Improvement suggestions

Sergio

Hi community, my new suggestion to this useful program:

• Posibility to hide/unhide individual boundary conditions
• Option to open the files with all the branches of the tree colapsed (could be in the Options/Default model)
• Store the solver log in a new branch in the solution tree
• Add text branchs in the model (below analysis, geometry, components) and solution tree (below components) to store custom model info and conclusions
• An option to take snapshots and store in the model tree (again, separated in geometry, boundary conditions and solution). This and the new notes could help to create automated reports in the future, or by means of some script.

Sergio

Another one!
• Add more info in the result screen, as:
Program name
Solver/Analysis type
File Name / Configuration Name
Date / Hour

Sebastianmaklary

What I'd really like is a continuum shell element like ANSYS has SOLSH190, ABAQUS has SC8R or possibly the "layerwise kinematic method" by J. N. Reddy. It would really be cool for sheet metal or composites analysis but with the difficulties of shells, it is probably too much to hope for.

Victor

@Sebastianmaklary I'm currently replacing the shell elements with MITC type elements that are based on continuum mechanics instead of plate theory. They perform much better with curved shapes though they still have some idealizations like constant shear strain through the thickness.

prop_design

@Victor that is an exciting development. If it is a Mecway solver specific feature, it would be really helpful to have the Mecway nonlinear solver reintroduced as well. Unfortunately, linear only isn't accurate enough for my models. The deformations are too large and the results are greatly different between linear and nonlinear solves. Also, if the Mecway two centrifugal loads could be extended to the Mecway nonlinear solver, that would allow me to run a lot of models that I can't now.

barmin

Re-introducing nonlinear solver with proper shell element would be awesome (maybe Riks solution control could be implemented too )

dculp

I'd like to see a dialog box for a user-defined view --

• X-angle rotation about X axis
  
• Y-angle rotation about Y axis
  
• Z-angle rotation about Z axis
  
• Zoom factor
  

This would allow exactly the same view to be again invoked which would be especially useful in preparing reports. Otherwise, much mouse fidgeting is required and the views are never reproduced exactly.

If the mouse were first used to get an approximate view, then invoking the view dialog box should pre-populate the fields with the current view parameters so that the view could be tweaked.

Preferably multiple such user-defined views could be saved with the model (although only having one would be a big improvement).

Sergio

Related to @dculp comment, what about a way to save the state of the view (model orientation, scales, deformation, etc etc)? I recognize that reporting is a time consuming task that could be benefited. Another related improvement would be a way to show some field of the results after solving. Now we can setup a script to "solve and save after", would be nice to be able to "solve, save and show xx field result (for the time I came back with the coffe)"

dculp

Apply button --

There are two menus where an Apply button would be helpful. This would save the (small) frustration of having to re-access the menu if the initial results weren't as expected.

• \Solution\Deformed view settings
  
• \Tools\Options\Contour plot\Custom\Custom colors
  

Perhaps there are other menus that would also benefit.

LRIGA

A useful feature could be the possibility to hide some elements of a single component. now is only possible hide components

cwharpe

I'm often wishing the Move/Copy dialog box had the section FROM (node) ==> TO (node). Would save me a lot of cut&paste from the distance dialog box. Added bonus if it were GUI pickable.

That said, I am otherwise rather enjoying version 15.

Victor

@cwharpe, does dragging nodes with the mouse so they snap to another node do what you mean by FROM -> TO?

cwharpe

I mean when I'm Copying/Moving parts while building an assembly. Ex.: Laying out a steel staircase, on slope, with shells. Main Stringer meshed with Mecway Auto2D. Multiple step support angles, crossmembers, guardposts, etc., along its slope. Copying parts by deltas (x,y,z) doesn't always land on the irregular mesh (requiring the node dragging snap). Many times I just want to copy/move from Pt. A to Pt. B, and live with a slightly irregular positioned part.

I'm wondering if a FROM ==>TO node selection subroutine could autofill the distance deltas in the Copy/Move dialog box?

Edit 7/18/22: Realize this is sounding greedy, but also would be nice if Rotate, Mirror, & Scale could have the Origin coordinates populate with a screen (node) pick.

dculp

Improve method for changing geometry file location --

If Geometry can't find a geometry file (e.g., a stp file), then the file name of the missing file is displayed in red under Geometry.



Right clicking on the missing file's name and then "What's wrong" shows "File not found". Again right clicking on the missing file's name, the last option is "Change file location". That brings up an input box which requires "Full path to file".



