PAT312, Section 2, December 2006 S2-1 Copyright 2007 MSC.Software Corporation SECTION 2 MSC.PATRAN FILES AND GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE

PAT312, Section 2, December 2006 S2-2 Copyright 2007 MSC.Software Corporation

PAT312, Section 2, December 2006 S2-3 Copyright 2007 MSC.Software Corporation STARTING MSC.PATRAN Set correct Start-In directory in shortcut. Double click the desk top icon to invoke MSC.Patran or type Patran In the terminal window. MSC Patran

PAT312, Section 2, December 2006 S2-4 Copyright 2007 MSC.Software Corporation MSC.PATRAN FILE OPTION New DatabaseCreate a new empty database Open DatabaseOpen a previously created database Revert to Original DatabaseAllows the deletion of current changes (revert must be enabled) Session…Execute Patran commands from a file CloseClose the current database QuitClose the database and quit Patran SaveSave up to and including the latest command Save a CopySave a copy of the database under a different name

PAT312, Section 2, December 2006 S2-5 Copyright 2007 MSC.Software Corporation MSC.PATRAN FILES NameFile TypeComments Model_name.dbDatabaseOne per model, relatively large. Model_name.db.bkupDatabase BackupBackup database is created if revert is enabled. patran.ses.numberSession FileA Session File is opened at P3 start-up and it is closed when you quit MSC.Patran. model_name.db.jouJournal FileOne per model, record of all PCL commands from database creation to present, concatenated session files. EXTREMELY useful for rebuilding a database. model_name.outNeutral FileCreated using Export. Can be used as a backup for analysis model.

PAT312, Section 2, December 2006 S2-6 Copyright 2007 MSC.Software Corporation THE MAIN FORM Menu Bar selection affects global environment (e.g. Viewing, Imaging, and Preferences) Application selections only apply to a certain portion of the model (i.e. Geometry, Loads/BCs, etc.) Application selections are mutually exclusive -- only one can be selected at a time Unavailable selections are shown in a lighter typeface (Ghosted) Menu Bar Applications History Box Command Line Tool Bar

PAT312, Section 2, December 2006 S2-7 Copyright 2007 MSC.Software Corporation THE MAIN FORM (Cont.) The Tool bar provides quick access to frequently used procedures Actions taken within MSC.Patran sessions can be traced in the history box The Command line allows the input of PCL commands and MSC.Patran2 NOODL Rule commands.

PAT312, Section 2, December 2006 S2-8 Copyright 2007 MSC.Software Corporation TYPICAL WIDGETS USED IN MSC.PATRAN l Toggle button is an on/off switch l Select databox is used to enter data l Data insertion can be made by placing the mouse at the desired location, clicking the left mouse button, and typing in the desired data l Existing text can be edited l Data selection is done by highlighting item l Radio buttons allow exclusive selection among options l... Suffix denotes that a subordinate form will open up upon clicking the button l Apply causes action to execute l Hyphens indicate action can be undone only immediately after its execution l Slide bar assigns a value to associated variable; i.e. threshold for aspect ratio test l Control icon allows the switching between different actions; i.e. icon can be set to highlight or split in this example l Causes the content of a form to reset back to default values; the default values may be constant or can change

PAT312, Section 2, December 2006 S2-9 Copyright 2007 MSC.Software Corporation SYSTEM ICONS Refresh Button - refresh screen Undo Button - will undo last command Display Cleanup Button - resets graphics to defaults

PAT312, Section 2, December 2006 S2-10 Copyright 2007 MSC.Software Corporation SYSTEM ICONS (Cont.) Interrupt Button - stops operation in progress Heartbeat -Green indicates MSC.Patran is waiting for user input -Blue indicates MSC.Patran is performing an operation that can be stopped with the interrupt button - Red indicates that MSC.Patran is performing a process that cannot be interrupted

PAT312, Section 2, December 2006 S2-11 Copyright 2007 MSC.Software Corporation ENTITY PICKING l Picking is performed in two ways: l Keyboard entry into a databox, e.g. Curve List l Graphical picking with the mouse l List Processor is the program responsible for the interpretation of the user input, e.g. Curve 1:3

PAT312, Section 2, December 2006 S2-12 Copyright 2007 MSC.Software Corporation ENTITY GRAPHICAL PICKING The individual and collective entity picking is controlled by the Picking option under Preferences For single entity picking, a portion of the selected entity must be within the physical limits of the cursor For centroidal single picking, the closest entity to the location of the cursor will be picked Additional tools are available to aid the process of picking, such as cycle picking

PAT312, Section 2, December 2006 S2-13 Copyright 2007 MSC.Software Corporation CURSOR PICKING l EntityMove the cursor to the entity label/centroid and press the left mouse button l Multiple Picking Hold the shift key down and select the entities with the left mouse button Shift

PAT312, Section 2, December 2006 S2-14 Copyright 2007 MSC.Software Corporation CURSOR PICKING (Cont.) Ctrl l Select Rectangle (Click & Drag) l Select Polygon You may also select this icon from the toolbar l Note: To complete your selection double click the left mouse button

PAT312, Section 2, December 2006 S2-15 Copyright 2007 MSC.Software Corporation CURSOR PICKING (Cont.) l Deselect l Cycle Picking Shift Move the cursor to the entitys label/centroid and click on the right mouse button Picking an entity underneath another, or that is close to other entities.

PAT312, Section 2, December 2006 S2-16 Copyright 2007 MSC.Software Corporation VIEWING/MODEL MANIPULATION +y +x -y -x Mouse Rotate XY Mouse Rotate Z Mouse Translate XY Mouse Zoom

PAT312, Section 2, December 2006 S2-17 Copyright 2007 MSC.Software Corporation LIST PROCESSOR The list processor verifies the syntax, checks for existence and performs rudimentary geometry operations such as calculating the intersection of two curves The list processor parses the contents for the selected databox The application only recognizes specific types of data The list processor is generic and is used by all applications for consistency

PAT312, Section 2, December 2006 S2-18 Copyright 2007 MSC.Software Corporation ENTITY ID SYNTAX SyntaxDescription Point 1 2 3Refers to points 1, 2 and 3 Point 1:9:2Points 1 through 9 by 2 Curve 1 2, 3/ 4Different forms for delimiters: space,, and / Surface 3.1References an entity associated with a higher order one (i.e. edge 1 of surface 3, that is similar to a curve) Solid 1:10.2Combinations of entity ID syntax is possible (face 2 of solids 1 through 10) [x y z]Square brackets signifies coordinate specification [xn28, 1, 2]Individual coordinates can reference existing entities, such as x = the x coordinate of node 28 [1, zp5, 3] [1, z5, 3] y = the z coordinate of point 5 When a point is referenced the letter p can be dropped [1, 2, `-64.0/20.0`]Mathematical operations like division are possible to determine the individual components, using back-quotes signifies a vector definition {[ ][ ]}Signifies an axis with first point representing the base and the second determining the direction

PAT312, Section 2, December 2006 S2-19 Copyright 2007 MSC.Software Corporation ERROR AND WARNING MESSAGES If your cursor becomes a pointing hand: This means there is an error window somewhere on your screen that must be acknowledged before you can continue Sample Error Window

PAT312, Section 2, December 2006 S2-20 Copyright 2007 MSC.Software Corporation