The Ansys Configuration File

You can use the configuration file to define which keywords the Ansys component supports. You can also define which fields from each card will be displayed. This configuration file also provides the ability to customize the parameter naming patterns.

By default, the Ansys component's configuration file is located in the following directory:

<Isight_install_directory>\<operating_system>\reffiles\SMAFIPconfig

Sample Configuration File

! Ansys component configuration file 
!!=Comment 
! Command definitions...

! ACEL Command: Specifies the linear acceleration of the structure 
ACEL,@ACEL_X,@ACEL_Y,@ACEL_Z

! ALPHAD Command: Defines the mass matrix multiplier for damping
ALPHAD,@Value

! BFE Command: Defines an element body force load
BFE,<<id>>,TEMP,,@Temp
BFE,<<id>>,FLUE,,@Fluence
BFE,<<id>>,HGEN,,@HeatGenerationRate

! FLDA Command: Sets up a FLOTRAN analysis
FLDA,ITER,EXEC,@NumIterations
FLDA,RELX,VX,@VXRelaxation
FLDA,RELY,VY,@VYRelaxation
FLDA,RELX,PRES,@PresRelaxation
FLDA,NOMI,DENS,@NominalDensity
FLDA,NOMI,VISC,@NominalViscosity

! IOPTN Command: Controls options relating to importing a model
IOPTN,GTOLER,@MergingTolerance

! K Command: Defines a keypoint
K,<<id>>,@X,@Y,@Z

! MP Command: Defines a linear material property as a constant or a function of temperature
MP,EX,<<id>>,@ElasticModulus
MP,EY,<<id>>,@ElasticModulusY
MP,EZ,<<id>>,@ElasticModulusZ
MP,ALPX,<<id>>,@ThermalExpansion

! OMEGA Command: Specifies the rotational velocity of the structure
OMEGA,@OMEGX

!Real Constants for Elementtype LINK1
R,LINK1,@AREA,@ISTRN

!Real Constants for Elementtype Plane2
R,Plane2,@THK	

!Real Constants for Elementtype Combin7
R,Combin7,@K1,@K2,@K3,@K4,@CT,@TF
RMore_Combin7_1,@MASS,@IMASS,@TLOAD,@START,@STOPL,@STOPU
RMore_Combin7_2,@ROT,@C1,@C2,@C3,@C4

!Real Constants for Elementtype Matrix27
R,Matrix27,@C1,@C2,@c3,@c4,@c5,@c6
RMore_Matrix27_x,@C6n+1,@C6n+2,@C6n+3,@C6n+4,@C6n+5,@C6n+6

!Real Constants for Elementtype FLUID38 - Dynamic Fluid Coupling
!If KEYOPT(3) = 0

R,Fluid380,@R2,@R1,@L,@F,@DX,@DZ,
Rmore_Fluid380_1,@WX,@WZ,@CX,@CZ
!If KEYOPT(3) = 2

R,Fluid382,@M2,@M1,@MHX,@MHZ,@DX,@DZ,
Rmore_Fluid382_1,@WX,@WZ,@CX,@CZ

! *SET command, Setting a value *SET,x,4
! Not configurable, the following command turns *SET handling on
ASTERISK_SET,NAME,VALUE

! SFA Command: Specifies surface loads on selected areas
SFA,<<id>>,<<id2>>,PRES,@Pressure

#########################################################################
# Everything below 'OUTPUT EXTRACTIONS' doesn't get read for input parsing
# Comment out any lines for which you do not want parameters created
# Nodal displacement and Element stress can potentially create a lot of
parameters
#########################################################################

OUTPUT EXTRACTIONS

HEADER: Reaction Solution

						NODE FX FY FZ MX MY MZ

NAMING: <<ID>>,FX,FY,FZ,MX,MY,MZ

FORMAT: i,r,r,r,r,r,r

HEADER: Eigen Value

MODE FREQUENCY (HERTZ)

NAMING: <<ID>>,NaturalFrequency

FORMAT: i,r

HEADER: Nodes

				NODE 	UX 	UY 	UZ 	USUM

NAMING: <<ID>>,UX,UY,UZ,USUM

FORMAT: i9,r12,r12,r12,r12

General Inputs

The first portion of the configuration file (before the keyword OUTPUT EXTRACTIONS) refers to the parsing of command files. Each line can contain values that the component can modify in future runs of the command file. Similar to Ansys commands, the values are delimited by commas.

