External Analysis tutorials?

[sndong-mefane]

Hello,

I am looking for examples/tutorials of external analysis with softwares other than mathcad, as I have no clue on how to use that function of CREO2.0. my final goal is to create an external analysis using ANSYS CFX (no CFD in CREO SIMULATE...). any hint anyone???

Stephane

[ptc-3828731]

Hello,

There is an opportunity to solve CFD problems with Creo.

Mentor Graphics is having tie-up with PTC.

Attached the demo guide (Demo version can be downloaded from M-G website).

For additional info:

http://www.mentor.com/products/mechanical/products/floefd/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9JhPUzzhZ0

Hope it may help you.

Shiva

[sndong-mefane]

Thank you for your suggestion Shiva, I will take a look at the demo version.

But I am still looking for examples of "external Analysis" application, because in the end I am not the one deciding which CFD tool shall be used...Management does...Unfortunately.

[dschenken]

"

With the External Analysis tool, you can create a customized analysis within Pro/ENGINEER to run commands that drive external software. The analysis provides five different steps in the following commands:

• Setup—Defines preprocess relations.
• Write—Writes parameters and dimensions to an external file.
• Execute—Executes a command that drives an external application.
• Read—Read parameters from an external file.
• Post-Process—Post-processes relations.

You can save the external analysis as an Analysis Feature in BMX. Then you can use your external software to drive the geometry of your model."

From http://www.ptc.com/appserver/wcms/relnotes/note.jsp?&im_dbkey=50974&icg_dbkey=826

Looks like the user is on the hook for managing the way the analysis uses and returns values.

[sndong-mefane]

Hello David,

Looking at the link below, I understand that the lack of documentation on "external Analysis" is still an open problem...

https://www.ptc.com/appserver/cs/view/solution.jsp?n=CS143795&posno=2&q=external%20analysis&nav=ptcproductgroups||creo||Product+Group||creo^^ptcproductgroups||creo||Product%20Group||Creo

[danderson]

Stephane,

If you have the Ansys 14 CAD Interface license you will be able to link the ansys session directly with the creo 2 session and use Ansys to perform the CFD analysis and drive modifications to the Creo/Proe model without usign an external analysis feature.

Don Anderson

[sndong-mefane]

Thank you Don, but what I am trying to do is different:

I want to use the model optimization capabilities of CREO2.0 using the value (in my case the pressure gradient) calculated in Ansys CFX as the target parameter (I am trying to minimize it).

in that case CREO2 is driving the whole process, and from what I see the best way to do that is to make an "External Analysis" Feature which will execute Ansys input the new model dimensions, start the calculation, pick up the new pressure gradient value, and give it back to CREO....Easy to say I know...but If I had a good idea on the ways to use "External Analysis", at least I would know how hard it is to accomplish...

[dschenken]

It seems like the external analysis is setup for situations where the typical communication between Creo and the other program is conveniently handled by a fixed set of numbers.

Since the trigger is a command line to the OS one could create a series of events that would cause Creo to generate an export, cause CFX to import the file, assign conditions, run the analysis, and then package up the results in such a way as to drive a new version of the model.

If there aren't any values being exported from Creo, I'd set up this using AutoIT instead. It won't be any harder with AutoIT than some other method, and there is a lot of support in AutoIT for controlling multiple applications. For example, you could open Creo, export the model for Ansys, close Creo, open Ansys and import the model and so on.

If you are using an integrated mode, then AutoIT could manage sensitivity runs, save and archive outputs, and (if fully motivated) send emails concerning run progress.

"AutoIt v3 is a freeware BASIC-like scripting language designed for automating the Windows GUI and general scripting."

[sndong-mefane]

Thank you David I have the feeling it is really close to what I am trying do.

I will try to use AutoIT, but I'm worried about the part where I will need to tell CREO to go look into CFX after each iteration of the optimization process using AutoIT....feels like we are going deeper into the code with this one

[dschenken]

If it is something you could do if you had time, and something you could tell someone else to do if they would pay attention and remember, it is something that AutoIT can be used to accomplish.

Write out the steps you want to take and start filling them with software steps. The best part is the foundation this will provide for future tasks.

[sndong-mefane]

Hello,

Some update on my problem. I made some progress with the external analysis module, and managed to do the following tasks "separately":

1) generate an dimension input file (.txt) that ansys can read

2) start ansys, read the input file, start the CFD calculation, and finally export the desired results (Pressure) into a .CSV file readeable by CREO external analysis module...everything using a script.

3) Read the .CSV output file content with the "external analysis" module.

In the second step, Ansys update the model dimensions by accessing CREO at some point, and it works perfectly if I update the .txt input file manually (meaning that the "external Analysis"(E.A) module is closed). But, if I start the script from E.A, Ansys will stay stucked at the model dimension update. I have then to stop the E.A module to keep the Ansys process alive, but this prevents me to reach step 3.

remember that my goal is to make a feature which provides a pressure difference depending on the model dimension, and which can be used for optimization in CREO....Any idea on solving that problem???