ANSYS celebrating 40 years..

 

I have talked about ANSYS in this blog a number of times. Its in fact my first analysis software. I use it time to time in my work.

Its celebrating 40 years!!

Read the timeline of and the anniversary video here

Be sure to read

My ten hours with ANSYS?

Catia,Solidworks, NASTRAN, ANSYS they are just too...

How I learnt ANSYS, NASTRAN or Solidworks?

Have you found Free magazines?

A few posts back i posted about how to use this blog effectively. I don't know about i fired up my browser and tried few combinations to see what i'll get from the blog and this try brought me couple of blog entries that i did regarding free aerospace magazine on net. It also landed me to the post that points to an online ansys magazine.

Want to see the links?

Here it is http://my-aesi.blogspot.com/search?q=magazine+free

my experiments showed me this links once again. What have you found? Do try!

Before you hunt for Catia, Nastran, UG, solidworks, ANSYS etc training centers

Getting pretty good at things is merely a first step, but one that you need to take in order to be ready to spend the money to get great.

This is a quote from a recent post of Seth Goldin titled Why aren't you (really) good at graphic design?

Now what does that mean. Essentially what he says is that self learning should come before you shell out some money to the institutes. Before you hunt for Catia, Nastran, UG, solidworks, ANSYS etc training centers.

This applies more to AeSI students as we lack the facilities that graduates from other institutions get by default. With labs and dedicated tutors these things come as part of the curriculum. But for AeSI, your initiative is the weapon.

And you know what? Getting pretty good in catia, nastran or any other software, programming language is the matter of sitting with the software one hour each and every day. IF you can discipline yourself to put in that one hour.... your are on your way to be pretty good at that software.

Net is an abundant source. Google's technology is there then what is stopping you. Put in that hour.

Once you have done this you will not have much doubt to choose which CATIA training centre or NASTRAN training centre to go to get great in that software!!!

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Some latest posts

1. TATA Nano can Help You in Your Studies!
2. Training is all about your Mentors work
3. Take baby steps to enjoy the journey.
4. Some Tips to learn from Tutorials
5. Energy, Interest, and Time.

Polaroid Approach

I like “Polaroids” as a way to quickly get across the idea of rapid prototyping. Go through a ton of stuff and give it all a quick shot. Then see what sticks and devote more resources to that. That way, failure is cheap. You’re actually expecting failure and embracing the idea that only a small percentage of your ideas are truly good enough to earn a big chunk of your attention.

Recently read this at the Signal vs. Noise blog from the 37signals. As I read this I realized how I have been using this in all my learning experience and in my day to day work.

In my last project at work, the client has some requirements but they didn’t have any plan of implementing it, when they conveyed their requirement and the task came to me, I had no idea how to go about it.

It was the task that we were doing for the first time and I had no precedence and person to turn to. The internet was the only option but that brought contradictory and fractured information. So I soaked up all the info that I felt was relevant and gave each and every technique a quick try, sometimes the thing gave some more insight, sometimes it was a complete waste but I tried on and on.

Sometimes I felt of not trying something because it felt it will not work, but I kept at it and was surprised many times that those tricks that I doubted provided me the much needed help. So finally with all the techniques that I tried few stuck and that formed the basis of delivered product.

The main trick is try everything without any bias. Keep at it. Just try things don’t judge until you have tried everything. This simple but a little time consuming experience will open doors to more creative and useful solutions.

You can apply this similar techniques in learning any software tool, be it catia, solidworks or nastran or ansys. Just try on as many tutorials as you can lay hands on it. Try different combinations of the tutorials as suggested in this previous post.

So what are you waiting for. Next time faced with any learning or challenging assignment you need creative ideas in, Go through a ton of stuff and give it all a quick shot. Somewhere down the line you will get what you want.

How I learnt ANSYS, NASTRAN or Solidworks?

Last week at my office I was given an entirely new fem tool to work on. I have already have experience on working on ANSYS and Nastran but this tool that I was assigned to work on was entirely new and it was the first time that I have seen that tool. So I applied all the techniques that I applied learning ANSYS and Nastran to get a head start into this tool.

