Ambient Temperature"
dataType="string" control="text"></property>
</details>
</load>
7 © 2014 ANSYS, Inc. June 20, 2014 ANSYS Confidential
Generating the APDL commands via Python
Python script:

# Get the scoped geometry:
propGeo = result.GetDPropertyFromName("Geometry")
refIds = propGeo.Value

# Get the related mesh and create the component:
for refId in refIds:
meshRegion = mesh.MeshRegion(refId)
elementIds = meshRegion.Elements
eid = aap.mesh.element[elementIds[0]].Id
/prep7
f.write("*get,ntyp,ELEM,"+eid.ToString()+",ATTR,TYPE\n")
et,100,152
f.write("esel,s,type,,ntyp \n cm,component,ELEM")
keyop,100,8,2.

et,1001,131
# Get properties from the details view:
keyo,1001,3,2
propThick = load.GetDPropertyFromName("Thickness")
sectype,1001,shell
thickness = propThick.Value
secdata,thickness,10
propCoef = load.GetDPropertyFromName("Film Coefficient")
secoff,mid
film_coefficient = propCoef.Value
cmsel,s,component
propTemp = load.GetDPropertyFromName("Ambient Temperature")
emodif,all,type,1001
temperature = propTemp.Value
emodif,all,secnum,1001

type,100
# Insert the parameters for the APDL commands:
esurf
f.write("thickness="+thickness.ToString()+"\n")
fini
f.write("film_coefficient="+film_coefficient.ToString()+"\n")
alls
f.write("temperature="+temperature.ToString()+"\n")
/solu

esel,s,type,,100 # Reuse the legacy APDL macros: APDL
nsle f.write("/input,APDL_script_for_convection.inp\n") reuse
sf,all,conv,film_coefficient,temperature
alls
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Example of MAPDL Exposure
ACT exposes existing MAPDL acoustics features
in Mechanical without any command objects
• Defines acoustics elements
• Adds specific acoustic material properties
• Applies acoustic boundary conditions
• Unit consistent, no ‘commands objects’
Under water
9 © 2014 ANSYS, Inc. June 20, 2014 ANSYS Confidential
Example of External Solver Extension
ACT can allow ANSYS Workbench to front-end
y our in-house solver
• Small in-house verification tool
• Large-scale simulation code with
weak or no user interface
• Use ACT to translate the problem
setup in Mechanical into input
for your in-house code
• Pre- and Post-processing
• Our powerful, easy-to-use and
familiar environment, your solver
10 © 2014 ANSYS, Inc. June 20, 2014 ANSYS Confidential