Patran 2023.

4
Release Guide
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Contents
Patran Release Guide

Contents

1 Patran 2023.4 at a Glance

Key Highlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
General Enhancements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
MSC Nastran Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Deprecated Features and License Bundles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Supported OS/Hardware Platforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Running Patran on Windows 11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Accessing Patran HTML Help on Microsoft Edge Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Supported CAD Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Known limitations in current release: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Supported Analysis Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

2 General Enhancements
Advanced List Dialog (ALD). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Advanced Select Data Box Dialog (ASD) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Pop-out ‘Select Data Box’. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
An Advanced Select Data Box Dialog (ASD). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Increased Characters Limit of ‘Select Data-Box' widgets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
STL Import . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Dynamic User Interface (UI) PCL Layout APIs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
PCL User Interface (UI) Generator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
New CAD Format Support – STEP XML,PLM XML, and JT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Importing a STEP XML Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Importing a PLM XML Model. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Importing a JT Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Patran User Interface (UI) Upgrade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Patran 2023.1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Patran 2023.2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
6 Patran Release Guide

Patran 2023.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
VirtualGL Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
High DPI (4K) Monitor Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Icons Migration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Convergence Graph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Composite Enveloping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Property And Material Based Rendering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Model Browser Tree (MBT) Enhancements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

3 MSC Nastran Support

Flexible Glued Contact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Loads/BCs Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Element Properties Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Contact Parameters Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Postprocessing of Pyramid Element Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Contact: Interference Fit and Initial Gap/Overlap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Support for Nodal Penalty-Based Surface to Surface Contact Modeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Contact Body/Pair Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
HDF5 I4 Format Reader Support (32 precision) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Smooth Spline Representation of Deformable Contact Bodies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Enhanced Bolt Modeling with BOLT1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Bolt Pre-load Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Manual Support Using Bolt LBC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Limitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Follower Forces (FORCE1/2 and MOMENT1/2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Perturbation Results. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Postprocessing of Relative Displacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Defects Fixed for Aerospace Customers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Nastran Input File Import via SCA Component. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Nastran Input File Import Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Improvements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Change of Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Limitations & Deprecation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Automatic Contact Generation (ACG). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
ACG on Contact Parameters Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
ACG Parameters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Import of ACG File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Limitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
 Contents 7

Preprocessing of Pyramid Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

HDF5 I4/I8 Support in Patran Random Analysis Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Hybrid Mesher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Pyramid Element Verification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Rotor Dynamic and Nonlinear Harmonic Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Updated Rotor Dynamics Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Rotor Visualization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Nonlinear Harmonic Analysis (SOL 128) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Miscellaneous Improvements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Examples/Tutorial. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Limitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164

Index
8 Patran Release Guide
 Chapter 1: Patran 2023.4 at a Glance. Patran Release Guide

1 Patran 2023.4 at a Glance


Key Highlights 2
 Deprecated Features and License Bundles 4

Supported OS/Hardware Platforms 5

Supported CAD Access 6
 Supported Analysis Preferences 8

Technical Support 9
10 Patran Release Guide
Key Highlights

Key Highlights
The following enhancements have been implemented in the Patran from version 2022.1 through 2023.4
versions. Please see Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 for details.

General Enhancements
 Patran 2022.2:
• Advanced List Dialog (ALD), 11
• Advanced Select Data Box Dialog (ASD) , 17
• Increased Characters Limit of ‘Select Data-Box' widgets, 27
 Patran 2022.4:
• STL Import, 28
• Dynamic User Interface (UI) PCL Layout APIs, 30
• PCL User Interface (UI) Generator, 31
 Patran 2023.1:
• New CAD Format Support – STEP XML,PLM XML, and JT, 32
• Patran User Interface (UI) Upgrade, 35
• VirtualGL Support, 37
 Patran 2023.2:
• High DPI (4K) Monitor Support, 38
 Patran 2023.3
• Patran User Interface (UI) Upgrade 35
• High DPI (4K) Monitor Support 38 (Icons Migration)
• Convergence Graph 42
 Patran 2023.4
• Composite Enveloping 45
• Property And Material Based Rendering 48

MSC Nastran Support

 Patran 2022.1:
• Flexible Glued Contact, 62 (Structural: SOL 111, SOL 112)
 Patran 2022.2:
• Flexible Glued Contact, 62 (Structural: SOL 107, SOL 108, SOL 109, SOL 110)
• Postprocessing of Pyramid Element Results, 73
• Contact: Interference Fit and Initial Gap/Overlap, 80 (Implicit NonLinear)
• Support for Nodal Penalty-Based Surface to Surface Contact Modeling, 88
 Chapter 1: Patran 2023.4 at a Glance 11
Key Highlights

• Contact Body/Pair Results, 89

• HDF5 I4 Format Reader Support (32 precision), 95
• Smooth Spline Representation of Deformable Contact Bodies, 99
 Patran 2022.3:
• Contact: Interference Fit and Initial Gap/Overlap, 80 (Structural)
 Patran 2022.4:
• Enhanced Bolt Modeling with BOLT1, 101 (Implicit Nonlinear)
 Patran 2023.1:
• Follower Forces (FORCE1/2 and MOMENT1/2), 108
• Perturbation Results, 114
• Postprocessing of Relative Displacement, 123
• Defects Fixed for Aerospace Customers, 125
• Nastran Input File Import via SCA Component, 126
 Patran 2023.2:
• Automatic Contact Generation (ACG), 130
• Preprocessing of Pyramid Elements, 136
• HDF5 I4/I8 Support in Patran Random Analysis Tool, 144
 Patran 2023.3:
• Hybrid Mesher 147
• Pyramid Element Verification 152
 Patran 2023.4:
• Hybrid Mesher 147
• Rotor Dynamic and Nonlinear Harmonic Analysis 154
12 Patran Release Guide
Deprecated Features and License Bundles

Deprecated Features and License Bundles

The following features have been deprecated as indicated. Please make plans accordingly. Please contact your
sales representative for available migration plans if necessary.
 AFEA, FEA, TFEA and Nastran Desktop license bundles are no longer available. Please transition to
standalone products or MSCOne.
 MSC Fatigue is no longer supported. Last available version is Patran 2021.4. Please migrate to the
best in class product CAEfatigue.
 Sinda preference (including its Thermica support) is no longer supported. Last available version is
Patran 2021.4. Please contact your local sales representative for alternative thermal analysis
solutions.
 MSC.Nastran SOL 600 has been discontinued. Please update all nonlinear MSC.Nastran jobs to use
best in class SOL 400 nonlinear solution using the Implicit Nonlinear preference.
 Implicit Nonlinear Solution type (SOL 400) has been removed from Nastran Structural preference.
However, it is available in the Nastran Implicit Nonlinear preference. Please update all nonlinear
MSC.Nastran jobs to use the best in class SOL 400 nonlinear solution using the Implicit Nonlinear
preference.
 Chapter 1: Patran 2023.4 at a Glance 13
Supported OS/Hardware Platforms

Supported OS/Hardware Platforms

For the list of certified and supported platforms, visit the following website:
https://www.mscsoftware.com/platform-support

Note: The support for Windows 7 has been discontinued.

Running Patran on Windows 11

Patran has not been certified on Windows 11 and therefore is not officially supported. However, one of the
following methods should work after installation is complete to ensure a smooth startup:
 Run from a command window
 Add cmd /c to the shortcut command
 Use legacy console
 Run as administrator
For more information, refer to Running Patran on Windows 11 in the Installation Guide.

Accessing Patran HTML Help on Microsoft Edge Browser

The Patran HTML help works in the Microsoft Edge browser if you reload the tab in Internet Explorer mode.

Note: Since Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) is officially retired and out of support from
June 15, 2022, it is recommended to use Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome for
accessing the Patran HTML Help system.

To activate this on the Edge browser, please refer to Accessing Patran HTML Help on Windows using Microsoft Edge
in the Installation Guide.
14 Patran Release Guide
Supported CAD Access

Supported CAD Access

The following CAD systems are supported using the new CAD import methods.

Windows Linux
ACIS Up to R27 Up to R27
CATIA V4 All 4.xx All 4.xx
CATIA V5 R10 to R33 R10 to R33
CATIA V6 (.3dxml) 2011 to 2013X 2011 to 2013X
IGES 3, 5, 5.2, 5.3 3, 5, 5.2, 5.3
Pro/ENGINEER / Creo (.prt/.asm) WF 4, WF5, to Creo 9 WF 4, WF5, to Creo 9
SolidWorks Up to 2023 Up to 2023
STEP 203, 209, 214, 242 XML 203, 209, 214, 242 XML
Unigraphics NX 5.0, 6.0, 7.0, 7.5, 8.0, NX 5.0, 6.0, 7.0, 7.5, 8.0.
9.0, 10, 11, 12, 1847, 1903, 9.0, 10, 11, 12, 1847, 1903,
1957, 2007, 2206, 2212 1957, 2007, 2206, 2212
Parasolid 35 35
STL Binary and Text Binary and Text
PLM XML(.plmxml) All All
JT(.jt) 7 to 10.5 7 to 10.5

Notes:  CATIA V5 import notes:

• Hidden entities are imported by default. Turn OFF the "Import Attributes"
option on the Catia Options form if this is not desired.
• Import of hidden entities may make the model appear "zoomed out."
• Only Entities from the Master Workspace are imported.
• Planes are ignored and not imported.
• Occasionally axes import as curves.
 CATIA V6 import notes:
• If you have a license for Catia V5 access, you do not need an additional license
for Catia V6 support.
• In the case of Review mode, Patran creates an intermediate *.stl file to import
tessellation data due to this import process may take more time to complete than
usual.
• There is no support for the import of publication attribute.
 Chapter 1: Patran 2023.4 at a Glance 15
Supported CAD Access

Known limitations in current release:

1. Occasionally closed surfaces are not converted to solids on import of IGES, ACIS, and CATIA V4.
Instead of solids, surfaces are imported.
2. There is no support for import of nodes/elements from IGES files using the “Import to Parasolid”
toggle.
3. Export of IGES files may result in loss of some surfaces/solids - not all entities are exported.
4. Some IGES and Pro/ENGINEER parts import unexpected surfaces.
5. Some IGES, STEP, and ACIS parts import a broken or incomplete model.
6. The global element length (GEL) that gets set and used during import is different than previously
supported import methods.
7. Certain files may import using the default import method but may not import using other (non-
default) methods or vice-versa (using the “Import to Parasolid” toggle).
8. Editing/updating features using automatic feature recognition leads to different geometry as
compared to previously supported import methods.
9. Mid-surfaces are different compared to previously supported import methods.
10. The naming of groups is different than previous supported import methods for all CAD geometry
types.
11. Unigraphics (UG) parts containing defined features do not recognize features like the deprecated UG
import in Patran.
12. Take care as there may be a mismatch of the native CAD geometry units and Patran model units,
with no informative message.
13. Exported files that are subsequently imported back into Patran may not contain the same exact
entities as sometimes solids are imported as surfaces.
14. Patran does not support the import of facet data in JT format.
16 Patran Release Guide
Supported Analysis Preferences

Supported Analysis Preferences

Solver Platforms Solver Version
MSC Nastran*† All 2023.4
Marc All 2023.4
Dytran All 2023.2
Flightloads All 2023.4
Thermal All 2023.4
LS-DYNA3D All 971
PAMCRASH All 1995 / 1997
Abaqus(.odb)‡ All 2022
ANSYS** All 19.2

* MSC Nastran has discontinued the support of i4 databases. All output results produced by
MSC Nastran 2017 or later are only available as i8 databases (DBALL/MASTER). Support
for result access via DBALL/MASTER file has been discontinued. Result access through
Output2 (PARAM,POST,1), XDB, and HDF5 should be used as an alternative with HDF5
as the standard default.
†MSC Nastran 2017 and higher does not convert INTEGER input to REAL if entered as an
integer in a real input field. Instead, a fatal message is issued. To bypass this, specify system
cell NASTRAN SYSTEM(444)=9 as the first line in the FMS section. It is recommended
that users import input files that run through MSC Nastran with no fatal errors. When
importing files with this system cell, no fatal messages are issued due to integer to real
conversion. In general, when importing detects a FATAL error message, Patran issues this
message:
Problem detected while importing the MSC.Nastran input file
using SOL nifimp_v22
‡In Patran 2023.4, Abaqus Results import (*.odb) is updated to Abaqus version 2022.
**Results access is enhanced to ANSYS 19.2 (results import is frozen at ANSYS 8.1).
 Chapter 1: Patran 2023.4 at a Glance 17
Technical Support

Technical Support
For technical support phone numbers and contact information, please visit: https://hexagon.com/support-
success/manufacturing-intelligence/design-engineering-support

Support Center (https://simcompanion.hexagon.com/)

The Support Center provides technical articles, frequently asked questions, and documentation in a single
location.

Online Resources (https://hexagon.co)

Hexagon corporate site with information on the latest events, products, and services for the CAD/CAE/CAM
marketplace.
 Chapter 2: General Enhancements
Patran Release Guide

2 General Enhancements


Advanced List Dialog (ALD) 11

Advanced Select Data Box Dialog (ASD) 17
 Increased Characters Limit of ‘Select Data-Box' widgets 27

STL Import 28

Dynamic User Interface (UI) PCL Layout APIs 30
 PCL User Interface (UI) Generator 31

New CAD Format Support – STEP XML,PLM XML, and JT 32
 Patran User Interface (UI) Upgrade 35
 VirtualGL Support 37
 High DPI (4K) Monitor Support 38

Convergence Graph 42
 Composite Enveloping 45
 Property And Material Based Rendering 48
 Chapter 2: General Enhancements 19
Advanced List Dialog (ALD)

Advanced List Dialog (ALD)

Further improvements are made to the Advanced List Dialog (ALD) that was introduced in Patran 2021.
A conventional List Box is used in many forms in Patran for selecting items such as groups, result cases,
element properties, etc. To facilitate selection of these items when they number in the hundreds or thousands
the Advanced List Dialog (ALD) should be used. This provides flexibility to the user to easily and quickly
search and select the desired item(s).
The ALD is accessed through a green-blue colored button at the bottom right corner of every List Box in as
shown in the following figure:
20 Patran Release Guide
Advanced List Dialog (ALD)

After clicking the button shown above, the ALD appears:

The Advanced List Dialog is fully resizable and offers the following useful features:

Dynamic Text Search

 Any desired item(s) can be searched by entering the text in the ‘Search…’ field. Items that match up
with the searched text are shortlisted dynamically as shown in the following figure.
 Chapter 2: General Enhancements 21
Advanced List Dialog (ALD)

 The searched text is cleared through a circled cross button, which only appears if any search text is
present in the ‘Search…’ field.
 The ‘Search…’ field also remembers the last 21 searches exclusively for each List Box, which is seen
in an auto drop-down list when tying in the search field, as shown in the following figure:
22 Patran Release Guide
Advanced List Dialog (ALD)

Sustained Items Selection

 The Items selected in the parent List Box are auto-checked (and highlighted) in ALD after launching
it.
 A checkbox appears against item(s) whenever any item(s) in the ALD is/are selected through mouse
and/or keyboard. To avoid the accidental de-selection of item(s), the checkbox remains against the
selected item(s) until explicitly unchecked (or toggled OFF).
 Chapter 2: General Enhancements 23
Advanced List Dialog (ALD)

 The checked state of any item in the ALD represents the selection state of the respective item in its
parent List Box.
 One can also explicitly check/uncheck the desired item(s) by selecting and pressing the Spacebar key
on the keyboard.
 On clicking OK in the ALD, only the checked items are selected in the parent List Box.
 On clicking Cancel in the ALD leaves the original selection in the parent List Box unchanged.
 A count of both check and total available items is shown at the bottom of the ALD and updates
dynamically for quick reference.

Tool Buttons
A set of tool buttons is provided at the top of each ALD which offer various functionalities as explained below:

 - Sort Ascending

 - Sort Descending.

 - Show ALL Checked Items

 - Show ALL

 - Check ALL Items

24 Patran Release Guide
Advanced List Dialog (ALD)

 - Invert Checked Items: This option inverts the check state of items. This option applies to all
the visible items only i.e. if the items are already shortlisted by any searched text in the ‘Search…’
field, the ‘Invert Checked Items’ option inverts the check state of shortlisted items only.

 - Clear ALL Checked Items: This option clears the check state (toggles OFF) of ALL the
available items in the list. For clearing the check state of only shortlisted items (as a result of searched
text), one can select all shortlisted items through ‘Ctrl+A’ keys (or through mouse drag selection)
and press the Spacebar key in the keyboard.