The file parsing uses three elements to determine which parameters will be created.

Words in the command file that do not start with << or @ (keywords) must match the corresponding line in the configuration file. The match is not case sensitive. These words become part of the parameter names.
The <<ID>> tag does not have any restriction and is taken from the input file and added to the parameter name. The tag is used to number the materials, keypoints, nodes, material layers, etc.
Elements that start with @ indicate the position in the actual file where the value is available to be modified and saved. A parameter is not created if this place is empty. The name of the created parameter is extended by an underscore and the number of its occurrence.

For example, when

! K Command: Defines a keypoint
K,<<id>>,@X,@Y,@Z

If included in the configuration file, the command line K,1,5,7,8 would create the following parameters:

X_K_1_1 ( = 6), Y_K_1_1 (=7), Z_K_1_1 (=8)

The line

MP,<<id>>,<<id>>,@ElasticModulus

would catch all material properties; however, it would not produce a meaningful parameter name because no matter what property is defined, it would always start with Elastic Modulus. It is recommended to create multiple configuration lines such as

MP,EX,<<id>>,@ElasticModulusX
MP,EY,<<id>>,@ElasticModulusY
MP,EZ,<<id>>,@ElasticModulusZ
MP,ALPX,<<id>>,@ThermalExpansion

to have a specific parameter name.

The lack of an <<ID>> is not an issue for parameter creation. Each line represents its counterpart in the ANSYS code. The minimum requirement to parse values to be parameterized is a keyword and value (name).

Real Constants as Input

The Real constants configured by ANSYS are very specific to the material currently set for usage by the element type declaration. The Ansys component can parse the real constants for all materials listed in the help-file accompanying ANSYS, and named according to the help-file. As long as the numbering and naming of parameters does not depend on any key option-values, the lines in the configuration file follow the same principle as the regular lines, with one exception: The material number has to be exchanged for the material type, so a line looks like this:

R,LINK1,@AREA,@ISTRN

Additional constants from RMORE-Commands can be parsed as well, as long as the number is not variable. The starting RMORE has to be modified in the configuration file as follows:

“RMORE”+”_”+”MaterialName”+ (number of Occurrence of Rmore for this material)

For example:

!Real Constants for Elementtype Combin7
R,Combin7,@K1,@K2,@K3,@K4,@CT,@TF
RMore_Combin7_1,@MASS,@IMASS,@TLOAD,@START,@STOPL,@STOPU
RMore_Combin7_2,@ROT,@C1,@C2,@C3,@C4

As soon as the parameter names depend on the values of the key options, or the number of RMORE-lines is variable or the type defined in the first R-line (Fluid141/Fluid142), please leave everything but the naming (@parametername) untouched, as these are hardcoded in the software code. Of course, if the Real constants are not to be parsed, feel free to put those lines as a comment, by putting an exclamation at the start of each line.

Direct Parameter Association

The parameters can be declared in ANSYS in two ways (*set,x,#value or x = #value). The Ansys component supports both these ways while reading the inputs. While "x = #value" is being parsed , the *set-values can be ignored by putting the following line into a comment:

! *SET command, Setting a value *SET,x,4
! Not configurable, the following command turns *SET handling on
ASTERISK_SET,NAME,VALUE

Outputs

The lines in the configuration file after the keyword OUTPUT EXTRACTIONS represent the outputs that show up in the parameters list of the Output tab. To prevent an output from being included, type a ! before the output.

By default, all values following an equation sign are extracted, as long as the line before that sign does not include any indications that it is either a comment line or just the first of a row of values.

To extract tables from the output file, specify the following in the configuration file:

HEADER: “Name of the Table” 
 “Header Line as found in the output file” 
NAMING:“comma-delimited list of what is to be expected in each line of the table” 
							(if a column only includes a number that should be included in the parameter name use 
							<<id>>, just like for the inputs) 
FORMAT:“declare the format for each Parameter-Value and ID” 
							(r for real, I for integer, s for string, if you have the letter followed by a number this 
							defines the size of the entry to that number)

For example:

HEADER: Nodes
			NODE 		UX 		UY 		UZ 		USUM

NAMING: <<ID>>,UX,UY,UZ,USUM
FORMAT: i9,r12,r12,r12,r12