When no model is defined (2D/3D, units) then you can’t import files (grayed out in the menu)
How about allowing to select files, then scanning for properties and display it, (e.g. in the message window) and prevent inappropriate model settings.
Display of the bounding box would help with selecting the correct unit system, at least for the length dimension.
I am still struggling to find a good way to select the model unit system and model 2D/3D type. I don’t like the properties window popping up every time. But there is a double-click shortcut option to confirm the unit system or 2D/3D type.
I tested the previous setup where a new model without properties was prepared for the user on program start. When the user imported the geometry a model properties selection was shown before the geometry was imported. That felt strange since the user could not see the geometry’s size to decide about the units. But since I added a scale geometry feature that is not such a problem anymore. Still, I did not like the idea that a new model is prepared but not all of its properties are set. So I decided against such an approach.
Now no model is defined at the beginning. This means nothing can be done with it. It is like any other software where a new “file” must be created first in order to do something with it. I think such an approach is more universal. There was an idea of adding templates when a new model is created. That could help define the model properties and the model properties window would not open every time the New model is selected but the user would have to select a template.
Thank you for the explanations.
I understand it is a design choice and providing altenative workflow options doesn’t come for free in terms of development work. So I am fine with low priority on the todo list.
My proposal is to add the Import feature to the valid sets of action toinitialize a model. Now that is limited to New and Load.
Just as with “New”, ask the user for the settings, perhaps assisted by display of the bounding box (based on a preliminary scan of the selected file) with a hint on what model space selections would be sensible.
Yes, I can think about it. Probably the model should first be imported and the scale bar shown without the units so the user could determine the appropriate unit system.
here i’m only share using another FE packages, were all of the problems are generalize to 3D analysis.
it depending on section object definitions which classified or grouped as.
0D point - Spring, Mass
1D line - Beam, Truss, Spring
2D surface - Shell, Membrane, Plane(Stress/Strain), AxisymSolid
3D body - Solid
all can be place in arbitrary plane, so it need to do some pre-pocessing if a 2D plane (stress/strain) or AxisymSolid must lie in the XY planes. global model rotation is mandatory.
It would indeed be an interesting option to select a (planar) surface in a model and to automatically align it with the xy-plane. Then, a further alignment with x or y could be done based on selection of an edge or two points (which might be nodes or by co-ordinate).
At the moment, during the geometry import, the bounding box’s Z width is checked. If the width is not 0, the geometry cannot be imported into a 2D model. So rotating it afterwards does not help. That was implemented to inform the user that the geometry cannot be used. If this check is skipped then a message window would have to be shown informing the user to rotate the model and features to rotate the model would have to be included. This could be implemented but since geometry manipulation can be done in all CAD packages it would have a low priority.