RMB Menu Options

 The Right Mouse Button (RMB) Menu provides options for alphabetical (lexical) sorting, inverting,
and clearing the checked items as shown in the following figure:

Limitations
 The currently selected items in ALD (Advanced List Dialog) may not be visible clearly if the user
switches to ‘High Contrast’ theme on the Linux platform.
 Chapter 2: General Enhancements 25
Advanced Select Data Box Dialog (ASD)

Advanced Select Data Box Dialog (ASD)

Further improvements are made to the Advanced Select data box Dialog (ASD) that was introduced in Patran
2021.3.
In the conventional ‘Select Data Box’ (SDB) (used in many UI Forms in Patran to allow selection and editing
of entity IDs like points, nodes, elements, etc. directly from graphics viewport), it is difficult to visualize,
navigate and edit the text when the text content increases. The Advanced Select data box Dialog (ASD)
provides flexibility to the user to easily visualize, navigate, search, and edit the entity IDs along with various
other useful features.
ASD can be accessed through a green-blue colored button on the right side of every Select Data Box in Patran.
The Advanced Select data box Dialog is fully resizable and offers the following useful features:

Pop-out ‘Select Data Box’

 An Active Color for ‘Select Data Box’ having Input focus.
Any ‘Select Data Box’ which grabs keyboard input focus, is highlighted in a light cyan color as
shown in the following image:

 ‘Pop out’ button for ‘Select Data Box’.

A ‘Pop out’ button appears at the right-most end of each ‘Select Data Box’ as shown in the following
image. An associated ASD can be launched by pressing this ‘Pop out’ button.
26 Patran Release Guide
Advanced Select Data Box Dialog (ASD)

An Advanced Select Data Box Dialog (ASD)

The Advanced Select Data Box Dialog is shown in the following image:

The Main and Temporary Editing Areas can be internally resized using a handle just above and below the
‘Less …’ button as shown in the following image:
 Chapter 2: General Enhancements 27
Advanced Select Data Box Dialog (ASD)

The following are the features which are available in an ASD:

Synced Text with the parent ‘Select Data Box’.

On launching ASD, it shows all the data of its parent SDB from where it is launched. On clicking ‘OK’ in
ASD, the edited data in ‘Main Edit Area’ is copied to the parent SDB. And changes are discarded on clicking
the ‘Cancel’ button in ASD.

Picking Entities from Graphics Viewport.

ASD allows picking of entities (geometric, fem, etc.) from Viewport as well as from Cycle Form dialog as
allowed by its parent SDB and the active picking filters. All the existing Picking Filters work AS IS within
ASD.

Dynamic Text Search

 Like any text editor tool (like ‘Notepad’), the desired text can be searched using the ‘Search …’ field
in ASD. Also, if any entity ID is not explicitly found, the search is performed for checking the
existence of any probable Range (e.g. 1:324). For example – if an ID 321 is not directly present, the
associated Range 1:324 is highlighted/selected as shown in the following image.
28 Patran Release Guide
Advanced Select Data Box Dialog (ASD)

The search can be further advanced to the next ID/Range using the ‘--->’ button placed just next to
the ‘Search …’ field or using an ‘Enter’ key on the keyboard.
 The searched text can be cleared through a circled cross button which only appears if there exists any
text in the ‘Search…’ field.
 The search history of the last 21 text searches is maintained and is exclusive to each ASD.

Text Editing
The user can perform normal text editing operations (Undo/Redo/Cut/Copy/Paste/Delete/Select All) inside
‘Main Editing Area’ (as well as in ‘Temporary Editing Area’) in the same way as that in any other text editor
tool. Also, apart from the keyboard, these operations can be accessed through the Right Mouse Button
(RMB) Menu as shown in the following image:
 Chapter 2: General Enhancements 29
Advanced Select Data Box Dialog (ASD)

Undo/Redo can be performed in both Main and Temporary Editing areas after text editing/picking.
In both the Main and Temporary Editing areas of ASD, text can be zoomed in/out through 'Ctrl + Mouse
Wheel'.

Note: As the ‘Main Editing Area’ becomes read-only on exposing the ‘Temporary Editing
Area’ through the ‘More …’ button, the features like Expand, Collapse,
Import/Export, Highlight, and Picking work only for the ‘Temporary Editing Area’.

Color Coded Entities

Color coding happens dynamically for highlighting the text strings (in main and secondary editors of ASD)
where it formats the color of the entities list as per the type and underlines any encountered Range in it. A
total of following 16 entities have been supported:
 FEM Entities: Connector, Element, MPC, and Node.
 Geometry Entities: Axis, Curve, Coordinate_Frame, Grid, Hyperpatch, Line, Patch, Plane, Point,
Surface, Solid, and Vector.
By default, colors have been assigned as per the Entities Color Preference from DB ('Display > Entity
Color/Label/Render ...'). Any unsupported entity type will be highlighted in BLACK color in ASD. Also, an
'ASD Settings' button [ ] has been provided in ASD for launching the 'ASD Settings' dialog to perform
Entities Color Customization as shown below:
30 Patran Release Guide
Advanced Select Data Box Dialog (ASD)

In the 'ASD Settings' dialog user can specify the desired color for any of the supported entity types. And these
Entities' Colors are globally applied for ALL available ASDs in Patran and are preserved across all sessions of
Patran.

IDs Range Expand and Collapse

The entity IDs range(s) (e.g., 191:193 or 244:248:2) can be expanded to the full list of IDs using an ‘Expand’
button at the top of ASD. Consider the following example where the selected ranges are expanded by pressing
the ‘Expand’ button.

Similarly, the selected IDs sequence can be collapsed to a valid range (if and only if there exist a common
difference between consecutive IDs) using the ‘Collapse’ button as shown in the following image:
 Chapter 2: General Enhancements 31
Advanced Select Data Box Dialog (ASD)

Note: While performing Expand/Collapse make sure that the selection does not start/end at
the middle of any Entity ID text or word.

Highlight Entities in Graphics Viewport

One can highlight the entities in Graphics Viewport by selecting the desired entities IDs in the text editing
areas in ASD and then clicking on the ‘Highlight’ button. And the entities are highlighted in sky blue color
in all the posted Viewports.

Import and Export Text File

Text data can be imported from any external text file (*.txt) using an ‘Import’ button which allows selecting
the desired text file in an Import dialog. The imported text data is appended to the existing text in
‘Main/Temporary Editing Area’. Also, the whole text data in ‘Main/Temporary Editing Area’ can be
exported/saved to a new text file (*.txt) using the ‘Export’ button.
32 Patran Release Guide
Advanced Select Data Box Dialog (ASD)

Add Entities From Group(s).

ASD allows users to add the entities (in the Main/Temporary editing area) from desired Group(s) through
the 'Select Entities from Groups' dialog as shown below which can be launched through the 'From Group(s)'
button:

The users are allowed to select multiple Groups in the 'Select Group(s)' section and all their associated entities
are shown in the bottom section with a new line separator. On pressing the 'Add' button in the 'Select Entities
from Groups' dialog, the entities from all the selected Groups get added to the active editing area
(Main/Temporary) of parent ASD with an Undo/Redo support.

Boolean List operations

ASD currently supports two Boolean List operations on “pick list” which are – Addition and Subtraction.
The entities pick list from ‘Temporary Editing Area’ can be added/subtracted to/from ‘Main Editing Area’
using ‘+’/’-‘ (ADD/SUBTRACT) toolbar buttons. The resultant pick list appears in the ‘Main Editing Area’.
Refer to the following examples:
 Chapter 2: General Enhancements 33
Advanced Select Data Box Dialog (ASD)

Also, the picklist in ‘Main Editing Area’ can be directly replaced with the picklist in ‘Temporary Editing Area’
using a ‘=’ (REPLACE) button in the toolbar.

PCL Customization
ASD becomes automatically accessible from inside ‘Select Data Box’ if implemented in any custom PCL
code. There is no need for any modification in custom PCL code for accessing ASD.

Notes:  After launching ASD, the associated parent SDB becomes read-only and
reflects in orange color to show the association with currently opened ASD.
 As each ASD is associated with its parent SDB, ASD hides when its parent
SDB (or UI form of parent SDB) hides.
34 Patran Release Guide
Advanced Select Data Box Dialog (ASD)

Limitations:
 Expand, Collapse and Search features in ASD currently support only the direct representation of IDs
Range (e.g. 30:100 and 30:300:10). The other Range representations (e.g. 3:#, 30T300B10,
1:121:5.6, etc.) will be supported in future releases.
 ASD supports List Boolean Operations only for the type of entities which are supported in 'Tools >
List > Boolean' functionality.
On Linux OS, it is required to explicitly suffix the file name with the '.txt' extension while exporting the data
from ASD.
 Chapter 2: General Enhancements 35
Increased Characters Limit of ‘Select Data-Box' widgets

Increased Characters Limit of ‘Select Data-Box' widgets

The workable text length for all the 'Select Data-Box' (SDB) widgets in Patran 2022.2 has been increased to
30 million characters (which was 1 million in previous versions).

Note: The SDB widget still has a limit on number of characters (max 1.2 million characters)
which can be “displayed” in the widget. In cases where the workable text length
exceeds the SDB's display limit, the workable text can be copied to the clipboard from
the SDB after selecting the whole text through 'Select All' RMB menu option (or
'Ctrl+A' keyboard shortcut). Also, the data can easily be displayed and/or edited in the
associated ASD (Advanced Select data-box Dialog).
36 Patran Release Guide
STL Import

STL Import
The CAD import functionality in Patran now offers improved STL import performance. Both the binary
and text (ASCII) STL files can be imported and the dependency on the mesh and Nastran toolkit component
has been eliminated. With this, the import of STL using STL to BDF import has become a deprecated
feature.
The new functionality can be accessed from: File->Import->Model->STL

Parameter Description
Current Group Displays the current group. If the default_group is selected as Current
Group, all the nodes from the imported entities are placed in it. While
the elements from the imported entities are placed in a new group.
If a group name that does not yet exist is entered, a new group with this
name is created and made current. It has all the nodes from the imported
entities.
 Chapter 2: General Enhancements 37
STL Import

Patran 2022.4 uses the new function file_import_stl()to import ASCII/Binary STL files. However, in
the previous versions the combined functions fem_stl_to_bdf() and nastran_input_import()
were used to import the STL files. So, modify any existing session file accordingly or use the functionality
directly from the user interface to take the advantage of this new functionality.
38 Patran Release Guide
Dynamic User Interface (UI) PCL Layout APIs

Dynamic User Interface (UI) PCL Layout APIs

The dynamic UI Layout system provides a simple and powerful way of automatically arranging child widgets
within a UI form/dialog to ensure that they make good use of the available space. The UI layouts
automatically position and resize widgets when the amount of space available for them changes. Also, it
ensures that all the contained widget controls consistently maintain their relative positions and properly adapt
to the parent UI form/dialog resizing.
A new set of PCL (Patran Command Language) APIs has been introduced in this release for implementing
dynamic UI Layout in any custom UI form in Patran. For more information about these PCL APIs and
examples, see: Dynamic User Interface (UI) Layouts (p. 433) in PCL and Customization
 Chapter 2: General Enhancements 39
PCL User Interface (UI) Generator

PCL User Interface (UI) Generator

To overcome multiple overheads of writing any PCL (Patran Command Language) UI code manually, a PCL
UI Generator executable is introduced in this release of Patran. Any desired form/dialog can now be created
easily using the drag and drop functionality within Qt Designer (‘designer.exe’ which is shipped with this
Patran version) in the WYSIWYG way. The PCL UI Generator application (‘PclUiGenerator.exe’) reads in
the *.ui file from Qt Designer and generates an equivalent PCL file. The generated PCL file contains the
complete UI creation code (the ‘init’ function with dynamic layout code) which can further be modified to
incorporate the desired business logic before integrating into Patran. For more information about the PCL
UI Generator and examples, see: PCL User Interface (UI) Generator (p. 406) in PCL and Customization
40 Patran Release Guide
New CAD Format Support – STEP XML,PLM XML, and JT

New CAD Format Support – STEP XML,PLM XML, and

JT
Import of the following new CAD formats is supported in Patran 2023.1:
 STEP XML (STEP AP242)
 PLM XML
 JT
These new CAD formats can be imported through the Parasolid option only. It is a modern implementation
that allows the import of a wider range of geometry types via a Parasolid translation process.
The STEP XML and PLM XML are the new and advanced formats that provide a flexible mechanism for
product data exchange. While, JT is a standardized 3D format widely used for product visualization and data
exchange.
Use the Import Options form to select the types and attributes of entities included in the imported database.

Importing a STEP XML Model

This new functionality can be accessed from: File > Import > Model > STEP > AP242 XML

For detailed information about importing a STEP XML Model, refer to: Import Options for STEP AP242/STEP XML
Parasolid Format (p. 189) in Patran Reference Manual.
 Chapter 2: General Enhancements 41
New CAD Format Support – STEP XML,PLM XML, and JT

Importing a PLM XML Model

The new functionality can be accessed from: File > Import > Model > PLM XML

For detailed information about importing a PLM XML Model, refer to: Importing a PLM XML Model (p. 193) in
Patran Reference Manual.
42 Patran Release Guide
New CAD Format Support – STEP XML,PLM XML, and JT

Importing a JT Model
The new functionality can be accessed from: File > Import > Model > JT

For detailed information about importing a JT Model, refer to: Importing a JT Model (p. 197) in Patran
Reference Manual.
 Chapter 2: General Enhancements 43
Patran User Interface (UI) Upgrade

Patran User Interface (UI) Upgrade

Patran 2023.1
The Patran 2023.1 user interface has been upgraded to Qt library version 5.15.12. This update brings the
following additional features and critical defect fixes:
 Fixed the hollow rendering issue of the shaded models in graphics viewport: The hollow rendering
issue of the shaded models in Patran’s graphics viewport on a remote Linux machine has been
addressed in this version of Patran.
 Single Linux Installer: Patran 2023.1 comes with a single Linux installer package for all supported
flavours of the Linux platform (RedHat and SUSE).
 VirtualGL Support: To achieve the best performance of Patran’s Graphics over remote Linux
machines, Patran 2023.1 can be launched via VirtualGL command which enables hardware-
accelerated 3D rendering.

Limitations
 When accessing Patran on a remote Virtual Linux machine via MobaXterm:
• Patran’s graphics viewport refresh rate becomes slow while the results are posted on the viewport.
• Patran’s graphics viewport shows a noticeable refresh flicker while clicking on Results >Toggle
Spectrum.

Patran 2023.2
The following additional features are introduced in skin mode of Patran 2023.2:
 Title Groups Visible: This feature is added in the Options drop-down menu and is enabled by
default. On disabling it, the titles of all the groups inside all tabs/pages of the ribbon will be hidden.
 Frame Theme: This feature is added in the Options drop-down menu and is enabled by default. On
disabling it, the application’s external frame decor will be completely handled by the OS. This
feature is only available on Windows platform.
44 Patran Release Guide
Patran User Interface (UI) Upgrade

Patran 2023.3
The following UI features are upgraded in Patran 2023.3:
 The Options menu is redesigned and streamlined.
• All the options are shown at the same level.
 Four Themes/Styles are provided:
• System Default - No style will be applied in this case.
• Blue (Windows 7 Scenic) - This will be the default theme.
• White (Office 2016)
• Black (Office 2016)
 The application Theme/Style can be switched at runtime.
 Chapter 2: General Enhancements 45
VirtualGL Support

VirtualGL Support
To achieve the best performance of Patran’s graphics over remote Linux machines, Patran 2023.1 can be
launched via VirtualGL (VGL) command which enables hardware-accelerated 3D rendering. The following
are the recommended steps for utilizing VGL for hardware-accelerated 3D rendering:

Pre-requisites
 Install XRDP on the remote Linux machine where Patran is installed. XRDP is a daemon that
supports Microsoft’s Remote Desktop Protocol and which uses Xvnc as a backend. For more
information, refer to: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/xrdp
 Install VirtualGL on the remote Linux machine. VirtualGL is an open-source toolkit that gives any
Linux remote display software the ability to run OpenGL applications with full hardware
acceleration. For more information, refer to: https://virtualgl.org/

Executing Patran over Remote Linux machine via VirtualGL

1. From a Windows client machine, access the remote Linux machine via Remote Desktop Connection
which should eventually invoke the XRDP session.
2. Now, launch Patran via the VirtualGL command ‘vglrun’ as follows:
vglrun +v -d /dev/dri/card0 env VGL_LOGO=1 $P3_HOME/bin/p3 –skin
The various arguments in the above ‘vglrun’ command are explained below:
+v: Reveals crucial diagnostic information.
d: Specifies which GPU (DRI device e.g. /dev/dri/card0) should be used for 3D rendering.
VGL_LOGO=1: Adds a small logo (VGL) to the bottom right-hand corner of the OpenGL graphics
widget within a 3D application.
$P3_HOME/bin/p3 –skin: Launches Patran in skin mode.
46 Patran Release Guide
High DPI (4K) Monitor Support

High DPI (4K) Monitor Support

Patran 2023.2 introduces support for high DPI displays/monitors such as 4K. On 4K monitors, the font
appropriately scales up in various UI forms, viewports and plots as per the chosen scale factor and display
resolution without compromising the font rendering quality.