As expected since the tool is in-house it has its own conventions and was out of sync with the other fem or analysis tools I have worked on. Moving , panning and zooming the models were all different, laying out of the GUI was different. In fact now as I write this I thing the layout of the tool was much better than hyper mesh, which uses radically different GUI…  anyways since this is the software I had to work on for a couple of months now so I decided to dig in.

Before even touching the software, I took up the help notes and tutorials that were made available to me. I went of reading them, not line by line but reading through and stopping only were it mentions overall details. skipped anything explaining details. Took up all the tutorial and other materials that I had and scanned it. The main aim here was no bother about the specifics, but to get the big picture of the software, I learnt, the fem tool can be used for mechanical, thermal, vibration etc calculations. I leant about basic menu structure, what domain control is and how to set up mesh control. all of them by just reading through. I got a feel of the menu where each commands might be.

The next stage was to actually open the software itself and familiarize myself with the menus. Due to my previous exercise i remembered some phases for menu, dug them up.

After this took went to the open command and opened an actual model and tried rotation it…. tilting and checking it.

After having had a feel of the tool, getting a general sense of the menus, I called  up my colleague who was already working on the program. I asked him to just give me user demo and do a small analysis.

Well the guy began and due to his eagerness he started explaining me minute things, some more in details, since my aim was to get a general feel and not  to learn the details I asked him to just carry on the analysis without explaining. he went on while I sat behind and saw, and only interupted him at places where a menu command looked interesting or unfamiliar. This allowed me see how he began the analysis, what were the general conventions that any book or tutorial can’t mention and people working on the tool usually pick up.

After this tour, I stopped the work on the tool and took a 2 hrs break not touching the tool or any material regarding the tool. This allows the brain to refine the information that you already have provided it. It allows it the time to soak in the necessary info and identify the gaps that are still there.

So after the break I took one tutorial and began following it from step and low and behold within 25 mins I had completed the exercise with the same colored contour maps that are so common in fem software's. If I hadn’t done the previous one hour information soak and the required rest, this time to completion would have been higher and I would have stuck at many places..

After the results I didn’t stop there although the tutorial ended there. The exercise was over but the detailing following of excise prompted and introduced me to new menu items that I wanted to check so I went into the explorative mode and began exploring different results options that were there. Drawing graphs, seeing different contour maps, mapping streamlines, getting vectors of heat flow and many such. This exploration again expanded the knowledge and helped me in getting more of the next tutorial  that I will do on my next meeting with this tool.

So what’s the take away from this whole exercise, if you want to learn a analysis or design software quickly then I guess this experience of mine will be great for you. Its not the first time I have applied this techniques but have used it to learn ANSYS, solidworks , Nastran, and VB. so take whatever you like and apply it in your own learning. good luck!!

Related : My 10 hours with ANSYS

Useful info for stress analysis field from manish

Are you a member of AeSIAA ? There recently Mr. Manish shared this good information about learning a stress analysis tool. I am reposting his information here hoping AeSI graduate desirious of learning this tool can use it.

dear friends.
i am working in NAL as contract engineer,from last 6 months i was searching a person who can guide me  in Stress Analysis  field, i am working on Hypermesh, Nastran, and FEMAP, and trying hard to understand Crush analysis in Lsdyna, finally i got a person who is scientist in CABS, and running a institute in murgeshpalys, just opposite to  solarpuria complex.
he has  good knowledge in crush analysis, and the fee is 3000rs.
bird impact,air bag, crush, dummy.....etc analysis and some more problems he is taking and going to take....at final he will be finishing  nearly 25 type of  different problems.... if any  one  who wants to join with me is well come, my 4 classes  r over, and his class for implicit Vs explicit was nice, and reflects his  good fundamentals. his number is 09480261320 name Mr. Kartik.
fees may   differ so u can give my referance.
see u
manish didwania

 

Thanks Manish!!

If you have such information please feel free to inform us in the comments it might help someone.

