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Software Release History - Version 14

Index | Version 14.7  | Version 14.6  |  Version 14.5  |  Version 14.4  |  Version 14.3  |  Version 14.2  |  Version 14.1  | Version 14.0


Improvements and New Facilities in Version 14.1

Report Treeview

A new Report Treeview panel has been introduced for use with the report generation facility.

Report generator

The report generator allows selective model and results data to be printed or exported to a variety of output formats. Report templates, which are saved into the Report Treeview, are used to control the desired output. Any number of reports templates may be created and saved with a model. Chapters may be added model and results data, images and text files. Reports may be exported in PDF, RTF (for use in Microsoft Word), Excel spreadsheet or HTML formats. Use Utilities > Report to create an empty report template in the Report Treeview.

Fleshing on deformed geometry

When processing results the deformed beam cross-sections, surface thicknesses and offsets can be visualised on the deformed model geometry by using the fleshing button in conjunction with the Deform option found on the Geometric > Visualisations properties dialog. This is accessed from the Attributes Treeview.

Meshing improvements for 3D models

Changes have been made to improve the quality of elements produced when irregular surface meshing is carried out and to also give more consistent volume meshing when imported CAD geometry is used as a basis for a model. Improvements include:

  • Edge Collapsing

  • Hollow volumes

Edge collapsing

The quality of a surface mesh may be improved using edge collapsing. Edge collapsing removes elements with very short sides or acute angles by merging them with neighbouring elements. This is particularly useful when generating tetrahedral elements on imported CAD models where very short lines are present. Edge collapsing is invoked from the Advanced button on the Meshing tab of the Model Properties dialog.

Hollow volumes

Hollow volumes can be created for those situations where the defining lines and points of the surrounding surfaces are not perfectly merged together. This can typically occur when geometry has been imported from CAD systems, when such merging may be difficult or actually impossible to achieve. Once defined, hollow volumes behave in almost exactly the same way as normal solid volumes. For example, they may be meshed and have attributes assigned and deassigned in the usual way. The main difference is that in a geometric Boolean operation a hollow volume will behave like a set of surfaces, hence the name.

The user interface to enable the creation of hollow volumes may be invoked from the Advanced Dialog of the Geometry Properties dialog (accessed by File > Model Properties > Geometry tab > Advanced). This option is automatically invoked when geometry is imported from CAD. 

Open hollow volumes can only be created via the Geometry> Volume> Hollow Volume> Create menu item.

Surfaces may be added or removed from an open hollow volume definition using the Geometry> Volume> Hollow Volume> Add and Geometry> Volume> Hollow Volume> Remove menu items.

Slide surfaces

When a results file is read into Modeller from an analysis that involves slidelines, a separate named group is now created for each slideline surface in the model - as opposed to each master and slave previously.

The print results wizard separates the slideline results into three groups for ease of interpretation.

3D two-phase elements for nonlinear consolidation

The 2D plane strain two phase continuum elements TPN6 and QPN8P have now been extended to cover 3D use. With the use of the existing nonlinear material models within LUSAS these 3D elements now provide the ability to model materially nonlinear 3D consolidation.

Internationalisation

Internal changes have been made to LUSAS dialogs and scripts to allow for internationalisation and translation of the software.


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Any modelling, design and analysis capabilities described are dependent upon the LUSAS software product, version and option in use.