Setting scale and layout on high DPI displays such as 4K monitor

1. Right click on desktop (laptop) and select Display Settings

2. Select monitor ‘2’

3. In the Scale and layout section:

• Set Change the size of text, apps, and other items and Display resolution to recommended as
shown in the below figure’

This support also fixes the below mentioned critical defects:

 Multiple text cutting/overlapping/merge issues have been addressed for 4K displays.
 Application crash on creating a new DB or opening an existing DB on any extended display has been
addressed.
 Title Bar rendering problems in Patran’s skin mode on 4K displays have been addressed.
 Chapter 2: General Enhancements 47
High DPI (4K) Monitor Support

Troubleshooting
As a fallback mechanism, an environment variable ‘PATRAN_HIGH_DPI_SCALING’ can be used to
disable the 4K support. On Windows platform, this environment variable can also be used to allow OS to
manage the font scaling on 4K displays.
Refer to the below summary:

Patran's Environment Variable for 4K

Support Value Behaviour Windows Linux
Enable Enables High DPI support. Yes Yes
(Default)
PATRAN_HIGH_DPI_SCALING
Disable Disables High DPI support. Yes Yes
Native High DPI support handled Yes No
by OS.

Limitations
 At 3680 × 2160 resolution with 250%/200% scaling, the title bar buttons (Minimize, Maximize
and Close) do not function in Patran’s skin mode.
Workaround
1. The Minimize, Maximize/Restore and Close functions can be executed through an RMB menu
of title bar.
2. Title bar buttons work correctly with any of the Office 2013/2016 application style.
3. Title bar buttons work correctly after switching off the Frame Theme option in Options menu.
 In Patran’s skin mode, the tool buttons in Quick Access Bar cannot be removed using RMB menu
option when Quick Access Bar is placed above the ribbon.
Workaround
1. After moving the Quick Access Bar below the ribbon, the tool buttons can be easily removed
using RMB menu option Remove from Quick Access Bar.
2. After switching off the Frame Theme option in Options menu, the tool buttons can be easily
removed using RMB menu option Remove from Quick Access Bar.
 The fonts and user interfaces may not render properly if user changes the scale factor and/or
resolution of the monitor after launching Patran. It is recommended to pre-set the required scale
factor and resolution of the 4K monitor before launching Patran on the screen.
 Any custom scale factor apart from the recommended (100%, 150%, 175%, 200%, 250%) is not
supported in Patran.
48 Patran Release Guide
High DPI (4K) Monitor Support

Icons Migration
Patran 2023.3 introduces a refreshed set of high definition SVG icons to support the high DPI
displays/monitors (e.g., 4K). On 4K monitors, the icons appropriately scale up in ribbon, toolbars, and
various UI Forms as per the chosen Scale Factor and Display Resolution without affecting the icon rendering
quality.
Patran 2023.3 uses SVG icons that are scalable and support high resolution monitors as shown below:
 Icons rendering in previous versions:

 Icons rendering in Patran 2023.3:

 New set of icons specifically for dark theme 'Black (Office 2016)':
 Chapter 2: General Enhancements 49
High DPI (4K) Monitor Support

PCL Customization
 Existing PCL/DEF/PLB file will work as it is.
• No need to make any changes in the existing PCL /DEF files to point to SVG icons.
 For any given file name in the PCL/DEF file, for example FileNew.bmp, Patran will first look for
SVG version of the same file name i.e. FileName.svg.
• If found, it will use the SVG icon.
• Else, it will use the specified icon type.
 While switching the application style to dark theme i.e., 'Black (Office 2016)', Patran will look for
the icon file with name suffixed _dark.
• If found, Patran will use the file having its name suffixed with _dark (e.g.
FileNew_dark.svg).
• Else, Patran will load the normal light theme icon i.e. FileName.svg.
50 Patran Release Guide
Convergence Graph

Convergence Graph
Patran 2023.3 introduces a new convergence graph monitoring feature. This feature allows the users to
visualize the convergence behavior of a submitted job by parsing the *.log file generated by the Marc solver.

Using Convergence Graph

The Launch Convergence Graph toggle is provided in the Analysis application panel for MSC.Marc
preference.

 By default, this toggle is switched OFF.

 When switched ON, a user can visualize the convergence plot while running the Marc job in
Convergence Graph Window.
 Chapter 2: General Enhancements 51
Convergence Graph

Convergence Graph Window

 There is numerical statistics on the left side and the plots of Increment and Cumulative cycles on
the right side. User can verify the data with .log file of the same job.
 In the plots above, re-mesh is represented by the symbol R in the top chart. Similarly, a cut-back,
penetration and separation within a cycle is represented by symbols C, P and S respectively in the
bottom chart.
 Click Browse to select any valid .log file generated by Marc solver.

Note: Convergence graph is a standalone executable which can be launched directly from
P3_HOME\job_monitor\bin\run_convergence_monitor.bat

The menu in Convergence Graph window provides two options: Options and Help.
Click Options menu to access the following:
 Show/Hide Analysis Data: Toggle the view to show or hide the analysis information data panel.
 Snapshot: Create the image of the current window in .png format.
 Export to CSV: Create the .csv file for all the line series plotted.
Click Help for detailed help about Convergence Graph.
52 Patran Release Guide
Convergence Graph

Additionally, a new button, View Convergence Graph is added in the Action: Monitor of the Analysis
application panel for MSC.Marc preference. Use it to launch the convergence graph window for visualization
of the currently running or completed jobs from the Available Jobs list.

Limitations
 The Convergence Graph is accessible only in Structural and Thermal type of analysis in MSC.Marc
preference and is not available for Coupled type of analysis.
 The Convergence Graph is compatible with the log file generated by Marc 2022.2 and later versions.
 Chapter 2: General Enhancements 53
Composite Enveloping

Composite Enveloping
Patran 2023.4 introduces a new option in the Results application: Action: Label. This enables the labeling
of results associated with elements (centroidal results), providing greater flexibility and control in
postprocessing. Users can now sort through a set of load cases and layers to find the maximum or minimum
values.
To access this new functionality, follow the steps given below in the Results application:
1. Select Action as Label.

2. Select Object as Elements (only selection allowed currently).

3. Select Method from the available options:
• Maximum
• Minimum
54 Patran Release Guide
Composite Enveloping

4. Select one or more Result Cases. On selecting these options, the form updates as follows:

5. Select a Label Result type.

Note: The Label functionality supports the following result types:

• Composite Strain and Stress Tensor (Only Von Mises)
• Composite Strains, Ply Strains (Only Von Mises) and Composite Stresses,
Ply Stresses (Only Von Mises)
• Failure Indices, Bond Indices
• Failure Indices, Maximum Indices
• Failure Indices, Ply Indices
• Strength Ratio Mode, Maximum Strain Theory
• Strength Ratio, Bound Ratio
• Strength Ratio, Maximum Ratio
• Strength Ratio, Ply Ratio
 Chapter 2: General Enhancements 55
Composite Enveloping

6. Select Layers. This list box is multi-select. User can select one or more layers.
7. Select the Target Entity icon and one of the following options:
• Current Viewport (default)
• Elements
• Groups

Patran evaluates the maximum or minimum of the user-selected result over all selected result cases and layers
and plots the value at the element center of each selected target entity.

Example:
Label output for multiple result cases and multiple layers: Failure Indices, Ply Indices:
56 Patran Release Guide
Property And Material Based Rendering

Property And Material Based Rendering

Previous versions of Patran only rendered a model graphically with limited colors based on Entity Type and
Groups. In 2023.4 release, rendering can now also be done based on Properties or Materials with access to an
array of millions of colors. Enhancements have been made to the Graphics Viewport, Model Browser Tree
(MBT), Property, and Material applications and the Entity Color/Label/Render form to accommodate these
new rendering modes.
 Chapter 2: General Enhancements 57
Property And Material Based Rendering

The Property and Material based rendering brings a host of practical features:
 New Property and Material coloring methods
• A list of all Properties and Materials are at your fingertips making them easier to identify and
manage.
• A wide range of colors is available to assign to Properties and Materials. This includes both
automatic and manual color selection, giving you more control over how your model is displayed.
58 Patran Release Guide
Property And Material Based Rendering

 Display model based on new Property or Material colors in the graphics viewport
The model is displayed/rendered with distinct colors specifying different properties and materials,
providing a clear and detailed visual representation of the model's composition.

 Show and Modify property or material colors from MBT and Application forms
• A new color parameter is added in the Property and Material forms. This feature allows you to
make real-time color adjustments to your model.
 Chapter 2: General Enhancements 59
Property And Material Based Rendering

• The new color widget in MBT displays the respective property or material color. It also enables
you to modify the existing color using the QT color dialog.

Model Browser Tree (MBT) Enhancements

 Support to switch between different rendering methods
You can right click on Render Color option from the pop-up menu to easily switch between the
available rendering methods.
60 Patran Release Guide
Property And Material Based Rendering

 Display options for Properties

• A toggle button is provided for Properties on model tree items to show or hide the specific
property on the graphic viewport.
• Right click on the property items to access the Display option.
The Display menu options are: Show, Hide, Show Only, Show All, and Hide All.

Note: Show Only, Show All, and Hide All will work on single/same branch.

 A Toggle/Check button is added for the currently selected option in MBT pop-up menu.
 Chapter 2: General Enhancements 61
Property And Material Based Rendering

Entity highlight support is added on MBT for Materials, Properties and Groups.
The pop-up menu options are:
• On Mouse Click (Default)
• On Mouse Hover
• No Highlight
62 Patran Release Guide
Property And Material Based Rendering

 Current group and load case are highlighted in bold and underlined text in the MBT.

Patran functionalities supported for rendering Properties and Materials:

 Different colors are assigned automatically for the Properties and Materials imported through
Nastran file import.
 Colors are saved/retrieved from new Patran database and regenerated using session file play.
 Read Property/Material colors from old database, Session/CAD files and other functionalities.

Note: 1. Properties and Materials are imported with default “Black” color from old
databases and any other means.
2. You can assign/generate new color using either of the ways:
• Display->Entity Coloring form.
• Modify from MBT or Properties/Materials > Modify application forms.
3. Graphics display performance might appear slower in some cases.
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support
Patran Release Guide

3 MSC Nastran Support


Flexible Glued Contact 62

Postprocessing of Pyramid Element Results 73
 Contact: Interference Fit and Initial Gap/Overlap 80

Support for Nodal Penalty-Based Surface to Surface Contact Modeling 88

Contact Body/Pair Results 89
 HDF5 I4 Format Reader Support (32 precision) 95

Smooth Spline Representation of Deformable Contact Bodies 99
 Enhanced Bolt Modeling with BOLT1 101
 Follower Forces (FORCE1/2 and MOMENT1/2) 108
 Perturbation Results 114

Postprocessing of Relative Displacement 123
 Defects Fixed for Aerospace Customers 125
 Nastran Input File Import via SCA Component 126

Automatic Contact Generation (ACG) 130

Preprocessing of Pyramid Elements 136
 HDF5 I4/I8 Support in Patran Random Analysis Tool 144

Hybrid Mesher 147
 Pyramid Element Verification 152

Rotor Dynamic and Nonlinear Harmonic Analysis 154
70 Patran Release Guide
Flexible Glued Contact

Flexible Glued Contact

A new feature Flexible Glued Contact has been added to the Patran 2021.3 for the MSC Nastran Implicit
Nonlinear analysis type and to the Structural preference in Patran 2021.4 and 2022.1 for Linear Static (SOL
101), Normal Modes (SOL 103), Buckling (SOL 105), Frequency Response (SOL 111), and Transient
Response (SOL 112) solution types. In Patran 2022.2, it is extended to Complex Eigenvalue (SOL 107,
SOL110), Frequency Response (SOL 108), and Transient Response (SOL 109) solution types.
It adds flexibility to the traditional glued contact and helps in modelling or simulating bolts through cohesive
glued contact instead of physically modelling the bolts. The Flexible Glued Contact can simulate the stiffness
of the bolts in both the normal and tangential directions by defining various parameters and tables of
stiffness/stress.
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 71
Flexible Glued Contact

Loads/BCs Design
For the individual Body Pair, the parameters necessary to define and activate Flexible Glued Contact are
available on the Geometric mode of the Input Data form when creating Contact Body Pairs in the
Loads/BCs application. The new mode of this form ‘Gluing’ contains the Glued Contact toggle and the
related parameters. The parameters related to contact body reference can be defined on the ‘Reference’ form.
To turn ON Flexible Glued Contact (FGC) and define the stiffness, the following parameters are available.
They can be defined either for a contact body pair on the BCONPRG entry referenced by BCTABL1 or
global for all glued contact as a default on the BCPARA entry.
Create -> Contact-> Body Pair-> Input Data-> Select Gluing [BCONPRG]
72 Patran Release Guide
Flexible Glued Contact

Gluing

Bulk Data
Property (field) Description
Flexible Glued Contact BCONPRG (FGCFLG) Flag to activate Flexible Glued Contact:

0 – no Flexible Glued Contact

1 – activate Flexible Glued Contact

Please note this only applies for Segment To

Segment contacts. This toggle must be turned
ON in order to enable any of the settings below it.
When ON, enables the writing of FGCFLG=1 to
BCONPRG for this body pair.
Normal Direction
Stress BCONPRG (FGCNSTR) Defines the contact normal stress versus relative
displacement for Flexible Glued Contact.
Stiffness BCONPRG Defines the contact normal stiffness versus
(FGCNST/FGCNSTI) relative displacement or temperature for Flexible
Glued Contact.
Tangential Direction
Stress BCONPRG (FGCTSTR) Defines the contact tangential stress versus
relative displacement for Flexible Glued Contact.
Stiffness BCONPRG Defines the contact tangential stiffness versus
(FGCTST/FGCTSTI) relative displacement or temperature for Flexible
Glued Contact.
Select Disp. or Temp. Select either a displacement or a temperature field
Field to define stress or stiffness.
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 73
Flexible Glued Contact

Reference

Bulk Data
Property (field) Description
Ref. Node BCONPRG Reference GRID of resultant contact force/moment from
(Secndry-> (FGCRCEN) SECONDRY to PRIMARY body.
Primary
Note: The reference node FGCRCEN/FGCRCN1 can be used
in resultant contact force output at any contact pair. It is not
limited only to the flexible glued contact.
Ref. Node BCONPRG Reference GRID of resultant contact force/moment from
(Primary-> (FGCRCEN1) PRIMARY to SECONDRY body.
Secndry)
Note: The reference node FGCRCEN/FGCRCN1 can be used
in resultant contact force output at any contact pair. It is not
limited only to the flexible glued contact.

Element Properties Design

With the creation of a body pair, the corresponding property sets are created-- one for the physical and one
set for the geometric. The following is the Input Properties form for the Body Pair / Geometric element
property definition. The parameters added for the Flexible Glued Contact and their definition are same as
defined in the previous section.
The Flexible Glue Contact toggle must be ON to access all the parameters given below it. Otherwise, they
are disabled. The Normal and Tangential Connector Stiffness data boxes accept a scalar value. The remaining
four accept only a field that is selected in the list box for selecting a field. The list box to select a field remains
disabled until the focus is placed in one of those data boxes.
Create -> 3D -> Body Pair -> Options: Geometric ->Input Properties
74 Patran Release Guide
Flexible Glued Contact

Bulk Data
Property (field) Description
Flexible Glued Contact BCONPRG Flag to activate Flexible Glued Contact:
(FGCFLG)
0 – no Flexible Glued Contact

1 – activate Flexible Glued Contact

Please note this only applies for Segment To Segment

contacts.
Normal Connector BCONPRG Equivalent normal contact stiffness of connector for
Stiffness (FGCNST) Flexible Glued Contact.
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 75
Flexible Glued Contact

Bulk Data
Property (field) Description
Tangential Connector BCONPRG Equivalent tangential contact stiffness of connector for
Stiffness (FGCTST) Flexible Glued Contact
Normal Stress BCONPRG Defines the contact normal stress versus relative
(FGCNSTR) displacement for Flexible Glued Contact.
Tangential Stress BCONPRG Defines the contact tangential stress versus relative
(FGCTSTR) displacement for Flexible Glued Contact.
Normal Stiffness BCONPRG Defines the contact normal stiffness versus relative
(FGCNSTI) displacement or temperature for Cohesive Flexible Glued
Contact.
Tangential Stiffness BCONPRG Defines the contact tangential stiffness versus relative
(FGCTSTI) displacement or temperature for Flexible Glued Contact.
Ref. Node (Secndry-> BCONPRG Reference GRID of resultant contact force/moment from
Primary (FGCRCEN) SECONDRY to PRIMARY body.