Related: My ten hours with ANSYS

Read the ANSYS Advantage magazine for free

In my last post titled tools for aerospace industry' i listed tools that are used by an aerospace engineer. One of the tools that i mentioned was ANSYS. I had some experience with ANSYS in NAL and at IISC while doing the FEM course. Read my experience with ANSYS in the post titled my 10 hours with ANSYS.



Well this post is about ansys, but is also related to one of the previous post regarding reading aerospace magazine online. Here's one resource where you can do the same with ansys. This is a great resource for anyone interested in simulation and analysis with ANSYS. Its an online magazine published by ANSYS itself and i think its great fro all budding aerospace engineers from aesi.

Wish i had known about this in my aesi day, then i would have gravitated towards analysis side of my career rather than the software side.

Anyway the magazine is titled ANSYS Advantage and can be read online here and if you want to read it offline then here's the link to download the full version as PDF.

Unlike aerospace America, Ansys Advantage is quarterly magazine and has only 4 issues per year but definitely worth a read for anyone interested in analysis field and simulation.

The latest issue of ANSYS Advantage features articles on how Speedo’s new full-body swimsuit was designed using simulation technology in pursuit of gold medals and world records, how simulation tools help to increase megayacht sailing performance, and how a toilet discharge valve is optimized to reduce household water consumption and maintain performance. A special spotlight section explains the five key principles that guide the development of simulation products and technology at ANSYS.

So you see aerospace is not the only domain ansys is being use, perhaps in the upcoming 2008 Beijing Olympics someone might be using a swim suited that was designed after analysis in ANSYS. who knows.

Talking about Beijing Olympics reminds me about one of another tool of aerospace that is used to build the Olympics stadium in china.

If you know of other online reading resources then do tell me in comments. Happy reading folks.

My ten hours with ANSYS?

Well, for MATLAB, i can say its help is great, i mean great. And i have only used it for 5 hours till now in my life and i can say confidently that given a chance, i will learn the software easily and can make it work the way i want.

But, unfortunately, ANSYS, doesn't come a wee bit closer to it, in terms of friendliness to use.

In my ten hours of its use, i have just now begin to get comfortable with it.
The menu's are different, the help is cluttered, commands not presented all at one place and difficult to begin with, are few of its shortfalls.

Unlike matlab's  help, which expects you to be novice to it and takes you to the guided tour, ansys, lacks the lucidness, clarity and the initial interest factor for a beginner. Its  much easier to begin and learn as you go in MATLAB than this software.

 Few enhancement it could include are the first few chapters should be uncluttered, not much links should be provided and in the middle of the chapters do not provide information, not required now, put them at he end.

Well, a striking difference that anyone tinkering with this software will feel is  that its passive for most of the time.

This was a striking thing that hit me while using ansys, which in case of matlab is exactly opposite. Matlab it active and very interactive.

Well, not everything was negative in my experience with ansys. Something  were very intuitive like using this software it feels like you are setting up a display with all careful, definition and modelling and meshing and the final show is when you see the result. It feels  like  you are preparing for a magic show, with all those pre-possessing , defining and patient modeling.

The fact that i used, possions ratio, Young's modulus, coefficient of expansion and so forth and actually applied them in  a  software for analysis was another good thing i enjoyed. I always  thought  this  was the stuff for books to scare us !!!!  ( just kidding)

But the ultimate pleasure with this software is when you see your work, hours of modeling and meshing, give you the solution and mostly the animation that you can see.

Imagine making a truss and finding loads in each members automatically and moreover seeing actually how the structure deforms is a pleasure that you need to see to enjoy.

My ten hours in ansys were slow, but after getting results, i know  every seconds i spend on it was worthwhile. 

What is ANSYS?

ANSYS is a general purpose finite element modeling package for numerically solving a wide variety of mechanical problems, used widely in industry to simulate the response of a physical system to structural loading, and thermal and electromagnetic effects. ANSYS uses the finite-element method to solve the underlying governing equations and the associated problem-specific boundary conditions.




Looking for tutorials for ansys click this link