Importing Files

When working on a Workbench project, you may need to import files such as input files, existing mesh files, and geometries.

When you edit an imported file, Workbench saves a copy of the file to the project directory, rather than overwriting the original file. This process ensures that your original files are never compromised.

Importing an archived project adds the data contained in the project to the currently-loaded project. Systems in the imported project are added to the schematic, along with all the data they contain. The connections between imported systems are kept, but no connections are made to the systems in the existing project by the import process.

Older archived projects containing Ansoft systems cannot be imported. To import these projects, re-archive the project from the current version first.

To import files:

  1. Select File > Import. There is also a Import option on the Project tab.

  2. Optionally, specify a desired file type from the file selection filter list. File types include:

    • Workbench Project Archive Files (*.wbpz)

    • Workbench R10/11 Project (*.wbdb)

    • Importable Mechanical File (*.dsdb, *.mechdat)

    • Fluent Mesh File (*.msh)

    • Importable Mesh File (*.cmdb, *.meshdat)

    • Engineering Data File (*.xml, *.engd)

    • Geometry File (*.sat, *.sab, *.ant, *pmdb, *.agdb, *.model, *.exp, *.session, *.div, *CATPart, *CATProduct, *.3dxml, *.ipt, *.iam, *.jt)

    • Mechanical APDL CDB (*.cdb)

    • ICEM CFD Mesh File (*.uns)

    • Fluent Case File (*.cas)

    • NASTRAN Bulk Data File (*.bdf)

    • NASTRAN File (*.nas)

    • NASTRAN Data File (*.dat)

    • LS-DYNA Input File (*.k and *.key)

    • ABAQUS Input (*.inp)

    • Ansys Amco File (*.acmo)

    • ICEM CFD Project (*.prj)

    • BladeGen File (*.bgd)

    • AQWAWB Database (*.aqdb)

      AUTODYN Save File (*.ad)

    • CFX-Pre-Case File (*.cfx)

    • CFX-Solver Input File (*.def, *.mdef)

    • CFX-Solver Results File (*.res, *.bak, *.mres, *.trn)

    • Mechanical Project File (*.mechdb)

    • Mechanical Project Archive File (*.mechpz)

  3. Browse to the file location.

  4. Select the file to import.

  5. Click Open.

All data for the current design point is imported; systems that were up-to-date in the archive are up-to-date after import and contain any generated results. User files in the imported project are added to the current project and are renamed if needed to avoid conflicts with existing files.

Parameters from the imported project are added to the parameter set. If the imported project contains design points, those design points are added to the design point table, using the current parameter values from the existing project. Retained design point files from the imported project are not added to the new project. However, if the archived project to be imported contains DX systems, the DX systems are not imported, although the other systems in the project are imported.