Note: The reference node FGCRCEN/FGCRCN1 can be

used in resultant contact force output at any contact pair.
It is not limited only to the flexible glued contact.
Ref. Node (Primary-> BCONPRG Reference GRID of resultant contact force/moment from
Secndry) (FGCRCEN1) PRIMARY to SECONDRY body.

Note: The reference node FGCRCEN/FGCRCN1 can be

used in resultant contact force output at any contact pair.
It is not limited only to the flexible glued contact.

Contact Parameters Design

In addition to the Loads/BCs and Element Properties application for defining Contact Body Pairs, these
parameters are also available to be set as general contact definitions if not specifically overridden by a Body
Pair definition. These general parameters can be accessed through the Contact Parameters form on the
Analysis application.
Implicit Nonlinear Preference:
Analysis -> Solution Parameters-> Contact Parameters-> Control Method: Segment to
Segment -> Contact Detection-> Contact Detection Parameters [BCPARA]
Structural Preference:
Analysis -> Solution Type-> Solution Parameters-> Contact Parameters-> Control
Method: Segment to Segment -> Contact Detection-> Contact Detection Parameters
[BCPARA]
76 Patran Release Guide
Flexible Glued Contact

Linear Static (SOL 101)

Normal Modes (SOL 103)

 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 77
Flexible Glued Contact

Buckling (SOL 105)

Complex Eigenvalue (SOL 107, 110)

78 Patran Release Guide
Flexible Glued Contact

Frequency Response (SOL 108, 111)

Transient Response (SOL 109, 112)

 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 79
Flexible Glued Contact

Implicit Nonlinear (SOL 400)

Bulk Data
Property (field) Description
Flexible Glued BCPARA Flag to activate Flexible Glued Contact:
Contact (FGCFLG)
0 – no Flexible Glued Contact

1 – activate Flexible Glued Contact

Please note this only applies for Segment To Segment contacts.

When ON, enables the writing of FGCFLG=1 to BCPARA for
this body pair.
Normal Direction
Stress BCPARA Defines the contact normal stress versus relative displacement for
(FGCNSTR) Flexible Glued Contact.
Stiffness BCPARA Defines the contact normal stiffness versus relative displacement
(FGCNST/FGCNS or temperature for Flexible Glued Contact.
T)
Tangential Direction
Stress BCPARA Defines the contact tangential stress versus relative displacement
(FGCTSTR) for Flexible Glued Contact.
80 Patran Release Guide
Flexible Glued Contact

Bulk Data
Property (field) Description
Stiffness BCPARA Defines the contact tangential stiffness versus relative
(FGCTST/FGCTS displacement or temperature for Flexible Glued Contact.
TI)
Ref. Node BCPARA Reference GRID of resultant contact force/moment from
(Secndry-> (FGCRCEN) SECONDRY to PRIMARY body.
Primary
Note: The reference node FGCRCEN/FGCRCN1 can be used
in resultant contact force output at any contact pair. It is not
limited only to the flexible glued contact.
Ref. Node BCPARA Reference GRID of resultant contact force/moment from
(Primary-> (FGCRCEN1) PRIMARY to SECONDRY body.
Secndry)
Note: The reference node FGCRCEN/FGCRCN1 can be used
in resultant contact force output at any contact pair. It is not
limited only to the flexible glued contact.
Select Disp. or Select either a displacement or a temperature field to define stress
Temp. Field or stiffness.

Note:  If Normal and/or Tangential directions are defined as Stiffness, then the user
can either supply a scalar value to define FGCNST/FGCTST or a field that is
temperature or displacement-based to define FGCNSTI/FGCTSTI. If Normal
and/or Tangential directions are defined as Stress, then the user MUST supply
a displacement-based field to define (FGCNSTR/FGCTSTR).
 Normal and Tangential directions can be defined separately. One can be
stiffness and the other stress. There is no restriction in this respect.
 Patran supports Flexible Glued Contact for SOL103, SOL105, SOL111, and
SOL112, and accordingly, the Contact Control Parameter form is made to
work only for the Segment to Segment Contact Method.

Limitations:
 For SOL111: Flexible Glued Contact Results cannot be accessed by Patran yet, as these data are
unavailable in Nastran’s HDF5/OP2 output files as of this release.
 For SOL112: Flexible Glued Contact Results are only available up to time=0.16, also due to these
results not being fully unavailable in Nastran’s output files.
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 81
Postprocessing of Pyramid Element Results

Postprocessing of Pyramid Element Results

Pyramid element postprocessing support is added to Patran 2022.2. The pyramid elements have a benefit in
mesh transition between tetra and hexa mesh regions. These are especially beneficial for those who work with
complex solid models (i.e. no shell, beam, or truss element models) where it is preferable to use mixed mesh
rather than a single element mesh. This feature is also going to be helpful to the users who use 3rd party
software for meshing which involves pyramid elements as a transition from tetrahedral to hexahedral
elements. Its application is in contact analysis, topology optimization, rotor-dynamics, fatigue analysis,
acoustics, etc., on domain meshed with mixed tetra, hexa, and pyramid elements in transition interface.
The postprocessing support for pyramid elements in Patran includes the following:
 Database support to save pyramid elements (Both Pyra5 and Pyra13 elements)
 Picking support for pyramid elements
 Reading pyramid elements from the h5 file and displaying them in the viewport
 Attach results of Pyramid elements
 Post-process all the result types

Database support of Pyramid element

The required schema changes are done to support Pyramid elements:

Figure 3-1 Pyramid 5 Element

82 Patran Release Guide
Postprocessing of Pyramid Element Results

Figure 3-2 Pyramid 13 Element

Graphics Display of Pyramid elements

Different views of element display:

Wireframe Hidden Line Smooth Shaded Element Shrink

Workflow
 Analysis tab > Access Results > Attach HDF5 > Both (or Model Data first and then Result Entities)
> Select HDF5 result file > Apply.
Results tab > Postprocess the results e.g. Quick Plot, Fringe, Deformation, etc.
 Analysis tab > Access Results > Attach Output2 > Both (or Model Data first and then Result
Entities) > Select Output2 result file > Apply. (Results are attached through OP2 to HDF5 Translator)
Results tab > Postprocess the results e.g. Quick Plot, Fringe, Deformation, etc.
 Analysis tab > Access Results > Read Output2 > Both (or Model Data first and then Result Entities)
> Select Output2 result file > Apply. (Results are attached through OP2 to HDF5 Translator)
Results tab > Postprocess the results e.g. Quick Plot, Fringe, Deformation, etc.
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 83
Postprocessing of Pyramid Element Results

Picking Support for Pyramid Elements

 Select 3D elements option also picks pyramid elements
 Pyramid Element filter for selecting only the pyramid elements
 Postprocessing of results based on picked pyramid element(s)
84 Patran Release Guide
Postprocessing of Pyramid Element Results

Postprocessing of results
When an h5 file containing the pyramid elements is attached, all the results associated with the pyramid
elements are processed for visualization.
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 85
Postprocessing of Pyramid Element Results

Selection of Pyramid elements for Fringe Plot (Target Entities > Elements > pick only pyramid
elements with the help of ‘Pyra element’ tool icon from Select Menu)

Fringe Plot > Stress Tensor on pyramid elements

86 Patran Release Guide
Postprocessing of Pyramid Element Results

Quick Plot > Contact Status & Displacement, Translational

Quick Plot > Fringe and Deformation > Displacement, Translational

 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 87
Postprocessing of Pyramid Element Results

Note: Three (3) examples are provided for the user as an MD Demo under the Analysis
application by selecting the Action ‘Run Demo’ and selecting it from the “What’s
New” list for this release:

 SOL 101 – Post processing of Pyramid elements SOL101

 SOL 108 - Post processing of Pyramid elements SOL108
 SOL 400 - Post processing of Pyramid elements SOL400

Best practices and error conditions:

 Postprocessing of Pyramid element can be used in all preferences under MSC.Nastran Analysis
(Structural, Implicit Nonlinear, Thermal).
 Users can postprocess the HDF5 results file with Linear Solution Sequences and SOL400 Analysis
Types.
 Insert NASTRAN SYSTEM(780)=1 in the Nastran input deck and generate HDF5 result file. With
such result file, vonMises Stress value shown in Patran and Nastran .f06 or HDF5 Viewer will
match.
 Preprocessing of Pyramid element is not supported in the current release and will be added in a
future release.
 Pyramid elements are not supported in Insight application in Results Tab.
88 Patran Release Guide
Contact: Interference Fit and Initial Gap/Overlap

Contact: Interference Fit and Initial Gap/Overlap

To support the improvement in Contact in the Nastran 2021.4 and later, an enhancement has been made to
Patran 2022.2 for Implicit Nonlinear Preference. In Patran 2022.3, it is extended to the Nastran Structural
Preference.
The enhancement is in the following two fields:
 Interference fit
 Initial Gap/Overlap
For this, the Contact Pair User Interface is updated and a new button Initial Gap/Overlap/Interference... is
added to the Geometric Contact Parameters form. Clicking on this brings up a new Interface/Gap Parameters
form. This new form has two sections--one for Gap/Overlap and other for Interference Fit. Both are
enabled/disabled by their respective check boxes. The Interference Closure (CINTERF) is also moved to this
form
The following fields are added (w.r.t Nastran) in the Geometric Contact Parameters (BCONPRG) to provide
various options for Gap and interference fit.
The same fields/parameters are also added to the Geometric Input Properties form of Body Pair Element
Property.
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 89
Contact: Interference Fit and Initial Gap/Overlap
90 Patran Release Guide
Contact: Interference Fit and Initial Gap/Overlap

Property Bulk Data (field) Description

Gap Parameters
Initial Gap/Overlap BCONPRG Check box to enable Initial gap or overlap option. Not
(OPINGP) selected by default. (Integer 0; default=0)

Gap Parameters are only active when this check box is

selected.
Initial Gap Search Tol. BCONPRG Search tolerance of initial gap. (Real ≥0.0; default=average
(TOLING1) edge length of all contact segments, required only when
OPINGP =1)
Initial Overlap Search BCONPRG Search tolerance of initial overlap. (Real ≥0.0; default=
Tol. (TOLINGP) average edge length of all contact segments, required only
when OPINGP =1)
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 91
Contact: Interference Fit and Initial Gap/Overlap

Property Bulk Data (field) Description

Contact Bodies BCONPRG Contact body to be adjusted. Options are Primary body
Adjusted (CDINGP) and Secondary body. (Integer ≥0; default=0, required only
when OPINGP =1)

Deafult(0) is Secondary body

Gap/Overlap BCONPRG Gap or overlap magnitude. (Real; default=0.0, required
Magnitude (MGINGP) only when OPINGP =1)

> 0 gap

=0 Preserve initial clearance distance.

< 0 overlap
Interference Parameters
Interference Check box to enable Interference option. Not selected by
default. (Integer ≥0; default=0)

Interference Parameters are only active when this check

box is selected.
Interference Method BCONPRG The method for interference fit. (Integer≥0; Default=0)
(OPINTRF)
Small Interference (0, Default): small interference fit
(solved in one increment)

Normal Direction (1): interference fit varying with time;

resolved in the normal direction

Specified Direction (2): interference fit varying with time

in a user specified direction

Scale Factor (3): interference fit varying with time using

scale factor

Automatic (4): automatic interference fit varying with

time and node location
92 Patran Release Guide
Contact: Interference Fit and Initial Gap/Overlap

Property Bulk Data (field) Description

Interference Fit BCONPRG TABLED1 id used by interference fit. (Integer>0;
Scale Factor v/s Time (TBINTRF) Required only when OPINTRF > 0)

Penetration Vector v/s When Interference Method is Normal Direction

Time (OPINTRF=1), TABLED1 id giving variation of
interference closure with respect to time

When Interference Method is Specified Direction

(OPINTRF=2), TABLED1 id giving variation of
magnitude of translation vector with respect to time

When Interference Method is Scale Factor

(OPINTRF=3), TABLED1 id giving variation of
magnitude of scale factor with respect to time

When Interference Method is Automatic (OPINTRF=4),

TABLED1 id giving variation of magnitude of
penetration vector projected node position on the primary
segment with respect to time
Penetration Search BCONPRG Penetration search tolerance for interference fit. Only
Tolerance (PTINTRF) required when Interference Method is Automatic
(OPINTRF=4). (Real≥0.0; default=error tolerance*100)
Contact Bodies BCONPRG Contact body selection for interference fit. Options are
Selection (CBINTRF) Primary body and Secondary body, Only required when
Interference Method is Specified Direction, Scale Factor,
or Automatic (OPINTRF=2, 3 or 4). (Integer=0 or 1;
Default=0)

Default (0) is Secondary body.

When Interference Method is Specified Direction

(OPINTRF=2), secondary or primary body for which
translation vector to be used

When Interference Method is Scale Factor

(OPINTRF=3), secondary or primary body for which
scale factors to be used.

When Interference Method is Automatic (OPINTRF=4),

secondary or primary body of which penetrations to be
determined.
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 93
Contact: Interference Fit and Initial Gap/Overlap

Property Bulk Data (field) Description

Coordinate Sys BCONPRG Coordinate system ID of VXINTRF, VYINTRF and
(CDINTRF) VZINTRF for interference fit. Only required when
Interference Method is Specified Direction or Scale Factor
(OPINTRF=2 or 3) (Integer≥0; Default=0)

When Interference Method is Specified Direction

(OPINTRF=2), Coordinate system for direction cosines
for the translation vector.

When Interference Method is Scale Factor

(OPINTRF=3), Coordinate system for scale factor vector.
94 Patran Release Guide
Contact: Interference Fit and Initial Gap/Overlap

Property Bulk Data (field) Description

X Component BCONPRG X component of vector for interference fit. Only required
(VXINTRF) when Interference Method is Specified Direction or Scale
Factor (OPINTRF=2 or 3) (Real; default=0.0)

When Interference Method is Specified Direction

(OPINTRF=2), Direction cosines for the translation
vector.

When Interference Method is Scale Factor

(OPINTRF=3), scale factor vector
Y Component BCONPRG Y component of vector for interference fit. Only required
(VYINTRF) when Interference Method is Specified Direction or Scale
Factor (OPINTRF=2 or 3) (Real; default=0.0)

When Interference Method is Specified Direction

(OPINTRF=2), Direction cosines for the translation
vector.

When Interference Method is Scale Factor

(OPINTRF=3), scale factor vector
Z Component BCONPRG Z component of vector for interference fit. Only required
(VZINTRF when Interference Method is Specified Direction or Scale
Factor (OPINTRF=2 or 3) (Real; default=0.0)

When Interference Method is Specified Direction

(OPINTRF=2), Direction cosines for the translation
vector.

When Interference Method is Scale Factor

(OPINTRF=3), scale factor vector
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 95
Contact: Interference Fit and Initial Gap/Overlap

Property Bulk Data (field) Description

Center of Scaling BCONPRG The definition varies depending on Interference Method
(CINTERF) (OPINTRF). (Real; Default = 0.0)

When Interference Method (OPINTRF) is set to Small

Interference (0, default), Interference closure amount,
normal to the contact surface. For CINTERF > 0.0,
overlap between bodies. For CINTERF < 0.0, gap
between bodies.

When Interference Method (OPINTRF) is set to Normal

Direction (1), interference closure magnitude. To clear
penetration, set a negative value.

When Interference Method (OPINTRF) is set to

Specified Direction (2), magnitude of translation vector
defining in VXINTRF, VYINTRF and VZINTRF.

When Interference Method (OPINTRF) is set to Scale

Factor (3), not used.

When Interference Method (OPINTRF) is set to

Automatic (4), not used.
96 Patran Release Guide
Support for Nodal Penalty-Based Surface to Surface Contact Modeling

Support for Nodal Penalty-Based Surface to Surface

Contact Modeling
To support the newly added Nastran functionality ‘Nodal Penalty Based Surface to Surface Contact
Modeling’ in Patran, a new check box is added to Contact Control Parameters form for all Solution Types in
Nastran Structural and Implicit NonLinear preferences. This check box is applicable only when Segment to
Segment Contact Method is selected on Contact Control Parameters form.
The Nodal Penalty method provides better physical solution through more smooth contact forces/stress and
adds robustness in contact modeling. It works only with the permanently glued contact bodies.

