MSC SimDesigner™ R3

R3 Template Client Edition

Release Guide

CorporateMSC.Software Corporation2 MacArthur PlaceSanta Ana, CA 92707Telephone: (800) 345-2078FAX: (714) 784-4056

EuropeMSC.Software GmbHAm Moosfeld 1381829 MunichGERMANYTelephone: (49) (89) 43 19 87 0Fax: (49) (89) 43 61 71 6

Asia PacificMSC.Software Japan Ltd.Shinjuku First West 8F23-7 Nishi Shinjuku1-Chome, Shinjuku-Ku Tokyo 160-0023, JAPANTelephone: (81) (3)-6911-1200Fax: (81) (3)-6911-1201

Worldwide Webwww.mscsoftware.com

User Documentation: Copyright

2008 MSC.Software Corporation. Printed in U.S.A. All Rights Reserved.

This document, and the software described in it, are furnished under license and may be used or copied only in

accordance with the terms of such license. Any reproduction or distribution of this document, in whole or in part,

without the prior written authorization of MSC.Software Corporation is strictly prohibited.

MSC.Software Corporation reserves the right to make changes in specifications and other information contained

in this document without prior notice. The concepts, methods, and examples presented in this document are for

illustrative and educational purposes only and are not intended to be exhaustive or to apply to any particular

engineering problem or design. THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED ON AN “AS-IS” BASIS AND ALL EXPRESS

AND IMPLIED CONDITIONS, REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED

WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ARE DISCLAIMED,

EXCEPT TO THE EXTENT THAT SUCH DISCLAIMERS ARE HELD TO BE LEGALLY INVALID.

MSC.Software logo, MSC, MSC., MD, Adams, Dytran, Marc, SimDesigner, SimEnterprise, SimManager and

SimXpert are trademarks or registered trademarks of MSC.Software Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United

States and/or other countries.

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CATIA is a registered trademark of Dassault Systemes S.A. All other trademarks are the property of their

respective owners. Pro/ENGINEER is a registered trademark of PTC. UG NX, and Unigraphics are trademarks

or registered trademarks of UGS Corp., a Siemens group company.

Use, duplication, or disclosure by the U.S. Government is subject to restrictions as set forth in FAR 12.212

(Commercial Computer Software) and DFARS 227.7202 (Commercial Computer Software and Commercial

Computer Software Documentation), as applicable.

SD*R3*Z*Z*Z*DC-REL

Con t en t s

Release Guide

1 Release Notes

CAD System Requirements 4

SimEnterprise Requirement 5

Enhancements 6

Limitations 7

Product Training and Support 8

2 SimEnterprise Overview

Introduction 10

SimXpert 10

SimDesigner 10

SimManager 11

SimEnterprise Interoperability 12

Enterprise Simulation Scenario 12

Summary 15

Release Guide

4

Chapter 1: Release Notes

Release Guide

1 Release Notes

� CAD System Requirements

� SimEnterprise Requirement

� Enhancements

� Limitations

� Product Training and Support

Release GuideCAD System Requirements

4

CAD System Requirements

MSC SimDesigner R3 Template Client Edition has the following CAD system requirements:

Pro/ENGINEER:

• Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 3.0

CATIA V5:

• CATIA V5 R17 SP1

• CATIA V5 R18 SP1

UG NX:

• NX5

5Chapter 1: Release NotesSimEnterprise Requirement

SimEnterprise Requirement

MSC SimDesigner R3 Template Client Edition is a component of SimEnterprise, and requires the

complete suite of SimEnterprise Products. Other MSC SimEnterprise products are not included with

MSC SimDesigner Template Client Edition, and each must be purchased independently.

The following SimEnterprise Products and versions are required for SimDesigner R3 Template Client

Edition:

• MSC SimManager R3

• MSC SimXpert R3

Note: To enable the Template Execution from CATIA, please add the following line to the

beginning of the simxpert32.bat file from the SimXpert installation referenced by

SimManager:

set USE_SGM_CATIA=0

Release GuideEnhancements

6

Enhancements

The following enhancements are new for MSC SimDesigner R3 Template Client Edition.

