This section examines some general troubleshooting techniques when importing a part.
If you receive errors, examine the filename.log file created by Mechanical APDL. It is located in the current working directory and may contain clues to the source of the error.
If a part name fails to be read into Mechanical APDL. Be sure that the part name begins with an alphanumeric (required). If your part name begins with a special character, you must rename it before importing. For example, a NX user can rename the part name _123hinge.prt to be 123hinge.prt, or x123hinge.prt.
Models that have undergone multiple conversions from other CAD packages may cause difficulties when transferring into Mechanical APDL.
If your CAD package has a "defeature" option, use the utility before importing the part to Mechanical APDL. This allows you to avoid analyzing a model with small features that are irrelevant in a Mechanical APDL study. Parts that have sharp vertices or areas that have lines that touch may experience problems in tessellation and meshing.
If the model fails to mesh, you can repair, simplify, or reimport the model.
Choose for a list of possible problem areas in your model. To use this commands, the part must be imported with the Allow Defeaturing option selected.
Repair portions of the model by choosing to update nodes. To use this command, the part must be imported with the Allow Defeaturing option selected.
Be sure to use elements that are designed to model irregular meshes. These elements are particularly well-suited for using with imported parts:
Listed below are several problems you may see when running the connection for Creo Parametric. For general troubleshooting information, see Appendix B: Troubleshooting Connection Issues.
Please note that it is necessary to first run the CAD Configuration Manager to configure the connection for Creo Parametric. See the Ansys, Inc. Installation Guide for your platform for more information.
Connection for Creo Parametric can't find necessary files to run.
Mechanical APDL expects Creo Parametric to be run in the same directory from which it
is started (the working directory). The trouble can occur if you have a
startup file (such as parametric.bat,
proe1.bat, etc.) that modifies the working
directory of Creo Parametric (typically from a change directory,
cd, command).
Connection for Creo Parametric does not run.
Be sure Creo Parametric can run on the machine on which you just installed the connection for Creo Parametric.
Verify that a WBPlugInPE.dat file exists in Program Files\ANSYS Inc\V242\AISOL\CADIntegration\%ANSYS_PROEWF_VER%\ProEPages\config. Verify that the path names listed in this file are correct.
Verify that the WBPlugInPE.dat file is pointing to the correct executable: ac4pro or ac4pro_wf5. See the Creo Parametric Configuration for more information.
Mechanical APDL does not launch from within Creo Parametric, and one of the following (or similar) messages appears:
The requested license feature is not available. Contact your Ansys, Inc. support contact.
OR
ANSYS242_DIR environment variable is not set. This is a fatal licensing error.
The required licmsgs.dat file, which contains licensing-related
messages, was not found or could not be opened. The following path was
determined using <path error occurred>.
This is a fatal licensing error. (Path: )
Connection for Pro/E terminated successfully
This problem occurs if the ANSYS242_DIR (or ANSYS_DIR) or ANSYSLIC_DIR is not set. See the discussion on post-installation procedures in the Ansys, Inc. Installation Guide for your platform for more information on setting these environment variables.
Connection for Creo Parametric Cannot Import Models Using Network UNC Paths
There is a known limitation with the connection for Creo Parametric where the connection will fail to import models specified using UNC paths. As a workaround, either copy the file to the local drive, or map the location to a network drive and import from there. This does not apply when launching Mechanical APDL from Creo Parametric.
Connection does not load into Creo Parametric 8.0.0.0.
This can be caused by installing the CAD package without including the Legacy Toolkit Application Runtime. The resolution is to reconfigure/reinstall Creo Parametric 8.0 or later with that option selected.
Listed below are several problems you may encounter when running the connection for NX.
Before you import a part into Mechanical APDL, you should use the Examine Geometry function in NX to identify any abnormalities in the part. Any problems with the part need to be corrected in NX first.
Parts created using an older version of NX (especially those created prior to version 11.0) may need to be upgraded to a supported version of NX.