Implicit Nonlinear

Structural
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 97
Contact Body/Pair Results

Contact Body/Pair Results

Support for the import of Nastran Contact Body/Pair global results has been improved in Patran 2022.2. It
includes the capability to Read HDF5 file having GLOBAL and PAIR datasets. The Contact Body and
Contact Pair results such as resultant force, resultant moment, translation velocity, rotation center/axis, etc.,
are now treated as Global Variables (GVs) for selected load steps and can be plotted graphically.
The XY graph user interface is also updated to accommodate the above change. The new user interface has
the Global Variables and Global Contact Results as separate options. It helps in selecting the appropriate
Global Variable and Contact body/pair name and its associated Results. The new user interface is available
for all Patran preferences.
The following table summarizes the contact body (Deformable and Rigid) and pair results that are created as
GVs for each load step. Note that the name of the GV is the name of the contact body followed by the result
name. For vector results, a GV is created for each component. GVs are only scalar. All results from Nastran
are in the Nastran Basic System (the Patran Global System).
98 Patran Release Guide
Contact Body/Pair Results

Global Contact Body Results

Global Result Type GV Name(s)

Center of Rotation Vector Body <body name>, Position X
Body<body name>, Position Y
Body<body name>, Position Z
Rotation Axis Vector Body<body name>, Rotation Axis X
Body<body name>, Rotation Axis Y
Body<body name>, Rotation Axis Z
Total Load Force Vector Body<body name>, Force X
Body<body name>, Force Y
Body<body name>, Force Z
Moment W.R.T Center of Vector Body<body name>, Moment X
Rotation Body<body name>, Moment Y
Body<body name>, Moment Z
Velocity Vector Body<body name>, Velocity X
Body<body name>, Velocity Y
Body<body name>, Velocity Z
Angular Velocity Scalar Body<body name>, Angular Velocity
Total Rotation Angle Scalar Body<body name>, Rotation Angle

HDF5 Viewer > CONTACT-GLOBAL

The existing Rigid body (RIGID dataset) results from TMatrix Row1 to TMatrix Row4 are removed.
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 99
Contact Body/Pair Results

Contact Body Pair Results

Contact Pair Result Type GV Name(s)

Normal Force Vector Pair <pair name>, Normal Force X
Pair <pair name>, Normal Force Y
Pair <pair name>, Normal Force Z

Normal Moment Vector Pair <pair name>, Normal Moment X

Pair <pair name>, Normal Moment Y
Pair <pair name>, Normal Moment Z
Tangential Force Vector Pair <pair name>, Tangential Force X
Pair <pair name>, Tangential Force Y
Pair <pair name>, Tangential Force Z
Tangential Moment Vector Pair <pair name>, Tangential Moment X
Pair <pair name>, Tangential Moment Y
Pair <pair name>, Tangential Moment Z

HDF5 Viewer > CONTACT-PAIR

Graph XY plot User Interface

100 Patran Release Guide
Contact Body/Pair Results

Multiple Contact Bodies

 Two new options are added, Contact Body and Contact Pair, in addition to the existing Global
Variable and Result for both the X and Y-axis.
 Global Variable, Contact Body, and Body Pair options are available only when multiple load cases
are selected.
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 101
Contact Body/Pair Results

 Global Variables such as Time, LOAD_CASE_INDEX, etc. will be available on selecting the Global
Variable option.
 Contact Body and Body Pair names and their associated results are populated as per the option
selected in X or Y.

Select Result Case User Interface

The "Select Result Cases" form has Global Variable as one of the filter methods. This form is also updated as
the Graph XY plot application form.

Note:  Contact Body (GLOBAL) results from the HDF5 file generated by Nastran
2022.2 will be read by Patran 2022.2.
 This functionality is applicable to all analysis preferences in Patran
(MSC.Nastran, MSC.Marc, Abaqus, Dytran).

Limitations
 Patran does not read Contact Body (GLOBAL) results from the HDF5 file generated by the
previous Nastran versions (2022.1 or lower).
 The existing Rigid body (RIGID dataset) results: TMatrix Row1 to TMatrix Row4, are removed.
Due to this, if any old session file having these results is run, Patran will show a warning and will not
plot them.
102 Patran Release Guide
Contact Body/Pair Results

 Contact Body/Pair global results are supported only for XY graph post-processing.
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 103
HDF5 I4 Format Reader Support (32 precision)

HDF5 I4 Format Reader Support (32 precision)

While writing HDF5 for large models with large numbers of subcases, the time is consumed in the
compression of data that is in i8 format. Hence, to write out large files in HDF5 (i4) format, a faster compress
meta filter for HDF5 is introduced in MSC Nastran. Patran supports this new HDF5 32(i4) format in pre
and post-processing. The existing support for HDF5 64(i8) format also continues. With this new
implementation, Patran by default exports HDF5OUT parameters with HDF5 32(i4) with the compression
method LZ4 and LEVEL 5.
The Patran user interface is updated in the Structural (Results Output Format), Thermal (Results Output
Format), and Implicit Nonlinear (Translational Parameters) preferences to export and import the latest
HDF5OUT as well as the old parameters depending on the Nastran version selected.

Export-Import HDF5 parameters (old & new format)

 While importing a Nastran deck if HDF5OUT is specified, then all parameters, such as INPUT,
MTX, MDL, GM34, INFO, XHH, SGENL, and SSTRN entry are ignored. Only the HDF5OUT
params PRCISION, CMPRMTHD LZ4, LEVEL 5, and ROTDOF are imported.
 While importing a Nastran deck if NO HDF5OUT is specified, then all hdf5-related parameters,
such as HDF5, H5INFO, H5INPUT, H5MDL, H5GM34, H5XHH, H5MTX, H5NORDOF,
H5SGENL and H5SSTRN in MDLPRM entry are considered.
 Backward compatibility: If the Nastran version prior to the 2022.2 is specified in the Translational
Parameters form; Patran exports the old HDF5 card format (MDLPRM,HDF5,1 or 0).
104 Patran Release Guide
HDF5 I4 Format Reader Support (32 precision)

Structural Preference:

Thermal Preference:
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 105
HDF5 I4 Format Reader Support (32 precision)

Implicit Nonlinear Preference:

106 Patran Release Guide
HDF5 I4 Format Reader Support (32 precision)

nastran command
Case Control
Option Bulk Data (field) Description
HDF5 HDF5OUT, PRCISION, 32, When ON, requests an HDF5 results database file be
(Compressed) CMPRMTHD, LZ4, written. This is done by including a HDF5OUT to
(No Rot.DOFs) LEVEL, 5 the input deck.
(64-bit Precision)
HDF5OUT, PRCISION, 64,
CMPRMTHD, LZ4, If Compressed is ON sets
LEVEL, 5 HDF5OUT,CMPRMTHD,LZ4, LEVEL,5 else
HDF5OUT, PRCISION, 64, HDF5OUT,CMPRMTHD,NONE.
CMPRMTHD, LZ4,
LEVEL, 5, ROTDOF, NO If 64-bit Precision is ON sets
HDF5OUT, PRCISION, 32, HDF5OUT,PRCISION,64 else
CMPRMTHD, NONE HDF5OUT,PRCISION,32.

If no rotational degree-of-freedom results are to be

written to the HDF5 file, turn the No Rot.DOFs
toggle ON. Otherwise both translational and
rotational DOF results are written to the HDF5
database. This sets the HDF5OUT,ROTDOF,NO
entry.

Limitations
 Patran 2022.1 or the previous versions are unable to attach HDF5 file generated from Nastran
2022.2 with the new HDF5OUT parameters.
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 107
Smooth Spline Representation of Deformable Contact Bodies

Smooth Spline Representation of Deformable Contact

Bodies
Patran 2022.2 has an option to define Smooth Spline representation of Deformable Bodies when
BOUTPUT is requested. This can be defined in terms of OSPLNFRQ in Contact Detection form and the
frequency can be specified in terms of the nth increment. This is supported for Implicit Nonlinear (SOL400)
Preference and works for both Node to Segment and Segment to Segment Contact Methods.
108 Patran Release Guide
Smooth Spline Representation of Deformable Contact Bodies

nastran command
Case Control
Option Bulk Data (field) Description
Spline Option
Output BCPARA Output frequency of smooth spline representation of deformable
Frequency (OSPLNFRQ) contact body when BOUTPUT output requested. (Integer ≥ -1;
Smooth Spline Default=-1)
Output -1: Initial output only
Requested
0: No output

n: Every nth output increment along with initial output.

 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 109
Enhanced Bolt Modeling with BOLT1

Enhanced Bolt Modeling with BOLT1

MSC Nastran has introduced an updated method of modeling and analyzing bolts and/or bolt-like structures
with a new entry called BOLT1.
In the past, to analyze a bolt and apply a pre-load to the bolt, the bolt must have been modeled using two
separate meshes. These meshes defined the top and bottom portions of the bolt and were connected via
special MPCs joined to a control node that supplied the bolt pre-load. In MSC Nastran, this could be done
via explicit MPCs or using the BOLT entry, which simplified the process a bit, but the mesh still needed to
be split manually by the user.
A few releases back, Patran introduced a Bolt Pre-load tool (under the Tool/Modeling/Bolt Pre-load pulldown
menu) that allows the user to easily create the input for an MSC Nastran BOLT entry by automatically:
 Determining the bolt axis direction
 Splitting the mesh for the user
 Creating the control node
 Applying the load and constraints to the control node
 Writing out the appropriate BOLT entry for each defined bolt
In addition the tool allowed for graphical verification of the mesh split.
In MSC Nastran 2022, a new BOLT1 entry has been introduced that no longer requires the user to split the
mesh of the bolt prior to the analysis. Patran now supports this new BOLT1 entry in two different manners:
1. Using the Bolt Pre-load tool
2. Manually creating a Bolt LBC
110 Patran Release Guide
Enhanced Bolt Modeling with BOLT1

Bolt Pre-load Tool

Two new methods are added to define bolts using the BOLT1 entry.
 Simple
 Cross-Section

The other methods (Geometric, Vectorial, Elemental, and Manual) support the original BOLT method in
MSC Nastran. The two new methods support the new BOLT1 method and are briefly described below. For
full details please see Bolt Pre-load (Ch. 11) in the Patran Reference Manual.
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 111
Enhanced Bolt Modeling with BOLT1

Simple
This method works in the following manner:
1. Give the Bolt Pre-load definition a name (or use the default supplied)
2. Define the load (set it to Force or Displacement) - this is a scalar value
3. Define an offset of the control node for visualization and placement purposes
4. Select the all the elements that define the bolt
Once the above are supplied, the tool automatically creates the control node, a coordinate system with the x-
direction in the bolt axis direction, a load in the bolt axis direction at the center of the bolt and offset as
defined by the input above. On export of the MSC Nastran input file, the BOLT1 entry is written using the
simple option with a FORCE or SPCD placed on the control node.

Figure 3-3 Simple Pre-load form and bolt model showing LBC markers,
coordinate, and offset load on control node
112 Patran Release Guide
Enhanced Bolt Modeling with BOLT1

Cross-Section
This method works in the same manner as the Simple method with the following exceptions:
1. Optionally define a plane with the normal defining the Bolt Axis at or near the bolt midpoint
2. Select the elements that define the bolt as follows:
• If plane is NOT defined, select all the elements that define the bolt
• If a plane IS defined, select enough elements above and below the plane so as to properly identify
the cross section of the bolt
Once the above are supplied, the tool automatically creates the control node, a coordinate system with the x-
direction in the bolt axis direction (which is defined by the plane if supplied), a load in the bolt axis direction
at the center of the bolt (the cross section) and offset as defined by the input above. On export of the MSC
Nastran input file, the BOLT1 entry is written using the cross-section option with a FORCE or SPCD placed
on the control node.

Figure 3-4 Cross-Section Pre-load form and bolt model showing

LBC markers, coordinate, and offset load on control node
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 113
Enhanced Bolt Modeling with BOLT1

Manual Support Using Bolt LBC

The use of the Bolt Pre-load tool automatically creates the following:
 a Bolt LBC (Simple or Cross-Section option)
 a control node referenced by the Bolt LBC
 a coordinate with the x-axis in the bolt axis direction
 a load (Force or Displacement LBC) defining the bolt load using only the x-component relative to
the defined coordinate
It is not necessary to use the Bolt Pre-load tool. All of the above can be created manually.
 The control node can be created using the Finite Element (Meshing) application (Create | Node).
The analysis coordinate system (ACID) of the node must be the global system.
 The coordinate system can be created using the Geometry application. The x-axis should be in the
bolt axis direction.
 The load can be created using the LoadsBCs application (Force or Displacement) with only an x-
component defined. If you wish to see the load graphically in the bolt axis direction, it must be
associated to a coordinate system with the x-axis in the bolt axis direction. See limitation below.
 Finally a Bolt LBC must be created with either the Simple or the Cross Section option.
• The Simple option requires all elements of the bolt as the application region with the Control
Node and Offset defined as Input Data.
• The Cross-Section option requires two application regions, the first being the element just above
the cross-section, and the second being the nodes defining the cross-section. The node of the cross
section must exist in the selected elements. And the control node and a bolt axis direction (vector)
are supplied as the Input Data.
114 Patran Release Guide
Enhanced Bolt Modeling with BOLT1

Benefits
 Automatic creation of bolts and bolt pre-loads
 No need to split mesh
 Multiple bolt creation
The above examples show single bolt pre-load creation. However, if the Multiple Bolts toggle is
turned ON, multiple bolt pre-loads can be done in a single operation.
For both the Simple and Cross-Section methods, simply select a representative selection of elements
from each desired bolt. It is not necessary to select all the elements of any of the bolt, as is the case if
this toggle is OFF or no plane is given to define the bolt axis. The connectivity of the bolts is
determined and each disconnected mesh detected is used to create a bolt pre-load definition. Each is
given the same load and offset.

Limitations
 Only the Implicit Nonlinear Preference should be used when analyzing bolt. Although the Bolt LBC
is available for creation under the Structural Preference, only SOL 400 supports a BOLT1 entry.
 The Simple and Cross-Section methods that support BOLT1 do not constrain the control node in
any manner, as opposed to the other methods that support the BOLT entry. If any lateral or any
other displacement constraints need to be placed on the control node, this must be done manually in
the LoadsBCs application by defining a Displacement constraint directly on the control node.
 In MSC Nastran, the BOLT1 load can be a FORCE or an SPCD (enforced displacement).
BOLT1 requires that the load be defined on a control node. The ACID (analysis coordinate system)
of the control node must be set to CID=0. The Bolt Preload tool sets the ACID of the control node
to CID=0. It is possible for the user to manually change the ACID in Patran in which case the ACID
is written to the GRID entry - there is no error check in Patran or the translator for this. The user
must know that the control node must be defined with ACID=0. The Bolt Preload tool, when used,
sets this for the user. It is only if the user manually creates a Bolt LBC, control node, and assigned
loads, does he/she need to be cognizant that the control node must be in ACID=0.
 BOLT1 also requires that the load be defined as a scalar value by defining only the x-direction - any
other directions are ignored. And the load must be defined in CID=0.
If FORCE, then the vector defined in Patran must have a value in the first component. The FORCE
can be defined in a coordinate system that is representative of the bolt axis direction. On translation,
the FORCE is written with CID=0 regardless of what it is defined as in Patran. The CID in Patran is
only for display purposes. Of course if a input file is read back in, it will have the FORCE defined in
CID=0 and the direction may (mostly likely will not) be displayed in the actual bolt axis direction.
This is a limitation and a warning is issued.
If SPCD, then the vector defined in Patran must also have a value in the first component direction.
The difference between FORCE and SPCD is that SPCD (and any displacement constraint) is
always defined in the ACID of the control node. Since the bolt preload tool writes out the control
node in ACID=0, if the enforced displacement in Patran is defined in the bolt axis direction using a
coordinate system, then special care is taken in the translator so as NOT to flag the mismatch
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 115
Enhanced Bolt Modeling with BOLT1

between the control node ACID and the Patran displacement CID. Normally if there is a mismatch,
a warning message is issued and the user is required to fix the situation. For BOLT1 control nodes
this check is overridden and no conflict message appears. Again on import, the load direction will
have the same limitation as FORCE.
116 Patran Release Guide
Follower Forces (FORCE1/2 and MOMENT1/2)

Follower Forces (FORCE1/2 and MOMENT1/2)

Point or concentrated loads at nodes are typically defined using the Force LBC. The direction of these loads,
which can be forces or moments, are typically defined by a direction vector. Once this direction vector is
defined, it is translated into an MSC.Nastran input file as a FORCE or a MOMENT entry. During the
analysis this concentrated load always acts in the direction it was defined.
MSC.Nastran also supports the concept of a follower force; a load which can change direction as the analysis
proceeds. These types of loads are most useful in transient and/or nonlinear analysis where the direction of
the load can change as the model deforms from increment to increment or time step to time step. These
entries are called FORCE1, FORCE2, MOMENT1, and MOMENT2.
To define a follower force, the user specifies two (2) or four (4) nodes associated with the load. When two (2)
nodes are specified, the direction of the load is from the first node to the second node (the vector that that
defines). When four (4) nodes are specified, the direction vector is determined by the cross-product of the
vector defined from node 1 to node 2 and the vector defined from node 3 to node 4.
The Patran Force LBC has been enhanced to now allow both the Standard Force (FORCE and MOMENT)
and a new Follow Force (FORCE1/2 and MOMENT1/2) as shown below.