• Expanded CAD System Support to Include:

• CATIA V5

• NX

• Pro/ENGINEER

• Execute SimTemplates published by expert analysts to SimManager to:

• Allow designers to conduct accurate and repeatable CAE simulations

• Leverage CAE best practices enterprise-wide

• Execute Structures and Motion analyses

• Publish & retrieve parts, assemblies, and simulation data into SimManager.

• Ability to rerun templates using previously defined inputs.

7Chapter 1: Release NotesLimitations

Limitations• (1-66008411) Elements and Nodes are not getting highlighted while picking on plots.

• (1-73276131) SimDesigner Template Client toolbar in Pro/E will be missing if some other

default directory path is defined for the shortcut. Must use path set as default from initial

installation.

• (1-73302489) CATIA Undo & Repeat are not supported for Template Client actions. Using

Undo & Repeat can cause CATIA to crash. Please avoid using Undo & Repeat for SimDesigner

actions.

• (1-73523535) Rerunning a template and importing results can cause plotting commands to

become disabled.

• When running templates from the CATIA V5 CAD platform, the SimXpert server needs to be

configured so that it uses a system variable USE_SGM_CATIA=0.

Release GuideProduct Training and Support

8

Product Training and Support

The MSC Institute of Technology is a service organization chartered to provide our software customers

and other design and engineering professionals with basic and specialized training in the use of Dassault

Systemes’ and MSC.Software's MCAE software products.

Introductory, intermediate, and advanced training courses are offered at local MSC.Software offices on

a regular basis. These courses introduce the novice to theoretical and usage aspects of the software, and

expose the experienced user to more advanced features of the software. Lecture sessions are always

combined with workshops. Customer suggestions for training improvement are continually reviewed by

our professional trainers to insure that our courses are effective and up-to-date.

Our industry-experienced expert staff is available to customize our course offerings to meet your unique

training requirements. For the most effective training, the Institute also offers many of our courses at our

customers’ facilities.

The MSC Institute of Technology is headquartered at:

2 MacArthur Place

Santa Ana, CA 92707

Phone: (800) 732-7211

Fax: (714) 784-4028

For customers outside the Unites States, please contact your local MSC.Software sales office which may

be found at www.mscsoftware.com.

The Institute maintains state-of-the-art classroom facilities and individual computer graphics laboratories

at training centers throughout the world. All of our courses emphasize hands-on computer laboratory

work to facilitate skills development.

We specialize in customized training based on our evaluation of your design and simulation processes,

which yields courses that are geared to your business.

In addition to traditional instructor-led classes, we also offer video and DVD courses, interactive

multimedia training, web-based training, and a specialized instructor's program.

For detailed course descriptions, schedule information, and registration call, in the USA, the Training

Specialist at (800) 732-7211 or visit www.mscsoftware.com.

Chapter 2: SimEnterprise Overview

Release Guide

2 SimEnterprise Overview

� Introduction

� SimEnterprise Interoperability

� Summary

Release GuideIntroduction

10

Introduction

SimEnterprise is an enterprise simulation platform that enables simulation participants to interact

throughout the design process. It enhances the way designers, analysts, and managers access, share, and

manage simulation data and processes across the enterprise. SimEnterprise applications include MSC

SimXpert, MSC SimDesigner, and MSC SimManager.

SimXpert

SimXpert is a multi-disciplinary simulation application for the analyst. It contains four workspaces -

structures, thermal, crash, and motion, each providing a functionality-rich expert environment

appropriate for that discipline. The workspaces are designed to interact with each other to allow a

common simulation model to be used for multi-disciplinary analysis.

SimDesigner

SimDesigner Template Client Edition plugs into the CAD environment allowing designers across the

engineering department and into the supply chain to retrieve and execute simulation templates authored

by expert analysts. Template guided analysis ensures proper modeling, simulation inputs, materials data,

11Chapter 2: SimEnterprise OverviewIntroduction

discipline methods and CAE best practices are being followed by CAD users, then ensuring that more

robust designs much earlier in the product development cycle.

