To export a model from Mechanical APDL to another application, use menu path or the CDWRITE command within the general preprocessor, PREP7. This produces a coded database file called Jobname.cdb. You specify the jobname using or the /FILNAME command. If you supply no jobname, Mechanical APDL uses the default name "file".
The Jobname.cdb file contains selected geometry (nodes and elements), load items, and other model data in terms of Mechanical APDL input commands. (For a complete list of data in the file, see the CDWRITE description in the Command Reference.) You can convert this information to a format compatible with the program into which you are importing it. The next few pages describe special considerations and commands you may need to do this conversion.
Note: Files created by the CDWRITE command have the active coordinate system set to Cartesian (CSYS, 0).
Mechanical APDL may create parameters in the CDWRITE file that start with an underscore (_), usually an "_z." Such parameters are for Mechanical APDL internal use and pass information to the Mechanical APDL GUI.
Mechanical APDL uses a set of default labels for the degrees of freedom. You use these labels when entering boundary conditions, or Mechanical APDL uses the labels when writing the Jobname.cdb file.
You can change the labels to reflect the degrees of freedom of the other program by issuing the command /DFLAB. If you are customizing the degree-of-freedom labels, /DFLAB must be the first command you enter within Mechanical APDL. You may want to include the command in your START.ANS file. You can use /DFLAB only at the Begin processing level.
/DFLAB assigns or reassigns the "displacement" and "force" labels in the Mechanical APDL degree-of-freedom list. For example, DOF number 1 is predefined to have a displacement label of UX and a force label of FX, but you can assign new labels to this degree of freedom by issuing /DFLAB. Changing predefined labels generates a warning message.
The format for the /DFLAB command is:
/DFLAB,NDOF,LabD,LabF-
NDOF Mechanical APDL degree-of-freedom number (1 to 32)
-
LabD Displacement degree of freedom label to be assigned (up to four characters)
-
LabF Force label to be assigned (up to four characters)
You can also use /DFLAB to assign labels to spare degree-of-freedom numbers. Spare displacement and force labels are from 27 to 32. All other degree-of-freedom numbers are predefined, as follows:
| DOF Number | Corresponding Displacement Label | Corresponding Force Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | UX | FX |
| 2 | UY | FY |
| 3 | UZ | FZ |
| 4 | ROTX | MX |
| 5 | ROTY | MY |
| 6 | ROTZ | MZ |
| 7 | AX | CSGX |
| 8 | AY | CSGY |
| 9 | AZ | CSGZ |
| 10 | VX | VFX |
| 11 | VY | VFY |
| 12 | VZ | VFZ |
| 13 | GFV1 | GFL1 |
| 14 | GFV2 | GFL2 |
| 15 | GFV3 | PFFL |
| 16 | WARP | BMOM |
| 17 | CONC | RATE |
| 18 | HDSP | DVOL |
| 19 | PRES | FLOW |
| 20 | TEMP | HEAT |
| 21 | VOLT | AMPS |
| 22 | MAG | FLUX |
| 23 | ENKE | NPKE |
| 24 | ENDS | NPDS |
| 25 | EMF | CURT |
| 26 | CURR | VLTG |