If only the file name is entered (assuming that Mecway would look in the current model's folder), then an error message is generated, "Path must be rooted". However, if instead the liml file is directly edited then the full path isn't needed; only the file name is needed if the required file is located in the current model's folder.

Two suggestions --

1. If Mecway can't locate the required file in the original folder but if a file by the same name is located in the model's folder, then prompt, "Use file filename from the model's folder?"
   
2. Provide access to a file manager to allow easier access to the desired file, rather than having to type in the entire path and file name. (Typing in my required file would require, "E:\Data\Mecway\FEA\_Demos\Bonded_contact\Default_bonded\20k_50mm_dia_prismatic\Static_pull_tests\Cyl_50mm_prismatic__12.7x19mm_stud_unbottomed__10a.stp" - not so convenient. Fortunately, I use FreeCommander XE which allows the entire path + file name to be copied and pasted; however, not everyone may have such a utility.)
   

disla

Hi,

Now that we have this wonderful shell elements and that their usage will probably be extended more and more, would be nice if the edge detecting selection tool could be extended also to the shell faces as it works on solids. Not sure if it was just missing or if it would be hard to code.

There is one reference about this on post : https://mecway.com/forum/discussion/890/2d-analysis-named-selection-line-edge-selection/p1
but never know how that ended.

Sergio

The edge selection would be very usefull. What you can do in these cases is select the nodes by hand (with a rectangular or circular selection) and then change the selection mode to surfaces to catch all at once.

Sergio

Hi Victor, is there a way to add an option to the importing of UNVs meshes from Salome to convert the groups of elements in components? Related to this, a new option in the contextual menu of the Groups branch of the model tree to convert all groups of elements in components? And maybe the same in the contextual menu of the individual group of element?

Another different, when working in models with several parts, adding material and color to each one takes time, could you add a shortcut to this, like the actual F2 Rename, F3 add/select material, F4 select color...????

Maybe the actual F2 could open a bigger window to edit name, color and material all in one step.

mathiasf

Hi Victor,

It would be nice if we could automatically output results where positive results are blue, negative results are red, and null results are white (or grey for visualization purposes). It can be done with Mecway if I manually set the min (resp. max) value of the color scale to -max (reps. -min). Below is an example.


Red-white-blue color scale, default output by mecway


Red-white-blue color scale, output after user set max=-min so that the color scale is symetric (and white - greyish - color correspond to 0)

In my opinion, the second figure is much clearer : it shows for instance that the extremities of the lower beam are in compression (blue in 2nd figure, red in 1st figure), that the little diagonal struts below the upper beams are in compression (blue in 2nd figure, greyish in 1st figure).

Could this feature in a future release of Mecway ?

Victor

@mathiasf, an option to extend the range to be symmetric? I should be able to. It would be independent of the color scale choice though.

mathiasf

Thank you for your answer. An option to extend the range to be symmetric would be perfect.

Sergio

Hi @Victor, could you add an option to automatically group boundary conditions by type in the boundary conditions branch of the tree?

Victor

@Sergio, probably not because it's too specific.

Sebastianmaklary

It would be a time saver to be able to automatically generate pairs of named selections for pairs of faces on different parts that was closer than some specified tolerance. It would make it so much faster to apply contacts after having imported a bunch of STEP files.
Also, if the named selections then would tell which part they originated on.

dculp

For "\Solution\Surface integral" and "\Solution\Sum", it would be helpful to be able to specify "selected nodes" or "selected surfaces" on-the-fly after the solution has finished, rather than having to specify these entities beforehand as "Named selections".

disla

Hi Victor,

I would like, if possible, that :

Components&Materials
Load&Constrains
Named Selections

to be properly sorted when they are renamed with numbers.

Victor

@Sergio

> is there a way to add an option to the importing of UNVs meshes from Salome to convert the groups of elements in components?

Script here https://mecway.com/forum/discussion/comment/6377/#Comment_6377

Sergio

Thanks! I have seen yestarday, is perfect to those situations were we import meshes with lot of components from Salome.

cwharpe

For Move/Copy:
Is it possible to include two Mouse Pick buttons, similar to the other copy functions, so that nodes/elements can more easily be moved/copied from one point to another?

Hengre

Is it possible to make the red background of internal solver message not in that bright red color? It makes it difficult to read the text

Mishal

It would be nice if the internal solver could cater to different line element sections as opposed to just general sections, when considering transient analysis. Is this possible?