The Application Region of a Follow Force LBC is identical to the Standard Force LBC. The user simply
supplies a list of Nodes on which to apply the load. Or the user selects geometric entities or pre-defined
Regions from which the nodes are extracted.
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 117
Follower Forces (FORCE1/2 and MOMENT1/2)

The Input Data however, is quit different. Instead of supplying a vector to define the Force and/or Moment
(with associated coordinate system, if necessary), the use only needs to supply the magnitude of the Force
and/or Moment. No coordinate frame is necessary to define because the direction of the load is determined
by the other input, which is either two (2) nodes or four (4) nodes as explained earlier.

 Force (F) - this is the magnitude of the force, the F field of the FORCE1 or FORCE2 entry.
 Moment (M) - this is the magnitude of the moment, the M field of the MOMENT1 or
MOMENT2 entry.
 Node 1, Node 2 - the vector direction from Node 1 to Node 2 defines the direction of the load
 Use Vector Cross Product - this is a toggle that if ON, allows the user to define four (4) nodes.
 Node 3, Node 4 - wtih the above toggle turned ON and these additional nodes defined the vector
direction of the load now is determined by a cross-product of two vectors. The first vector is from
Node 1 to Node 2 and the second vector is from Node 3 to Node 4.
On translation, a FORCE1 or FORCE2 entry is created if Force (F) is defined in the Follow Force LBC. A
MOMENT1 or MOMENT2 entry is also created if the Moment (M) is defined. If both a Moment and
Force are defined, they share the same defined direction, however they are placed in separate load sets on
translation even though they are defined in a single LBC within Patran. On import, separate Follow Force
LBCs are created within the Patran database.
It is important to note that Node 1 cannot be the same node as Node 2 and Node 3 cannot be the same as
Node 4. Also Node 1 and 2 cannot be coincident and Node 3 and 4 cannot be coincident. Otherwise a zero
length vector is defined. Although the LBC is still created, the user is warned of these conditions and on
translation, the use is also warned that the Nastran run may be FATAL. In addition to this, when using the
four (4) node method, the vector defined by Nodes 1 and 2 cannot be parallel to the vector defined by Nodes
118 Patran Release Guide
Follower Forces (FORCE1/2 and MOMENT1/2)

3 and 4. Again, this results in a zero length vector in which case the user is warned both on creation and on
translation.
When a Follow Force LBC is created, the graphical markers are both the vector display of the load and a
circular marker around the selected nodes that are used for determining the load direction as shown here. The
Application Region node is Node 36, where the yellow load vector is placed, with magnitude 99. The
direction is determined by the vector formed from Node 1 to Node 8 (yellow circular markers).

Typical usage is to define a single node for Nodes 1, 2, 3, and 4 to define the direction. The direction is then
applied to as many nodes as are defined in the Application Region. Below shows single nodes defining one
direction with multiple nodes in the Application Region.

It is possible to select a list of nodes in the Node 1, 2, 3, or 4 data boxes to define different directions for each
node in the Application Region for a single LBC. The list is supplied as a typical Patran pick list of nodes
(e.g., Node 1:50 or Node 5 2 10:20:2 as examples). The order of the nodes is important. They must appear
in the order in which they correspond to the nodes in the Application Region. They are NOT sorted. Repeat
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 119
Follower Forces (FORCE1/2 and MOMENT1/2)

nodes can be listed. If there are more nodes in the Application Region than there are in a Node 1, 2, 3, or 4
data box, then the last node listed is used for the remaining nodes in the Application Region.
As an example, say the Application Region contains Nodes 15, 16, and 17. Assume a two-noded definition
of the load with Node 1 data box containing Nodes 7 , 2, and 10 with Node 2 data box containing only Nodes
5 and 6. This table shows how the direction vectors are determined for each Node in the Application Region.

Application Node 1 Node 2

Region Node Data Box Data Box Comment
15 7 5 Vector direction for Node 15 is from Node 7 to Node 5.
16 2 6 Vector direction for Node 16 is from Node 2 to Node 6.
17 10 6 Vector direction for Node 17 is from Node 10 to Node 6
because Node 6 was the last Node in Node 2 data box.

Here is the same example as above with the same Application Region except that the Node 1 variable contains
multiple nodes (the same nodes as the Application Region, in fact) with the Node 2 variable set to the node
in the bottom left corner (Node 1), effectively creating direction vectors at each node pointing toward the
bottom corner node.

All operations work with the Follow Force LBC similarly to Standard Force LBC:
 Scale Factor can be applied
 Force (F) and Moment (M) can be associated with spatial field definition
 If associated to a Time (Frequency) Dependent, Force (F) and Moment (M) can be associated to
non-spatial time or frequency definitions (or Channel File data)
 Force (F) and Moment (M) can be associated to discrete FEM fields
 Can be written out as FORCE1/2, MOMENT1/2 for any solution sequence that accepts loads
 Create/Modify/Delete/Plot Markers/Plot Contours/Show Tabular
 Group Transform (Translate, Rotate, Mirror, etc.) - Copy and Move
120 Patran Release Guide
Follower Forces (FORCE1/2 and MOMENT1/2)

• Note that on a Mirror operation, the Moment load is reversed for two-noded definitions
(MOMENT1) in order to maintain a proper mirror of the moment. And the Force load is
reversed for four-noded definitions (FORCE2), also to maintain the proper mirror of the force.
As an example of a Follow Force LBC and comparing to a Standard Force LBC, below is cantilever model
that has a Standard Force LBC placed on the end of the beam. Two runs are made with this load, a linear
large deformation and a non-linear large deformation. The deformation is shown to illustrate the difference
between linear and non-linear large deformation problems and that with large deformation, the non-linear
formulation gives meaningful results, whereas the linear formulation does not and is only proper to use for
small deformation. Note however, that in this case, as the beam deflects, the tip load continues to act in the
same downward direction.
A third (non-linear, large deformation) run is done where the tip load is replaced with a Follow Force LBC.
Now as the beam deflects, the load readjusts to the new direction at each load increment as defined by the
new positions of the nodes that define the vector direction of the load. This model and load is exaggerated to
show how the beam continues to bend in on itself due to the continual re-positioning of the load. This
example can be run under the Analysis application by setting the Action to Run Demo and then selecting
demo titled SOL 400 - Nas123 ws01 - Linear/Nonlinear Beam with Follower Forces under the What’s New or
Implicit Nonlinear category.

Unrealistic Linear Large Deformation - Constant Direction Force

 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 121
Follower Forces (FORCE1/2 and MOMENT1/2)

Large Deformation Non-linear - Constant Direction Force

Large Deformation Non-Linear - Follower Force

122 Patran Release Guide
Perturbation Results

Perturbation Results
To properly visualize perturbation results, they should be plotted relative to the deformed shape after the
initial nonlinear static analysis (NLIC based). An example would be plotting a mode shape after applying a
tension load rather than viewing the mode shape before the load is applied. This is now possible in Patran
2023.1.
A new option Relative To is displayed on the Results form if the selected result case is either an Imperfect or
a Perturbation analysis and the analysis preference is Implicit Nonlinear.
 Original Model: When this option is selected, the deformation plot displays the original Finite
Element Model used for the analysis
 Deformed Model: When this option is selected, Patran displays the deformed model used for the
respective Imperfect or Perturbation analysis.

Note: This functionality is implemented for the quick, deformation, fringe, and marker
plots.

The following illustrates the proper post processing of perturbation results as now available in this release. A
simple cantilever beam model and the respective case-control data are shown below:
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 123
Perturbation Results

Subcase 1, Step 1: NLIC run

Subcase 1, Step 2: Perturbation run with ANALYSIS=MODES

Assume the nodal displacement output for Subcase 1, Steps 1 and 2 are as shown below. These are proper
plots showing the initial deformation from applying a load in Step 1 and then the mode shape of Step 2
plotted relative to the deformed shape of Step 1.

Previous versions of Patran could only plot the mode shape relative to the original, undeformed geometry as
shown below. This option is still available if Relative To: Original Model is selected on the Results form.
124 Patran Release Guide
Perturbation Results

Now, however, this example of a mode shape is plotted correctly, relative to the deformed geometry, as long
as the option Relative To: Deformed Model is selected. This is the default behavior and the corresponding
deformation is automatically selected for HDF5 attached results.
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 125
Perturbation Results

The same option is extended to Imperfect geometry results as well. Consider a similar sketch representation
of an imperfect analysis using a cantilever beam.

If the option selected is “Original Model”, the plot is as follows:

If the option selected is “Deformed Model”, the plot is as follows:

Perturbation with Imperfection

Consider the following sketch using both Perturbation and Imperfection.
126 Patran Release Guide
Perturbation Results

If the option selected is “Original Model”, the plot is as follows:

 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 127
Perturbation Results

If the option selected is “Deformed Model”, the plot is as follows:

Consider the following, actual FEA model:

128 Patran Release Guide
Perturbation Results

Deformed shape: Deformed shape from NL static step/subcases (result case)

Deformed shape of NL static subcases "SC1:Step 1:INSIGNIFICANT FORCE APPLIED AT THE TIP",
"A1:Time=1.", "Displacements", "Translational“, undeformed shape from base FEA model
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 129
Perturbation Results

Original Model: Current workflow, Result plotted without Perturbation from perturbation step/subcases
(result case)
Undeformed shape from base FEA model
Deformed shape without perturbation “SC1:Step 2:FORCES APPLIED AT UPPER EDGE OF TIP",
"A1:Freq.=100.", "Displacements", "Translational"
130 Patran Release Guide
Perturbation Results

Deformed Model: Result plotted with Perturbation from perturbation step/subcases (result case)
Undeformed shape of NL static subcases "SC1:Step 1:INSIGNIFICANT FORCE APPLIED AT THE
TIP", "A1:Time=1.", "Displacements", "Translational“, undeformed shape considered from the base FEA
model deformed shape without perturbation result case and deformed shape with perturbation result cases
“SC1:Step 2:FORCES APPLIED AT UPPER EDGE OF TIP", "A1:Freq.=100.", "Displacements",
"Translational"
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 131
Postprocessing of Relative Displacement

Postprocessing of Relative Displacement

The postprocessing support for relative displacement has now been added to Patran 2023.1 for the HDF5
result file attachments. After attaching the h5 file, two additional options will be available for each result case:
 Relative Displacement, Translational
 Relative Displacement, Rotational

Postprocessing of Results
The following example illustrates the relative displacement functionality:
In input file, define grid 1 as reference set for relative displacement
set 10=1
reldisp(print,sort2,phase,refset=10) = all
132 Patran Release Guide
Postprocessing of Relative Displacement

The plotted results with standard and relative displacement are as follows:
Deformation Plot - Translational
The left image shows deformation plot for Relative Displacement, Translational i.e. the translational
displacement of the model relative to the displacement of node 1. The right image shows the deformation
plot for standard Displacement, Translational.

Quick plot - Translational

The left image shows quick plot for Relative Displacement, Translational whereas the right image shows
quick plot for standard Displacement, Translational.
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 133
Defects Fixed for Aerospace Customers

Defects Fixed for Aerospace Customers

Patran shows the following acknowledgment message and writes SPC with the job when the constraints are
defined on a dependent node of an MPC/RBE3:
 Patran writes SPC, MPC in MSC Nastran Structural, Implicit Nonlinear, and Thermal preferences.
PARAM AUTOMSET YES is also written in MSC Nastran Structural Preference.
 Acknowledgment message is shown while writing out the Nastran input deck in MSC Nastran
Structural preference:
Patran 2023.1 has found nodes for which both SPC and dependent MPC relations exist. The
affected nodes have been placed in a group called “BDF_WARNING_MPC_SPC_CONFL”. The SPCs
will still be exported, but to solve the problem in Nastran, the analysis deck is written with
PARAM,AUTOMSET,YES.
 Acknowledgment message is shown while writing out the Nastran input deck in MSC Nastran
Implicit Nonlinear, and Thermal preferences:
Patran 2023.1 has found nodes for which both SPC and dependent MPC relations exist. The
affected nodes have been placed in a group called “BDF_WARNING_MPC_SPC_CONFL”. The SPCs
will still be exported.
134 Patran Release Guide
Nastran Input File Import via SCA Component

Nastran Input File Import via SCA Component

Patran 2023.1 introduces a new import process through a SCA component. The import mechanism
previously used the Nastran Toolkit to import a Nastran Input file. The Toolkit has been deprecated,
necessitating the replacement with the SCA Component. The new file import functionality, including error
handling, continues to work as before with some improvements and limitations as described below.

Nastran Input File Import Summary

The summary form appears after the import of the Nastran input file is completed. This form displays the
number of entities imported correctly, with warnings, or not at all due to errors. This form has been updated
and a new “View Log File…” button is added as shown below. This button opens the LOG file generated
during the import process.
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 135
Nastran Input File Import via SCA Component

View Log File Form

All the information and messages generated during the import process are written to the LOG (.log) file,
which can be viewed by selecting this button on the Summary Data form. The user can review the import
status, model summary, and relevant messages and information regarding the imported model.

Reject Import Data

Some entries in the Nastran Input File are not processed by Patran and are written to the reject (.rej) file.
Selecting the “Reject Cards…” button on the Summary Data form displays the rejected entries. This form
has been updated with a new toggle (“All Reject Data”) to display the complete rejected data.
136 Patran Release Guide
Nastran Input File Import via SCA Component

Improvements
 All major Nastran cards continue to be supported via the SCA Component. There is no major
deviation in the Nastran Card support in Patran 2023.1 as compared to previous releases.
 The new import process is capable of handling incomplete Nastran input files or files that have
invalid syntax, which the earlier import process was unable to handle effectively.
 Import performance has improved by 10-40 % with the new import process as compared to the
earlier import process.
 ‘View Log File’ functionality has been implemented to view the log file contents through the Patran
UI interface.
 ‘All Reject Data’ toggle added in Reject Import Data form to view all the reject sections together.
 Import Summary, Reject Import Data and View Log File forms are resizable.

Change of Behavior
PBCOMP entry is imported as-is in the Nastran Input file.
 This entry is processed differently by the Nastran Toolkit whereas the SCA Component processes
the entry as it is in the input deck.
 Although the entry is processed differently, there is no impact on the final Nastran solution. The
deck gets solved similarly in both cases.
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 137
Nastran Input File Import via SCA Component

Limitations & Deprecation

 The following entries or scenarios are not supported by the SCA Component,
• P-Element entries (GMBC, GMINTC, GMINTS, GMCONV, etc.)
Note, these entries are not supported by Nastran and are deprecated.
• MATD003, MATD006, MATD010, MATD015, MATD020, MATD024, MATD057.
Note, these are SOL700 cards not supported by Nastran.
• EGRID, CGEN, MBOLTUS, DYNRED, TEMPBC
• PBEAML with DBOX section
 PBEAML with YES set for stress recovery does not import correctly if there is no data for END B
dimensions for L and TUBE sections.
 Replication Card Entries are not supported by the SCA Component.
 Entries with continuation markers must follow one another in the input file. Disconnected
continuation entries are not imported by the SCA component, and a relevant error message is
displayed.
 The following entries are not supported:
GRIDG, GRIDB, GRIDF, GRIDS, AXSLOT, CAXIF2, CAXIF3, RINGAX, PCONEAX,
MPCAX, FORCEAX, CCONEAX, AXIC, FREEPT, RINGFL. These cards are processed
differently by the Nastran Toolkit and the SCA Component.
• For example,
Previously, with the Nastran Toolkit, GRIDG entries were internally converted to GRIDs and
passed to Patran as GRIDs. Since GRIDs are supported by Patran, they are imported.
With the new SCA Component, GRIDG entries are processed as-is and passed to Patran as
GRIDG. Since GRIDG are not recognized by Patran they are not imported.
 SORTED BULK output feature is not supported.