SimDesigner Template Client Edition supports the following CAD systems:

• Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 3.0

• CATIA V5

• NX5

SimManager

SimManager is a Web-based application for managing simulation data and process. It provides the

enterprise with centralized storage, access, and management of simulation models and results. It also

provides storage and access of simulation templates to allow knowledge capture and process

standardization across the enterprise.

Release GuideSimEnterprise Interoperability

12

SimEnterprise Interoperability

The interoperability between the SimEnterprise applications provides structured access and reuse of

simulation data and process. Simulation data from SimXpert and SimDesigner are published into

SimManager to be stored and accessed by users across the enterprise. Expert knowledge and best

practices are captured through templates which are published into SimManager to provide repeatable and

standardized simulation procedures to designers and analysts enterprise-wide.

Enterprise Simulation Scenario

The following enterprise simulation scenario illustrates how 5 different simulation participants in an

enterprise might utilize SimEnterprise to interact and collaborate in the design of an aircraft wing flap.

The five enterprise simulation participants are:

13Chapter 2: SimEnterprise OverviewSimEnterprise Interoperability

1. The Methods Expert creates a stress analysis template by using the SimTemplate Builder from the

SimXpert structures workspace menu bar. This template performs the following operations:

• Imports a wing assembly model from an existing stress analysis

• Imports a flap model from a validated designer model

• Sets up a detailed stress analysis for the mechanism, including 3D contact effects

• Validates loads and checks element quality

• Computes detailed stresses

Following the creation of the stress analysis template, the Methods Expert publishes it into

SimManager to be stored and re-used by others. This is done by using the Template Publish icon

in any of the four SimXpert workspaces.

2. The Designer has been asked to detail a new flap mechanism and validate its basic performance

characteristics prior to detailed stress analysis. The Designer creates the new design and performs

first-pass motion and stress analyses using SimDesigner. The new design is now ready for

detailed stress analysis. The Designer publishes the CAD model and first-pass analysis models

and results into SimManager. This is done by using the Publish icon in the SimDesigner

structures or motion workbench.

3. The Stress Analyst is tasked with performing detailed stress analysis on the flap mechanism,

including relatively complex simulations involving 3D contact and nonlinear behavior. He must

get the current, validated flap model from the Designer, assemble it into a wing assembly model,

and analyze it according to the methodology established by his colleague - the Methods Expert.

The Stress Analyst first logs into SimManager and reviews the first-pass analysis models and

results published by the Designer. He then retrieves the new flap CAD model into SimXpert.

Now using the flap stress analysis template created by the Methods Expert, he meshes the flap

model and hooks it up to the current wing assembly model and performs a detailed stress analysis.

The analysis models and results are automatically stored in SimManager as the template is

executed.

Enterprise Role Description

Methods Expert A very experienced "expert analyst" responsible for defining simulation

processes and practices for aircraft design.

Designer or Engineer Responsible for detailing the CAD design for wing flap components.

Performs basic analysis to validate designs.

Stress Analyst A skilled analyst responsible for integrating part and sub-assembly models

and performing detailed stress analysis.

CAE Supervisor A very experienced structural analyst. Responsible for verifying the

quality of simulation results on an aircraft program.

Program Manager Responsible for the development of an aircraft.

Release GuideSimEnterprise Interoperability

14

4. The CAE supervisor is responsible for verifying the quality of the simulations performed. In this

case, the supervisor logs into SimManager to review the simulation models and results generated

by the Stress Analyst. In SimManager, the CAE Supervisor has been given the authority to

release and promote models and results for subsequent consumption by other people on the

program.

5. The Program Manager needs to have visibility into the progress of simulation tasks on the aircraft

program. He uses SimManager to continually monitor the progress of his designers and analysts.

He also has the authority to define project roles for all the simulation participants.

15Chapter 2: SimEnterprise OverviewSummary

Summary

The coupling of SimXpert and SimDesigner with SimManager provides a powerful solution to manage

simulation data and process throughout the design process. As illustrated in the scenario above,

SimEnterprise provides the platform for the various simulation participants to capture and reuse

simulation data, best practices, and simulation procedure in a repeatable and standardized manner.

Release GuideSummary

16