When specifying an NX part file, be sure to use the absolute path of the model file. There is a limitation in the NX API which prevents successful processing of models using relative paths.
If a part fails to import into Mechanical APDL, examine jobname.ug_log and jobname.ans_log. Both files are located in the current working directory. The jobname.ug_log file contains warnings and errors generated during the conversion that relate to problems in the part itself. The jobname.ans_log file contains warnings and errors that relate to building the model in Mechanical APDL.
When you import a part and only certain aspects of it are displayed (for example, the keypoints), look at the part in NX using the Examine Geometry tool. This tool helps to locate corruption in the part.
Allow Defeaturing option during Mechanical APDL NX import
Allow Defeaturing option is known to cause problem for some NX geometries during import. The defeaturing method is currently not supported. Please avoid using the option if you encounter a problem with it.
Using Deprecated Subdivide Method
The Mechanical APDL NX Connection uses a subdivide method that preserves the edge name after the subdivide better than in older releases. To use the old method, set the environment variable ANSCONUG_USE_DEPRECATED_SUBDIVIDE=1.
The following issues may be encountered when running the connection for Parasolid. For general troubleshooting information, see Appendix B: Troubleshooting Connection Issues.
If a part fails to convert into Mechanical APDL, examine filename.para_log and filename.ans_log. Both files are located in the working directory. The filename.para_log file contains warnings and errors generated during the conversion that relate to problems in the file itself. The filename.ans_log file contains warnings and errors that relate to building the model in Mechanical APDL.
Note: The filename.ans_log file is only generated when the part is saved in neutral database format.
Failed to process.
May indicate a corrupt Parasolid file. This can be caused by sending a Parasolid file via e-mail, or by trying to import a binary file. The safest way to transfer a Parasolid file is to use FTP and transfer the file using binary mode; be certain to save the file in ASCII format (not binary). On UNIX operating systems, the dos2unix command can be used to convert the file to UNIX format.
Failed to process.
Schema keys are missing. Check the installation. Schema keys should be
found in <drive>:\Program Files\ANSYS Inc\V242\ANSYS\ac4\schema
(Windows). On Windows machines, the P_SCHEMA environment
variable must be set to <drive>:\Program Files\ANSYS Inc\V242\ANSYS\ac4\schema.
***Warning: Ansys environment variables: ANSYS242_DIR and/or ANSYS242_SYSDIR are not set.
***ERROR: connection for Parasolid directory structure is not set. Unable to find the Connection executable.
Either the ANSYS242_DIR or the ANSYS242_SYSDIR variable needs to be set. See the Ansys, Inc. Installation Guide for your platform for information about these configuration variables.
Listed below are several problems you may encounter when running the connection for ACIS. For further troubleshooting information, see Appendix B: Troubleshooting Connection Issues.
If a part fails to convert into Mechanical APDL, examine filename.sat_log and filename.ans_log. Both files are located in the working directory. The filename.sat_log file contains warnings and errors generated during the conversion that relate to problems in the file itself. The filename.ans_log file contains warnings and errors that relate to building the model in Mechanical APDL.
If a model is sensitive to tolerance, shapes may not be created properly, which can lead to poorly transferred areas. If you find this problem with a model, reimport it using the following steps:
Import the file using the default format (neutral).
Enter the following command in the Mechanical APDL Input window:
XANF,filename.aaa,-tolerance_1.0e-6
where filename.aaa is the name of the file you are working with
The following problems may occur on Windows systems: A sys error may be displayed if the executable is in the wrong directory or if the required shared libraries are missing. Check for proper installation (see the Ansys, Inc. Windows Installation Guide) and reinstall the software.
***Warning: Ansys environment variables: ANSYS242_DIR and/or ANSYS242_SYSDIR are not set.
***ERROR: connection for SAT directory structure is not set. Unable to find the Connection executable.
Either the ANSYS242_DIR or the ANSYS242_SYSDIR variable needs to be set. See the Ansys, Inc. Installation Guide for your platform for information about these configuration variables.