Note: Nastran Input File import in Patran 2023.1 and beyond uses the new import process
via the SCA Component. However, an option has been provided to invoke the
Nastran Toolkit process by setting the environment variable
MSCP_NIFIMP_TOOLKIT to YES. Users can use this option in cases where there
may be issues with the new import process. It's recommended to transition to the new
process as soon as possible since the alternate option will eventually be removed in
future Patran releases. If you encounter any issues, please contact Hexagon customer
support for assistance
138 Patran Release Guide
Automatic Contact Generation (ACG)

Automatic Contact Generation (ACG)

There are two methods of automatically creating contact bodies and contact body pairs.
 Via Patran’s automatic contact generation tool:
This functionality is accessible via the Tools | Modeling | Contact Bodies/Pairs... utility. Bodies and
pairs can be automatically generated based on various parameters and setting. The generated bodies
and pairs are stored in the Patran database as Contact LBCs, which can then be graphically verified
and modified as necessary. On translation to a Nastran input file, these bodies and pairs are written
as BCBODY1 and BCONECT entries. This functionality has been accessible now for a number of
releases. What is new in the 2023.2 release is the ability to request automatically generated contact
bodies and pairs directly in Nastran.
 Via Nastran’s automatic contact generation tool:
Nastran has had the ability to automatically generate contact bodies and pairs since its 2018 release.
Patran 2023.2 now allows the user to turn this functionality ON when translating a model into a
Nastran input file. For solution sequences that support contact, this functionality is accessible from
the Analysis application’s Solution Parameters | Contact Parameters... form.
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 139
Automatic Contact Generation (ACG)

ACG on Contact Parameters Form

If the Automatic Contact Generation (ACG) toggle is turned ON, the following occurs on translation to a
Nastran input file:
1. The BCONTACT=AUTO Case Control entry is written above all SUBCASEs - this triggers Nastran
to automatically generate contact bodies and pairs.
For SOL 101 and 400, BCONTACT=AUTO is written. For any other SOLution,
BCONTACT=AUTO,PGLUE is written as only SOL 101 and 400 allow general contact and all
others require permanent glued contact.
2. No contact LBCs are translated into the input file even if they exist in the Patran database and are
associated with an active load case, with the possible exception or rigid bodies, which is explained
below.
3. Any controlling contact parameters (non-default) are written to the Bulk Data entry, BCAUTOP.
If all defaults are detected, no BCAUTOP entry is written.

ACG Parameters
All settings on the Contact Parameters... form(s), including all of its subordinate forms can be set just as in
a normal contact analysis where the contact bodies and pairs are defined as LBCs. The difference is that
instead of being written to Bulk Data entries BCPARA (or BCBDPRP, BCONPRG, BCONPRP), they are
written to the BCAUTOP entry only (when ACG is requested). None of the other mentioned parameter
entries are written. BCAUTOP supports all the parameters of these other mentioned parameter entries. Of
course, only those parameters supported on the form(s) are written to the BCAUTOP entry.
In addition to all the standard parameters on this form, another subordinate form has been added to help
control the automatic contact generation. This form has four modes. All four modes are available for SOL
400, Implicit Nonlinear jobs. For SOL 101 and other SOLutions, only applicable modes are accessible. The
four modes are:
1. General (All SOLutions)
2. Thermal (Implicit Nonlinear only)
3. Gluing (All SOLutions, but limited for SOLs 103-200)
4. Advanced (All SOLutions but limited for SOLs 103-200)
140 Patran Release Guide
Automatic Contact Generation (ACG)

General ACG Parameters

The parameters on this mode of the form are broken up into Primary and Secondary parameters.

The Primary parameters consist of:

 Body Pair Tolerance: the distance between bodies to detect a contact body pair
 The Contact Type: If all switches are OFF, general touching contact is set and is the default. If one
of the switches is turned ON, then either General gluing, Permanent gluing, or Step gluing is set.
This setting is not accessible for SOLutions that require Permanent gluing as it is set automatically
since there is no choice.
 A Selection of either Elements, Seed Elements, Seed Nodes, or Property Sets. The default is to use all
elements in the model. Seed Elements or Nodes simple means that Nastran will generate contact
bodies based on connectivity and the user only needs to provide enough elements or nodes to allow
Nastran to detect the connectivity.
 Whether or not to include rigid bodies in the contact pair generation. If this toggle is ON, then any
rigid body LBCs that are part of an active load case are translated into BCBODY1 entries on
translation. Thus the ACG knows of their existence and created body pair with rigid bodies. The
ACG process cannot (does not) generate rigid bodies. They must have already been defined and exist
in the Nastran input file.
The Secondary parameters consist of:
 Body Dimension (2D or 3D)
 Whether to allow Beam and/or Edge contact or not
 Whether to ignore shell thicknesses or not
 Whether to allow self contact or not
 Whether to modify body positions for initial stress free contact or not
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 141
Automatic Contact Generation (ACG)

Thermal ACG Parameters

The thermal parameters, available for Implicit Nonlinear SOL 400 runs, are set on this form. Normally these
settings are defined when creating Contact Body and Contact Pair LBCs in the LBC application. But if
requesting ACG, no bodies or pairs are being created in Patran, this form is provided to allow setting of these
parameters. All generated bodies and pairs take on any of these settings. Naturally they are only valid when
doing thermal or coupled structural-thermal analysis.

Gluing ACG Parameters

The gluing parameters are additional settings available if gluing is set on the General mode of this form,
allowing for more refined definitions, such as retaining moments, allowing separation, and setting breaking
glue thresholds. For SOLutions that require Permanent gluing, not all of these setting are applicable.
142 Patran Release Guide
Automatic Contact Generation (ACG)

Advanced ACG Parameters

For SOLutions that support them, these settings allow for detection method, sliding, analytical contact,
interference fit, and gaps/overlaps.

Import of ACG File

When Nastran runs with ACG, it creates a <jobname>.acg file. This file contains the generated
deformable contact bodies and body pairs in the form of BCBODY1 and BCONECT entries, including any
other entries necessary to define the bodies/pairs and their properties. They are written as an INCLUDE file,
which could be referenced in the Bulk Data section of the original Nastran input file and rerun by modifying
the BCONTACT entry to point to an appropriate BCTABL1 entry and removing any BCAUTOP entry.
Doing this should give the same results as with using ACG directly.
Sometimes, with complicated models, the ACG does not create the desired bodies and pairs. It is possible to
read in the ACG file to Patran in order to visualize the bodies and pairs created by Nastran. The bodies and
pairs can then be modified as necessary and the job rerun directly from Patran with the ACG toggle turned
OFF.
In order to import the ACG file, simply do so as if it were a standard Nastran input file. This can be done
from the File | Import | Nastran Input File pull down menu and form, or directly from the Analysis
application with the Action set to Read Input File.
There are limitations to reading this file as described below.
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 143
Automatic Contact Generation (ACG)

Results of an ACG run showing contact status. Four (4) bodies were created, three (3) bodies with 3D
elements, and one (1) body with shell elements. A rigid body was included in the contact pair generation and
four (4) pairs were detected and created.

Limitations
 Only one BCAUTOP entry can be written. This means all generated contact bodies and pairs take
on the same contact parameters. Complicated models with many bodies and pairs may require that
they be scrutinized carefully for accuracy and to ensure they are what is expected.
 Nastran’s ACG cannot automatically generate rigid bodies, which, if necessary, must still be
generated in Patran as Rigid Contact LBCs and requested to be included in the automatic contact
pair generation. The rigid bodies must be written out into the input file.
 Patran cannot recognize contact pairs generated with rigid bodies if the ACG file is read into a
Patran database independently of the rest of the model. In order for Patran to recognize any body
pairs that contain rigid bodies, the user must import the original input file with the ACG file
referenced within the input file via an INCLUDE statement. This way the import process knows
about all bodies, rigid and deformable, whereas, if read in independently, the import process does
not know anything about the rigid body(ies). The import process also cannot detect an existing rigid
body in the Patran database and correlate it to any referenced rigid body in a generated contact pair
because there is no guarantee that the rigid body ID (internal to Patran) matches the ID referenced
in the BCONECT entry.
 ACG files that are read in independently to an existing Patran database place the bodies and pairs in
the default load case. The reason for this is because there is no SUBCASE information in an ACG
file, therefor the import process cannot determine in which Patran load case to place the bodies/pair.
144 Patran Release Guide
Preprocessing of Pyramid Elements

Preprocessing of Pyramid Elements

Patran supports visualization of MSC.Nastran results using pyramid elements (both Pyra5 and Pyra13
elements). Patran 2023.2 introduces preprocessing support for MSC.Nastran pyramid elements, enabling
more accurate and realistic simulations.
The preprocessing support for pyramid elements in Patran includes the following:
 Manual creation of pyramid elements (5 and 13 noded)
 Associating 3D element properties with pyramid elements
 Application of LBCs using pyramid elements
 Export of pyramid elements to a Nastran input file
 Import of pyramid elements from a Nastran input file
 Different FEM actions using pyramid elements
• Transform
• Optimize
• Modify
• Show
 Mesh quality checks
• Verify elements: Boundaries, Connectivity, Jacobian Ratio, etc.
 Display attributes (Label/Color)
 Splitting of pyramid elements
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 145
Preprocessing of Pyramid Elements

Manual Creation of Pyramid Elements (5 and 13 noded)

To create pyramid element:
In Meshing panel, Create -> Element -> Edit -> Shape;
select shape Pyra and topology Pyra5/Pyra13
146 Patran Release Guide
Preprocessing of Pyramid Elements

Associating 3D element properties with Pyramid elements

In Properties panel, Create -> 3D -> Solid
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 147
Preprocessing of Pyramid Elements

Application of LBCs using Pyramid elements

Export of Pyramid elements to a Nastran input file

148 Patran Release Guide
Preprocessing of Pyramid Elements

Pyra5 element is written as:

Pyra13 element is written as:

Pressure LBC is written as:

Import of Pyramid elements

 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 149
Preprocessing of Pyramid Elements

Different FEM Actions using Pyramid elements

Mesh Quality Checks

In Meshing panel, set Action -> Verify -> Element to see different meshing quality checks.
150 Patran Release Guide
Preprocessing of Pyramid Elements

Display attributes (Label/Color)

From Display menu, select Entity Color/Label/Render... Select Pyra label.
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 151
Preprocessing of Pyramid Elements

Split for Pyramid elements

In Meshing panel, Modify -> Pyra -> Split
Following split options are added for pyramid elements:
 Pyra to Pyra/Hex
 Pyra to Tets
152 Patran Release Guide
HDF5 I4/I8 Support in Patran Random Analysis Tool

HDF5 I4/I8 Support in Patran Random Analysis Tool

Patran now supports MSC Nastran HDF5 I4/I8 result files for random analysis. The workflow for using it
is identical to the existing XDB file support. With this implementation, users can now perform random
analysis on MSC Nastran HDF5 files. The existing support for XDB format continues.
Patran user interface for Random Analysis tool has been enhanced to allow the selection of either .xdb or .h5
files, with support available for both I4 and I8 HDF5 file formats.

Random Response XY Plots

Select XDB or H5 file, created by frequency response analysis, then select PSD (Power Spectral Density)
input profile.
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 153
HDF5 I4/I8 Support in Patran Random Analysis Tool

RMS Fringe Plots

RMS Fringe plots of grid responses (displacement, velocity and acceleration) and elemental responses (stress,
strain and forces) can be created by selecting XDB or H5 file and random input profile.

Random output quantities available for both XY plots and RMS Analysis are as follows:
Nodal results:

DISPLACEMENT
VELOCITY
ACCELERATION
SPC
MPC
154 Patran Release Guide
HDF5 I4/I8 Support in Patran Random Analysis Tool

Elemental results:

STRESS
FORCE
STRAIN

The workflow of MSC Nastran, Patran and MSC Random is illustrated below:

Known Limitations
1. Maximum number of output frequencies: 32,768.
2. Maximum Number of RANDPS entries: 250,000.
3. Maximum Number of TABRND1 entries: 250,000.
4. MSC Nastran elements supported CBAR, CBEAM, CROD, CONROD, CTUBE, CBEND,
CDAMP, CBUSH, CELAS, CQUAD41, CQUAD81, CQUADR1, CTRIA31, CTRIA61,
CTRIAR1, CSHEAR, CHEXA1, CPENTA1, CTETRA1.
5. Composite results (Stress and Strain) are not supported.
6. Users may experience performance slowdown when post-processing random results for RMS Analysis
and generating XY plots, particularly with large models or when selecting numerous entities for
display compared to the XDB file.
For more details on Random Analysis Process in Patran, refer to: Random Analysis (p. 767) in the Patran
Reference Manual

1
Centroidal and Corner Forces, Stresses and Strains
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 155
Hybrid Mesher

Hybrid Mesher
Patran 2023.3 introduces the hybrid mesher. You can access the functionality by clicking on the Hybrid icon
in the Meshers section under the Meshing tab.

Hybrid mesh generation is a method employed in solid modeling to create finite element meshes for 3D
objects. It meshes the selected solid with 3D elements, such as pyra, tet, wedge, and hex elements.

The hybrid mesher GUI introduces the following Input selections:

 Solids
 Boundary Mesh
156 Patran Release Guide
Hybrid Mesher

Workflows
For Using Solids:

In case of Mesh Failure:

For Boundary Mesh:

 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 157
Hybrid Mesher

Here are a few examples demonstrating the hybrid mesher functionality:

1. Hybrid Mesh with Boundary Element Shape as Quad

2. Solid 1 meshed with Tet4 element. Solid 2 meshed with Hybrid Mesh
(Boundary Element Shape > Tria, Existing Boundary Mesh checked)
158 Patran Release Guide
Hybrid Mesher

3. Hybrid Mesh (Input > Boundary Mesh)

For more details, check: Hybrid (Ch. 2) in the Reference Manual - Part III.

Known Issues
There are a few known issues with the hybrid mesher and we are actively working with our third-party
provider to address these issues as quickly as possible.
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 159
Hybrid Mesher

GUI Update 2023.4

A new drop down menu, Core Element Type is added to the hybrid mesher form.

This new drop down has two options:

 Tet (Default option)
 Hex
Hybrid mesher will create either Tet or Hex elements in the core of the selected solid based on the core
element type selection.
160 Patran Release Guide
Pyramid Element Verification

Pyramid Element Verification

Patran introduced pre and post processing for pyramid elements in previous releases. Now Patran 2023.3
supports element verification of pyramid elements under Verify > Pyra in the Finite Element application.

This functionality enables testing of each pyramid element in the current group for all the Pyra verification
tests. Test options available for pyra are:
 Aspect Ratio
 Face Warp
 Face Skew
 Taper
 Collapse
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 161
Pyramid Element Verification

Here are a few examples demonstrating the support for Verify > Pyra capability:
Verify > Pyra > All

Verify > Pyra > Face Skew

For more details, check: Verify - Pyra (All) (Ch. 11) in the Reference Manual - Part III.
162 Patran Release Guide
Rotor Dynamic and Nonlinear Harmonic Analysis

Rotor Dynamic and Nonlinear Harmonic Analysis

Support for rotor dynamic analysis in Patran has been dramatically enhanced and is a multi-phase project,
with more to come, scheduled out over a number of Patran releases. In this 2023.4 release the following
updates have been implemented:

 Updated GUI Support

 Better Graphical Visualization
 Support for Nonlinear Harmonic Analysis
 Miscellaneous Improvements

Updated Rotor Dynamics Interface

The graphical user interface (GUI) for rotor dynamic as been improved. There are basically two steps to a
rotor dynamic analysis as far as set up is concerned:
 Rotor Definition
 Analysis Setup - Rotor Selection
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 163
Rotor Dynamic and Nonlinear Harmonic Analysis

Rotor Definition are done under the Tools | Rotor Dynamics... application. This tool used to be buried
under Tools | Modeling | Rotor Dynamics... It has now been placed in a more prominent location under the
Tools pull down menu.

Rotor Definition:
Within this rotor dynamic application you can perform the following:
 Define 1D, 2D, and 3D rotors. This allows for creation of ROTORG, ROTORAX, and ROTOR
entries in the MSC Nastran input file, including the related RSPINR or RSPINT entries.
• 1D (ROTORG) is a rotor line model defined by grids making up the axis of rotation.
• 2D (ROTORAX) is an axisymmetric rotor model defined by a set of axisymmetric elements or
equivalent property set(s) and a set of nodes defining the axis of rotation.
• 3D (ROTOR) is a 3D rotor model defined by a set of elements or equivalent property sets and a
set of nodes defining the axis of rotation. Multiple element types are allowed in a single 3D rotor
definition - mass elements, beams/bars, shells, solids. Rotor problems can be analyzed in either a
fixed or a rotating reference frame.
• The spin profile (rotor speed(s) and damping specification for any of these rotor types are defined
with the GUI also and placed on the RSPINR or RSPINT entries. RSPINT is for transient
analysis and RSPINR is for all other analysis types. These have been enhanced to support all
damping terms.
• Rotor Names and IDs - a rotor is given a name and an ID. The ID is used as the ID of the rotor
in the MSC Nastran input file. The name of the rotor is displayed as <rotor_name>.<id>. You
may display the rotor as just names or just IDs or as both with the list boxes of available rotors.
All rotors must have unique names and IDs.
 Define Unbalance Load(s) - for transient and frequency response analysis, including nonlinear
harmonic analysis, mass unbalance load(s) may be defined and are placed on node(s) defining the
axis of rotation, which writes the UNBALNC entry to the MSC Nastran input file.
164 Patran Release Guide
Rotor Dynamic and Nonlinear Harmonic Analysis

 Plot Cambpell Diagram Output - this capability is now available directly through the rotor
dynamics GUI, where as it used to be only available as an optional, obscure utility under the Utilities
pull down menu. Given the output from a rotor dynamics SOL 107 or 110 (complex eigenvalue
analysis) a Campbell diagram can be easily created.
 Plot and Show - existing rotors and unbalance loads can be graphically plotted and/or tabular listed.
Here is an overview of supported rotor entries:

Entry Geometric Extent Supported Elements Reference Frame

ROTORG 1D CONM2, CBAR, CBEAM Fixed Only
ROTORAX 2D Axisymmetric Harmonic CONM2, CQUADX, CTRIAX Fixed Only
ROTOR 3D CONM1, CONM2 Fixed or Rotating
CBAR, CBEAM
CQUAD4, CTRIA3
CQUAD8, CTRIA6 (Fixed only)
CTETRA, CPENTA, CHEXA,
CPYRAM

 Modify and Delete - existing rotors and unbalance loads can be modified and deleted.

Analysis Setup
Once a rotor has been defined, including the rest of the finite element model surrounding the rotor, the
analysis can be performed under the Analysis application. The following solutions are available with
indication of changes/updates from previous releases:
 SOL 101 - Static Analysis
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 165
Rotor Dynamic and Nonlinear Harmonic Analysis

• no change from previous releases

• only 1D rotors allowed
 SOL 108/111 - Frequency Response Analysis
• now allows for unbalance loading in multiple subcases
• all rotor types (1D/2D/3D) allowed
 SOL 109/129 - Transient Analysis
• no change from previous releases
• only one unbalance load per analysis allowed
 SOL 107/110 - Complex Eigenvalue Analysis
• updated solution parameters
• all rotor types (1D/2D/3D) allowed
• Campbell Diagram output request - writes the CAMPBELL case control and CAMPBLL bulk
data
 SOL 128 - Nonlinear Harmonic Analysis
• new - see more below
• all rotor types (1D/2D/3D) allowed including unbalance loads
For the modified solution sequences above, SOL 108/111/107/110/128, a rotor dynamic analysis is turned
on when a Subcase is selected that has the Enable Rotor Dynamics toggle turned on and a reference rotor is
selected. The rotor speed and whirl frequencies are also define when selecting the rotor for analysis. This
writes the RGYRO case control and bulk data entries. If unbalance loads are present in a Subcase, then they
are also written and called out by the RGYRO entry or by a DLOAD for frequency response analysis.
If the Enable Rotor Dynamics toggle is NOT turned ON and/or a Subcase with rotor dynamics is not
selected, then no rotor or related entries are written to the input file.
Shown below is the Analysis application defining a Subcase for a SOL 107 (Direct Complex Eigenvalue)
analysis and turning ON the Rotor Dynamics analysis. Also note the form for selecting the reference rotor
and spinning properties is opened and the Campbell Diagram request is turned ON.
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Rotor Dynamic and Nonlinear Harmonic Analysis

Rotor Visualization
Internally rotors and unbalance loads are treated as Patran loads and boundary conditions. They are not
actually visible directly in the Loads/BCs application and must be managed directly through the Rotor
Dynamics interface as explained above. In previous releases there was no visualization of the rotor or
unbalance loading. This made it difficult to verify the spin direction of the rotor and the mass offset of the
unbalance load.

Rotor Spin Direction

When defining a rotor, the spin direction is displayed as a double headed arrow (indicating rotation) at each
of the selected nodes defining the axis of rotation. The spin direction is based on the engineering right-hand
rule and determined by the two nodes selected as the Spin Direction Node 1 and Spin Direction Node 2. The
spin direction is from Node 1 to Node 2. If you reverse the defined nodes for Node 1 and Node 2, the spin
direction is also reversed. The label on the vector is the rotor speed or the first rotor speed if multiple rotor
speeds are defined.
In addition to the spin direction, for 2D and 3D rotors, all elements defining the rotor are given a cyan
circular marker at the center of each element. This can make it difficult to see the spin direction vector in 3D
models and may require zooming in on the nodes defining the axis of rotation.
Shown below is a 1D rotor just shown the spin direction and speed on each node of the spin axis, a 2D
axisymmetric model with a circle in the center of each element defining the rotor with the spin direction
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 167
Rotor Dynamic and Nonlinear Harmonic Analysis

shown on three nodes defining the spin axis, and a 3D rotor of 3D elements, again with a circle in the center
of each element of the rotor and the spin direction vectors on two nodes defining the spin axis.

Unbalance Visualization
For an unbalance load, three vectors a placed at the selected node on the axis of rotation. They are as follows:
 Spin direction - this vector is placed along the axis of rotation and is not labelled
 Orientation - this vector is placed to show the ZX plane. Z is the axial direction (spin direction) of
the cylindrical coordinate system. X is the radial direction of the cylindrical system at theta = 0. This
vector is not labelled.
 Mass Offset - The label on this vector is the unbalance mass value. It is determined based on the R
and Z offsets and the theta (rotation angle of the mass about the spin axis). Note that if theta is zero,
this vector will be in the same plane as the Orientation vector. Only if an angle is provided will it be
placed out of the ZX plane. Also note that in some cases, the orientation vector and the mass offset
vector can be plotted directly on top of each other as they form the same vector. Example: in the
global system, if the spin direction is in the positive x-direction <1 0 0> and the orientation vector is
defined as the y-direction <0 1 0>, then if not angle or offset are given, the mass offset vector will
also be <0 1 0>.
Pictured below are four representations of an unbalance load. The first has the orientation in the y-direction,
thus the mass offset is in the same direction and only two vectors appear. The second has the orientation
defined as <1 1 0>, but still in the ZX plane. The mass offset is the same as the first. The third is the same as
the second but with the mass rotated 30 degrees. The last has the mass rotated 30 degrees and offset 0.5 units
in the axial direction of the rotor.
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Rotor Dynamic and Nonlinear Harmonic Analysis

Nonlinear Harmonic Analysis (SOL 128)

In support of rotor dynamics, the nonlinear harmonic analysis solution has been added to the Patran Analysis
application.

Nonlinear harmonic analysis is a special form of direct frequency response allowing for minor nonlinearity in
the loading. Analysis set up is done as with standard frequency response analysis with the exceptions as noted
here. For specifics on the SOL 128 usage and setup from an analysis standpoint, please consult Chapter 21,
Special Topics, Nonlinear Harmonic Response in the MSC Nastran Dynamics Analysis User’s Guide.

Solution/Control Parameters
The following form is available to specify solution parameters specific to SOL 128. Items on the form are
written to the NHRPRM entry. If all defaults are set, no NHRMPRM entry is written.
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 169
Rotor Dynamic and Nonlinear Harmonic Analysis

Subcases
The Subcases for has three updates for Nonlinear Harmonics.

Frequency Content

For frequency response analysis, the frequency content or stepping is specified in the Define Frequencies...
form. For nonlinear harmonic analysis, the frequencies are specified in exactly the same way except instead
of a FREQ/FREQ1 a NLFREQ/NLFREQ1 entry is written for each definition and the called out via the
NLHARM case control and NLHARM bulk data. In addition the NLFREQC method is available in place
of the NLFREQ/NLFREQ1 methods. Either one of the other is to be used, but not both.

Rotor Dynamics

Like other solutions, this is also where rotor dynamic analysis is turned ON and the reference rotor and
spinning properties are specified, identically to frequency response analysis. See the above illustration. Any
unbalance loads for this Subcase are also written and called out via a DLOAD case control.

Output Requests

The NLLOAD (Nonlinear Applied Loads) are also specified here for all selected subcases.

Nonlinear Loads
An important and required part of nonlinear harmonic response is the definition of nonlinear loading. This
is accomplished via the definition of Nonlinear loads available through the Loads/BCs application and are
applicable to frequency response and transient analysis. If defined in a subcase, and any other solution is
requested, a warning is given with the choice to write or skip these loads. The following loads are available
for definition:
 Tabular (NOLIN1) - tabular function of nonlinear loading - load vs displacement or velocity
 Product (NOLIN2) - nonlinear loading - displacement or velocity
170 Patran Release Guide
Rotor Dynamic and Nonlinear Harmonic Analysis

 +Power (NOLIN3) - nonlinear load as a positive variable raised to a power - displacement or

velocity
 -Power (NOLIN4) - nonlinear load as a negative variable raised to a power - displacement or
velocity
 Radial Gap (NLRGAP) - nonlinear load proportional to a gap - time or frequency dependent
 Radial Damper (NLRSFD) - nonlinear load proportional to a squeeze film damper
 3D Damper (NLBSH3D/LBSH3DG) - nonlinear 3D rotor loading to find force as a function of
displacement or velocity and current rotor speed

As these loads are most only applicable to nonlinear harmonic, frequency response, transient, and/or rotor
dynamic analysis, they are only accessible via the Structural Preference, currently. Above shows the input data
for each Nonlinear load. The application region for all of them consists of two nodes only (three for Product
- NOLIN2). For Radial Gap, Damper, and Bush nonlinear loads, the two nodes must be coincident with
parallel coordinate systems. Please see section on Loads/BCs in the MSC Nastran Preference Guide for more
detail.

Miscellaneous Improvements
The following miscellaneous additions or improvements have been done in support of rotor dynamic and/or
nonlinear harmonic analysis, but applicable to other solutions also.
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 171
Rotor Dynamic and Nonlinear Harmonic Analysis

Axisymmetric Harmonic Elements

Axisymmetric harmonic elements and their properties are now supported under the Properties application
as 2D | 2D Solid | Axisymmetric | Harmonic. This writes the CQUADX/CTRIAX elements with the
PAXSYMH property. Only 3/6 noded CTRIAX and 4/8 noded CQUADX elements are supported with
MAT1 or MAT9 materials. More details can be found in the MSC Nastran Preference Guide.

Axisymmetric Harmonic Rigid Connections (RBAX3D)

A new MPC under the Finite Elements application has been added for support of axisymmetric elements
and rotor dynamics to connect the axisymmetric elements to the 3D model. The independent point (G3D)
is a node on the axis of symmetry and must not be associated to an axisymmetric element. The other
dependent point (GAX) must be a node on the axisymmetric element. More details can be found in the MSC
Nastran Preference Guide.

Bush Elements
As bush elements are vital to rotor dynamic and/or nonlinear harmonic analysis, improvements have been
made to the support for the following elements and their properties:
 CBUSH/PBUSH/PBUSHT - any missing properties from previous releases have been updated
172 Patran Release Guide
Rotor Dynamic and Nonlinear Harmonic Analysis

 CBUSH1D/PBUSH1D - a new element and property set has been added to support this rod-like
bush element
 CBUSH2D/PBUSH2D/PBSH2DT - any missing properties from previous releases have been
updated including support for ELEMUDS
Note that the above changes are generic and work with any analysis. PBUSH2D with ELEMUDS is still only
supported in SOL 400 (Implicit Nonlinear Preference) therefore cannot be used rotor dynamic analysis via
Patran, yet. More details can be found in the MSC Nastran Preference Guide.

Examples/Tutorial
The MSC Nastran Rotor Dynamics User’s Guide has an extensive tutorial illustrating how to set up and run
a rotor dynamics analysis within Patran. Please see Chapter 6 of the MSC Nastran Rotor Dynamics User’s
Guide for details.
Rotor Dynamics examples are also provided under the Analysis application with the Action set to Run Demo
and the Category set to What’s New or Dynamics. These can easily be run if Patran is set up to run MSC
Nastran properly. Once run, the analysis set up can be viewed for a better understanding.

Limitations
The following limitations exist with the current support of rotor dynamics with plans to address these in
subsequent releases.
 2D/3D Rotors - only those analysis types indicated above currently allow selection of 2D or 3D
rotors. Updates to Static (SOL 101) and Transient (SOL 109/129) coming.
 Multiple Rotors Support - only a single rotors can currently be analyzed at a time, Definition of
reference rotors (REFROT, REFRTSE) for non-reference rotors is not yet possible through the
current interface.
 Superelement Support - there is no support for the ROTORSE entry or the ROTRSEID fields on
the RSPINR or RSPINT entries to place or define rotors within superelements.
 Chapter 3: MSC Nastran Support 173
Rotor Dynamic and Nonlinear Harmonic Analysis

 SOL 400 Support - The Implicit Nonlinear preference does not yet support set up of rotor dynamic
analysis, including support of the ROTBENT entry for defining kinks and offsets applied to the
rotor to pull it on to its bearings before the rotor dynamic analysis.
 Hybrid Damping - the HYBDAMP and ROTHYBD entries are not yet supported. All other
damping specifications for rotor dynamics are supported on the RSPINR, RSPINT, and RGYRO
entries.
 UDS Support - user defined services/subroutines are not yet supported for rotor dynamic analysis.
 Group Transform (Translate, Rotate, Mirror, etc.) - Copy and Move currently ignores any rotors,
unbalance and nonlinear loads. These LBCs are not transformed.
 All mentioned Nastran entries can be imported with the exception of PAXSYMH, RBAX3D,
NONLINi, NLRGAP, NLRSFD, NLBSH3D, and UNBALNC entries in this release.
 Certain dynamic loading such as defined with TABLED3 and TABLED4 entries is not yet possible
directly through Patran and still requires editing of the Nastran input file to use these types of
loading tables.
 Session file and database upward compatibility. Old databases that contain rotors or old session files
that create them via the old PCL interface routines continue to work as is. The old rotor is defined
with ID 0 and automatically assigned an ID on translation. However, if an old rotor definition is
modified, an ID must be given.
174 Patran Release Guide
Rotor Dynamic and Nonlinear Harmonic Analysis
 MSC.Fatigue Quick Start Guide

Index
Patran Release Guide

Numerics F
4K Monitor, 38 File Import, 126, 134
Flexible Glued Contact, 62
Index Flightloads, 8
A
Abaqus, 8 Follower Force LBC, 108
ACIS, 6 FORCE1, 108
ANSYS, 8 FORCE2, 108
Automatic Contact Generation, 130
Axisymmetric Harmonics Elements, 163 G
Gaps, 80
B
BCAUTOP, 131 H
BCONPRG, 63 Hardware, 5
BCONTACT, 131 Harmonic Analysis, 154
BCPARA, 63 Harmonic Elements, 163
BOLT1, 101 HDF5, 8, 95, 123, 144
Bush Elements, 163 highlights, 2
Hybrid Mesher, 147
C
CAD Access, 6 I
Campbell Diagrams, 156 IGES, 6
CATIA, 6 Initial Gap/Overlap, 80
CBUSH/CBUSH1D/CBUSH2D, 163 Interference Fit, 80
Composite Enveloping, 45
Contact Body/Pairs, 89 K
CQUADX, 163 key highlights, 2
CTRIAX, 163

L
D limitations, 7
DBALL, 8 LS- DYNA3D, 8
deprecated features, 4
DLOAD, 161
Dytran, 8 M
Marc, 8
MASTER, 8
E Materials, 51
ELEMUDS, 164 MaxMin, 45
enhancements, 2 MOMENT1, 108
176 Patran Release Guide

MOMENT2, 108 ROTORAX, 155

MPC - Harmonic Rigid Connector, 163 ROTORG, 155
RSPINR, 155
N RSPINT, 155
Nastran, 8
NHRMPRM, 160 S
NLBSH3D, 161 SOL 128, 154, 160
NLFREQ, 161 Solid Works, 6
NLFREQ1, 161 Solutions - Rotor Dynamics, 156
NLFREQC, 161 Splines, 99
NLHARM, 161 STEP, 6
NLLOAD, 161 Supported OS levels/Hardware Platforms, 5
NLRGAP, 161
NLRSFD, 161 T
Nodal Penalty, 88 Thermal, 8
NOLINi, 161
Nonlinear Buckling, 73
Nonlinear Harmonic Analysis, 154, 160 U
Nonlinear Loads, 161 Unbalance Loads, 155
Unigraphics, 6
User Defined Services, 164
O
Operating systems, supported, 5
Output2, 8 W
Overlaps, 80 Windows 11, 5

P X
PAMCRASH, 8 XDB, 8
Parasolid, 6
PAXSYMH, 163
PBUSH, 163
PBUSH1D, 163
PBUSH2D, 163
Perturbation, 114
Pro/ENGINEER, 6
Properties, 55
Pyramid Elements, 73, 136, 154

R
Random Analysis, 144
RBAX3D, 163
Relative Displacement, 123
Rendering, 51
Results, 123
ROTOR, 155
Rotor Dynamics, 154